CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians traded one of their extra pieces. They’re keeping their bigger ones — for now.Cleveland began what could be a busy offseason on Wednesday by dealing versatile infielder Erik Gonzalez to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a five-player swap.The AL Central champions sent the 27-year-old Gonzalez Keith Hernandez Jersey , who appeared in 81 games for the Indians last season, along with minor league right-handers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza to the Pirates for outfielder Jordan Luplow and infielder Max Moroff.Gonzalez batted .265 with one homer and 16 RBIs last season for Cleveland, which signed the Dominican native in 2009. And while he filled a valuable utility role, he was not going to crack the starting lineup behind All-Stars Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.“That was a tough thing for us,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “We’ve had multiple conversations with Erik about it. He’s done so many things to impact the organization in his time with us, from the time he signed. He’s played every position on the field I think other than catcher at one point or another. But, as our roster has taken shape over the course of the past few seasons, we have not had an opportunity for him to play regularly.“So, we feel this will give Erik an opportunity to play more with Pittsburgh and continue his career and potentially blossom into the everyday player we think he can be.”The negligible move gives the Indians needed depth in the outfield, and it could be the first of many deals this winter.Cleveland has not dismissed speculation it may be willing to trade prominent players, including ace Corey Kluber and right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Antonetti said it’s difficult to measure whether the team has seen an increase in teams wanting to do business with the Indians.“I think what I would reiterate is that I think the conversations have reaffirmed for us that we have a lot of players on our roster and throughout our organization that are of interest to other teams Jorge De La Rosa Jersey ,” he said. “And I think what that allows us to do is have a lot of dialogue with other teams about potential opportunities for us to move forward as an organization and get better.”The 25-year-old Luplow is one of those opportunities. Cleveland’s outfield was decimated by injuries last season, and the team is not expected to re-sign Michael Brantley as a free agent.Luplow appeared in 64 games over the past two seasons with the Pirates, who named him their top minor league player in 2017.“He’s capable of playing all three outfield spots,” Antonetti said. “He’s spent most of the time in left and right, but we also believe he has the ability to play center field. He complements our roster really well as a right-handed-hitting outfielder that we think is capable of helping us at the major league level.”Moroff has split the last three seasons between Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, appearing in 26 games for the Pirates in 2018.Antonetti dealing young players — especially pitchers — like Thomas and Mendoza is difficult, but sometimes necessary.“Two young pitchers out in Arizona that we like, that have some upside,” he said. “Obviously, they’re a little ways away from the major Leagues, being both 19 years old. So http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-taijuan-walker-jersey , guys that definitely have some potential to continue to grow and develop and develop into major league pitchers. But, for us to acquire Max and Jordan, we thought it was a worthwhile deal for us to make, because they’re two guys that can help our Major League team here in the near future.” Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-0 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.Clayton Kershaw was masterful on the mound, allowing just two hits across eight innings. Kershaw threw only 85 pitchesas the Braves' bats were silenced for a second straight game.The Dodgers, meanwhile, had their offense buoyed by a two-run home run from Manny Machado in the first inning and a solo jack off the bat of Yasmani Grandal in the fifth.MLB MLBMANNYWOOD. FngdCtFV7OKershaw Continues to Exorcise Playoff Demons with Dominant Game 2Fair or not, Kershaw has been dogged for years by a narrative that he isn't reliable in the postseason.And sure, there have been ugly moments along the way that leant credence to chatter about his shaky second-season demeanor.But if recent history has been any indication, it's hard to view Kershaw as some kind of playoff liability.Jon Weisman jonweismanI made a chart of all of Clayton Kershaws #Dodgers playoff starts, to show that yes Jarrod Dyson Jersey , hes been terrible at times -- but hes also been great. mvNCAtTEU1 t2d6TiH9IcOne year after the southpaw went 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA across six postseason appearances (five starts), he picked up where he left off and made light work of Atlanta's lineup with a brilliant and efficient effort in Game 2.MLB Network MLBNetwork.ClaytonKersh22 was in command tonight. #MLBTonight breaks down the Dodgers Game Two victory, right now! #LADetermined #Postseason 4FP6mXBzuSAnd no, it wasn't a start dominated by overpowering stuff.That isn't Kershaw's M.O. anymore now that his fastball is barely eclipsing 90 mph on average, perFanGraphs.However, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was brilliant in other ways and induced weak contact all night long to frustrate a Braves lineup that ranked fourth among all clubs in hits."I don't care how you get the outs," Kershaw told ESPN.com'sAlden Gonzalezin September. "It doesn't matter to me how bad it looks, how good it looks, how many strikeouts you have. None of that stuff matters as long as you get the outs."The result of that mindset? Thelongestpostseason outing of Kershaw's career and, more importantly, a reminder that L.A. has the National League's most dangerous rotation.Braves' Lineup Showing Youth with Impatience at PlateThe Braves didn't record a single extra-base hit in Thursday night's Game 1 loss ttp://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-boxberger-jersey , and the results weren't much prettier Friday.Although Ronald Acuna Jr. led off the game with a double, that was the only real damage any Braves batter did against Kershaw.In fact, Kershaw retired 14 straight batters after Acuna's double before Ender Inciarte reached on an infield single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.Compounding matters was that Atlanta simply didn't make L.A.'s ace work. While the Braves ranked a respectable 12th in weighted on-base average (.319) during the regular season, perFanGraphs, they were consumed by impatience and made life easy for the Dodgers as they hacked away at pitches early in the count and allowed Kershaw to produce quick outs.Bill Plunkett billplunkettocr#Braves are swinging like theyve got a plane to catch. Kershaw has faced 17 batters. Every one of them has swung at the first or second pitch. 5 swung at the 1st pitch, 12 were patient and waited for the 2nd. Result -- #Dodgers Kershaw is thru 5 scoreless IP on 55 pitches.Andy McCullough McCulloughTimesThe scouting report on Clayton Kershaw involves hunting fastballs and sliders up in the zone, early in the count, and looking to elevate. The Braves are just whacking everything into the ground. Six scoreless for Kershaw.As a result, the Braves offense is in a free-fall.And according to ESPN'sSarah Langs, they are the first team since the 1921 New York Giants to open a postseason series with back-to-back scoreless appearances.The Braves should be a force to be reckoned with in the National League for quite some time given the quality of their young core, but they are going to have to deal with a couple of sobering setbacks on the game's biggest stage before they can make another leap.Buehler Can Become Household Name with Big Performance in Decisive Game 3It's hard to grab headlining honors in the Dodgers rotation with Kershaw andHyun-Jin Ryu dealing Daniel Descalso Jersey , but Walker Buehler will have a chance to make himself a household name in Game 3.Just 24 years old, Buehler cemented himself as a core piece of L.A.'s starting staff this season as he rebounded from a forgettable 9.1 innings in 2017 to go 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 4.08 strikeout-to-walk rate."If it wasn't for Walker, we probably wouldn't be here in this situation right now," second basemen Enrique Hernandez said, per ESPN.com'sBradford Doolittle."He's been huge."Still, the hype has yet to reach a fever pitch.That can all change, though, if he rolls into hostile territory and leads the Dodgers to a sweep in Game 3.Some rejuvenated Braves bats will likely greet Buehler in Atlanta, but the opportunity will present itself for him to produce what is sure to be the first of many signature moments.What's Next?The series shifts to SunTrust Park in Atlanta as the Dodgers aim to punch their ticket to the NLCS. Game 3 will get underway Sunday at 8:07 p.m. ET.
