miaowang123: then that would have to be considered very successful

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CLEVELAND -- After going through a rocky April, the Cleveland Indians got more bad news before even playing a game in May. Shane Vereen Jersey . All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained side muscle prior to Fridays game against the Chicago White Sox. Kipnis injury is expected to sideline him from three to five weeks. Losing Kipnis is yet another setback for a team thats struggled in several areas. Cleveland has lost six straight and is in last place in the AL Central. The Indians have yet to resemble the club that made the playoffs as a wild-card team in 2013. While one poor month doesnt guarantee a losing season, general manager Chris Antonetti knows its time to see some improvement. "There is obviously urgency," he said. "We want to try to turn things around as quickly as possible. Regardless of what the immediate results are, we need to play better as a team, really in all facets. Im confident well do that." Kipnis injured his oblique during an at-bat in the fourth inning of Tuesday nights loss to Los Angeles. He had an MRI on Thursday that showed the injury was more serious than originally thought. "Its not one of those ones you can play through," Kipnis said. "You have to let it fully recover because if you push it and re-injure it, youre right back at step one." The 27-year-old Kipnis is hitting .234 with three homers and 12 RBIs for the slumping Indians, who went 0-6 on a West Coast trip against the San Francisco Giants and Angels. "Trust me, watch how much this training staff hates me after about a week," he said. "As a player, you never like watching the game and not be able to help out the team. Hopefully, Ill get back out there as soon as possible." Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract at the start of this season. His injury was the low point of a trip during which the Indians scored 13 runs and batted .183. "That probably wasnt our most fun road trip," manager Terry Francona said. "Unfortunately, we managed to do some things every game that didnt help us win." In an effort to break the slump, pitchers Corey Kluber and Cody Allen wore chicken outfits while standing in the outfield during batting practice Friday, but the Indians numbers havent provided many laughs. Cleveland is 12th in the AL in runs scored and leads the league with 26 errors, resulting in 17 unearned runs. Opening day starter Justin Masterson is winless in six starts, and several key hitters, including Carlos Santana, Nick Swisher and Asdrubal Cabrera, have struggled. Catcher Yan Gomes, who signed a six-year, $23 million contract in spring training, has made seven errors after committing three last season. "Teams are going to go through stretches of the season where they dont play great," Antonetti said. "There are going to be ebbs and flows to the season." "I believe well find a way to dig ourselves out of what weve dug," Francona said. The Indians recalled infielder Jose Ramirez from Triple-A Columbus. Ramirez has a .319 average with four homers and 17 RBIs in 23 games for the Clippers. Sterling Shepard Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. D.J. Fluker Jersey . During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown.The Buffalo Sabres liked Matt Moulson so much, after he played 44 games for them last season, that they brought him back as a prize free agent this summer. Numbers Game looks at the Sabres bringing in a veteran winger to help their rebuilding plan. The Sabres Get: LW Matt Moulson. Moulson is a 30-year-old winger who was a three-time 30-goal scorer while skating on John Tavares wing, yet there are signs of decline creeping in. While he scored 23 goals and 51 points in 75 games last season, Moulsons shots on goal per game was down to 2.35, after a career-best 3.28 shots on goal per game in 2012-2013. He had three points in 10 playoff games before oblique and groin injuries knocked him out of the lineup. Over the course of his career, Moulson has been a mediocre possession player, which has generally meant good relative numbers while playing for bad teams, Going back to Buffalo, where he had 11 goals and 29 points in 44 games last season, Moulson should be looking at prime ice time, playing first line and power play, because hes one of the few on the roster that has been a consistent goal-scorer in the NHL. Given the supporting cast, it will be tough for Moulson to get bback to the 30-goal level that was becoming customary with the Islanders, but the Sabres scored a league-low 1. Paul Perkins Jersey. 83 goals per game last season, so any offensive contribution will be welcomed. Theres also a decent chance that, by the end of this five-year, $25-million deal, the Sabres wont be thrilled about the production they are getting from Moulson, as his goal-scoring production is likely to decline as he heads towards his mid-thirties, but whats the real downside? The Sabres are probably a bad team for at least a couple more years and if the supporting cast gets better, as it should, then maybe Moulson can still produce secondary offence as the Sabres eventually become more competitive. In the short-term, the next couple of seasons, if Moulson could hit for 25 goals and 50 points per season, then that would have to be considered very successful. The Wild made up for the loss of Moulson by signing free agent Thomas Vanek who, coincidentally enough, was traded for Moulson last season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys 2018 China Jerseys ' ' '