Notes: Indians' travel bubble; patience in '20

The Indians were inspired by the NBA’s idea of creating a bubble-like atmosphere when they go on the road. The Tribe took off Wednesday night for its first road trip, and players and staff were handed kits of N95 masks and boxed dinners before they boarded. When they arrive in

The Indians were inspired by the NBA’s idea of creating a bubble-like atmosphere when they go on the road.

The Tribe took off Wednesday night for its first road trip, and players and staff were handed kits of N95 masks and boxed dinners before they boarded.

When they arrive in each city, the players will remain in their hotel rooms as often as possible, won’t go into any restaurant or building that appears to be remotely crowded and will use anti-bacterial wipes to clean surfaces when they enter their rooms.

“This is a player discipline thing,” pitcher Mike Clevinger said. “Keep the coaches, front office out of it. It puts a little extra accountability, kind of. Just having that trust in your teammates is a big thing, I think. It’s a big thing on the field. If you feel your teammate doesn’t trust you off the field, how are you going to feel like he trusts you when you get between the lines?”

First road trip starts now. Wheels up to Minnesota. 🛫 pic.twitter.com/E92EuCUBPs

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 30, 2020

Maintaining patience in shortened season
Whether it’s the offense or closer Brad Hand, the Indians have seen a handful of players need some extra time to dust off the rust through the first week of the season.

Outside of José Ramírez (who entered Thursday batting .435) and Cesar Hernandez (.368), the rest of the lineup had accumulated a combined .181 batting average.

And as the team saw Wednesday night, Hand has also struggled to get his velocity up to where it usually sits. So how does a manager balance having patience with a player’s performance?

“I don’t know if there’s a sliding scale or anything like that,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I think if you believe in the player or you know that you need him, sometimes you have to be patient or you missed the good that comes from not being patient. The other thing is, unless you think you have a better alternative, you can really mess up, too.”