practicing and first as a full participant. He had

CLEVELAND -- The Indians believe theyve found the right reliever to fix their issue against left-handed hitters. Cleveland acquired lefty Marc Rzepczynski from St. Louis on Tuesday, adding an experienced veteran to a bullpen that has struggled all season to retire lefties. The Indians left-handers have a 6.47 ERA. To get Rzepczynski (Zep-chin-skee), the Indians, who began the night trailing first-place Detroit by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central, sent minor league infielder Juan Herrera to the Cardinals. "Hes been very effective at getting left-handed hitters out at the major league level," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said of Rzepczynski, who has been nicknamed "Scrabble" by previous teammates who struggle to pronounce or spell his name. "In addition to that, he has post-season experience and has pitched in some very pressurized games and games we aspire to play in. "We think he addresses a need both in the short and long-term for the organization and hell fit in very well." The 27-year-old is 9-17 with a 4.20 ERA in 177 career games for Toronto and St. Louis. Left-handed hitters have batted .224 against Rzepczynski, who pitched 2 2-3 scoreless innings for the champion Cardinals in the 2011 World Series. Rzepczynski has split this season between St. Louis and Triple-A Memphis, posting a 7.84 ERA in 11 games at the major league level. But in the minors, hes got a 3.07 ERA in 32 games and held lefties to a .185 average. "Hes only given up two extra-base hits on the year to left-handed hitters and only eight combined in two years," Antonetti said. "He hasnt been quite as successful at the major league level this year, but its a very small sample. He has a good fastball, he gets ground balls. Hes been a guy weve had interest in for quite a while. We liked him when he was with Toronto." The Indians only other current left-handed reliever is Rich Hill. However, this season theyve had lefties Scott Barnes, Nick Hagadone and David Huff pitch in relief but they were all sent back to the minors because of ineffectiveness. Antonetti said its possible the Indians could make another move before Wednesdays 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline. "Were still working to try and improve the team, and if we think there are guys out there who will improve upon the options we have well explore it," Antonetti said. "But we do feel confident that Marc can help our team and hell be part of hopefully a push to the playoffs. Theres a lot that can happen in 24 hours." Antonetti does not yet know when Rzepczynski will join the Indians. Herrera batted .275 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 39 games for Class A Mahoning Valley. He will be assigned to State College (Pa.) of the Class-A New York-Penn League.Ray Moore Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. Whitey Herzog Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. https://www.cheaporioles.com/1038i-vladimir-guerrero-jersey-orioles.html . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Anthony Santander Jersey . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Lee Smith Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers?linebacker Luke Kuechly will start Sundays game against the San Diego Chargers, as long as he passes the final test in the concussion protocol this weekend.Starting strong safety Kurt Coleman and cornerback Daryl Worley also are progressing through the protocol. All three were full participants during Fridays practice. They were scheduled to meet with the medical staff later in the day and then again Saturday, to make sure there are no setbacks.If they proceed accordingly, then hopefully everything is fine, coach Ron Rivera said. You always keep your fingers crossed.Kuechly has missed the past two games since suffering a concussion in a Nov. 17 win against New Orleans.Friday was his third straight day of practicing and first as a full participant. He had been ruled out in the injury report the previous two Fridays.Without Kuechly, the Panthers (4-8) allowwed 900 total yards and 75 points in games against Oakland and Seattle.ddddddddddddSo Rivera looks forward to getting him back.Anytime youve got your leader out there, its a doggone good thing, Rivera said.Kuechly, the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, missed three games with a concussion last season. Like he did last year, Kuechly has served as another set of eyes for the coaching staff during his absence from the field.Hes been a great resource, not just for the players but the coaches, Rivera said. He gives a different perspective when hes out there and when hes on the sideline. Thats a huge plus.The Panthers ruled defensive end Charles Johnson (hamstring), linebacker/special-teams player David Mayo (concussion) and right tackle Daryl Williams out for Sunday. ' ' '