Notes

INDIANS No Tweets from Perez

CLEVELAND - Indians closer Chris Perez deactivated his Twitter account following two rough outings, and after receiving a slew of negative comments.

Perez took down @chrisperez54 on Monday, not long after the two-time All-Star gave up a ninth-inning home run to Seattle’s Endy Chavez. It was the second consecutive poor performance by Perez, who allowed back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning Saturday. The Indians won both games.

Several fans sent Perez harsh comments, and there were a few profane remarks made toward him following Monday’s victory, which completed a four-game sweep by the first-place Indians, who entered Tuesday’s game against Detroit leading the American League Central by 2½ games over the Tigers.

Although he was one of the AL’s top closers last season, Perez became a target for some fans when he criticized them for not supporting the Indians. Perez has always been active on Twitter, posting a daily favorite song and interacting with his followers.

In a statement released through the team, Perez didn’t specify his reason for deactivating his account.

“The decision to deactivate my Twitter account was a personal choice I made in order to maintain the greater focus on the success of the team this season and our shared goals moving forward,” he said. “We have an extremely positive and supportive group of players, coaches and staff members in our clubhouse and I want to participate in activities and routines that contribute positively to the culture we’re building here.

“Out of respect for my teammates, I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distractions, so this is the only time I will comment on this topic. Thank you for your understanding.”

Perez was not in Cleveland’s clubhouse before pregame batting practice and he did not speak with reporters after leaving the field.

PHILLIES Howard returns

MIAMI - Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard returned to the lineup Tuesday night at Miami after missing two games with a sore left knee.

Howard was listed fourth in the Phillies’ batting order against Marlins starter Jose Fernandez.

On Sunday, Howard received a cortisone injection to alleviate inflammation in the meniscus in the knee. He missed Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory against Cincinnati on Sunday and a 5-1 loss in the opener of this series Monday night.

Howard, batting .245 with 6 home runs and 22 RBI this season, had five home runs and 16 RBI in his previous 22 games.

Earlier Tuesday, the Phillies placed catcher Carlos Ruiz on the 15-day disabled list with a Grade II strained hamstring. He could be sidelined three to four weeks.

Right-hander Tyler Cloyd was recalled from Class AAA Lehigh Valley.GIANTS Vogelsong out up to 2 months

SAN FRANCISCO - Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong has been placed on the 15-day disabled list after breaking his pitching hand and the San Francisco Giants are bracing to be without him for two months.

Vogelsong was in surgery Tuesday morning at Stanford. X-rays on Monday night revealed the injury, which came on a fifth-inning swing during an 8-0 victory against the Washington Nationals.

Vogelsong had a 6-0 lead when he got hurt. He pitched five scoreless innings for his first victory since April 11 and snapped a six-start winless stretch.

Right-handed reliever Santiago Casilla also went on the disabled list Tuesday because his troublesome right knee still isn’t fully healed despite the use of two different braces.