OF Abraham Almonte was optioned to Triple-A Columbus prior to Wednesday's game. The move was made so the Indians could recall RHP Shawn Armstrong to bolster the relief corps after the Indians used six relievers in their 11-7 victory in 11 innings Tuesday night. "As exciting as (Tuesday night) was, a lot of times a player has to pay the price for it," manager Terry Francona said. "We didn't want to send Abe down, but we have to protect our arms."

RHP Carlos Carrasco pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs and six hits with five strikeouts and no walks. "He didn't have his best command, but you look up and he only gave up two runs. That says a lot about his ability, when he doesn't have his best stuff," Francona said.

RHP Shawn Armstrong has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus. This is Armstrong's sixth stint with the Indians this season. In 16 relief appearances, he is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA. Armstrong was needed after the Indians used six relievers in their 11-7 victory Tuesday.

RHP Dallas Keuchel will return from the disabled list and start Friday against the Tigers, the team announced Wednesday. Keuchel missed eight weeks due to a pinched nerve in his neck. The righty was sharp in 11 starts before hitting the DL, posting a 1.67 ERA and 0.872 WHIP in 75 2/3 innings.

LHP Brian Flynn was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has a 4-2 record with a 7.22 ERA in 17 games with the Storm Chasers this year.

RHP Bryan Shaw, who has led the American League in appearances in three of the last four years, leads the league again this year with 48 appearances. Shaw is the dependable setup man for back-of-the-pen stalwarts RHP Cody Allen and LHP Andrew Miller. Nobody appreciates Shaw's value more than manager Terry Francona. "He's like an offensive lineman in football. The only time he gets noticed is when he misses a block," Francona said. "He's been amazingly resilient and consistent."

C James McCann extended his hitting streak to seven games with a third-inning single on Wednesday. McCann started for the second straight night and manager Brad Ausmus indicated he'll ride the hot hand when it comes to catchers McCann and Alex Avila. McCann lost his starting job to Avila earlier in the year, but Avila's bat has cooled. McCann could return to the No. 1 catcher role by default if Avila gets dealt before the trade deadline.

RHP Mike Fiers got through only four innings on Wednesday. It was the third time this season Fiers has only thrown four innings, and he has failed to make it through five innings in five of his 20 starts.

LHP Gio Gonzalez put together a solid outing and the team's late-inning outburst was able to get him off the hook for a loss. Gonzalez walked one batter -- the fifth time this season he's allowed one or no walks -- while striking out eight hitters to lower his ERA to 2.81.

RHP Max Scherzer looks to bounce back from a rough (by his standards) start Friday, when he allowed five runs and eight hits in a five-inning no-decision against Arizona. In three starts against Milwaukee since joining the Nationals, Scherzer has a 2.57 ERA.

1B Miguel Cabrera took some early batting practice with manager Brad Ausmus pitching to him on Wednesday, but it didn't help. He struck out and grounded into a double play before he was replaced in the seventh inning of a blowout loss to Kansas City. Cabrera is enduring the worst offensive year of his career. He's batting .257 with just 12 homers and 48 RBIs and is hitting .227 with two homers this month.

OF Bryce Harper extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 games with a first-inning single. He finished the night 1-for-4 but was ejected for the second time this season in the eighth inning after striking out. Harper and Houston's Jose Altuve have the longest active streaks in MLB this season.

RHP Shawn Kelley continued his recovery from a trapezius strain by throwing a simulated game Wednesday. Kelley has been on the disabled list retroactive to June 17. The simulated game could be the final step before going out on a rehab assignment.

RHP Anibal Sanchez took a beating while enduring his first loss of the season on Wednesday. He allowed four runs and nine hits and didn't get out of the fourth inning. He had pitched between five and 6 1/3 innings in his previous six starts after spending nearly a month with Triple-A Toledo. Sanchez is scheduled to make his next start against the New York Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

CF Mikie Mahtook extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games with a fifth-inning single on Wednesday. He also scored one of the Tigers' two runs. In the month of July, Mahtook is batting .352 with three doubles, two triples, two homers, seven RBI and 11 runs scored. He has raised his average from .263 to .296 during that span. Mahtook has become the team's everyday center fielder after four other players started at least 15 games at that position.

LHP Daniel Norris received a cortisone shot on Wednesday to aid his recovery from right quad and left groin injuries. An MRI on Tuesday revealed that the problem was related to inflammation and fraying of the hip labrum. Norris suffered a setback on Sunday when he couldn't get through the first inning of a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo. He will begin light throwing in a few days. There is no timetable for his return.

RHP Kelvin Herrera collected two saves in Detroit after a 19-day stretch without one. Herrera has 21 saves afer taking over the closer's role when Wade Davis was traded to the Chicago Cubs during the offseason. Herrera is one of four relievers on the staff who has posted at least 20 saves in a season, joining Joakim Soria (six times), Neftali Feliz (twice) and Brandon Maurer (once).

RHP Pat Neshek was acquired from Philadelphia for three minor leaguers. "It's exciting," the two-time All-Star said. "You're jumping into a playoff race. That's a great team, great offense. I don't know the exact standings, but I know they're in the wild card right now. I've played for (Rockies manager) Bud Black before, he was awesome. I played with Nolan Arenado in the World Baseball Classic. It's bittersweet, too. I enjoyed my time here. These guys are some of the better guys I played with and this is one of my favorite places I've been. It's tough, I've never been through something like this to another big league team. It's a lot of emotion." The 36-year-old Neshek went 3-2 with a 1.12 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings this year for Philadelphia. He is in the final year of a three-year contract that he signed with Houston after an All-Star season in 2014 with St. Louis. "I'm actually relieved," Neshek said. "People have been talking about (a trade) since April. I thought it was going to go to the last day. It's kind of nerve-wracking. You read Twitter, and it seems like every team imaginable might. I kind of had a feeling the Rockies might." Neshek figures to become the eighth-inning option to set up closer Greg Holland, the National League saves leader with 31, for a Colorado team that entered Wednesday night with a 58-44 record and the NL's second wild-card berth.

RHP Brandon Maurer made his Royals debut on Wednesday. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the 16-2 blowout win. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out, but he struck out Alex Avila and Mikie Mahtook to end the game. LHP Ryan Buchter also pitched a scoreless eighth in his Royals debut. "You could see tonight with Buchter and Maurer that our bullpen is definitely going to be better," manager Ned Yost said.

C Salvador Perez got the night off Wednesday, but he'll be available for the weekend series at Boston. He left Tuesday's game during the fifth inning with right side rib tightness. Manager Ned Yost said Perez could have played Wednesday, but with a travel day on Thursday it made sense to give his No. 1 catcher a two-day break. Perez is having a big offensive season, ranking second on the team in homers (20) and RBIs (62).