The Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates — two teams that have long been out of the playoff chase — can get a jump on evaluating for their 2011 clubs with the expansion of rosters in September.

On Wednesday, the Indians recalled right-handed starter Carlos Carrasco, right-hander reliever Jensen Lewis and utilityman Jordan Brown from the Triple-A Columbus Clippers on the first day major league teams could expand their rosters.

Carrasco went 10-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 25 starts for Columbus. Lewis is back for the fifth time this season with Cleveland. He’s 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 relief appearances.

Get more on the Indians’ callups at mlb.com.

The Pirates are expected to limit their callups and probably won’t make any additions until the Triple-A Indianapolis affiliate finishes its season Monday.

Some of the possible callups include a catcher — either Jason Jaramillo or Erik Kratz — as well as bullpen help in Joe Martinez and/or Justin Thomas.

Also, outfielder John Bowker is expected to make his Pirates debut this month. Bowker, a Trade Deadline addition from the San Francisco Giants, has hit .330 in 24 games in Triple-A.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are sad sacks in the standings, but the Bucs ownership group is laughing all the way to the bank.

In financial documents leaked to the media this week, it was discovered the Pirates earned $34.5 million in profit during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. The Pirates, who have locked up an 18th straight losing season, won just 40 percent of their games in those seasons and finished dead-last in the NL Central three times.

During those three seasons, the Pirates also received more than $100 million in revenue sharing from big market teams — meant specifically to upgrade the team on the field.

The Pirates opened this season with the lowest payroll in the majors, giving Pittsburgh fans every reason to be upset with this report.

The club spins the news in a positive direction, noting that the long-term investments made in developing young talent will help the Pirates build a competitive and “fiscally responsible” team in the near future. In a press release, the team said: “This sound financial footing has allowed us to make the type of long-term and short-term investments in the club necessary to return winning baseball to Pittsburgh.”

Winning baseball in Pittsburgh? We’ll see.

Check out more thoughts on the Pirates economy from this New York Times blog and the Bleacher Report blog.

Quick Hits

–Devastating news hit the Washington Nationals this week as it was revealed that Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg will likely have Tommy John surgery. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said Friday an MRI on Strasburg’s right elbow showed a definitive tear. Rizzo believes the 22-year-old right-hander will need the operation that requires 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation.

The No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, Strasburg went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 68 innings of his rookie season with the Nationals.

–The Carlos Santana injury was bad news for Cleveland this month. Now this: Indians pitching prospect Hector Rondon had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, likely meaning he won’t make it up to the big league club in 2011. Rondon, who has a mid-90s fastball when healthy, was 1-3 with an 8.53 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Columbus this season. Read more on Rondon here.

–The Chicago Cubs are looking for their next manager to replace the recently retired Lou Piniella. Former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge had an interview with Cubs general manager Jim Hendry on Thursday in Cleveland. Wedge went 561-573 as the Indians skipper from 2003-09, which included guiding the Tribe to the AL Central title in 2007. Get more on the story here.

–It’s looking more and more like Manny Ramirez is headed back to the American League. The Chicago White Sox have made Ramirez their top waiver-wire target. The acquisition hinges on Ramirez waiving a no-trade clause and the Sox adding a one-year extension to ManRam’s current deal. A decision is expected before the weekend begins. Ramirez has hit .313 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 64 games for the Dodgers this season. Follow the story here.

–It’s looking like the Tampa Bay Rays will pick up recently released Colorado Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe. I’ve always liked Hawpe, a career .280 hitter who will give the Rays a strong left-handed bat off the bench during their playoff push.

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates have the worst record in baseball (only 39 wins through 113 games), there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

I know it’s been said before, but hope springs eternal in baseball.

The young core of the Bucs — Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata and Neil Walker — gives hope for a franchise that will set a U.S. pro sports record with its 18th consecutive losing season this year.

Tabata has been one of the hottest hitters since the All-Star break with 37 hits. Alvarez’s winning three-run home run in the 10th inning to beat Colorado on Saturday was as exciting a finish as Pirates fans have seen in awhile. McCutchen’s defense is outstanding and his speed makes him a leadoff mainstay, while Walker’s hitting above .300 so far.

The starting pitching is issue No. 1 the Bucs will have to address in the offseason.The Pirates rank 29th out of 30 teams in the majors with a 5.11 ERA. They’ll have to do better than Ross Ohlendorf (1-9) and Charlie Morton (1-9) at the back end of the rotation next season.

Check out a feature on the Pirates by Scott Miller on CBSSports.com.

–The Indians have struggled in their series with the surging Baltimore Orioles, but shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera has provided a couple of outstanding plays on defense. Check out the video of Cabrera’s great reaction on a ball that bounced off pitcher Justin Masterson on Monday. He also had a great relay throw to gun down Luke Scott on Tuesday.

–On Wednesday, the Indians once again demoted David Huff to Triple-A Columbus. Huff (2-11, 6.11 ERA) has been awful this season after leading the Tribe with 11 wins last year. In his time in Triple-A this season, Huff went 6-0 and said he worked on honing his change-up. Unfortunately, it’s the location on his fastball that’s failed him in the bigs this season. Read more on Huff here.

– The Indians will make a move to activate starter Mitch Talbot (back) off the disabled list Saturday. Talbot will take Huff’s spot in the rotation.

–If you are one of the few who hasn’t watched the fracas between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, click here to view the scuffle. Both managers — Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker — should have had better control of the situation, but when huge egos get involved, look out.

There’s no doubt the Cleveland Indians have been playing better since the All-Star break, but a series split against the Boston Red Sox proved costly.

Carlos Santana, the Indians’ top prospect and starting catcher, was injured Monday night in a gruesome collision at home plate with the Red Sox’s Ryan Kalish. Santana left the field on a cart. Click here to watch video of the play — although you probably will want to look away.

Santana had surgery on his left knee Friday morning at the Cleveland Clinic and is out for the season. The Indians said that Santana had his strained collateral ligament repaired.

Recovery time typically is four to six months and the team expects him to be ready for the start of spring training in 2011.

In 46 games, Santana hit .260 with six home runs and 22 RBIs and sparked a resurgence in the middle of the Tribe’s order. He had a .401 on-base percentage.

Lou Marson (.192 batting average, 2 home runs, 13 RBIs) and Chris Gimenez (.167, 0, 1) likely will share catching duties the rest of the season.

Trade talk

–Of all the trades the Indians made last week, the most intriguing involved starter Jake Westbrook. The Indians received a right-handed prospect in Double-A starter Corey Kluber in the three-team deal which saw Westbrook and cash head to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kluber, 24, led the Texas League this season with 136 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings. He’s recorded a 3.45 ERA this year and has a 9.5 strikeouts-per-nine innings pitched in his minor league career. It’s nice to see the Indians get a guy with a live arm instead of someone who is “crafty”.

–The Pittsburgh Pirates were excited about the deadline acquisition of James McDonald from the Los Angeles Dodgers. If his first start is any indication of his future, the Pirates’ front office has reason to be happy.

The right-hander equaled the Pirates’ individual season-high with eight strikeouts over six innings in his Pirates debut Thursday in a 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.

McDonald, although used mainly as a starter coming up through the Dodgers’ system, spent almost all of the 2009 season with Los Angeles coming out of the bullpen.

McDonald made a spot start after the All-Star break last month and made three more relief appearances with Los Angeles before being dealt for former Pirates closer Octavio Dotel.

–Click here to find out more on the latest additions to the Pirates bullpen — Chris Resop and Chan Ho Park.

–Get the details on all the deals that went down leading up to the July 31 trade deadline at mlb.com.

Great catch

This is an amazing video that’s been making the rounds on the internet and on TV networks. It’s a great wall-climbing catch from a Japanese league player.

In an expected move, Cleveland unloaded third baseman Jhonny Peralta before the trading deadline. Peralta was sent to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for minor league left-hander Giovanni Soto and cash.

The Indians called up Luis Valbuena to take Peralta’s roster spot.

Peralta is hitting .246 with seven homers and 43 RBI in 91 games. Soto, 19, is 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts for Class A West Michigan.

Get more on the trade at mlb.com.

Many Indians fans have been waiting for this day.

Peralta never has lived up to expectations or his contract ($4.6 million this season, $7 million club option for 2011) for a small-market team. Peralta put up good numbers his first full season in 2005 (.292 batting average, 35 doubles, 24 home runs, 78 RBIs) but never eclipsed those marks since.

Peralta is an average fielder, at best, at shortstop and has a mediocre glove at third. He’s notorious for hitting into double plays. He almost never hits in the clutch. He’s a slow starter who is as streaky a hitter as they come. I could go on.

The Indians must feel comfortable that their top two third base prospects — Wes Hodges and Lonnie Chisenhall – are maturing and almost major league ready.

The Tigers, meanwhile, will use Peralta at third while Brandon Inge recovers from a broken left hand. Peralta likely will play shortstop, too, as the Tigers have been rotating former Erie SeaWolves players Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth at the position.

Is the dead-ball era back?

Matt Garza

I just finished watching the final two innings of Matt Garza polishing off his no-hitter in the Tampa Bay Rays’ 5-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers. It’s the first no-hitter in Tampa history and the fifth — the FIFTH — no-hitter in the majors this season. It’s the most no-hitters in a season since 1991. And, let’s not forget there still are two months left in the regular season.

The starter opposite Garza, Max Scherzer, hadn’t allowed a hit until former Erie SeaWolves outfielder Matt Joyce hit a two-out grand slam in the sixth inning.

After 12-plus seasons of offense-heavy baseball, it’s truly been the year of the pitcher.

Get more on Garza’s no-hitter at mlb.com.

Shin-Soo Choo’s return couldn’t come at a better time for the Cleveland Indians.

The Tribe has won five of their first six games since the All-Star break, and they’ve showed much more offensive consistency with Carlos Santana in the middle of the order. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who suffered a fractured forearm early in the season, returned to the lineup Tuesday, and now Choo, who has been out since early July with a sprained right thumb, is returning earlier than expected this weekend.

As the Nos. 2 and 3 hitters in the lineup, Cabrera and Choo, the Tribe’s best player, will give the young Santana (.282, 6 home runs, 19 RBIs) more opportunities to drive in runs.

Plus, Travis Hafner, who doesn’t show the power he had in 2007-08, is driving the ball better now. He’s hitting .311 with five doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs over his past 74 at-bats.

Check out more on the return of Cabrera and Choo at mlb.com.

–The July 31 trade deadline is fast approaching, and Fausto Carmona’s name recently has popped up as a starter who’s drawing attention from several contending clubs. The Indians probably would be willing to trade Carmona or Jake Westbrook — but not both — for a compelling package.

–One big-name starter, Houston’s Roy Oswalt, has drawn interest from the Cardinals, Phillies and Twins. A sticking point for Oswalt is the rumor that he might want his $16 million option for 2012 picked up by any team he is traded to. Find out the latest trade talk at mlbtraderumors.com.

–The Indians’ bullpen has picked it up during the Tribe’s recent upsurge. That likely correlates with the starters pitching deeper into games, but it still shows the pen is maturing as the season progresses. The combination of Joe Smith, Tony Sipp and Chris Perez has allowed a total of three runs in their past 37 appearances combined. Rafael Perez has allowed just two earned runs in his past 19 1/3 innings. Check out Cleveland.com for Paul Hoynes’ story on the improving pen.

–The Pittsburgh Pirates appear content to stand pat at the trading deadline. As GM Neal Huntington recently said: “We’ve got some players we’re really not motivated to move.” The Bucs reportedly are getting offers for relievers Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek, but they likely will demand too much in return for contenders to pull the trigger on those moves. Closer Octavio Dotel might be the most likely Pirates reliever to move. Dotel has 20 saves and proven fit for the back-end-of-the-bullpen role again, even though lefties seem to hit him pretty well. Get the latest buzz on potential Pirates trades here.

The All-Star break is done, so that means it’s time to take a look at what’s ahead for the second half.

The Cleveland Indians, back in rebuilding mode again, will be looking to unload a few veterans and add to their arsenal of prospects. Those players likely to draw the most interest include closer Kerry Wood, outfielder Austin Kearns, starting pitcher Jake Westbrook and third baseman Jhonny Peralta.

Veterans understand the business of baseball when it comes to the July 31 trade deadline.

”I learned early on in my career after being traded three times before I was 22, that being traded is just a part of the game and part of the business of baseball,” said Westbrook, who has drawn interest from the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in trade rumors.

Find out more on the Indians’ plans here.

–Read more on the latest trade rumors at mlbtraderumors.com or on mlb.com’s Trade Buzz blog.

–The Plain Dealer’s Starting Blocks blog points out the Indians need to go 29-45 to avoid losing 100 games this season. That’s a pretty gloomy fact to go with to start out a blog for the season’s second half.

–Tom Smith from the RumBunter.com Pirates blog offers his interesting spin on how the Bucs can win in the second half. My favorite of his seven ideas is focusing on better marketing for kids. If your team is going to continue to stink for years to come, you better at least have a fanbase that enjoys the atmosphere enough to attend the games.

–Whatever the Pirates do to attempt to get better in the second half, they certainly can’t get much worse away from PNC Park. Pittsburgh was a major league worst 11-38 on the road in the first half. Check out bleacher report for a second-half preview.

Cleveland Indians fans have to love this news: the New York Yankees lost out on acquiring Cliff Lee.

The Yankees, who already have former Indians ace CC Sabathia as their top starter, were planning on getting Lee today in a deal that would have included catcher Jesus Montero, minor-league infielder David Adams and a third unknown prospect. However, the Texas Rangers offered too much for the Seattle Mariners’ No. 1 starter and former Indians ace.

According to several sources, the Rangers will get Lee and reliever Mark Lowe for young, slugging first baseman Justin Smoak, minor-league second baseman Matt Lawson and two minor-league right-handed pitchers, Josh Lueke and Blake Bevin. The Mariners also will send cash to Texas, a sum said by one source to be more than $2 million to cover part of the $4.5 million owed to Lee this season.

Lee, who helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series last season, leads the American League in ERA (2.34) and complete games (five).

The Yankees, who have All-Stars in Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes and rank third in the AL with a 3.79 ERA, still could get Lee after the season through free agency. But he’s off limits now.

Get more on the trade here.

Quick Hits

–Check out this site, mlbtraderumors.com, to keep up with rumors swirling on potential trades.

–Indians star right fielder Shin-Soo Choo received good news on his injured right thumb this week. He likely won’t need surgery after injuring the hand July 2. Choo’s thumb will remain in a brace for at least a week before having it re-examined. Meanwhile, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera might start a minor league rehab assignment next week. Cabrera has been on the disabled list with a fractured left forearm since May 18.

–Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Evan Meek is a deserving All-Star, even if he was part of the pick-a-player-off-each-team contingent. Meek’s been a monster in middle relief, sporting a 4-2 record with one save and a 0.94 ERA. He’s given up just five earned runs in 48 innings with 44 strikeouts and 13 walks. MLB blogger Pat Lackey wrote an entertaining piece about Meek on mlb.fanhouse.com.

–Read more on Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Anaheim, Calif., here.

It finally looks like the Cleveland Indians are fully embracing the youth movement.

Star-in-the-making Carlos Santana has been as advertised since his arrival earlier this month.

Better yet, the somewhat puzzling offseason acquisition of Russell Branyan is now an afterthought as the first baseman was dealt back to the Seattle Mariners this past weekend. The Indians received Triple-A center fielder Ezequiel Carrera and Class A shortstop Juan Diaz in the deal.

Branyan’s departure finally allows for Matt LaPorta to start every day at first. Branyan’s arrival stalled the development of LaPorta at first base and possibly caused a trickle-down effect by cutting into Major League playing time for other Tribe prospects. In a rebuilding season, that makes no sense.

The Indians sent LaPorta down to Triple-A on June 7 so he could get regular at-bats because Branyan was starting at first and Austin Kearns is the everyday left fielder. LaPorta, hitting just .222 with one home run and seven RBIs this season, should now be able to get more comfortable at the plate.

Check out more on the Branyan trade here and read about the Indian’s acquisitions here.

Quick Hits

–The Pirates, just 5-19 in June, ended an embarrassingly long road losing streak (17 games, 34 days) with a 2-1 win Monday night against the Chicago Cubs.

The Bucs were getting dangerously close to the 1985 club’s mark of 19 straight road losses, the longest streak in the majors in the past 40 years.

Paul Maholm gave the Pirates their first eight-inning effort by any starter this season and allowed only one run. Maholm is as steady as they come when he has his sinker working, which he did Monday. He struck out two, walked none and gave up seven hits — five singles and two doubles.

Tonight, the Pirates will try for a road winning streak, even if it would last for only two games.

–There’s been some debate on whether Arizona Diamondbacks starter Edwin Jackson should have been able to stay in for his no-hitter Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays because of his high pitch count (149 pitches). He walked eight, struck out six, hit a batter and had a wild pitch in the 1-0 victory over the Rays.

Jackson pitched the fourth no-hitter this season, 267th in Major League history and second in D-backs’ history. The 149 pitches were the most anyone had thrown in a no-hitter in history, leaving some to question manager A.J. Hinch’s decision to leave Jackson in the game.

In my opinion, Hinch made the only decision he could. You don’t pull a pitcher when he’s putting up zeros and not showing signs of serious fatigue or injury.

Those obsessed with pitch counts believe Hinch was putting Jackson’s health at risk by leaving him in the game. That’s purely wild speculation. Ultimately, in that situation, it’s up to the pitcher to decide when his arm has had enough.

Read the game story here and watch video highlights of the game at mlb.com.