Tribe send Slocum back to Buffalo

CLEVELAND -- Brian Slocum knew his spot in the Indians bullpen was tenuous, but that didn't make his brief stay in the big leagues any less sweet.

When asked how he'd sum up his first stint in the Majors, Slocum, who was sent back to Triple-A Buffalo to make room for C.C. Sabathia on the active roster, offered the simplest phrases that come to the mind of a human being inspired by his surroundings.

"Unbelievable," he said. "It was awesome."

Slocum has room for improvement, of course. He posted a 7.71 ERA in four appearances, and he appeared to be overthinking on the mound when he made two errant throws on pickoff attempts in Monday's 8-6 loss to the White Sox.

But he'll go back to Buffalo, where he has a 1.93 ERA and one save in five appearances, knowing he's on the organizational radar and what he has to work on if he's going to make it in the bigs.

"The results weren't there, but the experience was the best," he said. "They want me to get ahead of hitters more, because I fell behind a lot of guys. But I'll keep working hard, and hopefully I'll be back."