Francona didn't know whether to laugh or cry about Miller's at-bat

In the eighth inning of the inter-Ohio matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians skipper Terry Francona let Andrew Miller bat for himself in the National League park, and he was less than optimistic about the reliever's chances at the dish.

"(Miller) was asking (Van Burkleo, the hitting coach) about the guy's secondary stuff," Francona told Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com following the game. "I didn't know whether to laugh or cry."

Of course, Francona's mixed emotions are befitting of the situation.

The Indians were up by just one run in the game - having just taken the lead - and removing Miller from the game for a pinch-hitter for a chance to build on the lead with two out would be a tough decision. Especially when it removes the chance of having your best reliever not be able to work in the bottom of the eighth.

If Francona found it funny that a reliever thought he actually had a chance to see anything other than a fastball though, he may have been proven wrong. While Drew Storen opened the at-bat going ahead 0-2 on the sinker, it was the slider that Miller chased to go down on strikes.