"If the Indians were a different kind of business, the next 10 days would be an ideal time for Travis Hafner to make use of any leftover vacation time he had accrued. There will be little for him to do on the team's nine-game (plus one off day) trip to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Cincinnati that begins tonight at PNC Park against the Pirates. Designated hitters are barred from participating in games at National League ballparks, so if you see someone whose face is obscured by a copy of WWE Magazine or North Dakota Horizons (to keep up with events back home), it will be Hafner trying to pass the time while his teammates are playing baseball. It's not something that manager Manny Acta looks forward to, but there's nothing he can do about it. ''It will be hard for us, but we're not the only American League club that's going over there,'' he said. ''We'll have to adjust and improvise. But at least I'll have a very good pinch hitter on the bench.'' Making it all the more difficult for the Tribe and Hafner is that he's been on a tear lately, batting .375 with two doubles, four home runs and eight RBI in his past eight games. Obviously, Hafner can make an impact as a pinch hitter in critical situations. But neither Acta nor anyone else knows when those will arise, or even if they will arise. Consequently, Acta has a Plan B, rather than waiting for just the perfect scenario to happen." http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/96620294.html
