Clemens Plans Thursday Return

Roger Clemens hopes to be back on the mound Thursday night against the Angels.

Clemens, who hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since straining his left hamstring April 27, threw off a mound for about 15 minutes Friday, and planned to take fielding practice today.

He also understands the Yankees want to be cautious so he’s able to pitch at full effectiveness. While he’s 2-0, he has a 5.47 ERA in five starts and has struggled with his control.

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Cleveland General Manager John Hart has heard reports that the Indians, like the Yankees before them, will be greeted by protesters when they visit Kansas City next month.

“If we’re on the list as one of the teams to be protested, I think it’s an absolute joke,” Hart said. “Because in our situation, we are truly the same kind of market as Kansas City.”

A group of 3,000 Kansas City supporters, upset with a growing chasm in baseball’s economic system that pits big-money franchises like New York, Cleveland and Baltimore--all with payrolls above $68 million--against Kansas City’s paltry $24 million, wore T-shirts reading “$hare the Wealth” and walked out of Kauffman Stadium during the fourth inning of a recent game against New York.