CLEVELAND, Ohio — Indians manager Manny Acta prefers to live in the moment. Or at least the moment of his choosing.

The Indians lost for the seventh time in the past 10 games Friday night at Progressive Field. The 11-2 loss to Texas was accomplished in the style that suggests that the fortunes of the first-place Indians are not as bright as they were in early May, but Acta doesn’t see it that way.

“I feel good where we are right now,” he said. “We’ve won two of the last four games. We’re .500, not bad. I know you probably see it that we’ve won only two out of seven or something like that, but I don’t go that far back.

“We just won two good ballgames in Toronto, lost two here. We’re the only team in out division playing at least .500 on the road. We’re going through a rough spot, but I’m thankful that we still haven’t gone through one of those long stretches like everyone else has.”

Justin Masterson (5-4, 3.28) entered the seventh trailing the Rangers, 2-1. He retired Endy Chavez, but Ian Kinsler walked and Elvis Andrus doubled. Acta called for lefty Tony Sipp to face Josh Hamilton and the game took a dramatic turn.

Sipp, who had allowed one hit in 28 at-bats to a left-hander before facing last year’s AL MVP, watched Hamilton drive his 0-2 pitch over the top of the Rangers bullpen in right field for a three-run homer and a 5-1 lead. That should have been the end of it. Michael Young flied out to right for the second out and Adrian Beltre sent another fly ball to right center.

But Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo lost Beltre’s ball in the twilight and it fell for a double. Nelson Cruz followed with a first-pitch two-run homer to make it 7-1.

“Lately we’ve been giving up too many two-strike hits . . . some on 0-2 counts,” said Acta. “They made us pay for that. We have to go back to throw quality strikes at the knees and stop throwing those waist-high strikes that are showing on the scoreboard.”

Chad Durbin started the eighth and the Texas feeding frenzy escalated. Mike Napoli doubled, Chavez singled and Kinsler walked to load the bases. Andrus cleared them with a three-run double to left to make it 10-1.

Andrus, perhaps letting Cleveland fans know that there’s another shortstop that should be going to the All-Star game besides Asdrubal Cabrera, went 4-for-5 with two runs, three RBI and a stolen base.

The Indians have lost 14 of their last 17 games against the Rangers. In the first two games of the series, the Rangers have scored 18 runs on 31 hits.

The Rangers nicked starter Masterson for seven hits in the first three innings, but could manage only two runs. They took a 1-0 lead in the second on Chavez’s double to right field with two out. Mitch Moreland, who started the rally with a single, scored, but Napoli, who tried to score from second, was called out at the plate as Carlos Santana applied the tag.

Replays showed Napoli was safe as Santana tagged him on the chest.

Texas made it 2-0 in the third. Andrus and Hamilton singled with one out to put runners on first and third. Young ran his way out of a double play on a grounder to second to score Andrus.

“None of those hits scared me,” said Masterson.

Masterson allowed four runs on 10 hits in 61/3 innings. After winning his first five starts of the season, Masterson is 0-4 with a 4.05 ERA in his last seven starts.

The Indians finally scratched out a run against undefeated right-hander Alex Ogando (6-0, 2.20) in the sixth. Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera opened with singles to put runners on first and third. Brantley scored when Choo hit into a double play at second base.

Ogando allowed one run on four hits in eight innings. He struck out seven and walked one in 100 pitches. He has pitched at least six innings in his first 11 starts in the big leagues this year.

“He overpowered us,” said Acta. “We couldn’t do anything against him.”

Asdrubal Cabrera closed out the Indians scoring with a leadoff homer in the ninth off Yoshinori Tateyama.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow reacts after allowing a RBI single to Cleveland Indians’ Asdrubal Cabrera during third inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Tuesday. Darren Calabrese/Calabrese

It was a hit and miss night for Toronto Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow.

His Cleveland Indians counterpart was far more consistent.

Morrow struck out nine batters, but also gave up six runs on nine hits, including five doubles and a triple, as the Indians defeated the Blue Jays 6-3 on Tuesday.

“I think I’m making good pitches,” said Morrow (2-3). “My stuff’s been there. It just seems every time they put the ball into play it gets over the shortstop’s head or through a hole. It wears on you.”

With the win the Indians (32-20) ended the a four-game winning streak by the Blue Jays (28-27).

Meanwhile, Cleveland right-hander Mitch Talbot (2-1) held the Blue Jays to one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings in his second start since coming off the disabled list on May 25. It was his first win since April 11.

“It’s good to get back on the winning side of things,” Talbot said.

Catcher Carlos Santana was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and centre-fielder Grady Sizemore ended a 0-for-12 drought by driving in two runs with two doubles.

Toronto’s Yunel Escobar, who extended his hit streak hit streak to 12 games with a single in the third, added his sixth homer of the season with one out in the ninth against reliever Tony Sipp.

The second inning encapsulated Morrow’s highs and lows during the game. Cleveland, which holds the American League’s best record, scored a run on doubles by Santana and Sizemore before Morrow struck out the next three batters in the inning.

The Indians added pair in the third started by Michael Brantley’s triple, singles by Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-soo Choo, a wild pitch and Santana’s sacrifice fly.

Morrow bounced back again, ending the third by striking out Sizemore, his seventh of the game to that point.

Good defence by Cleveland snuffed a potential Blue Jays rally in the fourth.

After singles by J.P. Arencibia and Aaron Hill, first baseman Matt LaPorta made diving play on a smash down the line by Eric Thames and got the out at first as the runners advanced. Then shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera made a nifty play on a slow grounder to nip speedy Rajai Davis at first.

“Defensively we looked alive, offensively we looked alive,” Talbot said. “When a guy got on we moved him over and got him in. That’s what we were doing early in the season. Hopefully we’re getting on track and getting ready to go.”

Blue Jays manager John Farrell said the Indians infield defence is better than last year season.

“Particularly, LaPorta,” Farrell said. “He made a heck of a play on Thames on a ball right down the line that has a chance to possibly be two runs. And Hannahan has done a great job over there. [Jose] Bautista scalds one to third and he looked like Patrick Roy.”

Cleveland parlayed a two-out walk to Travis Buck into three runs in the fifth. Buck scored on Santana’s double to right when Hill’s low relay to the plate beat the runner but handcuffed Arencibia. Santana took third on the throw.

“If he catches the ball he is likely out at home plate,” Farrell said. “I thought the throw beat him on time but the location was basically on his right hip and in a tough spot to receive or catch the ball. But if he catches it, we might be looking at a different story.”

Sizemore drove in a run with a double and scored on Orlando Cabrera’s single.

“They were hitting some good pitches,” Morrow said. “I don’t know what to say. I thought I had good stuff. I made the mistake of walking Buck in the fifth. I could have got out of that with no runs. The flip of the coin hasn’t been going my way.”

The Blue Jays scored twice in the seventh after an error by Cabrera allowed Corey Patterson to score. Juan Rivera then drove in a run on a bloop single to right that should have been caught.

Cleveland, Ohio — Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley should be driving cars with manual transmissions. Why? Because they’re both so dang good in the clutch.

Hey, YOU try coming up with new superlatives for this Indians team every day. It’s not easy, but it sure is fun. Almost as much fun as it is to go to the sites of those who cover the teams the Tribe is beating. We all know that preseason predictions by all the “experts” had the Indians hunkered down in the AL cellar, trying to avoid the Minnesota or Chicago or Detroit storms wreaking havoc on the division.

Check out this post-mortem from the Boston Globe’s website:

The Red Sox were a team in disarray when they left Cleveland April 7. A season of great expectations had started with six consecutive losses, three of them coming against an Indians team supposedly in its latest stage of rebuilding.

The Sox returned to Progressive Field last night as contenders, having clawed their way to within a half-game of first place. But as far as the Indians were concerned, the visitors were simply more fodder.

For the second time in three nights, the Sox missed a chance to move into first place as both the Rays and Yankees lost. It’s hard to say what is a bigger surprise — that Cleveland has the best record in baseball at 30-15 or that the American League East has turned into a junkyard of mediocre teams.

Really, isn’t that sort of typical? Can’t give the Tribe credit for being good. No, gotta couch it in terms of how bad everyone else who matters — i.e., the AL East — is.

Look, we’re not 100 percent sure just how long this ride is gonna last. It could over tomorrow (not that we think it will be). But at least let Tribe fans enjoy what’s shaping up as a miraculously fun season.

Around the horn
* — The Boston-based site nesn.com hinted that walking Asdrubal Cabrera might’ve been the better decision.

* — SI.com credits the trades that brought Asdrubal Cabrera and others to the Indians as the reason the team’s elevation into the cream of the baseball crop.

* — Manny Acta’s first ejection of the season — he was tossed after arguing that pitcher Justin Masterson beat Jacoby Ellsbury to first — gets some credit for the win in Zac Wassink’s blog for yahoo.com.

* — Gamingtoday.com calls the Indians the best story in baseball.

* — Chris Assenheimer of the Chronicle-Telegram dubs the Indians the Windians after last night’s come-from-behind win.

* — Washington Nationals blogger Joe Drugan, who writes a piece called DCapitol Baseball, says Nats fans should be happy for their fired ex-manager, Cleveland skipper Manny Acta.

From The Plain Dealer
Paul Hoynes’ game story in today’s paper goes into a little more detail about Acta’s premature exit:

The end came for Masterson and Acta in the eighth. Acta was ejected by first-base umpire Rob Drake for arguing after Jacoby Ellsbury was called safe at first. Drake said Masterson didn’t touch first taking Matt LaPorta’s flip on Ellsbury’s grounder.

Masterson said he touched the bag. Acta, ejected for the first time this year, said he was upset because Drake wouldn’t listen to him.

“He didn’t want to hear what I had to say,” said Acta. “I thought that was disrespectful. Masterson said he touched the bag. We looked at the video and he did.”

As Acta left the field, the crowd chanted “Manny, Manny, Manny.”

Said Masterson, “It was good to see Manny come out and have our backs.”

If Grady Sizemore comes off the disabled list at the end of this week, as he’s eligible to do, the success of Michael Brantley, Travis Buck and others gives Acta a lot of options, Hoynsie says in his Indians Insider column.

Columnist Bill Livingston noted that Tribe second baseman has a history of winning … and breaking curses.
 

 

Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 10:54 PM     Updated: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 10:55 PM

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Steve Smith isn’t ready to say the pairing of Asdrubal and Orlando Cabrera will produce instant magic in the middle of the Indians’ infield, but he certainly likes what he’s seen.

“The good thing is both of these guys can catch it and throw it,” said Smith, the Indians’ infield coach. “That’s a good thing. I like those kind of guys.”

Here are the particulars.

Orlando Cabrera, 36, has played shortstop for 1,804 of the 1,855 games he’s spent in the big leagues. He’s won two Gold Gloves as a shortstop, but the Indians signed him to a one-year $1 million deal to play second base. He’s dabbled at second, playing 33 games there in the big leagues. In the minors he played second as well.

“Each year I like to challenge myself,” said Cabrera. “I consider this a challenge.”

Asdrubal Cabrera, 25, is starting his second full season at shortstop. He broke into the big leagues with the Indians in 2007 at second base, but replaced Jhonny Peralta at short during the 2009 season.

He’s played 222 games at short, one at third and 162 at second.

When the Indians began negotiations with Orlando Cabrera, they made it clear they had no intention of moving Asdrubal Cabrera back to second. They have a line of second basemen waiting in the minors, but hardly any shortstops. Orlando Cabrera is on a day pass with the Indians, Asdrubal Cabrera is a core player. They gave him a one-year, $2.025 million contract to avoid arbitration to prove it.

The Cabreras have worked together closely this spring. They’re in the same fielding and hitting groups and can usually be found playing cards in the locker room before practice.

“It’s too early to tell how it’s going to work,” said Smith, “but you’ve got two guys out there who are having fun together.”

Harmony in the middle of the diamond is nice, but it isn’t a requirement. Omar Vizquel and Robbie Alomar painted masterpieces every night at Progressive Field from 1999 through 2001 and they had little use for each other off the field.

No one is expecting the Cabreras to produce a nightly Van Gogh with their gloves. If they’re consistent and show steady improvement throughout the season, the Indians will be happy.

“I feel really comfortable at second, especially having Asdrubal at short,” said Orlando Cabrera. “He makes it easy for me. He plays the position like a veteran.”

Asdrubal has also shown Orlando the proper amount of respect. That goes a long way with veterans.

Asdrubal Cabrera broke his left forearm in July when he collided with Peralta at Tropicana Field. He needed surgery and missed five weeks. When he returned, he was tentative at the plate and in the field. This spring, manager Manny Acta has seen a different player.

“He’s much stronger,” said Acta. “He had a good winter ball season in Venezuela. That really helped him.”

Orlando Cabrera eased into spring training because of a sore right shoulder. His throws from second base, especially when turning the double play, are gradually getting stronger. His range has improved as well. In the first inning of Tuesday’s 9-7 victory over Milwaukee, Cabrera ranged far to his left, grabbed a grounder by Casey McGehee and made an off-balance throw to first to end the inning.

Acta was happy to get Orlando Cabrera. Acta was Orlando’s infield instructor in Montreal from 2002 until Cabrera was traded to Boston in 2004.

“This guys is one of the most fundamentally sound infielders I’ve ever been around,” said Acta. “Also, this guy is the best base runner I’ve been associated with over the last 10 years in the big leagues. And he’s not a burner.

“He’s one of the most heady players in the big leagues. I know I’m talking seven or eight years ago, but he’s going to influence some of these guys here.”

Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .379 (13-for-29) this spring. Orlando Cabrera is hitting .348 (8-for-28). If they keep influencing each other like that, things will be fine.

Published: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 12:04 AM     Updated: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 12:10 AM

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Indians were bad last year. Ninety-three losses bad.

The player who best personified that badness just might have been Luis Valbuena. He came to spring training with the second-base job in hand after a promising 2009 season. To be technical, the 2009 season for the Tribe was worse than the 2010 season, but it wasn’t Valbuena’s fault. He was pulling in the right direction.

In 2010, he found himself on the other end of the rope.

To be a big-league starter, Valbuena has to hit — and hit well. He’s not that fast. Doesn’t have great range, but when he hit .250 (92-for-368) with 38 extra-base hits (25 doubles, three triples, 10 homers) in 2009, the Indians felt he could develop into something special. That he was only 23 made it even better.

That all changed last year when Valbuena didn’t hit. OK, he hit .318 against lefties, but that was it. He hit .193 (53-for-275) with 12 doubles, two homers and 24 RBI for the season. He hit .169 against right-handers, .143 at home, .232 with runners in scoring position and .244 on the road.

This was a wire-to-wire job. Valbuena hit .182 in April, .071 in May, .222 in June, .200 in August and .253 in September and October.

He didn’t hit anything in July because he was at Class AAA Columbus.

Asked what went wrong, Valbuena smiled and said: “I’ve passed that page. My mind is free. I’m not thinking about anything. I’m just concentrating on baseball.”

Valbuena can’t be blamed for hoping 2010 becomes a cold and forgotten page in the record books. But while he’s trying to forget, everyone else remembers.

“Louie came to camp last year as our everyday second baseman and he struggled the whole year,” manager Manny Acta said. “It started in spring training and throughout the season. He needs to put himself back on the map.”

The quicker he does that, the better off he’ll be. If he’s not hitting before the Indians leave the Arizona desert, he’ll be staying in Columbus when the Indians stop there for an exhibition game March 30 before opening the regular season April 1 at Progressive Field.

“Everything depends on how I play this spring,” Valbuena said.

Valbuena and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera were the Indians’ double-play combination on Opening Day 2010.

“He told me that he tried to do too much and think too much last year,” Cabrera said. “I told him I’d try to help him any way I could.

“The same thing happened to me in 2008. I got sent down and had to make some adjustments in my swing. I was thinking too much, trying to do too much. Luis is a good player. He plays hard all the time.”

Valbuena is in camp trying to win a utility infielder’s job. He’s working out at second, shortstop and third. The Tribe signed veteran Orlando Cabrera to play second. They have Jayson Nix and prospects Jason Kipnis and Cord Phelps behind him at second.

Asdrubal Cabrera is healthy and back at short. Jason Donald is getting a chance at third. Orlando Cabrera and Adam Everett are possibilities to back up Asdrubal Cabrera at short. The opportunity Valbuena had last year is gone.

He can make it reappear if he hits. If not, he’ll probably start the season at shortstop for Columbus. He has an option left and the Indians are thin at shortstop.

Acta said the old bob-and-weave game between pitchers and hitters caught up to Valbuena.

“They adjusted to him last year,” Acta said. “It’s time for him to adjust back.

“At the beginning of the year, he was swinging across his body, stepping toward the plate. That kind of affected him.”

Valbuena was sent to Columbus in late June and hit .313 (30-for-96) with six homers and 20 RBI. When he was recalled in late July, his regular playing time was gone. Donald was playing second and Asdrubal Cabrera was back at shortstop following his May collision with Jhonny Peralta.

Acta said Valbuena is going to get plenty of opportunities this spring. After wasting a big one last year, it’s the best he can expect.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 5:08 PM     Updated: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 11:58 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It could be Cabrera to Cabrera when the Indians start a double play at second base this season.

The Indians, according to a Major League Baseball source, have reached agreement on a one-year big-league deal with free agent Orlando Cabrera. He has spent the previous 14 years playing mostly shortstop, but he will be competing for the vacant second base job because the Indians want to keep Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti would neither confirm nor deny the signing.

The well-traveled Cabrera, 36, has played for seven teams in the past seven years. He has gone to the postseason six times in that stretch.

The Indians signed Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $2.025 million contract to avoid arbitration in January. He broke his left forearm in a collision with former Indian Jhonny Peralta last year and did not play good defense when he returned from the surgery. He made his big-league debut in 2007 at second base, but the Indians are committed to playing him at short.

Perhaps they see Orlando Cabrera as a one-year player until a prospect such as Jason Kipnis is ready to play second base in the big leagues. The Indians don’t have a shortstop prospect who is close to replacing Asdrubal Cabrera.

Orlando Cabrera played 121 games at shortstop last year for Cincinnati. He hit .263 (130-for-494) with 33 doubles, four homers and 42 RBI. He stole 11 bases in 15 attempts and scored 64 runs.

He spent the 2009 season with Oakland and Minnesota. He hit a combined .284 (186-for-656), helping the Twins reach the postseason after a midseason trade. In 2008, he spent the full season with the White Sox and hit .281 (186-for-661). He’s a .274 (1,948-for-7,112) career hitter with 443 doubles, 118 homers, 803 RBI, 946 runs and 208 steals.

Cabrera has spent almost his entire career at shortstop. Baseball-reference.com says he has played only 33 games at second.

The Indians open spring training Tuesday with two big questions — who will play second and third base. Orlando Cabrera could answer one of those questions if he beats out Jason Donald, Jayson Nix, Luis Valbuena, Kipnis and others at second.

He can also rest Asdrubal Cabrera at short. The Indians had no suitable replacement last season when Cabrera went on the disabled list with his forearm injury. Now they have two in Orlando Cabrera and Adam Everett, who will be in camp on a minor league deal.

Indians shortstops made 25 errors last year, ranking 24th in the big leagues.

Along with Cabrera, Valbuena, Donald, Angel Hernandez and Drew Sutton played short. Orlando Cabrera made 11 errors last year.

Orlando Cabrera made $2.02 million last year. His brother, Jolbert, played for the Indians from 1993 through 2002.

The Indians have signed two free agents to big-league deals this off-season: Cabrera and Austin Kearns (one-year, $1.3 million).

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158.