CLEVELAND – Shin-Soo Choo is now No. 2.
With his offense still sagging and missing two pivotal parts atop the batting order in Grady Sizemore (bone bruise left knee) and Asdrubal Cabrera (fractured left forearm), Indians manager Manny Acta moved Shin-Soo Choo from third to second, while dropping previous No. 2 hitter Jason Donald down to the eighth spot. Those behind Choo in the previous order all moved up.
According to Acta, it will stay that way until Sizemore returns from the 15-day disabled list.
“We have to shake things up and we felt that (Choo) was the best option,” Acta said. “At the minimum, it ensures that our best hitter will have some more at-bats.
“I don’t think it’s in our best interest to have those young guys that just got brought up from Triple-A having all those extra at-bats.”
Trevor Crowe, who is filling Sizemore’s vacancy in center, will remain in the leadoff spot. He entered Friday hitting .333 (8-for-24) in six games since being promoted from Columbus.
The Indians raised some eyebrows when they promoted Crowe to fill in for Sizemore over Michael Brantley, who opened the season as the club’s starter in left field.
“Starting in spring training, I always felt that, as we build this club moving forward, he was going to be a part of it,” Acta said of Crowe, a first-round draft pick (14th overall) in 2005. “I’m very comfortable with Crowe. We’re giving him an opportunity. He deserves it.”
Donald was brought up to play shortstop in Cabrera’s absence. He was 2-for-11 in three games through Thursday.
Choo had started all of the Indians’ 39 games through Thursday, batting third in each of them. According to Cleveland’s media relations staff, Choo hit second Friday for just the second time in his big league career.
Peralta’s progress
Jhonny Peralta’s season has stuck to tradition thus far. The third baseman has notoriously gotten off to slow starts before catching fire in the second month of the season.
Peralta entered Friday riding a 10-game hitting streak, batting .333 (14-for-42) with a home run and seven RBIs over the span. Since April 21, he had raised his average from .122 to .246 through Thursday.
“I have no answer for that,” Acta said. “You’ve seen him for years here. I know that he started turning it around when he started using his legs more and swinging at better pitches.
“It’s hard to explain. I know that the guy’s talented and he’s done it before.”
Wood’s world
After blowing his first save opportunity of the season Wednesday, closer Kerry Wood showed his frustration by tossing his glove into the stands as he walked off the field once being lifted for Jamey Wright.
The glove sailed over the Indians dugout and directly to a fan seated a number of rows back.
“I just looked up, found somebody and tossed it to him,” said Wood, who entered the ninth inning with a one-run lead before allowing five runs in just 1/3 of an inning in an 8-4 loss. “At that point, you can’t get off the field fast enough. I wanted to get my jersey off, my shoes off, everything off. I started with the glove.”
Wood said it was not the first time that his glove wound up in the stands after a poor outing.
“I’ve probably ‘given away’ five or six gloves in the majors,” he said. “I keep backups.”
Minor details
Double-A Akron infielder Lonnie Chisenhall was recently placed on the disabled list with right shoulder soreness. Cleveland’s first-round draft (29th overall) pick in 2008 got off to a strong start, batting .358 over his first 16 games, but his season average fell to .261 through 27 games. … Alex White, the Indians’ first-round draft pick (15th overall) last year, was promoted to Akron after going 2-3 with a 2.86 ERA in eight starts for advanced Class A Kinston. He is scheduled to make his first start for the Aeros on Sunday.
Roundin’ third
The Indians entered Friday with an 0-12 record when scoring two runs or less. … Sheffield’s Brianne McLaughlin, an Elyria Catholic graduate and member of the silver medal-winning USA women’s hockey team, will be signing autographs at Progressive Field tonight along with teammate Kellie Stack (Brooklyn Heights). … Tonight, 7:05, No television/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Fausto Carmona (4-1, 3.33) vs. Johnny Cueto (3-1, 3.67).
