CLEVELAND – Manny Acta didn’t exactly paint a positive picture where injured center fielder Grady Sizemore is concerned.
The Indians manager said Sizemore, who is on the disabled list with a deep bone bruise in his left knee, will visit doctors over the next few days to decide the best course of action for treatment.
Cleveland’s head trainer Lonnie Soloff is expected to provide an update on Sizemore next week, with surgery remaining a possibility.
“He’s still got to see those doctors and see what the best option is,” Acta said.
Sizemore, who was off to a slow start — .211, 0 HR in 33 games — has been sidelined since taking himself out of a game in Tampa Bay last Sunday.
The three-time all star and two-time Gold Glove-award winner endured an injury-plagued season last year, slumping to a career-low .248 batting average with 18 homers and 64 RBIs in 106 games.
Choo for two
Acta moved Shin-Soo Choo up to second in the batting order Friday and the right fielder responded with a 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of home runs. But Acta didn’t take credit for the move, deflecting the praise to Choo.
“It has nothing to do with the spot where he hit,” Acta said. “It has everything to do with his name being Shin-Soo Choo.”
Val-not-so-Buena
Infielder Luis Valbuena continues to struggle offensively, entering Saturday with a .148 batting average and just two hits in his last 30 at-bats.
“I don’t think he’s overmatched,” Acta said. “He’s a guy that we still have to get some at-bats and get him to snap out of it. This guy had 30-something extra-base hits (38) last year. We just have to continue to work with him.”
Numbers game
Acta studies statistics but isn’t a manager that lives by them.
“I love stats but I don’t do everything based on stats,” he said. “If you go by splits, you’re going to have a different lineup every single day.
“Stats are like bikinis. They show a lot but they don’t show everything.”
Streak stopper
Mike Redmond’s major league record consecutive errorless streak by a catcher is over.
Redmond was charged with a throwing error on a stolen base from Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce in the fourth inning Saturday, halting the streak at 253 games.
Minor details
Canadian-born outfielder Nick Weglarz was promoted to Triple-A Columbus after going 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Double-A Akron’s 9-3 loss to Harrisburg on Friday. Weglarz, a third-round draft pick in 2005, hit .285 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 37 games for the Aeros. … The Indians signed infielder Josh Phelps to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Columbus. Phelps, 32, is back for his second stint in organization after spending the 2004 season with in Cleveland. He owns a lifetime batting average of .273 in 465 games with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, New York (Yankees) and Cleveland.
Roundin’ third
Shelley Duncan and his father Dave are the sixth father/son combination to play for the Indians, joining the Averills (Earl), Bagbys (Jim), Franconas (Tito, Terry), Bells (Buddy, David) and Carreons (Camilo, Mark). … Ohio State legend Archie Griffin, who was in attendance along with the OSU Alumni Marching Band, threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches. So did Elyria Catholic graduate Brianne McLaughlin and Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights), members of the USA Women’s Olympic hockey team. … Today, 1:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. David Huff (1-6, 5.36) vs. Homer Bailey (1-2, 5.21).
