CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana returned to the cleanup spot Thursday night, and Indians manager Manny Acta had his defense prepared for critics of the move.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Santana leads the team in on-base percentage,” Acta said of Cleveland’s catcher, who entered Thursday hitting just .224 but with a .362 on-base percentage, fueled by 38 walks (third in the American League). “That means he is making the least outs of anyone. That means a lot to me. I’m not a big batting average guy.”
Santana, embroiled in a slump that has covered the majority of the season, has been hot as of late, entering Thursday 7-for-17 with three doubles and three RBIs in his last six games. Since adjusting his approach at the plate by eliminating a toe tap prior to his swing, Santana went 4-for-7 with two doubles, two RBIs and four walks through his first at-bat Thursday.
“He’s swinging the bat better,” Acta said. “There’s not such a big difference between fourth and fifth.”
With Travis Hafner on the disabled list, the Indians are without a prototypical cleanup hitter, and the designated hitter was hitting fifth anyway before sustaining a right oblique injury.
According to Acta, Hafner’s absence is the main reason Grady Sizemore’s return to the leadoff spot will be delayed, with Michael Brantley continuing to bat atop Cleveland’s lineup. Sizemore hit fifth in the series opener with Texas on Thursday.
“We need a little more thump in the middle of our order,” Acta said.
Pronk’s prognosis
Acta said Hafner would pick up a bat today for the first time since the injury, taking dry swings prior to the game.
There is no set timetable for the return of Hafner, who was expected to miss four to six weeks after being placed on the disabled list May 20.
“We have to go day-to-day with that because you never know when you’re going to have a setback,” Acta said.
Hafner, who is hitting .345 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 32 games, has missed time twice this season with injuries but has avoided any issues with his problematic right shoulder.
Minor details
Triple-A Columbus infielder Cord Phelps entered Thursday batting .338 (23-for-68) over his last 16 games with six doubles, two homers and 18 RBIs. Phelps, one of Cleveland’s top prospects, was batting .309 with seven homers and 38 RBIs in 49 games.
** Double-A Akron infielder Matt McBride was named Indians minor league player of the week for May 22-28, batting .370 (10-for-27) with two homers and seven RBIs in seven games. McBride, a sandwich draft pick between the second and third rounds in 2006, entered Thursday hitting .263 with a team-leading eight homers and 26 RBIs in 54 games.
** LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 1.85 ERA in nine starts) pitched well but didn’t get a decision Wednesday, allowing just three hits and striking out four over five innings of High-A Kinston’s 2-0 loss to Wilmington.
Roundin’ third
The Indians entered Thursday with a 24-13 record against right-handed pitchers, which was the best mark in the majors. Cleveland was hitting a big league-best .303 with runners in scoring position through Wednesday.
** ESPN has selected three future Indians games to televise nationally — June 13 at New York Yankees, Aug. 1 at Boston and Sept. 21 vs. Chicago White Sox.
** Cavaliers guard Baron Davis was in attendance as part of a community outreach program.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
