CLEVELAND — The Indians have been waiting all season for Shin-Soo Choo to get hot.

He’s there.

Choo

Choo, who appeared poised for a breakout 2011, has slumped through the majority of it, but since May 7, Cleveland’s resident five-tool player is batting .333 (16-for-48) with a home run and seven RBIs to raise his average from .217 to .250 through Sunday.

“Don’t look at the board yet, but he’s hitting .250 already,” manager Manny Acta said of Choo, who entered Monday riding a nine-game hitting streak, batting .375 (12-for-32) with a homer and five RBIs over the span. “It’s been steady progress. You gotta be patient. You have to understand that you aren’t going to go from .200 to .300 in one series.”

Though Choo hasn’t been swinging the bat as predicted, he has drawn 19 walks in 44 games.

“He’s not afraid to take a walk,” Acta said. “Obviously they aren’t going to pitch to him, so he’s got to find another way to get on base sometimes.”

Cleveland’s other season-long slumper, catcher Carlos Santana, has yet to turn the corner, entering Monday with a .208 batting average. In an 0-for-15 skid at the plate, Santana got the night off.

“It’s always good to give him a chance to regroup mentally,” Acta said.

Sizemore’s status

Grady Sizemore is scheduled to run the bases Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a bruised right knee — the final hurdle to clear before being activated from the disabled list.

Sizemore has been taking batting practice since last Friday and the Indians are hopeful he will leave the disabled list for the series opener against Tampa Bay this Friday.

“We’ll have a better idea after (he runs the bases),” Acta said. “We’re gonna have to see how he comes through that.”
Acta said Sizemore would not require a rehab assignment before returning.

Rising star

Outfielder Michael Brantley finally looks comfortable on the big-league level, entering Monday with a .296 batting average, four homers and 22 RBIs in 42 games.

“He’s turning himself into one of those players that eventually will be able to hit first to seventh,” Acta said. “He’s not afraid to work the count. He’s developing a little more power.

“I really trust Michael at the plate in any situation. He’s going to be a pretty good hitter. He has all the intangibles to be a great player.”

Asked if he would consider moving Sizemore down in the order and batting Brantley leadoff — a spot he has assumed with Sizemore on the DL.

“I can consider anything I want,” Acta said. “Let’s save that one for when Grady comes back.”

Friendly fire

Red Sox manager Terry Francona is one of the many who wasn’t sure what to make of the Indians after they swept his club at Progressive Field during the first week of the regular season.

“When we played them early on it was the second series of the year,” Francona said. “When you’re six games into the season, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but since then, they’ve really taken off.

“It’s amazing when teams play inspired baseball, and they are. They’re playing with confidence. You never know where it’s going to lead, but I’m sure they’re excited.”

Francona spent a year (2001) in the Indians organization as a special assistant to then general manager Mark Shapiro.

“I don’t know that (how the Indians are playing) should be a surprise,” Francona said. “The people they have here, the front office, they’ve got good people. They know what they’re doing.”

Minor details

• Triple-A Columbus’ Lonnie Chisenhall went 2-for-5 with his fourth homer in a 7-6 win over Durham on Sunday. Chisenhall was batting .272 with 24 RBIs in 41 games through Sunday.
• Double-A Akron’s Tim Fedroff extended his hitting streak to 16 games in a 5-4 loss to Altoona on Sunday. Fedroff entered Monday batting an Eastern League-best .376 in 39 games.

Roundin’ third

• Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera went 5-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs in a sweep-clinching victory over the Reds on Sunday. He is the second shortstop in history to reach those numbers in a game and the first since Cincinnati’s Roy McMillan in 1946. Cabrera entered Monday batting .360 (27-for-75) with four homers and 15 RBIs in his last 18 games.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — Is there no stopping these Indians?

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Chris Perez reacts to a game-ending double play and the Indians' 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox last night. (AP photo.)

A game that appeared to be headed for the losing column Monday night instead wound up as another victory for Cleveland — a 3-2 decision over the Red Sox in the series opener at Progressive Field.

They are the Windians after all.

Down by a run, Cleveland rallied for two in the eighth inning to improve its major league-best record to 30-15, while upping its big league-leading mark at home to 19-4.

The record at Progressive Field equals the best home start in franchise history, set in 2007.

“It was a tremendous ballgame,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, whose team played under consistent rainfall with a delay of an hour and a minute prior to the start. “Both (starting) pitchers (Cleveland’s Justin Masterson and Boston’s Clay Buchholz) were fantastic. Too bad people had to get wet to watch the ballgame.”

The first seven innings boiled down to a pitching duel between Masterson and Buchholz, both right-handers allowing just two runs, but neither factoring in the decision.

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Masterson lasted 7 2⁄3 innings, allowing four hits, while Buchholz logged 71⁄3 and surrendered four hits as well.

Boston scored first on a two-out single from Dustin Pedroia in the third, with the Indians tying it for the first time in the fourth on a leadoff home run by Asdrubal Cabrera.

Cabrera’s dream season continued in earnest as the shortstop went 3-for-4 and drove in the winning run with a double in the pivotal eighth.

Cabrera’s homer was his seventh straight hit after going 5-for-5 the day before in a sweep-clinching victory over Cincinnati.

With the game tied at 1 in the fifth, Boston forged ahead again on a leadoff homer from Carl Crawford, setting the stage for more late-game magic from the Indians, who have come from behind to win eight of their last nine games at Progressive Field.

Cleveland has won seven of its last nine at home in its last at-bat and is 8-0 in one-run games at home.

Jack Hannahan started the eighth with a single, with Buchholz departing after getting Austin Kearns to ground out.

The Indians appeared to be running out of rally steam when pinch hitter Carlos Santana popped up against Daniel Bard for the second out. But Michael Brantley delivered a game-tying single and Cabrera won it with his double to left-center, as the 19,225 fans in attendance erupted.

“I can’t say enough about the at-bat Hannahan had, and Brantley, and then Asdrubal,” Acta said.

“Asdrubal is locked in,” Brantley said. “He’s swinging unbelievable. It fires us up, because right now he’s the hot stick at the plate.”

The Indians still had to hold the vaunted Red Sox down in the ninth inning, which proved to be no easy task for closer Chris Perez, who allowed consecutive hits with one out to J.D. Drew and Jed Lowrie, putting runners on first and third.

Perez emerged unscathed when he got the speedy Crawford to bounce into a tailor-made double play to end the game.

Acta wasn’t around for the fantastic finish, getting ejected in the top of the eighth for arguing with first base umpire Rob Drake, who ruled that Masterson missed the bag while covering on a Jacoby Ellsbury grounder.

After initially stepping toward the bag, Masterson went back to touch the base as if he had missed it. According to Acta, Drake said he used that as the basis for his call.

“I just didn’t like the explanation he gave me,” said Acta, who drew the Indians’ first ejection of the season. “I don’t think you can make calls on players’ reactions. Then he walked (away) on me and that’s disrespectful.”

Cleveland, which swept Boston in a three-game series April 5-7, has won five straight against the Red Sox at Progressive Field dating back to last season.

The surprising season continued for the Indians, who have taken the baseball world by storm.

“I don’t think there was ever a doubt on this team if we could do this or not,” Masterson said. “I guess you could ask the question, ‘Are people going to start believing.’ We’re just going out and winning ballgames.”

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — Father’s Day isn’t until June 19, but Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera got a jump on the festivities Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field.

Asdrubal Cabrera gets one of his five hits Sunday during the Indians’ 12-4 win over the Reds. Cabrera hit two homers and drove in five runs as the Tribe swept Cincinnati. (AP photo.)

After playing with his 3-year-old son, Meyer, on the field prior to the series finale against Cincinnati, Cabrera celebrated by powering the Indians to a 12-4 victory and a sweep of the Reds.

The 25-year-old shortstop, who is quickly evolving into one of the majors’ best at his position, enjoyed a career day at the plate, going 5-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs.

“Asdrubal Cabrera was a one-man show,” said Cleveland manager Manny Acta, whose club improved to a major league-leading 29-15. The Indians are a big league-best 18-4 at home, equaling the best start in franchise history. “He just took over. He continues to play like an All-Star for us since Day 1.”

Actually, Cabrera had help. The majority came from leadoff batter Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo — the players that sandwich Cabrera (second) in the batting order.

Cleveland’s top three hitters accounted for 10 of the team’s 13 hits, scored six runs and drove in nine. They went 7-for-7 with five RBIs against Reds starter Edinson Volquez, who lasted just 2 2⁄3 innings.

But it was Cabrera who stood out, setting career highs in hits and homers and equaling a career high with his RBIs. The last Indians player to collect five hits and five RBIs in a game was Victor Martinez, who drove in seven against the Mariners in 2004.

Cabrera is healthy after an injury-plagued 2010 and has asserted himself on the level of the elite shortstops in the game, batting .302 with a team-leading nine homers and 32 RBIs.

“We do know that he is one of the best at the position,” Acta said.

“I don’t think too much about that,” Cabrera said of his standing in the league. “I’m just trying to help the team win and have fun. (I’m healthy), that’s the only difference. My whole body feels good.”

The surging Indians are feeling good after sweeping Cincinnati for the first time in seven years. The Reds entered the three-game set having won the last seven series between the intrastate interleague rivals.

“They are tough at home,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, whose team lost its fifth straight game on the heels of a five-game winning streak. “They’re playing good baseball. Whatever they needed, they got this series.”

After winning the first two games with comebacks, Cleveland scored early Sunday, leading 7-0 after three innings.

Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the first, and a throwing error from Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez scored two more in the opening inning.

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (3-2, 5.16 ERA) was the beneficiary of the early support, getting the win after allowing four runs on six hits (two homers) over six innings.

Carrasco surrendered solo shots to Joey Votto in the first and Jay Bruce in the sixth — a two-run inning for Cincinnati, which closed the gap to 7-3 before Cabrera’s solo homer in the bottom of the sixth.

The rout was on after Cleveland scored four times in the seventh, getting RBI doubles from Brantley and Jack Hannahan and a run-scoring single from Cabrera in his last at-bat.

Despite seeing three players land on the disabled list last week — Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Alex White — the magic continued for the Indians, who are off to their best start after 44 games since 2001. They are 14 games over .500 for the first time since 2007 and own a seven-game lead in the Central Division standings.

“We’ve got a good team,” Cabrera said. “We know it, and we want to keep it going.”

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — Alex White’s promising debut season in the big leagues has been put on hold, possibly for the rest of the year.

White

White, who was placed on the disabled list Saturday, is expected to miss at least two months after an MRI revealed a sprained ligament in his right middle finger.

The right-hander, who was Cleveland’s first-round draft choice in 2009, sustained the injury while throwing a slider in the third inning Friday, leaving after the inning was complete for what could be his final appearance of the season at Progressive Field.

“It’s very disappointing,” said White, who was 1-0 with a 3.76 ERA in his first two big league starts prior to Friday. “I don’t want to use the word heartbreaking, but it really is. It’s been a long road to get here, and I want to be part of what’s going on here.”

According to head trainer Lonnie Soloff, White will begin playing catch in three to four weeks, but the Indians will not rush him back, which puts the rest of White’s season — at least in the majors — in jeopardy.

“We want to be as conservative as possible in Alex’s case,” Soloff said.

Adding more disappointment for White is the fact that he feels as though he can still compete. He can still throw his fastball, but can’t use his normal grip on breaking pitches, such as the slider he threw Friday.

“It feels OK,” he said. “The swelling’s down. I can still throw with velocity. I think that’s the frustrating part. I think I can pitch, but at this point, we just have to be safe and get it better.”

Soloff and manager Manny Acta came to the mound after White injured the finger, but did not remove him once White had thrown warmup pitches.

“He was adamant about his ability to stay in the game and compete,” Soloff said. “It speaks to Alex’s toughness and his competitiveness.”

There is one positive for White, with the Indians not fearing this is a similar situation to right-hander Adam Miller — a former top pitching prospect in the organization — whose career was sidetracked by a multitude of surgeries on his right middle finger.

“In Miller’s case, there were other complicating factors that are not present with Alex,” Soloff said.

Right-hander Mitch Talbot is set to leave the disabled list and will replace White in the rotation. White was filling in for Talbot but wasn’t a lock to return to the minors once Talbot was ready for activation.

Sizemore’s status

Soloff said Grady Sizemore (bruised right knee) would increase his baseball activities over the next three days.

Sizemore has begun to take batting practice but has not played since sustaining the injury May 10 on a slide into second base. The Indians are hopeful that he will be ready to leave the disabled list for the series opener at Tampa Bay on Friday.

Tomlin time

Add another milestone to Josh Tomlin’s young career.

The right-hander, who is the only Indians pitcher to last at least five innings in each of his first 21 career big league starts, is also the first Cleveland pitcher since the earned run became official in 1913 to start the season with nine quality starts (six innings, three runs or fewer).

Tomlin, 26, was tied for the major league lead with six wins through Saturday and led the majors with a 0.82 WHIP. Opponents are batting just .103 (3-for-29) off him with runners in scoring position, second in the American League behind New York’s Freddy Garcia (.098) through Saturday.

Next up

The Indians wrap up the homestand with a three-game series against Boston that begins tonight at 7:10.

Justin Masterson (5-2, 2.52 ERA) opens the set, opposing RHP Clay Buchholz (4-3, 3.42), while Fausto Carmona (3-4, 4.76) goes for the Indians on Tuesday (7:05), the Red Sox countering with RHP Josh Beckett (3-1, 1.73).

Talbot (1-0, 1.46) starts for Cleveland in the finale Wednesday (12:05), while Boston goes with LHP Jon Lester (6-1, 3.68).
Cleveland swept the Red Sox in a three-game series at Progressive Field on April 5-7.

Minor details

• Chad Huffman had a big game in Triple-A Columbus’ 11-8 win over Durham on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with his sixth homer, three RBIs and two runs. Huffman, who was claimed off waivers from the Yankees at the end of last season, was hitting .273 with 26 RBIs in 39 games through Saturday.
• lRight-hander Paolo Espino won his first start for Double-A Akron on Saturday, allowing a run on three hits, while striking out six over five innings of an 8-1 victory over Altoona. Espino, a 10th-round draft pick in 2006, is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in

10 appearances for the Aeros after being demoted from Columbus.

Roundin’ third

• The Indians drew 99,086 fans during the three-game series with Cincinnati. It is the highest attendance figure for a three-game series at Progressive Field since Sept. 19-21, 2008, against Detroit.
• The Indians entered Sunday tied with Toronto for the American League’s best team ERA (2.99).
• Josh Judy made his big league debut, pitching a scoreless ninth inning and allowing two hits while getting his first major league strikeout.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.