CLEVELAND – The Indians have been waiting for Fausto Carmona to return to the form he displayed as a Cy Young candidate in 2007.

Manager Manny Acta thinks Carmona has just about arrived.

“He has turned the corner and matured a lot,” Acta said of the 27-year-old right-hander, who is 3-3 with a 3.94 ERA in nine starts this season. “That was the knock on him. When things got tough, he let things get out of hand. But he has been better with that. He hasn’t let innings consume him.”

Just a year removed from posting a sparkling 19-8 record and 3.06 ERA, while finishing finishing fourth in American League Cy Young award voting, Carmona’s career took a downturn in 2008.

It began with a two-month stint on the disabled list thanks to a hip strain that led to an 8-7 record and uncharacteristically high 5.44 ERA, and continued into a season on the brink for Carmona in 2009.

Out of whack mechanically and mentally, Carmona was removed from the Indians’ rotation and sent on a minor-league trek that took him as low as the Arizona Rookie League. He finished the season in the big leagues but wound up with an embarrassing 5-12 record and 6.32 ERA in 24 starts.

The following spring, he arrived at training camp – the first under Acta – with a new mindset and new approach, and that’s where Carmona’s road to recovery began.

Though his 13-14 record was under .500 last year, his ERA was an above-average 3.77 over 33 starts. In his first year as the fulltime ace this season, Carmona has been the picture of consistency – outside of a disastrous Opening Day outing that now looks like an aberration.

Since allowing 10 earned runs in his first start, Carmona has gone 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA, pitching at least seven innings in seven of his nine starts on the season.

“(This year) has been pretty similar to (last year),” Acta said. “I think the win-loss thing will take care of itself with our improved offense. He’s been pretty consistent and reliable this year.”

Carmona’s success basically comes down to the effectiveness of his sinker, which can be one of the best in the big leagues. When he has struggled in the past, he has a tendency to overthrow the pitch.

“We know he can get it up there in the mid-90’s if he has to,” Acta said. “But that’s not his forte. It’s to sink the ball. Usually when guys like him try to throw too hard, they get in trouble. More velocity for him means less movement.”

And the Indians hope more positive results from Carmona means another step back to his Cy Young-candidate form.

Still mending

Grady Sizemore was out of the lineup again Saturday with a bruised right knee. Had it not been postponed, it would have marked the fourth straight game Sizemore had missed with the injury.

“He’s still a little sore,” Acta said.

Sizemore, who is batting .282 with six home runs and 11 RBIs in 18 games since leaving the disabled list, was able to go through a workout at Progressive Field, but Acta said he did not anticipate him playing today.

An MRI performed on Sizemore’s knee Wednesday revealed no structural damage and the Indians still aren’t concerned that he is a candidate for the DL.

Pronk’s progress

Acta thinks Travis Hafner’s fast start has everything to do with the designated hitter being injury-free for the first time in years. Hafner, who battled shoulder problems the past three seasons, is hitting .340 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 30 games.

“When he’s healthy he trusts his hands,” Acta said. “We saw that in spring training, his bat speed. He’s driving the ball with authority. You can’t substitute health.”

Minor details

David Huff took the loss in Triple-A Columbus’ 9-5 loss to Indianapolis on Friday, allowing seven runs on 12 hits in just 42⁄3 innings. Huff fell to 3-2 with a 4.10 ERA in seven starts for the Clippers.

•  Travis Buck went 2-for-5 with his third homer and three RBIs for Columbus to raise his average to .357 in 17 games since being optioned from Cleveland.

•  Right-hander Michael Goodnight evened his record at 3-3 with a 2.92 ERA Friday, allowing a run on three hits and striking out six over 62⁄3 innings of Class A Lake County’s 2-1 victory over West Michigan.

Roundin’ third

The Cleveland Indians Charities Hardball Classic postponed game between Avon Lake High School and Amherst-Steele will be made up at Progressive Field on May 25. It will follow the Indians’ 12:05 game against Boston.

•  Fans are invited to stay after today’s game to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Len Barker’s perfect game, May 15, 1981. Barker and vice president of public relations Bob DiBiasio will provide live commentary atop the home dugout during a video presentation of the top of the ninth inning of Barker’s perfect game against the Blue Jays.

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

Tribe rained out

CLEVELAND – Heavy rain erased the prospect of the Indians starting a new home winning streak Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field as the second game of their series against the Seattle Mariners was postponed.

The game has not been rescheduled, but the two teams are expected to make it up as part of a doubleheader during Seattle’s last trip to Cleveland (Aug. 22-24).

The game was halted in the bottom of the first inning at 1:20 p.m.

TODAY

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Seattle
• TIME: 1:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Tomlin (4-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Pineda (4-2, 2.84)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND — Justin Masterson is human after all. Turns out, the Indians are, too.

Indians starter Justin Masterson pitches in the first inning Thursday at Progressive Field. (AP photo.)

Masterson, who was off to a brilliant start with a 5-0 record and 2.11 ERA in his first seven outings of the season, finally showed some flaws Thursday afternoon.

His subpar effort, coupled with an overall dismal display from his teammates, spelled a 7-4 defeat for the Indians, who lost the rubber match of a three-game series against Tampa Bay in front of a matinee crowd of 18,107 at Progressive Field.

“We didn’t play very good baseball, not good enough to win the ballgame, that’s for sure,” said manager Manny Acta, whose team had no runs and four hits in the first five innings, and had two runners picked off in its fifth loss in eight games.

Masterson set the early negative tone, allowing four of his five runs in the second inning.

He walked Evan Longoria to lead off the inning, then allowed hits to three of the next four batters, capped by a two-run double from Reid Brignac. A two-out, two-run single from Sam Fuld scored the other two runs.

“The second inning, I just kind of got behind. That’s when they really hurt us,” said Masterson, who allowed five runs on eight hits and four walks over 5 2⁄3 innings. “There were a lot of balls that just missed. I kept it to that one inning. My execution was a little off today.

“It’s unfortunate. It would have been nice to get the victory and win the series.”

The four runs Masterson allowed in the second were more than he had allowed in any of his previous starts.

“Masterson really struggled with his command,” Acta said. “He just had a tough time repeating his delivery.

“We know he’s not going to be perfect the whole season. He just had an off day.”

With a second straight top-shelf starter on the mound for Tampa Bay in right-hander James Shields (4-1, 2.08 ERA), the Indians needed much more from Masterson.

Working a similar outing to that of rotation mate David Price the night before, Shields stifled Cleveland hitters over the first half of the game, while his team built a substantial lead.

Shields allowed two runs over seven innings, both coming in the sixth with the Indians trailing 5-0. He gave up seven hits and struck out seven.

“It’s tough to play catch-up baseball against anybody,” Acta said. “It makes it tougher when it’s against guys like Price and Shields. (Shields) has that equalizer in the change-up. It’s one of the best in the game.”

The Indians’ baserunning was some of the worst. With opportunities scarce against Shields, Michael Brantley (first base, third inning) and Orlando Cabrera (second base, sixth inning) were picked off.

“Play, play and learn,” Acta said of the inexperienced Brantley. “When you’re down four runs, it’s not a good idea to get picked off.”

Television replays appeared to show that Cabrera was safe on his slide back to second. It was one of two plays at second base that had Acta reconsidering his stance on extending video replay beyond home run reviews.

“For the first time, the purist side of me has left a little bit,” Acta said. “As much as I hate (expanding) it, I’m going to have to start defending it.

“I know we’re human, but if the human side is going to make errors like that. I’m not there yet, but my human element is pushing me a little bit.”

Prior to the three-game series, Progressive Field was not a friendly place for the Rays, who came in with just two wins in their last 20 games in Cleveland.

Tampa Bay wound up snapping the Indians’ home winning streak at 14 games Wednesday night, and handing Cleveland its first series loss at home since a season-opening three-game set against the White Sox.

“It’s two games,” said Masterson, whose team still sits atop the Central Division standings with the best record in the American League (23-13). “If we just stick to losing two games every once in awhile, I’ll take that.”

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

CLEVELAND — Asdrubal Cabrera would prefer that his big games at the plate come during Cleveland victories, but when the production is as bountiful as it has been this year for the Indians shortstop he’s bound to look good during some of their losses, too.

Cabrera

Such was the case Thursday afternoon during the Indians’ 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Cabrera kept hope alive for Tribe fans with a solo home run in the sixth inning and a triple — that needed to be reviewed to ensure that it wasn’t his second homer of the game — in the eighth.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with the two extra-base hits, a walk, a run scored and an RBI. It was the first time an Indians player had hit a triple and a home run in the same game since Andy Marte accomplished the feat on Aug. 27, 2009, in Baltimore.

“He’s been fantastic since Day 1 of spring training,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He showed up in the best shape as he has in years, and he’s come up big for us on both ends, offensively and defensively.”

Cabrera has always been a whiz in the field, making diving stops and great throws to second to enable improbable double plays.

But his career numbers at the plate before this season have been mediocre at best. In five big league seasons — all with the Indians — his best year was 2009, when he batted .308 with 68 RBIs and six home runs.

So far this season, Cabrera is batting .289 with 24 RBIs and six home runs. He leads the team in both the latter categories, sharing the home run lead with Grady Sizemore.

“He’s been a force in our lineup,” Acta said. “He’s been there to pick us up many times when (Shin-Soo) Choo or (Carlos) Santana have been struggling.

“It’s not often you see a guy who plays the middle infield (and bats in the No. 2 position) lead the team in both home runs and RBIs.”

Indeed Cabrera has shined like the famed pearl necklace he wore early in his career. He’s on pace to finish with 120 RBIs and 30 homers this season.

In typical team-player fashion, he gives the credit to the rest of the guys in the lineup.

“We have a little bit more experience on this team and everyone is really playing hard,” he said. “We seem to be putting everything together now. Everyone’s helping out, everyone’s contributing.”

The success against Rays star pitcher James Shields on Thursday was a surprise, as Shields has been nearly unhittable — he left Cleveland sporting a 4-1 record and a 2.08 ERA — and Cabrera has struggled against right-handed pitching — putting up a .255 average compared to the .327 he hits against left-handers.

But after a groundout in his first at-bat and a walk in his second plate appearance, Cabrera sent the first pitch he saw from Shields in the sixth inning 408 feet into the right-field stands.

It looked as if he had duplicated the feat two innings later, but the ball hit off the top of the wall and bounced back into the outfield. The umpires gathered to review the play, and ruled the hit a triple after a little more than a minute of deliberation.

“You really can’t go out and argue that call because they reviewed it,” Acta said. “From where I was in the dugout, it looked like it (was a home run), but they checked it out and said that it wasn’t.”

The homer extended Cabrera’s hitting streak to five games, and he’s hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games. He’s played in all 36 games, and has reached base in 31 of them.

The consistent play in the field always helps, but the boon at the plate has been a big part of the Indians’ hot start in 2011.

The boost in numbers has even taken the shortstop by surprise.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Cabrera said. “But anything can happen in the game of baseball. I just want to continue to do my best and try to do everything I can to help the team.”

Win or lose.

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Indians lost their second straight game at Progressive Field on Thursday, dropping a 7-4 decision to the Rays.

Cleveland starter Justin Masterson lost for the first time this season, allowing five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.