CLEVELAND — The Indians owned the worst attendance in major league baseball last year, and they are leading the pack again in 2011.

Of the 15 teams that opened the season at home, Cleveland ranked last in attendance with an average of 17,331 fans over its first four games through Tuesday.

That’s dubiously close to the 17,435 fans the Indians averaged through 80 home dates (one doubleheader) last year.

“If I spend five minutes worrying about that, that’s five minutes I’m not going to spend on trying to make this team better and bring people to the ballpark,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “The fan base is there. I see it every time I walk the streets. Do I want to see it packed every day? Of course. If we win, they’ll come.

“My job is to make these guys as good as possible to bring people to the park, but that’s not my main concern.”

Cold weather and low expectations for a team coming off consecutive 90-loss seasons are just two of the factors contributing to the low attendance for the Indians, who drew less than 10,000 fans to three of their first four home dates and set a record-low mark at Jacobs/Progressive Field with 8,726 fans Sunday.

Indians players are trying not to notice the small crowds.

“This is the time of year that we just focus on playing the game,” Indians outfielder Travis Buck said. “Obviously the economy has hit the city of Cleveland pretty hard, and we just hope, if they’re not here, they’re cheering us on on the TV.”

Setup Sipp?

Though Acta has yet to designate a setup man, left-hander Tony Sipp handled the role in Cleveland’s first two wins Sunday and Tuesday.

“It’s more a matchup situation until more of the season plays out,” Acta said. “If Tony runs away with it, then fine.”

Sipp was a key late-inning reliever for Cleveland last year but was inconsistent in 70 games (2-2, 4.14 ERA). He was one of the Indians’ best out of the bullpen this spring and has carried that into the regular season, where he didn’t allow a run or hit with two strikeouts over his first two appearances.

“He showed up in camp this year in a lot better playing condition,” Acta said of the 6-foot, 190-pound Sipp. “He had a goal in mind to basically just pitch down in the strike zone, and he’s been doing that since spring training. You can tell the difference.”

Acta said the other lefty in the bullpen, Rafael Perez, would be used mainly as a situational reliever.

Wounded Wahoos

Grady Sizemore (microfracture surgery left knee) and reliever Joe Smith (strained abdominal) are scheduled to begin minor league rehab assignments tonight for Double-A Akron, which opens its season at home against Binghamton.

Sizemore is expected to play seven innings in center field, while Smith is expected to pitch an inning.

Pronk progress

Travis Hafner finished strong last year and he’s starting strong this season.

Hafner, who posted the AL’s fourth-highest second-half batting average (.329) in 2010, entered Wednesday hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a home run, double and two RBIs in four games.

Roundin’ third

Three upcoming Indians games — Friday at Seattle (10:10 p.m.), Saturday at Seattle (9:10 p.m.) and April 13 at the Los Angeles Angels (7:05 p.m.) — have been moved from WTAM 1100-AM to WMMS 100.7-FM due to conflicts with the Cavaliers.

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

CLEVELAND — When the schedule came out, the Boston Red Sox, whom many were picking to represent the American League in the World Series this year, figured to present a stiff early test for the Indians.

It’s been the other way around.

Cleveland, which employs one of the youngest rosters in baseball, beat veteran-driven Boston for the second straight night Wednesday, turning back the Red Sox, 8-4, to keep them winless on the season at 0-5.

The Indians (3-2), who won their third straight game, were powered by three home runs from Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera and Matt LaPorta, the long ball accounting for six of the runs on the night.

The Indians have already secured the series against the AL heavyweight and go for their first three-game sweep of Boston since Aug. 28-30, 2001, in Cleveland.

“For us, it’s huge for our confidence to take the series away from them,” said Indians starting pitcher Mitch Talbot, who did not figure in the decision after allowing two runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Cleveland started the season with two embarrassing losses to Central Division rival Chicago before avoiding the sweep with its first win Sunday. The Indians have carried that momentum into the series with Boston.

“You’re never satisfied but we’re pretty satisfied that we clinched .500 against two of the best teams in the American League,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said.

Both starting pitchers, Talbot and Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka, worked short outings, Talbot failing to make it to the fifth inning, and the Red Sox right-hander lasting just five.

Talbot, who struggled mightily this spring, allowed Boston to tie the game at two in the second inning, then came back to offer up his best work of the night in the third.

With runners on second and third and no outs, Talbot struck out the dangerous Kevin Youkilis before David Ortiz lined to short. Talbot then struck out J.D. Drew to end the inning without a run crossing the plate.

“I just made good pitches when I had to, plain and simple,” said Talbot, who struck out seven. “That was a big swing right there. It could’ve been really bad.”

Cleveland, which got its first runs on Choo’s two-run homer off Matsuzaka in the opening inning, scored once in the third to retake the lead.

Then the Indians took control of the game in the sixth inning, turning a one-run game into a non-save situation, thanks in large part to the Boston bullpen.

Dennis Reyes started the inning in place of Matsuzaka, hitting the first two batters he faced — Travis Buck and LaPorta — then walking Jack Hannahan to load the bases.

Dan Wheeler replaced Reyes and got Michael Brantley to lift a soft liner to third that Youkilis looked as though he purposely dropped to keep a double play intact before stepping on third base and throwing home.

Boston catcher Jason Varitek had to tag Buck for the out, but only stepped on the plate, as home plate umpire Dale Scott signaled Buck safe.

Asdrubal Cabrera followed and put the game away with a three-run homer over the right-field wall.

LaPorta’s solo shot in the eighth — his first homer of the season — scored the Indians’ final run.

Cleveland’s bullpen was far more effective than Boston’s, with five relievers combining to allow two runs over the final 4 2/3 innings, right-hander Frank Herrmann serving up both of them on a homer from Adrian Gonzalez in the seventh.

Chad Durbin came on for Talbot with runners on first and third and one out in the fifth and struck out Youkilis before Rafael Perez retired the final batter of the inning.

Left-hander Tony Sipp and right-hander Vinnie Pestano didn’t allow a baserunner over the final two innings.

“The bullpen was just fantastic,” Acta said. “Durbin’s strikeout was huge.”

The Indians have drawn inspiration from facing the Red Sox.

“Anytime you play the Red Sox you want to give 100 percent,” Asdrubal Cabrera said. “You know they’re one of the best teams in the league. We’ve played hard.”

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

CLEVELAND — The Indians owned the worst attendance in major league baseball last year, and they are leading the pack again in 2011.

Of the 15 teams that opened the season at home, Cleveland ranked last in attendance with an average of 17,331 fans over its first four games through Tuesday.

That’s dubiously close to the 17,435 fans the Indians averaged through 80 home dates (one doubleheader) last year.

“If I spend five minutes worrying about that, that’s five minutes I’m not going to spend on trying to make this team better and bring people to the ballpark,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “The fan base is there. I see it every time I walk the streets. Do I want to see it packed every day? Of course. If we win, they’ll come.

“My job is to make these guys as good as possible to bring people to the park, but that’s not my main concern.”

Cold weather and low expectations for a team coming off consecutive 90-loss seasons are just two of the factors contributing to the low attendance for the Indians, who drew less than 10,000 fans to three of their first four home dates and set a record-low mark at Jacobs/Progressive Field with 8,726 fans Sunday.

Indians players are trying not to notice the small crowds.

“This is the time of year that we just focus on playing the game,” Indians outfielder Travis Buck said. “Obviously the economy has hit the city of Cleveland pretty hard, and we just hope, if they’re not here, they’re cheering us on on the TV.”

Setup Sipp?

Though Acta has yet to designate a setup man, left-hander Tony Sipp handled the role in Cleveland’s first two wins Sunday and Tuesday.

“It’s more a matchup situation until more of the season plays out,” Acta said. “If Tony runs away with it, then fine.”

Sipp was a key late-inning reliever for Cleveland last year but was inconsistent in 70 games (2-2, 4.14 ERA). He was one of the Indians’ best out of the bullpen this spring and has carried that into the regular season, where he didn’t allow a run or hit with two strikeouts over his first two appearances.

“He showed up in camp this year in a lot better playing condition,” Acta said of the 6-foot, 190-pound Sipp. “He had a goal in mind to basically just pitch down in the strike zone, and he’s been doing that since spring training. You can tell the difference.”

Acta said the other lefty in the bullpen, Rafael Perez, would be used mainly as a situational reliever.

Wounded Wahoos

Grady Sizemore (microfracture surgery left knee) and reliever Joe Smith (strained abdominal) are scheduled to begin minor league rehab assignments tonight for Double-A Akron, which opens its season at home against Binghamton.

Sizemore is expected to play seven innings in center field, while Smith is expected to pitch an inning.

Pronk progress

Travis Hafner finished strong last year and he’s starting strong this season.

Hafner, who posted the AL’s fourth-highest second-half batting average (.329) in 2010, entered Wednesday hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a home run, double and two RBIs in four games.

Roundin’ third

Three upcoming Indians games — Friday at Seattle (10:10 p.m.), Saturday at Seattle (9:10 p.m.) and April 13 at Los Angeles Angels (7:05 p.m.) — have been moved from WTAM 1100-AM to WMMS 100.7-FM due to conflicts with the Cavaliers. … Today, 12:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Carmona (0-1, 30.00) vs. Lester (0-0, 8.44).

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

The FBI is investigating the August 2008 raid on the Wickliffe home of former Lorain Police Officer Joseph Montelon, according to a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette from Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez.

The letter, forwarded to Montelon by LaTourette, said that the investigation was spurred by a complaint filed by Montelon over the raid, which was designed to find evidence the convicted sex offender was responsible for a string of anonymous letter blasting the Lorain Police Department and Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera.

“We have asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to gather additional information regarding the circumstances of Mr. Montelon’s complaint,” Perez wrote in his letter, which was sent last month.

Montelon’s attorney, Terry Gilbert, released the letter to the media today.

According to an affidavit used to obtain the warrant, police considered the letters threatening. Lorain police, who were joined in the raid by Wickliffe police, the FBI and then-Lorain County Sheriff’s Capt. Rich Resendez, were also searching for evidence on who was supplying Montelon with internal information about the Lorain Police Department.

The investigation into Montelon has been reviewed by federal prosecutors and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office without charges being filed. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office is now conducting its own review to determine if charges should be filed against Montelon.

Montelon has also sued Rivera and the city of Lorain in federal court over the raid. Rivera has filed a counterclaim against Montelon accusing him of defamation.

Gilbert said the review of the raid appears to be separate from the investigation the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting into allegations of excessive force by members of the Lorain Police Department. That investigation, launched in November 2008, is considered a civil probe.

Although the Justice Department hasn’t said what prompted the civil investigation of the Lorain Police Department, it’s widely believed it was sparked by complaints forwarded to Washington by Lorain City Council members Anne Molnar and Mitch Fallis.

Read Thursday’s Chronicle for more on this story.

Letters from Rep. Steve LaTourette and Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez:

Download the letters.