CLEVELAND – It is two up and two down for the Indians.

Cleveland followed up a regrettable effort on Opening Day with another loss Saturday, dropping an 8-3 decision to the White Sox that secured the season-opening series for Chicago.

The defeat took place in front of the smallest crowd ever at Jacobs/Progressive Field – 9,853.

And once again, a slow start from its starting pitcher spelled doom for Cleveland.

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco surrendered five runs over the first two innings en route to seven for the game. Ace Fausto Carmona allowed 10 runs over the first four innings of the opener.

That’s 17 runs allowed on 21 hits through 92/3 innings for Tribe starters.

“It’s only been two games,” manager Manny Acta said. “I think those two guys are going to be fine. I’m not anticipating any of those guys struggling like that (the rest of the season).”

Carrasco, who came to camp with a job secured following an impressive seven-start stint late last year, was harpooned by a four-run second inning from the Sox.

He pitched effectively after that, allowing two runs on three hits over his final

42/3 innings.

“I just had one bad inning,” Carrasco said. “The rest was good.

“They hit everything the first two innings. Then I started throwing my breaking stuff. The first two innings, I threw too many fastballs. My fastball was up in the zone.”

“I really liked the effort that Carlos gave us,” Acta said. “I think he established that slider after (the second inning). But the second inning was too much.”

As they did on Opening Day, the Indians rallied, trimming the deficit to 5-3 with three runs in the second.

Designated hitter Travis Hafner led off with his first home run, a solo shot to right field. Jack Hannahan knocked in the other two runs on a base hit to left.

Hafner’s homer gave him 176 as an Indian, good for 10th place on the all-time list behind Rocky Colavito (190). He is 4-for-9 with a homer and two RBIs this year.

“It’s good to get off to a good start,” said Hafner, who has made mechanical adjustments to his swing after struggles in the power department the past three seasons. “I feel good swinging the bat. I’m just hoping to continue that.”

Hafner hit just one homer this spring.

“Haf has been fine,” Acta said. “He had quality at-bats in spring training. He didn’t hit home runs but he’s fine. He’s healthy. He’s going to be able to get out there more often. In two games, he’s been good.

“To me, it’s a matter of him being healthy, and he is.”

Hafner’s offensive production is less surprising than Hannahan’s. The defensive-minded third baseman, who has played well in the field, has mirrored Hafner’s hot start at the plate.

He is 4-for-9 with a homer and three RBIs.

“I’m feeling good at the plate,” said Hannahan, who made a diving catch of a line drive. “I’m feeling good all-around. I’m just trying to put up good at-bats and help the team win.”

The White Sox have put up good at-bats throughout the series, scoring 23 runs on 29 hits.

Right fielder Carlos Quentin and second baseman Gordon Beckham have done the most damage, each going 5-for-8, with Quentin collecting three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs.

It was Quentin’s two-out, two-run double off reliever Chad Durbin that put the game away in the seventh, with Chicago forging ahead by the final count.

Beckham bats second and Quentin sixth, with Chicago’s third and fourth hitters – Adam Dunn (.429, HR, five RBIs) and Paul Konerko (.429, two RBIs) – also contributing to the assault against the Indians.

“Those guys continue to swing the bat well,” Acta said. “The middle of the lineup is really good.”

It looks as though the Indians really aren’t, but Acta isn’t ready to offer any assessments this early into the season.

“I feel good about my team,” he said. “I’m not going to judge my team on two games.”

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

CLEVELAND – It’s not the way Manny Acta wanted it to play out, but the second-year Indians manager said it didn’t take him long to turn the page on a disappointing 15-10 loss Friday to the White Sox on Opening Day at Progressive Field.

“We’re in baseball,” said Acta, whose club trailed 14-0 after just four innings. “We know that you have to get ready for the next day. You try to put it behind you the best way you can and get ready for the next day.”

What Acta will remember from the  loss is his young team’s refusal to buckle despite facing an insurmountable deficit. The Indians scored 10 runs over the final four innings to make it somewhat respectable.

“I’ve seen so many occasions where teams roll over when they’re down 14-0,” Acta said. “They didn’t do that. That was encouraging. I think we will see that a lot this year.”

Something else Acta is expected to see a lot are losses. The Indians are coming off consecutive 90-loss seasons and have dropped the first two games of the year.

Wounded Wahoos

Grady Sizemore (microfracture surgery left knee) played center field for five innings Friday, going 1-for-3 in a minor league game in Goodyear, Ariz. He is expected to play again today and will increase his innings count to a full game before the Indians decide whether to bring him to Ohio for a minor league rehab assignment. If all goes well, Sizemore could return at the end of April.

** Reliever Joe Smith (strained abdominal) threw a simulated game Friday in Goodyear. The next step is to pitch in a real one – a minor league appearance – which is expected to come sometime next week.

** Third baseman Jason Donald (left hand fracture) took groundballs at Progressive Field, and according to Acta, will start swinging a bat by Monday. Acta said Donald might begin a minor league rehab assignment when the team is on the road for six games, beginning Friday.

Buckin’ up

It didn’t take Acta long to get outfielder Travis Buck into the lineup, with the Indians’ hottest hitter this spring starting in left Saturday.

Buck, who won an extra outfielder job with an impressive offensive effort during the exhibition season – .393, 4 HRs, 12 RBIs in 20 games – went 1-for-4 with a double and a run in his 2011 debut.

Acta said left field is not a platoon situation between the left-handed hitting Buck and the right-handed hitting Austin Kearns. He said he would decide who would start on a day-to-day basis.

Review it

Acta is old school, but he supports MLB’s instant replay, which was instituted at the start of the 2008 season for home run calls only.

“I’m for it,” Acta said. “It’s there, so why not use it.”

Acta got to see it twice in the season opener Friday. A Carlos Quentin two-run shot was upheld in the third inning, as was a two-run homer from Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana in the seventh.

Quentin’s homer was legit, hitting the railing above the yellow home run line in left-center. But Santana’s appeared to deflect off a fan’s glove in front of the line.

“No,” Santana said when asked if he thought it was a home run. “I think I got lucky a little bit.”

Roundin’ third

The 14 runs Chicago scored over the first four innings Friday were the second-most – and a modern-day record – a big league team has scored over the span in a season opener. In the short-lived Players League in 1890, Buffalo scored 16 runs over the first four innings of a 23-2 victory over Cleveland.

** The 10 runs allowed by Fausto Carmona on Opening Day tie for the most allowed in a season-opening game since 1919. The 10 runs over three innings were the most in major league history allowed by a pitcher in three innings or less in a season opener.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

CLEVELAND — The Indians highlighted their Opening Day pregame festivities in fitting fashion Friday — with a tribute to Bob Feller, the legendary Hall of Fame pitcher who passed away in December.

Banners of Feller’s military picture and him in his famous high leg kick windup sandwiched an oversized jersey with his No. 19 that hung on the outfield wall below the bleachers. A montage of Feller’s storied life ran on the Progressive Field videotron.

The most touching moment came when Feller’s wife Anne was escorted to the mound, where she placed a baseball that she had written on with the words, “Bobby Keep Pitching Anne.”

Following pregame announcements, the Indians stood on the third-base line wearing jerseys with Feller’s number, as a moment of silence was observed.

“That’s the least we can do for Bob,” manager Manny Acta said. “Bob gave his life and soul for the Cleveland Indians. No one will ever be associated with the Cleveland Indians the way he is.”

The Indians will wear patches with Feller’s number and his windup on all of their game jerseys for the remainder of the season.

Feller’s number has already been retired, and now so is his longtime spot in the press box — the Bob Feller Memorial Press Box Seat — which is adorned by memorabilia in a glass case.

Fielding finesse

When asked what excited him the most about his team to start the season, Acta pointed to the Indians’ defense.

“I was very excited not seeing balls kicked around and thrown around this spring,” Acta said. “We knew that our offense was going to be better. Our defense was something we needed to stress.”

Cleveland’s defense, which ranked near the bottom of the American League (.982 fielding percentage, 110 errors), is expected to improve with the addition of two-time Gold Glove award winner, second baseman Orlando Cabrera, defensive-minded third baseman Jack Hannahan and the return of Gold Glove center fielder Grady Sizemore.

Cleaning up

Acta has no concerns with Carlos Santana batting in the cleanup spot in the order despite the catcher owning less than a year of big league experience and coming off a season-ending injury.

“He’s done it his whole life,” Acta said of the minor league phenom, who had an impressive rookie year cut short last season by a knee surgery. “To me, Carlos was born to be a run producer. He was born to hit in the middle of the lineup. We feel real comfortable with Carlos at the plate.”

At least for a game, Santana rewarded Acta’s confidence, with a 3-for-5 performance Friday that included a home run and three RBIs.

“I do it in the minor leagues,” said Santana of batting fourth. “I feel comfortable. I feel happy the manager has confidence to put me in the fourth spot in the lineup.”

Clubhouse convo

Acta said he gave his preseason pep talk Thursday, addressing players after the workout at Progressive Field.

“‘Let’s win,’” Acta said of his message. “That’s pretty much it. ‘Believe in yourselves and let’s do it. It’s gonna be a long ride.”’

Hollow honor?

Indians second baseman Orlando Cabrera agrees with some fans that feel the Gold Glove award has become a hitting contest.

“You have to be Omar Vizquel to win a Gold Glove without hitting .280,” Cabrera said. “If you don’t hit, but you play really good defense, you’re probably not going to win a Gold Glove.

“You look at last year, out of the eight guys, seven or eight of them went to the All-Star Game. It’s like they were waiting for them to hit. I think it’s getting crazy.”

Actually, six of the eight American League All-Star starters — catcher Joe Mauer, second baseman Robinson Cano, shortstop Derek Jeter, third baseman Evan Longoria, right fielder Ichiro Suzuki and left fielder Carl Crawford — won Gold Gloves in 2010.

Cabrera, who is in his first year as a full-time second baseman, won the Gold Glove as a shortstop in 2001 with the Expos and 2007 with the Angels. He did not make the All-Star game on either occasion.

“The two times that I won’t I believe that I deserved it,” he said. “Nowadays, you never know.”

Grady gab

Sizemore (microfracture) was scheduled to play for Double-A Akron on Friday, manning center field for five innings in a minor league game in Goodyear, Ariz.

Sizemore is expected to play every other day, increasing his innings count to a full game before joining the Indians possibly before May.

Roundin’ third

A crowd of 41,721 fans accounted for the 18th straight sellout in the home opener at Jacobs/Progressive Field. … Hannahan’s home run in the seventh inning was his first since Aug. 26, 2009, while playing for Oakland against Kansas City. … Today, 1:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM, WEOL 930-AM. Carlos Carrasco (first start) vs. Edwin Jackson (first start).

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroncilet.com.