CLEVELAND — Fausto Carmona will make his first Opening Day start in his first full season as an ace today when the Indians host the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field.

After watching the right-hander bounce back from consecutive subpar seasons last year, manager Manny Acta thinks Carmona is up to the task on both fronts.

“I think he’s in a better spot confidence-wise,” Acta said of Carmona, who went 13-14 with a 3.77 ERA over 33 starts in 2010. “He had a tremendous season last year. He won 13 games for us, and this was a team. There was a lot of times that he pitched very well and didn’t get the win.

“Fausto will be fine.”

Carmona, who was unavailable for comment prior to a workout at Progressive Field on Thursday, was a Cy Young candidate in 2007 before enduring back-to-back seasons of struggles.

His performance last year seemed to signal a return to form, which was strengthened by a positive spring training effort from Carmona (5-2, 3.72 ERA in seven starts).

His No. 1 starter status will get an early test today, when he squares off against White Sox ace Mark Buehrle, a veteran left-hander who has been tough on the Indians in the past.

“He makes it tough for just about everybody,” Acta said of Buehrle, who beat the Indians on Opening Day last season, making the defensive play of the year at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field. “He’s been doing it for a long time.”

Closing time

Right-hander Chris Perez was one of the most effective relievers in the American League last year. The trick is to do it again.

“This year is probably more important than last year,” Perez said, “just to validate what I did last year, that it wasn’t a fluke.”

As a parttime closer last year, Perez saved 23 games, posting the second-lowest ERA (1.71) among AL relievers. At 25, he will enter this season as a fulltime closer for the first time in his career.

“He had been lights out since Day One,” Acta said during spring training. “I can’t wait to hand him the ball in the ninth inning.”

Progress report

Acta said Grady Sizemore (microfracture surgery left knee) would continue to play center field every other day in minor league games in Arizona, increasing his innings count from the five he is at now until he gets to nine.

The three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove award winner will continue his rehab either in Arizona or with one of the minor league affiliates, depending on the weather.

“After that, we’ll see where we’re at,” Acta said. “We can’t put a timetable on when he’s going to be here.”

Sizemore has predicted that he will be back before May.

Prior to the workout, Acta attended the public memorial service for Indians legend Bob Feller in Cleveland Heights.

“What a man,” Acta said of Feller, who left baseball in the prime of his career to serve in World War II. “It’s too bad that the majority of young people don’t know what Bob Feller meant to America and baseball. He gave his life to his country and to baseball.

“I don’t know too many players that would give up four years of their career to voluntarily serve in Afghanistan. That’s something we all have to value.”

Crowe’s seat

It was good news bad news for outfielder Trevor Crowe and his ailing right shoulder.

Crowe, who hit .251 in 122 games for Cleveland last year, is scheduled to undergo surgery on the shoulder Saturday and will miss at least four months. He avoided reconstructive surgery that would have sidelined him for 6-8 months.

“It wasn’t as serious as we thought,” Acta said.

Rotation roundup

Carmona and Buehrle will open the season today at 3:05 p.m., followed by right-hander Carlos Carrasco vs. RHP Edwin Jackson at 1:05 p.m. Saturday.

Right-hander Justin Masterson will start the series finale Sunday (1:05 p.m.) against White Sox lefty John Danks.

Indians right-handers Josh Tomlin and Mitch Talbot will make their season debuts Tuesday and Wednesday against Boston at Progressive Field.

Opening up

The Indians are 58-52 all-time in the home opener, with a 57-53 mark in the season opener.

(bullet) Feller’s victory total of four is the most by a Cleveland pitcher in home openers.

(bullet) The Indians have played to one-run games in 34 home openers, posting a 19-15 record.

(bullet) Carmona is the 56th different pitcher to start a home opener for Cleveland.

(bullet) This will be the 21st time the Indians have hosted the White Sox in the home opener, second-most behind the Tigers (32). Chicago has been the opponent in four of the last 10 home openers.

(bullet) Since moving to Jacobs/Progressive Field in 1994, the Indians have sold out all 18 home openers.

Roundin’ third

The Indians acquired minor league outfielder Bubba Bell from the Red Sox for cash considerations. Bell, 28, spent last season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he hit .293 with six homers and 49 RBIs in 104 games. Bell, a career .292 hitter in six seasons in the minors (all with Boston), was assigned to Triple-A Columbus. … Today, 3:05, Channel 3/STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM.

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

Projected lineups

Indians

Michael Brantley, CF

Asdrubal Cabrera, SS

Shin-Soo Choo, RF

Carlos Santana, C

Travis Hafner, DH

Orlando Cabrera, 2B

Austin Kearns, LF

Matt LaPorta, 1B

Jack Hannahan, 3B

Fausto Carmona, RHP

White Sox

Juan Pierre, LF

Gordon Beckham, 2B

Adam Dunn, DH

Paul Konerko, 1B

Alex Rios, CF

Carlos Quentin, RF

A.J. Pierzynski, C

Alexei Ramirez, SS

Brent Morel, 3B

Mark Buehrle, LHP

Chris Assenheimer

The Chronicle-Telegram

CLEVELAND — Opening Day breeds optimism, and the Indians were no exception to the rule Thursday 24 hours before playing their first regular season game.

Though they will open the year under cold conditions against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field today, it didn’t stop some Cleveland players from heating up expectations for the 2011 season.

“Playoffs,” right fielder Shin-Soo Choo answered, when asked what the team’s goal was this season, “first in the division.”

“Our goal is to win the division and make the playoffs,” said designated hitter Travis Hafner, who the Indians are once again hoping has overcome a chronic shoulder ailment and return to his feared from from 2004-07. “Yeah, we have a lot of development to do, but I think we have the talent in this room to do it.”

That is a lofty goal for a team coming off consecutive 90-loss seasons and will employ the youngest roster in the majors. Not too mention, the Indians will enter the season with an unproven rotation and key position players coming off injury-plagued years.

That’s why the Indians have been picked nationally to finish no higher than fourth place in the Central Division behind Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago. And it’s why not everyone in the Cleveland clubhouse was talking postseason.

“I wouldn’t go as far as playoffs,” said right-hander Chris Perez, who enters his first season as a fulltime closer after a banner 2010. “But we do have the chance to compete. The pieces are there. We just have to do what every other team has to do, to stay healthy and get some breaks.”

It all begins to play out today against a familiar foe and under less than ideal conditions in Cleveland, which had snowfall as early as Wednesday.

Both the Indians and White Sox, who have met six of the last seven years on opening day, left the spring training Arizona sun and 80-degree temperatures to return to snow and 40 degrees.

“It was a little kick in the face,” Perez said. “As long as it’s not going to snow during the game. It’s different, but I think it’s an advantage for the pitchers, so I’m fine with that.”

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen isn’t.

“It’s very stupid to play in Cleveland right now,” Guillen said, as grounds crew members cleared snow from atop a tarp covering the outfield at Progressive Field. “Nothing against Cleveland. We expect that when you play on opening day in Cleveland. A couple years ago they canceled like 30 games here.

“(But) we are here and we have to play through snow.”

Actually, the weather forecast says they won’t. While it is expected to be chilly with temperatures in the mid-40s, snow is not expected to fall under afternoon sun.

“I don’t think it’s going to be too bad,” Hafner said. “It will be a good day for baseball.”

And after all, it is Opening Day. It’s the one day during the baseball season that players’ managers’ and fans’ spirits can’t be dampened — or frozen.

“It’s like a holiday for us players,” Perez said. “It’s what we prepared for the whole offseason.”

“It’s one of the best days of the year,” Hafner said. “The city’s excited. We’re excited. It’s a special day.”

“We’re cold, but we’re excited,” said second-year manager Manny Acta. Opening Day is here.”

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

By Ann Sanner

COLUMBUS — An Ohio bill that would limit collective bargaining rights for 350,000 public workers was poised for a vote today before the Republican-controlled House, one of its final hurdles before the measure goes to the governor.

The vote comes a day after a legislative committee approved changes to make the bill even tougher for unions. Met with chants of “Shame on you!” from nearby protesters, the GOP-backed revisions greased the measure for what was expected to be smooth passage in the House.

The Senate, also controlled by Republicans, narrowly passed the bill on a 17-16 vote this month. It would have to agree to the revisions before Gov. John Kasich could sign it into law.

Kasich, a first-term Republican, supports the proposal and is comfortable with the changes, his spokesman said.

Contentious debates over restricting collective bargaining have popped up in statehouses across the country, most notably in Wisconsin, where the governor signed into law this month a bill eliminating most of state workers’ collective bargaining rights. That measure exempts police officers and firefighters; Ohio’s does not.

The Ohio bill would apply to public workers across the state, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers and state employees. They could negotiate wages and certain work conditions but not health care, sick time or pension benefits. The bill would do away with automatic pay raises and would base future wage increases on merit. Workers would also be banned from striking.

Much of the legislation remained intact even with the committee’s more than a dozen changes.

The bill drew thousands of demonstrators, prompted a visit from the Rev. Jesse Jackson and packed hearing rooms in the weeks before the Senate passed the measure.

Its reception in the House has been quieter. But on Tuesday, an estimated 450 protesters listened to the committee’s amendments over the loudspeakers positioned around the Statehouse before they headed outside, shouting, “Kill the bill!”

Opponents planned more rallies today.

Kasich’s $55.5 billion, two-year spending plan for the state counts on savings from relaxed union rights at the state and local levels. Local governments and school districts face deep cuts in the wake of the state’s $8 billion budget gap. And the governor and his Republican colleagues argue the bill would help city officials and superintendents better control their costs.

Democrats offered no amendments Tuesday. Instead, they delivered boxes containing more than 65,000 opponent signatures to the House labor committee’s chairman.

The GOP-backed revisions make it more difficult for unions to collect certain fees. The committee also altered the bill to ban automatic deductions from employee paychecks that would go the unions’ political arm. Other changes would prevent nonunion employees affected by contracts from paying fees to union organizations.

Unions argue that their contracts cover those nonunion workers and that letting them not pay unfairly spreads the costs to dues-paying members.

Lawmakers also revised the bill to include more details on who defines merit and performance pay. For instance, performance pay for teachers would be based upon a statewide framework from the state Department of Education.

Opponents have vowed to lead a ballot repeal effort if the Ohio measure passes.

COLUMBUS — State lawmakers in Ohio are making changes to a collective bargaining bill that would deal a blow to unions.

The bill now would prevent nonunion employees affected by contracts from paying fees to union organizations and would ban automatic deductions from employee paychecks that would go the unions’ political arm.

Those were among more than a dozen changes to the bill that a House committee adopted Tuesday before they briefly recessed. The panel planned to return later for a likely vote on the measure.

Other changes include removing jail time as a possible penalty for public workers who unlawfully participate in strikes and making clear that public safety workers could negotiate over equipment.

A full House vote could come Wednesday. The Senate would have to consider any changes.