CLEVELAND — Just when their offense has begun to catch fire, the Indians will be without one of their hottest hitters when they open a stretch of nine interleague road games Friday in Pittsburgh.

With the designated hitter out of the equation in National League parks, Travis Hafner is not expected to be in the lineup for any of the games against the Pirates, Phillies (June 22-24) or Reds (June 25-27).

“It’s like life, you adjust, adapt and improvise,” said Indians manager Manny Acta. “I’m going to have a good pinch hitter.”

Playing Hafner at first base doesn’t appear to be an option. He hasn’t taken infield practice there all season and hasn’t played the position in a big league game since 2007. Plus, with Hafner finally healthy, it is a risky venture to play him in the field, especially at a spot he hasn’t manned in three years.

The timing is poor for Hafner individually as well. He had his batting average up to .253 through Tuesday, thanks to a recent surge that saw him hit .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles, four home runs and eight RBIs over his last seven games. The franchise leader in homers and RBIs by a DH entered Wednesday with four homers in his last six games after hitting the same amount over his first 49 games.

Cleveland’s offense, which has held the club back for much of the year, has pro­pelled it as of late, batting .285, while outscoring the opposi­tion 43-26 over the last six games through Tuesday. The Indians entered Wednesday having raised their season average from .223 to .247 over the last 41 games and averag­ing 5.26 runs since May 25.

“In the American League, you need to score more than three runs to have a chance to win ballgames,” Acta said.

Crowe clipped

Center fielder Trevor Crowe was out of the lineup, feeling the effects of fouling a ball off his right knee Saturday against the Nationals. Crowe left that game but returned for the next two.

“It was best to rest him today,” said Acta, who replaced Crowe in the leadoff spot with Anderson Hernandez, while Austin Kearns played center.

Crowe said he expects to return to the lineup for the series finale with the Mets tonight.

Minor details

Outfielder Michael Brantley went 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI in Triple-A Columbus’ 11-0 shutout of Norfolk on Tuesday. Brantley, the Indians’ opening­day left fielder, has been hot this month, entering Wednesday with a .354 average (17-for-48) over his last 12 games.

◾Right-hander Joe Gardner won another game for advanced Class A Kinston on Tuesday, allowing one unearned run on one hit over five innings of a 2-1 victory over Lynchburg. Gardner, a third-round draft pick last year, is 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA in his first eight starts since being promoted from Class A Lake County. He led Cleveland’s minor league pitchers with 78 strikeouts through Tuesday and ranked third with a cumulative 2.30 ERA.

Roundin’ third

The Indians entered Wednesday with a 14-29 record in interleague games over the past three seasons and an all-time mark of 116-120.

◾Cleveland signed another draft pick Wednesday, agreeing to terms with 40th-round selection Jordan Casas, an outfielder out of Long Beach State. The Indians also signed non-drafted free agents Matt Speake (RHP, Southern Arkansas), 1B Andrew Kinney (Southwest Minnesota State) and J.D. Reichenbach (Elon). The Indians have signed nine of their 50 draft picks and four non-drafted free agents.

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

The Mets touched up Indians pitcher Mitch Talbot for season highs in runs and hits in Cleveland’s 8-4 loss Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

Talbot lost for the fifth time, allowing eight runs on 13 hits over 5 2/3 innings.

CLEVELAND — It was good while it lasted for Justin Masterson. It just didn’t last that long.

After ending a lengthy skid with consecutive victories, Masterson was back on the wrong end of things Tuesday night at Progressive Field as the Indians dropped a 7-6 decision to the Mets in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Masterson (2-6, 5.02 ERA) took the loss but the blame for it doesn’t go entirely to the right-hander, who was derailed by shoddy fielding from the Indians all night, especially in a disastrous fifth inning that tipped the scales in the Mets’ favor.

“I thought Justin threw the ball extremely well again tonight,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said of Masterson, who allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits over seven innings. “We just ended up beating ourselves in that inning by not making the plays. You’ve got to play defense. That inning cost us the ballgame.”

The Mets produced seven infield hits (two bunt singles) on the night, four alone in a five-run fifth inning that brought New York from a 4-1 deficit to a 6-4 advantage.

First baseman Russell Branyan misplayed a bunt single from Alex Cora that was followed by a throwing error from Masterson on another bunt single from Jose Reyes that scored two runs.

More photos below.

A run-scoring infield single from David Wright that shortstop Jason Donald made the play on but threw late to first preceded a two-run homer from Ike Davis that capped the disastrous inning.

“It was definitely an interesting game, but I felt like I threw the ball pretty well,” said Masterson, who kept the ball on the ground for much of the night without the expected results. “We just had the one hiccup in the fifth inning. Other than that, I thought it went well.

“It’s kind of disappointing because you look at it and see what it is, but you wonder how it got there. I don’t know what it was but it didn’t do it for us.”

Donald was the culprit on the majority of Cleveland’s defensive shortcomings. He committed two of his team’s three errors and, despite making a number of plays to his left and right, Donald was late with throws to first on too many occasions.

“They were beating the ball on the ground but it was to the right and to the left of the kid,” Acta said. “He had a bit of a rough night out there.”

“I take a lot of pride in my defense and I gave them extra outs,” Donald said. “With that lineup, you can’t do that. I put this one on me.”

The unorthodox offensive support was enough for Mets starter Johan Santana to snap his personal five-game losing streak against the Indians that was built in 2007, the lefthander’s final year in Minnesota. Cleveland beat Santana five times in six starts that season.

It appeared the former AL Cy Young award winner (2004, ’06) would extend his futility against the Indians when Cleveland scored four times over the first four innings.

A homer from Travis Hafner to lead off the second scored the Indians’ first run, with Trevor Crowe’s two-run single in the same inning making it 3-1. Donald’s RBI single in the fourth put the Indians in front by three runs.

But Santana got stingy after that. After Donald’s hit, Santana retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.

“That’s what good pitchers do,” Acta said of Santana, who allowed four runs on seven hits over seven innings. “You have to get to them early and not let them get in a groove. He’s a veteran. Once he got the lead, he turned it up a notch.”

Pinch hitter Shelley Duncan’s two-run homer off Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez brought the Indians to within a run with two outs in the ninth, but Crowe flied out to left to end the game.

The Indians, who have ranked near the bottom of the league in the homer department all season, went deep for the fourth straight game. They have homered in eight of their last nine games with a total of 12 over the span.

Shin-Soo Choo’s hitting streak came to an end at 11 games as the right fielder went 0-for-4 while lining out twice to outfielders.

Tonight

• Who: Cleveland vs. N.Y. Mets
• Time: 7:05
• Where: Progressive Field
• Pitchers: Talbot (7-4, 3.59 ERA) vs. Niese (3-2, 3.61)
• TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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

CLEVELAND — Former Indians manager Eric Wedge was never a fan of interleague play. His successor has a dif­ferent view. “I’ve always liked inter­league play,” said Manny Acta. “It gives you the oppor­tunity to see the great players from the other league and the parks you don’t get to see. It gets you out of the monotony of playing the same teams all the time.

“People will always find a reason to like it or dislike it.”

Wedge located plenty not to like. He wasn’t in favor of National League opponents interrupting his club’s Ameri­can League schedule and, like many, felt the AL was at a dis­advantage without its desig­nated hitter in NL ballparks.

“I think every American League team has that disad­vantage because the desig­nated hitter is such an impor­tant part of our teams,” Acta said. “But it’s the same thing when they come over here. Their designated hitter is just one extra guy off the bench.”

Acta is getting his first taste of interleague play from the AL side after spending five seasons as a third base/infield coach for the Expos and Mets (2002-06) before managing the Nationals from 2007-09.

Indians pitchers have been taking batting practice in preparation for interleague road trips to Pittsburgh (Fri­day- Sunday), Philadelphia (June 22-24) and Cincinnati (June 25-27).

“We have a few (pitchers) that are good athletes and can do some stuff,” Acta said, mentioning David Huff and Jake Westbrook as his best­hitting pitchers.

Disabled duo

Though they are both sidelined with injuries, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and center fielder Grady Sizemore have been regular visitors to Progressive Field, Acta said.

Sizemore is on crutches after undergoing season-ending surgery on his left knee. Cabrera, whom the Indians hope to have back in late July or early August, is wearing a cast on his fractured left forearm.

“They miss being out there,” Acta said. “It’s not easy for them to watch us play, but they’re in good spirits.”

Sipp’s story

Acta said he plans on sticking with struggling reliever Tony Sipp, who has allowed 15 earned runs in his last 2 1 / 3 innings and has minor league options available.

“I think everything has its limits, but we’re not to that point right now,” said Acta, who plans on pitching Sipp in less critical situations in an effort to get him back on track.

With Sipp out of the late-inning mix, lefty Rafael Perez, who didn’t allow a run in his sixth straight game Tuesday, is expected to see more opportunities.

Minor details

• Aaron Laffey has made three starts — 0-1, 4.91 ERA — since being demoted to Triple-A Columbus, as the Indians attempt to stretch out the left­hander for a possible spot in the rotation. “He’s thrown the ball OK down there,” Acta said. “He’s already up to 80 pitches.” Laffey began the season in Cleveland’s bullpen, going 0-1 with a 5.61 ERA in 20 appearances.
• Advanced Class A Kinston left-hander T.J. McFarland was named to the Carolina League All-Star team that will take on the California League All-Star team in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Tuesday. McFarland is 7-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 games (seven starts) for the K-Tribe.

Roundin’ third

• The Indians have signed eight of their picks from the recent draft after agreeing to terms Tuesday with shortstop Nick Bartalone (sixth round, Chabot College), OF Chase Burnette (18th round, Georgia Tech), 2B Logan Thomson (33rd round, Palm Beach State College), OF Brian Heere (41st round, Kansas) and OF Henry Dunn (50th round, Binghamton University). Thomson is the son of Robby, former big leaguer and current Cleveland special assistant to baseball operations.
• The Indians also signed non­drafted free agent Alex Kaminsky, a RHP out of Wright State.

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