CLEVELAND – Shin-Soo Choo is now No. 2.

With his offense still sagging and missing two pivotal parts atop the batting order in Grady Sizemore (bone bruise left knee) and Asdrubal Cabrera (fractured left forearm), Indians manager Manny Acta moved Shin-Soo Choo from third to second, while dropping previous No. 2 hitter Jason Donald down to the eighth spot. Those behind Choo in the previous order all moved up.

According to Acta, it will stay that way until Sizemore returns from the 15-day disabled list.

“We have to shake things up and we felt that (Choo) was the best option,” Acta said. “At the minimum, it ensures that our best hitter will have some more at-bats.

“I don’t think it’s in our best interest to have those young guys that just got brought up from Triple-A having all those extra at-bats.”

Trevor Crowe, who is filling Sizemore’s vacancy in center, will remain in the leadoff spot. He entered Friday hitting .333 (8-for-24) in six games since being promoted from Columbus.

The Indians raised some eyebrows when they promoted Crowe to fill in for Sizemore over Michael Brantley, who opened the season as the club’s starter in left field.

“Starting in spring training, I always felt that, as we build this club moving forward, he was going to be a part of it,” Acta said of Crowe, a first-round draft pick (14^th overall) in 2005. “I’m very comfortable with Crowe. We’re giving him an opportunity. He deserves it.”

Donald was brought up to play shortstop in Cabrera’s absence. He was 2-for-11 in three games through Thursday.

Choo had started all of the Indians’ 39 games through Thursday, batting third in each of them. According to Cleveland’s media relations staff, Choo hit second Friday for just the second time in his big league career.  

Peralta’s progress

Jhonny Peralta’s season has stuck to tradition thus far. The third baseman has notoriously gotten off to slow starts before catching fire in the second month of the season.

Peralta entered Friday riding a 10-game hitting streak, batting .333 (14-for-42) with a home run and seven RBIs over the span. Since April 21, he had raised his average from .122 to .246 through Thursday.   

“I have no answer for that,” Acta said. “You’ve seen him for years here. I know that he started turning it around when he started using his legs more and swinging at better pitches.

“It’s hard to explain. I know that the guy’s talented and he’s done it before.”

Wood’s world

After blowing his first save opportunity of the season Wednesday, closer Kerry Wood showed his frustration by tossing his glove into the stands as he walked off the field once being lifted for Jamey Wright.

The glove sailed over the Indians dugout and directly to a fan seated a number of rows back.

“I just looked up, found somebody and tossed it to him,” said Wood, who entered the ninth inning with a one-run lead before allowing five runs in just 1/3 of an inning in an 8-4 loss. “At that point, you can’t get off the field fast enough. I wanted to get my jersey off, my shoes off, everything off. I started with the glove.”

Wood said it was not the first time that his glove wound up in the stands after a poor outing.

“I’ve probably ‘given away’ five or six gloves in the majors,” he said. “I keep backups.”

Minor details

Double-A Akron infielder Lonnie Chisenhall was recently placed on the disabled list with right shoulder soreness. Cleveland’s first-round draft (29^th overall) pick in 2008 got off to a strong start, batting .358 over his first 16 games, but his season average fell to .261 through 27 games. … Alex White, the Indians’ first-round draft pick (15^th overall) last year, was promoted to Akron after going 2-3 with a 2.86 ERA in eight starts for advanced Class A Kinston. He is scheduled to make his first start for the Aeros on Sunday.

Roundin’ third

The Indians entered Friday with an 0-12 record when scoring two runs or less. … Sheffield’s Brianne McLaughlin, an Elyria Catholic graduate and member of the silver medal-winning USA women’s hockey team, will be signing autographs at Progressive Field tonight along with teammate Kellie Stack (Brooklyn Heights). … Tonight, 7:05, No television/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Fausto Carmona (4-1, 3.33) vs. Johnny Cueto (3-1, 3.67).

CLEVELAND – Shin-Soo Choo made manager Manny Acta look like a genius, but the Indians still looked like losers Friday night at Progressive Field.

Prior to the series opener with intrastate rival Cincinnati, Acta moved Choo up to the second spot in the batting order, and the right fielder responded with a 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of home runs and three RBIs.

But Choo’s production was not enough to stave off another defeat for the Indians, a 7-4 decision to the Reds, which accounted for their fifth straight loss.

The Reds broke a

4-all tie with two runs in the sixth off reliever Aaron Laffey then added another in the ninth on a homer from former Indian Brandon Phillips off beleaguered closer Kerry Wood.

After coming on for starter Jake Westbrook, Laffey started the sixth by walking the first batter he faced. He allowed an RBI double to the next hitter, Lance Nix, before recording two outs and surrendering another run-scoring hit – a single to Orlando Cabrera.

“That leadoff walk for Laffey really hurt us, and we weren’t able to get back in the game after that,” Acta said.

Laffey, who lost another bid to win a job in the rotation during spring training, has struggled recently after a positive start out of the bullpen.

“I’m just not really commanding the ball the way I was earlier in the year,” Laffey said. “I’m hanging my slider and throwing my fastball up in the zone.

“I can’t wait for May to be over.”

If things keep heading in this direction, the last-place Indians won’t be able to wait for the season to be over.

But if there has been one positive from a position-player standpoint, it’s been Choo. He has been the only hitter in the lineup producing on a consistent basis and it was no different Friday.

Hitting second for just the second time in his career, Choo gave the Indians an early lead with a solo shot in the opening inning off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who got the win after allowing four runs on seven hits over 62/3 innings.

Choo singled in the third then tied the game at 4 in the fifth with a two-run homer. He had half his team’s hits through five innings.

“Choo was huge,” Acta said. “We know what Choo can do but it’s going to take more than one guy. We just need a few guys to pick it up.”

Fresh off a complete-game victory – his first since 2008 – Westbrook took a step back, lasting just five innings while allowing four runs on seven hits.

The right-hander started the game with two scoreless innings before allowing four runs over the next two innings – three on homers from Nix in the third and Jonny Gomes in the fourth.

“Jake just had a tough time throwing strikes on the first pitch and he was up a little bit,” Acta said.

“I got behind some guys and made a few mistakes,” Westbrook said. “If I do my job as a starting pitcher, those (four) runs stand up for us.”

Westbrook, who missed nearly two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, appeared to have turned the corner in his two previous starts, allowing only two runs over 15 innings of two wins.

“I learned really early that you never figure everything out,” said Westbrook, whose ERA stands at 4.56 through nine starts. “I feel great physically. I think for me it’s just a matter of being consistent each time out.”

The Battle of Ohio hasn’t been much of one between the Indians and Reds, Cincinnati winning 10 of the 13 head-to-head meetings since 2008.

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

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Cincinnati
• TIME: 7:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Carmona (4-1, 3.33 ERA) vs. Cueto (3-1, 3.67)
• TV/RADIO: No TV; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

Shin-Soo Choo responded well to his new spot in the batting order but the Indians still lost Friday night, dropping a 7-4 decision to the Reds at Progressive Field.

Batting second for just the second time in his career, Choo went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBIs, but the Reds broke a 4-all tie in the sixth with two runs off Aaron Laffey.

It was Cleveland’s fifth straight loss.

ELYRIA — An Elyria man is facing drug charges after police responded to a report of shots fired on Melvyn Lane overnight.

Darryl Pruitt, 26, has been charged with trafficking in marijuana and possession of criminal tools.

Police were called to 1008 Melvyn Lane a little before 10 p.m. and met with a neighbor who said someone had shot at the residence next to hers.

According to a police report, the front door had been kicked open, and there was a bullet hole in the door.

Officers who entered the home found two bags of marijuana and a scale at the end of a living room couch and also noticed numerous bullet holes in a mirror nearby and a fired bullet on the floor. They also found two $20 bills at the top of a landing and a torn screen where it appeared someone had jumped through a bedroom window.

No one was in the home, so they continued taking photos for evidence, eventually finding another fired bullet outside.

The neighbor who had called police told them she heard the gunshots being fired and then heard voices and looked outside to see individuals running but could not see their faces.

While officers investigated, Pruitt and a woman came to the home.

Pruitt, who was limping, told officers he heard yelling outside and opened the door to an individual yelling and pointing, asking “Is that him?” Pruitt said he closed the door, fled upstairs and jumped out an upstairs window when he heard the door being kicked in.

Pruitt told police that prior to the incident and individual had told him he was going to find him and shoot him.

When asked about the drugs found in the home, Pruitt did not admit they were his but responded “What’s the deal with smoking a little?” according to the report.

Pruitt refused to give officers the name of the person he said had shot at him.