Indians (5-0) 10, Padres (1-5) 4

Hits: Center fielder Grady Sizemore had a big game, going 2-for-2 with a grand slam, four RBIs, a walk and two runs. … Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo was 2-for-3 and drove in Cleveland’s first run in the opening inning with a double. … Left fielder Trevor Crowe went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. … Closer Kerry Wood faced the minimum in the fourth inning and stuck out one.

Misses: Reliever Frank Herrmann allowed three of the Padres’ runs on four hits in his only inning of work in the sixth. … First baseman Andy Marte struck out twice in two official at-bats.

Batting around and around: The Indians had 10 straight hitters reach base against two different pitchers in their nine-run fourth inning.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Only one of the anticipated exhibition debuts came off without a hitch Wednesday at Goodyear Ballpark.

Both Russell Branyan and Matt LaPorta were expected to play for the first time this spring in the Indians’ Catcus League game against the Padres, but only LaPorta answered the bell.

PEORIA, Ariz. — Take a stroll through the Seattle Mariners spring training clubhouse and it’s tough not to bump into a former member of the Indians organization.

Seattle, which lost 6-4 Tuesday to the Indians at Peoria Sports Complex, now employs ex-Cleveland players Cliff Lee, Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez, Milton Bradley, Josh Bard and Mike Koplove, as well as former Indians pitching coach Carl Willis (minor league pitching coordinator) and former Cleveland player and minor league coach Tim Laker (Double-A West Tennessee manager). Ted Walsh, who used to run the clubhouse in Cleveland, is doing the same in Seattle.

The majority of them are happy to be out of Cleveland, where the Indians are not expected to contend this year after entering a rebuilding phase in the middle of last season.

“It’s hard to win when you trade back-to-back Cy Young Award winners,” said 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, who followed 2007 Cy Young winner CC Sabathia out of town when the Indians began to trade off the bulk of their high-profile veterans last year. “It’s tough to make sense of that. But I guess that’s how it goes there.”
It didn’t always.

Just three seasons ago, the Indians were on the verge of advancing to the World Series before bowing out in Game 7 of the ALCS to eventual world champion Boston.

But it was all downhill after that. Cleveland finished third in the Central Division with an 81-81 record in 2008, then, after slipping out of contention the following year, began the veteran fire sale that claimed Lee, Victor Martinez, Rafael Betancourt, Garko, Mark DeRosa, Ben Francisco and Carl Pavano.

A team that added big-name closer Kerry Wood, DeRosa and Pavano, finished the 2009 season in a last-place tie with Kansas City.

“It was hard,” said Garko, who was traded to the Giants, then signed a free-agent contract with Seattle this offseason. “It was hard to tell whether we were trying to win or trying to rebuild (last year). It’s just too bad. It was only 2007 (that we were in the postseason). We all thought we were going to be doing that all the time. We were all young. It’s just amazing.

“Whatever we had in ’07, we just never got it back.”

After trading off a number of its starters, Cleveland finished last year with inexperienced players littering its lineup, as the Indians began to rebuild around their new acquisitions.

“I saw an Indians game in September and I didn’t know any of the guys playing,” Garko said. “I was like, ‘I was just here. Where is everybody?’”

The majority of the players dealt last year from Cleveland went on to bigger and better things. Martinez (Boston), DeRosa (St. Louis), Pavano (Twins), and Lee and Francisco (Philadelphia) all landed on postseason clubs, Lee playing a major part in the Phillies advancing to the World Series.

But even he wasn’t spared another relocation project when he was traded to Seattle this offseason, the Phillies favoring Roy Halladay over him.

“It was pretty obvious (what happened),” Lee said. “They had a deal to get Halladay and they felt like they needed to get rid of me. It was kind of strange, but whatever. It is what it is. I could be traded today.”

Cleveland fans know that score all too well.

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

PEORIA, Ariz. — Aaron Laffey wasn’t overly pleased by his first start of the spring Tuesday, but the results were still positive.

Laffey

“I felt all right,” said Laffey, who worked two scoreless innings, allowing just a hit in Cleveland’s 6-4 victory over the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex. “I didn’t throw a lot of strikes, but I was able to get six outs. That’s the most important thing.”

“I thought he threw the ball very well,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He didn’t throw as many first-pitch strikes as he would have liked, but he still made pitches when he was behind in the count.”

It was Laffey’s second exhibition outing. The left-hander has yet to allow a run and has given up just one hit over four innings.

“Overall, I feel good physically and I’m happy with my outings so far,” he said. “I want to be consistent every time out.”

Despite pitching relatively well for the Indians in 35 starts over the past two seasons, Laffey, 24, finds himself fighting for a spot in the rotation again this spring. He is one of a handful of pitchers vying for the final two jobs, his main competition being left-hander David Huff and righty Mitch Talbot.

“I’ve shown everything I can over the last couple years,” said Laffey, who went 7-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 25 games (19 starts) last season. “I just need to be more consistent. That’s what (the Indians) told me and I agree 100 percent.”

Masterson’s mess

Third starter Justin Masterson’s second exhibition outing didn’t go as smoothly as his first. The right-hander failed to last two innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in 11/3 innings.

“He had a lot of movement on his sinker and it was out of the zone,” Acta said. “He threw more pitches than we wanted.”

Hodges delivers

Hodges

Prospect Wes Hodges opened some eyes by driving in four of Cleveland’s runs with a pair of two-run doubles. Hodges, a second-round pick in 2006, was limited to 86 games for Triple-A Columbus last year, batting .265 with five home runs and 38 RBIs.

“What I’ve heard from a lot of people, he’s shown that to me. He can swing the bat,” Acta said. “We’re going to take an extended look at him. You never know.”

Though Hodges’ future is most likely at third base, Acta said he would play more first this spring, with Jhonny Peralta, Andy Marte and Lonnie Chisenhall getting the majority of reps at third.

Roundin’ third

PredictionMachine.com played the 2010 season 50,000 times with the Red Sox winning the World Series 18.3 percent of the time to the Yankees’ 18.1 percent.

The Indians joined the Orioles, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals and Pirates as the only teams that won zero percent of the time.

Today, 3:05, vs. Padres at Goodyear Ballpark, SportsTime Ohio, WTAM-1100 (delay 7 p.m.). David Huff (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 4.50). Russell Branyan and Matt LaPorta are expected to make their exhibition debuts today.

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