NewsCabrera proves worth with solid year
Cleveland (64-92) vs. Chicago (76-81), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Matt O'Donnell / MLB.com
09/28/09 11:00 PM ET
CLEVELAND -- The Indians are going into the offseason with a lot of questions. Asdrubal Cabrera is not one of them. Cabrera is having perhaps the best year of any member of the Indians this season. He's made a home for himself at shortstop, while excelling at both sides of the plate. Not bad for a guy who's only 23 years old. "He's just had a very consistent year," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's done a great job transitioning to shortstop effectively and he's been very consistent for us at the top of the order." Cabrera has been the Indians spark plug. He's hit everywhere from the top three spots in the order to the last. But no matter where he's hit, runs seem to follow. In Sunday's 9-0 win over the Orioles, Cabrera had a two-RBI double at the beginning of a six-run first inning and then singled in Jamey Carroll in the middle of a two-run fourth. "He's always in the middle of things," Wedge said. "He's usually involved in some way, whether it's starting it, somewhere in the middle or finishing things off. His approach is solid, he knows himself very well." Cabrera came into the year as a .239 career hitter against right-handers. This season he has a .305 average against them. That's led him to put up numbers that are among the best in the American League. Cabrera was 10th in the league in batting average (.308) and 11th in doubles (41) going into Monday. "He's able to make adjustments within an at-bat," Wedge said. "[It] usually takes young players awhile to learn how to do that and he's doing that." Cabrera said that he doesn't have much else that he wants to accomplish as the season winds down. He said that this is one of the best years he's had in his professional career and just wants to continue that in the offseason. "I'm pretty happy," Cabrera said. "I'm just going to work the same [way]. I feel comfortable right now." Pitching matchupCLE: RHP Justin Masterson (4-9, 4.79 ERA)
Masterson struggled for the second consecutive start on Wednesday. He couldn't locate his sinker or his change up and had trouble finding a consistent release point against the Tigers. Masterson gave up eight runs -- six earned -- in just four innings of work. He's now given up 11 earned runs in eight innings during his past two starts. He gave up one run in four innings in a no-decision in his only start of the season against the South Siders. CWS: RHP Carlos Torres (1-1, 5.91 ERA)
Torres will get the start on Tuesday in place of Mark Buehrle, who was pushed back once the White Sox were eliminated from playoff contention. In his last outing, Torres pitched in relief against the Twins, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. He last made a start on Sept. 8 against Oakland and had the shortest outing of his young career. The rookie surrendered five runs on four hits in just two-thirds of an inning. He has faced Cleveland once this season, in his second big league start on Aug. 8. In that outing, Torres lasted 3 1/3 innings and gave up four runs with six walks. Tidbits
The Indians are shutting down starter David Huff. After pitching eight shutout innings on Sunday, Huff said he would pitch out of the bullpen in Boston. But he's pitched 167 2/3 innings this season, which was right around the team's cutoff. He was 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his past five starts. "He's finished strong, so it's a good point to finish off," Wedge said. "It's been a good year for him." ... Alex White, the Indians' first-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, made his organizational debut Saturday in Goodyear, Ariz. He pitched an inning, giving up no runs on two hits with a strikeout against the Reds. ... The Indians and Major League Baseball announced the creation of the Sandy Alomar Jr. Scholarship Award. It will be given annually to a graduating St. Martin de Porres High School senior who meets scholarship criteria by achieving academic excellence, participating in community service and having financial need. Devonte Smith, who is currently attending Kent State University and majoring in nursing, is the inaugural recipient. He'll receive a $2,000 scholarship to be used toward his education, and he'll be honored before Tuesday's game. St. Martin de Porres was founded in 2003 to provide high-quality education to young people in Cleveland who would not otherwise be able to afford it. Tickets
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• Wednesday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 4-12, 6.62) vs. White Sox (Jake Peavy, 8-6, 3.75), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 6-10, 5.09) at Red Sox (Jon Lester, 14-8, 3.52), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Friday: Indians (Carlos Carrasco, 0-3, 9.00) at Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka, 3-6, 6.08), 7:10 p.m. ET
Matt O'Donnell is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
