Acta considers Cabrera a leader on Indians

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By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

08/29/10 5:17 PM ET

• LaPorta day-to-day with left hip strain
• Perez has locked down the closer's role
• Reyes still dealing with mechanical issues
• Worth noting

CLEVELAND -- Manny Acta didn't know Asdrubal Cabrera was going to hit the game-winning home run in extra innings against the Royals on Saturday night. Or if he did, we haven't given Acta nearly enough credit for his profound prescience.

Before the game, Acta said he views Cabrera as a potential leader on this young club. Several hours later, Cabrera led the way home with his bat.

"He's a guy I want to be out there all the time," Acta had said. "That's why I feel he can be one of the leaders going forward."

Acta feels Cabrera has led by example this season, coming back sooner than expected from a fractured right forearm that required surgery. Cabrera was back from the vicious injury in two months.

"He really went after it in that rehab," Acta said.

But the switch-hitting Cabrera's offensive numbers since his return, while not disappointing, do back up the belief that he is still not 100 percent. He's hit .270 (37-for-137), but his power hasn't been quite to his potential. He's hit two homers and eight doubles.

"To me, he's probably not 100 percent strength-wise from that surgery from the left side," Acta said. "But he's a gamer."

LaPorta day-to-day with left hip strain

CLEVELAND -- Matt LaPorta was pulled from Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Royals after aggravating his surgically repaired left hip.

LaPorta grimaced in pain during his fourth-inning at-bat against Bruce Chen and grabbed the hip while running to first after flying out to end the inning. When the fifth inning began, LaPorta was replaced at first by third baseman Andy Marte and in the lineup by second baseman Jason Donald. Luis Valbuena moved from second to third.

The Indians called the injury a left hip strain and said LaPorta is day-to-day. Manager Manny Acta said the injury does not appear to be serious, though LaPorta is not expected to be back in the lineup on Monday against the White Sox.

"His surgery was inside the hip," Acta said. "This was on the outside -- muscular."

The hip had been a problem for LaPorta for much of the 2009 season, in which he split his time between left field and first base. LaPorta had arthroscopic surgery performed on the hip at season's end. He had surgery to repair a turf toe injury on his left big toe at the same time.

LaPorta, acquired in the 2008 CC Sabathia trade with the Brewers, has had an inconsistent season. He is batting .234 with nine homers and 34 RBIs. He took over the full-time first base duties in late June, when Russell Branyan was dealt to the Mariners. In the three games before the injury, he hit two homers and drove in five runs.

The Indians will evaluate LaPorta again on Monday.

Perez has locked down the closer's role

CLEVELAND -- In a season geared toward the development of young players and answering questions for the future, the guy who has probably provided the highest level of comfort for the Indians is closer Chris Perez.

Thrust into the ninth-inning role when Kerry Wood was injured in Spring Training, and installed as a full-time fixture when Wood was injured again and then traded midseason, Perez has proven he can not only fill but thrive in that important lockdown role.

Entering Sunday's finale with the Royals, Perez had converted 11 of his past 12 save opportunities, including a five-out save Thursday night against the A's. He had allowed just two runs over his past 23 1/3 innings since June 28. He had also struck out 11 and allowed just two hits and a walk over his past eight innings of work.

A closer in college at the University of Miami and a closer for the Cardinals for a brief period in 2008, Perez has long wanted this full-time job, and he's making the most of it.

"This is something that is not new to him," manager Manny Acta said. "He's not a guy just being thrown into that role. That's what he's done before, so he never seemed out of place from the beginning, when he was doing it for Woody. He likes being in those situations. He's fearless. Even when he didn't have his best command the first couple weeks of the season, he didn't back down."

Perez's command was a bit rough around the edges in spring camp and at the outset of the season.

"Coming out of Spring Training," Perez said, "I was wondering if I was ever going to throw a strike again."

But Perez never went through a sustained struggle on the mound. And now he's put together a sustained period of excellence that has satisfactorily responded to at least one major question mark on a Tribe team looking for answers.

Reyes still dealing with mechanical issues

CLEVELAND -- Old habits die hard, as right-hander Anthony Reyes can attest.

Reyes is not only trying to bounce back from the Tommy John surgery he had performed in June 2009, but he's also trying to shake off the bad habits in his delivery that were born as a result of the elbow discomfort he dealt with for several years.

That's a pretty tall order, and that's the reason Reyes' rehab is taking longer than initially anticipated. He was pulled from his spot in the Double-A Akron rotation to work on his mechanical flaws with Akron pitching coach Greg Hibbard.

"It's getting better," Reyes said on Sunday. "But a lot of years of bad habits take a while to correct. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I don't want to push too much too fast."

Manager Manny Acta has implied that Reyes' mechanical issues have all but ensured he won't be pitching for the Tribe before the end of this season, as had been hoped. The Indians are still evaluating their options with Reyes.

Worth noting

Michael Brantley was out of the lineup on Sunday, but he said it had nothing to do with the ankle injury he just returned from last week. Brantley was just given a standard day off. Trevor Crowe started in center, with Shelley Duncan in left. ... Triple-A right-hander Carlos Carrasco, coming soon to a big league ballpark near you, allowed one run over seven innings in a win over Louisville on Friday and is now 2-2 with a 2.08 ERA over his past eight starts. He's held the opposition to a .193 average against in that span. ... Double-A Akron designated hitter Jerad Head is batting .351 with seven homers and 24 RBIs over his past 20 games. ... Right-hander Joe Gardner picked up his 12th win for Class A Kinston on Saturday, tossing five shutout innings and allowing just four hits with five walks and five strikeouts against Salem. Gardner is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA over his past six starts. Gardner leads the organization in total wins (13) and strikeouts (141) this season.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. He blogs about baseball at CastroTurf. Follow @castrovince on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.