Here’s the good news from Sunday’s Aeros game - Indians catcher Victor Martinez went 2-for-4 with a home run.

And that’s it…Really.

The rest was a debacle.

The game ended in an 8-2 loss to New Britain (the second-worst team in the Eastern League at 54-72) with Aeros closer Randy Newsom giving up a grand slam in a non-save situation.

It ended with Wes Hodges making another error - his 26th of the season.

It ended with three Aeros being ejected - outfielders Stephen Head and Bronson Sardinha and manager Mike Sarbaugh.

It ended with a closed door meeting that had Sarbaugh ripping his club for a 1-5 home stand that had little energy and ended with a three-game sweep by New Britain - NEW BRITAIN!

Can it get any worse? The scary part is that with 13 regular-season games remaining, it could.

That’s why it’s time to do something. No more players meetings. Or hitting meetings or manager’s closed-door meetings.

How about some new blood? How about calling up a hungry youngster from Kinston like Beau Mills?

It’s an idea someone might want to seriously consider before this team blows up completely.

In his second rehab appearance with the Aeros, Indians second baseman Josh Barfield went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts in three innings.

“The hand feel good,” said Barfield, who is next scheduled to join Triple-A Buffalo Monday as the Aeros wrap up this home stand Sunday before embarking on a six-game road trip. “Now it’s just a matter of getting the timing back and getting comfortable on the field.”

As for the Aeros, they out-hit New Britain 10 to 4 Saturday night at Canal Park but stranded 13 runners, including seven in scoring position. On his own, outfielder Bronson Sardinha left eight men on base, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.

The Aeros loss - their fifth in their last six games - coupled with Bowie’s win, padded the Baysox lead in the Eastern League Southern Division to 2 games.

As one astute press box observer said late Friday night after the Aeros were shut out 6-0 by visiting New Britain - even Victor Martinez could not save the Aeros.

Not that you expect a guy who hasn’t hit live pitching in two months to show the way, but with as much as the Aeros offense has struggled since the All-Star break, anything was welcome Friday as the Indians All-Star catcher joined the team to begin his weekend rehab stint after right elbow surgery.

As expected, Martinez didn’t help much in going 0-for-2 with a walk. But the Aeros sure didn’t help themselves either. They let a guy with a 5-5 mark and 4.75 ERA limit them to one hit over eight innings.

In fact, as another observant press box attendee pointed out, the Aeros batters have hit just .235 since the break and are averaging just 3.5 runs per game.

First baseman/outfielder Stephen Head leads the way with a robust .261 average, while third baseman Wes Hodges is no where near the Mendoza Line.

It wasn’t Progressive Field, but it didn’t matter to Josh Barfield.

Limited to three innings in his first rehab outing since undergoing ligament surgery on his left middle finger June 17, Barfield was excited to just be playing again - even it was with the Tribe’s Double-A club at Canal Park Thursday.

“I haven’t played a game in two months,” Barfield said. “So, it was just about getting back out there and getting the adrenaline going. You can’t simulate game speed, so I just needed to get back in it and see how I feel. And right now, I feel real good - that’s the main thing.”

In his first at-bat to lead off the bottom of the first, Barfield grounded out to the pitcher. In his second plate appearance, he flew out to center field. In the field Barfield was involved in just one play, an expertly executed 5-4-3 double play to end the second inning.

“When I hurt it, fielding was the hardest because I couldn’t close my glove,” he said. “But since they fixed it, now it’s really just about getting back to hitting, making contact and feeling the vibrations on the hand.”

Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said it was fun to see Barfield’s enthusiasm.

“Josh was really anxious to get out there and play,” Sarbaugh said. “He wanted to play nine (innings).”

While Barfield is expected to rejoin the Aeros Saturday if all goes well with his finger the nexy day, Indians catcher Victor Martinez is scheduled to join the team Friday and Sunday for his rehab assignment.

Martinez, the former Aero who was the 2002 Eastern League MVP, is scheduled to DH Friday and Sunday with an off day in between. The Tribe’s All-star backstop is making his way back from right elbow surgery foremost, but also from a strained left hamstring as well.

Indians second baseman Josh Barfield and Tribe catcher Victor Martinez are expected to join the Aeros on rehabilitation assignments beginning Thursday.

Barfield, who underwent ligament surgery on his left middle finger June 17, is expected to play three innings at second base Thursday against the Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants).

Martinez, who is recovering from right elbow surgery and a strained left hamstring, will join the team Friday in time for the weekend series against the New Britain Rock Cats (Minnesota Twins). But he isn’t expected to catch. Instead, the former Aero and 2002 Eastern League MVP is scheduled to DH Friday and Sunday with an off day in between.

ODDS & ENDS:

* Indians general manager Mark Shapiro took in his first game of the season Wednesday at Canal Park, watching from the stands behind home plate.

* A night after snapping an 0-for-16 skid, Aeros catcher Wyatt Toregas was a late scratch from the lineup an hour before the game with a sore elbow. He is expected to get it checked out Thursday.

* A players-only meeting was called before Wednesday’s batting practice. Odds are it probably had a lot to do with the team losing the 7.5-game lead in the Southern Division they owned July 12 as Bowie pulled ahead by a game in the division standings with a win Wednesday.

* Left-hander Scott Lewis, the reigning E.L. Pitcher of the Week, was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo Wednesday, and is expected to join the team Thursday.

It took Tony Sipp two rough outings before he settled in to his old form, but it appears the left-hander has found his groove.

Sure, Sipp is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA since joining the Aeros July 17 while making his way back from Tommy John surgery. But he has allowed just one run over his last nine innings spanning his last seven appearances.

* Aeros catcher Wyatt Toregas’ lead-off single in the eighth inning Tuesday snapped an 0-for-16 skid as he entered the home stand coming of a recent 2-for-17 (.118) road trip through Altoona and Trenton. After reaching safely, Toregas came around to score on Brandon Pinckney’s single to break up Connecticut’s shut-out bid.

The event I’m about to write about had nothing to do with baseball and came before Saturday’s game even started. But I loved it.

If Aeros fans wanted a glimpse into the kind of person Aeros pitcher Chuck Lofgren is, you should have seen the smile on his face as he led his mother Pam Lofgren out onto the mound before the game.

Earlier in the day, Lofgren had convinced his mother, whose spent the last few days visiting with her son before heading back home to San Francisco, Ca., to throw out the first pitch with him serving as her catcher at home plate.

Lofgren said mom resisted initially, but eventually gave in with some prodding. So there was no one more proud of her, even though she one-hopped the toss to her son. Chuck grabbed the ball, quickly jogged out to the mound and planted a kiss on his mother’s forehead - then promised to take her out for a margarita after the game.

After spending the last month pitching at Triple-A Buffalo, Aeros all-time save leader Randy Newsom returned to Canal Park just before Friday night’s game got underway.

In order to make room on the Akron roster for the right-handed closer, right-hander Jim Deters was released.

Newsom went 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 24 saves in 36 appearances with the Aeros before making his Triple-A debut July 2. In nine appearances with the Bisons, he went 0-1 with a save and tidy 1.89 ERA.

Deters, the Tribe’s seventh selection in the 2005 draft, went 0-3 with a 6.91 ERA in 10 games, including four starts.