There may not be a whole lot to cheer about with the Indians these days, but let’s check out what some of the team’s minor leaguers are up to with the season just about a month old.

Indians phenom Matt LaPorta

TRIPLE  A COLUMBUS

The Clippers are 9-12 and in last place in the International League West Division:

* The Indians called up left-handed pitcher Rich Rundles Wednesday to replace Tribe designated hitter Travis Hafner, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness. Rundles went 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in seven appearances with the Clippers.

* Outfielder Matt LaPorta was named the International Batter of the Week for April 20-26. LaPorta hit safely in all seven games with four multi-hit efforts, batting .520 with a league-leading 13 hits, 10 runs scored and a .613 on-base percentage. LaPorta is near the top of the League in most offensive categories, including batting average (tied for seventh, .368), home runs (tied for fourth, five), hits (tied for sixth, 25), slugging percentage (third, .706), triples (tied for fourth, two) and runs scored (tied for first, 20).

* First baseman/ designated hitter Michael Aubrey is batting a league-leading .438 (21-for-48) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored. 

DOUBLE A AKRON

The Aeros are off to a franchise-best 16-4 mark and are in first place in the Eastern League Southern Division:

* A handful of Aeros are among the league’s statistical leaders. Second baseman Josh Rodriguez is tied for the league lead with 14 walks and is fourth with a .460 on-base percentage…Center fielder Jose Constanza leads the league with nine stolen bases…Catcher Carlos Santana is tops in the league with six home runs and 19 RBI. …Right-handed closer Vinnie Pestano leads the league with nine saves.

* Right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon has gotten off to a red-hot start at 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA. In 23 innings he struck out 22 and has lasted at least five innings in each of his starts this year.

* A surprise candidate for another solid start to the season is left-handed pitcher Chuck Lofgren, who is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his first three starts. He has limited the opposition to a .111 average against and ranks fifth in the Eastern League in ERA.

Kinston infielder Lonnie Chisenhall

HIGH CLASS A KINSTON

The K-Tribe is 11-10 and tied for first place in the Carolina League Southern Division:

* For the second straight week, Kinston teammates swept the Carolina League weekly awards as third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and right-handed pitcher Eric Berger received the Players of the Week awards for April 20-26.

* Chisenhall had back-to-back five RBI games and homered in three consecutive contests. Although his 11-game hitting streak was snapped last Sunday, he posted three multiple-hit efforts and scored six runs during the seven-game span. In 20 games this season Chisenhall is batting .274 with four home runs and 20 RBI.

* Berger did not allow a run over two outings last week, helping the K-Tribe defeat Myrtle Beach and Lynchburg. He limited opponents to four hits and two walks while striking out 13 batters in 10 innings. Berger leads the Carolina League with 26 strikeouts and ranks second with a 1.42 ERA.

* First baseman/designated hitter Matt McBride is riding a 13-game hitting streak during which he’s batting .462 (24-for-52) with five doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored. Six of his last eight games have been multi-RBI efforts. On the season, McBride ranks first in the Carolina League with 10 doubles, 57 total bases, 25 RBI and a .722 slugging percentage. He also ranks second in on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.187. His .405 (32-for-79) batting average and five home runs are tied for second in the league.

LOW CLASS A LAKE COUNTY

The Captains are 8-12 and in sixth place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division:

* Outfielder Adam White is batting .300 (15-for-50) in 17 games with 10 stolen bases, which is tied for second in the South Atlantic League.

* First baseman/designated hitter Nate Recknagel is hitting .319 (15-for-47) in 12 games, recording at least one hit in 10 of those games.

* Right-handed pitcher Alexander Perez hasn’t won in his first four starts, but has limited opponents to five earned runs in 22 2/3 innings for a 1.99 ERA with 23 strikeouts (tied for sixth in the league).

Tony Sipp figured he was in big trouble Tuesday night. 

Columbus manager Torey Lovullo phoned Sipp at his digs long after the game was over, asking him to drive back to the ballpark.

“I thought I did something wrong,” said Sipp, who was summoned from Triple-A for the first time in his career to help settle the Indians’ bullpen.

“I made it back to the park and Torey started smiling. I asked him, “What’s so funny?’ and he said, “I just wanted to see your face when I told you that you’re going to the big leagues.’ ”

After the bullpen took over with a 6-1 lead over the Royals in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s game, Joe Smith and Masa Kobayashi failed to retire any of the five batters they faced (giving up four runs). That’s when manager Eric Wedge and General Manager Mark Shapiro felt they had to make a move.

It turned out to be calling up Sipp and optioning lefty Zach Jackson — who hasn’t been part of the problem — to Triple-A. Jackson pitched only twice and gave up three runs in 42/3 innings.

“We’re going to use Sipp against left-handers,” Wedge said. “He was very impressive in the spring. I like his heartbeat. I like his competitive mindset. He likes to be in there when it counts.” 

Sipp was a promising lefty until his stock slipped after he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in 2007. But he has worked his way back into being one of the Tribe’s better bullpen prospects.

“He’s very similar to the way he was before surgery,” Wedge said. “In a perfect world, you’d like to keep him in Triple-A a little more, but we think he’s ready to be up here.

“There were people making arguments that he should make it in spring training.” 

Sipp, 25, made four appearances for the Clippers, allowing three runs and eight hits in seven innings. He also walked five and struck out 10. Left-handed batters are 1-for-10 against him.

“They let me know how everything was in spring training, how they thought I did everything they could have asked for,” Sipp said. “I knew I wasn’t competing for a job, so we were on the same page.”

Asked if he had time to inform his family and friends of the uptick in his career, Sipp said, “I woke everybody up. It was about 11:30, but it wasn’t as that bad because it was only 10:30 in Mississippi.”

That would be Moss Point, Miss., where everyone knows everyone else. 

“Yeah, if I go to the grocery, I know a lot of people,” Sipp said. “If we had a grocery.”

LEE ON BLOCK? – According to a story on CBSSports.com, the Tribe is willing and maybe anxious to trade Cliff Lee.

To quote the article, “”Multiple officials familiar with the Indians said this week that they wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Lee get traded if the Indians fell far out of the race.”

One of these officials was quoted as saying, “”I think they’d love to trade him.” 

Why?

The story speculates that Tribe operatives aren’t sure whether Lee is a legitimate No. 1 starter or middle of the rotation pitcher. Consequently, they aren’t sure what kind of contract to offer him in the future.

“They might think this is the time to sell high on him,” another baseball official was quoted.

Lee asked to negotiate a contract extension in spring training and was turned down, Shapiro telling Lee that the uncertain economy had put a hold on those kinds of talks.

The Indians have an option on Lee for 2010, so there would be no reason to rush to judgment.

TWENTY MEANS TWENTY — Wedge said that David Dellucci (strained calf) might have to complete the entire 20 days of his rehab assignment in Columbus.

“There’s a chance will happen,” the manager said. “It’s not because of his injury. He didn’t have much spring training, and he needs the repetitions.” 

ELECTION SEASON — Voting on line for the All-Star Team began Wednesday.

Fans can log onto Indians.com and vote up to 25 times for their favorites. Balloting at the ballpark and in Indians Team Shops begins Tuesday.

Voting will continue through June 17. The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 14 in St. Louis.

FARM FACTS — Wyatt Toregas hit two home runs and had four RBI in Columbus’ 14-4 win over Louisville. Matt LaPorta had three hits to raise his average to .362… Lonnie Chisenhall hit a grand slam and drove in five runs in Kinston’s 15-5 win over Myrtle Beach. Lucas Montero tripled, doubled and drove in two runs. Eric Berger (1-1, 1.93 ERA) allowed on hit in five innings…. Joe Mahalic worked five scoreless innings, giving up two hits, as Lake County blanked Lakewood 2-0.

Raise the topic of excessive striking out, and Eric Wedge‘s blood pressure doesn’t budge. But mention that the Indians have 21 strikeouts with runners in scoring positon, and the manager begins to bristle.

“We’ve been striking out entirely too much with runners in scoring position,” he said Tuesday. “I don’t get too caught up in strikes generally, but if a guy is in scoring position, you have to put the ball in play.”

The subject arose when someone noted that Tribe batsmen were often striking out with the bases loaded, and Wedge felt that was only the tip of the iceberg. 

“It’s not just bases loaded situations,” he said. “”We’ve got to do better with runners in scoring position generally.”  

Wedge’s voice became tinged with sarcasm when he said,  ”Of course, that was one of the major things we focused on in spring training, and we’re off to a flying start. But that work will eventually pay off for us.”

Going into Tuesday night’s game against the Royals, the Indians were batting .186 with runners in scoring position. With only seven games in the books, the numbers are hardly definitive, but Victor Martinez had the best average among the regulars, .333 (3-for-9), and Jhonny Peralta was still looking for his first hit in seven at-bats.

Travis Hafner was 1-for-7 and Asdrubal Cabrera and Mark DeRosa each were 1-for-6. 

The Tribe had a total of 59 at-bats with runners on second or third and struck out 36 percent of the time. To put that in perspective, if a batter went down swinging that often over a 550-at-bat season, he would be almost assured of leading the league with 198 strikeouts.

As for overall performance with the bases loaded, the Tribe is batting .250 (3-for-12) with nine runs and four strikeouts.

Those are not praiseworthy numbers, and the reality is worse. Of those nine runs, two scored on hit batters and one on a wild pitch. DeRosa and Trevor Crowe were responsible for five, ripping a pair of doubles, Shin-Soo Choo drove in one with a single.

“Our effort is good, our attitude is good, our energy level is good,” Wedge said, “”but we have to start performing.”

SOMETHING TO CROWE ABOUT — Trevor Crowe got his third start in a row and fourth of the season, not bad for a raw rookie getting his first exposure to the major leagues. 

“”I like his energy, and I think he’s getting better,” manager Eric Wedge said. “”He brings a lot of athletic talent to the baseball field. 

“Because of the times (Travis) Hafner doesn’t play, there are opportunities. Also, I can get Grady off his feet now and then.”

Tuesday night, Sizemore took over the DH spot from Hafner and Crowe spelled Sizemore in center field. Crowe has started at least one game in left, center and right.

SOMETHING TO PROVE? – Wedge was purposely vague in explaining what he meant when he said, “(Aaron) Laffey wasn’t particularly pleased when we sent him out,” the day the manager announced that the Columbus lefty would take the start of injured Scott Lewis.

“”Lewis beat him out for that spot (in spring training),” Wedge reiterated. “”Now Laffey has a chance to pitch, so let’s go.”

IN AGAIN, OUT AGAIN — Hafner was written out of the lineup Tuesday night, as Wedge tries to acclimate him to ease him into everyday DH duty.

“If I played him tonight, he wouldn’t play tomorrow, and I want him to play tomorrow,” the manager said. “”Three in a row is about as far as I want to stretch him right now.”

Monday night, Hafner was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and stranded eight runners.

FARM FACTS — Jeremy Sowers pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk in Columbus’ 3-2 win over Indianapolis. Luis Valbuena tripled, singled and drove in one run. Wes Hodges had two singles and one RBI… Ryan Morris gave up four runs in four innings, but three were unearned, as Kinston lost a 9-1 decision to Wilmington. Morris yielded four hits and struck out four… Abner Abreu doubled twice, singled twice and drove in two runs in Lake County’s 11-9 loss to Lakewood.

It didn’t take long for Manny Ramirez to realize he never had it so good playing for the Indians.

After signing an eight-year, $160 million contract with the Red Sox after the 2000 season, he communicated his desire to return to the Tribe to clubhouse personnel and some of his former Tribe teammates, particularly utility infielder Enrique Wilson.

Since then, Ramirez has periodically repeated the wish, sometimes in public. The most recent expression of that sentiment came in Monday’s USA Today, with Ramirez telling a reporter, “”I would like to play for Cleveland one more time, to go back to where I started. I have so many good memories there, why not?”

Why not? Ramirez, who will be 37 on May 30, will make $25 million this year with the Dodgers, who signed him to a two-year deal during spring training. Ramirez can opt out of the second season if he wishes, but it would be unwise for him to think the Indians will pay anything close to that.

“That’s not something I think about,” manager Eric Wedge said about rejoining the Tribe. “”I have enough on my plate right now. I’m sure his teammates feel the same way about what they have on their plates.” 

Regardless of the unlikelihood of Ramirez coming back to Cleveland, he can still talk about it. Moreover, he can suggest that he and Jim Thome return together.

“Me and Thome back to Cleveland, that would be sweet,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez spoke to Thome about playing for the Indians again.

“Manny was very sincere when he brought that up,” said Thome, the designated hitter for the White Sox who can be a free agent after the season.

“”Manny was saying how special it would be for us to go back together.” 

Thome left to sign a six-year, $85 million with the Phillies following the 2002 season, after turning down a multi-year contract worth about $60 million from the Tribe.

Both players are nearing the end of their careers, and both are almost certain inductees into the Hall of Fame. How much would it be worth for the Indians to allow their fans to see Thome and Ramirez hit their 600th home run?

Not enough to make their return a probability. Going into Monday night’s action, Thome had 543 home runs, Ramirez 527.

Jhonny Peralta knows Ramirez from his years as a Tribe minor leaguer. Ramirez was on the big-league team at the time.

“Sounds good to me,” Peralta said. “”Manny is a little crazy, but he can play. He can hit.”

THE WINNER –Aaron Laffey was the first runnerup in the competition to win the final spot in the Indians rotation in spring training, but he will get another chance Wednesday against the Royals.

With Scott Lewis on the disabled list because of a strained forearm, manager Eric Wedge needs a starter, and Laffey will be the man.

“I think he deserves the first shot,” Wedge said. “”He wasn’t particularly pleased when we sent him out, so now we’ll see how he does.”

Lewis beat back competition from derby Laffey, Jeremy Sowers and David Huff in training camp. Huff isn’t ready for a big-league assignment, and Sowers didn’t make his first start of the season until Monday night at Columbus.

Laffey allowed five runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings in his first Triple-A start of the season.

“He was real good early and not so good later on,” Wedge said. “”We kept his pitch count down to about 60 becausae he’s going to havw to start on three days rest.”

ALL NOT LOST — Don’t count out Sowers or even Zach Jackson if Laffey stumbles in his start Wednesday afternoon.

“We considered Jackson,” Wedge said. “”But we think he has value in the bullpen.”

Is Wedge committed to Laffey until Lewis comes off the DL, as long as four weeks hence?

“Laffey will make his first start, and we’ll evaluate our rotation from there,” the manager said.

SOUVENIR CITY — Trevor Crowe took home a treasure trove of mementos after getting his first big-league hit Sunday, including two lineup sheets and three baseballs, one the ball he hit for a two-run double.

Crowe struck out in his first two at-bats, swinging at six of seven pitches. That prompted a conversation with hitting coach Derek Shelton.

“He told me I needed to calm down, just relax but be aggressive,” Crowe said. “”And he was right.”

It’s not exactly rare for a rookie called up to replace an injured player to try and do too much. 

   “”I don’t know how long I’m going to be here,” Crowe said. “”So every time I’m in the game, I want to do something that helps us win.”

CAUTIONARY MOVE — Columbus outfielder Matt LaPorta left the second game of a doubleheader against Louisville Saturday with tightness in his right midsection. 

He was held out of Sunday’s game, but the injury is not believed to be serious.

FARM FACTS — Wes Hodges had a double and single and Michael Brantley each had two singles in Columbus’ 5-1 loss to Louisville… Matt McBride doubled twice and drove in two runs, and Zach Putnam (1-0, 1.80 ERA) gave up one run and five hits in five innings, as Kinston defeated Winston-Salem 6-2. Matt Brown doubled, singled and had two RBI… Donnie Webb homered and drove in two runs, but Lake County lost to Hagerstown 9-2.

 Scott Lewis‘ forearm injury is not considered serious, but it will keep him on the disabled list for two to four weeks in the estimation of Indians head trainer Lonnie Soloff. 

After examining an MRI scan of Lewis’ left arm, Soloff said Sunday, “It was very encouraging news. He has a mild left forearm strain. He felt it on the last pitch he threw on Opening Day. 

“There is no structural damage, but there is inflammation in the flexor pronator (muscle group). Scott will not throw for five to seven days then increase his activity. We are hoping for an expedited return of two to four weeks.”

Even if Lewis misses only 15 days, the minimum he can spend on the disabled list, he will miss two starts, the first of which will be Wednesday in Kansas City against the Royals. Presumably, Lewis’ place in the rotation will be taken by reliever Zach Jackson or one of two Columbus starters, Jeremy Sowers or Aaron Laffey.

Whereas Lewis felt the forearm tighten considerably on the last pitch he threw Friday, the injury predates the home opener by several weeks.

“It was a little sore in spring training, but I thought it was something I could pitch through,” Lewis said. “”But it kept getting tighter and tighter, and finally on that last pitch, I felt it pull.”

Until his last two starts of the exhibition schedule, Lewis pitched consistently well. Then manager Eric Wedge told he he had earned a spot in the rotation and Lewis stumbled in his last two starts of training camp.

At the time, it appeared that Lewis had suffered a letdown after winning the competition for a roster spot with Laffey, Sowers and David Huff. In light of his forearm injury, there might have been a physical reason for his decline in proficiency.

“Once I started getting up to four or five innings per start in the spring, it became more of a factor,” Lewis said. “They knew about it; that’s why they backed me off to three innings in my last start before the season.”

Lewis was referring to being left back at camp in Goodyear, Ariz., to make his final tuneup in an extended spring training game. 

“I’m hoping that by the end of 15 days I’ll be back on the mound,” Lewis said. “But I don’t know about being game ready.”

MORE TO DO — Shin-Soo Choo lost a ball in the sun that went for a triple and led to a Toronto run.

Wedge wasn’t being critical of Choo when he said, “”We need to start making plays. I don’t care if it’s the sun or whatever the hell it is. We have to start making plays to help our pitchers.”

MILLER UPDATE — Adam Miller (right middle finger injury) is scheduled to throw a batting preactice session in Goodyear this week.

“”The staff in Goodyear is happy with what they’re seeing,” Soloff said. “”The ball used to come off his middle finger. Now, it comes off the middle and index finger” 

In two weeks, Miller could be ready to pitch in extended spring games if there are no setbacks.

DELLUCCI MAKING PROGRESS — “”David completed a successful baserunning program without symptoms,” Soloff said, referring to the outfielder’s sore calf. “”We expect him to take part in game activity this week in Goodyear, starting at DH and progressing to outfield play. 

   “”He could be ready to go out on a rehab assignment late next week.” 

STILL MONTHS AWAY — Jake Westbrook (Tommy John surgery) is throwing 60 fastballs off a mound and off-speed pitches on flat ground.

Soloff said that Westbrook will continue on the same program for three or four weeks to strengthen his elbow. He remains on schedule to return to the Tribe’s rotaqtion some time around mid season. 

FARM FACTS — Aaron Laffey (0-1, 13.50 ERA) gave up five runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings, as Columbus droppped a 5-1 decision to Louisville in the first game of a doubleheader. Michael Aubrey and Matt LaPorta each tripled and singled. Michael Brantley tripled and drove in two runs in the second game, but Columbus lost 5-4… Karexon Sanchez homered twice and singled twice, driving in three runs, but Lake County lost 6-4 to Hagerstown. Alexander Perez gave up one run and three hits in six innings, striking out six.