Manny Acta says a decision hasn't been made for Sunday's starter against the Tigers.
UPDATED: 10:56 p.m.
David Huff said he had nothing to do with a Twitter file under his name that said he would be pitching for the Indians this weekend.INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: Of the Indians relievers who regularly weighed in during the LeBron James free-agency drama, Tony Sipp was the only one to correctly predict the Miami Heat as the destination.
“When it didn’t look like he was going to stay in Cleveland, I figured Miami because it’s a great city with the potential for a great team,” Sipp said. “I’ve always been a fan of Dwyane Wade; just the combination of LeBron and Wade is something special. Then you add Chris Bosh. That’s tough to beat.”
Sipp said James could have done a much better job of handling his exit. James told the world on an ESPN special that he was taking his talents to South Beach.
“When he announced his decision, I saw a grown man cry,” Sipp said. “That summed it up for me. LeBron knew how significant this was for Cleveland, but he still went ahead and did it live on national TV. It’s like a girlfriend breaking up with you via text message.”
Reliever Frank Herrmann said: “I was not impressed with how he handled the situation. And, he went way over the top with the introductions in Miami. I completely understand why the people here are upset.”
From the pitch: Shelley Duncan, the Tribe’s World Cup expert, said the 2010 edition was a treat for the fans. Spain beat Netherlands, 1-0, in the final.
“I kind of wish we would have seen more from the star players, especially the guys from Brazil, but overall it was a great World Cup,” Duncan said. “A lot of people picked Brazil, but Spain came in as No. 1 in the world. At times, Spain looked like a team that was full of stars but couldn’t pull it all together. Once the elimination round started, though, they did.”
Stat of the day: The Tribe entered Friday having notched 110 double plays — most in the majors.
— Dennis Manoloff
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A message from David Huff's Twitter account Friday afternoon stated that he will be the Indians' spot starter Sunday against the Tigers.
But Huff, who is with Class AAA Columbus, told The Plain Dealer later in the day that he never tweeted as such and that somebody must have impersonated him. Huff said he was reaching out to the Indians to explain.
Tribe manager Manny Acta, informed of Huff's tweet during his pregame meeting with reporters, said: "We're going to need a spot starter for Sunday. We're still working through it. It's not finalized, and David is one of the candidates."
The Indians are expected to choose between Huff and Josh Tomlin. Carlos Carrasco had been in the mix until he pitched Thursday, giving up one unearned run in seven innings. Carrasco likely will be in the rotation soon enough.
Huff led the Indians with 11 victories in 2009 but struggled out of camp this season. He was sent to Columbus on June 21. He is 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA with the Clippers.
Huff's main objective has been to improve command of his fastball.
Masterson moved: Right-hander Justin Masterson, originally scheduled to work Sunday, has been pushed back to Tuesday at Minnesota. At the moment, the Tribe's upcoming probable starters are Fausto Carmona and Mitch Talbot Saturday, TBD on Sunday, Aaron Laffey on Monday and Masterson on Tuesday.
The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31.
Jhonny's cooling: Third baseman Jhonny Peralta (fever) did not start Friday. He was replaced by Andy Marte.
Acta said Peralta came to the ballpark Thursday with a high fever. The Indians had an off-day workout.
"The fever broke Thursday evening, and he's doing much better, but we're going to give him the day off for precautionary reasons," Acta said. "He's available off the bench."
Peralta entered Friday leading American League third basemen with a .979 fielding percentage. He had five errors in 240 chances.
Big-league Choo: Shin-Soo Choo (right thumb) took batting practice indoors Friday afternoon and said he felt fine. Acta said all indications are Choo will take outdoor batting practice Saturday or Sunday.
Choo was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 4, retroactive a day earlier, because of a sprain. The first MRI looked bad, Choo and the Indians fearing he might miss 6-8 weeks. Now it appears Choo could be activated within days.
Acta said Choo probably would not need a rehab assignment.
"He's kept himself in great shape," Acta said. "And it seems like he's been out forever, but it hasn't really been that long."
Eager beavers: The Indians entered Friday with the youngest 25-man and 40-man rosters among the 30 major-league franchises.
He's gone: The Tribe released catcher Mike Redmond, who was designated for assignment July 10. Redmond is 39.
Finally: From last year's All-Star break to this year's, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera batted .337 with 108 runs, 44 doubles, one triple, 38 homers and 130 RBI in 158 games. He is the only major leaguer to appear in the top five in all three triple-crown categories during that stretch.
In 83 games this season entering Friday, Cabrera was hitting .346 with 22 homers and 77 RBI.
"Gifted is the word I use to describe him as a hitter," Acta said. "He's 27, and all he's done since he got to the majors is hit."