Field of terrors: Tribe errs repeatedly

The Tribe entered Monday’s game against the Angels leading the American League in errors with 103. They rank fifth in the big leagues.

Anaheim, Calif. — Some are worth repeating. Other things must be repeated.

In spring training, manager Manny Acta kept saying the Indians needed to improve their defense, especially in the infield. The Indians played good defense throughout spring training and started the season the same way.

It did not stay that way long as injuries, poor performances and trades transformed the defense into a sieve. As this disappointing season comes to an end, Acta says he will enter the off-season with the same goal.

“That’s going to be a big part of our task at hand for the off-season,” said Acta. “We have to continue to try and make it better defensively because we depend on sinker ball pitchers.”

The Tribe entered Monday’s game against the Angels leading the American League in errors with 103. They rank fifth in the big leagues.

The worst part of the defense has been on the left side of the infield. The Indians lead the league in errors at shortstop and third base. They’ve made 23 combined errors at short and 24 at third.

Asdrubal Cabrera, who may have played his worst game of the year defensively Sunday in a 3-0 loss to Seattle, leads with 10 errors at short in 76 games. Jason Donald, who filled in for Cabrera when he broke his left forearm, made nine in 46 games.

Then there is the two-headed monster at third — Jayson Nix and Andy Marte. Nix has made nine errors, including two Sunday, in 23 games, while Marte has made nine in 29 games at the hot corner. Departed Jhonny Peralta, in comparison, looks like a Gold Glover with five errors in 91 games.

Indians center fielders are tied for first in the league with seven errors. Trevor Crowe has made four in 64 games, Michael Brantley two in 43 and injured Grady Sizemore one in 32 games.

The pitching staff is second with 13 errors, including five by Justin Masterson.

Here’s how the other positions breakdown, featuring the main offenders:

First base: Ten errors, fourth in AL. Matt LaPorta has three, Marte two and departed Russell Branyan five.

Catcher: Nine errors, sixth in AL. Lou Marson has four and Carlos Santana three.

Second base: Eight errors, 12th in AL. Donald has three.

Left field: Five errors, sixth in AL. Departed Austin Kearns made four.

Right field: Eight errors, fourth in AL. Shin-Soo Choo has made four.

A little help? It’s safe to say that if the Indians had a better alternative at third base, or shortstop for that matter, they would have already been promoted from the minors.

When Class AAA Columbus’ playoff run ends, don’t look for third baseman Jared Goedert to get called up. Nix will end the season getting most of the playing time at third base.

“I think everybody can get better,” said Acta. “Baseball is about repetition.

“There’s still three more weeks of baseball. He’s feeling more comfortable over there. He’s going to continue to play there.”

There’s a chance Nix could play winter ball to improve his skills at third. If that doesn’t work, he could still make the club next year as a utility man because of his bat and ability to play second and left field.

Home sweet home: Choo is hitting .335 (78-for-233) at home as opposed to .253 (58-for-229) on the road. His power numbers are similar — seven homers and 37 RBI at home and nine homers and 32 RBI on the road.

“A lot of people have asked me about that, but I don’t think about it too much,” said Choo. “Maybe next year, I’ll have a better average on the road.”

Choo said he feels comfortable at Progressive Field.

“When you’re on the road, sometimes it’s tough to see early in the game when you’re not used to the stadium,” he said.

Finally: Acta said it’s doubtful that he will have to skip any more of his starting pitchers so they don’t go over their required pitch limits. Masterson, if he gets close to 170 to 180 innings, may still finish the year in the bullpen.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158