Indians RF Shin-Soo Choo thinks .300/30/30 is a realistic goal for him in the near future.
Shin-Soo Choo has been the most consistent Indians hitter all season, and is planning on bigger things in the near future.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Tribe plays host to the Royals in the finale of a four-game series this afternoon at Progressive Field.
Pitching matchups: RHP Fausto Carmona (12-14, 3.79) vs. LHP Bruce Chen (11-7, 4.69).
Pregame notes
Shin-Soo Choo has crafted consecutive seasons of at least 20 homers and 20 steals, but he is getting restless.
"I think I can be a 30/30 guy,'' he said. "Someday, someday soon, I'm going to do it. That's very realistic.''
Several seconds later, Choo offered an addition.
"Going .300/30/30 would be nice,'' he said.
The Indians would be thrilled to see .300/30/30, of course, but they are not about to complain about what the current version of Choo is providing. Choo has been the Tribe's best player -- by plenty -- in a rough season.
Through 138 games, he is hitting .299 with 31 doubles, 20 homers, 86 RBI, 76 runs and 21 steals in 138 games. He owns an on-base percentage of .400 and slugging percentage of .478.
Choo also is a plus-defender, his arm affecting the way opposing runners do business. He entered today leading the majors with 13 assists.
"I can do better,'' he said. "I'm never satisfied. At the same time, I'm happy with what I've been able to contribute.''
When assessing this season, Choo said, a stat line is not the first thing that comes to mind. His right thumb is. In early July, Choo injured the thumb while diving for a ball in a game against Oakland.
Choo and the Indians feared he might be lost 6-8 weeks, possibly longer. Instead, the thumb did not require surgery and he returned from the disabled list in late July.
"Avoiding that big injury was the key,'' he said. "I was very fortunate. I know it could have been a lot worse.''
Among Choo's goals entering the season was to cut down on his strikeouts. Last year, he whiffed 151 times in 156 games, during which he hit .300 with 20 homers and 21 steals.
He has 110 strikeouts this year.
Choo is hitting .385 (25-for-65) with six doubles, four homers and 20 RBI in 17 games against Kansas City.
Crowe's nest: Trevor Crowe entered today with a career-high 11-game hitting streak (17-for-46, .370). He credits a more compact swing for the surge, which has pushed his average to .255 in 115 games.
"I don't know exactly when it started to happen, but my swing had gotten too long,'' he said. "About a week, week-and-a-half ago, I was watching video. It was old stuff, from the minor leagues. That's when it became clear to me: My hands were too fasr back, my stride was too long.''
In recent weeks, Crowe has been hitting the ball hard to all fields. "I'm at my best when I go the other way,'' he said.
Crowe does a better job of spraying the ball when he bats left-handed, and his average reflects that. He is hitting .270 as a lefty, .206 as a righty.
Still idle: Center fielder Michael Brantley will not start for a fourth straight game because of a sore left hamstring.
Dynamic duo: In a three-game series against Detroit that begins Monday night at Progressive Field, the Indians will face an MVP candidate (Miguel Cabrera) and one of the elite starting pitchers in the majors (Justin Verlander).
Cabrera entered today hitting .329 with 37 homers and 124 RBI. He had a .420 on-base percentage and .621 slugging percentage. Verlander is scheduled to make his final start of the season Wednesday against Josh Tomlin.
Verlander is 18-8 with a 3.31 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 32 starts. He is 5-0 in his last seven starts, having given up 12 earned runs in 55 innings. Verlander is the first Tiger to strike out 200-plus in consecutive seasons since Jack Morris in 1987-88.
Defeating the Tribe would give Verlander his second consecutive 19-victory season. He went 19-9 with a 3.45 ERA in 35 starts in 2009.
Lineups:
Royals (63-91) -- 1. Jarrod Dyson cf; 2. Mike Aviles 2b; 3. Billy Butler dh; 4. Kila Ka'aihue 1b; 5. Josh Fields 3b; 6. Brayan Pena c; 7. Alex Gordon lf; 8. Yuniesky Betancourt ss; 9. Jai Miller rf; and Chen.
Indians (64-91) -- 1. Trevor Crowe cf; 2. Asdrubal Cabrera ss; 3. Shin-Soo Choo rf; 4. Shelley Duncan lf; 5. Jayson Nix dh; 6. Matt LaPorta 1b; 7. Andy Marte 3b; 8. Luis Valbuena 2b; 9. Lou Marson c; and Carmona.
Umpires: P -- Larry Vanover; 1b -- Jeff Nelson; 2b -- Mark Carlson; 3b -- Jeff Kellogg.