Manny Acta's adopted brother, Fernando, predicted that Acta would one day manage in the big leagues. He died before that came to pass, but Acta has a picture of Fernando hanging in his office.
UPDATED: 11:01 p.m.
Detroit's Miguel Cabrera wasn't very pleased that he was injured while scrambling back to first base for a Luke Carlin pickoff throw Monday night.INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: One of the biggest questions facing the Indians as they prepare for 2011, just as it was this year, will be how much they can get from DH Travis Hafner?
Hafner has played in 115 games and batted 385 times this season. It’s his most action since 2007, the year before the surgery on his right shoulder that changed his career. Hafner, hitting .275 (106-for-385) with 29 doubles, 12 homers and 48 RBI, believes he can still hit 25 to 30 homers a year.
“The power is still there,” said Hafner.
There are no assurances, except that Hafner will be one more year removed from the 2008 operations when camp opens next year. His game is built on power and that’s the one thing that has been missing for three years.
“Overall, I’ve been a lot healthier this year than I was last year,” said Hafner. “And I think I’ll be even healthier next year.”
Hafner will make $13 million in each of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Stat of the day: The Indians entered Tuesday with a 4.31 ERA. Last season they finished the year with a 5.06 ERA. It was the second-highest ERA in club history.
— Paul Hoynes
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On the walls in Manny Acta's office are pictures of Frank Robinson and Felipe Alou, two men instrumental in helping him find his way to the big leagues as a manager.
There is another picture of a man in a graduation gown. He's the one who predicted Manuel would manage in the big leagues one day.
"That's my brother, Fernando," said Acta several hours before Tuesday's game between the Indians and Tigers was rained out and rescheduled as a Wednesday doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m. at Progressive Field. "I was coaching for the Mets and he told me that I was going to manage in the big leagues."
Acta was the Mets' third base coach in 2005 and 2006. He was hired as Washington's manager before the 2007 season.
Fernando Acta never saw his brother manage the Nationals.
"He died right before I got the job," said Acta. "He had a brain aneurysm."
Acta was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.
"My mom adopted Fernando when he was 3 years old," said Acta. "He had polio. He was at home in the Dominican when he died. It's not like here. In this country if someone has a brain aneurysm, they put you in a helicopter and fly you to a hospital.
"At home, the ambulance didn't have any gas. You had to pay for the gas. By the time he got to the hospital, it was too late."
There are five games left in Acta's first season as Indians manager. When it's over, he will have managed 572 games in the big leagues.
"Fernando always said I'd manage in the big leagues," said Acta. "He never got to see me. That's why I put his picture on the wall. So he can see me now."
To pick or not to pick: If you wondered why Miguel Cabrera was staring at Tribe catcher Luke Carlin in the seventh inning Monday night, here's the reason.
Cabrera was upset that Carlin attempted to pick him off first. Cabrera, an American League MVP candidate, stepped back to the bag awkwardly, sprained his right ankle and had to leave the game.
X-rays on the ankle were negative, but he was not scheduled to play Tuesday. Cabrera could return to the lineup this weekend in Baltimore or miss the rest of the year.
Tuesday afternoon, Cabrera told reporters, "Maybe he's trying to prove he can play in the big leagues. I didn't expect that play. I'm not a fast runner. I'm not trying to steal second base."
Detroit's Ryan Raburn was on second base when Carlin attempted his pickoff.
Said Carlin, "A couple of innings before the seventh, we intentionally walked him. On the bench after the inning, somebody told me he was taking a pretty big lead and that I might be able to pick him off if he got on base later in the game.
"When he got the hit off Smitty [Joe Smith, in the seventh], I thought I'd take a shot at it. It's unfortunate he got hurt, but I'm going to try and get as many outs as I can against that team. They're a good-hitting team."
Carlin, who joined the Indians from Class AAA Columbus on Thursday, said he got the pickoff sign from first baseman Matt LaPorta.
Cabrera is hitting .328 (180-for-548) with 45 doubles, one triple, 38 homers and 126 RBI. He's the American League leader in RBI, tied for second in homers and third in batting average. Against the Indians, he's hitting .346 (18-for-52) with two homers and 11 RBI this year. In his career, Cabrera is hitting .314 (70-for-223) with 15 homers and 47 RBI.
Santana update: Catcher Carlos Santana will report to Goodyear, Ariz., in two weeks to begin serious rehabilitation on his left knee.
"I'll be there for a long time," said Santana, who is still using crutches as a precaution, but doesn't look like he needs them.
"My knee feels much better," he said. "I haven't done much rehab on it."
Let's play two: Wednesday's traditional doubleheader will begin at 4:05 p.m. Fans may exchange their tickets from Tuesday's game for Wednesday's doubleheader or any April or May game in 2011, excluding the season opener on April 1.
SportsTime Ohio will carry both games. Gates open at 3 p.m.
Finally: Trevor Crowe takes a 13-game hitting streak into Wednesday's games. ... Shin-Soo Choo was tied with Victor Martinez and Curtis Granderson for third place in the big leagues with 23 RBI in September. Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki is in first with 40, followed by teammate Carlos Gonzalez with 24.