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| OAKLAND -- There won't be pitchers running wind sprints along the warning track during games, but in some ways, the last two weeks of the season will resemble the Grapefruit League for the Indians. With Cleveland mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the team will use its remaining games to give some players a chance to adjust to different roles. Specifically, the Indians want to see how Fausto Carmona and Brian Slocum fare as starters after spending most of this season in the bullpen. That means the Tribe will be going with a six-man rotation until closing out the year on Oct. 1. Carmona, Wednesday's starter, will be opening a game for the sixth time this year. He made three starts in April, and he will be making his third straight start this month. Only one of those games -- his first, on April 15 in Detroit -- could be considered a success. He picked up his lone win -- against nine losses, four of which came as a starter -- while allowing the Tigers one earned run on five hits and two walks to go along with four strikeouts in six innings. Carmona's ERA as a starter is 7.92 (6.03 overall), but manager Eric Wedge liked what he saw from the 22-year-old right-hander at home against Minnesota on Friday, when he gave up two runs on five walks and two hits in five innings of a no-decision. "He was much better his last outing," said Wedge. "It's like most young pitchers. It's about repeating your delivery and being able to throw your fastball where it needs to be thrown, and he's done a better job of that, slowing the game down when he needs [to], which I thought he did a real good job of the last start." Slocum (0-0, 10.57), on the other hand, will be making his first Major League start on Saturday in Texas after appearing in six games as a reliever with Cleveland this year. The 25-year-old righty was 5-0 with a 2.34 ERA in his last nine starts with Triple-A Buffalo, where he pitched in 27 games, 12 as a reliever. "I think he's capable of doing either one," Wedge said of Slocum, who was mostly a starter while working his way up through the Minor Leagues. "We had him in the starting rotation down there more so in the second half, more so because of depth. "It's more of what we need. He's capable of being a bullpen guy or a starter. We're not quite sure what he's going to end up being." The Indians are equally unsure about Carmona's future role, although they plan to send him to winter ball to make six or eight starts. "He's further along than Slocum," Wedge said. "I think a lot of [their future roles] depend on what we do this winter, what we bring in, what our mix is when we come into Spring Training." Explaining the lineup: Kevin Kouzmanoff, perhaps best known for hitting a grand slam off the first Major League pitch he saw in his Sept. 2 debut, made his first appearance at third base on Tuesday, and Grady Sizemore, who played center field exclusively for his first 147 games this year, was penciled in as the designated hitter, batting leadoff. Franklin Gutierrez made his second start in center and batted ninth. "Obviously with [injured designated hitter Travis] Hafner not out there, we got the luxury to mix and match that," Wedge said. "We get Gutierrez out there in center field, and it gives us the chance to get Grady off his feet, too. "I think everybody knows when we have Hafner, there are no at-bats in the DH spot. Now, we have the opportunity to mess around a little bit, so we're going to do that tonight." Wedge may be less concerned about Kouzmanoff at third or Gutierrez in center than the high-energy Sizemore pacing in the dugout during defensive half-innings. "He probably won't know what to do with himself, so we'll see how it goes," Wedge said. Comeback challenge: When Casey Blake returned on Aug. 25 from his second DL stint this season, his average was .310. Going into Tuesday's game, it was .289, and that's after he went 2-for-4 while driving in a pair of runs on Monday night. The first time he went on the DL, for a month from mid-June to mid-July, Blake homered in his first game back, something he hasn't done since returning the second time. "It's always nice to have success right away, but I didn't see that the second time around," Blake said after Monday's 7-2 win over the A's. "Then, I started doing things differently -- watching film and trying to figure it out. "You can go out and hit in the cage and take all the batting practice you want. There's usually nothing wrong with your swing there. It's a matter of seeing live pitching and figuring it out." "It's taking a little bit longer," Wedge said of Blake's struggles since rejoining the roster this time. "I think his BPs are better, and he's got a better approach at the plate and gives himself more of a chance. I think he's coming around." Up next: While Carmona will be trying to double his season win total on Wednesday night, Oakland righty Esteban Loaiza (10-8, 4.83 ERA) will be trying to double his total against the Indians. Loaiza won in Cleveland on June 8, going seven innings while allowing one run on four hits and a walk, adding five strikeouts. Tony Kuttner is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. |