Considering that Acta had a record of 158-252 with the Nationals, it is somewhat surprising that he was such a hot name. But sources indicate that he was great in his job interviews and illustrated good vision for how he’ll direct teams to the promised land.

“I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work,” said Acta of the Indians. “I believe we will grow together as a team, with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”

Going into the 2009 baseball season, some experts were picking the Indians to rise up and claim a spot in the playoffs. That didn’t happen, to say the least. The Indians finished the season 65-97.

Manny Acta hired by the Cleveland Indians (Image: Zuma Press)

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Manny Acta Hired as Indians Manager

In addition to catcher, Martinez can also play first base. The Red Sox will likely play him at catcher, first base and DH.

At the plate, Martinez has had a very good season after struggling last year. He’s hitting .284 with 15 homers, 67 RBIs and 56 runs. He also has 21 doubles and an on-base percentage of .368.

Still just 30 years old, Martinez is a player the Red Sox can keep in the middle of their lineup for a long while.

The three players the Indians received were Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. Of those three players, Masterson is the big name. Last year as a rookie, he had a 6-5 record with a 3.16 ERA. This season, he is 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA. The 24-year-old will likely join Cleveland’s starting rotation.

Hagadone and Price are both minor leaguers at this point, however they both project to be big leaguers in the not too distant future.

Victor Martinez - Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

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Victor Martinez Traded to the Red Sox

The Indians acquired DeRosa in the offseason in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old DeRosa was playing third base for Cleveland. On the season, he is hitting .267 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 47 runs.

The acquisition of DeRosa should help the Cardinals in their fight with the Milwaukee Bucks for the NL Central title. Currently, the two teams are tied atop the division.

For Cleveland, they are in a rebuilding mode. With the worst record in the AL, the Indians decided to trade DeRosa for a player who could possibly help for a number of years. The 23-year-old Perez has a 4.18 ERA and has racked up 30 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

Mark DeRosa Traded to the Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

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Mark DeRosa traded to the Cardinals

Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

In the fourth inning, Pujols hit his first long ball. After the Indians tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, Pujols hit his second homer in his next at bat in the 6th inning. The Cardinals would never trail again.

On the mound, Brad Thompson picked up his first win of the season. Pitching six strong innings, Thompson gave up three hits, two walks and on unearned run while striking five batters. His ERA on the season dropped to 3.60.

With the win, St. Louis improved to 34-29. Currently, that record places the Cardinals in second place in the NL Central — a half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers. In the NL Wild Card race, the Cardinals have a slim lead over the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets.

The loss dropped the Indians to 28-36 and into last place in the AL Central.

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Albert Pujols Homers Twice, Leads Cardinals

New Yankee Stadium (Image: Newscom)

The the game tied at one, the Indians scored nine times in the top of the seventh and then held on for a 10-2 victory. The win bettered the Indians record to 3-7, while the loss sent the Yankees to 5-5.

In the seventh inning, the Indians got a solo shot from Victor Martinez and a grand slam from Grady Sizemore. Kelly Shoppach, who had an RBI double to get Cleveland on the board in the fourth inning, added a one-run single in the seventh.

For the Yankees, their two runs were courtesy of a Jorge Posada homer in the fifth and a Robinson Cano single in the seventh.

Cliff Lee, last year’s Cy Young award winner in the American League, got the win for Cleveland by pitching six innings and giving up only one earned run. C.C. Sabathia pitched 5.2 innings and also gave up only one run.

Through the weekend, Yankees and Indians will play three more times at the new Yankee Stadium.

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Yankees Lose in First Game at New Stadium

Juiced Sports Blog is reporting that in the trade, Taylor Green was in the package for the Indians. He’s 21, out of Cypress College in California, and was selected in the 25th round in the 2005 draft. He batted .327, had 14 home runs, and 86 RBI’s in the 2007 season. Along with him, the Indians will be adding left fielder Matt LaPorta and pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson.

With C.C. Sabathia in Milwaukee, this could make the race for the NL Central a bit more interesting. They, like St. Louis, are 3.5 games back of Chicago. Hey, the Reds are only 7 games behind them in the standings! This will definitely make for an interesting race for the NL Central. Not including the Reds of course. But maybe…..a girl can dream, can’t she?

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So About That C.C. Sabathia Character

To my delight, the always outrageous Onion News Network has examined the versatility of the word Pronk. It’s hilariously Pronk-surd.

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“Chairman, That is Pronk-rageous”