• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Indians open four-game set with reeling Orioles

Sep 8, 2008 - 2:13 PM Cleveland (69-72) at Baltimore (63-78), 7:05 pm EDT

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- With Victor Martinez back and Travis Hafner's return looming, the re-tooled Cleveland Indians open a four-game set on Monday against the lowly Baltimore Orioles, who have dropped eight in a row.

Martinez drove in all three Cleveland runs during its victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Since returning from the disabled list on August 29 upon recovering from elbow surgery performed in mid-June, he is 7-for-21 with six RBI.

Hafner, who homered and drove in three runs for Akron on Saturday night as they advanced in the Eastern League playoffs, is scheduled to join the team in Baltimore, according to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hafner, whose 20-day rehab assignment ended Saturday, is expected to be activated Tuesday.

He's been on the disabled list since May 30 with a strained right shoulder. Before that, he batted .217 with four homers and 22 RBI - a stark contrast to the numbers produced in 2006 when he belted a career-high 42 homers and drove in 117 RBI.

Cleveland will send Fausto Carmona (8-5, 4.51 ERA), another important piece to the team's winning puzzle last season that went down with injury this year, to the mound hoping he can win his fourth straight start.

Prior to that stretch, he struggled mightily upon returning from a left hip strain by allowing 28 runs in five outings.

The Orioles, who have also dropped 15 of their last 17, will counter with Jeremy Guthrie (10-11, 3.57).

The former Stanford standout will be making his first trip to the mound since having his last scheduled start skipped due to complaints of arm fatigue.

He is coming off one of the worst outings of his career, surrendering seven runs, seven hits and six walks in three innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 31.