(Cleveland) - The Cleveland Indians hired Manny Acta to be their manager, giving him the job about three months after he was fired by the Washington Nationals.

Acta signed a three-year contract with a club option for 2013, Indians spokesman Bart Swain said Sunday. Additional terms were not disclosed.

"I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family," Acta said. "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."

Acta was offered the Houston Astros' managing job before agreeing with the Indians, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Acta owns one of the worst records from the past 50 years among managers with at least two years of experience: Win pct. Record Roy Hartsfield .353 166-318 Mickey Vernon .373 135-227 Alan Trammell .383 186-300 Manny Acta .385 158-252 The Indians chose Acta after a second interview over former New York Mets manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine and Indians Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo.

The team had been expected to interview Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly this week.

"We are very excited to have Manny Acta on board as our major league manager," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "After speaking with an impressive array of candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy and enthusiasm along with tremendous communication skills and a positive mindset that will command a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans."

The 40-year-old Acta, who was drafted by the Astros as a 17-year-old first baseman, also interviewed for Houston's opening this offseason. The Indians will introduce him at a news conference Monday.

Cleveland tied for last in the AL Central after coming into this season with high expectations. The Indians fired manager Eric Wedge in the final week of the season. Acta went 158-252 in 2½ years with the Nationals, who fired him after a 21-61 start this season.

The Indians, though, dismissed Acta's poor record and appreciated the way he developed some of the Nationals' young players. "I believe we will grow together as a team," Acta said, "with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press)

(Cleveland) - Torey Lovullo wants a chance to manage the Indians after spending the last eight seasons working in the club's farm system.

The 44-year-old Lovullo interviewed for the vacant job on Friday.

Lovullo is a two-time manager of the year who says his familiarity with the organization and its players makes him the best choice to replace Eric Wedge.

Wedge was fired with six games left in his seventh season.

Former Washington Manager Manny Acta was brought in Tuesday and former New York Mets Manager Bobby Valentine, fresh from a six-year stint in Japan, came to town on Thursday.

Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly plans to visit Cleveland next week.

(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

(Cleveland) - Bobby Valentine would manage on Mars. He'd settle for Cleveland.

Back after six years in Japan, the former New York Mets manager had his second interview with the Indians on Thursday. The 59-year-old admitted he has a lot of catching up to do after being away from the major leagues, but would embrace the opportunity to take over in Cleveland.

"I'm a baseball manager and they're looking to hire one of those guys," he said. "There are only 30 of these jobs and I'm fortunate to be considered for one of them."
Valentine took the Mets to the World Series in 2000. He has a 1,117-1,072 record as a manager for Texas and New York.

Valentine is the second candidate to have a sit-down interview with the Indians. On Tuesday, former Washington manager Manny Acta met with Cleveland's owners and front-office members.

Torey Lovullo, the club's Triple-A manager in Columbus, is up Friday and the club is trying to schedule a meeting with Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly.

Valentine managed the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2004-09. He inherited one of Japanese baseball's worst teams and took them to a league championship in 2005.

Valentine was adored by the team's fans, who held nightly vigils at the stadium and signed petitions when Chiba management refused to renew his contract.

"I had a six-year love affair with a country that plays baseball," he said. "Their baseball society is something that should be kept forever. Women play it. Kids play it and still have baseball gloves on their handle bars. It was a six-year magic carpet ride."

Valentine recently returned from Japan and has been working as an analyst for ESPN.

He candidly admitted he hasn't followed U.S. teams as closely as he should have and didn't know as much "as someone who is interviewing for their manager's job probably should."

"I could have crammed for the last six days," he said. "But I didn't do it. I don't know about the American League. I don't know about the Central [division], and I don't know about the Indians. But I sure in hell am willing to learn and spend 28 hours a day, if necessary, to know everything I could possibly know."

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro has said he would like to have Eric Wedge's successor in place by the end of the World Series, but is willing to wait to make the right hire.

Cleveland crumbled under high expectations this season and finished 65-97, tied with Kansas City for last place in the AL Central, the Indians' worst finish since 1991.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press)

(Cleveland) - Manny Acta had his second interview with the Cleveland Indians, who also plan to sit down with ex-New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine about their managerial opening.

Acta, fired by the Washington Nationals in July, spent eight hours at Progressive Field on Tuesday. He interviewed with owners Larry and Paul Dolan, general manager Mark Shapiro and others.

Shapiro said the Indians will have a second interview with Valentine, who led the Mets to the World Series in 2000.

Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly was interviewed last week by phone. Shapiro would not identify Mattingly by name, but said one of the other finalists was someone with ``current obligations.'' The Dodgers trail the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the NLCS.

(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

(Cleveland) - Former Washington Nationals Manager Manny Acta is getting a second interview with the Cleveland Indians.

Acta, fired by the Nationals in July, will meet with Indians owner Paul Dolan, General Manager Mark Shapiro and other front-office personnel on Tuesday at Progressive Field. The Indians said Acta will be available to the media afterward.

Acta was one of 8 to 10 candidates the team interviewed by phone last week. The team has not revealed the names of any of its managerial candidates.

The Indians are bringing as many as five finalists to Cleveland for second interviews.

Acta, 40, went 158-252 in two-plus seasons for the nationals. He was fired after the team started 21-61 last season.

The Indians fired Eric Wedge in September.

(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. Photo by Getty Images. All rights reserved.)

(Cleveland) - Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and reliever Chris Perez have undergone surgical procedures since the season ended.

The team said Cabrera had an arthroscopic operation on his right elbow. He will begin therapy immediately and will remain in Cleveland for at least the next month. Cabrera batted .308 with six homers and 68 RBI in 131 games this season.

Perez had a loose bone and cyst removed from the back of his ankle. He will begin his normal offseason strength and conditioning program in December. He was 0-1 with a 4.32 era in 32 games after coming over in a trade from St. Louis.

(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. Photo Getty Images. All rights reserved.)

BOSTON -- J.D. Drew homered twice, and Jed Lowrie hit his first career grand slam on Sunday and the Boston Red Sox headed into the playoffs with a 12-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Lowrie's homer made it 12-6 in the sixth inning, but it cost David Ortiz his best chance at reaching 100 RBIs for the sixth time in seven years. Ortiz, who was batting .185 with one homer and 18 RBIs on June 1, finished with 28 homers and 99 RBIs for the season.

The loss was the last in Cleveland for manager Eric Wedge, who was fired on Wednesday with six games left in the season. The Indians went 1-5 to finish out his tenure, finishing with a club-record 15 consecutive road losses.

Dustin Pedroia and Alex Gonzalez also homered for Boston, which will begin the playoffs in Anaheim, Calif., against the Angels on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Michael Bowden (1-1) pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief for the win, allowing one run and three hits and striking out two.

Tomo Ohka (1-5) gave up seven runs and six hits and two walks, striking out four for the Indians.

Clay Buchholz was coming off a career-high five homers allowed in his previous start, and this one started out much in the same way. Luis Valbuena hit the third pitch over the Green Monster, and the Indians added five more in the third to make it 6-4 on a bases-loaded walk, a two-run single by Jhonny Peralta and Andy Marte's two-run double.

But Boston made it 6-5 in the fourth on Drew's solo homer, then took the lead in the fifth on Pedroia's two-run shot. Drew led off the sixth with another homer, then Boston loaded the bases with two outs and Lowrie hit his second homer of the year into the Red Sox bullpen.

Ortiz, who was on deck at the time, slammed the doughnut off his bat and walked to the plate to congratulate Lowrie. Then he struck out to end the inning. He struck out on a check swing with runners on first and second to end the eighth.

Buchholz, who is contending for a third or fourth spot in the playoff rotation, gave up six runs and five hits and two walks.

Associated Press

BOSTON -- Victor Martinez hit a grand slam against his former team and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 11-6 on Saturday night despite a shaky outing by Josh Beckett.

After missing his previously scheduled start with back spasms, Beckett (17-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings in his final postseason tuneup. But he's 6-0 in his last eight postseason starts and is in line to start Game 2 of the AL division series Friday at the Los Angeles Angels.

Martinez's homer in a seven-run second was his 23rd of the season and one of four by Boston, which can complete a four-game series sweep in Sunday's regular-season finale. Dustin Pedroia, Brian Anderson and Dusty Brown, with his first major league hit, had the others.

The Indians jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Beckett after 1 1-2 innings but extended their club record for consecutive road losses to 14.

Aaron Laffey (7-9) got battered in the second after striking out the last three batters in the first and dropped to 0-6 in his last six starts. He gave up eight runs and seven hits in two innings.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the second on a double by David Ortiz, a walk to Jed Lowrie and a single by Casey Kotchman. One run scored on Anderson's single and another on a balk.

Boston reloaded the bases on an intentional walk to Pedroia before Jason Bay singled in a run. Martinez then hit his first career grand slam into the Red Sox bullpen in right-center field for an 8-4 lead.

Martinez has been a major offensive force since being acquired at the July 31 trade deadline for pitcher Justin Masterson and two minor-league pitchers. In 55 games with Boston, he's batting .338 with eight homers and 41 RBIs.

Kotchman led off the third against Jensen Lewis with a single and Anderson followed with his fourth homer, making it 10-4.

Paul Byrd relieved Beckett after five innings then gave up a two-run homer in the seventh to Shin-Soo Choo, his 20th.

Brown, who replaced Martinez in the sixth, hit a solo shot in the eighth three nights after making his major-league pitching debut in the ninth inning of a 12-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland scored twice in the first off Beckett on a single by Michael Brantley, a double by Asdrubal Cabrera, an RBI groundout by Choo and a run-scoring single by Travis Hafner.

Pedroia led off the bottom of the first with his 14th homer, but the Indians added two runs in the second that came in on Brantley's single and Hafner's forceout at second.

Game notes The Indians have lost 20 of their last 25 games. ... Boston 3B Mike Lowell was a late scratch from the lineup with a sore right thumb. ... Beckett finished the season with a career-high 199 strikeouts. ... Martinez has hit safely in 29 straight starts, the most in the AL this season and the most by a Boston player since Johnny Damon also hit in 29 straight in 2005.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Associated Press

BOSTON -- Daisuke Matsuzaka tuned up for the postseason with his fourth straight strong performance and the Boston Red Sox sent the Cleveland Indians to a club-record 13th straight road loss with a 6-2 win Friday night.

Matsuzaka (4-6) allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings, continuing his surge that began when he pitched on Sept. 15 after nearly three months on the disabled list. He struck out seven and walked three.

He was 1-5 when he was sidelined with a minor right shoulder strain and 3-1 since then. His ERA in those four starts is 2.22, lowering his season mark from 8.23 to 5.76.

The Red Sox clinched the AL wild-card berth Tuesday night and are expected to use Jon Lester and Josh Beckett in the first two games of the AL division series against the Los Angeles Angels next week. The exact order hasn't been announced. Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz are possible starters for Game 3.

Jeremy Sowers (6-11) left after three innings trailing 4-0. The Indians scored twice in the fifth but broke the club record for consecutive road losses set in 1963 and tied in 1991.

The win was Boston's second straight over Cleveland after six consecutive losses -- three to both the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead before making an out as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the first with a double, took third on his 69th stolen base of the year and kept going when catcher Kelly Shoppach's throw went into left field for an error.

They added three runs in the third when Jason Varitek hit a leadoff double, Alex Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and Ellsbury walked, loading the bases. Dustin Pedroia followed with a sacrifice fly, Victor Martinez singled in a run and Jason Bay doubled home another.

Martinez hit in his 28th straight start and is batting .358 in that stretch. He broke a tie with Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki for the most consecutive starts with at least one hit in the AL this year. It's the longest Red Sox streak since Johnny Damon hit in 29 straight starts in 2005.

Kevin Youkilis' two-run double in the seventh made it 6-2.

Matsuzaka began the game by giving up a double to Michael Brantley. Then he retired the next 12 batters.

But he struggled through the fifth when Travis Hafner doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Luis Valbuena's one-out single. Valbuena stole second and, after Shoppach walked, scored on Trevor Crowe's single.

Game notes Cleveland has scored three runs or less in 11 of its last 19 games. ... Boston RF Rocco Baldelli strained a left hip flexor when he reached first on a throwing error by third baseman Jhonny Peralta. Josh Reddick pinch ran and replaced him in the field. ... Baldelli started in place of J.D. Drew, who missed his second straight game with a sore shoulder.