CLEVELAND -- How good is Manny Acta feeling these days?
Well, consider the Indians manager was the person who asked the final question in his post-game meeting with reporters.
"You know how many people are going to be pressing me on Twitter tonight, wanting to know who the starting pitcher will be Saturday?" he asked, laughing.
Acta was speaking after the Indians' 7-2 victory over Kansas City on Wednesday, their ninth in a row at Progressive Field. Acta is always mild-mannered and polite, but the fact he can joke with the media truly shows you that things are pretty darn good in these parts.
As for his question, Acta was referring to the fact right-handed starter Carlos Carrasco is headed to the disabled list with a strained elbow in his throwing arm. The Indians will need to promote another pitcher from the minors, and with the way they are playing now, the call-up will actually be considered news.
Whoever thought that would be the case before the season, when everyone said the Indians were destined to spend the summer in baseball's version of purgatory? And those were the optimistic forecasts.
No matter, the Tribe is 15-8 and in first place in the AL Central. Honest. And most of it is the result of some major performances from unlikely sources.
The latest came in the form of starting pitcher Josh Tomlin, who improved to 4-0 by striking out three and allowing five hits in six innings. Perhaps more impressive is the fact Tomlin became the first Indian to pitch at least five innings in all 17 of his career appearances.
"I don't know if I'm in a zone, but I've been fortunate," Tomlin said. "I just try to be the same guy day in and day out."
Right now, that's been plenty good enough.
Of course, it doesn't hurt when the Indians drive home five runs in the first inning, as they did Wednesday. That makes them 12-2 this year when scoring first.
"It's very important," was how Acta described the Indians' ability to gain early advantages. "The stats show if you score first, you tend to win the game. It takes a lot of pressure off the pitcher, too."
Best of all, the Indians have been doing it the way all successful teams do. They can hit home runs (such as in Tuesday's victory) or methodically drive runs home. They took the latter approach in the first inning Wednesday.
And like the guys on the mound, the hitters have been a pleasant surprise. Jack Hannahan (1-for-4, RBI) has now hit in seven straight games. Travis Hafner (also 1-for-4, RBI) has done the same in six straight.
Also, Orlando Cabrera drove in three of those runs in the first with a bases-loaded double, giving him 8 RBI in the previous nine games.
Now, before you brush off the Indians' hot start as early-season luck, you should know this isn't necessarily shocking to the guys on the team -- or their manager, for that matter.
"Coming out of spring training, I felt we could play well," Acta said. "I never put a number out there, but I believe in these guys and they believe in themselves."
Plus, it could be worse. The Indians could have turned into the Royals by now.
They too were expected to finish poorly but started strong. But since sprinting to a 10-4 mark, the Royals have lost eight of 10 (and five in a row), and suddenly find themselves in the middle of the pack in AL Central.
"It seems like no one else wants it in this division," Cabrera said with a shrug and a smile. "So we're gonna take it. Why not, right?"
Now that just might be something worth tweeting about.
