TRIBE NOTES

TRIBE NOTES
From Jacobs Field
At the top: Jody Gerut was surprised to find himself at the top of the Cleveland Indians' batting order when he got to Jacobs Field on Sunday.
"Since I hadn't done it all year, yeah, I was surprised," said the second-year outfielder, who responded by opening the game with a double and going 2-for-4 in a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.
"It is nice to know they have the confidence in me to do the job there," he said. "Even though it's just a temporary thing until Matt gets back soon, I'm glad to try it."
Lawton could be back tonight after missing three starts with a strained right hamstring.
Gerut is just hoping to get his game back to the level it was a year ago when he he hit .279 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs as a rookie. A 14-for-76 (.184) slide in July had dropped his average this season to .247 entering play Sunday.
"It's been a grind for me," he admitted. "I probably care a little too much and that might be part of the problem. But I'm going to work my way out of this."
Manager Eric Wedge said he made the move, "just to mix things up a bit," but Gerut said there was a definite benefit for him.
"I think it will do me some good," he said. "Hitting leadoff makes me work the count a little bit. One of the characteristics of my game when I'm going good is taking some pitches, being selective and getting a good pitch to drive."
That's exactly what Gerut did his first time up Sunday. He lined a pitch over the head of centerfielder David DeJesus for a double that set up Cleveland's four-run first inning.
"I saw the ball come off Jody's bat today the way we want to see it," Wedge said.
Steeping stone: Lawton said he wasn't aware that the Indians had not been over .500 since April 2003 until winning Sunday.
"We are?" said Lawton. "That sounds OK, I guess, but playing .500 isn't this team's goal. We're here to win the division.
"It's a nice stepping stone, but we've got a little more than two months left in this season and we've to to get it up to five or 10 games over .500."
Second baseman Ronnie Belliard agreed.
"We want a lot more than to play .500," he said. "I think getting over means we don't have to worry about that any more. Now, we can focus on just winning games."
Trade complete: Grady Sizemore hit his first big-league homer -- and traded an autographed ball and bat to the fan who caught the historic ball.
"The team got me the ball, and it's something I'll always treasure," said the 21-year-old outfielder, who hit No. 1 in the seventh inning Sunday in his sixth big-league game.
"I felt like I was jammed on the pitch, but I guess I wasn't," said Sizemore of his 393-foot shot to right field. "Hitting a home run in the major leagues is a great feeling. I'm just trying to let it all sink in right now."
Flying fleet: Tim Laker was in unfamiliar territory when he was asked to pinch-run in the ninth inning Saturday night.
But the backup catcher scored from third base on Grady Sizemore's single to give Cleveland a 4-3 win and doubleheader sweep of Kansas City.
"The last time I pinch ran, I think, was back in 1993," said the 34-year-old Laker. "I was with Montreal, and it was for Gary Carter. That's a long time ago."
Associated Press