Tribe Notebook | From Jacobs Field

Staying put: Victor Martinez can get comfy. He's not taking off the gear and moving out from behind the plate anytime soon. Despite horrible numbers throwing out baserunners, Indians manager Eric Wedge said there are no immediate plans to make Martinez a first baseman -- although that move could be down the road. "We don't have any thoughts of that right now," Wedge said. "We still feel like he can be an everyday catcher now and in the future." Martinez can't be solely to blame for the Indians' inability to stop teams from swiping bases, a disturbing trend that hasn't improve much since opening day. He has caught just 4 of 45 (9 percent) baserunners, and backups Kelly Shoppach and Tim Laker aren't any better, going a combined 0-for-7. Martinez, who didn't start on Thursday, is beginning to show signs of emerging from an offensive funk. After batting .389 in April, he hit just .165 in May when his defense was at its worst. Martinez's defensive woes aren't as noticeable when he's producing at the plate. But when he's slumping, everything's magnified. "Victor is no different than any young player," Wedge said. "He's no different than any other player in that he still has things he needs to work on. He has shown us in the last year that he's able to [throw runners out], and he has shown signs that he'll be able to get back on track this year."
Johnson better: The odds weren't in Jason Johnson's favor for his start Thursday against Oakland. And, the odds held up. Cleveland's erratic right-hander dropped to 1-9 in 14 career starts vs. the A's. He has lost his last eight decisions to Oakland since getting his only win against the Athletics on Aug. 4, 1999. With one win in his last eight starts, Johnson's spot in the Indians' rotation is tenuous at best. "I was confident out there," he said. "I have been the last three starts, but I just haven't got the results. Johnson gave up 11 hits and three runs in seven innings, but was able to avoid trouble by getting Oakland to hit into three double plays. His numbers were improved, but they didn't lead to a win. "I don't feel better because we still lost," he said. "I had a pretty decent day, got a lot of grounders and double plays when I needed to, but we want to win."
Associated Press