Blake happy, but rather have wins

The Cleveland outfielder is leading the American League in batting average.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Casey Blake couldn't help but notice two things when glancing at the local sports pages Monday.
He saw that he led all regular players in baseball with a .370 batting average, but that his Cleveland Indians were in fourth-place in the AL Central Division after losing six straight games.
"I'd rather have my team listed first," said the right fielder, who does admit that his strong start is a lot more satisfying than the disappointing 2005 season he endured.
Still, he's not about to take anything for granted.
"They don't hand out any awards for leading the league after a month-and-a-half," said Blake. "You start getting ahead of yourself and this game will kill you."
Felt wrath last year
Blake felt the fans' wrath last season when he hit .241, 30 points lower than in 2004 when he set career highs of 28 homers and 88 RBIs. They were particularly miffed at Blake's .171 (22-for-129) batting average with runners in scoring position, which included a paltry .085 (5-for-59) mark with two outs.
So was Blake, who said he made a conscious effort to relax and forget about his troubles during the offseason.
"The biggest thing is I'm grateful the organization gave me the opportunity to come back," Blake said. "That's huge. When other people show confidence in you, it helps boost how you feel about yourself."
Through 38 games, Blake is second on the team with six homers and 26 RBIs and has produced with runners in scoring position, hitting .375 (12-for-32) with 21 RBIs and .500 8-for-16) with two outs.
"Casey's done a great job for us," manager Eric Wedge said. "Through it all, he's been the ultimate professional. He can handle just about any role for us and we've never doubted what he could do."
Welcome home
Royals right-hander Scott Elarton misses Cleveland, even though he is happy to have a two-year, $8 million contract and the opportunity to pitch in Kansas City.
"I enjoyed my time with the Indians and miss the guys," said Elarton, who left town as a free agent after going 11-9 with a 4.61 ERA in 31 starts for Cleveland last season.
"I wanted to come back, but the Indians said they were going in a different direction at the time and I couldn't say no to what the Royals gave me."
Elarton said one factor in going to Kansas City was manager Buddy Bell, who was the bench coach in Cleveland before taking the Royals job.
"Buddy was my manager in Colorado, too, and I certainly feel comfortable with him," he said.
Shock and awww
Indians DH Travis Hafner couldn't believe his opposite-field drive was caught on the warning track Sunday instead of being a game-winning two-run double or three-run homer.
With two on and two outs, Detroit center fielder Curtis Granderson hauled in the well-hit ball to secure the Tigers' 3-2 victory.
"I was shocked," said Hafner, who jumped into the air and screamed when he saw the ball was caught. "I thought I hit it good and it had a chance to even go out. Nine times out of 10, that ball is at least off the wall."
Rained out
Monday's Indians game against the Royals was rained out. It will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Aug. 12. Tonight, the Royals will send left-hander Jeremy Affeldt (2-2) against Paul Byrd (4-3). On Wednesday, Elarton will face Jake Westbrook (3-2), and on Thursday, Kansas City's Runelvys Hernandez (1-2) will face Indians' lefty Cliff Lee (2-4).