CLEVELAND -- Asdrubal Cabrera hasn't had much more of an impact on the Indians since his July 18 recall to the Majors than he did before his June 9 demotion to Triple-A Buffalo.

But the Indians do see differences in this latest version of Cabrera.

"I tell you, this kid's working hard," manager Eric Wedge said of Cabrera. "He's out there early, he's spent a lot of time with [hitting coach] Derek [Shelton]. He's working hard to make that positive repetition."

The Tribe is still waiting on the results. As the Indians resume their four-game set with the Tigers on Wednesday night, Cabrera is batting just .194 (6-for-31) with a double, a homer and two RBIs in nine games since his recall. He also has just two hits in his last 17 at-bats.

It was expected that Cabrera would be eased back into full-time starting duties upon his return, but the hamstring strain suffered by Jamey Carroll on Friday night -- an injury that has lingered on into this week -- has placed Cabrera back in prime time.

The Indians believe the extra work he's put in since his return will pay off eventually.

"We're definitely seeing good signs," Shelton said. "We're seeing it during early work and batting practice. The thing we're looking for is for it to be consistent."

Cabrera has shown some modest signs during this series with the Tigers. He hit his second homer of the season Monday night, and he drew two walks Tuesday night.

Cabrera, who has been media mute much of this season, is one of many players the Indians need to get a firm read on before they head into the winter and build their 2009 club. The Indians need to know if Cabrera can be counted on as an everyday player in the middle infield.

Cabrera's demotion to Buffalo had goals that went beyond his plate approach. The Indians also wanted him to better condition himself for the grind of a 162-game season. The club has had no complaints about the strides he's made in that department.

All that's left is for Cabrera, a superb defender, to start hitting again.

"It's all about him getting good pitches to hit and putting his good swing on it," Shelton said.

Pitching matchup
CLE: LHP Cliff Lee (14-2, 2.29 ERA)
Lee became the Majors' first 14-game winner with another outstanding effort against the Twins on Friday night. Working ahead and pounding the zone all night, he gave up just two runs on six hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in eight innings. Lee has now won three straight starts, and he's given up two runs or less in eight of his last nine outings. He only seems to get stronger as his amazing 2008 season progresses. He gave up two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings in a win over the Tigers on June 9.

DET: LHP Nate Robertson (6-8, 5.63 ERA)
Robertson exited his last start to a standing ovation from a sellout crowd of 44,000-plus at Comerica Park. He started quick, throwing just 14 pitches in the first two innings, and finished his six innings allowing three runs on five hits. He encountered a pair of jams, but each time he ended the threat by retiring American League home run leader Carlos Quentin. The left-hander departed with a 4-1 lead in the seventh after back-to-back singles, which the bullpen allowed to score. Nonetheless, Robertson rebounded nicely from a rough outing at Baltimore. He faces the Indians for the first time this season. In his career, Robertson is 2-5 with a 4.74 ERA against Cleveland.

Tidbits
The Indians are 4-40 when trailing after six innings this season. ... Lee is one of just four pitchers in Indians' history to begin a season with a record of 14-2 or better. The other three are Jim Bagby (14-2 in 1920), Johnny Allen (15-1 in 1937) and Gaylord Perry (15-1 in 1974). ... The Indians are 4-6 against the Tigers this year. ... Grady Sizemore has a nine-game hitting streak, and Shin-Soo Choo has a five-game streak. ... Tuesday's walkup crowd of 4,294 was the largest of the season.

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Up next
• Thursday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 4-3, 4.33) vs. Tigers (Justin Verlander, 8-10, 4.29), 12:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 1-5, 5.86) at Twins (Nick Blackburn, 7-6, 3.69), 8:10 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Indians (Paul Byrd, 5-10, 4.93) at Twins (Kevin Slowey, 7-7, 4.00), 7:10 p.m. ET