CLEVELAND -- Sneak into Progressive Field about four hours before the first pitch, and you'll likely catch Asdrubal Cabrera slapping bunts down the first- and third-base line.

Cabrera, along with a number of the Indians' faster hitters, has implemented the bunt single into his bag of tricks. It's just another adjustment the young infielder has had to make in his up-and-down sophomore season in the big leagues.

At first, it seemed that Cabrera, who was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo for nearly two months, was going to have to wait until next year to prove that 2007 was not a fluke. But, since returning in late July, Cabrera has thrived, showing consistency at the plate, in his fitness and, obviously, with his notoriously strong defense.

"He's been playing some really good baseball," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's really worked hard up here."

Since he returned to the Indians' everyday lineup on July 18, Cabrera is batting just under .300 heading into Tuesday's three-game-series opener against the Royals at Progressive Field.

"I went down and really worked on my hitting," Cabrera said through first-base coach and interpreter Luis Rivera. "That gave me some confidence. I was swinging the bat well there. I came back with confidence that I could do the job."

Unlike last season, when he put up similar numbers in the No. 2 hole for the pennant-chasing Indians down the stretch, Cabrera has done most of his work from the No. 9 spot in the lineup -- likely the appropriate place for Cabrera, who may have overachieved a tad in his breakout rookie season.

"He's already proven he's a big-game player, but I think this year it's more real than last year because it's not about momentum," Wedge said. "This year the league knows who he is and he's had to make some real adjustments, so I think there's more of a true foundation for him there."

The second-half adjustment Wedge has been happiest about is Cabrera's improved fitness. When the Indians sent Cabrera to Buffalo in early June, they not only wanted him to remedy the swing that was causing him to bat just .184 after 52 games, but to practice better workout and dietary habits.

As Cabrera has shown in his ability to track down tough groundballs -- sometimes with just a bare hand -- and beat out his newly implemented bunt singles, he's come a long way.

"I like his instincts," Wedge said. "That's why I want him to work hard to stay in shape, so he can get to balls like that and move around like that."

Pitching matchup
CLE: RHP Anthony Reyes (3-2, 3.67 ERA)
In his second start with the Indians, Reyes put together another solid start and likely solidified his place in the Tribe's ever-changing starting rotation. Over six innings, Reyes allowed two runs (both in the second inning) on six hits, but couldn't come up with the win as he wasn't given much run support. He didn't strike out a single batter in Wednesday's outing against the Orioles, but made up for it with a consistent approach that led to numerous groundouts. In his only start against the Royals, Reyes went 5 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win.

KC: RHP Luke Hochevar (6-11, 5.44 ERA)
Hochevar still hasn't won since July 11, when he beat Seattle. But he was tough against the White Sox in his past outing, holding them to five hits and three runs in seven innings. He got 11 groundouts, an indication that he was on, and also struck out four. In two different stretches he got 10 and nine straight outs. Hochevar pitched against the Indians on May 3 at Cleveland and got the victory, holding them to two runs in six innings.

Tidbits
Travis Hafner will begin his rehab assignment on Monday at Triple-A Buffalo. He will bat twice as a designated hitter. Josh Barfield's 20-day rehab has been transferred from Akron to Buffalo and he will also play Monday night in Buffalo. Victor Martinez will catch six innings at Buffalo on Tuesday. ... Double-A prospect Matt LaPorta is 1-for-14 with a home run and three RBIs for Team USA. ... The Indians have won seven of their past 10 games. ... Over his past 13 games, Franklin Gutierrez is batting .349 (15-for-43) with two homers and six RBIs. ... Ryan Garko is batting .394 (13-for-33) with a homer and 11 RBIs over his past nine games.

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Up next
• Wednesday: Indians (Zach Jackson, 0-0, 5.19) vs. Royals (Gil Meche, 10-9, 4.13), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Indians (Cliff Lee, 17-2, 2.43) vs. Royals (Zack Greinke, 9-8, 3.92), 12:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 5-5, 4.71) at Rangers (Matt Harrison, 5-2, 5.77), 8:05 p.m. ET