CLEVELAND — The speculation that the fourth-place Indians will begin selling off players — namely, C.C. Sabathia — has not been a distraction to his team, according to manager Eric Wedge.
“It’s our job as staff and players to know that’s part of the norm,” said Wedge, whose Indians entered their series opener with San Francisco on Tuesday six games under .500 and trailing the first-place White Sox by 61/2 games in the Central Division standings. “There’s going to be speculation. They’ve got to block that out. Ultimately, if we put ourselves in a position where we feel like we can go after this thing, then nothing’s going to happen.”
The July 31 trading deadline is a little more than a month away and, according to Wedge, his players’ performance leading up to that date will dictate the club’s direction over the remainder of the season.
“Ultimately it’s where we are at that point of time,” Wedge said. “Rest assured we want to keep this team intact, and that’s what we plan on doing, but it’s up to us.”
Though the Indians went just 2-4 on a recent interleague trip to Colorado and Los Angeles, Wedge saw reasons for optimism, including more production from an offense that has begun to emerge from a season-long slump, hitting .271 with an average of 5.6 runs through 21 June games.
“Our overall offensive approach has been better,” Wedge said. “Outside of the last game in Colorado (a sweep-clinching 6-3 loss), we played some good baseball.”
According to Wedge, playing baseball is what his players need to focus on, not predicting the future of the club.
“It’s (the media’s) job to speculate,” he said. “Some people go as far as to say they know. Nobody knows. People can act like they know, but nobody knows. How the hell you gonna know if we don’t know?”

Incoming

The Indians added veteran assistance Tuesday, signing relief pitcher Juan Rincon and infielder Tony Graffanino to minor league contracts.
Rincon was one of the American League’s top late-inning relievers from 2004-06 with the Twins, but has been ineffective the past two seasons, getting released by Minnesota after posting a 6.11 ERA in 24 appearances this year.
“He’s had some good years at the major league level,” Wedge said. “We’re hopeful that we can get him over here and get him prepared to pitch, so he can get up here and help us.”
Graffanino, 35, hit .238 with nine homers and 30 RBIs in 86 games for the Brewers last year, spending this year rehabbing a knee injury he sustained at the end of 2007.
He is a lifetime .267 hitter over 12 seasons with six teams, batting .308 (32-104) with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 34 career games in Cleveland. The Indians offered Graffanino a contract prior to 2005 but he chose to sign with Kansas City.
Both players are expected to report to Triple-A Buffalo, with Rincon the most likely to receive the first promotion.  

Wounded Wahoos

Wedge received positive reports on starting pitcher Fausto Carmona (left hip strain) and designated hitter Travis Hafner (left shoulder strain), both on the disabled list.
Carmona, who recently suffered a setback, is expected to throw in the next 2-3 days, while Wedge said that Hafner was “feeling stronger,” and would undergo more physical tests this week.
“Hopefully both guys are on the right track,” Wedge said.
Carmona (4-2, 3.10) has not pitched since May 23, while Hafner (.217, 4 HR, 22 RBIs) has been sidelined since May 30, with the Indians holding “Travis Hafner mini-bobblehead night” in his absence.  

Aero assault

Double-A Akron is on an extended hot streak, entering Tuesday with 17 wins in its last 19 games and 23 in its last 28. The Aeros, who played a doubleheader against Bowie on Tuesday, led the Eastern League’s Southern Division by four games at 46-28.
Akron is getting plenty of offensive production from outfielder Trevor Crowe, who was named EL player of the week last week after batting .464 (13-for-28) with two homers, two doubles, nine runs and eight RBIs in six games. Crowe, Cleveland’s first-round draft pick (14th overall) in 2005, entered Tuesday hitting .298 with two homers and 18 RBIs in an injury-limited 34 games.

Roundin’ third

Since April 17, Sabathia (5-8, 4.06) is 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA in 12 starts, entering Tuesday as the league leader in strikeouts (107) and shutouts (2).
• Grady Sizemore entered Tuesday hitting safely in 17 of his last 18 games, while batting .299 with six homers and 11 RBIs over the span.
• The Indians acknowledged former second baseman Duane Kuiper, a television and radio analyst for the Giants, on the videotron during the game. Kuiper, a veteran of 11 big league seasons, played in Cleveland from 1974-81.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

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