There hasn't been much to get excited about for the Indians since their white-flag trade with Milwaukee involving CC Sabathia. But the play of shortstop Jhonny Peralta has been one of the few bright spots since then.
In the Indians' 8-5 loss to Detroit on Tuesday, Peralta had two more hits, including his third triple of the season. Peralta has now hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games.
During that stretch Peralta has hit .361 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. In the month of July, Peralta has 22 RBIs in 22 games and is hitting .318.
Most of those numbers have come with Peralta hitting out of the cleanup spot. He assumed those duties by default, after the injuries to Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner essentially left the Indians with no middle of the order.
Peralta has responded in a positive way to his first extended opportunity at hitting fourth. Overall this season he is hitting .271 with a team-high 57 RBIs and 17 home runs, which ranks second on the team.
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