Indians Tidbits...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Improved Devil Rays Up Next For Indians

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Ex-Indian Danys Baez has 29 saves for Tampa Bay.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Staff reports Indians Ink/Scout.com
Date: Aug 22, 2005

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a better team overall since the All-Star break, have been particularly impressive over the past 10 days. They have won eight of nine games -- sweeping the Indians last weekend in Cleveland, scoring two stinging comeback wins over the New York Yankees, then sweeping three in a row from the Texas Rangers.
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The Indians are looking for revenge in a four-game series at Tropicana Field that starts Monday.

"Yeah, we want to beat them," said Indians DH Travis Hafner. "You always want to get back at a team that stuck it to you."

The Indians have had good success against the Devil Rays, winning 37 of 57 games overall and 16 of 26 at Tropicana Field -- though Tampa Bay has won the last six meetings dating back to last season.

The most notable difference for the Devil Rays is that after the success of the last 10 days they have the confidence to believe they can do it again.

"Right now, we expect to win in all honesty," rookie reliever Chad Orvella said. "We're playing that well. I think the bullpen is doing an excellent job, the hitters are picking each other up, the starters are going seven innings. These are things that just weren't happening in the first half."

Seth McClung has been a big part of the improved play.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander, who was almost dumped from the Tampa Bay rotation a few weeks back, won for the third time in four starts on Friday in a 2-1 win over Texas.

McClung (4-7) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked one, but was not overjoyed with his performance.

"I didn't feel like I had my best stuff," McClung said. "I really just tried to keep the game close. The team won this game."

McClung, who missed last season after right elbow surgery, won consecutive starts for the first time since May 2003.

Rookie outfielder Jonny Gomes keeps making good things happen, too. The 24-year-old was in the middle of most of the team's recent success, hitting a tape-measure homer at Jacobs Field against the Indians and producing the winning run in back-to-back comeback wins over the Yankees.

Tuesday, Gomes drew the bases-loaded walk that gave the Devil Rays a dramatic 11-inning 4-3 win over the Yankees. Wednesday, he raced home on ex-Ray Tanyon Sturtze's wild pitch in the eighth inning to give the Rays a 7-6 win.

"He's given us a lot of energy," manager Lou Piniella said. "He plays hard and he has fun playing. He's fun to watch."

Added right fielder Aubrey Huff: "He's right in the center of everything right now."

Gomes' hustle and attitude are big parts of the team's success, as is his bat. He's tied with Oakland's Nick Swisher for the major-league rookie lead with 16 homers, including the two longest of the season by a Ray, and has been a force in the middle of the Tampa Bay lineup with a .285 average.

No matter what else happens, one thing the Devil Rays can take out of this season is that they are no longer intimidated by the Yankees.

After going 9-29 against New York the past two seasons, the Rays are 9-4 this season. That is the most wins they have ever had over the Yankees in one season. With two series to play, the Rays are 3-0-1. Before this year, they had won only four total series against them.

"It just shows that the Yankees with their history and with their payroll and with their All-Stars, they're not bullet-proof," Gomes said. "In between the lines there's no salaries and no world champions. It's nine-on-nine plus your bullpen and your bench, and it just shows anyone can win."

NOTABLE
RHP Danys Baez got his 29th save of the season on Sunday, in 36 chances. He walked one and did not allow a hit in the ninth.
RHP Joe Borowski pitched a perfect eighth inning on Friday and Saturday and ran his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 17 1/3 innings.
Sunday's win was the Devil Rays' fifth straight and eighth in nine games. They were 23-12 since the All-Star break.
Piniella was touched by the reception he got from his players Wednesday after becoming the 18th manager to win 1,500 games in the big leagues -- a beer and shaving cream shower. "I appreciate what the players did," he said.
From the April 2004 start of his pro career through Wednesday (Aug. 17), Double-A Montgomery OF Delmon Young has 320 hits, second among all minor leaguers to the Angels' Erick Aybar, who had 324.
LHP Trever Miller's victory on Wednesday was his first decision since May 21, 2004, a span of 85 appearances.
SS Julio Lugo, who was limited to one pinch-hit appearance in two games because of a sore left hand, was back in the starting lineup over the weekend.
After hitting his major league leading 13th triple Wednesday (Aug. 17), LF Carl Crawford had 47 in his career, the most of any major leaguer since Crawford made his debut in July 2002. Earlier in the day, Crawford was presented the Cool Papa Bell Legacy award from the Negro Leagues Museum for leading the AL in stolen bases in 2004.

BY THE NUMBERS: 1,253 -- Number of games it took the Rays to get their 500th win, which occurred Friday.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "What can I say? These kids out here deserve the credit. They're having fun. They're playing hard. They're playing with confidence." -- manager Lou Piniella on the team's recent success.

ROSTER REPORT
ROTATION
1. LHP Scott Kazmir
2. LHP Mark Hendrickson
3. RHP Seth McClung
4. LHP Casey Fossum
5. RHP Doug Waechter
BULLPEN
RHP Danys Baez (closer)
RHP Joe Borowski
RHP Travis Harper
RHP Chad Orvella
RHP Dewon Brazelton
LHP Trever Miller
LHP Joe Beimel
LINEUP
1. LF Carl Crawford
2. SS Julio Lugo
3. 2B Jorge Cantu
4. 1B Travis Lee
5. DH Jonny Gomes
6. RF Aubrey Huff
7. CF Damon Hollins
8. C Toby Hall
9. 3B Alex Gonzalez
RESERVES
C Kevin Cash
INF/OF Eduardo Perez
OF Joey Gathright
INF Nick Green
MEDICAL WATCH:
1B Eric Munson, bruised ribs, 15-day DL.
RHP Jesus Colome, inflamed right shoulder, 15-day DL.
CF Rocco Baldelli, left knee surgery, 60-day DL.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Indians' 5 Homers Down Devil Rays

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Kevin Millwood ... plenty of support.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 23, 2005

Five homers among 15 hits powered the Indians to an 11-4 win at Tampa Bay -- and into a virtual three-way tie for the AL wild-card lead. Cleveland's fifth win in a row gave the Indians a 69-56 record (.552). The Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees are both at 68-55 (.553).
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Kevin Millwood (7-10), who was victimized by a lack of run support earlier in the year when he pitched some good games, this time won without his best stuff. The right-hander allowed five hits, four runs and three walks over six innings, striking out seven.

Victor Martinez and Ben Broussard both hit two-run homers in a seven-run seventh inning that broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Indians their eighth consecutive road win and put Cleveland a season-high 13 games over .500.

Coco Crisp started the long-ball barrage with his 10th homer, a solo shot that gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the first inning. After Travis Lee hit a three-run homer in the Devil Rays' second, the Indians went back ahead in the third Grady Sizemore hit a two-run homer, his 15th, and Jhonny Peralta popped his 20th to make it 4-3.

"Everybody contributed," Indians manager Eric Wedge told reporters. "It's nice to see guys coming together like that."

Jorge Cantu's 20th homer in the bottom half tied it, but the Indians sent 12 men to bat in the seventh and put it away.

Travis Hafner, the only Cleveland offensive player without a hit in the game, broke the tie with a sacrifice fly. Martinez then hit his 16th homer to make it 7-4 and Broussard's 13th homer put Cleveland ahead 9-4.

Sizemore, who had three hits, added an RBI single and Crisp closed the scoring with his third hit, another RBI single.

The Indians nearly scored more, but Peralta was robbed of a possible two-run double by centerfielder Joey Gathright, who made a running catch of his long drive and then crashed into the outfield wall and left the game with a bruised left shoulder.

Scott Sauerbeck, Rafael Betancourt and Fernando Cabrera each pitched one hitless inning of relief for Cleveland.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (70-59) won at Norfolk, 3-1, as Steve Watkins (7-2, 4.10 ERA) allowed one run over six innings, Billy Traber (6.45 ERA) worked a scoreless 1 1/3 innings and Kazuhito Tadano (4.70 ERA) struck out all four batters he faced for his second save. Javier Cardona (.269) had a two-run double, while Andy Abad (.289), Jason Dubois (.356) and Mike Kinkade (.270) all had two hits.

CLASS AA AKRON (76-53) lost at Erie, 6-5, as the Aeros committed three errors that led to three unearned runs and cost Jeremy Sowers (2.30 ERA) a possible win. Sowers allowed one run over six innings. Juan Lara (1-1. 2.95 ERA) got both his second blown save and his first loss when he gave up four hits, one walk and five runs (two earned) over 1 1/3 innings. Newly signed Jake Brooks retired both batters he faced. Nate Panther (.323) had three hits and two RBI, Brad Snyder (.288) had two RBI and two hits, including a solo homer, his 15th. Shaun Larkin (.248) and Pat Osborn (.278) also had two hits apiece for the Aeros.

CLASS A KINSTON (26-31) gave up five runs in the ninth inning and lost 6-5, to visiting Frederick. Starter Adam Miller (3.96 ERA) had his second straight outstanding outing, pitching six shutout innings. Kyle Collins (3.62 ERA) then gave up one run over two innings before Jim Ed Warden (3-5, 4.65 ERA) allowed five runs while getting only two outs in the ninth. Todd Pennington (3.68 ERA) came on with two outs, runners on first and third and Kinston leading 5-4, but issued a walk and two-run single before getting the final out. Rodney Choy Foo (.286) had three of Kinston's eight hits.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (28-26) scored 12 runs in the third inning and won at Greensboro, 18-6. Six Captains had three hits apiece, led by Josh Noviskey (.250), who hit a grand slam (his fifth homer) and drove in six runs. Chris Gimenez (.230) also had three hits and a grand slam (his 12th homer) and five RBI. Trevor Crowe (.270) and Brian Finegan (.293), both had three hits and scored three runs. Juan Valdes (.227) had three hits, including a three-run homer, his seventh, while Marshall Szabo (.258) drove in three runs with three hits, including a two-run homer, his sixth. Cody Bunkelman (5-4, 4.04 ERA) gave up four runs over five innings and Adam Hanson (8.85 ERA) yielded one earned and one unearned run over four innings and got his first save.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (29-31) was not scheduled.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (23-37) got only three hits and lost to visiting Johnson City, 4-1. Christo Arnal (.225) went 2-for-4 and Nick Petrucci (.253) had one hit and one RBI. Luis Valdez (3-6, 3.41 ERA) gave up four runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings. Paul Lubrano (0.91 ERA) worked a scoreless 1 1/3 and Jeff Pry (5.12 ERA) a scoreless two innings.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Wild Card Leaders Win Wild One, 5-4

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Coco Crisp watches his two-run triple.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 23, 2005

Coco Crisp tripled home two runs as the Indians played "Lucky 7" for the second straight night and rallied past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-4. Bob Wickman had his usual wild ninth inning, but got his 33rd save as Cleveland ran its winning streak to six and remained tied with the New York Yankees for the AL wild card lead, one game ahead of scuffling Oakland.
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Cleveland, which scored seven runs in the seventh inning for an 11-4 win Monday night, scored three times in the seventh Tuesday night to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 advantage and its ninth consecutive road win.

Jake Westbrook (12-13) gave up four runs in the first inning, then worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The right-hander improved to 6-1 over his last seven starts -- the loss being to the Devil Rays on Aug. 12 at Jacobs Field.

"You've got to really compliment Jake Westbrook," manager Eric Wedge told reporters. "He settled down and got us deep in the game and then the bullpen did a great job. Jake just wasn't as aggressive early with his sinker as he should have been. Four of their first five hits were off breaking balls, but then he went to the sinker and you saw the results."

The Devil Rays grounded into double plays in the third and fifth off Westbrook.

Wickman got two quick outs in the ninth, then gave up singles to Julio Lugo and Carl Crawford to put runners on first and third. Crawford then stole second and Wickman may have gotten away with committing a balk on the next pitch as he appeared to "quick pitch" to the plate. Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella argued that Wickman did not coming to a set position and TV replays appeared to confirm it. Had a balk been called, it would have scored Lugo to tie the score, but the umpires ruled otherwise.

Wickman then knocked down a sharp grounder hit by Jorge Cantu, recovered and threw to first for the final out.

Meanwhile, the Indians battled back in increments, just as they have all season.

Trailing, 4-0, Jose Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and Casey Blake hit his 16th homer in the third to make it 4-2.

Ben Broussard's pinch-hit single with one out sparked the winning rally in the seventh. Aaron Boone singled him to second and both runners advanced on a fly ball to center by Blake for the second out. Grady Sizemore then hit a grounder to third baseman Alex Gonzalez, who bobbled it for an error, allowing Broussard to score to make it 4-3.

Piniella then made a disastrous move, replacing left-hander Trever Miller with right-hander Joe Borowski to face Crisp. If Piniella was unaware that Crisp entered the game hitting only .224 right-handed and .333 as a lefty, he know it now. Crisp lined a two-run triple to right to put Cleveland ahead, 5-4.

"We didn't create too many situations, but Coco came up in a big situation and got the big hit for us," said Wedge.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (71-60) lost to visiting Syracuse, 7-5, but still leads the Northern Division of the International League by two games. The Bisons have led or shared the lead since May 14. Jeremy Guthrie (11-10, 5.11 ERA) allowed four runs over six innings and Chris Cooper (6.14 ERA) gave up three more over two innings -- on three consecutive homers in the top of the sixth. Andrew Brown (3.46 ERA), sent back to Buffalo after a three-day stint in the majors, struck out three over two hitless innings, but uncorked a wild 94-mph pitch that hit Guillermo Quiroz in the top of his batting helmet. Quiroz appeared to be OK as he walked to the dugout, but did not return to play. Mike Kinkade (.273) went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, his 14th, while Brandon Phillips (.253) was 3-for-5 and Andy Abad (.292) went 2-for-3 to lead the Bisons' offense.

CLASS AA AKRON (77-53) won at Erie, 8-0, as Rafael Perez and Travis Foley combined on a five-hit shutout. Ben Francisco (.314) went 3-for-5, scored three runs, drove in three, and hit a two-run homer, his seventh. Ryan Mulhern (.332) also hit a two-run homer, his 14th with the Aeros and 31st of the season overall. Nate Panther (.361) also went 3-for-5 for the Aeros. Perez (3-2, 1.34 ERA) gave up four hits and struck out four without a walk. Foley (3.83 ERA) yielded one hit and struck out four without a walk over the final two innings.

CLASS A KINSTON (27-31) held off visiting Frederick, 5-4, as starter Scott Roehl (6-3, 1.52 ERA) struck out eight over seven scoreless innings. He gave up four hits and one walk. Matt Davis (6.12 ERA) gave up two run in the eighth inning. Shea Douglas started the ninth, but gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Jim Ed Warden came on and yielded a hit to the only batter he faced before Kieran Mattison (3.42 ERA) got the final out for his 25th save -- and first since being promoted from Lake County. Mike Conroy (.253) went 2-for-3 with his seventh homer, a two-run shot. Brian Barton (.327) also went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (28-27) lost at West Virginia, 5-2. Chuck Lofgren (5-4, 2.37 ERA) struck out nine without issuing a walk over five innings. He gave up seven hits and three runs. T.J. Burton (.397 ERA) allowed two runs over the final three innings. Chris De La Cruz (.242) had two of the Captains' six hits, one night after Lake County accumulated 21 hits in an 18-6 win at Greensboro.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (29-31) had its second day off during the New York-Penn League all-star break. The Scrappers' Matt Fornasiere went 2-for-2 with an RBI for the AL squad in its 5-4 loss to players from NL organizations in the game played in Brooklyn, N.Y. Teammates Jose Constanza and Omar Casillas both went 0-for-2. Right-handers Jensen Lewis and Joe Ness were selected to the team, but did not play.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (23-38) lost at home to Johnson City, 7-4, making four errors in the sixth inning that led to five unearned runs. Ryan Spilman (.181) hit a two-run homer, his first, and John Drennen (.241) went 2-for-2 with an RBI to give Burlington an early lead. Starter Joanniel Montero (8.74 ERA) allowed two runs over five innings, but Wilander Cruz (5.85 ERA) walked two and gave up four unearned runs in one-third of an inning. Josh Kite (0.96 ERA) allowed another unearned run over 1 2/3 innings before Gerson Mercedes and Josh Harris worked one scoreless inning apiece.
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[Golferdow01]

I thought be a good fight to the finish...Yankees won 5-4 also so they are still in a deadlock...and the White Sox continue to slip??

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Travis Lee hurt the Cleveland Indians again.



Lee drove in a season-high four runs and Seth McClung won his third straight start as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Indians 13-3 on Wednesday night to stop their six-game winning streak.



"It was a lot of fun," said Lee, who had 11 RBI over his previous 50 games. "We got great pitching by McClung, and the offense did well."



The Devil Rays have won four of six against Cleveland this season. Lee had a pinch-hit homer off closer Bob Wickman in the ninth inning of Tampa Bay's 1-0 win over the Indians on Aug. 14.



"Travis has been swinging the bat since the break," Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said. "He's been productive, he really has. It's good to see. He's worked hard at it."



Victor Martinez homered and had two RBI for the Indians, who are less than a percentage point behind the New York Yankees and Oakland in the AL wild-card race. Cleveland had won nine straight on the road.



"I'm not happy because I hit a homer," Martinez said. "When I'm happy is when I help my team win, and we didn't do that today."



Lee had an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the third off Scott Elarton (7-7). Lee went 2-for-2 against Elarton after having one hit in his previous 11 at-bats against the right-hander. Lee's fourth RBI came on a groundout the eighth.



McClung (5-7) allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings for Tampa Bay, which has won nine of 12. Over his past three outings -- two against Cleveland -- he has given up five runs in 19 1-3 innings.



"My performance, it's nothing compared to what those guys did today," McClung said of Tampa Bay's hitters. "It's about them. Tonight those guys went out there and shined. I just tried to get them back up there as quick as I could."



Aubrey Huff had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth for the Devil Rays, who finished with 16 hits and scored in every inning but the fifth.



Elarton gave up seven runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings. He is 0-2 in his last four starts, both losses to Tampa Bay.



"It's just one of those days," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "We just didn't have a very good day. We've got to put it behind us and be ready to go tomorrow."



RBI singles by Jorge Cantu and Lee put the Devil Rays ahead 2-0 in the first. Cantu has four homers and eight RBI in six games against Cleveland this season.



Alex Gonzalez made it 3-0 with a run-scoring double in the second.



Casey Blake hit an RBI single and Martinez had a sacrifice fly for Cleveland in the third, but the Devil Rays got the runs back in the bottom of the inning on Lee's two-run double.



Carl Crawford drove in a run with his 14th triple of the season and then scored on Huff's sacrifice fly that extended the Devil Rays lead to 7-2 in the fourth.



Martinez hit a solo homer in the sixth. Huff connected for his two-run shot off Brian Tallet in the bottom of the inning.



"They swung the bats pretty good, they scored a lot of run," Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard said. "We've got to come back tomorrow and do the same thing."



Game notes
The umpiring crew was greeted with a chorus of boos when they took the field. The fans' response came the day after it appeared the umpires missed a balk by Wickman that would have tied Tuesday's game with two outs in the ninth. Cleveland won 5-4. ... Indians SS Jhonny Peralta was rested. ... Tampa Bay CF Joey Gathright (sore left shoulder) was out of the lineup for the second straight game. ... The Devil Rays 13 runs and 16 hits were the most ever against Cleveland. ... The Devil Rays had the leadoff batter reached base in six of eight innings and they all scored.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Tribe Slams D-Rays; Next Up: Blue Jays

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Ronnie Belliard: 4 big RBI and one big high-5.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 25, 2005

Ronnie Belliard's grand slam helped Cleveland to a 12-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the Indians stayed tied for the AL wild card lead. Cleveland's third win in four games in Florida and seventh of eight overall put the Indians at 71-57 (.555). Oakland and New York both have records of 70-56 (.556).
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Now the Indians go to Toronto for a three-game series against the Blue Jays before returning to Jacobs Field on Monday night to start a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers.

Jose Hernandez emerged from a 4-for-31 slump with three hits and three RBI, Victor Martinez went 4-for-5 and scored twice, Travis Hafner hit his 20th homer and had three hits and Ben Broussard went 3-for-5 as Cleveland totaled 19 hits.

Cliff Lee (14-4) allowed four runs and four hits over six innings to improve to 5-0 in his last eight starts. He fell behind, 1-0, in the first inning, but the Indians' offense quickly picked him up.

Hernandez doubled home one run, scored on an RBI double by Aaron Boone, who was singled home by Broussard to make it 3-1 in the second inning. An RBI single by Hernandez made it 4-1 in the third, when Cleveland scored seven runs -- including two when Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir threw away Broussard's bases-loaded grounder. TV replays showed that Indians may have caught yet another break in the series on the play because it appeared that Broussard hit the ball off his foot, which would have made it a foul ball.

Travis Harper replaced Kazmir and got Casey Blake to ground out, but walked Coco Crisp to load the bases. Belliard followed with his 11th homer and first career grand slam for a 10-1 lead.

Hernandez had another RBI single in the fourth and Hafner's solo shot in the fifth made it 12-4.

Martinez had four singles and went 7-for-8 in the final two games of the series.

Jhonny Peralta, who went 0-for-4 and struck out three times Tuesday night and was given a rest Wednesday, returned to the lineup and went 1-for-6 with four strikeouts. Grady Sizemore was given the night off with Crisp replacing him in center field and Hernandez playing left.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (73-60) maintained its two-game lead in the Northern Division of the International League with a 17-7 rout of visiting Syracuse. Joe Inglett (.319) went 5-for-6, scored four runs and drove in two as the Bisons collected 18 hits -- giving them 38 in two nights. Mike Kinkade (.276) had six RBI, four runs, three hits and two homers -- a two-run shot and three-run blast to give him 16 for the season. Jason Cooper (.257) had two hits, two runs, two RBI and a solo homer, his 14th with the Bisons and 25th overall this year. Dusty Wathan (.266), who won Wednesday night's game with an 11th-inning homer, hit a three-run shot, his 11th. Fausto Carmona (5-4, 3.08 ERA) gave up six runs over five innings. Billy Traber (6.17 ERA) allowed on unearned run over three innings and Chris Cooper (5.74 ERA) pitched a scoreless ninth.

CLASS AA AKRON (77-55) was hammered at Erie for the second night in a row, losing 14-5 on the heels of an 11-2 loss Wednesday night. Armando Camacaro (.258) had two hits, including his third homer. Shaun Larkin (.246) hit his 11th homer for the Aeros and Nate Panther (.318) hit his first with Akron and 13th overall. Mariano Gomez (4-3, 6.30 ERA) allowed six runs over one inning and Juan Lara (4.64 ERA) gave up five more over three innings. Victor Kleine (4.58 ERA) yielded three runs over two innings before Edward Mujica (3.26 ERA) pitched one perfect inning.

CLASS A KINSTON (28-31) was not scheduled and will host Potomac on Friday night in the final four-game homestand of the season before seven road games.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (29-27) lost at Lakewood, 1-0, getting only three hits. Aaron Laffey (7-6, 3.17 ERA) allowed one run over six innings. Ryan Knippschild (2.70 ERA) and T.J. Burton (3.71 ERA) each pitched one scoreless inning.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (30-32) lost to visiting Jamestown, 2-0. Andy Lytle (.273) had two of the Scrappers' seven hits. Kevin Dixon (3-4, 3.91 ERA) gave up two runs over five innings. Mark Jecmen (3.05 ERA) pitched two scoreless innings, while Matt Knox, just activated off the disabled list, and Matt Loberg each worked one perfect inning.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (24-39) blasted visiting Greeneville, 11-0. Jason Schutt (2-6, 6.07 ERA) gave up one hit over five innings, Jeff Pry (4.64 ERA) struck out three over two perfect innings and Wilander Cruz (5.32 ERA) yielded only one hit over the final two innings. Cristo Arnal (.236) had three hits, Boodle Clark (.247) drove in two runs and hit his second homer and Alfred Ard (.223) had two hits, three runs and two RBI to lead the offense.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 9, Toronto 3</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>August 26, 2005


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<SMALL>AP - Aug 26, 10:57 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>TORONTO (AP) -- Travis Hafner had no idea Grady Sizemore was going to steal home during his at-bat. He just knew not to swing.

Hafner took a two-strike pitch as Sizemore stole home, and Hafner later hit the first of his two homers as Cleveland beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 Friday night for the Indians' eighth win in nine games.

Sizemore got off to a huge lead from third in the first inning and broke for home before Dustin McGowan (1-2) started his windup. Catcher Guillermo Quiroz didn't attempt a tag as Sizemore easily slid in safely for Cleveland's first straight steal of home since Omar Vizquel at Detroit on May 27, 2003.

``I didn't know what he was doing. I thought maybe he had to run to the bathroom or something,'' Hafner joked. ``If I had swung and hit Grady in the face I would have had every woman in America mad at me.'' Sizemore was worried Hafner would kill him. ``I'm sure Hafner was ragging on me after I stole his RBI,'' Sizemore said.

Hafner went for it after noticing the third baseman wasn't even close to third and seeing that he could get a huge lead. He told third base coach Joel Skinner that he could do it the pitch before.


``Throughout the at-bat I just kept going farther and farther,'' Sizemore said. ``I wanted to see how much they would let me have before they stopped me. They never did, and I told Skins, `I can take this.'''

C.C. Sabathia, who won his fifth straight start, said it pumped up the Indians.

``That was crazy,'' Sabathia said. ``It definitely helped Travis out because the guy left a changeup high a couple of pitches later.''

Hafner hit a solo shot off McGowan and added a two-run homer off Justin Speier in the ninth, his second two-homer game this season and the seventh multihomer game of his career.

Victor Martinez and Ronnie Belliard also homered for the Indians, who are less than a percentage point back of the New York Yankees and Oakland in the AL wild card race. The Indians are a major league-best 18-6 since July 31.

Martinez had four hits, including a solo homer off McGowan in the third, and scored four runs.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 26, 10:56 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Sabathia (11-9) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings, striking out seven. He hasn't lost since July 30.

``He battled even though he didn't have good command of his fastball,'' Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.

Toronto has lost seven of eight. Before the game, the team announced ace Roy Halladay will not pitch again this season after breaking his leg July 8. The Blue Jays also are missing left-hander Ted Lilly.

McGowan, who replaced Lilly in the rotation, allowed four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. In his previous start, the rookie gave up a career-worst 12 runs in 4 1-3 innings against Detroit.

Sizemore led off the game with a single, advanced on a grounder and wild pitch before stealing home.

``You don't expect a guy to steal with two strikes,'' McGowan said. ``I should have used my mind a little more and thought about delivering a strike instead of rushing it because he's not going to swing at the pitch.''

Hafner homered and Ben Broussard added an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

Vernon Wells hit an RBI grounder in the bottom half, but Martinez's homer made it 4-1 in the third.

Run-scoring singles by Frank Menechino in the fourth and Alex Rios in the fifth cut the lead to 4-3. Aaron Boone had an RBI infield single in the eighth, and Hafner and Belliard hit two-run homers off Speier in the ninth.

<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> After Halladay was struck in the left shin by a line drive off the bat of Texas' Kevin Mench, Toronto initially thought he would miss four to six weeks. ... Broussard missed an easy popup in foul territory near first base in the sixth.

Updated on Friday, Aug 26,
​

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Toronto 2, Cleveland 1</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>August 27, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 27, 6:31 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>TORONTO (AP) -- Scott Downs combined with three relievers on a five-hitter to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Cleveland, which had won eight of its previous nine, managed just an unearned run and dropped one game back in the AL wild-card race. The Indians are a major league-best 18-7 since July 31.

Downs (2-3) allowed a run on a throwing error by first baseman Eric Hinske. The 29-year-old left-hander, who has 1.75 ERA in his last four starts, gave up three hits, struck out six and walked two in six-plus innings.

Jason Frasor pitched the seventh, Scott Schoeneweis got an out in the eighth and Miguel Batista finished for his 24th save in 29 chances. Cleveland had runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth, but Batista struck out Victor Martinez. Kevin Millwood (7-11) pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game since Aug. 7, 2003, for Philadelphia at Colorado. Millwood, who allowed run-scoring singles to Frank Catalanotto and Russ Adams, has a 3.18 ERA but the Indians have averaged only 3.25 runs in his starts. Cleveland's Casey Blake doubled in the third and scored on Hinske's throwing error to third. After recording an out at first on Grady Sizemore's grounder to second, Hinske tried to get Blake at third but his throw sailed into foul territory.

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Toronto (65-64) won for just the second time in nine games and avoided falling under .500 for the first time since July 19.


Hudson singled in the third, stole second and scored on Catalanotto's single. Hinske and Hudson singled in fourth before Adams singled for a 2-1 lead.

<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> Downs has yielded three earned runs or fewer in five of his last six outings.

 

[BuckNutty]

Poor Millwood can't get any support. :(

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

NO SHIT!

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 4, Toronto 1</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>August 28, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 28, 3:51 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>TORONTO (AP) -- If the Cleveland Indians played like this at home, they'd be well ahead in the AL wild-card race.

Casey Blake and Aaron Boone homered, and Jake Westbrook pitched into the seventh inning to lead the surging Indians to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Cleveland is one game behind the New York Yankees and Oakland in the wild-card race, after all three teams won on Sunday. The Indians are 41-27 on the road, compared to 32-31 at home.

``We definitely have to improve at home,'' Blake said. ``We have the same approach. It's just the way it has gone this year.'' The Indians have won nine of 11 overall and are a major league best 19-7 since July 31. Blake and Boone didn't have an explanation for why they're so much better on the road.

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``You'd like that home record to be a little higher,'' Boone said. ``Hopefully, we can get a little over .500 at home and keep pushing on the road.''


The Indians went 5-2 on their road trip to Tampa Bay and Toronto. They return home to play Detroit on Monday.

``We've put ourselves in a good position going into this last month now. We just have to keep going,'' Boone said. ``This was a good road trip for us.''

Reed Johnson drove in the lone run for the Blue Jays, who have lost eight of 10 to fall to 65-65.

Blake homered off Josh Towers (10-10) to tie the game at 1-all in the third, and Boone homered off Towers in the seventh to give Cleveland a 4-1 lead.

``Those just happened to be perfect mistakes for those hitters. Those two home runs, they aren't very good hitters. Nothing for nothing, but they are hitting .240 for a reason,'' Towers said.

Westbrook (13-13) has gone 7-1 over his last eight starts. He allowed one run on eight hits, while striking out three and walking one in 6 1-3 innings.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 28, 3:51 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>``The way the year started out my goal was to get to .500,'' said Westbrook, who was 6-12 at one point. ``Now my goal has changed.''

Bob Wickman pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 39 chances as the Indians won despite being outhit 8-6.

Towers, who had won three of his previous four decisions, allowed four runs -- three earned -- on five hits in seven innings.

``It looks like a halfway decent line but the fact that I made four mistakes and they jumped all over them for extra-base hits, it's just not acceptable,'' Towers said. ``Those home runs were not acceptable, bad pitches in great counts for me.''

Toronto's Gregg Zaun and Eric Hinske hit consecutive singles in the second before Johnson gave Toronto a 1-0 lead with an RBI single.

Blake homered over the center-field wall in the third, his 17th.

Jhonny Peralta led off the fourth with a double and scored on Travis Hafner's double. Hafner advanced to third when Johnson's throw from right field hit him and trickled into the outfield. Victor Martinez followed with an RBI grounder to make it 3-1.

Boone hit his 12th homer in the seventh, a towering shot into the second deck in left.

<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> Ernie Whitt's daughter sang the national anthems. Whitt is Toronto's first base coach. The first 10,000 fans received an Ernie Whitt bobblehead. ... DH Hafner has reached base safely in 94 of 105 games.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Once the Cleveland Indians came back, their fans followed.



Jhonny Peralta, Coco Crisp and Ben Broussard drove in two runs apiece as the never-give-in Indians kept up their late-season playoff push by outslugging the Detroit Tigers 10-8 on Monday night.

Down 5-0 before their first at-bat, the Indians rallied for six runs in the bottom of the first, with Casey Blake's RBI double capping the comeback. As the Indians took the field for the top of the second, the small but appreciative crowd gave them a rousing ovation that lasted more than a minute.

``We felt it,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said of the warm response. ``Everyone felt it. It was almost a confirmation of what these guys are doing.''

The Indians, who went 9-14 in April, have won 10 of 12 and are a league-best 19-7 in August. They've moved into a small group of teams chasing the AL wild card heading into the season's final month.
However, the turnaround hasn't seemed to capture the imagination of Cleveland fans, who are staying away in large numbers. Attendance was announced as 22,713, but 5,000 tickets were giveaways.

Still, the ones that came to Jacobs Field made an impression on the Indians, who rewarded them and moved within seven games of first-place Chicago in the AL Central.


``I was proud of the way we came back,'' Blake said. ``We could have just said, 'Well, this one's over.' But the way this team has been playing lately and the confidence we have, we refuse to give in.''

Rookie Fernando Cabrera (2-0) cleaned up after Indians starter Scott Elarton, allowing one run in 2 2-3 innings. Rafael Betancourt pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings and Bob Howry worked a perfect eighth.

Bob Wickman pitched the ninth for his league-leading 35th save in 40 attempts.

Wickman, who walks a tightrope almost every time out, gave up a one-out single to Magglio Ordonez and walked Carlos Pena with two outs. The right-hander got Craig Monroe to hit a grounder to third baseman Aaron Boone, whose throw to second nipped pinch-runner Nook Logan for the final out.

Broussard hit an RBI triple in the first off Jeremy Bonderman (14-11) and Blake had three hits for Cleveland.

Dmitri Young hit a grand slam and Pena homered as the Tigers took a 5-0 lead in the first before letting it slip away.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 29, 10:16 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>``A lot of things aren't going our way,'' Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. ``You score that many runs in the first inning and then give up six, it's depleting and it takes its toll on you.''

Crisp and Peralta hit RBI doubles and Victor Martinez's sacrifice fly sparked Cleveland's first-inning rally, which was helped by Detroit shortstop Omar Infante's fielding error. Broussard followed the miscue with an RBI triple and Boone's run-scoring infield single tied it at 5.

Blake then delivered a shot into the gap in right-center, scoring Boone. Blake was thrown out in a rundown between second and third, but by then the Indians had begun turning their night around.

``I'm not getting the job done,'' said Bonderman, 1-5 in his past six starts. ``I get five runs and then give up six. It's terrible.''

Trailing 7-6, the Indians scored three times in the fourth to chase Bonderman, who was making his first start since being struck on the right wrist with a line drive hit by Oakland's Marco Scutaro.

Cleveland loaded the bases and Crisp's sacrifice fly tied it 7-all. Peralta hit an RBI single and Travis Hafner, who has 19 RBIs in 24 games since coming off the DL, hit a sac fly to center.

Monroe's two-run single gave Detroit a 7-5 lead in the third.

Detroit closed within 9-8 in the fifth on Young's RBI double off Cabrera, but Broussard restored Cleveland's two-run cushion off Vic Darensbourg with his 11th homer, only his second off a left-hander.

Young's second slam in three days gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the first off Elarton, who hurt himself with two walks. Detroit's dugout was still high-fiving Young when Pena hit Elarton's next pitch over the wall in center for his 10th homer.

<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> Elarton has just one win in his last nine starts, and has given up 14 runs in his last two. ... Hafner came in with a .317 average, eight points behind league leader Johnny Damon. The last Cleveland player to win a batting title was Bobby Avila in 1954. ... Pena has 11 career homers in 26 games at Jacobs Field. ... The Tigers have 22 homers in their past 12 games. ... The Indians have had at least 10 hits in 19 of 31 games. ... Elarton has allowed 28 homers, the league's second-highest total behind New York's Randy Johnson (29).

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Indians Turn To DSL To Put Players On Fast Track

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Jhonny Peralta ... a graduate of the DSL program.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 27, 2005

DSL in this instance does not refer to a high-speed Internet connection. But the Indians hope their players in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) will stay online for success in their minor-league system.
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Through August 26, the Indians' club is in first place (in the American League of the Boca Chica Division) with a 37-29 record, which is 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins' team.

That's the good news.

Here's the odder news: The Indians are also in last place in the division with a record of 24-41.

That's because Cleveland has two farm teams in the league, which has a total of 31 clubs in six divisions.

Jose Stela is in his second season managing the "top" club in the DSL. A year ago, he guided the team to a 61-19 record and the championship.

Former Tribe farmhand Junior Betances is in his sixth year guiding the "other" Tribe entry in the DSL.

Here are some names of players to remember. They're all trying to develop their games and be brought to America to play in the Tribe farm system and hope it will turn out as it did for Jhonny Peralta. Cleveland's current shortstop hit .303 with six homers and 43 RBI as a member of the DSL Indians in 1999.

Lucas Montero
The 20-year-old outfielder leads the "first-place" Indians with a .329 average (46-140) with 28 runs, two homers, 18 RBI and 20 steals in 22 attempts. He also has hit .313 (25-80) with 14 steals in 15 tries for the "last-place" Indians.

Felix Fermin Jr.
The 20-year-old son of the former Tribe shortstop is a second baseman, hitting about like pop, who had little pop at the plate. Junior is at .259 (29-112) with no homers, 18 runs and 10 RBI. But he also has hit .295 (18-61) for the OTHER Indians team.

Kelvin Diaz
He's 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA. In 48 2/3 innings, he's given up 25 hits, 25 walks and struck out 63.

Felix Heredia
No, not THAT Felix Heredia, who was a reliever on the 1997 Florida Marlins team that beat the Indians in the World Series. This 21-year-old right-hander is 4-4 with a 2.79 ERA. In 51 2/3 innings, he's allowed 40 hits and only 11 walks while striking out 59. He was 2-2 for the "last-place" Indians earlier this season.

Francisco Rosario
He's still only 18. He's 1-0 with a 1.82 ERA, five walks and 15 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings this year. A year ago in the DSL, the hard-throwing right-hander went 7-1 with a 1.07 ERA, 50 strikeouts and 10 walks in 75 2/3 innings.

Luis Polonia Jr.
If he develops into the hitter his dad was, he might help the Indians someday. Papa Polonia hit .293 with 321 stolen bases in 12 years (1987-2000) in the majors. Junior, also an outfielder, hasn't found his stride yet. He's hitting .239 (22-92) with only three steals.

Alan Ramirez
He's 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA for the cellar-dwelling Indians (maybe they want to teach him how to deal with adversity). In 29 innings, he's walked seven and struck out 22.


<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>High-Flying Aeros Gear For Playoffs

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Canal Park in Akron.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 30, 2005

The Akron Aeros already have done what seemed impossible -- overcome a 12-game losing streak to win its division with ease. But the real tough part comes next: the Eastern League playoffs.
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The Aeros will face either the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) or the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates) in the first round of the playoffs. Bowie currently leads Altoona by one game. Those two teams face each other four times to end the 2005 regular season.

Aeros manager Torey Lovullo said his team is playing with confidence -- and has done so since a disastrous 12-game losing streak sent them tumbling out of first place in late June.

"It was a trying time, but it was when this team became a team," said Lovullo. "I don't think anybody had ever experienced anything like it. I know I had never lost 12 of anything in a row and I'm sure most of these young men hadn't either.

"We went through a lot and learned a lot about ourselves collectively. We came out of it a lot better because we stuck together and really didn't doubt ourselves. If we didn't doubt ourselves then, well we know that other adversity isn't the end of the world."

Lovullo said the Aeros were fortunate to have a big lead to fritter away at the time.

"We were 15 games over .500 and in first place by six games at the start of the streak," he said. "The teams behind us kept playing .500 ball and didn't completely wash us out. So when the streak was said and done, we picked out heads up and we were only two or three games out with plenty of time left.

"We caught a couple of breaks to win a game and it was like a breath of fresh air. The kids showed a ton of resiliency and I'm so proud of them."

Lovullo said infielders Pat Osborn and Shaun Larkin and right-hander Dan Denham tried to show some leadership throughout the ordeal.

"Maybe those three stood out a little more, but it was a difficult situation and they kept playing particularly hard and showed the way.

"It was fine line for me, too. I could have started kicking and yelling in the dugout, but I thought it was best if the guys sorted it out on their own. I'd talk to them collectively and individually, but there were no tantrums because what good is that going to do? I didn't want to do too much and it worked out."

By virtue of finishing in first place, the Aeros have secured home-field advantage for the first round.

BEST OF FIVE, 2-2-1 FORMAT

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 7:05 p.m., Bowie OR Altoona at Akron

Thursday, Sept. 8, 7:05 p.m., Bowie OR Altoona at Akron

Friday, Sept. 9, TBA, Aeros at Bowie OR Altoona

Saturday, Sept. 10, TBA (If Necessary) Aeros at Bowie OR Altoona

Sunday, Sept. 11, 2:05 p.m. (If Necessary) Bowie OR Altoona at Akron

Should the Aeros qualify for the Eastern League Championship round, the games will start on the road, at the site of the Northern Division winner.

BEST OF FIVE, 2-3 FORMAT

Tuesday, Sept. 13, TBA, Aeros at Northern Division Winner

Wednesday, Sept. 14, TBA, Aeros at Northern Division Winner

Thursday, Sept. 15, 7:05 p.m., Northern Division Winner at Akron

Friday, Sept. 16, 7:05 p.m. (If Necessary) Northern Division Winner at Akron

Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:05 p.m.(If Necessary) Northern Division Winner at Akron

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (78-60) edged visiting Rochester, 3-2, in a game played in a steady rain until finally being stopped in the seventh inning. The Bisons' seventh straight win gave them a six-game lead in the North Division of the International League over the Red Wings with six games remaining. Any Bisons win or Red Wings loss over the remainder of the season will give the IL North to the Herd.

Trailing, 2-0, Jason Dubois (.317) led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer, his fifth. Two outs later, Dusty Wathan slammed his 12th homer to tie it. Joe Inglett then put down a perfect bunt-single with two strikes. Mike Kinkade followed with a chopper to third base that Luis Maza fielded but then threw wildly to first. Inglett circled the bases and scored what was the winning run.

Jason Stanford (2.25 ERA) started and struck out two in two perfect innings as he continued his rehab from surgery in July 2004. Fausto Carmona (6-4, 3.20 ERA) then gave up two runs over three innings and Jose Diaz (4.18 ERA) struck out four over two hitless innings for his second save.

CLASS AA AKRON (79-56) was rained out at home against New Britain, giving the division champion Aeros two days off in a row after not being scheduled on Monday. The game was rescheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday, starting at 6 :05 p.m. The doubleheader will consist of two seven-inning games at Canal Park.

CLASS A KINSTON (32-32) rolled to a 10-5 win at Winston-Salem behind the hitting of Brian Barton, Mike Conroy and Ryan Goleski. Barton (.331) went 3-for-4, scored three runs, drove in two and got his 20th stolen base. Conroy (.251) drove in three runs with two doubles and Goleski (.212) drove in three runs with two hits, including a solo homer, his 16th. Nick Pesco (11-10, 3.88 ERA) gave up three runs (two earned) over 5 1/3 innings. Todd Pennington (3.20 ERA) yielded one unearned run over 2 1/3 innings and Jim Ed Warden (4.04 ERA) allowed one run over the final 1 1/3.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (31-29) was rained out at home against Lexington. The game was rescheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader on Wednesday, starting at 6 :05 p.m. The doubleheader will consist of two seven-inning games at Classic Ballpark.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (31-34) was rained out at Batavia, where a team nicknamed the Muckdogs likely enjoyed the weather. Nevertheless, the clubs will try to complete a seven-inning doubleheader on Wednesday.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (25-43) had another loss rain down, a 6-2 setback at Johnson City dropping the Indians to 8-21 in August. Alfred Ard (.228) had two of Burlington's seven hits and one RBI. Boodle Clark (.250) and Niuman Romero (.275) each had three of the team's 10 strikeouts. Starter Jason Schutt (2-7, 6.53 ERA) gave up six runs over five innings. Wilander Cruzz (4.88 ERA) pitched two scoreless and Josh Kite (0.89 ERA) one scoreless inning.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Detroit 4, Cleveland 3</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>September 1, 2005
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 31, 10:25 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>CLEVELAND (AP) -- Casey Blake made a mistake on the bases and Rafael Betancourt made one on the mound. That was all the Detroit Tigers needed to slow Cleveland's momentum in the AL wild-card race.
Ivan Rodriguez homered to break a tie and Mike Maroth pitched seven strong innings as the Tigers beat the Indians 4-3 Wednesday night.
``That was exciting,'' Tigers manager Alan Trammell said after Rodriguez hit the first pitch of the eighth inning from Betancourt (2-3) for his 13th homer and a 3-2 lead.
Blake was much less exuberant in a subdued Cleveland clubhouse after making a baserunning blunder. The Indians fell 1 1/2 games behind the wild card-leading New York Yankees and a half-game behind the Los Angeles Angels, but lost for only the third time in 13 games -- completing a 19-8 August.

``We gave ourselves a chance to win up to the last at-bat,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``Raffy left a breaking ball up and in and then Casey got caught in no-man's land. That just wasn't a good play.'' Maroth (12-12) went 4-1 in six starts in August. The left-hander allowed only one walk over his last 5 2-3 innings. He gave up two runs and three hits, striking out six.

Though he is 6-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his last seven starts against Cleveland over two seasons, Maroth did no celebrating.

``My next start is against them, so I'm not saying anything,'' he said. ``I don't know why it works for me against them.''
Neither does Victor Martinez, who drove in all three Cleveland runs, giving him 12 RBIs in the last 10 games. He has hit .474 (18-for-38) with four homers over that span.
``If I knew, I'd do something about it,'' he said. ``But he's good at changing speeds and throwing strikes. Pitchers like that are always tough.''
Craig Dingman worked the eighth. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth, allowing Martinez's RBI double before getting pinch-hitter Ben Broussard to ground out with a man on third for his seventh save.
Blake doubled to open the Cleveland eighth, but was doubled off second on an easy fly ball to left by Grady Sizemore to kill a potential comeback.
``It was a terrible play,'' said Blake, who sat on second base and hung his head for several seconds. ``I wanted to see what kind of throw they would make, but was too aggressive. I didn't realize I was that far off the bag.''
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 31, 10:18 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>After Rodriguez put Detroit ahead, Dmitri Young lined a one-out single for his third hit and was replaced by pinch-runner Nook Logan.
Betancourt struck out Craig Monroe, but left-hander Scott Sauerbeck gave up an RBI double to Carlos Pena to make it 4-2. Pena came to bat hitting .097 (3-for-31) with 17 strikeouts against lefties.
Magglio Ordonez hit a two-out RBI single and Young followed with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Cliff Lee.
Martinez's two-run single tied it in the bottom half.
``I give up two and Victor gets us back,'' Lee said. ``That was huge. It was like he erased what I did and we were back to 0-0.''
Both starters then settled in.
Maroth didn't allow a hit after Aaron Boone's one-out double in the second. He retired 15 in a row, including six on strikeouts, until walking Ronnie Belliard with one out in the seventh.
Lee retired his last 10 after yielding a two-out double to Monroe in the third -- the outfielder's first hit in 13 career at-bats against the left-hander. Lee, 5-0 in his previous eight starts, allowed two runs and three hits over six innings, walking two and striking out five.
<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> The teams will return to Cleveland on Sept. 8 at 4:05 p.m. to play the makeup of Tuesday night's rainout. That's after they play three games in Detroit, Sept. 5-7. ... Indians RHP Matt Miller and LHP Arthur Rhodes each pitched one perfect inning on rehab assignments at Double-A Akron. ... Lee has worked at least five innings in his last 26 starts since going only 3 1-3 in his season debut on April 7. ... The Tigers have 23 homers in their last 13 games. ... Maroth is 5-0 at Jacobs Field. Only Pedro Martinez (6-0) has a better record by an opponent at the 12-year-old ballpark. ... Cleveland called up OF Franklin Gutierrez from Buffalo and he made his major league debut in the ninth as a pinch runner.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Riske Will Serve Reduced Sentence

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David Riske ... will miss weekend series.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Sep 2, 2005

Indians reliever David Riske has had his four-game suspension cut to three. He appealed the original penalty that had been handed down for hitting Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in the back with a pitch on July 29.
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Riske went in front of an arbitrator in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 22, when the Indians were at Tropicana Field to play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in an effort to try and get his four-game suspension and $1,500 fine reduced.

Bob Watson, director of on-field operations, represented Major League Baseball. Robert Lenaghan, assistant general counsel for the players association, accompanied Riske. "I told my side," said Riske, who said the process took about an hour. "I told them I didn't hit him on purpose. Bob Watson told their side."

Riske, whose fine also was reduced an undisclosed sum, will begin serving his suspension Friday night when the Indians open a three-game series at Minnesota.

Cleveland starter Kevin Millwood already served his five-game suspension for intentionally hitting a batter in the same game, while Mariners right-hander Shigetoshi Hasegawa was fined an undisclosed amount, but not suspended for hitting Grady Sizemore with a pitch that night. Tribe manager Eric Wedge and bench coach Robby Thompson also have already served their one-game suspensions for their part in the incident.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (79-61) won at Ottawa, 5-4 to put the finishing touches on winning the North Division championship in the International League. Mike Kinkade (.283) went 3-for-4 and Jason Dubois (.338) had two hits and two RBI. Steve Watkins (9-2, 4.16 ERA) gave up 10 hits over five innings and got the win. He allowed all four runs in the fifth inning. Billy Traber pitched two innings, Andrew Brown worked the eighth and Kazuhito Tadano the ninth for his fifth save.

CLASS AA AKRON (81-57) lost at home to New Britain, 3-2. With the score tied, Juan Lara (1-2, 4.56 ERA) gave up a leadoff single in the top of the ninth and was replaced by Jake Brooks (2.45 ERA). After a failed sacrifice bunt, the new runner stole second, went to third on a balk and scored on a squeeze bunt. Nate Panther (.277) had two of the Aeros' six hits. Starter Victor Kleine (4.40 ERA) allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings.

CLASS A KINSTON (32-34) lost at Winston-Salem, 6-1. Kevin Kouzmanoff (.336) had two of Kinston's five hits and Stephen Head (.293) went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Sean Smith (5-8, 3.60 ERA) allowed four runs over the first 5 1/3 innings. Kieran Mattison (3.33 ERA) gave up two runs over 1 2/3 innings before Matt Davis (5.87 ERA) struck out two in a scoreless eighth.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (31-33) lost at home to Lexington, 11-3, after leading, 2-0. Matt Whitney (.243) hit a solo homer, his fifth, which was one of the Captains' five hits. Cody Bunkelman (5-5, 4.08 ERA), Adrian Schau (4.20 ERA) and Ryan Knippschild 4.22 ERA) all were hit hard in Lake County's five straight loss.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (32-37) got only seven hits and no runs in dropping a doubleheader at Batavia, 3-0 and 1-0. Evandy DeLeon (.250) and Jose Chavez (.242) each had one hit in each game. Ryan Edell (3-4, 2.95 ERA) gave up three runs, but only one was earned, over five innings in the first-game loss with Dustin Roddy (2.80 ERA) striking out two in perfect inning. In the second game, Joe Ness (3-2, 1.82 ERA) was the tough-luck loser, giving up one run over 4 1/3 innings before Matt Knox pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (25-43) was not scheduled as it concluded the season on Tuesday. First baseman P.J. Hiser, who was promoted to Mahoning Valley in early August, was named to the Appalachian League All-Star team. He was batting .326 with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs before being called up and was Burlington's only selection to the team.
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