"I am going to make some birdies Saturday," John Hahn writes. "I am going to make the cut."

John Hahn is on the cut line at the U.S. Open with nine holes to play Saturday morning.PD file 

(Editor's note: Former Kent State golfer John Hahn is doing a diary for The Plain Dealer as he plays in the U.S. Open. Hahn grew up in Hudson and graduated from KSU in 2011.

John Hahn

Special to The Plain Dealer

ARDMORE, Pa. -- I got off to a bad start but I closed with a birdie, so that was good.

I am close to making the cut in my first U.S. Open. I have nine holes to play on Saturday. The projected cut is 8-over and that's where I stand.

The good news is that I made it through that tough stretch of holes on the back, because I started my second round on the 11th hole after starting the first round on the first hole. Because of everything being pushed back we did not tee off until about 6 o'clock.

I am going to make some birdies Saturday. I am going to make the cut. I feel good. I will play well. I feel confident.

The course was a little windier today than during the first round. But, that didn't make all that much difference. I drove the ball well. I just didn't do well hitting into the greens or putting. I three-putted the 13th hole, the easiest on the course.

Kipnis' walk-off RBI was the third of his career, his second this season. Justin Masterson pitched seven innings and had 10 strikeouts.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --No matter what, Drew Stubbs was running. That's what the speedy Tribe outfielder does best, so it makes sense.

It was the ninth inning, and Stubbs was going to run no matter what Jason Kipnis did in his at-bat, no matter where he smacked the ball.

So Stubbs had a jump when Kipnis knocked a sharp grounder to first at Progressive Field. Washington first baseman Adam LaRoche immediately fired the ball back to home. But it was too late.

Kipnis' fielder's choice RBI combined with Stubbs' blazing speed meant the difference in the Indians' 2-1 victory over the Nationals in front of 30,824 on Friday. Right-handed reliever Joe Smith earned the victory while pitching a scoreless ninth after seven strong innings by starter Justin Masterson.

The walk-off RBI was the third of Kipnis' career, his second this season. He savored this one by not even glancing back to see what happened at home plate.

"I didn't turn around, I was just waiting for the crowd reaction to see what happened," Kipnis said.

• Nationals-Indians boxscore | Scoreboard | Standings

What happened is that Stubbs' speed saved the Tribe's winning streak, which now is up to three straight after their eight-game slide. They are finally back at .500, evening their record at 33-33.

Stubbs started the rally when he slapped a single in the ninth for his first hit of the game, and he was already on his way to second when Michael Bourn knocked another single.

Stubbs advanced to third on Bourn's base hit, which meant he was exactly where he wanted to be with one out, the score knotted 1-1.

He's seen speed make a difference in games, seen what it means to teams when he's recorded 30 stolen bases or more in each of his past four seasons.

"I just think it's a weapon that you don't find very easily across the board," Stubbs said. "It's just the little things that you don't necessarily see on paper. A play like that -- taking an extra base on a base hit, stealing a base -- a lot of times, that can be the difference in a game. It's something I've always had as a player and tried to use to the best of my advantage."

The Indians needed it as Stubbs slid in just under the tag of Washington catcher Kurt Suzuki.

The slide-off run saved a gem by Masterson, who recorded 10 strikeouts in seven innings while showcasing power and control. It was Masterson's fourth double-digit strikeout game of his career.

He also walked four and had a wild pitch -- and the walks and misfired ball were the difference in the third inning when the Nationals scored their only run.

But throughout the rest of the game, Masterson dominated. He struck out the side in the second inning and recorded at least one strikeout in all but the seventh inning.

"I just had good movement on my slider, sinker, magic pitch -- whatever you want to call it," Masterson said, grinning.

The problem for the Indians was that Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez was just as good -- and it should have been expected. Gonzalez is 5-0 lifetime against the Tribe with a 0.72 ERA. That's the best career record against Cleveland among active pitchers.

Still, the Tribe had opportunities.

They capitalized on one in the fourth inning when Ryan Raburn slammed a solo home run in his second start batting cleanup.

In the sixth, the Indians loaded the bases with two outs thanks to three straight walks to Nick Swisher, Ryan Raburn and Carlos Santana. But Mark Reynolds could only launch a high popup to second to end the inning.

By the eighth inning, the Tribe was in the same situation: bases loaded after singles by Kipnis and Swisher and another walk by Santana.

This time, Reynolds took three enormous swings . . . and met only air three straight times. For the game, Reynolds had three strikeouts and the pop to second.

In the end, though, the Indians found a new way to continue a streak -- with streaking speed.

"We know we can be streaky at times, but the potential's there, and we never lost confidence during the losing streak," Kipnis said. "That's the best part, and it shows a lot of character on this team."

V.J. King shares a message with his fans in Northeast Ohio in coach Eric Flannery's latest blog from Uruguay.

MALDONADO, Uruguay - We are coming home with a medal, V.J. King and I. The question is will it be silver or gold?  

I am sitting in the arena shortly after our 93-64 semifinal win over Puerto Rico, watching Canada play Argentina. We play the winner Saturday in the title game. (All of the games will be shown live over the Internet here).

King, from St. Vincent-St. Mary, has really stepped up the last two games. He had eight points and eight rebounds Friday in 15 minutes of play. 

Friday he provided a spark off the bench by getting some big offensive rebounds and a few deflections on defense that led to some steals. We started the game very sluggish and were trailing until King entered the game.

He is now sitting down next to me and I asked him if he has a message for back home. Here it is: "I came here to get a job done, and I am still not finished. I want a gold medal." My sentiments exactly.

Here is a look at a typical day for our team. We wake up between 7-9 a.m., everyone eats breakfast on own time. We have a team meeting at 10, then practice typically from 10:30-11:30 a.m.  

We go back to the hotel for a light lunch, then we either have an hour or two to relax (coaches are typically watching film or meeting).  

We have pre-game meal four hours before tipoff, another team meeting two hours before tipoff. In this second meeting we go over the scouting report again and show a highlight film from the men's Olympic team with a different theme for each game.  

We then play the game and have dinner afterward, and do it all over again the next day. There’s not a whole lot of time to be a tourist.

I’m excited about tomorrow and hoping to bring back a Gold. I wasn't sure I would be emotional about winning a medal, but I think I may be and the feeling would be amazing to hear our national anthem playing on foreign soil.

Kids are surrounding the players now for pictures and autographs, so it's time for me to go -- have no space to type.

Trevor Bauer pitches five innings and gets the win in the opener as the Columbus Clippers split a doubleheader with Charlotte.

Class AAA: Columbus 5-0, Charlotte 2-1 Trevor Bauer (3-2, 3.84) pitched five solid innings, giving up two runs, one earned, and four hits while striking out six and walking four to get the victory in the first game of a doubleheader against the host Knights.

Cord Phelps went 2-for-4 with his ninth home run, two runs scored and two RBI for the Clippers.

Columbus managed only two hits in the nightcap, as T.J. House (1-6, 5.46) pitched brilliantly in defeat. The left-hander gave up one run on six hits over six innings, striking out six.

Class AA: Akron 6, Portland 3 Starter Brett Brach (4-2, 4.53) gave up six hits and three earned runs over six innings to help the Aeros defeat the host Sea Dogs.

Carlos Moncrief hit his eighth homer for Akron, which also got three hits each from Ronny Rodriguez and Cedric Hunter.

Class A Advanced: Myrtle Beach 10, Carolina 7 The host Pelicans roughed up Mudcats starter Michael Peoples (0-2, 6.35) for seven runs over five innings to win at home.

Carolina's Tyler Naquin went 3-for-5 with a walk and a run scored to lift his batting average to .308. Tony Wolters hit his second home run for the Mudcats.

Class A: Great Lakes 1, Lake County 0 (11) The Loons scored the game's only run on a passed ball in the top of the 11th inning to defeat the host Captains. Robbie Aviles pitched 51/3 solid innings for Lake County, striking out four and giving up three hits.

Independent: Rockford 5, Lake Erie 2 The Crushers stranded seven runners in scoring position against Rockford, and dropped the series opener to the host Aviators. Matt Rein (2-3) lost on the road for the first time this season, allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits over 5 innings.

A tip for those who let people park on their lawns for the WGC/Bridgestone Invitational.

View full sizeGolfers at the U.S. Open, including Keegan Bradley, are finding a score anywhere near par is a good round at Merion Golf Club.Julio Cortez, Associated Press 

1. Can anyone here shoot 65? If so, I wish they would hurry up and do it.

2. Memo to those Akron folks who live along Warner Road and adjacent to Firestone Country Club who supplement their income parking cars in their yards during the WGC Bridgestone Invitational: At $20 per car, per day, you are underselling yourself. Houses around the Merion Golf Club, many of which might not even be in the same zip code as the East Course, are getting up to $65 per day.

3. Just for giggles, I brought along the media guide/program from the 1981 U.S. Open, the most recent time it was played at Merion. I showed it to the men working in the USGA's research center. They went bonkers. What I don't know is if they went bonkers over the guide or over the fact that I was anal enough to save it for all these years.

4. Today at noon, the USGA is going to take a picture of all media members who covered the 1981 Open at Merion and those covering the 2013 version. Personally, I hope there are no photos left over from 1981.

Highlights include Indians' home game against Washington; third round of U.S. Open golf; Game 2 of NHL Stanley Cup Finals, with Boston at Chicago; Montreal at Columbus Crew soccer; college baseball World Series.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

ARENA FOOTBALL

7 p.m. CLEVELAND GLADIATORS at Orlando, FM/92.3

9 p.m. Jacksonville at Utah, CBSSN

AUTO RACING

10:30 a.m. Alliance Truck Parts 250 qualifying, ESPN2

12:30 p.m. Quicken Loans 400 "Happy Hour Series," Speed Channel

2:15 p.m. Alliance Truck Parts 250, WEWS

3 p.m. IndyLights, Milwaukee IndyFest (tape), NBCSN

4 p.m. IndyCar, Milwaukee IndyFest, NBCSN

4:30 p.m. Diamond Cellar Classic, Speed Channel

7 p.m. Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying (tape), ESPN2

8 p.m. TORC Series, Speed Channel

BASEBALL

4 p.m. Boston at Baltimore, MLB Network

6 p.m. AKRON AEROS at Portland, AM/1350

6 p.m. Great Lakes at LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS, (doubleheader), AM/1330

7 p.m. Washington at CLEVELAND INDIANS, WJW; AM/1100, FM/100.7

7 p.m. Toledo at Syracuse, TWCS

BOXING

10:45 p.m. Terence Crawford vs. Alejandro Sanabria;

Mikey Garcia vs. Juan Manuel Lopez, HBO

COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

3 p.m. Game 1, Mississippi State vs. Oregon State, ESPN2

8 p.m. Game 2, Indiana vs. Louisville, ESPN

GOLF

Noon U.S. Open, WKYC

MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE

6:30 p.m. Denver at Chesapeake, CBSSN

NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS

8 p.m. Game 2, Boston at Chicago, WKYC

SOCCER

11:15 a.m. UEFA, U-21 semi, Spain vs. Norway, ESPN Classic

2:30 p.m. Confederations Cup, Japan vs. Brazil, ESPN

5 p.m. MLS, Dallas at Portland, ESPN

7:30 p.m. MLS, Montreal at COLUMBUS CREW, Fox Sports Ohio

Glass was one of the NFL's premier defensive ends in the 1960s.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A countdown of the top 100 players in Cleveland
Browns history. Players must have spent at least four seasons with the
Browns. The ranking is based only on players' careers with the Browns.

No. 31, BILL GLASS, defensive end, 1962-68

The big news when the Browns made a trade with the Lions in late March, 1962 was that the teams exchanged starting quarterbacks: Cleveland sending Milt Plum to Detroit and getting Jim Ninowski in exchange.

Plum would be Detroit's regular QB in 1962 and then its occasional starter over the next few years. Ninowski immediately became the Browns starter but broke his collarbone in the seventh game of the season, opening the way for Frank Ryan to take over and keep the job for several years, into the 1968 campaign. Ninowski stayed as Ryan's backup through 1966.

Also in the deal, linebacker Dave Lloyd and running back/kick returner Tom Watkins went to the Lions, and the Browns got running back/kick returner Howard "Hopalong" Cassady and defensive end Bill Glass. Watkins was a helpful Lions player for five years. Lloyd played one year in Detroit before playing eight years for the Philadelphia Eagles. Cassady, the 1955 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State, returned kickoffs and punts in five games for the 1962 Browns, finished the season with the Eagles and -- back with Detroit -- finished his career the next year.

Glass, though, became the star of the trade. The Lions had taken him with the 12th pick of the 1957 NFL draft out of Baylor. Glass played that year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League before joining the Lions, where he was a backup in his first season and a starter the next three.

Glass became a difference-maker at right defensive end for the Browns from the start. He was strong and athletic, and as a rangy, 6-5, 255-pounder, he played the game much like today's energetic players at the position.

The injury-hobbled Browns finished 7-6-1 in Glass's first Cleveland season. They went 59-24-1 in the remaining six years of his career, advancing to three NFL championship games, including the 27-0 rout of the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 title game at Cleveland Stadium. Glass had a key sack of quarterback Johnny Unitas and helped the Browns hold the powerful Colts offense to 181 yards.

Glass made the Pro Bowl team in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. Ironically, he didn't make the Pro Bowl in two seasons in which he set Browns records: 14 1/2 sacks in 1965 and seven straight games with at least one sack in 1966. Glass did more than pressure opposing quarterbacks. He was an excellent inside run stopper and his quickness and pursuit helped him string out the most dangerous running play of the era -- the end sweep.

Glass also earned various first-team all-conference and second-team all-NFL honors in five of his Browns seasons. He was in the midst of another fine campaign when injuries sidelined him for the final four games in 1968, after which he retired.

Those were the only games Glass missed during his NFL career.

Glass intercepted four passes with the Browns, returning one 17 yards for a touchdown that locked up Cleveland's 24-10 win over the Saints on Sept. 15, 1968 in New Orleans. His 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown clinched the Browns' 49-40 win over the New York Giants on Dec. 4 1966 at Cleveland Stadium.

Glass, 77, is still active in Christian ministries. His Bill Glass Champions for Life runs one of the nation's most prominent prison ministries, witnessing to inmates around the country.

(The Browns' all-time top 100 players so far)

Video: Part 1 of the 1967 Browns highlights film, narrated by radio play-by-play announcer Gib Shanley. Bill Glass (80) is at right defensive end:

Get updates today from the second and third rounds of the U.S. Open outside Philadelphia.

ARDMORE, Pa. - Get updates all day Saturday as the second round of the U.S. Open concludes, followed by the cut and play of the third round. Check the latest leaderboard here. 

Follow the action at Merion Golf Club in the box below, which features Twitter updates from Plain Dealer golf writer Tim Rogers from Merion, as well as Tweets from USGA accounts.

We invite you to post your comments about the tournament at the bottom of this post, or use the comments section to send a question to Rogers.

Come back to cleveland.com/golf on Sunday for an update blog covering the final round.

Mickelson, seeking his first U.S. Open title after five runner-up finishes, made about a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to pull into a tie.

ARDMORE, Pa. -- And they all fall down. Well, not all of them, but enough to make a good story line for the 113th U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club.

Player after player on Friday took their shot at the lead of the weather-delayed tournament, which failed for the second day to complete a round and has yet to have anyone take charge.

When play was halted by darkness at 8:27 p.m., there were 60 players on the course. They will resume their second rounds at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday. The projected cut stood at 8-over for the top 60 players and ties, but that could change.

View full sizeBilly Horschel and his caddie, Micah Fugitt, confer on the 16th tee during Friday's second round of the U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club.Clem Murray, Philadelphia Inquirer 

Co-leaders Billy Horschel and Phil Mickelson were able to get their first 36 holes completed before darkness and finished at 1-under 139.

Horschel, a third-year PGA Tour pro who in April won the Zurich Classic for his first victory, equaled Mickelson's opening-round 3-under 67 as the best of the week. Mickelson, seeking his first Open title, rallied late with his only birdie of the day on the 18th hole -- which played as the toughest on the course -- by making a putt of about 25 feet in growing darkness.

After bogeying the first hole, Mickelson reeled off 10 consecutive pars before a bogey on the 403-yard 12th.

"I fought hard all day," said Mickelson. "I let a lot of birdie opportunities slide early and in the middle of the round. I fought hard to stay in there and hit a lot of good, quality shots. Made a bunch of good pars."

Horschel -- who reached every green in regulation in an Open round for the first time since the USGA kept that stat -- also birdied the 18th but was more focused on the 3-putt bogey he made on the 115-yard 13th hole, the easiest hole on the course.

• Second-round leaderboard | Saturday TV: WKYC Ch. 3, Noon-7:30 p.m.

"It was a great day," he said. "A long day in that I had to play 29 holes, but I'll take it. A 67 sounds great but a 66 sounded better."

There are just two players under par at Merion, a venerable and shortish layout that has proven that size doesn't matter.

"This is a tough course and it's obviously showing that you don't need a course to be ultra-long to make it difficult," said Luke Donald, one of five players one shot behind after making four birdies en route to a 2-over 72.

Throughout the day players made moves but few were able to sustain. Mathew Goggin completed his first round at 68, but a double bogey on the ninth and three bogeys led to a second-round 74.

"The only thing harder than 30 holes of U.S. Open golf on one day is 31 holes," said Goggin. "This is hard. Mentally, it's very difficult."

Goggin wasn't alone. Belgium's Nicholas Colsaerts opened with a 69 and at one point was 2 under. Three bogeys left him at 72. Masters champion Adam Scott began the day at 2-over and bogeyed four holes in a row down the stretch to finish at 75.

Many others came and went. Rickie Fowler, Tim Clark, Jason Day, Jerry Kelly and Russ Knox all were within three shots of the lead but failed to maintain any consistency. Steve Stricker (69), Justin Rose (69), Ian Poulter and amateurs Michael Kim and Cheng-Tsung Pan were under par for their second round, although Poulter, Pan and Kim still have holes to play.

Stricker, 46, is playing in just his sixth event this season. But he offset two bogeys with three birdies and moved into contention for his first major.

It's all about Phil Mickelson on Sunday at the U.S. Open.

View full sizePhil Mickelson is always popular with fans at the U.S. Open.Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press 

1. I don't know about you but I get the feeling that the entire golfing population of Greater Philadelphia -- not to mention most of the golfing public nationwide -- will be rooting for Phil Mickelson today.

2. If Mickelson doesn't win this year, he may never win it. Of course, I said that in 2010, 2009, 2006, 2004, 2002 and 1999.

3. Merion stinks. Not figuratively, literally. The combination of rain, mud, hay and fertilizer have produced an aroma similar to what nearby Valley Forge might have smelled like when George Washinton's men camped there for six months in 1777. The word barnyard comes to mind.

4. The on-grounds merchandise tent looks big enough to house a five-bedroom condo and it was packed with shoppers Saturday afternoon. Looked like Black Friday. Survival of the richest. Some neat looking stuff but I'd really have to pad my expense account to cover the cost of what I could spend.

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- The forecast said one thing, but this is Ohio. What was supposed to be a clear day Saturday turned into spitting rain early during the Grand-Am Diamond Cellar Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. And the unexpected sprinkles led to fireworks. In the end, the Corvette team of Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa used a late-race...

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- The forecast said one thing, but this is Ohio. What was supposed to be a clear day Saturday turned into spitting rain early during the Grand-Am Diamond Cellar Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. And the unexpected sprinkles led to fireworks.

In the end, the Corvette team of Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa used a late-race pass of Richard Westbrook, partnered with Ricky Taylor, to lead the final 25 minutes and take the checkered flag at the tight and twisting 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit.

The Father's Day gift of brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor starting 1-2 on the grid faded quickly due to early cautions and flames behind them. With less than an hour to go in the 23/4-hour event, the battle was on between Michael Valiante and Max Angelelli, who took the top-two spots via pit stops.

It remained that way until lap 35, when the final round of pit stops saw Westbrook get the nose of his Corvette to the front first at pit exit.

The weather and slick conditions seemed to signal a parade to the end. But with less than 30 minutes left --on lap 89 -- as Westbrook and Barbosa came upon the slower GT leaders, Barbosa made his move getting side by side with Westbrook, then past him. The move stuck, and Barbosa's team picked up the victory over Valiante and Enzo Potolicchio, also in a Corvette, who finished second.

"Everything is looking good right now," Barbosa said. "I was able to judge traffic better [than Westbrook] and get a run on him. At that, I was able to get a gap and hold on."

But the talk of the race, indeed, the season, is the sudden demise of the Chip Ganassi BMW race team. The defending three-time champs exit Mid-Ohio wondering how another potential championship season suddenly went wrong in back-to-back races at Detroit and Lexington.

Before Motown and Mid-Ohio, the driving team of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas had won two races and finished no worse than fourth in the others. But then a DNF after a first-lap mishap with Gustavo Yacaman started the Ganassi team demise. And it was deja vu at Mid-Ohio as Yacaman became tangled with the Ganassi car again early, then a later fender bender effectively ended their day with a pit penalty. They finished 21st.

"Unfortunately, those things happen," Pruett said after the race. "We got about what we could out of it."

Seven laps into the race, Yacaman in his Ford got side by side with the BMW that had Rojas behind the wheel. Last week, Yacaman knocked the three-time defending DP champs out of the race, and some believe out of the championship hunt, with no points.

This time, it was Yacaman, put on suspension after his Detroit mishap, who was burned, literally, as contact with Rojas sent him into the sand, then back on the track with the rear of his machine spitting flames.

In short order, the Ford was in full blaze and black smoke. Yacaman stopped the car between turns nine and 10 on the track, quickly unstrapped and left the smoldering machine.

Back in the pits, Pruett, a five-time series champion, had somewhat mixed feelings split between Yacaman's team owner, Mike Shank from Columbus, and Yacaman.

"I feel really bad for Mike Shank, but not the driver," Pruett said. "It will be interesting to see what Grand-Am does, since he [Yacaman] is on probation."

Moments later, Shank said quietly, "I don't know what to say."

But the former champs were soon silent as well. Rojas had another incident that was now determined to be "avoidable contact" which led to a stop, plus a 60-second wait in the pits for the baby blue machine. If Pruett/Rojas did not have much of a chance at defending their title before Mid-Ohio, their season was certainly doomed now.

More drama: The end of the GT race was equally thrilling as the car of Boris Said/Eric Curran, with Said behind the wheel, spun the leading team of Bill Auberlen/Paul Dalla Lana on lap 108 with two laps to go to take the lead. Yet before the last lap was finished, word had already reached the pits that the Said/Curran team would be penalized, and the victory would go to Auberlen/Dalla Lana.

"All of a sudden, he turned me around with two laps to go," Said said. "But the series did the right thing."

Oh no, oh yes! What looked like trouble proved to be a blessing as a late-race yellow in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GT race helped the team of Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi not only keep the lead in their Porsche 997 machine but finish as the winners.

Plum had a comfortable lead well over two seconds on the field when the caution hit. That allowed the field to bunch up behind Plum, but also allowed all cars to make a late pit stop.

"Our pit stop happened at the right time," Plum said. "We were on fumes and would not have made it to the end of the race."

Plum credited pit strategy, as his crew consistently seems to know when something can happen that will help the team earn a victory.

"They have a little black magic going on, and it always seems to be right," Plum said of his pit crew.

The caution came out with four laps to go, and the Plumb/Longhi team won by 0.452-seconds over the Auberlen/Tom Dyer team. The ST series checkered flag went to the team of Dyer and Andrew Novich in their Honda Civic SI.

The St. Vincent-St. Mary star led the U.S. team, on which St. Edward's Eric Flannery is an assistant coach, to the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

View full sizeCoach Eric Flannery.Courtesy USA Basketball 

Editor's note: St. Edward basketball coach Eric Flannery is blogging for The Plain Dealer this month during his tenure as an assistant coach for USA Basketball's U16 National Team. The team is playing in the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship through today in Maldonado, Uruguay. Also follow Flannery on Twitter (@CoachFlan).

Maldonado, Uruguay -- I can now say that this may have been the best HS team ever assembled, at this age. We won the gold medal with a 94-48 win over Argentina. When these guys want to play and are focused, it is scary. They look like a mini-NBA team.

Again, the atmosphere of the game was electric. Horns and whistles blowing, the Argentina flag being waved in our face. The players from Argentina literally biting and scratching to try to stay in the game. Our guys did not get fazed by any of it and responded like champions.

The emotion of hearing your national anthem and having a gold medal around your neck is something I will never forget. The players poured water bottles over the coaches, soaking us for the night. The last time I won a championship was 1998, so it felt good to finish this one off, maybe it will be the boost I need to bring another title back to St. Edward High School.

V.J. King was special again tonight, bringing energy off the bench and hitting a key 3-pointer to stop an Argentina run. I do not have final stats with me, but when you win by 40-something points for a gold medal, the individual numbers don't really matter.

After the game the mob scene was crazy. We tried to leave out of two different exits, both were piled with people looking to get autographs or USA gear. We finally made it to the bus and now we are sitting at a restaurant call Sumo's. The guys are really excited, finally relieved they got the job done. It should be a fun night before we head home in the morning.

A few thank you's before I go. BJ Johnson, the do-it-all behind the scenes guy for USAB, takes care of everyone on the trip, he is an unbelievable human being. Caroline Williams, the Communications Director for USAB. David Craig, our athletic trainer, spent 38 years with the Indiana Pacers, is now retired, but is truly a miracle man. Samson Kayode, our film guy, currently works for the Golden State Warriors, he does amazing breakdowns. My St. Edward assistant coaches for taking care of business while I was gone. And again, my family, I will be home soon!

Top pick Clint Frazier took batting practice and got a warm welcome in the Cleveland Indians clubhouse.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians rolled out the red carpet Saturday for No.1 pick Clint Frazier by officially signing him to a deal worth $3.5 million. Then they rolled out the red wigs.

The red-haired Frazier was taken into the Indians' clubhouse after signing his contract and was greeted by several Indians' players wearing bright red wigs.

"I thought that was hilarious," said Frazier. "Earlier in the year somebody from Baseball America joked and said whenever I make it to the big leagues they're going to have a red-head give-away night.

"It was kind of weird to see that come into reality. I never knew what it would be like to meet a bunch of major-leaguers at once and to see them all wearing the red wigs and giving me a hard time ... I can't put it into words."

Frazier, 18, will report to Goodyear, Ariz., the Indians' spring-training headquarters, on Sunday and play center field for the Arizona Rookie League Indians. Their season starts Thursday.

After becoming extremely rich, getting welcomed by a contingent of red-haired big-leaguers and receiving some sage advice from 42-year-old Jason Giambi, Frazier went out and took batting practice at Progressive Field.

"It was different," said Frazier. "I thought I could go out there and hit some home runs pretty easy. Not today, but I got into a few and really enjoyed myself."

Frazier hit several balls into the left field bleachers.

Asked what he was going to do with his signing bonus, Frazier laughed and said: "The money is not something I've set my sights on right now. I don't play to make money, I play to have fun."

The Indians' slotting bonus for their No.1 pick was $3.787 million. They will be able to use the money they saved to sign their other high round picks.

Frazier, the fifth player taken in the draft, hit .485 (47-for-97) with 17 homers, 45 RBI and 56 runs in his senior year. He had a .561 on-base percentage and a 1.134 slugging percentage in 32 games. After his season, Gatorade named Frazier the National Baseball Player of the Year.

He is the first high school outfielder taken in the first round by the Indians since Manny Ramirez in 1991. Baseball America rated him as the top high school player in the country.

Testing, testing: Closer Chris Perez will make a rehab start Sunday at Class A Lake County. He'll pitch an inning to test the strained right rotator cuff that put him on the disabled list on May 27.

"My shoulder is good," said Perez. "I threw a bullpen session Friday. There was no pain, but I was rusty. I felt like I needed the rehab assignment to tighten up my strikes.

"But there was no pain. I came back today (Saturday) and played catch and felt OK. Obviously, a game situation is different so we'll see how that goes on Sunday."

If Perez comes through Sunday's appearance feeling sharp, he could be activated Monday. If not, he'll make at least one more rehab appearance.

"They're leaving it up to me," he said. "They told me don't come back just to come back. They want me to make sure I can come back and do my job well. We'll see how it goes Sunday.

"If I throw like I did on Friday, I'll probably need another appearance. I wasn't very sharp Friday. It felt like my first appearance of the year in spring training."

This was the first time Perez has spoken to the media since authorities searched his Rocky River residence on June 5 and found two boxes of marijuana. Perez and his wife, Melanie, were charged with misdemeanor drug abuse. They both filed not guilty pleas with an arraignment set for June 19.

Perez said he would not answer any questions about his legal situation. Finally: Besides Frazier, the Indians signed two more draft picks: Left-hander Thomas Pannone, their ninth-round pick out of the College of Southern Nevada, and right-hander Kerry Doane, their 24th-round pick out of East Tennessee State.

An error by the Cleveland Indians' Nick Swisher gave Anthony Rendon a second chance with two out in the ninth inning and the Nationals' second baseman made them pay with a game-winning homer.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --The Indians gave Anthony Rendon a second chance Saturday night, and he beat them because of it.

After first baseman Nick Swisher was charged with an error for letting Rendon's two-out popup fall behind him in foul territory in the ninth inning, Rendon hit a Vinnie Pestano pitch over the right-field wall to give the Nationals a 7-6 victory over the Indians at Progressive Field.

It was Rendon's first big-league homer and the fifth of the night for the Nationals.

The Indians couldn't keep Washington in the park, and their three-game winning streak ended because of it.

"It was a miscommunication," said second baseman Jason Kipnis, who watched the potential third out of the inning fall in front of him and in back of Swisher.

"He thought I was going to take it, and I thought he was going to take it.

"In hindsight, that's a ball I should have taken."

Said Swisher: "That shouldn't happen to us, but it did and it cost us the game. It was a miscommunication and it's already been addressed."

Pestano did not fault Swisher or Kipnis.

"The popup had nothing to do with it," said Pestano. "The ball was in my hand. I threw the pitch that cost us the game."

It was not a good night for the Tribe's bullpen.

Joe Smith had 6-5 lead with two out in the eighth when he gave up a game-tying homer to pinch-hitter Chad Tracy. Tracy drove Smith's 0-2 pitch over the fence in center.

Scott Kazmir started the game for the Tribe by giving up three homers in a four-batter span from the first through the second inning. It looked like the Indians would soon be hopelessly behind the Nationals.

Two things happened to prevent that from happening.

No. l, Kazmir was removed after 2 innings, his shortest start of the season. No. 2, the Indians started knocking the ball out of the park against Jordan Zimmermann, one of the best starters in the game, as they rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a 6-5 lead.

The homers belonged to Carlos Santana and Mark Reynolds as they hit consecutive drives in the fourth to put the Tribe back in the game. But the big hit was delivered by Michael Brantley, whose two-run double with two out in the fifth gave the Tribe its only lead of the night.

Pestano (1-2) took the loss, while Drew Storen (1-1) was the winner. Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his 18th save.

Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead with consecutive homers off Kazmir in the first. Two batters later, Ian Desmond started the second with a line-drive homer over the 19-foot wall in left field to make it 3-0.

Kazmir has allowed 12 homers this season, 11 to right-handed hitters.

"It was awesome the way we came back, but for me to pitch like I did was unacceptable," said Kazmir.

Washington made it 5-0 with two runs in the third.

The Nationals loaded the bases against Kazmir as Rendon doubled and Zimmerman and Werth walked. Rendon scored when Adam LaRoche hit into a 6-4-3 double play as Zimmerman took third. After Kazmir walked Desmond, Matt Albers relieved and threw a wild pitch that probably should have been handled by Santana to score Zimmerman.

The Indians started their comeback with an RBI single by Kipnis in the third to make it 5-1. Consecutive homers by Santana and Reynolds made it 5-3 in the fourth. It was Santana's ninth homer and Reynolds' 14th.

The Tribe finally took the lead in the fifth against Jordan Zimmermann. Mike Aviles started the rally with a one-out single. Kipnis kept it going with a two-out single, and Swisher delivered Aviles to make it 5-4 with a single to left-center. Up stepped Brantley, and he hit a two-run double to right-center for the lead.

Brantley came into the game hitting .211 (8-for-38) with one RBI in June.

Zimmermann, facing the Indians for the first time, did not come out for the sixth. After not allowing an earned run in his past two starts over 15 innings, he allowed six on eight hits in five innings.

Kazmir, facing the Nationals for the first time, allowed five runs on four hits in 2 innings.

"We did a great job climbing back into that game," said manager Terry Francona. "Zimmermann is one of the best around."

Captaintreacherous is 3-0 this season.

CAMPBELLVILLE, Ontario -- Captaintreacherous won the $1 million North America Cup on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack, rallying to take the world's richest pacing event in 1:48.3.

Driven by Tim Tetrick, the son of 2008 Cup champion Somebeachsomewhere earned $500,000. The favorite improved to 3-0 this year and has 11 victories in 13 career starts. Brecksville's Joe Sbrocco is a part-owner of Captaintreacherous

Twilight Bonfire, a 90-1 shot, was second in the 10-horse field. Wake Up Peter finished third.

Class AAA: Columbus 4, Charlotte 2 Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI double, Chun-Hsiu Chen singled in a run and Juan Diaz drove home two more in a four-run first inning to power the Clippers over the host Knights. Columbus starter Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.81 ERA) struck out eight while allowing two runs and four hits in five innings. Class...

Class AAA: Columbus 4, Charlotte 2 Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI double, Chun-Hsiu Chen singled in a run and Juan Diaz drove home two more in a four-run first inning to power the Clippers over the host Knights. Columbus starter Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.81 ERA) struck out eight while allowing two runs and four hits in five innings.

Class AA: Akron 6, Portland 2 Jesus Aguilar's three-run homer was the big blow in a four-run third inning as the Aeros beat the host Sea Dogs. Jordan Cooper (3-2, 3.61) blanked Portland over 51/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits.

Class A Advanced: Carolina 8, Myrtle Beach 2 Mudcats CF Tyler Naquin (.311), SS Francisco Lindor (.300) and 2B Joe Wendle (.319) each had two hits as Carolina beat the host Pelicans in the first game of a doubleheader. Michael Goodnight (1-0, 5.71) got the win with three innings of scoreless relief.

Class A: Lake County 5-4, Great Lakes 2-3 Aaron Siliga hit a two-run homer and Dorssys Paulino hit a solo shot in the fifth inning as the host Captains beat the Loons in the first game of a doubleheader. Jake Sisco (3-5, 3.25) worked 5 innings for the win, working around four hits and five walks.

In the nightcap, Siliga's single to center in the sixth inning drove home Jorge Martinez to break a 3-3 tie and give the Captains the sweep.

The Cleveland Gladiators score 20 straight points, but it is not enough to prevent them from losing their fifth straight game.

Ken Hornack

Special to the Plain Dealer

Orlando, Fla. -- Down by 20 early in the fourth quarter, the struggling Cleveland Gladiators had every reason to pack it in Saturday night against the Orlando Predators.

Instead, they picked it up.

Three touchdown passes by Chris Dieker, the last one coming with 43 seconds remaining, enabled them to tie the score. But the Gladiators saw their losing streak extended to five games when Aaron Garcia's 4-yard scoring strike to Prechae Rodriguez with three seconds to go gave the Predators a 62-55 victory.

"Every loss hurts. I'm not going to say it hurts more," Dieker said. "But it just hurts when you fight to make a comeback like that and you leave some points out on the field. We've just got to be able to bounce back from that kind of stuff."

Coach Steve Thonn and one of his assistants were upset about a call that went against the Gladiators (2-10) two plays before the game-winning TD. A flag was thrown on a second-down incompletion, with defensive back Anderson Brandon being called for illegal contact despite Garcia throwing the ball nowhere near him.

"They said it didn't matter," Thonn said. "But earlier in the game, they said [the Predators] were guilty of contact but didn't call it because the ball wasn't catchable."

A 27-yard pass from Garcia to Jason Geathers to begin the fourth quarter gave the Predators, who had been winless at home in four previous games, a seemingly insurmountable 55-35 lead.

"We pretty much knew we had to score every time at that point," Thonn said. "And I think we did a good job of doing just that."

The Gladiators successfully executed an onside kick after the Predators (4-8) had their advantage cut to 55-42. At first, the officials ruled the ball was touched before it had traveled the required 10 yards, but the call was reviewed and overturned.

A 14-yard scramble by Dieker, aided by a block from wide receiver Carlese Franklin, gave the Gladiators their only lead of the game at 28-27 late in the second quarter. They had trailed 20-7 before being sparked by Franklin's return of a kickoff for a touchdown, their first such score all season.

The Predators grabbed a 34-28 lead at halftime when T.T. Toliver hauled in a 7-yard pass from Garcia. Toliver was injured late in the third quarter after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Gladiators defensive back LaRoche Jackson, who wound up being ejected from the game.

"I don't think it was malicious," Thonn said. "It might have been helmet-to-helmet, but it wasn't a malicious foul."

Although he lost a fumble on the 1-yard line after a poor exchange with center Chad Schofield, Dieker had an interception-free performance and connected on some difficult throws. His game-tying score to Thyron Lewis was delivered while he was falling down, and Lewis was on the seat of his pants after being held by a defender.

"The team with the ball last was going to win that game," Dieker said. "We were hot. We were rolling. At that point, we were all confident that if we got the ball back, we were going to march down and score."

Dominick Goodman, coming off an 18-catch game against Iowa, had only one reception in the first half.

"They did a good job early taking Goody away," Dieker said. "We just had to come back and try to find some different stuff that was open."

Ken Hornack is a freelance writer based in Florida.

Class AAA: Columbus 4, Charlotte 2: Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI double, Chun-Hsiu Chen singled in a run and Juan Diaz drove home two more in a four-run first inning to power the Clippers over the host Knights. Columbus starter Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.81 ERA) struck out eight while allowing two runs and four hits in five innings. Class...

Class AAA: Columbus 4, Charlotte 2: Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI double, Chun-Hsiu Chen singled in a run and Juan Diaz drove home two more in a four-run first inning to power the Clippers over the host Knights. Columbus starter Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.81 ERA) struck out eight while allowing two runs and four hits in five innings.

Class AA: Akron 6, Portland 2: Jesus Aguilar's three-run homer was the big blow in a four-run third inning as the Aeros beat the host Sea Dogs. Jordan Cooper (3-2, 3.61) blanked Portland over 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits.

Class A Advanced: Carolina 8-1, Myrtle Beach 2-5: Mudcats CF Tyler Naquin (.311), SS Francisco Lindor (.300) and 2B Joe Wendle (.319) each had two hits as Carolina beat the host Pelicans in the first game of a doubleheader. Michael Goodnight (1-0, 5.71) got the win with three innings of scoreless relief.

In Game 2, Mudcats starter Rob Nixon (0-2, 4.58) got tagged for five hits and five runs -- four earned -- in three innings as the Pelicans rebounded for a split. CF Jordan Smith (.271) had two hits for Carolina.

Class A: Lake County 5-4, Great Lakes 2-3: Aaron Siliga hit a two-run homer and Dorssys Paulino hit a solo shot in the fifth inning as the host Captains beat the Loons in the first game of a doubleheader. Jake Sisco (3-5, 3.25) worked 5 innings for the win, working around four hits and five walks.

In the nightcap, Siliga's single to center in the sixth inning drove home Jorge Martinez to break a 3-3 tie and give the Captains the sweep.

Analyzing the Cleveland Cavaliers' decision in the June 27 draft makes it clear how difficult it is to fully invest in Kentucky's Nerlens Noel.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to our Father's Day edition, where we're talkin'...

About Kyrie Irving and Nerlens Noel...

The Cavs made Duke's Irving the top pick in 2011 despite playing only 11 college games -- a grand total of 303 minutes. They were very concerned about Irving's toe injury. But they also were enthralled with his talent.

There may have been a major-college freshman guard who has shot .529 from the field, .462 on 3-pointers and .901 at the foul line -- but I couldn't find one. While he had sizzling stats from the outside, Irving's main attribute was ball-handling and driving to the basket.

Did anyone know that Irving would average 20.6 points, shooting .459 from the field in his first two NBA seasons? Not even the Cavs dared to dream that much. But fans also know the rest ... injuries.

The toe hasn't been a problem. But he has had injuries to a finger, shoulder and also had a minor concussion. He's played in 110 of 148 NBA games. Irving is only 21. Even if he's somewhat fragile, he has a chance to become an outstanding player -- especially if new coach Mike Brown can convince him to make a decent defensive effort.

As the 2011 draft approached, it helped that Irving returned to action for the team's three NCAA Tournament games. He then visited Cleveland for a personal workout, one that inspired former coach Byron Scott to compare Irving to star point guard Chris Paul.

In other words, the Cavs were reasonably confident that Irving was healthy on draft day.The same can't be said for Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel. It's why the Cavs still aren't sure if he's the right choice at No. 1 -- despite what most mock drafts indicate.

They love his defense, especially shot-blocking and quickness that leads to steals and deflections. He averaged 9.5 rebounds in 31 minutes, good numbers for an 18-year-old in the SEC.

Two knee injuries in four years are a major worry. Little discussed is the injury to a growth plate in his knee, wiping out most of his sophomore high-school season. It's the same knee that suffered the ACL injury in February, ending Noel's freshman season at Kentucky after 24 games. He is not expected to play at least until December.

The other issues are a lack of offense. At this point, he mostly dunks. Eighty percent of his field goals came within five feet of the rim. His 6-11, 206-pound frame is a slight concern, but he won't be 19 until next April. He can add weight and strength.

The bottom line?

In 2011, the Cavs knew there were caution lights about Irving's durability, but his talent made them say, "We gotta have the guy."

In 2012, they had the same feeling about Anthony Davis, and offered their entire draft to New Orleans for the rights to the first pick. But that's not the case right now about Noel -- or anyone else in this draft.

About the Cavaliers...

1. The problem is no one in this draft is viewed as a "gotta have" type player. Noel's health issue makes him one of the bigger risks, but there is a reward if he becomes a shot-blocker who changes the game on the defensive end.

2. The Cavs still have these players under serious consideration, in no real order: Alex Len, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, Nerlens Noel and Otto Porter. Some people believe Victor Oladipo is in the group, but he's a long shot.

3. Before the lottery delivered the No. 1 pick, I was convinced they were hoping to end up with a pick high enough to grab Porter. The sophomore from Georgetown is the one true small forward in the first round, a very solid player. He's long-armed at 6-8 who shot 48 percent from the field -- and an impressive 42 percent on 3-pointers.

4. The Cavs are team that needs a small forward. Porter averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and was the Big East Player of the Year. He moves very well without the ball, rare in a young player. I wonder if they are circling back to Porter because he is a safe pick in a draft seemingly void of impact players.

5. Like most teams, they consider 42 percent shooting from 3-point range to be an excellent indicator of being able to connect from the outside, even though the college 3-point line is shorter. It's why Irving at nearly 47 percent was eye-popping. Porter and McLemore are both at 42 percent.

6. I do know the Cavs are intrigued by a 3-guard rotation of Dion Waiters, McLemore and Irving. They like Len's size (7-1, 255 pounds), but his offense is raw and he's coming off foot surgery. Bennett may be the most physically gifted scorer in the draft, but he's 6-8, 240 pounds. He's mostly a power forward who has major struggles on defense.

7. The point is the Cavs can make a case for several players -- but not a strong, no-doubt case for any.

About Brandon Weeden ...

View full sizeBrandon Weeden completed minicamp having shown plenty of positive signs to Browns coaches.Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer 

The Browns were very pleased with how Weeden threw the ball and just seemed more confident in minicamp. The coaches were excited about his ability to get the ball downfield -- and how several receivers responded in the new up-tempo passing game.

Travis Benjamin and Greg Little were especially impressive. Josh Gordon had some very good moments, but there is caution because of the pending suspension. Davone Bess is the possession receiver this team has needed for years.

Now, the coaches are challenging Weeden to study the new playbook harder than ever before. This is his chance to establish himself as a starting quarterback. If he fails with Norv Turner and Rob Chudzinski calling the plays and drawing up the Xs and Os, that's on him.

No more excuses about learning an offense not fitted to his skills.

About the Browns' salary cap...

When Joe Banner ran the business side of the Eagles, he liked to sign players before they reached free agency. Part of the reason the Browns have about $30 million left on the salary cap is they want to sign some of their current players.

1. They will begin serious talks with center Alex Mack, a free agent at the end of the season. He will make about $5.5 million between his regular salary and a roster bonus. He is a major part of the line and has never missed a snap since being a first-round pick in 2009.

2. Joe Haden has two years left on his contract. With the Eagles, Banner often signed players to extensions with two years left. The question on Haden is the suspension from last year (four games for Adderall). The new front office and coaches may want to see how he performs this season before making a major commitment.

3. T.J. Ward is in his final contract year. The main concern with him is durability, as he ended the last two seasons on the injured list. The coaches like young safeties Johnson Bademosi and Tashaun Gipson. They drafted Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter (recovering from Achilles surgery) in the sixth round. They want protection in case Ward is hurt again.

4. John Greco has impressed, and is on the final year of an $800,000 deal. The Browns may consider an extension, especially if Greco establishes himself as a starting guard in training camp.

5. Phil Taylor has two years left. The key is durability, as he missed six games last season with a torn pectoral muscle. Also, the Browns want to watch him in the 3-4 defense.

6. Like Taylor, Jabaal Sheard has two years left. The Browns really like how he is adapting from a 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker. They will want to see more once real football starts, but he has made an outstanding first impression and could be playing his way into the team's long-term plans.

About Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco...

View full sizeCorey Kluber's emergence this season is a reflection on his ability and willingness to work on the inside part of the plate, says Terry Pluto.LM Otero, Associated Press 

1. The Indians know exactly what Carrasco must do to become a viable starter -- watch Corey Kluber. For years, Kluber was much like Carrasco. He had a fastball in the 93-96 mph range, a strong breaking ball and decent control. But in the majors, he struggled. The lesson the coaches were giving Kluber is the same they are now delivering to Carrasco -- you can't throw everything on the outside part of the plate.

2. I know, Carrasco got in trouble for hitting batters. This is not about plunking people. It is about throwing hard stuff on the inside corner, breaking bats. That is what has made Kluber a pleasant surprise at 4-4 with a 4.08 ERA. At 27, he has claimed the inside corner.

3. Kluber's fastball averages 92.6 mph. He often hits 96. His curveball is 82 mph and it drops straight down, and is his most effective pitch against left-handed hitters. He starts it over the middle, and it breaks inside and falls about a foot. There is the danger of hanging a breaking pitch, but it doesn't happen often.

4. Kluber has 57 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings, compared to only 12 walks. He throws 63 percent of his first pitches for strikes, the best of any Tribe starter. The worst is Ubaldo Jimenez (55 percent). So he throws hard, throws strikes and has a nasty breaking pitch. For years, Kluber averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, and only now is has really figured out how to pitch.

5. That's why the Tribe is being patient with the 25-year-old Carrasco, whose average fastball is 94.1 mph. He has lit up the radar gun at 97-98 at times. He does have a hard, sharp breaking pitch. His control has been above-average for most of his career. But he has been reluctant to throw to the inside corner.

About the Tribe . . .

1. Watching Drew Stubbs slide under the catcher's tag to score the winning run in Friday's game is a reason to consider what the Tribe has in the outfielder obtained from the Reds in the Shin-Soo Choo trade. Remember, that deal was mostly about Choo becoming a free agent at the end of this season and the Tribe picking up pitching prospect Trevor Bauer. Relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw, especially, have been a real bonus as part of that three-way deal.

2. But Stubbs has helped, especially when you consider he is a good outfielder in center or right field. He runs hard on every ball, and can get from first to third base in a wink of an eye. He has six steals.

3. Stubbs' value as a hitter depends upon when he plays. Against lefties, he's batting .274 (.804 OPS) this season. It's .216 vs. righties. Over the previous three years, it's the same: .275 vs. lefties, .225 vs. righties. For a team that has been almost helpless against lefties in recent years, Stubbs is a significant addition.

4. When the Tribe signed Ryan Raburn to a minor-league contract, it felt like buying a lottery ticket with little chance of even a modest payoff. He batted only .171 for the Tigers in 2012, and there was little market for him after the season. Rayburn has been strong in 2013, hitting .289 with eight homers and 21 RBI. He's a .313 batter vs. lefties, another plus. He is above average in right field, and can play second and third base.

5. From 2009 to '11, Raburn averaged 15 homers and 48 RBI for the Tigers. While he was never able to be a full-time player, he had value -- and the Tribe has cashed in on this little transaction. Having players such as Rayburn, Stubbs and steady Mike Aviles give the Tribe a real, big-league bench. With Asdrubal Cabrera hurt, Aviles has been impressive as the regular shortstop. He has one error in 23 games, and his bat has value. Aviles is batting .264 with four homers, five stolen bases and brings a certain grit to the game.

6. Add in Yan Gomes (who came to the Tribe along with Aviles from Toronto for Esmil Rogers), and manager Terry Francona has options when it comes to guys who can play several positions. Toronto now has Rogers (2-2, 3.21) in its rotation.

7. Tribe fans are now seeing the other side of Mark Reynolds. The Reynolds who can look so lost at home plate you'd swear he'll never get another hit. Heading into Saturday night's game, Reynolds was batting .189 with five homers and 19 RBI since May 1. But Saturday, he did hit a homer. This came after the best April (.301, eight homers, 25 RBI) in his career.

8. Is part of the reason for the slump because Reynolds is playing so much third base, a difficult position for him? Or is it because he's so outrageously streaky, a pattern for his career? Usually, he's a prime fastball hitter, but he's seemed late even on those pitches. At some point, he'll be hot again, but who knows when. In case you were wondering, Reynolds ranks sixth in the league with 75 strikeouts. Stubbs (70) is seventh. The leader is Houston's Chris Carter (96).

Nick Swisher's left shoulder is hurting again and might land him on the disabled list.

Nick Swisher says sore left shoulder has taken the "thump' out of his swing.Winslow Townson, Associated Press 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- First baseman Nick Swisher's left shoulder is hurting and could put him on the disabled list.

Swisher aggravated the shoulder in the fifth inning Saturday night during an at bat in the Indians' 7-6 loss to the Nationals.

"I'm grinding guys," said Swisher. "I want to be in there every day regardless of what I got going on. Obviously, it's starting to physically show a little bit."
 
Swisher missed time earlier in the season because of shoulder soreness.
 
"I've been battling this shoulder thing the whole year. It's super frustrating for me because I've never had something like this," he said. "Either way, we have to figure out what is going on and then we will go from there."
 
Swisher is in a 6-for-55 slump.
 
"I just don't feel I have the thump in my swing," he said. "Whatever decision we make tomorrow, we are going to go at it full on."

The Indians signed Swisher to a four-year $56 million deal in December. He has been on the disabled list just once in his big-league career.

"I took three or four days off to get it back, and I just kind of re-aggravated it," said Swisher. "It's just not going away. We're going to have to find a way to make it feel a little better."

After Saturday's game, manager Terry Francona said Swisher's shoulder is bothering him, but that he could play with it. The question is how much longer will that be?