Keep up with Cleveland native Jason Dufner and all the other golfers and watch the leaderboard all day in this blog.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Get updates all day today from the final round of the PGA Championship as Cleveland native Jason Dufner chases his first major championship.

Dufner, who lived in the area until age 11, heads into the final round at 8-under, trailing leader Jim Furyk by one stroke.

Dufner and Furyk tee off in the season's final major at 2:55 p.m.

Keep up with Dufner and all the other golfers and watch the leaderboard all day in this blog, which features Twitter updates from the PGA Tour, the official PGA Championship account, and more.

See all of today's tee times at Oak Hill Country Club here. Play begins at 8:25 a.m.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher shot back at Bernie Kosar for his harsh comments about the Rams during Thursday night's broadcast. Sports Illustrated writer Peter King criticized Kosar too.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said today he lost a lot of respect for former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for Kosar's harsh comments about the Rams during Thursday night's broadcast of the Browns' 27-19 victory on WKYC.

Fisher, during his post-practice press conference today, then leveled a shot of his own at Kosar -- and longtime Sports Illustrated writer Peter King later followed suit in a tweet.

Specifically, Kosar blasted third-string quarterback Kellen Clemens, the Rams receivers, and their receivers coach Ray Sherman.

First off, let me say this: The Cleveland Browns' organization is a first-class organization from top to bottom and it has been that for years and years and years," Fisher said. "I guess I'm a little disappointed. I feel bad for them that they had someone doing their broadcast feel the need to speak that way about players, specifically on our team and coaches for that matter.

"I'm just surprised that Bernie has such a lack of respect for players and this game. To be honest with you, I lost a lot of respect for him. It's highly unlikely he knew anything about our football team, but felt the need to make those comments. I don't think they were justified."

A Browns spokesman said the club is reviewing the situation. It remains to be seen if he'll be taken off the remaining broadcast. At the very least, he'll be expected to apologize to Fisher and the Rams.

It was Kosar's comments about Clemens that seemed to most rankle Fisher. When he came into the game, play-by-play man Jim Donovan told a story about Clemens having his daughter bless by Pope Benedict XVI and giving the Pope an autograph. 

Kosar said he didn't think he'd want the autograph himself,  and added, "Bless me father for I have sinned. I have to watch him the whole fourth quarter."

Fisher retorted today, "Bernie's got his issues; they're well documented. Kellen played well, he played hard, he made plays."

And King tweeted the following:

EARTH CITY, Mo.--My question for Kosar after comments in Cle-StL preseason game: Were you drinking? Good guy. But waaay over the top here.

— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) August 11, 2013

Of course, Kosar's sometimes erratic behavior on local TV and radio is no surprise to Browns fans, who've been hearing it for years. But he's attributed it to post-concussion syndrome, for which he's receiving treatment.

At one point in the broadcast he said, "I'm checking through the itinerary here of guys and coaches to see who the receivers coach is to make sure I don't know who this guy is because he's not doing very good either.''

He called the Rams' receivers "horrible'' and when Donovan asked what if their parents were watching, Kosar replied, "I'd be embarassed.''

He did praise quarterback Sam Bradford, but said, "I see why Sam Bradford has been struggling watching how bad these receivers have been for him."

Each time Matt Lampson made a critical stop, his Columbus Crew teammates responded at the other end of the field.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Each time Matt Lampson made a critical stop, his Columbus Crew teammates responded at the other end of the field.

He helped the Crew earn a 2-0 victory against New York on Saturday that ended a three-game losing streak.

Lampson, starting for the injured Andy Gruenebaum for the third time this season, got his second shutout by making two saves.

Within minutes of each the Crew got goals by Federico Higuain, who converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute and added his first goal from the run of play in more than five months in the 76th.

"Those saves were huge," Crew defender Chad Barson said. "They definitely kept us in the game. It takes pressure off us when we're able to keep a clean sheet."

New York (11-8-5) was without top players Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry, but stayed in the match through several excellent saves by Luis Robles.

But the match changed when Chad Marshall drew a penalty call during a free kick.

"Actually, when (the referee) blew the whistle I thought he was calling that Luis had been fouled," said New York assistant coach Robin Fraser, who was in charge while head coach Mike Petke served a suspension.

"Certainly I was surprised."

Robles stopped an Higuain penalty on May 4 that led to a Red Bulls' 1-0 win, but Higuain converted against him on May 26 during a 2-2 draw.

This time, Higuain powered the shot down the middle and Robles had no chance. Higuain has seven goals this season; five have come via seven penalty attempts.

Lampson made a critical save two minutes prior to the goal when got his fingertips on a sneaky strike by Jonathan Steele. The shot went off Lampson and hit the crossbar.

Just before the insurance goal that helped snap New York's three-game winning streak, Lampson made a diving stop of an Espindola header to preserve the lead.

"One of the biggest jobs as a goalkeeper is to give the team confidence," Lampson said. "When you make big saves they really thrive off it and I think that's exactly what happened."

Soon thereafter, rookie Wil Trapp put the ball into open space along the right side. Higuain took it and put a 25-yard chip shot past Robles as Trapp collected his first career assist.

Meyer said the kick return game was very poor last year, but he expects the entire return game to improve a lot.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Urban Meyer broke down the entire Ohio State roster during the team's media day Sunday, going through all the position groups. When he got to the end, it was one small group he was asked about that helped paint a picture of the Buckeyes this season.

“I remember there were times last year when we were looking for returners and we couldn't find any,” Meyer said.

Now? The word Meyer used was “plethora.”

“We're good right now,” he said.

A group like that tells you something about the Buckeyes' athleticism and game-breaking ability, the area where it sounds like Ohio State could make the greatest leap this year. Because you can pull returners from everywhere, just like you can special teams cover guys.

So candidates could be running backs, receivers or players from the defensive secondary. When it comes to kick returners, Meyer mentioned senior running back/H-back Jordan Hall and freshman running back/H-back/receiver Dontre Wilson, freshman receiver James Clark and junior cornerback Bradley Roby. As a punt returner, he said senior receiver Philly Brown is the top guys, though he is getting pressure from others. During an early freshman practice, Clark, Wilson and Jalin Marshall were all fielding punts.

Meyer was pretty happy with the punt returns last year, with the Buckeyes ranking second in the Big Ten with a 10.4 yard average while running three back for scores. The kick returns were a different story. Ohio State was ninth in the Big Ten at 19.9 yards per return. Meyer called that area of the team “very poor.”

He's ready for a step forward.

“I'd be disappointed if our return game isn't really good this year,” Meyer said.

Other depth chart notes from Meyer:

* Center Corey Linsley, coming off a spring foot injury, is expected back at practice this week. Linsley also has been a bit sick recently, which hasn't helped his return. And left guard Andrew Norwell is expected back at practice early this week, Meyer said, after leaving practice with plantar fasciitis, an inflammation in his foot, last week.

* Middle linebacker Curtis Grant was on the sideline when reporters watched practice last week. That's because he was dealing with a concussion. Meyer said Grant is still the first-team middle linebacker and Grant should be back at practice this week. Meyer also said true freshman Mike Mitchell is the second-team middle linebacker, which is a pretty fast jump up the depth chart after eight practices.

* Joel Hale and Michael Bennett are the starters on the inside of the defensive line for now, with Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence at end. But Meyer said Tommy Schutt is pushing both Hale and Bennett and still could win a starting spot. He also mentioned freshman Joey Bosa at defensive end and said he imagines that he'll play some this season.

The Indians are 5-4 against the Twins this season, 1-2 at Target Field. They open a trip in Minnesota on Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A quick look at the upcoming series:

Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minn.

When: Monday through Wednesday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM AM/1100; WMMS FM/100.7 on Monday and Tuesday.

Pitching matchups: Indians RHP Danny Salazar (1-0, 3.29 ERA) vs. Twins LHP Andrew Albers (1-0, 0.00), Monday at 8:10 p.m.; RHP Zach McAllister (4-7, 4.01) vs. RHP Samuel Deduno (7-5, 3.38), Tuesday at 8:10 p.m.; RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-4, 7.75) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (2-3, 6.43), Wednesday at 1:10 p.m.

Season series: Indians lead, 5-4. They lead, 382-365, all time.

Indians update: They are 25-30 on the road. Indians who have performed well against Minnesota include CF Michael Bourn (10-for-20) and Jason Kipnis (16-for-35, three homers, 17 RBI). ... Salazar will be making his third major-league start. He is coming off 10-strikeout game against Detroit, during which he gave up four runs in 7 2/3 innings of a no-decision. .... McAllister is coming off a 2 1/3-inning, 61-pitch start in a loss to Detroit. ... Carrasco is in the spot of LHP Scott Kazmir (arm fatigue). Carrasco allowed one hit in five scoreless innings against Angels last Friday; Kazmir started and exited after three-plus innings.

Twins update: Twins won two of three against Indians at Target Field, July 19-21. CA Joe Mauer and 3B Trevor Plouffe each is 10-for-33 against the Indians this season. Mauer is a three-time AL batting champion.

Injuries: Indians -- RHP Josh Tomlin (elbow), RHP Frank Herrmann (elbow), RHP Brett Myers (elbow) and CA Lou Marson (right shoulder) are on 60-day disabled list; RHP Corey Kluber (middle finger) is on 15-day DL. Twins -- RHP Tim Wood (shoulder, biceps) is out for season; RF Darin Mastroianni (left ankle) is on 60-day DL; LF Wilkin Ramirez (concussion-like symptoms) is on 15-day DL; CA Ryan Doumit (concussion-like symptoms) is on seven-day DL.

Next for Indians: Trip continues with three games in Oakland beginning Friday.

Indians hit three homers and score six unanswered to defeat Angels, 6-5. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians entered the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday afternoon in a woebegone state, seemingly on the road to a particularly bad loss and lost homestand.

Their All-Star starting pitcher had been ineffective. Their shortstop had been ejected in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes. Their fans booed when they weren't apathetic to the proceedings. Their five-run deficit felt like 10.

"We were kind of dead out there,'' right fielder Drew Stubbs said. "We didn't have a lot of energy. Things weren't clicking for us.''

Then the Francona Fear Factor kicked in. Tribe players, ears still ringing from manager Terry Francona's tongue-lashing the previous night, avoided any further wrath with a stirring comeback. They scored four in the sixth and two in the seventh to topple the Angels, 6-5, at sun-soaked Progressive Field.

The Indians (63-55) snapped a six-game slide in the finale of the seven-game homestand against Detroit and Los Angeles. They begin a three-city, nine-game trip Monday night in Minneapolis, Minn.

Los Angeles (53-63) was denied its first three-game sweep in Cleveland since September 2004.

"We didn't have the best homestand,'' center fielder Michael Bourn said. "We lost every game except for this one -- but this was a big one, especially going into the trip. Hopefully, we can take care of business on that end.''

The Indians desperately needed something positive after AL Central Division contention effectively ended with Detroit's four-game sweep earlier in the week. The wild-card race had begun to appear less promising, as well.

Bourn, asked if Sunday's result might have been a season saver, said: "I wouldn't say no to that. Certain games in the season are big games. This could have been one of them. We'll see after everything's said and done.''

Bourn ignited the comeback with a two-out single in a four-run sixth and capped it with an RBI single in the seventh.

"All game long, Bourny was like, 'Let's play nine, let's keep playing,''' Francona said. "He was fairly vocal about it.''

Bourn downplayed his dugout pep talks, just as Francona downplayed his intensity level Saturday night after the Tribe lost to the Angels, 7-2.

"Basically, I was telling them how we want to play the game,'' Francona said. "It's not always going to be perfect, but we have to fight through frustration. That's the kind of team we need to be. We can't just show up. We've got to bring the lunch pail and find a way to be the better team.''

The Indians' Nick Swisher is pumped up after hitting a two-run homer on Sunday to start the Indians' winning rally against the Angels.Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer

Reserve Jason Giambi had called a players-only meeting Thursday night, urging his teammates to get the Tigers out of their system. But they played as if they had a Detroit hangover in a 5-2 loss to the Angels on Friday. When Saturday brought much of the same, Francona made his move.

Players typically don't reveal what is said in a team meeting, especially when the manager calls it, lest they incur additional wrath. Indians players chose their words carefully when describing Francona's monologue, but it wasn't hard to read between lines or gauge facial expressions.

Francona brought thunder.

"A point needed to be made,'' Stubbs said. "We needed to pick it up a little bit.''

Bourn said: "He's got our backs. He's not against us. But sometimes he's got to let us know what time it is. He told us what was on his mind. I'll leave it at that.''

On paper, the pitching matchup of Justin Masterson vs. Jerome Williams heavily favored the Indians. It did not work out that way early. Masterson gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out five. Masterson threw 60 of his 101 pitches in the first two innings and trailed, 4-0.

"Masty said he felt kind of blah,'' Francona said. "There was nothing wrong with him; he just didn't feel like the ball was coming out well.''

Williams entered Sunday afternoon at 5-8 with a 4.77 ERA, including 0-6 with a 7.48 ERA in nine starts since re-joining the rotation in late June. Regardless, he cruised into the sixth with a one-hitter and sizable lead. He struck out the first two batters, Lonnie Chisenhall and Drew Stubbs, swinging.

"Jerome was putting it to us,'' first baseman Nick Swisher said. "It felt like it had all week.''

In a blink, the next four batters scored. Bourn singled and Swisher homered to left-center. After Jason Kipnis walked, substitute shortstop Mike Aviles homered to left to pull the Tribe within 5-4. Lefty Buddy Boshers relieved and retired Michael Brantley on a grounder.

"Crazy how this game works,'' Swisher said. "You don't score any runs, then, the next thing you know: Four batters, four runs.''

Aviles had been on the bench until Asdrubal Cabrera was tossed by plate umpire Vic Carapazza in the second inning.

Carlos Santana led off the seventh with a homer against right-hander J.C. Gutierrez. Jason Giambi flied to center. Chisenhall walked and moved to second on Drew Stubbs' single to center. Lefty Nick Maronde relieved. Bourn lined the first pitch to left for an RBI single and 6-5 advantage.

Bourn entered the game in a 9-for-50 slide over his previous 12 games.

"He might not be feeling as well as he'd like,'' Swisher said, "but there's no one else I'd rather have up in that spot.''

Swisher entered the day hitting .194 with two RBI in 10 games in August and had gone 0-for-2 against Williams. Santana had been 3-for--32, including swinging strikeouts in his first two at-bats.

Joe Smith worked the eighth and Chris Perez had a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18th save.

"It would have been easy to fold,'' Bourn said. "We didn't fold. We kept grinding. We'd been fed up the whole homestand. Finally, we were able to do something about it.''

The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the first. With one out, Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout each walked on five pitches as Masterson struggled to command his sinkers. Trout extended his on-base streak to 41 games.

Josh Hamilton delivered an RBI single to left-center, Trout advancing to third. At that point, Hamilton was 9-for-13 with two homers and five RBI in his career against Masterson. Mark Trumbo followed with an RBI fielder's choice.

Trout's two-out, two-run single made it 4-0 in the second.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Cleveland native Jason Dufner has won his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Cleveland native Jason Dufner has won his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.

Dufner bogeyed the final two holes Sunday for a 2-under 68 that was good enough to hold off the 2003 U.S. Open champion. The winning score was 10-under 270.

Henrik Stenson finished three shots back.

Dufner made up for the heartache of the 2011 PGA, when he went to the 15th tee with a four-stroke lead in Atlanta. He dunked that shot in the water, squandered the advantage and lost to Keegan Bradley in a playoff.

There was no such collapse on another warm, sunny day at Oak Hill.

From tee to green, Dufner was nearly perfect. If not for a bit of a shaky putter, the margin would've been even more.

Furyk went into the final round with a one-shot lead, and it looked as if this might be his day when he rolled in a 40-footer across the sixth green for a birdie. But Dufner seized control just before the turn.

With the final group tied at 10 under on the eighth hole, Furyk appeared to have a slight edge when his approach plopped down about 12 feet left of the flag. But, in quite a display of one-upmanship, Dufner's shot spun back from above the hole and came to a stop about a foot from the cup.

Furyk missed his birdie try. Dufner tapped his in to edge back ahead.

When Furyk made bogey at the ninth, Dufner had a two-stroke lead heading to the back side. Furyk never got any closer. They matched birdies at the 16th, where Furyk rolled in a 12-footer and Dufner tapped in again after another brilliant iron shot. They matched bogeys at the 17th, where Dufner three-putted and Furyk needed two shots to escape the thick rough ringing the green.

Finally, at the 18th, Furyk's second shot found the rough again, leading to another bogey and a 71 total. Dufner also came up short with his second shot, chipped on and putted twice for the victory. He actually pumped both fists, about as much emotion as he'll ever show.

View full sizeJason Dufner, right, was born in Cleveland and lived in the area until age 11. He returned every summer to visit his father, Frank. Pictured are Dufner and Frank at Big Met Golf Course. Courtesy of Barbara Schultz

Dufner, 36, was born in Cleveland and grew up in Olmsted Township until age 11, when he moved to Washington, D.C., with his mom a few years after his parents divorced. He and his mom, Barbara Schultz, eventually settled in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Dufner would return to Northeast Ohio in the summers to visit his father, Frank, and learned how to play golf at Big Met, Columbia Hills and Springvale. Frank died from cancer in 2001.

Many family members and friends remain in the area, mainly in Cleveland and the western suburbs, and Dufner remains an avid fan of the Browns, Indians and Cavs. Dufner threw a ceremonial first pitch at an Indians game and attended Browns training camp late last month while in town for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron.

Stenson closed with an even-par 70 and finished at 7 under, missing a chance to become the first Swedish male to capture a major championship. Countryman Jonas Blixt was another stroke back, also closing with a 70.

The 43-year-old Furyk was trying to give golf another middle-aged champion. Three weeks ago, Phil Mickelson captured the British Open at age 43. The last time golf had back-to-back major champions in their 40s was 1986, when Jack Nicklaus won the Masters and Raymond Floyd followed with a victory in the U.S. Open.

Instead, it was Dufner winning his first. Now he'll be known for something more than that memorable picture of him slumped against the wall of an elementary school during a charity appearance --€” arms stiffly at his side, eyes glazed over --€” which led to the craze known as "Dufnering."

Mickelson wasn't a factor at Oak Hill. He shot 72 to finish 12 over, tied for 72nd position when he headed for home, his day done before the guys in contention for the Wanamaker Trophy even teed off.

Tiger Woods was an also-ran, as well, wrapping up his fifth straight year without a major title. He did play well down the stretch, making birdies on three of the last six holes. But all that got him was a 70, leaving him at 4-over 284 for the week. He never shot in the 60s, despite much easier scoring conditions the first two days and warm, sunny weather the last two.

Woods is 0 for 18 in the Grand Slam events since winning the U.S. Open in 2008, leaving him at 14 major championships in his career and still four behind the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Coming off his fifth PGA Tour victory of the year, a seven-stroke runaway at the Bridgestone, Woods never got anything going in the final major the year.

Tim Clark had the shot of the day among the early starters, a hole-in-one at the 11th. He knocked it in from 220 yards with a hybrid.

___

Browns CEO Joe Banner reprimanded Bernie Kosar for his out-of-line remarks during Thursday night's preseaso broadcast of the Browns-Rams preseason game, but is keeping him in the booth for the remaining three games.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns CEO Joe Banner has reprimanded former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for his "personal and unprofessional approach'' during the broadcast of the preseason game against the Rams Thursday night, but he is keeping Kosar on the remaining three preseason games.

Listen to Sunday Insider with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore tonight at 8 p.m. He will be talking Browns and Tribe.

Listen to Sunday Insider with clevleand.com's Glenn Moore, tonight at 8 p.m. 

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Hardesty has seen Dion Lewis move ahead of him on the depth chart

BEREA, Ohio – Running back Montario Hardesty, who’s missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, returned to practice Sunday on a limited basis.

Hardesty has watched Dion Lewis move ahead of him on the depth chart and his roster spot has been jeopardized due to injury.

Coach Rob Chudzinski tried to emphasize the positive on Sunday when asked about the fourth-year back.

“Hardesty coming back, hopefully that continues, there is still a lot of preseason left and he’ll have that opportunity to show us,” Chudzinski said.

--- Running back Trent Richardson (shin) and safety T.J. Ward (hamstring) each participated in the team portions of practice Sunday. Richardson ran hard, but the squad was not in full pads. Ward said his hamstring feels better, but did not commit to playing Thursday night against Detroit. “We’ll see,” he said.

--- Chudzinski continues to interact with the crowds at training camp. The club selected two fans from the stands to kick 10-yard field goals at the end of practice. On the line – an opportunity for the players to be excused from their group meetings on Sunday night. Anthony Kinney (Shaker Heights) and D.J. Rapposelli (Mayfield) represented the offense and defense respectively. Both fans converted their kicks to loud cheers from the grateful players, who mobbed them after their makes. Chudzinski said both fans had a mini-tryout beforehand “so we were sure that they could kick it, at least.”

--- Barkevious Mingo was asked if he felt bad for beating former LSU teammate Joe Barksdale on his sack Thursday night against St. Louis. (The Browns accepted a tripping penalty, nullifying the sack). “No, it was fun,” said Mingo who faced the offensive lineman frequently in practice during the 2010 season. “We talked about it after the game and it was all fun. It felt good to get him one more time.”

--- Rookie safety Jamoris Slaughter (hamstring) took a few team reps as he tries to work himself into shape. He’s coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

--- Cornerbacks Leon McFadden (groin) and Chris Owens (foot) remained sidelined.

--- Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson attended Sunday's practice. He spent time on the practice fields chatting with owner Jimmy Haslam.

Mike Aviles subbed for the ejected Asdrubal Cabrera and hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning Sunday against the Angels.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera got an unwanted head-start on his teammates in preparing for a lengthy trip.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is thrown out of the game by plate umpire Vic Carapazza in the second inning Sunday against the Angels.Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer 

Cabrera was ejected in the second inning of the Tribe's 6-5 victory over the Angels on Sunday at Progressive Field.

After the Indians went 1-2-3 in the first, Cabrera stepped in against right-hander Jerome Williams. On a 2-1 count, Williams threw a curveball that Cabrera thought had missed the zone -- except that plate umpire Vic Carapazza called it a strike. TV replays supported Cabrera's contention that the ball was plenty low.

Cabrera swung and missed at the next pitch and barked at Carapazza as he began walking toward the dugout. Seconds later, Cabrera was tossed for the second time in his career. He eventually left his bat and helmet near the plate as parting gifts.

Indians manager Terry Francona bolted from the dugout to defend his player and express displeasure with Carapazza. That conversation ended without an ejection.

"Cabby argued strikes and balls,'' Francona said. "Maybe that was a young umpire trying to show his authority; I thought he got a little aggressive there. I don't think he needed to throw him out.''

The Indians already trailed, 4-0, and the ejection was just another in a long line of issues during an immensely frustrating seven days. Francona inserted Mike Aviles at short.

It is impossible to know what Cabrera could have done the rest of the game, but Aviles factored heavily in the comeback. Aviles hit a two-run homer as part of a four-run sixth as the Indians pulled within 5-4. They scored twice in the seventh to win and finish 1-6 on the homestand. A three-city, nine-game trip begins Monday night at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn.

Terrific glove work: Right fielder Drew Stubbs made a play that did not seem like much at the time but proved to be pivotal.

Los Angeles led, 5-0, in the sixth when Kole Calhoun led off with a walk against lefty Rich Hill. Mike Trout, one of the game's most dangerous hitters, struck out looking at a 1-2 fastball that Trout thought was high. With Josh Hamilton batting, Calhoun advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hamilton walked.

Francona summoned righty Matt Albers to face right-handed slugger Mark Trumbo. On a full-count pitch, Trumbo hit a fly ball near the right-field line that the sprinting Stubbs slid to catch. Erick Aybar grounded out to end the threat.

Instead of the Angels piling on, the advantage remained at five and the Indians still had a chance -- even if it wasn't readily apparent.

"In a game like this, one play can make a difference,'' Francona said. "It might be in the first inning, it might be in the ninth. One thing we did was, we kept playing. It wasn't perfect, especially early, but we kept playing.''

Stubbs, a natural center fielder, said he is feeling more and more confident in right.

"In spring training, it was a bit uncomfortable,'' he said, "but I've had enough time out there.''

Stubbs, who made his 62nd start in right, also contributed offensively. With two outs and Lonnie Chisenhall on first in the seventh, Stubbs singled. Chisenhall moved to second and scored on Michael Bourn's single to give the Tribe the 6-5 lead.

Stubbs is hitting .246.

Much-needed relief: The Tribe bullpen, over-worked on the homestand because of ineffective starters, allowed one hit in 4 2/3 innings. Starter Justin Masterson gave up the five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3.

Hill relieved Masterson and retired three batters without a hit -- although he did walk three. Albers set down five straight before giving way Joe Smith (one hit in the eighth) and closer Chris Perez (perfect ninth). Perez earned his 18th save.

Quick turn: Angels righty Jerome Williams cruised through five innings, allowing only a single by Lonnie Chisenhall in the third. He whiffed the first two in the sixth but failed to record the third out. The Tribe awakened with a single, homer, walk and homer before Angels manager Mike Scioscia opted to have lefty Buddy Boshers face Michael Brantley.

"We did nothing in the first five innings,'' Francona said. "It's hard to look energetic when you're making a bunch of turns back to the dugout. All of a sudden, we get a hit and a homer. Then we get a walk and a homer. If I had the answer, we'd have done it in the first inning.''

On this episode of Sunday Insider, cleveland.com's Glenn Moore talked Browns with Mary Kay Cabot and also discussed if the Indians can still make a run at a playoff spot.

Will the Browns defense be able to stop the passing game? Glenn Moore talks about this and more during this episode of Sunday Insider. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Seen and heard at Progressive Field as the Indians wrapped a series against the Angels: Clubhouse confidential: Jerome Williams to the rescue. The Indians and their slumping bats needed to see a struggling pitcher. Angels right-hander Williams seemingly fit the mold, having entered Sunday's start at Progressive Field with a 5-8 record and 4.77 ERA. Williams,...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Seen and heard at Progressive Field as the Indians wrapped a series against the Angels:

Clubhouse confidential: Jerome Williams to the rescue.

The Indians and their slumping bats needed to see a struggling pitcher. Angels right-hander Williams seemingly fit the mold, having entered Sunday's start at Progressive Field with a 5-8 record and 4.77 ERA. Williams, though, dominated for five innings and held a five-run lead. When he finally buckled, the Indians pounced, scoring four in the sixth en route to a 6-5 victory.

The Indians, 3-7 in their last 10, had not faced a starting pitcher who entered the game with an ERA above 3.65 since July 29, when White Sox lefty John Danks was at 4.81.

Williams gave up the four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 -- the worst line by a Tribe opposing starter since White Sox lefty Chris Sale gave up five runs in five innings of a 6-1 loss Aug. 1. None of the next nine opposing starters allowed more than two earned runs. Tribe hitters made them look even better with a boatload of bad at-bats.

The victory over Sale had secured a 7-0 homestand. The Indians traveled to Miami and won two of three, then narrowly avoided going 0-7 on the ensuing homestand. The Indians also avoided tying the franchise's longest home losing streak at Progressive Field; a seven-gamer has happened three times.

Power packed: The Indians hit three home runs in a span of five batters Sunday. Nick Swisher and Mike Aviles hit two-out, two-run homers in the sixth. Carlos Santana led off the seventh with a blast.

In their previous nine games, the Indians hit a total of three homers.

Eight of Swisher's 12 homers have come at Progressive Field. He is hitting .243 with 37 RBI in 102 games.

Finally: The Indians play well or poorly in stretches. They are not into the back-and-forth.

The Indians have had just three combinations of at least W-L-W-L-W or L-W-L-W-L. Those three cover a total of 18 games. They also have one combination of W-L-W-L.

Ward is one of just seven players remaining on the Browns from his 2010 rookie season

BEREA, Ohio – T.J. Ward is learning what teammates like Joe Thomas, D’Qwell Jackson and Ahtyba Rubin already know: Good players age quickly with the Browns.

The turnover rate since the strong safety arrived in 2010 is staggering even by NFL standards. Ward is playing for his third head coach and three defensive coordinator. He’s lined up alongside five starting free safeties in three years.

As he gazes around the crowded locker room just six players remain from his rookie season.

“It would be nice to have some consistency,” Ward said after practice Sunday. “But I just have to do my job first and I’ll help whoever comes along. Everything will be fine.”

The 26-year-old, who’s nursing a sore hamstring, hopes to build on a productive 2012 campaign and solidify his role as a team leader on a young roster.

Jackson, the defensive captain, identified the hard-hitting safety as one of the players the Browns will rely upon to supply secondary leadership along with Rubin and cornerback Joe Haden, who was part of the team’s 2010 draft class.

“It’s funny how time has flown by so fast,” Ward said. “I was just a rookie and now guys are coming to me for advice and guidance. I’m ready for it. I’ve always thought of myself as a leader. I guess now guys have more trust in me. That’s very important.”

Ward desperately wants to start winning and doesn’t suffer foolish behavior. He was vocally opposed to the organization’s decision to pass out white flags with the Browns logo on it for last season’s Pittsburgh game at FirstEnergy Stadium. The club had lost 16 of the previous 17 games to Pittsburgh and the idea of Cleveland fans waving white flags in front of the Steelers sent the wrong message in his eyes.

Is this white flag thing true?! If so....the white flag give away needs to be white flagged!

— T.J. Ward (@BossWard43) November 21, 2012

Browns CEO Joe Banner put a stop to the proposed giveaway and Ward delivered his best effort of the season, becoming the franchise’s first player in eight years to force two fumbles in the same game as part of a 20-14 win.

Despite missing the season’s final two games due to a knee injury, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King named Ward to his 2012 All-Pro team. ProFootballFocus.com rated the Oregon product as the league’s sixth-best safety – combining the two positions.

“You know what kind of effort you’re going to get from T.J. every game,” Jackson said. “That’s the sign of a true pro.”

Ward was spotted Sunday working with the defensive linemen in hand-fighting drills. Safeties don’t usually require the technique, but he will be involved in more blitzes this season in Ray Horton’s defense.

“I think it’s important to get better in every aspect of your game,” Ward said. “If I’m going to blitz I want to do everything I can to get better at it.”

There might not be another NFL strong safety who’s run through more partners in the past three seasons. Abe Elam, Mike Adams, Usama Young, Eric Hagg and Tashaun Gipson have all started at least one game at free safety next to Ward.

Gipson is likely to win the job ahead of Johnson Bademosi and rookie Jamoris Slaughter.

“Obviously, the more you work with a person the better you work together,” said Ward, who’s missed 10 games over the past two seasons because of injury. “If there was someone back there I could work with for a long time I think it would make us both better. It would make the whole defense better.”

“Communication and trust are equally important. A lot of the trust comes from good communication. It would help to be in the same defense, as well. I think that has a lot to do with it.”

Ward isn’t sure he will play in Thursday’s exhibition game against the Detroit Lions, but said his hamstring feels better each day. He participated in some team drills Sunday and is readying himself for a potential breakout season.

“I expect big things from myself every year and coming into my fourth season I definitely feel I’m getting better,” he said.

In December, Ward turns 27 – still relatively young in most NFL circles, but among the older vets in perpetually rebuilding Berea.

 

Browns lightning-quick receiver Travis Benjamin dazzled the home crowd with his 91-yard punt return for a touchdown Thursday night against the Rams, and will be relied on heavily on offense when Josh Gordon is out the first two games of the season.

BEREA, Ohio -- Now you see him, now you don't.

Blink, sneeze or look down at your phone and you just might miss Browns receiver Travis Benjamin blazing up the field untouched into the end zone, like he did Thursday night against the Rams on his 91-yard punt return.

"I'm still young in my coaching career, but I've never coached a guy that can run like Travis,'' said receivers coach Scott Turner, Norv's son. "I don't think I can really compare him to anyone.''

They didn't call Benjamin 'The Belle Glade Blur' back at his Florida high school for nothing. He rocked the 40-yard dash in 4.36 at the NFL Combine and has run it in 4.26. Even in the NFL, no one can catch him from behind.

"He’s got stupid speed,'' said Brandon Weeden after the Rams game. "It’s nice throwing to him when we get him on a (go route) down the sideline, but you’ve got to let it rip ‘cause he can run. He’s a big-play threat, so you love it. That’s a spark. He's a guy that's able to break one at anytime.''

 Benjamin, the Browns' fourth-round pick out of Miami in 2012, did just that again Sunday in practice when he turned on the jets, sped past Trevin Wade and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Weeden.

"I think if I get the edge on you, it's me all the way,'' said Benjamin.

He ranks himself one of the top five fastest players in the league, along with the Eagles' DeSean Jackson and the Titans' Chris Johnson. After that, he ran out of names.

Question is, can Benjamin's diminutive frame (5-10, 175) withstand the rigors of the NFL, especially if he's returning punts and also seeing increased action on offense? A couple of minutes in his presence and you'd swear he could be suiting up next Friday night for the Belle Glade Raiders again.

"I don't worry about him,'' said Turner. "He's done a great job over the course of his career both in college and last year in the NFL just knowing how to protect himself. He's a smart player, he has good spatial awareness, so he's able to get down when he needs to get down. You don't see alot of guys get a real solid shot on him. Obviously he's skinny but he knows how to play in his body.''

Besides, he's like Plastic Man, extending his limbs to snare the ball and twisting his body to avoid the big hit.

"If you look at the way his body's put together, he's got really long arms and really long legs and he can really stretch them, so he actually plays a lot bigger than he is,'' said Turner. "His catching radius is bigger than most guys of his height and he's able to stretch the field with his speed and stride length.''

While watching film of Benjamin's punt return, Turner was struck by how much ground Benjamin covered with every step.

"He and Josh (Gordon) have the longest stride length of the receivers, although Josh's is a little longer,'' he said.

And you won't find Turner following behind Benjamin in the cafeteria, urging him to plop another serving of fettucine Alfredo on his plate.

"Yeah, you'd like him to gain weight, but you definitely don't want him to lose any speed,'' said Turner. "That's what makes him the good player that he is. I leave that up to (strength and conditioning coach) Brad Rolle.''

Turner was excited about the raw Benjamin he saw on film last season and couldn't wait to start coaching him up.

"He's really exceeded my expectations and it's based moreso on what type of person he is as a worker and as a professional,'' said Turner. "He's a smart guy and he focuses in meetings and takes notes and then on the field he really works on the techniques that I'm coaching or my dad's coaching and he's shown improvement throuhgout the Spring. Coming back here in camp, he gets better every day and it's due to the way he approaches it and the way he takes coaching.''

Coach Rob Chudzinski has been impressed with Benjamin's improved route running.

"He's gotten a lot better,'' said Chudzinski. "He’s using his speed better in his routes. As opposed to last year, where he was just a guy that ran deep, this year he's shown ability to run the shorter routes as well and get in and out of breaks really well.”

The Browns need Benjamin to keep progressing by leaps and bounds, because he'll be relied on heavily in the first two games when Gordon is out on suspension for his failed codeine test. Benjamin will most likely start on the outside opposite Greg Little in those first two contests against Miami and Baltimore.

"Travis is going to have a role in this offense, I believe, throughout the whole season,'' said Turner. "But we're going to have a guy down the first two games, so everybody's going to have to step up, and part of that's going to be on Travis for sure.''

Chudzinski and Turner don't expect the dual role of punt returner and receiver to be a problem.

"A guy like Travis, he can play at a high level for a long period of time,'' said Turner. "He's got really good stamina and he can run.''

Perhaps the highest compliment Benjamin received Thursday night after the punt return was the shoutout from his predecessor, Josh Cribbs, on twitter.

"He was a great mentor while he was here in Cleveland,'' said Benjamin. "By watching him and learning the things he did, it's coming along into my game. Even if both of us were back there [returning], he'd tell me what to watch for (like) how to read the punter's foot.''

But there's one thing Cribbs couldn't teach him: how to run like the wind.

Watch Mary Kay Cabot's and Tom Reed's analysis of Sunday's Training Camp practice plus a video on speedster Travis Benjamin. Watch video

 BEREA, Ohio -- Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed analyze what happened at yesterday's Training Camp practice.

Highlights include:  Montario Hardesty returns to limited practice.  Trent Richardson preparing to see first action in Thursday's game.   T.J. Ward returns from his hamstring injury.  Cornerbacks Chris Owens, Leon McFadden and Buster Skrine.  Barkevious Mingo showing a lot of confidence off of his first game in the NFL.   Two fans getting chance to kick field goals to end practice.

Players are back on the practice field today in Berea at 4 p.m.

Follow on Twitter: @CLEvideos

Cleveland Indians drop sharply in stats-driven Believe-O-Meter after a 1-6 week on the field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Losing six of seven games, including four to division rival Detroit, translates to a big drop for the Cleveland Indians in this week's edition of cleveland.com's Believe-O-Meter.

53	52	54
Overall	Heart	Head

The meter, an index taking into account on-field performance and fan interest, reads a 53 on a scale of 1-to-100.

That's down sharply from 65 just one week ago.

The Indians fell in every on-field category used in the Believe-O-Meter, including a drop to seven games behind the first-place Tigers.

The stats-driven Believe-O-Meter shown here is an alternate way to judge the Indians' hopes this season to the subjective fan-driven Believe-O-Meter. You can be part of that separate rating by voicing your opinion at this link.

Here's how we come up with the stats-driven Believe-O-Meter rating, an average of our head and heart indexes.

• For the head (currently an 54, unchanged in the last week): We've created an index that takes into account the Indians' record over the last 10 games, the overall record for the year, games behind first place, and the team's American League ranking for runs scored and runs allowed.

• For the heart (currently a 52, down from 53 a week earlier): The index factors in attendance over the last 10 home games and readership over the last week on cleveland.com for Indians stories vs. stories about the Browns, the Cavs and Ohio State. Readership of Browns stories was double that of Indians stories last week.
  

We'll check back weekly with updates on the the Believe-O-Meter, stats version, as the season goes along.

Visit the fan-driven Believe-O-Meter to register how you're feeling about the Tribe today.

View some of the best tweets from fans and the media concerning Bernie Kosar's harsh comments on the Rams and if he should have been reprimanded.

What do you think about Bernie Kosar's comments on the St. Louis Rams? Should he have been reprimanded? (Joshua Gunter/ The Plain Dealer) 

Kent State and Akron basketball get a televised jump on the 2013 college basketball season as part of ESPN's annual Tip-off marathon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference will have both Akron and Kent State as part of the sixth annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon providing more than 24 hours of consecutive basketball coverage. The action will begin Monday, Nov. 11 through Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Kent State, which has played in three previous Tip-Off Marathons, gets a prime time matchup at Temple, 7 p.m. Nov. 11 on ESPNU. Akron gets a 3 a.m. wake-up call on the West Coast On Nov. 12 against St. Mary's. Overall, the schedule includes 16 men’s matchups and two top-25 women’s games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

"That's a tough game now,'' Akron head coach Keith Dambrot said Monday evening. "St. Mary's lost their point guard, but they will be loaded.

They (ESPN) asked us to do it. They've been good getting us in their other tournaments in recent years, so I thought it was a good time to do it. The more times you put yourself in that situation, tough teams in tough environments, the better it is for us during postseason tournaments.''

This will be a tough turnaround as Dambrot said the Zips will not have another game on the West Coast, before or after. Instead Akron will open at home against Coastal Carolina, travel to play St. Mary's, then return to Akron and prepare for another road trip to Middle Tennessee State.

"Obviously, for us, this is great,'' Senderoff said. "A prime time game, and for us to be the first men's game, to tip it off is fantastic. Says a lot about our program. This is the fourth straight year for us; Robert Morris, West Virginia, Temple last year and now Temple again. Any time you get a chance to be on TV is positive for our program. All good stuff.''

Akron is the defending MAC Tournament champ and has won or shared the last two MAC regular season titles. Kent is riding an unprecedented string of success winning 20 or more games 14 of the last 15 seasons.

Watch comments from Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson as he spoke after practice about playing Thursday and the thumb injury to Montario Hardesty.

BEREA, Ohio --  Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson said after practice Monday that he feels better than he has in a long time.  It will be head coach Rob Chudzinski's decision on if he plays Thursday night against the Lion and how much.

Even if he does not play, Richardson said that the way you practice is the way you play the game and he would be ready in September for the regular season.

Richardson also spoke about Montario Hardesty who injured his thumb Monday taking a high snap from center Jarrod Shaw.

Follow on Twitter: @CLEvideos