Asdrubal Cabrera is slumping, but his manager and teammates still have confidence that the All-Star shortstop came help them offensively as the go down the stretch.

Asdrubal Cabrera has been slumping at the plate, but he's still playing solid defense at shortstop.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer 

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Asdrubal Cabrera leaned deep into his locker late Friday night. His right rib cage was wrapped tight with Ace bandages. He was checking his cellphone and not in a chatty mood.

"What do you want me to say?" said Cabrera.

Exactly.

He had just lined into a double play, accounting for the final two outs in the Indians' 3-2 loss to Oakland, a team they're trying to catch in the wild card race. As he walked off the field, Cabrera flipped his bat in frustration.

That's the kind of streak Cabrera is on. To be exact he's hitless in his last 20 at-bats, tying the longest slump of his career. In general terms, that's the kind of season it's been for the Indians' shortstop.

"I've hit a lot of balls hard right at people," said Cabrera when this three-city trip first started in Minneapolis.

His conversation followed the same lines Friday.

"I've got nothing to say," said Cabrera. "I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing and good things will happen."

The sooner that happens, the better it would be for the Indians, whose offense is in serious need of a double shot of Expresso.

Manager Terry Francona has shared Cabrera's frustration. He keeps waiting for the two-time All-Star to start swinging the bat like he can because Francona has few other options.

"We have an offense where we have to keep the line moving," said Francona. "Asdrubal, being a switch-hitter, is so important to that. We don't have the big guy in the middle who is going to hit 30 homers so we have to keep the line moving. When Asdrubal and Nick Swisher get hot our lineup fits together so much better."

Cabrera, since coming off the disabled list on June 24, is hitting .204 (34-for-67) with 19 RBI. He went on the disabled list with a strained rigth quadriceps muscle.

After the All-Star break, Francona moved Cabrera into the cleanup spot after Swisher hit himself out of the position. Cabrera followed Swisher's example, hitting .198 (16-for-81) with two homers and 10 RBI. Carlos Santana made his third start in the No.4 spot Saturday night.

In the clubhouse, the confidence in Cabrera is still high.

"As he goes, we go," said Justin Masterson. "I think he will be a key part as we go down the stretch. He's been playing tremendous defense for us. He's not hitting as well as he'd like and he's being put in those position to do it."

Cabrera is hitting .196 (20-for-102) with 29 RBI with runners in scoring position.

"People don't talk about him too much, but he's one of the biggest leaders on this team," said Masterson. "He's got the most tenure here of anyone with the Indians. He's our guy. He'll continue to work through it.

"It's going to be fun to see. I think you'll see him carry us throughout the next couple of months."

The Indians can only hope it happens.

"When a player goes through something like that, you talk about just going out and playing the game," said Francona. "Asdrubal does that about as well as anyone I've seen. When he's out there, I can't tell if he's 4-for-4 or 0-for-4."

Ouch: Where has hot-hitting Ryan Raburn been the last couple of games?

He's been sidelined with a sore calf muscle.

"They're starting a lefty Sunday (Tommy Milone) so I think he'll be in there," said Francona.

Bartolo Colon was scheduled to start for the A's, but he was placed on the disabled list Saturday with a strained left groin.

Testing, testing: Josh Tomlin allowed one run on two hits in four innings Friday night for Class AA Akron. Tim Belcher, former Tribe pitching coach, watched Tomlin, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Belcher gave Francona a good report on Tomlin's two-seam fastball, change up and command.

"Belcher said the curveball will be the last thing to come, but for the most part he was pretty impressed," said Francona.

Francona said if Tomlin is activated it will be in September.

Finally: Corey Kluber (right middle finger) played catch at 120 feet with no problem Saturday afternoon. He's expected to remove the splint from his finger and start the throwing program all over against at 60 feet.

Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound tonight for the Indians.

Game 123: Indians (65-57) at A's (69-52)

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Four plays have been submitted by Browns' defenders, Horton revealed, and all four are part of the team’s playbook.

BEREA, Ohio – Browns defensive players aren’t just studying the playbook these days. In some cases, they’re helping design it.

Defensive coordinator Ray Horton called a play in Thursday’s preseason win against the Detroit Lions that was drawn up and thought out by nose guard Phil Taylor. Four plays have been submitted from the locker room, Horton revealed Saturday, and all four are part of the team’s playbook.

Some coaches talk about letting players “take ownership” of a unit. Horton is doing it.

“He’s a players' coach and he understands players win ball games,” Browns linebacker and defensive captain D’Qwell Jackson said. “If a guy comes up with something and it’s up to (Horton’s) standards, he’s going to put it in. He told us that from Day 1. I think it’s great what he’s doing.”

Horton represents Jackson’s fifth Browns defensive coordinator since his 2006 rookie season and the first one to make such an offer to the players, he said. The coordinator has used suggestions from an Arizona Cardinals practice-squad player Horton told the Browns upon his arrival this winter.

“I want it to be their team,” Horton said. “It’s not my team. I hope it’s not (coach Rob Chudzinski’s team). I hope it’s the Cleveland Browns’ team, where the players are invested and they are the ones that make the plays.”

Perhaps, the unstated purpose behind soliciting ideas is having players thinking football in their downtime instead of watching television or playing video games.

“I’ve got free time so I just have to draw on a piece of paper,” Taylor said. “ The paper already has the offensive front on it. I’ve just got to add receivers and stuff.”

The nose guard showed Horton his work well in advance of the Aug. 8 preseason opener against the St. Louis Rams. The former NFL defensive back took the play to Taylor’s teammates who approved of it.

Jackson said creating plays is more complex than it sounds. The designer must explain how it attacks the offense’s protections and what happens if the opponent shows another formation. It’s Gridiron Geometry 101.

“It challenges you mentally and that’s a good thing,” Jackson said. “I have been drawing up defenses. I haven’t gone to (Horton) yet because I want it to be right and I have everything ironed out.”

Although Taylor declined to specify his first-half play, Horton confirmed that it worked.

“It’s not about me,” said Taylor when asked whether he felt any special satisfaction. “I’m doing what I can for the defense. I’m glad for our defensive unit, and that means we won that play.

“It goes a long way when a coach is willing to ask for your input. It shows that he’s here for you and that he wants you and the people around you to be the identity of the defense.”

Manager Terry Francona likes the Indians' roster as presently constructed. "If we play the game right, we win. If we don't we lose."

 OAKLAND,Calif. --Seen and heard at o.Com Coliseum.

Manager Terry Francona, who will be joined on this West Coast trip by GM Chris Antonetti, says it's not necessary for the Indians to make a deal by Aug. 31 to stay in the postseason race.Associated Press 

Clubhouse confidential: GM Chris Antonetti joined the team Saturday night for the last leg of this three-city trip. After the Indians finish with Oakland on Sunday, they'll play a three-game series against the Angels before heading home.

 The Aug. 31st waiver deadline is approaching and there are September call-ups to discuss.

 The Indians acquired lefty Marc Rzepczynski from St. Louis before the July 31st deadline, but manager Terry Francona says he's OK with his roster right now.

 "I've got no problem with our team and where we are," said Francona. "We know ourselves pretty well. . .When we play the game right, we win. When we don't we lose."

 Yo, Vinnie: The reports from Class AAA Columbus on Vinnie Pestano have been mixed. In seven appearances since his July 31st demotion, he had a 3.52 ERA (three earned runs in 7 2/3 innings) with seven strikeouts, two walks and six hits.

 "For the most part he's done all right," said Francona. "He had an outing the other day where he gave up three runs, but every report is that he's doing every he can to get back to being Vinnie. We're hoping that happens."

 Stat of the day: Four hours before gametime Saturday, there must have been 15,000 people waiting outside of o.Com Coliseum for a Yoenis Cespedes bobblehead. "That must be some bobblehead,"said Francona, who had trouble getting into the park because of the crowd. 

Brunswick resident powers out 10 homers in 18 swings to take the slugging crown.

EASTLAKE, Ohio - Standing at 6-4 and 240 pounds, Buddy Wolf was not the most imposing figure at The Plain Dealer-Cleveland.com Softball Championship Home Run Derby on Saturday evening. But the Brunswick native proved to be the most powerful slugger, smashing 10 home runs out of 18 attempts to capture his second consecutive home run derby crown.

The Derby was sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Slow Pitch Hall of Fame and Museum, Excalibur Auto Body, Integrity Stainless and Pepco Electric.

Nine competitors stepped up to the plate on a sunny, summer evening at Classic Park.

Held at Classic Park, the Home Run Derby slugfest was composed of two rounds. The first allowed each batter 10 chances to bash as many home runs as possible. The second granted each slugger eight swings, giving each player 18 total swings.

The event featured nine of the best home run hitters the Northeast Ohio area had to offer. Heading into the competition, each boasted a long list of accomplishments and home run derby championships.

Two hitters emerged as the favorites after one round. Howie Krause and  Wolf crushed six home runs apiece, two more than the third-place finisher, Brad Reaush.

But in the second round, Wolf distinguished himself with his flawless swing. While Krause managed only a pair of homers in the final round, Wolf creamed four. Of Wolf's 10 total home runs, three were 450-foot blasts over the storage facility beyond the wall in right field.

“It felt good,” Wolf said of his performance. “In a home run derby, unless you hit all of them out, you never quite feel satisfied.”

The Brunswick native, who has played softball for 11 years, also won the title at Classic Park in 2012.

“There was a much bigger field [this year], in terms of who we had hitting,” Wolf said. “I felt better last year, and I hit more home runs last year, but I definitely squeaked one out [today]. Overall, I definitely feel very fortunate, with all the people we had and the players from the area we had.”

- Story by Joe Ginley, Special to cleveland.com

Cleveland Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo said today he couldn't catch his breath and that he was spitting up blood on the sidelines of the Lions game before he taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a bruised lung.

BEREA, Ohio -- It was bad enough when Barkevious Mingo couldn't catch his breath early on in Thursday's 24-6 victory over the Lions. But when he began spitting up blood on the sidelines, he knew something had to be wrong.

"During the game and after the game (I was spitting up blood),'' Mingo said after watching practice Saturday from the sidelines. "I was a little bit, but not a lot.''

By early in the second quarter, Mingo left the game and was taken to Cleveland Clinic Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a bruised lung. He was set to be released Friday at noon, but they kept him an extra night for observation. By lunchtime Saturday, he was back at the Browns facility and feeling great. 

But had Mingo remained on the field during the game and taken another blow to the chest, he could've died, according to noted Dr. Clark Fuller, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Ca. He said Mingo had already torn some small blood vessels to the cause the bleeding, "and if you tear some larger ones, the chest cavity is an area where you could bleed to death and nobody ever sees a drop of blood on the ground.''

Mingo is fairly certain he suffered the injury on his first play of the game, while he was covering the opening kickoff return. He remained in the game for about four more plays -- all on special teams -- before succumbing to his symptoms.

"I was just was playing special teams, I ran down after the play, and I didn’t feel right,'' he said. "I kept going back out, and it was harder and harder to catch my breath. I went to my coach. He thought it’d be a good idea to go to the trainer with it. They did a great job pulling me out, and recognizing the symptoms and treating me.''

Mingo, who will be out at least a week and possibly miss the final two preseason games according to a source, said the process wasn't scary for him at any point. The estimated mortality rate of a bruised lung is about 14% to 40%.

"If I didn’t have the shortness of breath I think I would've still been out there,'' he said. "Nothing else was that bad that made me think I needed to get out.''

Mingo, who spent time on the sidelines Saturday chatting with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and coach Rob Chudzinski, acknowledged that it's a "very unusual'' injury.

"I was trying to think back to what happened, and I didn’t feel a hit was delivered that hard to make that happen, so it was a shock to me,'' said Mingo. "But they’re doing everything they can to get me back right and get me back on the field.''

Despite the fact that bruised lungs are rare in football players, Chargers receiver Eddie Royal suffered one Saturday morning in practice when he landed on his back after making a catch. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and is also being test for a concussion.

"Oh wow, man,'' Mingo said when informed about Royal. "I hope (it's not contagous). I hope not. I hope there’s not anymore.''

Despite the fact that bruised lungs are often accompanied by broken ribs, that's not the case with Mingo.

"The ribs are perfect,'' he said. "No pain, no bruising. I’m not sore. It kind of took the doctors by surprise too.''

More to come soon on the Mingo injury soon.

Ohio Lawmen, the East Side champions, take a lead into the 9th inning, but the West Side champs pull off a stunning rally to win the inaugural tournament title at Classic Park.

EASTLAKE, Ohio - As Laria Softball slugger Mike Bailey Jr. stepped up into the box in the ninth inning of The Plain Dealer-Cleveland.com Softball Championship game Saturday night, rage flowed through his veins.

In a game dedicated to his father, who is afflicted with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Bailey Jr. was struggling. And now, his team needed him as his dad watched from the stands.

Thanks to a three-run rally in the top of the ninth inning, Laria had knotted the game at 17. But with the heart of the Ohio Lawmen order set to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Laria was in trouble of losing a game that meant everything to not only the Bailey family, but the whole team.

With the stadium silent in anticipation, Bailey Jr. blasted a pitch high over the left-field bleachers for a solo home run, giving Laria an 18-17 lead that it held in the bottom of the ninth to capture the title of the inaugural tournament title game at Classic Park.

“I went blank,” Bailey Jr. said. “I just stared at it for a split second. I was like, ‘Yeah! We got a run! Now, let’s tack on a few more.’ ”

Laria looked good early on, posting 10 runs in the first two innings. But the Lawmen quickly came back with six runs in both the second and fourth innings to give manager Brad Borowy’s squad a two-run advantage.

The Lawmen, an Independence-based team comprised entirely of law-enforcement officers, continued to add onto their lead in the sixth, courtesy of Dusty Bowling’s towering two-run home run. A pair of Laria defensive miscues allowed the Lawmen to increase the lead to five in the seventh inning.

Even then, the tight-knit Laria club did not show even a hint of panic. In the top of the eighth, Laria’s Mike Cairns hit a solo home run before, and the Lawmen made errors on a couple of plays to give the West Side tournament champion another run, making the score 17-14.

Though Laria would keep the game close, the Lawmen held full control of the game heading into the final inning. Manager Joe Garrett never lost confidence in his squad.

“It was getting hairy there for a bit, but our team has always been resilient. We do this kind of thing all of the time,” Garrett said. “We stick together as a team. You can see that everybody loves each other like brothers.”

Ohio Lawmen are sponsored by Ganley Auto Group, Elk & Elk, Anchor Manufacturing and Steve’s Sports.

Laria Softball is sponsored by Dave Nager Attorney, SPC Sports and Monarch Interiors. Laria will play in the World Softball League World Championships in mid-September, and Bailey Jr. said the team hopes to use its win Saturday as a way to educate people about ALS.

“It means a lot and raising awareness for ALS," Bailey Jr. said. "In the medical community, we still don’t know anything about the disease  … Any kind of awareness I can raise for that is a bonus for all of the people like my dad.” Anything we can do as a team, not just me, but the whole team, we’ll do it.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in softball," Bailey Jr. said of the team's chemistry. "I’ve played on a lot of teams over the years…You just don’t see any teams that come together and rally around each one of us. There’s no one that’s more important than any one else. We’ll lose together and we’ll win together.”

- Story by Joe Ginley, Special to cleveland.com

Browns running back Brandon Jackson is set to pick up the slack in the absence of Dion Lewis, who could be lost for all or half the season with a broken leg. Lewis will undergo surgery soon.

BEREA, Ohio -- In the past few days, Brandon Jackson has gone from a guy trying to make the team to possible No. 2 tailback behind Trent Richardson.

First, his good buddy Montario Hardesty underwent arthrscopic surgery on his reconstructed left knee and will be out about six weeks. Then, his new teammate Dion Lewis, acquired in a trade with the Eagles, suffered a broke left fibula against the Lions Thursday night and will undergo surgery.

Lewis could be lost for the season, or at least the first half of it, depending on how the surgery and its aftermath goes.

In practice Saturday, Jackson and Chris Ogbonnaya spent plenty of time with the first-team offense behind Richardson.

“Well, it’s sad that something like that happened to (Lewis),'' said Jackson, who re-signed with the Browns for one year in the offseason. "I’ve been in his shoes before where I had to be out. It’s tough. But looking forward it’s a great opportunity for me to come in and continue to get better every practice, every rep and continue to show the coaches that I can catch, I can run, I can block and that I can help the team win.”

He said spoke with Lewis right after the Lion game "and he was in good spirits.”

Jackson, who rode the bench until the final game of the season last year under Pat Shurmur, still views himself as an every-down back. When he first signed here as a free agent from Green Bay before the 2011 season, he had high hopes for himself, including Pro Bowl aspirations.

"Yes, I do feel like I can play every down,'' he said. "When I was in Green Bay, I played a lot of third down and a lot of first and second down, so I see myself as an every-down back. But given the opportunity that they give me, just to take advantage of it.”

By the end of last season, Jackson was tired of being inactive week after week and primed for greener pastures.

"I pray a lot and I asked God to give me the opportunity to be somewhere and just have a chance to play football,'' he said. "He placed me back here and I was very grateful, very happy with Chud and Norv’s offensive system. It’s just a great opportunity for me to get back on the field and play football.”

Jackson said spending the last two years largely out of action -- including all of 2011 with a torn toe ligament -- has taught him a lot.

"Honestly, it taught me to be more patient in life and in football,'' he said. "Running the ball, I’m more patient, letting everything develop and it was tough situation but I’m looking forward to taking the positive out of the last two years, everything that happened to me and I’m just moving forward. Everything’s going good for now.”

He feels bad for Hardesty, who's become a friend over the past two years.

"For him to be hurt most of his career, that's tough,'' he said. "I really can't empathize with him, because I've never really been hurt the way he's been hurt. But I'm praying for him. I hope he has a speedy recovery and he can get back on the field. But once again, it's another opportunity for me to step up and show the coaches what I can do.''

He said he brings "Change of pace, hard-nosed running, catching the ball, getting upfield, moving the chains.''

He acknowledged he has fresh legs from two years off and a fresh perspective.

"Physically I feel great, mentally I feel good,'' he said. "There's a lot of things that's happening in my personal life that's making me come out here and play football, and play harder and just go hard every rep and I'm pleased with what I'm doing now. I can get better in a lot of situations and a lot of things that I'm doing, but I'm pleased for now.''

He declined to elaborate on the personal things that are driving him.

"No, I'll just keep it personal,'' he said. "But there are a lot of things that are going on that are just continuing to motivate me to be a better father, a better husband and just a better athlete overall. I'm just focusing on football for now and it's doing good.''

WADE INJURES SHOULDER: Cornerback Trevin Wade dove in front of Josh Cooper to pick off a pass from Jason Campbell, and hurt his right shoulder in the process. He walked to the sidelines after the pick and was seen by a trainer. He also held the shoulder and winced. Minutes later, he walked inside for treatment. The extent of the injury is unknown. Wade earlier picked off a deep pass from Brandon Weeden to Greg Little after the quarterback and receiver miscommunicated.

OWENS SICK, BRYANT AILING: Cornerback Chris Owens, who started against the Lions, sat out practice today with an undisclosed illness. ...Defensive end Desmond Back, who's battled back spasms this camp, was idle with a back issue Saturday. Other players who sat out include punter T.J. Conley (groin), kicker Brandon Bogotay (groin), receiver Jordan Norwood (hamstring), receiver David Nelson (knee), tight end Gary Barnidge (shoulder) and receiver Naaman Roosevelt (hamstring).

TWO-MINUTE, RED-ZONE: Weeden and Jason Campbell both put field goals on the board in their two-minute drills, but Weeden's red zone drill fizzled on a false start by tight end Kellen Davis on 4th down. The ill-fated drive included a big breakup by Joe Haden on a fade to Greg Little on the right side and an overthrow to Davis on a post route. ..Campbell was picked off three times in team drills, including once by rookie Jamoris Slaughter on a deflected ball by Cooper and once by rookie Akeem Auguste. ...Brian Hoyer threw two 50-yard TD passes, one to Cooper over the middle and one to Travis Benjamin.

Ubaldo Jimenez flirted with a no-hitter and Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher homered as the Indians beat Oakland on Saturday night.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Perhaps it is time to stop asking for more and just be happy with who Ubaldo Jimenez is right now as a pitcher.

Jimenez took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Saturday night as the Indians beat Oakland, 7-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 35,067 at O.co Coliseum. The victory cut the A's lead in the race for the second wild card to three games over Baltimore and 3 1/2 over the Indians.

The Tribe remained six games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central.

Here's the thing about Jimenez (9-7, 4.00). Yes, he had a no-hitter with one out in the sixth, but there was no way he was getting through the inning. Rich Hill was already warming in the bullpen when Jimenez hit Josh Reddick with a pitch. After Yoenis Cespedes walked, Bryan Shaw joined him.

With double-barrel action in the pen, Jimenez struck out Brandon Moss. He was already at 104 pitches, the count fattened by five walks and eight strikeouts. When Josh Donaldson sent Jimenez's first pitch into center field for an RBI single to make it a 3-1 game, Jimenez was done for the night.

"Right there, in the sixth inning, we're just trying to win a game," said manager Terry Francona, when asked if it was difficult to take Jimenez out.

Hill relieved Jimenez and struck out Chris Young to end the inning.

If Jimenez had retired Donaldson for the third out, pitch count or no pitch count, he was going to fight to go back out for the seventh.

"I was definitely thinking about the no-hitting in the sixth inning," said Jimenez. "It's something you realize right away because every runner I put on base was because I walked them or hit them."

Jimenez knows what a no-hitter feels like. He threw one for the Rockies on April 17, 2010 against Atlanta. Walk total? Six.

"When I got through the fifth inning, it brought back a lot of good memories from the no-hitter I had in Atlanta," said Jimenez. "Especially, when I walked six guys."

Jimenez allowed one run on one hit in 5 2/3 innings. He threw only 55 percent (58-for-105) of his pitches for strikes.

"It is frustrating because you're thinking if I didn't have so many walks, that's probably two or three more innings I would be able to pitch," said Jimenez.

Jimenez is 2-0 against Oakland this year with a 2.38 ERA (three earned runs in 11 1/3 innings). He's struck out 16, walked eight and allowed five hits.

The victory matched Jimenez's total from last year when he posted one of the worst seasons in the big leagues at 9-17 with a 5.40 ERA in 31 starts. Over his last 15 starts this season, Jimenez is 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA, while averaging 5.9 walks per nine innings.

The Tribe's offense consisted of 11 hits, including homers by Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, a slump-busting RBI single by Asdrubal Cabrera and four doubles.

Bourn's homer in the seventh made it 4-1 and ended skids of 0-for-11 and 1-for-20. The Indians added three more runs in the ninth as Swisher drove in one run and Jason Kipnis two.

Oakland rookie Dan Straily (6-7, 4.22) took the loss. He's 0-5 in his last six starts.

Jimenez opened with six straight outs, three coming on strikeouts. As if on cue, Jimenez started walking people.

He walked Seth Smith to start the third, retired the next two batters and walked Alberto Callaspo. With runners on first and second, Jimenez retired Jed Lowrie on a pop to third after a long at-bat.

The fourth followed a similar pattern.

Jimenez struck out Reddick and retired Cespedes before issuing consecutive walks to Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson. He ended the inning by getting Smith to fly out to left field.

The walks pushed Jimenez's pitch count to 78, but just when it looked like he would once again pitch himself into an early shower, he retired the A's in order in the fifth on 10 pitches. It bought him more time on the mound and the bullpen more rest.

"The runners on base were there because of walks," said Francona, "but Ubaldo wasn't all over the place. He's hard to get a bead on. He's in and out of the strike zone. There's a lot of deception. You never see a lot of hard-hit balls."

The Indians, meanwhile, took doubles practice against Straily. They just didn't score a lot of runs.

Michael Brantley hit a leadoff double in the fourth, but never advanced past third as Cabrera, Jason Giambi and Lonnie Chisenhall went down in order.

Drew Stubbs opened the fifth with his third double of the series. Bourn followed with a liner to right that Reddick caught and erased Stubbs at third on a great throw from deep right field.

The Indians finally doubled down in the sixth.

Brantley, with one out, doubled off the top of the fence in right field. He missed a homer by a couple of inches. Cabrera delivered him with a double to the wall in right center field for a 3-0 lead.

The Indians had two more outs to work with, but couldn't get Cabrera home. Straily struck out Giambi. Lefty Jimmy Blevins relieved Straily and retired pinch-hitter Mike Aviles on a ground ball to third.

Straily, facing the Indians for the first time in his career, allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked four on 103 pitches.

The Indians struck early against Straily for a 2-0 lead.

Swisher, the former Athletic who has been booed in the first two games of this series, homered to right with the game one-batter old for a 1-0 lead. It was Swisher's 13th homer, but just his second in August.

"That is crazy. They got on me and G (Jason Giambi) both," said Swisher. "I don't get it. Hey, it is what it is. I'm just happy to come in here and get a win."

Straily struck out Jason Kipnis for the second out, but ran into control problems. He walked Carlos Santana and Brantley. Cabrera, locked in an 0-for-20 slump, singled off Moss's glove at first base to score Santana and send Brantley to third.

"If Moss would have caught that ball, it would have been bad," said Francona with a smile. "But if we can Asdrubal and Swish hot at the same time, that would really jump start us."

The inning ended when Giambi, another former Oakland A who was booed, struck out.

It was the first time since Aug. 3 that the Indians have scored in the first inning. It was the first time they'd scored more than one run in the first since July 24 against Seattle.

When the Indians score first, they're 59-21. The victory made the Indians 18-7 against the AL West. They are 5-1 against the A's this year. 

The Plain Dealer will begin its series on Monday of the top 50 high school football players from the area over the past 50 years.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The wait is almost over.

Just in time before the start of the high school football season, we finally settled the debate when it comes to who are the best high school football players from this area over the past 50 years.

And you'll find out when the series begins on Monday and ends with the top 10 on Friday. Check at 8 a.m. each day for a list of the best.

It wasn't easy, and surely we've left off some great players, but we put in the time over the summer musing over 200 candidates, talking with with former players, coaches, reporters, and fans.

We even monitored a session with a panel of experts. But all of our work produced the result that will unfold next week. We're excited and can't wait to receive your response.
 
Remember, only players from the The Plain Dealer's seven-county coverage area of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit were eligible.

The sole criteria were the player's achievements in high school - his college and/or professional career didn't matter.

Hard-throwing rookie right-hander Danny Salazzar will make the fourth big league start of his career Monday night when he faces the Angels and veteran Jered Weaver.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Indians will open a three-game series Monday night against Los Angeles at Angel Stadium. It is their last stop on this three-city, nine-game trip.

Where: Angel Stadium.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM.

Indians rookie Danny Salazar faces the Angels and Jered Weaver on Monday night at Angel Stadium.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer 

Pitching matchups: RHP Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.08) vs. RHP Jered Weaver (7-6, 3.49) Monday at 10:05 p.m.; RHP Zach McAllister (5-7, 3.74) vs. LHP C.J. Wilson (13-6, 3.40) Tuesday at 10:05 p.m. and RHP Justin Masterson (13-9, 3.59) vs. RHP Jerome Williams (5-9, 4.90) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Season Series: The Angels lead the Indians, 2-1. The Angels lead, 315-292, overall.

Indians update: They lost two out of three to the Angels during the last homestand. They were outscored, 17-10, and the starting rotation went 0-2 with a 7.24 ERA (11 earned runs, 18 hits, 13 2/3 innings). Masterson is the only starter making a repeat appearance against Los Angeles. The Indians have out-homered the Angels, 5-1.

Angels update: Weaver and Wilson beat the Indians in consecutive games last week in Cleveland, Weaver allowing two runs in seven innings and Wilson allowing two in 5 1/3. Williams took a no decision. Angels have lost 10 of their last 13 games headed into Sunday series finale against Houston.

Injuries: Indians: RHP Corey Kluber (right middle finger), C Lou Marson (right shoulder), RHP Brett Myers (right elbow/forearm), RHP Josh Tomlin (right elbow) and RHP Frank Herrmann (right elbow) are on the disabled list. OF Ryan Raburn (right calf) is day to day. Angels: RHP Roberto Coello (right shoulder), 2B Howie Kendrick (left knee), 1B Albert Pujols (left foot), LHP Sean Burnett (left forearm) and LHP Andrew Taylor (left shoulder) are on the disabled list.

Next: The Twins visits Progressive Field for a three-game series starting Friday.

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. 

You can jump in the chat room during the show to interact with Glenn and tonight's guests or call into the show. The call-in number is 440.678.7599.

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Scott Kazmir returns to the mound as the Indians hope to close ground on the Wild Card race.

Game 124: Indians (66-57) vs. A's (69-53)

First pitch: 4:05 p.m. at Oakland Coliseum.

TV/radio: TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM AM/ 1100

Starting pitchers: RHP Scott Kazmire (7-5, 4.18 ERA) vs. RHP Tommy Milone (9-9, 4.39 ERA).

» Live box score | MLB scoreboard

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Charlie Manuel, the ex-Indians' manager, was fired by the Phillies on Friday. He did more there than many expected, gratifying many of his former critics here.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After I belittled Charlie Manuel in a poor column straight from the land of sloth and stereotyping, he let me off after an admittedly heart-felt apology with a display of forgiveness that ennobled him as a person. It left me forever an admirer.

Friday, the Phillies fired the ex-Indians manager, who had become the most successful skipper in the team's history. He handled it with class, which was no surprise.  It was pretty much the same way he left here. Manuel didn't like the chances of the Phillies team he had been given to win in the short term and he thought more of himself than to wait around for a management decision on how well he turned straw into gold.

Tribe executives used to chuckle over how "Charlie fired himself" by not waiting until the end of the 2002 season to take the fall for the impossible task of rebuilding while contending. The analytics and mission statement men in charge of the franchise were much more at ease with Eric Wedge, who spoke the same language and could finish business-school thoughts about "taking ownership," "empowerment" and "moving the needle" without rolling his eyes.

Manuel wasn't a great tactical manager, perhaps, but he knew how not to overthink with talented players. Behind only talent, he liked aggressive players. Many times, as a former hitting coach here, he would quietly sigh after poor at-bats by his Tribe players in critical situations, "Damn, son. Don't be afraid to try to win the game."

He wasn't afraid to, that's for sure. Manuel was a good manager for good players to play for because he treated them with the same respect he demanded for himself.

A nice man, Charlie could be tough. When Albert Belle was the "Raging Belle" with the 1990s Indians, it was Manuel, then in his 50s, who challenged Belle to a fight after one clubhouse tantrum -- and it was Belle who declined.

A country boy from Virginia like Manuel wouldn't have become one of  the best American players in Japan  without the ability to cope with a variety of difficult competitive and cultural situations. The "Red Devil" they called him for his once-fiery hair. He could hit, and he could survive.

Any chuckling about Manuel's jumbled  sentences stopped when his Phillies won the 2008 World Series and went back in 2009, but lost to the New York Yankees.

He should have won two World Series. The 2011 Phillies had four certifiable aces in their rotation in ex-Indian Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. They won 102 games and were heavy favorites over St. Louis, which squeaked into the playoffs after a historic collapse by Atlanta in the final month of the season.

If anyone was going to beat those Phillies, it was probably going to be in the shorter, best-of-five divisional round. So the Cardinals did in the maximum five games on their way to a storybook World Series victory over Texas in which they twice were one strike from elimination in the sixth game.

The final game of the division series, won, 1-0, by the Cards, ended in almost a Cleveland-like tableau of shock and grief, as the final Phillies batter, Ryan Howard, tore his Achilles tendon as he ran from the batter's box and collapsed as the Cardinals began celebrating the stunning upset.

I grew up as a Cardinals fan in Texas, thanks to the reach of the St. Louis flagship radio station at the time, KMOX, and I worked in Philly for 10 1/2 years. But I was not conflicted in my emotions in the 2011 divisional series.

I would have been for Charlie Manuel -- on either side of the Pacific, on any team, including the Yankees.

Concentration was a must Saturday night in the ninth inning when a loud firecracker went off just as left fielder Michael Brantley was about to make a catch.

 OAKLAND,Calif. --Seen and heard at O.co Coliseum.

Michael Brantley wasn't at the plate Saturday night at O.co Coliseum when he got a big surprise. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer 

Clubhouse confidential: It was an eventful night at 0.co Coliseum on Saturday.There was a car fire in the parking lot that sent billows of smoke floating over the left side of the ballpark early in the game. Then there were a couple of explosions that seemed to shake the ballpark.

Left fielder Michael Brantley was camped under a fly ball in the ninth inning when one of the explosions sounded. Brantley flinched, but still made the catch in the Tribe's 7-1 victory.

"It was a firecracker," said Brantley. "I saw it go off in the sky above the stadium out of the corner of my eye just before I caught the ball."

Helping hand: Dave Wallace, manager for the Class A Carolina Mudcats, recently asked reliever Joe Smith for a favor. He asked Smith if he could send him some T-shirts that the Mudcats could use as BP jerseys.

Smith purchased a bunch of Nick Swisher Bro-Hio T-shirts with the help of Curtis Danburg, Indians senior director of communications, and had them shipped to Zebulon, N.C. Wallace, a former minor league catcher and bullpen catcher for the Tribe, posted a picture on Twitter of the Mudcats wearing the shirts.

"I'm glad they finally got them," said Smith on Sunday. "They got lost in the mail for a couple of weeks."

Stat of the day: Mike Aviles, starting at third base, entered Sunday's game hitting .327 (35-for-107) with four homers and 15 RBI in his career against Oakland.

Between the AP and coaches polls, Alabama received 116 first-place votes. Ohio State got four, and Texas A&M and Georgia each received one.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Last season Bob Asmussen's choice as his preseason No. 1 team was way off. And 25 other AP voters, including this one, were much, much worse.

Yes, Ohio State fans, the lone AP voter who picked the Buckeyes No. 1 this preseason is the same guy who voted Michigan No. 1 last preseason. It's Asmussen, the Illinois football beat writer for the Champaign News-Gazette. But at least he didn't pick USC last year, the team that was the overall No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll before a nosedive to 7-6. Going with the Wolverines, who wound up 8-5, qualified as genius by comparison.

(Eventual national champion Alabama, No. 2 in the preseason AP poll, got 17 first-place votes a year ago.)

This year, Alabama tied 2009 Florida as the most overwhelming preseason No. 1 in AP history, grabbing 58 of 60 first-place votes. Urban Meyer's Gators received 58 of 60 votes that year, with the other two going to No. 2 Texas, before finishing No. 3 in the nation at 13-1, with the only loss to national champ … Alabama.

Ohio State has history on its side. The Buckeyes are ranked in the preseason top 25 for the 25th straight year, more than a decade longer than the next longest streak – 14 years for Oklahoma. But Alabama owns the recent history – three of the last four national titles, part of the SEC's run of seven straight championships.

So, why Ohio State?

“Someone has to beat the SEC at some point. Why not the Buckeyes?” Asmussen told Cleveland.com in a phone interview Saturday after the poll was released.

That seems to be the point of this entire season – find a worthy opponent for the SEC champ. Meyer said Saturday that the Buckeyes aren't elite. In the two preseason polls, by the coaches and the media, Alabama received 116 first-place votes, Ohio State got four, and Texas A&M and Georgia received one each. The coaches don't make their ballots public, so other than CBSSports.com writer Dennis Dodd, who ranked the Buckeyes first in his rankings on that site, Asmussen stands as the voice of the minority leaning more toward Columbus than Tuscaloosa.

“I've got to start with the quarterback,” Asmussen said of Braxton Miller. “He's just so good, and I really like him. Johnny Manziel, with all his troubles, will be hard-pressed to repeat in the Heisman. So I think Braxton has a great chance to be the Heisman guy. This guy is great, and I think he puts them over the top. And the schedule is so good, other than the final game against Michigan.

"And let's face it, Urban really is a phenomenal coach. He's proven it time after time. And he's been recruiting. So there are more guys we don't even know about yet that can play.”

Asmussen acknowledged that Alabama coach Nick Saban does the same thing, but he's concerned about the Crimson Tide's losses in the NFL Draft, where nine players were taken, three in the first round. He also made an interesting point that he believes Alabama got a pretty easy draw in the national title game with Notre Dame, and that a team like Stanford or Oregon may have been able to beat the Crimson Tide. That would have changed the preseason.

“And they didn't go undefeated last year,” Asmussen said, not overlooking that one loss to Texas A&M. “Nobody remembers that.”

Asmussen didn't go completely off the reservation here. He ranked Alabama No. 2, followed by South Carolina, Georgia and Oregon.

The Buckeyes are slightly less polarizing than a year ago. Banned from the postseason last year, Ohio State finished No. 3 in the final AP poll as the only undefeated team in the country, behind Alabama and Oregon.

Thanks to Pollspeak.com, we know the Buckeyes last year received 14 No. 2 votes; 17 at No. 3; 11 at No. 4; seven at No. 5; four at No. 6; two at No. 7; one at No. 8; two at No. 9; and one at No. 10.

In this preseason poll, beyond Asmussen's lone No. 1 vote, there were 26 votes at No. 2; 16 at No. 3; six at No. 4; three at No. 5; three at No. 6; three at No. 7; and two at No. 8.

So that's 43 votes in the top three to start this season, compared to 31 votes in the top three to end last season.

And there are at least a couple people now who see the Buckeyes as No. 1.

“People picked Alabama because it's easy,” Asmussen said. “Who's been better than Alabama the last four or five years? Nobody. So it's easy to vote for them. It's not so easy to pick the Buckeyes. But I had them No. 1 in the spring. I thought about this way back then, and I thought that they have to be No. 1.”

Despite Drew Stubbs' speed, he was thrown out at second and third base Saturday night in the Indians' 7-1 victory. He said that will not slow him down.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- It you look at a baseball game as a thousand separate moments

Indians outfielder Drew Stubbs is tagged out at third base Saturday night in the fifth inning by Josh Donaldson on a strong throw from right fielder Josh ReddickBen Margot, Associated Press 

spliced together to make a full game, the fifth inning Saturday night had to catch your attention.

Drew Stubbs, one of the fastest players in the American League, was on second base after a leadoff double. Michael Bourn was at the plate with the Indians leading Oakland, 2-0. We'll let manager Terry Francona pick up the action from there.

"That's a nice baseball play all the way around," said Francona. "Bournie shows bunt. They're playing in. So he swings away and pulls the ball with authority, which is what you're supposed to do."

Bourn pulled the ball to right field where strong-armed Josh Reddick, playing fairly deep, was waiting to make to the catch. Again, we'll let Francona pick up the action.

"We've got the fastest guy in the league on second base," he said. "Reddick gets behind the throw and throws him out at third base. It was a fun baseball play. It's hard not to appreciate it. . .Even though I wish he would have air-mailed it like he did the night before."

Friday night, Reddick threw a ball into the seats behind third base as he tried to get Nick Swisher going from first to third on a single by Carlos Santana.

Saturday, however, Reddick channeled Roberto Clemente on his long throw to Josh Donaldson, who tagged out the sliding Stubbs. As he popped up out of his slide, Stubbs looked into right field as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

"That rarely happens to me on a play like that," said Stubbs. "After watching the replay, it was one of those deals where there was one spot where that throw could be to get me out. He made a great throw and Donaldson hung in there to make catch. You have to tip your cap."

In the second inning, Stubbs walked with one out. He attempted to steal second, but was thrown out for the first time this season after 13 straight steals.

"It was a good throw and I felt I had a good jump," said Stubbs. "If he puts it right on the bag, I'm probably safe. He threw it right into me as I was sliding."

In the ninth inning of the Tribe's 7-1 victory, Stubbs scored from second on Swisher's single, just ahead of the throw home throw. The thought of getting thrown out at second, third and home in one game did not sit well with Stubbs.

"I said, "Man, I've been kind of snake bit in this game,'" said Gomes. "Fortunately, I got in there."

Stubbs said getting thrown out twice Saturday will not slow him down.

"I have to stay aggressive," he said. "You have to keep putting pressure on the defense even if they throw you out a couple of times. You've got to make them stop you."

Francona agreed.

"If you look at our stats, pitching, hitting and defense, it doesn't necessarily add up to the record we have," said Francona. "I think a lot of that has to do with our speed.

"Our baserunners have done a very good job of running when they're supposed to. I'm pleased. I think we've forced pitchers into mistakes because of our speed and I think we've run a lot of balls down on defense with our speed."

He's back: Ryan Raburn, nursing a sore right calf, was in the starting lineup Sunday for just the third time in the last eight games. Not all that off time has been due to his sore calf.

"It's nothing too bad, it just hurts once in a while," said Raburn. "I'll go a couple of weeks where I don't feel it and then it just start hurting. It takes a few days to go away and then it will be fine for a little bit."

Raburn said the calf started hurting during his last start, Tuesday against the Twins at Target Field.

"I just stepped wrong," he said.

In his first at-bat Sunday, Raburn hit his 15th homer. It came in just his 193rd at-bat, but tied him with Kipnis and departed Mark Reynolds for the team lead.

Man in the middle: Santana made his fourth straight start in the cleanup spot Sunday. He is not stranger to hitting in the middle of the lineup.

"When I was a rookie, I batted third my first game," said Santana. "The last two years I've hit third, fourth or fifth. I don't feel pressure because I have experience hitting there."

Browns receiver David Nelson returned to practice today and revealed that he's missed most of camp with a bone bruise in his surgically-repaired right knee. He's avoided the media and it was assumed he suffered a setback from his torn ACL.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns receiver David Nelson returned to practice on a limited basis Sunday and revealed that he's missed most of camp with a bone bruise in his right knee -- not a setback in his recovery from the torn right anterior cruciate that most assumed it was.

"No, it had nothing to do with the ligament,'' Nelson said. "It had nothing do with the ACL, It was just a bone bruise. It was just one of those things where I just planted it a little too hard and came out of it a little weird, and it was one of those things where it could happen to anybody. It had nothing to do with the strength of the knee or the surgery of the knee. It was just planted and my knee kind of hyperextended and just created a bone bruise, so it had nothing to do with the surgery, and it could have happened to my other knee.''

Nelson, who's practice for about a week early on in camp and has been out since Aug. 1, has been so upset about the injury that he avoided talking to the media about it for the past few weeks.

"That’s what’s frustrating about it because I was making progress with the work that I’d been doing on the surgery – the surgically repaired knee and (it was) just separate freak deal,'' he said. "I felt like I was back, and I was ready to go and then it just took a step back.''

He said the bone bruise took even more of a toll on him that the ACL recovery.

"I’d say these past few weeks were harder than the entire year of last year just because the fact that I’m here, coming out here, doing a couple of routes, doing a couple of days, getting back into team work, getting back into the feel of things, kind of feeling I’m part of the team and then taking a step back.''

Signed as a free agent from the Bills on April 8th, Nelson said his rehab is going better than expected and that he hopes to play in the dress rehearsal game Saturday in Indianapolis.

"Obviously everybody is different and every prognosis is different,'' he said. "But we're definitely ahead of schedule, so it was really really great to be out there today, and we’re definitely taking steps in the right direction.''

Nelson, a big target at 6-5, 215, participated only in wide receiver drills today, but it was a start.

"It felt great,'' he said. "I know that training camp’s coming to an end, but I’ve been working my tail off for the past two weeks to get back out here and the diagnosis when I originally did it wasn’t very good. I made a point to get out here as soon as I could, and so we kind of beat the prognosis and beat the time that was originally slated for me, and I was hungry to get back out here. It felt good to just know all the work we put in, the trainers, myself, the coaches have put in the past two weeks has paid off.''

It seems a stretch for Nelson to be ready for action in Indy, but the Browns still have four days of practice before the game. If he hopes to play, he'll have to get in some work in 11-on-11s.

"I've got to continue to talk to (coach Rob Chudzinski) and the trainers, and they’re being very cautious with it,'' he said. " At the same time I’m pushing the envelope, and I’m trying to do everything I can to be in there, to be ready to go for this game and just let coach and trainers dictate whatever they want to.''

Nelson's sense of urgency might be based on the fact that first cuts are due three days after the game, on Aug. 27. Final cuts to 53 are Aug. 31st, after the fourth preseason game.

"(After) being out for a whole year and then coming back and doing three or four days and then sitting out for another two weeks, it's just been that thing where you’ve got to get your legs back under you and get used to the flow of it, get used to the speed of the game, get used to hearing the plays in the huddle, get used to just getting hit,'' he said. "That's the thing I’m looking most forward to is the competition. The first couple of days it will take some rust off me, then it will come back naturally.''

He said he has a good grasp of the playbook and doesn't feel too far behind.

"I know what to do and on any given play,'' he said. "I just think physically I've just got to get back into shape and get my legs back under me. I’ve been playing this game, in the National Football League for three years now, so hopefully the experience aspect of it will help me speed up that process.''

Diavoletto galloped past longshot Sneak a Cold Treat in the final few yards of the $50,000 Honey Jay Stakes on Sunday afternoon at ThistleDown Racino, spoiling an upset bid by the two-time Honey Jay Stakes winner.

Diavoletto and jockey Agustin Bracho stopped veteran Sneak a Cold Treat, with Ramon Ramos in the saddle, from winning his third $50,000 Honey Jay Stakes on Sunday afternoon at ThistleDown Racino. JJ Zamaiko / Special to The Plain Dealer 

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Diavoletto and jockey Agustin Bracho took away Sneak a Cold Treat's two-length lead in the stretch on Sunday afternoon at ThistleDown Racino, stopping the 25-1 veteran from scoring an upset and winning his third $50,000 Honey Jay Stakes, a six-furlong dash attracting a large field of 12.

"Bracho was laying back with Diavoletto after that opening quarter-mile (in 21.86 seconds by leader Sneak a Cold Treat)," said trainer Mike Rone. "That was plenty fast, and we didn't want to burn out Diavoletto."

The four-year-old still had gas in his tank in the stretch as Sneak a Cold Treat faltered, putting together the late charge to win by 3/4-length in 1:10.02. It was his second win in only three starts this year and boosted his career earnings to $120,929. Diavoletto paid $12.80, 6., 3.60 and Sneak a Cold Treat returned $27, 15.80, as Pyrite Green moved up to third and pay $4.60.

The brown gelding is owned by Tiffany Raimonde of Centerburg, Ohio. Diavoletto  was the first foal of Gaspar Lady, and instrumental in her being named the 2012 Ohio Broodmare of the Year by winning a pair of Ohio stakes races.

Sneak a Cold Treat won the Honey Jay in 2010 and 2011, finishing second to Almighty O in last year's stake. He has struggled this season and is winless in six starts, but the eight-year-old looked to be his old self until the final few yards on Sunday. Jockey Ramon Ramos urged him to a 57.1 clocking at the 5/8-mile pole, shaving a tenth of a second off the ThistleDown track record, said Director of Racing Pat Ellsworth.

"I just wanted to get on the rail (with the fast pace), and kept telling myself to stay, stay, stay," said Bracho. Third at the half-mile mark, Diavoletto made his move, passing second-place Raise the Reward in the final turn and going after Sneak a Cold Treat in the stretch.

"If you saw Diavoletto in the barn, you wouldn't pay $1,000 for him," said Rone, with a laugh. "He's just a bum. A very lazy horse. But when he's right, he'll give you 110 percent on the race track. He had some trouble last year and had bone chips removed from his ankle in the fall, and is racing well now. We'll be back at ThistleDown for the Best of Ohio races (on Oct. 12).

Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner is excited about Brandon Weeden and sees no negatives. Still, he doesn't think coach Rob Chudzinski is crazy for calling the quarterback competition close.

BEREA, Ohio -- Never mind that it's only preseason. Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner says it's time to jump on the Brandon Weeden bandwagon.

"I'm excited,'' he said. "Our players are excited. I hope our fans are excited. I’m a realist. (But) we've played the Rams and Detroit, and they gave us more than people think. Both teams blitzed us and we handled it well. Both teams mixed the coverages pretty good and we handled it well. I don’t think we’re going to complete 75 percent of our passes in the regular season, but we’re doing it now and that’s something to build on.''

In six series of work, Weeden has produced two field goals and three touchdown passes. He's completed 18-of-25 attempts for 229 yards, with three TDs and no interceptions for a 139.8 rating. The mark is second in the NFL only to Seattle's Tarvaris Jackson's 156.2. Weeden's also completed five passes of 20 yards or more.

"I'm excited about what Brandon’s been able to do,'' said Turner. "We've spent a lot of time trying to find out the things that he does best and combine them with the things that our players do best. We've had a lot of guys playing well and (Weeden's) taken advantage of the way they’re playing.''

Despite his optimism, Turner didn't think coach Rob Chudzinski was crazy last week when he called the quarterback race "still close.'' Second-teamer Jason Campbell has completed 85.7 of his attempts, which is tied for eighth in the NFL -- but second only to New England's Tom Brady among quarterbacks with 20 more attempts. Overall, he has a 110.9 rating, and against the Lions, he completed 12-of-14 attempts for 106 yards with one TD and no interceptions for a 122.0 rating.

"Chud was being extremely honest with you,'' said Turner. "I do believe Jason has played at a high enough level to say that it's close. I really believe that Chud’s done an unbelievable job with this entire football team in terms of letting them know exactly what we want to get done.

"He explained his plan to the quarterbacks from the start. He stuck with it. It’s not an issue in that building. I know it’s an issue outside the building. But I don’t think anyone is worried about when an announcement is going to be made, and I think we’ve gotten great production from all three quarterbacks (including Brian Hoyer).''

Turner's been especially encouraged by Weeden's accuracy on the deep ball this season, including those five completions of 20-plus yards. Last season, he finished 26th in the NFL with a 31.6 completion percentage (14-of-57) on passes of 20 yards or more. Part of the problem was his extremely young supporting cast.

"He's got a strong enough arm to throw it deep,'' Turner said. "In practice, it's really hard because our receivers are just running and running and running (for two hours). So sometimes on the deep balls it's harder to get the great accuracy, but I think Brandon's going to be a real good deep ball thrower.''

In fact, he's seen Weeden return to the accuracy he displayed at Oklahoma State, where completed nearly 70% of his attempts his final two seasons. On Sunday, he fired a 40-yard pass into a tight window to Greg Little, who was double-covered by Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson.

"When you watched him (at Oklahoma State) and he got set and got his sights on someone and the guy was running open, he didn’t miss him very often,'' said Turner. "And that’s what he’s done here. Again, it’s about percentages and if you’re trying to throw the ball to guys you shouldn’t be throwing to, you’re not going to be real accurate. We've thrown the ball to the backs a lot already, but I don’t mind that if we’re still getting big plays up the field.''

He acknowledged that the former minor league pitcher sometimes puts too much heat on his fastball -- but mostly on his shorter routes.

"But that's natural for a guy that hasn't played a lot in this league,'' he said. "I don't see any of the negatives. I see a lot of positives in terms of where he's going.''

He said Weeden's making progress with his footwork and not patting the ball. The one area where Campbell might have a slight edge right now is footspeed and release. It's one of the things the staff will be watching during Saturday's "dress rehearsal'' game in Indianapolis.

"It's like going to the driving range and everything's smooth and it's good,'' said Turner. "Then you get out there and it's the real deal, and when Brandon starts thinking too much he slows down. When he's really confident and sure of what he's doing, his set-ups are faster, the ball's coming out quicker.''

He's also been encouraged by the fact Weeden hasn't thrown a pick in his three quarters. Last season, he had 14 touchdowns against 17 interceptions.

"He's had some tough plays in the preseason where he's gotten to the third or fourth receiver, made good decisions, and he's thrown the ball away,'' said Turner. "If you can play a couple of games and not have an interception or have a ball that should be intercepted, you're making progress.''

Turner acknowledged that Weeden has looked better against the Rams and Lions than he has at times against his own defense in training camp.

"It's a combination of things,'' he said. "First of all, we've been going against our defense since April, and there are things we know they're going to do. But I think we're going to be a real good defensive team. We've played two really good quarterbacks and their results have been mixed. It's been very competitive (in camp) and it's been good for both sides of the ball.''

Turner, now in his 29th NFL season, has built a reputation on jumpstarting the careers of quarterbacks and coaxing their best seasons out of them. He's turned around the likes of Troy Aikman, Brad Johnson, Gus Frerotte, and Alex Smith. He also coached Philip Rivers to consecutive 4,500 seasons, just the fifth quarterback to do so.

"To me, it starts with a system that’s extremely sound,'' said Turner. "It's been proven over time. You can go back to the 70s with (Don) Coryell and just keep going through all the different people that played in the system. We try to keep it as simple as possible for the quarterback and put the burden on some of the other players.''

He declined to predict Weeden's ceiling -- saying it depends on the supporting cast -- but couldn't be happier with where Weeden is right now.

"He's made good decisions, he’s obviously extremely accurate with the ball and he’s made some big throws up the field already,'' Turner said. "He's worked awfully hard at it, the guys enjoy playing with him and he does command their respect. Our players have a lot of confidence in Brandon.''

And so does his coach.