ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Here's a hint for all the MLB teams on the Indians' schedule this year. Want to know how to beat the Tribe? Just dust off a left-handed starter, just about any lefty will do,  and send him to the mound. Your worries should be over. The Rays did that Saturday night with Erik Bedard and all...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Here's a hint for all the MLB teams on the Indians' schedule this year. Want to know how to beat the Tribe?

Just dust off a left-handed starter, just about any lefty will do,  and send him to the mound. Your worries should be over.

The Rays did that Saturday night with Erik Bedard and all he did was throw six scoreless innings on the way to a 7-1 victory that ended the Indians' four-game winning streak. It was only the second victory for Bedard in 17 starts.

The Indians tore up lefty starters last year to the tune of a 36-20 record. So far this year they're 4-9 in games started by lefties. Saturday was Bedard's first victory over the Tribe in eight years.

What's the problem? Well, the Tribe hitters who crushed lefties last year are being crushed this year. Check out these numbers:

Tribe vs. lefties in 2013: Yan Gomes .327 Ryan Raburn .308, Jason Kipnis .308, Carlos Santana .299, Nick Swisher .295. Tribe vs. lefties in 2014 entering Saturday night: Gomes .222, Kipnis .189, Swisher .163, Raburn .158, Santana .156.

"When we get going, we'll be fine," said manager Terry Francona. "To the present Carlos is pretty big for us and Raburn is pretty big for us. I'm not blaming them, but a lot of times last year against a lefty they were hitting fourth and fifth with a OPS of probably 1.000.

"Raburn is starting to show signs of swinging the bat. We've got to get Carlos going."  

Bedard allowed one hit, while walking three and striking out four.

"He's been around a long time and he know how to pitch," said right fielder David Murphy. "He wasn't necessarily mixing his location as much as he was mixing his speeds."

Francona said that wasn't the only thing Bedard was mixing.

"He mixed and matched not with just his speed, but with his delivery," Francona. "He mixed and matched angles, speeds and everything. We hit a lot of lazy fly balls and that's exactly what he wants you to do."   

Zach McAllister (3-3, 3.89) spent his eighth start of the season looking for some run support. It never materialized.

McAllister, who has lost his last three starts against the Rays, allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked one on 69 pitches.

"Zach struggled with his off-speed stuff," said Francona. "From the very first inning he was working behind. At some point that catches up.

"He didn't throw a lot of off speed stuff to get them off his fastball so he really had to located."

Raburn's double in the second was the extent of the Tribe's offense against Bedard. After Raburn doubled, Asdrubal Cabrera struck out and Gomes flied out to end the inning.

In the fourth, Swisher and Michael Brantley walked to open the inning. Bedard (2-1, 3.38) quickly restored order by striking out Santana, popping up Raburn and retiring Cabrera on a fly ball to center.

McAllister opened with two scoreless innings, but couldn't stop the Rays in the third. Desmond Jennings hit a leadoff single and stole second with two out. David DeJesus who had four hits against the Tribe on Friday, followed with a single to right to for a 1-0 lead.

"They were aggressive in the strike zone and they were aggressive with my fastball," said McAllister.

The Rays, who broke a four-game losing streak, made it 3-0 in the fourth. After James Loney singled and went to third on Wil Myers double with one out, Matt Joyce made it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly.

McAllister put himself in hot water by walking Jennings and Yunel Escobar made him pay with a RBI single to to right.

The Rays continued to expand the lead with two more runs in the fifth off McAllister. Evan Longoria's double and Loney's single accounted for the runs and a 5-0 lead.

The Rays added two more runs in the seventh. They were both charged to Josh Outman, who started the inning. Zobrist doubled with one out and Outman intentionally walked Longoria. Loney singled home Zobrist to bring Carlos Carrasco to the mound.

In his second relief appearance since losing his spot in the rotation, Carrasco walked Myers to load the bases and gave up a sacrifice fly to Joyce to make it 7-0.

Lonnie Chisenhall, who made his big league debut at first base as a defensive replacement for Swisher in the eighth, gave the Indians their second hit with a leadoff single in the ninth.

Chisenhall's single sparked a small rally by the Tribe. Brantley followed with a single and Santana walked to load the bases against Grant Balfour. Raburn's sacrifice fly prevented the Tribe from being shutout for the third time this season.

"The Rays had a good offensive night," said Murphy. "They put up seven runs. I think the key right now for us is that when we play well or pretty well, we need to win those games. Games like tonight, I don't think I'm going to lose any sleep over."

The Browns were one of three teams that made five trades in the draft.

BEREA, Ohio – Ray Farmer emerged from his first NFL Draft with six players, three additional picks for next year and a new nickname.

“’Trader Ray’ became the call when I would answer the telephone,” the Browns general manager said with a grin Saturday night.

If anyone thought the Browns rookie GM would take a conservative approach to his first draft that theory quickly was dispelled. He traded three times in the first round,including the move that brought quarterback Johnny Manziel to Cleveland.

The Browns and two of their trading partners, the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, led the draft with five deals each. Farmer confirmed he also spoke to the Tennessee Titans, who held the No. 11 overall pick, about potentially moving up. He would not reveal what player the Browns were targeting.

"I didn't think I'd be a wheeler, dealer, that's for certain,” Farmer said.

“It was definitely interesting to hear friends and colleagues say, 'Is Trader Ray available?’ Specifically, as the draft went on and there were chances to move back, people just naturally assumed because we had been so active . . . we'd be eager to move around even more.”

Farmer secured 2015 first- and fourth-round picks from the Bills by swapping the No. 4 and No. 9 picks. Buffalo used the selection to take Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Unlike his playing days, the general manager said he wasn’t nervous throughout the three-day event. Farmer appeared relaxed after it was over and shared a few words and phrases they used in the draft room.

A cluster of teams who might be interested in the same player as the Browns and are sitting in front of them on the draft board are called “a murders’ row.” When a fellow GM drafted a player the Browns were thinking of taking, Farmer would text: “B-17 . . . You sunk my battleship.”

As the third round unfurled, Farmer sent a fourth- and sixth-round pick to the Niners to move up and select Towson running back Terrance West at No 94. It’s thought the Ravens, who held the No. 99 pick, had interest in the prolific small-college back.

“I believe I got to Terrance West just before someone got to Terrance West,” Farmer said when asked about the Ravens. “I don't know who specifically but there was definitely the feeling . . . We have a term called murders’ row and when murders’ row comes up you are going to lose the guys you want.”

National reaction to Saturday's more notable selections and happenings.

Picks No. 101 through Mr. Irrelevant at No. 256 are in the books and the 2014 NFL Draft is officially over. Day 3 of the draft turned out to be a historic one for a variety of reasons, most notably due to a highly anticipated pick that finally arrived at the 11th hour.

"We were very fortunate to have the supplemental choice, and we felt that you use those to pick players you want to give an opportunity to, that you think you want to draft," Fisher said. "He's a good football player, and we got a good football player right after him, so I'm excited about our draft, excited about our production, excited about the possibility of adding him to our defensive front."

"I sent him a text and hoped he would have gone to my team, the Indianapolis Colts," Collins said. "But I am very happy for Michael that he got drafted and that his dream is coming true and he will have an opportunity to make the team and I wish him luck."

Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. I'm using every [ounce] of this to achieve greatness!! pic.twitter.com/QESdOJVzsw

-- Michael Sam (@MikeSamFootball) May 10, 2014

Considered smaller than the prototypical NFL defensive end, Sam didn't produce the kind of speed and quickness measurables at the NFL combine that land players at his position in the draft's early rounds. At 6-2 and 260 pounds, Sam isn't seen as an every-down defensive end in a 4-3 defense and lacks the coveted athleticism to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. He figures to be more of a situational pass-rusher. 

The historically poor draft showing underscored the Longhorns' slide in recent years under coach Mack Brown. After advancing to the 2009 national championship game, Texas signed the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, which included Jeffcoat and 18 other players who were given either four or five stars. But that class never lived up to its billing, and the Longhorns went just 30-21 over the last four years.

Texas fans should take solace in seeing what Strong's most recent program did in this year's draft. Louisville sent four players through the NFL Draft, three of which came in the first round. That is a tremendous credit to Strong and the staff he put together in Louisville, as this was the result of his first recruiting class going through a full four-year cycle. That resulted in the Cardinals sending a potential franchise quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater with a late first round draft pick in addition to two defensive contributors (Calvin Pryor to the Jets and Marcus Smith to the Eagles).

"I was always a Giants fan, I never had a specifically favorite team, but I always liked the Giants," Jackson said on a conference call this afternoon. "I hated the Jets, so, I guess it worked out in my favor."

The Tribe rotation's streak of quality starts ended at seven Saturday against the Rays.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 37.

Opponent: Rays.

Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Time of day: Night.

Time elapsed: 3 hours, 3 minutes.

Result: Rays 7, Indians 1.

Records: Rays 16-21, Indians 17-20.

Back on track: The Rays snapped their overall losing streak at four games and their home skid at six.

Momentum halted: The Indians lost for the first time in five games.

Road woes: The Indians dropped their eighth in the last nine on the road, where they are 5-12 overall.

Bad baseball: The Indians authored one of their worst all-around performances of the season. As a result, Tribe fans want 3 hours, 3 minutes of their lives back.

Fortunately for the Indians, it only counts as 1/162nd. They can win their third straight series Sunday.

False start: Tribe right-hander Zach McAllister gave up five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two. He exited after 69 pitches in favor of CC Lee.

McAllister (3-3, 3.89 ERA) simply didn't have it. He was a one-pitch pitcher most of the night, and that one pitch, the fastball, wasn't all that crisp or well-located.

McAllister's lack of legitimate secondary stuff caught up to him. He allowed one run in the third, two in the fourth and two in the fifth. The last 16 hitters he faced went: single, flyout, strikeout, RBI single, flyout, strikeout, single, double, sacrifice fly, walk, RBI single, groundout, lineout, single, RBI double, RBI single.

Scouting reports are not necessary to know that McAllister relies heavily on the fastball. But when the fastball is subpar and not getting outs, he needs to have other pitches on which to fall back.

The Rays are not to be confused with an offensive powerhouse. Nonetheless, their hitters are capable of exploiting weaknesses and delivering professional at-bats.

Messy dish: In fairness to McAllister, plate umpire John Tumpane -- in the midst of a clunker of his own -- did Z-Mac no favors, especially in the fifth. With one out, McAllister had Ben Zobrist struck out looking at a fastball but Tumpane missed it. Zobrist later singled and scored on Evan Longoria's double. James Loney followed with an RBI single that right fielder David Murphy seemingly needed to catch.

Quality run ends: McAllister snapped the streak of quality starts by the Tribe rotation at seven.

Stuck in neutral: Tribe hitters barely put up a fight against Rays veteran lefty Erik Bedard, who allowed one hit in six innings. Bedard -- a member of the rotation only because of injuries to others -- walked three and struck out four. He threw 60 of 101 pitches for strikes.

The Indians optimist will heap praise on Bedard (2-1, 3.38 ERA) for an incredible job of mixing and matching along the lines of Tom Glavine. The Indians pessimist will tip the cap to Bedard but also crack its club for a boatload of awful at-bats. The Tribe continues to struggle against finesse lefties.

Yes, hitting a baseball is incredibly difficult. A fraction of a fraction of the athletic population has been able to do so at the highest level. Still, the Indians made it too easy for Bedard.

Bedard took about an hour between pitches, and it paid off handsomely. Tribe hitters grew tired of waiting, and when the pitch did come, they rarely appeared comfortable.

Setting the tone: In the first three innings, Indians hitters went 1-for-10 with three strikeouts.

Bedard offered his typical assortment of slop as part of 42 pitches, 27 of which were strikes. He needed six pitches to get through the third.

Ryan Raburn notched the hit -- a one-out double to left-center in the second. Asdrubal Cabrera, who was 9-for-14 in his previous three games, struck out swinging at an 89-mph "fastball'' off the plate away. Yan Gomes flied to center.

Golden opportunity squandered: Bedard created problems for himself in the fourth, walking the first two: Nick Swisher (full-count changeup away) and Michael Brantley (3-1 fastball away).

Reeling cleanup batter Carlos Santana fell behind, 0-2, worked the count full, and fouled a breaking pitch. In one sense, Bedard deserves credit for opting for off-speed in that situation, and Santana did well to keep the hands back and spoil. From another perspective, Santana is vulnerable to anything these days and Bedard had a good feel for the breaking pitch.

After the foul, Bedard threw an 87-mph fastball that kept running inside, catcher Ryan Hanigan receiving it several inches off the plate with a moving glove. Santana thought he had walked to load the bases with none out; Tumpane rang him up.

The pitch screamed for a K-box graphic to show whether the pitch was, indeed, a strike. For reasons known only to Fox Sports 1, no K-box was shown. Astute analyst Brian Anderson, a former pitcher and Rays analyst, said the pitch "cut across'' the plate. (OK, B.A., if you insist.)

If Santana had been Miguel Cabrera, it is difficult to imagine Tumpane would have called the pitch a strike. (Cabrera would not have swung). But Santana entered the night with one hit in his previous seven games and with a .139 average.

Given what the Indians failed to do the rest of the way against Bedard, Santana's at-bat almost certainly would not have made a difference. At the time, though, it held plenty of significance.

Raburn popped to short and Cabrera flied to center to end the threat.

Nothing to see here: Indians batters stepped into the box in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. They awakened in the ninth.

Their second hit didn't come until Lonnie Chisenhall led off with a single against closer Grant Balfour, who was trying to get in some work. Brantley singled through the hole at short, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Santana walked the pitch after he should have walked -- but Tumpane called it a strike.

Raburn's sacrifice fly ended Tampa Bay's shutout bid. Cabrera's double play ended the game.

Watch Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed recap the 2014 NFL Draft for the Cleveland Browns that saw Johnny Football become Johnny Cleveland and Josh Gordon possibly suspended next a year.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed look back at the Browns 2014 NFL Draft and the news that surrounded it.

The Browns began the draft with 10 selections.  They choose six players and executed five trades.  The trades included three picks in next years draft, a first-, fourth- and sixth-round.

Round 1: Justin Gilbert, cornerback, Oklahoma State (8th) and Johnny Manziel, quarterback, Texas A&M quarterback (22nd).

Round 2: Joel Bitonio, offensive lineman, Nevada (35th overall).

Round 3: Christian Kirksey, linebacker, Iowa (71st overall) and Terrance West, running back, Towson (94th overall).

Round 4: Pierre Desir, cornerback, Lindenwood (127th overall)

Twitter: @CLEvideos

Shaw threw for 2,447 yards and 24 touchdowns last season for the Gamecocks.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns drafted the biggest name in college football Thursday night, but their interest in acquiring quarterbacks didn’t stop there.

South Carolina’s Connor Shaw tweeted Saturday night he’s joining the Browns. The club began the process of signing undrafted free agents and offering tryouts three days after selecting quarterback Johnny Manziel with the No. 22 overall pick.

It’s unclear if Shaw, the winningest quarterback in Gamecocks history, signed as a free-agent deal or agreed to try out. The Browns haven’t confirmed any signings.

The club has Brian Hoyer, Manziel, Vince Young, Tyler Thigpen and Alex Tanney in the fold. Shaw threw for 2,447 yards and 24 touchdowns along with one interception last season. The 6-foot, 206-pound quarterback also rushed for 558 yards.

Cleveland Browns it is. Thankful for the opportunity. #DawgPound

— Connor Shaw (@cmshaw_14) May 10, 2014

Crowell signed

The club signed Alabama State running Isaiah Crowell (5-11, 224), a league source told cleveland.com. He rushed for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

In 2011, Crowell ran for 850 yards at the University of Georgia and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors. The following year, however, he was arrested and faced felony charges after police found a stolen gun in his car. Charges were later dropped.

Catching on

The Browns drafted no wide receivers, but are being linked to at least four undrafted free-agent wideouts. They are: San Jose State’s Chandler Jones, Florida State’s Kenny Shaw, Ball State’s Willie Snead IV and Vanderbilt’s Jonathan Krause. Oklahoma State tight end Blake Jackson also has been connected to the Browns.

Brownies

Other players linked to the club include: Southern Illinois fullback Ray Agnew, Notre Dame linebacker Carlo Calabrese, Pittsburgh safety Jason Hendricks, Cincinnati linebacker Greg. Troy quarterback Corey Robinson.

Associate head coach Ginny Doyle and director of basketball operations Natalie Lewis were two of the three people aboard the balloon that crashed Friday night.

DOSWELL, Va. -- A University of Richmond women's basketball assistant coach and team staff member were the passengers aboard a hot air balloon that drifted into a power line, burst into flames and crashed in Virginia.

University administrators said in a news release that associate head coach Ginny Doyle and director of basketball operations Natalie Lewis were two of the three people aboard the balloon that crashed Friday night. Investigators say the remains of two people were found about a mile apart in dense woods, and the search continued for the third body.

"Words cannot begin to express our sorrow," Keith Gill, the school's athletic director, said in a news release. "We are all stunned by the tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones."

More than 100 searchers spent Saturday scouring the woods and fields around the crash site for the third victim and any remnants of the balloon. The search was scaled back as darkness approached but was set to resume Sunday. Investigators declined to say whose remains had already been found.

Lewis just completed her second year as director of basketball operations for the women's team, according to a profile on the university's website. The Buffalo, New York, native was a four-year letter winner and two-time captain of the Spiders' swim team.

A spokeswoman for Lewis' family, Julie Snyder, called Lewis "an amazing person and a strong person, an athlete engaged to be married."

Doyle, who graduated from Richmond in 1992 after a standout basketball career, served on the team staff for 16 years after that -- including nine winning seasons. She earned all-conference honors twice as a player.

"As alumnae, classmates, and colleagues -- and as invaluable and devoted mentors for our student-athletes -- Ginny and Natalie have been beloved members of our community," university President Edward L. Ayers said in the news release.

The university canceled two weekend baseball games and held a moment of silence at commencement Saturday for its law school.

Witnesses to the crash described a harrowing sight on the special preview night for the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, which was set to open Saturday. The festival was canceled. About 740 people attended the preview event.

On the ground, "It was complete silence," spectator Nancy Johnson said. "There were people praying. It was horrible."

The balloon was among 13 that lifted off Friday night from Meadow Event Park, home to the State Fair of Virginia, and was approaching a landing site nearby. Two of the balloons landed safely before the third hit the live power line, according to police.

The pilot attempted to retain control of the balloon and snuff the fire and two passengers either jumped or fell from the gondola, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

"Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread," Geller said.

She said another pilot interviewed by investigators described how the pilot tried to open vents to release extra-hot air in an attempt to keep the balloon from rising faster.

"Based on witness accounts, he did everything he could to try to save the passengers' lives," Geller said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the crash.

Troy Bradley, past president of the Balloon Federation of America, said most serious accidents on balloons -- including fires, electrocution or baskets becoming severed -- happen after hitting power lines. Most of the time it's due to pilot error, he said.

Fatal accidents happen less often than with other types of aircraft, Bradley said.

"Hundreds of thousands of flights will go without any notice. That one that hits the news gets all the attention, but ballooning is a very, very safe form of aviation."

Twenty balloonists from the Mid-Atlantic region had been scheduled to participate in the weekend festival, said Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the venue.

Johnson, who went as a spectator to the festival with her husband, photographed the balloon after the accident. She said the crash near the park about 25 miles north of Richmond occurred in an instant.

"One minute the balloons were hovering in a field behind Event Park, the next everyone is pointing at sky," she said.

Carrie Hager-Bradley said she saw the balloon in flames on her way home from the grocery and heard people yelling.

"They were just screaming for anybody to help them," she told WWBT TV.

Donnell Ferguson said he was cutting grass when he saw a couple balloons passing by. One was low, barely at tree-top level.

"At first I saw a cloud of black smoke and then I noticed the basket on fire," he said. "Then it just took off real fast and disappeared."

John Axford's recent struggles could bring about some changes in the Indians closer's role.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s May, it’s still early so why does it feel like the Indians have a problem at the back of their bullpen?

It hasn’t reached a crisis stage yet, but the closer’s job is always one fat pitch away from turning into one. The Tribe’s pen has that feel to it.

The reason is John Axford. After a strong start to the season, Axford was removed from the closer's job Saturday by manager Terry Francona.

Axford has converted 9 of 11 save chances. It’s nine more than he had last year when he lost the closer’s job with Milwaukee in early April, but walks not saves cost Axford his job this seasobn.

His wildness was on display Friday night when manager Terry Francona started the ninth inning with Axford even though the Indians led the Rays, 6-2. It wasn’t a save situation, but Francona said specifically that Axford just wasn’t out there to try and work out some mechanical flaws.

“I’ve always felt that in a four-run game, you go to your closer,” said Francona. “Everyone has their own opinions. I just think if you go to somebody else, and two hitters into the inning, you’re in a save situation, your closer doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room.

“It might cost a guy three or four saves at the end of the year, but I think it’s better for the team.”

OK, so that’s why Axford was in Friday’s game with a four-run lead. Things started well as he threw called third strikes past Matt Joyce and Brandon Guyer. Then Axford lost his control and almost lost the game.

Logan Forsythe doubled, Ryan Hanigan walked, David DeJesus doubled in a run and Ben Zobrist walked to load the bases. Cody Allen relieved and retired James Loney after a 10-pitch at bat to end the game and earn his first save of the season.

Allen, Bryan Shaw, Marc Rzepczynski and Scott Atchison will replace Axford until he's ready to reclaim the job. Allen is expected to get most of the save opportunities.

Last year Axford walked 26 batters in 65 innings for the Brewers and Cardinals. This year he’s walked 13 in only 14 2/3 innings.

Walks hurt all pitchers, but especially closers because they pitch when the game is at its tightest. Handing out free bases is an invitation to defeat.

On April 13, Axford walked leadoff hitter Dayan Viciedo to start the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead over the White Sox. He retired Alejandro De Aza, but Alexei Ramirez hit a game-winning, two-run homer for Axford’s first blown save of the season.

On May 4, Axford ran afoul of the White Sox again following an eight-inning, 13-strikeout start by Corey Kluber. Working with a 3-1 lead, he started the ninth by walking Gordon Beckham before striking out AL home run leader Jose Abreu. A second walk, this time to Adam Dunn, followed before Axford gave up a game-winning three-run homer to Viciedo.

In Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Twins, Francona used Allen in the ninth of a scoreless game. That’s usually the role for a closer in a tie game at home, but Francona went with Allen because he was he was warming up.

Axford started the 10th and gave up a leadoff homer to Eduardo Escobar for what proved to be the winning run.

In Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Twins, Axford started the ninth with the score tied, 3-3. He retired the first two batters, but gave up a double to Danny Santana and walked Brian Dozier before third baseman Carlos Santana reached into the stands to catch Sam Fuld’s foul pop to end the inning.

Axford came away with the win when Mike Aviles singled home the winning run with two out in the ninth.

After Friday’s game, Axford said fatigue might have caused him to lose his command after retiring the first two batters.

“I’ve thrown a lot recently and, obviously, you can only throw 25 to 30 pitches an inning so many times before it catches up to you,” said Axford. “I just need that clean, quick, one-two-three inning and get back on it.”

In his last four appearances, starting with May 2 loss to Chicago, Axford has thrown 102 pitches in three innings.

That was way more than one too many for the Indians.

This week in baseball

There are three strikes in an out and three outs in every half inning. Here are two more sets of three to think about from last week in baseball. (All stats through Friday).

Three up

Cincinnati rookie Billy Hamilton (sliding) stole 11 bases in April.Associated Press

1. Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton stole 11 bases in April, the most by a rookie since Vince Coleman stole 12 for the Cardinals in 1985.

2. Miami’s Jose Fernandez is 12-0 with a 1.09 ERA in 19 career starts at Marlins Park.

3. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera drove in 12 runs in a 10-game hitting streak that ended Monday. He added five hits and six RBI on Tuesday and Wednesday.

1. Houston lefty Brett Oberholtzer (0-6, 5.68) leads the big leagues in losses.

2. The Braves, who have lost eight of their last 10 games, are hitting .164 (12-for-73) with runners in scoring position in that stretch.

3. The Burlington Bees, Class A team for the Angels, blew a 17-1 fifth-inning lead to the Clinton Lumberjacks on Wednesday, losing to Seattle Class A team, 20-17 in 12 innings.

Tribe talk

Jason Giambi was placed on the disabled list last week for the second time this season.Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

“When you leave the room after talking to Jason Giambi, even when you put him on the DL, you just feel like a better person,” manager Terry Francona, after the Indians placed Giambi on the disabled list last week with a right calf injury.

MLB talk

“You can’t set Victor Martinez up – he’s just too good at getting the barrel to the ball. I don’t think it matters what pitch you throw, he’s generally going to find a way to do it,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus on Victor Martinez, who hit .405 (17-for-42) with 11 RBI in an 11-game hitting streak that ended Friday.

Stat-o-matic

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is off to a great start at the plate -- especially at Coors Field.Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

1. Home cooking: Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .402 (47-for-117) overall, .608 (31-for-51) at Coors Field and .242 (16-for-66) on the road.

2. Four-hit games: Indians’ shortstops with the most four-hit games in their careers, courtesy of High Heat stats: Joe Sewell and Lou Boudreau 21, Omar Vizquel 14, Bill Knickerbocker 11, Asdrubal Cabrera 10 and Johnny Burnett seven. Cabrera collected No. 10 Thursday vs. the Twins.

3. Home sweet home: The Marlins have the best home record in the big leagues at 17-5. It ties a franchise record for their best start at home since the 1997 Fighting Fish did it.

Victor Martinez can be a free agent at the end of this season. Could he possibly take one last bow with the Indians?

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – I’m not sure if it would work. I’m not even sure if it’s a fit, but I heard something a while ago that’s intriguing.

There is word that Victor Martinez, a free agent at the end of this season with Detroit, would like to finish his career in Cleveland. When people talk about the Indians’ inability to develop middle-of-the-order hitters, they conveniently forget the switch-hitting Martinez.

He hit 20 or more homers three times for the Tribe. His best RBI seasons in Cleveland were 108 in 2004 and 114 in 2007.

Martinez, 35, is an everyday DH, who can dabble at catcher and first base. He’s currently hitting .322 (37-for-115) with seven homers and 19 RBI for the surging Tigers. It certainly hasn’t hurt Martinez to hit behind Miguel Cabrera, but over his last four seasons, Martinez has never hit less than .301.

The Indians and Martinez still have ties. President Mark Shapiro, who traded Martinez to Boston in 2009, is still close with him. Terry Francona, who managed him for a 1½ in Boston, is now the Indians manager.

Money would be a question. Martinez is in the final year of a four-year $50 million deal with the Tigers. The Indians, just over one year removed from their lengthy and unfulfilling deal with DH Travis Hafner, almost assuredly wouldn’t go that route again.

Still, having Martinez hit in the middle of the Tribe’s lineup is something to ponder in the months to come.

David Griffin is close to being named general manager of the Cavaliers, The Plain Dealer has learned. Griffin has been the team's acting general manager since Chris Grant was fired on Feb. 6.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- David Griffin is close to being named general manager of the Cavaliers, The Plain Dealer has learned.

Neither owner Dan Gilbert nor Griffin would comment on Saturday night, but a source said that after interviewing four or five serious candidates, the Cavs settled on Griffin, who has been the team's acting general manager since Gilbert fired Chris Grant on Feb. 6.

The fate of coach Mike Brown is still not clear.

After Griffin took over for Grant, the team responded with a six-game winning streak -- its longest since the 2009-10 season -- and went 17-16 the rest of the season, remaining in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season.

One of the key factors was that less than two weeks after being named, Griffin acquired Spencer Hawes from Philadelphia at the trading deadline.

Griffin, 44, joined the Cavs as vice president of basketball operations in 2010, after Danny Ferry resigned as general manager and Grant was promoted to that position. Before joining the Cavs, Griffin spent 17 years with the Phoenix Suns, starting as an intern in communications and working his way up to Suns senior vice president of basketball operations. He also was the Suns assistant general manager of player personnel, director of player personnel, assistant director of player personnel, basketball operations assistant and media relations assistant.

In addition, he also served as the tournament director of the Nike Desert Classic and was an assistant coach at Scottsdale Community College.

As a kid growing up in Phoenix, Griffin's goal was to become general manager of the Suns. Before he even graduated from Arizona State in 1995, he was working for Jerry Colangelo's team in a variety of roles that prepared him for the job he is now about to begin.

"You never know what's in someone's future when you start off getting your foot in the door and getting your first job,'' Colangelo told The Plain Dealer earlier this year. "He was always very diligent, a very hard worker and he just wanted a chance or an opportunity. He was ambitious. He had his sights set on much higher things. I'm not sure he knew at the beginning what that might mean, but he wanted to advance. He wanted to move up the ladder.

"So he paid his dues, he really did, in every sense of the word. Here's a guy who has been somewhat of a lifer who now has his opportunity, But he's earned that. It wasn't gifted to him. It wasn't handed to him. He paid his dues along the way and did a great job. Now he's got a chance to pave his own future.''

Elijah Brown transfers: Brown, the son of the Cavs coach, announced via Twitter than he was going to finish his college basketball career at New Mexico. After his high school career at St. Edward in Lakewood and Mater Dei in the Los Angeles area, Brown committed to Butler before Brad Stevens left to coach the Boston Celtics. Brown announced he was leaving Butler three weeks ago.

Let the curtain rise on how the 32 teams performed under the spotlight and in front of a fickle audience.

Like New York City itself, Radio City is a special place. Many performers have starred in the venerable theater over the decades and it is a place where many future NFL superstars -- and legions of not-so-shining stars -- have heard their names called. Against that backdrop, let the curtain rise on the final review of how the league's 32 teams performed under the spotlight for a fickle audience at the 2014 NFL Draft:

The Review: Jadeveon Clowney was the head of the class and the Texans stayed put at No. 1 to select the difference maker on defense. A couple of top-notch picks followed in the second and third rounds in guard Xavier Su'a-Filo and DT Louis Nix, respectively. Nix dropped from a first-round projection to the third round (No. 83) and he is more than worthy of the selection at that spot. Bill O'Brien and Tom Savage will be a good teacher/pupil fit as the latter builds up to eventually being the Texans' starter. Prosch represents great late-draft value.

St. Louis Rams: No. 2, OT, Greg Robinson; No. 13, DT, Aaron Donald; No. 41, CB, Lamarcus Joyner; No. 75, RB, Tre Mason; No. 110, S, Maurice Alexander; No. 188, CB, E.J. Gaines; No. 214, QB, Garrett Gilbert; No. 226, OT, Mitchell Van Dyk; No. 241, S, C.B. Bryant; No. 249, DE, Michael Sam; No. 250, C, Demetrius Rhaney

The Review: It could be argued the Rams had the best first round of any team. OT Greg Robinson is eager to learn and ultimately will take over at left tackle for a decade. On the other side of the ball, a tenacious Aaron Donald can be a disruptive force for just as long. Tre Mason (No. 75), a former Auburn teammate of Robinson, will give the Rams a boost in the running game. Joyner is an outstanding cover corner and Gaines adds depth at that position. With so much speculation as to whether Sam would be drafted it turns out he will remain in Missouri.

The Review: A really solid draft in addressing several needs. Matthews and Hageman will have an immediate impact, and Freeman is a versatile running back with great hands. He and Jacquizz Rodgers should make for an exciting backfield duo. Southward could play right away at corner or safety. Four of the last five picks were linebackers, including a very athletic Spruill.

Alabama inside linebacker C.J. Mosely poses for photos upon arriving for the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall, Thursday, May 8, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Baltimore Ravens: No. 17, LB, C.J. Mosley; No. 48, DT, Timmy Jernigan; No. 79, S, Terrence Brooks; No. 99, TE, Crockett Gilmore; No. 134, DE, Brent Urban; No. 138, RB, Lorenzo Taliaferro; No. 176, G, John Urschel; No. 194, QB, Keith Wenning; No. 218, WR, Michael Campanaro

The Review: The Ravens went for defense with their first three picks and got a couple of difference makers in Mosley and Jernigan. They later added quality depth to the D-line with Urban. Gilmore is a very strong pick at No. 99. His stock rose late and he could turn out to be a gem in the Ravens offense. Campanaro was a steal in the seventh round. Overall, it was a very nice draft for GM Ozzie Newsome with a mix of impact players and those with considerable upside.

Green Bay Packers: No. 21, S, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix; No. 53, WR, Davante Adams; No. 85, DT Khyri Thornton; No. 98, TE, Richard Rodgers; No. 121, LB, Carl Bradford; No. 161, C, Corey Linsley; No. 176, WR, Jared Abbrederis; No. 197, CB, Demetri Goodson; No. 236, WR, Jeff Janis

The Review: Clinton-Dix can play right away in a Green Bay secondary that is in need of somebody with his ball skills. Speaking of ball skills, the Pack certainly upgraded its corps of receivers with Adams and Abbrederis, with the latter known for his superb route running. Green Bay needed to address the linebacker position and did an outstanding job of it with Bradford, who can work inside or outside.

Blake Bortles walks past fans after leaving the stage after being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City on Thursday, May 8th, 2014 in New York, NY. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Jacksonville Jaguars: No. 3, QB, Blake Bortles; No. 39, WR, Marqise Lee; No. 61, WR, Allen Robinson; No. 93, G, Brandon Linder; No. 114, CB, Aaron Colvin; No. 144, LB, Telvin Smith; No. 159, LB, Chris Smith; No. 205, C, Luke Bowanko; No. 222, RB, Storm Johnson

The Review: The selection of the in-stater Bortles surprised many at No. 3. Third picks are usually reserved for prospects who will play right away, which is likely not the case with Bortles. He will be a good one, though. The Jags snagged a pair of wonderful receivers in Lee and Robinson while addressing the O-line with Linder. They finally went with defense in the fourth and fifth rounds and did very well, especially with the versatile Telvin Smith.

Minnesota Vikings: No. 9, LB, Anthony Barr; No. 32, QB, Teddy Bridgewater; No. 72, DE, Scott Crichton; No. 96, RB, Jerick McKinnon; No. 145, G, David Yankey; No. 182, CB, Antone Exum; No. 184, CB, Kendall James; No. 220, DT, Shamar Stephen; No. 223, LB, Brandon Watts; No. 225, CB, Jabari Price

The Review: A very strong class overall was led by a playmaking linebacker in Barr and a much-needed quarterback in Bridegwater. The Vikings, who had 10 picks, did a nice job upgrading most areas of the defense. Many thought Crichton could have gone in the second round. Watts, meanwhile, is a talented linebacker who could provide great seventh-round value. Needing help at corner, the Vikes took three in the final two rounds.

Oakland Raiders fan Chris DeRobertis, center, of Mahopac, N.Y., waits outside before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, May 8, 2014, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Oakland Raiders: No. 5, LB, Khalil Mack; No. 36, QB, David Carr; No. 81, G, Gabe Jackson; No. 107, DT, Justin Ellis; No. 116, CB, Keith McGill; No. 219, CB, Travis Carrie; No. 225, DE, Shelby Harris; No. 247, S, Jonathan Dowling

The Review: Mack was regarded as the best defensive player in the draft not named Clowney. Carr has great arm strength -- perhaps the best among the QBs -- and was a good pick in Round 2. Jackson is a bull at guard and Ellis has the tools to be one of the draft's best mid-round picks.

Pittsburgh Steelers: No. 15, LB, Ryan Shazier; No. 46, DT, Stephon Tuitt; No. 97, WR, Dri Archer; No. 118, WR, Martavis Bryant; No. 157, CB, Shaquille Richardson; No. 173, C, Wesley Johnson; No. 192, LB, Jordan Zumwalt; No. 215, DT, Daniel McCullers; No. 230, TE, Rob Blanchflower

The Review: Ben Roethlisberger has to be happy with the big-bodied Bryant (6-foot-4) and also the diminutive Archer, who is a thrill-a-second RB/WR who will provide a major spark. Shazier provides speed off the edge and Tuitt can clog up the middle. Zumwalt was an excellent pick in the sixth round.

The Review: The Cardinals needed a safety and got one in Bucannon, who was widely regarded as the third best as his position. Arizona also bolstered the pass rush with Martin, who moved up the board as the draft neared and could find himself starting sooner than later. Niklas gives Carson Palmer a nice outlet while the speedy John Brown was a star at the FCS level who will likely have more of an impact on the return game at first.

Buffalo Bills: No. 4, WR, Sammy Watkins; No. 44, OT, Cyrus Kouandjio; No. 73, LB, Preston Brown; No. 109, CB, Ross Cockrell; No. 153, G, Cyril Richardson; No. 221, LB, Rendell Johnson; No. 237, OT, Seantrell Henderson

The Review: The Bills traded up from No. 9 to get the ultra-talented Watkins, who was widely regarded as the best receiver of a deep class. He will make a difference on offense and special teams. Kouandjio addresses a need on the offensive line, but injuries are a concern. Richardson was a very good fifth-round selection. There were a couple of good selections on defense -- Brown is strong against the run and on the blitz while Cockrell could make a difference in the secondary very soon.

Chicago Bears: No. 14, CB, Kyle Fuller; No. 51, DT, Ego Ferguson; No. 82, DT, William Sutton; No. 117, RB, Ka'Deem Carey; No. 131, S, Brock Vereen; No. 183, QB, David Fales; No. 191, P, Patrick O'Donnell; No. 246, OT, Charles Leno, Jr.

The Review: The Bears needed help at corner and they got a player in Fuller who was arguably the best CB in the draft. Ferguson seemed questionable in the second round, though the Bears did a nice job snagging Sutton 31 picks later. Carey was one of the nation's leading rushers last season and at least one draft publication tabbed him as the best of the RBs. He has maturity issues, but he was a very good pick in the fourth round. Fales may not have the strongest of arms, but he could develop into a nice backup.

Cincinnati Bengals: No. 24, CB, Darqueze Dennard; No. 55, RB, Jeremy Hill; No. 88, DE, Will Clarke; No. 111, G, Russell Bodine; No. 164, QB, AJ McCarron; No. 239, WR, James Wright; No. 252, CB, Lavelle Westbrooks

The Review: Dennard is a physical and tough corner who was the 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation's best defensive back at Michigan State. Cincy did well in getting Clarke, who can be an immediate contributor to the pass rush. Hill has character issues and, though he is very talented, it makes for a questionable second-round pick. While Andy Dalton has the No. 1 QB job locked down, McCarron could eventually compete for the top job.

A fan holds up a 'Johnny Cleveland' sign after Johnny Manziel was selected by the Cleveland Browns at the 2014 NFL Draft at Radio City on Thursday, May 8th, 2014 in New York, NY. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Cleveland Browns: No. 8, CB, Justin Gilbert; No. 22, QB, Johnny Manziel; No. 35, G, Joel Bitonio; No. 71, LB, Christian Kirksley; No. 94, RB, Terrance West; No. 127, CB, Pierre Desir.

The Review: After trading down from No. 4 to the No. 9 spot and back up to No. 8, Cleveland took neither Manziel nor a receiver, but they did get a player who was the top corner in many mock drafts in Gilbert. After lighting up Times Square with their selection of Manziel, the wait was on for the receiver everyone expected after news broke that Josh Gordon faces a possible one-year suspension and Nate Burleson has a broken arm (again). The Browns picked up some good players in Bitonio, the very talented West and the high-upside Desir, but it was a curious draft that ended in the fourth round without the selection of a single wide receiver. The overall value of this haul hinges on Manziel, who could ultimately make GM Ray Farmer's first draft a standing "O."

Denver Broncos: No. 31, CB, Bradley Roby; No. 56, WR, Cody Latimer; No. 95, OT, Michael Schofield; No. 156 Lamin Barrow; No. 207, C, Matthew Paradis; No. 242, LB, Corey Nelson

The Review: A short but somewhat sweet draft for the Broncos. Roby is a little questionable off the field and has a history of injuries, but there is no question he was one of the top corners in this draft. Latimer shot up the board in the weeks leading up to the draft and he will be a nice replacement for Eric Decker. Schofield and Barrow are solid depth players.

New Orleans Saints: No. 20, WR, Brandin Cooks; No. 58, CB, Stanley Jean-Baptiste; No. 126, LB, Khairi Fortt; No. 167, S, Vinnie Sunseri; No. 169, LB, Ronald Powell; No. 202, OT, Tavon Rooks

The Review: The Saints did not have many picks but selected a group of tough, physical players. Cooks was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver at Oregon State last season. Jean-Baptiste is a big corner (6-foot-3) and Sunseri will provide nice depth at safety.

New York Giants: No. 12, WR, Odell Beckham; No. 43, C, Weston Richburg; No. 74, DT, Jay Bromley; No. 113, RB, Andre Williams; No. 152, S, Nat Berhe; No. 174, LB, Devon Kennard; No. 187, CB, Bennett Jackson

The Review: The Giants might have taken Eric Ebron if he were on the board, but ended up getting an outstanding receiver and special teams contributor in Beckham. The momentum did not last, though. Richburg probably would have been available later. Bromley never lets up on a play, but consistency is often lacking. Kennard could prove to be a strong late pick with his ability to play both linebacker and end.

New York Jets fans react to the Jets' third round pick, Dexter McDougal of Maryland, during the 2014 NFL Draft, Friday, May 9, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

New York Jets: No. 18, S, Calvin Pryor; No. 49, TE, Jace Amaro; No. 80, CB, Dexter McDougle; No. 104, WR, Jalen Saunders; No. 115, WR, Shaquelle Evans; No. 137, G, Dakota Dozier; No. 154, LB, Jeremiah George; No. 195, CB, Brandon Dixon; No. 209, WR, Quincy Enunwa; No. 210, DE, IK Enemkpali; No. 213, QB, Tajh Boyd; No. 233

The Review: The Jets addressed a major need in the secondary by making Pryor the first safety selected. McDougle, though, may have gone too high. Amaro will be a nice fit in the West Coast offense while Saunders, who split his career between Fresno State and Oklahoma, and Evans can be dangerous weapons for Geno Smith. Dozier can contribute at tackle or guard. Let's face it, getting Tajh Boyd that late makes for a nice pick.

Philadelphia Eagles: No. 26, LB, Marcus Smith; No. 42, WR, Jordan Matthews; No. 86, WR, Josh Huff; No 101, CB, Jalen Watkins; No. 141, DE, Taylor Hart; No. 162, S, Ed Reynolds; No. 224, DT, Beau Allen

The Review: After some maneuvering, the Eagles got perhaps the best pass rusher that remained at No. 26 in the person of Smith. They then addressed the release of DeSean Jackson by getting the bigger Matthews. Of course, Chip Kelly had to get a couple of his own from Oregon in Huff and Hart. Watkins is a very strong corner.

San Diego Chargers: No. 25, CB, Jason Verrett; No. 50, LB, Jeremiah Attaochu; No. 89, G, Chris Watt; No. 165, DT, Ryan Carrethers; No. 201, RB, Marion Grice; No. 240, WR, Tevin Reese

The Review: San Diego nicely addressed the defense in this draft. Verrett, who plays well beyond his 5-foot-9 frame, could turn out to the best corner taken. Attaochu is an equally talented player who could develop into a Pro Bowler and Carrethers offers much value in the fifth round.

San Francisco 49ers fans cheer during the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Friday, May 9, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

San Francisco 49ers: No. 30, S, Jimmie Ward; No. 57, RB, Carlos Hyde; No. 70, C, Marcus Martin; No. 77, LB, Chris Borland; No. 100, G, Brandon Thomas; No. 106, WR, Bruce Ellington; No. 129, CB, Dontae Johnson; No. 150, LB, Aaron Lynch; No. 170, CB, Keith Reaser; No. 180, CB, Kenneth Acker; No. 243,DE, Kaleb Ramsey; No. 245, FB, Trey Millard

The Review: Ward was one of the best safeties on the board, but it was not a position of need. Bordland was a great pick at No. 77 as insurance if NaVorro Bowman (knee) struggles to return. On offense, Martin nicely addresses a need at center while Hyde is depth behind Frank Gore. Keep an eye on Lynch, who many scouts thought had first-round talent while at Notre Dame before transferring to USF.

Seattle Seahawks: No. 45, WR, Paul Richardson; No. 64, OT, Justin Britt; No. 108, DE, Cassius Marsh; No. 123, WR, Kevin Norwood; No. 132, LB, Kevin Pierre-Louis; No. 172, DT, Jimmy Staten; No. 199, OT, Garrett Scott; No. 208, S, Eric Pinkins; No. 227, FB, Kiero Small

The Review: The Seahawks traded out of the first round before grabbing a couple more weapons for Russell Wilson to work with. Richardson could have been available in the third round but will stretch the field while the sure-handed Norwood also has good speed. There are character questions with Marsh, but he is not lacking for talent. Pinkins is a 6-foot-3 safety who could end up being quite a sixth-round pick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: No. 7, WR, Mike Evans; No. 38, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins; No. 69, RB, Charles Sims; No. 143, G, Kadeem Edwards; No. 149, OT, Kevin Pamphile; No. 185, WR, Robert Herron

The Review: QB Josh McCown got a pair of big-bodied weapons in the 6-foot-5 Evans and the 6-foot-6 Seferian-Jenkins. After those two there was little to get excited about. Sims can make plays with his hands and feet out of the backfield, by I wonder how much he will be used as long as Doug Martin is around. Pamphile might develop into a starter.

The Review: Martin and Lawrence address needs, and Street could turn out to be a favorite of Tony Romo. Hitchens could have been had later, and who knows about all those seventh-round picks -- perhaps a couple can make the roster as depth players.

Detroit Lions NFL football first-round draft choice, 10th overall, North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron speaks during a news conference in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, May 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Detroit Lions: No. 10, TE, Eric Ebron; No. 40, Kyle Van Noy; No. 76, C, Travis Swanson; No. 133, CB, Nevin Lawson; No. 136, TE, Larry Webster; No. 158, DT, Caraun Reid; No. 189, WR, T.J. Jones; No. 229, K, Nate Freese

The Review: The Lions got an outstanding talent in Ebron with the 10th pick, but they did not need him. Van Noy is solid, but Swanson would have been around much later. Detroit went to the FCS level with consecutive picks for Webster (Bloomsburg) and Reid (Princeton). The latter could provide solid value.

Indianapolis Colts: No. 59, OT, Jack Mewhort; No. 90, WR, Donte Moncrief; No. 166, LB, Jonathan Newsome; No. 203, LB, Andrew Jackson; No. 232, OT, Ulrick John

The Review: Thanks for stopping by. With no first-round selections and only two of their five picks in the top 100, it was an uneventful draft for the Colts. Mewhort probably went higher than most expected, though Moncrief as a third-round selection could turn out to be a valuable weapon for Andrew Luck.

Kansas City Chiefs: No. 23, LB, Dee Ford; No. 87, CB, Phillip Gaines; No. 124, RB, De'Anthony Thomas; No. 163, QB, Aaron Murray; No. 193, G, Zach Fulton; No. 200, OT, Laurent Devernay-Tardif.

The Review: The Chiefs were looking down the road with the selection of Ford, which does not seem like the wisest way to utilize your only pick in the first two rounds. With Dexter McCluster off to Tennessee, K.C. needed help at running back and got an unpolished home-run threat in Thomas. Maybe Murray becomes a solid backup at some point.

Miami Dolphins: No. 19, OT, Ja'waun James; No. 63, WR, Jarvis Landry; No. 67, OT, Billy Turner; No. 125, CB, Walt Aiken; No. 155, TE, Arthur Lynch; No. 171, LB, Jordan Tripp; No. 190, WR, Matt Hazel; No. 234, DE, Terrence Fede

The Review: With their first two picks the Dolphins selected players they could have taken later in the draft. Lynch could become a very dependable tight end and Tripp offers plenty of upside at linebacker. There are too many projects here.

New England Patriots: No. 29, DT, Dominique Easley; No. 62, QB, Jimmy Garoppolo; No. 105, C, Bryan Stork; No. 130, RB, James White; No. 140, OT, Cameron Fleming; No. 179, G, Jon Halapio; No. 198, DE, Zach Moore; No. 206, CB, Jamea Thomas; No. 244, WR, Jeremy Gallon

The Review: The Patriots appeared to get some value late, but things were questionable early on. Easley tore his ACL twice at Florida, making him a high-risk pick. Garoppolo may prove to be a successor to the 37-year-old Tom Brady, but selecting him this high? Fleming could turn out to be a nice guard/tackle.

Tennessee Titans: No. 11, OT, Taylor Lewan; No. 54, RB, Bishop Sankey; No. 112, DT, Daquan Jones; No. 122, S, Marqueston Huff; No. 151, LB, Avery Williamson; No. 178, QB, Zach Mettenberger

The Review: Lewan was the best tackle available and he gives the line an injection of youth. Sankey will help with the loss of Chris Johnson, and it would not be a stretch to expect Mettenberger to compete for the top QB job in a year or two.

Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy hugs NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the 60th pick by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Friday, May 9, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Carolina Panthers: No. 28, WR, Kelvin Benjamin; No. 60, DE, Kony Ealy; No. 92, G, Trai Turner; No. 128, S, Tre Boston; No. 148, CB Bene Benwikere; No. 204, RB, Tyler Gaffney

Washington Redskins: No. 47, LB, Trent Murphy; No. 66, OT, Morgan Moses; No. 78, G, Spencer Long; No. 102, CB, Bashaud Breeland; No. 142, WR, Ryan Grant; No. 186, RB, Lache Seastrunk; No. 217, TE, Ted Bolser; No. 228, K, Zach Hocker

The Review: After being left out of the first round, the second day was not too good for the 'Skins. Murphy is a nice player, but does not seem to be an immediate need with Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan still in place. Moses was an excellent value at No. 66, but that was not the case with Long a dozen picks later. They did pick it up a bit with Grant and Seastrunk, two guys that can be nice contributors on offense.

Remember those mock drafts you spent weeks reading and debating before the draft? We take a look at just how well those so-called draft experts predicted the 2014 NFL Draft.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Like filling out a perfect NCAA bracket or hunting a chupacabra, correctly predicting the NFL Draft is an exercise in futility.

Experts can only hope to be right some of the time.

That's because mock drafts are equal parts research, analysis, educated guesswork and luck. Then, come draft night, GMs become trade-happy, inside information is shared, players rise and fall, and teams panic. Suddenly, that mock draft you spent weeks meticulously crafting is unraveling faster than you can say "Teddy Bridgewater," and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Still, despite the proliferation of mock drafts, projecting the annual NFL player selection meeting takes skill, and some do it better than others.

Just who are the best mock drafters out there and how accurate are they?

I looked at an admittedly small sampling of mock drafts -- eight to be exact -- and compared them with the actual results. Included in the survey were mock drafts by Chris Fedor of Northeast Ohio Media Group, a collection of cleveland.com readers who participated in a fan mock draft, a panel of football writers at Advance Digital sites across the country such as NOLA.com and NJ.com, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay at ESPN, Tony Grossi at ESPN Cleveland 850 WKNR, Mike Mayock of NFL Network and Rob Rang at CBSSports.com.

Only the first round was reviewed. Since there were five trades resulting in eight teams picking in different spots than the original order, a weighted system was devised since predicting trades is like reading tea leaves.

In the chart (hover for notes), a writer was credited with three points (green) for correctly picking the team, player and order. Two points (yellow) were awarded for matching the team and player or getting the player and order correct. For example, while Kiper thought Johnny Manziel would go to the Browns at No. 4, he still gets two points for matching the player and team. Mayock gets two points for projecting Justin Gilbert at No. 8, even though it was to the Browns and not the Vikings. Wrong picks are shaded in pink. Changes in selection order are noted in red.

In our survey, the team at Advance Digital fared the best, scoring a 20 out of a possible 96 (21 percent). Fedor came in second place (19 percent), followed by McShay (17 percent), Kiper, Grossi and Mayock tied for fourth (15 percent), with Rang (14 percent) next and the fan mock draft coming in last at 11 percent.

Interesting items of note:

• Half of the mock drafts surveyed projected Manziel to the Cowboys at No. 16.

• Two mock drafts correctly predicted Manziel would end up in Cleveland, but none had him going at No. 22.

• Thanks to Jacksonville's selection of Blake Bortles at No. 3, nobody got the first three picks right.

• Bortles was projected to go between No. 7 and No. 32.

• Fedor fared the best at the top of the draft, getting 4 of the first 6 correct.

• In his all-Browns mock draft, Fedor amazingly hit on both Pierre Desir and Christian Kirksey, though he was off on the rounds.

• The Advance Digital team proved they did their homework, getting 3 of the final 7 picks right

• Grossi should (but doesn't) get extra credit for writing, "If the Browns trade down from No. 4... the target will be a cornerback."

• The writer with the lowest score among the pros, Rang, nailed Jimmie Ward at No. 30, but inexplicably traded him to the Ravens. He also correctly projected Bortles to the Jaguars, but 29 spots lower at No. 32.

So, even with the latest information available to them hours before the draft, the top experts in our survey ended up being right only 20 percent of time. Keep that in mind when you inevitably Google 2015 NFL Mock Draft.

Josh Tomlin will get his second start Sunday since being called up from Class AAA Columbus. Tomlin beat the Twins on Tuesday in his first big-league start of the season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Here are Sunday's lineups for the Indians-Rays game at Tropicana Field.

INDIANS

CF Michael Bourn, L, .247.
3B Lonnie Chisenhall, L .348.
DH Michael Brantley, L, .287.
1B Carlos Santana, S, .136.
RF David Murphy, L, .250.
SS Asdrubal Cabrera, S, .246.
C Yan Gomes, R, .257.
LF Nyjer Morgan, L, .297.
2B Mike Aviles, R, .311.
RHP Josh Tomlin, 1-0, 1.35.

RAYS

DH David DeJesus, L, .261.
2B Ben Zobrist, S, .271.
LF Matt Joyce, L, .281.
3B Evan Longoria .276.
1B James Loney, L, .326.
RF Wil Myers, R, .250.
CF Desmond Jennings, R .270.
SS Yunel Escobar, R, .244.
C Jose Molina, R, .122.
RHP Chris Archer, 2-1, 4.91.

UMPIRES

H Paul Nauert.
1B James Hoye.
2B Mark Wegner, crew chief.
3B John Tumpane.

Notes:

-Tomlin is 1-2 with a 4.38 ERA in four career starts against the Rays.
-Archer, a former Tribe draft pick who was traded to the Cubs in the Mark De Rosa deal, is 0-1 lifetime vs. the Tribe.
-On April 2, the Rays signed Archer to an eight-year contract extension. The first six years are guaranteed with two club options.
-The Rays leave for an seven-day West Coast trip after Sunday. Their travel theme for the trip is Woodstock. Manager Joe Maddon came to the park wearing hippie gear Sunday morning.

-This note appeared in the Rays daily game notes: "The last player born before Woodstock to play in a major league game was Omar Vizquel (April 4, 1967), whose last season was 2012." 

Manager Terry Francona talks about juggling the Indians rotation for the Toronto series.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Here are six quick hits from manager Terry Francona's pre-game press conference Sunday morning at Tropicana Field.

1. The Indians juggled their starting rotation for the three-game series against Toronto which opens Tuesday at Rogers Centre.

Justin Masterson and Corey Kluber will start the first two games, which will keep them pitcher on four days rest. Danny Salazar will start Thursday, giving him eight days rest between starts.

"We want to keep Masty and Kluber on their regular days and bumped Danny back a couple of days," said Francona.

Asked if Salazar was healthy, Francona said, "He's fine."

2. Francona said there are a lot of similarities between how they're handling Salazar and how they handled Scott Kazmir last year. The Indians worked hard to find extra rest for Kazmir last year because had not pitched regularly in the big leagues since 2010.

The Indians have handled Salazar carefully since spring training.   

3. Francona said John Axford was "respectful' when told Saturday that he was being taken out of the closer's role.

Axford told Francona the he went to the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg on Saturday to clear his mind and get away from baseball for a while.

"He's a great kid," said Francona.

4. Asked how long it would take to get Axford back on the track?

"How do you know?" said Francona. "The only answer I can give you is that when we put him back in the closer's role we want to keep him there. We want to be convinced of his consistency."

5. Francona said Axford has to work on being consistent with his mechanics and in working ahead in the count.

"We saw a trend," said Francona. "I know he had a bad week, but he was working behind a lot. Even is some of his saves."

Axford has converted nine of 11 save chances.

6. Nick Swisher received a day off Sunday.

"We gave him his choice," said Francona. "I wanted to get Nyjer (Morgan) in the lineup. I was trying to figure out what the best way was to do that. I felt like giving (Michael)  Brantley a day off from the outfield that would be a good way to do it."

Carlos Santana moved from third base to first to replace Swisher, while Morgan started in left field and Brantley went to DH.

Indians look to take 2 out of 3 from the Rays in the series finale in St. Pete.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Get scoring updates and chat with other commenters as the Indians take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game 38: Indians (17-20) at Rays (16-21)

First pitch: 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field

TV/radio: STO; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS 100.7 

Tweets from @clevelanddotcom/indians

The Ohio State basketball team is scheduled to open the 2014-15 season at home on Nov. 14 against UMass Lowell.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State basketball team is scheduled to open the 2014-15 season at home on Nov. 14 against UMass Lowell, according to a report by the Lowell Sun.

Last season was the River Hawks' first year as a Division I program after joining the American East, and they went 10-18.

The game won't aid Ohio State's strength of schedule, but the Buckeyes' nonconference slate also consists of a neutral site game against North Carolina in the recently-announced CBS Sports Classic and a road trip to Louisville for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Ohio State's opened last season on Nov. 9 against Morgan State, nearly a week earlier than this year's currently scheduled opener. 

NFL teams filling roster spots with free agents from the Mid-American Conference.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference continued to cement its reputation as a football dominant league with seven players selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. Within minutes and hours after the draft, at least another 20 MAC players signed free agent contract with NFL teams.

The MAC had two players picked in the first round, one in the third, fifth and sixth and two in the seventh. Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack was the No. 5 pick overall to Oakland, and Kent State's special teams phenom Dri Archer was picked in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Yet over the years the MAC has really made a name for itself with the large number of undrafted free agents who ultimately earn their way on to NFL rosters.

An unofficial list was well over 20 by Sunday afternoon with such notables as Akron's Jarrod Pughsley to Dallas, Ball State's Willie Snead to the Browns, Buffalo's Branden Oliver to the Indianapolis Colts and Toledo's Terrance Owens to Pittsburgh.

Following is an unofficial list of MAC free agents with every school represented except Western Michigan:

Akron (1): Jarrod Pughsley, OT, Dallas Cowboys.

Ball State (1): Willie Snead, WR, Browns.

Bowling Green (2): Alex Bayer, TE, St. Louis Rams; Tyler Beck, TE, New England Patriots.

Buffalo (3): Brandon Oliver, RB, Indianapolis Colts; Alex Neutz, WR, Cincinnati Bengals; Derek Brim, DB, Buffalo Bills.

Central Michigan (3): Zurlon Tipton, RB, Indianapolis Colts; Avery Cunningham, S, St. Louis Rams; Jake Olson, OT, Detroit Lions.

Eastern Michigan (1): Mycal Swaim, S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kent State (2): Roosevelt Nix, DL, Atlanta Falcons; Darius Polk, CB, Indianapolis Colts.

Massachusetts (1): Anthony Dima, OL, Browns.

Miami (2): Dayonne Nunley, CB, San Diego Chargers; Austin Brown, DL, Houston Texans.

Northern Illinois (2): Jordan Lynch, QB, Chicago Bears; Joe Windsor, DE, Dallas Cowboys.

Ohio (2): Donte Foster, WR, Minnesota Vikings; Ryan Boykins, WR, New Orleans Saints.

Toledo (5): David Fluellen, RB, Philadelphia Eagles; Bernard Reedy, WR, Atlanta Falcons; Terrance Owens, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers; Jayrone Elliot, DE, Green Bay Packers; Zac Kerin, C, Minnesota Vikings.

The Browns can't have another season where they lead the league in pass attempts. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ray Farmer's first draft with the Browns will be defined by one decision -- Johnny Manziel.

Yes, it's important for the general manager and his scouts to be right on some other key moves. Part of it will be to keep the pressure off the quarterbacks.

If the defense is rugged…

If the line can block…

If the backs can run the ball…

The quarterbacks will have an easier job -- and that will help Brian Hoyer and Manziel.

The only missing ingredient is a big play receiver, something Farmer must address.

Depth up front

The Browns need second-rounder Joel Bitonio to be a gritty guard, the kind of guy who joins left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack to give the Browns a good offensive line.

When you pick an offensive lineman in the second round, he should be expected to start -- and be productive as a rookie.

The hope is that Thomas, Mack, Bitonio, John Greco and Mitchell Schwartz keep the heat off the quarterback, be it Hoyer or Manziel.

While Coach Mike Pettine talked about Bitonio being able to play "anywhere" on the offensive line, guards were a real problem last season. That was especially true at right guard, where Oniel Cousins and Shawn Lauvao both had miserable seasons.

Pettine has said he believes Schwartz can handle right tackle, so that leaves right guard open for Bitonio.

On the ground

Rookie running back Terrance West should combine with veteran Ben Tate (and possibly Dion Lewis) to give the Browns a strong ground game.

No way can the Browns once again lead the NFL in pass attempts -- one of the most startling stats from last season.

Yes, the Browns even heaved more passes with Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell and Hoyer than the Broncos did with Peyton Manning filling the light Denver air with footballs.

The Browns ranked 27th in rushing, and dead last with four rushing touchdowns.

Those numbers demand a dramatic change. The addition of Tate and West in the backfield and Bitonio to block show that Farmer and his staff realized the severity of the problem.

Also, a good running game -- something that usually is a component of a Kyle Shanahan offense -- will help the quarterbacks.

If you want a young quarterback to fail, make him throw the ball too often.

Now, Shanahan must keep both of his quarterbacks from acting like running backs. Hoyer's knee injury changed the entire season for the Browns.

In the air

Given the fact that the Browns passed on Sammy Watkins (and other receivers) to initiate a trade and take cornerback Justin Gilbert, it's imperative that Gilbert can play effectively right away.

And Farmer must be right in his view that he can lose Josh Gordon to a failed drug test, yet not select a single receiver in the draft.

It's up to the front office and coaches to put their quarterbacks in position to succeed.

Yes, quarterbacks … as in Hoyer and Manziel.

While Hoyer may be the opening day starter, Manziel will play at some point this season.

Even if some of Gordon's stats were inflated in losing causes, he was a major threat.

If you were the opposing defensive coordinator facing the Browns, what player in 2013 worried you the most?

It was Gordon.

And he may be gone all season.

Farmer's scouts must be shrewd enough to find those receivers who weren't drafted or were cut by other teams -- and then have them produce when given the chance in Cleveland.

That's a very hard assignment.

The bottom line

Farmer and Pettine are building a team based on defense. Most of the free agent money (Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner) has been spent on defense. The Browns also used the first-round pick (Gilbert), a third-rounder (inside linebacker Christian Kirksey) and a fourth-round pick (cornerback Pierre Desir) on defense.

They mention Seattle as a model, and the Super Bowl champions are driven by defense.

So you can see the 2014 Browns taking shape.

Remember the mantra: A tough, physical defense. A strong offensive line. A power running game.

As for receivers, those are a work in progress as the talent search continues.

And then there are the quarterbacks.

If Farmer is right on Manziel and he learns from Hoyer and becomes a quarterback who can stay healthy in an offense that fits him, this draft will be considered a success.

And now it's up the Browns to keep bringing in parts to make that happen.

Indians left fielder Nyjer Morgan went 3-for-4 with one homer, two RBI and three runs against the Rays on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 38

Opponent: Rays.

Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Time of day: Afternoon.

Time elapsed: 3 hours, 48 minutes.

Result: Indians 6, Rays 5.

Records: Indians 18-20, Rays 16-22.

Scoreboard watch: Nick Camino, Indians beat reporter for WTAM/AM 1100, tracks MLB standings as closely in April and May as in August in September. So this one is for Camines: The Indians pulled within 5 1/2 games of first-place Detroit (21-12) in the AL Central.

The Tribe gained a game on the Tigers over the weekend when chalk said it was a long shot. The Tigers lost two of three to the Twins in Comerica Park while the Indians won two of three against the Rays on the road.

No question the Indians caught the Rays at the opportune time. The Rays were struggling, with three-fifths of their rotation sidelined because of injuries. Regardless, this was a terrific series "get'' for the Indians. Tampa Bay, which defeated the Tribe in a wild-card game last October, will turn it around at some point.

Series business: The Indians have won three consecutive series. Manager Terry Francona and his players seek to win every game, of course, but they focus more on winning series.

Compartmentalizing: The Indians' offense, on balance, performed superbly less than 24 hours after serving up a clunker.

On Saturday, lefty Erik Bedard and two relievers held the Tribe to three hits as the Rays won, 7-1. Through eight innings, Bedard -- only in the rotation because of the injuries -- and Juan Carlos Oviedo had given up one hit, walked three, and pitched a shutout.

On Sunday, Rays righty Chris Archer and three relievers allowed the six runs on 12 hits. They walked six. They threw 179 pitches.

As those stat lines indicate, the difference in the Tribe's collective approach literally was night and day. Whereas the Indians made it relatively easy on Bedard and his relievers, they made it difficult on Archer and his. The vast majority of their at-bats in the finale were quality.

Turbo boost from below: The bottom third of Cleveland's order -- catcher Yan Gomes, left fielder Nyjer Morgan and second baseman Mike Aviles -- combined to go 6-for-12 with two homers, four RBI and five runs.

Plush, Plush: This game belonged to Morgan.

Morgan and his alter ego, Tony Plush, went 3-for-4 with one homer, two RBI and three runs. They also made a top-notch defensive play.

The combined distance of Morgan's first two hits was less than 100 feet. Then came the thunder.

In the second, Morgan's excuse-me single along the third-base line drove in Asdrubal Cabrera to tie the score, 1-1. Morgan checked on a 1-2 fastball inside, and the ball found the barrel. Archer wanted to flip to catcher Jose Molina in an attempt to get Cabrera, but Molina had come out from behind the plate. The ball rolled inches from the line and stopped two-thirds of the way to the bag, where Evan Longoria picked it up.

Morgan scored on a two-out, two-run double by Michael Bourn.

With one run in and none out in the sixth, Morgan opted for conventional small ball, bunting toward third against righty Brad Boxberger. Longoria made a terrific play to deny the diving Morgan -- at least according to first-base umpire James Hoye. Replays showed that Morgan's left hand beat the throw; the Indians challenged and won.

Morgan moved to second on a balk, to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Aviles's sacrifice fly. Just Plush being Plush.

In the eighth, Morgan ambushed righty Brandon Gomes, homering on the first pitch of the inning to give the Tribe a 6-2 advantage. Morgan sent a low and inside pitch into the right-field seats. It was Morgan's first homer in the majors since July 30, 2012, against Houston. He played in Japan in 2013.

Moments before stepping into the box against Gomes, Morgan laughed heartily at something Molina said. Morgan got serious, dug in, and -- thwack. He knew he had homered as soon as he swung, as evidenced by the bat point and bat flip. No surprise here: Plush's dash around the bases had some tilt and pizazz to it.

All-around player: Morgan, starting alongside center fielder Bourn for the first time, used his speed and glove to come up huge in the Rays sixth. With one out, Longoria singled against righty Josh Tomlin. Lefty James Loney slashed a 3-1 pitch to left that appeared headed for extra bases -- until Plush snared it on the run. Replays showed Morgan had given himself a chance with an excellent jump.

El Oso sharp: Indians first baseman Carlos Santana authored one of his best games in what has been a trying season offensively. He went 2-for-3 with one double and two walks. The out occurred in the ninth when Longoria, playing on the right side of the infield, dived to grab his grounder.

Santana maintained the inside of his back knee, thereby not allowing the hips to slide through too quickly. That led to a swing that was on time, with authority.

Santana played first because Nick Swisher was granted the day off.

Solid again: Tomlin allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out two.

Tomlin has posted back-to-back quality starts since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus to take the spot of Carlos Carrasco. On May 6 against the Twins in Cleveland, he gave up one run on four hits in 6 2/3.

Tomlin did not possess his usual pinpoint control, and his off-speed stuff has been better. But he never gave in and made his best pitches when Rays were on base.

The Rays scored their runs off Tomlin in the first (Matt Joyce homer) and fourth (Matt Joyce single to drive in Ben Zobrist). Joyce is 6-for-12 with two homers career against Tomlin.

The game could have gotten away from Tomlin in the fourth. Zobrist led with a double to right off a high changeup that Tomlin guided instead of throwing with fastball arm action. Zobrist had been 0-for-11 against Tomlin. Joyce hit a first-pitch fastball on the outer half into right to cut Tampa Bay's deficit to 3-2.

Longoria chopped to the right of the mound, where Tomlin fielded and threw wide of first for an error. Santana, playing his second game at first base this season, was pulled off in part because he had his left leg, not his right, on the bag when he reached across his body.

Loney, who entered ranked among AL leaders with a .326 average, stepped in. Tomlin made a good pitch in a hitter's count (2-1) that Loney grounded to Santana, who triggered a double play. Wil Myers, a right-handed batter with pop, grounded out to limit Tampa Bay's damage at one run.

Giving the team a chance: The Tribe rotation has delivered eight quality starts in the last nine games.

Errors misleading: The Indians committed two errors -- but this wasn't one of their bad defensive games. To the contrary: Their fielding was exceptional.

Both of the errors resulted from errant throw by pitchers. Tomlin's misfire in the fourth preceded Marc Rzepczynski's in the eighth. Rzepczynski threw away a potential inning-ending double play -- nearly taking off shortstop Cabrera's throwing hand in the process -- and the Rays capitalized for three runs to make the final score much closer than it should have been.

Smooth duck snort: Brantley led off the third by dumping a 2-2 pitch into shallow left for a single. It extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Missed opportunity: The Indians let Archer off the hook in the third. Santana walked, pushing Brantley to second. Murphy grounded into a double play and Cabrera flied to right.

Murphy pulled a 1-0 fastball low and away to second. Murphy put a bad swing on a good pitch; he had not anticipated the amount of tailing action.

Think pink: Players wore various pink items, including wrist bands, batting gloves, necklaces and cleats, in honor of Mother's Day and for breast cancer awareness.

Morgan wore a snazzy pair of pink-and-white shoes and used pink-and-black batting gloves.

Six Tribe starters used pink bats at least once: Bourn, Brantley, Santana, Cabrera, Gomes and Mike Aviles.

Bat breaker: Gomes led off the fourth with a grounder to third. He got jammed by a first-pitch fastball and shattered his bat. By Gomes' estimation, as relayed by SportsTime Ohio beat reporter Katie Witham, that would put his total of broken bats this season in the high teens.

Gomes resumed using a pink bat in the sixth. Leading off against Archer, Gomes fell behind, 0-2. He took two balls, fouled two good pitches and took another ball. Archer threw a cement-mixer slider and Gomes pounced, parking it into the left-field seats. Rays manager Joe Maddon hooked Archer (2-2, 5.16 ERA) for Boxberger.

Slow drip: According to SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning, Archer entered having taken an average of 26.5 seconds between pitches.

On Saturday, Bedard lulled Tribe hitters to sleep by taking forever between pitches. It worked. Bedard gave up one hit in six innings.

On Sunday, Archer's pace backfired on him. When he did have something working, he never gave himself a chance to stay in a groove and put Tribe hitters on the defensive.

Manager Terry Francona told John Axford on Saturday that he was taking him out of the closer's role. It's a conversation Axford has had before.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s not like John Axford hasn’t heard this before. Still, the disappointment and anger always feel new.

“It’s pretty disappointing . . .upsetting,” said Axford. “You’re mad, but I understand. Things didn't go very well for a week . . .They went bad.

“Hopefully this is just a good opportunity to take a step back and get things back to where they were. Hopefully the team can keep stepping forward the way we have right now, too.”

Manager Terry Francona told Axford on Saturday that he was taking him out of the closer’s role after a tough week. Axford can take heart in the fact that Francona is using four relievers to replace him – Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Marc Rzepczynski and Scott Atchison.

Two years ago the Brewers took Axford out of the closer’s job, but he won it back. Last year the same thing happened in Milwaukee and he never regained the job and was traded to St. Louis. Francona has told Axford that he wants him back at closer.

So do the four relievers who replaced him.

“We’re a better team with Ax at the end of the pen,” said Atchison.

Axford’s fall from grace started on May 4 when he gave up a three-run homer to Dayan Viciedo in the ninth inning to turn a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 loss to the White Sox. In three more appearances last week, he was unable to right himself.

“I really don't know,” said Axford when asked what went wrong. “Even when things were going well in April, I was still walking more guys than I wanted to, but I was getting away with it with some quality pitches and just with my stuff in general.

“It's just a bad week. Mickey (Callaway, pitching coach) and I found something in my delivery that changed just a little bit over the course of this season and that little tick, or whatever it was that I was off, affected me much more than it did in April.”

Axford, who has nine saves in 11 chances, 13 walks and 15 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings this year.

When Axford lost the closer’s job in Milwaukee last year, he was going through a dead arm period. His velocity and arm strength are fine this year.

“I'd say it's more similar to 2012,” said the 6-5 Axford. “I just kind of fell out of my mechanics a little bit.”

Francona and Axford don’t know how long the recovery period will be.

“How do you know?” said Francona. "The only answer I can give you is that when we put him back in the closer's role we want to keep him there. We want to be convinced of his consistency."

Axford went to the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg on Saturday morning before going to the ballpark. He had yet to hear he was being demoted, but knew he wouldn’t pitch in the game.

“It was a nice escape to a certain degree,” said Axford.

The Indians and Axford will open a three-game series in Toronto on Tuesday. The recovery program will start in earnest then.

New look: Lonnie Chisenhall made his big league debut at first base in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 7-1 loss to the Rays.

“Everything looked backward,” said Chisenhall, a third baseman by trade.

The Indians asked Chisenhall to start practicing at first base and in left field on their last trip. They are looking for ways to get his bat in the lineup.

In Sunday’s 6-5 win, he started at third with regular third baseman moving over to first because Nick Swisher had the day off.

Chisenhall is hitting .338 (25-for-74) with eight doubles and two RBI.

He said his first baseman’s glove is already broken in. He already had an outfielder’s glove.

Chisenhall says he doesn’t mind playing different positions.

“You want to be in the lineup, you want to help the team win,” he said. “I just (figure), the more options the better at this point.”

Finally: The Indians juggled their rotation for the Blue Jays’ series. Danny Salazar, scheduled to start Tuesday, was pushed back to Thursday.

Justin Masterson and Corey Kluber will start Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We want to keep Masty and Kluber on their regular days and bumped Danny back a couple of days," said Francona.

Asked if Salazar was healthy, Francona said, "He's fine." . . .Before winning two out of three from the Rays, the Indians had lost seven straight road games. They’re 6-12 on the road . . .The Indians have won three straight series for the time since they ended last season on a 10-game winning streak . . .In Sunday’s victory, the bottom of the order dominated. The last four hitters in the lineup went 7-for-16 with two homers, four RBI and six runs.