T.J. House won his first game in the big leagues on Saturday night in a 7-3 win over Kansas City. Michael Bourn, however, left the game in the eighth inning with a tight left hamstring.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – T.J. House's first big league victory came with all the perks: four game balls, the game's lineup card, plenty of text messages from home and. . . wait for it. . .a beer shower from his teammates.

"I'll take one of those every time I pitch if it means the team wins," said House.

The details are sketchy, but sounds like his teammates threw him in laundry cart, pushed him in the shower room and doused him with beer. How much better can it get?

House pitched 6 2/3 innings Saturday night to earn the victory in the Indians' 7-3 win over Kansas City at Progressive Field. House's first win came in his eighth appearance, seventh start and his second tour with the Tribe this year.

"T.J. has pitched for us a while now," said manager Terry Francona. "He's pitched well enough to have a win before now. But anytime it's your first official win, I'm sure it's very special."

House (1-2, 4.24) allowed three runs on nine hits. He struck out three, didn't walk a batter and threw a whopping 74 percent (64-for-87) of his pitches for strikes.

"There were times I thought T.J. was in the strike zone too much," said Francona.

That may have included Danny Valencia's leadoff homer in the seventh that cut the lead to 6-3, but House came back to get the next two outs before Bryan Shaw relieved. Shaw ended the inning thanks to David Murphy's diving catch in right field.

The victory, which made the Indians 4-4 against the Royals, was muted because center fielder/leadoff hitter Michael Bourn left the game in the eighth with a tight left hamstring after scoring a run.

Bourn's hamstring has bothered him sporadically this year. He had surgery on it at the end of last season and he keeps re-injuring He opened the season on the disabled list because of it.

"The hamstring got tight coming around third base," said Francona. "He was examined, but it's hard (to evaluate) right now because he's still hot from the game.

"He had pretty good strength in the hamstring, but we'll know a whole lot more Sunday.

House gave up a run in the first, but after that stayed calm and cool as the Indians' offense went to work on Jeremy Guthrie (5-7, 4.02). The Tribe's former No.1 pick allowed six runs on 11 hits in four innings.

The Indians scored three times in the third to erase Kansas City's 1-0 lead. Bourn opened with a homer to right field. He hit a 1-1 pitch for his third of the season and first since June 1.

Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall kept the inning going by driving in runs with two-out hits. Kipnis delivered with a double to left center. Chisenhall scored Kipnis home with a bloop single to left.

Before the game Francona was talking about Kipnis' struggles at the plate. He said when you start to see him drive the ball to left center field; good things are close at hand.

"That's the swing right there," said Francona.

Nick Swisher stretched the lead to 5-1 with a bases-loaded, two-run single in the fifth. Carlos Santana and Kipnis opened the inning with singles. Guthrie walked Chisenhall to load the bases.

After Swisher singled to center, Francisley Bueno relieved. Murphy made it 6-1 with a RBI single before Bueno ended the inning.

"I thought we did a good job offensively," said Francona. "We didn't just settle for one run. We ran the bases and we took what Guthrie gave us. When the ninth inning got interesting, it was nice that we had those extra runs."

Cody Allen created a stir in the ninth as he loaded the bases with no one out and a 7-3 lead. Allen ended the suspense by striking out Lorenzo Cain and getting Eric Hosmer to hit into a double play.

"He was in there to get the win," said Francona. "He wasn't in there to get work. "

Cain opened the game against House with a double, stole third and scored on Hosmer's ground out to first for a 1-0 lead.

"T.J. has come a long way already," said Francona. "He gives up the double in the first and doesn't check the runner and he steals. Those are things that he'll learn as he goes a long."

Asked what was going through his mind after Cain scored, House, "That's all the get. I've got a whole ballgame left. One run is not going to be beat, I don't think. We have a good ballclub here. Just hold them to the minimum."

Semifinals pit Antron Brown vs. Tony Schumacher and Shawn Langdon vs. surprising Troy Buff in NHRA Top Fuel.

NORWALK, Ohio -- The early returns into the NHRA semifinals maintained the weekend course of speed records and upsets, Sunday. The action began in the morning under cool gray clouds at Summit Motorsports Park, then gave way to sultry blue skies and slowly rising temps.

In Top Fuel, defending event winner Khalid alBalooshi had no chance in the opening sprint of the day as Tony Schumacher sent alBalooshi to the hauler early. Steve Torrence, one notch (6th) behind Schumacher in the points, stayed in step with a victory of his own to advance.

The sizzler of the day was provided by Brittany Force, who delivered both a personal best and a new track record of 329.83 mph in her opening sprint to send Spencer Massey home early.

Other than Troy Buff, knocking off No. 10 JR Todd, there were no other major surprises in the opening Top Fuel round. Than meant, the top two in the points race, Doug Kallitta and Antron Brown, were in line for a semifinal showdown if both made it unscathed one more round.

Buff's luck continued as he wiggled like a fish on his quarterfinal run against Pat Dakin, but still made it down the line faster into the semifinals. Brown extended his personal win streak against Steve Torrence to 13-0 to advance to the semis. Brittany's speed slipped the next round against Shawn Langdon, and it cost her as Langdon posted a speed of 327.51 to advance.

But the expected Kallitta-Brown matchup was wiped out when Schumacher got the best of Kallitta in the quarters. That made the final Top Fuel semifinall pairings; Langdon vs. Buff and Schumacher vs. Brown.

Former friends, John Force and Cruz Pedregon, have turned sour toward each other so fans anticipate their Funny Car battles on the track.

NORWALK, Ohio -- The early returns into the NHRA semifinals maintained the weekend course of speed records and upsets, Sunday. The action began in the morning under cool gray clouds at Summit Motorsports Park, then gave way to sultry blue skies and slowly rising temps.

The Funny Cars have been super competitive all season - two-through-six - and that proved to be the case once again. No. 4 Ron Capps needed No. 6 Courtney Force to bobble just a bit down the strip to advance to the second round while sending Courtney home.

But the stunner was points leader Robert Hight hitting the wall just before the finish line to spoil a two car-length lead over Cruz Pedregon. That put a sudden end to Hight's weekend, and opened the door for others to make up some ground, although Hight, who entered the weekend with a 246-point edge over the field, would still sit atop the ranks.

However,  Jack Beckman, Capps, John Force and Pedregon were in line to move up as they all advanced to the semis. But the semifinal pairing of Pedregon vs. Force set the crowd buzzing as there is no love lost at all between those two former friends, turned bitter foes. It will mark the third head-to-head this season between them with both holding a win.

Tyler Holt made the two-hour trek up I-71 from Columbus and arrived in Cleveland at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Seen and heard around Progressive Field on Sunday.

Clubhouse confidential: Tyler Holt made the two-hour trek up I-71 from Columbus and arrived in Cleveland at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

He said he got an hour of sleep and then woke up "still in a dream."

The Indians summoned Holt from Triple-A on Saturday night just in case, but the outfielder didn't know he would be needed until Sunday morning, when the club placed Michael Bourn on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Holt arrived at the Indians clubhouse around 11 a.m. to a locker that had a "T-Hush" name tag and his No. 62 uniform.

"I don't even know how to describe it," Holt said. "I still don't feel like it's real. I feel like a lot of these guys in here can say the same thing about their first time. I don't think it'll sink in until a couple games in, two weeks, maybe this offseason. I don't know. Right now, I'm just worried about settling in and helping this team win."

The T-Hush moniker is a play off eccentric outfielder Nyjer Morgan's alter ego, Tony Plush.

"I'm just rolling with it," Holt said, laughing. "I don't mind it, that's for sure."

In 76 games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this season, Holt was batting .300 with a .425 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

"Hopefully I can do that here at this level," Holt said. "It's a little bit different. Any way I can help, that's what I'm going to do."

Holt was the organization's 10th-round draft choice out of Florida State in 2010.

"He can play all three outfield positions," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "He swings at strikes. He's done everything the organization has asked him to do in moving from level to level and has done it in a professional way. It's nice to be able to reward guys who do it right."

House calls: As of Sunday morning, T.J. House still had 24 text messages and six calls to return. The southpaw earned his first major league win on Saturday night, when he limited Kansas City to three runs over 6 2/3 innings. House said he spent a couple hours Saturday night responding to all of the support. His first call went to his parents, who live in Picayune, Miss.

Stat of the day: Lonnie Chisenhall entered Sunday's action with an American League-leading .382 batting average with runners on base.

Going into the NHRA Pro Stock semifinals there has been little competition for Erica Enders-Stevens as she continues on a roll.

NORWALK, Ohio -- The early returns into the NHRA semifinals maintained the weekend course of speed records and upsets, Sunday. The action began in the morning under cool gray clouds at Summit Motorsports Park, then gave way to sultry blue skies and slowly rising temps.

In Pro Stock, sentimental favorite Greg Anderson drew a tough draw in the opening round against Dave Connolly and paid for it with a slim loss, but defeat just the same. That kept Anderson, who had off-season heart surgery and missed the first five races of the season, still outside of the Top 10 in the points race for at least another week.

But the story of the day, the weekend, and the series continued to be Erica Enders-Stevens. She has seen absolutely no competition to date in Norwalk as she has breezed through qualifying -- setting speed records along the way -- then advanced through the first two rounds of Sunday's finals without so much as a threat.

The semifinals will have Chris McGaha as the next driver up trying to knock Enders-Stevens off her perch while Elyria native Connolly will go against Allen Johnson for a chance to advance to the finals.

Watch Zack Meisel and Joey Morona break down the Indians' win over the Royals including Kluber's performance, the decision to take him out with one out in the ninth, Michael Brantley's All-Star level of play, the offense starting to come around and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians beat the Royals behind a dominating performance from Corey Kluber, 4-1, at Progressive Field.

The Tribe improved to 4-1 in July and 2-1 on the homestand.

Watch Zack Meisel and Joey Morona break down the game including Kluber's performance, the decision to take him out with one out in the ninth, Michael Brantley's All-Star level of play, the offense starting to come around and more. 

Kluber improved to 8-6 as he lowered his ERA to 2.86.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Corey Kluber stood atop the rubber and wiped away the dirt in front of him with his left foot. He did the same with his right foot, then again with his left foot.

Terry Francona marched toward the mound in the ninth inning, even though Kluber looked immortal for much of Sunday afternoon. Jason Kipnis jokingly pleaded with his skipper to keep Kluber in the contest. The manager approached the right-hander to a chorus of boos from the 16,991 in attendance.

"I don't blame them," Francona said. "If I was managing with my heart, I would have left him in, too."

Those jeers quickly morphed into a rousing ovation as Kluber handed Francona the baseball and retreated to the dugout.

Corey Kluber pitched like an All-Star on Sunday afternoon. The stoic hurler held the Royals to one run on four hits over 8 1/3 innings to steer the Tribe to a 4-1 triumph.

"He was dominant," said Cody Allen, who recorded the final two outs. "He's been dominant for us all year."

Kluber (8-6, 2.86 ERA) has posted a 1.09 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings over his last four starts. In his previous home start against Kansas City on April 24, he limited the Royals to one unearned run on four hits in a complete-game, no-walk, 11-strikeout performance.

On Sunday, Kluber tallied 10 strikeouts, his 10th start this season (out of 19) with eight or more and his fourth with 10 or more. The victory, the club's second straight, gave the Indians a series win to begin a 10-game homestand.

"It's sure nice to write his name in there," Francona said. "He has weapons and he has poise and he competes."

The Indians backed him with a dash of second-inning power. Carlos Santana commenced the frame with a home run into the visitor's bullpen in right field. Three batters later, Yan Gomes deposited a Danny Duffy fastball over the center-field fence for a two-run shot.

"It was nice to have a little lead," Francona said. It wasn't a big lead, but the way Kluber was pitching ... it felt like maybe a little bit more than that."

Cleveland totaled 10 hits, as eight of nine starters -- all but Lonnie Chisenhall, oddly enough -- recorded at least one base knock. Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas marred Kluber's chances at a shutout. Moustakas guided a solo homer just inside the right-field foul pole in the fifth, his fifth round-tripper in eight games against the Tribe this season.

That proved to be the only harm inflicted upon Kluber, however. The 28-year-old surrendered only two hits that left the infield and became the eighth Indians pitcher since 1914 to record three or more starts in a season with at least 10 strikeouts and one or fewer walks.

When he departed in the ninth, he had tossed 109 pitches, 75 for strikes.

"You go back out there, your goal is to finish the inning," Kluber said. "But I'm not going to second-guess Tito."

Still, Kluber's teammates wanted to witness his brilliance from the start of the game until the end. That includes the guy who was summoned to replace him.

"I wanted him to stay out there," Allen said. "The guy was pitching phenomenal. Any time a guy has a chance to pitch a complete game, you want him to do that."

Gordon was bailed out by Haydn Patrick "Fats" Thomas, who has a history of drug and weapons violations.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns should offer Josh Gordon a choice: Come to Cleveland right now and enroll in a full-time rehabilitation program, or you're cut.

That's it.

When Gordon was arrested for speeding over the Memorial Day weekend, I wrote a column about how the Browns should suspend Gordon and work with him on his problems -- while awaiting word on impending NFL suspension.

Irate fans emailed to tell me I was an idiot for wanting to suspend a guy for speeding.

No, it was for riding around with at least one other guy smoking marijuana. That guy was later charged with possession, and the officer smelled marijuana in the car.

It also was for riding around with a guy smoking marijuana while the NFL was pondering the severity of Gordon's suspension for falling a drug test reportedly for marijuana.

My point was that Gordon is keeping some very questionable company for a guy with a history of drug use -- and doing so when his pro career is in major trouble for failing drug test.

Then Gordon was arrested again. This time, it was Saturday at 3 a.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina.

It started as a speeding violation (50 mph in a 35-mph zone), but ended up being a Driving While Impaired charge. His blood alcohol was .09, above the .08 legal limit in North Carolina.

According to Raleigh television station WNCN, Gordon was bailed out by Haydn Patrick "Fats" Thomas. He is known to authorities, North Carolina basketball fans and the media in the Tar Heel state.

According to the WNCN website, "Thomas rented out a vehicle to former UNC basketball player P.J. Hairston. Hairston was arrested June 5, 2013 in Durham in a vehicle from Thomas along with Elizabeth City State basketball player Miykael Faulcon and former college basketball player Carlos Sanford. All three were charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. The charges against Hairston were later dismissed."

I did some research on "Fats" Thomas.

On November 20, 2013, he plead guilty to charges of "possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia." He received a suspended sentence of 24-47 months in jail, and was place on probation.

I found his criminal record in North Carolina. He has a history of minor weapons and drug charges dating back to 2002. Most of the time, he received probation.

Once again, this is the guy who bailed out Gordon.

Remember, it's not just marijuana with Gordon.

He was suspended for two games (and fined four game-day paychecks) for using codeine in 2013. He said it was cough syrup. But the NFL obviously had doubts, especially because codeine is mixed with fruit juice to become a party drink known as "drank."

Gordon admitted to police in North Carolina that he had three drinks with Vodka.

So it's codeine, marijuana and alcohol ... all within the last 12-to-18 months.

Gordon's drug issues date all the way back to his time at Baylor and Utah, and I see no reason to detail all of that.

As far as I know, Gordon has attended drug counseling sessions. And some group sessions. So much support is available to pro athletes with these issues. The Browns have worked hard in trying to guide and help him.

But I'm not aware that he's ever completed a full-time drug treatment program. Even if he has done it before, it's time to do it again. That's because time is running out on Gordon, and the Browns need to put him on the clock right now.

For Gordon, here's the choice: Rehab or release.

And if he turns down rehab, that tells you that he's really not interested in changing or playing football.

Which defensive players are the ones to look for at the Opening, which starts Tuesday at Beaverton, Ore.'s Nike World Headquarters? OregonLive.com provided its answers Sunday with its eight defensive players to watch. Leading the list are a pair of uncommitted players teams throughout the country are after. At the top of that list is defensive end, Byron Cowart...

Which defensive players are the ones to look for at the Opening, which starts Tuesday at Beaverton, Ore.'s Nike World Headquarters?

OregonLive.com provided its answers Sunday with its eight defensive players to watch.

Leading the list are a pair of uncommitted players teams throughout the country are after. At the top of that list is defensive end, Byron Cowart (Seffner, Fla./Armood), an interesting story because his favorites include teams from all over the country, from Alabama and Auburn in the SEC, to Oregon in the Pac-12.

The local angle will bring Cowart attention in Beaverton.

"Cowart is a top target for the Oregon Ducks, and is rated as the No. 1 strongside defensive end in the nation by scouting service Rivals," OregonLive's Pete Christopher wrote.

Another player OregonLive singled out was another defensive end, Josh Sweat of Chesapeke, Va.'s Oscar Smith High.

Christopher cited his through-the-room 128.31 SPARQ rating that has helped make him the top-rated defensive lineman in the country and the No. 2 overall prospect.

Sweat also has a long list of suitors covering all time zones and major conferences, starting with home-state Virginia Tech, but also including Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Oregon.

To see the other six players in the OregonLive's eight to watch, click here and go here for the site's blog of the Top Opening.

Drag stip records fall and race icon rises at NHRA drag races at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk.

NORWALK, Ohio - The NHRA Drag Racing weekend began with speed records falling seemingly by the round, had domination by Erica Enders-Stevens in Pro Stock throughout, and was spiced up during the Sunday afternoon eliminations with a semifinal Hatfield & McCoy showdown in the Funny Car ranks.

On top of that, the packed house at Summit Motorsports Park got to see a long-overdue first after eight NHRA events here in Norwalk. Defending Funny Car king John Force made Summit the 25th NHRA track where he has won with an event triumph over Ron Capps. It drew the loudest cheers for the weekend.

"It was special to me,'' Force said afterward. "I really wanted this win. Calls were being made and they were being made right."

Former friends turned bitter rivals, Force and Cruz Pedregon went head-to-head in the Funny Car semis for the third time this season, with a Force victory giving him a 2-1 edge in the grudge matches. Overall, that duo has battled 93 times in their careers with 63 wins going to Force, the defending Funny Car series champ.

Afterward, Force belied the well known pit acrimony between the two by heaping praise on Pedregon.

"Against Cruz, give it all you got,'' Force said. "Their ain't nobody better. Hot dang. If I ever get out of the seat, I'll hire him."

Top Fuel: That was just one of the highlights for the weekend that included a surprising early exit for Top Fuel points leader Doug Kallitta in the second round to Tony Schumacher, and yet another Summit Motorsports Park speed record set by Brittany Force in the opening round of Top Fuel eliminations.

Indeed, by the end of the weekend speed records were set in every pro category -- Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle -- as the weekend of mostly blue skies and comfortable Lake Erie breezes made for perfect speed conditions for everyone.

"I'm very excited on how we ran this weekend ... and to come out in the first round and outrun all of our qualifying passes with that 3.75 second run at 329.83 mph is awesome,'' Brittany Force said after putting her name in the Summit record books. "I was very pumped. Getting that track mph record was a great accomplishment. My crew chiefs Todd Smith, Dean Antonelli and the guys have really worked hard and we needed that to get past first round."

Sadly, the next round she was ousted by Shawn Langdon.

Antron Brown, who entered the weekend with a series-best four event wins, was in position to make up some ground on points leader Doug Kallitta with another event title. But Brown first had to get past his team owner, Schumacher, to advance to the finals. Brown did that with ease, well ahead of Schumacher 150-feet down the strip, advancing to his sixth event final of the season with the four wins already in the books. He never set a speed record, but he was clearly the man to beat.

"It's been a true blessing at this track this weekend,'' Brown said. "You have to come with your A-plus game."

Brown only needed to get past Langdon to make it win No. 5. Brown did it with ease, for his fifth event win of the season. The best of any racer in any event on the NHRA circuit. In the process, Brown closed the first to second-place gap between he and Kallita down to 48 points.

Funny Car: For all of his success over the years, and all of his appearances at Norwalk, Force entered the finals against Ron Capps knowing he was still an 0-fer in event victories at this facility. Many finals, no victories. The challenge was to take the momentum from his Pedregon victory and carry it over one more run down the drag strip.

With the victory, Force moved up from third to second in the Funny Car ranks behind points leader Robert Hight.

Pro Stock: When the weekend began, Elyria native Dave Connolly held the Pro Stock speed record at Summit Motorsports Park. Yet through the weekend, Enders-Stevens took that mark off the books as she was clearly, comfortably, the fastest car on the strip through qualifying and through the semifinals of eliminations.

The only thing left to put an exclamation point on the season was for Enders-Stevens -- on a two-race drought without a win -- to walk off with the event victory. But to get it she would have to get past her former crew chief, Connolly, in the finals. They met only once this season, the second round in New Jersey, where Connolly picked up the victory.

But it wasn't even close as Enders-Stevens pulled a 210.14 mph sprint down the drag strip to Connolly's 207.56 mph. Dominant weekend, complete, and the first Pro Stock driver to qualify first and finish first in Pro Stock in over a year.

"I felt good all weekend, and we got it done,'' Enders-Stevens said. "It was our job to bust it."

Pro Stock Motorcycle: No real surprise in the motorcycle ranks as points leader Andrew Hines and iconic two-wheeler Hector Arana went head-to-head in the finals. Hines came out on top by half a bike to take his slim points lead as the series heads next to Denver. It was his third event victory of the season.

For the record: New speed marks were set in every NHRA pro event this weekend. Here are the names and numbers -- Top Fuel - Brittany Force, 329.83 mph; Funny Car - John Force, 322.04 mph; Pro Stock - Erica Enders-Stevens, 212.63 mph and Pro Stock Motorcycle - Hector Arana Sr., 196.93 mph.

The Indians, behind a dominant performance from Corey Kluber, defeated the Royals, 4-1, Sunday at Progressive Field. The Tribe has won two series in a row.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game series Sunday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 87.

Opponent: Royals.

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland.

Time of day: Afternoon.

Time elapsed: 2 hours, 32 minutes.

Attendance: 16,991.

Result: Indians 4, Royals 1.

Records: Indians 43-44, Royals 45-42.

Nick Camino Scoreboard Watch: The Indians trail the first-place Detroit Tigers by 6.0 games in the AL Central. The Tigers (48-37) lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, Sunday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Tigers lost the final three of the four-game series.

The Tigers are off Monday; the Indians begin a four-game series against Derek Jeter's Yankees in Cleveland. 

Four, score: The Tribe improved to 35-12 when scoring four or more runs.

Series business: The Indians have won consecutive three-game series against quality opponents -- both by prevailing in the final two.

After losing to the Dodgers last Monday in Los Angeles (1-0), they won Tuesday (10-3) and Wednesday (5-4).

After losing to the Royals on Friday (7-1), they won Saturday (7-3) and Sunday.

Tough out: Kansas City had not lost a road series since going 1-2 against the L.A. Angels, May 23-25.

Hard core: Tribe right-hander Corey Kluber allowed one run on four hits -- two of which were infield singles -- in 8 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out 10.

Kluber (8-6, 2.86 ERA) threw 75 of 109 pitches for strikes.

Kluber relied primarily on a fastball/slurve/cutter combination. He peppered all quadrants of the zone with the mid-90s fastball, which set up the nasty slurve and cutter. He used several trajectories with his slurve just because he could. The cutter had good tilt, as well. Kluber and catcher Yan Gomes kept the Royals guessing throughout.

The vast majority of Kluber's pitches stayed away from the middle of the plate. In addition to the quality strikes, he threw a number of pitches that started in the zone and darted out late; because they looked like strikes out of the hand, the batter committed to the swing but missed or miss-hit.       

Two strikes equals pain: When Kluber got to two strikes on a batter, the outcome went in his favor on all but two occasions.

With two outs in the seventh, Mike Moustakas fell behind, 1-2, worked the count full and walked. Leading off the ninth, Eric Hosmer slapped a 1-2 fastball down the left-field line for a double.

After Hosmer reached, Kluber struck out Salvador Perez for the third time. Indians manager Terry Francona, hearing boos en route to the mound, signaled for closer Cody Allen. Four pitches later, the game was over.

Right not right: When Kluber is locked in, right-handed batters usually are locked out. The five righties in Royals manager Ned Yost's lineup combined to go 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts. The hit was Lorenzo Cain's single to third in the sixth.

Looks familiar: Kluber's dominance bore a striking resemblance to that of April 24, also an afternoon game against the Royals in Cleveland. That day, Kluber gave up one unearned run on four hits and struck out 11 in a complete-game, 5-1 victory.

Kluber's other start against the Royals this season came June 10 in Kansas City, Mo. He allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings of a 9-5 loss.

Fantastic four-bagger: Kluber is 2-2 with a 1.24 ERA in his past four starts. He has given up four earned runs on 22 hits, walked four and struck out 29 in 29 innings.

Moose tracks: The run against Kluber scored via lefty Moustakas's one-out homer in the fifth. Moustakas belted a 1-0 cutter that didn't cut.

That Moustakas delivered a big hit against the Indians is no surprise. He is batting .195 with 10 homers and 35 RBI overall, 10-for-29 with five homers and 11 RBI against the Indians.

Don't forget about us: While Kluber was dealing, the Indians were roughing up  Royals lefty Danny Duffy.

Duffy is not a household name, but he was coming off a terrific June (3-2, 1.69 ERA, .168 opposition average).

Duffy entered Sunday at 4-4 with a 1.84 ERA on the road.

The Indians were unimpressed. They amassed 10 hits, including two homers, and four runs in six innings against him.

Carlos Santana ignited a three-run second by socking a leadoff homer (No. 13). Santana went with an 84-mph changeup in a 1-1 count and sent it onto the Royals bullpen roof in right. On the previous pitch, Duffy stood up Santana with a 95-mph fastball inside. Santana diagnosed what Duffy was attempting to do -- hard inside, soft away -- and was ready. His swing was free and easy, and he let the pitch's location work for him.

Ryan Raburn followed with a single. After Nick Swisher flied out, Gomes homered (No. 10) to give the Tribe a 3-0 lead. Gomes pounced on a two-seam 91-mph fastball that didn't have much on it and parked it over the center-field wall.

With Kluber on the mound, 3-0 might as well have been 9-0.

Later in the inning, Duffy attempted to quick-pitch Mike Aviles, who burned him by slashing a double into the right-field corner.

The other run against Duffy (5-8, 2.86 ERA) came on All-Star Michael Brantley's RBI single in the fifth. Brantley drove in Jason Kipnis, who had singled and advanced to second on Asdrubal Cabrera's single.

Kipnis and Brantley combined for three hits against Duffy, who entered having allowed five hits to lefties all season.

Dr. Smooth chronicles: Brantley, playing center field in the absence of injured Michael Bourn, went 2-for-4 with the RBI. He finished the series at 7-for-13 with one homer and three RBI.

Since May 1, Brantley is batting .350 (78-for-223) with nine homers and 37 RBI.

Since June 24, he has five walks and zero strikeouts.

Overall, Brantley is batting .321 with a .896 OPS. He has 13 homers, 20 doubles, 57 RBI, 58 runs, 10 steals and 10 assists.

Michael Brantley is headed to the All-Star Game, while Corey Kluber is hoping fans vote him into the midsummer classic. Hear what they plus manager Terry Francona had to say about it following the Indians' 4-1 win over the Royals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michael Brantley is headed to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.

The Indians left fielder was chosen by his peers to represent the Indians in the midsummer classic, July 15 at Target Field .

"It's great. I don't know if you can put it in one sentence," Brantley said. "There are no words to describe this. It's an awesome feeling. A lot of credit goes to my teammates."

His teammate, starting pitcher Corey Kluber, could join him. Kluber is one of five American League players vying for the final spot on the roster in an online fan vote.

"It's a nice reward so to speak to having a good first half," Kluber said. "But at the same time, I think you ask every single person in our locker room, if there's one person they want to represent our team, it's Brantley. The way he plays, the teammate he is, he's a guy that's deserving as anybody in the league."

Indians manager Terry Francona is hoping Kluber gets to Minneapolis.

"We all think Kluber is an All-Star pitcher this year," Francona said. "But knowing the system and how it works and everything, I think rather than kind of gripe about it, I think what we can do is, as a city is, even though we're not the biggest city, maybe jump on board and show Kluber and find a way to get him on that team."

You can vote Kluber into the All-Star Game until Thursday at 4 p.m. starting now at mlb.com/vote.

Arias (7-2, 3.13 ERA) allowed five hits and struck out four.

Starter Gabriel Arias went eight innings and shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Jordan Smith each had three hits to help the Rubberducks roll Sunday to a 7-2 win over the Bowie, Md., Baysox in a Class AA Eastern League game in Akron.

Arias (7-2, 3.13 ERA) allowed five hits and struck out four. He gave up two runs, both on solo home runs in the first and seventh innings.

The game was tied, 1-1, heading into the bottom of the fourth when outfielder Anthony Gallas, a graduate of Strongsville High School and Kent State, hit a solo shot to make it 2-1. 

With one out, designated hitter Alex Lavisky and Smith singled, and they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch Baysox starter Tim Berry (4-5, 4.04 ERA). Second baseman Ronny Rodriguez walked to load the bases, and after a strikeout, outfielder Ollie Linton hit a two-run single, giving Akron a 4-1 lead.

Bowie closed it to 4-2 with a solo shot in the seventh, but in the eighth Rodriguez had an RBI single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair a two-run homer to put the game out of reach.

Rodriguez and Lindor both went 3-for-4 and each had a double. Linton was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI, and Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The RubberDucks (50-39) are three games out of first in the Western Division.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are pulling out all the stops when it comes to attempting to bring LeBron James back to wear the wine and gold.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers are pulling out all the stops when it comes to trying to lure LeBron James back to Cleveland.

92.3 The Fan’s Joe Lull initially reported that Dan Gilbert was traveling to south Florida Sunday afternoon, which the Cavs owner quickly denied on Twitter by posting: “I am? Sorry folks but enjoying weather in my backyard today.”

While Lull’s report set off a firestorm on Twitter, a plane that is owned by SLAN, LLC., which is a subsidiary of Rock Ventures and owned by Gilbert, traveled to south Florida Sunday afternoon from Detroit, Michigan and was initially scheduled to land at Fort Lauderdale International Airport at 6:26 p.m., but landed at Fort Lauderdale Executive Field 15 minutes later.

Whether or not Gilbert was actually on the flight remains unclear but Ilgauskas was in fact on the flight.

It is possible, according to the report, that Ilgauskas met with James to make a pitch to come back to Cleveland. The Cavaliers reportedly met with LeBron's agent Rich Paul last Thursday.

Indians fans take to social media to encourage All-Star votes for pitcher Corey Kluber.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Corey Kluber has made his case for the AL All-Star team, at least in the eyes of Indians fans.

Kluber got his eighth win of the season Sunday with a dominant performance against Kansas City, giving up one run on four hits in 8 1/3 innings. He's 8-6 on the season with a 2.86 ERA, but he has posted a 1.09 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings over his last four starts.

Outfielder Michael Brantley was named to the All-Star team on Sunday and Kluber is one of five AL pitchers to be part of the league's "Final Vote" promotion. The leading vote-getter will earn entry onto the All-Star team.

That had Tribe fans out in force on Twitter on Sunday night, using the hashtags #VoteKluber and #KlubesUnderFire. Kluber is known for his stoic nature, so fans ran with that theme on Twitter. See some of their efforts below.

Go here to cast your vote for Kluber. Voting ends at 4 p.m. Thursday. The All-Star Game is July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Could LeBron James be on his back to the Cavs? Twitter is abuzz over the possibility.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Twitter and other social media outlets exploded Sunday night with the news of LeBron James making a possible return to Cleveland for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland has replaced Miami as my frontrunner to land LeBron James...

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014

I'm not saying LJ to Cavs is done deal or I know 4 a fact; just my gut feeling based on many conversations I've had around this story...

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014

These convos aren't sourced enough 4 me to report as fact. But I've heard enough to believe "the wind is blowing" LJ back home. We'll see...

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014

Cavaliers want to unload Jarrett Jack's $6M annual deal to clear space, without touching Anderson Varejao -- a LeBron James favorite.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 7, 2014

LeBron James planning a face-to- face meeting with Pat Riley in next few days, sources tell ESPN. USA Today reported earlier.

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 7, 2014

"They're two of the more respectful guys you'll ever meet," Francona said. "It would be a huge honor to watch those guys get introduced and be there and watch it live. I'd get a big kick out of that."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The league has taken notice. Michael Brantley's inclusion on the American League All-Star team serves as evidence.

The Tribe left fielder was elected to the squad by his peers. He will join the AL at Target Field in Minneapolis for the July 15 exhibition.

His teammate, pitcher Corey Kluber, may join him as well. That depends on fan voting or, perhaps, roster adjustments.

Kluber is one of five AL pitchers to be part of the league's "Final Vote" promotion. The leading vote-getter will earn entry onto the All-Star team. Of course, injuries and hurlers who pitch the Sunday before the Midsummer Classic could create openings on the roster.

"We all think Kluber is an All-Star pitcher this year," said Indians manager Terry Francona, who will serve on John Farrell's coaching staff for the game. "But knowing the system and how it works and everything, rather than gripe about it, what we can do as a city is -- even though we're not the biggest city -- jump onboard and support Kluber and find a way to get him on that team. I think that would be a phenomenal feat for us as a city to find a way to get him on that team. I think his pitching deserves it."

Kluber appreciated his skipper's endorsement.

"That's as cool as anything that he feels that strongly about it," Kluber said. "To hear him say that probably means as much, if not more, than being in that 'Final Vote.'"

Kluber learned of his undecided All-Star fate on Sunday morning. Then he held Kansas City to one run on four hits over 8 1/3 innings while striking out 10.

"We truly believe that he deserves to be in that game," said closer Cody Allen. I'm sure you can go over there and ask Kansas City right now if they think he deserves to be in that game and they're going to say yes."

Kluber (8-6, 2.86 ERA) joins Chicago's Chris Sale, Los Angeles' Garrett Richards, Detroit's Rick Porcello and Houston's Dallas Kuechel on the AL "Final Vote" list.

"We all in here think he's definitely deserving to be on that team," Allen said. "He's pitched fantastic for us. He's been our workhorse."

Brantley, who said he was "very fortunate, very lucky and very excited about the opportunity," earned a spot on the roster on the merits of his .321 batting average, 13 home runs, 57 RBIs, 58 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and 10 outfield assists.

"I think it means a lot that the players voted for him," Francona said. "That shows the respect he has and it's growing throughout our league."

Allen has a hunch about which peers voted for Brantley.

"Every pitcher in the league probably doesn't like facing Brantley," Allen said, "so I'm sure he got a lot of votes from pitchers."

Balloting for the "Final Vote" contest runs until Thursday at mlb.com/vote. The Indians have had two representatives each of the last three seasons. Will that streak persist for another year?

"They're two of the more respectful guys you'll ever meet," Francona said. "It would be a huge honor to watch those guys get introduced and be there and watch it live. I'd get a big kick out of that."

Why is Cleveland the best spot for LeBron? What does it mean that Houston is talking with Chris Bosh? We discuss that and more on our NBA free agency show.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NBA free agency continues today and we're still playing the waiting game on LeBron James and the Heat. Watch our special free agent edition of Cavs Insider to get the latest.

On today's show, cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and Glenn Moore talk about:

• Cleveland vs. Miami.
• What does Chris Bosh's conversation with Houston mean?
• Will the Cavs be able to find a trade partner for Jarrett Jack?
• Should the meeting with Pat Riley concern Cavs fans?

Make sure you're following along with Chris Fedor's live free agency blog all day.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is back in the eye of the storm with a questionable photo posted on bustedcoverage.com. In it, he appears to be tightly rolling a dollar bill at a sink in a bar.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Another questionable Johnny Manziel money photo is causing quite a stir in the social media world.

In the photo, sent Saturday night to bustedcoverage.com, Manziel is standing at a bathroom sink in a bar with a drink by his side, and appears to be tightly rolling a dollar bill.

The Browns have declined to comment on the photo, and Manziel's agent, Erik Burkhardt did not respond to a phone call seeking comment Sunday night or a text message on Monday morning.

It's unclear exactly where and when the photo was taken, but TMZ Sports posted photos of Manziel bartending Thursday night in Austin, Texas at Rooftop on 6th, wearing the same gray t-shirt and the same chain around his neck as in the bathroom photo.

According to Norm Clarke of Las Vegas Review-Journal, Manziel flew from Austin  to Las Vegas for a July 4th celebration, the same place he spent Memorial Day weekend. Sources told Clarke that Manziel stayed with friends in the Real World Suite at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, partied at XS nightclub at Encore and dined at STK, the steakhouse at The Cosmopolitan.

By Sunday, Manziel was in Beaverton, Oregon, helping out at the Elite11, a camp/competition for the top high school quarterbacks in the country, held at the Nike World Headquarters.

Manziel has made headlines since May 8 for spraying champagne around a club in Vegas, floating on a swan with a large bottle in Austin, Texas, and shouting an f-bomb into his "money phone,'' a pretend phone made of a large stack of cash,

In addition to Burkhardt and the Browns remaining mum on the bathroom photo, Manziel hasn't mentioned it on Instagram or twitter. In fact, he hasn't posted anything on Instagram since July 1, when he partied at Justin Bieber's house with Floyd Mayweather in Beverly Hills, and then visited the Nissan Heisman House, where he took a selfie with Robert Griffin III.

Police were called to Bieber's house that night, according to TMZ Sports, but no one was arrested.

Manziel's bathroom photo comes just a few weeks after the Browns told him to tone down the partying and stay out of the limelight. It also landed in busted coverage.com's inbox on the same day that receiver Josh Gordon was arrested for driving while impaired.

Why would Johnny Manziel be rolling a $20 bill in the bathroom...Who nose? Lol pic.twitter.com/V8uBG48dqP

— Craig Sager II (@CraigSagerJr) July 7, 2014

A source told cleveland.com that the Browns have reached out to several professionals in attempt to get some help for Gordon, who's facing an indefinite ban from the league for failing at least his third drug test.

But Manziel made it clear at a Play 60 event at the Brown facility June 27th that he's going to do what he wants.

"I'm not going to change who I am for anybody,'' he said.  "I'm growing up and continuing to learn from my mistakes and trying not to make the same ones over and over again, but am I going to live in a shell or am I just going to hide from everybody and not do anything? I don't think that's the way I should live my life and I'm not going to do it. I'm here, I'm very committed to football. I'm committed to my job, but on the weekends, I'm going to enjoy my time off. We deserve it.

"We work hard here. We've worked hard since the draft. We worked hard to get drafted and put ourselves in a good position at the (scouting) combine, even after that, working to stay in shape. I am going to enjoy my time off. I'm very about football and very about my job, which doesn't get reported  or won't get reported, but I am going to enjoy my time off. That's what everybody else does and that's what I should do.''

Manziel said at the time that the Browns hadn't told him to knock it off, but ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that afternoon that they already had.

"I don't think I'm doing anything wrong,'' Manziel said. "I'm going out. Everybody goes out on the weekends and enjoys their life and lives their life and just for them, they don't have people that when they walk into a place pull out their phones and all they want to do is follow me around and record everything, so my situation is unique and different and now more than ever I've seen that it's an every weekend thing wherever I'm at, whether it's here in Cleveland on a weekend, or in Dallas or anywhere on a weekend people want to record what I'm doing because they think it's a story.

"Everybody goes out and has fun. Everybody goes out and does that and I'm not doing anything that's putting myself in a harmful situation. I'm not doing anything that's putting my team or jeopardizing what I do here throughout the week, or what I'm looking forward to doing this season.''

The Browns are certainly hoping that's true.

The organization has provided little structure and stability to a player badly in need of it.

BEREA, Ohio – Veteran Browns such as Joe Thomas and Ahtyba Rubin will smile and laugh when asked about the number of coaches, coordinators and general managers they have played under.

How many old systems and philosophies must be rumbling around in their brains? The lack of continuity, however, is only a football issue as it relates to the franchise's most tenured players and others like them.

Now, imagine what the upheaval must be like for Josh Gordon, whose off-field problems should make football the least of his concerns.

The All-Pro receiver arrived in Berea two years ago with a history of failed drug tests and college sanctions that led him to the 2012 supplemental draft. He's since served a two-game drug ban, and is facing a potential year-long suspension for reportedly failing a test for marijuana.

Gordon deserves the majority of blame for not taking steps to make changes in his lifestyle and circle of friends. It seems clear he needs professional help and entry into an inpatient drug rehab center. With his weekend arrest in North Carolina for driving while impaired, coupled with a looming league-imposed suspension, the 23-year-old shouldn't need to worry about playing football anytime soon.

Hall-of-Fame receiver Cris Carter told cleveland.com on Monday the Browns should cut Gordon as a "catalyst to help" him get his life and priorities in order. Carter overcame addictions to cocaine and alcohol after the Philadelphia Eagles released him early in his career.

Carter's is a respected voice and not the only one calling for the Browns to release Gordon. But the organization hardly has provided the structure and stability to aid a player attempting to conquer demons. He's had a different general manager, head coach, coordinator and position coach in each of his three years with the Browns. Davone Bess, the veteran receiver acquired in 2013 to help mentor Gordon, didn't even last a season, leaving the club with his own personal issues. The Browns also changed directors or player engagement.

Gordon has witnessed a staggering level of dysfunction from an organization preaching the need for him to get his life together.

It's true the wideout must help himself before he can think of salvaging a promising career. But almost anyone above the player level trying to assist Gordon over the past two years has been removed from the club.

There have been no constants in his life save for the friends who enable and coddle him. Now, comes new coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer. Their decision to release receiver Greg Little, despite the Browns' paucity of depth at the position, was a wise one.

Little, a good friend to Gordon, had a history of off-field issues that weren't worth tolerating. Pettine has a phrase for such risk-reward scenarios, according to the book Collision Low Crossers. It's "Production Breeds Tolerance" or "P = T." In other words, the better the player, the more problems an organization are willing to abide.

Let's not be naive. Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards last season in just his third year, and he possesses a remarkable combination of size and speed. He's the franchise's most talented player in a generation.

If the Browns cut him, he'd be signed the moment his suspension ends. Other teams give troubled playmakers multiple chances. Look at how the San Francisco 49ers are handling sack master Aldon Smith.

Carter is right when he says Gordon needs to lose something dear to him to prompt change.

"I know what gets these kind of guys' attention," he told cleveland.com. "The only thing that gets their attention is some kind of tragedy, somebody dying, losing something important to them or they're forced through the law."

The league is likely to suspend Gordon for at least a season and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell probably will add conditions for reinstatement. That is a serious penalty to say nothing of the millions he's lost in guarantees toward his next contract -- if there is one.

The Browns should offer Gordon whatever support possible and wait to see how he progresses assuming he goes to rehab. Maybe he can't break the cycle of abuse and they eventually cut him. Now, is not the time, however.

Gordon has made some bad decisions, he's the victim of circumstances he helped created. The same could be said for the Browns.