The RubberDucks have won four in a row and are now tied with the Richmond Flying Squirrels for first place in the Western Division.

Shortstop Jaime Pedroza hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, giving the Akron RubberDucks the run they needed in 1-0 victory Thursday to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Sea Dogs in the Class AA Eastern League in Portland, Maine.

View full sizeLouis HeadRubberDucks 

In the first game, third baseman Justin Toole was 2-for-4 with two RBI and designated hitter Anthony Gallas hit a solo home run as the RubberDucks won, 4-2.

The RubberDucks (69-56) have won four in a row and nine of their past 10, and are now tied with the Richmond Flying Squirrels for first place in the Western Division.

Neither team generated much offense in the second game, with the RubberDucks getting only six hits and the Sea Dogs five. Akron starter Cody Anderson gave up only two hits in five innings, striking out four and walking one.

The game was scoreless through six innings, but Pedroza led off the seventh with his homer to right field off Sea Dogs starter Justin Haley (0-2, 0.98 ERA).

RubberDucks reliever Louis Head (1-1, 3.77) pitched two innings, giving up three hits and striking out two.

In the first game, Gallas homered in the first inning, Toole drove in runs in the third and fifth innings, and Pedroza added an RBI single in the sixth to help starter Will Roberts (12-11, 3.97) get the win. Roberts gave up two runs on seven hits over five innings.

Reliever Shawn Armstrong pitched a hitless ninth, striking out two, to get his 15th save. 

Check out box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from Aug. 14, 2014.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from Aug. 14, 2014.

BOYS GOLF

Brooklyn 165, Cornerstone Christian 195

At Springvale  Top individuals: 1. Blaine (B) 36; 2. Belich (C) 36; 3. Baker (B) 40.

Lake Catholic 166, Benedictine 253 At Black Brook Top individuals: 1. Scharf (LC) 38; 2. Prokop (LC) 40; 3. Bak (LC) 44; 4. Mitchell (LC) 44.

MEDINA BEES INVITATIONAL

At Medina Country Club

How the finished: 1. Jackson 312; 2. Kent Roosevelt 317; 3. Medina 347; 4. Hudson 373; 5. Hathaway Brown 377; 6. Solon 381; 7. Magnificant 386; 8. Copley 389; 9. Lutheran West 395; 10. Ashland 414.

Top Individuals: 1. Kasey Nielsen (K) 72; 2. Grace (J) 73; 3. Kory Nielsen (K) 73; 4. Kelly Nielsen (K) 74; 5. Drehs (Me) 79.

GIRLS GOLF

Brecksville 174, Olmsted Falls 240

At Seneca

Top individuals: 1. Coughlin (BBH) 41; 2. Morell (BBH) 44; 3. Ring (BBH) 44.

Hawken 203, Independence 204

At Punderson

Top individuals: 1. Joseph (H) 42; 2. Trombetta (I) 43; 3. Blum (I) 46.

Notable: Hawken junior Isabella Joseph was medalist with a 42.

Independence freshman Sophia Trombetta had a great birdie (3) on the second hole.

North Royalton 194, Nordonia 208

At Ellsworth Meadows

Top individuals: 1. A. Grospitch (NR) 43; 2. O'Toole (NR) 45; 3. M. Grospitch (NR) 46.

Notable: North Royalton seniors Abby Grospitch and Briana O'Toole turned in the low rounds for the match, while Abby's freshman sister Megan rounded out the Top 3.

GIRLS TENNIS

Amherst 5 Elyria 0 Singles: Keron (A) d. C. Green 6-0, 6-0; Franta (A) d. Mortier 6-1, 6-0; McDermott (A) d. Christie 6-0, 6-0 Doubles: Brattoli and Stokes (A) d. Breese and Geib 6-2, 6-2; Judge and Zichi (A) d. Engle and Spieth 6-1, 6-1.

Notable: Amherst improved to 1-1.

Avon 3, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 2

Singles: Norman (C) d. Rini (A) 6-2, 6-3; Pile (CVAC) d. Madison Nakon (A) 6-3, 6-4; Lorincz (A) d. Petrinec (C) 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles: Hejnal/Nicklaus (A) d. Sophie/Kalra (C) 6-2, 6-1; Curtan/Shusta (A) d. Beebe/ Hagen (C) 7-6, 6-1.

Cloverleaf 5, Barberton 0  Singles: E. Dunbar d H. Bundalo 6-0, 6-0; M. Wood d  E. Burns 6-1, 6-1; M. Huff d A. Carneal 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles: V.Andrews/M.Vasil d S.Bittenger/M.Burns 6-3, 6-1; 2 D E. Myers /H. Limas d M. Burkhard/C. Ray 6-3, 6-0. Notable: Cloverleaf 2-0, Barberton 0-3.

Columbus Bishop Watterson 3, Mayfield 2Singles: Vizelman (M) d. Jevic (W) 6-1, 6-1; Jonesco (W) d. Milenius (M) 6-0, 6-3; Rotenberg (M) d. MIller (W) 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Doubles: Shombers/Wible (W) d. Hsu/Caine (M) 6-0, 6-2; Godbout/Rouge (W) d. Mittal/Tizzano (M) 6-0, 6-2 Notable: Mayfield's third straight 3-2 loss.

Hudson 3, Twinsburg 2 Singles: Graham (H) d. Muvva 6-1 6-4; Mawby (H) d. Bhambra 6-4, 3-6, 6-0; Singh (T) d. Sachtleben 6-2, 6-2.  Doubles: Lewis/Achim (H) d. Sharma/Peketi 6-0, 6-4; Banas/Sterling (T) d. Ferris/Tanner 6-2, 6-3.

Laurel 5, Lakeside (Ashtabula) 0

Singles: Buchinsky d. Gran (Lakeside) 6-0,6-0; Hata (L) d. Simpson 6-1,6-0; 3S: Feng (L) d. Bilbrey (Lakeside) 6-0,6-0.

Doubles: Moore/Lauster (L) d. Schiff/Novak 6-0,6-1; Preiser/Cowan (L) d. Ketinoja/Hanhilammi 6-1, 6-0.

Norton 3, Woodridge 2Singles: H. Kitchens (N) d. Downs 2-6, 6-0, 6-4; Pinta (W) d. Braman 6-2, 6-3; Vanaman (W) d. Hornyak 7-6, 0-6, (7-3). Doubles: A. Kitchens/Whitaker (N) d. Goodyear/Snyder 6-3, 6-4; Kohler/Thomas (N) d. Gioglio/Burkhard 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Our Lady of the Elms 4, St. Thomas Aquinas 1 Singles: Sterling d. Axtell 6-2, 6-0; Wyszkowski d. Dib 6-0, 6-0; Muzilla d. Logsdon 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: O'Flynn/Kirk d. Self/smith 6-1, 6-1; Robinson/Boylan d. Self/Russ 7-5, 6-4.

Revere 3, Canton Central Catholic 2

Singles: Sirpilla (CCC) d. Hendrickson 6-2, 6-1; Lifke (R) d. Kerns 6-0, 6-1; Crisalli (R) d. Anderson 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles: Stump/Santos (CCC) d. Shimek/Carson 7-5, 6-3; Godard/Hansen (R) d. Ditsler/Ross 6-1, 6-4.

Notable: Revere: 2-1,Canton Central Catholic: 2-1

The Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition is getting noticed far and wide -- Bud Shaw's "You Said It"

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "You Said It" is based on the premise that the only thing Cleveland sports fans need more than a championship is a sense of humor... 

YOU SAID IT

(The Early Weekend Edition)

Bud: The Onion headline on August 11th: JOHNNY MANZIEL FORCED TO WEAR CLEVELAND BROWNS JERSEY IN CRUEL ROOKIE HAZING INCIDENT. Comments? – E. Dec, Cleveland

Such a low blow and total cheapshot, I'm surprised a "You Said It" contributor didn't think of it first.

Bud: How many more consecutive days can Coach Pettine be asked who the starting QB is before he finally goes "Ditka" on the media? – Keith, Cleveland

 I believe he's getting close enough that one simple question asking if Rex Grossman is "closing the gap" should just about do it.

Hi Bud: Cleveland fans seem to be in a love affair with sports figures that have dissed them. A welcome home party for Lebron James, a statue for Jim Thome. Can First Energy Field being renamed Art Modell Stadium be that far behind? – Jim L, Parma Heights

Andre Rison hopes so.

Bud: Are Ray Allen's liver spots older than Andrew Wiggins? -- Michael Sarrro

Just be glad LeBron isn't insisting the Cavs sign Ricky Davis.

Bud: While replacing my gerbil's bedding with Sunday's edition of Spin I noticed the new car ads on the reverse side have gone from luxury cars to sub-compacts.  Have you gone green? – Jerry Winchell, North Ridgeville

Given the demographics of Spin readers I would've guessed the ads would be for waterproofing.

Bud: What is more frustrating and stressful: waiting for the decision on Josh Gordon, or the wait from Sunday to Wednesday for the PD to arrive? -- Jim D.
Richmond Hts.

Apparently that depends on whether you have a sleepless gerbil.

Bud: Now with the new bullpens, would it be wise to have 50 Cent warming up when the opposing team is batting? – Bob K

First-time "You Said It" winners get a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

Bud: Will hanging out with the Ohio St. band be a reasonable alternative to Las Vegas for Johnny Manziel? – Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park

Repeat winners get dressed down.

See the season preview for boys cross country, including notable players, schedule information and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Check out the 2014 season preview for the boys cross country teams in Northeast Ohio. The season begins on Aug. 18.

Check cleveland.com/hssports for updates throughout the season.

Northeast Ohio was represented well in the 2013 OHSAA Boys State Cross Country Championships. A total of 61 runners made it from the area to state, with many of those runners returning this season.

Below is a breakdown of each division’s storylines and notable returners.

DIVISION I

Storylines: 

St. Ignatius last season got seventh at the Division I state meet last season. However, they return four junior runners from the 2013 team. Injuries played a role in their season last year, but if the Wildcats can remain healthy, the team has a chance to be special.

Hudson senior Kyle Mau had a terrific 2013 season, finishing his junior campaign with a third place finish at the state meet. This year, Mau has made it his goal to help get the Explorers to state as a team.

Buckeye junior Colin Theis wrapped up his sophomore campaign with a 39th place finish at state. However, he was the 14th highest finisher among underclassmen, leaving him a chance to make a lot of noise as a junior.

Runners to watch:

Josh Gogan, Twinsburg, Jr.: Gogan finished 49th at state last season, but will play a much more important role on the Twinsburg team this season. Garrett Crichlow is gone from the team, and Gogan will now be a leader on the team.

Josh Sopchak , Chardon, Jr.: Finished 45th at state last season, and is one of many area juniors that will be looking to move up this year.

Gavin Ganor, Hudson, Jr.: With Kyle Mau leading the Explorers, Ganor provides the team with a talented No.2. As a sophomore, Ganor finished 46th state, and will play a big role in helping the Explorers reach state

Kyle Mau, Hudson, Sr.: Finished third at the 2013 state tournament, and was also named the cleveland.com runner of the year.

Jim Rogers, St. Ignatius, Jr.: Finished 51st at state last season, but is a part of a junior nucleus that has the St. Ignatius cross country team thinking big this season.

Colin Theis, Buckeye, Jr.: As a sophomore, Theis finished 39th at state. Heading into his junior campaign, he has a chance to really move up the rankings in 2014. 

DIVISION II

Storylines:

The Chagrin Falls Tigers finished third at state last season. However, the team will return 14 of its top 15 runners this year, making the Tigers a legitimate contender of winning a state championship.

Ryan Adams of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy finished seventh at state last year. As a senior, could he make a run at winning the race?

Can Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin sophomore Tommy Carballada become the next local star?

Runners to watch:

Ryan Adams, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Sr.: Finished seventh at state, just three seconds away from fourth place. Like Bistritz, Adams has a chance to take home a state championship.

Noah Bullock, Woodridge, Sr.: Bullock finished 72nd at state last season, and has one final season to make a run at state.

Joseph Bistritz, Chagrin Falls, Jr.: Bistritz led the way for the Tigers last season, finishing second at the Division II state tournament. The Tigers have the makings of a special team, and Bistritz will play a big role in the team's success.

Tommy Carballada, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, So: One of the biggest surprises last season, Carballada finished 56th at state. That finish though, put him second place among freshman at the state meet.

Jackson Crandall, Chagrin Falls, So.: Another big part of the Tigers team, Crandall had a nice finish at the state meet.

Division III

Storylines:

Independence will be led by sophomore Tyler Polman, who finished sixth at the state meet last season.

Can Gilmour experience success similar to the 2013 season, when the Lancers finished fifth at state as a team?

Can any local teams make a run at Gilmour in Division III?

Runners to watch:

Eric Mullykoski, Gilmour, So.: Finished 75th at state last season as a freshman, but will be counted upon to take on a leadership role this season for the Lancers.

Tyler Polman, Independence, So.: Ended the year with a sixth place finish at the state tournament, and was only 10 seconds away from finishing second.

POSTSEASON INFORMATION

District Cross Country Championships will begin the week of Oct. 18 and regionals on Oct. 25. Times TBA.

Qualifiers from their respective region will advance to the 2014 OHSAA Girls State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 at National Trail Raceway in Hebron at 11 a.m.

Follow Cross Country update in the Northeast Ohio all season

Bookmark the sports’ cleveland.com webpage to see updates pertaining to girls cross country.

Follow @NEOVarsity and tag your high school sports tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.

Contact high school sports reporter Mark Kern by email mkern@cleveland.com or Twitter (@Markkern11). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

The Indians would love to field a perennial contender at a ballpark filled to capacity each evening. The glory days of the '90s won't be replicated, though. They know it isn't realistic. But can their formula produce something close? Does their way of operating work?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Latin phrase "ceteris paribus" describes a situation in which independent variables are controlled. It loosely translates to "all else equal" and is often used by economists when making conjectures about certain trends or outcomes.

The phrase has no place in baseball.

One can look at the Indians through a narrow lens and arrive at an assessment that doesn't hold the same merit when considering the influences of the other 29 teams. One can study the output of a particular player and make a judgement that doesn't fit when considering the production from players in past eras or different circumstances.

At one point 125 years ago it was just a group of guys wearing goofy outfits. An advanced statistic was counting to seven before a player drew enough balls for a walk. Different eras have ushered in different advantages. The game favored pitchers so much that the league lowered the mound in 1969. More than three decades later, more stringent drug testing was enforced to give pitchers a fighting chance.

Now, plenty of time and effort is devoted to pinpointing hitters' tendencies. That, coupled with increases in defensive shifting, pitchers' velocity and clean urine samples, have offense at its lowest output in years.

There are always independent variables and they are constantly evolving and changing. The same applies for the league's 30 teams.

Each club faces its own set of challenges. Each boasts its own set of priorities and goals, typically dependent on market and underlying motive. Each employs its own philosophy on how to achieve those standards.

For the Indians, sure, it's about winning. In one fashion or another, it is for every team. Organizations follow strict budgets, despite the lack of a salary cap, so it isn't about winning at all costs in most cities.

The Indians would love to field a perennial contender at a ballpark filled to capacity each evening. The glory days of the '90s won't be replicated, though. They know it isn't realistic. But can their formula produce something close? Does their way of operating work, given all of those independent variables?

Market size is often tossed out as an excuse for limited funds, but the Tigers opened the season with the league's fifth-highest payroll. The Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Reds all began the season with nine-figure payrolls. The Royals spent in the neighborhood of $10 million more on their players than the Indians. That said, every situation is different.

Still, shrewd spending is more rewarding than just free-flowing cash. The Indians opened the season with a payroll of about $82 million, the 26th-highest in the league. It's easy to blame ownership for a lack of available resources, but that argument will fall on deaf ears to those with eyes working well enough to see teams such as Oakland and Tampa Bay experience sustained success. That relatively stingy payroll still covered a 92-win team a year ago.

Therein lies the key. Talent evaluation reigns supreme for clubs without much margin for error. Properly pricing that talent is just as critical.

Cleveland Indians owner and CEO Paul Dolan, on the field before a game in 2013.Chuck Crow/PD 

This spring, the Tribe locked up young core pieces in Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes to long-term, affordable, contracts. Brantley and Gomes have served as the club's two most valuable lineup cogs. John Hart set that trend when he inked Carlos Baerga and Sandy Alomar Jr. to lengthy pacts two decades ago. Hart complemented that young, controlled talent with free-agent signings of Dennis Martinez, Eddie Murray and Orel Hershiser.

The Indians have misfired -- so far -- on those complementing parts. Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, the team's two highest-paid players, have yet to pan out as envisioned. Because of that, the club lacks the financial flexibility to add established pieces. Bourn and Swisher are signed through at least 2016.

Cleveland has been judicious with those types of contracts over the last decade and rightfully so. Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore and Jake Westbrook all flopped after their bank accounts swelled, though injuries were the culprit. The latest wave of extensions came at a lower price and were granted to the players earlier in their careers.

Drafting has certainly set the organization back.

Players selected by the club in the first or supplemental round from 2000-10: Corey Smith, Derek Thompson, Dan Denham, Alan Horne, J.D. Martin, Mike Conroy, Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Whitney, Micah Schilling, Michael Aubrey, Brad Snyder, Adam Miller, Jeremy Sowers, Trevor Crowe, John Drennen, David Huff, Beau Mills, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White, Drew Pomeranz

Players who have reached the big leagues: 10 out of 20

Combined WAR of all 20 players: 24.5

Combined WAR of the 19 players not named Jeremy Guthrie: 4.9

Combined WAR of all 20 players with the Indians: 3.9

The Indians had an abundance of early draft choices in the aftermath of their organizational overhaul launched after the 2001 campaign. They failed miserably. For a team without the wads of cash necessary to woo star free agents, those errs proved critical. The club put director of amateur scouting Brad Grant in charge of its drafts in 2007. It's too early to tell if the recent rash of selections will alter the club's future fortune.

The team's minimal margin for error especially holds true on the free-agent market. Some cringe every time Scott Kazmir submits a quality start for the Athletics. Oakland handed the southpaw a two-year, $22 million contract after Kazmir posted a 10-9 record and 4.04 ERA for Cleveland last season. The Indians felt more comfortable in the $8 million range. Kazmir had made one major league start in three years prior to his rebirth in Cleveland.

Free agency can be deceiving, though. Occasionally, a player will grant a team a hometown discount or settle for fewer cents to join a contender. Often, though, when a player signs a free-agent deal, no other team in the league wanted to pay that much to land him.

Cleveland Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti, on the field before a game in 2013.Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

The Indians were banking on progression from Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister and Carlos Carrasco in their rotation. Only Kluber followed through. Rarely will everything fall into place. Contingencies -- and contingencies for those contingencies -- must exist.

Aaron Harang was hanging around during the spring, but the Indians couldn't shake his 5-11 record and 5.76 ERA with the Mariners last season, so they let him go. He is 9-6 with a 3.31 ERA with Atlanta. If the team felt it needed another starter, it could have re-signed Ubaldo Jimenez. That passing seems wise. The Orioles' new right-hander will bring his 4-8 mark and 4.51 ERA to Progressive Field mound on Saturday.

It's all about executing an honest assessment of organizational talent. One would think the Indians will enter the 2015 season with insurance for Salazar, McAllister, Carrasco or whoever else figures to compete for a spot in the starting rotation, given the rotation's struggles in 2014.

The Tigers went out and acquired Cy Young Award hurler David Price at the non-waiver trade deadline in an effort to put them over the top in the American League. With Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander now ailing and Max Scherzer slated to hit the open market in two months, the move has already paid dividends. But how many teams can afford to pay his salary next season, which could reach $20 million? The Indians could have used Price. But more than that, they could have used two or three Prices. Their stagnancy at the deadline -- parting with Justin Masterson and Asdrubal Cabrera did nothing to hurt their '14 chances -- signaled a feeling that they felt no one or two players would propel them enough. After all, the Indians traded for the best pitcher on the market, Jimenez, in 2011. He just didn't reward the club until the 2013 stretch run. Now, the Indians and Tigers are playing in two different stratospheres. Financial flexibility permits a certain amount of transactional aggression, a trait with which Detroit operates and Cleveland does not.

The Indians have fared better with some of the smaller-scale exchanges. In 2006, they dealt Ben Broussard to Seattle for Shin-Soo Choo and Eduardo Perez to Seattle for Asdrubal Cabrera. In 2008, they dealt Casey Blake to the Dodgers for Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan. As part of a three-team deal, they acquired Kluber from San Diego and sent Westbrook to St. Louis in 2010. A year earlier, they traded Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for Chris Perez and Jess Todd.

Cleveland Indians President Mark Shapiro, on the field before a game in 2013.Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

They swung and missed on the Cliff Lee-to-Philadelphia trade in '09, but two-plus months of CC Sabathia brought the Indians Michael Brantley from the Brewers. A few months of Bartolo Colon landed Cleveland Sizemore, Lee and Brandon Phillips in a 2002 exchange with the Expos. The Indians have done a decent job with trades. It seems to be evaluating their own talent that has proven challenging.

So, the Indians continue to search for the formula that will spark interest and profit. The winning vs. interest/revenue debate rivals the chicken or the egg conundrum. Every organization relies on different departments -- scouting, analytics, marketing, branding, community outreach and more -- whose targets are, underneath it all, designed to do one thing: boost revenue.

The most beneficial route is to remain in the good graces of, and high on the priority list of, the fan base. The most direct way to do that is to put a winning team on the field.

The Indians have had mixed results. Inconsistency has plagued the club for more than a decade. Every time the team appears to have laid the groundwork for sustained success (2005, '07, '11, '13), it sputters ('06, '08, '12, '14). Have they overrated their own ability, or fallen into a false sense of security?

Perhaps that is what perturbs some fans the most. Maybe those extra nickels and dimes would put the team over the top. Maybe a more precise projection on a player or two would solve something. On an even playing field, maybe the Indians would stand a better chance.

In baseball, though, all else isn't equal.

Longtime sportswriter Russell Schneider and artist Tom Denny teamed up on "Cleveland Indians Legends," a coffee-table book that features 40 of the team’s greatest players in both biographical and artistic portraits. We chatted with Denny about the art and his respect for baseball.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Respect for the past never seems to waver in Cleveland when it comes to the Indians. Longtime sportswriter Russell Schneider and artist Tom Denny teamed up on "Cleveland Indians Legends," a coffee-table book that features 40 of the team's greatest players in both biographical and artistic portraits.

The format is consistent. The left-hand page is Schneider's one-page bio on a player, with statistics on the bottom. The right side features Denny's artwork. The book breaks down four eras: 1901-25, 1926-50, 1951-75 and 1976 to present.

Using soft colors, the art takes on an almost mysterious air, offering dignified tones to players in action. Some look serious, some smile. The closer to present day you go, the brighter the colors become.

Baseball lends itself to art as much as it does to writing. The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, even has an area devoted to artwork and the sport.

The semi-retired Denny, who taught at Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Marti College of Art and Design, is a lifelong Indians fan who lives in Middleburg Heights. He went to Buchtel High School in Akron and was good enough to try out for the Chicago White Sox.

"But I played shortstop and second base, and they had (Luis) Aparicio and (Nellie) Fox, so I figured 'this is a kind of waste of time.' He headed to Kent State instead, but never lost his passion for the sport.

"I saw my first game in 1948, and I saw Satchel Paige pitch; he came in in relief," said Denny, 73. "I think the memory is like what most kids have when you come up the ramp and see the field. It's awesome."

Denny's approach to the game is as gentle as his artwork comes across.

"I've never booed a player," he said. "They reached the top of their peak. I think they deserve some respect for what they accomplished. Even a .200 hitter in (Major League) baseball is probably a .500 hitter all the way up."

He took time to talk to The Plain Dealer about the book (Black Squirrel Press, 96 pages, $29.95, kentstateuniversitypress.com) and to reminisce a bit about baseball.

"Just remember one thing," he said. "I have always loved the game."

You're a fan. Does it help an artist to understand baseball to be able to depict portraits, the way knowledge of the game would help a writer tell a story?

"I think so. It's just little things, how many fingers on a glove a certain player wore, what color uniforms go with the lettering, little things like that. And understanding the game in general. I stayed up last night (Wednesday, Aug. 13) for 12 innings. I just love the game in general. It's such a beautiful sport. You've got speed and grace and power. Some teams do, not all. ... To read about the players gives you a good feel. I probably have more books on baseball than the Middleburg Heights and Parma Heights libraries."

The book is broken into four eras. Was any one more favorable to draw?

"The first section, with the old-time players. I think the uniforms, the baggy uniforms, and the atmosphere. You can get into sepia tones, use more subtle tones. I think the drawing is strong in that section; you don't rely on snappy, bright colors."

Do you have a favorite portrait?

"(Shoeless) Joe Jackson, that's one of them. I like Bob Lemon, and I like Early Wynn. I like Stan Coveleski. The other one I like a lot is Carlos Baerga. I remember the Cleveland Ballet had a silent auction to raise money, and I took a couple of pieces out for the auction, and I met him. He was so nice.

"Another portrait I like is Charles Nagy. He's such a nice person. It was more difficult to do (Jim) Thome and (Andre) Thornton. With Thome all you see is him holding his bat straight out. That became trite to me. I met him; he's a nice person. ... Some of the older players, in my personal opinion I appreciated more, they rode the bus, they had to have jobs off season, they never charged anyone for an autograph, they loved the game. ... I always have a kind of romantic feeling about the older players."

(Denny recalled a favorite story, about visiting the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. He visited and then, getting on the highway, thought 'It would be nice to get pictures.' So he went back, took pictures, and was able to create the Jackson portrait. It hung at Field of Dreams for two years, he said.)

Were there any players over the years you like but who weren't included in the book?

"Oh yeah, Joe Carter, Gaylord Perry. What happened was we determined it by their length (of time) in Cleveland. Perry and Carter had their better years after they left Cleveland. Bobby Avila was one of my favorites. It's hard when you have to limit the players. And I won't tell you who I wouldn't have put in." (Denny said it was a joint project deciding who would be included, but Schneider "came up with most of the names.")

Anyone on the current team who you'd like to depict in artwork?

I think probably (Corey) Kluber and maybe (Jason) Kipnis. Who am I missing? They are throwback players. Kluber cracks me up. He could pitch a perfect game and you'd never know it. And Kipnis plays hard. I think Carlos Santana, if he cut his swing down, might be interesting, and (Nick) Swisher might be interesting, because he's Swisher."

A rep at Kent State University Press says next year a book will be out on Cincinnati Reds legends with a writer and artists from the Cincinnati area.

Take a look at a comprehensive list of Division I college football offers received by Northeast Ohioans.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- From offense to defense, running back to linebacker, Akron to Glenville, many of the top football players in the Northeast Ohio area had a good summer in relation to their plans for the future.

More than 30 players received Division I scholarship offers from college programs that ranged from the Mid-American Conference to major programs.

Following is a list of players who have received offers, compiled by reporters Stephanie Kuzydym, David Cassilo, Bill Landis and Scott Patsko.

Do you know of others? Let us know in the comments section below. If someone has already verbally committed, like St. Ignatius' Dre'Mont Jones to Ohio State, they don't appear on this list. 
Here's to the upcoming season of football, and more offers and commitments.

Alex Alders, Nordonia, WR, Sr.

Offers: Air Force, Western Michigan

Joe Bachie, Berea-Midpark, LB, Jr.

Offers: Bowling Green, Illinois, Toledo

Rashod Berry, Lorain, DL, Sr.

Offer: Minnesota

Tony Butler, St. Edward, WR, Jr.

Offer: Toledo

Zach Bycznski, Berea-Midpark, OL, Jr.

Offers: Akron, Illinois, Minnesota, Toledo

Michael Church, Elyria, DB, Sr.

Offers: Akron, Eastern Michigan

Andrew Dowell, St. Edward RB, Sr.

Offers: Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Illinois, Indians, Iowa State, James Madison, Kent State, Kentucky, Northwestern, Ohio, Syracuse, Toledo, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin

David Dowell, St. Edward, DB, Sr.

Offers: Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indian, Iowa State, James Madison, Kent State, Kentucky, Northwestern, Ourdue, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin

Liam Eichenberg, St. Ignatius, LT, Jr.

Offers: Boston College, Florida State, Illinois, Marshall, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee

Matt Finkler, Kirtland, TE/LB, Sr.

Offers: Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio)

Cole Gest, St. Edward, RB, Jr.

Offer: Toledo

Milen Golden, Glenville, TE/DE/LB, Sr.

Offer: Georgia Tech

Cory Griffith, St. Ignatius, P/PK, Sr.

Offer: Army

Justin Harris, Berea-Midpark, RB/WR, Sr.

Offer: Youngstown State

Alex Heil, Benedictine, OL, Sr.

Offer: Air Force

Andy Isabella, Mayfield, RB, Sr.

Offers: Air Force, Wofford

Darius Jones, Twinsburg, WR, Sr.

Offer: Eastern Michigan

Justin Layne, Benedictine, WR, Jr.

Offers: Miami (Fla.), Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Penn State

Vince Lockett, St. Vincent-St. Mary, RB/LB, Sr.

Offers: Air Force, Akron

Moses Marshall, Brush, TE, Sr.

Offers: Akron, Tennessee State, James Madison

Demario McCall, North Ridgeville, RB, Jr.

Offers: Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio State, Pittsburgh

Sam McKnight, Glenville, DL, Sr.

Offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Georgia Tech, Ohio, Toledo

Chawntez Moss, Bedford, RB, Jr.

Offers: Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo

Jordan Overton, Brush, WR/DB, Jr.

Offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Navy, Toledo, Fordham, Robert Morris)

Mario Patton, Cleveland Heights, DL, Sr.

Oferrs: Minnesota, Bowling Green, Toledo

Darrion Powers, Akron Garfield, RB/DB, Sr.

Offers: Akron, Buffalo

Deric Rucker, Buchtel, WR/DB, Sr.

Offers: Cincinnati, Toledo

Anthony Siragusa, Wash Jesuit, WR, Sr.

Offer: Princeton 

Trevon Story, Glenville, DB/WR, Sr.

Offers: Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Toledo, Western Michigan

Tyler Tupa, Bresckville, WR/DB, Jr.

Offers: Bowling Green, Toledo

Chris Von Hendrix, Orange, WR, Jr.

Offers: Air Force, Bowling Green, Akron, Naval Academy, Indiana State

Brandon Zamary, Aurora, OG/DE, Sr.

Offers: Marist, Wofford

A Kent State economist estimates big returns for the Rubber City as Gay Games participants spend their money in town; meanwhile U.S. senators are trying to stop the U.S. Postal Service from closing 82 processing centers, including one in Akron.

AKRON, Ohio -- While the Gay Games have been making headlines around Northeast Ohio, they also have been leaving something behind: cash. 

Economic activity generated in Akron by visitors to Gay Games 9 is between $12 and 14 million, Kent State University Economist Shawn Rholin told Action News 19. 

Rholin estimated the regional impact of the games to be around $56 million, the station reported.

The economic jolt comes from money spent on lodging, food and entertainment, the report says.

Sen. Brown opposes closing Akron postal service centers

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has joined other senators protesting the closure of 82 U.S. Postal Service processing centers, including one in Akron.

Brown joined 49 other senators on Thursday in a letter to the U.S. Senate Committees on Appropriations and Financial Services and Government. 

"Closing Akron's mail processing facility will deprive the community of hundreds of good-paying jobs, making it difficult for families to make ends meet," Brown said in a news release. "Immediate action needs to be taken so workers can keep their jobs and continue providing reliable service for the city."

USPS plans to close the mail processing facilities in 2015 and lay off up to 15,000 workers in an effort to cut costs amidst rapidly mounting financial losses. 

Results from Day 1 of the 2014 Little League World Series.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Moments after Chicago beat Lynnwood, Washington, on Thursday in the Little League World Series, outfielder Pierce Jones looked at his phone -- and had to turn it off.

"I didn't want to deal with all the notifications," Jones said.

Jones had three homers and four RBIs in Jackie Robinson West's 12-2 victory in five innings.

Manager Darold Butler the players on the all-black team hear about the support in and around Chicago, but that they do haven't grasped the magnitude.

"I know for a fact they don't know how big it is, or what exactly is going on at home," Butler said. "It's just baseball to them."

Chicago's Danon Radcliff, top, is tagged out attempting to score by Lynnwood, Washington catcher Robley Corsi III during the first inning of a Little League baseball game in United States pool play at the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Gene J. Puskar 

In the other U.S. game, Las Vegas beat Rapid City, South Dakota, 12-2 in five innings. In openers Friday, Philadelphia will face Nashville, Tennessee; and Pearland, Texas, will meet Cumberland, Rhode Island.

In International play, South Korea topped the Czech Republic 10-3, and Puerto Rico routed Australia 16-3 in four innings. On Friday, Canada plays Guadalupe, and Japan will meet Venezuela.

Jones homered leading off in the first inning, and also tripled in the game. Shortstop Ed Howard added a two-run homer in the second inning.

Chicago scored five runs in the third inning. Logan Kruse relieved Ian Michael, and Chicago capitalized on a passed ball and other misplays behind the plate.

For Chicago, pitcher Joshua Houston settled down after Lynnwood scored two in the first. Houston went four innings, striking out seven and giving up two hits.

"We're just trying to make the city proud. We're trying to make the state proud," Butler said. "From the batting practice we've been taking here and the comeback win that got us here, the kids have been very relaxed. ... I felt good going into this game."

LAS VEGAS 12, RAPID CITY 2, 5 INNINGS
Zach Hare hit leadoff homer in the third inning to help Las Vegas rout Rapid City.

Hare tied it at 2 with his homer to center field and finished 2 for 2 with four runs. Las Vegas added two more runs in the third and Brennan Holligan had a two-run double in a four-run fourth.

Las Vegas starter Austin Kryszczuk had an RBI single in the fifth and Rapid City conceded three more runs, two on wild pitches and the other when a batter was hit by a pitch.

Kryszczuk went 2 2-3 innings. He struck out six and allowed two earned runs on three hits.

PUERTO RICO 16, AUSTRALIA 3, 4 INNINGS
Abimael Torres hit a grand slam in Puerto Rico's 13-run first inning.

Torres homered after Puerto Rico scored two runs on five straight walks. Oscar Lopez added a three-run homer in the third for Puerto Rico.

Joel D. Santos pitched two solid innings, striking out five and allowing one hit.

SOUTH KOREA 10, CZECH REPUBLIC 3
Jo Ho Park had a three-run homer in South Korea's five-run fourth inning.

After Park's homer off of Patrik Kadronozka, Jae Yeong followed with a solo shot. South Korea starter Jae Yeong Hwang struck out eight in three innings.

-The Associated Press

===

TODAY'S GAMES

Friday, Aug. 15
Game 5: Vancouver vs. Guadalupe, 1 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
Game 6: Philadelphia vs. Nashville, 3 p.m. (TV: ESPN)
Game 7: Tokyo vs. Maracaibo, 5 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)
Game 8: Pearland vs. Cumberland, 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

The complete set of meeting minutes will be posted at OHSAA.org.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors met Thursday for its regularly scheduled August meeting. The following are highlights from the meeting. The complete set of meeting minutes will be posted later at OHSAA.org.

The board officially approved the membership for high schools for 2014-15, signifying that schools returned their ‘confirmation of membership’ document. Of note, schools do not pay an annual fee to be an OHSAA member school. There are three new member schools this year, including Cincinnati Miami Valley Christian Academy, Cleveland Whitney M. Young and Ashtabula St. John. There are 821 total member high schools for the 2014-15 school year, which continues to keep Ohio with the third-most member high schools in the country (only California and Texas have more member schools).

The board was given a summary of the OHSAA’s annual new administrators workshop, held August 5 in Columbus, which was attended by nearly 200 school administrators to learn about OHSAA bylaws and sports regulations, etc. The board also received a recap of the five regional update meetings that were recently held around the state to update the member schools on changes to OHSAA bylaws and sports regulations.

The board reviewed the financial reports from the 2014 regional and state tournaments in basketball and dual team wrestling, along with the district and state tournaments in ice hockey and individual wrestling (which go from district to state). The boys basketball state tournament drew 116,100 fans (up from 115,343 in 2013) and resulted in a net profit of $917,081. The girls basketball state tournament drew 37,281 fans (up from 35,953 in 2013) and resulted in a net profit of $12,747. The ice hockey state tournament drew 3,879 fans (down from 4,466 in 2013) and resulted in a loss of $20,049. The dual team wrestling state tournament drew 1,851 fans (up from 1,750 in 2013) and, when combined with the regional dual team wrestling tournaments, resulted in an overall loss of $45,094. The individual wrestling state tournament drew 47,318 fans (down from 49,256 in 2013) and resulted in a profit of $174,136.

Ten member schools were recently penalized for committing infractions of OHSAA bylaws or sports regulations. The list of infractions and penalties are always included in the complete meeting minutes posted at OHSAA.org, but media may request the list in advance from Tim Stried, OHSAA Director of Information Services, at tstried@ohsaa.org.

The OHSAA Foundation Student Leadership Conference will be held October 7, 2014, at The Ohio State University’s Student Union. Details will be sent to school administrators. The capacity has been expanded to 1,500 students after last year’s conference reached the maximum 1,300 students.

The regional and state tournament sites for volleyball and cross country were approved and are posted on the respective sport pages at OHSAA.org.

The board approved the sport manuals for the OHSAA’s fall sports. The manuals, which contain helpful information and reminders for coaches and school administrators, are posted on the respective sports pages at OHSAA.org.

Four vacancies on District Athletic Boards were recently filled for the 2014-15 school year. They include Andy Jalwan, athletic administrator at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, as the Class AA rep in the Northeast, Phil Stevens, athletic administrator at Richmond Heights, as the ethnic minority rep in the Northeast, Rick Brindley, athletic administrator at Ashland, as the Class AAA rep in the Northwest and Bret Mavis, principal at Chillicothe Zane Trace Middle School, as the 7^th-8^th grade rep in the Southeast.

The rating and voting system for tournament officials, along with the adjusted tournament officials fees in selected sports and the 2014 Officials Handbook, were approved by the board. Updates will be made to the tournament officials selections page at OHSAA.org.The 2014-15 media regulations and tournament broadcast rates were approved by the board and are posted on the ‘News & Media’ page at OHSAA.org

The OHSAA imposed the following penalties against schools that violated OHSAA bylaws or sports regulations:

Cleveland St. Ignatius High School had three student-athletes in boys basketball violate General Sports Regulation 7.5, Non-Interscholastic Participation, when they participated together in events outside of the school season, a violation of the “50 percent” regulation. In accordance with General Sports Regulation 7.15, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled the three students ineligible for the school’s final preseason scrimmage and the first two regular season contests of the 2014-15 season. 

Toledo St. John’s Jesuit High School had a student-athlete in baseball violate Baseball Regulation 1.1 when he participated in three games on one day. In accordance with Bylaw 11-1-2, Penalties, the school would be required to forfeit a victorious contest in which the ineligible student participated. However, since the school lost the third contest in which the ineligible student participated, no forfeiture was required.

Brunswick High School had a student-athlete in baseball violate Baseball Regulation 1.8 when he exceeded the 10 innings pitched within a three-day period regulation. In accordance with Bylaw 11-1-2, Penalties, the school was required to forfeit the victorious contest in which the ineligible student participated when the violation occurred.

Carlisle High School had three student-athletes in boys basketball violate General Sports Regulation 7.5, Non-Interscholastic Participation, when they participated together in an event outside of the school season, a violation of the “50 percent” regulation. In accordance with General Sports Regulation 7.15, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled the three students ineligible for the school’s first two preseason scrimmages of the 2014-15 season.

Zanesville High School had a student-athlete transfer from Zanesville Maysville High School during the 2013-14 school year. After following up on an inquiry and on information obtained, the Commissioner’s Office has determined that the student does not meet any of the enumerated exceptions to Bylaw 4-7-2, Transfers, and therefore will be ineligible for all contests in football until five regular season varsity contests have been completed in the 2014 season. In addition, the Commissioner’s Office has determined that the student-athlete in question has violated Bylaw 4-9-1, Recruiting, by attempting to influence other student-athletes to transfer to Zanesville. In accordance with Bylaw 11-1-2, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled the student ineligible for an additional varsity football contest in the 2014 season, so, combined with the original penalty, the student will be ineligible for all contests in football until six regular season varsity contests have been completed.

In addition, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled that Zanesville’s football coach has violated Bylaw 4-9-1, Recruiting, and, in accordance with Bylaw 11-1-2, Penalties, the coach has been suspended from coaching the team for the first regular season contest of the 2014 season (he is permitted to coach practices but may not be involved in game-day coaching, may not be present in the locker room and may not travel to or from the contest with the team during the suspension). Additionally, Zanesville High School has been fined $200.

Lakewood High School’s football coaching staff violated General Sports Regulation 7.10, when it provided instruction to student-athletes prior to the first day when instruction is permitted (June 1). In accordance with General Sports Regulation 7.15, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled that the school’s football coaching staff is permitted to provide instruction to student-athletes for six days rather than the 10 that are permitted during the June 1 through July 31, 2014, coaching period.

Lima Senior High School’s boys basketball coaching staff violated General Sports Regulation 7.9 (providing instruction to student-athletes for 10 days between June 1 and July 31). In accordance with General Sports Regulation 7.15, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has accepted the school’s recommendation that its basketball coaching staff be permitted to provide instruction to student-athletes for seven days rather than the 10 that are permitted during the June 1 through July 31 coaching period in 2014 and that the school only be permitted to participate in three scrimmages during the 2014-15 season rather than the five that are permitted.

A student-athlete intends to transfer from Berea-Midpark High School to Parma Heights Holy Name High School for the 2014-15 school year. After following up on an inquiry and on information obtained, the Commissioner’s Office has determined that a boys basketball coach at Holy Name has violated Bylaw 4-9-1, Recruiting. In accordance with Bylaw 11-1-2, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled the student ineligible for interscholastic athletics for one year from his date of enrollment at Holy Name should he enroll this year. In addition, the coach in question is fined $500, with $200 of that rescinded provided he refrains from any activities to secure students to enroll at Holy Name during the 2014-15 school year.

Reynoldsburg High School had a student-athlete in football violate Football Regulation 4.2, Non-Interscholastic Participation, when he participated in a full contact football camp. In accordance with General Sports Regulation 7.15, Penalties, the Commissioner’s Office has ruled the student ineligible for the school’s first two regular season contests of the 2014 season.

South Charleston Southeastern High School had a student-athlete in baseball violate Bylaw 4-4-1, Scholarship. In accordance with Bylaw 10-2-1, Forfeitures, the school must forfeit any victorious contest in which the ineligible student participated. However, since the school lost the contest in which the ineligible student participated, no forfeiture was required.

"Those are two good dudes," Ohio State's redshirt freshman QB said when asked if his game might be a mix of Braxton Miller and Kenny Guiton.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Take the ability to get out of the pocket and go, to make some big plays on his own. Few are like Ohio State starting quarterback Braxton Miller when it comes to that, and J.T. Barrett readily acknowledges that. But maybe Barrett has some of that in him, too.

Take the ability to distribute the ball to playmakers, to throw on time and get the ball out quickly, to lead in a natural way. Offensive coordinator Tom Herman sees all those traits in Barrett, and in describing them sounds like he's talking about Kenny Guiton, the oh-so-popular former backup, captain and two-game starter at QB while Miller was out a year ago.

Somewhere between them - Guiton with a little more sizzle, a shadow of Miller with a little more step-to-the-front maturity as a young QB - lies Barrett. 

Kenny Miller. Braxton Guiton. At his best, Barrett could be a mix of the two OSU QBs that the coaches praised so often last season, but in different ways. If and when the redshirt freshman gets on the field for the first time, fans will get a look at why Urban Meyer made the Texas native the first QB recruited to Columbus by this staff. But first he has to get things under control after a start to his OSU career that saw him think too much and run too much and not just play enough.

"Sometimes in the spring I would get all riled up and hurried and I'd just take off running," Barrett said, "and we'd look at film and I didn't really need to run at all."

So too much feet.

"I know what I did in the spring, and spring wasn't that good starting off. I finished better than I started," Barrett said. "In the spring, I was worried about the battle or something like that. Now I'm just going out and playing and not worrying about that. I think if I took that position in the spring, I'd be better off. But you live and learn."

And too much in his head.

During spring, redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones - big size, big arm - won the No. 2 quarterback job. Herman said that fight continues after a strong summer from Barrrett. Jones might be the No. 2 right now. That's not locked in forever, and Herman has said they are splitting all the reps behind Miller. In practices that reporters have seen, both backups have been intercepted more than they'd like to be. But Barrett has looked solid. Herman said he's a distance third behind Miller and Jones when it comes to arm strength, but he's made more than a few throws.

"He gets the ball out quickly, very efficent, smooth release, very accurate, extremely cerebral," Herman said. "A very magnetic leader. I think the kids gravitate towards him. And we're going to work on strengthening his arm.

"But he makes up for it in anticipation and accuracy and all that. You don't have to have a howitzer to be successful in college football. So I'm very pleased, very pleased, with his continued growth."

A year ago, during his redshirt season at Ohio State, Barrett was still limited physically after tearing his ACL during his senior year of high school. He didn't do much in practice but got enough of a look to learn what he didn't know.

"I remember when I just was running around like a chicken with my head cut off," Barrett said of practice last season, mentioning in particular the moments when linebacker Ryan Shazier was coming his way "When you start to learn the 'whys' of the playbook, things start to slow down."

Now he has started the path to maybe be what he could be.

But let's be honest - if Miller goes down in an important game or for any length of time this season, the Buckeyes could be in trouble. Barrett has never played a college game and Jones has made a couple throws. Expect both to get some looks if the Buckeyes build any big leads in nonconference play - like in the Kent State game in week three - but for now both Jones and Barrett are a long way from Guiton.

Both were helped by Miller's absence in the spring, and his limitations during the start of the preseason, after shoulder surgery. For the backups, Herman called it a blessing in disguise. But beyond this season, Jones and Barrett are also trying to position themselves to be the starter in 2015 when Miller is gone.

Jones, the 6-foot-5 Glenville grad who can throw it through a wall, is certainly an option. If Barrett flashes enough Guiton on one play and enough Miller the next, he'll be an option, too.

Braxton Guiton.

"That sounds all right to me. Those are two good dudes," Barrett said of his place on the QB spectrum between them.

Then the idea is explained. The ability to make plays. The ability to run the offense. A little of Miller this, a little of Guiton that.

"The way you just broke it down, I'd agree with you," Barrett said. "Because you see a lot of people that are not the most athletic guys but they know how to deliver the ball to people around them so they can go make plays. And I try to do that now."

But he doesn't want to completely lose the other skills, the part of the game that makes Miller so special. Barrett thinks running the ball is an area when he can excel.

He's somewhere in between there. He just has to get out there to show it.

See the season preview for girls cross country, including notable players, schedule information and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Check out the 2014 season preview for the girls cross country teams in Northeast Ohio. The season begins on Aug. 18.

Check cleveland.com/hssports for updates throughout the season.

Northeast Ohio was represented well in the 2013 OHSAA Girls State Cross Country Championships. A total of 72 state qualifiers from the area return this season including 26 of them finishing among the top 50 runners throughout the three divisions.

Below is a breakdown of each division’s storylines and notable returners.

DIVISION I

Storylines:

Brunswick returns with six state qualifiers, the most of any area team in Division I. Junior Vanessa Pasadyn led the team with the fastest time in the 2013 state championship.

Rocky River sophomore Laura DeVito committed to playing soccer and will not suit for the cross country team. Last year she qualified for the state championships and set her school record in the 800-meter run.

A total of 36 area state qualifiers return this season. Nine of them finished among the Top 50 runners in the state championship.

Runners to watch:

Olivia Chinn, Ravenna, Sr.: Finished 31^st in the state championship with a time of 19:12.03.

Vanessa Pasadyn, Brunswick, Jr.: Ended the year with a 19^th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 18.58.99.

Geneva Sandridge, Solon, Sr.: Finished 18th in the state championship with a time of 18:58.52.

Lindsey Scarton, Berea-Midpark, Sophomore: Ended the year with a 37th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 19:16.44.

Alexis Szivan, Amherst, Sr.: Finished 49th in the state championship with a time of 19:24.75.

Leah Vasarhelyi, Nordonia, Sr.: Ended the year with a 28th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 19:09.81.

Maggie Wagner, St. Joseph Academy, Sophomore: Finished 17th in her first trip the state championship with a time of 18:57.89.

Louiza Wise, Solon, Jr.: Finished eighth in the state championship with a time of 18:45.27. The Northeast Ohio Media Group’s girls cross country runner of the year finished the fastest among area runners.

Emily Zimmerman, Cuyahoga Falls, Sophomore: Ended the year with a 27th place finish in her first trip to the state championship recording a time of 19:08.28.

DIVISION II

Storylines:

The girls team from St. Vincent-St. Mary was the only team from the area to have a first place finish in the state championships. The team won Division II for the fifth straight title with 101 points ahead of second place finisher Bay with 119.

St. Vincent-St. Mary returns nearly all of their state qualifiers from a year ago. Julia Mendiola graduated and will be running at Toledo.

A total of 21 area state qualifiers return this season. Seven of them finished among the Top 50 runners in the state championship.

A total of 21 area state qualifiers return this season. Seven of them finished among the Top 50 runners in the state championship.

Runners to watch:

Mia Brady, Bay, Jr.: Ended the year with a 43rd place finish in her first trip to the state championship recording a time of 19:48.80.

Sammy Bockoven, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Sr.: Finished 46th in the state championship with a time of 19:52.10.

Amanda Cusimano, Bay, Sophomore: Ended the year with a 15th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 19:02.30.

Cynthia Haas, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Sr.: Finished 35th in the 2013 state championship with a time of 19:39.00.

Rachel Iacofano, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Jr.: Ended the year with a seventh place finish in the state championship recording a time of 18:49.90.

Becca Pohlod, Field, Sr.: Finished 19th in last year’s state championship with a time of 19:17.40.

Julia Moore, Woodridge, Sr.: Ended the year with a 34th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 19:38.40.

DIVISION III

Storylines:

The girls team from Gilmour finished second in the state championships with 110 points following state champion Liberty Center with 98.

Gilmour returns most of their state qualifiers, but are toe-to-toe with Berkshire and Independence with at least five each.

Sophomore Dana Zaccardelli, who finished in 11th at the state championship, will lead Independence without senior Jen Wisniewski. The senior committed to playing soccer after finishing 10^th in the state.

Berkshire Christin Dornback will lead the Badgers after finishing 54^th in the state championship with the team’s fastest time of 20:16.20.

A total of 14 area state qualifiers return this season. Four of them finished among the Top 50 runners in the state championship.

Runners to watch:

Catherine Dolohanty, Gilmour, Jr.: Ended the year with a 29th place finish in the 2013 state championship recording a time of 19:48.83.

Hannah Markel, Gilmour, Jr.: Finished 28th in last year’s state championship with a time of 19:45.68

Courtney Rulison, Gilmour, Sr.: A 2011 state qualifier who is expected to see her role increase in her final year at Gilmour. In 2011 she finished outside of the Top 50 runners with a time of 22:07.12.

Caitlin Whetstone, Gilmour, Sr.: Ended the year with a 32nd place finish in last year’s state championship recording a time of 19:53.49.

Dana Zaccardelli, Independence, Sophomore: Ended the year with an 11th place finish in the state championship recording a time of 19:11.15.

POSTSEASON INFORMATION

District and Region Cross Country Championships will begin the week of Oct. 18 and Oct. 25 respectively. Times TBA.

Qualifiers from their respective region will advance to the 2014 OHSAA Girls State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 at National Trail Raceway in Hebron at 11 a.m.

Follow Cross Country update in the Northeast Ohio all season

Bookmark the sports’ cleveland.com webpage to see updates pertaining to girls cross country.

Follow @NEOVarsity and tag your high school sports tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.

Contact high school sports reporter Nathaniel Cline by email (ncline@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@nathanielcline). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Follow @NEOvarsity

Prized draft pick Francisco Lindor is starting to hit after a slow start with the Columbus Clippers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Columbus Clippers shortstop and top Cleveland Indians prospect Francisco Lindor is showing signs of getting adjusted to the higher level of play.

He had back-to-back two-hit games this week and has struck out only once in the last five games.

The key number here is 21 for the Indians prize 2011 first-round draft pick. In Lindor's first 21 games with the Clippers he is hitting .231, going 21 for 91 with 21 strikeouts. He also has three homers, five walks and nine RBI.

However, the recent turn of events makes the future look better. Lindor is now on a four-game hitting streak, going 6-for-19, and including his first homer with the Clippers. Lindor hit .278 with 6 homers and 48 RBI in 88 games at Akron before his call up.

Good 'Crief: Carlos Moncrief is on a roll again. The Clippers outfielder had a seven-game hitting streak snapped this week, but he continues to pile up the outfield assists. He added another, giving him 21 punchouts from his right field campgrounds, which is nearly two-thirds of the Clippers 34 outfield assists this season.

The Jackson, Mississippi native has been solid at the plate as well. On the season he is hitting .275 with 59 RBI, 11 homers and 28 doubles. However, Moncrief is clearly a free swinger with 113 strikeouts in 422 at-bats going into Thursday's games.

The hit man: That would be corner infielder Jesus Aguilar who is on a roll again, taking an eight-game hitting streak into Friday's game. The 25-year-old Venezualan is 14 for 35 in that stretch for a robust .400 average. But his teammates have not taken advantage by getting on base ahead of him. Aguilar only has one homer and 2 RBI in his eight-game roll.

By the numbers: Perhaps indicative of the injury woes, and more, going on in Cleveland, there have been 182 roster moves made already this season by the Clippers. The breakdown: April, 27; May, 58; June, 32; July, 40; and already there have been 23 moves in August and 16 days still remain in the month.

For Clippers stats and more, click here.

Brian Hoyer will start the Washington game, but Mike Pettine hasn't ruled out naming Johnny Manziel his opening day starter, saying he'd still get a start under his belt before the opener during the dress rehearsal game Aug. 23.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brian Hoyer will start Monday night in Washington and coach Mike Pettine could name his opening-day starter the following day -- but he hasn't ruled out Johnny Manziel just yet.

If Manziel plays well coming off the bench in Washington, he could leapfrog Hoyer for the start in Pittsburgh Sept. 7.

"(Manziel) would go ahead and start that third (dress rehearsal Aug. 23) game if that were the case,'' Pettine said on his radio show on 92.3 The Fan Thursday night.

Pettine reiterated in a release that the starter for Monday night is irrelevant because both quarterbacks will get the same amount of reps with the first team offense, which will play through the first half.

 "It's just something right now where we are comfortable with Brian going out there to start the game," Pettine said. "I think it's a little overblown as to who the starter is going to be. The key component, as I've stated earlier this week, is that we are going to balance the reps.

"We will play it a little by ear as it goes on, we haven't truly decided as far as the rotation but the goal is, for when we look at the stat sheet at halftime, that they both have the same amount of repetitions and hopefully they both get a good amount of work."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the quarterbacks will alternate every two series, but the club would not confirm that.  The Browns were off Thursday and Pettine will address the media after practice on Friday.

The decision comes as a mild surprise, because Manziel won't have an actual start under belt before the big decision is made, but Pettine stressed that he's got more to go on than just the games.

"We've been able to evaluate the quarterbacks literally with everything they've done," Pettine said on his show. "How they are in the meeting room, how they are on the practice field, how they are when they're doing their individual period, how they are in the 7 on 7 and how they are in the team work."

In the meeting-room category, Manziel may have lost a few points this week.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the rookie was a few minutes late for a team meeting on Monday, but it didn't cost him his start in the game.

Citing unnamed sources, Mortensen reported Thursday night that Manziel and a few other unidentified rookies were late for the meeting when they apparently misread a schedule regarding a short five-minute session to kick off the week.

Per Mortensen, Pettine handled the matter internally but didn't make a huge deal of it. The report stressed that Manziel spent about four hours at the Browns facility on his day off Sunday, receiving treatment and reviewing game film from Detroit. Manziel took several hard shots in the game and received a brief sideline exam before returning to the game.

He also made bed-check on Sunday night and "a high-ranking team source'' told Mortensen it would "very unfair and inaccurate" to connect Manziel's tardiness with his penchant for partying.

The Browns, who talked to Manziel about his off-the-field behavior in the weeks leading up to camp, have been pleased with his dedication since he reported July 23rd.

Pettine also revealed on his radio show that he could name his starter as soon as the day after the game.

"I'm sure we'll sit down at some point next week, maybe more than likely later in the day on Tuesday and get our heads together and see what we come up with," Pettine said.

Question is, does Manziel still have time to overtake Hoyer for the starting job?

Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains stressed Tuesday "there's no leader'' in the clubhouse heading into Monday, and that the game will go a long way toward deciding the winner.

"It's still "way too early to tell (who will start in Pittsburgh),'' he said. "I'm excited about both of them, where they're at, but I'm also excited to see how good they're going to be in two or three weeks when it is time to get ready for the Steelers.''

 Pettine emphasized that throwing Manziel into the pressure-cooker of ESPN's Monday Night Football on the road was not a factor.

"I'm not concerned about Johnny on a big stage,'' he said. "He's proved throughout his career he can handle it."

While many folks assume that Hoyer's start in Washington means he's a lock to start the opener, that might not be the case.

Pettine has stated numerous times that he prefers a rookie quarterback to sit behind a veteran, but admitted he uses "veteran'' loosely when describing Hoyer, a sixth-year pro with four starts to his credit.

"Brian is in a unique situation,'' said Pettine. "He does have years in the league, but it's hard to put that veteran label on him because he doesn't have that many career starts. In some aspects, he is a veteran because he's been around for so long in the league, but he's closer to being a rookie just as far as the number of snaps he's taken in live game situations."

Still, the Browns seem to be leaning toward starting Hoyer in hostile Pittsburgh against Dick LeBeau's attack-minded defense, and not risking shattering the former Heisman Trophy winner's confidence in his NFL debut.

"We think the world of Brian and he's been really solid for us,'' Pettine told ESPN's Mike and Mike on Wednesday. "He's done nothing to have that job taken away and we're really pleased with where he is. A lot of people don't realize when he played in Detroit, it was his first live action since coming off a serious knee injury and we thought he handled himself very well.''

Hoyer, working solely with the starters in Detroit, completed 6-of-14 attempts for 92 yards and put two field goals on the board in his three drives. He earned a 65.2 rating, but had two big passes dropped inside the 10 and overthrew two inside the 20.

Manziel -- working exclusively with the second-team offense -- completed 7-of-11 attempts for 63 yards for a 79 rating and ran six times for a team-high 27 yards. He produced one field goal in his four possessions.

"He's been impressive,'' said Pettine. "He's probably slightly ahead of the learning curve of where we thought he would've been.''

Loggains, who's been excited about Manziel since long before the draft, was buoyed by his debut. Working behind the backup line, Manziel had to take off running a few times to save himself, and he didn't have Josh Gordon or Jordan Cameron to throw to.

"The fine line with coaching Johnny is, you can't take the best part of him away, and that's his ability to extend plays with his legs,'' said Loggains. "There's a fine line of going through your progressions and making plays with your legs and I thought he did an exceptional job in the game of doing that. ...It tells you where he's getting his growth as a quarterback. He's fine. He's starting to get to the third and fourth progression.''

Pettine said he'll sit down with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Loggains when the time comes and try to make a decision. He said general manager Ray Farmer will also likely be involved.

But Loggains said the Redskins game won't make or break either one.

"I don't think we'll make the decision based on that,'' Loggains said. "It's the body of work they're accumulating and that's how we'll make the decision.''

Once all the teams are out of the grove, work will begin to repair the break and hopefully everything will be back to normal Saturday, Stephen D. Keener said.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT -- A water main break has forced Little League officials to find alternate housing for the night for the 16 world series teams.

"This is a first," said Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO, and it happened on a day when history was made by Mo'Ne Davis becoming the first girl to win a world series game.

The break was discovered about 4 p.m. Friday in International Grove where the teams stay, he said. The location is downhill from the dining hall and other facilities, he added, and that eventually everyone will lose water pressure.

South Williamsport firefighters have been putting 1,000 gallons every couple hours into a reserve tank but no one can stay in the grove tonight, he said.

Players whose parents are at the series have been allowed to take them to their hotels and they will be given money to buy breakfast, he said. Alternate arrangements that include Lycoming College have been made for the international teams whose parents are not here, Keener sad.

A lot of community organizations are helping out, he said. The Williamsport Crosscutters professional baseball team is allowing Little League to use its laundry, he said.

The Friday evening meal had been prepared before the break was discovered so all teams ate, he said. There ar dirty dishes waiting to be washed, he said.

Once all the teams are out of the grove, work will begin to repair the break and hopefully everything will be back to normal Saturday, Keener said. "We've never had anything like this happen," he said.

-- John Beauge

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from Aug. 15, 2014. BOYS GOLF

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf and tennis matches from Aug. 15, 2014.

BOYS GOLF

TIMKEN HIGH SCHOOL BOY’S GOLF INVITATIONAL

At Meadowlake Golf & Swim

How they finished: 1. Fairless 309; 2. Sandy Valley 315; 3. Ellet 352; 4. McKinley 368; 5. Timken 390; 6. Kenmore 439.

Top Individuals: 1. Ciulver (E) 71; 2. Orlando (SV) 72; Tucker (F) 75.

Western Reserve Academy 347; Cuyahoga Heights 378

1. Wang (WR) 82; 2. (tie) Drockton (CH) Pamer (WR) 87.

GIRLS GOLF

FLO BARR INVITATIONAL

At Meadowlake Golf & Swim

How they finished: 1. Central 323; 2. Strongsville “A” 337; 3. Lake 348; 4. Stow 366, 5; Highland 376; 6. Perry 400; 7. Lake Center Christian 415; 8. Strongsville “B” 428.

Top individuals: 1. Vlacovsky (C) 73; 2. Ingram (Str “A”) 77; 3. Williams (C) 77.

Wadsworth 225, Dalton 238

At Rawiga Golf Club

1. Luangraj (W) 51; 2. Delciappo (D) 57; 3. Bowers (W) 59.

GIRLS TENNIS

Chagrin Falls 5, Willoughy South 0

Singles: Mahoney d. Adams 7-5, 4-6, 12-10; Mazzola d. Funk 6-4, 7-5; Oneil d. Weymen-Heller 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles: Wagner/Doman d. Shrorob/Cherne 6-0, 6-2; Guggenhein/Downing d. Weyman-Heller/Williams 6-0, 6-0.

Norton 5, Copley 0

Singles: H. Kitchens d. Bentlage 6-0, 6-0; Braman d. DiRocco 7-6, 6-1; Hornyak d. Holland 6-4, 4-6, 10-5.

Doubles: A. Kitchens/Whitaker d. Braman/Yashnik 6-3, 6-0; Kohler/Thomas d. Matter/Hovorka 6-2, 6-3.

Hathaway Brown 4, Bishop Waterson 1

Singles: Persky (HB) d. Jeric 6-2, 6-3; Arkelett (HB) . Jonesco 6-3, 6-2; Marguliez (HB) d. Godbout (6-2, 6-4).

Doubles: Gillinov/Murray (HB) d. Wibol/Simons 6-4, 6-4; Reglie/Miller (BW) d. Schroedel/Schome 2-6, 6-0, 10-5.

Upper Arlington 3, Hathaway Brown 2

Singles: Gillinov (HB) d. Kompa 6-2, 6-0; Yung (UA) d. Schroedel 6-0, 6-1; Reynolds (UA) d. Marguliez 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Berger/Weeks (UA) d. Persky/Arkelett 7-6, 6-2; Murray/Zhou (HB) d. Grumann/Chian 7-6, 6-4.

LATE SCORES FROM AUG. 14, 2014

BOYS GOLF

Perry 153, Cornerstone Christian 206

At Madison Country Club

Top individuals: 1. Bagdonas (P) 36; 2. Hardy (P) 40; 3. Ward (P) 40; 3. Belich (CC) 41.

RANGER INVITATIONAL

At Avon Oaks

How they finished: 1. Westlake 330; 2. Avon Lake 336; 3. Rocky River 339; 4. Avon 341; 5. Amherst 344; 6. North Olmsted 346; 7. Keystone 346; 8. Midview 349; 9. Bay 360; 10. Olmsted Falls 362; 11. Brooklyn 363; 12. North Ridgeville 368; 13. Lutheran West 368; 14. Elyria 378; 15. Lakewood 410; 16. Elyria Catholic 422.

Top individuals: 1. Steffen (WE) 72; 2. Torres (OF) 77; 3. Tucci (RR) 79; 3. Bodis (AL) 79; 5. Bowers (KE) 80; 5. Wilson (WE) 80; 7. Blakely (WE) 81; 7. Outcalt (AL) 81; 9. Myers (LW) 82; 9. Matcham (MV) 82; 9. Habecker (AM) 82.

PAC-7 MID SEASON TOURNAMENT

At Massillon Legend's

How they finished: 1. Tusky Valley 327; 2. Indian Valley-331; 3. Fairless 332; 4. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 332; 5. Manchester 341; 6. Tuslaw 359; 7. Triway 378; 8. Timken 458.

Top Individuals: 1. Leigh (IV) 76; 2. Majors (TU) 78; 2. Johnson (TV) 78; 4. Grizer (MA) 79; 4. Andrews (CVCA) 79; 4. Schoenfelt (FA) 79; 4. Lowder (FA) 79; 8. Franks (TV) 81; 8. Hartzler (IV) 81; 10. Walsh (TV) 82.

GIRLS TENNIS

Fairview 5, Lake Ridge Academy 0

Singles: Scholz d. Hatcher 6-1, 6-4; Palmer-Tesema d. Lakkaraiu 6-4, 6-2; Holowenko d. Freeman 6-1, 7-5.

Doubles: Dudra/Smith d. Norton/Humpherys 6-0, 6-0; Gabra/Mayhew d. Volk/Krislou 6-1, 6-0.

West Geauga 3, Gilmour 2

Singles: Althans (G) d. Heatwole WG 6-0, 6-1; Hanford (WG) d Jacobs G 6-3, 6-0; Swinerton (WG) d Levy G 6-0, 6-4.

Doubles: Deacon/Donato (WG) d. Lawrence/Kruschke G 6-4, 6-4; Moufawad/Borkey (G) d Kulp/Bobango WG 6-2, 6-2.

Elyria Catholic 4, Parma 1

Singles: Bell (P) d. Scarvelli 6-4, 6-4; Lopez (EC) d. Pawluk 6-6, 7-5, 6-3; Forfeit to EC.

Doubles: Stevens/Qpalenik (EC) d. Archibald/Perry 6-0, 6-1; Beck Swanson (EC) d. Lee/Pacanovsky 6-2, 6-0.

The Indians have won four of five.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mike Aviles kept expectations to a minimum. As a result, he maximized the opportunity.

Aviles led off the 11th inning with a homer as the Indians defeated the Orioles, 2-1, Friday night at Progressive Field. Paid attendance: 27,845.

Aviles sent lefty Brian Matusz's 1-2 breaking pitch over the left-field wall, delivering his first career walkoff homer. The Indians have belted an MLB-best seven walkoff homers.

"I was down in the count and haven't been swinging the bat well lately,'' Aviles said. "So I was just trying to figure out how to get on base, knowing Michael Brantley is hitting behind me. The ball ended up with enough backspin and got over the wall. When you don't try to do too much, good things tend to happen.''

Aviles had been 0-for-4 in the game and in a 1-for-15 slide.

Aviles owns two of the Tribe's nine walkoff hits. His RBI single defeated Minnesota on May 7.

The Indians smacked two homers to beat Baltimore at its own game. The Orioles lead the majors with 152.

"That would have been a tough one to lose,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said.

The walkoff was made possible by another superb start from Tribe ace right-hander Corey Kluber. He gave up one run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings of a no-decision. He walked two and struck out 10. He threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes.

"Klubot'' owns a 0.76 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break (4-0). He has given up four earned runs in 47 2/3 innings.

The high-powered Orioles struggled against Kluber in their two cracks at him this season. On May 24 in Baltimore, they manged five hits in seven innings of a 9-0 loss.

"It's a shame we couldn't get the victory for Klubes,'' Aviles said, "but at least we won the game. We beat a very good team. He gave us the chance.''

Overall, Kluber is 13-6 with a 2.41 ERA in 26 starts.

"He's just worked himself into being one of the premier pitchers in the game,''  Francona said. "He's never content. He's not going to talk about it, because that's not his nature. But his actions are so good.''

What it means

The Indians (61-60) have won four of five despite scoring a total of 12 runs. They remain relevant in the AL Central (6.0 GB) and in the race for the second wild card (5.0 GB).

The Orioles (69-51) still hold a comfortable lead in the AL East. The advantage  entering Friday was 7.5 games -- the franchise's largest since September 1997.

Kluber overpowering

Kluber breezed through the first two innings, retiring all six batters in a total of 20 pitches. He encountered trouble in the third.

Ryan Flaherty led off with a solid single to right. After Caleb Joseph flied to left, No. 9 batter Jonathan Schoop blooped a first-pitch single into right-center. Flaherty stopped at second.

Facing Nick Markakis, Kluber loaded the bases with the rarest of rare four-pitch walks. It was Kluber's eighth walk since the beginning of July.

Lefty slugger Chris Davis, a strikeout candidate even when he is hitting well, stepped in. He entered Friday batting .196 with 21 homers and 141 strikeouts. He had struck out looking at a fastball in the first inning.

Davis fouled a 1-1 fastball, then had no shot at a slurve on the inside corner. Kluber could not relax, though, because righty Adam Jones brought 23 homers and 75 RBI to the plate. Jones fouled a cutter, fouled a fastball and swung through a slurve. Jones thought he had checked in time, but it wasn't close.

Kluber gave up a two-out double to J.J. Hardy in the fourth and two-out single to Markakis in the fifth. Both "hits'' resulted from a bad route or late break by right fielder Tyler Holt.

With one out in the Baltimore sixth, Cruz grounded to third baseman Aviles, who mishandled the backhanded chance for Tribe season error No. 93. On the next pitch, Delmon Young sent a roller toward third, where Aviles made a barehanded pick and throw for the out. It was Aviles's second barehanded play of the game.

Hardy walked. Flaherty popped to short.

Kluber pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, the last out coming when Markakis popped to third on the 10th pitch of his at-bat.

Davis led off the eighth with a strikeout -- Kluber's eighth start of 10-plus. After Jones grounded to the mound, Cruz singled up the middle. Francona signaled for righty Bryan Shaw.

Kluber exited to a protracted standing ovation.

Shaw allowed a single to Young that pushed Cruz to second. Hardy flicked a 2-2 pitch to center for a single to drive in Cruz, who easily beat Michael Brantley's throw to tie the score, 1-1.

Tribe closer Cody Allen replaced Shaw and got Flaherty to pop the first pitch to left.

Strange occurrence

With one out in the Baltimore eighth, Kluber threw a first-pitch fastball that ran inside on Jones. As Jones attempted to bunt, the pitch struck him on the finger -- at least according to Jones.

Plate umpire Dana DeMuth ruled it a strike, not a hit by pitch. Orioles manager Buck Showalter spoke at length with DeMuth, who eventually checked with MLB replay headquarters to find out whether the play is reviewable. It is not.

Tribe fans, sensing Showalter and Jones might be in stall mode in an attempt to take Kluber out of his rhythm, booed loudly at various points during the delay.

"I thought it was handled poorly,'' Francona said. "Very good umpire; I just didn't think it got handled correctly.''

The at-bat ended three pitches later when Jones grounded to Kluber.

Walters thunder

Tribe designated hitter Zach Walters appeared to tweak something in his lower back/rib cage after swinging at an outside pitch early in his at-bat against Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen in the fifth. Indians personnel checked on Walters. Later in the at-bat, Walters stayed compact on an outer-half pitch and drove it over the left-field wall.

The umpires consulted with MLB replay headquarters to make sure that Walters had, in fact, homered. The call was upheld and the Tribe led, 1-0. After receiving congratulations in the dugout, Walters walked down the steps of the dugout toward the clubhouse. He remained in the game.

Walters snapped the Tribe's scoreless streak at 16 innings. The previous run had happened in the ninth inning of the first game a doubleheader against Arizona on Wednesday. A Walters walkoff homer produced it.

Walters was acquired from the Washington Nationals for Asdrubal Cabrera in late July.

Impressive five-bagger

Tribe starters have allowed three earned runs in 32 innings of the past five games. ERA: 0.84. Kluber has made two of the starts (13 2/3 IP, ER).

Bullish

Scott Atchison worked two hitless innings to earn his sixth victory in six decisions. 

What's next

The three-game series continues Saturday night when Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco (4-4, 3.60 ERA) faces Orioles righty Ubaldo Jimenez (4-8, 4.51).

Carrasco is coming off a superb start against the Yankees last Sunday in the Bronx. He gave up two hits in five shutout innings of a 4-1 victory. He started for the first time since April 25.

After struggling in four starts to begin the season, Carrasco was sent to the bullpen and thrived. 

Jimenez pitched 2 1/3 seasons for Cleveland from 2011-13. He signed with the Orioles in the offseason.

Jimenez has made one start against the Tribe this year. It did not go well. On May 24 in Baltimore, he allowed five runs on four hits in four innings of a 9-0 loss to Kluber.

Matt Kakaley got just the trip he wanted with All Bets Off in the $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Pace on Friday night at Northfield Park, stalking heavily-favored McWicked into the stretch and beating the celebrated colt.

NORTHFIELD, Ohio – Matt Kakaley got just the trip he wanted with All Bets Off in the $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Pace on Friday night at Northfield Park, stalking heavily-favored McWicked into the stretch and beating the celebrated colt.

Driver David Miller seemed to have the race under control early with the 1-5 McWicked, pacing past Luck Be With You down the backstretch the first time around to grab the lead with a 26.1-second quarter-mile. Kakaley settled in along the rail with All Bets Off, a 7-1 choice, and bided his time.

Luck Be With You and Ron Pierce tried to wrestle the lead away at the 3/4-mile pole in 1:22.1, but after moving up to second heading into the final turn, began to fade a bit. Turning for home, Kakaley moved off the rail with All Bets and dueled McWicked down the stretch, pulling away for a length win in 1:50.3.

Luck Be With You hung tough, finishing in a dead heat with McWicked for second place. All Bets Off paid $16.60, 2.40. McWicked and Luck Be With You returned $2.10. There was no show wagering.

"I got the trip I wanted," said Kakaley, with a wink. "I wanted to follow McWicked, making him cut the pace. All Bets Off is a great little horse.

A son of Bettor's Delight, All Bets Off has won seven of 10 starts this season, and boosted his career earnings to $697,842. He has won his last three in a row.

The young reinsman got his start at Northfield Park a few years ago, and has graduated to the top East Coast tracks. Pennsylvania trainer Ron Burke, whose Burke Racing Stable owns All Bets Off, said Kakaley is coming into his own as a top driver.

"Matt has plenty of experience now, and puts horses in just the right spot to win races," said Burke in the Northfield winner's circle. "All Bets Off is a very nice colt, a young horse that hasn't gotten a lot of credit. He's been in some tough races and had some bad post positions."

Burke, the nation's leading trainer, said All Bets Off only sold for $7,000 as a yearling. As All Bets off began to show plenty of promise as a two-year-old, Burke said he bought him for $180,000. Friday night's $200,000 paycheck covered that cost.

McWicked, considered a strong candidate for trainer Casie Coleman her third straight Little Brown Jug Victory on Sept. 18, had won five in a row and seven of 10 races this season.

Watch postgame video of Mike Aviles, Terry Francona and Corey Kluber following the Indians 2-1 win over Baltimore.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians were walk-off winners on Friday night at Progressive Field, 2-1, over the Baltimore Orioles. Mike AViles hit a ball over the wall in left in the 11th inning to win it. You can watch video of Aviles talking about his homer and the celebration above.

Watch postgame video from Indians manager Terry Francona, talking about the start of Corey Kluber and the importance of the win.

See what Corey Kluber had to say about his performance and the win as well as his thoughts on a lengthy delay in the eighth inning due to a challenge that ended up being ruled a play that was unable to be challenged.

Lonnie Chisenhall's fast start at the plate has been followed by an even faster tumble. Exactly what kind of hitter is he?

Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any concern in the front office that Lonnie Chisenhall's early season success was an outlier? Is there any chance Giovanni Urshela gets a look sometime this season if Chisenhall can't stabilize his hitting? If Chisenhall doesn't pick things up, and the answer isn't Urshela, what do you see the Indians doing next year? – Gavin Potter, Shaker Heights.

Hey, Gavin: This is really Chisenhall's first full season in the big leagues so no one knows exactly what kind of hitter he is at this level.

When he was batting .393 (66-for-168) on June 11, I don't think anyone thought he would maintain that all year. The plunge, however, has been swift, but the baseball season is all about a gradual evening out. Chisenhall has hit .197 (35-for-178) since that day in June and went into the weekend series against the Orioles hitting .292, a drop of more than 100 points.

Still, it was one of the top 20 batting averages in the American League.

Urshela has had a breakout year offensively at Columbus and Akron, but this season I think Mike Aviles would get a shot at third before he would. The Indians still feel Urshela can help the big-league club and are helping him work on his plate discipline.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'm not sure I understand why the Dolan ownership group honored Jim Thome. They let him walk. His great years were under Dick Jacobs and John Hart. Are they trying to say that they are sorry? Are they desperate for him to retire an Indian when he gets elected to the Hall of Fame? – Mo Harris, Cleveland.

Hey, Mo: I'm not sure I understand why you have a problem understanding this? Thome hit more home runs than any other player in Indians history and the team decided to build him a statue. It sounds pretty basic to me.

Free agents leave their original teams all the time for any number of reasons. Omar Vizquel and Sandy Alomar Jr. left the Indians under the Dolans' watch and both were selected to the team's hall of fame under the same owners even though their best years were under a previous regime. When the Dolans were negotiating to keep Thome in Cleveland in 2002, among the bells and whistles they offered, was a Thome statue. The talk came up again when Thome rejoined the Indians for the last part of the 2011 season.

A team or player cannot dictate what team the player represents upon being elected to Cooperstown. That is decided by the Hall of Fame itself and the decision is based on what team the player has his best years with. In regards to Thome, that would have to be the Indians.

Hey, Hoynsie: Does Carlos Carrasco have a shot of being put back in the starting rotation? – Ted Y., Salem.

Hey, Ted: As you know by now, the answer is yes. He started in New York against the Yankees on Sunday and pitched five scoreless innings. It earned him another start Saturday night against the Orioles.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Dolans have spent a lot of money honoring players in the Jacobs/Hart era. Why did they change the name of the ballpark, then? Might they change it back to Jacobs Field? – Beth Ann Bradley, Cleveland.

Hey, Beth Ann: In January of 2008, Progressive Insurance purchased the naming rights to then Jacobs Field and, not surprisingly, renamed it Progressive Field. They're paying the Indians $3.6 million a year over the 16-year deal for those rights.

Former Tribe owner Dick Jacobs had paid $10 million for the naming rights to the ballpark when it opened in 2004. The deal expired in 2006 and the Indians started looking for another buyer.

So I don't think you'll see a name change at the Tribe's ballpark anytime soon.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians went 5-2 against the Red Sox and 4-3 against the Yankees this year.  When was the last time they won the season series against both teams in the same season? – Gene La Suer, Des Moines, Iowa.

Hey, Gene: It's been a while since the Indians have been able to turn that kind of double dip. In 1992, they went 7-6 against the Red Sox and 7-6 against the Yankees. They didn't do so well against everybody else, ending the year at 76-86.

Hey, Hoynsie: I am a realist by nature so I think it is time for the Tribe to realize that the postseason probably isn't going to happen. What are the odds that the Tribe closes the book on Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn for the year and takes an extended look at Jesus Aguilar and others? Also, what are the odds that the Tribe gives Corey Kluber a "Chris Sale" type extension offer this off-season? – Casey Dubiel, Belmont.

Hey, Casey: Swisher might be done for the season, but not because of any decision made by the Indians. He's scheduled to have his right knee examined Tuesday in Los Angeles and could be facing surgery. Bourn was scheduled to be activated Friday after being on the disabled list since July 6 with a strained left hamstring.

The Indians are already looking at rookie position players Roberto Perez, Zach Walters, Jose Ramirez and Tyler Holt. I would expect Aguilar will be included, especially if Swisher is finished for the year.

I think it's a no-brainer that the Indian will approach Kluber with contract extension during the offseason.