Rudolph is the No. 20 weakside defensive end in the 2017 recruiting class.

Have you ever wanted to see a top high school football prospect commit to a college while wearing short jean shorts, chopping down a tree and listening to Kenny Loggins?

Logan Rudolph, the newest Clemson Tigers football commit, has you covered.

Rudolph announced his commitment to the Tigers in a unique video on Friday. Watch it below to see the 6-foot-3, 228 pound defensive end chop down a tree while "Danger Zone" plays in the background.

I have officially committed to...dd pic.twitter.com/5Hkjs4cFb8

-- Logan Rudolph (@Logan4Rudolph) May 7, 2016

Rudolph is the No. 20 weakside defensive end in the country, and the 4 player from South Carolina. The Rock Hill, S.C., product is the 10th member of Clemson's 2017 recruiting class. The class is ranked No. 5 in the country by 247Sports.

Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague will not face a stiffer penalty for shoving Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the front-row seats in Game 3 of the semifinals, a league source informed cleveland.com.

ATLANTA - Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague will not face further discipline for shoving Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the front-row seats in Game 3 of the semifinals, a league source informed cleveland.com.

Teague was accessed a Flagrant 1 for the shove that occurred with 30 seconds remaining in the game. That penalty will be the extent and he will be available to play in Game 4 on Sunday, the source said.

It was a scary play. Teague was clearly frustrated with his team down 11 at the time after Cavaliers held them to 17 fourth-quarter points. His shove sent James violently crashing into a couple of fans.

"I was actually running into two kids and a lady on the baseline," James said. "Hopefully I didn't hurt them. I scraped my leg a little bit, but I'm fine. I'm OK. I went back and checked on them to make sure they were OK because I couldn't really stop. And they were fine once I found out there were fine and I was able to walk off the court. At the end of the day, [the push] doesn't matter."

The Cavaliers were expecting Teague's foul to be upgraded to a Flagrant 2.

This isn't the first time this postseason that a player has gotten away with a shot on James. Andre Drummond threw a forearm to the left side of James' neck and it went unpunished. James was irritated, though he kept his cool when asked about the league's decision not to act.

"Initially I was surprised, but then I thought who he did it to and I wasn't surprised," James cleverly answered.

Cleveland can sweep Atlanta out of the playoffs on Sunday and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.

The Chicago Cubs, through 28 games, own the best record in baseball. The also have a run differential of +98 and a 6 1/2-game lead in the NL Central.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Rant of the week, operating out of the shotgun formation.

What game is this? Are the Cubs playing by a different set of rules than everybody else in the big leagues? Their run differential (172 runs scored, 74 allowed) was +98 through Friday. Five teams hadn't even scored 98 runs for the season.

The first two teams in baseball to win 20 or more games this year are the Cubs and White Sox. The White Sox won their 20^th game Friday night. Last year they won just 76 games for the season.

Chicago has suddenly become the center of the baseball universe.

Trouble in the Bronx: Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia are on the disabled list. Jacoby Ellsbury has a sore hip. The Yankees have a great bullpen, but they can't score or hit enough to give them a lead to protect.

And manager Joe Girardi has already received a vote of confidence. It is never a good thing when a manager gets a vote of confidence in the first week of May.

What about Fredi? While GM Brian Cashman gave Girardi a vote of confidence, there has been no such encouragement from the Atlanta front office regarding manager Fredi Gonzalez. That strikes me as strange.

Didn't the front office take a slash-and-burn approach to the roster? Didn't they say they were rebuilding from the ground up when they started trading most of the talented players on their roster in anticipation of moving into their new ballpark in 2017?

The Braves have gotten off to a terrible start this season. Is that a surprise to anyone? If it is, it shouldn't be, especially to the front office people who put the team together. And now the manager is in on the hot seat because it's his fault. What a business.

Bang for the buck: Chris Carter is turning out to be quite a bargain for the Brewers. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million in January and so far is hitting .283 (28-for-99) with 10 homers and 22 RBI.

Carter has always had power, but it has been neutralized by strikeouts. He struck out 151 times in 391 at-bats last year with Houston. If he can gain control of the strike zone, while maintaining his power, a lot of run-starved front offices are going to wonder why they didn't go after Carter a lot harder in the off-season.

Where the pop is: When last season ended, the top three home run hitters in the National League were Washington's Bryce Harper (42) and Colorado's Nolan Arenado (42) and Carlos Gonzalez (40).

Through Friday the top two home run hitters in the NL were also wearing Colorado uniforms - Arenado (12) and Trevor Story (11). Harper was lurking in third place tied with four other players with 10. As for Gonzalez, he was hitting .322 with four homers and 12 RBI.

The Rockies are 14-15, tied for second place in the NL West. Coors Field, or no Coors Field, imagine what they could do with Arenado, Story and Gonzalez if they ever found the pitching to handle Denver's thin air?

Little big man: The Indians already know what Jose Altuve looks like. They'll get an even better look at him Monday night when they open a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

The 5-6 Altuve won a batting title in 2014 when he hit .341. Could he add a home-run title to his resume this year? It seems unlikely, but Houston's mighty mite was tied for Josh Donaldson and Robinson Cano for the AL lead with nine homers entering Saturday's schedule.

He's hitting .319 and leading the league with 10 steals.

The best thing about baseball is that you don't have to be 6-8 and 275 pounds to excel at it. There's no better example than Altuve.

Down the stretch: They ran the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. On this day, I always remember Louie Isaac, long-time bullpen coach of the Indians. Not only was Louie a great bullpen coach, and teacher of pitchers, but he was an excellent judge of horses. He was always in his glory during the Run for the Roses and the two other Triple Crown races.

It still irks me that then-manager Eric Wedge fired him at the end of the 2008 season. It was a mistake then and it's still a mistake today.

The numbers are now stronger than LeBron James' argument: the Cleveland Cavaliers are indeed a 3-point shooting team.

ATLANTA - Either LeBron James is delusional or for whatever reason doesn't want to admit the truth.

Of course the Cavaliers are a 3-point team.

After the Cavs set the NBA record for 3s in a game in Game 2 of this Eastern semifinal playoff series against the Hawks, James said Cleveland was "not a 3-point shooting team" and didn't want to be labeled as one.

He said the group was balanced with the ability to shoot 3s, and there's a difference.

But Cleveland followed up its record-setting 25 3s in Game 2 against Atlanta with 21 in Game 3, a 121-108 victory for the Cavs, in which they would've tied the old record for playoff 3s in a game had they not destroyed it in Game 2.

The Cavs are now the first team ever - in the regular or post season - to experience consecutive games with 20-or-more 3s. They've made at least 20 3s three times this postseason - also an NBA record - and lead all playoff teams in 3s (118), shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.466), and 3s per game (16.9).

LeBron says the Cavs aren't a 3-point team

So, LeBron, do you still stand by the notion that the Cavs are not, in fact, a 3-point team?

"Well, we closed the game out last night by getting to the paint," James said Saturday, an off day for the Cavs as they prepare to close out this series against the Hawks if they win Game 4 Sunday. "We're shooting the ball extremely well but it's coming off our ball movement and we're not going to shy away from the fact that we can shoot 3s but we definitely don't want to be labeled as a jump-shooting team."

The Cavs could fail to make a single 3 in Game 4 Sunday, and as long as they win they would break their own record for 3-pointers in a four-game series (57), set in the 2016 first round against Detroit. They've already drained 61 through the first three games against the Hawks.

And to James' point, in the last seven minutes of their win in Game 3, James registered a dunk,  20-footer, and a few free throws; Channing Frye had a dunk off a James assist, and Kyrie Irving also weaved his way into the lane to help put distance between Cleveland and the Hawks.

But the Cavs took the lead for good when James buried his only 3-pointer - taken after he was left all alone on the perimeter - with 6:23 left. Frye made his last of seven 3s with 3:35 to go, and the dagger shot was a 3-ball from Kevin Love (assisted by James) with 1:36 left for a 116-106 advantage.

Cleveland drained seven 3s in the fourth quarter Friday night - with three from Frye and two from Irving.

"Just getting open shots," said coach Tyronn Lue, commenting on what, precisely, is behind all these 3s. "I think moving the basketball, trusting the pass, trusting the offense and we're making the right play and the right pass. Guys are getting wide-open shots. If you have time to shoot the ball like the time we have, they should be able to make those shots."

If one guy starts caning 3s, you call it a hot streak. Take James, for example. After going 4-of-19 against Detroit in the first round, he's 7-of-14 in this series. Two more 3s and he passes Chauncey Billips (267 playoff 3s ) for 7^th in NBA postseason history.

He said he was so open on his lone 3-point make Friday because he was on the court with Irving, J.R. Smith, Love, and Frye. "When you got the other guys that were on the floor, they'll probably leave me open more," he said.

But two guys shooting straight? Three? Four? Five? That's not a hot streak. It's a way of life.

Irving is 11-of-15 from 3-point range in this series; Love (11-of-25), Frye (9-of-15), Smith (13-of-24), and Richard Jefferson (4-of-5) have all been tossing them in from deep.

"We're doing it just by the ball movement," James said. "Kyrie, he can do it off the dribble. J.R. at times does it off the dribble. But other than that everyone else kind of gets it off the pass. So, when the ball has energy behind it, I believe you just trust your mechanics and just shoot it and good things happen."

Seven Ohio State pledges to the Class of 2017 were there, but only one walked away with a ticket to the elite recruiting event in Oregon. Watch video

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- About 400 players showed up for the Columbus Regional for the The Opening on Saturday.

Seven walked away with invites to The Opening, the elite Nike-sponsored recruiting camp held in Oregon each July.

Only one of those seven invites went to a player pledged to Ohio State.

There were seven Ohio State verbal commitments at the regional held at Westerville North High School in the Columbus suburbs, including five-star offensive lineman Josh Myers, safety Brendon White, defensive lineman Jerron Cage, quarterback Danny Clark and running back Todd Sibley.

Only Antjuan Simmons, a linebacker from Pioneer High School in Michigan, across the street from Michigan Stadium, got the call to move on to Oregon. He's ranked as the No. 278 player in the Class of 2017 according to 247sports.com.

A total of 166 players from 14 regionals will make up the group at The Opening. Invites could be extended to a few more players from this Columbus camp after all the regionals are finished and organizers see how many spots remain. A year ago, eight initial invites went out at the Columbus camp, and four more followed later.

So players like Myers and Lamont Wade, a Pittsburgh-area cornerback and Ohio State target who was there Saturday, could still wind up in Oregon.

Simmons knows for sure he'll be there for four days of instruction.

Watch the video at the top of this page to see his reaction to the invite.

Here's how it looked as the invite envelopes were handed out.

Besides Simmons, the six other invites Saturday went to:

* Offensive lineman Jordan Reid, a class of 2017 recruit from Cass Tech in Detroit. He has offers from Michigan State, Michigan, Pitt and Florida, among others, and is ranked No. 1037 overall in the class by 247sports.com.

* Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, a class of 2017 five-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 6 player in the class. He has a huge offer list and is being pursued heavily by Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan as another Cass Tech prospect.

* Tight end Matt Dotson, a Cincinnati prospect with offers from Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, among others. He's ranked as the No. 308 player. 

On Matt Dotson

* Defensive back Ambry Thomas from Detroit's MLK High School, who has offers from everywhere, including Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Notre Dame and LSU. He's the No. 135 player in the Class of 2017.

* Defensive back Jamyest Williams from Lawrenceville, Ga., who is the No. 48 overall player. He has Georgia, Clemson and Florida State after him, among others. 

* Receiver K.J. Hamler of Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School in Michigan, who has offers from Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State and will also look at some Pac-12 schools like Oregon. He's the No. 325 player.

Ellison is a two-star 2017 running back from Pickerington Central High School. Watch video

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Morgan Ellison earned his nickname on Saturday.

The Pickerington Central running back, about to enter his senior season as perhaps Ohio's most under-recruited player, had the highest SPARQ rating of any player at The Opening Columbus Regional at Westerville North High School.

His score was 131.19, earning him the SPARQ MVP. That means on a field filled with some of the best high school football players from Ohio and around the Midwest, Ellison tested the best on Nike's barometer of elite athleticism.

"They nicknamed me 'SPARQ,'" Ellison told cleveland.com. "The first thing I did this year was come out and get a SPARQ rating of 122. Off the scene, they were just like, 'Who is this kid?' That's been my nickname from everybody since. I like coming out here being with the best and going against them."

Ellison didn't earn an invite to The Opening finals -- Nike's annual elite football camp -- in Oregon, but there's a chance he could get one when the field is finalized this summer.

He was one of the best players on the field Saturday, but maybe you've never heard of him. Here's why:

Ellison has missed nearly the last two years of high school football. A compound fracture in his right leg in Game 2 of his sophomore season caused him to miss the rest of that year, and all of his junior season.

He's a two-star prospect according to 247Sports with just an offer from Toledo right now. So one of the best athletes in the Midwest is being overlooked. Under normal circumstances he would have more stars, more offers. He should have both. But when colleges and evaluators can't see you play, how can that happen?

"I got two games of film and one scrimmage on my tape," Ellison said.

So those colleges and evaluators are waiting for more.

Top 20 unofficial Nike+ Football Ratings from today's @TheOpening Columbus regional. Full marks later this week! pic.twitter.com/iumItV35h0

-- Brian Stumpfa!i, (@Stumpf_Brian) May 7, 2016

In the meantime, he's going to keep putting up big numbers this summer. On Saturday he was laser-timed at 4.69 seconds in the 40-yard dash, had a four-second 20-yard shuttle and a 35.6-inch vertical leap.

That vertical was better than Ezekiel Elliott's at the NFL Combine. His SPARQ score of 131.19 is comparable to Derrick Henry's 132.7 at the combine. That's not to compare Ellison to two of the best college running backs in the country last year, because there's more to it than numbers. But it is to show what kind of athlete Ellison is.

On a field with 2018 four-star Jaelen Gill and 2017 Ohio State commit Todd Sibley, Ellison held his own.

"I just think I'm with them. I'm not better than them, but I'm the same caliber," Ellison said. "I make all the plays, and sophomore year and junior year it would've been a different story, but I guess that's how things work out."

There's just the offer from Toledo now, with interest from Pitt, Syracuse, Iowa State, Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio). That interest will grow this summer until Ellison's senior season begins.

That's when he can make his real move, and conversations with schools like Ohio State, Wisconsin and Tennessee can become more than just talks.

"They want to see the first couple of games," Ellison said. "That's what a lot of colleges want -- Wisconsin, Tennessee -- the first couple of games ... I've gotta take off. That's the word that I'm gonna use. I have to take off this season."

Got some good work Today[?] [?] [?] @TheOpening MVP #Getopen #blessed pic.twitter.com/2OqdB9M5vZ

-- Morgan-Ellison (@MorganEllisonFB) May 7, 2016

In addition to Ellison, here are the positional MVPs from The Opening Columbus Regional:

* Quarterback: Sean Clifford, St. Xavier (2017 Penn State commit)

* Running back: Raveion Hargrove, Trotwood-Madison (2018)

* Wide receiver: KJ Hamler, Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's (2017)

* Offensive line: Jordan Reid, Detroit Cass Tech (2017)

* Defensive line: Kurt Hinish, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (2017 Notre Dame commit)

* Linebacker: Anthony Crider, Hookstown (Pa.) South Side (2017)

* Defensive back: Donovan Johnson, Detroit Cass Tech (2017)

Favored Nyquist held off Exaggerator to win the 2016 Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- The racing world wondered if there was a worthy successor to last year's Triple Crown champion American Pharoah.

Enter Nyquist.

The bay colt who lacks any distinctive markings won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/4 lengths on Saturday, improving to 8-0 in his career as the fourth consecutive favorite to win the race.

Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.31. The 3-year-old colt became the eighth unbeaten winner in the race's 142-year history, and the first since Big Brown in 2008. He paid $6.60, $4.80 and $3.60 as the 2-1 favorite in the full field of 20 horses.

"We got a beautiful trip from the start to the end," Gutierrez said.

Nyquist delivered a second Derby win for Gutierrez, trainer Doug O'Neill and owner J. Paul Reddam. The Southern California-based team was behind 2012 Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another.

"This is such a special horse," O'Neill said. "You can see it in his eye on a daily basis and he's such a professional. Any human sport, he'd be the top-notch athlete. He's just first class."

Nyquist enjoyed a perfect trip over the Churchill Downs dirt in front of 167,227, the second-largest crowd in Derby history. The colt broke well out of the 13th post and showed some early speed getting away from the gate. Gutierrez eased Nyquist back to let speedster Danzing Candy take the lead going into the chaotic first turn.

Nyquist stayed just off the lead and Gutierrez kept him in the clear, steering him to the outside on the final turn. Nyquist and Gun Runner overtook tiring leader Danzing Candy at the top of the stretch.

Gun Runner was only in front briefly before Nyquist showed a strong finishing kick. He put away Gun Runner and sped to the finish line, with Exaggerator closing but never threatening after coming from well back.

All week long, optimism filled the air in O'Neill's barn. The humans took their cues from the horse. Nyquist settled right in, taking an obvious liking to his surroundings.

"You just felt there was no way you could be nervous because you just felt like you were going in the gym with Kobe Bryant," O'Neill said. "You just knew he was going to figure out a way to pull it out at the end and he did. Mario gets a lot of credit, too. What a ride, what a ride."

Nyquist began Derby day with a visit from the Stanley Cup, which he playfully took a nibble at. Fitting, since he's named for Detroit Red Wings player Gustav Nyquist. Reddam is a fan of the NHL team and O'Neill was born in Michigan.

The bay colt is from the first crop of sire Uncle Mo, who never got the chance to run in the Derby after being the early favorite for the 2011 race. He was scratched the day before with a stomach illness. Uncle Mo had two other offspring in this year's race: Mo Tom and Outwork.

Exaggerator returned $5.40 and $4.20, while Gun Runner was another 3 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $6 to show.

Mohaymen finished fourth and Suddenbreakingnews was fifth.

Destin was sixth, followed by Brody's Cause, Mo Tom, Lani and Mor Spirit, trained by Bob Baffert, who guided American Pharoah last year. My Man Sam was 11th, followed by Tom's Ready, Creator, Outwork, Danzing Candy, Trojan Nation, Oscar Nominated, Majesto and Whitmore. Shagaf didn't finish.

American Pharoah became racing's first Triple Crown champion in 37 years. The sport has had only one pair of back-to-back Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978.

Now Nyquist is the only horse in position to replicate the feat.

The Cleveland Indians' winning streak ended at four Saturday when the Kansas City Royals rolled, 7-0, behind right-hander Ian Kennedy.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Ian Kennedy allowed four hits in seven innings and Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer in the first inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Indians, 7-0, Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field.

Cooled: The Indians (14-13) had won four in a row as part of a six-game homestand that wraps Sunday. They swept the Tigers, Tuesday-Thursday, and beat the Royals on Friday.

In the first four games of the homestand, the Indians outscored the opposition, 27-8, including 13-0 in innings 1-3. They batted .375 (15-for-40) with runners in scoring position.

Top-heavy: Batters 1-4 for Kansas City (15-14) -- Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Morales -- combined to go 8-for-18 with five RBI and six runs. 

Dealing: Kennedy (4-2, 2.13 ERA) has allowed two runs or fewer in five of six starts this season.

Kennedy gave up four singles, walked two and struck out six. He threw 65 of 103 pitches for strikes. 

Kennedy handled the Indians using a fastball/cutter/changeup/curve combination. He leaned on the low-90s fastball, which was the final pitch of all of his strikeouts and numerous other outs. He and catcher Salvador Perez kept daring the Indians to hit the heater, even when ahead in the count.

As Fox Sports Time Ohio replayed Kennedy's strikeouts, analyst Rick Manning said: "He's been able to set up the fastball. He's located. He's thrown the changeup, the curve. He gets to two strikes and, all of a sudden, he's locked up the Indians hitters with fastballs. And he's throwing 91-92. That goes to show: You keep a guy off-balance, you hit your spots, you can still get your strikeouts.''

The Indians pressured Kennedy twice.

*Rajai Davis led off the first inning with a single. Jason Kipnis lined to center. With Francisco Lindor batting, Davis stole second. Lindor singled to left, Davis advancing to third.

Mike Napoli swung through a 3-2 fastball above the belt. Carlos Santana pulled off a 1-1 fastball and flied to left.

*Juan Uribe led off the sixth by lining a 1-2 fastball to center for a single. It snapped Kennedy's streak of outs at 14.

Davis chopped a 1-2 fastball to Kennedy, who triggered a double play. Kipnis walked and advanced to second on Lindor's single. Napoli walked.

Santana grounded a first-pitch fastball (91) to first.

Tough luck: The Indians' other threat came in the eighth, against righty Kelvin Herrera.

Uribe led off with a single. After Davis struck out, Kipnis doubled, Uribe stopping at third. Lindor, in a 1-0 count, lined a curve to first, where Hosmer triggered a 3-6 double play.

Not his day: Tribe righty Cody Anderson allowed four runs on six hits in five innings.

With one out in the first, Cain singled to left (1-0 fastball/94) and Hosmer singled to right (3-2 fastball/95).

Morales, who entered Saturday in a 5-for-42 slump and was batting .202 overall, stepped in. He fouled a changeup (86) away and swung through a changeup (86) over the plate.

He should have been in jail at 0-2.

Tribe catcher Yan Gomes signaled for a cutter inside and on the ground, but Anderson was unable to get it there. The cutter (91) went to the knees off the inside corner, and Morales hammered it deep to right to give the Royals a 3-0 lead.

Manning said: "Cut-fastball, right in his wheelhouse -- down and in. A cutter down there, that's his nitro-zone. You don't want to miss on that part of the plate.''

In the fifth, Jarrod Dyson slapped a fastball to left for an RBI double to close the book on Anderson.

Nyquist powered to the front and kept right on going to win the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

By BOB ROBERTS
Special to The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For those who watched and wagered on the first seven races contested over the main dirt track yesterday at Churchill Downs (the other four were on grass), it became very obvious that unless your Kentucky Derby selection was a speed horse or a stalker, there was little chance you'd be cashing after the big race.

Make that eight for eight.

Nyquist, a champion and an undefeated one at that, took full advantage of an overwhelming track bias. Speed horses usually win more races than closers, but when front-runners and stalkers score 100 percent, well that's a bit much.

Give Exaggerator a lot of credit for finishing as the runner-up. He put in a solid run from off the pace to grab second money, just 1 1/4 lengths behind Nyquist. Gun Runner, another speedster, hung on for third place before Mohaymen, a colt that was unbeaten until Nyquist stopped his winning streak at five races in the Florida Derby rallied late for the bottom of the superfecta.

The track bias over a glib dirt surface was so strong at Churchill Downs that even NBC race call Larry Collmus was fooled by it. When he saw the opening quarter of a mile split of 22 2/5 seconds and a half-mile in 45 3/5 seconds, he said "(it) could help the late closers here."

Collmus' opinion was based on fact. The half-mile split was the third-fastest in Kentucky Derby history, yet Nyquist, pushing along the pacesetters from either second or third place, didn't miss a beat as he powered to the front and kept right on going.

Could we have back-to-back Triple Crown winners for just the second time in thoroughbred history? Nyquist is a quality runner and when he shows up at Pimlico Race Course in two weeks for the Preakness, he'll only have to run 1 3/16 miles, a sixteenth less than the Derby and certainly against fewer rivals.

American Pharoah, who swept the trilogy last year, ending a 36-year drought, was close by yesterday but too busy to care about Nyquist. He has three dates a day in the breeding shed at Ashford Stud outside of Lexington to keep his mind off racing.

If Nyquist follows in American Pharoah's hoof prints, the latest Triple Crown tandem will be following royalty in Affirmed (1978) and Seattle Slew (1977), two of the most outstanding performers in the history of thoroughbred racing. 

Kansas City's Kendrys Morales hit a 442-foot homer off Cody Anderson in the first inning Saturday and that was essentially the ballgame. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The home run continues to hurt Cody Anderson and pitching coach Mickey Callaway knows why.

"It's all about the height of the pitches," said Callaway. "We're working on getting that depth back and keeping the ball down for the most part."

Anderson has allowed seven homers this season. Callaway said most of them have been in opposition's danger zone.

"The main thing is if you leave the ball out over the middle of the plate, thigh high people do damage," said Callaway.

The Indians optioned Anderson to Class AAA Columbus on April 26 after his fourth start to work on some mechanical adjustments. He made one start for the Clippers before facing the Royals on Saturday at Progressive Field after being activated.

In the first inning, Anderson threw a 91 mph cutter on the inside part of the plate that Kendrys Morales hit it 442 feet onto the lower concourse behind the right field seats. The homer came on a 0-2 pitch and it gave the Royals a 3-0 lead that they turned into a 7-0 victory.

"I tried to go in off the plate with the cutter," said Anderson. "He got to it before it cut, I guess."

After the first inning, Anderson threw three scoreless innings before giving up another run in the fifth. The Indians took him out because of cramps in his left leg.

"I sweat a lot," said Anderson. "I go through a couple of jerseys a game. As the weather changes, I've got to drink more water."

In the second, third and fourth innings, Anderson felt the adjustments he's been working on worked. He induced 4-6-3 double plays in two of the three innings.

"When you create a bad habit, it's tough to break it," said Anderson. "But I'm an athlete and we've got to make that adjustment quick. There are no excuses. I feel like I've made the adjustment and now it's time to go out and win ballgames."

Opportunity knocks: Rajai Davis will be getting a lot more playing time in center field with Saturday's demotion of Tyler Naquin to add Anderson to the roster.

Davis started Saturday and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.

"I always feel the more you do something, the more you can get something out of it," said Davis. "If you don't work on stealing bases, you stop stealing. If you don't work on running, you get slower.

"It's nice to get an opportunity to help us win. It's been a little tough not getting regular at-bats. It's an opportunity and I hope I can take advantage of it."

Davis and Naquin were sharing center field. Naquin started 15 games in center, while Davis has started 12.

New guy: Lonnie Chisenhall made his big league debut in center field Saturday in the ninth inning. Manager Terry Francona said Chisenhall will probably be the backup center fielder to Davis.

Good relief: Joba Chamberlain pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Royals on Saturday. He has allowed one earned run in 9 1/3 innings. He struck out six and allowed three hits.

"Joba has done well," said Francona. "He's always ready and I don't see why that won't continue. We have enough guys out there where we don't have to overload anyone.

"I think last year he was pitching so well early that he got used a lot and he got in trouble. Hopefully, we won't get in that situation."

Finally: Francisco Lindor had his 10^th multihit game of the season on Saturday. . . Jose Ramirez is hitting .444 (8-for-18) with runners in scoring position. He's 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position and two out.

Cleveland Gladiators quarterback Arvell Nelson's TD pass to Collin Taylor with 34 seconds left to play capped a 41-40 comeback victory over the Jacksonville Sharks at The Q on Saturday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback Arvell Nelson's touchdown pass to Collin Taylor with 34 seconds left to play Saturday night gave the Cleveland Gladiators a 41-40 victory over the Jacksonville Sharks at Quicken Loans Arena.

Nelson's strike from 26 yards capped a turnaround that saw the Gladiators score 20 unanswered points after falling behind 40-21 in the third quarter. Taylor's one-handed catch was his second touchdown of the game, extending his scoring streak to a team record 22 straight games. He had six receptions for 101 yards.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and improved the Gladiators to 2-4.
Nelson, the former Glenville standout, completed 17 of 30 passes for 221 yards, with three passing touchdowns and three rushing.

Jacksonville quarterback Tommy Grady completed 26 of 42 passes for 241 yards and five touchdowns.

The Sharks, who scored on their first six possessions, led 26-14 at halftime. Cleveland's scores came on runs of three yards and one yards by Nelson, who added a 4-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.

His 32-yard TD pass to Taylor with 1:31 left in the third quarter changed the momentum of a game that seemed in Jacksonville's control. Nelson hit Quentin Sims from 8 yards with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter to close the score to 40-35. Sims finished the night with six receptions for 61 yards.

A 2-point conversion attempt failed after Taylor's last-minute TD catch, but the one-point margin -- Cleveland's largest of the game -- was enough for the win.

Up next: The Gladiators will host the Portland Steel at 8 p.m. Monday, May 16 at the Q. The game originally was scheduled for May 13.

Cody Anderson gave up a mammoth three-run homer to Kendrys Morales in the first inning Saturday as the Royals dashed the Tribe's four-game winning streak.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cody Anderson went to Class AAA Columbus for repairs. He stayed long enough to make one start and that wasn't particularly good.

Perhaps he should have stayed longer.

Anderson allowed a mammoth three-run homer to Kendrys Morales in the first inning Saturday afternoon as Kansas City stopped the Indians' four-game winning streak with a 7-0 victory behind Ian Kennedy's seven scoreless innings at Progressive Field.

Kennedy, Kelvin Herrera and Joaquin Soria combined on the six-hit shutout. It's the second time they've been shut out this season.

The long ball has been a problem for Anderson this season. He's allowed seven homers in five starts. Few have gone farther or been more damaging than Morales' 442-foot drive that landed on the lower concourse behind the seats in right field. It was the longest homer by the Royals this season and may have hit a concession stand in The District.

In his lone start at Columbus, Anderson allowed two homers against Gwinnett on May 1. Last season Anderson allowed nine homers in 91 1/3 innings in 15 starts with the Indians.

Anderson (0-2, 7.56) opened the game by getting Alcides to ground out, but the struggling Royals turned serious. Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer singled. Anderson had Morales down in the count, 0-2, when he threw him 91 mph cut fastball that went down and in.

For a switch-hitter like Morales that's the nitro zone and he didn't miss it. It was Morales' third homer of the season and gave the Royals a 3-0 lead that they never relinquished. For the defending World Series champions, it was just their third win in the last 11 games.

"I thought his mechancis were better," said manager Terry Francona. "He just made a really bad pitch to the wrong guy. He gave up a 0-2, three-run homer that hurt."

Kennedy (4-2, 2.13), making his first appearance at Progressive Field since April 26, 2008 as a member of the Yankees, struck out six and walked two. Following a first-inning single by Francisco Lindor, Kennedy retired 14 straight before Juan Uribe singled to start the sixth.

The last time Kennedy faced the Indians was June 27, 2011 when he pitched for Arizona. He pitched an eight-inning no-decision.

The Indians only created a couple of scoring chances against Kennedy. Rajai Davis started the game with a single, stole second and went to third on Lindor's single to left with one out. Kennedy struck out Mike Napoli on a 3-2 pitch and retired Carlos Santana on a fly ball to left.

In the sixth they loaded the bases against Kennedy with two out on singles by Jason Kipnis and Lindor and a walk by Napoli. Santana grounded out to end the inning.

"Kennedy really pitched," said Francona. "He threw a lot of strikes, didn't throw the ball in the middle of the plate much and changed speeds.

"We had the one chance (in the sixth) and we got to Carlos, but he grounded out to first on the first pitch. I'm OK with Carlos swinging at the first pitch there. He's the tying run. It was a good pitch to hit, he just rolled over it a little."

The Royals made it 4-0 in fifth on Jarrod Dyson's double. They put the game away with three runs in the eighth.

What it means?

The loss dropped the Indians to 9-4 in the AL Central and 7-6 at home. The Royals are 6-2 in the Central and 6-9 on the road.

The pitches

Anderson threw 69 pitches, 48 or 70 percent for strikes. Kennedy threw 103 pitches, 65 or 63 percent for strikes.

In five innings, Anderson allowed four runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked one.

Looking good

Joba Chamberlain worked 1 1/3 innings against the Royals on Saturday. He has allowed one run in 9 1/3 innings this season.

On the other hand, Jeff Manship saw his scoreless streak end at 7 1/3 innings. He started the eighth and allowed three runs on four hits without recording an out.

Thanks for coming

The Royals and Indians drew 17,302 for Saturday afternoon's game. They have drawn 189,777 for the season in 13 home dates.

First pitch was at 4:10 with a temperature of 69 degrees.

Market correction

If you're scoring at home, change Jason Kipnis' error in the ninth inning on Friday to a hit for Hosmer. Also add an earned run to Dan Otero's line.

What's next?

Right-hander Josh Tomlin (4-0, 3.13) will face KC right-hander Edinson Volquez (3-2, 3.13) on Sunday in the series finale of this three game set. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game.

Tomlin is coming off a win against Detroit to make him 4-0 on the season. He's 6-4 with a 5.11 ERA lifetime against the Royals.

Volquez has lost his last two starts. Michael Brantley is hitting .750 (6-for-8) against him. Volquez is 2-4 with a 8.01 ERA lifetime against the Tribe. He made four starts against them last year, going 1-2 with a 5.85 ERA.

Get the latest updates and analysis on the Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers completed the sweep against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon, edging Atlanta in Game 4, 100-99. 

Kevin Love scored 27 points, including 15 in the third quarter. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James each scored 21. 

The Cavs improve to 8-0 in the postseason. 

Scoring Summary:

End of 2nd Quarter - Hawks lead Cavs, 58-56. The Cavs have three players in double figures, led by Kyrie Irving's 14 points. Kevin Love has added 12 while LeBron James has 10. The Hawks are led by Paul Millsap, who has 17 points. 

End of 1st Quarter - Hawks lead the Cavs, 36-27. The Cavs continued their red-hot shooting, making 5-of-7 from three-point range. LeBron James leads the team in scoring, with eight points. Kyrie Irving has added seven. Atlanta's Paul Millsap has a game-high 15 points on 5-of-6 from the field. 

Plain Dealer photographers Gus Chan and Thomas Ondrey are in Atlanta tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs lead 3-0 in the series and are looking for their second playoff sweep this afternoon.

Plain Dealer photographers Gus Chan and Thomas Ondrey are in Atlanta today as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs lead 3-0 in the series and are looking for their second playoff sweep this afternoon.

Check back often as the photo gallery is updated throughout the game. And check back after the game as even more photos will be added through the afternoon. Enjoy the action and thanks for looking -- we hope you enjoy our photos. Go Cavs! 

"There are probably going to be a few learning-curve things as we move forward, but he has done very well." Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians know there will be a learning curve for Lonnie Chisenhall in center field, but they are willing to give it a try.

Chisenhall made his first career start in center on Sunday afternoon. He spent the ninth inning of Saturday's contest at the position.

"You never really know until they're out there," said bench coach Brad Mills, who also serves as outfield instructor. "This has been pretty rapid. We'll kind of learn on the fly."

A year ago at this time, Chisenhall was manning the hot corner. After a six-week retreat to Triple-A Columbus, he returned to the big-league roster as a right fielder. Mills said that even when Chisenhall was playing right, he would still take some fly balls in center.

The Indians were going to try Chisenhall in center during spring training, but he landed on the shelf with a forearm injury.

"He's been out there messing around with it and so forth," Mills said, "and his jumps and everything look really good."

When the Indians optioned Tyler Naquin to Triple-A on Saturday, it left the club with Chisenhall, Jose Ramirez and Michael Brantley as center-field options behind Rajai Davis.

"A lot of things in center field are a lot easier," Mills said, "because you're not having the ball really breaking hard to your right or breaking hard to your left, if you're on one of the corners. In right field, it's going to be going towards the line.

"There are probably going to be a few learning-curve things as we move forward, but he has done very well."

Francona talks about Tribe's CF options

Saying hello: Roberto Perez, sporting a hard cast on his right hand and wrist, mingled with teammates in the Indians' clubhouse on Sunday morning. Perez underwent surgery on his right thumb on Friday.

"I was at home these past two days and I miss the field, I miss these guys," Perez said.

The catcher is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. He said he'll wear a cast for two weeks and then a splint for two weeks.

"I've always been right-handed," Perez said. "I don't want to do anything with my left hand. It's been hard, brushing my teeth, everything. I have my wife write for me. It's a challenge."

Perez to miss 8-12 weeks after surgery

Holiday attire: Francona said he wasn't a fan of the Indians' pink cleats, but he appreciated the league's Mother's Day uniforms on Sunday.

"It's a great idea to pay tribute to everybody's mom and everything," Francona said. "It doesn't mean you have to like the color scheme, but it's still a great idea."

Eva Johnson, a breast cancer survivor, tossed out Sunday's ceremonial first pitch as part of Major League Baseball's "Honorary Bat Girl" program.

Sticking around: Catcher Adam Moore, designated for assignment this week, cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Columbus.

The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their red-hot three-point shooting against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their red-hot three-point shooting against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon.

This time, Kevin Love led the barrage.

The versatile power forward hit eight triples in the first three quarters, tying the most he has hit in a single game during his career.

One of Love's eight three-pointers became a four-point play after a pump fake that confused Atlanta's Thabo Sefolosha. The made shot fired up Love, who had a game-high 27 points through three.

Kevin Love corner 4! #NBARapidReplay https://t.co/gNlwaHQr4q

-- NBA (@NBA) May 8, 2016

LeBron James scored 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and nine assists in Cleveland's series-clinching win over the Atlanta Hawks.

ATLANTA - This was not LeBron James' finest closeout game by any means, but he got the job done.

James scored Cleveland's last four points and made a huge play defensively at the end to preserve a 100-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of this now complete Eastern Conference semifinal series.

It marks the second time in James' career that his team swept the first two series of the playoffs. The other was when the Cavs did it in 2009, sweeping (coincidentally) both Detroit and the Hawks - the two teams Cleveland just dumped in four games.

Those playoffs didn't turn out so well. The Orlando Magic stunned James and the Cavs in six games in the East Finals. That's a discussion for another time.

James finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, shooting 10-of-23 from the field with six turnovers in 38 minutes.

He passed Hakeem Olajuwon (1,621 rebounds) for 12^th all-time in playoff rebounds, and tied Chauncey Billups (267 3-pointers) for seventh in postseason 3s.

Sunday marked his 18^th consecutive playoff game with at least 20 points.

Entering the game, James was averaging 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in contests where he had a chance to close a series. His teams have won the last six in closeout situations, and he improved to 27-9 all time.

James scored or assisted on all nine of Cleveland's points over the game's final 3:07. But, as previously stated, this was one was tough for him.

With 1:21 to go and the Cavs trailing by a point, James missed three layups from point-blank range (one was blocked by Al Horford). His third miss was fumbled out of bounds by the Hawks, and James converted a basket when Paul Millsap was called for goaltending after blocking James' shot after it hit the glass.

James came back and drained a stepback jumper over Millsap as the shot clock expired for a 100-97 lead with 39.2 seconds remaining. A Dennis Schroder layup cut Cleveland's lead to one, and James fired up an ill-advised 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds left that missed.

The Hawks were out of timeouts, and Schroder drove into the lane looking for the go-ahead score. But James tied him while he was in the lane for a jumpball with just 2.8 seconds left.

James, who has 7 inches on Schroder, tapped the jump ball into the corner, effectively running out the clock.

Cleveland's star on Sunday was Kevin Love (27 points, 13 rebounds). He registered 15 points in the third quarter, and four of his five 3s in the period were assisted by James.

When the final horn sounded, James wrapped Love in a bear hug on the court.

They're moving onto the East finals.

The wine and gold have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year after eliminating the Atlanta Hawks in four games, 100-99 on Sunday at Philips Arena.

ATLANTA - Whenever the Cleveland Cavaliers have gone up 3-0 in a series, they've never failed to sweep the opposition.

The wine and gold have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year after eliminating the Atlanta Hawks with a tough 100-99 victory Sunday at Philips Arena.

Kevin Love showed no love for the Hawks. He went off for 27 points and 13 rebounds while hitting eight 3-pointers. He has supplied a double-double in every game this postseason.

LeBron James just missed a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Kyrie Irving contributed 21 points and eight assists.

This game was a wild one.

The Hawks' Paul Millsap came out with a vengeance. He scored 15 of his 19 points in the first quarter to give his team a nine-point advantage. Atlanta extended its lead to 12 in the second quarter in a desperate effort to prolong this series.

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue foresaw that the Hawks would come strong from the onset.

"We know they're going to play hard at the start," he said before the game. "So we've just got to try to weather the storm."

The Cavs' Iman Shumpert entered the game in the second and changed the intensity of the game with his ball-hawking defense. He hounded Jeff Teague and stole the ball from him twice. It energized his team and himself. He connected on two threes and registered eight of his 10 points in that second quarter to help the Cavs only be down two at the break.

From there, the teams kept it close.

A Dennis Schroder driving layup put the Hawks on top by one with 1:31 remaining in the game. Lue signaled a timeout. Coming out of it, James slipped by Millsap and Matthew Dellavedova found him for an easy lay-in that was ruled a goaltend. Schroder tried to answer, but was rejected at the rim by the Cavs' Tristan Thompson.

The Cavaliers then put the ball in James' hands. Millsap was draped all over him 20 feet out from the basket. James milked the clock, hit him with a jab step and then pulled up and nailed the jumper to put them up three.

Schroder stayed at it, penetrating all the way to the hole for another huge layup to get the Hawks within one with 34 seconds left. James in return settled for a long three that clanked off the left side of the rim, and the Hawks gathered the rebound with 12 seconds left.

Atlanta had no timeouts left. Schroder drove the length of the court and was suffocated once he got inside the paint. James managed to tie him up and the officials called a jump ball with 2.8 seconds left.

This was a mismatch as James, at 6-foot-8, had 7 inches on Schroder and tipped the ball over toward the Cavaliers' bench. Atlanta's Al Horford chased it down and shot an off-balance three that wouldn't have counted. Time had already expired, and with it the Hawks' season.

Cleveland completed the dozen on Atlanta, beating them 12 straight times in the postseason.

In the first two and a half minutes of the game, the Cavaliers consistently broke the Hawks' defense down and it resulted in three 3-pointers. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer angrily stormed on the court and called a timeout. He's seen this picture way too many times over the last few games and he was getting a replay.

The theme of this series has been the long ball. The Hawks gave up countless uncontested threes. It was like watching a 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend. Cleveland knocked down a record 77 treys for the series and was 16-for-37 on Sunday.

"Guys are getting wide-open shots," Lue said before the game. "If you have time to shoot the ball like the time we have, they should be able to make those shots."

Before sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the first round, James played Detroit's own Eminem during pregame locker availability. Today before the game, he played Atlanta hip-hop artists Outkast, T.I. and Ludacris. Next round, his playlist will either be Drake (Toronto) or Pitbull (Miami).

The Cavaliers are moving on and they're undefeated.

The Cleveland Indians finished 5-1 on a homestand against Detroit and Kansas City. They defeated the Royals, 5-4, Sunday afternoon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli homered and the Cleveland Indians made an assortment of quality defensive plays en route to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Tribe right-hander Josh Tomlin (6+ IP, 4 R) won his fifth consecutive start to begin the season.

Here is a capsule look at the key aspect(s) of the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Time Ohio:

Impressive stuff: The Indians (15-13) went 5-1 on a homestand against AL Central opponents Detroit and Kansas City. The Tribe swept the Tigers and won the first and third games against the Royals.

The defending World Series champion Royals (15-15) have lost nine of 12.

Recipe for a comeback: The Indians trailed, 3-1, entering the bottom of the fourth inning. They were facing a quality pitcher in righty Edinson Volquez.

Mike Napoli led off and fell behind, 1-2. After two balls, Volquez threw a 92-mph fastball that Napoli smoked over the left-field wall. The pitch was supposed to be on the outer edge but leaked over the plate.

Later in the inning, the Indians thought they had tied the score. With the bases loaded and two outs, Jason Kipnis grounded sharply to second baseman Christian Colon, whose throw to first baseman Eric Hosmer was off-target. As Hosmer searched for the bag with his foot, Kipnis crossed and umpire Mark Carlson signaled safe. The Royals challenged and won.

Evidently, MLB replay headquarters determined that Hosmer's second of three attempts to locate the bag was successful.

If the Indians had lost the game, this play would have been a source of controversy. Even on replay, it was difficult to tell for certain that Hosmer's cleats ever got the corner of the bag. 

Fox Sports Time Ohio play-by-play voice Matt Underwood said: "If (Hosmer) had touched it, then why was he still searching for it?''

Fox Sports Time Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "Was there enough evidence to overturn?''

Underwood said: "Kansas City is lucky. Let's put it that way.''

The Indians did, in fact, tie the score -- and take the lead -- in the fifth. Five plate appearances made it possible.

(Before Volquez threw a pitch, though, he had the grounds crew fill in the push-off hole in front of the rubber. When there are mound problems, the landing area is usually the the issue, not the push-off hole.)

*Francisco Lindor singled.

Skinny: Lindor took a curve (78 mph) for a called strike. Volquez and catcher Salvador Perez opted for another curve (78), but it was a hanger. Lindor shot it into center. ... Volquez and Perez got burned for doubling-up with the curve instead of going back to the heater. Lindor struck out in three pitches in his first at-bat; he took a fastball for strike two, then swung through a fastball. He walked in five pitches in his second plate appearance, but only the final pitch was a fastball.

*Michael Brantley singled to drive in Lindor.

Skinny: On a 1-0 pitch, Lindor raced for second and Brantley fouled. On the next pitch, a fastball high, Lindor took off again and beat Perez's throw. Brantley fouled a changeup before lining a fastball to left-center. ... The Royals knew Lindor was going to steal and still couldn't stop him. Perez was off-balance a tad while popping from his crouch because he needed to reach across to receive the pitch. It was enough to cause a mediocre throw. Then Brantley did what Brantley does, staying compact and getting barrel to ball in a clutch situation.

*Napoli walked.

Skinny: Napoli swung through a first-pitch changeup and took the next four for balls. Three were close, but Napoli refused to bite.

(Yan Gomes grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice.)

*Lonnie Chisenhall singled to drive in Brantley.

Skinny: Chisenhall took a curve (79) for a strike and a changeup (83) for a ball. He was noticeably late on a fastball away (91) and missed. Volquez and Perez did Chisenhall a favor by speeding up his bat with a curve (81), and Chisenhall punched it to right-center to give the Tribe a 4-3 lead. 

(Lefty Danny Duffy relieved.)

*Marlon Byrd doubled to drive in Gomes.

Skinny: Byrd swung through a fastball (95), took a fastball (96) for a ball, and swung through another fastball (94). Perez, not wanting to get cute this time, called for another fastball. This one was on the outer edge, and Byrd zipped it to right-center, where it one-hopped the wall to give the Tribe a 5-3 lead.

Turning the tables on KC: The Indians would not have prevailed without their defense. Four plays stood out.

*With one out in the first, Lorenzo Cain ripped Tomlin's pitch off the left-field wall. Brantley fielded with the backhand, turned and fired a strike to Kipnis to erase Cain at second.

Underwood said of Cain: "He lost his head there for a minute. You don't run on Michael Brantley.''

*With one run in, runners on second and third, and none out against Zach McAllister in the seventh, Jarrod Dyson chopped to short. Lindor threw home to cut down Cheslor Cuthbert.

The Indians seemingly were conceding the tying run by having Lindor play back, but Lindor fielded cleanly while moving in and liked his chances. Gomes did well to hold onto the ball as he tagged Cuthbert's arm.

*Bryan Shaw relieved McAllister to face Alcides Escobar, who grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the half and preserve the Tribe's 5-4 advantage. Lindor's turn was cat-quick.

*With one out in the eighth, Shaw walked Eric Hosmer. Kendrys Morales, in a 1-2 count, swung and missed at a cutter away as Hosmer raced for second. Gomes erased Hosmer for the double play.

Credit Gomes with a deke on Morales. Gomes slapped his mitt on the ground to make Morales think the pitch was coming inside and low. Gomes shifted off the plate outside. Shaw put the ball there and Morales waved at it.

Joonas Korpisalo had 41 saves to lead the Lake Erie Monsters over the Grand Rapids Griffins, 2-1, and a 3-0 lead in their AHL playoff series.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan -- Joonas Korpisalo had 41 saves to lift the Lake Erie Monsters to a 2-1 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday, giving them a 3-0 lead in the American Hockey League Central Division Finals in Van Andel Arena.

The Monsters will look for the series sweep on Tuesday in Grand Rapids at 7 p.m. Lake Erie has won three straight at Grand Rapids, including the regular season.

The Monsters remain unbeaten in six playoff games and continue their late season hot streak. They have now won nine straight and are 15-1-1 over the past 17 games overall. They are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the playoffs.

Korpisalo, who spent much of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, is now 6-0 in the playoffs. He survived several close calls, including a faceoff in the Monsters end with 33 seconds remaining and three shots in the final 30 seconds.

The Monsters defense was strong throughout, going 5-for-5 on penalty kills.

The game was just 17 seconds old when Josh Anderson scored unassisted on the first shot of the game off a turnover to give the Monsters the lead. It was his team-leading fifth goal of the playoffs. Despite being out-shot, 22-8, the Monsters kept that lead through the first period.

The Monsters made it 2-0 at 8:07 of the second period when Zach Werenski scored off assists from Oliver Bjorkstrand and Lukas Sedlak. It was Werenski's third goal of the playoffs.

Grand Rapids got on the board late in the second period, Ryan Sproul scoring with 2:12 remaining.