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Late rally falls short as Akron RubberDucks' win streak ends

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The RubberDucks had won 10 straight games.

jordan smith.jpegJordan Smith 

AKRON, Ohio -- The RubberDucks tried to dig out of 7-0 hole Thursday night but a late rally fell short as Akron lost to the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 7-4, at Canal Park.

The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for the RubberDucks (68-61).

Akron right-hander Nick Pasquale (2-7, 4.92 ERA) ran into trouble in the third inning. After getting the first batter out, Jeff Arnold singled, then Darren Ford reached base on a fielding error by third baseman Joe Sever.

Christian Arroyo doubled to bring in a run, then Hunter Cole followed with another double to make it 3-0.

Pasquale struggled again in the fourth, giving up two runs on a double by Arnold to make the score 5-0. After walking Ford, Pasquale was replaced by reliever Robbie Aviles.

Meanwhile, Squirrels left-hander Matt Gage (9-7, 3.56) cruised through 6 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and striking out five.

Although trailing, 7-0, the RubberDucks made some noise in the eighth inning, with Jordan Smith bringing in two runs with a double, Jeremy Lucas hitting an RBI single and Sever hitting a sacrifice fly.

Akron would get no closer, though, going down 1-2-3 in the ninth against longtime major-league pitcher Joe Nathan, who recently was sent down to the minors by the Chicago Cubs.

Go here to see a box score from the game.


The Barclays: leaderboard, TV, updates for 2nd round (PGA Tour 2016 FedEx Cup Playoffs)

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Patrick Reed and Martin Laird were tied for the lead after one round of The Barclays, the first of four events in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Patrick Reed and Martin Laird shared the lead entering the second round of The Barclays at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. The Barclays is the first of four events in the PGA Tour 2016 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Reed and Laird each shot 5-under 66 on Thursday to lead by one. Rickie Fowler was one of four players tied for third at 4-under.

Jason Day, the FedEx Cup points leader, was one of three players tied for seventh at 3-under.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are good for golf fans because the best players in the world are in the same place once again in the calendar year, instead of dispersing after the fourth major, the PGA Championship.

The Fed Ex Cup Playoffs are good for the players because they are a measuring stick, sure. But let's be honest: They are a big-time cash grab. The playoffs, which culminate in the Tour Championship in late September, offer $32 million in prize money. The total balloons to $67 million when bonuses are factored in.

The top 125 in the FedEx points standings qualified for the playoffs.

The Barclays begins at approximately 7:20 a.m. Thursday. Here are the groupings and tee times. Golf Channel will televise live from 2-6 p.m. and you can follow along all round on our live leaderboard (below).

Friday's live leaderboard:

PGA TOUR
THE BARCLAYS
Site: Farmingdale, N.Y.
Course: Bethpage State Park (Black Course). Yardage: 7,468. Par: 71.
Purse: $8.5 million (First prize: $1.53 million).
Television:

  • Friday - Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m.
  • Saturday - Golf Channel, noon-2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3-6 p.m.
  • Sunday - Golf Channel, noon-1:30 p.m.; CBS, 2-6 p.m.

Defending champion: Jason Day.
Last week: Si Woo Kim won the Wyndham Championship.
Notes: The top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the playoffs, which begin at The Barclays. The top 100 in the standings after this week advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship ... Only 121 players will tee it up at Bethpage. The four who withdrew are Sergio Garcia; Masters champion Danny Willett; Shane Lowry; and Anirban Lahiri (shoulder injury). ... This is the final event to be among the eight automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Five players already have clinched spots: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka. ... Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are among 16 players who have qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs since they began in 2007. ... Hunter Mahan's streak of playing every playoff event ended at 35 tournaments last when he failed to make it to the Tour Championship. This year, he didn't qualify for the playoffs. ... Bethpage Black hosted The Barclays in 2012, won by Nick Watney. It also hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 (Tiger Woods) and 2009 (Lucas Glover). ... Vijay Singh is the only player to win The Barclays and go on to win the FedEx Cup. That was in 2008 when the points were not reset after the third event.
Next week: Deutsche Bank Championship.
Online: www.pgatour.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Cleveland Indians have nothing for Texas Rangers: DMan's Report, Game 126 (photos)

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The Texas Rangers hit two three-run homers off Josh Tomlin en route to a 9-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night in Arlington, Texas.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Left-hander Cole Hamels allowed two hits in eight innings and Carlos Gomez and Adrian Beltre each hit a three-run homer off right-hander Josh Tomlin as the Texas Rangers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 9-0, Thursday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Tomlin allowed eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.

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

First, the good news: The Indians (72-54) remain in first place in the AL Central by a relatively comfortable margin (4.5 over Detroit), and their game Thursday wrapped in less than 3 hours (2:34).

Now, the pain: The Indians are in a rut. It doesn't mean the season is over, it just means they are in a rut.

Here are some nuggets pertaining to it:

*Lost three straight and four of six.

*Outscored, 23-2, during the losing streak. Both of their runs have come from solo homers by their light-hitting catchers, Chris Gimenez and Roberto Perez.

*Scored one or fewer in four straight games for first time since June 11-14, 2011.

*Scored a total of six in the past five games.

*Two members of their rotation, Tomlin and Danny Salazar, are reeling. Tomlin and Salazar are a combined 0-7 in eight starts in August.

Yikes: Vegas pegged the Indians-Rangers game Thursday as a mismatch in favor of the home team, primarily because of the pitching matchup.

The Rangers sent out lefty Cole Hamels, who is an AL Cy Young candidate. The Indians sent out Tomlin, who was leading the majors in homers allowed, to face a potent offensive team in its house.

The Rangers (75-53 overall, 40-20 at home) lead the AL West.

Hamels (14-4, 2.67 ERA) struck out eight and walked none. He threw 75 of 102 pitches for strikes. The Indians managed a single by Francisco Lindor in the first inning and a single by Carlos Santana in the eighth.

Hamels dominated using a fastball/cutter/changeup/curve combination.

Tony Barnette worked a one-walk ninth.

Tomlin (11-8, 4.70) gave up seven earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out five. He is 0-5 in August, having allowed 30 earned runs in 25 innings.

Gomez, in his debut with the Rangers after being jettisoned by the Astros, made it 3-0 in the second with a laser to left. Beltre made it 8-0 in the fifth with a blast to center. Both pitches appeared to be cutters; they were elevated and backed up over the plate.

Tomlin has given up an MLB-high 34 homers.

According to MLB.com's terrific Indians beat reporter, Jordan Bastian, Tomlin has allowed 55 runs on the 34 homers, including 30 runs on 15 homers in his past nine starts. Before the nine-start stretch, he was 9-1 with a 3.21 ERA.

Texas Rangers play home run derby against Josh Tomlin, Cleveland Indians in 9-0 win

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The Indians have lost three straight games to narrow their lead in the AL Central to 4 1/2 games over the Tigers. Watch video

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A couple of days ago manager Terry Francona broached the subject of skipping Josh Tomlin in the rotation in September just to give him a chance to work on making the baseball go where he wanted it to go.

Well, that plan could be implemented before September gets here after the way Tomlin pitched Thursday night in a 9-0 loss to Texas at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Tomlin, with one more start left in August, once again couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark. He allowed three-run homers to Carlos Gomez and Adrian Beltre as the Tigers chopped another game off the Tribe's lead in the AL Central.

The Indians had a 7 1/2 game lead following their 1-0 win over Oakland on Monday. It's down to 4 1/2 games following their third straight loss on this seven-game trip.

Tomlin has allowed 34 homers this season. It's the most by an Indians pitcher since Charles Nagy allowed 34 in 1998. The club record is 37 set by Louie Tiant in 1969.

When asked about his level of concern for Tomlin, Francona referred to Bryan Shaw's struggles earlier in the year.  "When guys have a tough time, I don't think we want to run from them," he said. "We want to help them get through it.

"If anybody in that room is going to give you everything he has, it's J.T. That's how I feel about it."

Asked about skipping Tomlin for a start in September, Francona said, "We'll see. It's not September. That was more of a general statement, but we'll get to that."

While Tomlin kept throwing homers, the Indians' bats stayed silent. In losing two out of three games to the A's at the start of this trip, the Indians scored three runs, all on solo homers.

The Indians couldn't even manage that Thursday night against lefty Cole Hamels. They were lucky to manage what they did -- two singles. Francisco Lindor singled with two out in the first and Hamels took it personally.

He retired the next 18 batters before Carlos Santana singled to start the eighth. It was the fourth time the Indians have been shut out this season.

"He pitches in real well to the lefties and uses his change up against righties," said second baseman Jason Kipnis. "We probably waited too long to make the adjustment. We're all collectively going through a little skid right now."

Hamels (14-4, 2.67) threw eight scoreless innings. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter for his first career win over the Indians. Tony Barnette completed the two-hitter with a scoreless ninth.

Gomez, in his first game with Texas since being released by Houston, hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left field for a 3-0 lead in the second. Tomlin (11-8, 4.70) retired the first two Rangers in the inning, but Jonathan Lucroy singled and Mitch Moreland walked.

"That was just an unexecuted cutter," said Tomlin. "I left it down the middle of the plate and he swings hard. That's a bad pitch to throw right there."

Lucroy, of course, is the catcher who vetoed the Tribe's efforts to obtain his services from Milwaukee at the trade deadline. The Indians were on his no-trade list so he had that right. The Brewers turned around and traded him to Texas.

Tomlin retired eight straight after Gomez's homer, but ran into trouble again in the fifth. Elvis Andrus, who came into the game hitting .373 (76-for-204) in his career against the Indians, singled with one out. Andrus has hits in 52 of his 54 career games against the Tribe.

Singles by Nomar Mazara and Ian Desmond made it 4-0. Carlos Beltran sent a double play ball to Mike Napoli at first, but his throw to second sailed over Lindor's head as Mazara scored and Desmond went to third.

Beltre made the error hurt even more as he turned Tomlin's 1-2 pitch into a homer to left center field for a 8-0 lead. It was the 435th homer of Beltre's career.

Tomlin is 0-5 with a 7.50 ERA in his last five starts. He's allowed 39 hits, 30 earned runs and nine homers in that span.

"You're always concerned about what's going on when you give up this many home runs," said Tomlin. "For me, it's limiting the damage before that, trying to prevent the crooked numbers the best I can.

"I don't rely on stuff. I've got to limit the walks and limit the guys on base."

Rougned Odor added a solo homer off Zach McAllister in the eighth for the final Texas run.

The pitches

Tomlin threw 81 pitches, 53 or 65 percent for strikes. Hamels threw 102 pitches, 75 or 74 percent for strikes.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and Rangers drew 23,768 fans to Globe Life Park in Arlington on Thursday night. First pitch was at 8:08 p.m. and the temperature was 92 degrees.

What's next?

Tribe right-hander Corey Kluber (13-8, 3.13) will face LHP Martin Perez (8-9, 4.27) on Friday night at 8:05 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game.

Kluber is 7-1 in his last 11 starts. He's 0-1 against Texas this season and 1-1 in three starts in his career. Jurickson Profar is 3-for-5 (.600) with one homer and one RBI against him.

Perrez is 1-5 in his last nine starts. He's faced the Tribe twice with a 18.00 ERA. Mike Napoli is 3-for-4 (.750) against him.

Avon football outlasts Strongsville, 21-14

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Sophomore quarterback Ryan Malloy threw for a pair of scores and senior running back Mason McLemore ran for 116 yards and a score.

AVON, Ohio — A year ago the Avon Eagles were one of the most dominant offenses in the area as they racked up a 10-2 record.

But the Eagles lost their starting quarterback and running back from that squad to graduation. It looks like they found some suitable replacements.


Sophomore quarterback Ryan Malloy threw for a pair of scores and senior running back Mason McLemore ran for 116 yards and a score as Avon held on to beat Strongsville 21-14 at Joe Firment Stadium Friday night in the season opener for both teams.


Strongsville drove all the way down to the Avon 7 to set up the final play of the game, but sophomore quarterback Jony Major’s pass into the corner of the end zone fell incomplete.


After a scoreless first half, Maloy got the Eagles on the board with a 50-yard touchdown strike to Mitch Cooper to give Avon a 7-0 lead just a 1:51 into the second half. Strongsville answered with a score of its own as Callahan Hinkley rumbled in from 10 yards out to tie the game at 7.


Malloy found Vlasi Pappas on a 12-yard scoring strike with 2:06 left in the third quarter to give Avon a 14-7 lead.


Strongsville answered right back, though, when Joe Gillette took the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards to tie the game at 14-14.


Avon caught a break to go ahead when they snuffed out a fake punt by Strongsville on fourth down and took over on the Strongsville 34 yard line. That set up Malloy’s 7-yard TD run that gave Avon a 21-14 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.


“Mason McLemore played outstanding,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “He’s going to be a good back for us. He also played safety, so he’s a two-way player. He gutted it out and did a nice job in the heat.”


McLemore said he knows he has “big shoes” to replace in the now-departed Gerett Choat, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns a year ago.


“I had high expectations to be just like Gerett Choat. I feel I’ll have a season not as good as his, but it’s going to be close,” McLemore said.


Plays of the game


Avon took the opening kickoff and drove down to the Strongsville 2. On fourth down at the 2 Strongsville linebacker Bobby Proe was able to stop McLemore for no gain and keep the Eagles out of the end zone.


“The left side of the line got blown up and I got my legs taken out,” McLemore said of the play.


Midway through the second quarter Strongsville linebacker Jake Krokey picked off a pass by Maloy at the Strongsville 37. However, the Mustangs offense stalled and failed to capitalize on the turnover.


Notes and quotes


Avon coach Mike Elder on his sophomore quarterback, Ryan Maloy: “He played like a young kid in the first half and then he made some great plays in the second half.”


The offense Strongsville was able to create in the first half came in good part from the feet of sophomore quarterback Jony Major. The 5-10, 180-pound sophomore rushed 14 times for 54 yards. He ended up with 105 yards rushing.


"We have a very young and talented team. We've got a long way to go," said Major.


What’s next


Avon travels to Avon Lake to play the Shoremen on Friday in the Southwestern Conference opener for both schools. Strongsville travels to Hudson.

No. 8 Archbishop Hoban football opens state title defense with 42-14 win over Canton McKinley

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Senior quarterback Danny Clark accounted for five touchdowns as Archbishop Hoban defeated Canton McKinley, 42-14.

CANTON, Ohio – Senior quarterback Danny Clark accounted for five touchdowns and led the Archbishop Hoban Knights to a 42-14 win over host Canton McKinley in the opening game of the season for each team.

Clark, an Ohio State commit and the No. 16 player in the cleveland.com Big 101, scored three times on the ground and fired two touchdown passes, also throwing one interception.


Hoban, ranked eighth in the cleveland.com Super 25, led just 21-14 at halftime and had to make a stand to close out the second quarter to keep the game from being tied at the half. The Knights, who won the Division III state title last December, then took care of business in the second half, shutting out Canton McKinley and scoring 21 points.


Plays that changed the game:


With Hoban leading 14-7 in the second quarter, Clark threw a pass that was tipped in the air and almost intercepted. After the ball hit the ground and gave the Knights new life, Clark found Garrett Houser for a 52-yard touchdown pass to give Archbishop Hoban a 21-7 lead with 5:40 to play in the half.


“It was a miscommunication between me and one of the wide receivers,” Clark said. “We got back into the huddle, got regrouped and said let’s regroup and play like we have been practicing. You saw Garrett Houser’s first showing tonight.”


Canton McKinley had a chance to tie the game on the final drive of the first half, but the Hoban defense stood tall and stopped the Bulldogs on two straight plays from inside the 5-yard-line to take a 21-14 lead into the half.


“It was big,” Hoban coach Tim Tyrrell said. “I keep looking back and those were great plays.”


After Canton McKinley's defense held Hoban's offense and forced a punt on the first possession of the second half, the punt returner for the Bulldogs fumbled the ball leading to a Hoban recovery. The Knights took advantage when Clark scored from 1 yard out to make it 28-14.


Who stood out:


While it was Clark who scored five touchdowns, it was senior running back Todd Sibley who stood out with 175 yards rushing on 30 carries. He broke a 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to ice the game. Sibley, who is committed to Pittsburgh, is the No. 17 player in the cleveland.com Big 101.


“That felt great because we kept pounding it and pounding it and we knew we were going to break one,” Sibley said. “It was a great team win.”


What’s next:


Archbishop Hoban will host defending Division I state champion and No. 5 St. Edward on Friday, Sept. 2, while the Bulldogs will travel to Mansfield Senior.

Black River football defeats Western Reserve, 50-7

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Black River rolls behind Jacob Campbell

BLACK RIVER, Ohio -Black River running back Jacob Campbell rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries as the Pirates racked up 412 yards in a 50-7 win against Collins Western Reserve.

Pirates QB Mike Hazlett added two rushing touchdowns and a TD pass to Zack Beard. Western Reserve was able to respond in the second quarter on a 62 yard touchdown pass from Matt Perkins to Colton Puder.


Black River travels to Northwestern next week, while Western Reserve hosts Margaretta. 

Josh Gordon provides hope and 43-yard TD in Browns' 30-13 loss to Bucs

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Gordon provides the only real highlights in the Browns 30-13 rout by the Bucs. He caught passes of 44 yards and 43 yards, the latter for a TD.

TAMPA, Fla. -- On an otherwise disastrous night for the Browns, they found a ray of hope in their prodigal son Josh Gordon.

In his first live NFL game since Week 15 of the 2014 season, Gordon caught a 44-yard pass down the right sideline from Robert Griffin III on the Browns' second play of the game and a 43-yard touchdown in the second quarter of Friday night's 30-13 loss to the Bucs.

It looked like old times for the former Baylor Bears, who connected for 714 yards and seven TDs at the Waco school in 2010.

The bad news is that he's suspended for the first four games of the season and the Browns have to survive without him.

 "He did (provide hope),'' coach Hue Jackson said. " He made a tremendous play. It was good just to get him back out there in the game and playing. He did some good things. There are some things we'll continue to improve on with him, but I thought it was a good start for him."

The two big catches -- on Gordon's only two targets -- provided the only first-half highlights on a night when Browns fans had to cover their eyes or wince at the carnage. They were dominated in all three phases -- including a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown and Jameis Winston passing for 259 yards in one half of work. With the starters playing only the first half, they fell behind 27-10 against a team they had matched up well against during two midweek practices.

Josh Gordon has his price, but Browns don't want to trade him

Griffin, who had been getting rid of the ball quickly in the first two preseason games, held on too long at times and was smothered. He was sacked five times in the first half and often didn't have the time to drop back and heave the long ball that's become his forte.

"No, that's not it at all,'' said Jackson. "We're not holding the ball too long. We're getting sacked. We're not physically doing some things that we can do in my opinion, so we've got to go back and fix that. One of our goals is for our quarterback not to get hit like that.

"I didn't think Robert was back there holding the ball too long or looking for more than what was there. I think sometimes things weren't there, then all of the sudden somebody fell off of somebody. We didn't do a good enough job."

Before giving way to Josh McCown, Griffin completed eight of 14 attempts for 119 yards and the one TD. But take away his 87 yards to Gordon and he had only 32 other passing yards.

Gordon's catches came a week after he promised that the best is yet to come.

"I'm definitely the same guy,'' he said when activated from his quad injury. "I'm confident in my abilities. I know what I can do. I think I can build upon (2013) that and do even better."

It also came days after news broke that the Browns had rejected multiple trade inquiries for Gordon. Head of football operations Sashi Brown said Thursday that although every player has his price, the Browns aren't looking to deal the 2013 All-Pro.

As always, Gordon made the difficult catches look easy. He beat four-time Pro Bowler Brent Grimes twice, getting behind him on a double move on the first catch down the right sidelines and fighting him for the ball on the acrobatic touchdown catch near the right side of the goal line.

"I feel it gave me a boost, gave the team a boost,'' he said. "Get that experience again, get that feeling again what it feels like to make a big play, but it was great. I think uplifting for the team and something that we needed at that point and time in the game and something we could build on going into next week.''

Gordon won't be able to practice with the team once the regular season starts, but Jackson gave him about a dozen snaps with the starters so he could "hit the ground running" when he returns against the Patriots Oct. 9.

How the Gordon-Pryor-Coleman Air Show fared

Much was made leading up to the game about the talented trio of Gordon, Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman appearing for the first time. But it proved to be much ado about nothing, in part because Griffin was sacked on five of his 14 attempts.

Pryor caught two of the four passes thrown his way for 15 yards and Coleman caught neither of his two targets, including one deep ball where got tangled up with a defender and tripped. Another time, he lost his shoe and had to run off the field. His lone reception was wiped out by a pass interference call against Pryor.

The Big Three were only on the field together for three plays -- and one was negated by a holding call. No passes were completed when they were together, with Gordon and Pryor on the outside and Coleman in the slot. The potential and the possibilities are evident, but Coleman has missed much of camp with a hamstring injury and has some catching up to.

Coleman and Pryor words?

According to the CBS sideline reporter, Coleman and Pryor were "having words'' during a second quarter drive due to a lack of communication on the field.

Hue Jackson has words with punter Andy Lee

Jackson had some harsh words on the sidelines for punter Andy Lee, who wanted no part of tackling receiver Adam Humphries on his 73-yard punt return for a touchdown. He did try harder -- but whiffed -- on a third-quarter punt return. Meanwhile receiver Marlon Moore made a diving tackle attempt. He later left the game with a hip injury.

Things to be encouraged about

* Griffin III earned a 108.9 rating and didn't turn the ball over.

* Gordon looks like the Pro Bowler he was in 2013.

* Isaiah Crowell averaged 4.9 yards on his eight runs and Duke Johnson averaged 7.3 yards on his three runs.

* The run defense stiffened, allowing only 46 yards rushing in the first half, and a 3.3-yard average. The long gain was 14 yards.

* Joe Haden made his preseason debut and made some plays in his first game back since last season. He left in the second quarter, as did Joe Thomas, who's been suffering from a back injury.

Things to be concerned about

* The Browns had no answer for Winston, who finished with a 125.3 rating.

* Winston threw well on the run, escaped trouble and wasn't sacked once on his 25 attempts. Nate Orchard got close once on a bootleg right, but Winston escaped and lasered a 3-yard TD to Charles Sims.

* Winston toyed with the defense, completing passes of 23, 23, 47, 31 and 34 yards in the first half. The 34-yarder was a touchdown pass to 6-5 Mike Evans after a miscommunication in the defensive backfield. Jamar Taylor was the closest defender, but it wasn't all his fault.

* Browns used a four-man front a lot, but couldn't generate much of a pass rush. When they did get close to Winston, he escaped and more often than not completed the pass.

* Defensive tackle Danny Shelton was off the field in key situations, including on the goal line at times, and his playing time is going in the wrong direction. He was also off the field a lot in the nickel. Shelton was still in the game in the third quarter when most of the starters were out.

Injuries

Justin Gilbert left the field with a concussion in the second quarter and is in the protocol. Moore left with the hip.

 Inactives

CB Trey Caldwell (hamstring), DL Nick Hayden (knee), DL Nile Lawrence-Stample (shoulder), WR Ricardo Louis (hamstring), RB Raheem Mostert (hamstring), CB Tramon Williams (toe), RB Glenn Winston (shoulder). Hayden suffered a knee injury during joint practices, but it's not believed to be serious, and Mostert injured his hamstring during the first joint practice.

Center Cam Erving suffered an ankle injury during the first joint practice but played.

Next

The Browns will host the Bears in the fourth and final preseason game Sept. 1.


Cleveland Browns dress rehearsal performance a reminder the show still needs work

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The Browns struggled in their dress rehearsal game on both sides of the ball on Friday night.

TAMPA, Fla. -- If this was the Browns' dress rehearsal, the show still needs a lot of work. 

Eight days after an encouraging performance from the offense against Atlanta at FirstEnergy Stadium, things didn't go nearly as well against the Buccaneers. Aside from the deep pass continuing to work and a competent run game, the first-team offense labored. There were protection issues. They went just 3-for-9 on third downs in the first half. 

Defensively, Jameis Winston torched them. He racked up 259 yards, two scores and put 27 points on the board. Somewhere in between his 25 pass attempts, the Bucs managed 46 first-half rushing yards. They converted five of nine third downs. 

If this is the last we see of the first stringers on either side of the ball, it's not a great impression to leave. It's a stark reminder that this is all very much a work in progress. 

Here are some other notes from Friday night's loss in Tampa: 

* That 43-yard touchdown catch by Gordon - I mean, wow. Of course, the problem with Gordon has never been an inability to make catches like that. 

* Hue Jackson is going to use Gordon's and Pryor's size in the run game a lot this season. Gordon's first play saw him motion into more of a tight end spot to block. Pryor was doing the same in practice last week. 

* I know Justin Gilbert did some OK things. I'm not sure how much more they can keep running him out there, though. Right now it's about numbers and playing the guys you have. Otherwise, Gilbert might be looking for work already. The concussion he sustained isn't going to help.

* If you were one of the people worried about the offensive line this season, Friday night won't make you rest any easier. Austin Pasztor had a shaky night at right tackle and Robert Griffin III was under siege when Joe Thomas' night was done. 

* Carl Nassib keeps flying up the depth chart, earning the start. Spent time out there with Xavier Cooper and Emmanuel Ogbah for the most part. 

* It took a bit for Danny Shelton to get in the game as the Browns opened in the nickel the entire first series and to start their second. That's disconcerting, considering they want him to be a three-down player. 

* Then Shelton gets his name called for the first time in the second quarter on a roughing the passer penalty. It's been a tough preseason for last year's No. 12 overall pick. 

* But wait! Shelton forced a third-quarter fumble. Let's see more of that. 

* Andrew Hawkins got a lot of slot time with the first team. That being said, I think Taylor Gabriel has had a good camp and I wonder how close he is to supplanting him. 

* Travis Coons kicked off to start the game. Patrick Murray got the first field goal attempt. Still think this is Murray's job to lose at this point. 

* Andy Lee didn't go very hard after Adam Humphries on that first-quarter punt return touchdown. Marlon Moore did just the opposite, almost catching Humphries. Cameras captured Lee hearing about it from Jackson after the play. 

* If you're scoring at home, Ed Eagan was getting snaps over rookie Jordan Payton to start the second half. Defensively, the second-team inside linebackers were Tank Carder and Dominique Alexander.

-----

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Copley football defeats Twinsburg, 35-28

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Weston Bridges scores four touchdowns for Copley.

TWINSBURG, OH --  Michigan State commit Weston Bridges scored four touchdowns, leading Copley to a 35-28 win against the host Tigers.  

Copley scored four first-half touchdowns and led 28-7 at the break.


Twinsburg rallied for two second-half scores.


Copley got a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Christian Edgerson to seal the win.


Copley will return home for their home opener against Firestone next week while Twinsburg travels to Solon.

Woodridge football defeats Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 56-14

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Woodbridge Bulldogs manhandle Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 56-14, with the help of King Sanders 84 yard return

PENINSULA -- Senior King Alfred Sanders rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns, helping Woodridge to a victory against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.

Woodridge opened up the game with an 80-yard kickoff return from senior Jacob Margroff, followed by an interception to help take an early 14-0 lead.


In Week 2 the Bulldogs will host Akron Manchester, while CVCA faces Campbell Memorial.

Champion football beats Waterloo, 42-27

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Champion defeats Waterloo, 42-27.

ATWATER, Ohio -- Visiting Champion defeated Waterloo, 42-27.

The Golden Flashes got on the board early with an 75-yard pass to James Bayus from Brandon Allen. 


At the half, the Golden Flashes led 20-13. 


Next Week, Champion will travel to Conneaut while Waterloo stays home to face East Canton. 


Bedford football defeats Berea-Midpark, 68-34

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Bedford defeats Berea-Midpark behind Arshuan Boone's 5 TD's

BEDFORD, Ohio -- Bedford quarterback Arshuan Boone passed for five touchdowns and the Bearcats were able to pull away in the second half for a 68-34 win against visiting Berea-Midpark.

The game had the makings of a shootout with Bedford leading 32-28 at halftime, but only the Bearcats obliged in the second half.


Boone completed two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as Bedford outscored the Titans 22-0 in the final period.


Bedford's Trent Cloud returned a kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Bearcats never looked back. 


Bedford will host Nordonia next week, while Berea-Midpark welcomes Lakewood. 


Coventry football defeats Canton South, 39-13

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Coventry scored 14 straight points to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

AKRON, Ohio -- Coventry's football team rolled to a win against visiting Canton South, 39-13.  

Canton South started the game with a touchdown, however, Coventry scored 14 straight points to close out the opening half with a 14-7 lead.


Coventry scored 25 points in the second half.


Next week, Coventry will head to Barberton and Canton South travels to Canal Fulton Northwest.

North Royalton football outlasts North Ridgeville, 38-20

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Royalton football outlasts Ridgeville, 38-20

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio -- North Royalton pulled away from host North Ridgeville in the second half for a 38-20 win.

The Bears owned the second half of the game after leading by just three at halftime.


North Royalton took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but North Ridgeville rallied with two scores in the second quarter to keep the game close.


Ball security was an issue for the Rangers, as five fumbles in the first half proved costly. North Royalton was able to take advantage inside the red zone.


Next up for North Ridgeville is a date with Amherst Steele. North Royalton will next play Parma.


Vote for top high school football performer from Week 1 2016: Game Balls (poll)

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Check out some of the best Week 1 high school football performers from Friday night and vote for your favorite.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Below is a look at some of the best Week 1 high school football performers from Friday night.

Vote for your favorite in the poll below. Voting is open until Thursday at noon.


The Week 1 contenders:


Tommy Benenati, Chardon: Senior quarterback rushed for 235 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Hilltoppers’ 28-0 victory against West Geauga.


Sam Best, Elyria Catholic: Senior linebacker intercepted two passes, returning one for a 29-yard score, in the Panthers’ 44-0 rout against Brookside.


Joe Bubonics, Solon: The senior quarterback completed 13 of 17 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the Comets’ 36-6 win against Aurora.


Jimmy Daw, Medina: The senior running back rushed for five touchdowns in the Bees’ 55-0 victory against Lakewood.


Joe Gobble, Stow: The senior running back totaled 278 yards from scrimmage, 182 rushing, 96 receiving, and rushed for four touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 56-41 win against Green.


Isaiah Gullick, Mentor: The senior running back amassed 238 yards on 20 carries and scored five touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 57-31 win against Massillon. Gullick rushed for four scores, including a 78-yard run, and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass.


Jacob Martin, Brunswick: The senior running back gained 189 yards on the ground and scored the game-winning touchdown, a 5-yard run, in the Blue Devils’ 17-14 victory against Highland.


King Sanders, Woodridge: The senior running back scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one on an 84-yard kickoff return, in the Bulldogs’ 56-14 victory against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.


Jon Teter, Cuyahoga Heights: The junior defensive lineman returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown in the Redskins’ 35-13 win against Keystone.





Revere football rally's late against Buckeye, 34-28

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Revere football rally's late against Buckeye, 34-28

Revere football rally's in the forth to defeat Buckeye 34-28.

Buckeye led the first half 21-14 but, in the second half Revere scored 14 in the third.  


Both teams tied at 28 entering overtime. The gamed ended by an eight yard touchdown run by Landon to close the books.


Buckeye takes on Rocky River, Revere are on the road t face Valley Forge. 


The Barclays 2016: leaderboard, TV, updates for 3rd round (PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs)

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Patrick Reed led by two shots at the halfway mark of The Barclays 2016, the first of four events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Patrick Reed led by two shots entering the third round of The Barclays 2016 at Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in Farmingdale, N.Y. The Barclays is the first of four events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Reed shot 3-under 68 in the second round Friday and was 8-under at the halfway mark. Emiliano Grillo and Rickie Fowler were tied for second at 6-under.

Ryan Moore was fourth at 5-under. Jordan Spieth and Jason Day were among five tied for fifth at 4-under.

The 2016 major winners have not done much this week. Masters champion Danny Willett did not start; U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson was tied for 39th at even; British Open champion Henrik Stenson withdrew after a first-round 74; and PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker shot 5-over and missed the cut.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are good for golf fans because the best players in the world are in the same place once again in the calendar year, instead of dispersing after the fourth major, the PGA Championship.

The Fed Ex Cup Playoffs are good for the players because they are a measuring stick, sure. But let's be honest: They are a big-time cash grab. The playoffs, which culminate in the Tour Championship in late September, offer $34 million in prize money. The total balloons to at least $67 million when bonuses are factored in.

The top 125 in the FedEx points standings qualified for the playoffs.

Here are The Barclays groupings and tee times. On Saturday, Golf Channel will televise live from noon-2:30 p.m. and CBS from 3-6 p.m. You can follow along all round on our live leaderboard (below).

Saturday's live leaderboard:

PGA TOUR
THE BARCLAYS
Site: Farmingdale, N.Y.
Course: Bethpage State Park (Black Course). Yardage: 7,468. Par: 71.
Purse: $8.5 million (First prize: $1.53 million).
Television:

  • Saturday - Golf Channel, noon-2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3-6 p.m.
  • Sunday - Golf Channel, noon-1:30 p.m.; CBS, 2-6 p.m.

Defending champion: Jason Day.
Last week: Si Woo Kim won the Wyndham Championship.
Notes: The top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the playoffs, which begin at The Barclays. The top 100 in the standings after this week advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship ... Only 121 players will tee it up at Bethpage. The four who withdrew are Sergio Garcia; Masters champion Danny Willett; Shane Lowry; and Anirban Lahiri (shoulder injury). ... This is the final event to be among the eight automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Five players already have clinched spots: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka. ... Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are among 16 players who have qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs since they began in 2007. ... Hunter Mahan's streak of playing every playoff event ended at 35 tournaments last when he failed to make it to the Tour Championship. This year, he didn't qualify for the playoffs. ... Bethpage Black hosted The Barclays in 2012, won by Nick Watney. It also hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 (Tiger Woods) and 2009 (Lucas Glover). ... Vijay Singh is the only player to win The Barclays and go on to win the FedEx Cup. That was in 2008 when the points were not reset after the third event.
Next week: Deutsche Bank Championship.
Online: www.pgatour.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Corey Kluber, Roberto Perez among standouts as Cleveland Indians clobber Rangers: DMan's Report, Game 127 (photos)

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Corey Kluber pitched well and Roberto Perez went 4-for-5 with three RBI and one run as the Cleveland Indians handled the Texas Rangers, 12-1, Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Corey Kluber allowed one run in six innings and catcher Roberto Perez had four of the Cleveland Indians' 17 hits en route to a 12-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Perez notched 33 percent of his hits for the season.

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

Nick Camino Scoreboard Watch: The Indians (73-54) remained 4.5 games in front of second-place Detroit (69-59) and 6.5 clear of third-place Kansas City (67-61) in the AL Central. The Tigers defeated the Angels in Detroit and the Royals topped the Red Sox in Boston.

Much-needed: The Indians secured one of their most impressive victories of the season -- and not simply because of the lopsided final score. They snapped a three-game skid, and they did so on the road against an opponent that entered with the best winning percentage (.586) in the American League.

The Rangers (now 75-54) lead the AL West. They slipped to 40-21 at home.

Tip of the cap/helmet: The Tribe has not lost four in a row this season.

Busting loose: The Indians had scored a total of six in their previous five games, including three in the previous four games. They lost, 9-0, Thursday in the opener of the Texas series.

All of their runs in the previous four games had come on solo homers (Carlos Santana, Chris Gimenez, Perez). None of their runs Friday scored on homers.

The Indians led, 1-0, after three innings and 3-0 after four. They had failed to score in the first three innings of any of their previous eight games, or in the first five innings of any of the previous five.

Klubotic: Kluber pitched like an AL Cy Young candidate when his team absolutely, positively needed it. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out seven.

Kluber is 6-0 in his past nine starts -- all John Lowe Quality Starts (6+ IP, 3- ER).

That Kluber "only" worked six innings is a testament to the talent in the lineup he faced. The Rangers fouled 29 times to help push his pitch count to 113.

The scoreboard damage against Kluber came with one out in the sixth, when Adrian Beltre homered to left to pull Texas within 6-1. No shame there: Beltre has 23 homers and 84 RBI.

Kluber (14-8, 3.07 ERA) relied on his usual fastball/cutter/breaking pitch combination. He mixed in a changeup.

The two-seam fastball periodically featured ridiculous comeback action. Among the beauties was a called third strike to Rougned Odor in the sixth:

A pitch with such Frisbee movement, thrown at 92 mph, basically is unfair.

First things first: With one out in the third inning, Perez grounded lefty Martin Perez's 1-2 pitch up the middle. The ball deflected off sliding second baseman Odor's glove and rolled into the outfield.

Rajai Davis popped the first pitch foul to first. Jason Kipnis picked up Davis by slicing a 1-2 breaking pitch past third and down the left-field line for a double. Because the ball rattled around in the corner, Perez was able to rumble home to give the Tribe the 1-0 lead.

It marked just the 11th time in the past 33 games that the Indians had scored first.

Take that, Lucroy: Indians No. 9 batter Perez finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and one run, and he called a great game.

Perez entered at 8-for-77. He raised his average from .104 to .146.

Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who spurned the Indians at the trade deadline, was 1-for-3 with one strikeout; did not call a good game; and mishandled two pitches that factored in two Tribe runs.

Guyer beware: Tribe left fielder and No. 7 batter Brandon Guyer went 1-for-3 with two hit-by-pitches and four runs.

Guyer, plunked in the left leg both twice, extended his MLB lead to 27 HBPs.

Don't forget about me: Indians right fielder and No. 8 batter Abraham Almonte was 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs.

With Guyer on first and two outs in the fourth, Almonte smoked Perez's first-pitch fastball to left-center for an RBI double to make it 3-0.

Almonte's next at-bat came with Mike Napoli on third and Guyer on first and two outs in the sixth. Perez and Lucroy, nervous about throwing the fastball to Almonte, opened with a changeup for a ball. Perez threw another changeup; Almonte fouled. Perez threw a third straight changeup; Almonte shot it to left-center for a two-run double to make it 5-0.

Perez and Lucroy got burned for tripling-up with an off-speed pitch. Almonte was ready.

Roberto Perez followed with an RBI single. Perez was replaced by Dario Alvarez.

Cleveland Indians remember how to hit, Corey Kluber wins No. 14 in 12-1 win over Texas

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Corey Kluber won his sixth straight decision as the Indians' offense remembered how to hit Friday night in a lopsided win over Texas to end a three-game losing streak. Watch video

ARLINGTON, Texas -- There is selective amnesia, the kind some people get when their significant other gives them a 'to-do' list. They remember what they want to remember.

Then there is group amnesia, which is what the Indians' hitters have been suffering from since the start of this trip through Oakland and Texas. Friday night they finally remembered what it was that has made them one of the best offenses in baseball this season.

It helped, of course, to have Corey Kluber on the mound. Kluber improved to 6-0 in his last nine starts and the offense finished with 17 hits in a 12-1 victory over Texas at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

"It's really nice to be able to send a guy like Kluber out there," said manager Terry Francona. "Texas has some really good at-bats against him. They made it a point not to chase the breaking ball.

"He got some fastballs by them because of it, but they fouled off a lot of good pitches and made him work hard."

The Indians, in the first four games of this seven-game journey, scored three runs. In doing so they matched their longest losing streak of the season -- three games -- and carried it into Friday night's meeting with the leaders of the AL West.

What kind of night was it for the offense? Well, they scored three runs in the sixth off lefty Martin Perez (8-10, 4.45) to match their total production from the previous four games.

They added two more in the eighth as Brandon Guyer scored on a bases-loaded hit batsman and Abraham Almonte scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch. Where were those kind of runs in the previous four games?

Kluber (14-8, 3.07) struck out seven and allowed one run in six innings. In improving to 6-0 in his last nine starts, Kluber has allowed 12 runs in 61 2/3 innings for a 1.75 ERA.

In that stretch, he's struck out 64 and walked 14.

"There's not one magic thing I can put my finger on," said Kluber, when asked about the run he's on. "It's a matter of going out there and trying to be consistent; consistent with the work in between and hope that allows me to be in a good spot when it's my turn."

Adrian Beltre accounted for the Rangers' only run against Kluber with a long one-out homer in the sixth. It was his second in as many nights, 25th of the season and 436th of his career. Beltre is tied with Miguel Cabrera for 44th on MLB's all-time home run list.

Kluber, since May 20, is 12-3 in 18 starts. He has not lost since the All-Star break. With two-fifths of the rotation -- Josh Tomlin and Danny Salazar -- gasping for consistency, Kluber keeps delivering.

Asked if he felt any extra pressure with Tomlin and Salazar struiggling, Kluber said, "Nope. . .nope."

Jason Kipnis gave the Indians a 1-0 lead with a two-out double down the third-base line in the second. He caught the Rangers in a shift, which allowed Roberto Perez to score from first.

Perez, by the way, had his first four-hit game of the season. He drove in three runs as well. Almonte and Carlos Santana added three hits each.

Coming into the game Perez had eight hits -- for the season.

"I'm glad for Roberto," said Francona. "He knows he has to catch first; that's a priority. But it's nice to let him get on base and drive in a couple of runs in. When he starts to get a little confidence in himself, you'll see a better hitter."

The Indians made it 3-0 in the fourth. Jose Ramirez had an RBI ground out and Almonte hit an RBI double.

Almonte, who finished with four RBI, put the game away with a two-run double  in the sixth to score Mike Napoli and Santana. Perez delivered Almonte with a single for a 6-0 lead.

The Indians added three more runs in the ninth, two coming on Perez's single.

What it means

The Tribe's 73rd win of the season came at just the right time. Detroit and Kansas City won Friday night so the Tribe victory maintained its 4 1/2-game lead over Detroit and 6 1/2 over Kansas City.

The Indians are 16-12 against the AL West and 2-3 against Texas.

The pitches

Kluber threw 113 pitches, 75 or 66 percent for strikes. Perez threw 88 pitches, 65 or 74 percent for strikes.

Ouch machine

Guyer, hit by pitches twice Friday, has been hit 30 times this season to lead the big leagues.

He was hit 25 times with the Rays. He was hit 24 times last year.

Lefties beware

The Indians lost to two left-handed starters on this trip -- Oakland's Sean Manaea and Cole Hamels of Texas. But they rocked Perez on Friday to make them 26-14 against lefties this year.

The Tribe has won 23 of its last 30 games started by an opposing lefty.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and Rangers drew 31,853 to Globe Life Park in Arlington on Friday night. First pitch was at 7:07 p.m. and the temperature was 86 degrees.

What's next?

Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (9-6, 3.12) will face Texas right-hander A.J. Griffin (5-3, 4.68) on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game.

Carrasco is 2-3 in last six starts. He's 1-2 in six games against the Rangers. Elvis Andrus is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with three RBI against him.

Griffin is 2-2 in his last five starts. He's 0-1 in two starts against the Tribe. Napoli is hitting .333 (3-for-9) with one homers and five RBI against him.

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