After a wild back and forth affair all day that saw both teams fight their way back into ties and the lead, the Indians put the nail in the Seattle coffin with Yan Gomes slamming a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lead the Tribe to a 10-8 win.

The homer came with the Indians down 8-7 after Joe Smith gave up a solo shot to Justin Smoak in the top half of the 10th, a 402-foot shot that looked like it could be the game-winner.

Instead, it just again set up dramatics, as Michael Brantley bloop singled, and then Drew Stubbs was safe on an error by an error by Smoak at first.

All three of the back end of the Indians pen gave up homers, Vinnie Pestano to tie the game at six in the 8th, Chris Perez to pinch-hitter Endy Chavez in the 9th to make it 7-6 Seattle, and Smith in the 10th.

Perez has now given up three homers in his last two outings, and the blast was the first homer of the season for Chavez, who in his 12-year MLB career has just 27 homers.

The win for the Tribe means they will enter Tuesday night against the Tigers at home with a 2.5 game lead. They will play the Tigers in a two-game set Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Tribe record with the win is now at 26-17, while the Mariners fall to 20-25.

Pestano allowed a solo homer to Kyle Seager with the Indians holding a 6-5 lead to tie the game back up at six. The Indians had scored in the 7th to break a 5-5 tie when Michael Bourn scored on an Asdrubal Cabrera fielder’s choice.

The Indians found a way to tie it in the 9th on a crazy play, as they got a rally going with Jason Kipnis singling and then with two outs Nick Swisher blooped a single to right to put Kipnis on third.

With the chance to tie it, Carlos Santana hit a shot to first and Smoak made a diving play. He flipped it to closer Tom Wilhelmsen, who somehow dropped the ball, allowing Kipnis to score.

The Indians didn’t get a good day at all from starter Scott Kazmir, who went just three innings plus two batters, and got battered around all day.

Kazmir gave up five runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out two.

The Mariners scored first with a double by Kendrys Morales doubling in a run in the first, and then Michael Morse singled in Morales to make it 2-0 Seattle after one.

The Indians rallied with a four-run second to take a 4-2 advantage. With two outs and two on, Ryan Raburn clubbed his fifth homer of the year, a three-run blast to make it 3-2.

Gomes, catching and hitting in the nine hole, then made it 4-2 Indians with a solo homer off Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma.

It’s already the fifth time this season the Indians have hit back-to-back homers, the last time they did it was back on May 6th vs the A’s when Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana did it.

The two homers also puts the Indians total of blasts at 11 this season when the team has had two outs in an inning.

Kazmir though couldn’t hold the lead, and gave it right back in the third with two runs. Morales singled in another run, and Morse hit into a double play after Matt Albers came in to tie it at four.

Michael Brantley gave the Indians a 5-4 lead with single in the third after Nick Swisher doubled to start the inning.

Brantley is having a huge year with runners in scoring position, hitting .324 (11-for-34) with 18 RBI.

The Mariners through came back with the a run in the fourth to tie it up at five. Brendan Ryan hit into a ground out after the M’s got a single and double to start the inning.

The game remained scoreless from that point till the Indians score in the 7th, but Seattle put single runs on Pestano, Perez and Smith to give themselves a great shot to win it.

The Indians get the evening off and then will be back at Progressive Field Tuesday for the first of two against The Tigers.

Corey Kluber (3-2, 5.40) goes for the Indians in game one vs Max Scherzer (5-0, 3.98) for Detroit.

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Masterson went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 20 strikeouts and five walks in 16.0 innings pitched over a pair of starts to claim his first career A.L. Player of the Week Award and the first for a Cleveland hurler since CC Sabathia in 2008. Justin is the second Indian to be tabbed with a weekly honor this month after teammate Ryan Raburn won for the week ending May 5th. Among pitching leaders, Masterson was tops in the Majors in strikeouts and was tied for first overall in wins, ERA and innings pitched.

The 28-year-old was masterful in the first game of a double dip against the New York Yankees on Monday, allowing just four hits and striking out nine to complete a 1-0 shutout victory over the Yankees at Progressive Field, his second 1-0 blanking this season. Masterson became the first Indians hurler to record multiple 1-0 complete-game shutouts in the same season since southpaws Bud Black and Greg Swindell each accomplished the feat twice during the 1989 season. He also became the first Tribe pitcher to post a 1-0 shutout against the Yanks since Swindell on September 6, 1988 at Yankee Stadium, and he is the first Indians right-hander to do so since Luis Tiant on May 3, 1966, also in the Bronx. In a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Seattle Mariners, the San Diego State product outdueled 2010 A.L. Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez with a season-high 11 strikeouts over 7.0 shutout innings as the Indians defeated the Mariners, 6-0, at Progressive Field. It was Cleveland’s 20th win in their last 27 games as the Club increased their A.L. Central Division lead over the Detroit Tigers to two games. The former second round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft (by Boston) scattered three hits in notching his third straight victory. The win also marks Masterson’s third triumph over a former Cy Young Award winner this season after previously defeating reigning 2012 winners R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays (who won the N.L. Cy Young Award while with the New York Mets) and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays in his first two starts of the season, respectively. Masterson, the first Cleveland pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2005-06 to log consecutive 200.0-inning seasons (2011-12), currently leads all Major League pitchers with 70.0 innings this year.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Miguel Cabrera (.429, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 3-HR game at Texas on May 19th) of the Detroit Tigers; Adam Dunn (.320, 4 HR, 10 RBI) of the Chicago White Sox; Raul Ibañez (.308, 5 HR, 11 RBI) of the Seattle Mariners; Mitch Moreland (.308, 4 HR, 10 RBI) of the Texas Rangers; and David Ortiz (.458, 3 HR, 12 RBI) of the Boston Red Sox.

In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Justin Masterson will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.

Visit Brendon’s web site: www.BrendonAyanbadejo.net

That includes Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who recently talked about the Bulls’ point guard on 106.7 The Fan.

“That’s hard, because I’ve never experienced that injury,” Beal said. “And I know what type of injury that is, it’s possible it’s gonna happen again. Knock on wood. But at the same time, you might have to give it a go. If you’re practicing for two months and everybody in practice is saying you’re practicing well, I figure you gotta give it a shot in a game.”

At first, it seemed like Beal caught himself and wanted to give Rose the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s his decision. I can’t really have a say so in it. If he doesn’t feel he’s mentally confident to be able to go out there and help the team, I guess I can’t really blame him for it.”

But then Beal was asked if he would lose respect for a Wizards’ teammate if they made the same decision.

“A little bit. Yeah, I would,” he said. “The type of player he is, and the mentality and competitiveness that he has, I think he would have gave it a go. I don’t know what was holding him back. I think he’s scared it’s probably going to happen again and he won’t be the same. But you’re never the same after an injury. But you just have to fight through it and do something else to be able to impact the game. I’m not sure what it is he has to do. I really can’t speak for him.”

Different words are resonating with the Heat again now.

Not long after the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals and another postseason clash with Miami, Vogel called the reigning champions “just the next team that’s in our way.”

So following the Heat practice on Sunday to start preparing for the Pacers, four-time NBA MVP LeBron James insisted that his team would be ready for the challenge of facing Indiana.

Miami beat Indiana in six games last season. The teams start the East finals Wednesday night in Miami.

Guan, who last month became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship when he finished 58th at the Masters, has accepted an exemption to play at the Memorial Tournament next week.

“I am very excited to accept the invitation to play at the Memorial Tournament,” Tianlang said. “It is Jack Nicklaus’ event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person. He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow.”

Guan also made the cut at the PGA Tour stop in New Orleans but missed weekend play at last week’s Byron Nelson.

Nicklaus, founder and host of the Memorial, met with Guan’s parents at the Masters and had hoped the young phenom might play at Muirfield Village May 30-June 2.

He is as astounded as any by the maturity the youngster has shown.

“He was 14 years old! I mean, c’mon,” Nicklaus said recently during a trip to his hometown of nearby Columbus. “A seventh-grader won the Asian Amateur, and now he’s an eighth-grader? C’mon, that’s pretty unbelievable.”

Nicklaus was very impressed with Guan and his parents.

“He came to me and wanted to know what I felt about his education and what he should do. I said, ‘For the next few years, I’d let him finish up high school.’ Let’s start with that,” Nicklaus said with a laugh.

Nicklaus counseled the family to take it slowly, make sure he gets his schooling and is surrounded by friends and peers.

“His parents are trying to figure out the best way to promote his life in golf,” he said. “I said, ‘Let him make a few of the decisions.’ They’re very sharp people and he was very sharp for an eighth-grade kid to sit there and talk to us all down there. He’s pretty mature. But he’s still 14.”

Many have considered Guan an ambassador for the game, who can get the masses in his homeland interested in the game.

“For his country, he’s going to be the poster boy of being able to say, ‘Look, I can do this. You all go do it, too,’” Nicklaus said.

Nicklaus was also considered a prodigy while growing up in suburban Columbus. But he does not put himself in the same category with Guan.

“(When I was 14 I was) trying to figure out where I’m going to take my girlfriend on the next date, whether my history teacher will allow me to skip a class or if the basketball coach is going to have practice,” he joked.

Guan said meeting Nicklaus was one of the highlights of his time at the Masters.

Now he’s looking forward to another memorable trip at Muirfield Village.

“It is going to be a great week,” he said.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

They have two choices for the 50th anniversary game in 2016: the San Francisco Bay Area and South Florida.

The 49ers’ new stadium is being built and is scheduled to open for the 2014 season. With the NFL showing a penchant for bringing is championship game to new venues — Dallas and Indianapolis very recently, New Jersey next February — Santa Clara would appear to have a strong chance. Only once has the Bay Area staged a Super Bowl, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium.

“I think with the new stadium … we can host a Super Bowl there,” said Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. “It’s going to be awesome. So I realize there’s a lot of history at Candlestick. To stay competitive in the NFL, this is something we have really needed for a long, long time, and I think it’s going to be awesome.”

Not so awesome for the Miami area was a defeat in the state Legislature earlier this month that could severely damage its hopes of being chosen as the 2016 host. Or, for that matter, for South Florida to beat Houston for the 2017 game should it lose to San Francisco for the 50th edition. Both sites will be decided Tuesday.

The Dolphins were denied public money for a stadium upgrade. Multibillionaire Dolphins owner Stephen Ross contends $350 million in stadium improvements are badly needed, but he doesn’t want to pay for them by himself. Nor does he want a scaled-down renovation of the 26-year-old facility.

“The House leadership has made our efforts to bring the Super Bowl back to Miami and South Florida much more difficult,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee.

Miami does have experience on its side, having hosted 10 Super Bowls, tied with New Orleans for the most. All of the South Florida title games have been successful, although the only outdoor Super Bowl played in the rain was held there in 2007 when Peyton Manning and the Colts won the championship.

“This is not the stadium we had hoped we could include in the bid,” Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said. “But we will be there when the NFL owners vote, and we’ll put our best foot forward.”

A three-quarters majority of the 32 owners is required on the first ballot Tuesday. If neither city gets that, then a simple majority wins on the next ballot.

The loser in the 2016 bidding will face Houston for the 2017 Super Bowl. Houston hosted the 2004 game.

Texans owner Bob McNair is cautious about his city’s chances, even with South Florida’s political and financial struggles.

“Certainly what happened doesn’t help Miami’s bid. There’s no doubt about that,” McNair said. “But that doesn’t say that the owners couldn’t decide to still go to Miami.”

For years, it was thought the NFL would seek to stage the 50th Super Bowl in Los Angeles, where the first one was played (but did not sell out) on Jan. 15, 1967. But with no franchise in LA and no suitable stadium projects approved, that hope disappeared.

Next Feb. 2, the game goes outdoors in a cold-weather site for the first time, at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. If that gamble pays off for the NFL, look for other cities in similar climates — Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver — to bid for future Super Bowls.

The league also has expressed great satisfaction with how Indianapolis handled the big game in 2012. New Orleans is a regular bidder, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the power outage during last year’s game will not impact voting on the Big Easy hosting another Super Bowl.

The 2015 game will be played in the Phoenix area.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The Hamilton County prosecutor says 49-year-old David Moore of suburban Cincinnati was indicted Monday on a count of menacing by stalking and various weapons charges including carrying a concealed weapon.

The prosecutor says Moore talked about terrorism and complained to the director of the May 5 race about his race bib number. The prosecutor says Moore also asked the director about her relationship status and asked to speak on stage.

Police say Moore opened his coat to reveal a loaded 9 mm gun when asked if he was armed.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Moore.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Anthony will have his left shoulder re-examined now that the Knicks have been eliminated from the playoffs, the Daily News reported.

He hurt the shoulder on April 14 and aggravated it in the first round against Boston. A banged-up Anthony insisted he was “fine” after the Celtics series.

“(I)t really just kind of popped in and out a little bit,” he said. “But I’m fine.”

New York was eliminated Saturday by the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks are “hopeful” the injury “is not serious and that it will improve with rest and therapy and won’t require surgery,” the Daily News reported. Also according to the paper, Anthony won’t need arthroscopic surgery on his now-better right knee.

Meanwhile, J.R. Smith said he wants “to retire a Knick” when asked about his future following New York’s ouster Saturday. He’s expected to opt out of his contract this offseason.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” said the guard, who picked the wrong time of year to go ice-cold. “I love it. I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I was sitting in the locker room looking at my jersey after the game just knowing I don’t want to be anywhere else except for in the orange and blue. So we’ll see.”

Guard Pablo Prigioni will also have a big decision to make. The impending free agent may head back to the Spanish league next season because his wife “wants to return overseas,” the New York Post reported.

“I think it’s not the moment to talk about that now,” Prigioni said Saturday, according to the Post. “It’s painful to lose. It’s painful to start the vacation now. This is about the team. Now I stay quiet.”

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

• Gomes’ Three-Run Bomb Lifts Indians To Dramatic 10-8 Win Over Seattle
• Justin Masterson Of The Cleveland Indians Named The American League Player Of The Week
• Brendon Ayanbadejo Says Kluwe Situation “Makes You Scratch Your Head”
• 14-Year-Old Guan Tianlang Will Tee It Up In Memorial

Most injuries among nearly 2,000 players on more than 100 teams in six states were minor, with the youngsters returning to play the same day. More than 90 percent of the players did not suffer any injuries, and of those who did, the most common were contusions (35 percent) and ligament sprains (15 percent).

No catastrophic head, neck or heat-related injuries were reported.

Indianapolis-based Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention conducted the study in Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia.

“We need more studies like this across all of youth sports,” said Dr. Patrick Kersey, a physician at St. Vincent Sports Performance and USA Football medical director. “Such a commitment to research is how we advance player safety, determine best practices and continue football’s evolution, which has always been part of the game’s legacy. Our hope is that more sports will take similar steps for their young athletes.”

As USA Football, the governing body for the sport in the United States, begins the second year of its examination of player health and safety, it is stressing its Heads Up Football program that has been approved by the NFL. Heads Up Football emphasizes proper tackling technique — keep your head up — along with concussion recognition and response; coaching certifications; properly fitted equipment; and coaches trained to implement the program.

Approximately 2.8 million children ages 6-14 play organized youth tackle football.

“The health and safety of every youth football player is our No. 1 priority,” USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck said. “For the millions of children across the country who gain the physical, social and psychological rewards that youth football provides, this ground-breaking research will enable us to make the sport better and safer with scientifically gathered information.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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After the homer, Brantley came around and pointed to someone in the stands. That special someone – his dad, who spoke to his son before the game about hitting and his approach at the plate.

“I just wanted to give him a little shoutout,” Brantley said. “He did a great job working with my swing. We were breaking down film (Saturday night), and I just wanted to tell him we did it right.”

Brantley thrived in the three-hole Sunday, hitting a RBI single in the first, and then the huge three-run homer that seemed to put the game on ice.

“We have a ton of confidence,” Brantley said. “One of the main things is, we’re keeping it really loose. We’re enjoying it. When you’re enjoying baseball and you’re also winning, it’s fun.”

CRUSHING THE ACES: The big story out of Sunday’s win was the fact the team is now 7-1 against former Cy Young award winners, a mark that may be the most impressive of any other stat on the season.

Per Elias the 2013 Indians are the first team in MLB history to defeat seven past Cy Young winners before June 1st.

“I hope we get up every day, but I think you come to the ballpark knowing that you’re going to have to put in a good day’s work,” Indians manager Terry Francona Sunday about getting up for Cy Young award winners.

The Indians bats are simply dominating former Cy Young winners. The line in those games so far of the former winners – 1-7, 8.21 ERA, 41.2 innings, 38 earned runs, 60 hits, 10 homers.

EARLY RUNS: With the two runs the Indians scored in the first inning Sunday, the Tribe now has 34 RBI in the first inning this year, second in the Majors trailing only Milwaukee with 35

The club has now scored 35 runs in the 1st frame this season, second most in any inning behind the 5th where they have scored 42 times.

The Indians were also tied for third entering Sunday in the Majors with 157 runs scored through the first 6.0 innings of the game, trailing only Detroit (170) and Colorado (157); all 6 of the Indians runs Sunday came before the 4th inning, moving them past the Rockies and into sole possession of second place trailing only the Tigers.

ROLLING ALONG: The Indians enter Monday with a shot to build a 2.5 game lead over the Tigers before Detroit comes to town for two starting on Tuesday night at 7pm.

The Tribe has won 4 straight, 17 of 21 and 20 of the club’s last 27 games dating back to April 20 to post the best record in the Majors over that one month-span.

The club is now 14-8 at Progressive Field this season, winning 3 straight and 12 of their last 14 home games.

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The prosecutor’s office says the judge is involved in another trial, so Monday’s start of the aggravated murder trial of John Wise in Akron is off. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 67-year-old Wise, of Massillon (MAS’-ih-lawn), was charged with shooting his 65-year-old wife Barbara in the ICU unit of Akron General Medical Center on Aug. 4. She died the next morning.

A friend said Barbara Wise had been disabled by a stroke and that the couple had agreed they never wanted to become disabled in a nursing home.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

6:23 - The Indians continue to win, having won 17 of their past 21 and taking the first 3 of 4 against the Mariners this past weekend. Kiley and Booms discussed the red hot Tribe and the excellent managing by Terry Francona so far.

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7:22 - Brittney Griner, the first overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, came out saying Baylor officials urged her and other gay athletes to not publicize their sexual preference. Kiley and Booms discussed this story about Baylor’s policies, which Kiley understood, but pointed out the hypocrisy of Baylor by recruiting Griner, who admitted she was gay during the recruitment process.

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7:43 - Amber Boyd, a basketball player from Baldwin-Wallace who is gay, called in to talk about her experiences as a gay athlete at a Christian school. Amber, who attended the Catholic Regina High School, and was one of Goat B’s players, talked about her friends and families acceptance of her and the church’s response to her.

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8:44 - Tony Zarrella, the sports director at 19 Action News and host of Tailgate 19, came on the air this morning to talk about the red hot Indians, who have won 17 of the past 21 games.

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9:05 - Baltimore litigator and Cleveland native, Paul Flannery, stopped by the studio this morning and talked with Kiley and Booms about Jimmy Haslam and Pilot Flying J’s legal troubles.

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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the man died in the fall Saturday in Hocking Hills State Park near Logan.

Agency spokeswoman Mark Bruce said man — who is from Centerville, in the Dayton area — fell from the top of a 130-foot cliff. His name has not been released.

Bruce said the man had accompanied a Boy Scout troop to the state park. He was rappelling at about 5 p.m. Saturday in the rock-climbing area of the park when he fell.

It was the second fatal fall in the park so far this year.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

A download of “Out of Time” is available exclusively on Radio.com.

During the show, the group opened with “Vasoline” and went on to perform hits including “Big Bang Baby,” “Wicked Garden,” “Sex Type Thing,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart,” as well as the B-side “Dead and Bloated.”

Bennington, the singer of Linkin Park, previously performed with the STP on the single “Wonderful,” circa 2001.

In an exclusive sit-down interview with Stone Temple Pilots and Bennington after their Weenie Roast performance, KROQ morning show favorites Kevin & Bean got a sneak peak at the band’s backstage compound of sorts, hidden away from the other artist trailers. Secrecy was very important to Bennington and the members of Stone Temple Pilots, whose gear was purposely mislabeled backstage.

Bennington assured that the Weenie Roast performance would be “the first time but not the last” that he’d appear with STP. (Obviously not – he’ll also join them Sunday (May 19) at Live 105′s BFD in San Francisco.)

“Every band has its own kinda vibe,” Bennington explained. “Stone Temple Pilots has this sexier, more classic rock feel to it. Linkin Park is a very modern, very tech-heavy type of band. It was kind of nice. I got to use my voice tonight. I got to sing and show my range a little bit. I still got to through a little scream in here and there but it’s really just so much different. I grew up listening to these guys. When this opportunity came up, it was just like a no-brainer.”

So what’s the next step for the foursome?

“We’re gonna go out to lunch together because we haven’t been able because we haven’t been able to be seen in public together. So, we’re probably going to go hang out as friends,” confessed Bennington.

Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo hinted that there might be an album and tour in the near future.

“We couldn’t really plan a tour until tonight because we couldn’t let people know what was going on,” Bennington added. Now the cat’s out of the bag so we’re going to go out and make more music and go play more shows and have some fun.”

Speaking about Linkin Park’s support of his decision to perform with STP, Bennington said, “They’ve always been very cool about guys in the band and going out and doing other things.”

As for STP’s former bandmate, longtime vocalist Scott Weiland, it’s worth asking: Did he know that he was being replaced by Bennington?

“Probably now,” joked DeLeo, who pointed out that there has been little or no communication between Weiland and the band. “He changed his numbers years ago and didn’t forward the new ones to us.”

- Jillian Mapes, Courtney E. Smith & Jay Tilles, Radio.com

The Spurs avoided a repeat of their Game 1 loss when the teams met two years ago in the first round. The Grizzlies went on to knock San Antonio out of the playoffs as the top seed that time.

San Antonio raced out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter, then came up with a response when Memphis rallied to get within six in the second half. Both teams pulled their starters with over 5 minutes left and the Spurs leading by 21.

Quincy Pondexter led Memphis with 17 points. Grizzlies All-Star Zach Randolph missed his first seven shots and scored his only points on a tip-in with 9:26 left in the game.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in San Antonio.

The NBA’s stingiest defense wasn’t up to its usual standards, allowing the Spurs to hit 53 percent of their shots and a franchise postseason-record 14 3-pointers while Randolph struggled. Randolph was a non-factor after going for a playoff-best 28 points and 14 rebounds as Memphis eliminated defending West champ Oklahoma City in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Grizzlies started to rally as soon as Randolph came out of the game for the first time in the second half.

Pondexter made a baseline cut for a layup off Darrell Arthur’s pass, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 10-0 burst. Jerryd Bayless’ two-handed, fast-break dunk off a steal got the Grizzlies within 62-56 with 3:43 left in the third quarter.

The comeback was short-lived, though.

Bayless missed a 3-pointer on the next trip, and Manu Ginobili was able to make one at the opposite end to spark an 11-1 response that immediately restored the Spurs’ lead to 16 by end of the quarter. Leonard hit a pair of 3-pointers and Gary Neal had one as San Antonio kept pouring it on in the fourth.

The four regular-season meetings were all won by the team with more points in the paint, but perimeter shooting proved to be a bigger factor in the playoff opener. Memphis, which was second in the NBA by holding opponents to 33.8 shooting on 3-pointers, let San Antonio make 13 of its first 24 from behind the arc and finish 14 of 29.

Danny Green connected three times and scored 16, and Matt Bonner hit four of his five attempts for 12 points.

Marc Gasol provided 15 points for Memphis, and Mike Conley had 14 points and eight assists.

The Spurs asserted themselves early, scoring on their first seven possessions and also getting a couple head-to-head defensive stops from their veterans while claiming a quick 23-8 lead. Parker swiped the ball from Conley on Memphis’ second possession, running out for a layup, and Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins burned a timeout in the first 2 minutes.

Tim Duncan snuffed out the ensuing play by blocking Randolph’s shot, and the Spurs’ strong start continued. Bonner hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 17-point edge late in the first quarter, and San Antonio pushed out to a 43-23 advantage following consecutive baskets by Parker with 6:06 left before halftime.

It was the largest first-half deficit for the Grizzlies during the playoffs.

Gasol hit three baskets as Memphis made a push to get back in the game before halftime, trimming the deficit to 51-37 at the break.

Notes: Memphis’ only larger deficit this postseason came in the first-round opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. L.A. didn’t lead by 20 until the final minute of a 112-91 victory. … Tracy McGrady got a standing ovation when he checked in with the Spurs up by 20 midway through the fourth quarter. … The Spurs had 13 3-pointers in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in last year’s playoffs, on May 15.

Copyright 2013. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Here they possibly go again, at least on the comment front.

The Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Pacers won’t begin until Wednesday night, but there’s already signs that the animosity present throughout last season’s Miami-Indiana second-round series will likely return this time around. The first flare-up appeared to arrive Saturday night, when Pacers coach Frank Vogel called the reigning champion Heat “just the next team that’s in our way.”

Predictably, the Heat didn’t seem to take that as flattery.

“We’re a great team,” said James, the Heat forward who won the NBA’s MVP award for the fourth time this season. “We’re very confident. We’ll be ready for them. If we’re just another team, you don’t prepare, you really don’t prepare for just another team. We’re not just another team. You have to prepare for us.”

And away they go.

Pushing, shoving, a few extra words, that’s all typical extra-curricular activity in playoff basketball. With Heat-Pacers last season, there seemed to be more. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem were bloodied at times. Haslem targeted Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough in what was perceived as retaliation for a foul against Wade. And Lance Stephenson — who made the “choke” sign after James missed a free throw in a Game 3 loss — getting leveled by now-former Miami reserve Dexter Pittman in a particularly memorable end to a blowout Heat win in Game 5.

“We don’t need bulletin-board material,” James said.

The Heat took the rare step of practicing on their game court Sunday instead of inside their gym located upstairs, and coach Erik Spoelstra called it a “training-camp” workout. And this statistic — Pacers 2, Heat 1 — surely will keep Miami from believing a third straight finals trip is an inevitability, since not only was that the lead Indiana held in last season’s playoff series, it also represents the win totals from this year’s three matchups between the clubs.

“If we’re the same team that we were last year, that won’t be good enough,” Spoelstra said. “Period. Fact. That’s why we’ve spent so much time this year trying to develop habits to improve. We don’t feel we’re the same team that played the Indiana Pacers last year.”

Of course, the Pacers feel the same way.

Indiana took Sunday off, after the grind of a six-game second-round series against the New York Knicks ended, and is expected to start its Heat-centric workouts on Monday in Indianapolis before flying to Miami on Tuesday.

“We were up 2-1 last year,” Pacers forward David West said. “We dropped the ball.”

When Indiana beat the Knicks and finished off that series on Saturday night, Vogel and his players were standing in the center of their locker room a few moments after the final buzzer, many of them cheering and applauding.

“I believe we’re just getting warmed up,” Vogel told them.

A few minutes later, flanked by his two daughters in a postgame interview, Vogel talked about the Pacers getting one step further — at least — in this year’s playoffs than they did a year ago.

“Every team that’s on a championship journey takes steps each year, take it a step further than they were the year before,” Vogel said. “We were a first-round elimination team two years ago against the Bulls. Made it to the second round last year, got knocked out by Miami. Just proud of the yearlong effort to take that next step.”

Not long afterward, he was asked about playing the Heat again.

“This is not about getting back at Miami,” Vogel said. “If you’re in the final four, you’re competing for a championship. You’re competing for a championship. And they’re just the next team that’s in our way.”

His last line was duly noticed by the Heat, who bristled at his claim last season that Miami has the biggest collection of call-drawing floppers in the NBA, one that got Vogel fined by the league.

“It’s always good to get some motivation from the other side,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said.

Wade said he expected to see Indiana find its way to the East finals.

“We know this is a good team,” Wade said. “This team right here, they’re in the Eastern Conference finals for a reason. I expected to see them here. And I think it’s only right that we see them in the Eastern Conference finals, after the series we had last year.

Copyright 2013. The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hernandez, who was a lifetime 6-4 with a 2.09 ERA in 13 starts vs Indians, was rocked for six runs in five innings, as the Tribe beat up the M’s again with a 6-0 win.

The victory is the fourth in a row for the streaking Indians, and they are now a season-high eight games over .500 at 25-17.

The offense hero vs Hernandez was Michael Brantley, who came off a day off Saturday to rap an RBI single in the first, and then in the second slammed a three-run homer to put the Tribe up 5-0.

Hernandez lasted just five innings, he gave up six runs, five earned on eight hits. He walked two and struck out eight.

The Indians bats once again did a good job running up the pitch count, as Hernandez was already at 58 pitches after two innings with the Tribe up 5-0.

While Hernandez was struggling, Indians ace Justin Masterson was thriving against the Mariners, again extending a scoreless inning streak.

The Tribe hurler threw 106 pitches in going seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 11 batters, one shy of his career-high.

Left-handed hitters went just 3-for-17 (.176) vs Masterson on the day. Masterson moves to 4-0 lifetime vs the Mariners.

Rich Hill and Joe Smith threw the final two innings for the Indians, holding Seattle in check to secure the shutout for the team and Masterson.

With the series already won with Sunday’s win, the Tribe will look for the four-game sweep over Seattle Monday with a 12:05pm start.

Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.33) goes for the Tribe vs Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1, 1.84) for Seattle.

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He faltered in the fourth, and now New York’s season is over.

Roy Hibbert’s block of Anthony’s dunk attempt midway through the fourth quarter spurred an 11-2 run that rallied the Indiana Pacers to a 106-99 victory over the Knicks in Game 6 of their second-round series, sending them into their first Eastern Conference final since 2004.

Anthony finished with 39 points and seven rebounds. He mercilessly attacked Indiana’s Paul George, one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, scoring 15 points in the third quarter while helping the Knicks erase a 12-point deficit.

The Knicks led 92-90 before Hibbert’s stuff.

“That block, that spearheaded that momentum run that they made,” Anthony said.

That was the way the quarter went for the NBA’s regular-season scoring champion. He made 2 of 7 shots in the final 12 minutes, scored four points and committed three turnovers.

“I don’t think it was fatigue,” Anthony said. “I don’t think they made any adjustments. I know it was one shot, a couple shots that I felt like the ball was almost in.”

New York native Lance Stephenson scored nine points in the run for the Pacers, finishing with a playoff career-high 25.

With players from both teams standing on the court as the final seconds ticked off and Pacers fans roaring in appreciation, the sellout crowd wasted little time breaking into chants of “Beat The Heat!”

For Indiana, it sets up a postseason rematch with the defending NBA champs, the team that eliminated them last May after the Pacers had taken a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals. The Heat wound up winning Game 4 at Indiana and followed that with two more wins as Danny Granger struggled with a knee injury.

Indiana used the lessons from that series as motivation to improve this season and wound up beating the Heat twice at home before losing the third game of the season series at Miami. The Pacers will return to South Florida for Game 1 on Wednesday night.

With Granger missing all but five games this season because of the lingering knee injury, the Pacers put an even greater emphasis on playing defense and it showed.

Indiana led the league in rebounding, defensive field goal percentage and defensive 3-point percentage while finishing second in points allowed per game during the regular season. It was no different in the playoffs, as the Knicks found out.

New York had another subpar shooting night Saturday, making just 40 percent of its shots, and again wound up on the wrong side of a 43-36 rebounding discrepancy. In the paint, New York was outscored 52-20, and Anthony, who finished with 39 points, scored just four points in the final 12 minutes when he went 2 of 7 from the field.

Iman Shumpert added 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and J.R. Smith scored 15. Nobody else was in double figures.

The combination, as it had been in the previous three losses to Indiana, produced the same frustrating result.

“They have a hell of a defense. They hold down the paint. They do a great job, do a hell of a job of controlling the paint, closing it down, making it tough for guys,” Anthony said. “You’ve got to give them guys credit, especially when they got a chance to set. Roy Hibbert gets to sit in the paint, causes havoc.”

It’s not just that.

The biggest question coming into Saturday’s game was whether starting point guard George Hill would play. He took part in the team’s morning shootaround, was cleared by the team doctors and wound up returning two days after missing Game 5 with a concussion. His return gave the Pacers a big boost.

Hill finished with just 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting but had five rebounds and four assists, and kept the Pacers composed enough to commit only nine turnovers — 10 fewer than Thursday night’s loss in New York.

The results showed up everywhere on the floor.

George had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists. David West added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Hibbert finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, none bigger than the stuff on Anthony that changed the game. Stephenson had 10 rebounds and three assists in his best postseason game ever.

The reason: He wanted to avoid a trip home.

“I just didn’t want to go back to New York and play Game 7,” Stephenson said. “Just get it done with now and I’d do whatever it takes to do that today. It showed tonight.”

The New York native made sure of it.

After George grabbed the rebound off of Hibbert’s block, Stephenson took a pass from West and scored on a layup to tie the score at 92 with 4:51 left in the game. Stephenson followed that with a steal and drove in for a layup, drawing a foul and completing a three-point play. After grabbing another rebound and making two more free throws, West tipped in a miss and Stephenson closed the decisive spurt with another layup. Suddenly, the Pacers led 101-94 with 1:53 to go.

New York never got another chance to tie the score or take the lead again despite making a far more typical 13 of 30 from 3-point range.

“It’s tough to go out this way,” coach Mike Woodson said. “I didn’t make it happen for us and that’s what’s disappointing.”

The Pacers have a far different goal now as they get ready to face LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Miami.

“We’re not satisfied with where we’re at,” coach Frank Vogel said. “We feel like there’s no ceiling on this team this year.”

Notes: New York failed to become the ninth team to rally from a 3-1 deficit. … Indianapolis 500 pole winner Ed Carpenter made the short trip from the track to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where he is a regular attendee. … Colts coach Chuck Pagano also attended the game. … The Knicks were 18 of 18 from the free throw line.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Fans are still holding back it seems, as evident by the fact there was just over 17,000 at Saturday’s 9th inning win over the Mariners. This after a night before nearly 35,000 showed up, watching one of the most fun wins in a long time when Jason Kipnis’ three-run homer in the 10th beat Seattle.

The Indians have turned their season around with a starting pitching staff that suddenly looks a lot more like a strength than a weakness.

Justin Masterson, who has been solid all season, threw a complete game shutout vs the Yankees last Monday. Ubaldo Jimenez has now had four solid starts in a row. Not perfect, but much better than any stretch he’s had since joining the team in 2011.

Zach McAllister right now is the number three, and is proving why Terry Francona and the coaching staff told him in the middle of the spring he would be in the rotation.

He’s been solid for the last month, and deserved a much better fate Saturday in the 5-4 win over Seattle. Both Scott Kazmir and Corey Kluber have had their moments, and Brett Myers is working his way back to try and prove his awful start was a mirage.

So why are people not still putting their full support behind this team? Well, for starters, the tease of a fun Indians summer has been here before, only to then go backwards.

Two years ago they were 30-15, and collapsed quickly, and while they made the deal for Jimenez and were in the race till September, they were not real contenders.

Last season they trudged their way along in Manny Acta’s final season, and pulled within 3.5 games near the end of July. The outcome – a HUGE collapse that included the end of Acta and fans being irate again with the organization from top to bottom.

So why should fans finally put the past behind and get on board with this team?

Here’s a couple of reasons that should make fans think long and hard about this.

1. Terry Francona – The Indians skipper has two rings for a reason, and he’s got this team thinking they are better than they are. They are treated like men, and respond as such when they don’t do things the right way. He’s a great manager, and he’s proving it day in and day out.

2. Sluggers – The lineup is full of guys and an offense that can keep teams in games late. Take the game Saturday when they were tied at four going into the bottom of the ninth. There was no doubt this team wasn’t going to win the game, and that’s due to an offense that has players like Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds and the speedsters like Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs.

3. A Short Memory – Or in the case of most of the new guys that are doing well, none at all. They were not around for the last two collapses, and don’t care to talk about them, because they know nothing about them. This team doesn’t wallow in losses, and even tough losses they seem to get over quickly, which is good.

So don’t be afraid Indians fans, this team isn’t your usual Indians. They have excitement, energy, and guys that truly can get the job done. There’s no reason to not jump on this bandwagon.

A couple more wins like Friday and Saturday – that bandwagon is going to fill up quick.

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Both teams were looking to get their seasons on track by claiming victory on Salute The Troops Night in Cleveland. Both teams came out on fire using big plays and protecting the football, with each team scoring on there first three possessions of the game. Gladiators QB Chris Dieker who was 8 0f 10 for 103 yards and a touchdown, injured his left shoulder halfway through the 2nd quarter after being suplexed by the Talons defense. Brian Zbydniewski came in relief of Dieker and led the Gladiators down the field to tie the game at 21. The first mistake of the game came with 3:55 left in the 1st half when down 7, Zbydniewski was intercepted by Jamar Ransom of the Talons. The interception was caped off by a 29 yd TD drive that gave the Talons a 35 to 21 lead. Zbydniewski’s struggles continued as he fumbled while the Gladiators were driving near the end of the half, the fumble did not hurt the Gladiators as the Talons missed a 30 yd FG.

After giving up a safety on the second play of the half, the Gladiators defense tried to pick up the struggling offense by intercepting a Nick Hill pass, however their efforts were in vain as Zbydniewski threw a red zone interception 4 plays later. The clear standout of this game was Talons QB Nick Hill who was 23-40 for 239 yards and 4 TD’s, he used a quartet of receivers that was led by D.J Stephens who had 78 yards on 8 receptions and 2 TD’s. The Talons mix of offense and defense guided them to an easy victory. The speed they have on both sides of the ball not only created turnovers, but helped them to make several big plays which halted the chances of a Gladiators comeback.

The underlining story of tonight’s game is the Gladiators QB situation, Chris Dieker had seemed to have grabbed the reins of the position after an excellent showing against the Chicago Rush and his early performance against the Talons. Zbydniewski who was 14-27 175 yards and 3 TD’s. Zbydniewski has struggled to maintain control of the football turning over the ball the last couple of weeks, he turned it over 7 times tonight (6 INT’s & a Fumble). The Gladiators hopes might hinge on the status of Dieker’s shoulder, he did not return to tonight’s game and if he misses any extended amount of time, doubts will continue to surface as to whether Zbydniewski has the ability to guide this team to victory. The Gladiators QB situation has not stunted the continuing growth of the WR corp which was led tonight by Thyron Lewis who had 157 yards on 8 receptions and 3 TD’s. As for tonight the Talons proved to be a more talented team winning tonight’s game 57-33. The Gladiators will look to redeem themselves next week when they take on their rivals the Pittsburgh Power, in Pittsburgh next Saturday at 7pm.

Denzel Castile, 19, was charged with aggravated murder Friday and was on suicide watch in a northern Ohio jail. Investigators said Castile is the little girl’s cousin, but they were not sure what led up to the stabbing.

Police said the child, Athena Castile, died at a hospital just hours after the attack.

Officers arrived at the house where Castile lives after a 911 call late Thursday night and found several family members in a fight, said Sandusky Police Chief John Orzech.

Castile grabbed the infant and ran down a hallway, stabbing her, Detective Sgt. Dana Newell told The Sandusky Register. He dropped the baby and another officer picked up the child and rushed her to an ambulance, police said.

Castile was due to be arraigned Friday, but that hearing was canceled after jailers say he became violent and would not settle down. He does not yet have an attorney.

Police said the baby’s mother wasn’t at the house at the time of the stabbing.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Oxbow led from start to finish. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown win, the most in horse racing history.

“I get paid to spoil dreams,” Lukas said in an interview with NBC moments after the race.

Orb finished fourth. The Kentucky Derby winner was a 3-5 favorite in Saturday’s race, but he became another casualty of starting on the rail in the Preakness. Since 1950, only two horses have won the middle jewel of the Triple Crown from the No. 1 post position.

Orb’s five-race winning streak ended on an overcast, windy day at Pimlico Race Course. The brown colt had not lost since Nov. 24.

Oxbow was coming off a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, where he made a move for the lead in the final turn but faded.

In the Preakness, Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens took control at the outset and never relinquished the advantage.

Oxbow covered the 1 3/16th miles in 1:57.54. He went off as a 15-1 underdog and paid $32.80, $12 and $8.80.

Itsmyluckyday finished second and paid $7.80 and $5. Mylute paid $5.20 to show.

Mylute, with Rosie Napravnik in the saddle, came in fifth in the Kentucky Derby. Racing at the track where she earned her first career victory, Napravnik was attempting to become the first female jockey to win the Preakness.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Bradley had a 13-under 197 total for a one-stroke lead over Sang-Moon Bae (66) and two-shot advantage over Tom Gillis (67).

On Sunday, Bradley will be trying to win at TPC Four Seasons for the second time in three years. He could also become the Nelson’s first wire-to-wire winner since Tom Watson led alone at the end of all four rounds in 1980.

After following his opening course-record 60 with a 69 on Friday, Bradley started the third round with a three-stroke lead. He stayed alone at top of the leaderboard throughout, even after consecutive bogeys on the front nine and his third consecutive bogey this week at No. 18.

Bradley avoided a bogey at No. 1 for the first time this week. But not at the 429-yard 18th, which cost him the opportunity for a bigger lead.

On the closing hole, where Bradley went way right off the tee the first two rounds, he smashed his drive down the left side toward the water Saturday. While the ball stayed dry, it settled behind a large rock, forcing Bradley to punch back into the fairway before an approach shot that settled on the front edge of the green. He almost saved par, but the ball rolled just over the lip of the cup and 2 feet past.

Scott Piercy’s 66 matched Bae and three others for the best round on a breezy Texas day. Piercy was fourth at 10 under, two strokes ahead of Gary Woodland (68), Harris English (68), John Huh (69) and 2011 Masters champ Charl Schwartzel (69).

When 83 players made the cut of even par, there were threesomes instead of traditional twosomes for the third round. That put Bradley in the same group with Bae and Gillis, who started the round tied for second place.

Gillis was the last player in the field with a bogey Saturday, when he three-putted from 20 feet at the 203-yard 17th.  He got that stroke right back when he blasted out of a greenside bunker for a birdie at No. 18.

Bradley got his first PGA Tour victory as a rookie at the Nelson two years ago. He followed that by winning the PGA Championship later that season and the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational in 2012.

He first got to 12 under with a 13-foot birdie at the 505-yard third hole and saved par at the next hole after driving into a fairway bunker.

His consecutive bogeys came when he two-putted for bogey after missing the green at the par-3 fifth and then drove into the rough at No. 6. But after a long wait to tee off at the 542-yard seventh hole, Bradley got to the green in two and two-putted from 14 feet for a birdie.

When Bradley’s drive at No. 11 settled just a few inches above the top edge of a bunker, it looked like he might have some trouble. But he hit his approach shot onto the green, 34 feet from the cup, and sank the birdie putt to get to 13 under.

After his approach at the 546-yard 16th into a greenside bunker, Bradley blasted within 12 feet and made the birdie putt.

Bae, the 26-year-old South Korean who has 11 international victories but none on the PGA Tour, was quickly within a stroke of the lead after birdies on the first two holes. He made a 9-footer on the first and curled in a 32-foot birdie putt at the 223-yard second hole.

A 12-footer for birdie at the eighth hole got Bae to 10 under, again only a stroke back. But Bradley made a 14-foot birdie putt to close out the front nine and made the turn with a two-stroke lead over Bae and Gillis, who also made a birdie from 14 feet at the ninth hole to get to 10 under.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Saturday at Progressive Field, the Indians took it to the limit once again, with closer Chris Perez giving up back-to-back homers in the 9th inning to Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak to tie the game at four, and the team rallied for a run in the bottom half for the 5-4 win.

The win came when Mark Reynolds hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded in the ninth. The win means the Indians will stay at least tied with Detroit atop the AL Central.

Jason Kipnis, who won Friday’s game with a three-run homer in the 10th, led off the bottom of the ninth with a single off Oliver Perez (1-1) and took third on Asdrubal Cabrera’s double. Nick Swisher was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Reynolds, who drove in three runs, hit a sharp ground ball off reliever Yoervis Medina that was gloved by shortstop Brendan Ryan, but his throw home pulled catcher Jesus Montero off the plate.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge came on the field to discuss the call with home plate umpire Mike Winters, but quickly went back to the dugout.

“It looked like Monty (catcher Jesus Montero) came off the plate there, because I thought the throw beat him,” Wedge said.

The Indians were one out from victory when Ibanez and Smoak struck. Perez retired the first two hitters before Ibanez homered to right, cutting the lead to 4-3. Smoak homered to center on a 1-1 pitch.

Perez (2-0) blew his second save in eight chances this season.

“You can’t make excuses when things don’t go your way, I was fine pitching last night,” Perez said. “Things didn’t go my way today – it is what it is.”

Zach McAllister had another strong start for the Indians, and deserved to win, going 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits.

The Tribe starters last pitch was his mistake of the day, a Brendan Ryan two-run homer that cut the Indians lead from 4-0 to 4-2.

Reynolds, whose RBI single in the first put Cleveland ahead, hit a 3-2 pitch from Joe Saunders over the 19-foot high wall in left field in the fifth. Reynolds, signed as a free agent in December, is tied for the AL lead in home runs.

Run-scoring singles by Michael Bourn and Kipnis increased the lead in the sixth.

The Tribe’s first-inning rally began on Cabrera’s two-out single. Following a walk to Swisher, Reynolds punched a ground ball through the right side that scored Cabrera.

The Indians chased Saunders in the sixth. Mike Aviles started the inning with a double and remained at second when Yan Gomes singled through the left side.

After a sacrifice and with the infield playing in, Ryan fielded Bourn’s ground ball behind the mound but his throw home was too late to get Aviles. Kipnis blooped a single to left that scored Gomes.

Smoak led off the eighth with a double and scored when Ryan hit his first home run of the season. Rich Hill recorded the final two outs of the eighth.

Sunday it’s two aces going at it, as the M’s throw out Felix Hernandez (5-2), while the Indians will put Justin Masterson (6-2) on the mound at 1:05pm.

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(The Associated Press contributed to this story)

The deal to bring Freeney to the Chargers came four days after outside linebacker Melvin Ingram tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a padless practice.

The addition of Freeney also helps cushion the loss of outside linebackers Antwan Barnes and Shaun Phillips to free agency.

Freeney is 33 and entering his 12th season. He will make $5.25 million this season.

He was Indianapolis’ career sacks leader with 107 ½ but the Colts decided not to re-sign him in the offseason. After recording 13 ½ sacks in 2009, his totals declined each of the past three years. He had five in 2012.

Freeney, a seven-time Pro Bowler, never seemed comfortable after moving from a 4-3 defensive end, where he spent his first 10 NFL seasons, to a 3-4 outside linebacker. The Chargers run a 3-4 defense.

Freeney was the 11th overall selection in the 2002 draft. During his time with the Colts, he combined with Robert Mathis to form one of the most fearsome pass-rush tandems in the league. His 44 forced fumbles are the most by any NFL player since 2002 and he was one of 13 players in Colts’ history to participate in more than 100 victories.

Freeney led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2004.

Chargers rookie general manager Tom Telesco was with the Colts before being hired by San Diego in January.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Friday was Kipnis’ first career walk-off home run and second career walk-off hit (also a 2-out, RBI-single on July 25, 2011 vs. Los Angeles in the bottom of the 9th inning off Hisanori Takahashi with the bases loaded)…marked the first walk-off home run for Cleveland in a lefty-lefty match-up since Travis Hafner in 2011 vs. Toronto.

Kipnis has hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games dating back to May 3, batting .316 (18-57) with 13 extra-base hits (5-2B, 2-3B, 6-HR), 19 RBI and a 1.164 OPS (.375 OBP/.789 SLG) in that 14-game span.

ROLLING: Needless to say, the Indians have been one of the best teams in the Majors as of late, as they are sitting tied with the Tigers atop the American League Central.

The Friday win over the M’s puts the team six games over .500 at 23-17, matching the club’s high-water mark of the season.

The team has won 2 straight, 5 of 7, 9 of 12, 15 of 19 and 18 of the last 25, and push their mark to 12-8 at home, winning 10 of their last 12 at Progressive Field.

MYSTERY BALLS: The Cleveland Indians Wives Association will hold its first fundraiser of the year today at the park, with the popular “Mystery Baseballs” with Tribe player signatures.

You can also place bids on special fan experiences including, head shaving by Justin Masterson, BP with Nick Swisher, and a pitching lesson from Chris Perez.

The balls are $40 per ball, and you can get them at Section 156 once the gates open at 11:30am.

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Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter quickly found himself under withering cross-examination from a Simpson lawyer intent on proving that Galanter’s word couldn’t be trusted — that he knew ahead of time of Simpson’s plan and spent more effort covering up his involvement than representing Simpson.

The weeklong hearing concluded late Friday with Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell telling attorneys she will issue her decision in writing. She didn’t specify a date.

Simpson was returned to prison custody. His attorneys, Patricia Palm and Ozzie Fumo, said they were optimistic that the judge would grant a new trial.

“I just think the evidence of his claims is overwhelming,” Palm said.

Galanter took the stand as the state’s star witness in a hearing on Simpson’s claim that he was so badly represented at trial and on appeal that his conviction should be thrown out.

He spent most of the day on the defensive, with Simpson lawyer Tom Pitaro grilling him with accusations and pointed questions.

“Mr. Simpson never told me he was going to go to the Palace (Station) hotel with a bunch of thugs, kidnap people and take property by force,” Galanter said at one point. “To insinuate I, as his lawyer, would have blessed it is insane.”

Galanter conceded at one point that Simpson’s conviction was his responsibility.

At another point, he conceded that he “misspoke” when he told the trial judge, Jackie Glass, that crucial audio recordings had been carefully analyzed by experts.

“Clearly I misspoke,” Galanter said as Pitaro bored in. “I would never, ever … I would just never intentionally mislead a judicial officer or a lawyer. I’m falling on that sword.”

Galanter denied giving Simpson the go-ahead to retrieve the photos and footballs he believed had been stolen from him. He denied keeping Simpson in the dark about offers of plea deals that carried only a few years in prison. He said his client agreed all along with the decision not to put him on the stand to testify at his trial.

And he disputed Simpson’s testimony from earlier this week when the former NFL star said he didn’t know anyone in the hotel room had guns.

“When you look at the entire trial, I don’t think I could have fought harder, done more,” Galanter said. “I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul into it.”

At another point, he said: “Simpson brought a lot of baggage into the courtroom. It’s not like the 12 jurors didn’t know he was accused of murder and acquitted.”

Simpson, 65, was found guilty in 2008 of kidnapping and armed robbery over the hotel room episode and was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison. The conviction came 13 years to the day after his “trial of the century” acquittal in Los Angeles in the murders of his ex-wife and a friend of hers.

Galanter testified that Simpson confided to him that he had asked two men to bring guns to the hotel room in September 2007, and “he knew he screwed up.”

On the stand, Galanter brought up the guns only after he paused and was reminded that Simpson had waived attorney-client privilege. “I’m very uncomfortable doing this,” he said.

Testifying about events leading up to the incident, Galanter said he was surprised when Simpson told him over dinner in Las Vegas that he and several other men were planning a “sting” the next morning to take back the mementos.

Galanter said he advised Simpson not to take matters into his own hands: “I said, ‘O.J., you’ve got to call the police.’”

Simpson testified that Galanter advised him that he was within his rights to retrieve the items, told him not to testify at the trial, and failed to tell him prosecutors had offered plea bargains.

During questioning about how much Galanter was paid for the case, the judge asked Pitaro where he was going with his questions.

“What Mr. Galanter has done is, this man has received over a half-million dollars and has put his interest, his financial interest, above the interest of his client,” Pitaro said.

Galanter insisted he told Simpson at least three times that prosecutors discussed plea bargains. He said Simpson rejected them.

Simpson said, “No deal. No way,” to an offer from the district attorney of five to seven years in prison, Galanter said. Later, during the trial, Simpson turned down a better offer, Galanter said.

“I went out in the hall and said to O.J., ‘There is an offer of two to five.’ He said, ‘See if they will take a year,’” Galanter testified. “I discussed a year with them, and they said no and the trial went on.”

If Simpson succeeds in getting his conviction thrown out, prosecutors will have to decide whether to retry him or offer a plea bargain. If he loses, he will be sent back to prison and will probably appeal. He will be 70 before he is eligible for parole.

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Find Ken Ritter at http://twitter.com/krttr .

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.