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Friday, June 5, 2015 | Section B | cleveland.com/sports *

NBA Finals: Get complete Game 1 coverage of the Cavaliers-Warriors championship series. SECTION S Tribe Town: Chris Morris takes a look back at Jason Kipnis’ incredible month of May. PAGE B3

TRIBE TOWN

WAY TO MAY POWERS

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KIPNIS’ MAY: Game, opponent and hit tally through the month

As the 2015 season enters June, the Indians made up for lost ground in April with a very strong May. The team has won 11 of their last 15 games. A recap of some May highlights:

BY CHRIS MORRIS THE PLAIN DEALER cmorris@plaind.com

TOR 4 for 5

MIN 3 for 5

@TEX 1 for 5

CIN 1 for 5

@SEA 2 for 7

John Jouriles has been a season ticket holder since Progressive Field opened, and has attended baseball games for as long as he can remember. A childhood memory was that each elementary school would be given tickets to a game at League Park, and he saw the Indians play when he was seven years old. Married 62 years, he and his wife attend almost every Indians home game. A career in construction in the Chagrin Falls area followed his service in the military. A decorated veteran, he was inducted into the Army in 1943, served as a rifleman in France with the 86th Infantry Division, fighting in three battles before being wounded shortly before the war in Europe ended. While he recovered, his unit was sent to the Pacific. Mr. Jouriles will turn 90 years old later this summer and is happy to say “Win or lose, we have baseball in Cleveland.” still

@KC 1 for 4

STL 3 for 5

@CWS 0 for 4

TEX 1 for 5

@CWS 2 for 5

TEX 1 for 5

@KC 2 for 5

MAY TOTALS:

MIN 1 for 5

STL 2 for 5

STL 4 for 5

@CWS 1 for 5

@SEA 2 for 5

TOR 2 for 5

@CWS 0 for 5

TEX 3 for 5

@KC 0 for 5

STL 1 for 5

20 27

CIN 3 for 5

@SEA 1 for 4

TOR 2 for 5

MIN 3 for 5

@TEX 3 for 6

CIN 2 for 4

@SEA 0 for 4

29 games, 119 at-bats, 143 plate appearances 51 Hits: 29 1B, 15 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 30 R, 17 RBI, 16 BB, 5 HBP, .429 BA

SOURCE: Indians Baseball

FAN IN THE STANDS

State semiﬁnals: St. Ignatius and Aurora fall in baseball, Keystone tumbles in softball. PAGES B5-6

APRIL SHOWERS GIVE

The Cleveland Indians limped out of April with 7 wins and 14 losses, and May 6 — a full month it wasn’t until into the 10-3 drubbing of the Kansas season — they were able to notch their 10th victory, a City Royals. But what also happened was Tribe baseman Jason Kipnis started tearing up the second base paths, hitting .429 A remarkable 51-hit, four-homer, for the month. 17-RBI stat sheet earned him AL Player of the Month.

Insider

THE K’s IN MAY

On May 13, Corey Kluber struck out 18 St. Louis Cardinals batters in 8 innings pitched. Kluber is one of only pitchers in baseball history ﬁve different to strike out 18 or more batters without surrendering a base-on-balls, joining Luis Tiant, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Kerry Wood. So Although he lost his last start in excited Kansas City Wednesday night, Kluber is still putting up big numbers: He leads all MLB pitchers with 84.2 innings pitched, and more impressively, he has struck out 105 batters this season, averaging almost nine Ks per start. Leading the league in Ks, even with a 3.61 ERA and a 3-6 record is still pretty cool!

Memorial Tournament

Strong start for defending champ Matsuyama shares lead with Van Pelt at Muirfield Village D u b l i n, O h i o — History is integral to the Memorial Tournament, founded by Jack Nicklaus. So, it comes as little surprise firstround leaders Hideki Matsuyama and Bo Van Pelt have strong histories here. But so do Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and Cleveland native Jason Dufner, whose opening rounds added intrigue to a starstudded field Thursday at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Defending champion Matsuyama and Van Pelt were tied for first at 8-under 64, two shots ahead of Dufner and Russell Knox. Seven pros were knotted at 67. Masters champion Spieth and former Memorial champ Justin Rose were among nine at 68 as the field exploited soft fairways, fast greens and some generous pin placements. Woods was not so fortunate. The five-time Memorial champ who is once again rebuilding his swing clawed back from a 40 on his first nine to finish 1-over 73. Matsuyama, 23, is part of a wave of rising young talent on the PGA Tour. The 2014 Memorial was his first victory, but he hasn’t won since.

32-32–64

Jason Dufner

31-35–66

Russell Knox

33-33–66

Bauer continued the streak of strong starts by the Indians rotation Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium. What makes good starting pitching even better? How about a little offense? The Indians supplied that as well in a 6-2 victory over the Royals to give them a 5-2 record on this seven-game trip through Seattle and Kansas City. The game was called after a 44-minute rain delay in the eighth inning. Bauer (5-2, 2.94) allowed two runs in 6⅔ innings for the win. The Indians’ rotation, since May 18, is 11-2 with a 2.86 ERA (36 earned runs, 113 ⅓ innings). Overall, the Tribe is 12-5 in that stretch. In Bauer’s last five starts, he’s 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA. He’s reached the seventh inning each time, while allowing just seven earned runs in 36 innings. The Indians took the measure of 6-10 right-hander Chris Young, who entered the game with a 1.55 ERA and a .166 batting average against. A touch of small ball sparked the Tribe’s decisive four-run rally in the third.

see INDIANS | B4

Today

Others Jordan Spieth

34-34–68

Ben Curtis

36-36–72

Phil Mickelson

36-36–72

Tiger Woods

33-40–73

TV: Golf Channel, 2:30 p.m.

JAY LAPRETE \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

First-round co-leader Hideki Matsuyama lets loose of his club on his second shot on the 18th hole at the Memorial Thursday.

French Open

Pettine sets play date in N.Y. with Ryan, Bills

TV: Men’s semiﬁnals, 11 a.m., WKYC Ch. 3.

Mary Kay Cabot mcabot@cleveland.com

Paris — At changeovers in her sions when she did win points, French Open semifinal, an ill Serena Williams walked ever so slowly to the sideline, where even lowering herself to sit seemed difﬁcult. With the temperature nearing 85 degrees, she pressed white towels ﬁlled with ice against her forehead and neck and guzzled water. Early on, her play was as poor as her health. She failed to chase balls she normally would. As telling as anything: On those occa-

Williams mostly refrained from her familiar ﬁst pumps and yells of “Come on!” Never can count her out , though, no matter the circumstances. Down a set and a break Thursday and clearly struggling, Williams summoned the resolve to reach the ﬁnal by beating 23rdseeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

see FRENCH | B2

What: Indians vs. Orioles. When: 7:10 p.m. Where: Progressive Field. Pitchers: RHP Shaun Marcum (2-0, 5.49 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Tillman (2-7, 5.94). TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS FM/100.7.

Browns

A sick Serena somehow survives slow start again Howard Fendrich Associated Press

Support feels good for Bauer

Kansas City, Mo. — Trevor

Leaderboard Hideki Matsuyama

Indians 6, Royals 2 (7.5)

Paul Hoynes phoynes@cleveland.com

see MEMORIAL | B2

30-34–64

PAGES B8-9

Rain-shortened win ends road trip

Tim Warsinskey twarsinskey@plaind.com

Bo Van Pelt

Classifieds Classifi eds inside Job, car, home — whatever you need, find you’ll fi nd it here.

FRANCOIS MORI \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Serena Williams reaches to return against Timea Bacsinszky in their French Open women’s semiﬁnal at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris on Thursday. Williams won. 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

The pupil will clash with the teacher during training camp when coach Mike Pettine takes the Browns to New York to practice against Rex Ryan’s Bills. The practices are Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. and Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., the longtime training camp home of the Bills. The two clubs will then head to Cleveland for a nationally televised preseason game Aug. 20 on

ESPN at 8 p.m. St. John Fisher College is about a four-hour drive from Cleveland. The Browns will also conduct their Family Day Aug. 7 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. “A lot of the guys on the staff have done it and had a positive experience,’’ said Pettine. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I think it raises the level of competition. Your guys after awhile get tired of going against each other at training camp.”

see BROWNS | B3

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Friday, June 5, 2015

MEMORIAL from B1

He’s seeking to become the tournament’s first repeat winner since another former young gun, Woods, won three in a row from 1999 to 2001. When Matsuyama gets hot, it’s with his woods and irons. He led the field in fairways hit (13 of 14) and greens hit (17 of 18). Not known for his putting, his 28 putts prevented him from creating a gap on the field. Still, he was surprised by the round after struggling at practice. “I don’t know what happened overnight, but we just caught magic,’’ he said. Van Pelt knocked in 10 birdies and had a three-shot lead as he strung together five straight birdies at one point. He played like he was at home and, indeed, Muirfield is a course he has known since he was a 9-year-old boy growing up in Indiana, coming to the Memorial with his father. He recalled being rebuffed by Greg Norman while seeking an autograph, and falling down a rainsoaked hill at No. 9. Van Pelt, 40, twice has finished third here and has earned more than $1 million in the tournament since 2004. “Other than the Masters, this tournament means more to me than any one I’ve ever played,’’ he said. “So, it’s always good to play well around a place that means a lot to you.’’ Dufner had an open door to the lead, but was tripped up by a double-bogey at 18 after a round of five birdies and two eagles. “I got off to a nice start, going pretty good and a little disappointed with the finish. But 66 around here is a pretty good day,’’ Dufner told the PGA after declining to appear in a media interview area. Following a breakthrough PGA Championship victory in 2013, Dufner struggled in 2014 with two painful, bulging discs in his neck. Slimmed down and healthy, he has two top-10 finishes this season and is coming off his best tournament, an eighth-place last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he shot 11-under 266. “I got hurt last year, it’s taking longer than what I would like or what I thought,’’ he said. “Not so much physically, but mentally. I was not as confident as I could have been.’’ Dufner, who grew up in Olmsted Township and is a Cavs fan, shot a 31 on the front nine, including an eagle on No. 5. He missed two nearly identical, 5-foot-7-inch puts for par on 11 and for birdie on 17. He recovered from the bogey on 11 with a birdie on 13, which was followed by another eagle at 15. Dufner, 38, did not bounce back from the missed putt on 17, knocking his tee shot on 18 into

FRANCOIS MORI \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Serena Williams cools off in her French Open semiﬁnal victory over Timea Bacsinszky on Thursday.

FRENCH from B1

DARRON CUMMINGS \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tiger Woods is not pleased after hitting this shot on the 11th hole during the ﬁrst round of the Memorial on Thursday. a creek. Knox had a clean round, including three straight birdies to put him at seven-under, but bogeyed his ﬁnal hole at No. 9. Woods, who started on No. 10, played the back nine at four-over, including a double-bogey on No. 18. His 33 on the front nine was tour de force of scrambling. He missed 10 of 14 fairways overall. “I just grinded. I just grinded, that’s all I did. I didn’t really have

much,’’ he said. He said his swing remains a work in progress. “I was just trying to stay committed to what we’re working on, to what we’re doing,’’ he said. “I hit it awful, yeah. So what? I was going to go through this phase and stick with it, keep sticking with it.’’ Spieth one-putted his ﬁrst six holes and had his lone bogey on his 16th hole of the day at No. 7.

“Kind of a tough ﬁnish to swallow after such a great round of golf. But still in a good position after day one,’’ he said. He was loving the fast greens. “The only greens that we play faster than these is Augusta, the Masters,’’ Spieth said. “I enjoy trying to see more lines, kind of use more of an imagination on the greens and around the greens. I feel like it’s an advantage of mine.’’

Outdoors notes

Fishing report

North Coast Boating Fest moves to E. 55th St. Marina on June 13

Lake Erie has settled down after the recent nor’easter kicked up big waves and muddied nearshore waters. The walleye are biting again, with trolling fishermen having a bigger edge than usual. With a full moon and walleye feeding heavily after dark, expect best walleye fishing to be late in the day or after the sun goes down.

D’Arcy Egan degan@plaind.com

about the past and the future of Lake Erie.

This year’s edition of the North Coast Boating & Fishing Fest will drop anchor in Cleveland at a new location on June 13, filling the Cleveland Metroparks’ East 55th Street Marina with boats, music and kids fishing from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Cleveland Metroparks has given the lakefront park system a new look since taking over from Ohio’s state parks, including cleaner beaches, more park rangers and an increase in security. Shifting the event from Voinovich Park makes sense, said aquatic biologist Mike Durkalec, who manages the park system’s many fishing programs. “It’s a free show, but limited parking has been a problem,” said Durkalec. “The new location [on North Marginal Road] has plenty of free parking, making it much easier for our target audience of families to attend.” The show offers power boat and sailboat rides, short Lake Erie fishing trips for youngsters aboard the 60-foot charter boat Holiday and shoreline fishing in the marina area, with bait or tackle provided. Music will be provided by Fletch and the Catch, there will be concession stands and a variety of seminars and exhibits on boating safety. Angling expert Carl “Big Daddy” Bachtel, a cameraman for WKYC Channel 3, will host a kids fishing seminar at 11 a.m. I will be on stage at 1 p.m. to talk

Back to the Wild rescues: The folks at Mona Rutger’s Back to the Wild wildlife rehabilitation center are busy year round, but this week they’ve put an orphan eaglet into a new nest, and matched an injured Canada goose with a new flock of goslings. The eaglet hit the ground when its massive nest in a tree in Oak Harbor was knocked out of the tree by high winds on May 28. Two eaglets died, but one survived and was rushed to Rutger’s. “The eaglet was about eight weeks old and did very well on a diet of fresh fish, and [Thursday] we put it into an active nest in the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge,” said Rutger. “There were two eaglets already in the nest. When the adult eagles returned with fish, they readily fed all three.” Back to the Wild was in the spotlight in early May. The staff rescued a female Canada goose after its nest filled with eggs on Columbus Avenue in Sandusky was intentionally set on fire. The female would not leave the nest and was burned. “We treated her injuries and, when a half-dozen goslings found in someone’s swimming pool were brought in, we matched them with mother goose,” said Rutger. “They’re a family now, with the goslings swimming in a line behind her. When her feathers grow back, we’ll release them back into the wild.”

Busting clay targets: The largest sporting clays competition in the area, the 11th annual Safe Kids Charity Shoot, returns to the South Cuyahoga Sportsmen’s Association in Chatham Township on June 14. The shoot benefits University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center. Shooters can register online at winscoreonline.com. Sponsors can contact Ken Taylor, 216-983-1110. Hailers DU picnic: The Cleveland Hailers Chapter picnic, fish fry and wild game feast on June 27 at Dave and April Blaylock’s home on the west side of Cleveland is a Ducks Unlimited fundraiser. Tickets are $35, $60 for couples and $25 for kids, and they always go quickly. Call the Blaylocks, 216749-7758. There is also a Texas Hold ’Em tournament at 11 a.m. Fish Crazy winners: Matthew Eddy won the May portion of the Fish Crazy Walleye Derby on Lake Erie, weighing in a 33-inch, 14.220-pound fish caught May 17 in the Lorain area. Cleveland regular Frank Murphy stayed close to home to catch the secondplace walleye, weighing 12.255 pounds, followed by Eric Zabor’s 11.7-pounder, also checked in at a Cleveland weigh site. Fishing Derby: The Jim Venditti Memorial Youth Fishing Derby, is 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Kiwanis Recreation Park, 301 Latimore St., Painesville. Hosted by the Northeast Ohio Walleye Association and Painesville Recreation.

The Lake Erie yellow perch fishing is slowly beginning, with some nice perch caught off Fairport Harbor. The bass fishing has been good this week as the spring spawn slows to a crawl. Bluegill and crappie are being caught from the local lakes and reservoirs. The weekend storms cooled Lake Erie, with temperatures dropping to 56 degrees off Cleveland and 62 degrees off Toledo.

Cleveland area The walleye fishing has been fair to good off Cleveland Harbor, with the best fishing early and late in the day. Expect some stained waters in the near-shore areas. Anglers are trolling Bandit Lures, Reef Runners and many are making the switch to spinner rigs with a whole nightcrawler. The best fishing has been in 35 to 45 feet of water. The yellow perch fishing has yet to warm up, with only a few being caught from shore and boat anglers picking off a few perch in 50 to 60 feet of water.

Central Lake Erie The walleye action has been good just west of Lorain and off Avon Point in 34 to 37 feet of water. Waters are still a little muddy from last weekend’s big winds and waves. Walleye are

After getting broken to fall behind 3-2 in the second set, Williams claimed the final 10 games. She had a 12-2 edge in winners in the final set. “Stunning,” said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “This is the difference between champions and everyone else. There is no logical explanation.” Mouratoglou said the No. 1-ranked Williams has been dealing for several days with the flu, including a fever and difficulty breathing. Williams skipped her news conference — something sister Venus did after losing last week, drawing a $3,000 fine — and issued a statement reading: “I have been feeling unwell for a few days, and … I needed to see the tournament doctor.” Now one victory from her third French Open championship and 20th major title in all, Williams faces 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic on Saturday. “I tried everything. I thought if I lose, I will lose with a fight,” Williams told the crowd in French. “I tried, I tried. I found the energy. I don’t know where, but I found it. And I won. I hope that on Saturday, I hope …” Cutting herself off, she stepped away from the microphone, bent over and began coughing. She offered a quick wave, collected her things and left. Off the court, she got a hug from Mouratoglou, who helped her down stairs toward the locker room. “I was worried,” said Williams’ mother, Oracene Price. “But I knew if she could get through the second set, somehow maybe the adrenaline and God would help her get through the match.” Next comes Williams’ 24 th Grand Slam final and Safarova’s first. In her statement, Williams called herself “determined to be 100 percent ready.” The left-handed Safarova elimi-

being caught in 35 to 45 feet of water off Fairport Harbor and Ashtabula. The near-shore walleye fishing is heating up again west of Huron’s Sawmill Creek, off Cranberry Creek and off the condos east of Vermilion in 30 to 40 feet of water. The yellow perch fishing is finally picking up in the 36 to 38 foot depths and in 48 feet of water off Fairport Harbor. Perch fishing is still slow in most other areas.

Western Lake Erie The trolling bite for walleye has been improving every day, with very good catches just west of Green and Rattlesnake islands, around West Reef and along the Canadian border west of Middle Island. The walleye bite in Canadian waters has been very good. The yellow perch fishing has been fair east of Kelleys Island and off the Marblehead Lighthouse.

Rivers and streams The rivers have settled after weekend rains. Steelhead trout are few and far between on the Northeast Ohio rivers, but smallmouth bass are prowling the deep pools and feeding best in the early morning hours. Tube jigs have been a mainstay in green, brown and dark olive, followed by jigs and twister tails, in-line spinners and spoons. Fly fishers are wading for big carp, and catfish are pouring into the rivers. The catfish bite on the Grand River has been excellent, with big cats taking shrimp, nightcrawlers, chicken

nated defending champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round and 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 7-5 on Thursday. Williams won her semifinal despite dropping the first set for the fourth time in six matches. She’d never fashioned that many comebacks during one major tournament. When this one was over, finally over, Williams leaned forward and rested her head on her hands atop the handle of her upsidedown racket. Bacsinszky — who said she noticed Williams “was taking some time between points” but tried to focus on herself — was asked how her own mistakes contributed to the result. “We say in French: ‘If we could put Paris in a bottle.’ Like, I could say, ‘If, if, if. If my forehand was in. If I would maybe choose another tactic,’ ” Bacsinszky said. Bacsinszky wiped away tears as she left the court, her magical run abruptly done. She never had been past the second round in Paris — or the third round at any major. Two years ago, she took a hiatus from tennis to work at restaurants with an eye toward pursuing a degree in hotel management. Last year, she was ranked 112th and went through qualifying at the French Open. This year, equipped with a dangerous backhand and an affinity for drop shots, Bacsinszky beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the fourth round and lost a tournament-low 33 games entering Thursday. She was 7-0 in her French Open career when taking the first set. Ah, but none of those matches came against Williams. When the going gets toughest, no one is better than Williams at the moment — and, perhaps, in the history of the game. In 2015, she is 31-1, including 11-0 in three-setters. If she defeats Safarova, the 33-year-old American would add to her 2002 and 2013 French Open titles and collect a third consecutive major championship.

livers and traditional stink baits. The white bass runs on the Maumee and Sandusky rivers are tailing off, but catfish have moved in.

Ponds, lakes, reservoirs The largemouth bass fishing is on the upswing all around Northeast Ohio, with Mosquito, Berlin, Mogadore, LaDue, Wingfoot and the Portage Lakes all reporting excellent catches. Most bass are done spawning and moving to summer haunts around the ledges, weed edges, points, channel bends and humps. Cast top water lures early and late, work shallow-running square-billed crankbaits and plastic worms throughout the day. Tournament bass anglers are crowding Berlin and Mogadore reservoirs this weekend. The walleye fishing has been good at Mosquito Reservoir while slowly drifting or trolling the edges of the weed beds. Trolling fishermen need to rely on electric motors in those shallow areas so they won’t scare the fish. Walleye fishing has also been good at Pymatuning and Berlin reservoirs. Bluegills are moving off spawning beds at most area lakes and taking tiny ice jigs tipped with maggots and waxworms. Top lakes include Long Lake and Mogadore.

Fishing tournaments Electric Elite Invitational (Deer Creek Lake): 1. Steve and Correy Petz, 5 bass, 15.26 pounds, $990; 2. Rory and Ryan Franks, 5 bass, 14.85 pounds, $300; 3. Brian Bickerton and Dave Duchnowsky, 5 bass, 14.17 pounds, $210. Big Bass: Bill Arensburg and Dennis Gerhart, 5.26 pounds.

— D’Arcy Egan

Friday, June 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

TRIBE TOWN

APRIL SHOWERS GIVE WAY TO MAY POWERS The Cleveland Indians limped out of April with 7 wins and 14 losses, and it wasn’t until May 6 — a full month into the season — they were able to notch their 10th victory, a 10-3 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals. But what also happened was Tribe second baseman Jason Kipnis started tearing up the base paths, hitting .429 for the month. A remarkable 51-hit, four-homer, 17-RBI stat sheet earned him AL Player of the Month.

W Th

KIPNIS’ MAY: Game, opponent and hit tally through the month

TOR 4 for 5

As the 2015 season enters June, the Indians made up for lost ground in April with a very strong May. The team has won 11 of their last 15 games. A recap of some May highlights:

MIN 3 for 5 @TEX 1 for 5

BY CHRIS MORRIS THE PLAIN DEALER cmorris@plaind.com

CIN 1 for 5 @SEA 2 for 7

@KC 1 for 4 STL 3 for 5

@CWS 0 for 4

@CWS 2 for 5

TEX 1 for 5

@KC 2 for 5

STL 1 for 5

@CWS 0 for 5 TEX 3 for 5

@KC 0 for 5

STL 2 for 5

TOR 2 for 5

12 MIN 1 for 5

STL 4 for 5

@CWS 1 for 5

CIN 3 for 5

@SEA 2 for 5

@SEA 1 for 4

TOR 2 for 5

MIN 3 for 5 @TEX 3 for 6

CIN 2 for 4

@SEA 0 for 4

MAY TOTALS:

29 games, 119 at-bats, 143 plate appearances 51 Hits: 29 1B, 15 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 30 R, 17 RBI, 16 BB, 5 HBP, .429 BA

SOURCE: Indians Baseball Insider

THE K’s IN MAY

On May 13, Corey Kluber struck out 18 St. Louis Cardinals batters in 8 innings pitched. Kluber is one of only ﬁve different pitchers in baseball history to strike out 18 or more batters without surrendering a base-on-balls, joining Luis Tiant, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Kerry Wood. So Although he lost his last start in excited Kansas City Wednesday night, Kluber is still putting up big numbers: He leads all MLB pitchers with 84.2 innings pitched, and more impressively, he has struck out 105 batters this season, averaging almost nine Ks per start.

FAN IN THE STANDS

Leading the league in Ks, even with a 3.61 ERA and a 3-6 record is still pretty cool!

Indians insider

Struggling Ramirez sits again, but Lindor still isn’t ready Kansas City, Mo. — Not only is Jose Ramirez in the tank, he’s on the bench. The Indians’ young shortstop was benched for the second straight night Thursday in favor of Mike Aviles as the Indians completed a three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. It was the second time this month and the third time this season that Ramirez has been benched in consecutive games because of poor play. Under normal circumstances, the Indians would make an announcement this afternoon before they open their homestand against Baltimore

BROWNS from B1

“You don’t get a good sense of where you are. I just think it ratchets up the competitive juices and I think you get a little more out of it so we are very much looking forward to it.” Admission is free, but fans will need tickets to attend. Distribution details will be announced by the Bills. The Browns’ full training camp schedule will be released in the coming weeks, but it will begin at the end of the July. Pettine was Ryan’s defensive coordinator with the New York Jets from 2009 to 2012. He also

Medina

and Seattle to say that Ramirez was being optioned to Class AAA Columbus. No muss, just another roster move. These are not normal circumstances. The Indians don’t think Francisco Lindor, being groomed as their next shortstop, is ready at Columbus. Meanwhile, the player they could bring up, Zack Walters, isn’t getting a lot of playing time at short because Lindor is getting it all. So for the time being, Ramirez will stay with the Indians. The question is how much will he play? “I’m just trying to win the game tonight,” said manager Terry Francona before Thursday’s game

when asked about Ramirez sitting for the second straight night. “There have been times when Josie looks like he’s turning the corner and there have been times when he looks like he’s not.” Ramirez is hitting .184 (27 for 147) with one homer and eight RBI. He’s scored 19 runs but has a .245 slugging percentage and a .252 on-base percentage. Among the 13 AL shortstops with at least 101 at-bats, Ramirez is 13th in average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. “He’s getting beat on fastballs and then he’s ahead of the breaking ball,” said Francona. “I spent a lot of years doing that. I think it starts with his base. At times, his feet want to move around a little bit. Then you start to press.”

Don’t forget third: While Ramirez is drawing bench time for his poor hitting at shortstop, Lonnie Chisenhall isn’t doing much better at third. Chisenhall is hitting .216 (35 for 162) with 10 doubles, four

worked under Ryan when Ryan was defensive coordinator of the Ravens from 2005-08. The joint practices were the brainchild of the two longtime colleagues. But they’re certainly not the only connection between the Browns and Bills. Pettine was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator in 2013, and several members of his current coaching staff came with him from Buffalo, including defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil.

championship since 1964. Pettine predicts the Cavs will beat Golden State in six games and Joe Haden has them winning the championship in seven. “I think I [accurately] predicted the ﬁrst series,’’ said Pettine. “Cavs in six? I’ll go six games.” Pettine has watched the synergy between the his players and the Cavs. He has spotted many of his players at the games, including Joe Haden and Johnny Manziel, who’s close to LeBron James. “It’s great to see because, as you guys know, watching the game the other night I was so distracted by Joe Haden behind the bench,’’ Pettine said. “It looked like he was wearing a

gold steering wheel. I think it actually turned out to be a Browns helmet. It’s just great to see. Our guys, how do you not feed off that energy? “It’s a tremendous thing for the city. I can tell you that our guys will be beyond ﬁred up to see a parade here in Cleveland.” Haden, a huge Cavs fan and good friend of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, hopes the Browns can deliver the same kind of playoff euphoria soon. “It’s the same city and you see the reaction that the city gives the Cavs, and just the way that they’re out there playing is so much fun and just energy and love of the game,’’ he said. “I was in there when they won the Eastern Con-

Watching the Cavs: The Browns are caught up in the excitement of the Cavaliers’ run to the NBA Finals, and are optimistic the team can bring Cleveland its ﬁrst sports

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Lindor is hitting .260 (50 for 192) with 21 runs, nine doubles, two homers and 21 RBI at Columbus. He has a .708 OPS with eight errors in 50 games. The popular move would be to send Ramirez down and promote Lindor. “It’s not just that easy,” said Francona. “ You have to have somebody [to replace him]. Lindor is not ready. He’s really not. You just try to do the best you can.”

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ference and I’m trying to walk out of there and all you heard is, ‘Joe, this is you all next. This is you all next.” Haden wanted to attend the first two games of the series in California, but his second annual charity softball game is Saturday night at Classic Park in Eastlake. “I’m out,’’ he said of Games 1 and 2. “I was thinking about it, but that’s a long ﬂight,’’ he said “I’m definitely going to be at games 3 and 4.’’ Haden would prefer a sweep, but predicts it going down to the wire. “It sounds crazy, but I keep going with Cavs in 7,’’ he said. “We’re going to go out there and win game 7.’’

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time Brantley has DH’d this year. Francona is trying to ﬁnd ways to keep Brantley healthy and in the lineup. When he gave Brantley the night off Wednesday, he said the outﬁelder was “beat up.” Brantley has been dealing with back problems since spring training.

Finally: Michael Brantley, after not playing Wednesday night, DH’d Thursday. It was the fifth

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homers and 19 RBI. He has a .364 slugging percentage and a .250 on-base percentage. In the AL, he ranks 14th in OPS (.621) among the 14 third basemen with at least 157 at-bats. As in Ramirez’s case, there’s not a lot of push from down below to replace Chisenhall. Third base prospect Giovanny Urshela ﬁnally appears to be back at full strength following a spring training back injury. Francona said Urshela just recently started playing at Columbus without restrictions. Urshela is hitting .279 (19 for 68) with three homers, eight RBI and a .785 OPS.

3161038-02

Paul Hoynes phoynes@cleveland.com

2015 CADILLAC SRX 1 IN STOCK • STK. #C151473

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All sale prices are plus tax and fees. Pictures are for illustrative purposes only. All rebates and incentives are included and assigned to the dealer. All leases are closed end, no security deposit on Cadillacs. Due at signing for Cadillac is stated - only tax will be extra. Medina advantage is 10000 miles per year, 1st payment, plates, and fees are included, and only tax will be extra. All payments and money down require bank approval. 10,000 Miles miles per year allowed and .25 thereafter. 0% in lieu of all rebates. Sale ends 6/5/15.

*B4

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE

WEST

EAST

CENTRAL

Pct GB

32 21 .604

–

7-3

W-2

19-7 13-14

Kansas City

30 21 .588

3-7

L-1

18-9 12-12

Detroit

28 27 .509

2-8

L-7 14-15 14-12

Cleveland

26 27 .491

6-4

W-1 10-14 16-13

Chicago

24 28 .462 7½

5-5

L-1 12-10 12-18

New York

29 25 .537

–

7-3

W-3 12-10 17-15

Tampa Bay

28 26 .519

4-6

W-2 14-16 14-10

Toronto

25 30 .455 4½

6-4

W-2 14-12 11-18

Baltimore

24 29 .453 4½

4-6

W-1 15-12 9-17

Boston

24 31 .436 5½

3-7

L-2 12-14 12-17

Houston

34 21 .618

–

5-5

L-1 19-13 15-8

Los Angeles

28 26 .519 5½

6-4

L-2 16-13 12-13

Texas

28 26 .519 5½

7-3

W-1 11-15 17-11

Seattle

24 29 .453

4-6

Oakland

23 33 .411 11½

7-3

EAST

CENTRAL

Str Home Away

Minnesota

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WEST

L10

Pct GB

L10

9-17 14-16

Str Home Away

New York

29 25 .537

–

5-5

L-2

Washington

29 25 .537

–

3-7

L-3 15-10 14-15

Atlanta

26 27 .491 2½

4-6

L-2 12-10 14-17

Miami

22 32 .407

5-5

W-2 12-16 10-16

Philadelphia

21 34 .382 8½

2-8

L-1 14-14 7-20

St. Louis

35 18 .660

–

8-2

W-2

22-7 13-11

Pittsburgh

29 24 .547

8-2

W-3

15-9 14-15

Chicago

28 24 .538 6½

4-6

W-1 15-11 13-13

Cincinnati

23 29 .442 11½

5-5

W-1 13-11 10-18

Milwaukee

18 36 .333 17½

2-8

L-2

9-20 9-16

Los Angeles

31 22 .585

–

5-5

L-1

21-7 10-15

San Francisco

30 25 .545

5-5

L-5 16-14 14-11

San Diego

27 28 .491

6-4

W-2 15-15 12-13

Arizona

25 27 .481 5½

5-5

W-2 13-14 12-13

Colorado

24 28 .462 6½

7-3

W-1 10-15 14-13

21-8 8-17

Today American League Baltimore (Tillman 2-7) at Cleveland (Marcum 2-0), 7:10 Angels (Weaver 4-4) at Yankees (Eovaldi 4-1), 7:05 Houston (R.Hernandez 2-4) at Toronto (Aa.Sanchez 4-4), 7:07 Oakland (Kazmir 2-3) at Boston (Miley 4-5), 7:10 Detroit (Ryan 1-0) at White Sox (Quintana 2-6), 8:10 Texas (Ch.Gonzalez 1-0) at Kansas City (Volquez 4-3), 8:10 Tampa Bay (Odorizzi 4-5) at Seattle (Happ 3-1), 10:10 National League Cubs (Wada 0-0) at Washington (Roark 1-2), 7:05 San Francisco (Lincecum 5-3) at Philadelphia (Williams 3-5), 7:05 San Diego (T.Ross 2-5) at Cincinnati (R.Iglesias 1-1), 7:10 Pittsburgh (Morton 2-0) at Atlanta (W.Perez 1-0), 7:35 Miami (Koehler 3-3) at Colorado (E.Butler 3-5), 8:40 Mets (Niese 3-5) at Arizona (Hellickson 3-3), 9:40 St. Louis (C.Martinez 5-2) at Dodgers (B.Anderson 2-3), 10:10 Interleague Milwaukee (Lohse 3-6) at Minnesota (Gibson 4-3), 8:10 Thursday American League Cleveland 6, Kansas City 2 (7½) Oakland 7, Detroit 5 Baltimore 3, Houston 2 Minnesota 8, Boston 4 Texas 2, White Sox 1 (11) Tampa Bay at Seattle, 10:10 National League Cincinnati 6, Philadelphia 4 Cubs 2, Washington 1 Mets at Arizona, 9:40 St. Louis at Dodgers, 10:10

Wednesday American League Kansas City 4, Cleveland 2 Boston 6-0, Minnesota 3-2 Yankees 3, Seattle 1 Oakland 6, Detroit 1 White Sox 9, Texas 2 Houston 3, Baltimore 1 Tampa Bay 6, Angels 5 (10) National League St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 4 Arizona 9, Atlanta 8 Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 2 Phila. 5, Cincinnati 4 (11) Miami 7, Cubs 3 Colorado 7, Dodgers 6 San Diego 7, Mets 3 Interleague Toronto 8, Washington 0

Around the horn Loose lips: During Mets manager Terry Collins’ pregame news conference Thursday, a reporter pointed out that Michael Cuddyer had a stiff neck and would miss the game. Collins feigned surprise. “He does?” Collins said. “How’d that get out?” Jay Horwitz, the team’s vice president for media relations, acknowledged that he had relayed the information. Collins shook his head, rolled his eyes and stayed silent for 10 seconds. He had not wanted to disclose the injury for competitive reasons. “Jay,” Collins finally said, “Bud Black’s on the phone if you want to give him a call. Let him know Lucas Duda’s knee is a little tight.” Hamilton’s hammy: Josh Hamilton had an impressive first week back with the Rangers, including a two-homer game and a walk-off double. Now an MRI exam on his sore left hamstring revealed a Grade 2 strain. The prognosis: He will miss at least the next four weeks. “Obviously I didn’t start the season, got traded, worked my butt off to get here, we’re playing good when I got here and was able to start having some fun with it,” Hamilton said. “It’s frustrating. … But you know what? There’s nothing I can do about it.” Up and down: The Astros are off to the best start in franchise history, at an AL-best 34-21. … The Tigers have lost seven in a row for the first time since April 26 to May 2, 2011. … Oakland has won a season-high four in a row and six of seven. Now, the reality check: The A’s (23-33) still have the worst record in the AL. Low profile: “I think we’re flying under the radar, and we like it that way,” said Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. “I don’t know when the point comes where teams take us seriously, but we’re going to keep going about our business the same way we’ve been doing since Day one and keep playing our game.” Down hill: The Astros plan to renovate center field at Minute Maid Park, removing Tal’s Hill and shortening the distance in center field from 436 feet to 409 feet. Houston’s center field is the deepest in the majors, and the $15 million renovation would make it the sixthdeepest in the league. In the minors: Akron defeated host Harrisburg, 3-2. Adam Plutko fanned nine in seven innings, and Todd Hankins hit his fourth homer. … Lake County clobbered host Wisconson, 12-4. Claudio Bautista had four hits, including a double and a homer.

Avg. .323 .222 .000 .308 .226 .264 .300 .281 .253 .283 .185 Avg. .296 .324 .333 .285 .333 .267 .256 .242 .233 .250 .278 10 0 9 2

a-ﬂied out for Holaday in the 9th. E–D.Fields (1), Greene (2). LOB–Oakland 6, Detroit 4. 2B–B.Butler (11), Lawrie (11), D.Fields (1). 3B–Phegley (1). HR–Ty.Collins (1), off Otero. RBIs–B.Butler 2 (28), Lawrie (22), Sogard (12), Phegley 2 (6), Mi.Cabrera (36), Kinsler (23), Ty.Collins 3 (4). SB–Burns (10). Runners left in scoring position–Oakland 5 (Zobrist, Lawrie, Burns, Sogard 2); Detroit 2 (D.Fields, Castellanos). RISP–Oakland 3 for 17; Detroit 3 for 6. Runners moved up–Reddick 2, Phegley. GIDP– Fuld, Gose. DP–Oakland 1 (Zobrist, Sogard, Vogt); Detroit 2 (Mi.Cabrera), (J.Iglesias, Kinsler, Mi.Cabrera). Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Hahn W, 3-5 7 5 1 1 1 5 104 3.51 Pomeranz 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 4.30 1/3 4 4 4 0 1 16 6.29 Otero Clipprd S, 9-10 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 10 2.25 Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Greene L, 4-5 41/3 8 6 4 2 2 81 5.40 B.Hardy 12/3 1 0 0 0 0 19 2.78 Gorzelanny 1 1 1 1 2 2 25 5.50 Alburquerque 1 0 0 0 0 1 15 3.63 Chamberlain 1 0 0 0 0 1 12 1.17 Inherited runners-scored–B.Hardy 1-0. IBB–off Greene (Vogt). WP–Hahn, Greene, B.Hardy. Umpires–Home, Jim Joyce; First, Greg Gibson; Second, Chad Fairchild; Third, Marvin Hudson. T–3:06. A–37,411 (41,574).

L-5 12-16 12-13 W-4

Twins 8, Red Sox 4

Athletics 7, Tigers 5 Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Burns cf 5 1 1 0 0 1 Zobrist 2b 4 1 0 0 1 0 Parrino ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 Vogt 1b 3 2 1 0 2 2 Muncy 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 B.Butler dh 4 0 2 2 1 1 Reddick rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 Lawrie 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0 Sogard ss-2b 4 1 2 1 0 1 Phegley c 4 0 1 2 0 0 Fuld lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 36 7 10 6 4 6 Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Gose cf 4 1 1 0 0 0 J.Iglesias ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 Mi.Cabrera 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 Cespedes lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 D.Fields lf 3 1 1 0 0 2 Kinsler 2b 3 1 2 1 1 0 J.Martinez dh 4 1 1 0 0 1 Ty.Collins rf 4 1 1 3 0 1 Castellanos 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 Holaday c 3 0 0 0 0 0 a-J.McCann ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 35 5 9 5 1 6 Oakland 031 020 100–7 Detroit 000 001 004–5

ORLIN WAGNER \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Royals center ﬁelder Lorenzo Cain gives chase but can’t catch David Murphy’s tworun double in the third inning of Thursday’s game in Kansas City, Missouri.

INDIANS from B1

Michael Bourn singled off Young’s glove for his fourth straight hit going back to Wednesday night. He stole second and Roberto Perez moved him to third with a groundout to first. Jason Kipnis delivered him with a single for a 1-0 lead. Then the tempo increased. Carlos Santana doubled Kipnis to third. Michael Brantley made it 2-0 with a single to right, but Moss struck out for the second out of the inning. David Murphy did not let Young escape. He lined a double over Lorenzo Cain’s head in center field as Santana and Brantley scored for a 4-0 lead. Murphy’s teammates were on the top step of the dugout pounding the protective fence they were leaning against in celebration. The Royals came right back to cut the lead in half on Cain’s two-run homer in the third. Bauer had two out but made a mistake on a 1-1 pitch. It was the sixth homer he’s allowed this year. The Indians wasted Mike Aviles’ leadoff double in the fourth, but they were much more efficient in the fifth. After Brantley drew a leadoff walk against Young, Moss hit an 0-2 pitch over the fence in right-center field for a 6-2 lead. It was Moss’ team-high 10th homer. It was also the fifth homer he’s hit in the last seven games at Kauffman Stadium. That includes

the two homers he hit in last year’s wild card game between the A’s and Royals. Young (4-1, 2.56) allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings. In his first 11 appearnces with the Royals, including five starts, he had allowed seven runs on 24 hits in 40⅔ innings. What it means: The Indians (26-27) went 5-2 on this seven-game trip. Their two losses were by scores of 2-1 and 4-2. The Tribe, with 12 wins in the last 16 games, improved to 4-5 against the Royals this year. The Royals (30-21) have lost seven of their last 11 games. Disturbing pattern: The two-run homer by Cain off Bauer in the third inning was the third homer he’s allowed in his last three starts. No ransom this time: Moss’ two-run homer in the fifth was his 10th of the season, third of the trip and 101st of his career. Unlike HR No. 100, this one was not kidnapped and held for ransom by the Tribe’s bullpen. No glove needed: Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar has done his best imitation of Omar Vizquel in this series. In the sixth inning Thursday, he fielded Bourn’s grounder in the hole barehanded and threw Bourn out at first by an eyelash. In t h e e i g h t h i n n i n g Wednesday, he charged a bouncer by Murphy, barehanded the ball and threw

Indians 6, Royals 2 (7.5) Cleveland Kipnis 2b Jo.Ramirez ss C.Santana 1b Brantley dh Moss rf Dav.Murphy lf Chisenhall 3b Aviles ss-2b Bourn cf R.Perez c Totals Kansas City A.Escobar ss Moustakas 3b L.Cain cf Hosmer 1b K.Morales dh A.Gordon lf Rios rf S.Perez c Infante 2b Totals Cleveland Kansas City

AB R 4 1 0 0 4 1 3 2 3 1 4 0 4 0 4 0 3 1 4 0 33 6 AB R 3 0 3 0 4 1 3 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 3 0 3 1 26 2 004 002

H BI 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 10 6 H BI 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 020 000

BB SO 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 6 BB SO 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 6 00–6 00–2

Avg. .330 .184 .236 .303 .253 .315 .217 .274 .259 .185 Avg. .276 .317 .293 .301 .303 .261 .250 .277 .224 10 0 4 0

LOB–Cleveland 7, Kansas City 7. 2B–C.Santana (8), Dav.Murphy (6), Aviles (5). HR–Moss (10), off C.Young; L.Cain (4), off Bauer. RBIs–Kipnis (26), Brantley (32), Moss 2 (32), Dav.Murphy 2 (16), L.Cain 2 (23). SB–Kipnis (7), Bourn (5), A.Escobar (4). S–Bourn. Runners left in scoring position–Cleveland 5 (Chisenhall, C.Santana 2, Brantley, Aviles); Kansas City 3 (Hosmer, A.Gordon, L.Cain). RISP– Cleveland 3 for 11; Kansas City 0 for 5. Runners moved up–Chisenhall, R.Perez, L.Cain. Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Bauer W, 5-2 62/3 4 2 2 4 5 102 2.94 Hagadone 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 3.79 1/3 B.Shaw H, 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 2.55 1/3 Rzepczynski 0 0 0 0 1 8 3.29 Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA C.Young L, 4-2 5 8 6 6 2 4 94 2.56 F.Morales 1 2 0 0 0 0 16 3.32 Frasor 1 0 0 0 1 0 26 0.55 Blanton 1 0 0 0 0 2 9 3.38 Hagadone pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored–Hagadone 1-0, B.Shaw 2-0. WP–Frasor. Umpires–Home, David Rackley; First, Clint Fagan; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Bob Davidson. T–2:38. A–29,552 (37,903).

him out on a close play at ﬁrst as well. Thanks for coming: The Indians and Royals drew 29,552 fans to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday night. In the three-game series, they drew almost 90,000 fans (89,812). What happens next: The Indians return home and open a three-game series against the Orioles today night Progressive Field.

On deck Indians vs. Orioles Where: Progressive Field.

When: Orioles vs. Indians, today through Sunday. TV/Radio: All games will be on SportsTime Ohio and WMMS FM/100.7. WTAM AM/1100 will broadcast games today and Saturday. Pitching matchups: RHP Chris Tillman (2-7, 5.94) vs. RHP Shaun Marcum (2-0, 5.49) today at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 3.12) vs. RHP Danny Salazar (5-1, 3.79) Saturday at 4:10 p.m.; and RHP Bud Norris (1-4, 9.88) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (7-4, 3.92) Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Season Series: The Indians won last year’s series, 4-3. The Indians lead, 432395, overall. Orioles update: They snapped a fivegame losing streak with a 3-2 win over Houston on Thursday. They had lost seven of 10 before the victory. Orioles should be getting catcher Matt Wieters and Norris off the disabled list this weekend. Jimenez, former Indians starter, is pitching much better than last year and is coming off a good start against the Astros. Indians update: They were 4-2 on a seven-game trip entering Thursday night’s game against the Royals. They had won five of seven and 11 of 15. Last year, Carlos Santana hit .381 (8 for 21) with two homers and seven RBI against the Orioles.

PAT SULLIVAN \ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Baltimore’s Ubaldo Jimenez faces his former team on Saturday.

Injuries: Orioles — 2B Jonathan Schoop (right knee), RHP Jason Garcia (right shoulder), RHP Kevin Gausman (right shoulder), RHP Norris (bronchitis), C Wieters (right elbow) and LHP Wesley Wright (left trapezius) are on the disabled list. SS J.J. Hardy (left side) is day to day. Indians — RHP Scott Atchison (left ankle), (RHP Gavin Floyd (right elbow) and RHP Josh Tomlin (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. Next: Seattle visits Progressive Field for a three-game series starting Tuesday night. — Paul Hoynes

Orioles 3, Astros 2 Baltimore AB R M.Machado 3b 4 1 D.Young rf 4 0 A.Jones cf 4 2 C.Davis dh 4 0 Pearce 1b 4 0 Snider lf 4 0 Lough lf 0 0 Joseph c 4 0 Flaherty 2b 3 0 E.Cabrera ss 2 0 J.Hardy ss 0 0 Totals 33 3 Houston AB R Springer rf 3 0 Altuve 2b 4 0 Gattis dh 3 1 1-Tucker pr-dh 0 0 Carter 1b 4 0 Valbuena 3b 3 0 Villar lf 3 0 Conger c 4 1 Ma.Gonzalez ss 4 0 Marisnick cf 2 0 a-Col.Rasmus ph-cf1 0 Totals 31 2 Baltimore 100 Houston 001

H BI BB SO 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 3 2 10 H BI BB SO 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 2 4 14 001 010–3 100 000–2

Avg. .264 .299 .307 .219 .194 .254 .222 .243 .250 .208 .190 Avg. .227 .295 .234 .292 .206 .193 .256 .204 .224 .258 .238 8 1 5 0

a-walked for Marisnick in the 7th. 1-ran for Gattis in the 8th. E–D.Young (2). LOB–Baltimore 5, Houston 7. 2B–Carter (5), Conger (3). HR–A.Jones (7), off Qualls; Conger (3), off W.Chen. RBIs–A.Jones (27), C.Davis (32), Pearce (20), Valbuena (21), Conger (5). SB–M.Machado (8), Altuve (16). SF–Valbuena. Runners left in scoring position–Baltimore 2 (C.Davis, Snider); Houston 6 (Villar 2, Valbuena 2, Altuve 2). RISP–Baltimore 2 for 4; Houston 0 for 8. Runners moved up–C.Davis. GIDP–M.Machado, E.Cabrera. DP–Houston 2 (Altuve, Carter), (Ma.Gonzalez, Carter). Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA W.Chen 61/3 5 2 2 2 9 95 3.18 O’Day W, 2-0 1 0 0 0 2 2 28 0.89 Brittn S, 14-15 12/3 0 0 0 0 3 17 2.05 Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Keuchel 6 6 2 2 1 7 108 1.85 W.Harris 1 0 0 0 1 0 25 0.34 Qualls L, 1-3 1 1 1 1 0 1 16 4.43 J.Fields 1 1 0 0 0 2 19 1.29 Inherited runners-scored–O’Day 2-0, Britton 1-0. WP–Britton. Umpires–Home, Brian Gorman; First, Tripp Gibson; Second, Adam Hamari; Third, Mark Carlson. T–2:59. A–20,219 (41,574).

Rangers 2, W. Sox 1 (11) Chicago AB R Eaton cf 5 0 Me.Cabrera lf 5 0 Abreu dh 4 0 LaRoche 1b 5 0 Av.Garcia rf 4 1 Al.Ramirez ss 5 0 G.Beckham 3b 4 0 Flowers c 5 0 C.Sanchez 2b 4 0 Totals 41 1 Texas AB R DeShields lf 5 1 Choo rf 4 0 Fielder dh 4 0 Moreland 1b 5 0 1-Rosales pr-1b 0 0 Andrus ss 4 0 Gallo 3b 4 0 Chirinos c 5 0 L.Martin cf 5 1 Alberto 2b 4 0 Totals 40 2 Chicago 000 100 Texas 100 000

H BI 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6 1 H BI 2 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 12 2 000 000

BB SO 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 7 BB SO 1 2 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 2 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 13 00–1 01–2

Friday, June 5, 2015

Avg. .239 .235 .280 .237 .301 .226 .283 .207 .167 Avg. .291 .249 .358 .286 .243 .233 .417 .208 .241 .333 6 0 12 4

One out when winning run scored. 1-ran for Moreland in the 10th. E–L.Martin (1), Alberto (1), Gallo 2 (2). LOB–Chicago 10, Texas 14. 2B–DeShields (7). RBIs–G.Beckham (14), Choo (26), Fielder (40). SB–Eaton (3), DeShields (13), Alberto (1). S– Alberto. SF–G.Beckham. Runners left in scoring position–Chicago 5 (Al. Ramirez 2, Eaton, Me.Cabrera, G.Beckham); Texas 7 (Gallo, Fielder 2, L.Martin, Moreland, Alberto 2). RISP–Chicago 0 for 5; Texas 3 for 14. Runners moved up–LaRoche, Andrus, Gallo, Chirinos. GIDP–Alberto. DP–Chicago 2 (Al.Ramirez, C.Sanchez, LaRoche), (C.Sanchez). Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Rodon 6 5 1 1 3 10 108 3.12 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 Petricka 8 4.24 Duke 1 1 0 0 1 1 22 3.63 D.Webb 22/3 3 0 0 1 2 33 0.00 D.Jnngs L, 1-2 1/3 2 1 1 1 0 14 7.83 Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Gallardo 6 3 1 0 2 4 106 3.54 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 13 0.00 Edwards 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 S.Freeman 5 5.63 Kela 1 1 0 0 0 1 15 1.82 Sh.Tolleson 2 1 0 0 0 1 26 2.49 Schepprs W, 2-0 1 0 0 0 0 1 12 5.79 Inherited runners-scored–Duke 1-0, D.Webb 1-0, S.Freeman 1-0. IBB–off Duke (Fielder), off Da.Jennings (DeShields), off D.Webb (Gallo). WP–Gallardo. Umpires–Home, Dana DeMuth; First, Paul Nauert; Second, Ed Hickox; Third, Mike Estabrook. T–3:55. A–27,616 (48,114).

AL leaders BATTING–Fielder, Texas, .355; MiCabrera, Detroit, .333; Kipnis, Cleveland, .332; Ellsbury, New York, .324; NCruz, Seattle, .324; Moustakas, Kansas City, .322; Donaldson, Toronto, .312. RUNS–Donaldson, Toronto, 45; Dozier, Minnesota, 44; Trout, Los Angeles, 40; Kipnis, Cleveland, 38; Cain, Kansas City, 36; Gardner, New York, 35; Bautista, Toronto, 33. RBI–Teixeira, New York, 41; NCruz, Seattle, 39; Donaldson, Toronto, 39; Fielder, Texas, 39; Vogt, Oakland, 39; KMorales, Kansas City, 38; MiCabrera, Detroit, 36; Gattis, Houston, 36. HITS–Fielder, Texas, 75; Kipnis, Cleveland, 71; NCruz, Seattle, 67; Donaldson, Toronto, 67; Pedroia, Boston, 66; Altuve, Houston, 65; MiCabrera, Detroit, 65. DOUBLES–Brantley, Cleveland, 17; Cespedes, Detroit, 17; Dozier, Minnesota, 17; KMorales, Kansas City, 17; Kipnis, Cleveland, 16; Donaldson, Toronto, 15; Bautista, Toronto, 13; Beltran, New York, 13; Forsythe, Tampa Bay, 13; Hosmer, Kansas City, 13. TRIPLES–Orlando, Kansas City, 5; Kipnis, Cleveland, 4; 14 tied at 3.

Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Dozier 2b 5 2 2 0 0 2 Tor.Hunter dh 5 2 3 3 0 1 Mauer 1b 4 1 0 0 1 0 Plouffe 3b 5 1 1 1 0 1 E.Rosario rf 5 0 0 0 0 2 Edu.Escobar ss 5 1 1 1 0 1 K.Suzuki c 3 1 3 1 2 0 S.Robinson lf 3 0 0 1 1 0 Hicks cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 40 8 11 7 4 7 Boston AB R H BI BB SO Pedroia 2b 4 2 2 1 1 1 H.Ramirez lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 Ortiz dh 5 0 0 0 0 0 Napoli 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 Bogaerts ss 4 0 3 0 0 0 Sandoval 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 Betts cf 4 1 2 0 0 0 Swihart c 4 1 1 1 0 0 R.Castillo rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 38 4 12 2 1 1 Minnesota 000 031 004–8 Boston 021 100 000–4

Avg. .263 .282 .263 .261 .279 .228 .239 .250 .254 Avg. .303 .263 .220 .214 .298 .239 .243 .218 .190 11 2 12 3

E–Plouffe (4), Edu.Escobar (3), Sandoval 2 (7), S.Wright (1). LOB–Minnesota 10, Boston 8. 2B–Edu.Escobar (8), Betts (11). HR–Tor. Hunter (8), off S.Wright; Swihart (1), off Milone; Pedroia (8), off Milone. RBIs–Tor. Hunter 3 (35), Plouffe (30), Edu.Escobar (20), K.Suzuki (15), S.Robinson (9), Pedroia (23), Swihart (8). SB–Hicks (5). CS–Bogaerts (1). SF–S.Robinson. Runners left in scoring position–Minnesota 4 (Edu.Escobar, Plouffe, Hicks 2); Boston 4 (Sandoval 2, Bogaerts 2). RISP–Minnesota 4 for 13; Boston 3 for 9. Runners moved up–E.Rosario, Ortiz. Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Milone 5 9 4 2 1 0 97 4.55 Pressly 1 1 0 0 0 1 12 2.76 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 5 7.36 Duensing 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 10 3.21 Fien A.Thmpsn W, 1-1 1 1 0 0 0 0 15 3.28 Perkins 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 1.73 Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA S.Wright 6 6 4 3 0 2 92 4.01 Tazawa 1 1 0 0 1 3 21 1.50 2/3 0 0 0 2 2 18 2.76 Layne 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 M.Barnes 1 1.98 Uehara L, 2-3 0 3 4 2 0 0 22 2.65 Breslow 1 1 0 0 1 0 15 4.03 Uehara pitched to 4 batters in the 9th. Pressly pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored–Duensing 1-0, Fien 1-0, M.Barnes 2-0, Breslow 2-2. IBB–off Breslow (K.Suzuki), off Tazawa (Mauer). Umpires–Home, Marty Foster; First, Mike Muchlinski; Second, Mike Winters; Third, Mark Wegner. T–3:12. A–33,615 (37,221).

Reds 6, Phillies 4 Cincinnati AB R Phillips 2b 5 1 Votto 1b 4 0 Frazier 3b 4 0 Bruce rf 3 0 B.Pena c 3 0 Cozart ss 3 1 Schumaker lf 2 2 DeSclafani p 3 1 Cingrani p 0 0 A.Chapman p 0 0 B.Hamilton cf 3 1 Totals 30 6 Philadelphia AB R Revere cf 4 1 Francoeur rf 4 0 Utley 2b 3 1 Howard 1b 4 0 Franco 3b 4 0 Asche lf 3 0 Galvis ss 4 0 Ruiz c 3 1 Harang p 2 0 Diekman p 0 0 De Fratus p 0 0 a-C.Hernandez ph 0 1 J.Gomez p 0 0 Totals 31 4 Cincinnati 100 Philadelphia 200

H BI BB SO 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 6 5 6 5 H BI BB SO 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 4 2 5 023 000–6 000 020–4

Avg. .311 .286 .270 .222 .287 .257 .222 .158 .000 --.222 Avg. .269 .252 .206 .234 .227 .250 .269 .243 .091 ----.235 --6 0 7 1

a-walked for De Fratus in the 8th. E–Ruiz (4). LOB–Cincinnati 5, Philadelphia 3. 2B–Phillips (6), Frazier (12), Revere (8), Utley (7), Franco (3). 3B–Revere (5). RBIs–Phillips 2 (25), Frazier (32), B.Hamilton 2 (17), Revere (16), Francoeur (14), Utley (24), Franco (14). SB–Phillips (8), Revere (11). CS–Bruce (4). S– DeSclafani, B.Hamilton. SF–Utley. Runners left in scoring position–Cincinnati 4 (B.Pena, Bruce 2, Votto); Philadelphia 2 (Asche, Howard). RISP–Cincinnati 3 for 8; Philadelphia 2 for 7. Runners moved up–Francoeur, Howard. GIDP– Bruce, Howard. DP–Cincinnati 2 (Schumaker, Schumaker, Phillips), (Votto, Cozart, Votto); Philadelphia 1 (Galvis, Howard). Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA DeSclfni W, 4-4 7 6 4 4 2 0 104 3.60 Cingrani H, 5 1 1 0 0 0 2 13 2.91 A.Chapman S, 1 0 0 0 0 3 14 2.22 Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Harang L, 4-6 52/3 6 6 5 5 1 99 2.45 Diekman 11/3 0 0 0 1 2 19 6.75 De Fratus 1 0 0 0 0 2 12 3.86 J.Gomez 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 2.55 DeSclafani pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored–Cingrani 2-2, Diekman 1-0. IBB–off Harang (Votto). WP–Harang. Umpires–Home, Tom Hallion; First, Bruce Dreckman; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Dan Bellino. T–2:41. A–21,057 (43,651).

Cubs 2, Nationals 1 Chicago AB R Fowler cf 4 1 Bryant 3b 3 1 Rizzo 1b 4 0 Lake rf 2 0 d-Coghlan ph-lf 1 0 S.Castro ss 4 0 Szczur lf-rf 4 0 D.Ross c 3 0 Arrieta p 2 0 b-Baxter ph 1 0 Grimm p 0 0 J.Russell p 0 0 Motte p 0 0 Strop p 0 0 H.Rondon p 0 0 A.Russell 2b 2 0 Totals 30 2 Washington AB R Span cf 5 1 Rendon 2b-3b 4 0 Y.Escobar 3b 1 0 Espinosa 2b 2 0 Harper rf 3 0 Zimmerman 1b 3 0 Desmond ss 4 0 Lobaton c 3 0 M.Taylor lf 4 0 G.Gonzalez p 1 0 a-T.Moore ph 1 0 Treinen p 0 0 c-Uggla ph 1 0 Thornton p 0 0 Barrett p 0 0 e-C.Robinson ph 0 0 Totals 32 1 Chicago 200 Washington 000

H BI BB SO 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 1 4 10 H BI BB SO 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 1 3 9 000 000–2 001 000–1

Avg. .240 .272 .321 .262 .223 .262 .171 .167 .000 .182 ----------.252 Avg. .301 .500 .316 .246 .328 .217 .242 .222 .239 .000 .197 --.197 ----.232 6 0 8 0

a-struck out for G.Gonzalez in the 6th. bstruck out for Arrieta in the 7th. c-fouled out for Treinen in the 7th. d-grounded into a double play for Lake in the 8th. e-walked for Barrett in the 9th. LOB–Chicago 5, Washington 9. 2B–Rendon (1), Lobaton (1). RBIs–Lake (5), Harper (45). SB–Lake (3), M.Taylor (5). CS–A.Russell (3), Rendon (1), Espinosa (1). Runners left in scoring position–Chicago 3 (Szczur, Arrieta, Coghlan); Washington 5 (Span, M.Taylor, Desmond 2, Rendon). RISP– Chicago 1 for 8; Washington 0 for 8. Runners moved up–Harper. GIDP–Coghlan, S.Castro. DP–Chicago 1 (D.Ross, D.Ross, A.Russell); Washington 2 (Desmond, Rendon, Zimmerman), (Desmond, Espinosa, Zimmerman). Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Arrieta W, 5-4 6 6 1 1 0 8 97 3.04 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 14 0.96 Grimm H, 3 J.Russell H, 2 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1.59 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 Motte H, 5 5 3.98 Strop H, 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 9 3.60 H.Rondon S, 10-131 1 0 0 1 0 19 3.09 Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA G.Gonzalz L, 4-3 6 4 2 2 4 6 103 4.57 Treinen 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 4.28 1/3 2 0 0 0 0 9 1.93 Thornton Barrett 12/3 0 0 0 0 2 19 4.74 Inherited runners-scored–J.Russell 2-0, Motte 2-0, Barrett 2-0. IBB–off G.Gonzalez (D.Ross). HBP–by Arrieta (Espinosa, Zimmerman). WP–G.Gonzalez. Umpires–Home, Gabe Morales; First, Rob Drake; Second, Joe West; Third, Kerwin Danley. T–3:16. A–35,465 (41,341).

Calendar June 8 – Amateur draft begins, Secaucus, N.J. July 14 – All-Star game, Cincinnati. July 17 – Last day to sign for amateur draft picks subject to deadline. July 26 – Hall of Fame inductions, Cooperstown, N.Y. July 31 – Last day to trade a player without securing waivers. Sept. 1 – Active rosters expand to 40 players.

Friday, June 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Horse racing insider

ThistleDown celebrates Belmont Day with nine races D’Arcy Egan degan@plaind.com The biggest horse race in the land is in New York on Saturday, but ThistleDown Racino has a little gem of its own. American Pharoah is the talk of the town as the 3-5 morning line pick to win Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown for the first time since 1978. The $75,000 Michael G. Mackey Memorial and Angenora Stakes is in the Saturday spotlight at ThistleDown, which has a nine-race program on Belmont Day. Needmore Flattery and Blazing Bling from Tim Hamm’s stable and Pyrite Blues from Florida’s Pyrite Stable are the favored ﬁl-

lies and mares in the 6-furlong dash for three-year-olds and up. A horse that will be missed is popular stakes star Caviar N Champagne, a six-year-old who died of a heart attack on the ThistleDown oval three weeks ago as she prepared for her ﬁrst outing of the season. Caviar N Champagne had won the Mackey/Angenora the past two years for trainer Jeff Radosevich and owner Ron Paolucci of Stow’s Loooch Racing Stable. She had won four of seven races a year ago and had more than $400,000 in lifetime earnings. The Belmont Day events at ThistleDown and Northﬁeld Park include simulcasting the entire Belmont Park program, a 13-race card that begins at 10:35 a.m.

The Belmont Stakes is set for 6:50 p.m. ThistleDown’s live racing begins at 12:55 p.m. Fans can watch the Belmont Stakes on more than 200 ﬂat screen televisions and a 30-foot projection screen in Slush bar. The Silks restaurant buffet is $22.99, and there are barbecue pits sizzling on the track apron from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Northﬁeld has an all-simulcast day of racing. Wagering expert Bob “Railbird” Roberts and track announcer Ayers Ratliff will be live, though, with a free handicapping seminar on the grandstand apron at 11 a.m. Roberts and Ratliff will offer picks, analysis and door prizes. The Player’s Club $2,000 Belmont Handicapping Contest at

Northﬁeld is giving away $2,000, and there are prize drawings throughout the afternoon. A variety of food trucks are camping out on the track apron from noon to 7 p.m. The Whisky Kings (2-5 p.m.) and Unknown Reason (5-8 p.m.) bands will play. Foiled Again in “Battle”: Pennsylvania trainer Ron Burke said he’s planning to bring two of his pacing stars to Northﬁeld Park on June 12 for the $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie for older horses, including the venerable Foiled Again. The feisty 11-year-old is the richest standardbred in history with 83 victories and $6.9 million in earnings, but he’s off to a slow start this year. “Foiled Again has had some

Division II state softball semifinal | Hebron Lakewood 4, Keystone 0

medical issues, but Burke said he’s responded well to minor throat surgery,” said Northfield head of racing Dave Bianconi. “He qualified the other day at The Meadowlands and clocked a very fast 1:51 mile.” Burke is also expected to ship All Bets Off to Northfield for the Battle of Lake Erie, a pacer that local fans should remember. All Bets Off won last year’s inaugural $400,000 Milstein Pace for three-year-old pacers, the track’s richest race ever, beating favored McWicked in a mild upset at 7-1. The major program today is also sending out Ohio Sires Stakes divisions for three-year-old filly pacers and trotters, each with a $40,000 purse.

Blackhawks’ backups key to playoff success Ta m p a , F l a . — When the

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSHUA GUNTER \ NORTHEAST OHIO MEDIA GROUP

Lancers eliminate Wildcats with shutout Mark Kern mkern@cleveland.com The Keystone (25-6) softball team saw its run for a state title in Division II end Thursday night as the Wildcats lost 4-0 to Hebron Lakewood. The Lancers (32-1) broke a scoreless tie in the third inning as Audrey McCullough and Bailey Brownﬁeld were able to cross the plate. The pitching of Courtney Vierstra was the difference for the Lancers, as she gave up only a single to Keystone’s Destiny Weber in the second inning. Keystone coach Jim Piazza was proud of his team but tipped his cap to Vierstra for her performance. “She did a very good job for them, giving them the chance to get the win,” Piazza said. “I thought at times we were able to make good connection swinging the ball, but in the end, we just could not piece a few consecutive hits. She [Vierstra] is a great pitcher, and she did a nice job tonight.” Lakewood will play in the Division II state championship Saturday at 1 p.m. against Granville. Granville made it to the state championship with a 1-0 victory against Jefferson earlier Thursday. What it means Keystone has only one senior and brings back a load of talent. In 2011, the Wildcats lost in the state tournament with one senior, and the team responded with a state title in 2012.

Keystone’s Sammie Stefan can’t hide her emotions following the Wildcats’ state semiﬁnal loss on Thursday. Hebron Lakewood played Granville twice this season, winning both games by scores of 4-2 and 3-2. Crucial run In the third inning, Lakewood started to make their push by getting runners on. An error by Keystone gave the Lancers their ﬁrst run. Once the team was able to build a two-run lead, Vierstra began attacking the plate. Play of the game With a runner on second base and one out in the second, Keystone appeared to be in business. However, a line drive ricocheted off Vierstra and into the glove of her teammate for a double play. Key stats 1: Hits by Keystone: The Wildcats made some good contact, but every time a Lakewood defender was there to catch the ball. 2: Errors by Keystone: This was a very close game, but an error in the third inning allowed the Lancers to get on the board.

18: Nonseniors on the team: Liz Hayes was the only senior, so the Wildcats figure to be contending for state championships the next couple years. After the game, the team made a promise to Hayes to get back and finish the job. Who stood out for Keystone Lauren Shaw: The sophomore pitcher did a terrific job of battling a great lineup, and she has a chance to be one of the best pitchers in the state the next two seasons. Destiny Weber: The catcher got the only hit of the night for the Wildcats. She is the first catcher during Piazza’s time as coach to call the pitches. Who stood out for Hebron Lakewood McCullough: The senior finished the game with two hits from the nine spot and was able to exact some revenge from a loss in her freshman campaign to Keystone. Vierstra: From the very begin-

ning, she was in complete control. She got the last 17 batters out, helping the Lancers move withing a game of a state title. Keystone sound bites Weber on this being a positive team: “From day one, we have made this a great time and we just love playing with each other. In the dugout, you can’t help but smile when you see Summer Constable wearing some kind of goofy hat. We got along really well this season, and I love this team.” Piazza on his team’s effort: “We hit the ball pretty well at times today, but everything seemed to go right to them. For anyone watching this game, you can’t say we didn’t play hard. I am very proud of how hard our girls played, and it didn’t just go our way.” Hebron Lakewood sound bites Vierstra on when the ball hit her: “It hit the side of my head, but I was fine. I had no idea that we were able to turn the double play until I turned around. I felt fine the entire way, and I just knew I was going to be able to continue and finish the job.” McCullough on beating Keystone: “I remember playing them my freshman year. I was in the outfield, and it can be a little intimidating against a program like Keystone.”

Lacrosse sanctioned, first tourney in ’17 when these conversations first started in the late ’90s and it’s been a long time coming.” Because lacrosse is an emerging sport, the OHSAA board of directors will conduct an annual assessment. “There are a number of schools that treat lacrosse the same as any other sport but there are others that say until it gets OHSAA sanctioning, we’re not going to do that,” Solon coach Donald Gries said. “This deﬁnitely gives it more credibility now.” The OHSLA has been conducting a statewide tournament since 1988-89, and the OSLA has had a statewide tournament since 199900. While both the boys and girls currently have two tournament divisions, the OHSAA did not take action to determine how many tournament divisions there will be in lacrosse when OHSAA begins oversight in 2016-17.

Quick bite? The Blackhawks pleaded ignorance when asked about the possibility that right wing Andrew Shaw bit Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman in Game 1. “I have no idea,” Blackhawks center Antoine Vermette said. “ ... I didn’t see it. I don’t know about it.” Shaw and Hedman got tangled up late in the ﬁrst period behind the Tampa Bay net after Hedman pushed Blackhawks star Patrick Kane into the boards just after play had been stopped on an ofﬁcials’ whistle. After the scrum was broken up, Hedman was seen on the Lightning bench lifting his jersey to show a spot on his side to a team trainer. Hedman said after the game that it felt like he was bit, but couldn’t say for sure. Neither Shaw nor Hedman was available for interviews.

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Columbus — The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors on Thursday unanimously approved adding boys and girls lacrosse as sanctioned sports. Lacrosse will be a spring sport with the first OHSAA statewide tournament held in 2017. The board approved the recommendation during its regularly scheduled June meeting in Columbus. “Lacrosse is deﬁnitely growing in our state at both the youth and high school levels,” OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross said, “and it’s exciting when schools want their sport to be part of our association and also exciting that more students will be able to complement their high school experience with another participation opportunity. “It also should be pointed out

that the both the boys and girls lacrosse associations have required their membership to adhere to OHSAA Bylaws and Sports Regulations for several years now, so the transition to the OHSAA should be smooth.” Lacrosse will become the ﬁrst sport in the OHSAA’s newly developed category called emerging sports, since lacrosse currently does not have the required 150 schools to become an OHSAA recognized sport, per OHSAA bylaws. Currently organized by the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association and Ohio Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association, there were 122 boys schools and 118 girls schools that sponsored lacrosse in 2015, with an additional 18 boys club teams sponsored. “I’m excited for it and I think the majority of people are, too,” Hudson coach David Blue said of the news. “You think back to

Chicago Blackhawks were seven minutes away from losing the Stanley Cup Final opener, it wasn’t Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith who stepped up and perpetuated this team’s reputation for big-game grit. Teuvo Teravainen, a 20-yearold Finn who suited up for the Blackhawks for the first time this season in January, scored the tying goal. He then set up the winner by Antoine Vermette — who didn’t pull on a Blackhawks sweater until March. Corey Crawford, the goalie who briefly lost his job six weeks ago, quietly shut out Tampa Bay for the final 55 minutes of a one-goal win. The Blackhawks are going for a third title in six seasons because they’re much more than a cluster of stars. No matter what style they must play to win, the Blackhawks have a culture that sets them up for steady success in the cauldron of the Stanley Cup Final, which continues with Game 2 on Saturday night. The Chicago captain thinks it’s about time to recognize his ever-changing supporting cast and the coaches who keep it all together. “Everyone wants to talk about this Blackhawks team that keeps coming back to the Stanley Cup Final, the common players that have been on those teams, what they do well,” Toews said. “It’s not talked about enough, the support that we have, guys that have come in and really made a huge difference. I think when you’re trying to find ways to win a tough series, you can rely on your best players, but at the same time you need guys to come out of the woodwork. Maybe guys that you don’t expect firsthand to make big plays.” Deep in their third straight lengthy playoff run, it’s clear the Blackhawks have done a remarkable job collecting enough talent

to thrive in the taxing NHL postseason. Other teams have stars, but nobody else has developed enough depth to beat almost any opponent at its own game while still sticking to their basic principles of defensive responsibility. They can grind. They can pick up the pace. They can do both in the same game, if necessary. They simply adapt and excel. When the Blackhawks were matched up with the bruising Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference ﬁnals, they met the physical challenge with minimal trouble. When they drew the speed-demon Lightning in the next round, they got off to a slow start before revving up and blowing past Tampa Bay in the third period. And it wasn’t Toews or Kane leading the way. “Since I got here, it’s something I’ve noticed,” said Vermette, a lateseason trade acquisition. “Didn’t come as a surprise, though. I played against these guys for quite a long time. If you’re going to be successful at that time of the year, if you’re going to push yourself and be good at it, you’re going to have to face adversity.”

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OHSAA

Scott Patsko spatsko@cleveland.com

Merriman sets pace: Northﬁeld Park regular Aaron Merriman added to his lead in the national driving standings, pushing his total to 364 victories this season to keep Ronnie Wrenn Jr. (349 wins) and Corey Callahan (321) at bay.

NHL | Stanley Cup Final

Greg Beacham Associated Press

Hebron Lakewood’s Megan Hitchcock is out at second as Keystone’s Kodi Akers takes the throw Thursday in Akron.

Sunburned Vern wins 50th: A study in longevity, Sunburned Vern paced to the 50th victory of his career Tuesday night at Northﬁeld Park. Driven by Robin Miller for trainer-trainer Rosy Weaver of Beach City, Ohio, the 10-year-old Sunburned Vern ($8.80) has made 283 starts, earning $165,877. His wins have been notched at 15 different tracks, with his best mile a 1:54.1 clocking on the ⅝-mile track at Pocono Downs.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Friday, June 5, 2015

HIGH SCHOOLS

Previewing state boys track and field Tim Bielik tbielik@cleveland.com Here is a preview for the 2015 boys state track and ﬁeld meet. All of the action will take place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Division I state baseball semifinal Westerville Central 10, St. Ignatius 5

Warhawks wallop defenseless Wildcats Cameron Moon cmoon@cleveland.com

Division I When: Field events start Saturday at 3 p.m.; running event prelims begin Friday at 4:45 p.m.; finals Saturday at 4:30 p.m. What to watch: Nordonia’s Denzel Ward and Mayfield’s Andy Isabella will be the two to watch in the 100 and 200 meters. They have been strong in both events the past two weeks and each has potential to win one of the races. St. Ignatius’ Luke Wagner and Solon’s Danny Cohen are contenders in the 800 and 1,600. They each have the potential to place twice this weekend. In the 1,600, Hudson’s Gavin Gaynor and Brunswick’s Andre Bollam-Godbott both ran well at their regional meets and also JOHN KUNTZ / THE PLAIN DEALER have good chances to get to the Streetsboro’s Dakari Carter could come away with multiple titles in Division II. podium. senior season in the long jump team of Nick Medaglia, Dom a chance to win in Solon’s Ben Hudson’s Kyle Mau has the best Peterson and Mentor’s Reggie DiGeronimo, Eddie Szmiegelski and enters the state meet with chance among area runners to the top seed. and Tony Liana. Browley. Peterson has Ohio’s win the 3,200. He is one of the best throw in the event, accordAnother potential area state top seeds and has run faster Division III ing to Milesplit.com, and Browchampion in the running events than 9 minutes, 20 seconds, in ley has been strong throughout When: All field events start is Cuyahoga Valley Christian each of his runs in the postsea- the postseason. Friday at 3 p.m.; running event Academy’s Ryan Adams. He son. Stow’s T.J. Lawson is a contend- was the state champion in both prelims Friday at 9:30 a.m.; fiIn the hurdle events, Strongsnals Saturday at 9:30 a.m. the 800 and 1,600 last year, er in the long jump and high ville’s Richard Floyd and and has a strong chance to do jump. He will likely make the What to watch: The 400 feaBerea-Midpark’s Caleb Samol that again. Adams has lost just podium in both events. North tures a pair of locals who each each have state championship once all season. Royalton’s Sam Robinson had have a chance to stand atop potential. Floyd is the top seed a strong 23-feet, 6-inch long the podium. Lutheran West’s Lake Catholic’s Matt Ludwig is in the 110 hurdles and Samol is jump at the Amherst Regional Nick Knudsen and Berkshire’s another athlete capable of leavthe top seed in the 300 hurdles. and is a long-jump contender ing Columbus with at least one Kyle Storm have the state’s two They will each run in the same as well. fastest times among Division state championship. He is the heat in both events at the preIII athletes, respectively. Knudtop seed in the pole vault and Berea-Midpark senior Matt Owlims and should run again in Saturday’s finals in both events. ens is one of the top contenders will also run in the 300 hurdles, sen will also run with Lutheran West’s 4x400 team. for a state championship in the 200 and 4x400. The only final Friday is the pole vault. But he faces tough Gilmour has a pair of athletes Another athlete to watch in 4x800 relay, and St. Ignatius competition in Massillon Perry’s who have a chance to place in the running events will be St. is the top seed in the event. Lucas Kelley and North Canton running events including freshVincent-St. Mary’s DeAmonte The four Wildcat runners, all Hoover’s Matt Peare, who each juniors and led by Wagner, have cleared 16 feet or more at their King. He is one of the top seeds man Dylan Henry in the 200, and Brandon Phillips in the 800 in the 400 and will run in the a chance to win this event and regional meet. and 4x800. Irish’s 4x200. bring the entire relay team back for 2016. Trinity will take part in two Division II Lake Catholic is one of the top relays, the 4x100 and 4x200. teams to watch in the 4x400. Five of the teams in the 4x100 When: Shot put, long jump Trinity is one of the top seeds The Cougars, led by Ludwig and — including Glenville, Copley and pole vault finals Friday at and Bedford — were separated 9:30 a.m.; discus and high jump Jordan Pritchard, are one of the in the 4x200, including the top seed in its heat, and has a good top seeds and have a strong by just 0.04 seconds at the finals Saturday at 9:30 a.m.; chance to win the event. chance to get onto the podium. Austintown Regional. Glenville running event prelims Friday won that event and is the top In the field events, Mogadore’s at 1:30 p.m.; finals Saturday at Friday’s 4x800 final has three local team in this event. Kyle Louk is a strong contender 1:00 p.m. area teams capable of winning in the shot put with the best the event in Lake Catholic, St. Medina’s 4x200 may be the What to watch: Streetsboro’s Vincent-St. Mary and University throw among Division III athmost likely of the sprint relays Dakari Carter has a chance to letes this season. The shot put School. They are the top three to win among area teams. The win multiple state championfield is deep, including Louk’s seeds in the event. group of Delontaye Morrow, ships. The defending champ in flight that features five throwCwinn Febus, Kyle Scherer and the 100 meters, Carter is back University School’s Ryder Bell ers who have a throw of at least Jake Gargiulo has been strong in the 100, 200, 4x100 and is in both jumping events and 53 feet in their regional meet. all season and is the top seed in 4x200. He is the top seed in has a good chance to make it Gilmour junior Justin Hollis and its heat. each event except the 4x100. onto the podium in both. WarTrinity’s Jarrett Kelly will each The top seed in the 4x100 rensville Heights’ Darius Farmer try to get onto the podium in The shot put features a pair of belongs to Padua and its relay has had a strong finish to his area throwers that each have the long jump.

C o l u m b u s — St. Ignatius’ baseball season came to an end Thursday with a 10-5 loss to Westerville Central in a Division I state semifinal at Huntington Park in Columbus. The Wildcats (26-6) entered the game confident after dropping rival St. Edward and Toledo St. Francis with stellar defense and strong pitching in the regional semifinal and final, respectively. On Thursday, Westerville Central’s (26-6) bats were simply too much for starting pitcher Connor Adams, who entered the game 7-0. Adams hit Westerville’s first batter and walked the second. The Warhawks loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice and took advantage, scoring their first run. The Warhawks seized control in the third inning with five runs as Jeremiah Clarke and Kyle Keifer — head coach Jeff Keifer’s son — delivered RBI triples. “I would take what our pitching has been in this tournament run and all season, it’s just one of those days,” St. Ignatius head coach Brad Ganor said. “Sometimes the hitters are on and the pitcher isn’t. Small things, little things added up to some runs for them.” As Adams, who was pulled after 2⅔ innings, struggled, Westerville starting pitcher Gavin Lyon dominated. In 5⅓ innings, he allowed nine hits, most of those coming in a five-run St. Ignatius inning, but also struck out 12 and walked one. Lyon said he was feeling under the weather due to dehydration. “Today it was a little bit of a struggle out there,” Lyon said. “I threw up after the first inning. I got that out of the way and then I had to just establish fastballs and keep them off balance so I could get some balls over the plate.” What it means For St. Ignatius, the season

Division I state baseball semifinal Cincinnati Moeller 6, Aurora 1

Greenmen again fall to Crusaders Cameron Moon cmoon@cleveland.com Columbus — Aurora and Cin-

Previewing state girls track and field contender in the event with the second seed in the field.

Tim Bielik tbielik@cleveland.com Here is a preview for the 2015 girls state track and ﬁeld meet. All of the action will take place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus.

Division I

Maslowski

Markel

event.

In the hurdle events, Mentor’s Aysha Muhammad has been strong all season and is capable of earning a state championship. She is the second seed in her heat in the 100 hurdles and is one of the top seeds in the What to watch: The podium 300 hurdles. Brunswick’s Gabby in the 100-meter dash should Maslowski is also in both hurdle have a decent amount of area runners, led by Twinsburg’s duo events after she won her regional in the 100 hurdles. She is of Raquel Jones and Emmarie Foote. West Geauga’s Brittni Ma- also the top seed in her heat in son has run well this postseason the 300 hurdles. Maslowski will also run in two of Brunswick’s and has a good chance to be a three relays, the 4x100 and finalist as well. 4x400. Foote and Mason will both run in The 4x100 features some strong the 200, along with Willoughby area teams. Twinsburg, led by South’s Mischa Sellers, who is Foote and Jones, is the second the top seed in the event after seed in its heat, and Strongsrunning the best time in the reville’s relay has been strong all gional meets. season. The Mustangs also have Lake Catholic’s Frances Bull is strong relay teams in the 4x200 one of the top contenders in the and 4x400, each of which have 400 and is the top seed in her a chance to place high on the heat. Bay’s Olivia Bechtel, who podium. finished second in this event at North Royalton pole vaulter Krisstate last year, has been strong ten Denk will try to build on her the past few weeks. state-record pole vault and hope Chardon’s Rachel Banks is the to end her high school career top seed in the 800 with the with a state championship. The only regional time faster than 2 Ohio State recruit is the only minutes, 10 seconds. Other local pole vaulter to clear 13 feet this runners such as Amherst’s Alex- season. Euclid thrower Rashida is Szivan, Brecksville’s Rachel Harris has a good chance to be a Kotchman and Walsh Jesuit’s two-time state placer in her final Mary Figler should all have a high school meet. She is a title chance to place very high in this When: All field events start Saturday at 3 p.m.; running event prelims begin Friday at 4:45 p.m.; finals Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Strongsville has a pair of jumpers capable of winning state championships. High jumper Cassie Martin won the state title in the event last season and teammate Megan Sievers, who also runs in the 4x100 and 4x200, had the best long jump among all state qualifiers in the regional meet.

Division II When: Shot put, long jump and pole vault finals Friday at 9:30 a.m.; discus and high jump finals Saturday at 9:30 a.m.; running event prelims Friday at 1:30 p.m.; finals Saturday at 1:00 p.m. What to watch: Orange hurdler Jasmine Harris made a name for herself when she won the 300 hurdles last season at the state meet. This year, she will try to sweep the hurdle events. She was the fastest in the 300 hurdles in the regional meet and has a good chance to win it again. Harris is the second seed in her heat in the 100 hurdles and should advance to Saturday’s final. Cleveland JFK sprinter Diamond Cummings has been strong all season and enters the state meet as the top seed in her heat in the 100. She has a good chance to place high, as does with Buchtel’s Simone Green, who placed three times at state last season. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Sammy Bockoven won the state championship in the 1,600 last season and set a Division II record in the process. She

won the 800 and 1,600 at the Austintown Regional and has a chance to win both in her final high school meet. She will also run with CVCA’s 4x800.

Beaumont’s 4x100 and 4x200 relays are strong and each has a chance to place high on the podium. Three runners from Beaumont will run in both events. In the field events, Garrettsville Garfield has a chance to sweep the throwing events. Defending shot put champion Edith Svonavec has Ohio’s best shot put this season and sophomore Lauren Jones is the top seed in the discus.

Division III When: All field events start Friday at 3 p.m.; running event prelims Friday at 9:30 a.m.; finals Saturday at 9:30 a.m. What to watch: Gilmour’s Hannah Markel is the most likely among area runners in Division III to be a state champion. She is a high seed in both the 1,600 and 3,200 and is third among Division III runners in both events. She should place high in both events and is one of the top contenders to win a championship in the two events. Markel will also run in the Lancers’ 4x800 relay. Markel’s teammate, freshman Lucia Cannata qualified in the 100 and 200 and has a chance to make it to Saturday’s finals in at least one event. Trinity thrower Daija Young has a chance to sweep the throwing events. She has the top seed in the discus and the second seed in the shot put.

comes to an end after a postseason run that was built on pitching and defense. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, both the pitching and defense, which committed three errors, struggled. Westerville Central moves on to the Division I state title game on Saturday at 10 a.m., and will play Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, which defeated Aurora, 6-1, in the other semifinal. Crucial run In the sixth inning, trailing 9-0, St. Ignatius was finally able to put an offensive run together, loading the bases with the help of a throwing error. The Wildcats scored five runs, getting key hits from Jacob Kucia, Joe Evans, Sam Fuller, Kurt Mantes and Dennis Grosel. By the numbers 9: Players left on base by St. Ignatius. 12: Strikeouts for Ohio State recruit Lyon, who threw 111 pitches. 41: Strikes thrown by Adams on 59 pitches in 2⅔ innings. Who stood out for St. Ignatius Fuller: 3-for-3 with a run scored. Grosel: Had an extra-base hit, two RBI and a run. Kucia: Scored one run and three hits. St. Ignatius sound bites Ganor on the Wildcats being unable to get out of tough situations: “That’s just baseball. Last week, every ball bounced our way and we made every play. Today, the ball didn’t bounce our way and we didn’t make a couple plays. So there’s two different results.” Ganor on Lyon’s pitching performance: “Their guy was one of the best pitchers we’ve seen all season. He did a fantastic job of keeping us off balance. We had a couple chances there to score early and he was able to get out of it. That’s high school baseball. When it’s a one-and-done series, and the pitcher’s hot like he was, that ends your season.”

cinnati Archbishop Moeller met in a Division I state semifinal for the second time in three years Thursday at Huntington Park and the result was the same -- a Greenmen loss. Moeller beat the Greenmen on Thursday, 6-1. Moeller won, 13-1, in 2013. Crusaders coach Tim Held noticed a different attitude from the Greenmen this time around. “ We k n e w s o m e o f t h e i r players had that familiarity with us,” Held said. “We knew they weren’t going to be worried about us. We knew they were going to come out and battle.” Both teams were hitless through two innings as Aurora’s AJ Kimes and Moeller’s Nick Bennett picked up where they left off at regionals. The Greenmen struck first in the third inning, when Evan Fromwiller walked, stole second and scored on Matt Carpenter’s two-out single. Moeller took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Mitchell Meece led off and reached second on a two-base error. Jordan Ramey scored Meece with a double and later took third on a wild pitch. Kyle Dockus brought home Raney with a sacrifice fly, and Moeller led, 2-1. “ There were a few situations there, where we kind of gave away some extra outs and against a team like Moeller, you can’ t do that ,” Aurora coach Michael Brancazio said. “ We knew we had to have a perfect game with our defense, pitching and hitting and we just didn’t get it done.” Moeller scored three more runs in the fifth inning. Two of the runs came around on a

Kimes throwing error before Nolan Baker scored on a sacrifice fly. “Really, we knew the ball should have been going to third base there,” Brancazio said of the throwing error, which came on a bunt. “ We just didn’t execute it, and then to get the out, we just kind of threw it away.” Every time Aurora started to put something together, Moeller stopped the rally. Bennett pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five. What it means Aurora now has two losses in the state semifinals to Archbishop Moeller, but Brancazio said he can see a change in culture from those appearances. “Taking the 2013 team and this team, we’ve kind of set a precedent of what Aurora baseball is and we’re etching our stone on what could be a solid program for years to come,” Brancazio said. Moeller will play Westerville Central in the Division I state championship on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Huntington Park in Columbus. Crucial run Moeller’s first five runs — two in the third and three in the fifth — came with the help of Aurora miscues. Four of the five runs were unearned. Kimes was pulled after 4⅓ innings, and Carter Semancik, who had a seven-out save in the regional final against Massillon Jackson, came in to finish the game. Semancik allowed one run on one hit and one hit batsman. Play of the game A u r o r a’s B e n S t a w i c k i smacked a ball up the middle that appeared headed for a hit until Bennett reached behind his back and snagged the ball. “That’s just a great play he made,” Kimes said.

THE PLAIN DEALER | FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015 | SECTION S* | 6 PAGES | CLEVELAND.COM/CAVS

Warriors 108 Cavaliers 100 (OT)

at Golden State 8 p.m., Sunday

at Cavaliers 9 p.m., Tuesday

at Cavaliers 9 p.m., June 11

at Golden State 8 p.m., June 14 if necessary

at Cavaliers 9 p.m., June 16 if necessary

at Golden State 9 p.m., June 19 if necessary

THIS ONE HURT Overtime meltdown mars otherwise hard-fought effort

THOMAS ONDREY | THE PLAIN DEALER

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving grimaces in pain as he struggles to pass the ball under the Warriorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, California.

S2*

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

Warriors 108, Cavaliers 100 (OT)

Friday, June 5, 2015

NBA FINALS

Game One slips away in OT Great effort by LeBron James not enough as Cavs squander late-game opportunities LeBron James

Chris Haynes chaynes@cleveland.com

42 points in 4 quarters just shy of a Game 1 win

Oakland, Calif. — History

Joe Vardon jvardon@cleveland.com Oa kl and, Calif. — LeBron James scored 42 magical points in four quarters. A 43rd, and the NBA Finals would look a whole lot different. James and the Cavaliers fell apart in overtime and lost Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors, 108-100. Cleveland’s lone points in the extra period came from James with the game long lost. He finished with 44 points — an NBA Finals-high for him with eight rebounds and six assists. James, who is playing in his sixth Finals, now has an NBA-best 55 playoff games of at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Here is an instant, quarter-byquarter briefing on James’ Game 1 performance against the Warriors. First quarter Stats: 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, 4-9 FG, 3-4 FT Highlight: Struggling to shoot threes this entire postseason, James connected on his first of the Finals at 1:42. Briefing: James opened with 12 points and a jumper unaffected by nerves. Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala p r i m a r i l y d e f e n d e d Ja m e s . Second quarter Stats: Seven points, zero rebounds, two assists, 3-7 FG, 1-2 FT Highlight: James inbounded to J.R. Smith, who turned and heaved a three with .7 seconds left for a 51-48 lead at halftime. Briefing: It was Draymond Green’s turn to guard James and Curry’s turn to impact the game. James started to settle for jumpers. Third quarter Stats: 12 points, zero rebounds, zero assists, 5-9 FG, 2-4 FT Highlight: James lifted a short jumper off the run with 1:38 to go, the second of three buckets off the same move. Briefing: James kicked his post game in gear, not quite getting to the rim but close enough to be effective. Barnes, Iguodala, and Green all had a crack at him. Fourth quarter Stats: 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, 5-9 FG, 0-0 FT Highlight: Trailing by three with 2:38 to go, James knocked down a trey from the top of the key. Briefing: So much for boxing in James as a scorer. He looked for Mozgov and Irving, and both delivered. Mozgov’s two free throws inside of one minute when he was fouled after a pass from James send this game to overtime. Overtime Stats: Two points, three rebounds, zero assists, 1-4 FG, 0-0 FT Highlight: A meaningless layup with 8.9 seconds from James was all the Cavs got in the extra period. Briefing: Total, utter disaster. After his 43 minutes, Irving hobbled off the floor and to the locker room. James missed his first three shots, including two three-pointers, and committed a turnover with 40.2 seconds left. It was already over by then. Totals: 44 points, eight rebounds, six assists, 18-38 FG, 6-10 FT, 46 minutes

GUS CHAN / THE PLAIN DEALER

The Cavs’ Timofey Mozgov, left, and Golden State’s Draymond Green chase a loose ball Thursday during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

THOMAS ONDREY / THE PLAIN DEALER

The Cavaliers’ LeBron James leans hard into Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green while driving to the basket in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Cavaliers 100

Warriors 108 SCORING

POS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A +/-

REBOUNDS

Warriors 1, Cavs 0 SCORING

OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS BA PTS

REBOUNDS

POS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A +/-

OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS BA PTS

L. James

45:46 18-38

2-8

6-10

-3

H. Barnes