younger. Getting the right strikers will augment the spine

CLEVELAND -- For much of the weekend, Baltimore didnt look like a division leader or contender. They were ordinary Orioles. One inning salvaged them. Rookie Kevin Gausman pitched six strong innings and the Orioles, getting clutch two-out hits from J. J. Hardy and Chris Davis in the sixth, avoided being swept for the first time since May by beating the Cleveland Indians 4-1 on Sunday. Gausman (7-4) allowed just one run and two hits as the AL East-leading Orioles got back in the win column after scoring just one run in their previous two games. "Its been a rough couple of days, but those things are going to happen," said Steve Pearce, who had a leadoff double in the sixth and then homered in the seventh. "It was only a matter of time. We put together some good at-bats and grinded it out." Hardy delivered a two-out RBI single and the slumping Davis added an RBI double to rally the Orioles, who were blanked over the first five by Danny Salazar (4-7). Orioles reliever Darren ODay pitched a perfect seventh, Andrew Miller struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton finished the two-hitter for his 26th save. Jonathan Schoop also homered for Baltimore, which is an MLB-best 28-13 since June 30. However, the Orioles were listless for 25 innings, scoring once Friday, not at all Saturday and they trailed 1-0 before taking their first lead of the series in the sixth -- thanks to Hardy and Davis. Salazar, recalled before the game from Triple-A Columbus, held Baltimore without a run on four hits through five before running into trouble in the sixth. He gave up Pearces double and hit Adam Jones before he was replaced by Scott Atchison, who got two quick outs. Hardy, though, came through with his single and Davis, who was dropped again in the order by manager Buck Showalter, looped a soft double into left to make it 2-1. Gausman then set down the Indians in order in the sixth before turning it over to Baltimores bullpen. The right-hander, who improved to 3-1 on the road, sensed the Orioles urgency to leave town with a victory. "I definitely knew we needed a win," Gausman said. "We hadnt played very good baseball the last two days. When you get walked-off (Fridays 2-1 loss) and then you get beat the next day, its huge when you get that last game." The Indians failed to take advantage of another strong start. Pearce homered off C.C. Lee in the seventh and Schoops leadoff drive in the ninth made it 4-1. Although he took the loss, Salazar continued a torrid run of starting pitching for the Indians, who got a typically strong outing from Corey Kluber in the opener before Carlos Carrasco blanked the Orioles on three hits over seven innings. Over the past seven games, Clevelands starters have posted a 1.02 ERA -- five earned runs in 44 innings. As much as he wanted the sweep, Indians manager Terry Francona was satisfied with taking two of three from the free-swinging Orioles. "You hope they get out of town and beat up on somebody else because they were pretty quiet for two games and a half of another," he said. "But theres a lot of thunder in that lineup." LINEUP SHUFFLE Davis began the series batting second, dropped to fifth Saturday and hit seventh in the finale. He snapped an 0-for-11 skid with a double in the third. It was his first game with two doubles since May 10, 2013. WINDY CITY The Orioles will spend the next week in Chicago. After playing three against the White Sox, theyll have an off day before opening a weekend series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. TRAINERS ROOM Orioles: 3B Manny Machado (sprained right knee) continues his rehab program, but hes not doing any baseball activities. Theres no timetable for his return. UP NEXT Orioles: RHP Bud Norris (10-7) will start the series opener against the White Sox and Chris Sale (10-2) as the Orioles continue their nine-game road trip. Indians: After an off day, the Indians will open a three-game set in Minnesota with Trevor Bauer (4-7) facing Twins RHP Kyle Gibson (11-9). Rickey Jackson Jersey . -- The Atlanta Braves are facing the possibility of losing another pitcher for the season after general manager Frank Wren said Saturday that Cory Gearrin has a serious injury to his right elbow. Michael Thomas Youth Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. http://www.authenticsaintssportsonline.com/saints-wil-lutz-gold-jersey/ . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken. Archie Manning Womens Jersey . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. Ted Ginn Jr Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Wednesdays 3pm et trade deadline for all the updates. Blue line help for Red Wings? In addition to what he reported in Insider Trading, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun wrote on ESPN.TORONTO - Toronto FCs end-of-year wrap session Monday was much like the 6-17-11 season that preceded it, in many ways.It managed to highlight the good and bad of a complicated MLS club which always has a lot more than meets the eye going on under the surface. Over the years, Toronto FC has made progress like a drunken duck — heading on a peculiar path, its webbed feet flapping unseen below the water.The current braintrust insists that the team is now headed in the right direction. And that it has the majority of its players in place.Listening to Mondays parade of 16 players, followed by manager Ryan Nelsen and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko, was like watching a large family get-together.Some cant wait to leave. Most are happy to stay a little longer. And the hosts believe the party is only going to get better.I learned more probably in this year than I have in many years, to tell you the truth, Nelsen said of his first year as a manager.Its been a roller-coaster as well, we have some real ups and some real downs ... but I can tell you what, gee whiz, I can sleep good at night knowing were in the situation were in now.Nelsen had to fight fires — bush fires in his words — after taking over a team hamstrung by salary cap, contracts, debt — lots of it — (and) at the time, no real foundation of core MLS players.Put all that together and thats toxic, he added.A no-nonsense defender who made the most of his talents in pro soccer — he still has two homes in England and three in New Zealand — Nelsen proved to be a survivor in his first year at the helm. Former team president and GM Kevin Payne could not say the same, axed by new Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke.Nelsen and Bezbatchenko were both upbeat Monday as they looked ahead rather than behind.Well have the majority of the guys back, said Nelsen, the clubs eighth manager in seven seasons. They know everything, they know the system.We dont have to make major changes, he added. The only changes were actually making are only going to be complementing the team.Leiweke has already said Nelsen is his manager for 2014 and Bezbatchenko added his endorsement Monday, saying a turnaround simply wasnt possible in one year. Both manager and GM say the team is close to that turnaround.The search for two designated player strikers continues, in tandem with a search for a handful of battle-hardened MLS veterans.Bezbatchenko says the team has a broad target list for the DP forwards.From there you whittle it down by figuring out who might be interested and you figure out their contract situation, and then you look at your budget. And then you speak to their agent or the club and see if theyre interested in doing a deal. So there was a wide net and its been narrowed down. But its still pretty broad.Goals are desperately needed. Toronto scored just 30 in 34 games this season to rank 18th in the league. Nelsens squad did manage to improve on defence with 45 goals conceded, compared to 62 in 2012.The off-season talent hunt includes speed on the midfield flank and depth in central midfield and the backline.Were on the right path, said captain Steven Caldwell, a hard-nosed Scottish defender who proved to be an inspired pickup. But we know we need a few more players, a bit of quality in different areas.One player after another said there should be no excuses for failure, given the teams ownership and resources. And most praised Nelsen as a players coach who knows what they go through because he has experienced it himself.Fullback Richard Eckersley, goalkeeper Stefan Frei and designated player/striker Danny Koevermans all managed to stay classy as they headed out the door Monday. One sensed they had far more to say, but Monday was not the time.Eckersley, with a US$500,000-plus contract in 2014 back-end loaded due to a renegotiation this season, is simply too expensive to keep for his last year. Look for the team to buy him out.Frei lost his stating job to injury and the fine plaay of Joe Bendik.dddddddddddd. His $200,000 contact is expiring and he will be allowed to go to greener pastures.Koevermans, whose expiring $1.663 million contract netted 78 minutes on the pitch this season, couldnt come back from knee surgery as the calf of the same left leg repeatedly broke down on him.I feel for Danny, said Nelsen, adding nobody wanted his designated player/striker on the field more than he did. But this is professional football, guys. This is not a charity. Decisions have to be made.Koevermans and Eckersley both said they had to go to the front office to get clarification on their future with the club.The club can comes across as cold, sometimes. Players learn whos in the matchday 18 by email, for example.Eckersley was kept out of the last five games as the team auditioned Mark Bloom — a move Eckersley said he could understand given his situation — while Frei was not given a chance to win his job back and only got a start against Chicago when Bendik was suspended.Football is a business, Frei said. Its also very much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business.Koevermans said he experienced something close to a mental breakdown when his calf failed yet again.Nelsen said hes always willing to listen to a player with a problem.I try and talk to all the players if I can. My doors always open. And if anybodys got any problem, they always come in and talk. I cant get some of them out of the room, to tell you the truth.Nelsen said perhaps he could do a better job of searching out troubled players, but it sounded half-hearted.And he appeared to have Koevermans in mind when he made a point of noting how some players making a mere $35,000 a year turn up every single day for training and dont need any arms around his shoulders.To his credit, Koevermans did independently say the league needed to immediately increase its minimum wage.Nelsen, who has experienced the highs and lows of pro soccer himself, does not do warm and fuzzy very well. But he has had to deal with some unique situations at the club this season, electing to take criticism himself rather than share the real story.In terms of fires, hopefully weve put a lot of them out and hopefully well never see them again, he saidNelsen is looking out for his youngsters, however, and will likely make use of his contacts overseas to send the likes of Canadians Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan and Jonathan Osiorio to European clubs for some off-season training.Their departures will leave the 22-year-old Morgan (66 games) atop the list for league appearances in a Toronto FC shirt.Its not good is it? said Nelsen. Its not right, of course, and thats absolutely what we want to change.Nelsen has assembled a good core of youth, with seven of his starters in Saturdays win over Montreal aged 25 or younger. Getting the right strikers will augment the spine of the team (Bendik, Caldwell, Henry, Laba, Osorio).The turnover at the club drew fire from Koevermans, who said he had seen 54 players come and go during his two and a half seasons in Toronto.That says it all .... I just hope the next people in charge, they do it right. Because I think especially the city of Toronto deserves a winning team and also the fans because they keep on coming. Which is unbelievable.Toronto dressed some 37 players this season.Theres been way too much turnover here, said veteran midfielder Bobby Convey. Its very difficult as a player to get a rhythm with different guys on the field. My first, I think, seven or eight weeks I played with three different left backs. Thats a bit tough.One plus of a poor season is youth gets a chance to shine and the 30-year-old Convey says TFC will benefit from that next year.Koevermans, who called this season a personal disaster, says he plans one more attempt at soccer in his native Netherlands. He turns 35 Friday, so he knows time is against him.Eckersley says he would like to stay in the MLS, with a winning team. Frei kept his plans to himself. ' ' '