we believe Marlon will be a solid addition to our club as we address

CLEVELAND -- Terry Francona knows style points dont matter when a team is chasing a playoff spot. Even though Thursday nights 2-1 win over Houston took 11 innings and featured several twists and turns, the Cleveland Indians manager wasnt about to be picky. "Well take any win any way we can get it," he said. Matt Carson hit a winning single with two outs and the bases loaded and the Indians closed within a half-game in the AL wild card race. The fact the heroics came from an unlikely source made the victory even more special. Carson has spent most of his 12-year career in the minors, but came through at a crucial moment. "Thats the pinnacle for me at this point in my career," said Carson, who was called up from Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 28. "Thats nice to see," Francona said. "He spent the whole year at Triple-A, and comes up here and impacts the major league team. Its rewarding to see a kid get rewarded like that." Yan Gomes singled with one out against Rhiner Cruz (0-2), and Asdrubal Cabrera reached on an infield single, beating the throw after third baseman Marwin Gonzalez charged and barehanded his slow roller. Trevor Crowe caught Michael Brantleys liner to centre and nearly doubled Gomes off second, and Mike Aviles loaded the bases with a walk. Carson, who entered the game as a defensive replacement the previous inning, hit a grounder under the glove of second baseman Jose Altuve for Clevelands 10th walkoff win this season. "It wasnt do or die," he said. "If I get a hit we win. If I dont were still in the ballgame. I was trying to get a good solid swing. It wasnt a pressure at-bat." Carson was mobbed by his teammates who poured out of the dugout and doused the reserve outfielder with water. "Its the greatest feeling," he said. "I have done it plenty of times with other guys. To be the guy getting mobbed, it feels good." Tampa Bay and Texas (83-69) are tied for the two wild cards. Cleveland (83-70), trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007, has three more games against the major league-worst Astros (51-102), who have had seven losing streaks of six games or more. The Indians then host the Chicago White Sox for two games and finish with four at Minnesota. Bryan Shaw (5-3) pitched the 11th for the win. The Astros not only came to town with a five-game losing streak, they were also weary. The players checked into their downtown Cleveland hotel at 6:30 a.m. following a 13-inning home game Wednesday night. Houston lost to Cincinnati 6-5 at Minute Maid Park in a contest that lasted 5 hours, 13 minutes. Astros manager Bo Porter was unhappy following the game. "Its one thing to get beat, but its another thing to beat yourself," he said. "We just squandered opportunity after opportunity with poor at-bats and bad baserunning. Its extremely frustrating because this is basic baseball. We should have won these last two games." The Indians playoff chase hasnt caught on with Cleveland fans, with only 12,607 in attendance Thursday night. Both teams missed scoring chances in the ninth. Chris Perez worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top half by striking out Brett Wallace and L.J. Hoes. Brantley walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but was thrown out trying to steal second. After Aviles walked, Jason Giambi batted for Drew Stubbs. The 42-year-old veteran lined a 1-1 pitch from Josh Zeid into the right field corner that was foul by a couple of feet. Giambi then popped out to end the inning. A baserunning blunder by pinch-runner Jake Elmore ended Houstons scoring threat in the 10th. Cody Clark led off with a double, but Elmore was picked off second by the catcher Gomes on the first pitch to Jonathan Villa. Cody Allen retired the next two hitters. Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run and struck out nine in seven innings. The right-hander has fanned 59 in his last 47 innings. Dallas Keuchel matched Jimenez, also allowing one run with seven strikeouts in seven innings. The Indians were coming off a 5-2 road trip, sweeping four games in Chicago before losing two of three in Kansas City. Jason Kipnis, snapping an 0-for-11 slump, gave Cleveland the lead with an RBI single in the first. Hoes tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the second. Nick Swisher, who matched a career high with four hits, started the first-inning rally with a one-out double and scored when Kipnis, who was 4 for 21 on Clevelands trip, lined a hit to centre. Houston loaded the bases on three singles with nobody out in the second, but scored only once. After Jimenez struck out Wallace, Hoes fly ball to right was deep enough to score Marc Krauss. NOTES: RHP Justin Masterson (strained left oblique) will throw a bullpen session Friday, his first time since being injured on Sept. 2. Its still uncertain if he will return this season. ... OF Trevor Crowe, the Indians No. 1 pick in 2005, batted third and played centre field for the Astros. ... Cleveland 3B coach Brad Mills managed the Astros from 2010-2012 before being fired late last season. ... Indians RHP Zach McAllister (8-9) takes on Astros LHP Brett Oberholtzer (4-3) in the second game of the four-game series Friday. Michael Cooper Lakers Jersey . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was also taken to three sets but emerged with a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Tobias Kamke of Germany, while second-seeded David Ferrer joined Murray in making an early exit after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Daniel Brands of Germany. Zach Norvell Jr. Lakers Jersey . 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams cruised into the semifinals, while last years runner-up Vera Zvonareva succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in Thursdays womens quarterfinal action at the U. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/1711j-...sey-lakers.html. Heck, we might just miss the BCS. Maybe? It sort of worked out this season. Top-ranked Florida State (13-0) was the only team to get through the regular season unbeaten, and the Seminoles did it in dominating fashion. Jim Pollard Jersey . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Talen Horton-Tucker Jersey . Mika Zibanejad and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Marlon Byrd cashed in on his comeback season. Byrd and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Tuesday to a $16 million, two-year contract, a deal that came less than a year after he was playing in Mexicos winter league. The 36-year-old outfielder hit a career-high 24 homers last season for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh, which acquired him on Aug. 27. He batted .364 with one homer and five RBIs in six playoff games after hitting .291 during the season with 88 RBIs, one short of his career best. "Marlon adds a significant upgrade both offensively and defensively to our outfield," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "He has been particularly productive against left-handed pitching, which was a serious challenge for us this past season." Byrd was drafted by the Phillies and began his big league career in Philadelphia. His agreement calls for $8 million in each of the next two seasons and includes an $8 million team option for 2016, The option would become guaranteed if he has 1,100 at-bats in the next two seasons, including at least 550 in 2015, or 600 at-bats in 2015. "If you dont want to give up your first-round pick, Marlon Byrd is arguably the best available outfield bat," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "We feared he was out of our price range immediately. We stayed engaged in the process, and Marlon and his agents talked about wanting to come back to Pittsburgh. He loved his time there. The environment and playing for a winner and playing in front of that fan base was something that really intrigued him." A career .280 hitter with 106 homers and 533 RBIs, Byrd was released by Boston in June 2012, then given a 50-game suspension 11 days later following a positive test for Tamoxifen, which can reduce side effects of steroid use and increase testosterone. At the time, Byrd said he mistakenly used the medication for a recurrence of a condition that earlier required surgery. He says he did not use it for performance enhancement. He played winter ball for the Tomateros de Culiacan (Culiacan Tomato Growers) and signed a minor league contract with the Mets on Feb. 1. He wound up on their big league roster for a base salary off $700,000 and earned another $100,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.dddddddddddd Both the dollars and the years offered by the Phillies were at a level the Pirates were unprepared to match in talks with agents Sam and Seth Levinson. "The timing really bit us, and Ruben did a great job of going out and getting his guy early -- what we did with Russ Martin a year ago," Huntington said. "We werent in a position to be able to move this quickly." Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the deal was an indication of inflation in free-agent prices. "Had you asked me the question three or four months ago, I might have been surprised, but not in the light of whats happened since the end of the season," he said. "There havent been that many signings, but this one is consistent with the others." Philadelphia had sought a right-handed hitting outfielder with power since Jayson Werth left for Washington following the 2010 season. Ben Francisco, John Mayberry Jr. and Delmon Young werent solutions; Hunter Pence was acquired in July 2011 and traded a year later. Darin Ruf hit 14 homers in 251 at-bats last season while starting 27 games in right field, 15 in left and 28 at first base. But Ruf, a converted first baseman, is hardly the defensive player Byrd is and is viewed as a role player. Philadelphias outfielders hit .259 with 57 homers and a .407 slugging percentage this year. Byrd could be a major upgrade. "He is an experienced middle-of-the-order hitter who creates some balance to our lineup," Amaro said. "With his talent and clubhouse presence, we believe Marlon will be a solid addition to our club as we address our needs and plan to contend in 2014 and beyond." Byrd was once a prized prospect in the Phillies minor league system. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2003 after hitting .303, but struggled the next two seasons and was traded to Washington. Byrd has also played for Texas, the Chicago Cubs and Boston in a 12-year career with seven teams. He was an NL All-Star with the Cubs in 2010 and his best season before last year came with the Rangers in 2009 when he batted .283 with 20 homers and 89 RBIs. ' ' '