with his own group and with the opposition. He showed he was

NEW YORK -- There was a bit of role reversal going on at Yankee Stadium Friday afternoon, when the small-market Cleveland Indians held a press conference for the player (left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller) theyd acquired from the biggest market team of all, the New York Yankees, five days earlier.After Friday night, the Yankees are hoping the role reversals last a couple more days.The rebuilding Yankees host the American League Central-leading Indians in the second game of a three-game series Saturday afternoon. New York never trailed in winning Friday nights opener, 13-7.While the final score suggested a back-and-forth slugfest, the Yankees ability to jump out to insurmountable leads -- they led 6-0 in the third and 11-4 after the seventh -- against a doubly dangerous Indians team had manager Joe Girardi pleased.When you talk about Cleveland, everyone talks about how well their pitching has been this year, Girardi said. But going into tonight they were second in the league in runs. You dont hear as much about their offense, but its really good.The Indians offense hasnt been nearly good enough to cover up for the sudden struggles of their pitching staff, which was seemingly bolstered by the acquisition of Miller in exchange for four prospects on Sunday.Cleveland has been outscored 50-32 in the last five games, during which it has gone 1-4 while its starters have allowed a whopping 30 runs in just 17 1/3 innings. The skid has raised the Indians ERA nearly three-tenths of a run -- from 3.59 to 3.88 -- and dropped them from first in the AL in ERA to third.Its still a tough pill to swallow whenever the offense is clicking like theyre clicking and were not doing the job were supposed to be doing, said right-hander Josh Tomlin, who became the latest culprit Friday by giving up seven runs over 4 2/3 innings -- the longest start by an Indians pitcher during the slump.The last pitcher to produce a strong start will take the mound for the Indians on Saturday, when right-hander Corey Kluber opposes Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia in a matchup of pitchers who won the American League Cy Young Award while playing for Cleveland.Kluber, who won the Cy Young in 2014, earned the win Sunday, when he threw seven shutout innings in an 8-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. He has allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, a stretch in which hes lowered his ERA from 3.79 to a season-low 3.27.Sabathia, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner, will be trying to snap out of a lengthy slump. A late comeback by the Yankees spared Sabathia the loss on Monday, when he gave up five runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-5, 10-inning win over the New York Mets. Sabathia has failed to author a quality start in seven of his last eight outings, a stretch in which hes gone 1-4 with a 6.85 ERA as his overall ERA has increased from 2.20 to 4.15.USA Soccer Jerseys 2019 . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. USA Soccer Pro Shop . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. USA Soccer Jerseys China . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less.For a good part of the first quarter of last season, it seemed as though the future of the Philadelphia Flyers was still somewhere off in the distance. A rebuild with an emphasis on the build part under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol seemed to be about as good as it was going to get for Flyers fans.But a funny thing happened to all of those dire predictions of being a lottery team: The Flyers scratched and clawed their way into a most unlikely of playoff berths and then managed somehow to stretch the powerful Washington Capitals to six games in the first round.Theres already healthy skepticism that last season was a blip on the rebuilding radar and the Flyers will be back outside the playoff bubble. But Im not so sure, especially watching rookie of the year nominee Shayne Gostisbehere playing so well at the World Cup of Hockey and veteran Mark Streit helping Team Europe to an unexpected berth in the tournament finals.Certainly GM Ron Hextall isnt letting the players feel its a given theyll get back to where they were last season. Essentially were starting fresh here, Hextall said in a recent interview.Best new facesA tinkering summer for Hextall brought in a couple of veterans to help augment the youth movement that is fully in place in Philadelphia. Veteran center and defensive specialist Boyd Gordon will be looking for fourth-line minutes, while Dale Weise will be expected to be a kind of everyman, even bringing unexpected offensive upside. Ivan Provorov is another young defenseman with a big top-end skill set. The left-handed seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft is just 19, and at one point during training camp was paired with Gostisbehere. A glimpse of the future or is the future here?Biggest unknownsCan the Flyers continue their upward arc in terms of evolution while weve seen so many teams (the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets come to mind) take one step forward and then regress for a season or two? Specifically, can they find enough offense to help take the pressure off the defense and goaltending? Last season, the Flyers were 22nd in scoring. Only one team with a worse offense made the playyoffs (Detroit Red Wings).dddddddddddd The penalty kill, tied for 20th, needs to improve.Can the unlikely goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth continue to provide the high level of netminding we saw down the stretch and into the playoffs? And who is the No. 1? Neuvirth had an eye-popping .981 save percentage in three starts in the playoffs against the Capitals. Hextall has said hes looking for more from younger players Scott Laughton -- who is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury -- Jordan Weal and Nick Cousins, who all have strong pedigrees but need to prove they are NHL-ready. And NHLers in the fold need to give more, such as Jakub Voracek, who struggled for much of last season after signing a monster contract extension last summer.Sure thingsNot sure how Dave Hakstol didnt end up on the ballot for coach of the year, but thats a moot point. What isnt moot is that Hakstol, who came to the NHL after a long, successful stint with the University of North Dakota, should be even better in his sophomore season in terms of how to schedule practices and his familiarity with his own group and with the opposition. He showed he was a quick study a season ago and his skill set behind the bench should be even more evident this season.Up front, you have to figure captain Claude Giroux is motivated after making Team Canadas World Cup of Hockey roster and then not playing. He rebounded after being left off the 2014 Olympic roster with a place on the Hart Trophy ballot a few months later, so expect a similar response this time around.Is there anyone steadier -- and maybe more underappreciated -- than Wayne Simmonds? Hes coming off a career-best 32-goal campaign and has become one of the on-ice leaders, having averaged a hair less than 30 goals a season over the past three.PredictionThe bottom of the Metropolitan Division is a dogs breakfast. But Im liking what is going on with the Flyers, even if they finish just outside the playoff picture. Fifth in the Metropolitan. ' ' '