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Injury report

The injury report may appear long, but several players are working their way back from injuries and should be able to play Sunday. Eleven players are listed in this week’s injury report, all of which are questionable.

They are Baxter (chest), Coleman (finger), tight end Darnell Dinkins (hamstring), Droughns (shoulder), defensive end Nick Eason (ankle), Fraser (shoulder), receiver Joe Jurevicius (ribs), linebacker Willie McGinest (calf), Roye (shoulder), safety Brian Russell (elbow) and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. (knee).

Droughns and Roye have declared themsleves ready to go and the only player listed who wasn’t in pads in practice was McGinest. Everyone else practiced to some extent on Wednesday. It sounds like Jurevicius still might be a week away and it’s still up in the air if Baxter is ready yet.

Baxter, who sat out last week, said, “I’m trying. I’m going to do my best to get out there.”

The Browns will gladly welcome back their 1,200-yard rusher Reuben Droughns. They need his services if they have any chance of running the ball. Let’s hope McGinest’s calf is healed enough to play by Sunday because we saw what a positive affect his presence had on the defense last week. He provides great rush ability and the Browns’ defense really showed some fire with him on the field.

Rain puts damper on sweep hopes

Thirty-one runs the Indians had scored in their previous three games. They could only manage one on Wednesday night and it resulted in a 2-1 rain-shortened loss to the White Sox. The run came on an Andy Marte homer, one of two Indian hits on the night. The game failed to make it through the eighth as thunderstorms rumbled through the city. After an almost two hour delay, the contest was finally called, leaving the Tribe without a chance at a comeback and a possible sweep. Starter Fausto Carmona didn’t pitch badly, striking out six in as many innings, but still was tagged with the loss, his tenth of the season. On the other side, Branden McCarthy was lights out for the Sox. The young right-hander fanned eight in just over five innings of work and derailed what has been a surging Indians lineup as of late.

The Indians will welcome the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to town for a four-game series at the Jake, their last of the season.

Browns/Raiders preview

The Browns hope to carry over their positive performance against the Ravens when they travel to Oakland this Sunday to face the Raiders. Both teams are winless and the Silver and Black are coming off a bye week. With Aaron Brooks injured, they will be forced to throw out Andrew Walter at quarterback, who will be making his first career start. They have had trouble getting anything going offensively, despite having a star in Randy Moss on the outside. The offensive line has been shaky and without a strong front line, we all know how difficult it can be to win.

For the Browns, they must find a way to run the football. Otherwise, defenses will continue to pin their ears back and come after Frye, who can’t afford to take the shots he did last week every week. The Raiders defensively are strong against the pass but second to last against the run so if there’s a time to get the running game going, this would be it. If they can bring the same amount of intensity they showed against Baltimore to the West Coast, there’s no reason the Browns can’t pick up thier first victory of the season.

Sabathia shuts door on Chicago

C.C Sabathia and Ryan Garko starred in the Indians’ 6-0 shutout over the White Sox Tuesday night. In his final start of the season, Sabathia went out with a bang, throwing eight scoreless innings and striking out 11. He left a formidable impression with Tribe fans and demonstrated the kind of ace we have all viewed him to be.

“I definitely feel this is the best year I’ve pitched,” Sabathia said. “I’ve been more consistent.”

Sabathia, finishing the season with a 3.22 ERA, led the charge on the mound while Garko led it with his bat. He had three hits, including a homer and a double, and five RBI as the Tribe won their fourth straight. C.C stands in the AL’s top three in ERA and has arguably been the team’s most consistent starter this season, emotional outbursts aside.

Bottom dwellers

After Week 3, the Browns sit #28 in the NFL Power Rankings.

You can question letting Charlie Frye throw the ball at the end of the game, but at some point you have to trust your players to make plays.

Even after last week’s nailbiting loss, the Browns have a lot of positives to take into Oakland this upcoming Sunday. They really turned the corner and came together as a team during the 15-14 loss to the Ravens. They showed that they are a much better team than the standings would indicate and we can only hope it will be a springboard for this team going forward.

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