CLEVELAND — For a team with playoff aspirations, losing a handful of games to the last-place Kansas City Royals can be stomached. Drop two series in one season to them and it’s time to fetch the syrup of ipecac. Avoiding that dubious distinction Sunday, the Indians outlasted the bothersome Royals 5-3 with another strong outing [...]

CLEVELAND — The difference between Fausto Carmona’s performances in night and day games this season has been, well, like night and day. With the sun up, which it was Sunday when Carmona got his 11th win of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Royals, the right-hander has been unbeatable, posting an 8-0 record [...]

ELYRIA — When shortstop Jason Neuschaefer settled under Seth Harshberger’s seventh-inning pop-up and secured the final out, it set off a celebration on the Elyria West side. After three years of playing second fiddle to Elyria East in the Little League senior division, West came away with a 10-6 victory over East  in the District [...]

Chris Jenkins The Associated Press JOLIET, Ill. — Tony Stewart is a winner again. And one day after a brief but intense lecture from Joe Gibbs, Stewart says his rift with teammate Denny Hamlin has been patched. Stewart won the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, breaking a 20-race winless streak that [...]

Rusty Miller The Associated Press SYLVANIA — In the frenzy after Morgan Pressel’s hole-in-one on the sixth hole of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, almost no one noticed that playing partner Se Ri Pak still had a birdie putt left. Pak didn’t give in to the cheers, and she didn’t give in to Pressel. [...]

Rachel Cohen The Associated Press The satiric video posted on the Houston Chronicle’s Web site tries to answer the question of how long — or short — is 45 seconds. One reporter hovers nearby wielding a stopwatch as another poses a question to Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. Before Schaub can answer, the timer calls out, [...]