she said in the bowels of the Amsterdam Olympic stadium, sitting on a chair for comfort.Secondly I have to see how my injury improves.Stepanova said she came into Wednesdays race

CLEVELAND -- The Indians were down, in danger and nearing doom. They never buckled. They fought back. "Weve got that never-say-die attitude," first baseman Nick Swisher said. "The good teams pick each other up, and the bad teams pick each other apart." Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning off Al Alburquerque as Cleveland, which blew a big lead, ended a seven-game skid against Detroit with a 9-6 win Sunday to trim one game off the first-place Tigers lead in the AL Central. Brantley, who hit a solo homer in the sixth and had a career-high five RBIs, drove a 3-1 pitch from Alburquerque (1-2) over the wall in right field as the Indians, a team capable of streaking in any direction at any time, recovered after their bullpen couldnt protect a 6-1 lead against one of baseballs best lineups. Detroit, which overpowered Cleveland in winning the first two games of the four-game series, had rallied to tie it 6-all in the eighth on Torii Hunters three-run homer off Vinnie Pestano. But the Indians didnt quit. Its not their style. "The boys came out and punched back," Pestano said. "They didnt hang their heads. Its the personality weve got. Its the closeness of this group." Cody Allen (4-1) got one out in the eighth and closer Chris Perez, who recently came off the disabled list, gave up a single in the ninth before getting his ninth save -- a save the Indians had to have. "That one would have been a tough one to go home today if we had lost," Indians manager Terry Francona said. Detroit had its five-game winning streak snapped, and missed a chance to open a 4 1-2 game lead over the second-place Indians, who can split the series on Monday and get back to where they were before it started -- if they can beat unbeaten Max Scherzer (13-0). Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer and Lonnie Chisenhall added a solo shot as the Indians beat the Tigers for just the fourth time in 15 games. Hunter had four RBIs and Miguel Cabrera homered and had four hits for the Tigers, who took little solace in a comeback that came up a little short. "We were able to tie the game and give ourselves a chance, but at the same time we lost," Hunter said. "Wins, thats all that matters. No matter what you do, late-inning production, I dont give a doggone ... wins." Before Brantleys shot, the Indians were in peril of losing a game that could have haunted them for months. They had finally gone toe-to-toe with the All-Star loaded Tigers, who shut them out 7-0 on Friday and hammered them again 9-4 on Saturday. Cleveland built a 6-1 lead and got a quality start from Corey Kluber only to have its bullpen waste it. Down five runs and unable to do much against Kluber, the Tigers stormed back by scoring twice in the seventh and tying it when Hunter, 0 for 7 with three strikeouts in his career against Pestano, drove a 2-1 pitch onto the pedestrian patio in left. The shot drained the life from Indians fans, but pumped up Detroit rooters, who filled Progressive Field with chants of "Lets Go Tigers!" As the ball cleared the wall, Swisher had a moment of panic. "I think we were all thinking, Damn. But thats baseball and thats how it goes," he said. "Thats a great lineup. How many guys do they have on the All-Star team? For us, were the underdogs, man. We got nothing to lose and if we go out there and play loose and play our type of baseball, stress-free, thats our best way of playing. "When we get up tight and feel like we have to win, its really hard," he added. Cabrera and Prince Fielder followed Hunters homer with singles and Francona, without a lefty available in the bullpen because Rich Hill pitched the previous four games, pulled Pestano. Allen came in and threw a wild pitch but was able to keep it knotted by striking out Victor Martinez. After being manhandled for the second straight game, the Indians, at the urging of designated hitter and elder statesman Jason Giambi, had a team meeting Saturday. While none of the players provided much detail about what was said, the session seemed to work. "Sometimes you go through spells," Swisher said. "We kind of got together and hashed everything out. I feel like we came to the ballpark today ready to go. There wasnt any pressure put on us and thats when were at our best. Im not a major fan of team meetings, but when the Big G calls one, we will be there." The Indians built a 5-1 lead after two, which seemed to be more than enough support for Kluber, who allowed two runs and matched a career high with 10 strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings. Cabreras 28th homer gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first. With two outs, Cabrera drove Klubers first pitch, a 96 mph fastball, 15 rows up the left-field bleachers. But the Indians came right back, scoring four in their first at-bat against Doug Fister as Brantley hit a two-run double and Santana followed with his 11th homer to make it 4-1. Brantley went 3 for 4 and scored three times. "Michael Brantley looked like Barry Bonds," Hunter said. "Thats crazy." NOTES: The Indians lead the AL with 176 two-out runs. ... Scherzer will try to become the first pitcher to start a season 14-0 since Roger Clemens in 1986. The right-hander has already beaten the Indians twice this season and won 19 of his last 20 decisions. ... The Tigers placed LHP Darin Downs on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. They recalled Evan Reed from Triple-A Toledo. ... Before the game, the Indians sent RHP Carlos Carrasco back to Triple-A Columbus. Carrasco (0-4) was recalled Saturday and thumped for six runs and 10 hits in just 3 1-3 innings. ... Miguel Cabrera entered the game with 121 hits, the most by a Tigers player through 86 games since Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who had 128 in 1955. Authentic Custom Angels Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Fred Lynn Jersey Large . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.customangelsjersey.com/ . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Custom Angels Jersey China . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Wholesale Custom Angels Shirts .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. AMSTERDAM -- Ostracized by many in her native Russia for blowing the whistle on doping practices, Yulia Stepanova finally had a chance to run, in the European championships, but was let down by her body.She pulled up in her 800-meter heat when she tore a ligament in her right foot, further endangering her chances of taking part in the Rio Games.While I was running there was a snap that I heard and I could not understand what happened, she said through a translator. It happened some 200 meters from the finish but by then she was already in last place in her heat, where she had been since the start.She limped to the line, bent on finishing her race, but it was another setback among many that have turned her career from a promising middle distance runner into an athlete primarily known for what she did off the track.Stepanova is half of the husband-and-wife team that has blown a Russian doping scandal wide open. Her husband is Vitaly Stepanov, a former Russian anti-doping official and between them, they were able to gather a trove of evidence on how doping has worked in Russia.Stepanov provided information on the manipulation of samples to ensure Russias sports stars didnt fail doping tests, while his wife shot undercover footage of athletes and coaches apparently discussing how to dope.That evidence was crucial to a documentary broadcast in Germany in December, which in turn sparked a World Anti-Doping Agency inquiry and subsequent damning report.The pressure was very hard, I had a lot of people who did not believe me, she said. Ruussia still does not believe this.dddddddddddd Before the race, other athletes had already come over to congratulate her for being a lynchpin in exposing the scandal.When I was sitting in the changing room, all the girls from the direct opposition I had today came up to me and said thank you for what youve done, she said.In Amsterdam, she was competing as a neutral athlete under a special exemption since her nation is barred from competing because of the doping scandal.Even if the IAAF world athletics federation allowed her to compete and the Europeans welcomed her, it is still unclear how and if she will compete in Rio.The injury did not improve her chances.First of all I don t know yet whether I will be at the Olympics, she said in the bowels of the Amsterdam Olympic stadium, sitting on a chair for comfort.Secondly I have to see how my injury improves.Stepanova said she came into Wednesdays race with a painful inflammation in her foot, and her lack of form showed. She had come from North America only days before her race and the jetlag showed.Stepanova is the only Russian at the European championships running under such a special neutral flag exemption.Im very happy to have been able to compete here, she said.On the first day of the championships, Yasemin Can of Turkey won the first gold, when she tore away from the pack early on and took the 10,000 meter title well ahead of Dulce Felix of Portugal. ' ' '