BEREA – Monday was the day of the safety at Browns practice. T.J. Ward and Usama Young returned in limited roles, and Mike Adams boldly announced his intention to hold onto the starting job.

Ward and Young have been battling hamstring injuries for the last couple of weeks. Young hasn’t played in any preseason games, and Ward just the first one. They both did position drills Monday, and Ward took a limited number of repetitions in team drills while Young sat out.

Ward and Young opened camp as the expected starters, with Adams trying to hold off Young – a free-agent pickup from New Orleans. With Young out for so long, Adams may have solidified his starting role, at least for the beginning of the season.

“I think he is taking advantage of the extra reps that he has gotten,” Shurmur said. “He has played in there much like you would expect from a starter.”

Adams would be glad to hear that. He’s been primarily a backup throughout his career – 34 starts in 98 games – but has always stated his desire to be a full-time starter.

“I welcome all competition,” Adams said. “It’s hard to replace Mike Adams.

“My job is to make it hard for (the coaches).”

Other notes and observations from practice:

** Tight end Benjamin Watson (hamstring) didn’t practice or appear on the field. He had the leg wrapped Sunday at the end of practice.

** Linebacker Chris Gocong (neck stinger) and defensive tackle Travis Ivey (undisclosed) didn’t practice and worked with trainers.

** Left guard Eric Steinbach (back), running back Brandon Jackson (toe) and linebacker Titus Brown (hamstring) didn’t venture onto the field.

** Receivers Joshua Cribbs (hamstring) and Jordan Norwood (knee) returned to practice. Cribbs didn’t participate in team drills.

** Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (foot) saw his reps increase in his second day back.

** Quarterback Colt McCoy hit rookie receiver Greg Little on a 50-yard touchdown pass behind two defenders. It was a great throw. Little took his time returning to the huddle, drawing some grief from coaches and teammates.

** Kicker Phil Dawson was good, by plenty, on field goals from 55 and 62 yards.

CLEVELAND – The standings say the Indians are far from out of the race for a Central Division title, but the team assembled Sunday at Progressive Field didn’t look like one itching to chase down the Tigers anytime soon.

With a chance to sweep the last-place Royals while gaining ground on first-place Detroit, the Indians instead limped to a lethargic and inopportune 2-1 loss that kept their division deficit at 6 ½ games.

What’s worse, thanks to a White Sox win, the Indians have slipped into third place for the first time all year, trailing Chicago by a half-game.

Once again, it was an inefficient performance from an injury-derailed offense at the root of defeat for Cleveland, which despite taking the first two games of the series, has dropped seven of its last 10.

The offensive ineptness reached its low early when the Indians left the bases loaded with no outs against journeyman Kansas City starter Bruce Chen, who had already walked in the first run of the game.

“Our first inning basically killed us,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said. “We let him off the hook right there. After the first four hitters, I don’t think we had the right approach against him. He recognized that and started changing speeds and mixing pitches in and out.

“It’s on us, letting him off the hook in the first inning.”

The Indians didn’t do much better over the next eight innings, failing to muster a hit after the third while helping starting pitcher Justin Masterson to another tough-luck defeat – his first since July 24.

Masterson (10-8, 2.83 ERA) allowed all of his runs (two) and hits (nine) within the first four innings. He lasted six, striking out three and walking two.

While it wasn’t Masterson’s best effort, the right-hander was still able to hold the opposition to two runs or fewer for the 21st time in 28 starts. Meanwhile, the Indians have scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his outings. They’ve scored one or been shut out in seven of them.

“My command was just a little bit off (early),” Masterson said. “But in the end, we kept it close and gave the team a chance to win like we’ve done so many times before.

“The stuff wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t terrible. That’s why we were able to make pitches.”

Facing a struggling Cleveland lineup, Chen was able to make more.

After allowing two-out singles in both the second and third innings, the right-hander, who has pitched for 10 teams in 13 big league seasons, permitted just two more baserunners over his final 41⁄3 innings – one on a walk in the fifth and the other on an error in the eighth.

“A lot of people don’t give him enough credit,” said designated hitter Shelley Duncan, who popped put for the first out in the opening inning before Kosuke Fukudome hit into an inning-ending pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play. “You feel like you should hit him, but he changes the pace and the rhythm and he’s always around the plate.

“It seems like the older he gets, the craftier he gets. It’s frustrating.”

Frustration is setting in for the Indians, who were baseball’s most surprising story with the majors’ best record for nearly the entire first two months of the season. It’s been a downhill slide since with Cleveland going 35-50 since May 24 to lose 13½ games in the standings.

The Indians have lost five games to Detroit since Aug. 18, but still consider themselves a contender, with six more games against the Tigers before the season is complete, including the final three of the year.

“They know it’s only 6½ games with a month left,” Acta said of his players.

“We talk to them about how much things can change in a week. It happened to us. We were up a half game and then it was 6½.”

“We still have six games against Detroit,” Masterson said. “That keeps it right there within the grasp. We won the series and that’s what we’re trying to do. Detroit’s been hot, but we’re a team that can stay right there.”

For how long?

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook  and follow him on Twitter.

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Oakland
• TIME: 7:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Huff (1-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. McCarthy (7-6, 3.72)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND – A lingering injury that kept outfielder Michael Brantley out of the lineup on various occasions over the past month has ended his season.

Brantley was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list Sunday and will undergo surgery early this week on a broken bone in his right hand.

Brantley missed a handful of games but was able to stay off the disabled list with what the Indians originally thought was a wrist injury. He was still expected to return before the season was complete, but the Indians determined over the past week that the injury was more severe than originally thought.

Brantley batted .266 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs in 114 games.

Because Cleveland is already down an outfielder in right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who is expected to miss an undisclosed amount of games with a left oblique injury, Jerad Head was promoted from Triple-A Columbus. Reliever Nick Hagadone was optioned back to the Clippers without making an appearance.

The injuries have been mounting for the Indians, who have seven players on the disabled list and have used it more than any other team in the American League save the Twins.

“It’s a challenge but everybody has issues,” manager Manny Acta said. “We lost our whole outfield (Brantley, Choo and Grady Sizemore) and our DH (Travis Hafner), but we’re not going to sit here and complain. I knew we couldn’t survive some of these injuries, but we’ve battled.

“We have to continue to battle. We can’t call the commissioner and ask for a month off.”

• Indians head trainer Lonnie Soloff said it was not “inconceivable” for Sizemore (right knee contusion) to begin playing in minor league rehab games this week. Sizemore has taken batting practice and participated in a number of baseball activities, running the bases for the first time Sunday.

• According to Soloff, Josh Tomlin (sprained ligament right elbow) will undergo an examination in two weeks to determine a recovery process for the right-hander. If it is not positive, Tomlin (12-7, 4.25 ERA) will most likely be shut down for the season.

• The Indians are hopeful right-hander Carlos Carrasco (right elbow inflammation) will begin a throwing program this week. If and when Carrasco leaves the DL, he will have to serve a six-game suspension.

Rest day

As was expected, Jim Thome was out of the lineup Sunday, but did make a pinch-hit appearance in the eighth inning, striking out on three pitches from Royals reliever Greg Holland with a runner on first and the Indians trailing by a run.

Thome, who hit his first homer Saturday night since arriving in a trade from Minnesota, will not play every day and is expected to sit in day games after night ones.

Head’s up

Head made his big league debut, going 1-for-3 with a single in his first at-bat.

Head, 29, hit .284 with a team-leading 24 homers and 70 RBIs in 114 games at Columbus. He went undrafted before signing with the Indians as a minor league free agent in 2005.

“This guy has worked so hard to earn the right to be here,” Acta said. “It’s a credit to him.”

Head’s brother Stephen was a second-round draft pick of Cleveland’s in 2005, spending five seasons in the organization but never making it to the majors.

Next up

The Indians begin a four-game series with the Oakland A’s at Progressive Field tonight at 7:05.

David Huff (1-2, 2.70 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Brandon McCarthy (7-6, 3.72), while the Indians have yet to name a starter for Tuesday (7:05) to face RHP Trevor Cahill (9-12, 4.13). It is expected to be right-hander Jeanmar Gomez (0-2, 5.70).

Ubaldo Jimenez (8-10, 4.71) starts for Cleveland on Wednesday against RHP Rich Harden (4-2, 4.55), while Fausto Carmona (6-12, 4.85) goes for the Indians in the series finale Thursday, Oakland countering with LHP Gio Gonzalez (11-11, 3.45).

Minor details

Veteran first baseman Nick Johnson has done little to show the Indians he could help their sagging offense, batting just .201 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 49 games for Columbus through Saturday.

• Columbus third baseman Jared Goedert went 3-for-4 with a double and three of the Clippers’ four RBIs Saturday in a 4-3 win over Indianapolis. Goedert, once considered a candidate to start at third for the Indians, had his average up to .266 through Saturday during an injury-plagued season for the ninth-round draft pick in 2006.

Roundin’ third

The Indians fell to 22-24 in one-run games, 16-8 at home.

• Cleveland didn’t record an extra-base hit, snapping it’s streak of consecutive games with at least one at 27.

• Of Asdrubal Cabrera’s 21 homers on the season, 12 have given the Indians the lead.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — The standings say the Indians are far from out of the race for a Central Division title, but the team assembled Sunday at Progressive Field, didn’t look like one itching to chase down the Tigers anytime soon.

With a chance to sweep the last-place Royals while gaining ground on first-place Detroit, the Indians instead limped to a lethargic and inopportune 2-1 loss that kept their division deficit at 6 1/2 games.

Once again, it was an inefficient performance from an injury-derailed offense at the root of defeat for Cleveland, which despite taking the first two games of the series, has dropped seven of its last 10.

The offensive ineptness reached its low early when the Indians left the bases loaded with no outs against journeyman Kansas City starter Bruce Chen, who had already walked in the first run of the game.

“Our first inning basically killed us,” said Cleveland manager Manny Acta. “We let him off the hook right there. After the first four hitters, I don’t think we had the right approach against him. He recognized that and started changing speeds and mixing pitches in and out.

“It’s on us, letting him off the hook in the first inning.”

The Indians didn’t do much better over the next eight innings, failing to muster a single hit after the third, while helping starting pitcher Justin Masterson to another tough-luck defeat — his first since July 24.

Masterson (10-8, 2.83 ERA) allowed all of his runs (two) and hits (nine) within the first four innings, lasting six while striking out three and walking two.

While it wasn’t Masterson’s best effort, the right-hander was still able to hold the opposition to two runs or fewer for the 21st time in 28 starts. Meanwhile, the Indians have scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his outings — one or been shut out  in seven of them.

“My command was just a little bit off (early),” Masterson said. “But in the end, we kept it close and gave the team a chance to win like we’ve done so many times before.

“The stuff wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t terrible. That’s why we were able to make pitches.”

Facing a struggling Cleveland lineup, Chen was able to make more.

After allowing two-out singles in both the second and third innings, the right-hander who has pitched for 10 teams in 13 big league seasons, permitted just two more baserunners over his final 4 1/3 innings — one on a walk in the fifth and the other on an error in the eighth.

“A lot of people don’t give him enough credit,” said designated hitter Shelley Duncan, who popped put for the first out in the opening inning before Kosuke Fukudome hit into an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play. “You feel like you should hit him, but he changes the pace and the rhythm and he’s always around the plate.

“It seems like the older he gets, the craftier he gets. It’s frustrating.”

Frustration is setting in for the Indians, who were baseball’s most surprising story with the majors’ best record for nearly the entire first two months of the season. It’s been a downhill slide since with Cleveland going 35-50 since May 24 to lose 13 1/2 games in the standings.

The Indians have lost five games to Detroit since Aug. 18, but still consider themselves a contender, with six more games against the Tigers before the season is complete, including the final three of the year.

“They know it’s only 6 1/2 games with a month left,” Acta said of his players. “We talk to them about how much things can change in a week. It happened to us. We were up a half game and then it was 6 1/2.”

“We still have six games against Detroit,” Masterson said. “That keeps it right there within the grasp. We won the series and that’s what we’re trying to do. Detroit’s been hot, but we’re a team that can stay right there.”

For how long?

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.