ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Canadian John Axford is out as the Cleveland Indians closer. Indians manager Terry Francona announced the move before Saturday nights game against Tampa Bay. He met with the Simcoe, Ont. native prior to batting practice. Axford is 1-3 with nine saves and a 4.91 ERA in 17 games in his first season with the Indians. He has really struggled in the last week, and was pulled in the ninth inning of Clevelands 6-3 win on Friday night. "We told him, for now, were going to kind of get you out of that role and try to get you in some situations where we can get him on a roll again," Francona said. "I told him numerous times, because I mean it, the goal is to get him back as our closer, and I think he understands that. I dont want him to do it in like two days because I dont want some Band-Aid. I want him when he gets it, to take it and stay there," he said. A group of four relievers that includes Cody Allen, Scott Atchison, Marc Rzepczynski and Bryan Shaw could all get opportunities to fill the role. "The one thing I assured them is that when we get to the ninth, whoevers pitching, were not going to have four guys warming up because we think youre good," Francona said. Axford was signed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract as a free agent in December after pitching for Milwaukee and St. Louis last season. The one-time Brewers closer had 105 saves from 2010-12, and converted 49 straight save chances during a stretch. The Brewers traded an ineffective Axford to St. Louis in late August. Axford became a reliable reliever for the Cardinals down the stretch and pitched for them in the World Series. The Indians hoped the 31-year-old righty would do well replacing former All-Star closer Chris Perez, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But Axfords rough patch started last Sunday, when he gave up a three-run homer to Dayan Viciedo in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The next day, Eduardo Escobar homered in the 10th off Axford and lifted Minnesota to a 1-0 win. Axfords latest tough outing came Friday night. He entered in the ninth with a 6-2 lead, but gave up David DeJesus RBI double with two outs and then walked Ben Zobrist to load the bases. Allen replaced Axford and got a fly ball from James Loney on a 3-2 pitch for his first save. Wholesale Air Max Shoes . Osasunas Alvaro Cejudo drove the ball onto the crossbar in the fifth minute and his team squandered several long-range strikes before he was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez in the 50th. Cheap Air Max Sale . Costa injured his right thigh muscle against Barcelona last Saturday and had sought treatment in Belgrade from a doctor specializing in using fluid derived from horse placenta to repair damaged cells. http://www.airmaxoutletsale.us/ .J. -- While Martin Brodeur wasnt willing to say he stole one for the New Jersey Devils against the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost everyone else was. Cheap Air Max Online . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Cheap Air Max 2017 . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. Thompson scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points in his season debut to help the Golden State Warriors to a 106-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.PITTSBURGH -- Julius Peppers picked up the ball, turned toward the wide swath of open field in front of him and took off. Sure, the Chicago Bears defensive end admits he doesnt have the "blazing speed" of his youth. The way the Pittsburgh Steelers are backpedaling these days, it was hardly required. Peppers scooped up a Ben Roethlisberger fumble and ran 42 yards with just under 4 minutes remaining to clinch a 40-23 victory Sunday night that kept the Bears (3-0) perfect. "I happened to be at the right place at the right time and the ball bounced to me," Peppers said. "I got a hand on it and took it in, so there wasnt much else to talk about. That was the longest run I had with the ball, yes, I will tell you that." The Bears forced five turnovers in all, converting four of them into points to stave off a second-half rally by the Steelers (0-3). Pittsburgh trimmed a 21-point deficit to four in the fourth quarter but couldnt stop from stumbling to the franchises worst start since 2000. Roethlisberger completed 26 of 41 passes for 406 yards and threw two touchdowns to Antonio Brown, but also fumbled twice and threw two interceptions. "We cant, I cant, turn the ball over, plain and simple," Roethlisberger said. Major Wright returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and Peppers stroll to the end zone capped kept Chicago unbeaten. The Bears needed a pair of fourth-quarter rallies to win their first two games, but never trailed against Pittsburgh thanks to a defence that specializes in havoc. "We came in here and got the job done," Peppers said. "They got close down the stretch, but we have veterans on our team that stayed cool. We dont panic no matter what." Jay Cutler passed for 159 yards and threw a 17-yard touchdown strike to Earl Bennett with just under 6 minutes remaining to give the Bears breathing room after the Steelers pulled within 27-23 on Shaun Suishams 44-yard field goal with 10:43 to play. Chicagos offence, which generated little after a 17-point outburst in the first quarter, responded behind Cutler. The quarterback scrambled for 13 yards on third-and-10 to start the drive. Cutler then hit Brandon Marshall for 41 yards on third-and-12 to move into Pittsburgh territory. Facing third-and-5 at the Pittsburgh 17, Cutler found Bennett in the back corner of the end zone. Officials ruled the pass was incomplete, but the play was overturned after replays showed Bennett deftly dragged his right foot before sliding out of bounds. "The (defensive) back was there, but the throw was perfect and I was able to make the play," Bennett said. &"The way we played in the fourth quarter, that really shows how resilient we are.dddddddddddd" Pittsburgh tried to get back into the game, but Lance Briggs stripped Roethlisberger, and Peppers pounced. The veteran defensive end followed a parade of blockers down the sideline for Chicagos second defensive score of the night and third in two weeks. "We try to scoop up every loose ball and run it back for a touchdown in practice," linebacker D.J. Williams said. "Even if its not a fumble, we pick it up and go with it. We knew they had some problems with their offensive line, so we wanted to pressure them as much as possible. We were able to get past their tackles and pressure Ben quite a bit. Roethlisbergers second interception on a late stat-padding drive was Pittsburghs ninth turnover through three games. The Steelers defence, meanwhile, hasnt recorded a takeaway through 12 quarters. Its a recipe that rarely leads to victory. "As of right now we have way too many turnovers and it goes both ways," Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said. "Weve got to find ways to get the ball. Thats what great defences do." And none do it better than the Bears. While not the snarling force it was when recently retired linebacker Brian Urlacher was running things, the Bears make up for their lack of bark with a pretty feisty bite. When opponents get loose with the ball, the Bears swarm. The mistakes started early. Pittsburgh turned it over twice in the first half. Williams stripped Roethlisberger in the first quarter, leading to a 5-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte. Chicago was up 17-3 midway through the second quarter when Roethlisberger threw off his back foot in the face of a blitz. The bail sailed into the hands of Wright, who sprinted down the sideline for a touchdown to give the Bears a commanding 21-point lead. The score marked the second straight week and the 10th time since the start of the 2012 season that the Bears returned an interception for a touchdown, easily the most in the NFL. "Thats what we do, we take the ball away," Peppers said. "We stress it in practice every day, and it carries over to the game ... we have to continue to do that on a weekly basis to continue to win, and I believe well be able to do that." NOTES: Steelers TE Heath Miller caught 3 passes for 35 yards in his first game back from torn ligaments in his right knee. ... The Bears lost DT Henry Milton to a knee injury early in the fourth quarter. ... Pittsburgh outgained the Bears 459-258. ... Steelers WR Antonio Brown finished with nine receptions for a career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns. ' ' '