PROFILES » moving forward in the SEC West, but the Aggies join Alabama a

CLEVELAND -- Los Angeles starter Tyler Skaggs took the blame after the Cleveland Indians matched their team record with eight steals.Skaggs allowed the first seven steals in the Angels 13-3 loss Friday night.This loss is on me today, Skaggs said. A mixture of a lot of things, all of them my fault. Definitely slow to the plate.Manager Mike Scioscia said catcher Geovany Soto had little opportunity to throw out any of the runners.Geo didnt have much of a chance tonight, Scioscia said. Obviously, controlling the running game got away from him.Skaggs (1-1) said hell be ready for the runners in his next start against Seattle.Im going to watch a lot of video this week and come back, Skaggs said. I can almost guarantee you Seattle is going to try to steal a lot, so Ill be ready for it.Skaggs allowed seven runs on 10 hits over five innings in his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.Los Angeles has lost eight in a row, its longest losing streak since 1999.Rajai Davis and Jose Ramirez each stole three bases, and Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor added steals for Cleveland to match the record that was first accomplished on Aug. 27, 1917, against the Washington Senators.The eight steals allowed also are the most in club history for the Angels.You have to trust your instincts and go, said Davis, the American League leader with 31 steals. Theres something you look for and go off that.Our baserunning set the tone, Indians manager Terry Francona said. We had hits to get on. We stole bases. We just didnt run with abandon. We were intelligent.Brandon Guyer, who had five RBI, homered in the second and had two-run singles in the fifth and eighth. Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a home run -- extending his hitting streak to 16 games -- and Kipnis was 4 for 5 for the AL Central leaders.Carlos Carrasco (8-6) allowed three runs in seven innings and won for the first time since July 20.THE PLANRight-hander Tim Lincecum, who was designated for assignment Aug. 5, will pitch for Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner was 2-6 with a 9.16 ERA in nine starts for the Angels. He accepted the minor league option this week.I think that its easy to define Tims problems right now and his inconsistencies, Scioscia said. Finding a solution has proven to be a little more difficult, which is usually the case. Hes going to have a chance to go down there and get a feel for what he needs to do and where he needs to be to regain the command he needs to be successful.TRAINERS ROOMAngels: 1B C.J. Cron (broken left hand) began a minor league rehab assignment on Friday and is expected to play five or six games before returning to the Angels.Indians: Santana will undergo further evaluation to determine if he has a concussion.UP NEXTAngels: RHP Matt Shoemaker pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 against the Indians on June 11 at Angel Stadium. Hes pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings versus the Indians.Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger (0-1) will make his fifth major league start in the third game of the series. Dave Concepcion Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Scott Feldman Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Drew-Storen-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Matt Harvey Jersey . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Chris Sabo Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. You thought you had it all figured out, didnt you?Florida State and Clemson were the ACCs lone playoff contenders. Oklahoma was the Big 12s best. Michigan State? Once again playing the role of little brother.Then came Week 3.Out with the old, in with the new. It was an elimination Saturday for several playoff contenders, but there was also a new wave of teams to be taken seriously. Heres a look at who got bumped from the conversation, and who emerged from the weekend with more legitimate College Football Playoff hopes:ACCOut of the playoff picture: Florida State. The Seminoles can say goodbye to the top four this week after being outplayed in every facet of a 63-20 loss to Louisville. The Seminoles arent out of the CFP because they have one loss; theyre out of the conversation right now because they simply dont look like a top-four team. FSU can still earn a spot in the ACC championship game, but now it needs Louisville to lose twice. The selection committee uses head-to-head competition as part of its criteria when ranking comparable teams, and Louisville left no doubt which team was better.Into the playoff picture: Louisville. From dark horse to contender in four quarters, Louisville legitimized its place among the nations elite with arguably the most impressive performance of the young season against the No. 2 team in the country. It was the kind of statement win against a ranked opponent that doubters or critics were waiting to see, and Louisville delivered. With a Heisman Trophy front-runner in Lamar Jackson, the Cardinals have now joined Clemson as the teams to beat in the Atlantic Division this fall.Big 12Out of the playoff picture: The Big 12. OK, maybe its a little early to be so dramatic, but the Big 12s top two contenders both tumbled in Week 3, and the entire conference is officially in the long-shot category for the CFP. After Oklahoma lost at home to Ohio State, all eyes turned to Texas to carry the banner for the league, but the Longhorns came out on the wrong end of a thriller against Cal. The Sooners playoff hopes are likely over after starting the season 1-2 and not having a conference championship game to compensate for it. The Big 12 title is still a realistic goal for both Texas and Oklahoma -- and TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State might have something to say about it -- but its unlikely the league winner will have only one loss, like OU did last year, and an impressive nonconference win. Texas, theres still hope: cheer for Notre Dame.Big TenOut of the playoff picture: Iowa. The selection committee will be aware that North Dakota State isnt your typical FCS program, as the five-time defending FCS champs have now won six straight games against FBS opponents and have nine wins over FBS schools since 2005. Still, Iowa lost at home (albeit on a field goal as time expired) to an unranked team. Thats going to be tough for the Hawkeyes to overcome, especially since theyre in the weaker of the two divisions.Into the playoff picture: Michigan State. The Spartans continue to be at their best when expectations are modest. Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have continued to steal the limelight, but Michigan State now has a nonconference win that will ressonate with the selection committee through November.dddddddddddd Dont forget that the Spartans also have home-field advantage against Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State. If they can survive the schedule, theyre in.Pac-12Out of the playoff picture: USC. After dropping to 1-2 for the first time since 2000, USC simply doesnt look capable of winning the conference, let alone finishing among the nations top four. The Trojans were embarrassed in their season-opening loss to Alabama and were outscored by a combined 79-16 in their two losses. The Trojans are struggling to find their offensive identity under first-year coach Clay Helton, and theres not much time to develop one with a road trip to Utah fast approaching on Friday night.Into the playoff picture: Stanford (still). Stanford was a Pac-12 front-runner heading into the season, but Saturdays win over USC was only the Cardinals second game of the year after having an early bye last week. The question is how long Stanford can stay in the picture, as three of the next four games are on the road, at UCLA, Washington and Notre Dame.SECOut of the playoff picture: Ole Miss. That loss to Florida State no longer falls into the good loss category after the Noles got embarrassed by Louisville, and once again the Rebels squandered at least a 21-point lead, this time to Alabama. Ole Miss now needs to run the table and have Bama lose twice to get back into the SEC race. Its not impossible, but certainly seems unlikely considering the Rebels performances in their past two losses and the schedule that lies ahead.Into the playoff picture: Texas A&M. You were warned not to take the Aggies too seriously after their season-opening win (which hasnt amounted to much in recent years), but for the third straight season theyre impossible to ignore after a 3-0 start. A&M relied on five field goals against Auburn and will need more in the red zone from its offense moving forward in the SEC West, but the Aggies join Alabama and Arkansas as the only undefeated teams remaining in the division.OthersOut of the playoff picture: Notre Dame. Losing in double overtime to Texas in the season opener was forgivable, but starting September 1-2 will be nearly impossible to overcome. The Irish know their status as an independent is a gamble -- they can craft the perfect playoff schedule, but it doesnt help if they cant get through it with one loss or fewer. After losing to Texas and Michigan State, Notre Dames playoff hopes are likely over. The Irish dont have a 13th data point, so they have to impress the selection committee members with the 12 games they have, and a 1-2 start isnt the way to do it.Into the playoff picture: Houston. The Cougars faced some real adversity at Cincinnati on Thursday night, trailing 16-12 early in the fourth quarter, but Houstons defense and Greg Ward Jr.?woke up and rallied for their convincing 40-16 win. As long as Houston keeps winning, it should remain in the CFP conversation. The only game in which ESPNs Football Power Index doesnt favor the Cougars is Nov. 17 against Louisville. ' ' '