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By JEFF CAPLAN OAKLAND, Calif. — Diversity and versatility, two offensive buzzwords, bloomed to life in the Dallas Cowboys’ 71-yard touchdown drive on the first unit’s second series in Thursday’s preseason opener.The nine-play drive featured six rushes by three ball carriers, including an end-around to wide receiver Patrick Crayton for 12 yards. Tony Romo had four completions — without a misfire — to four receivers, including a 10-yard dump-off to tailback Felix Jones to the Raiders’ 3-yard line.The first seven plays went to a different offensive weapon. The first eight plays alternated between pass — highlighted by a 12-yard sideline grab by Roy Williams — and run — featuring a 14-yard, hop-skip-and-go run by Jones.Five of the first eight plays went for 10 yards or more, and one drew a defensive holding call.The drive started with the first appearance of the anticipated two tight-end set with Jason Witten and Martellus Benne

CLEVELAND — Derek Holland didn’t get a chance to pitch in his home state this series, but he didn’t seem to mind.The Texas Rangers’ rookie left-hander was born about 90 minutes outside of Cleveland in Newark, Ohio, and his mother, uncle and friends were at the series. Just getting a chance to be in his home state was good enough for Holland'It would have been nice for them to get to watch me pitch,' he said. 'But that’s what happens. I’d rather us be able to get some wins than for me to pitch.'Holland will get another chance in September when the Rangers return to Cleveland on Sept. 7-9. He said for that series a group of friends and family plan to make the trip from Newark. — Anthony Andro

An ex-girlfriend of Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall told a jury on Thursday that the player shoved her, threw her around and gave her a bloody lip after she received a text message from a male friend. Marshall was on trial for a misdemeanor battery charge in the March 4, 2008, dispute with Rasheedah Watley at the Atlanta condominium they shared. Marshall was suspended for last year's season opener after a series of domestic conflicts.

By ANTHONY ANDRO CLEVELAND — Scott Feldman was able to find his comfort zone in the most uncomfortable of situations.The Texas Rangers’ right-hander worked in and out of trouble for six innings Thursday against Cleveland, with the end result being the same as it has been for him on the road all season.Feldman won for the eighth time away from Rangers Ballpark as Texas claimed the series with a 4-1 victory. The eight road victories ties him for the American League lead with Seattle’s Felix Hernandez.It wasn’t pretty for Feldman (12-4), as he never had a 1-2-3 inning and needed 108 pitches for his six innings, but when he turned the game over to the bullpen, the Rangers were up 4-1 and on their way to trimming Boston’s lead in the AL wild-card race to a half game.'I seemed to get a couple of guys on here and there, but I was able to settle down when I had runners in scoring position,' he said. 'I made some pretty good pitches in those situations. For some

Their series against division-leading Philadelphia that starts Friday night is arguably the Braves' most important one in years, and they say their team's big-series flops during the 2006-08 seasons have no bearing on the present. . . .

The Minnesota Twins started this week with hopes of closing ground on the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. They had the lowly Kansas City Royals in town and the Tigers were at Fenway Park to play heavy-hitting Boston. But the week quickly turned into one of missed opportunities - on the field and in the division. Gil Meche was victorious in his return from the disabled list and the Royals dealt the Twins a major setback in the AL Central with a 5-4, series-clinching victory Thursday.

Josh Hamilton is heating up. The timing couldn't be better for the Texas Rangers. Hamilton had four hits Thursday, including the go-ahead two-run double in the third inning, leading Texas to a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The All-Star outfielder hit .486 with a homer and eight RBIs on the Rangers' 10-game trip, raising his average from .220 to .260. More importantly, he's hitting his stride just as Boston comes to town for a three-game series with major playoff implications.

Restoring the rosters: No. 25 - Chicago White Sox This is part of a series of articles examining what every team's roster would look like if given only the players it originally signed. I'm compiling the rosters, ranking them and presenting them in a countdown from Nos. 30 to 1. The White Sox rank 25th. The White Sox have had a better decade than any other team that will finish in the bottom 10 of these rankings. GM Kenny Williams deserves much of the credit thanks to a number of quality trades. However, he also should be blamed for some of the lousy drafts. His choices of reliever Royce Ring with the 18th overall pick in 2002 and upside-less right-hander Lance Broadway 15th overall in 2005 qualify as two of the worst selections of the decade. Then again, he's had a top-14 pick only once since taking over after 2000 and he scored a big hit then by landing Beckham last year.

Joe Flacco led Baltimore to field goals on his only two series, Troy Smith threw a touchdown pass, and the Ravens beat the punchless Redskins 23-0 Thursday.

Virender Sehwag, recuperating from a shoulder surgery, was shaping well for the Champions Trophy, according to Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who said the dashing opener may however not be ready for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in early September.