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Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western F

Gửi bàiĐã gửi: Thứ 2 08/01/18 13:49
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The Toronto Blue Jays have just passed the quarter mark in the season, at the .500 mark at 21-21. Thats not overwhelming, but its still four games better than they were a year ago when they were sitting at 17-25 through May 17. More importantly, now, they are tied with the Boston Red Sox for third in the American League East, just a game-and-a half back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles. Not only that, they have the top-ranked hitting team in the American League with a .255 average , 56 homers and a league-leading 207 runs scored and the top OPS of .762. Theyve improved by leaps and bounds in the fielding department, as well. Theyve committed only 20 errors in 42 games, second fewest to only Baltimores 19 in the American League. There are still a few red flags, though. The Blue Jays team ERA is 4.56, ranked 11th in the American League and worst in their own division. With the problems at the back end of the rotation - Brandon Morrow (DL now), J.A Happ ( struggling until Thursday night) and Dustin McGowan (moved to the bullpen on Thursday) - the Jays have still managed 19 quality starts in 42 games. Thats tied with the Yankees for second in their division behind Bostons 27. Tampa Bay has 14 quality starts, largely because three of their starting pitchers have been injured, and Baltimore is somehow leading the division with only 13 quality starts. Another thing that should be of concern is who the Jays have been beating. They are a combined 10-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros, teams that have a combined record of 50-70. The Jays are 11-18 against all the rest. Remember, too, over their final 120 games, exactly half are against their own division. Then you have seven against the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics, six against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers and 13 Interleague games including four with the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, three with the St. Louis Cardinals, three with the Cincinnati Reds and a bit of a respite in September with three at home against the Cubs. The two biggest question marks are how they sort out those four and five slots in their rotation and whether they can start playing better against the teams in their own division with regularity the rest of the way. Right now they are only 7-9 against the East and 16-19 against the entire American League with the season nearly seven weeks old. - You may have missed it since it was a west coast game, but the Miami Marlins called up 24-year-old right hander Anthony DeSclafani the other night after the injury to their ace Jose Fernandez and gave him his first Major League start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He was almost considered a throw-in in the massive deal with the Blue Jays two years ago, that brought Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and others to the Jays. DeSclafani didnt disappoint in his debut. He pitched six solid innings, striking out seven in a 13-3 blowout of the Dodgers. He not only got his first Major League win, but he stroked a two-run single for his first Major League hit. The funny thing about the hit is, its one more than the entire Marlins pitching staff had through that night. The Marlins pitchers were a collective 0 for 64. The one mild surprise may be that DeSclafani made it to the Majors before his minor=league teammate lefty Justin Nicolino, who also came over in that trade with the Blue Jays. - Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned the other day that the Mets should deal from strength and package a couple of their young arms for a much needed bat and suggested they go after the Blue Jays Jose Bautista or Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez. The Mets called up two of those dynamite young arms this week in Rafael Montero and Jake deGrom, who went a combined 13 innings and gave up only four runs total. Still, the Mets lost both games at Citi Field, 3-0 Wednesday and 1-0 Thursday. The Mets, though they are 19-21, are still just two games out of a wild card spot in the National League. The pressure is on them to finally make it back to the post-season. They should be an interesting team to watch as the trade season approaches in late June and then on into July. - Bad break for former Blue Jays catching prospect Travis DArnaud, who went over to the Mets as part of the R.A. Dickey deal. He was accidently struck on the head by the follow-through swing by the bat of Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees on Tuesday night. He experienced headaches afterwards and then was put on the seven-day concussion disabled list. - Jose Abreu, the White Sox Cuban slugge,r is off to an incredible start in the Majors. He has 15 homers in his first 42 games. Hes only the fourth player in Major League history to accomplish that feat joining Wally Berger, Kevin Maas and Wally Joyner. Of the latter three, Joyner had the best career, but was always overshadowed by the steroid-sluggers of the day including Jose Canseco. - I was wondering the other day if it would be possible for the Yankees Masahiro Tanaka to win the Cy Young Award, the Rookie of the Year and the MVP Award all in the same season. He and Abreu are the top two first-year players so far. Hes already a front runner for the Cy Young and, if he leads the Yankees to a playoff berth, he would have to be considered for the Most Valuable Player as well. - If you think the Blue Jays starting pitching is a question mark, how about the Texas Rangers? Over the past 16 games, the Rangers have had one start of more than six innings by a pitcher other than Yu Darvish. Darvish, of course, is the man the Blue Jays will be facing Friday night to kick off a three-game set at Arlington against Prince Fielder and the Rangers. - The Dodgers are off to much of the same kind of start they were a year ago before the arrival of Yasiel Puig. They are 22-20 and trail the first-place San Francisco Giants by five full games in NL West. Fielding has been a major problem. Theyve made 36 errors in 42 games and have given up 24 unearned runs, tied with Cleveland for the second most in the Majors. Bo Jackson Jersey . She was 30. The former British No. 1 died peacefully surrounded by family and friends, the Womens Tennis Association said on its website. The Kyiv-born Baltacha, who represented Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, was diagnosed with the illness in January, two months after retiring from tennis and only weeks after she married her long-time coach Nino Severino. Wade Davis Royals Jersey . New York City FC introduced Frank Lampard in Brooklyn on Thursday after signing the 36-year-old former Chelsea midfielder to a two-year contract. http://www.authentickcroyalsprostore.us ... ls-jersey/. Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. Alcides Escobar Royals Jersey . New York City FC introduced Frank Lampard in Brooklyn on Thursday after signing the 36-year-old former Chelsea midfielder to a two-year contract. Lorenzo Cain Royals Jersey . -- Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has been suspended two games for his hit from behind on Kevan Miller of the Bruins.The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are no strangers to the NBA Finals. The Heat are returning to the championship for a fourth consecutive year while the Spurs are making their sixth trip since 1999, including last years matchup with the Heat. Both clubs are filled with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers. With so much talent and experience on the court, picking a winner isnt an easy thing to do. The question is, which player in the NBA Finals is most important to their teams success? Who needs to be on top of their game for their team to have a shot at the Larry OBrien Trophy? Lets start off with the Miami Heat. The obvious choice is LeBron James. The player widely regarded as the best in the world is a game-changer in every sense of the word. Hes taken home the Finals MVP the past two championship seasons for the Heat and is in the prime of his career. In Game 7 against the Spurs last year, James racked up 37 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Not a bad performance for the biggest stage an NBA player could ever play on. If James is on his game, or close to it, are the Heat a lock to capture their third consecutive championship? Dwyane Wade played the 2013 Finals with a bad left knee and was still able to contribute to the teams success. Now in 2014, the 32-year-old has a clean bill of health (for his standards) and is ready to compete for his fourth title in a Miami uniform. Wade is averaging 18.7 points and close to 20 minutes of play per game throughout these playoffs. The knee doesnt seem to be an issue. Wades leadership and secondary scoring behind James may be integral to Miamis chances. The third wheel when it comes to the Miami Heat is Chris Bosh. The 30-year-old Dallas native doesnt seem to get the same respect as his fellow Heat All-Stars. But, the reality is, Bosh is a good player. The Heat probably wouldnt have been as dominant as theyve been over the past few seassons if Bosh had stayed with the Toronto Raptors.ddddddddddddDoes Bosh need to continue being effective for the Heat to be at the top of their game as a group? The Spurs have their share of talented players as well. The ageless Tim Duncan will be vying for his fifth championship with San Antonio. Even as a 38-year-old in his 17th season in the NBA, Duncan hasnt missed a step in these playoffs, averaging close to a double-double. Will Duncans leadership and flawless fundamentals on the court be the difference-maker in a Spurs series victory? Last year it was Wade hobbled with an injury in the Finals, now its Spurs point guard Tony Parker stricken with the bug. Parker is dealing with a lingering left ankle problem that forced him to miss the second half of Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Finals. Hes expected to play in Game 1. Even with the wonky ankle, the 32-year-old is leading the team in points (17.2) and assists (5.7) this post-season. If Parker can stay healthy enough to contribute on the court, San Antonio might be able to figure out Miami. Manu Ginobili is arguably the most reliable bench player in the Association and is a major key to the Spurs success. If San Antonio is going to beat Miami, will Ginobili be a major reason why? And then there is Gregg Popovich. The four-time NBA champion and three-time Coach of the Year (including this season) knows the game like the back of his hand. Will his fiery intensity be enough to help dethrone the Heat? So there you have it, the main characters of the 2014 NBA Finals. It was a great seven-game series last June and theres no reason the same wont happen this time around. With these teams being so evenly matched, its hard to predict a winner and one player could be the difference. So, which player is most important to their team winning the Larry OBrien Trophy? As always, its Your! Call. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '