OAKLAND, Calif. -- Sonny Grays fastball wasnt as sharp as it usually is, and the Oakland Athletics young pitcher even had a quirky replay go against him. A rediscovered curveball, stellar defence behind him and timely hitting on offence made it all a moot point. Grey allowed four hits over seven innings to bounce back from his worst start of the season and the As beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Thursday night. "The idea is to really get that (curve) going again because I think the last five or six starts its been OK, but it hasnt been a big factor for us," said Gray, who walked three and struck out five. "We did some things a little different this week and I was able to find that again and get it going, especially early in the game." Gray (8-3) was knocked around in his previous start when he was tagged for five runs in five innings against Miami on June 28. He was much sharper this time around and got some help from Oaklands defence which turned three double plays, including one in the eighth after Josh Tholes leadoff single. Jose Reyes hit a fly out to deep right and Oaklands Brandon Moss made a strong throw back to first baseman Nate Freiman, who tagged out Thole trying to get back to the bag. "Hes still a little spotty with his fastball," As manager Bob Melvin said. "That kind of makes him at times who he is, too. He can paint you on two pitches and then miss by a foot. His curveball was a big factor today." Grey might have been in line for a shutout were it not for an odd replay in the second inning. After Toronto loaded the bases against Gray with one out, Anthony Gose hit a grounder to Freiman. Freiman appeared to tag Munenori Kawasaki as he ran for second base, but umpire Vic Carapazza ruled Freiman missed the tag and Kawasaki was safe. Freiman then threw to catcher Stephen Vogt, who stepped on home plate for a forceout with Edwin Encarnacion, the runner on third, approaching. Toronto manager John Gibbons requested the review, arguing that Kawasaki was out and that Encarnacion should be allowed to score because there would have been no force play at the plate. After a delay of 4 minutes, 27 seconds, the call was overturned and the Blue Jays were given a 1-0 lead. "We cant put runners back," crew chief Bill Miller said. "We have to go with what happened on the field, and what happened on the field was (Vogt) tagged home plate but he did not tag the runner. Unfortunately that was in direct relation to the call on the field at first base." Melvin immediately came out to argue and the As played the remainder of the game under protest. It didnt matter. Freiman doubled in Brandon Moss in the bottom of the inning, and Vogt scored on a passed ball to put the As up 2-1. Craig Gentry singled off Toronto starter R.A. Dickey (6-8) in the eighth and scored on John Jasos double. Alberto Callaspos sacrifice fly made it 4-1. "We just didnt get anything going offensively," Gibbons said. "They outplayed us, pure and simple." Dickey, who beat the As on May 24, when he allowed two runs over 8 1-3 innings in his best outing of the season, lost his fourth straight start. The knuckleballer struck out six and walked three. The loss drops the Blue Jays into a first-place tie with Baltimore in the AL East. Its the first time since May 21 that Toronto has not held sole possession of the top spot in the division. Dan Otero pitched the eighth and Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his 12th save. NOTES: Dickey had not lost four straight starts since 2004. ... As slugger Yoenis Cespedes went 0 for 4 to snap a 15-game hitting streak. ... Oakland 3B Josh Donaldson (lower back stiffness) was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game. ... The As activated LHP Eric OFlaherty from the 60-day DL and designated LHP Jeff Francis for assignment. OFlaherty underwent Tommy John surgery last year and hasnt pitched in the majors since May 17, 2013. ... The As reached agreement on a 10-year lease extension with the Oakland Coliseum. As part of the deal, the As will pay $10 million for the installation of new video scoreboards as well as other upgrades to the aging facility. ... Toronto OF Colby Rasmus was held out of the lineup after injuring his right wrist running into the wall during the series against Milwaukee. ... Oakland LHP Tommy Milone (6-3) faces Toronto RHP Marcus Stroman (4-2) on Friday.
Donald Penn Jersey . Los Angeles announced its new deal for Kupchak late in the fourth quarter of a 145-130 loss to the Houston Rockets. Kupchak had one year left on his current contract.
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http://www.theraidersfansclub.com/Black ... ml?cat=900. Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria.
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Sebastian Janikowski Jersey . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs.The Atlanta Falcons were within one game of the Super Bowl in 2012. In 2013, the team fell well short of lofty expectations with a disappointing 4-12 record. This season, the Falcons will look to prove their first losing season under coach Mike Smith was simply an anomaly and reach the playoffs for the fourth time in the past six years. A key to the Falcons struggles last season were the injuries to wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones. White entered the season playing with an injured ankle and proceeded to post his lowest marks in both receptions and receiving yards since 2006, while appearing in 13 games. Jones, one of the best young receivers in the league, was off to a strong start in 2013 - 41 catches for 580 yards - before being sidelined for the season after five games with a foot injury. Now, White and Jones have set high expectations on themselves for the year ahead, setting a goal of 1,500 receiving yards each - which would be an NFL record for a receiving duo. "Were just putting it out there," Jones said in training camp. "I always tell people, every year, I never put goals on myself, because I dont want to limit myself. What I set out to do, Im going to do it, but I dont want to limit myself, because I dont know what Im capable of doing, so I dont want to put an exact number on me. Were just putting that number out there, because we possibly can do that, just because of all the rule changes and everything else." The "rule changes" Jones cited is the leagues initiative to cut down on defensive backs using their hands against wide receivers through an increase in defensive holding and illegal contact penalties. However, Jones main focus when it comes to reaching history with White shhould be on staying healthy.dddddddddddd In three NFL seasons, Jones has played in all 16 of the Falcons regular season games once. Jones career-high in yards is 1,198, while Whites is 1,389. The Falcons premier duo will face less competition for the ball this season, though. Tight end Tony Gonzales, who caught 80 or more passes in each of the past three seasons, retired in the offseason and his replacement - whether it be sophomore Levine Toilolo or veteran Bear Pascoe - has never caught more than 12 passes in a season. The Falcons receiving corps is filled out with slot receiver Harry Douglas, who led the group in catches and yards in 2013, and free agent acquisition Devin Hester. If quarterback Matt Ryans two top targets can stay healthy this season, it wont guarantee 1,500 yards for White and Jones, but it may be key in the Falcons regaining their Super Bowl contender form. Notes: Rookie on Display: After starting left tackle Sam Baker was lost for the season with a knee injury in the preseason, the Falcons made the decision to start their first-round pick, Jake Matthews, at the position. Matthews opened training camp as the starter at right tackle, but will face added pressure protecting the Falcons franchise quarterbacks blindside. Adding Up Front: The Falcons rushing defence ranked second-worst in the league last season, allowing an average of 135.8 yards on the ground per game. In an effort to improve on that mark, the Falcons signed defensive lineman Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson in free agency and drafted RaShede Hageman in the second round of the draft. The team will also benefit from the return of defensive end Kroy Biermann, who missed all but two games last season.
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gửi bởi lw789 » Thứ 6 09/03/18 11:47 
