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The NBA and NBL announced the plans Tuesday for five Australian teams to visit the U.S. for games from Sept. 28-Oct. 5. It’s the second straight year the Australian league will send teams for games.
The Philadelphia 76ers http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/matthew-ioannidis-jersey , with Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons of Australia and coached by former Australian national team coach Brett Brown, will host the Melbourne United on Sept. 28.
The Utah Jazz, featuring Australians Joe Ingles and Dante Exum, will host two of the games.
The other games:
-Utah hosts the Perth Wildcats on Sept. 29.
-The Los Angeles Clippers play former NBA player Andrew Bogut and the Sydney Kings on Sept. 30 in Honolulu.
-The Phoenix Suns host the New Zealand Breakers on Oct. 3.
-Denver welcomes Perth on Oct. 5.
-Toronto meets Melbourne at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 5.
-Utah hosts the Adelaide 36ers on Oct. 5.
PLAYERS TO PICK UP
MIKE SOROKA (SP, Atlanta Braves, 38 percent owned in Yahoo) – Soroka returned from the disabled list Wednesday, and despite being on a pitch limit, he made the most of his return to the mound against the Mets. He allowed just one hit and one walk in 6.1 innings, while striking out four batters. He won’t ever be a huge strikeout pitcher, but he should be owned in the majority of leagues as a fourth starter.
WILLY ADAMES (SS Dave Robinson Jersey , Tampa Bay Rays, 11 percent) – Adames will get every chance to earn the everyday shortstop role for the Rays. He has the upside to contribute across the board, and he should be owned in 12-team leagues with a middle infielder.
MIGUEL SANO (3B, Minnesota Twins, 81 percent) – Sano is owned widely but might be at his low as a fantasy asset. The Twins shocked the baseball world by sending him to Triple-A on Thursday, as he’s struggled to get it going after his 2017 All-Star season. If you have the patience and the room, now’s the time to buy low on Sano, who has out-of-this-world potential.
TOM MURPHY (C, Colorado Rockies, 1 percent) – If a catcher has a pulse Jordan Reed Jersey , fantasy owners should be interested. Chris Iannetta or Tony Wolters aren’t a threat, as they aren’t even hitting their weight. Murphy, meanwhile, was hitting .289 in Triple-A, and he just got the call to Colorado. He’s a power-hitting catcher with a pedigree, and that gives him a real chance to be a top 5 catcher in fantasy going forward if he gets everyday at-bats.
TWO-START PITCHERS TO STREAM
DYLAN COVEY (SP, Chicago White Sox, 18 percent) – Covey has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners this season with his good strikeout rate, low walk rate and 2.29 ERA for the White Sox. There are better matchups out there than Cleveland and Oakland, but Covey should earn your trust in a two-start week.
MIKE MONTGOMERY (SP http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/tyron-smith-jersey , Chicago Cubs, 17 percent) – Montgomery has filled in admirably for the injured Yu Darvish. He gives an added boost to those in points leagues, as he has relief pitcher eligibility. Montgomery is slated to start against the Dodgers and at the Reds next week.
JAIME BARRIA (SP, Los Angeles Angels, 27 percent) – With Shohei Ohtani out for the foreseeable future, Barria will get his shot to stick in the Angels rotation on a full-time basis.
HITTERS TO STREAM
BRIAN ANDERSON (3B, Miami Marlins, 46 percent) – If Anderson were in any other market, he’d be more highly owned. Anderson and the Marlins get six games against the Giants and the Rockies on the road next week. He’s worth streaming and owning for the long run.
JAY BRUCE (OF, New York Mets Tarell Basham Jersey , 34 percent) – The newly-signed three-year deal hasn’t quite worked out for Bruce or the Mets yet, but Coors Field could be the scenery he needs to get going.
DUSTIN FOWLER (OF, Oakland Athletics 4 percent) – In Oakland’s six games next week, only one is scheduled to be against a lefty, which benefits Fowler. The Padres and White Sox are both in the top 10 for stolen bases allowed by a team this year. Expect Fowler to get plenty of run.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports
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Womens M.J. Stewart Jersey
The Buccaneers’ game against the Lions on Friday night was delayed an hour due to weather and that meant they were warming up for kickoff on a wet field when they got the green light to play.
That wet field contributed to a season-ending injury for wide receiver Sergio Bailey. Bailey slipped on the field and is on injured reserve after having surgery on his ankle.
“When we were in the team segment [of warm-ups] — four plays — and it’s just http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/lance-kendricks-jersey , the tempo of that is probably 60 percent tempo,” Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter said, via ESPN.com. “On the second or third play — first play Randy White Jersey , maybe, of team — Serge planted and he got back on his heels. It [was] a wet field [and] he looked to me like he slipped. I just thought he got his weight back and slipped; but the way he went down, he was immediately pointing at his foot. I thought maybe he was cramping. I guess when he planted Rafael Bush Jersey , he either dislocated or broke his ankle.”
The Bucs also waived wide receiver Jake Lampman with an injury designation. He played against the Lions and the nature of his injury was not disclosed by the team.
Bailey, an undrafted rookie, had five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in the preseason. Lampman had two catches for 22 yards and returned to the Bucs after spending time on their practice squad last year.
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired right winger Joel Armia Jourdan Lewis Jersey , goaltender Steve Mason and a pair of draft picks from the Winnipeg Jets for defense prospect Simon Bourque.The draft picks were a seventh-round selection in 2019 and a fourth-rounder in 2020.
Armia posted career highs of 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points in 79 games last season and had a pair of goals in 13 playoff games. The 25-year-old has 26 goals and 58 points in 180 career NHL games.
Mason went 5-6-1 with a 3.24 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in 13 games for the Jets last season. The 30-year-old has a career record of 205-183-64 in 476 games with Columbus, Philadelphia and Winnipeg.
Bourque had three assists in 46 American Hockey League games last season in his first season of pro hockey with the Laval Rocket. The 21-year-old was drafted in the sixth round in 2015.
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”From where I was standing I thought it might have hit him in the face so there was a little bit of a sense of relief http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/deonte-thompson-jersey , but it caught him right kind of on that funny bone,” Francona said after the Indians’ 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. ”He was hurting.”
Carrasco grabbed his arm after being hit by Joe Mauer’s leadoff liner in the second inning and went to his knees on the infield grass.
Although the Indians announced Carrasco was diagnosed with a forearm contusion, Francona said the pitcher was struck on the elbow. During his postgame press conference, Francona said Carrasco was still being examined at a hospital. The team was expected to have an update Sunday.
The Twins got four hits from Eddie Rosario in their latest victory over the Indians. Rosario hit his 16th homer for the Twins, who have won five straight against the AL Central leaders to improve to 6-2 against Cleveland this season.
Rosario swung at the first pitch in all four of his hits. He also scored four times, drove in two runs and swiped a base. Rosario is batting .471 with six homers and 11 RBIs against Cleveland this season.
”Everything is going good,” he said. ”I like it. I feel more comfortable playing against the Indians.”
”Four pitches, four hits today Roger Staubach Jersey ,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. ”Right now, he feels like he can hit just about anything.”
Minnesota scored four runs in the first off Carrasco (8-5). Eduardo Escobar and Max Kepler each hit a two-run double in the inning. Logan Morrison had three RBIs, including a two-run double in the sixth.
Matt Magill (2-1) got the win with three scoreless innings in relief of Fernando Romero.
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez homered in the first for Cleveland, which has lost four of five.
Carrasco’s injury forced the Indians to use six relievers, including Adam Plutko, who was scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale. Plutko pitched the seventh and eighth.
Outfielder Brandon Guyer, making his first professional pitching appearance, retired the side in order in the ninth on eight pitches.
Carrasco was coming off one of his best starts of the season. He struck out 11 in seven shutout innings against the White Sox on Monday Nick Perry Jersey , but he struggled against the Twins. Carrasco threw 37 pitches in the first when he allowed four hits, walked a batter and hit another.
Mauer lined the second pitch of the second to the mound, striking Carrasco directly on the arm. He hopped off the mound and went to the ground before being visited by Francona and a team trainer. Carrasco then walked to the dugout with the trainer and was replaced by Oliver Perez.
”You don’t want to see anybody get hit with a line drive like that,” Molitor said. ”It kind of shakes everyone for a moment, even though you try not to let it.”
The ball that struck Carrasco rolled to first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, who stepped on the bag for the out.
Carrasco was hit in the face by a line drive in 2015, but made his next turn in the rotation. The right-hander broke his right hand after being hit by a line drive late in the 2016 season and missed the playoffs.
Mauer led off the game with a single, his first hit since being activated from the disabled list Friday. Rosario walked and both runners scored on Escobar’s double. Morrison was hit by a pitch. Robbie Grossman’s one-out single loaded the bases and Kepler doubled high off the wall in right Bruce Smith Jersey , scoring two more runs.
Rosario hit an RBI single in the sixth and a solo homer in the eighth.
YOUR TURN
Guyer was told late in the game that he’d be pitching the ninth. He retired Taylor Motter on a groundout and Ryan LaMarre and Kepler on fly balls.
”I was a pretty good pitcher back in the day,” Guyer said. ”I had elbow surgery when I was 12 that ended the pitching days.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: OF Byron Buxton (toe fracture) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday.
Indians: LHP Andrew Miller (right knee inflammation) has thrown several bullpen sessions, but it hasn’t been decided when he’ll face hitters as part of his rehab process.
UP NEXT
Twins RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-3, 4.19 ERA) will start the series finale. RHP Shane Bieber (0-0, 6.35) will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start for the Indians.
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If not for off-field trouble that left him off the University of Florida team last year and a positive drug test at the Scouting Combine, wide receiver Antonio Callaway may have been off the board long before the Browns were picking in the fourth round.
Callaway did have those issues, though, and that meant Cleveland was able to roll the dice on him during the final day in the draft. Callaway joined his new team at their rookie minicamp this weekend and said he’s “learned from mistakes day by day” as he grows from being what he called “young and immature.”
Callaway also said that he appreciates Browns General Manager John Dorsey taking the chance on him and vowed to make sure that the G.M. won’t regret it.
“This is just telling that he believes in me Sammy Baugh Jersey , that I can do the right things,” Callaway said, via Cleveland.com. “Just not going let him down. For somebody to put their job on the line, I can’t let him down.”
Callaway’s gotten some mentoring from Antonio Brown, who serves as a pretty good example of how little where you’re drafted matters if you can play the game well. That part’s been easier for Callaway than life away from the field and he has a big chance to shift the focus back to that side in the coming months.
LeBron James JerseyThe Cardinals are looking at a possible veteran addition at linebacker with training camp getting underway.
PFT has learned Michael Dickson Jersey , via a league source, that Arthur Moats will be in Arizona to visit with the team on Wednesday.
Moats spent the last four seasons with the Steelers and appeared in all but two of their games over that span. He made 25 starts in his first three seasons with Pittsburgh, but played a reserve role in his 15 overall appearances with the team in 2017.
Moats also played four years in Buffalo and would give the Cardinals some experienced depth at linebacker behind Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick. That’s something that Arizona is short on heading into the season and their lack of it may lead to a deal with Moats before his visit is over.
NFL officials will be in Dallas for a clinic this weekend and the work done to get them ready to call the league’s new rules regarding helmet use will be a major topic.
It’s not the only big rules change in store for the 2018 season B.J. Hill Jersey , however. The league has also revised the rules for kickoffs to alter where players line up prior to the kick, eliminate wedge blocking and change when players on the return team are allowed to initiate blocks.
Former NFL referee Terry McAulay, who retired this offseason and took a rules analyst job with NBC Cory James Jersey , will attend the clinic and said that potential issues implementing the kickoff changes shouldn’t be downplayed.
“It isn’t getting as much press, but the kickoff change, this may be the biggest change I’ve ever seen Nick Vannett Jersey ,” McAulay said, via ESPN.com. “People know so little about it. There are so many restrictions on what either side of the ball can do. … I spoke with a special-teams coordinator who is excited about it, and I know we all feel it can be great for the game. But [officials] have to wait and see. There are a lot of intricate rules in terms of what [players] can and cannot do.”
The NFL preseason starts on August 2 when the Bears and Ravens face off in the Hall of Fame Game. That contest and the exhibition games to follow will provide the first hints about how the new-look kickoffs will be officiated this season.
Adidas Clayton Keller JerseyLed by Nick Foles Connor Cook Jersey , the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl last season with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots.
Foles took over last season when Carson Wentz tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Wentz is not expected to be ready when the Eagles begin defense of their title on Sept. 6 by hosting the Atlanta Falcons to open the NFL's regular season.
The Patriots are the most recent team to win consecutive championships, winning Super Bowls 38 and 39.
And the Eagles will start their quest as the top team in the first AP Pro 32 poll of the 2018 season.
The Eagles received six of the 12 first-place votes and 367 points in balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL.
The Patriots, who have been to eight Super Bowls in the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, were a close second 鈥?just as they were in the loss to the Eagles in Minneapolis. The Patriots received three first-place votes and finished with 366 points.
"As long as the Killer B's, Brady and Belichick, reside in Foxborough, the Pats will loom as the team to beat Dion Dawkins Jersey ," said Ira Kaufman of SB Nation Radio.
The Minnesota Vikings, who lost to the Eagles in the NFC championship game, are No. 3. The Vikings added quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason to a team with high expectations.
"Is Kirk Cousins the answer? That's the only question about this team," Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams said.
The Los Angeles Rams, who won the NFC West last season, earned two first-place votes and are No. 4.
"(Brandin) Cooks dynamite in new offense," Fox Sports' John Czarnecki said of the speedy wide receiver who had 1 Marcus Allen Jersey ,082 yards last season in New England.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won three of the past four AFC North titles, are No. 5.
Drew Brees and the Saints received the other first-place vote and will start the season at No. 6.
"My projected Super Bowl winner leads this list," said Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. "Tom Benson would have loved the Super Bowl 53 post party."
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who were in position to reach the Super Bowl until blowing a fourth-quarter lead at New England in the AFC title game, are No. 7.
The Jaguars will start the season short-handed after they lost receiver Marqise Lee for the season with a knee injury. He was hurt in a preseason game against the Falcons, who are No. 8 in the poll.
The Packers Charles Harris Jersey , who slumped to a 7-9 season after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, will begin at No. 9.
And L.A.'s other team, the Chargers, round out the top 10.
At the bottom of the poll, the Colts will start at No. 30 despite the return of franchise QB Andrew Luck.
The Browns, who have lost 31 of 32 games in the past two seasons, are fittingly No. 31. The Browns will have a tough opener as they host the Steelers.
And the Jets Olivier Vernon Jersey , who could start rookie Sam Darnold at QB, will begin in last place at No. 32.
"The future may be bright with Sam Darnold, but the present looks brutal," Marvez said.
Prosecutors say former Oakland Raiders cornerback Sean Smith has been sentenced to serve a year in jail after admitting he beat his sister’s boyfriend in July.The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office says Smith pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony assault charge. He was also sentenced to five years of probation and was taken into custody after the court hearing.
Prosecutors said the cornerback beat his sister’s boyfriend after the man tried to intervene in an argument between Smith and his sister.
They said he stomped on the man’s head, causing ”serious bodily injury.”
The Raiders released Smith on Monday.
The former University of Utah star played for Miami from 2009-12 and Kansas City from 2013-15.
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”I’m pumped up about it. I’m excited about that challenge Blake Martinez Jersey ,” Carroll said Tuesday. ”I’m upset that we have to face it this early. I’d like another six weeks here, that would be nice. But that’s not what this one is. We got to go after it. Nothing’s going to change other than maybe our resolve.”
For just the second time in his eight years in Seattle, Carroll spent Tuesday explaining why the Seahawks were not in the postseason. It’s the first playoff miss for Seattle since the 2011 season and with the rapid rise of division foe Los Angeles indicated – at least for one year – a significant change in the hierarchy of the NFC West.
Injuries played a major role in Seattle’s slide to 9-7. So, too, did inconsistency on offense, continued problems with penalties and salary cap constraints that limited adjustments the Seahawks could make during the season.
It’s likely to be a busy offseason as Seattle attempts to manage its tight cap situation while making key decisions about how to move forward and if it still is a championship contender needing slight tweaks or a major overhaul.
”I think there is a championship team sitting in this meeting room right here,” Carroll said.
Here are some of the issues to know about Seattle’s 2017 season and going into next year:
REDISCOVER THE RUN: Perhaps nothing irritated Carroll more Tre'Davious White Jersey , or had a great impact on the efficiency of the offense, than Seattle’s inability to run. It’s been a staple of Carroll’s program from the day he arrived in Seattle.
This year the Seahawks had one rushing touchdown by a running back. Quarterback Russell Wilson was the leading rusher with 586 yards, 346 more than any other player. Seattle had hopes for promising rookie Chris Carson, but he was sidelined by an ankle injury early in the season and never made it back. The lack of a running game affected Wilson as a passer as well, as defenses didn’t have to commit an extra safety to stopping the run, leading to smaller throwing windows and some tentative decisions by Wilson.
”There are tremendous examples of teams around the league that have turned their fortunes around with a formula that should sound familiar to you: teams running the football, playing good defense and doing the kicking game thing Trent Brown Jersey ,” Carroll said.
INJURY CONCERNS: Carroll wouldn’t get into specifics, but there is a chance Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor have played their final games. Avril and Chancellor suffered neck injuries during the season. Carroll said on the radio Tuesday that both would have a ”hard time” playing football again. A couple of hours later, he softened his stance, saying each have quality-of-life decisions to address with their football future.
”Both those guys are marvelous people and competitors and all that. We’d love to see them through the rest of their career. I don’t know what’s going to happen there,” Carroll said.
LEGION OF WHOM: If Chancellor does not return, it could be the start of a major makeover for Seattle’s secondary. Richard Sherman is coming off a torn Achilles tendon and was openly shopped by Seattle last offseason. Earl Thomas is entering the last year of his contract and his actions toward the end of the season indicated a desire to be elsewhere for the 2018 season.
A big key will be if Seattle can re-sign versatile safety Bradley McDougald after he played both free and strong safety this season.
HOME-FIELD AVERAGE: Seattle went 4-4 at home, its first .500 record at CenturyLink Field since 2011. The Seahawks have always thrived at home Mark Andrews Jersey , but some of their uglier performances this year came in front of their own fans.
OFF THE FIELD: Seattle was among the most active teams in the league with a significant number of players participating in national anthem protests. The protests, on top of the incident Michael Bennett had with police in Las Vegas in August, created a number of unexpected issues.
Carroll said he believed that only once this season – Seattle’s loss at Tennessee – did discussions of off-field issues affect the team’s performance. Seattle had long discussions following comments by President Donald Trump about NFL players and opted to remain in the locker room as a team during the anthem before that game.
”That was an extraordinarily heated time,” Carroll said. ”I think that was a different amount of emotional output that occurred before the game and it looked like it the way we played.”
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Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin had a strong close to his rookie season.
Godwin scored a touchdown with nine seconds left to lift his team over the Saints and cap a seven-catch day that led to him being named the NFC offensive player of the week. That game capped a run of good performances for Godwin and helped convince Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter that Godwin deserves to be a starting wide receiver.
“He sure does,” Koetter said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Chris is playing really well right now. We look at it as if we have four starting receivers. All four of those guys, the only guy that really hasn’t been a starter is Chris. The other three have been David Bakhtiari Jersey , and we believe Chris is every bit in that same category.”
Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries are the other three receivers on Koetter’s list, but Stroud believes Godwin will be the one opposite Evans on the outside of the starting lineup. Stroud cites his run blocking edge over Jackson as part of a more complete package and notes that Jackson has been working out of the slot more and more this summer.
That had been Humphries’ spot, but Godwin’s ascension appears to be leading to shuffling of the pieces on the Tampa offense.
Minnesota Vikings Elite JerseysBrady P. J. Williams Jersey , a three-time nominee, will be up against first-time nominees Jose Altuve of the World Series champion Houston Astros, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Alexander Ovechkin of the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in male athlete nods announced Wednesday. Brady was also nominated in 2004 and 2008.
Shiffrin faces three first-time nominees for female athlete in Sylvia Fowles of the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and soccer player Julie Ertz.
Newly retired racecar driver Danica Patrick will be the first woman to host when the show airs July 18 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Kevin Durant of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who won last year, received a nod for best championship performance. He goes against Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, World Series MVP George Springer and Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo, most outstanding player of the men's Final Four.
Brady is also nominated for record-breaking performance Trevor Williams Jersey , along with tennis star Roger Federer, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Diana Taurasi of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
Cleveland's LeBron James earned his 14th consecutive nomination for best NBA player and will be going for his third straight trophy. He is up against Harden, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis of the Pelicans.
The nominees for breakthrough athlete are Ben Simmons of the 76ers, Utah's Donovan Mitchell, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and tennis player Sloane Stephens.
Winners of most categories will be determined by online fan voting that ends before the show airs.
Several prominent players across the NFL have skipped mandatory minicamps this week, subjecting themselves to team fines out of concern for their contract status in a league where so little is guaranteed.Everyone is accounted for in Minnesota, where good vibes from the top of the organization to the bottom of the roster can only help the Vikings in their attempt to better their NFC championship game appearance from last season.
"All these guys, they like to be around each other. So I think that's part of it Andrus Peat Jersey ," coach Mike Zimmer said. "We've got a lot of really good guys on this football team who care about not just them, but they care about each other. It's kind of just the way we do things."
Savvy salary cap management steered by executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski has allowed the Vikings to put the majority of their stars in mutually beneficial multi-year deals, but outside linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunter have all entered 2018 on expiring contracts that must be addressed soon unless the Vikings are willing to let them become free agents and potentially price the club out on the open market.
Still, all three of them have been practicing with the team this week, clearly confident enough in their future earnings to opt for full participation over mild protest. Barr, for his part, missed one week of organized team activities last month Cassius Marsh Jersey , an absence he said was to secure an insurance policy in case of a severe injury that would derail the value of his next deal. He said recently his hope was to have a new contract in place by the beginning of on-field workouts in May, but that's the closest anyone has come to even hinting about dissatisfaction.
Barr is among the 2014 first-round draft picks who've reached their first career crossroad, playing the fifth option year that the majority of teams have exercised for cost control. Then there are the post-first round 2015 picks such as Hunter and Diggs who've entered the fourth season of their rookie deals.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan and Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack have created headlines around the league for staying home this week from minicamp.
"My job is to come in to work, just like you come in to work the same way Mark Andrews Jersey ," Hunter said. "My job is to come in and get on this field and play football."
Clearly, he's been listening to the head coach, as have many of his teammates.
"That's one thing Zim has taught us since he's been here: No one player is more important than the team," Hunter said. "So I guess that kind of grew into the program. The team is way bigger than one person. In order to help the team, you've got to do your job. And we want to be great. We want to be where we need to be. Last year, it wasn't close to that, so we've got to work for that again."
Authentic Womens Byron Maxwell JerseyThey already had speedster Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. They brought in Kareem Hunt in last year's draft and he led the league in rushing. This offseason http://www.kansascitychiefsteamonline.com/patrick-mahomes-ii-jersey , they spent lavishly to sign wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a three-year deal to provide another downfield threat.
However, Mahomes' success probably will be dictated by the offensive line. The big guys whose job it is to protect Pat.
The Chiefs brought back their line from last season almost entirely intact, and that may not be a bad thing. They finished middle-of-the-pack when it came to protecting veteran quarterback Alex Smith and they bulldozed enough holes that Hunt ran for 1,327 yards and three touchdowns.
Yet the returns from their preseason opener last week were mixed 鈥?Mahomes took far too many shots in the short time he was in the game 鈥?and injuries could cripple an otherwise stable bunch.
"You see on the first play of the game, our quarterback got hit. As an offensive line that's not acceptable to us," offensive line coach Andy Heck said. "We know the importance of protecting the quarterback, particularly early in the game. So we're busting our butts out here."
As rough as things looked against the Texans, Heck said there were reasons to be optimistic. When the Chiefs gathered to review game film, an offensive front that's played together for years knew exactly where they went awry.
"We definitely need a little sense of urgency with the one group," center Mitch Morse said. "We did a few good things patrick mahomes authentic jersey , but there's some things we definitely need to work on. That's with every game and every practice. This was just a glorified practice, which was tough. There's definitely things you look back at and have to look at yourself in a difficult and critical manner."
The time to correct things is quickly closing.
The Chiefs practiced Tuesday for the last time at Missouri Western, splashing through an early rain shower before packing up their training camp base. They will have a few days off before visiting the Falcons on Friday night, then get back to work at the practice facility in Kansas City.
The Chiefs hope by then their offensive line will be healthy.
The biggest piece presently missing is Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, their medical student-turned-right guard who graded out among the best in the league at his position last year. He's been out of practice since sustaining a concussion, and it's unclear when he'll be cleared to return.
That means Andrew Wylie, an undrafted free agent who spent last year on three different practice squads, has been pressed into duty with the first team.
Wylie has earned some praise from new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who called him "a dirty, tough kid." He showed that mean streak when he got into a fight this week in practice.
Wylie has been a pleasant surprise. So has Cameron Erving patrick mahomes stitched jersey , a former first-round pick of the Browns who arrived in a trade last season. He spent the year as a backup, filling in wherever he was needed, but he beat out Parker Ehinger early in camp before locking to the left guard job.
The left tackles should be the strength of the offensive line. Eric Fisher on the left side is a former No. 1 overall pick who was good enough to earn a second contract, and Mitchell Schwartz was a big free-agent acquisition last year that held down the right side.
Throw in Morse, another draft pick of the Chiefs, and there should be no excuses for poor play. These guys either were drafted or signed big contracts to protect Mahomes in the pocket.
"We've been a young offensive line in the past. Right now, we're one of the older and more experienced groups on this team," Heck said. "We expect a lot out of those guys. We expect a lot out of ourselves in that area. We know that we've got to amp up the intensity, put the pressure on ourselves, raise that bar a little bit and keep working hard."
Notes: SS Eric Berry (heel) Kam Chancellor Jersey , RB Damien Williams (shoulder), OL Jimmy Murray (knee) and DE Allen Bailey didn't participate in practice. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he's being "cautious" with Berry, who is coming off a torn Achilles tendon. "Trying to be smart," Reid said. "Eric's been playing a long time." ... Missouri Gov. Mike Parson attended camp along with members of the military.
Fans would like to keep politics out of football. The league office, however, loves to keep politics in football, in one very specific way.
The promotion of Jocelyn Moore to the position of executive V.P. of communications and public affairs represents the latest effort by the league to utilize the services of someone with extensive communications experience in politics. Which means that political strategizing will continue to be a major part of what the NFL does, when it comes to shaping and sending its messages to the media and, via the media, to its fans and sponsors.
“Jocelyn brings a perspective and passion for communicating to our fans and other stakeholders that will strengthen our voice and put the focus on our game Emmanuel Lamur Jersey ,” NFL COO Maryann Turcke said in the press release announcing the promotion. The internal memo regarding the hire includes the word “back” before “on our game,” which underscores Moore’s obvious mandate: To get the media and the fans to quit thinking and talking about things other than “the game.” Things like the anthem issue.
And so it will be someone with a background in politics who will try to eradicate politics from football. It won’t be easy, given the zeal with which one specific politician keeps foisting politics onto football.
Making Moore’s job even harder will be the NFL’s affinity for unforced errors, including most recently the widely-criticized decision not to let Laurent Duvernay-Tardif affix “M.D.” to his jersey and the if-it-ain’t-fixed-break-it anthem policy. If Moore’s fingerprints appear on either of those blunder, it may not be all that long before yet another former political operative is operating as the NFL’s executive V.P. of communications and public affairs.
Womens Lorenzo Carter JerseyLOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Pirates are undecided on a starter for Wednesday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers James Harrison Jersey , and volunteers might be hard to come by.
The Dodgers’ offense is coming off a productive June when they hit 55 home runs, most in a calendar month in franchise history. And at the start of July, they look even better.
First the Dodgers crushed the Pirates on Monday to the tune of 17 runs and 21 hits. On Tuesday it was six home runs, including back-to-back homers from Joc Pederson and Max Muncy to lead off the game. Muncy went deep twice and has 20 on the season.
So with scheduled starter Joe Musgrove headed to the disabled list with a finger infection, the Pirates must send somebody else to the wolves.
Right-hander Clay Holmes (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is expected to make his first start of the season for Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He has pitched in two games for the Pirates this season, and he threw two hitless, scoreless innings in his most recent appearance June 24 against Arizona. He has never faced the Dodgers.
The Dodgers’ Rich Hill (1-3, 4.68) will make his fourth start since coming off the disabled list because of a blister on the middle finger of his left hand.
On Friday, Hill faced the Colorado Rockies and gave up one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts. He threw 110 pitches in that game, validating the series of laser treatments he received while out of action.
“I was really pleased with the consistency of the flight of the ball Chris Hogan Jersey ,” Hill said after his last outing, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The way the curveball came out of my hand, the consistency of that. Everything really came together tonight.”
Hill is 3-2 lifetime against the Pirates with a 3.25 ERA over nine starts, although he is a far different pitcher than the first time he squared off against them in 2006.
Holmes faces a major challenge against the Dodgers’ potent offense. When Matt Kemp went 5-for-5 with a homer on Monday, it gave him a hit in eight consecutive at-bats.
Also homering for the Dodgers on Tuesday were Yasmani Grandal, Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor.
The Dodgers’ run-scoring onslaught has left the Pirates reeling. Not only did the Pirates’ bullpen absorb five innings Monday, it was called on for three more innings Tuesday. Tuesday’s starter, Ivan Nova, allowed seven runs on nine hits in his five-plus innings.
“We’ve been a little short on the front end of things, which has provided some complications on the bullpen,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Stephen Gostkowski Jersey , according to mlb.com.
The Dodgers will see their 10-game homestand come to an end Wednesday, but their Southern California stay is just beginning. Next up is a “road trip” to Anaheim and San Diego, before three more home games to close out the first half.
The Pirates are 2-3 on their six-game tour of Southern California, having faced the San Diego Padres before arriving in Los Angeles. They are 4-4 on their nine-game road trip, which also included a stop in New York to face the Mets.
Joe Mauer didn’t receive any gifts for returning from a lengthy stint on the disabled list.No, his reward was an immediate matchup against two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.
”Yeah, welcome back, right?” Mauer said with a laugh.
The six-time All-Star returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 25 games with a strained neck and concussion-like symptoms sustained when he was injured diving for a foul ball last month.
And while facing Kluber might not be an ideal first step back, the struggling Twins, who have one of the league’s weakest offenses, were thrilled to have Mauer back in their lineup.
”It’s good for any manager to have a chance to put a guy like Joe’s name down there Adrian Phillips Jersey ,” said manager Paul Molitor, who had Mauer batting first against Kluber in the opener of a three-game series against the AL Central-leading Indians. ”Yeah, he’s in a good place, he’s excited to be here and we welcome him back. Hopefully, he can give us a little bit of a boost.”
The Twins came in seven games under .500 and batting just .238 as a team. They also entered the series with only three runs in the past 19 innings.
That’s not ideal against Kluber, who is 5-0 with a 0.76 ERA against the AL Central this season.
”Obviously, he’s one of the best in the game,” Mauer said. ”That’s the big leagues. You’re going to face the best night in and night out. It’s a tough matchup first game, but the one tomorrow (Carlos Carrasco) is pretty tough, too. I’m just excited to be back.”
Mauer has been symptom-free for a week. He went hitless in 10 at-bats over three games in a rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester, but the three-time batting champion feels ready to go.
”It’s been going good Malik McDowell Jersey ,” said Mauer, who was batting .283 with one homer and 11 RBIs when he got hurt. ”Obviously, I went down there and got in a couple of games and did everything I had to do to get back here. I’m excited to check off those boxes, get a couple of at-bats and play in the field for nine innings.”
Mauer said he didn’t have to make any diving stops in the field at Rochester, and that he won’t alter his game just because of the recent injury.
”My experience is when you try to do that you end up getting hurt,” he said. ”I got the full clear to go and I’m excited for that.”.
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Mookie Betts had four hits, raising his American League-leading average to .343. Ten Red Sox players had RBIs as they scored a season high in runs. They scored 11 runs after the sixth inning.
Benintendi became the first Boston player to walk four times and homer in a game since David Ortiz in 2007. He also drove in two runs.
Xander Bogaerts had three RBIs for the Red Sox, who have won five straight and 12 of their past 15.
Christian Vazquez had a two-run, two-out single in the seventh.
Royals pitchers walked 13, one shy of the franchise record, including three in the three-run seventh. Mitch Moreland’s sacrifice fly scored Benintendi, who led off the inning with his fourth walk, for the first run of the inning.
The Red Sox rallied from a three-run deficit to take the lead with a four-run fifth, which Bogaerts highlighted with a three-run double.
Royals rookie starter Brad Keller walked five Calvin Munson Jersey , including Benintendi and Moreland in the fifth to load the bases before Bogaerts’ double. J.D. Martinez singled in the initial run of the inning, hiking his major league-leading RBI total to 74.
David Price, however, could not hold the lead. Price, who had never hit three batters in a game, hit three Royals in a four-batter span, including Lucas Duda with the bases loaded to bring home Whit Merrifield in the fifth to tie the score at 4.
Price was lifted after 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with nine strikeouts.
Heath Hembree (4-1) worked 1 1/3 hitless innings to pick up the victory. Jason Adam (0-2), the third of seven KC pitchers, took the loss. Catcher Drew Butera got the final out in his sixth career relief appearance and his first since 2016.
The Royals led 3-0 after Duda homered in the second and they scored twice more in the third.
The Royals have lost eight straight and 27 of 32 to fall 38 games below .500 for the first time since ending the 2006 season 62-100. They have lost 14 of their past 15 games at Kauffman Stadium.
LONGEST GAME
The game lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes Kevin King Jersey , the longest nine-inning game for both clubs this season.
MOUSTAKAS AT FIRST
Mike Moustakas, who normally plays third, made his third start of the season at first. It was probably no coincidence a Yankees scout was in attendance and they are in the market for a first baseman.
ROSTER MOVE
The Royals placed RHP Justin Grimm on unconditional release waivers. Grimm had been on the disabled list with a right shoulder impingement. He was 1-3 with a 13.50 ERA in 16 relief appearances.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly was led off the field by the trainer in the eighth with an undisclosed injury after retiring the first two batters. . LHP Drew Pomeranz (bicep tendinitis) made a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Pawtucket. He allowed one run on five hits and two walks over three innings, while striking out one. He threw 37 strikes in 60 pitches and induced six groundball outs against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello, who is 10-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 18 starts, is the probable for the series finale.
Royals: RHP Jakob Junis has lost his previous seven starts to tumble to 5-10 with a 5.13 ERA in 17 starts.
Nelson Cruz wasn’t available, so Kyle Seager assumed the role of big bopper for the Seattle Mariners.And what a job he did.
Seager homered and hit a pivotal two-run single in the eighth inning to back a fine pitching performance by James Paxton and help Seattle beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 Tuesday night.
Cruz, who leads the team with 20 home runs, was a late scratch with lower back tightness. Seager took over at cleanup and accounted for all the Mariners runs.
”Couple of coaches felt going into the game that Seags was going to be our guy,” manager Scott Servais said. ”Sometimes guys have to step up. We had the right guy at the right time.”
Though Seager came through in a pinch, he knows his place in the lineup isn’t cleanup.
”No Jonathan Ogden Jersey , I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Seager said. ”I like when Mr. Nelson is in there.”
Paxton (7-2) struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits. It was the sixth time this season he’s reached double figures in strikeouts.
The Mariners came to town with six losses in seven games, and now they’ve won two in a row to open a four-game series against the team with the worst record in the majors.
”We’re supposed to come in here and beat this team,” Paxton said. ”We’re doing a good job so far.”
Alex Colome worked the eighth and Edwin Diaz got three outs for his big league-best 29th save.
Seattle trailed 2-1 before rallying against the weary Baltimore bullpen.
Dee Gordon led off the eighth with a double and Jean Segura got his third hit of the game on a bunt down the third-base line. Orioles reliever Darren O’Day (0-2) hurt himself trying to field the ball and was replaced by Tanner Scott, who walked Mitch Haniger before Seager hit a liner to center.
O’Day’s injury was a troublesome hamstring that has been bothering him for weeks and will likely land him on the disabled list.
”Yeah, it’s frustrating,” the right-hander said. ”I was throwing well and helping the team.”
In the fourth inning, Seager hit his 14th home run to offset a second-inning solo shot by Danny Valencia.
It was still 1-1 in the sixth when Baltimore used three straight singles to load the bases for Manny Machado with no outs. The three-time All-Star bounced into a 4-6-3 double-play, breaking into a trot long before he reached first base.
”Usually, when a ball is hit that firmly it’s a pretty easy double play Kyle Van Noy Jersey ,” manager Buck Showalter said. ”He just took his time and Manny allowed him to take more time than he normally would. It’ll be addressed.”
Kevin Gausman gave up one run and five hits in six innings. He left with a 2-1 lead, but the bullpen gave it away, leaving Gausman winless in eight starts since May 11.
THE BARBER OF SEATTLE
Servais may soon be sporting a different look, thanks to a bet he made with Diaz earlier this season. Servais said he would get waves identical to the ones Diaz has shaved into the side of his head if the closer notched 50 saves this season. ”I’m looking forward to the day; others in my family are more concerned,” Servais said of the potential haircut.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: C Mike Zunino was back in the starting lineup after missing Monday’s game with a sore thumb.
Orioles: Showalter said after the game that OF Craig Gentry sustained a rib injury after being hit by a pitch and will be placed on the disabled list. … RHP Dylan Bundy was placed on the DL with a sprained left ankle. He’s expected to be back on July 6. … RHP Chris Tillman (back) will take his rehabilitation assignment to Triple-A Norfolk after allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings for Class A Delmarva on Monday.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (3-0, 3.26 ERA) starts on Wednesday night. He is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four lifetime appearances against Baltimore.
Orioles: Alex Cobb (2-9, 6.56) has gone seven innings in each of his last two starts after yielding nine runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings against Toronto on June 10.
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