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ST. LOUIS (AP) Jon Gray is back to competing Authentic Deshaun Watson Jersey , and the Colorado Rockies are reaping the rewards.Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez each went deep, Gray pitched into the eighth inning and the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Tuesday night.Gray (9-7) has won his last four decisions, and the Rockies have won the last five games he’s started. That includes three straight victories since a brief demotion to Triple-A to clear the young right-hander’s head.Gray struck out five over 7 1/3 innings, helping Colorado finish the month 17-6. Gray allowed three runs, two earned, with four hits and two walks.”I’m definitely feeling more competitive than I ever have before which is good,” Gray said. ”That’s one thing I want to feel all the time out there is competitive and ask myself, `How good can you be today?’ and just go with that.”Just making the game fun and playing the small games within a game has been carrying me through.”Manager Bud Black liked what he saw.”He probably threw a few more true curveballs tonight than the previous couple outings,” Black said. ”It was working well. The change of velocity from the curveball to the fastball I think was a great variable for Jon.”Wade Davis got his 31st save in 35 opportunities with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He saved a career-high 32 last year with the Cubs.Colorado went ahead 2-1 on Blackmon’s homer in the fifth. Ryan McMahon led off with a 12-pitch walk, and with two outs, Blackmon hit a 1-2 pitch into the right field bleachers. Blackmon’s homer extended his hitting streak to 13 games.The Rockies added two runs in the sixth to chase starter Jack Flaherty (4-6). Gonzalez walked with one out and Trevor Story doubled. Story has team-leading 69 RBIs.Chasen Shreve, making his first appearance for St. Louis since coming over in a July 28 trade with the Yankees, gave up a double to Gerardo Parra.Colorado’s final two runs came when Gonzalez lined a homer just inside the right field foul pole off John Brebbia. Ian Desmond, who drew a one-out walk, scored ahead of Gonzalez.Matt Carpenter led off with a home run, sending an 0-2 pitch into the right field seats. It was Carpenter’s seventh leadoff home run this season. It was the 22nd of his career, passing Hall of Famer Lou Brock on St. Louis’ career list.”To be in the same sentence with him (Brock) is pretty special http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey ,” Carpenter said.Carpenter, who hit an MLB-leading 11 homers in July, leads the Cardinals with 26.The Cardinals scored two runs in the eighth, cutting the lead to 6-3. St. Louis loaded the bases with one out against Gray. Seung Hwan Oh gave up a sacrifice fly to Carpenter, and a passed ball and throwing error by catcher Tom Murphy allowed Dexter Fowler to score.Flaherty (4-6) pitched 5 1/3 innings. It marked the first time in five starts he pitched into the sixth inning. He allowed four runs, five hits and two walks. He struck out seven.TRADE WINDSCardinals: St. Louis traded outfielder Tommy Pham and international bonus slot allotment to Tampa Bay for outfielder Justin Williams, left-hander Genesis Cabrera and right-hander Roel Ramirez. The 30-year-old Pham has been a member of the Cardinals organization since being drafted in 2006. He was batting .248 this season with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs. St. Louis also acquired minor league outfielders Conner Capel and Jhon Torres from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Oscar Mercado.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: RHP Chad Bettis (middle finger blister) will make another rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Albuquerque. If he does well with no problems, he could return to the big club as either a starter or a reliever. Bettis hasn’t pitched in the major league since July 1.Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday and had an MRI. President of baseball operations John Moseliak said the team does not believe the injury is season-ending, and Martinez will be able to pitch again. … 2B Kolton Wong (left knee inflammation) is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday but likely will be activated Thursday or Friday. … St. Louis recalled rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill and left-handed reliever Tyler Webb from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.UP NEXTRockies: Kyle Freeland (9-6, 3.13) will be making his first start in St. Louis and second against the Cardinals. He pitched six innings in taking a loss in a 3-0 defeat to St. Louis on May 27, 2017. The Rockies have won each of his last five starts.Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (6-9, 4.70) will make his second career appearance against Colorado. He pitched a career-low two innings in his start in 2016 against the Rockies in an 11-1 loss. In his most recent outing, Weaver pitched six innings and picked up the win in a 5-2 victory over the Cubs.— ATLANTA (AP) — C.J. Cron has been connecting for some big hits during Tampa Bay’s recent hot streak.After the Rays fell short the night before, Cron felt the collective mood shift when he gave his club a one-run lead early on.“It keeps the whole team morale up,” he said. “When the team’s having a good time, it’s easier for the individual to have a good time.”Cron hit a tiebreaking homer in the third inning, Tommy Pham added a two-run shot in the fourth and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Atlanta Braves 8-5 in a rain-delayed game early Thursday.Tampa Bay has won nine of 10 and outscored opponents 54-26 over that span.The Braves have dropped three of five but still lead the NL East by 3½ games.Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb (11-7) struggled from the outset Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , retiring the first two batters he faced before the Rays took a 3-0 lead on Joey Wendle’s two-run single and Carlos Gomez’s RBI single.Newcomb gave up eight hits, six runs and two walks in four innings. He struck out seven, but since falling one strike shy of a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 29, the left-hander has a 12.15 ERA with 29 hits allowed in his last three home starts, a span of 13 1/3 innings.“I think it honestly is just part of the baseball season,” Newcomb said. “I’m not going to be great every time out. I think it’s just something I’ve got to learn to deal with and try to minimize. It’s been a stretch against some good teams and me just not having my best stuff.”Tampa Bay starter Diego Castillo gave up Johan Camargo’s 14th homer, a three-run shot in the first. Castillo, making his third start in 33 appearances, allowed three hits and three runs and struck out two in two innings.Cron went 4 for 5 and is hitting .366 with three homers and five RBIs in his last 11 games. His 25th homer put the Rays up 4-3.Pham’s 16th homer, his second with Tampa Bay, made it 6-3.Luke Jackson, the second Atlanta pitcher, trailed 8-3 in the fifth. He threw errantly to third base on a force-out attempt and allowed Wendle to score before letting Gomez score on a sacrifice bunt.Jalen Beeks (4-1), the second Rays pitcher, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and stranded a runner at third in the fourth. He gave up four hits, three walks and struck out two in three innings.“It was a good job by our staff to hold that lead,” Cron said. “It’s not easy to have two rain delays and keep that focus. I’m proud of the guys tonight.”The Braves cut the lead to 8-5 in the eighth on Charlie Culberson’s pinch-hit RBI single and Ronald Acuna Jr.’s RBI single.Jose Alvarado got the last four outs to earn his sixth save in eight chances.The Rays changed their fortunes against Newcomb Youth Jalen Ramsey Jersey , who pitched six scoreless innings in an 8-1 win at Tampa three months ago. They had him scuffling early with 25 pitches in the first.“I don’t know if that’s something that we were specifically focusing on,” Wendle said “I think it’s just a product of having good at-bats, just seeing him deeper in the counts.”LONG DELAYSThe game began 41 minutes late because of rain and was stopped for 1 hour, 6 minutes in the middle of the sixth.STREAKINGWendle has multiple hits in four straight games. … Camargo leads the Braves with 48 RBIs since the start of June. … Pham is 11 for his last 23.TRAINER’S ROOMAtlanta RHP Mike Soroka, sidelined for 82 games with a strain and inflammation in his shoulder, will not return this season. The 21-year-old will continue to work at the team’s spring training complex in Florida over the next month. A first-round draft pick in 2015, Soroka has been on the disabled list twice and last pitched June 19 at Toronto. He went 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA in five starts.ON THE MOVEThe Braves expect that 1B Lucas Duda, acquired in a trade with Kansas City, will likely join the team on Thursday for a home makeup game against the Chicago Cubs. … Atlanta was assigned C Rene Rivera on waivers from the Los Angeles Angels, but he’s unlikely to arrive until rosters expand Saturday.INTERLEAGUEThe Rays went 7-13 against the NL this season. … The Braves are 8-9 against the AL and host Boston for three games next week.UP NEXTRays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 4.18 ERA) will face Indians ace RHP Corey Kluber when Tampa Bay begins a three-game series Friday at Cleveland. The Rays are off Thursday. Glasnow, acquired with Austin Meadows in the trade that sent Chris Archer to Pittsburgh, is 0-1 with a 3.80 ERA in five starts with Tampa Bay.Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (10-8, 2.67 ERA) will make his 26th start when Atlanta hosts the Cubs and LHP Mike Montgomery in Thursday’s makeup game. Foltynewicz, a first-time All-Star, is 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts this month.

On the heels of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , the Houston Astros are favored to repeat as World Series champions.Per OddsShark, the Astros are the World Series favorites at +410 (41-10), while the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top choice in the National League at +850 (17-2):OddsShark OddsSharkWorld Series odds (5Dimes):HOU +410BOS +465NYY +535LAD +850CHC +950CLE +1300PHI +1625ARZ +2000ATL/MIL +2150WSH +2250SEA +2500SF +4000STL +5000OAK +8000COL +8500LAA +30000MIN/PIT +50000TB +70000TOR/NYM/CIN +250000SD +300000TEX +500000CWS/BAL/KC/DET +999999Ahead of the Dodgers in overall odds to win the World Series are the Boston Red Sox at +465 (93-20) and New York Yankees at +535 (107-20).The odds favor a rematch of last season's World Series, which saw the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven games for the first championship in franchise history.At 64-35, the Astros have the third-best record in the American League and Major League Baseball as a whole behind the Red Sox and Yankees.They are arguably the most balanced team in baseball, though, with a lineup spearheaded by the likes of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and George Springer, as well as a dominant starting rotation bolstered by Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel.The Dodgers got off to a rough start this season http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey , but they are on a roll as of late and lead the NL West by a half-game over the Arizona Diamondbacks at 53-43.L.A. made a power move Wednesday by acquiring All-Star shortstop Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles for five prospects.Machado is hitting .315 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI, and he will join an already potent Dodgers lineup.After the Dodgers, the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs are the second choice in the National League at +950 (19-2).Although the NL is weak this season, the Cubbies own the league's best record at 55-38, and they lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games atop the NL Central.Despite owning a 58-39 record and holding the second wild-card spot in the AL, the Seattle Mariners have the worst World Series odds of any current playoff team at +2,500 (25-1).If the odds hold up and the Astros repeat as World Series champions, they will be the first team to do so since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000. OAKLAND, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels will look to further endanger the Oakland Athletics‘ chances of making the playoffs when the teams meet Wednesday night for the second time in a three-game series.Caleb Cowart, pressed into action when regular second baseman David Fletcher was lost for the season Sunday with a hamstring injury, shocked the Oakland crowd with his first career grand slam Tuesday night Ryan Zimmerman Jersey , helping the Angels overcome an early three-run deficit en route to a 9-7 victory.The win was the fourth-place Angels’ eighth in 14 meetings with their California rivals this season.Article continues below ...The loss dropped the A’s (90-61) a game closer to Tampa Bay (84-66) with 12 games remaining in the Rays’ season. A lead that was 8 1/2 games after the A’s won at Tampa Bay on Friday night has suddenly shrunk to 5 1/2.Well after the Rays close out a series at Texas on Wednesday afternoon, Angels right-hander Felix Pena (3-4, 3.75 ERA) will match up with A’s lefty Brett Anderson (3-5, 4.35) for the second time in a little over a month.The Angels prevailed 4-3 in the Aug. 10 meeting, overcoming a shaky start by Pena, who allowed first-inning home runs to Matt Chapman and Khris Davis among his first 13 pitches.But the A’s went the final 8 2/3 innings without scoring again, and the Angels eventually overtook them on two-run homers by Kole Calhoun off Anderson and Justin Upton against Lou Trivino.It was Trivino who served up the grand slam to Cowart in the series opener.Pena was won his last two starts, including a six-inning scoreless effort against Texas last Wednesday in his most recent outing.He has faced the A’s twice in his career, once as a starter, with a 0-0 record and 5.40 ERA.Anderson is trying to pitch his way into the Oakland postseason rotation, if in fact the A’s qualify. He did not help his cause in his last start http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-jayson-werth-jersey , when he lasted 3 1/3 innings in his first outing after missing time due to a forearm strain.He has gone 1-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 11 career meetings, including eight starts, with the Angels.Anderson has never gone head-to-head with Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani, who got on base three times via a single and two walks in Tuesday’s game.The left-handed-hitting Ohtani has made only 15 starts against left-handed pitchers this season, but he came through with a key single against A’s lefty reliever Ryan Buchter in the Angels’ six-run sixth inning in the series opener.He had been hitting only .205 against left-handers at the time of that at-bat.Mike Trout homered in the win, his 35th of the season.While he basically has no chance of catching the A’s Khris Davis (43) for the AL home run crown, Trout is shooting for his second 40-homer season.If he makes it, chances are he’ll have to do more damage against Oakland pitching. The Angels and A’s not only meet twice more in this series, but also close the regular season with a three-game set in Anaheim.

LOS ANGELES — There will be no need for scoreboard watching when the National League West leaders meet Monday at Dodger Stadium Paul Molitor Jersey , at least not the out-of-town scoreboard anyway.The first-place Colorado Rockies and the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers will begin their final three-game series of the season against each other. The Dodgers are the five-time defending division champions, which makes the Rockies the upstarts in the chase.To combat the Dodgers’ experience in situations like a key late-game series, Rockies manager Bud Black will lean more on his veterans over the next few weeks.Article continues below ...“The guys who have been in Septembers before, you’ll see that,” Black said, according to the Denver Post. “Probably, for the most part, when teams have that experience, teams use it.”The Rockies will head into the duel coming off a 3-2 victory at San Francisco, but over its last 10 games http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-oliva-jersey , Colorado has lost as many it has won. The Rockies had been shut out for 20 consecutive innings before scoring three times in the second inning Sunday.The Dodgers, meanwhile, will enter their final homestand of the season coming off a 6-4 road trip that inexplicably included two losses at Cincinnati against the last-place Reds and ended with a 5-0 loss at St. Louis on Sunday. The Dodgers won two-of-three games at Colorado to start that trip.The Dodgers are in a fight for the division now, in part because of their 1-6 record against the lowly Reds this year. But they have four consecutive division opponents on the schedule to close out the season, giving them a chance to decide things on their own terms.“We knew all along we controlled our own destiny,” manager Dave Roberts said, according to the Los Angeles Times, when the Dodgers took over first place with a 17-4 victory Saturday at St. Louis.Jon Gray (11-7, 4.80 ERA) will pitch in the series opener for the Rockies, and while he has helped the Rockies to a 9-2 record in his 11 starts since returning from a Triple-A demotion http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-kent-hrbek-jersey , he has a 5.59 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this year.The Dodgers will counter with left-hander Hyun Jin-Ryu (4-3 2.42), who has a 2.67 ERA in six starts since returning from the disabled list because of a groin strain. But the Dodgers are just 3-3 in those games and Ryu was the losing pitcher in one of those defeats at Cincinnati.And in those six Ryu starts, he has not gone over 89 pitches in any of them, creating reliance on a bullpen that has struggled at times and has dominating at other times over the last six weeks.After Ryu pitches, the Dodgers will close out the series with their two best pitchers: veteran Clayton Kershaw and rookie Walker Buehler. If the Dodgers can win the opener their confidence will only soar from there. Kershaw and Buehler both pitched the Dodgers to a victory at St. Louis.In 10 career starts against the Dodgers, Gray is 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA over 51 2/3 innings. In nine career starts against the Rockies, Ryu is just 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA over 43 2/3 innings. DETROIT (AP) Once Matthew Boyd escaped a couple early jams, the Detroit left-hander found a groove.”Early in the game, he had a couple guys on and it got real slow,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”He picked up the pace.”Boyd allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings Kennys Vargas Jersey , and Niko Goodrum homered in the fourth to lift the Tigers over the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Tuesday night. Gardenhire may have felt the game slowed down early, but the pace was hardly an issue overall. The game was over in 2 hours, 18 minutes.Homer Bailey (1-8) retired his first 11 batters before Goodrum went deep for his 10th home run of the year. The Tigers never gave up the lead. Boyd struck out seven and walked one before being lifted after 105 pitches.Shane Greene allowed a run in the ninth but held on for his 22nd save in 25 chances.Boyd (6-9) won his second straight start after going seven in a row without a victory.Bailey allowed only a hit and a walk through the first seven innings, but the Tigers added two more hits in the eighth, including an RBI double by Mike Gerber. Bailey did end up with his seventh career complete game and first since 2014.It was the first major league hit and RBI for Gerber.The Reds nearly took the lead in the fourth when Phillip Ervin and Joey Votto hit consecutive one-out doubles, but it appeared Votto’s drive might be caught, so Ervin only made it from second to third, and Cincinnati wasn’t able to get him home.”Phil knows on that ball there’s one out. He’s got to get off the base far enough,” Reds manager Jim Riggleman said. ”If there’s nobody out, you’re tagging. He just made a mistake. That’s baseball. It happens. But I like the fact that he was out there twice for us with a double and a triple.”In the second Bert Blyleven Jersey , Eugenio Suarez was thrown out at the plate by Detroit center fielder JaCoby Jones.Suarez hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.The Tigers improved to 2-9 in interleague play this year, and the Reds fell to 10-4.Bailey was in his second start back from a knee injury.”Mechanically I just feel so much better. I’m very confident in what I am doing,” he said. ”Probably as of a few weeks ago, I feel like I have a lot of things behind me, whether it’s injury, or getting back to feeling the way that I know I can pitch the way that I have in the past.”DEADLINE DAYDetroit traded outfielder Leonys Martin to Cleveland for a minor league infielder. That was the only deal for the Tigers on the day of the non-waiver trade deadline.Pitchers Mike Fiers and Francisco Liriano seemed like potential trade candidates, but nothing came together involving them.”The market was really flooded with a lot of good players,” Detroit general manager Al Avila said. ”We have some good players, but if you see the list of players that were available, you’re talking about http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-o_neill-jersey , I think it’s a record number. I was trying to be optimistic, but at the same time, I knew it was going to be a tough year to make multiple trades.”Cincinnati traded outfielder Adam Duvall to Atlanta on Monday night, then had a quiet day Tuesday.Detroit recalled Gerber from Triple-A Toledo to take Martin’s spot on the roster. The Reds optioned right-handers Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler, who were acquired for Duvall, to Triple-A Louisville. Outfielder Preston Tucker, who Cincinnati also got in that trade, is on the major league roster but did not play Tuesday.TRAINER’S ROOMReds: OF Scott Schebler (right shoulder) had three hits Tuesday as part of a rehab assignment with Louisville.UP NEXTThe Tigers send Fiers (7-6) to the mound Wednesday against Cincinnati’s Sal Romano (6-8).—

Cody Reed expected this back in April Billy Hamilton Jersey , but he had to wait until August for it to happen.Finally, the Cincinnati Reds are showing confidence in the left-hander, who was expected to be one of their four young starting pitchers this season but lasted only one start in that role.More Brewers coverageBrewers Final Pitch: Chacin dominates mound in Game 3 of NLCSChacin, Brewers blank Dodgers to take 2-1 lead in NLCSDespite struggles, No. 23 Badgers still have hope in Big TenStrong winds could be factor for Brewers, Dodgers in NLCS Game 3Photos of the Week: 10/7/18 – 10/13/18With the way runs are piling up in their series against the contending Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds probably could use a fresh arm on the mound.Reed (0-1, 3.68 ERA) appeared in four games, including one start, for Cincinnati in April, before being shipped back to make 17 starts at Triple-A Louisville. He rejoined the Reds earlier this month and has a 2.79 ERA in seven relief appearances.Now, Reed is getting the chance to start again and will take on Brewers left-hander Wade Miley (2-2, 2.32) in the final game of the three-game National League Central series Thursday at Great American Ball Park.Regardless of who is on the mound, look for some runs to be scored — there were a combined 41 runs scored in the first two games, starting with the Reds’ 9-7 victory Tuesday night.On Wednesday, Christian Yelich went 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle, and the Brewers overcame a four-run deficit to stay in the lead for the second NL wild-card berth with a 13-12 victory in 10 innings. Jesus Aguilar hit a long solo homer to center and Erik Kratz later added an RBI single in a two-run 10th, allowing Milwaukee to withstand Brandon Dixon’s solo homer in the bottom of the 10th.“It was one the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of Anthony DeSclafani Jersey ,” Yelich told Fox Sports Wisconsin. “I don’t know how to describe it, honestly. It was nuts. A lot of stuff happened I’ve never seen before in a baseball game.“It was huge for us; we needed that win. Credit to the guys for staying with it, battling and pulling it out. It was huge.”The Reds couldn’t win despite scoring four times against Brewers All-Star reliever Josh Hader and getting four homers, including reliever Michael Lorenzen’s three-run drive — his fourth of the season — and Eugenio Suarez’s two-run shot. Billy Hamilton of the Reds went 4-for-5 and Mike Moustakas of the Brewers was 4-for-6, and each homered.Yelich’s cycle — a single, double, triple and homer — was the second in the majors this season; Mookie Betts had one one for the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 9. But Yelich’s cycle was the first to be combined with a 6-for-6 performance since Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers did it in 2009.Milwaukee is 10-5 against Cincinnati this season.Now, it’s Reed’s turn to face the Brewers. Reed is 1-9 with the Reds over the last three seasons, making 12 starts, but was given the chance to start again after the team decided to move right-handers Sal Romano and Robert Stephenson to the bullpen.Reed liked how interim manager Jim Riggleman used him in several high-leverage situations following his Aug. 13 recall from Louisville, and he has pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his last four appearances.Riggleman called on Reed to face Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs with one out and the bases loaded Friday, despite Rizzo being 2-for-6 against him with two home runs. Reed got Rizzo to ground into a double play, although the Cubs went on to win 3-2 in 10 innings.“I stuck my hand out (to Riggleman) and said, ‘I appreciate you calling on me in that moment because this time last year and in my first year in ’16, that never would have happened,’ ” Reed told the team’s website. “I think it makes me more confident that he’s confident bringing me into that situation. As soon as the phone was ringing when (Matt) Harvey got into that little jam, I was thinking, ‘Please be me.’“A definite confidence boost that the manager has the belief in you in that moment.”It doesn’t hurt that Reed is left-handed.“His last few starts in Louisville indicated he’s moving in the right direction http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-adam-duvall-jersey ,” Riggleman said. “All things being equal, we’d like to have one left-hander in the rotation, at least. You’re not going to force that to happen. … Hopefully Cody would fit in there.”Reed is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in eight carrer appearances, including one start, against Cincinnati, and he has not allowed any runs over 2 2/3 innings in his four appearances against the Reds this season.Miley is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA in eight career starts against Cincinnati, including a 3-1 win at Great American Ball Park on May 2. In that game, he gave up one run and three hits in six innings in his first start of the season. Miley missed more than a month with a groin injury sustained during spring training. SAN DIEGO (AP) — It’s business as usual for Freddy Galvis when he faces his former team.Galvis hit a grand slam, Travis Jankowski stole four bases and scored three times, and the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Sunday.The 28-year-old Galvis spent his first six seasons with Philadelphia. He was traded to San Diego in December for right-hander Enyel De Los Santos.Galvis connected against Jake Arrieta in the third inning, hitting a two-out drive to center for his first career slam. It was his third homer in his last seven games and No. 8 on the season.“I just tried to concentrate a little bit when we have those kind of situations and try to do the best I can,” Galvis said. “Today, I got a big hit and I’m thankful for that.”Galvis is batting .455 with 10 hits, nine RBIs and four multihit games against Philadelphia this season, but he said he doesn’t do anything different when facing his former team.“I treat those guys like another team,” Galvis said. “I guess I’m a pro.”Last-place San Diego won for the fifth time in seven games, including two of three against NL East-leading Philadelphia. Joey Lucchesi (6-6) struck out six in six scoreless innings.“We’re playing better baseball, we’re doing what we are supposed to do Michael Lorenzen Jersey , we’re playing good defense, we’re pitching and were getting on base,” Galvis said.Arrieta (9-7) permitted five runs and eight hits in five innings in his first loss since June 26. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner was 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his previous seven starts.“The first three innings were just strange,” Arrieta said. “Couldn’t necessarily find it when I needed to.”Jankowski had two hits and walked twice. He became the eighth player in franchise history to steal at least four bases in a single game. Everth Cabrera was the last player to accomplish the feat for San Diego against San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2012.“He put pressure on them from the get-go,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “Teams feel that, and teams feel someone coming at them the way he was coming at them today.”Jankowski singled, swiped second and scored on Hunter Renfroe’s grounder in the first. He singled and stole second again in the third before scoring on Galvis’ homer.Jankowski also walked in the seventh and stole second and third. He scored on a throwing error by third baseman Maikel Franco, making it 6-0 Padres.Philadelphia rallied with three runs in the eighth, highlighted by consecutive RBI doubles for Nick Williams and Carlos Santana against Phil Maton.But San Diego responded with three in the bottom half. A.J. Ellis had a sacrifice fly, and Eric Hosmer drove in a run with a groundout.Padres reliever Kazuhisa Makita pitched a scoreless ninth after being recalled from Triple-A El Paso.WEIRD PLAYPadres catcher Austin Hedges was tagged out at home by Phillies shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the second. The play started with a pitch that got by Jorge Alfaro, who relayed to Arrieta at home. Arrieta threw to Cabrera at second base trying to catch Christian Villanueva, and Cabrera then chased down Hedges and applied the tag before he could dive into the plate.UP NEXTPhillies: Return home for a two-game series against Boston beginning Tuesday night. RHP Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.51 ERA) is scheduled to face Boston’s Brian Johnson (3-3, 4.00 ERA).Padres: LHP Clayton Richard (7-10, 5.13 ERA) is scheduled to open a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

The Chicago White Sox will try to snap a five-game losing streak when they visit the Kansas City Royals to open a three-game series Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.Chicago (56-87) has struggled against most of the American League this season Rickey Henderson Jersey , but it has fared much better against Kansas City. The White Sox are 10-6 against the Royals this season with a dominant run differential of 94-69.This marks the final series of the season between the teams, who occupy the last two spots in the AL Central.Article continues below ...Kansas City (47-95) trails only the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in baseball. Barring a late surprise, the Royals will have the No. 2 overall pick in next year’s draft as it attempts to dig out of a multiyear tailspin.The Royals will try to bounce back from a 3-1 walk-off loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon. Royals reliever Jason Hammel gave up a double to Max Kepler and a homer to Willians Astudillo, all with two outs, for the team’s fourth loss in its past five games.White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-10, 5.85 ERA) will make his 29th start. The 24-year-old has shown improvement since the All-Star break, posting five quality starts in his last seven outings, but he is coming off a turbulent game in which he gave up five runs (four earned) in 1 1/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers.In five career outings against the Royals, Giolito is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA. He picked up his first win against Kansas City in 2017 and has two victories in three starts against the club in 2018.White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Giolito and fellow starter Reynaldo Lopez have thrown more strikes lately.“Their lines to the plate are better,” Renteria recently said to reporters. “(Pitching coach Don Cooper) talks to those guys. They talk about back-to-front, keeping a good line, ‘staying in the tunnel,’ as he talks about.“I think they understand they’re not always going to make a perfect pitch http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-catfish-hunter-jersey , but they make adjustments a little quicker now. If they pull off line, those are one of the things that — especially in talking to them — that they’re able to recover. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re able to make the adjustment.”For the Royals, right-hander Jakob Junis (8-12, 4.32 ERA) will make his 27th start. He has won back-to-back outings, limiting opponents to two earned runs in his past 16 innings for a 1.13 ERA during that span. One more victory will tie his career high of nine, which he set as a rookie last year.Junis is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. The Sterling, Ill., native has surrendered a half-dozen home runs in 16 2/3 innings while walking eight and striking out 15.Less than two weeks ago, Junis posted the first complete game of his career.“It’s awesome,” Junis said to the Kansas City Star. “That’s a goal you set to do. … Hopefully more to come.” Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers are the final team in the MLB playoff field after beating the San Francisco Giants 10-6 on Saturday.The American League playoff picture is 100-percent official, as all five teams are in and know their respective seedings. However,none of the National League seedings are confirmed with just one game to go.We do know that the Atlanta Braves are the NL East champions and will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.Otherwise Rollie Fingers Jersey , it's chaos.You can check out both playoff pictures below as teams get ready for Game No. 162 on Sunday. American League Playoff Picture (Official)1. Boston Red Sox (107-54, AL East champion)2. Houston Astros (103-58, AL West champion)3. Cleveland Indians (90-71, AL Central champion)4. New York Yankees (100-61, AL first Wild Card)5. Oakland Athletics (97-64, AL second Wild Card)The Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians will play each other in the American League Division Series. The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics face off in the Wild Card Game on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with the winner taking on the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. National League (Through Saturday)1. Chicago Cubs (94-67, NL Central champion)2. Colorado Rockies (90-71, NL West champion)3. Atlanta Braves (90-71, NL East champion)4. Milwaukee Brewers (94-67, NL first Wild Card)5. Los Angeles Dodgers (90-71, NL second Wild Card)Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee BrewersThe Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are tied for the NL Central lead with one game to go. The Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, with Chicago southpaw Mike Montgomery facing Redbirds ace Jack Flaherty. The Milwaukee Brewers host the Detroit Tigers: Lefty Gio Gonzalez goes for the Brew Crew http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-terry-steinbach-jersey , while right-hander Spencer Turnbull goes for Detroit.Here's what we do know heading into Sunday: The NL Central division winner will get the No. 1 seed, and the runner-up will host the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.However, we may not know the identities of the first- and second-place teams until Monday: If the Cubs and Brewers have the same Sunday result (whether it's two wins or two losses is irrelevant), they'll take part in a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field, per David Adler of MLB.com. The Cubs would get that hosting honor by virtue of winning the season series 11-8 over Milwaukee.Of course, the tiebreaker can be avoided if the Cubs and Brewers have different results Sunday. Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta BravesThe Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the NL West lead with one game to go. The Rockies host the Washington Nationals on Sunday, with left-hander Tyler Anderson taking the mound for the Rockies and right-hander Erick Fedde going for the Nats.The Rockies catch a massive break by avoiding Cy Young candidate and MLB strikeout king Max Scherzer, who could have gone Sunday on regular rest but will call it a season.The Dodgers send out right-hander Walker Buehler against the host San Francisco Giants and left-hander Andrew Suarez.The NL West race is a bit more confusing than the NL Central one. We do know that the eventual division winner will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, but the seeding is to be determined (see below). The loser will travel to face the NL Central runner-up in the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday.There will be a one-game tiebreaker on Monday if both NL West teams win (or lose tomorrow). The Dodgers will host that matchup thanks to their 12-7 season-series win.If there is no tie (that would mean a Rockies win and Dodgers loss Sunday or vice versa), then the winning side will be the NL West champion and the No. 2 seed.The only way Atlanta can get the No. 2 seed is if they beat the Philadelphia Phillies (right-hander Kevin Gausman goes for the Braves against Phils left-hander Ranger Suarez) and the Rockies and Dodgers both lose. That would leave the Braves as the uncontested No. 2 seed alone at 91-71.The Braves lost theseason-series tiebreakerto the Rockies and Dodgers, so they'd be lower in the NL bracket if there is a tie.

BOSTON (AP) — Mitch Moreland put some recent struggles behind him with a clutch hit in the ninth inning. Helped the major league-leading Boston Red Sox do the same with their weekend woes http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-jose-ramirez-jersey , too.Moreland singled in the winning run with two outs in the ninth and the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-5 on Sunday night to avoid a three-game sweep in a matchup of AL division leaders.“Yeah, I’ll take those every time if I could,” he said, breaking into a grin. “It was at the right time to do it, I guess.”Coming into the game in a 2-for-26 slump, the first baseman had a pinch-hit single in the eighth before his walkoff bloop.“Yeah, he gets jammed and he gets a single,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, adding “we need this guy to get going offensively. We know how good he is.”With runners on first and second, Moreland sent his opposite-single to left against Hector Rondon (2-3), and pinch-runner Tzu-Wei Lin raced home easily. Left fielder Marwin Gonzalez tried to barehand the ball for a quick throw but lost his grip and let it dribble toward the Green Monster.J.D. Martinez hit his 40th homer and drove in four for Boston Bradley Zimmer Jersey , which snapped Houston’s seven-game winning streak even after the Astros rallied with a four-run sixth inning to tie the game at 5.The East-leading Red Sox sliced their magic number to 11 for their third straight division title. Boston leads the second-place Yankees by 8 ½ games after they lost at Seattle.Jose Altuve and Gonzalez each hit a solo homer for the West-leading Astros, who saw their lead over Oakland cut to 2 1/2 games. The Athletics beat Texas earlier in the day.“This was a really good game, really good series,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. “We win this series, which is one of the goals coming into this.”Craig Kimbrel (5-1) pitched a perfect ninth to preserve a tie.Trailing 5-1 in the sixth, the Astros rallied against starter Rick Porcello and Boston’s recently struggling bullpen. Altuve led off with a shot over the Monster, Tyler White had a two-run double off Heath Hembree, and Josh Reddick hit a tying double off Brian Johnson.Boston had built its lead on Martinez’s three-run shot an inning earlier. Martinez’s sacrifice fly had pushed Boston ahead 2-1 in the third.“Just one mistake pitch to J.D.,” Houston starter Dallas Keuchel said after giving up five runs in six innings. “I knew he was swinging. We have a long history together.”The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but reliever Tony Sipp entered and struck out pinch-hitters Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez.Porcello gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings.LONG WAITThere was a 3-minute, 50-second review of a key play at the plate where Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon jumped for a throw from shortstop Xander Bogaerts to get Altuve in the seventh. He was called out http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-brandon-guyer-jersey , and replays were inconclusive on if the tag was applied before he touched the plate with his left hand.“He did get in there. It’s clear as day,” Hinch said. “I’m tired of these questions because replay’s set up for precisely that type of play, and we feel like we have clear evidence.”CLUB MILESTONEMartinez became just the fourth Red Sox player to hit 40 homers in his first season with the team.Dick Stuart had 42 in 1963, Jimmie Foxx 41 in ’36 and Manny Ramirez hit 41 in 2011.HOUSTON INVASIONThere was a large contingent of Astros fans all weekend, filling Fenway Park, restaurants and bars in the area. The Houston Texans faced the New England Patriots about 45 minutes away in Foxborough, Massachusetts, earlier in the day.TRAINER’S ROOMRed Sox: Lefty Chris Sale is still set to be activated off the disabled list and start Tuesday. Cora said the plan is for the ace to go about two innings the first time as he gradually works back from mild left shoulder inflammation that landed him on the DL twice in less than three weeks.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Justin Verlander (14-9, 2.73 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in Detroit on Monday for the first time since being traded last season by the Tigers. LHP Francisco Liriano (4-9, 4.90) is slated to start for the Tigers.Red Sox: After an off day, Sale (12-4 Erik Gonzalez Jersey , 1.97) is set to face Toronto LHP Ryan Borucki (3-4, 4.39) when the teams open a three-game series Tuesday at Fenway. MIAMI (AP) — Once again, Zack Wheeler looked right at home at Marlins Park.Wheeler won his fifth straight start overall, pitching seven solid innings and sending the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 6-2 on Friday night.He is 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA in six career starts in Miami.“I don’t think it’s anything in particular, maybe just pitching inside,” Wheeler said. “I don’t know. It’s nothing in particular, but I have good numbers here and hopefully can keep it rolling.”Wheeler (7-6) allowed four hits and two runs. He struck out eight and walked just one for the fourth consecutive outing.“He kind of goes after them like he knows his stuff is better than them and he’s going to make them beat him,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.Wheeler’s scoreless-inning streak ended at 23 when he gave up a two-run homer to Miguel Rojas with two outs in the seventh, making it 4-2.“I don’t think that was my best, but the results were there,” Wheeler said. “I just made that mistake to Rojas. I’m pretty sure he was sitting on it so I’ll take that and put it in the memory bank and just go from there.”Marlins manager Don Mattingly had a different perspective.“He looked pretty good http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-josh-tomlin-jersey ,” Mattingly said. “His stuff was really good. I haven’t seen him pitch that much. This is the best I’ve ever seen him. He was on the attack tonight.”New York’s Amed Rosario had three hits and drove in two runs to set the tone from the leadoff spot.“He was really good,” Callaway said. “I thought he stayed on the ball really well. He kept his hands inside the ball really well and hit the ball up the middle, stayed up on top of it. He was really good. I thought his swing was short and quick, and I like to continue using him in that leadoff spot. I think it’s good for him.”Kevin Plawecki knocked in two and Austin Jackson had three hits for the Mets, who have won three of four.Jose Urena (3-12) gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings as the Marlins lost for the ninth time in 10 games.The Marlins have only scored more than three runs once during that span.“We have to go out and find a way to score some runs,” Rojas said. “It’s going to be on us to produce runs and try to create opportunities to score runs because we haven’t done that in a while.”Miami’s Derek Dietrich played first base and batted cleanup, spots generally reserved for Justin Bour, who was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the game.Michael Conforto hit an RBI single in the third. The Mets opened up the game with three runs in the sixth, with Rosario having a two-run single.Plawecki added a two-run single in the eighth.BOUR EFFECTMattingly hopes the trade of Bour, who played five seasons with the Marlins and hit 83 home runs, did not affect the team.“I don’t want to sound badly Carlos Carrasco Jersey , but if that’s what fuels you, you’re not motivated to play as a young player and show what you can do on a daily basis, that takes your mental side away,” Mattingly said. “If you’re going to let a trade deadline keep you from getting ready, something’s wrong.”THREE MORE HITSJackson tied a season-high in hits for the third time over his last four games and has at least one RBI in five straight starts.TRAINER’S ROOMMarlins: RHP Kyle Barraclough (back) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. … RHP Drew Rucinski (groin) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.UP NEXTMets: RHP Corey Oswalt (1-2, 5.13 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the second game of the series on Saturday. Oswalt allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings in his only appearance against the Marlins on June 29.Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (4-5, 4.35) will make his third start of the season against the Mets. He is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA against the Mets this year.

BUFFALO Kyle Brodziak Jersey Womens , N.Y. (AP) Upon handing the puck to Canadiens goalie Antti Niemi in honor of his 35-save performance, defenseman Karl Alzner had a hard time believing how long it has been since his teammate’s last shutout.It’s been more than two years.”It’s hard to believe as good of a goalie as he is for that to be the case,” Alzner said, Friday night, following a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres in a game between two teams out of playoff contention. ”It’s nice to be part of it and nice to be there for him to get it.”Niemi’s 36th career shutout was also significant given how the 34-year-old finally landed in Montreal – his fourth team in less than a calendar year. He went from being released by Dallas in June to signing with Pittsburgh in July and then being claimed off waivers twice in three weeks – first by Florida in October, and then by the Canadiens in November.”What he’s persevered through and also his work ethic is unbelievable,” coach Claude Julien said. ”There’s no doubt he’s been a real positive for our hockey club.”Niemi improved to 6-4-4 with Montreal, and the shutout was his first since a 20-save performance in Dallas’ 4-0 win over Chicago on Dec. 22, 2015.”I knew it’s been a long time,” said Niemi, who won a Stanley Cup with Chicago as a rookie in 2010. ”I wouldn’t have cared too much if they would’ve scored one in the end and we still won. I like the way I played.”Artturi Lehkonen scored the go-ahead goal by converting a puck that bounced off the end boards 4:56 into the second period. Former Sabres forward Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher then scored empty-net goals 22 seconds apart in the final 1:15 to seal the win.Montreal had lost its past four overall Paul Thompson Jersey Womens , and gone 0-5-2 on the road since a 6-3 win at the New York Islanders on March 2.Nothing is going right for the NHL’s last-place Sabres, who closed their six-game homestand at 1-4-1. The Sabres’ league-worst home record dropped to 11-22-5, and they must win their final two home games to avoid setting a franchise low for fewest wins in an 82-game season (13-21-7, in 2012-13).Buffalo’s league-worst offense was blanked for the second time in three games – following a 4-0 shutout loss to Nashville on Monday – and seventh time this season. The Sabres also lost to a Canadiens opponent now tied with Arizona with the NHL’s fewest road wins (10) and has scored a league-low 85 goals on the road.The poster-boy for frustration was forward Ryan O’Reilly, who muffed Kyle Okposo’s pass while facing an open net during a two-man advantage eight minutes into the third period.”I’ve got to be better. It’s my fault,” O’Reilly said. ”I should just get behind it and take my time. It was a stupid play by me.”O’Reilly also had Niemi beat on a rush up the right wing with 2:55 left in the second period. With room between the post and Niemi’s pad, O’Reilly missed stuffing the puck in and instead had it slide through the crease.”I’ve done that move in practice hundreds of times,” he said. ”When it matters, I don’t do it. Just letting the guys down.”O’Reilly wasn’t the only one off the mark. Scott Wilson hit the crossbar from the left circle in the first period. And Sam Reinhart was set up alone atop the crease only to be robbed by Niemi in the second period.Sabres rookie Linus Ullmark allowed one goal on the 22 shots he faced.Lehkonen scored when teammate Alex Galchenyuk’s shot from the left circle was blocked in front. The puck dribbled to Jacob de la Rose, who snapped a shot just wide of the net from the slot. The puck struck the boards and to Lehkonen, who flipped it in above Ullmark’s out-stretched right leg.NOTES: Sabres C Zemgus Girgensons returned after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. … After opening the season with a 3-2 shootout win at Buffalo Troy Brouwer Jersey Womens , the Canadiens proceeded to go 0-6-1 in their next seven. … Before the game, the Sabres honored Luke McDermott and Adam Page, two local members the United States gold-medal-winning Paralympic hockey team.UP NEXTCanadiens: Host Washington Capitals on Saturday.Sabres: At New York Rangers on Saturday.— BASEBALLNEW YORK (AP) Major League Baseball imposed stricter limits on mound visits by players in an effort to speed games but decided against 20-second pitch clocks for 2018.After more than a year of negotiations, the Major League Baseball Players Association refused to agree to the changes but also signed an agreement that it will not oppose the rules.Article continues below ...The amendments to the playing rules announced Monday include a general limit of six mound visits per nine-inning game without a pitching change, whether by a manager, coach or player.To assuage players’ concerns about sign stealing, MLB will install new telephone lines from dugouts to video replay rooms. MLB said the lines will be monitored, and a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press all conversations on the lines will be recorded. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced.MLB has the right to make playing rules changes absent an agreement with one year notice and made proposals during the 2016-17 offseason for a pitch clock and more restrictions on mound visits.SAN DIEGO (AP) – Eric Hosmer and the San Diego Padres have finalized their $144 million, eight-year contract.The team announced the signing Monday night after Hosmer passed his physical. The first baseman, who spent his first seven major league seasons with Kansas City before becoming a free agent this offseason, can opt out of the deal after five years.The contract is the largest in Padres history.Hosmer gets a $5 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the contract being approved by the commissioner’s office. His salary is $20 million each year from 2018-22 and would be $13 million annually from 2023-25 if he doesn’t terminate the deal.A four-time Gold Glove winner and 2016 All-Star Robin Lehner Jersey Womens , Hosmer will be introduced during a news conference Tuesday morning at Padres camp in Peoria, Arizona.HOCKEYPHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired goaltender Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings for two conditional draft picks.Flyers general manager Ron Hextall made the move Monday night, a day after losing his second goalie to injury in less than 10 days. Starter Brian Elliott had core muscle surgery last Tuesday and is expected to miss up to 6 weeks. Backup Michal Neuvirth was injured in Sunday’s win at the New York Rangers. The team didn’t update his status before making the trade.Mrazek was 8-7-3 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage this season for Detroit. He’s 72-58-20 with a 2.60 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 166 appearances in six seasons for the Red Wings.The Flyers sent a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2018 and a conditional third-round draft pick in 2019 to Detroit.SOCCERBARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Police in Spain have cleared four West Bromwich Albion players who were being investigated for the theft of a taxi in Barcelona last week.Catalonia’s regional police said on Monday no charges will be filed against the players. Police did not say why the investigation was archived.Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore, and Boaz Myhill were accused by a taxi driver of stealing his vehicle early Thursday morning.The players issued a public apology on Friday for breaking a team curfew and breaching the ”standards of professionalism required of us as representatives of West Bromwich Albion.”Last in the Premier League, West Brom was in Barcelona for a midwinter training trip.West Brom said the players ”will be subject to the full rigors of our internal disciplinary procedures.”

PITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby ignited a rally with a highlight-reel goal and became the third active player with 700 assists in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.Crosby scored his 24th goal when he knocked a pass from Jake Guentzel out of the air Derek Ryan Jersey Womens , deflected it toward the front of his stick and smacked it by Carey Price to tie it at 3 late in the second period.Derick Brassard put the Penguins in front to stay, beating Price early in the third.Guentzel had a goal and two assists. His 21st goal of the season came off an assist from Crosby, the 700th of Crosby’s career. Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist also scored, and Casey DeSmith made 27 saves.Jonathan Drouin, Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose scored for the Canadiens. They have lost nine of their last 10 games. Price made 34 stops in his first start in a month due to a concussion.BLUES 2, BRUINS 1, OTST. LOUIS (AP) – Jaden Schwartz scored his second goal of the game 30 seconds into overtime to lift St. Louis past Boston.Schwartz skated up the middle and fired a shot past Anton Khudobin. The Blues won for the fifth time in six games to move within a point of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.Jake Allen made 21 saves to improve to 24-21-2.Ryan Donato scored for Boston. The Bruins clinched a playoff spot and moved within four points of Tampa Bay for the Eastern lead.COYOTES 4, SABRES 1BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Clayton Keller had two assists to break the Arizona record for points by a rookie in the Coyotes’ victory over Buffalo in a matchup of the NHL’s two worst teams.Rookie Dylan Strome scored in his first game after being called up from the minors. Derek Stepan had a goal and assist, and Richard Panik and Max Domi, with an empty-netter, also scored. Antti Raanta stopped 29 shots to improve to 12-4-4 in his past 20 starts.Keller, Arizona’s 2016 first-round draft pick, extended his points streak to six games, in which he has two goals and five assists. He has 55 points James Neal Jersey Womens , one more than Peter Mueller had in setting the rookie team record in 2007-08. And Keller has 35 assists, one more than teammate Max Domi had in his rookie season two years ago. Arizona improved to 13-5-2 in its past 20, and earned its 61st point in leaving Vancouver alone at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.Jordan Nolan scored for Buffalo.DUCKS 4, FLAMES 0CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – John Gibson stopped 29 shots to lead Anaheim over Calgary.Gibson earned his fourth shutout of the season and 16th of his career. He is 12-3-1 in his last 16 starts.Francois Beauchemin had a goal and an assist for Anaheim, and Andrew Cogliano, Ondrej Kase, Hamphus Lindholm also scored for the Ducks, who’ve won four straight and are tied with Colorado for sixth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.Mike Smith started in goal for Calgary but was replaced after allowing three goals on 11 shots. Rookie David Rittich stopped four of the five shots he faced. DETROIT (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the best NHL teams in overtime last year. With a talented player like Artemi Panarin, they may be tough to beat in 3-on-3 hockey again this season.Panarin scored midway through overtime, lifting Columbus to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in the opener for both teams.“He doesn’t seem to get tired,” said Cam Atkinson , who scored the Blue Jackets’ first goal. “He’s a game-changer.”Columbus was 9-3 in overtime last season, trailing only Pittsburgh’s rate of success. Detroit Austin Czarnik Jersey Womens , meanwhile, was an NHL-worst 3-12 in overtime in 2017-18.Panarin broke franchise records and set career highs with 55 assists and 82 points last season, his first in Columbus after being acquired in a trade with Chicago. The Russian winger likes to stay on the ice a lot and coach John Tortorella doesn’t have a problem with it.“I’m not going to get in his way because he’s a game-breaker,” Tortorella said.Atkinson and Josh Anderson gave Columbus the lead over the first two periods. Rookie Dennis Cholowski and Tyler Bertuzzi pulled the Red Wings into a tie with goals in the second period.Joonas Korpisalo stopped 18 shots for the Blue Jackets. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard made 36 saves, helping the team send the game past regulation.“We got outshot by a lot and we were outplayed territorially, but Jimmy gave us a chance at two points,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “We got one of them, and he was a big part of that.”The rebuilding Red Wings honored Henrik Zetterberg, whose career is over because of a back ailment, before the game. Then, the team put five players on the ice who were playing for the first time in the NHL.Cholowski, Christoffer Ehn, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Hronek and Libor Sulak all made their debut.“With experience and games, they’re only going to get better and better Patrik Berglund Jersey Womens ,” Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader said. “With experience and work, they can really grow.”The last time an NHL team had that many rookies playing in their first game together was Detroit in 1985. It has happened just two other times in the league since the 1979, with the Colorado Rockies and Vancouver Canucks in 1981.Columbus is coming off consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in its 17-year history.The Blue Jackets are in win-now mode , aiming to advance in the playoffs for the first time with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and Panarin entering the last year of their contracts.Columbus controlled the play and the puck for most of the night, looking like it was on the power play during even-strength situations at times. The Red Wings were down a skater often, putting the Blue Jackets on the power play six times.“We have to stay out of the box,” Blashill said. “We didn’t establish much of a forecheck, but every time we got a little momentum, we took another penalty. “The Blue Jackets enjoyed a big shot advantage for much of the game, but Howard prevented them from converting on a lot of chances to score.“We had full control,” Atkinson said. “We had plenty of opportunities and probably could’ve scored more, but Howard is a great goalie.”UP NEXT:Columbus: Hosts Carolina on Friday with Bobrovsky getting the start in net.Detroit: At Los Angeles on Sunday.

COLUMBUS Adidas Adam Cracknell Jersey , Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets had four days to stew after being pounded by Tampa Bay on the road last weekend. In the first period against Philadelphia on Thursday night, they didn’t look much better.But the Blue Jackets shook off the malaise and used a three-goal flurry in the second period to speed past the Flyers on the way to a 6-3 victory on Thursday night.Cam Atkinson had back-to-back goals in the second for Columbus, both set up with sweet cross-ice passes from Artemi Panarin.“We talked about it between periods,” Atkinson said. “Our first period just simply wasn’t good enough and competitive enough. I think we kind of answered the bell there in the second and third.”Sergei Bobrovsky, who had absorbed a lot of the criticism after the 8-2 rout by the Lightning on Saturday, had 32 saves against Philadelphia (3-4).Anthony Duclair, Nick Foligno, Josh Anderson and Sonny Milano also scored for the Blue Jackets (3-3). Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist, and Oskar Lindblom and Sean Courturier scored for the Flyers. Backup goalie Calvin Pickard, in a scheduled start ahead of Brian Elliott, stopped 22 shots.Konecny got credit for his first goal of the year when he redirected a shot from Robert Hagg halfway through the first period.Duclair answered late in the period with what was the most impressive goal of the game . He fell with the puck in front of the Flyers’ goal, popped to his feet, corralled it again and, still off-balance, whacked it between Pickard’s pads.“I thought it was pretty lucky,” Duclair said.The Flyers took a 2-1 lead with 50 second left in the first period when Courturier lifted a shot over Bobrovsky’s shoulder from the top of the right circle.The Blue Jackets tied it again early in the second when Atkinson, skating hard to the blue paint, tipped in a Panarin pass. Atkinson buried his second of the night three minutes later, winning a one-on-one battle to the net with Hagg.“I thought we were a little lackluster in the first period Adidas Josh Jooris Jersey , quite honestly, through a lot of the game, and (Atkinson) gave us a little spark in the second period to grab the lead,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said.“At that point, we had a momentum shift,” Courturier said, “and we couldn’t get it back.” Foligno made it 4-2 , snapping a shot past Pickard’s stick side 8:34 into the second.Lindblom got a wrap-around goal for the Flyers early in the third period to pull it to 4-3, but Anderson got another one for Columbus with five minutes left in the game when he grabbed the puck away from a falling Christian Folin in front of the Philadelphia net and capitalized. Milano got the sixth with 2:12 left off a steal in the corner by Oliver Bjorkstrand.“We hit two posts early, created a lot of chances,” Courtier lamented. “Even at the start of the second we created some chances and as soon as they scored those two goals, we got too hungry to get some offense going when we should have just stuck to the plan and refocused.”NOTES: Corban Knight made his season debut after being out with an upper-body injury. He replaced Mikhail Vorobyev, who was scratched. … Tortorella said injured defenseman Seth Jones (knee) is skating again. He’s expected to be out several more weeks. … Philadelphia C Nolan Patrick missed his third game with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTPhiladelphia: Hosts New Jersey on Saturday.Columbus: Hosts Chicago on Saturday. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) David Pastrnak scored three of Boston’s five goals in the final 10 minutes for his first career hat trick, and the Bruins stunned the Carolina Hurricanes by rallying for a 6-4 victory Tuesday night.Matt Grzelcyk, Pastrnak and Danton Heinen scored in a span of 77 seconds to turn a 4-1 Bruins deficit into a 4-all tie. Pastrnak put Boston ahead on a power-play goal with 3:30 left and finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 1:34 remaining.Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a three-game road losing streak. Tuukka Rask made 29 saves.Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Justin Williams scored in the second period for Carolina. Brock McGinn added a short-handed goal 51 seconds into the third to make it 4-1, but goalie Cam Ward and the Hurricanes couldn’t hold it.PREDATORS 3 Adidas Timothy Liljegren Jersey , JETS 1NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Pekka Rinne made 32 saves and surging Nashville scored two short-handed goals in beating Winnipeg to tie for the top spot in the NHL standings.Kevin Fiala, Austin Watson and Viktor Arvidsson had the goals for Nashville, which has won 11 of 12.The Predators reached 100 points in 69 games, the fastest mark in franchise history. The defending Western Conference champions are even with Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay – and Nashville has played one fewer game.Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, losers of three straight. Winnipeg completed a six-game road trip and fell eight points behind the first-place Predators in the Central Division.SENATORS 7, LIGHTNING 4TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Mike Hoffman scored two goals and six other Ottawa players had multipoint games as the Senators stopped Tampa Bay’s 10-game streak without a regulation loss.One night earlier, the struggling Senators halted Florida’s eight-game home winning streak.Tom Pyatt, Erik Karlsson, Ryan Dzingel and Marian Gaborik each had a goal and an assist for the Senators. Magnus Paajarvi also scored, and Mike Condon finished with 42 savesTampa Bay, sitting atop the NHL standings with 100 points, hadn’t lost in regulation since Feb. 17. But the Lightning’s lead over Boston in the Atlantic Division was trimmed to four points.The defeat also spoiled the first career hat trick for J.T. Miller, acquired from the New York Rangers at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos each had three assists.AVALANCHE 5, WILD 1ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Nathan MacKinnon scored his 33rd goal of the season, J.T. Compher had his first career two-goal game and Colorado dominated Minnesota again.Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves for Colorado. Nikita Zadorov and Tyson Jost also scored for the Avalanche, who have won the past three meetings this season by a combined score of 19-4.Colorado has points in 10 of its past 11 games (6-1-4) and is three points behind Minnesota for third place in the Central Division. The Avalanche pulled into a tie with Dallas (82 points) for the first wild card in the Western Conference.Mikko Koivu scored his 13th goal of the season for the Wild Adidas Tyler Ennis Jersey , who have lost just three times at home in regulation since Nov. 14.CANADIENS 4, STARS 2MONTREAL (AP) – Artturi Lehkonen scored twice and Montreal snapped its five-game losing streak with a victory over Dallas.Brendan Gallagher and Nikita Scherbak also scored for the Canadiens, who hadn’t won since March 2. Alex Galchenyuk had two assists.Antti Niemi made 36 saves for his fifth win of the season. Niemi hasn’t lost in regulation since Feb. 14, going 3-0-3 during that stretch.Radek Faksa and Jamie Benn scored for Dallas.The Canadiens were at home for the first time since a 1-3-2 trip.COYOTES 4, KINGS 3, SOGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Alex Goligoski scored the decisive goal in the fifth round of a shootout and Adin Hill earned his first NHL win for Arizona against Los Angeles.Arizona squandered a 3-0 lead as Jeff Carter scored two third-period goals for the Kings to send the game to overtime. But the last-place Coyotes rebounded and improved to 11-3-2 in their last 16 game. They climbed out of the NHL cellar with 57 points, one more than Buffalo.Los Angeles, third in the Pacific Division, is one point behind second-place San Jose with 12 games remaining.The Kings had what was first ruled the game-winning goal 25 seconds into overtime overturned on goaltender interference after a video review.The 21-year-old Hill stopped 34 shots and Nick Cousins had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes. They played without coach Rick Tocchet, who missed his first game while away on a leave of absence due to a family illness.Clayton Keller and Christian Dvorak added goals for the Coyotes.Tanner Pearson scored for Los Angeles, and Jack Campbell made 26 saves in his second start of the season.FLAMES 1, OILERS 0CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Mike Smith made 28 saves, Johnny Gaudreau scored in the second period and Calgary edged Edmonton to end a seven-game losing streak against its provincial rival.It was a superb bounce-back performance for Smith in his second game after missing a month with a lower-body injury. Smith was beaten four times on 26 shots in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.Calgary (35-26-10) is two points behind Colorado and Dallas, who occupy the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference. The Flames are also two points back of Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division.Cam Talbot made 31 saves as Edmonton (30-35-4) had its three-game winning streak snapped.—

NEW YORK (AP) — Fittingly Matt Hendricks Jersey Womens , Liam Hendriks wore his cap backward. A reliever is going to start a team’s postseason opener.A pitcher with no wins in the regular season.A pitcher cut from the 40-man roster in June who spent two months toiling in the minor leagues.A pitcher from Down Under who was happy to get medieval in New York.“Instead of the starter going six and handing it over to the bullpen or going five and handing it over to the bullpen, now we’re just reversing it,” Oakland’s Australian right-hander said Tuesday, a day ahead of the Athletics‘ AL wild card game against the New York Yankees.New York’s Aaron Boone made a more conventional choice for his postseason game as a manager, picking Luis Severino over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka. Severino created a bullpen night in last year’s wild card game but not by design, lasting just one out and leaving with a three-run deficit against Minnesota in a game the Yankees rallied to win 8-4. Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been scrambling because of injuries to starting pitchers Jharel Cotton, Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea, Paul Blackburn, Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett . Yet, the A’s finished second in the AL West at 97-65, their best record in 16 years, and their relievers went 45-16, the second-most bullpen wins in big league history behind Tampa Bay’s 54 this year.“There’s been a struggle between old-school mentality and sabermetrics, and this is a way to kind of incorporate sabermetrics with effectiveness,” Oakland closer Blake Treinen said. “You can’t say going a starter for seven innings is the best way. You can’t say that going an opener is the best way. But this is what’s going to work for us, and we’re going to ride it out, and we have full faith in whoever makes the decisions. I’m excited to see what this game does because it’s kind of a first of its kind, and I think we all fully embrace that.”Yankees reliever Zach Britton, a two-time All-Star reliever with Baltimore, said this new method was unfathomable just five years ago. Views started to change when the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians used bullpens in a non-traditional manner in the 2016 postseason. Tampa Bay was 46-38 with regular starters this year and 44-34 when opening with relievers.“I think the data shows that it’s an effective way Eric Fehr Jersey Womens ,” Britton said. “The hitters, they’re not able to get comfortable off a starter. There’s a new guy possibly every time you come to the plate. So it’s a good strategy, and you know why teams are starting to do it, because it’s effective.”Hendriks, a 29-year-old in his third season with Oakland, started for Minnesota (2011-14) and Kansas City (2014) before Toronto converted him to the bullpen in 2015. He had a 7.36 ERA in 13 relief appearances this season when he was designated for assignment on June 25 to clear a roster spot for Edwin Jackson.Then 40-38, the A’s won their next six games and 11 of 13.“Apparently I’m a pariah,” Hendriks said jokingly.After 21 appearances with Triple-A Nashville, he was brought back on Sept. 1 when active rosters expanded to 40. As Hendriks was checking into a hotel in Oakland that day, he received a telephone call from pitching coach Scott Emerson.“‘By the way, you’re going to start today,'” Hendriks recalled Emerson telling him. “I got to the field about an hour later, and it was kind of, ‘Yep, we’re going to try this opening thing, see how it goes.'”Hendriks was removed with the score 0-0 after 30 pitches and five outs, and Danny Coulombe allowed Ben Gamel’s two-run double. The A’s tied a club record by using nine pitchers in an 8-7 loss to Seattle. After that, Hendriks pitched seven shutout innings in his last seven starts, allowing four hits.His fastball velocity was 97 mph in September, up 3-4 mph from earlier this season.“I think it was a big wake-up call for him, because he hadn’t been in that position for quite a while Greg Pateryn Jersey Womens ,” Melvin said of the demotion. “Maybe a little bit more focused in what he’s doing now.”Hendriks received a text from Melvin at 10:58 a.m. informing him of the decision. The pitcher calls himself an “opener,” not a starter, and it’s unclear who will follow . The only starter expected to be on Oakland’s roster Wednesday is Edwin Jackson.What is clear is Hendriks will be only the fourth pitcher to commence a postseason game after a regular season of no wins, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Virgil Trucks started twice for Detroit in the 1945 World Series after returning from World War II and making one regular-season appearance. Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo returned from a torn knee ligament in 2008 and St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter came back from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in 2012.After arriving in New York, Hendriks went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday.“My wife wanted to go see the Heavenly Bodies exhibit, which was incredible, and then I was super ecstatic to see all the medieval armor because that’s what I love,” he said. “I am reading a book now about the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. So it’s all about medieval French and English and all of that.” BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres have experienced several frustrating losses already this season, so a sloppy win was OK for Sam Reinhart and company.Reinhart poked in a rebound with 4:14 left, and the Sabres edged the New York Islanders 4-3 on Thursday night after squandering a three-goal lead.”It’s unfortunate where we’re at, but this is one we can hold up,” said Reinhart, who also had two assists. ”It was a pretty ugly one, but those are the ones you kind of have to find a way to win on a consistent basis in this league.”Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues each had a goal and an assist for last-place Buffalo, and Ryan O’Reilly also scored. Robin Lehner stopped 26 shots to help Buffalo salvage the finale of a five-game homestand after going 0-3-1 in its previous four games.It was the 1,000th home win in franchise history.”I’m not saying I’m not happy that the guys pulled it out,” coach Phil Housley said. ”But I just think, over all, if you play like that, you’re asking for trouble.”John Tavares Evgeny Svechnikov Jersey Womens , Anders Lee and Ross Johnston scored for New York, which had gone 5-0-3 in its previous eight trips to Buffalo. Jaroslav Halak stopped 18 shots.The Islanders squandered an opportunity to jump ahead of idle Columbus for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. They dropped to 1-3-1 in their last five games.”Nothing was missing. We had a great game,” coach Doug Weight said. ”I thought we got good performances from a lot of guys. I mean, we’re going to win hockey games. We just can’t afford to lose those.”Reinhart got the game-winner 73 seconds after Lee tied it at 3.Eichel began the play when his shot from the right boards hit a skate and caromed into the slot to Rodrigues, whose shot was stopped by Halak. Reinhart was left alone in front to knock in the rebound.The Islanders have allowed three or more goals in 10 of their past 11 games.”If we bring that same effort, that same intensity, I like our odds,” Johnston said. ”If we play that way and stick to the game plan, we’ll start getting results here.”New York fell behind 3-0 in the second period before it started to rally. Tavares swept in a loose puck at 13:06, and the Islanders added two more in the third.Johnston snapped a shot from the slot over Lehner’s left shoulder with 12:30 remaining.Lee tied it with a power-play goal with 5:27 left. With Eichel in the penalty box for tripping, Josh Bailey’s shot from the right circle was deflected wide of net. The puck went to Lee, who jammed it inside the right post.Buffalo was being outshot 6-0 when Eichel opened the scoring 7:41 into the game.With Reinhart drawing three defenders to him driving up the middle, he crossed the blue line and fed a pass to a wide-open Eichel driving up the right side. Eichel skated into the circle and snapped a shot in off the far post.Another defensive miscue led to Rodrigues’ third goal just under six minutes later. Marco Scandella’s shot from the blue line sailed just wide of the left post and the puck caromed off the end board. It went directly to Rodrigues, who was left untouched in the slot and directed it inside the right post.The Sabres led 2-0 after one despite being outshot 10-4.O’Reilly scored a power-play goal 7:18 into the second period by tipping in Rasmus Ristolainen’s shot from inside the blue line.NOTES: Buffalo’s home record stands at 1,000-393-216, including a 4-1 ”home” win over Anaheim in a game played at Helsinki, Finland, to open the 2011-12 season. … Sabres D Jake McCabe will miss three to four weeks after surgery on Wednesday to repair a thumb injury. … Weight left open the possibility of D Johnny Boychuk returning as early as Friday, when New York hosts the Red Wings. Boychuk missed his 18th game with a lower-body injury.UP NEXTIslanders: Host Detroit on Friday.Sabres: Travel to play the Boston Bruins on Saturday.—