2334 Beiträge -
Forengott
|
|
|
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish returned to his dominant form. Brayden Schenn Jersey . The star pitcher allowed just four hits over eight sharp innings and the Texas Rangers beat Minnesota 5-0 on Saturday, handing the Twins their fifth straight loss. Darvish (8-4) allowed only one hit and one walk after the second inning in lowering his earned run average to 2.42 following two consecutive defeats and his home ERA to 1.83. With 10 strikeouts, he hit double digits for the fifth in his last eight starts. Adrian Beltre had three hits for the Rangers and scored Texas first run, which proved to be all the Rangers needed, in the second inning. Shin-Soo Chin and Leonys Martin added two hits each. "I thought he was Yu Darvish again," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I dont care how good you are. There will be bumps in the road. There will be times when things dont go right. And that even can happen for Yu Darvish. It was good for him to go out there today and find his pitches that worked." Darvish, though, said he was unable to find a comfortable delivery throughout the game. "I just couldnt find the right one today," he said through an interpreter, "but I managed to pitch those eight innings. I cant say I was disappointed." No matter the delivery, Darvish frustrated the Twins with a cut fastball that was particularly effective against lefties. "Id say (Darvishs cutter) is probably his best pitch," said Twins DH Joe Mauer, whose first-inning single extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games. "He can definitely make the ball move in a lot of different directions." Phil Hughes (8-4) lost for only the second time in eight road starts this season, allowing all five runs on 11 hits in 7 2-3 innings. "Its not been going our way as of late," Twins leftfielder Chris Parmelee said, "but our hitting will come around." Neal Cotts finished for Texas in a non-save situation and retired the side in order. The Rangers have won the first two of the three-game weekend series with the Twins following a season-long eight-game losing streak. The shutout was Texas 14 of the season, tops in the American League and one short of the St. Louis Cardinals major league leading total. Beltre scored on a double by Chris Gimenez on a fly to straight-away centre that sailed just beyond the reach of Sam Fuld. The Rangers added a second run in the third inning when Rougned Odor singled, stole second, advanced on an infield out and scored on a dribbler back to the mound by Elvis Andrus. The Rangers added three insurance runs in the eighth, one on a squeeze bunt by rookie Luis Sardinas. They chased Hughes, who went into the game with a 1.52 ERA in five previous career appearances at Globe Life Park. Darvishs strong outing followed a quality start by Nick Tepesch on Friday night to give Texas consecutive quality starts for the first time since June 14-15. The Twins put runners at second and third in the second inning on singles by Oswaldo Arcia and Parmelee. No. 9 batter Pedro Florimon, hitless in his previous 18 at-bats, flied out to centre with two away to end what proved to be Minnesotas only threat of the game. Notes: Rangers OF Alex Rios, hitless in his last 15 at-bats, was given a day off after playing all 126 games since being acquired last Aug. 9 from the Chicago White Sox ... Texas LHP Derek Holland threw a 67-pitch simulated game on Saturday, but the club isnt ready to start him on a rehab assignment. ...Minnesotas Sunday starter, Kyle Gibson, shut out Texas over six innings on May 28. Chris Conner Jersey . Tyutin has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury which occurred while playing for Russia at the Olympics. The top-two defenceman has four goals and 20 assists, 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with Columbus this season. Ron Hextall Jersey . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. http://www.flyershockeypro.com/authentic-bobby-cla...rs-jers ey/ . Pospisil, the seventh seed, saved match points in each of the last two sets before falling to the unseeded Dutchman. "I wasnt very happy with the way I was playing,"said Pospisil.The Toronto Blue Jays continued making bold moves this offseason, acquiring a power-hitting third baseman to further bolster the middle of their batting order. Numbers Game looks at Torontos acquisition of Josh Donaldson. The Blue Jays Get: 3B Josh Donaldson. Donaldson, 28, is a premier power-hitting third baseman, slugging 53 home runs over the past two seasons while playing in Oaklands pitcher-friendly stadium. He has an .840 OPS (.363 OBP, .477 SLG) over the past two seasons, which ranks 19th among qualified hitters, and his fWAR of 14.1 over the past two years ranks third in baseball, behind only Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Josh Donaldson 695 29 .255 .342 .456 6.4 Part of the reason that Donaldson has such high overall value is that, even as a converted catcher, hes an adept fielder. Over the past two years, his 31 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth among third basemen and his Ultimate Zone Rating of 25.4 ranks fifth. Not only is Donaldson a really productive everyday player -- and durable enough to play every day -- but hes under team control financially. Eligible for arbitration this year, Donaldson will get a sizeable raise (projected by MLB Trade Rumors to be $4.5-million), and that will continue to escalate in the years ahead. Even so, given his place in the contract cycle, Donaldson is a veritable bargain for what he provides. The Athletics Get: 3B Brett Lawrie, LHP Sean Nolin, RHP Kendall Graveman and SS Franklin Barreto. Lawrie is a 24-year-old who has more major league experience than Donaldson, and has shown plenty of raw talent, but has not been able to stay healthy. Over the past three seasons, Lawrie has hit 34 home runs, stolen 22 bases and posted a .722 OPS (.316 OBP, .406 SLG), but has shown flashes in the field, with 24 Defensive Runs Saved, ranking sixth among third basemen. His fielding numbers were excellent in 2011 and 2012, but have fallen off the past two seasons. 2014 PLAYER PA HR AVG OBP SLG fWAR Brett Lawrie 282 12 . Brian Propp Flyers Jersey . 247 .301 .421 1.7 Though Lawrie has more major league experience, he doesnt have the same credentials as Donaldson, so his projected arbitration award this season is $1.8-million. It means the As will save some money, but they had also better hope that Lawrie can stay healthy and live up to the potential that had him rated as high as Baseball Americas No. 40 prospect in 2011. Nolin, 24, is a polished southpaw who has fared well in 20 Triple-A starts over the past couple seasons, with a 3.17 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 105 innings. Hes pitched a couple innings for the Blue Jays over the past couple seasons and has a change-up that gives him a chance to have success at the major league level. He should be close to ready for a legitimate shot in the majors. Graveman, a 23-year-old righthander, climbed from A through Triple-A ball last season, going 14-6 with a 1.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 27 starts, getting into five games with the Blue Jays late in the year. While he had a low strikeout rate (115 in 167 1/3 innings), his average fastball velocity approached 93 MPH and he mixes in a 90-plus cutter. Like Nolin, Graveman should be close to getting his shot in the big leagues. Barreto has a chance to be the real prize of the deal for Oakland, eventually. The 18-year-old shortstop played Low-A ball last season, but coupled an .865 OPS (.384 OBP, .481 SLG) with 29 stolen bases (and, incidentally, 61 RBI in 73 games). It will take time for Barreto to develop, but he if he turns out to be an everday shortstop in the major leagues, then that would be a really nice long-term play for the As. Verdict: The As gave up a really good player, at a point when hes not yet prohibitively expensive, but they didnt give him up cheaply. Given the risk that goes with prospects, though, the Blue Jays have to be happy with their side of the deal. They didnt have to give up any of their top-tier pitching prospects and if Barreto ultimately provides significant value, its going to be several years down the road. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
|
4531 Beiträge & 4289 Themen in 4 Foren
