senals hands as they hunt down Spurs in second.Arsenal may have been uninspiring of late, but they are eight league games unbeaten, and plen | Forum

Topic location: Forum home » General » General Chat
Deleted user Nov 22 '16, 08:51PM
ST. Darren Helm Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Mariners rookie leadoff hitter Brad Miller put on an impressive power display for his hometown fans. Miller homered twice to help Seattle send the Tampa Bay Rays to their sixth straight loss with a 5-4 victory on Tuesday night. Around 50 family members and friends were present to see Miller, who is from the Orlando, Fla. area, play for the first time at Tropicana Field. "It was awesome," Miller said. "Before the game, getting to see, like, every coach Ive ever had since I was 5, and my best friend, my parents. And then to go out there and get things going and finish it off with a win, that was perfect. That was a lot of fun." Miller has four home runs this season, which have come in a pair of two-homer games. He connected for his first two big league homers on July 19 at Houston. "You could hear them, a lot of Miller fans up there," acting Seattle manager Robby Thompson said. Tampa Bay also got two homers from its leadoff hitter, Ben Zobrist. According to the Rays, it is just the third time since 1916, when records are available, that both leadoff hitters had multihomer games. The others were June 5, 1994 (Minnesotas Chuck Knoblauch and Tony Phillips of Detroit) and July 8, 1965 (Houstons Joe Morgan and Felipe Alou of the Milwaukee Braves). After Justin Smoak ended Chris Archers night with a leadoff single in the sixth, Dustin Ackley gave Seattle a 5-4 lead on a triple off Wesley Wright. "That was a big turning point, especially with our bullpen," Ackley said. Zobrist got the Rays even at 4 on his second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the fifth against Erasmo Ramirez (4-0), who allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings. Danny Farquhar pitched the ninth for his fifth save. The Mariners bullpen allowed one hit over 3 2-3 scoreless innings. Smoak had a two-run single through a defensive shift as the Mariners went ahead 3-2 in the fourth. "Thats what happens when youre losing," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You get plays like that going in their favour against us. When you talk about good baseball luck and bad baseball luck, it really exists and right now were getting some very bad baseball luck." Millers second homer of the game, a fifth-inning shot, made it 4-2. According to STATS, Miller is the third player in the divisional era (1969) to record his first four homers on two, two-homer games, joining Torontos J.P Arencibia (2010-11) and Carlos May (1969) of the Chicago White Sox. Archer (6-5), who left his previous start last Wednesday at Arizona after 1 2-3 innings due to right forearm tightness, gave up five runs and nine hits over five-plus innings. "Honestly, Ill take full responsibility for that loss, because if I execute a couple pitches in a couple of key situations, those are the games that we win," Archer said. "We score four runs, we win because we have good pitching." Miller opened the game with his first leadoff homer and the Mariners eighth this season, which extended the team record. Zobrist tied it at 1 in the bottom of the first on his first career leadoff homer and 100th overall in the majors. The Rays took a 2-1 lead later in the inning on James Loneys RBI single. It was the first major league game since Aug. 31, 2011, when St. Louis Rafael Furcal and Milwaukees Corey Hart did it, where both teams hit leadoff home runs, according to STATS. It last occurred in the AL on Aug. 17, 2006, in games between Baltimore (Brian Roberts) and New York (Johnny Damon), and Kansas City (David DeJesus) against Chicago (Pablo Ozuna). NOTES: Tampa Bay RHP Alex Cobb is expected to make his first big league start Thursday night since getting hit in the head by a liner on June 15. ... The Mariners plan to look at Ackley in centre. "Were trying to see what we have out there with Ackley," Thompson said. ... Rays CF Desmond Jennings (broken left middle finger) could start dry swings with a bat in the next few days. ... Tampa Bay optioned RHP Josh Lueke to Triple-A Durham. Erik Gustafsson Jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Terry Sawchuk Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http:///...enguins-Matt-Murray/ . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday.As the Premier League season reaches its penultimate weekend, we look at some of the questions that should be answered by end of play on Sunday. Can Norwich do the double over Manchester United and boost their survival hopes? (Norwich v Man Utd, Saturday 12.45pm)Manchester United were booed off at Old Trafford in December after a 2-1 defeat by Norwich, and a repeat at Carrow Road would dent their top-four hopes going into the final week of the season. United are four points off fourth-place Manchester City, but have a game in hand at West Ham on Tuesday night to come, meaning its win or bust in the final three games for Louis van Gaal, whose future is still up in the air.Norwich are hanging on, and have a home clash with Watford on Wednesday after the visit of United, before a trip to Everton on the final day. A win here would set them up perfectly, while Sunderland and Newcastle fight for their lives elsewhere.Can Newcastle gain revenge on Aston Villa for their 2009 relegation? (Aston Villa v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm)How the tables have turned. In May 2009, Aston Villa sent Newcastle down with a 1-0 win at Villa Park, but on Saturday, with the hosts already dead and buried, Newcastle can take a huge leap to survival.Villas celebrations that day seven years ago left a sour taste in the mouths of Newcastle fans, and they would take extra pleasure in seeing their side cause more misery for the home faithful, who are at their lowest ebb for decades. Villa showed signs of life against Watford last Saturday, and their fans will be up for it, but the odds are stacked against them getting anything here as Rafa Benitez looks to keep the Magpies momentum going before hosting Tottenham on the final day of the season.Who can finish the season stronger to gain extra prize money? (Bournemouth v West Brom, Saturday 3pm)Both of these sides are now safe, but can finish as high as 11th come the end of the season.Last season, the difference in prize money between 11th and 16th was around £6m, or a half-decent Premier League striker, so the incentive is there for mid-table clubs to put their summer holidays on hold for now. Bournemouths objective has been achieved, but for West Brom, an indifferent season has received mixed reviews.They are without a win in seven games, while the Cherries will want to convince their home support they are still focused on the last two games, having lost their last three.Will Palace rest stars ahead of the FA Cup final in two weeks time? (Crystal Palace v Stoke, Saturday 3pm)Palace are all but safe in the Premier League despite plenty of scares in 2016, and are within one game of their first piece of major silverware.With a fortnight until the showpiece event against Manchester United at Wembley, could Alan Pardew be tempted to rest some of his stars? Stoke have been poor of late, but that shouldnt mask what could be another season of progress under Mark Hughes, and theyll want to finish the season off strongly for their travelling fans.Will Sunderland have too much fight for Chelsea? (Sunderland v Chelsea, Saturday 3pm)With nothing left for Chelsea to play for and Sunderland fighting for their lives, Sam Allardyces side are fancied by many here to get a much-needed three points in their quest for survival.Theyve shown plenty of grit against the the so-called bigger sides since Allardyce took over, and with the Stadium of Light behind them, this is sure to be a battle. For Chelsea, after a Monday Night Football full of emotion against Tottenham, and with seven points separating them and Liverpool in eighth, motives to go out and fight are at a minimum, particularly with several stars looking ahead to the Euros...Can West Ham give themselves one last shot at the top four? (West Ham v Swansea, Saturday 3pm)With Mancheester United facing a tough trip to Norwich and Man City hosting Arsenal after a midweek trip to Madrid, this could be West Hams chance to pounce. Paul Martin Jersey. They are five points off fourth-place City but with a game in hand against United, and the odds are in their favour for the visit of Swansea. The Swans were at their best against Liverpool - having been at their worst against Leicester the previous weekend - but Slaven Bilic wont need much motivation to go out and get the win in their last Saturday afternoon encounter at Upton Park before moving to the Olympic Stadium.Will Everton spoil Leicesters crowning party? (Leicester v Everton, Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 5pm)After a week of celebrations, there may not be a better time for Everton to visit the King Power Stadium to face champions Leicester.On the other hand, nothing has stopped the Foxes this season, and 30,000 fans would love a performance to match the party. The one snapshot from this game wont be during the 90 minutes, however. The image of Wes Morgan lifting the trophy to mark Leicesters first-ever top-flight title, with the Foxes having been 5,000/1 at the start of the season, will live long in the memory for football fans worldwide.But Roberto Martinez, who desperately needs to end the season with three wins, will be hoping the crown comes after Leicesters fourth defeat of the season.Can Tottenham avoid double disappointment by finishing above Arsenal? (Tottenham v Southampton, Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1pm)It has been nearly 21 years since Tottenham finished above their north London rivals in the Premier League, and if one thing seemed certain just a fortnight ago, it was that Arsenals annual St Totteringhams Day would be abandoned.But draws against West Brom and Chelsea means Spurs have been dragged back to within three points of the Gunners, who go to Man City on Super Sunday. After losing their lead at Chelsea, and in turn losing any hope of a title win, Spurs may be deflated, and opponents Southampton have been known to pounce.Against his former side, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to finish the season on a high.Will Liverpool rest players ahead of the Europa League final on May 18? (Liverpool v Watford, Sunday 4pm)The Reds will be on a high after their superb performance on Thursday against Villarreal, but will Jurgen Klopp start saving his key men earlier than the final day of the season? They have been plagued with injuries and suspensions in recent weeks, and with a Champions League spot up for grabs if they can beat Sevilla in Basel, four days after the last day of the season, risks surely cannot be taken.Watford were poor against Villa, despite coming away with a late win against their 10-man opponents, giving Klopp a chance to experiment in their final home game of the campaign.Will Man City be suffering from a Champions League hangover? (Man City v Arsenal, Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm)Manchester City had their fair share of critics after Wednesday nights Champions League semi-final defeat against Real Madrid, and with the top four still uncertain, Manuel Pellegrini may not be resting his star players at the Etihad on Sunday. The City fans want top four as a bare minimum after a disappointing campaign domestically, and a deflated atmosphere could play into Arsenals hands as they hunt down Spurs in second.Arsenal may have been uninspiring of late, but they are eight league games unbeaten, and plenty among the travelling fans will remember their supreme performance in the 2-0 win at the Etihad last season. Also See: Pochs five-year plan VOTE: Leicester in 16/17 Fixtures Live on Sky Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '