Paul Bereswill/Getty ImagesDespite somesecond-half struggles http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-jacob-degrom-jersey , the New York Yankees are headed back to the postseason following a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in 11 innings Saturday.The Yankees celebrated the playoff berth on Twitter:New York Yankees YankeesThe New York Yankees are Postseason bound. pG0lWDNgaVNew York's clinching win came in dramatic fashion, as outfielder Aaron Hicks scored shortstop Didi Gregorius on a walk-off RBI double.While the Boston Red Sox beat the Yanks 11-6 on Thursday to clinch the AL East crown, Saturday's win guarantees that New York will play in the American League Wild Card Game.It has yet to be determined who the Yankees will face in that game and where it will take place, but they currently own a two-game lead over the Oakland Athletics, who lead the Tampa Bay Rays by seven games for the second wild-card spot.The Bronx Bombers started the season scalding hot and entered the All-Star break a sterling 62-33 thanks to a power-packed lineup headlined by 2017 American League Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge and 2017 National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton.During that stretch, the Yankees ranked third among all MLB teams in runs scored (493), first in home runs (161) and tops in slugging percentage (.463) as youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres made leaps ahead of schedule.However, New York's torrent pace didn't last forever.The Yankees closed out July an unremarkable 15-10, and they finished just four games above .500 (17-13) in August as the Red Sox ran away with the American League East. Not surprisingly, the regression coincided with Judge's trip to the disabled list because of achip fracture in his right wrist.Plus Nolan Ryan Jersey , the Yankees' starting rotation hasn't been able to pull its weight with a cumulative ERA of4.05that ranks15thamong all Major League clubs.Most notably, that figure has been hurt by Luis Severino's backslide over the past few months.Although Severino earned his second straight All-Star nod by posting a 2.31 ERA and 14-2 record before the Midsummer Classic, he has largely been a liability since.Over11second-half starts, the24-year-old is 4-6with a5.74ERA.Once considered the Yankees' most reliable and overpowering ace, Severino now looks like a dicey starting option in a do-or-die wild card setting.The same can't be said of Masahiro Tanaka, who has been one of the Yankees' few bright spots entering the home stretch with a2.62ERA across11second-half starts.Don't be surprised if Tanaka takes the hill when October rolls around as the Yankees hope to extend their playoff lives and make a second straight trip to the ALDS.While New York still needs to lock in the No. 1 wild-card spot to ensure a home game in the wild-card round, it can now start looking ahead with the intention of setting up its rotation and resting its bullpen in anticipation of the win-or-go-home contest. CHICAGO (AP) — Shane Bieber is going to be an asset in the postseason one way or the other.Bieber remained perfect on the road with six scoreless innings, Francisco Lindor led off the game with a home run and the Cleveland Indians beat up the Chicago White Sox 10-2 on Wednesday night.Edwin Encarnacion finished 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the AL Central champs.Bieber was sharp again in his final start of the regular season. It is uncertain if the rookie will start or come out of the bullpen in the AL Divisional Series.“For a kid that’s got two-thirds of a year in the major leagues, he carries himself really well, competes http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tom-seaver-jersey , tries to get better. We feel like one way or another, he’ll help us win,” said Indians manager Terry Francona.Bieber (11-5) improved to 7-0 on the road, setting a single-season record with most road wins without a loss by a Cleveland pitcher. The 23-year-old has yet to lose a road game in his 11 career starts.He retired the first eight batters and didn’t allow a hit until Yoan Moncada reached after hitting an unusual high bouncer back to Bieber with two outs in the fifth. Bieber, who got a laugh out of it, didn’t even have a chance to make a throw to first.Bieber coasted through the White Sox lineup, allowing just two hits. He finished with nine strikeouts and two walks.“Whether I’m starting or relieving, the job comes down to the same thing: Go out there and get outs. That’s what I plan on doing and helping the team as much as I can,” Bieber said.Kevan Smith broke up the shutout with an RBI single with one out in the ninth off Indians reliever Oliver Perez. Adam Engel also added an RBI single off Adam Cimber.In the home finale and fan appreciation night, the White Sox finished 30-51 Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey , their worst performance at home in a full season since the last-place 1948 team won 27 games.“One of the things you try to take advantage is home-field advantage. Hopefully as we continue to evolve and develop that will be part that comes with it, winning at home,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.There was a scare in the eighth inning, Erik Gonzalez, who came in as a defensive replacement for the Indians, was hit off the left side of his helmet during an at-bat. Gonzalez, who was hit by White Sox reliever Rob Scahill, was down for several minutes while being tended by team trainers and was helped off the field. Gonzalez was checked by the team doctor and will be checked again to make sure he can get on the flight; then evaluated in the morning.On the third pitch of the game, Lindor hit his ninth leadoff homer of the season off White Sox starter Jace Fry (2-3), extending Lindor’s team record. It was his 12th career leadoff home run and his 37th home run of the season.“Love it http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tug-mcgraw-jersey , especially when I know it’s gone. It’s fun. It’s good that I can get the game going; it’s one of the reasons I told Tito (Francona) I wanted to hit leadoff,” Lindor said.Encarnacion tagged White Sox reliever Ryan Burr with a three-run shot in the fourth inning. It was his 32nd of the season.Fry, used throughout the season as a reliever, made his first career start on what Renteria called a “bullpen day.” Fry only lasted an inning.Josh Donaldson had a career-best four walks for Cleveland.Renteria had to resort to the bullpen day because of a doubleheader scheduled against Minnesota on Friday.BACK ON TRACKLindor broke a 0-for-15 slump with his leadoff home run.ALDS READYEncarnacion is hitting .341 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over his 13 games.TRAINER’S ROOMIndians: RHP Carlos Carrasco will start the season finale at Kansas City but Francona plans to use fellow righty Trevor Bauer as a reliever in the game. “We’ll flip-flop what we did (Tuesday),” he said a day after Bauer made his second start since returning from a stress fracture in his leg. The manager added Bauer was “doing good” after Tuesday’s outing. … Brantley was back in the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game with a right calf contusion.White Sox: 1B Jose Abreu is done for the season with an infection on his right thigh. He’s been out since Sept. 16 with the infection. He will not travel with the team to Minnesota for the final road trip. He hit .265 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs.UP NEXTIndians: RHP Josh Tomlin (2-5) is scheduled to start for the Indians on Thursday night at Kansas City.White Sox: Right-handers Reynaldo Lopez (7-9) and Lucas Giolito (10-12) will start in Friday’s doubleheader against the Twins. Lopez allowed one run over seven innings in a win against the Cubs in his last start. Giolito pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits in a loss to the Cubs on Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Rays and manager Kevin Cash hope giant right-hander Tyler Glasnow figured some things out amid a nightmarish first inning at Fenway Park last Saturday night.The other members of the Rays staff certainly have.The 6-foot-8 Glasnow http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/calvin-ridley-jersey , acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Chris Archer trade, gave up four runs in that fateful first inning against the Red Sox, but yielded just one run — on a J.D. Martinez home run — after that.Article continues below ...Since that night, the Rays haven’t lost, and Glasnow now tries to finish off a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night at The Trop in St. Petersburg, Fla.The Rays have won four straight to move a season-high five games over .500 (66-61), partially thanks to going 6-0 against the lowly Royals, who lost their 89th game of the season Wednesday night.Danny Duffy comes off the 10-day disabled list (shoulder impingement) to pitch for the Royals on Thursday.Glasnow is 1-3 with a 4.10 ERA on the season and 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts with the Rays. He is 3-12 with a 5.51 ERA in his young career.The Tampa Bay pitching staff notched 27 straight scoreless innings, tying a club record, before yielding one run Tuesday after two straight shutouts and giving up three more runs Wednesday night.Glasnow retired the last 12 batters he faced and 17 of the last 18 to end Saturday night on a positive.Brandon Lowe and Mallex Smith drove in two runs apiece and the Rays won another game with an “opener” starting pitcher on Wednesday night. Ryne Stanek started and worked two hitless innings before Yonny Chirinos pitched five innings in relief. Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 18th save.The Rays stroked 10 two-out hits as their offense woke up Wednesday. The 10 two-out hits were the most by the team in a game in two years.“That’s really, really impressive, especially for an offense that has been scuffling so much,” Cash said. “There were some great hits by Mallex, by Brandon Lowe, against a really tough left-hander (Tim Hill). We pieced together, and we needed to separate the game a little bit. It allowed us to line up the bullpen a little bit. … A lot of good offensive numbers that we kind of needed.”Duffy (7-11, 4.90) struggled in the two starts before hitting the DL, yielding 12 earned runs on 16 hits in just 11 1/3 innings. He is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in four career starts against the Rays, all in Kansas City.For the Royals, the misery of the 2018 season continues. They have dropped 16 of their last 20 and lost six straight series.Jakob Junis fell to 6-12 with the loss Wednesday night, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.“He’s been consistently sharp, especially the last four outings,” said Kansas City manager Ned Yost. “I expect him to go out and make starts like this, give us a chance to win like he did.”Tommy Pham, who dislocated his right ring finger diving into a base Tuesday night, reported he felt better but that the finger was still swollen. He’s shooting for Thursday but Friday appeared more likely.“I think we avoided a pretty big scare,” Cash said.Rookie first baseman Jake Bauers, in a 1-for-33 tailspin, was rested Wednesday Cheap Josh Allen Jersey , Cash saying, “He’s been pressing, there’s no denying it. He’s frustrated with himself.”Jorge Bonifacio, scratched Tuesday with lower back stiffness, rested Wednesday but was on Kansas City’s bench and available.The current Rays roster is just a cumulative 4-for-24 (.167) with no RBIs against Duffy. Carlos Gomez is 3-for-7 (.429) but the rest of the players are a combined 1-for-17 (.059). Bryce Harper has held up his end of the bargain since the Washington Nationals drafted him No. 1 overall in 2010.He was only 19 years old when he debuted in 2012, and that season he also made his first National League All-Star team and captured the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He's since won an NL MVP Award and made five more All-Star teams.But when Harper waltzes into free agency this offseason, the Nationals will be left to wonder how the hell they couldn't win even a single postseason series with him.Washington entered 2018 with hopes that this would be the year it got over the hump. And while the Nats haven't been eliminated from playoff contention yet, they sent up a white flag in August. They're 69-69, and the only question is whether they'll top .500.Despite this year's flop, the Nationals have more regular-season wins (624) since 2012 than every team except the Los Angeles Dodgers (634). And as their ever-increasing payrolls show, it's not for lack of trying that they did not push their success into October:In addition to Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto are cornerstones who came up through the Washington system. Moreover, general manager Mike Rizzo's free-agent and trade success stories include Max Scherzer, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Doug Fister, Denard Span, Tanner Roark and Wilson Ramos.The Harper-era Nats aren't simply the National League's answer to Mike Trout's Los Angeles Angels, who've cursed themselves with poor additions (namely Albert Pujols) and a slow trickle of homegrown talent.If anything, the Nationals have often seemed cursed by outside forces. They've had years in which they've been overwhelmed by injuries. They've also run in to cruel and unusual fates in October, particularly in Game 5 of the 2012, 2016 and 2017 National League Division Series.Still, this is no time to let Washington escape judgment. The second guessing starts with... The Strasburg ShutdownAlex Brandon/Associated PressPartially at the behest of superagent Scott Boras, the Nationals ended Strasburg's 2012 in early September after 159.1 innings. They reasoned they had pushed him hard enough in his first full season since his 2010 Tommy John operation.But alongside an abundance of caution, there was also an element of hubris to the decision. Maybe Strasburg couldn't help in the 2012 playoffs Authentic Josh Allen Jersey , but what would it matter if they succeeded without him and rode his good health to further success in the future?As it happened, the Nationals did miss Strasburg in the 2012 playoffs. Though he didn't blow a ninth-inning lead to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5, things may not have gotten to that point if he'd been permitted to start a game.As former manager Davey Johnson wrote in his autobiography, per Rick Maese of the Washington Post: "I felt we would have gone to the World Series with Strasburg in the rotation during the playoffs. I really don't know how the team doctors came to the conclusion to keep Stephen under a given number of 160 innings. That was their deal, not mine."Strasburg's shutdown may have also loomed over a 2013 season in which the Nationals regressed to 86 wins and missed the playoffs. As John Feinstein of the Post argued, an overwhelming need to justify the decision created a tension within the team that manifested itself on the field.After that came... The Williams YearsAlex Brandon/Associated PressThe Nationals' return to earth in 2013 cost Johnson his job. To replace him, the organization settled on former slugger Matt Williams.Though the job was Williams' first as a major league manager, Washington was less concerned with his strategy skills than the culture he would foster. He was an old-school type who, in Rizzo's words, would bring "fire," "desire" and a "team-first attitude."Things were fine at first. Though Harper endured a career-worst season, everyone else played well enough to boost the team back to 96 wins. Williams was named the NL Manager of the Year.However, Williams' shine wore off when the Nationals were defeated in four games in the NLDS by the San Francisco Giants. His decision to pull Zimmermann from a shutout in the ninth inning of Game 2 led to an 18-inning defeat. Three days later, his decision to rely strictly on his "seventh-inning guys" allowed Game 4 to slip away.In 2015鈥攄espite Harper's best efforts en route to his unanimous NL MVP triumph鈥擶illiams' shine stayed worn off as the Nationals amassed only 83 wins. He continued to make bizarre strategic decisions, and he couldn't keep the clubhouse together as the losses piled up."It's a terrible environment," one player told Barry Svrluga of the Post that September. "And the amazing part is everybody feels that way."The final nail in Williams' coffin probably came courtesy of then-closer Jonathan Papelbon, who got into a nasty physical altercation with Harper with a week to go in the season. Harper left that game. Papelbon, meanwhile, went back to work the subsequent inning."That decision should be the final one he makes as Washington's manager," Tyler Kepner of the New York Times wrote.It pretty much was, as Williams was fired the day after the season ended.The Nationals' troubles with managers didn't end there, however... The Baker FiringJonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesIn the wake of Williams' firing, Washington initially wanted former San Diego Padres skipper Bud Black to take over. But after it neglected to make him a reasonable offer, it turned to Dusty Baker instead.If nothing else, Baker figured to be the anti-Williams. He came to the Nationals with 20 years of managerial experience, through which he'd garnered a reputation as a players' manager.Baker more than earned his keep in two years. The Nationals won 95 games in 2016 and 97 in 2017. And while they once again fell short in the postseason, it's hard to pin those failures squarely on Baker.The Nats went into October with injury red flags in '16 (i.e., Harper's shoulder) and '17 (Harper's knee and Scherzer's hamstring). In Game 5 of the '16 NLDS, Scherzer and a parade of relievers couldn't shield the Nats from a decisive four-run seventh inning. In Game 5 of the '17 NLDS http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-auth...sh-allen-jersey , all hell broke loose, and the Nats happened to be on the wrong side of it.Baker lost his job anyway. According to Jon Heyman, then of FanRag Sports (via Chris Chavez of SI.com), Nationals players weren't too thrilled about it. For that matter, neither was Rizzo."[Rizzo] sounded like it was one of the hardest things he had to do," Baker told Dave Sheinin of the Post.It appears Baker lost his job only because principal owner Ted Lerner and his family wanted him gone. It seems they were still sour about Baker's openly pining for an extension in the middle of the 2017 season. Or maybe they just like cycling through managers.Baker's firing might have become water under the bridge if Dave Martinez had made a strong impression as his replacement this season. Martinez is another first-year manager, but his years as an understudy to Joe Maddon promised to bring a missing dynamic to the team."As we went through this process," Rizzo told reporters, "it became clear the type of manager we were looking for: someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game."It's not all Martinez's fault he's failed to live up to the hype. Well before the team was broken up by waiver trades of Murphy, Gonzalez, Matt Adams, Ryan Madson and Shawn Kelley, it had already been broken by the injury bug. According to Roster Resource, only two teams have been hit harder by injuries.And yet, he can't escape blame. Complaints have been filed about his bullpen management and his tendency to send mixed messages. Even if he does have a good analytical mind, such issues raise questions about whether he has the same ability as Dave Roberts, AJ Hinch, Alex Cora or Aaron Boone to implement his vision.G Fiume/Getty ImagesThere are certainly other criticisms about how the Nationals have handled the Harper era. Their transactional record is mighty good but not spotless. To wit, it's beyond the pale that their catching situation has been the worst in the game in 2017 and 2018.But all told, the story of Washington's failure in the Harper years has less to do with the pieces and more to do with the glue that's held them together. It too easily didn't stick.Granted, the Harper years might not be over yet. Money won't be the only thing they can offer him as a free agent. Missteps aside, they're still one of MLB's strongest franchises, and Harper may not find a better place to chase a ring.But if the end is indeed nigh, there's really only one thing to say.What a waste. Stats accurate through Monday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.

TORONTO – The Tampa Bay Rays were not about to let their lead against the Toronto Blue Jays slip away again Friday night.After blowing an 8-2 ninth-inning lead Thursday night as the Blue Jays scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 9-8 Brad Hand Jersey , the Rays kept adding to their advantage Friday.As a result, they gained a split in the first two games of the four-game series at the Rogers Centre with an 11-3 victory with Austin Pruitt pitching the final three innings to earn the save.Article continues below ...“It’s yesterday, you can’t dwell on the past,” said Rays outfielder Tommy Pham, who had two RBIs Friday and tripled for the second game in a row as his team rebounded with 15 hits.The Rays enter Saturday’s action 6 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics in the race for the American League’s second wild-card spot.The Rays have won six of their past seven games and are 15-4 in September.“We were able to bounce back today and put up a great game overall,” said Rays September call-up Austin Meadows, who had three RBIs Friday.Meadows took over at designated hitter from Ji-Man Choi in the sixth inning Friday and produced a two-run single. He added two more hits, including a double and an RBI single.Choi left the game with a sore left knee and has been listed as day-to-day.Tampa Bay (86-67) will start right-hander Tyler Glasnow (2-6, 4.22 ERA) Saturday in the third game of the series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays (70-84) will counter with left-hander Thomas Pannone (3-1, 3.77).In the first two games of the series, the Rays have employed openers to go one-plus inning and one inning, respectively, and then have used what is being called a primary pitcher to go multiple innings. They have used an “opener” 51 times this season.In the game Saturday, Tampa Bay will use a more conventional starter in Glasnow, although all of his 34 outings for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season were in relief http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authenti...-headley-jersey , and he has been converted to starter after his trade to the Rays.In his most recent start, against the Texas Rangers Monday, which Tampa Bay won 3-0, Glasnow did not allow a hit until Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled with two outs in the fifth inning. Both hits that he allowed in six innings were infield singles, and it marked the longest scoreless outing of his career. He struck out six in recording his first win with the Rays, and it was his second win this season and fourth of his career.Since he was acquired as part of the deal that sent Chris Archer to the Pirates, Glasnow is 1-4 with a 4.06 ERA and 49 strikeouts in nine starts. The deal also included Meadows.Glasnow started against the Blue Jays Sept. 5, allowing seven runs in two-thirds of an inning. In his other eight starts, he has allowed one or no runs five times. He has allowed three hits or fewer in six starts with the Rays.He has faced the Blue Jays twice in his career, both since the trade and both at Rogers Centre, going 0-1 with a 12.71 ERA with his other start lasting five innings.Pannone was acquired last season in a trade that sent Joe Smith to the Cleveland Indians.In his past two starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He is 3-1 with a 4.18 ERA in his four starts this season. In six games as a reliever with Toronto, he has a 2.45 ERA. In two appearances against Tampa Bay, both as a reliever, he has an ERA of 6.75 ERA.The Blue Jays got two home runs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Tyson Ross Jersey , who has 11 for the season. The Blue Jays have a franchise-high 11 players with 10 or more homers this season.His brother, Yuli, also homered twice for the Houston Astros Friday night. They are the first brothers to hit multiple home runs on the same day.“Kendrys Morales told me, ‘Congratulations,'” Gurriel said. “And I just said, ‘Thank you.’ And I thought it was because I hit two homers, but then he told me my brother also hit two homers.” BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox fan who brought a broom to Fenway Park to cheer Boston on to a sweep of the rival Yankees will have to wait one more day.Still, he was lucky to have it on Saturday, using it to retrieve J.D. Martinez’s home run ball from the light stanchion above the Green Monster.“It’s been a lot of fun pitching with these guys behind me,” said Nathan Eovaldi, who pitched eight scoreless innings to help the Red Sox beat New York for the third game in a row and expand their lead in the AL East to season-high 8½ games with a 4-1 victory.“We’ve been able to score runs early in the ballgame, which makes it a little easier pitching,” said Eovaldi, who has pitched 15 shutout innings for Boston since he was acquired from Tampa Bay last month. “And the defense is amazing.”Mitch Moreland started in place of hot-hitting Steve Pearce and hit a homer of his own, and Martinez hit his major league-leading 33rd of the year for the Red Sox Allen Craig Jersey , who go for a four-game sweep on Sunday night with David Price scheduled to face Masahiro Tanaka.“This is a huge series for us,” said Eovaldi (5-4), who pitched eight innings of three-hit ball, striking out four and walking one.“We’re going to be playing these guys a couple more times down the road. For us to take the first three games in the series is big,” he said. “Price is building off his last start, so hopefully we’re going to be able to take advantage.”One night after Rick Porcello threw an 86-pitch, one-hit complete game, Eovaldi started with three no-hit innings and left after eight with a 4-0 lead. Closer Craig Kimbrel held on through a shaky ninth inning to send the Yankees to their season-high fourth straight loss.“There’s no question that they’ve established themselves right now as the best team in this league,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “That said, if you walk through our room right now, to a man, we know we can absolutely play with them. We know that when we’re at our best we can beat them. We acknowledge who they are right now. There’s no denying the season that they’re having.”Down to their last strike against Kimbrel, the Yankees made it 4-1 on back-to-back doubles by Giancarlo Stanton and Didi Gregorius. A pair of walks loaded the bases before Greg Bird hit a routine fly for the final out.The Yankees are missing Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, and they had to shuffle their rotation when J.A. Happ contracted hand, foot and mouth disease just as Sonny Gray was sent to the bullpen because of ineffectiveness.Chance Adams was called up from Triple-A for his big league debut and took the loss despite allowing just three hits — two of them homers — for three runs. He walked one and struck out two in five innings.“I was just trying to control the nerves and stuff http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-gwynn-jersey ,” he said.POWER OUTAGEBoston won the opener 15-7, a game that had 27 hits and seven homers. Porcello, Eovaldi, and Kimbrel held New York to six hits and two runs in the next 18 innings.Pearce had all four of Boston’s homers in the first two games — three of them on Thursday night — but manager Alex Cora had Moreland back in the lineup at first base and he responded.“Of course, Steve has been swinging the bat well,” Cora said. “Four home runs in two days, that’s amazing. But Mitch, he’s a good player.”ROSTER MOVESThe Yankees acquired INF Giovanny Urshela from Toronto for cash. The 26-year-old was traded from Cleveland to the Blue Jays in May. He was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankes also got pitcher George Kontos from Cleveland for cash, and assigned him to Triple-A. He was 2-3 with one save and a 4.68 ERA for Pittsburgh and the Indians this season. The 33-year-old made his major league debut with the Yankees in 2011.BRUSHBACKSA day after some inside pitching led to warnings and Cora’s ejection — the first of his managerial career — Eovaldi put his first pitch to Stanton in the first behind the batter’s head. There was no further hubbub.TRAINER’S ROOMYankees: Judge is expecting to start swinging a bat “soon,” with a goal of returning to the lineup in three weeks.Red Sox: Put newly acquired 2B Ian Kinsler on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. INF Tony Renada was called up from Triple-A to replace him, and 2B Dustin Pedroia was moved to the 60-day DL to create a spot on the 40-man roster. … SS Xander Bogaerts returned to the starting lineup for the first time since he was hit on the hand with a pitch on Tuesday.UP NEXTYankees: Tanaka (9-2) will try to keep the Yankees from being swept for the second time all season.Red Sox: Price (11-6) allowed one run in eight innings against Philadelphia in his last start.

Of course Erik Kratz kept hoping for a moment like this. That’s why he stuck around ttp://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authenti...-wolters-jersey , through a dozen big league organizations, a couple of cruel demotions in the minors, a bunch of near-misses in the World Series.And the time he accidentally shot himself in the hand with a nail gun.“I really feel like I’ve played my last game for the last 12 years because the game doesn’t owe anybody anything,” the Milwaukee catcher said. “When you understand that, you appreciate these times more than anything else.”Luke Voit certainly never expected to hear crowds at Yankee Stadium chanting his name in October, especially when he was stuck at Triple-A for St. Louis in late July. Yet there he was, batting third as New York hosted Boston on Monday night.Ryan Brasier’s path to these playoffs was unusual, too. The Red Sox reliever is a rookie — even though he made his major league debut in 2013.This postseason is full of stars, including Christian Yelich, Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts. Ronald Acuna Jr., Miguel Andujar and Walker Buehler are among the many talented newcomers.To see them here, now, that’s probably not a huge surprise.But Kratz? Starring on this stage?Still scrapping at 38, he’s a .211 career hitter in the bigs, the very definition of a veteran backup catcher. He’s been in the system of all four AL teams that reached the Division Series this year Kyle Freeland Jersey , plus the Brewers.Kratz was with Kansas City in the 2014 World Series, but never got off the bench. He came close in Game 7, lined up to enter if All-Star catcher Salvador Perez had been pulled for a pinch-runner.The next year, he went 0 for 4 in the regular season for the Royals and was nowhere near the playoff roster. Even so, they rewarded him with a championship ring.In 2016, Kratz batted .069 in 14 games for Houston.“I love Kratzy,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said Monday. “I’ve texted back and forth with him like I do a lot of our players or ex-players. I still remember him running out for intros and falling down to win a bet. I’ll always remember that, and got to get the video of that.”“I remember Erik Kratz, when I told him he was off our team, he was a proud Astro, so I’m happy when guys succeed when they go elsewhere,” he said.Kratz was in the minors this June when the Yankees traded him to Milwaukee for a player to be named. He impressed the Brewers with his work regimen and knowledge, and produced enough to earn a spot in the playoffs.Against Colorado last week, he became the oldest position player to start in his postseason debut since Lave Cross for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series.“Lave Cross from Milwaukee, yeah Chris Iannetta Jersey , he was a really good third baseman. We played together in rookie ball,” Kratz kidded.“It’s something that is part of history, so maybe in 113 years, some dude is going to be like, Erik Kratz — is it Kratz? What is that?” he said.No joke: Kratz went 5 for 8 in the NL Division Series sweep of the Rockies, and his Milwaukee teammates started chanting “MVP! MVP!” at him in the bubbly-soaked clubhouse.“It’s gone from an unsung season to kind of a front-and-center role right now,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.During the series, Kratz reflected on his future in baseball. He realizes time is running out.“I haven’t had a good enough career to retire. I’m just going to quit. I’ll just be out. That’s what’s going to happen,” he said.Brasier’s trip to this postseason also took several turns. He seemed to be off to a good start as rookie with the Angels in 2013, putting together a 2.00 ERA in seven relief appearances.That was before Tommy John surgery, more time in the minors and a detour to Japan. He signed with the Red Sox in spring training, returned to the majors shortly before the All-Star break and kept a spot in the Boston bullpen.He’s already made his presence known.In Game 2 of the ALDS, the 31-year-old Brasier got into a verbal spat with Gary Sanchez, annoyed that the Yankees slugger kept stepping out of the batter’s box. That came as he struck out Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton and Sanchez in the same inning.At 27 http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authent...-mcmahon-jersey , Voit’s trek wasn’t so winding. Rather, he was backed up in the minors for St. Louis behind star first baseman Matt Carpenter. The beefy Voit didn’t exactly fit the physical profile of the athletic-minded Cardinals, either.Dealt to the Yankees shortly before the July 31 trade deadline for Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve, Voit got off to a slow start and seemed to be a backup for Greg Bird, at best.But then, his huge swing started clicking. He connected for 14 home runs down the stretch, hit a two-run triple in the AL wild-card win over Oakland and has two hits and two RBIs in two playoff games against Boston.In a city known for fashion, Voit also has made his own style statement. He prefers to keep the top button on his jersey unfastened, with no T-shirt underneath.“Let the chest hair hang, baby,” he said. Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich were named the winners of the American League and National League Hank Aaron Award, respectively, on Friday.According to Major League Baseball, the Hank Aaron Award is given to the best offensive performer in each league:MLB MLB.JDMartinez14, ChristianYelich take home the 2018 Hank Aaron Award for best offensive performers in AL http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , NL. JQ4qrPVMLFMartinez hit .330 with 43 home runs and an MLB-leading 130 RBI during the regular season, while Yelich hit an NL-best .326 with 36 homers and 110 RBI.In his first season with the Red Sox, Martinez narrowly missed winning the American League Triple Crown, as he finished second in batting average to teammate Mookie Betts (.346) and second in home runs to Oakland Athletics DH Khris Davis (48).Martinez is among the leading candidates to win the AL MVP award, but he may find it difficult to beat out Betts since the latter is so strong defensively.Meanwhile, Yelich is the front-runner to win the NL MVP. Like Martinez, Yelich came close to winning a Triple Crown, as he finished two home runs behind Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado and one RBI behind Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez for the National League leads.Yelich enjoyed a career year after getting traded to Milwaukee from the Miami Marlins as part of their roster purge.While Yelich and the Brewers fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, Martinez and the Red Sox are playing for the World Series.The Hank Aaron Award was established in 1999.Martinez is the fourth different Red Sox player to win it, joining Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis.The only Brewers player to win the award prior to Yelich was Prince Fielder in 2007.

SAN JOSE P.K Subban Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Alex Galchenyuk finally broke out of a prolonged slump, and the Arizona Coyotes are suddenly making strides.Galchenyuk scored two goals in regulation plus the only one in a shootout as Arizona defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Sunday.Acquired in a June trade with Montreal for Max Domi, Galchenyuk hadn’t scored in 16 games and had just three goals all season going into the game.But the 24-year-old center, drafted third overall in 2012, got his first goal since Nov. 11 when he flicked a backhand past Sharks goalie Aaron Dell on a breakaway at 15:31 of the first period. Galchenyuk then scored on a 5-on-3 power play to snap a 1-all tie at 12:21 of the second.“It was frustrating without scoring for such a long period of time, trying to find my game,” Galchenyuk said. “I knew sooner or later it was going to come. Stick to it, keep working.”Galchenyuk also scored on Arizona’s first chance in the shootout.“The second I touched the puck I knew what I was going to do,” he said. “I’m happy.”Conor Garland also scored to help the Coyotes win their second consecutive game after losing three straight and seven of eight. Darcy Kuemper made 35 saves for Arizona.Tomas Hertl scored twice and Tim Heed had a goal for San Jose, which lost its third straight after winning a season-high five in a row.Kuemper turned back shootout attempts by Joe Thornton, Hertl and Logan Couture.“They’re a great team,” Kuemper said. “They had a big push in their own building. I don’t know if we really held them at bay. They tied it up, but we were able to kind of hit the brakes after that happened and keep ourselves in it and then get a big shootout win.”Hertl recovered the puck behind the net and scored on a wraparound to tie it 3-all at 13:53 of the third. Hertl also scored early in the third to even the game at 2 before Garland gave the Coyotes a 3-2 advantage at 6:06.Heed scored on the power play in the first period Authentic Pekka Rinne Jersey Kids , his first goal of the season in his third game for San Jose.Dell turned back 23 shots.“We found a way to get a point,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “Disappointed we didn’t get two. I feel like the break’s coming at the right time. I think it’s been a tough month for us, (with the) travel. I feel like our team’s running on fumes a little bit. The tank’s a little empty and we’ve had to dig deep the last two nights to scratch out a couple of points.”NOTES: Sharks D Erik Karlsson was handed a two-game suspension by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner on Saturday. Heed took Karlsson’s spot in the lineup. … Thornton got his 1,041st assist on Heed’s goal, passing Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne for 10th place on the NHL’s career list.UP NEXTCoyotes: At the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.Sharks: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. GLENDALE, Ariz. — The only October surprise for the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes is when they win a game in the opening month of the NHL season.The teams traditionally get off to rough starts and so either the Sabres or the Coyotes will welcome getting an infrequent October victory when they play an interconference game Saturday night at Gila River Arena. The Sabres (2-2) are an NHL-worst 16-39-6 in October since the 2013-14 season, and so winning successive games against the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights after an opening-night loss to the Boston Bruins was uplifting for a team that had a league-low 25 wins last season.Article continues below ...But the Sabres reverted to their usual October form on Thursday, losing 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche at KeyBank Center in a disappointing effort given it was the sendoff to a five-game road trip.“They got on us (3-0 in the first period) and we probably weren’t ready to play and that’s on us,” center Jack Eichel said. “They came out hard and I thought they outworked us for the first bit there. We put ourselves behind the eight-ball.”The Coyotes (1-2) know what that’s like. They started 0-10-1 last season, effectively putting them out of the playoff race before Halloween, and they are 4-18-1 in October in the past three seasons.But Coyotes have had dominating stretches in all three games this season, outshooting their opponents 110-70, and they were rewarded Wednesday with a 3-2 shootout road win over the Anaheim Ducks. Dylan Strome scored the team’s first goal of the season Roman Josi Jersey , on a power play, and goalie Antti Raanta made 23 saves and stopped all three Ducks shooters in the shootout.Before winning, the Coyotes had been shut out in three consecutive games dating to the final game of last season.“We stuck with it, whether we were up or tied, whether the situation was killing penalties or (skating) three-on-three,” forward Christian Fischer said Friday. “We did a really good job of sticking with it. … We got the power play going, a little chemistry with our lines, so now it’s a matter of bearing down on our chances and scoring some goals, because we know Rantz (Raanta) is going to stop them for us.”There’s a question who’ll be stopping shots Saturday for the Sabres.Goaltender Carter Hutton started the first four games but gave up six goals on 30 shots against the Avalanche. Coach Phil Housley said he might give backup Linus Ullmark his first start of the season against Arizona, but might wait until later in the trip.Housley is making one change for certain, moving left winger Jeff Skinner to a line with rookie center Casey Mittelstadt and right winger Kyle Okposo. Skinner had been playing with Okposo and center Patrik Berglund, but the former Carolina Hurricanes forward is scoreless in his first four games with the Sabres.“I really like the way he (Skinner is) working, his forechecking. He steals pucks and he strips pucks http://www.officialpredators.com/authentic-adidas-ryan-hartman-jersey , the way he’s coming back into our zone,” Housley said. “There’s just nothing evolving from that point. … (I’m) just trying to create some chemistry. He’s been held off the board as far as goals go, so I’m trying to get him going.”Similarly, Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet is shifting the team’s top scorer last season, Clayton Keller, back to right wing on a line with left winger Richard Panik and center Derek Stepan — the team’s most effective line late last season.Keller began the season playing center because of center Alex Galchenyuk’s lower-body injury, which remains week to week, but doesn’t have a goal in three games. Keller had 23 goals and 65 points in 2017-18.“We’re experimenting with different things,” Tocchet said. “When you get injuries at center, it takes a hit on your depth. … But that line was good for us last year. Maybe this will help kick-start Kells (Keller) and help Steph (Stephan) a little bit, too.”The Coyotes will play their only home game in a span of six games. They begin a four-game road trip Tuesday at Minnesota.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Petr Mrazek showed just why the Flyers traded for him.Mrazek made 19 saves in his Philadelphia debut and Nolan Patrick scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period Boston Bruins Hoodies Authentic , leading the streaking Flyers to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist and Shayne Gostisbehere added two assists for the Flyers, who won their fourth straight game while improving to 8-0-2 in the last 10. The Flyers (32-19-10) began play comfortably in a playoff position and moved within a point of Washington, which lost 3-2 at Florida, for first place in the Metropolitan Division.”He was outstanding,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of Mrazek. ”When they had their push, he made probably a good half-dozen excellent saves at key times.”Mrazek was acquired in a trade with Detroit on Monday night. Philadelphia needed a goalie after backup Michal Neuvirth went down with a lower-body injury on Sunday that will keep him out four to six weeks. Regular starter Brian Elliott already was out with a lower-body injury that will sideline him for five more weeks.”It was awesome, a huge two points,” Mrazek said. ”I was excited for this game. The day was so long I felt like I was playing at midnight.”Mrazek won 72 games in six seasons with the Red Wings. He made a good shoulder save on David Savard three minutes in and three excellent stops in the second period, including short-handed chances by Alexander Wennberg and Matt Calvert. Mrazek wore red-and-white pads as he waited for new ones to arrive with Flyers colors, and he sported an all-white goalie mask without any design.With or without the matching equipment, the Flyers loved what they saw from their new goalie.”The hard saves he made look easy Boston Bruins Hats Authentic ,” Giroux said. ”We’re really happy for him.”Artemi Panarin scored for Columbus (30-26-5), which dropped into a tie with the New York Islanders for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.”I thought we played good tonight,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. ”We needed to kill another (penalty) and we didn’t. That’s what cost us the game.”Patrick scored on a power play with 10:11 remaining. It was his second straight game with a man-advantage goal since replacing injured Wayne Simmonds on the Flyers’ top line. Gostisbehere took the initial shot from the point and Patrick backhanded it home after goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped the drive from the point. Giroux also assisted on the goal, and it was Brandon Dubinsky’s trip of Giroux that led to the power play.Patrick said he’s been an eager study from the bench all season.”I watch (Simmonds) every game,” Patrick said. ”He’s unbelievable. You just learn from just watching every day.”Giroux tied the game 1-all 2:34 into the third period when his wrist shot from the slot got past Bobrovsky on his glove side. The Flyers were fortunate on the play as Sean Couturier’s pass toward the center of the ice went off Panarin’s skate and right to a wide-open Giroux.Panarin opened the scoring with 7:09 left in the second after surprising the Flyers’ defense, getting in alone on Mrazek and beating the goalie on the blocker side to up his team-leading point total to 50. Panarin was serving a bench minor for too many men on the ice, and Philadelphia defenseman Andrew MacDonald was unaware of Panarin’s presence when trying to receive a pass from Ivan Provorov at the Columbus blue line. Panarin snuck behind MacDonald and stole the puck on his way to scoring.Gostisbehere upped his point total in February to 16 (one goal, 15 assists), which is tops among NHL defensemen.NOTES: Simmonds (upper body) missed his second straight game in what is expected to be a two-to-three-week absence, while forward Travis Konecny sat out after getting hit in the left foot by a shot in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win against Montreal. Their absence means a combined 71 points is missing from the lineup. … After going three straight games without allowing a power play, the Flyers finally went on the penalty kill when Jordan Weal was whistled for interference with 5:19 left in the first period. … Bobrovsky fell to 9-3-1 against Philadelphia.UP NEXTBlue Jackets: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.Flyers: At the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.— DENVER (AP) Connor McDavid had his third hat trick of the season and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak.McDavid has 11 goals in the last nine games and two hat tricks. His first two goals tied it Custom Boston Bruins Jerseys , and the third was into an empty net with 1:26 left. He has five goals in two games against Colorado this season.Ryan Strome also scored, and Cam Talbot had 24 saves to help the Oilers snap Colorado’s 10-game home winning streak. Tyson Jost and Alexander Kerfoot scored for the Avalanche.Article continues below ...PENGUINS 5, BLUE JACKETS 2.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Riley Sheahan scored two goals in the first period and rookie Tristan Jarry made 35 saves in Pittsburgh’s victory over Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2.Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists, and Brian Dumoulin and Zach Aston-Reese also scored for the Penguins. They have won five straight and 10 of their last 12. The win in front of a sellout crowd at Nationwide Arena moved them past Washington into first place in the Metropolitan Division.Artemi Panarin and Alexander Wennberg scored for Columbus.MAPLE LEAFS 3, RED WINGS 2DETROIT (AP) – Auston Matthews scored with 30.2 seconds left to push Toronto past Detroit.Matthews took William Nylander’s pass and snapped a high shot into the roof of the net from a sharp angle for his 27th goal of the season, but just his fourth winner.James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner also scored for Toronto, and Curtis McElhinney made 27 saves. Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg scored for Detroit.FLYERS 7, RANGERS 4NEW YORK (AP) – Travis Konecny broke a tie late in the second period and Alex Lyon made 25 saves in relief to help Philadelphia beat New York.Claude Giroux and Jori Lehtera scored in the third to finish off the win, Lyon’s first in the NHL. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed all seven goals.Andrew MacDonald, Scott Laughton www.officialsabres.com , Brandon Manning and Nolan Patrick also scored for the Philadelphia. The Flyers have six of seven and are 22-8-3 since Dec. 4. They have won five in a row in the road.Kevin Hayes, Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello and Peter Holland scored for New York.SHARKS 5, STARS 2SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – Mikkel Boedker scored twice in San Jose’s four-goal first period and the Sharks beat Dallas for their fourth victory in five games.Joe Pavelski, Melker Karlsson and Justin Braun also scored and Martin Jones made 26 saves.Gemel Smith and Tyler Pitlick scored for Dallas. Ben Bishop was chased after allowing four goals on five shots, and Kari Lehtonen made 22 saves in relief. The Stars had won six of their previous seven.DEVILS 3, HURRICANES 2, OTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Taylor Hall scored on a rebound with 22 seconds left in overtime to lift New Jersey past Carolina and extend his NHL-best points streak to 11 games.Keith Kinkaid stopped 40 shots, and Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha added goals.Teuvo Teravainen and Jeff Skinner scored for Carolina.JETS 7 Buffalo Sabres T-Shirts Authentic , PANTHERS 2WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) – Kyle Connor scored twice, Blake Wheeler and Tyler Myers each had three assists and Winnipeg beat Florida to take the Central Division lead.Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine also scored and Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves to help the Jets win their third straight. They are 6-2-1 with a game left on a 10-game homestand. Denis Malgin and Aleksander Barkov had power-play goals for Florida.

LAS VEGAS (AP) Prior to Monday’s trade deadline Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , Vegas fans were hoping to pry two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators.After Friday night, they probably can’t wait to see him leave town.Karlsson had three assists, including one to Alexandre Burrows on his third-period winner, to lift Ottawa over the Golden Knights 5-4.Burrows, in his first game back from a 10-game suspension, redirected Karlsson’s slap shot from the point shortly after a pair of Vegas goals tied it at 4. Bobby Ryan also had a goal and two assists for Ottawa.Vegas has lost three straight and fallen to second in the Western Conference behind Nashville after briefly sitting atop the NHL standings. It is the expansion team’s third three-game losing streak of the season. The Golden Knights have never lost four in a row.The Senators, meanwhile, snapped a five-game skid and improved to 8-18-5 on the road this season. Ottawa also got goals from Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.”We came out with great jump,” Karlsson said. ”Our legs were definitely there today, and we were making sure that we made the necessary plays under tight pressure.”Ottawa outshot Vegas 38-29, becoming just the 10th team to outshoot the Golden Knights on their home ice.Craig Anderson notched his 18th win by stopping 25 shots. Marc-Andre Fleury had 33 saves for Vegas.”We wanted to make sure we weren’t going to get outworked by a very hard-working team. That was our number one priority,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. ”Our players took this very seriously.”After opening the season 19-2-2 at home Nate Schmidt Jersey , the Golden Knights are 5-5 in their last 10 in Las Vegas.The Golden Knights got goals from Reilly Smith, Colin Miller, William Karlsson and Ryan Carpenter.Outside of Vegas’ top line of Smith, Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, it was clear the Golden Knights were missing forwards James Neal and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and defensemen Nate Schmidt and Luca Sbisa.Neal, Sbisa and Schmidt were gameday scratches, while Bellemare remains on the injured reserve list.”It doesn’t matter if you’re missing skilled guys or talented guys,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”We got out-competed tonight.”Smith was named the NHL’s Third Star for February after ranking fourth in the league with 20 points in 14 games. He got his 22nd goal just 58 seconds into the game to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.Stone, who leads the Senators with 24 points on the road, tied it less than two minutes later when he took Ryan’s pass in front of the crease and slipped it past Fleury.With Vegas on the power play, Miller’s wrist shot from the point at the 18:22 mark gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead, despite the Pacific Division leaders getting just three shots on goal over the first 20 minutes.The second period was all Ottawa. It knotted the game at 2-all when Stone fired an outlet pass from the bottom of the right circle of his own zone to a streaking Ryan for a breakaway goal.Duchene scored a power-play goal through traffic, and Pageau potted a one-timer four minutes later for a 4-2 lead.William Karlsson brought the Golden Knights back when he converted a turnover into his 35th goal of the season. Moments later http://www.goldenknightsshoponline.com/authentic-oscar-dansk-jersey , it appeared Vegas’ Erik Haula may have tied it, but a rebound off the post bounced away from the line and ended up under Anderson’s pads.Instead, with 12:03 left, Carpenter used a nifty deke to get around Ryan Dzingel and shot through the five-hole to tie it.NOTES: Vegas owns a 26-5-1 record when scoring the first goal, and its .838 win percentage when recording the opening mark leads the NHL. But the Golden Knights have lost three straight after scoring first. … Smith is two goals from 100 in his career. … Ryan is four points shy of 500.UP NEXTOttawa: Visits Arizona on Saturday.Vegas: Opens a five-game road trip at New Jersey on Sunday.— PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The kid has lived up to the hype so far.Carter Hart made 31 saves for his second straight win in his second NHL start, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Thursday night.Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers, who won their second straight since interim coach Scott Gordon replaced Dave Hakstol after he was fired on Monday.The 20-year-old Hart made 20 saves in his debut in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Detroit. He was even better against Nashville.“He’s the main reason we won the last two games,” Voracek said.Hart, a touted prospect who was selected in the second round of the 2016 draft, made two big saves to help kill off the Predators’ lengthy 5-on-3 power play late in the second period. He stopped each of the 13 shots he faced in the third.“I’m competing and having fun,” Hart said.Hart made his best stop early in the third when he denied Roman Josi from close range with a strong glove save. The Flyers also caught a break when Ryan Johansen’s wrist shot hit the post just before time expired.While he is facing players he idolized just a few years ago, Hart isn’t intimidated.“They’re the same as you and me,” Hart said. “They bleed when you cut them.”Nick Bonino scored for Nashville Authentic Oscar Lindberg Jersey , which lost its ninth straight game on the road. The Predators, who began the day in a tie for first in the Central Division, last won away from Nashville on Nov. 10 in Dallas.“We had some good looks, (but) the young kid in net made some good saves,” Johansen said. “We competed hard. … We just couldn’t find a way.”The Predators tied it at 1 4:04 into the second when Bonino scored from in front after a deflection.Philadelphia regained the lead when Giroux got his 12th of the season on a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Pekka Rinne on the blocker side.The Flyers preserved the lead by killing off a 5-on-3 in the final two minutes of the second. Hart denied Ryan Ellis and Kevin Fiala during the stretch, and defenseman Robert Hagg blocked two shots. Philadelphia also got lucky when Josi’s shot clanked off the post.“It gave the whole building a lift,” Gordon said of the penalty kill. “You could feel the emotion in the crowd and that carries over to the bench.”Voracek opened the scoring 5:10 into the first by finishing a great pass from Sean Couturier, who found a wide-open Voracek at the side of the crease.NOTES: The teams will meet once more in the regular season, Jan. 1 in Nashville. … Predators C Colton Sissons was held out after injuring his right ankle in the third period of Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at Chicago. . Nashville suffered its first regulation loss to an Eastern Conference opponent, dropping to 10-1-1.UP NEXTPredators: Finish a four-game trip at Boston on Saturday.Flyers: Host Columbus on Saturday.

TORONTO (AP) — Andreas Johnsson was down on himself earlier this season for his lack of finish around the net. That wasn’t a problem Saturday night.The second-year winger completed his first career hat trick before the game was 13 minutes old Authentic Jarvis Landry Jersey , helping the Toronto Maple Leafs rout the Philadelphia Flyers 6-0.“That’s how hockey is,” said Johnsson, who entered with two goals in 18 games after scoring twice in nine appearances as a rookie. “Sometimes you miss all your chances, sometimes you score. Everything went in.”John Tavares, Patrick Marleau and Josh Leivo also scored, and backup goalie Garret Sparks made 35 saves for his first shutout of the season and the second of his career. Mitch Marner added two assists.“(Johnsson) and Sparky led the way today,” Tavares said. “Got off to a hell of a start.”Neither team was assessed a penalty for the second consecutive game at Scotiabank Arena. The NHL’s last penalty-free game before this week came in March 2017.Calvin Pickard, who was claimed by the Flyers on waivers from Toronto before the start of the season Authentic Bradley Chubb Jersey , allowed four goals on six shots for Philadelphia (10-11-2) before being pulled. Anthony Stolarz allowed two goals on 34 shots in relief.“We’ve got to own it,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “We’ve got to own it as a group.”Coming off back-to-back road losses, including a 4-2 decision at Columbus on Friday night, the Leafs built a 4-0 lead after just 12:20 thanks in large part to the first hat trick of Johnsson’s career.The speedy winger got things going at 4:45 when he faked a slap shot off the rush before sliding the puck between Pickard’s pads for his third goal of the season. Johnsson made it 2-0 just 1:34 later when he blocked a point shot fromdefenseman Christian Folin and raced in alone and beat Pickard through the five-hole for a second time.Marleau got in on the action at 7:44 when he fired his fifth into an open net off a scramble after a poor Philadelphia clearing attempt. A teammate of Pickard’s with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League last season, Johnsson completed his hat trick — the 24-year-old had just four goals in 27 career NHL games before Saturday — on another shot between the pads from in tight after stealing the puck from a Flyers defender.That ended the night for Pickard, who was coming off a 31-save shutout in Philadelphia’s 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday afternoon that snapped the Flyers’ four-game skid (0-3-1).NOTES: Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk returned to face the Leafs for the first time. He played six seasons in blue and white before signing a five-year, $35 million contract with Philadelphia on July 1. He was honored with a first-period video tribute. … Johnsson is the eighth Leafs player to score a first-period hat trick and the first since Wendel Clark on Oct. 11, 1986.UP NEXTFlyers: Host Ottawa on Tuesday night.Maple Leafs: Host Boston on Monday night. Through the early part of the season http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/bradley-chubb-jersey , the San Jose Sharks have had a hard time holding leads and closing out opponents. After a disappointing road trip, San Jose looks to reverse those trends on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres.The Sharks are back at SAP Center after dropping three of five, capped by a 3-2 setback to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. In three losses, San Jose (2-3-1) either let leads slip away or failed to capitalize before a contest was out of reach.Article continues below ...“We’re not scoring enough and not getting enough saves; it’s a bad combination,” coach Peter DeBoer said after the game in New Jersey.The Sharks surrendered three third-period goals in a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 8. Three nights later, San Jose yielded the tying goal in the third before falling in overtime to the New York Rangers. DeBoer’s club then gave up two goals in the final 20 minutes of the loss to the Devils.In the opening game of the trip on Oct. 5, the Sharks wasted an early two-goal lead before beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime.But San Jose’s struggles go beyond end results. One facet of the club’s special teams unit is struggling while another is flourishing. The Sharks are 2 for 21 with the man advantage, but also has three short-handed goals this season. The club registered eight such tallies in 2017-18.“We have to find a way to get another goal a night Womens Bradley Chubb Jersey , and part of that is power play and part of that is 5-on-5,” said DeBoer. “We have to find a way to get another save a night. Part of that is defending a little tighter and part of that is getting another save.” One player off to a solid start is San Jose winger Evander Kane, and he’s scheduled to face the team that traded him away last winter for the first time.Selected fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kane never lived up to high expectations in nine-plus seasons with three clubs before being dealt to the Sharks in February.But Kane provided an immediate boost for San Jose. In 17 games, he collected nine goals — including a career-high four against the Calgary Flames on March 16. In his first playoff action, the 27-year-old notched four goals in nine contests, but the Sharks lost in the second round to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in six games.Kane, who signed a seven-year contract extension in May Authentic Phillip Lindsay Jersey , leads the Sharks with four goals and is tied with Kevin Labanc for the team lead with five points.Buffalo has split the first two games of a five-game swing after falling 4-1 to Vegas on Tuesday. Vladimir Sobotka scored in the final minute to help the Sabres avoid being blanked for the second time this season.“We’ve got to make sure our execution has to be ready when the puck drops,” coach Phil Housley told the Buffalo News. “Not 10 minutes into the game or at the end of the first period.”Even with the loss, Buffalo is 6-1-1 in its last eight road games against Pacific Division foes. However, the Sharks swept both meetings in 2017-18 and are looking for their fourth straight win in the series.Sobotka, who is playing with his first Eastern Conference team after nine seasons with the St. Louis Blues, has eight points in his last eight matchups versus the Sharks. The native of the Czech Republic registered the only hat trick of his NHL career on March 9, 2013, in San Jose.While Carter Hutton has struggled with nine goals allowed in his last two games http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/phillip-lindsay-jersey , the Sabres’ new starting netminder could be poised for a bounce-back game. Hutton is 4-1-1 with a 1.32 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in his career against San Jose.Linus Ullmark, who earned his first NHL shutout last Saturday by making 36 saves in a 3-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes, has never faced the Sharks.

WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals open a five-game homestand Saturday night when they host the Dallas Stars at Capital One Arena.The Capitals (5-4-2) began a stretch of 15 games in 30 days with a 6-4 loss on Thursday night in Montreal Mario Lemieux Jersey , capping a 2-2 road trip.Dallas (7-5-0) is 2-1 on its six-game road trip after a 2-1 win on Thursday night in Toronto and is 4-1 in its last five games.Article continues below ...Anton Khudobin made 30 saves in his first start since Oct. 16, Jamie Benn and Devin Shore scored, and Tyler Seguin had two assists for the Stars.Shore has goals in back-to-back games and points in five of his last six games (2-6-8).“He’s just a smart hockey player,” Dallas coach Jim Montgomery told NHL.com. “I like the way he possesses pucks and the poise he has with the puck. He’s starting to get a lot of confidence and with that he’s skating harder and winning more one-on-one battles. He’s a guy that I’m going to continue to move around because I think he can get other players going.”After playing on the fourth earlier in the week against Montreal — and getting a goal and two assists — Shore played on the wing with Seguin and Mattias Janmar against Toronto.“He’s fun to play with,” Seguin said. “He’s making a lot of things happen. If it wasn’t for him in Montreal, we don’t win that game. He’s really coming into his own and maturing and playing good hockey.”On Friday, the Starts announced that defenseman Dillon Heatherington, 23, would be recalled from the Texas Stars with Connor Carrick heading to injured reserve. Carrick did not play against Toronto after blocking a shot in the team’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.The Capitals appeared to have fashioned a great ending to their road trip before the Canadiens scored three goals in the final 3:04 Thursday night.“Obviously it’s frustrating in the situation,” goalie Braden Holtby told NHL.com. “I think we had a chance to steal one there and just came up short. Luck seemed to be on our side for most of the third, and then it turned. We didn’t do enough to push the other way.”Alex Ovechkin and Lars Eller each scored twice, and Holtby made 38 saves for the Capitals. It was Ovechkin’s first two-goal game of the season.Washington will be without 38-year-old defenseman Brooks Orpik against Dallas. He’ll miss his second straight game Saturday night because of an undisclosed lower-body injury.Christian Djoos, 24, and Madison Bowey, 23, formed the team’s third defensive pairing against Montreal.“I thought they did some good things Matt Murray Jersey ,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden told the Washington Post. “I think Madison in particular was able to show us his skating. I thought he made some plays offensively, just a couple chances against for them. But for the most part, they limited it.”Holtby is 2-4 with a 4.06 goals-against average and .865 save percentage against Dallas. Ben Bishop of the Stars is 2-6-2 with a 3.46 GAA and an .888 save percentage against Washington.The Stars went 0-1-1 against the Capitals last season but have won six of their last seven games in Washington. DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit Red Wings home game looks and sounds a little like a memorial these days.The lights are dimmed as images of the franchise’s glorious past flash digitally onto the ice before the puck drops, reminding the relative few fans in the stands how good things used to be. And, they were good. Really good.Detroit’s 11 Stanley Cup banners are lowered from the rafters where retired jerseys are also displayed, rekindling memories of the four titles from 1997 to 2008 and the seven championships from 1936-55. The most successful U.S.-based NHL franchise has had some of the game’s all-time greats wear its sweater, adorned with a winged well, from Gordie Howe to Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.The good times fade during the lights-and-sounds pregame show as the pace of the music picks up and a video montage shows the current team, mostly a mix of role-playing veterans and not-ready prospects. When the lights are turned up closer to game time, more seats appear to be empty than occupied on some nights.Detroit is among the worst teams in the league this season — as expected and by design. The Red Wings hope a painfully poor season will help get them on the fast track to retool with difference-making players in the draft along with some help from veterans in free agency.“I knew it was coming and I was prepared for it,” said Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano, who is in his 37th season with the team and his 52nd in the NHL. “I don’t like it. It upsets me, but not to the point that I’m going to go off the deep end.” The Red Wings appear destined to miss the playoffs for a third straight year after a remarkable run of 25 consecutive postseason appearances. Other than the current players and coaches, who are trying to win every game, losing is seen as a necessary evil. Some fans, though http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/a...i-maatta-jersey , appear to be so fed up they don’t even sit in seats they paid for to attend games.In an effort to make the sparsely filled sections at Little Caesars Arena stand out less in person and on TV, the backs of red seats have been temporarily covered in black. They will eventually be replaced by black chairs at a considerable cost in a 1-year-old arena that is the centerpiece of a $1.2 billion project.Detroit got off to the worst start in franchise history by opening with seven losses and winning only one of its first 10 games. The Red Wings have bounced back with four wins in their last five.“I wouldn’t say it takes the sting out of the slow start, but it’s something to build off of for sure,” forward Justin Abdelkader said during the recent surge.Winning could prove to be counterproductive for the Motor City’s hockey team this season.Part of what has held the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort back is the fact they haven’t had a No. 1 overall pick in the draft in recent years to get a generational player. If they lose enough this season and have some luck in the NHL draft lottery to get the top pick, Jack Hughes would give the franchise and its followers a desperately needed boost. Hughes is a playmaking center for USA Hockey’s 18-under team, which trains and plays in suburban Detroit. His skill would help the team on the ice, though perhaps not right away, and his presence would provide a boost in interest for a team struggling to regain its standing as one of the most popular in a sports-crazed state.The Red Wings have also hurt their chances of continuing the success they had for two-plus decades by drafting players, particularly on the blue line, that didn’t pan out. And while Detroit is close to the bottom in the NHL standings, its payroll is larger than about 20 teams in the league.The team has invested in its 2014 first-round pick, 22-year-old center Dylan Larkin , by giving him a $30.5 million, six-year contract last summer. It is trying to surround him with players to push the franchise back toward the playoffs and eventually championship contention.“We’ve got to rebuild by drafting, developing and being patient,” general manager Ken Holland said early in his 22nd season in charge and 36th with the franchise. “I believe we’re headed in the right direction with a lot of young kids we think are ready to come of age.”Chris Ilitch Womens Patric Hornqvist Jersey , the most powerful person in the organization, seems to agree with him. The president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, which owns the team and the arena, gave Holland a two-year contract earlier this year to continue guiding a long-term rebuilding project that is counting on 30-plus draft picks from 2017-19.“Kenny Holland has done a marvelous job at accumulating picks, which are so important to executing a successful rebuild,” Ilitch said. “I think you’re starting to see the fruits of the labor.”GAME OF THE WEEKThe defending champion Washington Capitals host Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, the first meeting between the teams since the Penguins won their season opener. Pittsburgh has lost a season-high four straight games after a strong start, while Washington has dropped three of five.LEADERSGoals: David Pastrnak (Boston), 12; Assists: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), 19; Points: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), 24; Wins: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) and Frederik Andersen (Toronto), 8; Goals-against average: Jaroslav Halak (Boston), 1.45; Save percentage: Jaroslav Halak (Boston), .952.

OTTAWA — More pressure will be on the Ottawa Senators when they host the Montreal Canadiens for the second time in two days Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre.Not only will be trying to keep up with the pack www.canucksshoponline.com , but also to show that the corner they had appeared to turn isn’t going to lead them back to their sorry ways.The Senators (12-13-3) could have pulled into a tie for the second wildcard spot with a win in Montreal, but are now in danger of falling six points behind their arch rivals. Fortunately for them, the back-to-back set shifts to a venue where they’ve had much success. Their 9-4-2 home record is one of the best in the NHL.Article continues below ...The 5-2 loss at Bell Centre snapped the Senators winning streak at three games and also saw the return of the shoddy defensive play they were starting to get away from. During the three victories, they had only surrendered five goals. That was big for a team that have allowed more goals and shots against than any other in the league.On Tuesday they broke down in the second period, allowing the Canadiens three unanswered goals in a 3:39 span.“We weren’t quite ready to play right from the start,” center Zack Smith told the Ottawa Sun. “They were better and kept their foot on the grass. It’s only one game. We’re only a few days from paying our best hockey of the year.“We still have confidence … (Thursday) is a good opportunity and we have a lot to prove. The easy way to explain (Tuesday’s) game is that our effort level was not there, but we don’t have too many days to think about it.”Major obstacles will be in the Senators way as they attempt to get back on track. The Canadiens (13-10-5) will again turn to goalie Carey Price, who had some timely saves among the 28 he made against Ottawa earlier this week. Price has impressive career numbers against the Senators. Along with a 23-9-5 mark that includes three shutouts, he boasts a .922 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average versus Ottawa.Price will be making his sixth consecutive start on Thursday.“I think there’s no reason we can’t ride him Vancouver Canucks T-Shirts Womens ,” coach Claude Julien told reporters, per Montreal Gazette.The Canadiens also hope to ride the offensive combination of Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin, who both had three points in the win over Ottawa.“Both of them are smart players, both of them are good playmakers and they see the ice real well,” Julien told the Gazette. “They also enjoy playing with each other. That’s more important than people think.”Rounding out Montreal’s new top line is a mucker, veteran winger Andrew Shaw, who is raving about the speed of his new linemates.“When they have the puck and they’re going, they’re great at making quick, little plays or beating guys one-on-one Vancouver Canucks Hoodies Womens ,” Shaw told the Gazette. “Their compete level is pretty cool, too.”Craig Anderson, who made 35 saves in Montreal, will start in goal for the Senators. Against the Habs he has career numbers of 12-12-3 along with a .895 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA. CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Louis Domingue missed J.T. Miller’s winning shootout goal on Thursday night.“I wasn’t watching,” Domingue said. “I was drinking water. That’s kind of what I do, honestly, and it worked out.”Sure did.Miller and Victor Hedman scored in the tiebreaker and Domingue had 33 saves, leading the surging Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Flames.Ondrej Palat Vancouver Canucks Hats Womens , Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn and Dan Girardi scored in regulation for the Lightning (27-7-2), who improved to 10-0-1 in their past 11 games.Domingue stopped each of the seven shots he faced in overtime. He allowed one goal to Sean Monahan in the shootout.“I like our chances every time we go to extra time,” Domingue said. “We’re a pretty good team. That’s what makes us such a good team. We find ways to win games. It doesn’t matter how. We take the two points and run.”Girardi said Domingue won the game for the Lightning.“He made some huge saves, back-to-back on Monahan (in overtime),” he said. “It was too many to really count. He was huge for us — in the shootout as well, making some big saves.”Nikita Kucherov added two assists. Tampa Bay is 16-0-0 when Kucherov records a multipoint game this season.Johnny Gaudreau and Sam Bennett each had a goal and an assist for the Flames (22-11-3), who led 3-1 after one. Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund also scored.Making his fourth straight start, Calgary goalie David Rittich had 32 saves.The Flames fell behind 3:38 into the first when Palat swatted a loose puck past Rittich. But they put together an impressive response.Bennett tied it 51 seconds later with a tap-in goal of his own. Domingue got a piece of Bennett’s first shot Custom Vancouver Canucks Jerseys , but the puck trickled behind him and the Calgary forward adeptly followed up on the play.Monahan put Calgary in front at 7:50 when he muscled his way into the slot past Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn and one-timed a pass from Elias Lindholm past Domingue.Backlund then was the beneficiary of some hard work by Bennett 12:25 into the first. Bennett fought hard behind the net to get the puck out front to Backlund, who backhanded his linemate’s pass past Domingue.Stamkos scored his 18th goal of the season at 3:19 of the second when his pass to teammate Adam Erne went off Calgary defenseman TJ Brodie and past Rittich.Killorn then swatted a rebound in behind the Calgary goalie at 5:52, tying it at 3.After Girardi blasted a point shot past Rittich at 15:35 of the third, Gaudreau backhanded a shot through Domingue’s legs at 17:32 to tie things up once again.“I found a way to tie it up and we played really well in overtime,” Gaudreau said. “I thought we had a lot of really good looks — all three pairs or trios. It’s unfortunate, but it was a good game. I’m sure it was entertaining for the fans and it was fun to play in that game.”NOTES: Playing in his 700th NHL game, Stamkos scored his 366th goal to pass Martin St. Louis for second on the club’s career list. Stamkos trails just Vincent Lecavalier (383) for most goals in team history. … Bennett and James Neal returned to Calgary’s lineup after being sidelined by upper-body injuries. Bennett missed a pair of games, while Neal sat out on Saturday in Dallas when the Flames lost 2-0 to the Stars.UP NEXTLightning: Visit Edmonton on Saturday night.Flames: Host St. Louis on Saturday.