wboys stellar offensive
Posté : 29 Nov 2019, 02:14
TORONTO -- Its all about numbers for the Toronto Blue Jays these days. Good and bad. Their hopes of reaching baseballs post-season are alive mathematically by the thinnest of margins. Right-hander Drew Hutchison, however, led the way on Wednesday when he equalled his career best with 10 strikeouts in an 11-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. It was the fourth win in a row for the Blue Jays (76-69) and the sixth straight loss for the Cubs (64-82). In the three-game series sweep Toronto outscored Chicago 28-3. It was the third solid start for the Blue Jays in the series. Rookie right-hander Marcus Stroman pitched his first career shutout in an 8-0 win on Monday and left-hander Mark Buehrle held the Cubs to two runs over seven innings in the 9-2 win on Tuesday. "Theyve really picked it up, too," manager John Gibbons said. "Even coming into the season, that was really the question mark of the team, how was the rotation going to hold up. Of course, 1/8Brandon 3/8 Morrow went down but those other guys have been steady for pretty much the whole year. We added a guy here and there to make a spot start to give them a little breather but theyre pitching a lot better than I expected if you want to know the truth. "Thats important. What they do is most of them give you a shot every time out there. When were pitching good, were capable of scoring a lot of runs every night, and when we play good defence, we win." Hutchison (10-11) allowed four hits and one run, on a homer by Jorge Soler, over 6 1/3 innings. His other 10 strikeout game was July 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, also at Rogers Centre. "My command has been good," Hutchison said. "Ive been commanding the baseball with all three of my pitches. My slider has been good to both sides of the plate lately. I think thats been a big reason why Ive pitched well and my fastball command has been (good). Try to continue to throw the way I am now and give us a chance every time I go out." The 24-year-old held the Cubs to two doubles and a walk in the first six innings. But in the seventh, Soler hit his fourth homer of the season with one out for the Cubs. Welington Castillo followed with a double and kept going to third on an error by centre fielder Anthony Gose. Left-hander Brett Cecil replaced Hutchison and finished the inning with a strikeout and a fly out. "Its been going well lately," Hutchison said. "I felt like I pitched six really good innings and maybe the wait there hurt a little bit coming out for the seventh. But thats always a good thing when you wait that long. Falling behind those guys was frustrating but overall I thought it was a good outing." The Blue Jays added five runs in the home seventh inning against Cubs relievers Wesley Wright and Kyuji Fujikawa. Edwin Encarnacion and Dioner Navarro each had two-run singles in the inning and Danny Valencia drove in the other run with a single to give him his second RBI on the game. Dalton Pompey, of Mississauga, Ont., had his first big-league RBI in the two-run eighth when he grounded out as a pinch-hitter. "I was nervous, Im not going to lie," said Pompey who was called up for September from triple-A Buffalo. "My arm was shaking before I went up to bat and I just had to collect myself, take a deep breath and try to stick with my approach, it was hard. Even the first pitch, I didnt really see it. Just had to collect myself, try to put the ball in play and good things happen." Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6-2) allowed six hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings for his first loss since July 27. "We got into a little trouble there and werent able to dig ourselves out," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "They kept chipping away, they kept swinging the bats, they kept doing things to keep their offence going, they kept the line moving. They took advantage of miscues. Kyle probably deserved a better fate." The Cubs had a chance to take the lead in the first inning after Javier Baez walked with one out. Luis Valbuena followed with a double to right centre. Baez continued around third before being held up. He was thrown out trying to return to third by Navarro after the catcher had taken the relay throw home from second baseman Ryan Goins. Hutchison struck out Soler to end the inning. That started a run of 15 consecutive batters retired by Hutchison until Chris Coghlan doubled to centre with two out in the sixth. Hutchison responded by striking out Baez. The Blue Jays scored a run in the third on a double by Kevin Pillar who slid home safely on a sacrifice fly to left by Gose. Pillar had moved to third on a groundout to first by Goins. The Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead in the sixth. Gose singled to left and then came around to score on a bloop single by Jose Reyes when the right fielder, Soler, mishandled the ball for an error. Reyes took third on a fly out to right by Jose Bautista, whose 13-game hit streak ended, and scored when Adam Lind sliced a single to left. Navarro followed with a walk and Valencia doubled to centre to score Lind. "I felt really good," Hendricks said. "That was one of my best outings, from the start, that Ive had all year. It was one of those innings where I made a lot of good pitches, probably should have gotten out of it. If you fall behind on those guys, theyre going to make you pay. Sometimes theres nothing you can do." Notes: Announced attendance at Rogers Centre was 19,411. àThe Blue Jays are considering starting LHP Mark Buehrle on Sunday to give RHP Marcus Stroman an extra day off after he pitched his first career shutout on Tuesday against the Cubs. Buehrle is 18 innings short of pitching at least 200 innings in a season for the 14th straight year. àThe Blue Jays have Thursday off before completing the home stand with a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. LHP J.A. Happ (9-9, 4.44 E.R.A.) will start the opener on Friday against RHP Nathan Karns, who is making his first start of the season in the majors. Wholesale Shoes Cheap . Patty Mills had 20 points, Tim Duncan had 11 points and 13 rebounds in limited action, and San Antonio rolled to a 110-82 victory over Milwaukee that kept the Bucks winless in the new year. Air Max 95 Sale . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/balenciaga-shoes-sale/ . He will be practicing with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. - @AnaheimDucks Corey Perry has a knee sprain and will miss the next three to four weeks. Air Max 97 Sale . -- Kevin Harvick pulled away on a restart with 47 laps to go and ended Chase Elliotts two-race winning streak in NASCARs Nationwide Series with a dominating victory early Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Air Max 270 Sale . The former world No. 1 Djokovic, who is the top seed here despite being ranked No. 2, snuck past 35-year-old Czech showman Radek Stepanek in four high- quality sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), on Centre Court. Djokovic appeared relieved when he converted on his first match point by swatting a cross-court forehand winner that just caught the line to end an affair that featured only two service breaks.The AFC North and NFC West divisions lead the way with some of the top grades in week four. The Pittsburgh Steelers made up for a lacklustre performance in week three with a 43-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.And despite a knee brace, Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a 27-17 victory over the New York Jets. AFC NorthPittsburgh Steelers (W 43-14 v Kansas City)The Steelers disappointed last week, coming up woefully short against the Philadelphia Eagles in their worst loss for 27 years. The team was unrecognisable in week four as Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes and LeVeon Bell ran for 144 yards as Pittsburgh dominated the Chiefs in every area of the game. Vince Williams had 16 tackles and Kansas City failed to record a point until the fourth quarter, when the game was far beyond them.This is the type of performance we expect from a Super Bowl contender. Grade: A Highlights of the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers in week four of the NFL Cincinnati Bengals (W 22-7 v Miami)The score suggests this game was closer than it actually was, as the Bengals settled for just the one A.J Green touchdown and five field goals.Green had 173 yards and the defence sacked Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, disrupting any attack the Miami offence tried to build. The win lifts the Bengals to 2-2 and within touching distance of the division leaders. Grade: B Highlights of the Miami Dolphins clash with the Cincinnati Bengals in week four of the NFL Baltimore Ravens (L 28-27 v Oakland)As with their three wins this season, the result of this game could have gone either way. After a conservative three quarters, the game took off in the final 15 minutes.The Ravens had over 150 more offensive yards but settling for two early field goals proved costly. Steve Smith got his first touchdown of 2016 but against one of the worst ranked defences in the NFL, Baltimore were made to pay for their missed opportunities. Grade: CCleveland Browns (L 20-31 @ Washington)The Browns continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, though it would appear the officials helped them this week. Leading 20-17 in the third quarter, Cleveland fumbled on three consecutive drives to hand possession to their opponents, who duly scored 14 points and won the game.Granted, the second turnover appeared to be an incorrect call as Duke Johnson seemed to recover, but as head coach Hue Jackson said, there would not have been an issue if the player had not fumbled in the first place.Quarterback Cody Kessler looked comfortable as an NFL starter and running back Isaiah Crowell had 112 yards and a touchdown, but the Browns must shore up the basics if they are to win at all this season. Grade: D C.J Anderson: Underdog Story From undrafted free agent to Super Bowl winner, nothing has come easy for C.J Anderson. AFC EastBuffalo Bills (W 16-0 @ New England)Two weeks ago, head coach Rex Ryan was firm favourite to lose his job. Now, having beaten the Cardinals and the Patriots, the Bills are second in the division, having delivered the first shutout to New England since 1993.It was an important victory for Buffalo, who scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter through LeSean McCoy. The defence continued where it left off from week three, sacking Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett three times. Zach Brown had 18 tackles, four of them for loss, and one sack to lift the team to 2-2. Grade: A Highlights of the Buffalo Bills clash with the New England Patriots in week four of the NFL New York Jets (L 27-17 v Seattle)Having the Jets at second in the AFC East this week really is an indictment of the quality the division showed as a whole. Missing Eric Decker at wide receiver showed, but the running game was unable to pick up the slack with just 58 yards.Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three more interceptions and leads the league in that category. Darelle Revis left the game with a hamstring injury and at 1-3, the Jets now face the Steelers followed by the Cardinals. Grade: DNew England Patriots (L 16-0 v Buffalo)Patriots fans will be delighted to finish this game with a 3-1 record, leading the division and welcoming back four time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.They struggled to move the ball against Buffalo, due in no small part to third choice Jacoby Brissett struggling with a thumb injury. This result, though disappointing, was a lot more important for the Bills than it was for the Patriots. Grade: DMiami Dolphins (L 22-7 @ Cincinnati)Ryan Tannehill was sacked five times as the Miami offensive line disintegrated under pressure from the Bengals pass rush. A 74-yard touchdown throw on the second play of the night accounted for a third of the Dolphins total offence, which sums up the rest of their night.The Defence found some success in holding the Bengals to field goals, but it was a disappointing showing from the now 1-3 Dolphins, whose only victory came in overtime against the Browns. Grade: D-AFC SouthHouston Texans (W 27-20 v Tennessee)After losing J.J Watt, it was an important week for Houston to show what they were made of. Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney combined to deputise for Watt and Will Fuller, a rookie wide receiver selected in the first round of the draft, scored a 64-yard touchdown return to seal the win.It will be a tough schedule without Watt leading the defence, but the Texans started off with an important win over divisional rivals. Grade: B Highlights of the Tennessee Titans clash with the Houston Texans in week four of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars (W 30-27 v Indianapolis)It was a huge sigh of relief for head coach Gus Bradley as the Jaguars held on for their first win of the season, beating the Colts at Wembley as part of the 2016 International Series.The defence is starting to look like the dominant unit fans expected, and Blake Bortles kept mistakes to a minimum as well as scoring a rare touchdown. Grade: B- Highlights of the Indianapolis Colts clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in week four of the NFL Indianapolis Colts (L 30-27 @ Jacksonville)After a 26-22 week-three win over the Chargers, it looked as though Andrew Luck and the Colts might have turned the corner. However, Luck had a costly interception and was sacked six times, the most in one game since he began his career in the NFL.While Jacksonville have the benefit of a bye week, Indianapolis will have to prepare for the arrival of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Grade: DTennessee Titans (L 27-20 @ Houston)Marcus Mariota struggled once again, throwing for just 202 yards as the Titans failed to take advantage of a Houston defence missing J.J Watt.Tennessee sacked their special teams coordinator Bobby April after the unit allowed Will Fuller to score a fourth quarter punt return and win the game for Houston. The Titans face Miami next week and will need to find some compatibility in this offence if they are to lift themselves in the AFC South. Grade: D- AFC WestDenver Broncos (W 27-7 @ Tampa)The Broncos never looked troubled against the Buccaneers as they weathered a storm to maintain a 4-0 start to the season.Two early interceptions for Aqib Talib led to touchdown scores and from then on, the defence controlled the tempo of the game. Rookie QB Paxton Lynch was introduced at half-time following an injury to Trevor Siemian, and the young passer controlled the game without fault, throwing the first touchdown pass of his NFL career to Emmanuel Sanders. Grade: B+ Highlights of the Denver Broncos clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week four of the NFL Oakland Raiders (W 28-27 @ Baltimore)The Raiders deserve credit for holding off the Ravens fightback. Baltimore led the league in fewest points conceded in the second half (3.3), but Michael Crabtree found success, scoring three touchdowns to give Oakland their third road win of the season.Khalil Mack got his first sack of the season and the Raiders continue to pressure the Broncos, atop the AFC West. Grade: B Highlights of the Oakland Raiders clash with the Baltimore Ravens in week four of the NFL San Diego Chargers (L 35-34 v New Orleans)It has been a tough start to the 2016 season for the Chargers, who lost their two best weapons in the first two weeks.dddddddddddd However, they continue to put up big numbers, due largely to the performances of quarterback Phillip Rivers, who is quietly one of the leagues top performing passers this year.However, we cannot get away from the fact that San Diego let a 13-point lead slip, with two interceptions which allowed ex-Charger Drew Brees and the Saints to grab their first win of the season. Grade: C-Kansas City Chiefs (L 43-14 @ Pittsburgh)The Chiefs were unable to handle the Steelers from the very first play when Alex Smiths pass was tipped and then intercepted. The Chiefs defence, which performed so admirably against the Jets in week three, was helpless as Roethlisberger threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Smith was sacked four times and threw one interception, but Kansas Citys touchdowns came way too late. Grade: ENFC EASTWashington Redskins (W 29-27 v Cleveland Browns)Two wins in a row now for Washington, whose offence is really clicking. The Redskins scored touchdowns on four trips to the red zone, having converted only three times in their opening 14 attempts across their first three games.Tight end Jordan Reed had a monster outing, with two TDs and 73 yards. Grade: A Highlights of the Cleveland Browns clash with the Washington Redskins in week four of the NFL Dallas Cowboys (W 24-17 @ San Francisco)Dallas survived a slight scare in going down 14-0 early to San Francisco. But the Cowboys once again rode their impressive rookies, Dak Prescott (246 yards passing, 2 TDs) and Ezekiel Elliott (138 yards rushing, 1 TD), to a third win of the season. Grade: B+ Highlights of the Dallas Cowboys clash with the San Francisco 49ers in week four of the NFL New York Giants (L 24-10 @ Minnesota)Eli Manning struggled to get anything going on offence and the defence failed to make a sack or interception on Sam Bradford. The Vikings have always been a bogey team for Manning, who now has 15 interceptions and a 2-6 record against them. Grade: DPhiladelphia Eagles - Bye weekNFC NORTHMinnesota Vikings (W 24-10 v New York Giants)Never caused any real problems by the Giants, this was a professional win for one of only three teams yet to lose in the entire league. The Minnesota Vikings move to a 4-0 record after beating the New York Giants 24-10 on a frustrating night for Odell Beckham Jr. Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata made the most of their enhanced roles in the absence of Adrian Peterson, as both scored touchdowns. Sam Bradford is continuing to grow in confidence with this offence, but it was a quiet night for receiver Stefon Diggs. Grade: B+Chicago Bears (W 17-14 v Detroit)Well, what a turn up for the books! After looking comfortably one of the NFLs poorest teams through the first three weeks, the Bears avoided an 0-4 start with the hardly eye-catching names of Hoyer (302 yards passing, 2 TDs), Jordan Howard (111 yards rushing) and Eddie Royal (111 yards receiving, 1TD) putting in eye-catching performances. Grade: B+ Highlights of the Detroit Lions clash with the Chicago Bears in week four of the NFL Detroit Lions (L 14-17 @ Chicago)The wildly inconsistent Lions that we all know and love were at their most maddening best in Chicago. Matthew Stafford - his own inconsistencies a source of endless frustrations for Lions fans - didnt help Detroits cause with two interceptions. Grade: D-Green Bay Packers - Bye weekNFC SOUTHAtlanta Falcons (W 48-33 v Carolina)An incredible win, made possible by two performances to go down in Falcons (and fantasy football) folklore. Matt Ryan threw for a franchise record 503 yards and four touchdowns. Julio Jones caught one of them in a staggering 300 yard day, also a Falcons record.And it was all done against the Panthers! Yes, the Panthers - that same team whose stellar defence took them to the 2015 Super Bowl. Grade: A+ Highlights of the Carolina Panthers clash with the Atlanta Falcons in week four of the NFL New Orleans Saints (W 35-34 @ San Diego)Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes to rally the Saints to a stunning come-from-behind win over his old team, the Chargers. It earned New Orleans their first of the season, though no thanks once again to their porous defence. Grade: B Highlights of the New Orleans Saints clash with the San Diego Chargers in week four of the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L 7-27 v Denver)For the second straight week, play was stopped in the fourth quarter in Tampa due to a weather warning. The game was long since over as a contest though, with the Broncos championship defence suffocating the Bucs offence. Grade: DCarolina Panthers (L 33-48 @ Atlanta)Concerns. About a defeat to their division rivals, about the fact that they have now lost two straight and three on the season, about the suddenly struggling defence, and most crucially, about the hit on Cam Newton that saw him leave the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for concussion symptoms. Grade: D-NFC WESTLos Angeles Rams (W 17-13 @ Arizona)The Rams improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade with a terrific divisional road win over the Cardinals. That 28-0 defeat to the 49ers on opening week seems a long time ago now. The defence sure has stepped up, as has the play of QB Case Keenum; accounting for 266 yards and two TDs in this outing. Grade: A Highlights of the LA Rams clash with the Arizona Cardinals in week four of the NFL Seattle Seahawks (W 27-17 @ New York Jets)Russell Wilson was at his sharp and efficient best despite playing with a sprained knee, throwing three touchdown passes. His list of receivers for those scores made for a few surprises, with ex Bufallo Bill and New Orleans Saint, C.J. Spiller earning a first Seahawks TD, as well as rookie wide receiver, Tanner McEvoy. Grade: A Highlights of the Seattle Seahawks clash with the NY Jets in week four of the NFL San Francisco 49ers (L 17-24 v Dallas)Reasons for optimism. Or at least more than there have been in the two defeats that preceded this week-four defeat to Dallas. Running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley - impressive since joining in the offseason - helped San Francisco into an early lead. But the Cowboys stellar offensive line wore way at the 49ers defence and ultimately into submission. Grade: C-Arizona Cardinals (L 13-17 v Los Angeles)Arizonas insipid start to the season continued with a home defeat to the Rams, their third on the season. Further cause for concern is the beating their veteran quarterback Carson Palmer continues to take - leaving this game, as he did, late in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Grade: D-You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: NFL week four highlights Neil Reynolds Pick Six WATCH: Sunday Blitz NFL week four round-up ' ' '