Sonstiges » playoff games, 12 starts, over eigh

SEATTLE -- Yoenis Cespedes just feels more comfortable when he plays the outfield. Cespedes homered twice and Bartolo Colon won his seventh straight start to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Seattle Mariners 6-3 on Friday night. Limited to DH duty for seven games because of a sore hamstring, Cespedes celebrated his return to left field with a pair of two-run homers. "Evidently he likes to play the outfield," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "You could see his whole demeanour today, he was just in a better mood." Jed Lowrie and Coco Crisp also went deep for the Athletics, who maintained their one-game lead in the AL West over Texas. Cespedes homered in the first inning and again in the ninth for his third career multihomer game -- all this month, and all when playing left field. "I cant say Im 100 per cent yet, but it feels great to play in the outfield," Cespedes said through a translator. "When Im in the outfield, my bodys completely up, my bodys on fire. The difference is when Im a DH and I sit down in the dugout and Im doing nothing, I feel like Im going down a little bit." Cespedes hitting took some of the spotlight off Colons pitching, but the 40-year-old right-hander was on top of his game, too. Colon (10-2) gave up three runs and seven hits over eight innings, tying unbeaten Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers for most wins in the American League. Colon is 11-1 in his career at Safeco Field, the best record for any pitcher with at least seven decisions in the Mariners home park. "Hes a veteran guy. He knows himself. He knows what works," said Crisp, who hit a solo homer in the sixth. "Its not a fluke." Colon, who has relied heavily on his fastball this season, said he feels hes pitching as well as he has since winning the AL Cy Young Award with the Angels in 2005. He attributed his recent success to adding more off-speed pitches to the stream of fastballs. "I think its because I mix it up better than I did before," Colon said through a translator. "I was always a fastball guy, so now Im mixing it more." Mariners manager Eric Wedge, however, said Colon can dominate with only his fastball. "He knows how to pitch. He recognizes swings," Wedge said. "He does as good a job with his fastball, his movement, where it starts and where it finishes, as anybody in the league." Grant Balfour worked the ninth for his 18th save this season and 36th in a row dating to May 5, 2012. Hisashi Iwakuma (7-3) lost at home for the first time this season, giving up four runs and six hits -- including three homers -- in seven innings. His home ERA rose from 0.92 to 1.46. The matchup between two of the American Leagues top starters turned into a relative slugfest. Iwakuma had never given up more than two home runs in a game, and it was the first time in 18 career home starts he allowed more than one homer. He has lost two starts in a row, both to Oakland. "We really didnt get a whole lot of hits off of him," said Lowrie, who homered leading off the fourth. "We were able to get those big homers, thats the only way we scored off him." Nick Franklin hit a three-run shot in the third against Colon, the first time the pitcher had allowed a home run or more than two earned runs in a game since May 14, before he started his winning streak. Cespedes gave Oakland a two-run lead in the first inning with a shot that bounced off the upper-deck railing above the left field out-of-town scoreboard. It wasnt the first big hit Cespedes has had against Iwakuma -- he is 6 for 15 with three homers against the Mariners starter. The Mariners were hurt by a baserunning blunder in the sixth. After a leadoff single, Kyle Seager was thrown out trying to take two bases on a passed ball. Kendrys Morales single and Raul Ibanezs walk gave Seattle two on with one out, but the Mariners were unable to push a run across. Oakland added two insurance runs in the ninth off reliever Tom Wilhelmsen. Lowrie led off with a single and Cespedes followed with another homer to left field, his 15th. NOTES: Oakland C John Jaso was a late scratch because of a left palm abrasion he got when sliding Thursday. ... Seattle promoted pitching prospect Taijuan Walker to Triple-A Tacoma. Walker, the Mariners top pick in the 2010 draft, was 4-7 with a 2.46 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 14 starts for Double-A Jackson. ... Two of Seattles 2013 draft picks, Austin Wilson (second round) and Lachlan Fontaine (13th), took batting practice before the game. Cheap Jerseys . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Wholesale NFL Jerseys USA .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/cheap-college-jerseys . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Cheap NBA Jerseys . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs:---Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Saturday, at Chicago (8:08 p.m.); Game 2, Sunday, at Chicago (8:08 p.m.); Game 3, Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); Game 4, Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 20, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); x-Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 22, at Chicago (TBA); x-Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 23, at Chicago (TBA). (All games on FOX or FS1).x-if necessary.---Season Series: Cubs won 4-3.---Projected Lineup:Dodgers: 2B Chase Utley (.252, 14 HRs, 52 RBI) or Charlie Culberson (.284, 1, 7, in 34 games and 67 ABs), SS Corey Seager (.308, 26, 72), 3B Justin Turner (.275, 27, 90), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.285, 18, 90), RF Josh Reddick (.258, 2, 9 in 47 games with Dodgers; .296, 8, 28 with Oakland) or Yasiel Puig (.263, 11, 45 in 104 games), CF Joc Pederson (.246, 25, 68), C Yasmani Grandal (.228, 27, 72), LF Howie Kendrick (.255, 8, 40) or Andrew Toles (.314, 3, 16 in 47 games).Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (.276, 13, 48), 3B or LF Kris Bryant (.292, 39, 102, 121 runs, 176 hits), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.292, 32, 109, 170 hits), 2B or LF Ben Zobrist (.272, 18, 76), SS Addison Russell (.238, 21, 95), RF Jason Heyward (.230, 7, 49), 2B or 3B or SS Javier Baez (.273, 14, 59), C Miguel Montero (.216, 8, 33) or Willson Contreras (.282, 12, 35 in 76 games) or David Ross (.229, 10, 32).---Projected Rotation:Dodgers: RH Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA, 179 Ks in 175 2/3 IP), LH Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA, 172 Ks in 149 IP), LH Rich Hill (3-2, 1.83, 34 1/3 IP with Dodgers; 9-3, 2.25, 76 IP in 14 starts with Oakland), LH Julio Urias (5-2, 3.39, 84 Ks in 77 IP).Cubs: LH Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44, 197 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (16-8, MLB-best 2.13), RH Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10), RH John Lackey (11-8, 3.35).---Relievers:Dodgers: RH Kenley Jansen (3-2, 1.83, career-high 47/53 saves), RH Pedro Baez (3-2, 3.04), RH Joe Blanton (7-2, 2.48), LH Luis Avilan (3-0, 3.20), RH Ross Stripling (5-9, 3.96), LH Grant Dayton (0-1, 2.05, 39 Ks, 26 1/3 IP in 25 games), RH Josh Fields (1-0, 4.63, 42 Ks, 35 IP in 37 games for Astros and Dodgers).Cubs: LH Aroldis Chapman (4-1, 1.55, 36/39 saves, 90 Ks, 58 IP for Yankees and Cubs), RH Hector Rondon (2-3, 3.53, 18/23 saves), RH Pedro Strop (2-2, 2.85), RH Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1, 3.75, 2 saves), RH Justin Grimm (2-1, 4.10), LH Mike Montgomery (4-5, 2.52, 49 games, 7 starts for Mariners and Cubs), LH Travis Wood (4-0, 2.95).---Matchups:One of these big-market teams is going to end a substantial drought. While the Cubs are looking for their first pennant since 1945 and World Series title since 1908, the Dodgers havent been to the Fall Classic since winning their 1988 championship. ... Series features two of baseballs oldest and most popular ballparks in Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. ... Chicago took three of four from Dodgers in a low-scoring series at Wrigley from May 30 to June 2, getting wins from Lester and Hendricks. Los Angeles won two of three meetings at home in late August, dropping the opener 6-4 in 10 innings before winning the final two games 3-2 and 1-0. ... Cubs avoided Kershaw and Maeda during the regular season. They also never faced Hill, who was acquired from Oakland on Aug. 1. ... Blanton had two wins out of the bullpen against Cubs this season. ... Second-year Chicago manager Joe Maddon was the skipper in Tampa Bay under front-office executive Andrew Friedman, now the Dodgers president of baseball operations. ... Cubs wanted to make sure Hendricks was healthy before committing to him in Game 2. Hendricks left Game 2 of the Division Series against San Francisco when a comebacker went off his right forearm in the fourth inning. He had a bullpen session Thursday. Hendricks was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 home games this year. ... Cubs led the majors with 103 wins in the regular season, 12 more than Los Angeles. ... Cubs have power arms on a staff that ranked third in majors with 1,441 strikeouts this season. ... Third in majors in runs (808) and second in on-base percentage (.343) during the season, Chicago had a tough time at the plate against Giants in the Division Series. Cubs hit .200 with a .247 on-base percentage, and a big chunk of their offense came from pitchers. Arrieta and Wood combined for two of Chicagos five homers, and those two along with Hendricks accounted for six of teams 17 RBI. Rizzo, a contender for NL MVP, and Russell each went 1 for 15 in series. Baez, however, made one slick play after another at second base and delivered two of the biggest hits -- an eighth-inning homer off Johnny Cueto for the lone run in Game 1 and the go-ahead single in the ninth inning of Game 4. ... Dodgers went 53-28 at home and 38-43 on the road this season. But they won two of three games at Washington in Division Series, including Game 5 clincher. Kershaw came out of bullpen to get final two outs for his first major league save, two days after throwing 110 pitchees in Game 4 on short rest.ddddddddddddSo he almost surely wont start until Game 2 or Game 3 against Cubs. ... A tiring Jansen was pushed to career-high 51 pitches in Game 5, so his availability -- and effectiveness -- will be a question mark early in NLCS. ... Dodgers have struggled against left-handed pitching all year and figure to face Lester twice if series goes five games.---Big Picture:Dodgers: With a $234 million opening day payroll, highest in the majors, Los Angeles (91-71) reached the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in Dave Roberts first season as manager. The Dodgers have won four straight NL West titles, a first for the storied franchise, and surpassed 90 wins for the fourth season in a row. But they are still looking for their first trip to the World Series since Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser & Co. won it all as big underdogs in 1988. Los Angeles was beaten in the NLCS three times from 2008-13, then lost in the NLDS each of the past two years. They just squeezed by Washington, though, with a trio of one-run wins. ... Roberts and Tom Lasorda (1977) are the only rookie managers to lead the club to a division title. ... Gonzalez had 90 RBI for the 10th consecutive season, becoming the only major leaguer to do so. ... Grandal, Seager, Justin Turner and Pederson gave the Dodgers four players with 25 or more home runs for the fourth time in franchise history and first since 1997. ... The Dodgers put 28 players on the disabled list this season, the most for any team since at least 1987. ... Roberts used a franchise record-tying 55 players, including 31 pitchers. ... Seagers 193 hits were the most by a big league rookie since 2001. ... Dodgers pitchers recorded 1,510 strikeouts, a major league record.Cubs: Is this the year the Cubs at long last win the World Series? Favorites since opening day, Chicago (103-58) entered the playoffs with a large, excited fan base hoping against hope that the first championship in more than a century was finally around the corner. The Cubs jumped out to a 25-6 start on the way to a runaway title in the NL Central, then knocked off San Francisco in a thrilling NLDS. They rallied for four runs in the ninth inning of Game 4 to eliminate the pesky Giants and secure their second straight trip to the NLCS -- a first for the franchise. Swept by the New York Mets last season, theyre hoping for a better result this time. ... Bryant, a favorite for NL MVP after winning Rookie of the Year last season, was 6 for 16 with a homer against the Giants. During the regular season, he joined Rogers Hornsby (1929), Hack Wilson (1930) and Derrek Lee (2005) as the only players in franchise history with at least 120 runs, 35 doubles, 39 homers and 100 RBI. ... Hendricks and Lester became the first teammates to run 1-2 in the majors in ERA since Houston pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte in 2005. Both figure to get strong consideration for the NL Cy Young Award, which Arrieta won last year. ... Lester matched his career high for wins. ... Cubs pitchers led the majors with a 3.15 ERA. They gave up the fewest runs (556) and hits (1,125).---Watch For:- The Target. Well aware of the clubs 108-year championship drought, the Cubs showed up for spring training bolstered by the additions of Heyward, Zobrist and Lackey, and with a neat new slogan coined by Maddon: Embrace the Target. The phrase went on a T-shirt, and the Cubs could not have worn it any better during the regular season. They won the division by 17 1/2 games and finished with eight more wins than any other team. They had the depth and versatility to withstand injuries and the poise to pull out 14 wins in their final at-bat. Then they added two more in the NLDS against playoff-tested San Francisco. But the Cubs are still chasing that target, and the postseason pressure remains.- Ace In The Hole. As sensational as Kershaw has been throughout his career, hes struggled in the postseason. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP is 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 playoff games, 12 starts, over eight series since 2008. Kershaw again was far from his best in two NLDS starts against Washington, but he won the opener and saved the finale. Maybe coming through in that signature moment will finally get him going in October -- if hes not worn out. The left-hander missed more than two months with a back injury before returning in September. While he was sidelined, the Dodgers surged into first place past slumping San Francisco.- Top That. Lester will have a hard time even approaching his performance in the playoff opener, when he went toe-to-toe with Cueto in a 1-0 win. Lester dominated over eight innings and retired his final 13 batters. He held the Dodgers to one run in 15 innings over two starts this season. The lefty tossed a four-hitter in a June 1 win and went six scoreless innings but did not get a decision on Aug. 28. ' ' '