Sonstiges » on Encarnacions 11th-inning home run

TORONTO -- After the Toronto Raptors were pushed to the limit before defeating the depleted Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, coach Dwane Casey is urging his team to put up a defensive presence from the start of their game Friday against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.If the Raptors were caught underestimating a Grizzlies team that was hit by absences to key players, they plan to be ready for the Lakers, who are coming off a 96-90 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.Theyre playing well right now with a lot of confidence, Casey said of the Lakers on Thursday. A very talented offensive team.Our guys have proven that when their backs are against the wall they can step up for a challenge, Lakers coach Luke Walton said. They did it (Wednesday night). Thats a great win against a very good team. Held them to I think 35 percent from the field shooting, which is all we talked about pregame, was defense. Thats it. Defense. If youre committed to the defensive end on basketball, you always give yourself a chance.Both teams are in the middle of busy schedules. The Lakers (10-10) are playing their third game in four nights during a stretch in which they will play four games in five days, all on the road.The Raptors (12-6) are playing the second in stretch of three games in four nights, all at home as they enjoy a six-game homestand.Los Angeles will be without shooting guard Nick Young, who suffered a strained right calf muscle in the loss to the Pelicans in New Orleans on Tuesday. He will be out from two to four weeks.Young likely would have been guarding Torontos top scorer, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.We put Nick on the other teams best player a lot this year, Walton said. And hes done a great job making them work. So its not just the shooting were going to miss. Were definitely going to miss his defense, the energy he brings. The confidence his teammates get when he hits good shots. Were going to miss a lot.Rookie Brandon Ingram played in Youngs place in Chicago.Lakers point guard DAngelo Russell is expected to miss at least another week with a left-knee injury.The 120-105 score in the Raptors win over the Grizzlies does not indicate the way the game played out. Memphis pulled within one point of Toronto with 9:10 to play before it began to miss shots and turn the ball over.The Raptors were given a boost by 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench by guard Cory Joseph as they won their fourth game in a row.I thought his energy rubbed off (on his teammates) late in the game, Casey said Thursday. Because the first part of the game we were in a malaise as far as focus and energy. I think he came in a got us going. And Pat (Patrick Patterson, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds) came in and got us going ... with his defense and energy.Los Angeles brings familiar faces in former Raptors guards Jose Calderon and Lou Williams.Williams leads the Lakers in scoring at 16.7 points while DeRozan is averaging 28.9 to pace Toronto.The Raptors are 6-3 a home and Los Angeles 4-8 on the road. Andres Torres Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. John Burkett Jersey . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/346u-don-mcmahon-jersey-giants.html . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Gary Matthews Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Jack Clark Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. TORONTO -- Five games. Eight runs. Two shutout losses.A power-laden Toronto Blue Jays lineup fizzled against Cleveland, finishing off a five-game AL Championship Series wipeout with a 3-0 loss Wednesday.Bidding to return to the World Series for the first time since 1993, the Blue Jays lost in the ALCS for the second straight year, following last years six-game defeat against eventual champion Kansas City. Toronto was held to six hits by rookie Ryan Merritt and three relievers in the Indians second shutout of the ALCS.We never really had a big inning, never were able to really string some hits together and get a rally going, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin said. You can point the finger at us and say we didnt do a good job, or you can point the finger at those guys. To get us out, you have to pitch well. You have to, and they did.No Cleveland pitcher was tougher than ALCS MVP Andrew Miller, who struck out 13 in 7 2/3 scoreless innings.Its not easy to go through lineups like this, Miller said. Still, the lefty sure made it look simple against the Blue Jays, who struck out 50 times over the five games.An offense led by Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki produced seven extra-base hits in the series -- three doubles, two triples and two solo home runs. The Blue Jays hit just .201; Cleveland was even worse at .168.Im sure there will be some disappointments and grumbling and complaining about how you fell short again, but thats not coming from me, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. I know what these guys did, and I think its a pretty good accomplishment. The key is we want to take that next step one of these days. Hopefully its next year.Bautista , who turned 36 Wednesday, and the 33-year-old Encarnacion may have been playing for the Blue Jays for the final time. Both are eligible for free agency, a subject neither wanted to address in a somber clubhouse.I dont think its the right time to be taking about that, Bautista said. We just battled through a tough series. I dont want to make this about myself,, and I dont really feel like Im in the proper state of mind to be taking about that.dddddddddddd I know its a possibility but well see what happens.Gibbons said his two sluggers helped put this team back on the map after Toronto went 22 years between postseason appearances.We were staring at a playoff drought for a lot of years around here, Gibbons said. And they came through for the team last year, the organization, and then repeated it this year. And they really -- both of them -- made their name here in Toronto.Toronto slugged past Baltimore in the wild card game, winning on Encarnacions 11th-inning home run. The Blue Jays swept Texas in the Division Series, outhomering the Rangers 8-2 and outscoring them 22-10.Bautistas two hits in the finale left him 3 for 18 (.167) with no RBI in the series, while Encarnacion was 4 for 19 (.211) and drove in two runs. Tulowitzki was 2 for 18 (.111) with no RBI and Donaldson 6 for 18 (.333) with two RBI.I know that Im capable of doing a lot more, Bautista said. They pitched great. It was tough. They seemed to make the right pitches at the right time and got us out.Martin, who chased Merritt with a one-out bloop single in the fifth and advanced on pinch-hitter Michael Saunderss hit, was Torontos only runner to reach scoring position. Reliever Bryan Shaw fanned Ezequiel Carrera and Kevin Pillar.Torontos offensive funk was remarkable given the shaky state of Clevelands starting pitching. Carlos Carrasco (broken hand) and Danny Salazar (forearm) have missed the entire postseason, and right-hander Trevor Bauer left Game 3 after four batters when blood began dripping from his right pinkie, sliced open last week while he repaired a drone.The Blue Jays hit .120 (3 for 25) with runners in scoring position.They never let us string base hits together, Bautista said, and when we had men in scoring position they seemed to turn it up a notch and go to another level of execution. ' ' '