Sonstiges » someone to come in as a minority partner and eventually

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Strangely enough, the last-place Tampa Bay Rays have gone 8-6 this season against the first-place Toronto Blue Jays, and many wins came like Fridays as Tampa Bay did its best to impersonate Torontos prolific lineup at the plate.The Rays had three home runs in Fridays 8-3 win, giving them 179 for the season, keeping them on pace to reset the club record for home runs -- theyre on course for 218 and the current record is 199, set in 2009.Weve been hitting some home runs lately, and its been nice to see that it led us to a win, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. We got down 2-0, but came back to tie it up and then we got some big home runs.The Blue Jays held just a two-game lead on Boston entering the night, and getting wins against a last-place Rays lineup, some 18.5 games out of first, is a must as Toronto treads a close line between winning a division and missing the postseason entirely.We got beat, Jays manager John Gibbons said of a game in which his team was tied 2-2 in the sixth. We got two runs up on the board in the first and then didnt scratch one across until too late. We had some chances.Both lineups face tough pitchers on Saturday as the Rays throw rookie left-hander Blake Snell (4-7, 3.56 ERA) and the Jays answer with righty Marco Estrada (8-6, 3.37 ERA). Opponents are hitting just .200 against Estrada, the lowest average of any Jays starter, though the Rays got to him three weeks ago in a 9-2 win in Toronto.Snell had really hit a rhythm deep in his rookie season, going nine straight starts allowing two earned runs or less, though that streak ended in his last start when he gave up four against Houston on Saturday. He knows the Blue Jays all too well, having lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his only start against them, an Aug. 10 outing in which he gave up five runs with four walks, the biggest damage coming on a three-run home run by Troy Tulowitzki.Tampa Bay is long out of contention for anything other than picking up positive momentum to head into 2017. After Fridays win, they are 15-7 in their last 22 home games, and they continue to be a particular nemesis to the Blue Jays.The Rays get three more games against Toronto on the road on Sept. 12-14, and they continue to play the role of spoiler in the American League East. Chasing Toronto for the division lead are Boston and Baltimore, and the Rays have seven games against the Orioles in the next two weeks, then have their final home series of the season against the Red Sox, giving them a chance to impact an AL East pennant race they arent otherwise a part of. Sherrill Headrick Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Christian Okoye Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-damien-wilson-jersey-large-1696n.html . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Custom Chiefs T-shirts . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Mecole Hardman Jersey Large . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves keep adding big men to their roster in free agency, fortifying the depth behind their starters and calling into question the futures of a couple of notable names.The Wolves agreed to terms with free agent forward Jordan Hill on a two-year, $8 million contract on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the deal.Hill joins Cole Aldrich, who signed his three-year, $22 million deal on Wednesday, as rugged post players added by new coach and president Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden in their first foray into free agency. They give the Timberwolves some healthy backups to Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, something the team did not have when the market opened.The additions only crowd the frontcourt further when factoring in veterans Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic.Garnett, the franchise icon, returned to Minnesota in a trade with Brooklyn two years ago and was given a heros welcome upon his arrival. He served as a valuable mentor to Towns, Dieng, Andrew Wiggins and the rest of the young Timberwolves last season, helping them understand the work that it takes to have long-term success in the NBA.But the 40-year-old was only able to play in 38 games last season because of achy knees. After being acquired in the trade in February 2015, Garnett was only able to play in five games because of knee issues.He is under contract for $8 million next season.dddddddddddd If he returns, it would be a record 22nd season in the league for him.Garnett also spoke about wanting to get into ownership with the Timberwolves. Those talks could not happen until after he retires, but owner Glen Taylor recently sold 15 percent of the team to Chinese entrepreneur Lizhang Jhiang and New York real estate mogul Meyer Orbach to fortify his position. Taylor remains in the market for someone to come in as a minority partner and eventually succeed him as majority owner of the Wolves, but Garnett for the meantime is on the outside looking in.Pekovic has struggled with injuries even more than Garnett over the past few seasons. An arthritic ankle has made it difficult for the burly center to stay on the court. He has played in 42 games combined over the last two seasons and has only played one stretch of at least 10 games in a row since January 2014.Pekovic still has two years and nearly $24 million left on his deal.The Wolves also have third-year power forward Adreian Payne on the roster, creating a log jam in the frontcourt.Hill averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers last year. In his seven years in the league, Hill has proven to be a solid rebounder and defender, two traits Thibodeau was looking to add.The move gives the Timberwolves the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts. ' ' '