05-16-2016, 03:01 AM
OAKLAND, Calif. http://www.airforcescarpe.it/uomo-low-ni...5-001.html . -- Less than two months into his career, Jose Abreu is already the guy the Chicago White Sox want at the plate when the game is on the line. Abreu hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. "We realize what he is and how important he is to us," manager Robin Ventura said. "When you get in situations like that youre pretty glad hes up there. Thats what he means to us. You always feel like youre in a good spot if hes up there with guys on." Gordon Beckham homered on the first pitch of the game for the White Sox, who rallied against Oaklands bullpen to end a seven-game losing streak at the Coliseum. John Jaso and Josh Donaldson hit solo homers off Andre Rienzo for the Athletics, who were in line for a season-best seventh straight victory before the bullpen meltdown in the eighth cost Tommy Milone a chance at a win. Beckham and Conor Gillaspie started the rally with one-out singles against Fernando Abad (0-1), and Abreu greeted Luke Gregerson with a no-doubt drive to left field for his 15th home run of the season. "He has ridiculous power," Gillaspie said. "When he gets the ball up in the air like that its going to be tough for it not to leave. Hats off to him. The guy made a mistake and he took advantage of it." Abreu, a rookie slugger from Cuba, is the fourth player in major league history to hit 15 homers in his first 42 games, joining Wally Berger, Kevin Maas and Wally Joyner. "I got the opportunity to hit a good pitch," Abreu said through an interpreter. "All I was doing was trying to hit a ball in the air to bring the guy from third base. But I was able to get a good swing and a good pitch to hit." Gregerson was trying to make Abreu chase a pitch out of the strike zone but caught too much of the plate instead. "You try to make him fish, which he definitely does," Gregerson said. "I dont think it was really a bad pitch. It was just something he was ready for. He was looking for it. Weve been doing it to him the whole series, pound him in. It just stayed up a little too much. Any other day it could be a ground out to third base, we get a double play." Ronald Belisario (2-3) got four outs for the win and Matt Lindstrom pitched the ninth for his sixth save in nine chances. Milone was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation before pitching eight scoreless innings against Washington last Friday. He followed that up with another strong performance, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. But he ended up with a no-decision because of Chicagos late rally. The bullpen has been the one spotty area so far for the As, with eight of the teams 16 losses being credited to the relievers. The teams traded leadoff home runs, with Beckham going deep for his second career leadoff homer and Jaso answering with a drive on a 2-0 pitch from Rienzo for his third. Oakland went ahead when Donaldson led off the fourth with his ninth homer, a day after get his first day off of the season. But those were the only hits the As could manage in 6 1-3 innings against Rienzo. Milone got some help from his defence in the fifth. A perfectly executed relay from Yoenis Cespedes to Eric Sogard to Derek Norris caught Beckham trying to score from first on Gillaspies two-out double off the left-field wall. NOTES: The last time both teams led off the game with homers was Aug. 13, 2013, when Seattles Brad Miller and Tampa Bays Ben Zobrist did it. ... Beckham became the first White Sox player to homer on the first pitch since Ray Durham did it twice in 2000. ... Oakland OF Coco Crisp missed his seventh straight game with a strained neck but could return Friday. ... Both teams are off Thursday. Chicago starts a three-game series in Houston on Friday, while the As open a nine-game road trip in Cleveland. http://www.airforcescarpe.it/uomo-nike-a...8-054.html . Davis had 25 points, eight rebounds, a career-high six blocks and five assists to lead New Orleans to a 105-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night, its first win changing its nickname to Pelicans. http://www.airforcescarpe.it/donne-super...26728.html . You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO or listen to the action on TSN Radio 1050 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Spurs grabbed a 1-0 series lead Thursday night in the sweltering heat of a late spring San Antonio night. PITTSBURGH -- Kris Letang darted down the Consol Energy Center ice, the defencemans black hair flicking out from underneath his helmet. Everything looked in place. The speed. The agility. The slick stickwork. Yet for as polished as Letang appeared during his first workout alongside his teammates in nearly two months on Monday, the 26-year-old remains uncertain when hell be able to pull his No. 58 sweater over his head and suit up in an actual game. Consider it part of the fallout from the scariest moment of Letangs life. Seven weeks after a stroke blindsided him, Letang remains optimistic he will play again this season but too cautious to throw out a date. "I was on the ice today because I want to return," Letang said. "Ill be able to play again. I dont know when." Neither does his coach. Dan Bylsma pointed out that unlike defenceman Paul Martin -- who remains sidelined with a right hand problem -- concrete signs of progress for Letang are tougher to glean. Throwing an arbitrary timeline out there wouldnt do any good because things can change in an instant. "Theres no date to be determined for Kris," Bylsma said. "Right now hes back in a full practice. Thats a good thing." One the Penguins hope will send a bit of a jolt through a constantly churning lineup that has stagnated in Letangs absence. The Penguins are just 7-5-2 since Letang fell ill on Jan. 28 and while their spot atop the Metropolitan Division remains secure, they have ceded the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Bruins. The slide includes a home-and-home sweep by Philadelphia over the weekend in which Pittsburgh was dominated for the first four periods before salvaging some dignity in the final 40 minutes of a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Not exactly the best way to build momentum heading into the last month of an interminable regular season. Though the Penguins have lost an NHL-high 413 man games to injury this season, they are trying to avoid excuses. They steamrolled through the first four months of the season before falling since Letangs third trip to the injured list. They can play well even as Bylsma plays mix-and-match with his lines. "I think now with the amount of time left in the season its about rounding our game into form for the post-season," defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "Its something you cant flip a switch overnight. You always want wins, but Id be OK if wed play the right way. Nike Lunar Force 1 Nere. " Having some familiar faces around would help. Letang wasnt the only player back on the ice Monday. Forward James Neal (concussion) practiced, as did wingers Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Beau Bennett (wrist). Thats plenty of additional firepower for a team that already has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though the duo has played with limited effectiveness recently while skating without familiar faces by their side. Neal and Bennett likely wont be available until later in the week, though Kunitz has a chance to play on Tuesday night when the Penguins host Dallas. The 34-year-old is tied with Crosby with a team-high 31 goals, and his ability to make something happen in front of the net was missed as Pittsburgh found itself dominated by the Flyers over the weekend. Still, Pittsburghs Stanley Cup playoff chances could rest on Letangs health. One of the fittest players in a league of fit players admits hes still stunned by his stroke diagnosis. Doctors said there was a "0.01 chance" of Letang suffering a stroke, odds so slim Letang refuses to say hes in the clear from it happening again. Letang would rather not talk about it. Hed rather just focus on skating and getting himself ready for whenever doctors give him the go-ahead to play. He confessed to being tired, but not overwhelmed during a spirited 60 minutes on the ice. At one point he could sense his teammates taking it easy on him. He ordered them to get back to work. "Guys were being really careful when wed go into the corner," Letang said. "I told them they can go as hard as they can. Thats the main reason why Im out there. I want to get to the same place I was before." A place that makes Letang one of the best at his position when healthy. A Norris Trophy finalist a year ago, Letang has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games this season, though his general presence is missed as much as his production. The feeling is mutual. Letang understands the fixation on his return. Trust him, hes just as concerned as everybody else. "Even the day I had the stroke I asked the doctor when I would be able to play again," Letang said. "It never crossed my mind that I could have a stroke at 26. It could (happen again) because it happened once. Who knows? Im not going to worry about that." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '