sxx123: ns and held off the Orange Bowl-bound

sxx123

A look at the National League wild-card playoff between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets:---Schedule: Wednesday, at New York, 8:09 p. Jannik Hansen Jersey .m. EDT (ESPN).---Season Series: Mets beat Giants 4-3.---Projected Lineups:Giants: CF Denard Span (.266, 11 HRs, 52 RBI, 12 SBs), 1B Brandon Belt (.275, 17, 82, 41 2Bs, 104 BBs), C Buster Posey (.288, 14, 80, 33 2Bs), RF Hunter Pence (.289, 13, 57), SS Brandon Crawford (.275, 12, 84), LF Angel Pagan (.277, 12, 55, 15 SBs), 2B Joe Panik (.239, 10, 62), 3B Conor Gillaspie (.262, 6, 25).Mets: 3B Jose Reyes (.267, 8, 24, 9 SBs in 60 games), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (.280, 23, 62), LF Yoenis Cespedes (.280, 31, 86), CF Curtis Granderson (.237, 30, 59), 2B T.J. Rivera (.333, 3, 16 in 105 at-bats), RF Jay Bruce (.250, 33, 99 with Reds and Mets; .219, 8, 19 in 50 games with Mets), C Rene Rivera (.222, 6, 26 in 65 games), 1B James Loney (.265, 9, 34 in 100 games).---Starting Pitchers:Giants: LH Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA, 251 Ks).Mets: RH Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60, 218 Ks in 183 2/3 IP).---Relievers:Giants: RH Sergio Romo (1-0, 2.64, 4/4 saves), RH Derek Law (4-2, 2.13, 1 save), LH Javier Lopez (1-3, 4.05, 1 save, .211 BA vs LH hitters), RH Hunter Strickland (3-3, 3.10, 3 saves), RH Santiago Casilla (2-5, 3.57, 31/40 saves), RH George Kontos (3-2, 2.53), LH Will Smith (2-4, 3.35 with Giants and Brewers), LH Steven Okert (0-0, 3.21 in 16 games), RH Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79 in 32 starts), RH Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81 in 32 starts).Mets: RH Jeurys Familia (3-4, 2.55, MLB-high 51/56 saves in 78 games), RH Addison Reed (4-2, 1.97, 1 save in 80 games), RH Fernando Salas (3-7, 3.91, 6 saves in 75 games with Angels and Mets; 0-1, 2.08, 19 Ks, no walks in 17 games with Mets), LH Jerry Blevins (4-2, 2.79, 2 saves in 73 games, 42 IP), RH Hansel Robles (6-4, 3.48, 1 save), LH Josh Edgin (1-0, 5.23 in 16 games), RH Bartolo Colon (15-8, 3.43 in 34 games, 33 starts, team-high 191 2/3 IP), RH Robert Gsellman (4-2, 2.42 in 8 games, 7 starts).---Matchups:This is the second postseason meeting between the teams. New York beat the Giants in four games during their 2000 NL Division Series. ... Both clubs finished 87-75, and the Mets earned home-field advantage for this game by winning the season series. New York took two of three at home early in the season before the teams split a four-game series at San Francisco in August. Bumgarner had two of the Giants three wins and is 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He allowed four runs over five innings in a 10-7 victory Aug. 18. He had allowed four runs in his first 35 innings against New York, including six scoreless innings to outpitch Syndergaard on May 1. ... Syndergaard threw eight innings of two-hit ball to win 2-0 at San Francisco on Aug. 21. ... Posey is a .336 career hitter against the Mets. ... New York set a franchise record with 218 home runs, which ranked second in the NL and fifth in the majors. The Mets went 77-40 when they homered. ... New York also clocked a club-record 13 pinch-hit homers this season. Only the Cardinals (17) had more. ... In addition to his quality stuff and sensational postseason resume, Bumgarner could present a matchup problem for the middle of New Yorks lineup simply because hes a lefty. Granderson, Bruce and Loney all bat left-handed. Reyes and Cabrera are switch-hitters, but injured infielder Wilmer Flores (wrist) will be missed. Flores hit .340 with 11 homers in 100 at-bats vs. left-handers this season, including .393 with 25 RBI in his last 61 at-bats. He had a whopping .710 slugging percentage against southpaws. Flores had been subbing at second base for injured Neil Walker (23 HRs). That role now belongs to T.J. Rivera, an undrafted rookie from New York City who won the Pacific Coast League batting crown. Hes done an excellent job filling in. ... The winner heads for Chicago to play the NL Central champion Cubs in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Friday. New York swept the Cubs in last years NL Championship Series and went 5-2 against them this season, including a four-game sweep at Citi Field.---Big Picture:Giants: After leading the majors with a 57-33 record at the All-Star break, San Francisco stumbled to the finish and nearly missed out entirely on the postseason. The Giants ended the regular season with their first four-game winning streak of the second half to beat out St. Louis by one game for the second NL wild card. Now that San Francisco is in, manager Bruce Bochys team hopes to extend the even-year karma that led to World Series titles in 2010, `12 and `14. ... San Francisco set up its rotation with the right man on the mound for this one in Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP. He is 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 14 career postseason appearances, and 5-1 with a 0.99 ERA in his last seven postseason starts. ... The bullpen was the biggest issue in the second half, with the team setting a franchise record by losing nine games it led after eight innings, including five in September. ... Posey hit just three HRs in his last 63 games but picked up his performance late with 12 RBI in the final nine games. ... Pence, who missed 48 games with a hamstring injury, had a strong finish, batting .340 over his final 24 games. ... San Francisco committed a major league-low 72 errors, with Crawford playing mistake-free defense in his final 43 games at shortstop. ... With 3B Eduardo Nunez still sidelined because of a hamstring injury, Gillaspie will get the nod. He is 7 for 14 with five RBI in the past five games.Mets: Following last years World Series loss to Kansas City, the well-stocked Mets began the season with big expectations and legitimate aspirations of winning their first championship since 1986. Then the aches and pains started piling up. Every established regular besides Granderson spent time on the disabled list, in addition to handy part-time players Flores (16 HRs, 49 RBI) and Juan Lagares. Lucas Duda (back) missed four months, and captain David Wright (neck surgery) has been out since late May. By early September, the imposing young rotation had been decimated by season-ending injuries to Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. Zack Wheeler never made it back from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, further testing New Yorks pitching depth. The trade-deadline deal for Bruce looked like a bust before he finally went on a timely tear during the last week of the season. But when the resilient Mets reached down to the farm, several marginal prospects delivered under pressure. Gsellman and Seth Lugo saved the rotation down the stretch, while the 43-year-old Colon was a rock throughout -- even becoming the oldest major leaguer to hit his first career home run. Loney and Rene Rivera, steady veterans dumped by Tampa Bay just before the season started, arrived from the minors and provided important contributions. Reyes, released by Colorado after serving a domestic-violence suspension, rejoined his original team at a new position July 5 and combined with Cabrera to energize a sagging offense. Both dyed their hair bright, too, and manager Terry Collins persistent team finally took off. New York was 60-62 after losing at San Francisco on Aug. 19, the day Cespedes and Cabrera came off the DL. Then the Mets went an MLB-best 27-13 the rest of the way and jumped over four teams in the pennant race. They secured the top wild card on the penultimate day of the regular season, reaching the playoffs in consecutive years for the second time in franchise history (1999-2000). That allowed them to hold back Syndergaard for this game. Now, the Mets will try to make another October run with Cespedes. The star slugger can opt out of his contract and become a free agent again this fall.---Watch For:- Closing Time. The bullpen that played such a key role in San Franciscos recent World Series championships melted down in the second half. Casilla tied for the most blown saves in the majors with nine and lost his job. After struggling to find a replacement, Bochy went to Romo, the closer during the 2012 title run. He successfully converted all four save opportunities in the final two weeks. Meanwhile, the Mets have a reliable formula at the back end in Salas, Reed and Familia.- Running Wild. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Syndergaard has trouble holding runners and is often slow to the plate. He allowed 48 stolen bases this season, 18 more than any other pitcher and most in the majors since 2001. Its a big reason why strong-armed Rene Rivera has become his regular catcher. San Francisco probably will try to take advantage. The Giants ranked eighth in the NL with 79 steals but were caught 36 times for a success rate of 69 percent.- Power Outage. While the bullpen woes got the most attention, the Giants bats also struggled in the second half. The team went from scoring 4.7 runs per game before the All-Star break to 4.0 afterward, with Posey, Crawford and Belt all struggling to hit for power.- Tried and Tested. The Mets havent played a team that finished with a winning record since Sept. 14 at Washington. Meanwhile, the Giants are coming off a three-game sweep of the NL West champion Dodgers. Tim Heed Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Cheap Hockey Sharks Jerseys . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. www.sharksjerseyscheap.com/?tag=joe-thornton-jersey . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Two down, four to go.Stanford and USC have secured victories in rivalry games this season, but there are four left in the Pac-12 with both berths in the league championship game still on the line.Colorado controls its own destiny when it hosts Utah on Saturday. With a win, the Buffaloes claim the Pac-12 South Division outright. If Colorado loses, it drops into a tie in the standings with USC, and the Trojans, who have finished conference play, will win the South because they beat the Buffaloes 21-17 back on Oct. 8.The showdown between Washington and Washington in the Apple Cup on Friday night will decide the Pac-12 North. Both teams are 7-1 in conference play.The league title game is set for Friday, Dec. 2, at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California.Stanford won the Big Game against rival Cal 45-31 last weekend and now finishes the regular season at home against Rice, while the Golden Bears host UCLA. The Trojans, who beat the rival Bruins 36-14 at the Rose Bowl, host longtime non-conference rival Notre Dame on Saturday.A look at the conference rivalry games this weekend in the Pac-12:WASHINGTON-WASHINGTON STATESeries began: 1900.Series record: Washington leads 70-32-6.Trophy: Apple Cup.Why its a big deal: The game is for the Pac-12 North title, which has been claimed by either Sanford or Oregon since the league expanded and a conference championship game was created in 2011.Best game: The most memorable game in recent years came in 2012. Washington State trailed 28-10 in the fourth quarter but Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel led his team to a pair of touchdown drives. After Andrew Furneys field goal tied it, Washingtons Travis Coons missed a 35-yard FG attempt and sent the game to overtime. Furneys field goal gave Washington State a 31-28 victory in the biggest comeback in Apple Cup history and gave Mike Leach the rivalry win in his first season with the Cougars. Of course, the 2002 triple-overtime marathon in Pullman is high on the list: The Huskies upset the No. 3 Cougars 29-26.This year: The game is crucial to the Huskies (10-1 overall) to preserve a shot at the College Football Playoff. Washington is currently No. 6 in both the CFP rankings and the Top 25 .OREGON-OREGON STATESeries began: 1894.Series record: Oregon leads 63-46-10.Trophy: Called the Civil War, the games unofficial prize is the Platypus Trophy, awarded each year to the alumni association of the winning team. Lore has it that the platypus was chosen because it has a duck bill and a beaver tail, so it represents the mascots of both schools.Why its a big deal: The winner will avoid finishing in the Pac-12 North basement. Three teams -- Oregon, Oregon State and Cal -- are currently 2-6 in league play with one game to go.Best game: The Ducks entered the 1994 Civil War tied with USC for the Pac-10 championship and needed a winn to clinch their first Rose Bowl berth since 1957. Womens Sharks Jerseys. Trailing 13-10, Danny ONeil drove the team 70 yards, hitting Dino Philyaw for a 19-yard touchdown with 3:47 to play, giving Oregon a 17-13 victory.This year: The Ducks have just four wins this season, but theyre coming off a 30-28 upset of No. 11 Utah. The chances are slim, but with a fifth victory Oregon could be considered for a bowl bid if there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the games.ARIZONA STATE-ARIZONASeries began: 1899.Series record: Arizona leads 48-40-1.Trophy: Territorial Cup, which is recognized by the NCAA as the oldest rivalry trophy.Why its a big deal: Its at Arizona Stadium, which is key because the home team has won in each of the past three seasons and the Wildcats are still looking for their first conference win. Arizona and Rutgers are the only two teams in the Power Five conference that are winless in their leagues.Best Game: Arizona was ranked No. 12 and Arizona State was No. 8 in 1975 when the two teams met with the Fiesta Bowl in reach. Arizona State receiver John Jefferson made an amazing catch to narrow Arizonas lead to 14-10. While the lead changed hands in the second half, Sun Devils quarterback Dennis Sprouls 1-yard keeper was the go-ahead touchdown that sent undefeated ASU on to a victory over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.This year: At 5-6 overall, Arizona State needs one more win to become bowl eligible. The Sun Devils have made the postseason for the last five straight years. Arizona hasnt gone winless in conference play since 1957.UTAH-COLORADOSeries began: 1903.Series record: Colorado leads 31-28-3.Trophy: Its been called the Rumble in the Rockies, but theres no official trophy. The rivalry was dormant for several decades before it was revived when both teams joined the Pac-12 in 2011.Why its a big deal: Utahs true rivalry game is the Holy War against BYU. Colorado has the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State. But a win against a Pac-12 recruiting foe never hurts.Best game: In 1961, the Utes were just 5-3 heading into the game against No. 8 Colorado in Boulder. The undefeated Buffaloes jumped out to a 6-0 lead but Utah scored three unanswered touchdowns and held off the Orange Bowl-bound Buffaloes 21-12.This year: The No. 21 Utes fell out of the running for the Pac-12 South title with a loss to Oregon last weekend. The No. 9 Buffaloes, who havent been ranked this high since 2002, must win outright to claim the Pac-12 South and secure a spot in the league championship game. Should Colorado win the title game, it goes to the Rose Bowl for the first time ever.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and twitter.com/AP-Top25. Nike NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '