Die Anpflanzler [DA] » lf. Dejan Lovren was ban

CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona gave his team a pep talk Saturday after they lost for the seventh time in nine games. Cleveland responded Sunday, rewarding Francona with a 6-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. David Murphy hit a three-run double in the sixth inning and John Axford worked out of bases-loaded jam in the ninth as the Indians avoided a series sweep and broke a three-game losing streak. The Indians won 92 games and made the playoffs as wild-card team last season by getting contributions from as many areas as possible. That formula, which had been missing for much of the early season, was a key element against the Blue Jays. "Thats probably the best way we are as a team," Francona said. "Thats the way were built, get it across the board." Francona didnt want his players dwelling on their 7-10 start going into Sunday. "Nobody likes coming to the ballpark and look at your record when its not what you want it to be," he said. "Thats plain and simple. Saying that, I dont want them dragging in here, because its a new day. During a baseball season theres a lot of grinding that needs to be done. Sometimes the games easier than it is (at other times). Thats simple fact. So when its not going perfect, you grind the best you can." "Hopefully, this is exactly what we need to get on a roll," Murphy said. "We havent been playing terrible, but we havent been playing characteristic of ourselves." Cleveland entered the sixth trailing 4-2, but reliever Aaron Loup (1-1) walked the bases loaded before Murphy delivered a line drive past third base that kicked off the stands and caromed into shallow left field, allowing all three runners to score. Axford, the fourth Cleveland reliever, loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before retiring Edwin Encarnacion on a groundout. Josh Outman (3-0) recorded the final out of the sixth and Clevelands bullpen pitched 3 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. Michael Brantley hit a solo homer in the second and added an RBI double in the fourth. Toronto scored three times on four hits in the fourth. Jose Bautista and Juan Francisco had RBI singles while Brett Lawrire added a run-scoring groundout. Brandon Morrow allowed three runs and was pulled after Nick Swishers leadoff single in the sixth. Loup got Jason Kipnis on a fielders choice. After Kipnis was caught stealing, Loup walked Carlos Santana, Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera to fill the bases. Murphys liner past third bounced off the stands a few feet beyond the tarp and rolled into shallow left. By the time Melky Cabrera tracked it down, the runners had raced home and Cleveland had the lead. "Thats about as tough a lefty that Im going to face," Murphy said. "Fortunately, he gave me a good pitch to hit." "Walks hurt you," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "These guys laid off it pretty good. And of course Murphy ends up getting the big hit there. We made a run at it late, it just didnt happen." Carlos Carrasco retired the first nine hitters, but Jose Reyes led off the fourth with a double. Melky Cabreras single sent Reyes to third before Bautistas single to right tied it. Franciscos single scored Cabrera and Lawries groundout made it 3-1. Reyes added an RBI single in the fifth. Carrasco hasnt recorded a victory in his last 16 starts. The right-handers last win as a starter came on June 29, 2011, against Arizona. His last victory came in a relief appearance on Aug. 20, 2011, against the Los Angeles Angels. Carrasco, who missed the 2012 season because of elbow surgery, is 0-11 with an 8.28 ERA since his last win as a starter. NOTES: Bautista has reached safely in all 19 games. ... The Blue Jays are off Monday and begin a three-game series at home Tuesday against Baltimore. .... The Indians are expected to activate DH Jason Giambi (broken rib) from the 15-day DL Monday. He was hit by a pitch in a spring training game. ... Cleveland opens a four-game series against Kansas City at Progressive Field on Monday. RHP Zach McAllister (2-2) faces RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-0). Graham Glasgow Jersey . Sami Salo scored two goals as the Canucks overcame a hat-trick from Edmonton Oiler rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to win 4-3 in NHL action Saturday. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Graham-Glasgow-Draft-Jersey/ . With his father watching from the stands, Harrison homered, doubled, single and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Pirates to a 8-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Sam-Martin-Draft-Jersey/ . Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. Austin became the latest No. 12 seed to pull off an upset, tying the game on Desmond Haymons did-that-just-happen four-point play with 3. Christian Jones Jersey . Cesar said the difficulties he went through after the 2010 World Cup helped him become "a better professional" and made him "more focused" on his career. He admitted that he took things for granted before the World Cup in South Africa, when he arrived considered the worlds top goalkeeper. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Frank-Ragnow-Draft-Jersey/ . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night.Liverpool is out of the Champions League. Thud. Dreams of the glory days returning to Anfield have gone as quickly as they came. The magical 2013-14 season brought back the nostalgia, the mystique of a football club seemingly searching endlessly for their identity in the modern game. Ardent support re-emerged as the team dazzled on the field. Attack-minded, attractive football pushed Liverpool FC to the brink of winning an elusive Premier League title and took them back on to Europes most prestigious stage; the Champions League. The future seemed bright. The present, exciting. Folk heroes were made. Books were written. Titles such as Poetry in Motion celebrating minimal success seem even more preposterous now as the current script more appropriately reads, Stuck in Reverse. Five months of football have seen Liverpool regress back into a team lost in a sea of mediocrity and devoid of any idea how to stay afloat. A 1-1 home draw with Basel relegated Liverpool to the Europa League; a competition more suited to match the teams ability. The Champions League draw putting Liverpool in a group with Ludogorets Razvad and Basel seemed as advantageous as could be. Home and away marquee fixtures against Real Madrid were the icing on the cake at the party. Manchester United were out of Europe and Liverpool back where they belonged. Life was good. To not get out of the group goes beyond failure. Its a statement that Liverpool is not ready to rejoin the ranks of European powers. The failure to launch lay on the shoulders of the manager as much as the players. When the team needed tactical wherewithal the most, Brendan Rodgers was MIA. The teams valiant effort while a man down, pushing forward and searching for a winner, will be overshadowed by coaching incompetence. It was an awful first half performance by Rodgers men. Accountability to a player is one thing; whether Rodgers set up his team to succeed was another. At home, with all to play for in a must-win game, Rodgers elected to play a 34-year old Steven Gerrard in an advanced, attacking midfield role. The average-at-best Lucas and Joe Allen occupied the defensive midfield positions, with Gerrard and Jordan Henderson pushed forward alongside Raheem Sterling. At a time where the game is predicated on speed and inventiveness like never before, Rodgers sent out a slow, predictable unit, looking steadfast to maintain rather than attack. It may have worked pushing Gerrard high against the likes of Leicester City. But this was the Champions League. Again, this was a must-win game for Liverpool. The team selection was shocking. The tactics were negative and unthreatening. The players available for selection leave much to be desired. Thats on Rodgers as well. The disaster that was the summer sale of Luis Suarez has been compounded by two factors: 1) long-standing injury to Daniel Sturridge, and 2) an awful dealings in the transfer window. The prior is troubling considering the loss of one player can have such a profound effect on a so-called elite Premier League team. The latter is predicated on a group of players either not good enough and/or players having yet to earn the trust of their new manager. Rodgers transfer window failures were plain to see Tuesday. Rickie Lambert went off after 45 minutes, leaving Liverpool down a goal without a striker on the pitch. Substitute Lazar Markovic was sent off, seeing straight red for mindlessly hitting out at Basels Behrang Safari. Alberto Moreno was ineffective in the second half. Dejan Lovren was bang-average. Emre Can and Adam Lallana were nailed to the bench. And Fabio Borini, who the team decided not to sell, didnt make the teamsheet. No other new players were anywhere to be seen. So much for replacing Suarez. The list of Rodgers expensive transfer misses is damning, with the likes of Iago Aspas, Tiago Ilori and Luis Alberto not to be forgotten considering the current state of recruits. Rodgers failures in the transfer window are the biggest problem plaguing a club unable to recover from egregious spending. He has a goalkeeper who looks amateur with the ball at his feet, no true answer at centre-back, and nothing that resembles a true attacking threat other than a 20-year old in Sterling who is askedd to do too much heavy lifting too early in his professional career.dddddddddddd Liverpool still relies upon the same player in Gerrard who was central to European success 10 seasons ago. Expecting him to replicate the heroics against Olympiakos a decade ago is as far-fetched as disconcerting. His 81st minute set-piece equalizer was a thing of beauty. But the one-dimensional nature of his current game as set-piece specialist doesnt constitute a managerial strategy, rather than acknowledgment of a lack of other options in his tactical arsenal. This is a massive problem. While Rodgers eye for talent is entirely problematic, the emerging issue of how Rodgers is using his team has become just as alarming and raises true question whether he should continue on as manager. Down 1-0 after 45 minutes, Rodgers saw fit to take off his lone striker in a game his team was chasing goals. It was a tactical mess. To be clear, Rodgers response to facing adversity was to play without a striker. Puzzling. The second half tactics resembled a bunch of players merely taking up space, basically playing wherever they wanted. That turned into every player playing wherever they could after the Markovic sending off. So much for intelligence. So much for a calculated approach. The desperate play by Liverpool for long stretches this season hardly resembles the intelligent team football on display last campaign. Few teams across Europe moved better off the ball. No matter the formation at the back, scoring opportunities were produced. Suarez was the true predator who instilled confidence throughout the XI. No matter what mistakes were made, Suarez would come to the rescue. Without their security blanket, Liverpool plays tentative and afraid. Rodgers has tried to compensate by playing a 4-2-3-1. He doesnt have the players to execute and the result is stale, unimaginative play. Rodgers has lost the plot. Blame the players. But make no mistake; the manager is a hopeless mess at this point. One must lead with confidence, not desperation. There is no simple answer for Rodgers. His tactical vision is blurred and he has little to stand on. He has isolated newcomers to the club. And the old guard is not up to the task. Liverpool sits ninth place in the table, six points back of fourth place West Ham. Its a mountain to climb for a team still pre-occupied by European competition. Games against rivals Manchester United and Arsenal lay ahead, with an FA Cup tie with upstart AFC Bournemouth in between. There is no time to rest or recuperate for this wounded side. And there is nothing to suggest Liverpool can come away with all-important points against either Premier League foe. The return to the Champions League seems short-lived, which makes it even more perplexing Rodgers basically conceded defeat against Real Madrid at the Bernebeu, resting his preferred XI. Matches as such dont come around often. It may be quite some time before games of such prestige return. Rodgers masterplan backfired. It looks bad on the gaffer. In the meantime, Rodgers remains on the hot seat. Its hard to picture how this ends well. From League Managers Association manager of the year to fighting for his managerial life, it goes to show how fickle and demanding the football world is at the top level. Manchester United had to go through the similar painful decision-making process last season. The plug was pulled on David Moyes short-lived reign for the long-term benefit of the club. Liverpool must decide whether Rodgers is worth keeping and whether they trust him to set things right. It appears Manchester United made the right move. Will Liverpool do the same? Track record speaks to Manchester United getting it right more often than their famous adversary. Thirteen titles in the 22 years of the Premier League era to Liverpools goose egg provides more than enough evidence. The time to make another difficult decision has come. Sir Alex Ferguson knocked Liverpool off their perch. Will Louis Van Gaal knock Rodgers out of his job? Liverpools trip to Old Trafford Sunday was always going to have heightened importance. Rodgers managerial fate potentially on the line has raised the stakes even higher. @WheelerTSN gareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Cheap Warriors Jerseys Authentic Cavaliers Jerseys Cheap Spurs Store Celtics Jerseys Online Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Wholesale Raptors Jerseys Cyber Monday Pistons Jerseys Wholesale Team USA Basketball Jerseys Cheap Celtics Jerseys Cheap Nets Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Raptors Jerseys From China Cheap Bulls Jerseys Cavaliers Jerseys From China Wholesale Pistons Jerseys Bucks Jerseys From China Pacers Jerseys Outlet Authentic Hawks Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Authentic Wizards Jerseys Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Timberwolves Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Discount Warriors Jerseys Wholesale Clippers Jerseys Wholesale Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Discount Mavericks Jerseys Authentic Rockets Jerseys Discount Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Spurs Jerseys From China ' ' '