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lingzi
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Dec 12 2012, 07:20 AM
Post #1
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PHILADELPHIA -- Another strong start from Mike Minor has the Atlanta Braves one step closer to erasing last years debacle. Britton Colquitt Jersey . Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer to back Minor and the Braves roughed up Roy Halladay to move closer to clinching a post-season berth with an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. The win, coupled with Milwaukees 10-4 loss to Washington, reduced Atlantas magic number for securing an NL wild-card playoff spot to three. The Braves were up 8 1/2 games through Sept. 5 last year, but went 9-18 down the stretch and were overtaken by St. Louis on the final day of the season. "I dont want to hear anything about it," manager Fredi Gonzalez said with a smile. The Phillies fell four games behind the Cardinals for the NLs second wild-card spot with only 10 games remaining. The five-time defending NL East champions had won four in a row and 12 of 15 to get in the race. They also trail Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wild-card standings. Ryan Howard became the second-fastest player to reach 300 homers, but Halladay (10-8) picked the wrong time to have the second-shortest outing in his 376 career starts. The two-time Cy Young Award winner lasted just 1 2-3 innings, allowing seven runs and five hits. Halladays shortest start was on Sept. 10, 2006, for Toronto against the Los Angeles Angels, that was because of an injury. He recorded just two outs and left after getting hit on the elbow by a line drive off Garret Andersons bat. Halladay wasnt 100 per cent for this start. He said he felt spasms behind his shoulder area on Thursday, but was cleared by doctors on Friday. "I wish I could blame it on this, but I felt like I should compete," he said. "I just didnt do my job as a pitcher." Minor (10-10) gave up two runs and two hits in six innings to win his fourth straight decision. The lefty has a 1.09 ERA in four starts this month. "Its just experience and having a better game plan," he said. "You put things in your memory bank." The Braves remained 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Nationals, making it likely theyll have to settle for a wild-card berth. Considering last seasons collapse, securing any playoff spot is quite the accomplishment. It would have been the biggest September meltdown in baseball history except that Boston blew a nine-game lead during the same month. Howard connected for the fourth straight game, hitting a towering shot off the brick wall in straightaway centre in the fourth. He reached No. 300 in his 1,093rd game. Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner hit his 300th homer in his 1,087th game. Halladay, who missed nearly two months with a strained lat, didnt look right from the start. He walked Michael Bourn to lead off the game, but picked him off. Martin Prado followed with a single and Chipper Jones hit a two-out single. Freeman then sent an 0-2 pitch off a billboard on the facing of the second deck in right field. Halladay slammed the resin bag to the ground while Freeman circled the bases. "The two-out hits were really big," Jones said. "It was a good job by our hitters to take advantage of mistakes." Halladay has been bad in first innings this year, posting a 5.63 ERA in 24 games. Hes allowed 15 runs and 31 hits, including three homers. It didnt get any better in the second. Halladay walked two batters, including Prado to load the bases with two outs. Jason Heyward fell behind 1-2 in the count before lining a 78 mph curveball into the right-field corner to clear the bases and make it 6-0. That ended Halladays day. "He didnt have a whole lot," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He had a hard time putting the ball where he wanted it. Just one of those days. Rough day." Jones greeted Jeremy Horst with an RBI double for a 7-0 lead. Darin Ruf, who hit 38 homers in Double-A to break Howards record for single-season homers at Reading, drove in his first career run with a sacrifice fly in the third. NOTES: Jones single in the first moved him ahead of Lou Gehrig for 58th on the career hits list with 2,722. Hes one hit away from tying Roberto Alomar for fifth place among switch hitters. ... Freeman is 7 for 15 with three homers and nine RBIs off Halladay. ... Prado extended his NL lead to 37 multihit games. ... Bourn was 4 for 38 before a second-inning single. ... Phillies are 8-16 on Saturdays. ... Howard has three homers in 15 at-bats off Minor. ... Cliff Lee (6-7) faces Tim Hudson (15-6) in the series finale Sunday. Hudson is 9-9 vs. the Phillies, including 2-1 this year. Lee is 4-3 vs. Atlanta, 1-0 this season. Eric Decker Elite Jersey . The Ontario Court of Appeal said in the decision released Wednesday that it will not hear the appeal by the Lansdowne Park Conservancy. It ordered the group to pay $1,000 in legal costs to the City of Ottawa. Peyton Manning Black Jersey . A brief statement from World Wrestling Entertainment says the 62-year-old Lawler will be heading home in the next several days. He collapsed at the announcers table at a WWE event at Montreals Bell Centre last Monday night, after suffering a mild heart attack. http://www.shopthebroncosjersey.com/john-elway-jersey . Doesnt matter one bit, of course. After year upon year of underachieving in the post-season, the seventh-seeded Capitals finally are overachievers: Theyre headed to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after getting past the Boston Bruins in overtime of Game 7, the first time in franchise history Washington eliminated the reigning Stanley Cup champion. Elvis Dumervil Camo Jersey . Four days after team owner Jim Irsay ignited speculation about a possible trade with a series of Twitter posts, the Colts acquired former first-round draft pick Vontae Davis to solidify their secondary. Von Miller Pink Jersey . Set to become a free agent, the 33-year-old third baseman hit .236 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs in 80 games for the White Sox after being acquired from Boston on June 25.LAS VEGAS - Middleweight Chris (The Crippler) Leben has been banned for a year after testing positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5 loss to Mark (The Filipino Wrecking Machine) Munoz in the main event of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England. The 31-year-old Leben also failed a drug test the last time he fought in Birmingham, testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol following his main event loss to Michael (The Count) Bisping at UFC 89 in October 2008. That earned him a nine-month ban. "I like Chris and I want him to do well, but based on his actions, hes been suspended for one year," UFC president Dana White said in a statement. "If he needs professional help, we are going to be there for him. We want to see him succeed not only in the Octagon, but in his personal life." Leben (22-8) is a graduate of Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" who has acknowledged he has faced demons in his personal life. The hard-headed 185-pounder spent time in aa military jail for going AWL and later for a parole violation on an old DUI conviction. Tracy Porter Jersey. "I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts," Leben said. "Im learning that Im my own worst enemy sometimes. I cant succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. "Ive got to make some real changes over the next year and Im going to focus on getting my life and career back on track." Leben is 4-2 since a loss to Jake Rosholt at UFC 102 in August 2009, saying later he weighed 215 pounds and was drunk less than three weeks before that bout. "I just was in a really bad spot in my life," said Leben, who makes his home in Hawaii. He rebounded to beat Yoshihiro Akiyama and Wanderlei (The Axe Murderer) Silva but looked sluggish against Munoz. The UFC said 19 other fighters on the UFC 138 card passed their post-fight drug tests. ' ' '
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