ekansekans's blog: "df"

NEW YORK -- Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Baker had elbow-ligament replacement surgery Tuesday. Black Torrey Smith Jersey . Baker originally was to have an operation to repair the flexor pronator tendon in his right elbow. The Twins said that when New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek operated, he determined Bakers ulnar collateral ligament needed to be replaced. The Twins had said last week that Baker was going to miss the entire season because of the elbow, which has bothered the 30-year-old for more than a year. Minnesotas 2011 opening day starter, he was went 8-6 with 3.14 ERA in 21 starts last year. Baker is eligible for free agency after the season. Ray Rice Vapor Jersey . -- Same chaotic, champagne dance-party scene in the clubhouse just two days later. Pink Torrey Smith Jersey . Lewis gave up three hits and walked one while striking out 10 in seven innings, Ian Kinsler had a three-run triple and Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in a seven-run sixth inning, and the Rangers beat the Houston Astros 9-3 on Sunday. http://www.nflravensgearshop.com/michael-oher-jersey/ . Carlos Ruiz went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs and John Mayberry Jr. homered and drove in three runs to lead Philadelphia to a 7-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. Ravens Ray Rice Jersey . Although Chris Paul is just as tired as his teammates, hes keeping the Clippers competitive while theyre on the grind. Paul scored nine of his 19 points in overtime and added a season-high 15 assists, carrying Los Angeles to an 87-83 victory over Detroit on Sunday. Jacoby Jones Womens Jersey .J. -- The New Jersey Devils are making a lineup change for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals against the New York Rangers.Los Angeles Dodgers (76-71) at Washington Nationals (89-57) - 7:05pm et (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals are closing in on their first postseason berth since 1981, but will have to get through the playoff-hopeful Los Angeles Dodgers in D.C. The two clubs will kick off a three-game series Tuesday at Nationals Park. Washington, which is five games ahead of Atlanta for the NL East lead, has a magic number of three for a playoff berth. The club was swept in three games at Atlanta over the weekend and dropped a 5-1 decision Sunday, as Gio Gonzalez failed in his attempt for win No. 20 and yielded two runs in five innings. "I wasnt pounding the strike zone," Gonzalez said. "I was nipping at corners, trying to be too perfect." Ian Desmond had two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who have lost five of nine games and got two hits from Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals also will host Milwaukee for four games on their homestand. Taking the ball for the hosts tonight will be Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann did not record a decision in a 5-3 win against the New York Mets last Tuesday and was reached for a pair of runs in five innings. Zimmermann, a right-hander, is 10-8 with a 3.01 earned run average in 29 starts this season. He did not record a decision in his only appearance against the Dodgers, allowing six runs in six innings. Los Angeles sits one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final postseason spot in the NL and will begin a nine-game road trip tonight against the Nationals, Reds and Padres. The Dodgers split a four-game set with St. Louis, but dropped a 5-2 decision in 12 innings on Sunday. John Ely was charged with all three runs in the top of the 12th inning to suffer the loss and Stephen Fife tossed the first five innings, allowing two runs and four hits with nine strikeouts. "We had opportunities ... we just couldnt do it," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. Andre Ethier hit a two-run homer and Hanley Ramirez ended with a team-best two hits for the Dodgers, who have dropped eight of 11 games. Aaron Harang gets the start for the Dodgers tonight and is 0-2 in his past four trips to the mound. Harang was beaten by Arizona the last time out in a 3-2 defeat on Wednesday and surrendered three runs in 5 2/3 innings to fall to 9-9 in 28 starts this season to go along with a 3.79 ERA. The right-handed Harang has made seven career starts against the Nationals and is 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA in that span. Los Angeles swept a three-game series from Washington back in late April and has won the previous five meetings between the clubs. Milwaukee Brewers (74-72) at Pittsburgh Pirates (74-72) - 7:05pm et (Sports Network) - A pair of 15-game winners square off tonight when Yovani Gallardo and the Milwaukee Brewers visit A.J. Burnett and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park. The Pirates and Brewers are all even in the National League Central Division standings and are vying to remain in the running for the second of two NL wild card playoff berths. The teams are tied for third in the Central and 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the last of the pair of wild card spots. Milwaukees Gallardo enters the game with a nine-start unbeaten streak that stretches back to July 26, when he dropped an 8-2 decision to Washington. Hes 7-0 in the subsequent outings, in which hes allowed two earned runs or less in eight of the nine games and pitched at least seven innings seven times. The Brewers have won each of his last nine starts, outscoring their foes, 59-26. Gallardo is 8-2 lifetime against the Pirates in 14 appearances and last faced them on Sept. 2, getting a no-decision after allowing 11 hits and seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Pirates reply with skidding righty A.J. Burnett, whos not won since Aug. 16 - a stretch of five starts. The 35-year-old Arkansas native was 15-4 on the season after a 10-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, but has since gone 0-3 in five tries while his ERA has climbed slightly from 3.54 to 3.66. Hes been beaten by St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati in the stretch, while getting no-decisions against San Diego and Milwaukee, allowing two hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings of the latter outing. Pittsburgh is 4-6 in his last 10 starts. On Monday in Chicago, Starling Marte drove in two runs, Kevin Correia pitched seven scoreless innings and the PPirates defeated the Cubs, 3-0, to take the finale of a four-game set. Limited Haloti Ngata Jersey. The game was delayed for three hours and thirty-seven minutes due to rain. Winning for the ninth time in his last 12 decisions, Correia (11-9) pitched valiantly, giving up just two hits while striking out six. Joel Hanrahan tossed a scoreless ninth to notch his 36th save of the season. On Sunday in Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit two homers, Wily Peralta pitched eight shutout innings and John Axford closed it out in the ninth as the Brewers blanked the New York Mets 3-0 to take the rubber match of a three-game set. Brauns second homer was his 40th of the season, marking the first time in his career that he has reached the plateau. The Brewers won for the 20th time in their last 26 games. The Mets managed only two hits, both off of Peralta (2-0), who made just the third start of his career. He fanned five and walked only one. "He had a good 96 mph fastball and a good sinker," manager Ron Roenicke said. "He kept the ball down in the zone and had a good slider with great command." Milwaukee won eight of the first 12 games between the teams this season, including a sweep of a three-game set at Miller Park from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. The Brewers won 12 of 15 games in the 2011 series. Philadelphia Phillies (74-74) at New York Mets (66-81) - 7:10pm et (Sports Network) - Right-hander Tyler Cloyd faces the New York Mets for the second time in his fifth major-league start tonight when the Philadelphia Phillies meet them in game two of a three-game series at Citi Field. A 25-year-old Nebraska native, Cloyd made his big-league debut against the Mets on Aug. 29 in Philadelphia and took a 3-2 loss after allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings, walking two and striking out five. He bounced back for his initial win in his next start five days later in Cincinnati, allowing four hits and a run in seven innings of a 4-2 victory while walking none and striking out nine. Two subsequent starts have yielded a pair of no-decisions - home with Colorado and at Houston - in which the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder gave up seven runs on 13 hits in seven innings. Cloyd was 15-1 in 26 minor-league starts to begin 2012 while splitting time at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Fellow rookie Matt Harvey starts for the Mets in his 10th career outing, and second against the Phillies. The 23-year-old was 2-3 in his initial six starts with a 2.75 earned run average, before scattering six hits and allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 3-2 defeat of Philadelphia on Aug. 29. Hes 0-2 in a pair of subsequent starts while allowing four runs and 11 hits in 10 innings against St. Louis and Washington on Sept. 4 and Sept. 12. Over 52 1/3 innings in nine overall starts, hes allowed a .216 opposition batting average. On Monday, Jimmy Rollins and Domonic Brown clubbed solo home runs to back a masterful Cliff Lee, as the Phillies posted a 3-1 win. Lee (6-7) continued his recent hot stretch on the mound, limiting the Mets to one run on seven hits over eight innings. He walked one and struck out 10. The left-hander has allowed just four earned runs while going 4-0 over his last five starts. Jonathan Papelbon worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 35th save of the season. The Phillies are trying to shake off a disappointing series in Houston, where they dropped three of four to the MLB-worst Astros on the heels of a seven- game winning streak. With Mondays triumph, Philadelphia moved to within 3 1/2 games of the idle St. Louis Cardinals for the National Leagues second wild-card spot. "Were running out of games. Every game is very important at this point and we need to win every one," Lee said. "I dont know if thats reality, but we need to win every game." R.A. Dickey (18-6) gave up three runs - two earned - on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings for New York, which resumed its struggles at home. The Mets have lost seven straight as the host and havent scored more than three runs in 14 consecutive home games, a franchise record. They have dropped nine of 10 overall. "You feel for him because all he does is give himself a chance to win the baseball game," Mets manager Terry Collins said. The Mets won 10 of the first 15 games between the teams in 2012, while the Phillies were an 11-7 winner in the 2011 series against New York. ' ' '