#1

e, he has a chance to beat Murray again, fi

in Pony-Like Screenshots Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:13 am
by corse178 • 1.660 Posts

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman knows how well Ervin Santana commands his fastball on both sides of the plate.They were teammates in Atlanta in 2014, but familiarity hasnt helped much. Freeman is 1 for 12 in his career against Santana.Hes got that slider you think youre going to hit, and it just disappears, Freeman said. He had it working today.The Braves managed just four hits against Santana in seven scoreless innings, and their rally in the eighth fell short in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.Minnesota improved to 48-71, four games better than the Braves, in a matchup of the two worst teams in the major leagues.Santana (6-9) walked two and struck out six, throwing 64 of his 107 pitches for strikes to win his third straight start. Atlanta beat him 2-0 on July 26, but Santana had his repertoire working in muggy conditions at Turner Field.I feel great, Santana said. There was a lot of humidity, but we got the win. Thats the most important thing.The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first on Trevor Plouffes RBI double. In the eighth, Joe Mauer hit his 10th homer and Kurt Suzuki had an RBI single to make it 3-0.Brandon Kintzler earned his 12th save in 13 chances after facing four batters in the ninth.Santana allowed three runners to get into scoring position before striking out Jace Peterson in the second, Chase dArnaud in the third and pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur in the seventh.Pitching against the majors weakest offense, Santana improved to 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. Atlanta ranks last in runs and homers.Hes efficient, interim Braves manager Brian Snitker said. He throws strikes. He changes speeds. He can bury his breaking ball when he wants to.The Braves cut the lead to 3-2 in the eighth. Ryan Pressly gave up Matt Kemps RBI double and Nick Markakis RBI groundout, but he stranded a runner at third when Adonis Garcia lined out.Minnesota made it 4-2 in the ninth when Mauricio Cabrera, the sixth of seven Atlanta pitchers, gave up Plouffes RBI single.Mauer went 3 for 4 and is hitting .418 with 14 RBI in his last 19 games. Suzuki is hitting .322 with 26 RBI in his last 42 games.Atlanta starter Joel De La Cruz (0-6) gave up four hits, one run, two walks and struck four in 5 1/3 innings.The Twins are 15-8 in their last 23 road games. The Braves dropped to 18-40 at home.WELCOME TO THE BIGSBraves SS Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 overall draft pick of 2015, will be in the lineup Wednesday and make his major league debut when hes called up from Double-A Mississippi. Swanson replaces Erick Aybar, who was traded before Tuesdays game to Detroit for catching prospect Kade Scivicque. In 127 games in the minors, Swanson hit .277 with 10 homers and 66 RBI.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Twins manager Paul Molitor said Miguel Sano could return to Wednesdays lineup after missing the last three games with a sore right elbow. An MRI taken Monday showed no structural damage. Sano had Tommy John surgery on the same elbow and missed the 2014 season.Braves: Snitker said All-Star RHP Julio Teheran was encouraged after making a rehab appearance Sunday at Triple-A Gwinnett. He allowed three hits and two runs -- one earned -- with five strikeouts in five innings. Teheran, the Atlanta ace, is expected to come off the DL and start Friday against Washington. Hes been sidelined since July 30 with a right lat strain.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (4-7) is 2-7 with a 6.10 ERA in 11 career interleague starts.Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (6-5) won at Minnesota on July 27 despite giving up 12 hits and seven runs -- six earned -- in 5 1/3 innings. Marcin Bulka Chelsea Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Callum Hudson-Odoi Chelsea Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. http://www.chelseafcproshop.com/Kids-Callum-Hudson-Odoi-Jersey/ . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Victor Moses Chelsea Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Custom Chelsea Jerseys . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. In the cat-and-mouse game of postmatch interviews in London, Novak Djokovic has been driven to testiness on several occasions when questioned closely. After defeating Milos Raonic in a round-robin match earlier this week, he was asked if there were times in the past when he felt unbeatable -- and if he now felt more vulnerable.Well, I never felt unbeatable, and I never will, Djokovic said. First of all, its not my mindset. Second, I dont think its fair to say youre unbeatable. There are few athletes ever in their career that have retired unbeatable.I did have certain periods of my career, especially in the last five years, when I really felt very confident on the court, and I was dominating the play.What about vulnerable?I dont feel vulnerable, Djokovic snapped.Heading into the last mens ATP match of the year, he looks like something approaching unbeatable. As difficult as it is to fathom given his second-half results, the No. 2-ranked Djokovic is a single victory from regaining the No. 1 ranking.He meets old friend and recent nemesis Andy Murray in the championship final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2 & WatchESPN. For the first-time in year-end history, the seasons No.1 ranking will be decided in a winner-take-all final.It would be an unprecedented fifth consecutive year-end title for the 29-year-old Serb in a year when he won at least seven titles for the fourth consecutive year and two of the four majors this year.Does this sound like a vulnerable man?Djokovic obliterated Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-1 in Saturdays second semifinal. The match was over in a blazing 66 minutes and couldnt have been more different than the first semifinal.That exquisite piece of performance art was a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) Murray victory against Milos Raonic.Very glad, obviously, that I get to experience that [dominance] the last couple matches, Djokovic said in his on-court interview. Pretty much flawless.Murray, meanwhile, looked world-weary at times and saved a match point in that extraordinary third-set tiebreaker. The question must be asked: Does Murray have anything left for Djokovic?Three days earlier, Murray and Nishikori played a 3-hour, 20-minute match -- the longest three-set match in the history of the year-end event. Saturdays epic ran a scintillating 3 hours, 38 minutes, which turns out to be the longest three-set match of the 2016 season.Thats a lot of mileage this close to the finish line.I dont know how Ill feel tomorrow, Murray said after the match. Obviously, tired just now because it was a really hard match. It wasnt just that it was physically hard, itt was mentally a tough match, too.ddddddddddddIt was pretty stressful.Murray, who made the one-hour commute to his suburban home when he played day matches, will be staying at a Thames-side hotel. After the match, he immersed himself in an ice bath, stretched and had a massage from his physio. Murray said hed go through another round of recovery and try to sleep in as late as possible. Hes scheduled to practice at 2:30 local time, 3? hours before the final.Murray, riding an enormous wave of momentum, has won 22 consecutive matches, matching his career high set earlier this year.But his personal on-court history with Djokovic -- they first met 18 years ago in junior tennis -- is not terribly pleasant. Djokovic has a commanding 24-10 record in their head-to-head matches, and upon closer examination, its even more lopsided in recent years.After Murray broke through with his first Grand slam singles title at the 2012 US Open, Djokovic held an 8-7 advantage. Since then, the Serb has won 16 of 19, including the finals of the two majors hes won this year, the Australian Open and French Open.And theres this delicious symmetry: After beating Murray in four sets to win the long-sought-after career Grand Slam in Paris, Djokovic lost his way. Here, he has a chance to beat Murray again, finish the season on a breathtaking high and set himself up for the 2017 season.Since the beginning of 2011, Djokovic has dominated mens tennis, winning 11 of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. For context, consider the other 13 major winners over the past half-dozen years: Rafael Nadal (5), Stan Wawrinka and Murray (3 each), and Roger Federer and Marin Cilic (1 each).In that span, the only time Djokovic finished with the No. 2 year-end ranking was 2013, when Nadal won two Slams. Djokovic regained the top spot the following summer after winning Wimbledon, and for 122 weeks, he did not relinquish it. That glorious run ended two weeks ago in Paris, when Murray -- after slowly reeling Djokovic in following Roland Garros -- took the No. 1 ranking for the very first time.In this year-end event that is without Federer and Nadal, its appropriate these two are in the final with so much at stake. They are the best in mens tennis, and it seems likely they could continue their dominance for a few more years.Hopefully, we can have a good final, Djokovic told the pro-Murray crowd. Its really a privilege to be part of this history with Andy. There are two of us on the court.Lets try to enjoy the occasion. ' ' '

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