Archiv » progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly

(SportsNetwork.com) - No team was hotter than the Cleveland Indians down the stretch. The Tribe shoots for an 11th straight win on Wednesday when they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to Progressive Field for the American League wild card game. Cleveland won its final 10 regular-season games to earn the No. 1 wild card position. The Indians also became the sixth team in major league history to finish a season on a winning streak of 10 or more games. Prior to the Indians, the last team to do it was the 1971 Orioles. Cleveland also went a major-league-best 21-6 in September. It was the first time Cleveland won 20 games in a month since doing so twice in 1995, a year in which the Indians reached the World Series. "This is what you play for," Indians pitcher Justin Masterson said on Sunday. "You play to win a World Series, but youve got to get there first, get to the playoffs. So you play to get to the playoffs, and here we are with that opportunity. Its just been incredible. The ups and downs of this organization the last few years, we couldnt ask for anything better." Hosting the game may also be a benefit for the Indians, who were 51-30 in front of their fans this season. However, Cleveland was an absurd 36-52 against teams with .500-or-better records this season. "Its been a long time since Clevelands had something like this," Indians first baseman Nick Swisher said after Cleveland clinched the wild card spot on Sunday. "I hope the fans are as excited as we are." The 92 wins for the Tribe were quite a contrast from a year ago when they lost 94 games. General manager Chris Antonetti made a bevy of offseason moves, but none may have been bigger than landing manager Terry Francona, whose leadership and calm presence has helped the Indians back to the postseason for the first time in six years. "I have no doubt," Antonetti said, "that we would not be in the position we are without Titos leadership." As big of an impact as Francona has had on Cleveland, it was the teams starting pitching staff that carried them to the finish line. Clevelands 3.16 ERA since the All-Star break was the second best in the American League and the fourth best in the majors. During the 10-game winning streak, Indians pitchers held the opposition to two runs or less seven times. One of those starters, right-handed rookie Danny Salazar, gets the call for the Indians on Wednesday. "This is awesome," said Salazar, who has never faced the Rays. "The team has trust in me. Im just going to do my best there." Salazar has been brilliant since joining the rotation in July, boasting a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 65/15 K/BB ratio over 52 innings. He pitched to a 2.53 ERA in five September starts and recorded 33 strikeouts over 25 innings in that span. "Hes not a finished product," Francona said. "The finished product is going to be special, but hes comfortable on the mound. We wouldnt do it if we werent comfortable." If theres one drawback to Salazar its the fact that the 23-year-old has pitched more than six innings in only one of his 10 starts. So, Franconas bullpen will have to be ready and its a unit without a leader at the moment, as the Indians will likely employ a closer-by-committee arrangement after Chris Perez was demoted from the closers role following an awful final month that saw him pitch to a 9.64 ERA. "Im here to help the team," Perez said. "I went into (Franconas) office the other night and said, Im not going to cost this team a playoff spot. You need to make a change right now. Youve got four or five guys who are throwing the (heck) out of the ball. I dont have an ego. Make the change. And he did." One player who could emerge as a huge factor in the bullpen is Masterson, who missed most of September with a strained oblique, but threw three scoreless innings of relief upon returning. Tampa, meanwhile, needed an extra game to get into this position, as it defeated Texas, 5-2, on Monday in a tiebreaker game to secure the second wild card spot. "Get your 92nd win, you go to Cleveland against a really good ballclub," Rays manager Joe Maddon said after his teams win on Monday. "Theyre rested. I like the notion that weve pretty much been playing this (elimination-type) game for about a week now." David Price went the distance for the fourth time this year and Evan Longoria belted a deciding two-run homer to pace the Rays, who are back in the postseason for the fourth time in the past six years. "Its a whirlwind, like it always is," said Longoria, who was on base in four of his five at-bats. "We went through so much in the last three days, the ups and downs and the emotions, that it kind of feels like the whole season. Weve had a lot of disappointment here, and to be able to celebrate here, its pretty fitting." Longoria could be getting hot at the right time for the Rays, as he is 11- for-19 (.579) with seven homers, 11 RBI and nine runs scored over his last five games. Price (10-8), who came in sporting an ugly 10.26 ERA in four career starts in Arlington, made sure the Rays moved on by limiting the Rangers to two runs on seven hits. The ace struck out four, walked one and retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced to finish off his gem. "My last time against these guys, I beat them as well, so that kind of gets lost in it, just getting that first game out of the way," said Price. "Getting that first win against a team youve never beat, thats huge. Last time on this mound, I beat those guys. We did it again tonight. Its pretty special." Getting the call for the Rays on Wednesday will be righty Alex Cobb, whose season was almost derailed back in June when he was hit in the face with a line drive. The young hurler returned after missing two months and ended the year 11-3 with a 2.76 ERA. Cobb was unbeaten over the final month, going 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA and tossed seven scoreless innings his last time out against the New York Yankees. "He pitched extremely well once again," Maddon said. "Curveball outstanding, changeup ... I think he was having a hard time command-wise with the changeup early. ... Then he started using his fastball more, which I thought was a great move. But overall, a fantastic performance." Cobb is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his career against Cleveland. This year, he faced the Indians once and beat them, 6-0, with seven shutout innings on April 6. Pitching continues to be the Rays calling card. They threw a team-record 17 shutouts this season, including four in their past 18 games. Their 32 shutouts over the last two years are tied with the Dodgers for most in the majors. They are the first AL team with 15 shutouts in consecutive seasons since the 1989-90 As. Tampa won four of its six matchups with the Indians this season. Ben Simmons Jersey . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. Markelle Fultz Jersey . The deal will pay Hainsey $3 million for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and $2.5 million in 2016-17. http://www.76ersstore.com/kids-clarence-weatherspoon-76ers-jersey/ . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all. Trevor Booker Jersey . A player confirmed to TSN on the condition of anonymity that he received his ballot yesterday. Another confirms hes been told to expect his shortly. "The unions executive committee insists a strike vote does not mean were pushing away from the table," the player said. "But we want the league to know were serious about our position. Wilson Chandler Jersey . -- Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, shot a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to finish first in stroke-play qualifying at the Womens U.NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees honoured Nelson Mandela on Wednesday night during their rain-delayed celebration of the legacy of Jackie Robinson, another icon of social change. The grandson of South Africas first black president, Zondwa Mandela, and Robinsons widow, Rachel, helped unveil a plaque commemorating Mandelas 1990 speech at the old Yankee Stadium. It hangs next to the tribute to Jackie Robinson in Monument Park beyond centre field at the current ballpark. Robinson broke the colour barrier in the major leagues in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The ceremony was pushed back a day to Wednesday because the game between New York and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday -- Jackie Robinson Day around baseball -- was postponed by rain. The plaque features a portrait of Mandela and a dedication. "Able to fill the shoes of our grandfather. That is not why we are here. Its simply symbolic to the fact that we all make up a piece of his magnificent work. I and family, just like all of you who are here, are just a custodian of his legacy," Zondwa Mandela said before the ceremony. "The efforts of the Robinson family, the efforts of our grandfather, should continue to give us a sense that the efforts of today are not supposed to reflect on our experience today," he continued, "but rather that they are for the lives to follow, the generations to come." Yankee captain Derek Jeter presented the Mandela family and Rachel Robinson with a replica of the plaque at home plate prior to the game. It reads: "Nelson Mandela 1918-2013. Noobel Peace Prize winner and global leader whose timeless efforts dismantled apartheid in South Africa.dddddddddddd As President of his country, he would use South Africas enthusiasm for sports as a unifying force for reconciliation. On June 21, 1990, he made a memorable visit to the original Yankee Stadium and proclaimed, "You know who I am. I am a Yankee." "In words and deeds, he became an inspirational leader to the world. Dedicated by New York Yankees, April 15, 2014. Presented to Mandela family from New York Yankees." More than a dozen notable figures, including members of the Mandela and Robinson family, South African government representatives, past and present politicians and labour leaders, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, and singer and activist Harry Belafonte attended a pregame news conference. Several of those attending were present at the Mandela speech nearly 24 years ago and recalled Mandelas charisma that day. "I knew that he had something in mind when he walked on the stage and was going to be presented to America and all the cameras and the world focused on him," Belafonte said. "And he walked out in a Yankee jacket and a Yankee cap, and his first words were: You all know who I am. I am a Yankee. All of America went crazy." "The other hero, the other great hero, Jackie Robinson, (is) being celebrated at the same time," Belafonte added. "So were getting a double whammy. Jackie Robinson and Nelson Mandela being celebrated on the same day is to me a great moment." 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