We have to learn as a young team

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers are beginning to get contributions from more than just a few players. Vonta Leach Jersey . Delmon Young homered for the fourth consecutive game, Prince Fielder hit a three-run shot and Jhonny Peralta homered and drove in three runs in Detroits 7-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday to complete a sweep of the three-game weekend series. Young and Peralta, who were both expected to provide power and production behind Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, have had slow starts. After his homer streak, Young has 10 home runs and 37 RBIs, while Peralta goes into the All-Star Break with only five home runs and 27 RBIs. Tigers manager Jim Leyland discussed the free-swinging Young before the game. “Hes hitting strikes. Thats been the big difference,” Leyland said. “Hes getting pitches to hit and hes hitting em.” He talked about Peralta, who was 3-for-4 with two doubles, after the game. “Hes pulling the balls hes supposed to pull. He hasnt really pulled the ball this year and hes a pull hitter. I think he was so conscious of swinging at some breaking balls going the other way that he was missing balls that he should pull,” Leyland said. “Today he pulled the ball. What he needs to do is pull the ball on a more consistent basis and with two strikes, take the ball the other way.” The power display backed Max Scherzer (8-5), who allowed a run and five hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out seven. “He was pretty good. He was 96, good run on his fastball,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said about Scherzer. “He was good. Its the best weve seen him.” It was the Tigers season-high fifth-straight win and put them two games over .500 – heading into the All-Star break – for the first time since April 25 (10-8). “Its the consistency. You can look at our team, were just playing good team baseball. Everybodys starting to kind of click, our offence is really starting to produce some runs,” Scherzer said..” Our starting staff is starting to give a lot more quality starts, give them a chance to do their job. Obviously our bullpens shutting them down, seven, eight, nine, weve got guys for that. You put that together, were a pretty good team.” Phil Coke pitched a perfect eighth and Octavio Dotel worked a perfect ninth. Salvador Perez homered for Kansas City. Royals starter Everett Teaford (1-2) took the loss. He allowed five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked a batter and struck out five. Peraltas two-out, two-run homer in the second inning gave Detroit a 2-0 lead. His towering drive down the left-field line and into the stands came on Teafords 0-1 pitch and followed Brennan Boeschs single “Left a fastball up to Peralta, hes a good high ball hitter,” Teaford said. It was Peraltas fifth home run. Perez cut the lead in half for Kansas City with his fourth homer, leading off the third. A right-handed batter, Perez lined Scherzers 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence and into the stands. Youngs 10th home run, leading off the fourth made it 3-1. He lined Teafords 2-2 pitch into the shrubbery beyond the right-centerfield fence, an estimated 433 feet away. Kansas City threatened with runners on second and third with two out in the fifth on a lead-off single by Jeff Francoeur and Alex Gordons two-out double that sent Francoueur to third. But Scherzer got Alcides Escobar swinging to end the inning. Fielders three-run homer in the fifth broke the game open, giving the Tigers a 6-1 lead. He greeted reliever Tim Collins by launching his first pitch halfway up the right-field stands, an estimated 417 feet away. It also scored Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry, who led off the inning with singles. “That was the dagger, you know. 3-1, youre still in it. 6-1 …” said Royals right fielder Jeff Francoeur. It was the 15th homer for Fielder – his third in four games – who was voted the A.L. starter at first base by the fans for Tuesday nights All-Star game in Kansas City. He will also participate in Monday nights Home Run Derby. Fielder is batting .299 and has 63 RBIs. “The amount of power he has, its awesome. You got to see it today.,” Scherzer said. “A good reliever whos had a pretty good year so far and absolutely took his fastball deep. Thats just the type of talent he has and why he makes our team great.” Peralta doubled in a run in the eighth. NOTE: Also representing Detroit in the All-Star Game will be third baseman Miguel Cabrera (.324, 18 home runs and 71 RBIs) and Justin Verlander (9-5, 2.58). … Designated hitter Billy Butler ( .290, 16 HR, 52 RBIs) will be the Royals only representative in Tuesday nights game at Kansas Citys Kauffman Stadium. … Jackson (1-for-5) extended his hitting streak to a career high 15 games (26-for-65, .400). Ray Lewis Black Jersey . He is expected to be out for at least six weeks. “He was sent to the hospital, and testing showed elevated pressure in several compartments of the lower leg,” Dodgers trainer Sue Falsone told reporters following the Dodgers 6-0 victory over the St. Kelechi Osemele Jersey . Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer and five pitchers combined to beat the struggling Cleveland Indians 8-4 on Wednesday night. “We did what we needed to win,” manager Bob Melvin said after Oakland took over the AL wild-card lead by one game over Baltimore with its 11th win in 13 games. http://www.shopravenssuperbowlgear.com/joe-flacco-jersey/ . UFC president Dana White used a news conference for Saturdays televised card in Seattle to announce Rouseys UFC launching pad. He bounded on stage with a spare championship belt, declining to say why until he ended the mystery some 20 minutes later. Haloti Ngata Black Jersey . It turned out to be that and much more. After a monster three-hour final set, Tsonga finally delivered the knockout blow by breaking Raonics serve to secure a 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 victory and a spot in the third round. Anquan Boldin Jersey . — Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Davin Joseph has a torn right patellar tendon and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for the entire season. INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers were almost unrecognizable in the first half against Cleveland. They bounced back in a historic way after the break. Paul George scored 27 points and the Pacers held the Cavaliers to 23 points in the second half of a 96-81 victory on Wednesday night. It was the fewest points Indiana has allowed in a half since they joined the NBA in 1976. “We just made some adjustments to how were going to guard them on the ball,” Pacers forward David West said. “We took away their first option, took away their first initial movement, then made them go to that second round of things that they wanted to do, and they werent as efficient as they were in the first half.” Indiana, one of the leagues best defensive teams, was getting ripped to shreds — trailing by 16 at one point. Only a late surge in the final minutes of the second quarter prevented the game from being a complete disaster for the Pacers, as they pulled to 58-52 at the break. . There wasnt much for Indianas coaches to say at halftime — they mostly just showed film. “They kept it short, and when they keep it short, you know what that means,” George said. “Its something we have to do better. The whole team knows what we needed to get better at and thats challenging shots and really defending. We wasnt really playing defence.” Indiana bounced back in a big way and held Cleveland to its lowest-scoring half of the season. West had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and George Hill added 17 points as the Pacers snapped a two-game skid. Indiana, third in the NBA in scoring defence and No. 1 in opponent field-goal percentage coming in, held the Cavaliers to 8-for-41 shooting in the second half. The Cavaliers couldnt build on Tuesdays win over the Los Angeles Lakers. C.J. Miles scored 28 points for the second straight game, but Kyrie Irving was held to nine points on 4-for-12 shooting in his second game back after missing 11 straight with a broken finger. Cleveland coach Byron Scott said the Pacers defence against Irving dictated the game. “Once Indiana became more aggressive and tried to take the ball out of Kyries hands, we caved into it and we just stopped playing,” Scott said. Irving said the Cavaliers need to learn from thheir second-half failure. Ray Lewis Limited Jersey. . “We have to learn as a young team to know how to carry a lead like we had into the second half,” he said. “As the leader of this team, I have to do a better job of settling us down and making that happen.” Perhaps the most excitement in the second half came when Clevelands Tristan Thompson hit Indianas Ben Hansbrough with an errant elbow early in the fourth quarter and big brother Tyler stepped in and angrily protected his younger brother. Thompson was issued a flagrant foul and Ben Hansbrough made one of two free throws to give the Pacers an 83-73 lead. The Pacers remained in control the rest of the way. It was all Cleveland early. The Cavaliers took a 54-38 lead on a jumper by Samardo Samuels with 3:39 left in the first half. Indiana closed the half with a 14-4 run to close the gap to six. “We were down 16, we felt we were better than that,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “You make a calm mental adjustment and get back in the game possession by possession.” George hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 58-57 in the first two minutes of the second half, then Hill made a reverse layup and was fouled. His free throw gave Indiana a 60-58 lead. The three-point play gave the Pacers their first lead since it was 2-0. A 3-pointer by Hill gave the Pacers a 73-66 lead and the Cavaliers called a timeout. A putback by West in the closing seconds of the third quarter gave Indiana an 80-70 lead heading to the fourth. Indiana held Cleveland to 4-for-23 shooting in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 28-12 in the period. Hill had 10 points in the third quarter and George had nine. NOTES: Miles scored 16 points in the first quarter to help the Cavaliers take a 29-25 lead. Miles shot 4 for 7 from the field in the first 12 minutes while his teammates were 4 for 14. … Cleveland didnt have a turnover until 1:59 remained in the second quarter. … Pacers G Lance Stephenson left the game in the third quarter after spraining his right ankle. He did not return. … Tyler Zeller, brother of Indiana University star Cody Zeller, fouled out with eight points for the Cavs. … Indiana C Roy Hibbert had three blocks to notch his 16th consecutive game with multiple swats. ‘ ‘ ‘

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