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PHILADELPHIA —A lost year has reinvigorated Joe Blanton. Philip Rivers Womens Jersey . The Phillies
right-hander pitched seven-plus strong innings and Placido Polanco homered for
his 2,000th career hit to lead Philadelphia to a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros
on Monday night. Blanton (4-3) allowed six hits and one run, struck out seven
and walked one while pitching in a steady light rain throughout. He continued
his solid recent stretch, improving to 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his last four
starts. “He got there pretty easy,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of
Blanton reaching the eighth. “Hes pitching real good.” Its been quite a
turnaround for Blanton, who missed most of last season with an elbow injury that
limited him to 41 1/3 innings and eight starts. But the time away proved
beneficial—both physically and mentally. “Physically, I feel better than I
have in a couple years and mechanically, too,” he said. “Im having fun with the
game again. You feel like a kid again after missing so much time. Its nice to be
out there and contribute to help us win games.” Blanton got a lift from a
Philadelphia offence that has been subpar for much of the season, but has come
on of late. Freddy Galvis had three hits and drove in a pair of runs and
Carlos Ruiz went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Phillies, who have won three of
four since manager Manuels much-publicized team meeting last Wednesday. The
highlight, of course, was Polancos eighth-inning homer that allowed him to reach
the milestone. “It means a lot, means Ive been around for a while,” Polanco
said. “However, Im not thinking about that. Im trying to win games and hopefully
a championship.” Said Blanton: “It shows youre good and good for a long time.
Thats impressive to see.” Marwin Gonzalez, pinch hitting to lead off the eighth,
hit his first major league homer for the Astros lone run. Carlos Lee went 3 for
4 for Houston, which has lost six of eight after a season-best five-game winning
streak. Lee, who recorded all three hits off Blanton, now is 9 for 18 lifetime
against the Philadelphia pitcher. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the fifth
inning on Galvis RBI single to right. Philadelphia was helped in the frame by
shortstop Jed Lowries fielding error on John Mayberry Jr.s grounder up the
middle, making the run unearned for Houston right-hander Lucas Harrell (2-3).
The Phillies could have added to the advantage, but stranded the bases loaded on
Juan Pierres groundout. Philadelphia went up 3-0 in the sixth on Ruizs single to
left that scored Shane Victorino, who opened the frame with a triple, and Galvis
opposite-field single. Galvis hit came off Wilton Lopez, who relieved Harrell.
Rather than walk Galvis and load the bases for Blanton, Astros manager
Brad Mills elected to pitch to Galvis. And the rookie who is filling in for
injured All-Star Chase Utley (knee) at second base, made Houston pay with an
opposite-field liner that scored Polanco. Galvis, batting .231, now has 15 RBIs
on just 25 hits. Harrell left after allowing three runs—two earned—on five
hits in 5 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks. He was noticeably
upset when he left the field and in the dugout. “I was pretty frustrated,”
Harrell said. “Thats the best Ive thrown the ball all year, hands down. I had
good location and thought everything was really working tonight. Im out there
competing and the guys are competing too. I had some frustration built up.” The
Astros nearly got on the board twice against Blanton, with Lee, in the fourth,
and Brian Bogusevic, in the sixth, just missing homers down the left-field line.
Altuve followed Gonzalezs homer in the eighth with a single to left, ending the
night for Blanton. But Philadelphia relievers Antonio Bastardo and Chad Qualls
combined on a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless ninth,
striking out the side, in a non-save situation. Polanco reached his milestone
with a two-run homer, his first off the year, to left field off David Carpenter
in the eighth. “I knew I hit it pretty good and hoped it dropped somewhere,”
Polanco said. Notes: Opponents have one hit in their last 23 at-bats against
Bastardo. ... The Phillies crowd of 43,824 was the 221st regular-season sellout
and 237th straight including post-season play. ... The Astros dropped to 32-21
against the Phillies since 2004, still the only NL club with a winning record
against Philadelphia during that span. Houston also is the lone NL club with a
winning record at Citizens Bank Park, going 16-11 against Philadelphia since the
park opened in 2004. Philip Rivers Jersey . With hooligans
fighting one another and police away from the stadium, Russia and Poland played
out a 1-1 draw Tuesday. The result left Russia at the top of Group A, but all
four teams still have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals. Philip Rivers Youth Jersey . The tournament
will be held April 14-24 in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany. The Calgary
Hitmens Mike Williamson will coach the team, with Barrie Colts coach Dale
Hawerchuk and Swift Current Broncos coach Mark Lamb serving as assistants. http://www.sandiegochargersjerseyonsale.com/eric-weddle-jersey
. – Nick Swisher could only applaud the Angels first impressive catch on a ball
that he absolutely crushed. Eric Weddle Womens Jersey . – The New England
Patriots signing rookie free agent Derek Dennis, an offensive lineman, on
Thursday. Antonio Gates Jersey . “Youve got two teams
that have been in the league forever,” said Wendel Clark, who is among the
former players lined up to represent the Maple Leafs. “Its a great idea to have
the second one to open up the option to have more guys to be a part of it.
MINNEAPOLIS —His left knee fully healed, Adrian Peterson ran hard—and
often. The Minnesota Vikings finally turned their star running back loose after
months of caution, and he rewarded their trust with a typical two-touchdown
game. Seemed as if hed never been hurt. Rookie Blair Walsh kicked four field
goals, including a 55-yarder as regulation ended and another in overtime, and
Peterson returned a little more than eight months after reconstructive surgery
to lift the Vikings to a 26-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
“My legs are loose. Seriously, Im feeling really good. Im ready to carry the
load,” Peterson said. Peterson ran 17 times for 84 yards for the Vikings, who
led for most of the second half until Blaine Gabberts 39-yard touchdown pass and
2-point conversion with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave the Jaguars a
23-20 lead. “We just wanted to give yall a show,” said Vikings quarterback
Christian Ponder, who rebounded from an erratic start. “We could have ended the
game a little sooner … but everyone knew the rule and was well aware of what
was going on.” For the first time since the NFLs new overtime scoring rule was
installed last season, the first team to score didnt immediately run off the
field a winner. The replacement officials were right on top of that and most of
the rest of the action, avoiding any game-changing contested calls or blatant
mistakes. After Walshs 38-yard kick, the Vikings had to play defence again so
the Jaguars had their turn to match. But Gabbert was hurried into a fourth-down
overthrow, spoiling the debut for new Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey, who played
for the Vikings in the 1980s. “Nobody likes to lose, especially myself,” Gabbert
said. “Maybe Im just doing a good job of hiding it. It makes my blood boil when
you lose games like that.” For two teams that combined for eight wins last
season, this game had everything, including the wild lead change in the waning
seconds. After forcing a punt by the Jaguars at the two-minute warning, the
Vikings went three-and-out and punted the ball right back clinging to a 20-15
lead. With no timeouts, 91 seconds left and starting at his 24-yard line,
Gabbert put together perhaps the best drive of his brief career. He completed a
fourth-down pass to rookie Justin Blackmon and then found Cecil Shorts III open
for a 23-20 lead after the 2-point conversion, putting a stunned silence over
the stadium. But the Vikings still had two timeouts, and with two quick passes
by Ponder they hustled in position for Walsh to kick the tying field goal with
room to spare. They won the coin toss and, with 27 yards on three carries by
Peterson to become the franchises career leading rusher, set up the sixth-round
draft pick from Georgia for his go-ahead kick..dddddddddddd “Ive been bragging
on this guy,” Peterson said. Ponder finished 20 for 27 for 270 yards, though he
lost a fumble in the third quarter that led to one of Josh Scobees three field
goals. Peterson, who tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments
last Christmas Eve, had 17 of Minnesotas 29 runs. Gabbert went 23 for 39 for 260
yards and two scores, but he dropped a snap in the third quarter that was
recovered at the Jaguars 44 by Kevin Williams to set up Petersons second
touchdown run. His Superman-like leap over the line from 2 yards gave the
Vikings a 14-9 lead he celebrated with a somersault up from the turf. Petersons
first carry was unremarkable in style, a simple 4-yard gain after a stutter step
at the line of scrimmage. But the crowd realized the significance and applauded
Peterson almost as loudly as they did when he sprinted out of the tunnel during
the pregame introduction. “I got up and knew it was going to be a pretty good
day,” Peterson said. At the end of a rough first half, going almost an hour
between first downs, the Vikings were suddenly within 9-7 after Petersons first
touchdown. “I told him afterward: Im not sure you werent just faking that ACL,”
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “He looked pretty good to me.” Gabbert showed
more good than bad. But despite some tough inside running by Maurice Jones-Drew,
who skipped training camp in protest over his contract, the Jaguars had too many
stalled drives. Vikings rookie Matt Kalil blocked Scobees extra point in the
second quarter, too. Jones-Drew, who was also supposed to be in a limited role,
gained 77 yards on 19 carries for the Jaguars because starter Rashad Jennings
hurt his knee. “I still think hes got some work to do, but I think hes pretty
proud of the way he picked up the system,” Mularkey said. Down the hall, the
Vikings couldnt have been more proud of the way Peterson readied himself after
months of grueling rehabilitation. “It changes the game,” Ponder said. “He ran
with a purpose today. He was so dynamic.” NOTES: Peterson passed Robert Smith
into first place on Minnesotas all-time rushing list, with 6,836 yards in his
74th career game. The Vikings showed a videotaped congratulatory message from
Smith, who played eight seasons for the Vikings, on the scoreboard. ... Jennings
had 31 yards on eight carries. Mularkey said his injury wasnt serious. ...
Attendance was announced at 56,607, ending Minnesotas sellout streak that began
in 1998. But the Vikings used a new NFL rule this year to lower their sales mark
to 90 per cent for avoiding a local TV blackout. ... The Vikings are 4-1
all-time vs. the Jaguars, losing here in 2001. This was their first season
opener since 2007 at home, where they went 1-7 last year. ’ ’ ’
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