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ATLANTA —The Atlanta Braves are moving to a six-man rotation for two weeks. Russell Wilson Jersey . Manager Fredi
Gonzalez said Monday hell pick the best five starters at the end of August. The
Braves are in a stretch of playing 20 consecutive days before a day off on Aug.
30. “After that, were going with five,” Gonzalez said. “Somebody is going to
have to go to the bullpen and thats just the way it is.” Gonzalez said he will
not defer to seniority when picking his five-man rotation for September as the
Braves chase first-place Washington in the NL East. “No, well go with our best
five and I can promise you on that,” he said. “Our best five, or the five
healthiest guys.” The Braves created a surplus in their rotation last month by
trading for Paul Maholm, signing Ben Sheets and moving Kris Medlen from the
bullpen. Right-hander Tommy Hanson, who leads Atlanta with 12 wins, returns from
the disabled list this week and will start on Friday against the Dodgers. Hanson
has been out with a strained lower back since July 31. There are other health
concerns in the rotation. Tim Hudson, the veteran of the rotation, missed a
start in June due to bone spurs in his left ankle. Sheets completed a long
comeback from surgery on his right elbow when he made his first start in the
majors in almost two years last month. Gonzalez said he is moving to the six-man
rotation “for the concerns of taking care of some of the guys.” “We need to be
able to go into September with all of the cylinders hitting and everybody
healthy,” Gonzalez said. “This is one way to keep those guys healthy.” Gonzalez
is trying to avoid a repeat of the Braves historic collapse last season, when
they won only nine of their last 27 games and were passed by St. Louis for the
NL wild card on the last day of the regular season. Medlen is 2-0 as a starter,
allowing only three earned runs in three starts. He also has been effective in
the bullpen and said he is comfortable in either role. “Ive been saying the
entire time, whenever I get the ball, starter or reliever, Im good,” Medlen said
Monday. “I dont get too caught up in trying to figure out whats going on. Thats
when you get caught with something unexpected. “I know Im starting Thursday and
I take it from there, one start at a time.” Gonzalez says Medlen will stick in
the rotation if his success continues. Medlen is 3-1 overall with one save and a
2.38 ERA. Sheets is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in six starts. His worst start came in
Sundays 6-5 loss to the Mets when he gave up five runs, four earned, in six
innings. The six-man rotation includes Mike Minor, Hudson, Maholm, Sheets,
Medlen and Hanson. Former All-Star Jair Jurrjens and Randall Delgado couldnt
hold spots in the rotation this season. Richard Sherman Jersey . Kohlschreiber
defeated Attila Balazs of Hungary 6-4, 6-1 in a second-round match that was
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assessment of the five cities in contention—Istanbul, Madrid, Tokyo, Doha and
Baku, Azerbaijan. The IOC executive board likely will reduce the field to three,
possibly four, finalists. Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid look certain to make the
cut, with Baku a longshot and Doha the big question mark. All five contenders
are previous bidders: Madrid is back for a third consecutive time, Tokyo a
second time in a row and Istanbul a fifth time overall; Doha and Baku both
failed to make the shortlist last time for the 2016 Games. http://www.nflnikeseattleseahawks.com/doug-baldwin-jersey
. Manager Ned Yost was willing to play until the sun came up if it meant ending
the six-game skid. “I dont care as long as we got it,” Royals manager Ned Yost
said after Saturday nights 7-6 win over Cleveland in 14 innings. Steve Largent Jersey . Ajax will host Man
United on Feb. 16 in a clash of clubs who have been European champion a combined
seven times. “Its two teams that should have been in the Champions League
still,” Ajax commercial director Henri van der Aat told The Associated Press. Leroy Hill Jersey . TSN.ca has got you
covered for all the on-court action with the 2012-13 NBA Preview featuring
in-depth looks at the Associations 30 teams.FORT WORTH, Texas – Zach Johnson was
so caught up in the emotion of another Colonial title and a victory in honour of
his caddies late father that he forgot to properly remark his ball before his
final putt. Even with a two-stroke penalty, Johnson won by one over Jason Dufner
and got to slip on the plaid jacket Sunday for his first victory since also
winning at Hogans Alley two years ago. “Theres a number of adjectives Im calling
myself right now. And lucky would be the biggest one,” Johnson said. “Blessed
would be another one, humbled would be another one. Its an honour to put this
jacket on once. ... Im in shock I got it twice.” Johnson moved his original ball
mark out of the line of Dufners putt on the 18th green. But he never moved it
back before his final 5-foot putt. The penalty was assessed before he signed his
scorecard, and Johnsons 12-under 268 total was enough to edge Dufner, who
finally faltered and closed with a 74. Johnson had already shared celebratory
hugs and kisses with his two young sons and done a winners television interview
before caddie Damon Green, prompted by a rules official, asked the 2007 Masters
champion if he had put his ball back in its original spot. “First time it
crossed my mind,” Johnson said. “Its not going to be the last time.” The victory
came 10 days after Greens 88-year old father died from stomach cancer. After
Johnsons runner-up finish at The Players Championship two weeks ago, the caddie
drove to Pensacola, Fla., to see his father. But Damon Green was ready to get
back on the course this week. “He wanted to be here, he felt like his dad wanted
him to be here,” Johnson about his caddie of 10 years. “I think hes the one that
deserves this one more than I do. His courage and certainly his strength to get
through last week and then work, and work well this week, to stay focused
somehow. Thats really commendable.” It is the eighth PGA Tour victory for
Johnson, who won $1,152,000 even as his record streak of 15 consecutive
under-par rounds at Colonial ended. Tommy Gainey was a distant third at 7 under
after a 67, a stroke better than Jim Furyk. In what was essentially a match-play
final round, Johnson took command at the 414-yard 15th hole. Dufners approach
hit the left side of that green then rolled into a ditch, leading to a triple
bogey that put him four strokes back after Johnsons par. Dufners only two PGA
Tour victories came in the previous four weeks, a stretch when he also got
married. After winning last week at the Byron Nelson Championship, he was trying
to match Ben Hogan, his hero, as the only players to win both PGA Tour events in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the same year. Hogan did it in 1946, when the
tournaments werent played in consecutive weeks. “Pretty good run, today
obviously a little disappointing to play that poorly and not kind of a chance
there at the end,” said Dufner, insisting fatigue didnt come into play. “I feel
pretty good actually. ... I just played really poorly today. Chris Clemons Jersey. ” There had already
been four two-stroke swings between Dufner and Johnson before that fateful 15th
hole. Dufner drove into a fairway bunker before the shot that trickled over a
ledge into the water. He then pitched his drop all the way over the green and
missed a 4-foot putt for double bogey. Johnson made par at the same hole where a
day earlier his approach settled into a grassy clump only inches from going into
that ditch. With his feet together to keep from falling over himself, Johnsons
pitch from about 81 feet rolled only inches from the cup. “I hit a terrible shot
(Saturday), got lucky. Got a nice break,” Johnson said. “He didnt hit a great
shot today. But he got a bad break. I dont know how else to explain it other
than the fact that its golf.” Johnson had blown a two-stroke lead before going
back ahead with his 9-foot birdie putt at the 445-yard 14th. At the 616-yard
11th, a straight par 5, Johnsons drive hit a tree and ricocheted back into the
middle of the fairway. He took advantage with an 18 1/2-foot birdie putt to get
to 15 under. Dufner wasnt as fortunate with his wayward drive, which settled
under a tree. He had to punch a low shot around the branches before hitting his
approach into a greenside bunker and two-putting from 23 feet for bogey. But
Dufner needed only one hole to get even again, with an 8-foot birdie at No. 12.
Johnson hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker, then his first attempt out of
there hit the lip and rebounded over and behind him before a bogey. They were
tied at 14 under going to the back nine after Dufners double bogey at the
386-yard ninth hole, where his approach from 103 yards hit just short of the
green and rolled back into the water. After driving into a fairway bunker at the
382-yard second hole, Dufner three-putted from 28 feet for his first bogey on
any of the first eight holes all week. Johnson made a 28-foot birdie putt to go
in front by a stroke. At No. 5, Dufner made an 8-footer for his third birdie of
the week at the tight par 4 parallel to the Trinity River that is one of
Colonials toughest holes. Even after a frustrating tee shot into the rough at
the sixth hole, Dufner regained the lead by rolling in a 34-foot birdie putt.
Johnson trailed by two strokes when his tee shot at the 188-yard eighth was way
left before his short pitch shot missed the green and he bogeyed. “What (Dufner)
has done the last month is beyond impressive,” Johnson said. “I kind of feel
like I somewhat unseated a king to me because he has been on top for four
weeks.” Divots: Hunter Mahan, No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings behind Dufner,
had three consecutive bogeys on the back nine and his only birdie in his round
of 74 came on the last hole. He finished with a 282 total. ... Rickie Fowler,
who in his previous two starts got his first PGA Tour win along with a runner-up
finish at The Players Championship, shot a 69 and was in a group of five players
tied for fifth at 275. ’ ’ ’