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DETROIT —Colby Lewis came into Game 3 of the AL championship series as the
surest thing the Texas Rangers had on the mound. Clay Matthews Youth Jersey . And for three
innings, he was. Then, the Detroit Tigers began chipping away. And by the time
they were done, they had handed Lewis his first post-season defeat and beaten
Texas 5-2 Tuesday night to cut the Rangers edge to 2-1. “My job is to give us a
chance to win,” Lewis said. “I did that until things got away a little in the
sixth.” The Tigers took the lead on a pitch manager Ron Washington regrets Lewis
throwing in the fifth. Lewis gave Miguel Cabrera a 91 mph fastball to swing at
on an 0-2 count and the AL batting champion pounced on it, hitting a go-ahead
double. Cabrera got to hit, rather than pitching around him as planned with the
hobbled Victor Martinez on deck. “The ball was supposed to be out of the zone,”
Washington said. “He didnt put it there.” Lewis, though, recalled what he was
supposed to do differently. “I thought I could get (Cabrera) out,” Lewis said.
“I wasnt even thinking about a walk there. “It was 0-2 and I threw a pitch that
I thought was a foot-and-a-half off the plate. Maybe it wasnt, but it certainly
wasnt over the plate. He just hit it. Hes a great hitter.” Martinez had a strain
on the right side of his ribs when he hit a solo homer off Lewis in the fourth.
The designated hitter stayed in the game and drew a walk in the fifth. The
Tigers padded their lead and ended Lewis night in the sixth. Jhonny Peralta
homered on Lewis first pitch of the ninth and No. 9 hitter Andy Dirks chased
Lewis with a two-out single. Koji Uehara replaced Lewis and gave up an RBI
single to the previously struggling Austin Jackson, giving the Tigers a 4-1
lead. Lewis was charged with four runs on eight hits and two walks while
striking out six. “I thought I threw the ball well, but sometimes you just dont
get the results you want,” he said. The Texas right-hander hadnt given up more
than two runs in any of his previous five post-season starts. He had a chance to
join Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax as the only pitcher to allow no more than two
runs in his first six post-season starts that lasted at least five innings.
Lewis entered the game 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in the post-season. Josh Beckett,
Andy Pettitte and Lewis are the only AL pitchers to win four straight
post-season starts since 2000. Now, the Rangers will have to hope left-hander
Matt Harrison helps them stay ahead in the best-of-seven series when he pitches
against Detroits Rick Porcello in Game 4 Wednesday. “We have nothing to worry
about,” Rangers right-fielder Nelson Cruz said. “We knew we were playing a good
team, and they beat us. We know how to deal with that. Well be fine.” Texas
hopes third baseman Adrian Beltre will be fine as well. Beltre fouled a pitch
off his left knee in the fourth and X-rays showed it was just a bruise. He fell
to the ground immediately but was able to finish his at-bat after being checked
on. He ended up grounding out, jogging gingerly to first, but remained in the
game. “My own knee hurt again after that one,” teammate Elvis Andrus said. “I
know how tough Adrian is, but those are really tough.” Early on, it looked as if
Lewis might join elite company in baseball lore and help the Rangers win their
sixth straight game this post-season. He retired the Tigers in order in the
first by getting Jackson out on a foul ball and striking out Ramon Santiago and
Cabrera. Lewis escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second by striking out
slumping Alex Avila and Ryan Raburn, and allowed one hit the next inning while
the Rangers held onto a one-run lead. After that, the game began to slip away
from Lewis and the Rangers. Cabrera added a towering home run in the seventh.
Detroit dropped the first two games in Texas before turning to Doug Fister, who
won the decisive fifth game of the division series at Yankee Stadium last week.
He was sharp again, allowing two runs and seven hits with no walks in 7 1-3
innings. Jose Valverde, after pitching a season-high two innings the day before,
worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his third playoff save. He got
some help from Cabrera, who made a diving play at first base. Detroit played
without injured outfielders Delmon Young, Magglio Ordonez and Brennan Boesch.
Fisters first nine pitches were strikes, but the Rangers poked three of them
into the outfield for singles and took a 1-0 lead. Ian Kinsler led off with a
single to left, then Andrus chopped an 0-2 pitch into right for a base hit.
Josh Hamilton fell behind 0-2 as well before hitting a soft line drive just past
the outstretched arm of Peralta, the shortstop, for an RBI single. Fister
escaped without further damage thanks to a double-play grounder by Michael Young
and a strikeout by Adrian Beltre. “I think weve got great momentum, now this is
our time,” Detroit reliever Joaquin Benoit said. NOTES: Valverde has converted
all 52 of his save chances this year, including three in the post-season. ...
Fister was nearly hit in the fourth when a piece of Mike Napolis broken bat
sailed toward the mound. Fister instinctively stuck out his glove, but the bat
missed him. ... Hamilton lost control of his bat during a sixth-inning swing,
and it sailed into the front row behind the Texas dugout. A male fan was shaken
up after getting hit by the bat but appeared to be OK. ... Yorvit Torrealba
started at catcher for Texas so Napoli could have a bit of a breather as the DH.
Torrealba had three hits. B.J. Raji Jersey . So much for any hangover
affect from losing last years World Series for the Texas Rangers. Alex Green Jersey . The central midfielder
was meant to be a backup to Yann MVila at Euro 2012. But an ankle injury for
Laurent Blancs first choice means Diarra will be in the starting lineup at the
Group D match in Donetsk. http://www.nflnikegreenbaypackers.com/morgan-burnett-jersey
. Brian Ebersole, who is coming off a June 22 decision over T.J. Waldburger, has
agreed to step in for the fighter from Mississauga, Ont., against James Head. James Jones Youth Jersey . Dwyane Wade and
LeBron James turned around a season on the brink with perhaps the most
remarkable week of their high-powered partnership, capped off by a 105-93
victory in Game 6 Thursday night that sent the Heat back to the Eastern
Conference finals. A.J. Hawk Jersey . The teams made it official
on Tuesday night when the NBA lifted the free agency signing moratorium. The
Suns received first-round picks in 2013 and 2015, and second-round selections in
2013 and 2014 for Nash, an eight-time All-Star and two-time league MVP.BOSTON –
Call him old. Call him dirty. It just fires up Kevin Garnett even more—and
that didnt work out very well for the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff
series against the Boston Celtics. Upset by comments from a Hawks owner calling
him “the dirtiest guy in the league,” Garnett responded with 28 points and 14
rebounds to give the Celtics an 83-80 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night that
eliminated Atlanta. “Thank you to their owner for giving me some extra gas
tonight,” Garnett said. “My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth
to know what hes talking about with Xs and Os vs. checkbooks and bottom lines.”
The Celtics will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday in Boston
against the Philadelphia 76ers, who eliminated East No. 1 seed Chicago in six
games with a 79-78 victory earlier Thursday. “At least we dont have to travel,”
said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who had hoped to be playing a day or two later.
“Id rather be going to Game 1 here than Game 7 in Atlanta.” Garnett topped his
regular-season high of 25 points and had five blocks and three steals for
Boston. Paul Pierce had 18 points despite playing with a sprained medial
collateral ligament in his left knee, and Rajon Rondo had 14 points and eight
assists. But Garnett, who turns 36 this month, was the star, defying age and a
reputation that led Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. to say within earshot of
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “They are old. I know what happens when you
play basketball, old guys foul. Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league.”
Garnett responded on the court, hitting a jumper with 31 seconds left to give
Boston the lead for good. Then he responded off it. “I just found that comment
to be a little rude and a little out of hand and I wanted to address it,” he
said. “Just because youve got a lot of money doesnt mean you can open your
mouth.” Josh Smith had 19 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, which failed to
advance in the playoffs for the first time in four years. Joe Johnson had 17
points, Marvin Williams added 16 and eight rebounds and Al Horford had 15 points
and nine rebounds. But Horford missed the first of two foul shots with 2.3
seconds left after he was tackled by Marquis Daniels to avoid an easy dunk that
would have tied the game. After he made the second, the Celtics got the ball to
Pierce, who was fouled and made both free throws. Boston has won at least one
playoff series every year since the new Big 3 was assembled in the summer of
2007. “The one thing about the Celtics is those guuys know how to win,” Williams
said. C.J. Wilson Jersey. “After winning (Game 5)
down in Atlanta with our backs against the wall, we knew it was going to be
tough coming up here. I thought we did a really good job putting ourselves in
position to win down the stretch.” The Boston crowd burst into a cheer—even
the Celtics players were checking it out—near the end of the third quarter
when the final play of the Sixers-Bulls game was shown on the scoreboard.
Instead of having to face Chicago on the road—even without injured star
Derrick Rose—the Celtics will have home-court advantage against eighth-seeded
Philadelphia. The Hawks went 5 minutes without scoring early in the fourth
quarter as the Celtics turned a two-point game into a 74-65 lead. But Atlanta
scored 10 of the next 12 points, with Horford scoring the last three baskets,
making it a one-point game on an alley-oop pass from Smith with 3:52 left. Smith
faked at the top of the key and went right down the lane for a dunk that gave
Atlanta its first lead of the second half, 77-76. Horford drove to the basket to
give the Hawks a three-point lead. Atlanta still led 79-78 when Garnett made a
turnaround jumper in the lane over Smith to put Boston ahead by one. Smith
missed a long rainbow jumper and Ray Allen got the rebound with 10 seconds left,
but he made only one of two free throws. Johnson drove to the basket but Pierce
blocked his shot and Garnett tipped it out of bounds with 3.1 seconds left. The
Hawks got the ball to Horford in the lane but as he went up for the dunk or
layup, Daniels, who played just one minute in the game, wrapped him up and kept
him from scoring. The first foul shot went off the rim, costing Atlanta a chance
to tie. Notes: Pierce injured the knee during Sunday mornings shootaround and
hurt it again when he tried to get around a screen set by Smith during Game 4
that night. ... Rivers became just the third coach in Celtics history to record
50 postseason victories, joining Red Auerbach (90) and K.C. Jones (65) . New
England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was at the game. ... The Hawks
lost to the Celtics in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, a series that went
seven games. Boston went on to win its NBA-record 17th championship. ... Allen,
the NBAs all-time 3-point leader, was 1 for 7 from beyond the arc. ... The Hawks
are 1-11 in playoff series against Boston. They last beat the Celtics as the St.
Louis Hawks to win the 1958 NBA title. ... Rondo had three assists and two
baskets during a 16-0 run in the second quarter. Pierce, who came back off the
bench in the middle of the run, had five points and a steal over the span of 4
minutes. ’ ’ ’