Dein erstes Forum » en only one team thats above .500 (Pittsburgh at 7-5

BOSTON -- With one ace already on the disabled list, the Boston Red Sox werent taking any chances when their other star pitcher landed awkwardly after a pitch late in the game. By that point, though, Jon Lester had more than done his job. Lester pitched into the eighth inning before jamming his right hip and leaving the game, and Dustin Pedroia homered during a seven-run second to help the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night. "I slipped a little bit. I guess the doctors were kind of calling it a little jammed hip, a type of zinging sensation down my leg." Lester said. "It just didnt feel normal and like I said, at that point in the game, especially with that offence -- they can score some runs in a hurry -- so theres no point in trying to be a hero. Weve got a long way to go the rest of the season." Toronto, which reeled off 11 straight wins this month, had won 12 of its past 14 games and 15 of 19 to close within 6 1/2 games of the AL East-leading Red Sox. Then the Blue Jays ran into Lester. The left-hander retired 10 straight to begin the game and didnt allow a hit until the fifth. But he exited the game with a 7-2 lead after giving up consecutive singles to start the eighth and running the count to 3-0 on Emilio Bonifacio. Farrell came darting out of the dugout as the infielders crowded around Lester. Moments later, Lester walked off the field and Junichi Tazawa came on in relief. "The final pitch that he threw, his landing foot kind of gave way and he jammed his hip," Farrell said. "Given where we were in the ballgame and the number of pitches he had thrown, he clearly had done his job and we werent going to take any chances." It was quite a scare for Red Sox Nation. Clay Buchholz, who is 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA, hasnt pitched since June 8 because of neck stiffness and a sore shoulder. Lester, however, isnt concerned about his leg. He has experienced this before and doesnt think he will miss any starts. "Im not too worried about it. The doctors didnt seem worried about it," he said. "I actually feel fine now. Walking off the field, it just kind of stays with you for a little while, and then after the docs looked at me, I feel normal. Hopefully that will carry over to tomorrow and we wont have to worry about it." The Blue Jays capitalized when Lester left the game, cutting the deficit to 7-4 on a sacrifice fly by Jose Reyes and a groundout by Jose Bautista. Koji Uehara preserved the lead with a perfect ninth for his third save. Lester (8-4) was charged with four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in winning for just the second time in his last eight starts. "I feel that responsibility to go out there and save the bullpen and thats what we tried to do tonight," Lester said. "Obviously would have liked to give (Tazawa) a little better situation than what he came into, but he kept us with the lead and thats the main thing." After starting the season 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA through his first nine starts, Lester struggled over his past seven, going 1-4 with a 7.30 ERA. He returned to form just in time to face baseballs best team in June -- and Bostons bats provided him all the support he needed. The Red Sox jumped all over Chien-Ming Wang, tagging the right-hander for seven runs while batting around in the second. Wang (1-1) lasted just 1 2-3 innings, allowing all seven runs on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts. "They dropped seven on us," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "Against a good pitcher, you are never going to catch that. Too much to overcome." Lester needed only 30 pitches to get through three innings and didnt allow a baserunner until Bautista walked with one out in the fourth. Melky Cabrera singled for Torontos first hit with one out in the fifth and moved to second on a base hit by Rajai Davis. Maicer Izturis drove them both home with a double to left-centre. Yet it wasnt enough to make up for Bostons blistering start. Wang allowed the first seven batters to reach base during the drawn-out second. David Ortiz and Mike Carp walked, Daniel Nava delivered an RBI single off the Green Monster in left field and Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0. Stephen Drews double to right scored Nava, and consecutive base hits by Jose Iglesias and Jacoby Ellsbury stretched the lead to 5-0 before Wang even managed an out. It got even worse. After inducing a double play, Wang served up Pedroias fifth homer of the season, a two-run shot that landed in the first row of Green Monster seats and ended Wangs evening after just 45 pitches. "We swung the bats well," Pedroia said. "A lot of guys strung together some quality at-bats. It was a huge inning for us." NOTES: The Red Sox played their 81st game, marking the 16th consecutive season Boston has owned a winning record halfway through the season. ... Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, on the DL with a neck strain, has been shut down for two to three days with lingering soreness in his right shoulder, according to Farrell. Buchholz (9-0, 1.71 ERA) underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed inflammation in the bursa sac area, but no structural damage. Farrell said he hopes Buchholz will resume throwing this weekend. ... Ellsbury has hit safely in eight straight games and 22 of the past 25. ... Wang fell to 6-7 in 16 career appearances against the Red Sox. ... Toronto RHP Josh Johnson (1-2, 4.60 ERA) will face Allen Webster (0-2, 11.25) in the second game of the series Friday. ... Carp returned to the lineup after missing three games and eight of the past nine with right hamstring tightness. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Bianche . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Off White Italia .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.yeezy350v2italia.it/yeezy-boost-700-offerte.html . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Grigie .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Yeezy Boost 350 Italia . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Roaring out of Texas come the Dallas Cowboys , headed to the Big Apple ready to grab a division crown and maybe more.Crawling out of Texas come the Houston Texans , headed to Naptown for a first-place showdown with the Colts after blowing an exclusive AFC South lead.Yes, the Lone Star state has two division leaders heading into Sunday. Thats about the only resemblance.Dallas (11-1) takes on the New York Giants (8-4), the only team to beat it, in prime time. A Cowboys victory gives them the NFC East title. They already own a playoff berth, and if Detroit and Settle both lose, they also could leave the Meadowlands with home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs.Thats big doings in Big D, so dont expect them to back off.A mentality is something youve built up to get to this point, says rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, the NFLs leading rusher.Its something that is your character. If youre the type of guy who coasts, youre the type of guy who coasts. But we dont have those type of guys in this locker room. I dont have any worries about that.The Giants had won six straight before falling in Pittsburgh. They also lost their top pass rusher, Jason Pierre-Paul, for the season.But theyre the leader in the NFC wild-card race.This is huge, says defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Not saying the last game we had wasnt huge, but this is big in the division. We have got to win this. My ultimate goal is to win the division and they are in our way, so we have to make sure that we get them taken care of.No matter who wins in Indianapolis, the AFC South will be far from decided. A Texans team that dominated the division early on has turned it into a three-team scramble by losing three in a row.Plus, the Colts have Andrew Luck back after he missed one game with a concussion. He returned with a four-TD passing show against the Jets.It certainly feels like a playoff game. I know personally our football team knows how important this game is, says Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler, whose struggles have mirrored Houstons.We know that its a must-win game if we want to accomplish the goals that we set out.Impressively, this is the first year since the 1970 merger that three teams were perfect on the road entering Week 14: Dallas, New England and Oakland. And then the Raiders stumbled in frigid Kansas City on Thursday night, falling 21-13.Tyreek Hill had touchdowns receiving and on a punt return, and Kansas Citys defense made life miserable for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr. The Chiefs (10-3) moved into a first-place tie with Oakland (10-3) in the AFC West, but hold the tiebreaker with two wins over their longtime divisional rival.Baltimore (7-5) at New England (10-2), Monday nightPittsburgh (7-5) at Buffalo (6-6)The AFC North figures to go down to the wire -- the Ravens and Steelers meet in Pittsburgh on Christmas night -- and both teams have difficult road challenges this week.The Patriots can secure the AFC East title by winning or tying and having Miami lose, and they also have a shot at clinching a first-round bye. But Tom Brady and Co. dont exactly relish facing Baltimore, which has won four of five as its defense has become extra stingy.Theyre the first-rated defense in the league, so no one has done a better job over the course of the season than them, Brady says. They dont give you anything easy. You have to earn it. I think they do a good mix with their scheme and also with their personnel, so were prepared for a 60-minute game.Pittsburgh has won five straight and nine of 10 against the Bills, including three straight at Orchard Park. A victory Sunday would be No. 100 for coach Mike Tomlin.Buffalo opens a three-game homestand one win short of 400 in franchise history. The Bills, led by LeSean McCoy, have topped 150 yards rushing in five straight games; their team record is seven straight spanning 1973-74.New Orleans (5-7) at Tampa Bay (7-5)Atlanta (7-5) at Los Angeles (4-8)Lets also tie these two matchups together with the focus on the NFC South race that the Falcons and Bucs lead.Tampa Bay is surging with four straight wins, but has lost eight of the past nine to Drew Brees and the Saints, including the past four in Tampa. The Bucs are getting terrific performances from a rapidly maturing Jameis Winston (15 touchdowns versus four interceptions over the past eight games), and Mike Evans, who ranks third with 1,058 receiving yards and is tied for second with 10 TD receptions.The tough part will be dealing with Brees. He leads the league in completions (375), passing attempts (500), completion rate (71.4 percent), passing yards (3,913) and touchdown passes (30).Atlanta has dropped four of seven to fall into the tie with Tampa Bay. It has the lowest-ranked pass defense in football, though against LAs weak throwing attack, thats not so big a drawback.Brilliant receiver Julio Jones is battling turf toe, which could rob Matt Ryan of his top target.The Rams lost three straight and seven of eight.Denver (8-4) at Tennessee (6-6)While the Raiders and Chiefs battled on Thursday night, the Broncos watched their divisioon rivals.dddddddddddd Tennessee doesnt have that luxury Sunday because it plays at the same time as the teams its tied with atop the AFC South.Neither side can afford a stumble, the Titans much less so. They come off a bye after their offense has gotten in gear with a balanced approach. DeMarco Murray, the 2014 NFL rushing champ with Dallas, trails only the Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott in yards gained on the ground. Marcus Mariota is up to 25 TD passes and a 101.9 passer rating. Mariota has 21 TDs through the air, three interceptions with a 117.7 passer rating in the past eight games. The Titans are averaging a league-best 30.8 points per game since Oct. 6.But penetrating the dynamic Denver defense with passes is another story. With the Broncos more vulnerable against the run, look for lots of Murray. And lots of Broncos star linebacker Von Miller tracking him.Seattle (8-3-1) at Green Bay (6-6)Seattle can clinch the NFC West with a win or a tie against the Pack and an Arizona loss or tie. That division title will come, if not on the Lambeau Field tundra, then down the line.The Packers havent lost to the Seahawks in Green Bay since 1999. Should Russell Wilson lead Seattle to victory, it would move him one behind Atlantas Matt Ryan (56) for most victories in any quarterbacks first five seasons. Wilson would have another three games left this season, too.One key matchup to watch: Aaron Rodgers receivers trying to avoid outstanding linebacker Bobby Wagner, who has an NFL-best 127 tackles, 68 solo.Chicago (3-9) at Detroit (8-4)Chicago comes off a rare win, over disinterested San Francisco, and actually has beaten the Lions this season. More impressively, Detroit comes off its easiest win of the season, at New Orleans.Bears rookie Jordan Howard ran for 111 yards against Detroit in Week 4 and had 117 yards rushing and three touchdowns last week. Hes one of the few dangers Chicago will present to the Lions, who have won four straight and seven of eight since losing at Chicago.Washington (6-5-1) at Philadelphia (5-7)Washington desperately needs this one, and the Eagles are fading rapidly, dropping five of their past six.The Redskins seek a fifth straight win over the Eagles for the first time since a six-game streak from 1981-84. Theyve scored a total of 72 points in their past two visits to the Linc.If Kirk Cousins gets time to throw, he can pick apart a defense. That makes this fact distressing for Philly fans: the Eagles had 20 sacks in the first five games and only six in the past six games, including none in the past two.Cincinnati (4-7-1) at Cleveland (0-12)Its great to see Robert Griffin III healthy enough to get back on the field. Its also uncertain how much of his skills remain intact; its been years since RG3 has been able to stay on the field with any consistency.Expecting him to lift the Browns to their first win might be a bit much, even against a Bengals squad that has underachieved possibly more than any other team. Should Cleveland lose, it will mark one year without a victory. The previous one came Dec. 13, 2015 against San Francisco.Minnesota (6-6) at Jacksonville (2-10)Both slumping teams have highly ranked defenses, which means very little because they cant get out of their own ways with the ball.The Vikings, losers of six of seven since beginning with a five-game winning streak, still have some playoff hopes if they make an immediate turnaround. But they are severely banged up.The Jaguars have lost seven straight overall and are winless in five games at EverBank Field. Their previous home victory was a year ago.Arizona (5-6-1) at Miami (7-5)Arizona was heading downward and the Dolphins were looking up before last week, when the Cardinals handled Washington and Miami stumbled at Baltimore.The Dolphins havent beaten the Cardinals since 1999, but Arizona has dropped all three of its games in the Eastern time zone this season.Miami has beaten only one team thats above .500 (Pittsburgh at 7-5). The other victories came against teams that are a combined 19-52. Yet the Dolphins are in AFC wild-card contention.San Diego (5-7) at Carolina (4-8)San Diego can move the ball and seems to have found a top receiver in Tyrell Williams, who has TD catches in four successive games. Star tight end Antonio Gates has 109 TD catches, second for the position in NFL history to Tony Gonzalez, and RB Melvin Gordon has been highly productive after a bust of a rookie year.Carolina has gone bust just about everywhere after losing in the Super Bowl in February. It has lost five games by three points or fewer and is only 3-3 at home after going 10-0, including playoffs, last season.New York Jets (3-9) at San Francisco (1-11)Two teams that didnt show up last week and embarrassed themselves. If they both learn from it and show some character, this could be an interesting and hard-fought contest.Dont count on it.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '