LOS ANGELES -- Led by a pair of precocious rookies, the Los Angeles Dodgers got themselves right back into the NL championship series.
Jakub Voracek Flyers Jersey . Hyun-Jin Ryu outpitched Adam Wainwright with seven innings of three-hit ball, and Yasiel Puig
celebrated twice on his RBI triple that helped Los Angeles beat the St. Louis
Cardinals 3-0 Monday night in Game 3. Adrian Gonzalezs RBI double ended a
1-for-17 drought for the Dodgers with runners in scoring position. An ailing
Hanley Ramirez added a run-scoring hit as Los Angeles handed Wainwright his
first post-season loss and trimmed its deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven
series. "The playoffs are one-day momentum swings," Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly said. "Right now I feel like weve kind of grabbed it." Puigs youthful
exuberance, which energized the Dodgers as they surged from last place to first
during a torrid midseason stretch, was on full display in the fourth inning. The
22-year-old Cuban defector was so excited when he connected that he raised his
arms immediately and stood in the batters box to watch the flight of the ball
toward right field, clearly thinking it was going out of the park. Once he
realized it wasnt, Puig started charging. He roared into third base and clapped
his hands before raising them again as the sellout crowd of 53,940 cheered. Puig
had reason to exult, having struck out seven times in the series before getting
his first hit. "He brings unbelievable energy every day," Ramirez said. "When we
spoke to him, he told me, I got it today, and he did. Hes a great player." Game
4 is Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, with Ricky Nolasco scheduled to start against
St. Louis right-hander Lance Lynn. But there was speculation the Dodgers might
switch to Zack Greinke, especially after they passed over Nolasco with short
notice in the previous round. "Everybodys trying to do the best they can to get
to the World Series," Puig said through a translator. Los Angeles got Ramirez
and centre fielder Andre Ethier back in the lineup after both proved in batting
practice they were healthy enough to play. Ramirez wore a lightweight flak
jacket to protect his broken left rib -- having been hit by a pitch from
Joe Kelly in Game 1 -- while Ethier has been bothered by shin splints. "What can
I say? It couldnt be better," Ramirez said. "Really happy we got the first win.
Just come back tomorrow and even up the series." Ramirez singled his first time
up off Wainwright and then helped the Dodgers extend their lead to 3-0 in the
eighth. Ramirez hit a soft single off Seth Maness over the head of second
baseman Kolten Wong to score Carl Crawford. The speedy Crawford, on second base
after a one-out single, rounded third and never stopped running when the throw
from the outfield went to second base. On a close play at the plate, Crawford
barely beat the tag by catcher Yadier Molina. "We just had a lot of balls in the
air tonight that hit the ground that normally dont," Cardinals manager
Mike Matheny said. "Were a better club than this." During the rally, retired
Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, whose 1988 team won the franchises last World
Series title, stood up and waved his white rally towel to raucous applause. "We
just knew we had to scratch away and get a win," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis
said. "We needed a great starting pitching performance from Hyun-Jin, and we got
that. You knew it was going to be tough sledding against a guy like Adam. Hes so
good, especially on the big stage, so we were fortunate we scratched a couple of
runs across." Wainwright entered 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and four saves in 15 career
post-season games, including six starts. He pitched St. Louis past Pittsburgh in
the division series, going the distance in a decisive Game 5 last Wednesday. The
right-hander tossed seven strong innings this time, allowing two runs and six
hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Ryu, however, was even better. "I hate
to lose," Wainwright said. "I felt like tonight if I had got a couple of balls
in there, we win the game. I think you just have to tip your hat and move on."
The two pitchers were nearly even through the first three scoreless innings,
with Wainwright giving up one hit. Ryu, who struggled in his first post-season
start in the division series against Atlanta, retired 12 of his first 13
batters, yielding only a walk. "I just zoned in," Ryu said. Ryu was much
improved after lasting just three innings as the first South Korean pitcher to
start a playoff game last week against the Braves. He allowed four runs on six
hits for a no-decision in a game the Dodgers won. The left-hander didnt permit a
Cardinals runner past second base. David Freeses single to right leading off the
fifth was their first hit of the game. Freese was replaced by a pinch-runner
because of tightness in his right calf. He is day to day. Ryu struck out four
and walked one. Mattingly came out to the mound accompanied by a translator with
two outs in the seventh. Ryu responded by striking out Matt Adams to end the
inning as Ellis pumped his right arm in the air. Fans waved South Korean flags
in support of Ryu. "Its definitely a big motivation when you see your star
players go out there hurt," Ryu said through a translator. "It really inspires
you and motivates you to go out there and do the best you can." Kenley Jansen
pitched a perfect ninth for a save. Major League Baseball noted on Twitter that
the nine combined runs in the series are the fewest ever through three games of
a league championship series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. After the
first two games in St. Louis were decided by one run, the Dodgers got to
Wainwright in the fourth and took a 2-0 lead. Gonzalezs double down the
right-field line scored Mark Ellis, who doubled leading off. Gonzalez smacked
his hands together in a celebratory gesture resembling an explosion. "I saw
Adrian doing some Mickey Mouse stuff at second," Wainwright said. Gonzalez
replied: "I did what I always do. Mickey Mouse is only an hour away so, you
know, it fits us." With two outs, Puig tripled off the wall in right to snap his
0-for-11 skid in the series. Cardinals centre fielder Jon Jay was involved in an
apparent miscommunication when the ball hit by Mark Ellis dropped between him
and right fielder Carlos Beltran. The Dodgers first hit, a single by Ramirez to
shallow centre in the first, dropped between Jay and second baseman
Matt Carpenter. "Its a ball Ive got to catch. Im the centre fielder. Its my
ball. Ive got to take charge," Jay said. "It came back to haunt us, but thats
part of baseball. Youre going to make mistakes sometimes." NOTES: The Dodgers
snapped a stretch of 22 innings without a run in the fourth. They hadnt scored
since the third inning of Game 1. ... Ethier was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. ...
Dusty Baker, Reggie Smith, Ron Cey and Steve Garvey -- baseballs first 30-homer
quartet in 1977 -- tossed ceremonial first pitches. That Dodgers team won the NL
pennant before losing to the Yankees in six games in the World Series. ...
Neither team has a home run through the first three games. ... Among the famous
faces in attendance were Dustin Hoffman and Ice Cube.
Steve Mason Flyers Jersey Authentic . A wide-eyed 18-year-old visiting North America for only the second time in his
young life, Caboclo immediately noticed the "big tower" his new home is best
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Ron Hextall Flyers Jersey Authentic . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and
to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional
era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was
made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics.NEW YORK --
Mark Sanchezs banged-up right shoulder will keep him out of the New York Jets
preseason finale. Whether hes also out of the teams quarterback competition
remains to be seen. The Jets announced Sunday that Sanchez is "day-to-day" with
an injured shoulder that will sideline him for the teams preseason finale
against Philadelphia on Thursday night. Sanchez, competing with rookie
Geno Smith for the starting job, was unlikely to play in that game anyway. The
team did not announce the nature or severity of Sanchezs injury, suffered in the
Jets 24-21 overtime victory over the Giants on Saturday night. Sanchez had an
X-ray after the game on the shoulder, which apparently revealed no fractures,
and an MRI exam Sunday to determine if theres any damage. The Jets announcement
indicated that Sanchez likely does not have a season-ending injury. Still,
theres a chance Sanchez might not be ready in time for the regular-season opener
against Tampa Bay on Sept. 8. Sanchez, who appeared in good shape to beat out
Smith for the starting job, left with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter when he
took a hard hit in the shoulder from Marvin Austin after he completed a 23-yard
pass to Mohamed Massaquoi. Sanchez stayed on the turf, writhing in pain for a
few moments as the teams trainers ran out to check on him. When he eventually
got up, the quarterback flexed his right arm and hand as he headed to the
sideline. He took one practice throw on the sideline and appeared to shake his
head "No." Trainers wrapped his shoulder in ice before taking him to the locker
room. Coach Rex Ryan has taken a lot of heat from media and fans for bringing in
Sanchez that late in the game behind an offensive line made up of backups. While
it was similar to the line he played with in the third quarter of last weeks win
over Jacksonville, it seemed somewhat curious why Sanchez -- who many assumed
had moved ahead in the competition -- would be put in at that point.
Luke Schenn Flyers Jersey. "I understand being second-guessed when an injury happens," Ryan said. "Certainly I understand
that. But thats football." Smith struggled in his first NFL start, throwing
three interceptions and stepping out of the back of the end zone for a safety
while playing into the fourth quarter. Ryan and Smith said after the game that
the plan all along was to have Sanchez play after Smith. "I would not have put
Mark in there if it wasnt important," Ryan said. Ryan also turned testy --
turning his body sideways to the media at one point -- while refusing to
definitively answer whether Smith could still win the quarterback competition
despite his poor performance. "I can say anything I want," he said. "Thats the
beauty of this country. I can answer it 100 (times). I can stand backwards and
answer the question. Im going sideways. Well make the announcement when I think
its the appropriate time." Sanchez finished 5 of 6 for 72 yards and a lost
fumble, but had likely moved ahead of Smith in the competition. Now, if Sanchez
must miss a few weeks, Smith could be the Week 1 starter. The only other
quarterbacks on the roster are the inexperienced Greg McElroy and Matt Simms.
"As long as Rex and the committee are evaluating us, I think I have a shot,"
Smith said after the game. "As Ive stated, I dont think one game, one practice,
one day will tell you the type of quarterback I am. I think it takes a ton of
evaluation to get this thing done."
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