Black- and Whitelist » r performance has been sporadic

CLEVELAND -- Josh Reddick knows how to break out of a slump. Mired in an 8-for-43 skid over his last 13 games going into Friday night, Reddick homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in a career-high six runs in the Oakland Athletics 11-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. "I was getting some pitches to handle and not missing them," Reddick said. "Thats how you keep a hot streak going, you dont miss pitches." Oakland manager Bob Melvin sure was pleased to see Reddick pounding out hits. "Its nice to see him drive some balls," Melvin said. "The first one obviously puts four runs on the board and opens it up in a hurry. The second one was one of the more aggressive swings Ive seen him have in a while." Reddicks second career grand slam and Josh Donaldsons three-run homer sparked an eight-run second inning. Reddick added a two-run homer in the seventh. Sonny Gray (5-1) allowed one run and two hits with nine strikeouts in six innings for Oakland, which has won seven of eight. Both homers in Oaklands biggest inning of the season came off Zach McAllister (3-4), who struck out the side in the first, but retired only one batter in the second for the shortest outing of his career. The game-time temperature was announced at 49 degrees, a big difference for the Athletics, who had been playing in warm weather during a nine-game home stand. "Early on it felt like one of those cold nights that it was going to be tough to get some good swings," Melvin said. "Certainly in the second inning we got a lot of good swings." Nick Swishers solo homer in the first put Cleveland ahead, but Oakland sent 11 men to the plate in the second, with the first five reaching base. Brandon Moss doubled and took third on Yoenis Cespedes single. Lowries single got the Athletics even and Derek Norris walked. Reddick followed by hitting a 1-0 pitch into the seats in right. Coco Crisp and John Jaso drew one-out walks before Donaldson drove a 3-2 pitch into the home run porch in left field. The ball hit off a souvenir stand located in front of an entrance gate and travelled an estimated 410 feet. "Thats probably one of the best swings Ive had this year," Donaldson said. Indians manager Terry Francona pulled McAllister for left-hander Kyle Crockett, making his major league debut. Gray played catch with Jaso in front of Oaklands dugout to keep loose during the pitching change. "You try to stay in the game," Gray said. "You do what you can to try to stay loose, especially when its a cold night." Grey was in control other than allowing Swishers homer. Michael Brantley singled with two outs in the third. The right-hander retired the final eight hitters, including five strikeouts. "I felt good, especially later in the game," Gray said. "I felt like I was getting better and better." Lowrie drove in two runs, including a leadoff homer in the third, while Donaldson has homered in three straight games. McAllister allowed eight runs in 1 1-3 innings and threw 38 pitches in the second, in which he gave up two homers, two singles, a double and three walks. The right-hander hasnt won since April 21, a stretch of five starts. "Everything went so well for me in the first," he said. "Then in the second, I fell behind in counts, and they were able to get some balls in play and hit them hard. I wasnt able to make any adjustments." Crisp was back in the lineup after missing seven games with a strained neck. Oaklands leadoff hitter was hitless with two walks in two at-bats. Brantley returned after sitting out Thursdays game with a sore back. He had one hit in four at-bats. The Indians are in last place in the AL Central, having lost four of six after winning a season-high four straight. NOTES: Reddicks grand slam was the first by the Athletics and the first allowed by the Indians this season. ... Francona said OF Nyjer Morgan has a sprained ligament in his right knee, but will not need surgery. Morgan was injured trying to catch a fly ball Wednesday in Toronto. ... Athletics 1B Kyle Blanks, acquired Thursday from the Padres, pinch hit in the ninth and singled. ... Francona said 2B Jason Kipnis (strained right oblique) could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. ... Oakland LHP Scott Kazmir (5-1) faces RHP Josh Tomlin (2-0) on Saturday. Kazmir was 10-9 in 29 starts for the Indians last season. Nike Vapormax Ingrosso . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. Vapormax Bianche Uomo . Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Raptors have traded forward Steve Novak along with a second-round pick to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Diante Garrett - who will then be waived. http://www.vapormaxscontateoutlet.it/. -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season. Vapormax Saldi . But history aside, theyre still happy to participate in the Par 3 contest, traditionally held on the day prior to the first round of the Masters. Nike Vapormax Italia . Five years ago, Nestor and Zimonjic beat the American twins to win the title. But the Bryans, the worlds top-ranked team, needed 74 minutes to earn the victory Saturday as both Nestor and Zimonjic lost serve in the second set.INDIANAPOLIS - Terrence Ross came off the bench for the fifth time in Tuesdays game against the Pacers, Torontos most complete outing in weeks, but appears to be well on his way to earning back his spot in the Raptors starting lineup. The third-year forward, who had started 102 consecutive games dating back to last season, was demoted after a series of underwhelming and disengaged performances 10 days earlier. At the time, the team had dropped seven of nine contests and Ross, while not solely responsible, had a lot to do with the slide. Now, with the Raptors trending back in the right direction, winning four of their last five, Ross is beginning to look like the player of old, the confident and assertive version that took a big step forward after stepping into the starting lineup last year. I was really impressed with the way Terrence played, Dwane Casey said following the Raptors 104-91 win in Indiana. His body language, his defensive presence, his attention to what hes supposed to be doing on the defensive end was huge. Although Ross was not perfect defensively, glaringly missing a few assignments on the perimeter in his 19 minutes of action, he was decisive and played within the flow of the game offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Coming off another positive outing in Sundays win over Detroit, to which Casey praised him prior to Tuesdays game, Ross continued to demonstrate improved decision making ability, putting the ball on the floor and making plays off the dribble. With Greivis Vasquez stepping in as a temporary member of the first unit, the Raptors are beginning to rediscover their playing personally, holding four of their last five opponents under 100 points. Despite the relatively low degree of difficulty - Indiana is 28th in offensive efficiency - Torontos defence was especially impressive after a slow start on Tuesday. Trailing by seven at the end of the first quarter, having allowed the Pacers to shoot 50 per cent, they held the home team to 38 per cent the rest of the way. Ross was part of the group that turned the game around early in the second quarter. Of course, crediting Vasquezs move to the starting lineup with the teams almost immediate turn of fortunes would be misleading. This stretch also coincides with a friendlier stretch in the schedule as well as the return of DeMar DeRozan, who is starting to look like his old self after stringing together a pair of quality outings this week. So, with the Raptors winning once again, how long does Casey stick with whats working? He has reiterated the lineup change is not intended to be permanent. I dont call him a member of the second unit, hes a member of the team, Casey said of Ross ahead of Tuesdays contest. Its something thats not permanent. Its a chance to give him a breather, take some pressure off of him. Just to continue to play the way he [has been], said Casey, asked what Ross must do to get his starting gig back. Shot selection, defending with intensity, keeping the ball in front of him, just the whole nine yards is where I think Terrence needs to get back to. Hes made huge strides to get back there. While Ross, when focused and playing hard, is an asset to that first unit, spreading the floor and allowing DeRozan and Kyle Lowry room to operate, starting Vasquez has its merits as well. Despite his defensive deficiencies and some inconsistency with his jump shot, Vasquezs ability to handle the ball takes pressure off Lowry in the backcourt. But at 23 years old and with his speed, athleticism and versatility, its only a matter of time before Ross is reinstated. Thats been made clear. What Casey is looking for is consistency from the young forward. I think it was definitely a message to be sent but he took it in a professional way, Vasquez said of Caseys decision to bench Ross. Even though Im in the starting lineup, I want to see him get back in the starting lineup and do what he do. At the end of the day were a family here so were not trying to take anybodys spot, were just trying to win games. Im sure Coach is moving the pieces the right way. I think T-Ross, at any given point, he might be back. Who knows? Thats the coachs decision, but we need him, man. We need everyone in this room. One player who appears to be the odd man out as a result of this rotation shakeup is James Johnson, who did not log a single minute for the second time since the change was made. Externally, many have questioned and continue to doubt the rationale behind Johnsons limited minutes, but both Casey and the player himself have insisted theres nothing more to it, nothing going on behind the sceenes that people are unaware of.dddddddddddd Its simply a decision based on minute distribution under the recent lineup change. With two point guards in the starting lineup, the rotation is shortened. Vasquez is starting because of his ability to space the floor, something Johnson lacks, but also acts as the back-up point guard when Lowry is on the bench, hence his increased playing time. Lou Williams, another floor spacer, has not had his minutes altered off the bench and Casey still prefers to use Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough as his conventional bigs as opposed to playing small with Johnson at the four. As a result, theres roughly 18-22 minutes available per game on the wing for either Ross or Johnson. Word is Johnson is taking his decreased playing time in stride, handling it like a professional. Buying into his role, he has been a pleasant surprise for the Raptors this season, but despite his strong play in a few areas, hes not without his weaknesses. His range is limited offensively and his defensive prowess may be overstated as he has a tendency to gamble off his man, often irking the coaching staff. Ross is not without holes in his game as well. He has as many or more. But the 23-year-old is a more valuable long-term commodity and the Raptors have wisely committed to getting him right again. Johnsons game, while also important to the teams plans, is less likely to be impacted by a short layoff than the young Ross would. Splitting the 18 (or so) available minutes between them is also not a viable solution, it would be awfully difficult for either player to get in any kind of rhythm. Agree or disagree, this is the rotation Casey is riding with and, at least for now, it seems to be working. At some point, likely in the near future, the Raptors plan to revert back to their old lineup and minute distribution, returning Ross to the starting lineup and presumably freeing Johnson. ROUNDING OUT THE ALL-STAR ROSTERS Although Kyle Lowry and nine other starters, voted in by the fans last week, have already punched their ticket to New York for next months All-Star Game, there are still 14 more slots up for grabs. The process of selecting the reserves, seven for each the Eastern and Western Conference teams, took place on Tuesday as the NBAs 30 head coaches submitted their ballots, which will ultimately round out the rosters. Coaches are responsible for voting in the subs for their own conference, each of them selecting two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards (players at any position). Naturally, theyre prohibited from voting for their own players. As such, Casey has been doing some 11th-hour campaigning for DeRozan, in the hopes of getting a second Raptor to the game, although he understands its a long shot. Ive talked to other coaches, he said. I think for us, DeMar has carried us when hes been with us. Hes a big part of what we do [but] injuries have probably kept him from being an all-star. His case would likely start with the teams record, which some might argue is good enough to warrant two all-stars. However, it would be pretty tough to make a compelling argument for any Raptors outside of Lowry, let alone DeRozan, who missed 21 games with his groin injury. But like the conference itself, those reserve slots in the East are wide open. The closest player to a lock may be Chicagos Jimmy Butler, who would become a first-time all-star. Depending on who you ask, there are no easy choices. Between Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Al Horford and Paul Millsap, the Hawks should have at least a couple players on the team, but which ones? Horford, a former all-star, is their most important player but hes only recently gotten back to his pre-injury form. Teague and Millsap are enjoying career years and Korver is shooting the ball at a historic rate. As a 37-8 team, winners of 16 straight, its conceivable that all four end up on the team. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have all-star pedigrees but their performance has been sporadic for a middling team in Miami. The same can be said for the Cavaliers duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Will the Easts coaches reward winning or vote for name brand players? Casey leaned toward the former when filling out his ballot. I look for guys who are playing the right way, guys that are contributing to their team winning, said the Raptors coach. Winnings important. And I think guys who are playing the game the right way, not guys just putting up numbers. I think that to me is [important] as a coach and I think every coach Ive talked to is voting that way. The reserves will be announced Thursday on TNT. ' ' '