OAKLAND, Calif.
Cam Ward Hurricanes Jersey . -- Terry Francona asked crew chief Mike Winters to review a collision at the plate, and
the umpire obliged. The call was confirmed, denying Cleveland the go-ahead run,
but the Indians manager appreciated how smoothly the new replay process went.
The Indians later delivered on their chances in the ninth, with Nyjer Morgan
hitting a go-ahead sacrifice fly against new Athletics closer Jim Johnson as
Cleveland sent Oakland to its major league-record 10th straight opening loss
with a 2-0 victory Monday night. Nick Swisher added an RBI single against
Johnson (0-1), who was then pulled from his As debut to boos from the sellout
crowd. "I would have booed me, too. I (stunk) today, Ill admit it," Johnson
said. "Thats fine. I deserved it. I expect that. The next time theyre probably
going to be cheering." In the sixth, Winters became the first umpire to initiate
a review under the expanded replay system, making the call after a collision at
home plate. "Basically with the new rule I just wanted to confirm what I saw
that the catcher did not block the plate unnecessarily," Winters said. "He was
in fair territory, he gave the runner plenty of plate to go to. I just wanted to
be sure." The call was confirmed in 59 seconds and the game remained scoreless.
Winters wanted to see if As catcher John Jaso had illegally blocked the plate
under baseballs new rule regarding home plate collisions. With Michael Brantley
on third and one out, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a comebacker that ricocheted off
pitcher Sonny Grays foot. Gray quickly retrieved the ball and fired home to
Jaso, who tagged a sliding Brantley. Francona came out to discuss the play. "I
just wanted to check and see if Jaso had blocked the plate. Weve all discussed
the new rulings and what youre allowed to do and what you arent," Francona said.
"I just asked him if hed look because I thought maybe he had gotten there a
little too early. ... I appreciated him checking." Oaklands Josh Donaldson hit a
single off the top of the wall near the 400-foot sign in centre in the eighth,
but Daric Barton held up at second waiting to tag in case the ball was caught,
and the As failed to score the go-ahead run. "That was interesting," Francona
said. Cody Allen (1-0) then struck out Jed Lowrie and retired Brandon Moss on a
grounder to first. Justin Masterson, in his third straight opening day outing,
and Gray dueled before the bullpens took over to decide it. Masterson allowed
three hits, struck out four and walked one in seven scoreless innings, lowering
his ERA on opening day to 0.86. The game began just four minutes behind schedule
under blue skies, a best-case scenario considering the downpour a couple of
hours earlier. Grey walked the first two batters of the game but quickly settled
to throw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and three walks in a
105-pitch opener. The right-hander, who dueled with Detroit ace Justin Verlander
in Game 2 of last falls division series, earned the start after Jarrod Parker
was lost to season-ending Tommy John surgery. Yan Gomes went 1 for 3 only hours
after finalizing a new $23 million, six-year contract with the Indians. He was
plunked in the left elbow in the ninth. John Axford finished for Cleveland,
striking out Nick Punto to end it with runners on first and second. A couple
dozen grounds crew workers carried large brooms to sweep water off the tarp all
afternoon. The Indians briefly came out to right field to go through some
warmups during a break in the rain some three hours before first pitch. The
two-time reigning AL West champion As took the field 90 minutes before first
pitch under the lights when the rain finally slowed -- some even in short
sleeves. It started pouring again shortly after the game ended. NOTES: Cleveland
CF Michael Bourn, on the DL to start the year with a left hamstring strain, ran
down a ball and hit a pair of doubles in a minor league game. He was set to go
to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, and Francona expected a meeting when the team
returns home to face Minnesota on Thursday. ... Gray was Oaklands ninth
different opening day starter in nine years. ... Masterson was the first Indians
pitcher to start three straight openers since CC Sabathia from 2006-08. Ex-As
RHP Bartolo Colon did it for Cleveland in 2000-02. ... Hall of Famer
Rickey Henderson threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Elias Lindholm Hurricanes Jersey . Gomes drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth
inning, and Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on
Sunday.
Hurricanes Jersey . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the
Dodgers.Although UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is among the worlds best
mixed martial artists, hes still working on building a significant fan base in
North America. His biggest fan in the world just might be UFC President Dana
White, and thats just one reason Barao is the star of UFC 173. Barao (34-1)
faces T.J. Dillashaw in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on
Saturday, headlining the UFCs traditional Memorial Day weekend card in its
hometown. "I think (Barao) is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,"
White said. "I love this guy." Its tough to argue with White, given Baraos
22-fight winning streak and perfect record in UFC competition. The 135-pound
Brazilian dynamo excels with both jiu-jitsu and strikes, fighting with a flair
that has led to stoppages in six of his last nine fights. "I think I have a lot
to improve in my game, but its always a pleasure to hear from your boss that you
are the No. 1," Barao said. "This is the recognition of the hard work and
training." Barao likely faces bigger obstacles than Dillashaw (10-2), a heavy
underdog, on his path to stardom. Barao is a champion of a lighter weight class,
which makes him traditionally less interesting to many fight fans. He also
doesnt speak much English, making him tough to promote in North America. Even
his Brazilian fans dont know much about his personality outside the cage --
although at least they know his last name isnt actually Barao, the Portuguese
word for Baron and a nickname given to him by his grandmother. But with the UFC
looking for new attractions in the absence of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson
Silva, Barao is getting a chance to show off his incredible skills on another
major stage, and White is confident fans will figure out what theyre seeing.
"With Anderson, it took a long time for people to catch on," White said of his
long-reigning former middleweight champion. "It doesnt happen overnight. When
you look at the numbers, its all there. (Barao) is a killer. He tries to go in
there and finish. Hes the type of guy I like to watch fight." Dillashaw worked
his way into position for a title shot with fivve wins in six fights, but his
matchup with Barao is the fourth fight that has been scheduled to headline this
card.
Jordan Staal Jersey. The Northern California native is eager to take advantage of the chance created when Raphael Assuncao,
who beat Dillashaw by split decision last October, dropped out of this title
shot with a rib injury. "Hes a great champion, but everyone has holes in their
game," Dillashaw said. "Hes sloppy in exchanges, but he makes it work because
hes a big, powerful athlete. I need to stay with what Im good at and use my
angles to disrupt his power." Just in case Baraos fight against a game underdog
doesnt intrigue enough pay-per-view buyers, UFC 173 also features light
heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier against veteran Dan Henderson, along with a
bout between welterweights Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger. Cormier (14-0) is
also a rising name in the UFC, but hes not a tough sell. The talkative former
Olympic wrestler has been a dynamic fighter in Strikeforce and the UFC at
heavyweight and light heavyweight, where hes currently closing in on a title
shot against pound-for-pound contender Jon Jones. Henderson (30-11) is a
significant underdog, but any fighter is just one punch away from disaster when
hes in the cage with the 43-year-old veteran whose knockout power is no longer
aided by testosterone replacement therapy. "(Hendersons) big right hand is the
single biggest weapon in MMA, even more dangerous than Ronda Rouseys armbar,"
Cormier said. "It can come at any time from any direction. No question thats
what makes this a dangerous fight. But Ive made a career of making those guys,
who possess that something special, like they never had it. I need to stay
super-focused and avoid those punches." Although Henderson has lost three of his
last four fights, he knocked out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in spectacular fashion
just two months ago. "I want to knock everyone out that I fight," Henderson
said. "Its not always the easiest thing to pull off, but Ive done pretty well
with it throughout my career. And its definitely nice knowing you have that
power going into a fight."
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