News » Harrison never made it home, but by th

ARLINGTON, Texas -- There was Jose Bautistas emphatic bat flip after his tiebreaking homer in the ALDS-clinching game last October, and then Rougned Odors punch in May that ignited a bench-clearing brawl the last time the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays played.Now comes the rematch in another AL Division Series between teams clearly with some bad blood between them.I dont think its fabricated, Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar said Wednesday.We knew it was going to happen, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said of facing Toronto again. Thats baseball.The years best-of-five ALDS starts Thursday in Texas, where on May 15 second baseman Odor punched Bautista. The scuffle began after Bautista, on base after getting hit in the ribs by a pitch, made a late and hard slide trying to break up a double play at the end of a contentious series.Its unfortunate that it got out of hand last time, but it did, so its in the past and hopefully stays there, Bautista said. Im not looking for revenge, Im looking to win ball games. Thats entirely what my focus is on, and hopefully I get to keep it there.With all that recent history , close attention will be paid to every inside fastball, hard slide or any emotional outburst.But these are also two teams with much more on the line than retribution after falling short of their World Series goal last year, and now with another chance.Games are too important. I wouldnt expect anything, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. But nobody seems to want to let it go. ... Every time you turn on the TV, its a replay after replay after replay. But too much at stake. Two great ball clubs, two very competitive ball clubs, two emotional ball clubs. But in no way I would expect anything like that.After their 5-2 wild-card game victory over Baltimore on Tuesday night when Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-ending three-run homer in the 11th inning, the Blue Jays had a brief workout Wednesday at the Rangers ballpark. It was their first time there since that Sunday afternoon fight more than 4 1/2 months ago.There could be some edgy moments when both teams are on the field with the postseason adrenaline flowing.I think its going to bring a lot more excitement to the games, Andrus said. Its easy right now to say nothings going to happen or might happen. But when youre out there and playing, and all the emotion any inning can bring, anything can happen.Major League Baseball disciplined 14 players and staff over the melee in May, with Odor (seven games), Bautista (one game) and Andrus (one game) the only players suspended.Odor, who was playing ping-pong when the Rangers clubhouse was first open to reporters Wednesday, repeatedly said that he was focused on helping his team win the series. He said the Rangers would play like they have all year in winning an AL-high 95 games.When asked how much what happened in May would be a distraction, Odor responded, I think thats over already. I dont worry about that.Asked if that was the best punch he had ever throw, he said, I dont worry about that.And, yes, Bautista has looked forward to being back in Texas, but not for the reasons many people would expect.In this situation, yeah, Bautista said of the playoffs. Other than that, I havent really given it much thought.FOR STARTERS: Game 1 matches a pair of All-Star pitchers, with left-hander Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.32) going for the Rangers, and right-hander Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48) for the Blue Jays. Hamels, the 2008 World Series and NL Championship Series MVP with Philadelphia, didnt face Toronto during the regular season. Estrada started twice against Texas, going six innings for no-decisions in both extra-inning games (1-1).ON THE LINE: Toronto had to win its last two regular-season games against Boston just to make the playoffs, then had to beat Baltimore in the wild-card game to advance. Texas clinched the AL West title with eight games left in the regular season.CHOO COMEBACK: Rangers RF Shin-Soo Choo has been on the disabled list four times this season and missed 39 games with a fractured left forearm before returning for the teams final regular-season series last weekend. He also took part in a simulated game Tuesday, and worked out again Wednesday. Choo is in a good place right now, Texas manager Jeff Banister said. I think he answered the question three games in a row, outfield, where his body is. Hes in shape. His legs are good.CLOSING TIME: Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna left the AL wild-card game with a sore shoulder. Gibbons said Osuna was feeling better Wednesday, but the manager wasnt sure about the 21-year-old right-handers availability for ALDS Game 1. We dont think its a big deal but its probably wise to be a little cautious this time of year, Gibbons said. Adidas Nmd r1 Herre Tilbud .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. Adidas Nmd Herre Tilbud . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.dknmdskotilbud.com/adidas-basketball-sko-outlet-danmark.html . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Adidas Nmd Herre Danmark . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Adidas Nmd r1 Herre Danmark . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.PITTSBURGH -- Forget about the best record in baseball, the lead in the NL Central and the buzz of a city giddily envisioning the end of two decades of despair. After a euphoric doubleheader sweep of reeling St. Louis on Tuesday that propelled them to the top of the division, the Pittsburgh Pirates -- yes, the Pirates -- are ready to get greedy. "We want more," manager Clint Hurdle said. Keep pitching like this, and that shouldnt be a problem. Three hours after Alex Presleys grounder caromed off the glove of St. Louis reliever Kevin Siegrist and rolled into shallow left field to give the Pirates a taut 2-1, 11-inning victory in the opener, the Pirates breezed to a 6-0 victory in the second game behind rookie starter Brandon Cumpton. Working with usual Triple-A battery mate Tony Sanchez -- making his major league debut -- Cumpton (1-1) scattered three hits over seven innings to extend the Cardinals losing streak to a season-high six straight games. "Pitching inside has been my thing all year," Cumpton said. "I didnt want to get away from it. I wanted to force the issue." All it did was compound the issues for St. Louis, which has scored all of five runs in the last 56 innings. Even worse, catcher Yadier Molina is likely headed to the disabled list after leaving in the top of the fourth inning of the second game with a sprained right knee. The knee has been bothering the All-Star for weeks. An MRI earlier this month revealed inflammation. After trying to play through it, Molina believes the better course of action is some rest so he can be ready for the stretch drive. "Im a guy who wants to be on the field playing," Molina said. "But right now I need time." The injury is the latest setback for a team that appeared the class of the majors at the All-Star break but now finds itself 1 1/2 games behind the resilient Pirates. The sweep pushed Pittsburgh to a season-high 22 games over .500 (64-42). The last time their record was this gaudy was 1992, which also happens to be the last time the beleaguered franchise reached the post-season. Its a destination that appears well within the Pirates reach, even if they opt to keep their wallets closed at Wednesdays trading deadline. A pitching staff that keeps topping itself has allowed the Pirates to overcome a series of injuries. Cumpton didnt even spend any time with the big league club during spring training. On Tuesday he found himself polishing off arguably the biggest day at PNC Park since it opened in 2001. "Coming out of spring, (Cumpton) was 13th on our starting pitching depth chart," Hurdle said. "You trust the people that are working with the players and theyve been confident about Brandons improvement." Its a rise that took a little while longer thhan St.dddddddddddd Louis rookie Tyler Lyons (2-4), though the right-hander has cooled off since winning his first two starts in spectacular fashion earlier this year. Lyons gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings. He struck out five and walked one but received no help from a reeling offence and some sloppy play in the field. A couple hours after Presleys slapper off Siegrist (0-1) won the opener, the fortuitous bounces kept on coming. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second when a rare passed ball by Molina let Jose Tabata sprint across the plate. Molina was done for the night in the top of the fourth when the right knee pain hes been battling for the better part of a month flared up again. He was replaced by Rob Johnson. The absence of their leader further weakened the Cardinals, and things quickly fell apart. While Cumpton kept the NLs top offence in check, Pittsburgh poured it on with a little help from St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on Jordy Mercers RBI single before McCutchen stepped in. He drilled Lyons pitch deep to left but Holliday appeared ready to track it down at the wall. Instead, the ball popped off the heel of Hollidays glove and into the stands. Lyons placed both hands on his head in shock while the packed bleachers let Holliday have it. Hollidays night didnt get any better an inning later when he overran Josh Harrisons flyball to the wall, allowing Harrison to make it all the way to third. "Its a hard game," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "Our guys have been making a lot of good plays. Every once in a while theres tough ones you dont make." Harrison never made it home, but by then Cumpton had all the backing he would require. Cumpton needed just 87 pitches to get 21 outs. He received a loud ovation as he headed to the dugout, the latest in a series of unheralded Pirates pitchers to rise from obscurity and help propel the franchise into the midst of a pennant race. The staff takes its cue from ace A.J. Burnett, who worked seven emotional innings in the opener. Burnett struck out nine and walked three while allowing one run on three hits. He was long gone, however, by the time Presley stepped in with Martin on in the 11th. "Its a battle, its fun," Burnett said. "Lets roll from here. Lets keep going." NOTES: The series continues on Thursday. Adam Wainright (13-6, 2.51 ERA) starts for the Cardinals against Jeff Locke (9-3, 2.15) ... St. Louis sent struggling reliever Marc Rzepczynski to Cleveland on Tuesday in exchange for minor league infielder Juan Herrera. Rzepczynski had a 7.84 ERA in 10 1-3 innings this season with the Cardinals ... Pirates 2009 first-round pick Tony Sanchez went 0 for 3 with an RBI in his first major league start at catcher. ' ' '