Regeln » students back in town for the spring

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The starter throws seven shutout innings. The defence makes a few big plays. One swing of the bat provides all the offence needed. Not a very flashy way to win, but its working for the Tampa Bay Rays. Alex Cobb went seven innings on Saturday, extending Tampa Bays run of solid starting pitching, and James Loney homered for a 1-0 victory over the slumping Cincinnati Reds. The Rays came into the interleague series with a 1-8 mark against Cincinnati. Theyve taken the first two games with their simple formula. "We hit some balls well, they hit some balls well, their defence played great also," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "So just one of those days, man. We hit a homer and we win." Cobb (1-1) pitched seven shutout inning against Texas on Sunday but got a no-decision. He kept the scoreless streak going Saturday, limiting Cincinnatis struggling lineup to four hits without walking a batter. Hes now gone 15 1-3 innings without allowing a run. Grant Balfour, who fanned Brayan Pena with the bases loaded to end Friday nights game, got three outs for his fourth save in as many chances, finishing off the four-hitter. Cincinnati stranded a pair at third base and had runners thrown out at third and home, extending its run of wasteful offence. The Reds have lost all four of their series this season, falling to 3-8 for the first time since 1995, when they won the NL Central. They had a brief team meeting after the game. "It was just a friendly reminder of what weve got here and who we are as a team," Pena said. "It was a very positive meeting. The skipper (Bryan Price) got involved." Loney led off the second inning with his first homer against Alfredo Simon (1-1), who matched his career high with eight innings and allowed only five hits. The Rays opened the series with a 2-1 win Friday night, when David Price took a shutout into the ninth before Joey Votto homered with one out. Rays starters have thrown at least seven shutout innings four times in the last six games. It was Tampa Bays second shutout of the season, and the second time the Reds have been shut out. The Reds also were blanked 1-0 by the Cardinals on opening day. Both managers changed their lineups, looking for some runs. The Rays have scored only nine in their last six games, but managed to win three of them because of the impressive pitching. The Reds have scored 28 runs all season, second-fewest in the National League. Maddon stocked his lineup with left-handers against Simon. Price moved Votto from third to second in the batting order, the first time hed batted second since 2008. Neither move made much of a difference. Nice defence by both teams also kept it close. Votto led off the fourth with a ground-rule double. Kevin Kiermaier threw out Votto at the plate as he tried to score on Brandon Phillips single to centre. Phillips went to second on the play and was thrown out trying to steal third. "Kiermaiers throw today was the play of the game, the play of the season so far," Maddon said. "Hes an exceptional outfielder. Hes among the best major league outfielders today and hes only played one game here in the regular season." Kiermaier was optioned back to Triple-A Durham after the game, as expected. His throw home in the fourth was a good way to leave. "I wanted to come up here and contribute any way I could," said Kiermaier, who was called up Friday and told hed be in the majors for only a couple of days. "For me to throw Votto out at home, especially in a 1-0 game, just made it that much better. It was a pivotal time in the game." The Reds wasted another chance in the sixth, when Zack Cozart was hit by a pitch and advanced on a wild pitch and a sacrifice. Billy Hamilton hit a shallow fly and Votto grounded out. NOTES: LHP Erik Bedard was added to the Rays roster following the game. ... LHP Cesar Ramos moves from the bullpen to the rotation on Sunday, taking the place of injured Matt Moore. Ramos will make his fourth career start. Reds LHP Tony Cingrani makes his first career appearance against the Rays. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos had an MRI on his pitching forearm. It bothered him during a throwing session the previous day. Latos is trying to recover from surgery to repair torn knee cartilage on Feb. 14. Under Armour Clearance Sale . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell. Cheap Under Armour Shoes . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. http://www.cheapuashoes.com/. That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Under Armour Shoes Free Shipping . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. Under Armour China Wholesale . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. MADISON, Wis. -- Step back, dribble between the legs and fire away. Nik Stauskas played it cool in front of a raucous road crowd late in the second half to hit a clutch shot that helped Michigan hold on for a rare win at Wisconsin. Stauskas scored 23 points, including his key 3 with less than a minute left, and the Wolverines fended off a late surge for the 77-70 victory Saturday over the third-ranked Badgers. Stauskas said his first thought was to go to the rim, but that defender Nigel Hayes was overplaying him. "He kind of slid forward a little bit and I was open for 3 and I just tried to be aggressive and shoot it," Stauskas said. Caris LeVert added 20 for the Wolverines (13-4, 5-0 Big Ten), who celebrated a victory in Madison for the first time since 1999. But wins usually dont come easy at the Kohl Center for any team, and the Badgers (16-2, 3-2) made it difficult for Michigan in nearly overcoming a 15-point deficit. Wisconsin went on a 14-2 run late, and Ben Brusts putback got them within 68-67 with about 2 minutes left. But after whiffing on a 3 from the right wing, Stauskas hit his step-back 3 from the left side to give Michigan a 71-67 lead. "That step back is so fast, and that release is so fast," coach Bo Ryan said. "Hes quick, hes like a cat." Josh Gasser had 16 points for the Badgers, who lost their second straight after a school-best 16-0 start. "Kid just made a great play," Gasser said about Stauskas. Gasser, Wisconsins best defender, said he was supposed to be covering him, but a switch ended up with Hayes guarding on the play. Wisconsins hopes of another nail-biting win over Michigan were dashed. Last year, Brust hit a shot from just inside midcourt before time expired in regulation, then hit a 3 with less than 40 seconds in overtime to give Wisconsin a 65-62 victory. No such luck this year. Stauskas added four foul shots in the final 24.7 seconds to seal Michigans seventh straight win. He had 16 in the second half. "This game wasnt going to be over until that buzzer went off and we had the win," coach John Beilein said. "That was a great shot by Nik, but thats a lot of time left still for them to win the game.dddddddddddd" The Wolverines benefited from the cushion built from a first half in which they shot 60 per cent. Thats especially impressive given it was against Wisconsin, perennially one of the leagues best defensive teams under coach Bo Ryan. But defence was a problem again for the Badgers in their second straight loss after allowing Indiana to shoot 51 per cent earlier in the week. Ryan liked the effort for the most part. The Badgers credited their opponents for making their share of tough shots. Michigan got good looks inside early with crisp interior passing, though Ryan said he was happy overall with his teams ball-screen defence. But it was two 3s by LeVert in the first half that especially frustrated Wisconsins coach. "Sometimes when youre trying to fix something, guys arent quite sure and you just have to keep working through it," Ryan said. Still, the Badgers came back, bolstered by boisterous students back in town for the spring semester. The Kohl Center was rocking after the Badgers late run, during which Michigan at one point missed four shots and committed two turnovers. Hayes short jumper got Wisconsin within six with 4:45 to go before Brust put back his own rebound to get Wisconsin within a point. Thats when Michigan turned to Stauskas. His first 3-point attempt glanced off the rim but Michigan retained possession after a foul was called on Gasser. The ball went back to Stauskas, who shook off Hayes on the perimeter and coolly hit his 3 for a late four-point lead. "Were going to win this game and were going to win the game by being aggressive and if youre afraid to shoot it, youre afraid to take it at them, then lets get (you) out of the game, is the message," Beilein said. "And nobody checked out." Glenn Robinson III added 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting for Michigan, while Brust finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Michigan also took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy play by the usually savvy Badgers, stretching a five-point halftime lead to as much as 15 midway through the second half. ' ' '