Dein erstes Forum » the Dogs up 6-0 before a Dallin Watene-Zelez

CLEVELAND -- Jon Lester is a study in contrasts. When the baseball leaves his left hand on its way to the plate, the Chicago Cubs ace is dominant, particularly in October.When it leaves his hand on the way to first base, however, all bets are off.A mental block. The yips. Whatever it is thats making Lester turn a routine pickoff throw into something far more problematic, he cant shake it.And on Tuesday night the man who first noticed the troubling signs and tried to shield it from view will try to exploit it when Lester starts Game 1 of the World Series against manager Terry Francona and the Cleveland Indians.The skipper could tell something was amiss while working with Lester near the end of Franconas tenure with the Boston Red Sox. They attempted to deal with it quietly.We did a lot of things to make sure that it didnt get out in the open, Francona said. I thought we actually did a really good job because it wasnt until I left there that people started to realize that.What used to be a well-protected secret is now on display for all of baseball to see.Lester once went 66 straight starts -- two full calendar years -- without even attempting a pickoff toss. The nadir came in 2015, when any baserunner became a threat to go regardless of pedigree.And why not? Opponents stole 44 bases in 55 attempts against Lester last year, easily the most against any pitcher in the majors.Lester grew tired of trying to explain something the inexplicable, particularly for a pitcher whose typically solid control only seems to improve in lockstep with the stakes -- hes 3-0 in three World Series starts with a sparkling 0.43 ERA.So Cubs manager Joe Maddon decided to take some of the onus on Lester this spring and instead make controlling the running game a collective effort.Everybodys got an assignment per pitch, what we want to do, Maddon said. What Jon does as good as anybody in major league baseball is throw the ball from the mound to the plate, thats it. I wanted Jon to focus on what he does well first.Lester worked on his slide step and mixed up his tempo. Catcher David Ross improved his throwing, no small task at 39. The results this season were manageable. Only 28 of 41 base stealers advanced 90 feet safely, and three of those came in Lesters meaningless final start.We dont want guys to take the extra base, Ross said. I dont want them to get on period.And thats the part of his job where Lester thrives. Hes 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in three playoff starts this month (8-6 with a 2.50 ERA in his career) and hardly seems unnerved no matter what tactics opponents use in an attempt to rattle him.In Game 5 of the NLCS, the Dodgers Enrique Hernandez worked a walk leading off the first inning then faked a dash to second only to pull back at the last second. Down a pair of runs in the seventh inning, Joc Pederson nearly went full Usain Bolt, turning to face second base while lining up like a sprinter.Neither player went, ultimately. And each time Lester made it out of the frame unscathed. He also fielded his position cleanly when the Dodgers would try to lay down a bunt instead of swinging away. The way Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo figures it, maybe Lesters as much in the head of the opposition as they are in his.The Dodgers were trying to bunt and it didnt work out, Rizzo said. When you throw someone off their game plan and stick to your game plan, you have the upper hand.Expect the Indians to ramp up the pressure when given the opportunity. Clevelands 143 stolen bases led the American League, with Rajai Davis taking an AL-best 43 on his own. Davis studied plenty of tape on Lester ahead of Game 1. Asked if his eyes light up when facing a pitcher who cant throw over, and Davis smiled.Usually my feet light up, like `Mmmm, we gonna get a bag, Davis said. But the key is not actually getting a (stolen) base, its getting to first or getting to second because hes a tough pitcher. Thats the real key, getting on base and taking advantage of the opportunity if I have it.---AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker in New York contributed to this report.Cheap Baseball Jerseys Authentic . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Cheap Baseball Jerseys China . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. https://www.fakebaseballjerseys.com/ . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Fake Nike Baseball Jerseys China . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July.Canterbury coach Des Hasler has predicted Penrith could go deep into September after ending the Bulldogs NRL season.The Panthers claimed a comprehensive 28-12, five-tries-to-two win in Sundays elimination final at Allianz Stadium to book a semi-final showdown with Canberra.Led by a man-of-the-match effort from skipper Matt Moylan, the young, inexperienced Panthers were down 6-4 at the break but totally dominated proceedings in the second stanza to run away with victory via four second half tries.They did better than I thought. They improved today, Hasler said.They could be a surprise packet, there could be a few more upsets.The Raiders definitely wont take them lightly.Two-time premiership winning coach Hasler should know, this was his 12th successive finals series with Manly and the Bulldogs.Canterbury, who played in the 2012 and 2014 grand finals under Hasler went into the clash with the young Panthers side with far greater finals experience.But it was Penriths youthful exuberance which won the day.It was a really good performance, Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said.I was happy with the way we built into it.We kept our cool with the ball and eventtually found the points we needed.ddddddddddddAn early first half try to playmaker Moses Mbye and a penalty goal had the Dogs up 6-0 before a Dallin Watene-Zelezniak four pointer just before the break reduced the margin to two points.Tries to Waqa Blake, Peter Wallace, Tyrone Peachey and Josh Mansour for Penrith after halftime were too much for the Dogs who only managed a try to the retiring Sam Perrett a minute from time.Second half injuries to Brett Morris, Josh Reynolds and Michael Lichaa made the Dogs day even tougher.Morris had filled in at fullback for Will Hopoate who sat out the match due to his religious beliefs.It was very disappointing, Hasler said.The simple fact is we didnt compete well enough in the second half.I know you will say there were injuries and we had people missing but we just missed too many tackles.Griffin said a shoulder injury wouldnt prevent Blake from playing Canberra.Dogs forward Tony Williams, who has played his last game for the club, could be in trouble for a second half shoulder charge. 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