Dein erstes Forum » well the last few months especially.Murra

Ian Desmond didnt settle on a new team until late February, his puzzling free-agent saga finally ending when he signed a one-year deal with Texas.Now Desmond looks like a bargain for the Rangers -- and a big reason theyre comfortably ahead in the AL West.Desmonds $8 million deal with the Rangers seemed almost humbling after hed rejected a qualifying offer from Washington worth nearly twice that amount. He also had to switch positions, moving from shortstop to the outfield. But Desmond has been outstanding after a slow start, and through Wednesdays games, he was batting .320 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI and 15 stolen bases.Its off-the-charts incredible. Just the leadership, athleticism, manager Jeff Banister said. I dont want to put any one single player ahead of any others. But you take him out of our lineup and off our team, it has a different look to it.Desmond wasnt the biggest name to change teams last offseason, and he certainly wasnt the most expensive signing, but moves like this can shift the course of a division race if they pan out. Desmond has turned a tough situation into a success story, and Texas has been rewarded for its confidence in him.You look at the slugging numbers, the OPS and what hes done out of the 2-hole for us in runs scored -- has been as good as anybody in our lineup, Banister said. To make the transition to the outfield, has been more than serviceable. He has been really good in center field.Here are a few other offseason acquisitions who have made significant contributions for their new teams:ZACK GREINKE, DIAMONDBACKSThe Diamondbacks signed Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million contract, and the right-hander got off to an awful start, finishing April with a 5.50 ERA. He eventually settled in and started to look like the pitcher he was last year.He won seven straight starts from May 17 to June 18, and hes now 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA.Hes great, Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt said. Hes been pitching for 10-plus years so he knows what hes doing. He had a few rough starts but then he was really, really good for eight, nine, 10. It was a lot of fun to play behind him after being on the other side the last few years.Greinke is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique. The team has set no timetable for his return but hopes it is shortly after the All-Star break. Arizona is well under .500 despite Greinkes efforts.DANIEL MURPHY, NATIONALSAfter his big postseason helped the New York Mets win the National League pennant, Murphy signed a $37.5 million, three-year contract with division-rival Washington. The Nationals now lead the Mets by four games atop the NL East, in part because Murphy is hitting an NL-best .345. The 31-year-old second baseman also has 14 homers and 56 RBI.JOHNNY CUETO, GIANTSCueto had his ups and downs during a brief stint with Kansas City that ended in celebration when the Royals won the World Series. The Giants have little to complain about after signing the right-hander to a $130 million, six-year deal. Hes 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA after pitching his fourth complete game of the season Wednesday night. That victory gave San Francisco the best record in baseball.MARK TRUMBO, ORIOLESAfter going deep twice Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Trumbo leads the majors with 26 home runs. He came to Baltimore in a December trade with Seattle, and hes complemented his typical power with a higher-than-usual .285 batting average for the AL East-leading Orioles.FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, TIGERSIt was easy to be skeptical when Detroit traded for K-Rod, considering the Tigers track record with closers lately. 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Viktor Kozlov Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Denis Shvidki Jersey . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener.Andy Murray faces Kei Nishikori in his second ATP World Tour Finals match at the O2 Arena in London on Wednesday afternoon. The pair are joint-top of the John McEnroe group after making near-perfect starts to the tournament on Monday.Nishikori comprehensively outplayed Stan Wawrinka in a 6-2 6-3 triumph, while Murray brushed aside Marin Cilic in a similarly emphatic 6-3 6-2 victory. Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals November 16, 2016, 12:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Murray goes into the game looking for his 21st victory in a row, while Nishikori is battling for rankings points in his bid to end the year as world No 3.Murray has won seven of the pairs nine meetings to date, although Nishikori prevailed in five sets in their last match, in Septembers US Open quarter-final. John McEnroe Group Won-Lost Sets Games Kei Nishikori 1-0 2-0 12-5 Andy Murray 1-0 2-0 12-5 Stan Wawrinka 0-1 0-2 5-12 Marin Cilic 0-1 0-2 5-12 Murray struggled to gauge the speed of the ball in the opening games of his win over Cilic on Monday, but he found his range later in the match and should now be fully acclimatised to the court.Nishikori had no such trouble against Wawrinka and appears perfectly suited to the O2.ddddddddddddMurray said of Nishikori: I would say this is probably his best year that he has had on the tour. He is one of the best players in the world. He has been playing very well the last few months especially.Murray and Nishikori will be on court after 2pm. Fleming/McEnroe Group Won-Lost Sets Games R Klaasen/R Ram 1-0 2-0 13-9 H Kontinen/J Peers 1-0 2-0 13-9 P Herbert/N Mahut 0-1 0-2 9-13 F Lopez/M Lopez 0-1 0-2 9-13 The first match of Wednesdays afternoon session sees Henri Kontinen and John Peers take on Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram in the Fleming/McEnroe Group of the doubles competition.Both pairs won their opening matches of the tournament in straight sets.They have faced each other twice before, with Kontinen and Peers winning both times.Watch every day of the ATP World Tour Finals, from November 13-20, live on Sky Sports. Full schedule here. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price Also See: Thiem beats Monfils in London Murrays service syndrome over? Murray wins on debut as No 1 We will get the dream final ' ' '