to awkwardly buckle just before he hit Hightower | Forum

CHICAGO -- It was soooo easy for those San Francisco Giants to look at the classic October baseball game that unfolded Friday evening at turbocharged Wrigley Field and chalk it up to the minuscule difference between winning and losing this time of year. Baseball Jerseys From China .When you lose a 1-0 game to the mighty Chicago Cubs on a brisk October night, its soooo easy to think it all came down to one pitch. To one swing. To one eighth-inning home run that floated through the Chicago sky and came down in a contraption that doesnt exist in any other ballpark in America.And if thats how the Giants want to look at it -- by which we mean heck yeah, they did -- it would be hard to blame them. But heres another question they might want to ask themselves: What makes them think theyre going to be able to score enough to beat the team with the best pitching staff in baseball?OK, weve noticed its an even year. And yessir, weve noticed that magical stuff happens to the Giants in even-year Octobers. But you want to know what else weve noticed?That when they face the Cubs, every night looks a lot like this night.Since the beginning of September, the Giants now have played the Cubs five times. Want to take a look at how those Giants hitters have fared in those five games? Sure you do. But you might need to sit down first and maybe pour yourself a beverage, because this wont be easy on the eyes.In those five games, the Giants have gotten a total of 20 hits. In 163 at-bats. And if you dont have a calculator handy, that computes to a terrifying batting average of -- ready? -- .123. It also includes nearly twice as many strikeouts (39) as hits (20).You can now repeat after us: Yikes!Of the 10 runs the Giants have scored in those five games, four of them came off Mike Montgomery during a Sept. 1 spot start. In the other four games, they went 16-for-98 (.163) against Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Friday nights Cubs ace du jour, Jon Lester -- scoring a total of four earned runs in 28 innings.So is that an indicator of whats to come in this attractive little Division Series between the three-time champs and the 103-win juggernaut on a mission to end its towns fun-filled 108 years of suffering? If it is, then Jeff Samardzija, Madison Bumgarner and Matt Moore had better be ready to drop a whole lot of zeros on the scoreboard over the next three games.Asked Friday night if he enjoys hitting at Wrigley, Buster Posey couldnt help but chuckle.Sure, he said. When I get hits.Well, he did get two of them on this night. Thats the good news. The bad news is, his two forays into scoring position (which would be more than all of his teammates combined) converted into zero runs -- because the lineup around him combined to go 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position against Lester and his favorite 102 mph closer, Aroldis Chapman.When youre facing Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman, youve got your hands full, Posey said, in the midst of an almost dead-silent clubhouse. Hey, wed love to score six off Lester. But the odds of that arent very good.Yeah, you dont need to check the tote board in Vegas to know hes got an excellent feel for those odds. But how much better do the odds get Saturday in Game 2, when the Giants have to face Kyle Hendricks, a fellow who just led the league in ERA and went 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA at Wrigley this season?Do those odds improve a whole lot in Game 3, when the Giants have to line up against the incumbent Cy Young, Arrieta, a gentleman who has allowed a grand total of seven earned runs against them in five starts as a Cub?Then next up, after him, is Lackey. His career ERA against the Giants in the regular season: 2.37. Are we allowed to mention a slightly painful Game 7 win over them in a 2002 World Series that didnt turn out so hot? Oops. We just did. Sorry!So those numbers alone tell you this is one dazzling rotation the Cubs are about to run out there. Just to make sure, we asked Posey if these guys were as good as the numbers make them look. Lets just say he didnt deny it.Yeah, theyve got good stuff, Posey said. And theyre all a little bit different. Lester has really good stuff, and he commands the ball well. And obviously, the guy weve got tomorrow [Hendricks] commands the ball as well as anybody in the game. Arrieta is a stuff guy, for sure. His ball is moving all over the place. And Lackey is going to compete his tail off. But I mean, thats what you expect this time of year.Since hes speaking as a man who is about as familiar with this time of year as any human on the planet -- from Derek Jeter to David Ortiz to Vin Scully -- you can feel free to assume hes as confident as ever that he plays on a team that will figure out how to make this work somehow or other.Am I confident of that? Sure, he said. Youve got to scratch. But its what weve done in the past.The question, however, is this: Is this lineup as good as it was in the past? The 2012 and 2014 Giants both ranked in the top six in the league in runs scored. This team finished ninth. Over the second half, just two NL lineups (the Marlins and Phillies) scored fewer runs than they scored. So its fair to wonder if what theyve done in the past even applies anymore.A lot of the second half, it felt like most of us were in a slump, first baseman Brandon Belt?said. So thats not as well as we can play. But I think you saw a team more like what youre used to seeing from us in that last week of the season. I think we played more like we should play. And I think that gives us confidence going into these next games, because yeah, were going to face a lot of good pitching, but we know that were capable of winning these ballgames.Oh, theyve slayed plenty of great pitching staffs and plenty of great teams on the road to those three parades, of course. The 2010 Phillies, 2012 Cardinals and 2014 Nationals could tell you all about it. But in Game 1 at Wrigley Field, the Giants got a textbook lesson on what can happen to even a special team when it doesnt score.What happens is this: A game gets decided on a towering fly ball that the left fielder settles under, knowing hes going to catch it -- and instead it plops into a basket that hangs over the outfield wall, because, well, its Wrigley Field. So of course, the only overhanging basket in baseball helps determine who wins and loses a pivotal postseason game.When Angel Pagan was asked afterward if hed have caught Javier Baezs game-winning home run if that basket had never existed, even he couldnt help but smile.Yes. Of course, he said. I was right under it. It looked like it was coming back. It was coming [down], but it was coming back. So I could see the ball coming back, but it was right in the back of the basket. It was right on the edge. But it was good enough.In other words, it caught the very edge and dropped in?I havent seen the replay, but thats what it looked like, Pagan said. I saw [the] baseball. Right before I got to the wall, I saw [the] baseball right there. So you could see that if it kept [going], I could catch it.Pagan uttered these words with more resignation than bitterness. This was life in October. He knew it well. He has roamed outfields in the major leagues for 11 seasons now. He knows there is nothing quite like those baskets in any of the other 29 parks.But its been there for so many years, youve got to respect those baskets, he said. Theyve been there much longer than weve been playing baseball -- or living.Now, he knows, its time for his team to find a way to overcome whatever obstacles present themselves this month -- whether its baseball-eating baskets or bat-eating aces. Or else.Theres no other way, Pagan said. Otherwise, were going to go home. Wholesale Jerseys Online .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Cheap NFL Jerseys 2018 .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. http://www.cheapnflchinajerseysonline.com/ . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly has been placed in the NFLs concussion protocol and his status for the teams Nov. 27 game against Oakland is uncertain.Coach Ron Rivera updated Kuechlys status on Friday and said that the linebacker has no other known injuries.The 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was carted off the field in an emotional moment during the fourth quarter of Carolinas 23-20 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Kuechly appeared to be gasping for breath as he was helped to the cart, and tears rolled down his face. Players from both sides came over to offer their well wishes to Kuechly.Kuechly spent 34 days last season in the concussion protocol and missed three games.Rivera described Kuechlys second known career concussion concerning, but quickly added I dont want to get into the speculation of all of that. Im not the expert.On Friday, Kuechlys teammate and good friend Thomas Davis posted a picture on his Instagram of a smiling Kuechly giving the thumbs-up sign and wrote Luke wanted me to let you guys know that hes doing fine and thanks for your prayers!!There has been a tremendous outpouring of support for Kuechly in the Charlotte community, where he is immensely popular, as well as around the country.NBA two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and is a longtime Panthers fan, posted on Twitter Keep your head up (hassh)59! Nobody plays the game harder than you my man. NFL Jerseys China. Heal up Quick! (hash)KeepPounding.Heres a guy thats a warrior and he loves the game, Rivera said. It was an emotional time for his teammates because his teammates know how important he is. Hes a very important player for us, as are all of our players. I appreciate the outpouring (of support), I really do. He means a lot to organization and this community as well. I get that part.Kuechly was injured with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter when he collided with Saints running back Tim Hightower.The five-year NFL veterans left leg appeared to awkwardly buckle just before he hit Hightower. At that point Hightowers helmet hit Kuechly under the facemask and in the upper region of his chest.Kuechly remained on the field for several minutes, sprawled out on his back. He eventually sat up and when he did he had tears in his eyes and was gasping for breath.Kuechly is the seventh Panthers player to enter the teams concussion protocol since the beginning of the season. Cam Newton missed one game with a concussion and starting left tackle Michael Oher has been out since the first week of October while continuing to battle concussion symptoms.---AP NFL website: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale NFL White JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ThrowbackWholesale Jerseys ChinaWholesale NFL White JerseysCheap Jerseys WholesaleWholesale Throwback JerseysCheap NFL Autographed JerseysWholesale NFL Autographed JerseysYouth NFL Jerseys WholesaleWholesale Authentic JerseysChina Womens NFL JerseysWholesale Throwback JerseysYouth NFL Jerseys WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticDiscount NFL Jerseys ' ' '