Jhonny Peralta, the anti-Melky Cabrera. | Forum
miaowang123
Sep 12 '18
MONTMELO, Spain -- Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is telling his local fans to keep their expectations low for this Sundays Spanish Grand Prix. Discount Blazers Jerseys . The two-time former Formula One champion downplayed his third-place finish three weeks ago in China and said progress is going slow for Ferrari as it tries to make up ground on Mercedes. "If I say we will fight for the podium I will probably be lying to you, and I dont want to disappoint our fans," Alonso said on Thursday, a day before practice begins at the seasons first event in Europe. Alonso sits third in the standings with 41 points after Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton swept the first four races of the season. Rosberg leads the standings with 79 points with Hamilton four points behind. Ferraris last win came at Montmelo one year ago when Alonso got his second career victory on the circuit. Since then, it is on its longest streak without a victory in almost two decades after Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel dominated the end of last season before Mercedes took the lead this year. Alonso has yet to crack the top three spots in qualifying so far in 2014, while Kimi Raikkonen has fared even worse in his return to the team that he won the world title with in 2007. The Finn hasnt finished in the top six spots in any race, and has also lacked speed in qualifying. "We finished ninth and 10th in Bahrain and did podium in China because we had some things (come) together on that Sunday, but it is not that we are in a position to say we will fight for the podium here," Alonso said. "Barcelona is a good point to check how competitive we are." Alonso said Ferraris upgrade package is "nothing out of the world" and that the biggest advantage he will have is his knowledge of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with its single straightaway, which he hoped would reduce Mercedes ability to leverage its better overall speed. The race will be Ferraris second under new team principal Marco Mattiacci after he replaced Stefano Domenicali. Mattiacci, a former president of Ferrari North America but with no experience in F1, arrived to Shanghai in time to watch Alonso steer to a third-place finish. Alonso said Mattiacci was meeting with everyone on the team-- from drivers to engineers and crew members-- but needed time to learn the sport before he put his stamp on the Italian team. "At the moment everything is more or less the same," Alonso said. "Everything is calm, no big changes. In China, Marco arrived with little experience in motor racing and lots of experience on the management side, but he is listening and learning as much as he can. I dont think Marco wants to become an engineer, but he will need some time to settle down and make some decisions. "It is a good thing for Ferrari to move forward and past some historical mistakes." C.J. McCollum Jersey . -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Shabazz Napier Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form.BOSTON - To hear Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leylands description of Anibal Sanchez performance, youd have thought it was just another night at the ballpark. "The pitch came up a little high early and a little careful early," said Leyland. "But he got rolling pretty good and made some good pitches and gave us all we needed. And made a great pitch on Drew to get out of (the sixth) inning." Rather innocuous, move-along-theres-nothing-to-see-here type words from Leyland. Except that the opener of the American League Championship Series, won 1-0 by the Tigers, was one of the stranger games youll see. Sanchez left after six innings of no-hit baseball. Why? Well, hed thrown 116 pitches. Howd he do that? By striking out 12 Red Sox, including four in the first inning (Shane Victorino reached on a third strike wild pitch,) and by walking six Boston hitters. Oh, by the way, Sanchez became just the second pitcher in playoff history to strike four hitters out in an inning. The last, a man by the name of Orval Overall, who accomplished the feat for the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of the fifth game of the 1908 World Series. Let that marinate. The feat is rare, sure, but it hadnt happened in the post-season since the Cubs – yes, the Cubs – last won a World Series. Three more Detroit relievers – Al Alburquerque, Jose Veras and Drew Smyly – combined to erase the Red Sox in order in the seventh and eighth innings. With one out in the ninth and Tigers closer Joaquin Benoit in to protect the one-run lead, Bostons Daniel Nava grinded out a seven-pitch at-bat, culminating in a single to centre field. The Red Sox were spared the infamy of being no-hit, but couldnt advance Navas single beyond second base. The poor Cubs, now having to share Overalls record with Sanchez, also saw the Tigers become the first team to shut out thee Red Sox in a playoff game at Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series. Blazers Jerseys From China. It was Chicagos Hippo Vaughn, with no relief help, who turned the trick that day. Move over, Hippo, youre sharing the record book with Sanchez-Alburquerque-Veras-Smyly-Benoit. Sanchez had a 26-pitch first inning, needed 25 to get through the second and another 28 to work out the sixth. In that sixth inning, he walked the bases loaded for his second multiple walk inning of the night – hed walked two hitters in the second – but managed to escape damage by striking out David Ortiz and later Stephen Drew. Meantime, the Tigers offensive hero was Jhonny Peralta, the anti-Melky Cabrera. Unlike Cabrera, who was exiled from the Giants after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in the second half of last season, Peralta was welcomed back from his 50-game suspension this year. Peraltas two-out single in the sixth scored Miguel Cabrera for the games only run. The shortstop-turned-left fielder, remember its no easy task playing in front of the Green Monster regardless of experience, followed up his torrid series against Oakland (.417) with three of the Tigers nine hits. The pressure now falls squarely in the lap of the Red Sox, who can ill afford to lose Sunday nights second game. To lose would be to fall behind 2-0 before a trip to Detroit where Justin Verlander will be waiting. Verlander, if you havent been watching the playoffs, authored two out-of-this-world performances versus the Athletics. Clay Buchholz will start Game 2 for Boston. Twenty-one game winner Max Scherzer, the likely AL Cy Young Award winner, will get the ball for Detroit. In the meantime, Anibal Sanchez will look on from the Tigers dugout, no doubt basking in the glory of the record he now shares with a man named Orval Overall. What a strange, fun and intriguing night it was. 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