rs since Torii Hunter had one of the same length and the fourth-longest in the major leagues this season.Its just one of those things where he keeps finding a way to get it done, said Molitor, who was bo | Forum

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo says the Chicago Cubs will be ready to roll when the seasons second half begins on Friday in the opener of a three-game series with the Texas Rangers at Wrigley Field. Cheap Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys .The Cubs ended a 6-15 pre-break skid with last Sundays 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.Was it a slump possibly of their own making?Rizzo seemed to suggest that the Cubs may have eased up a bit after rolling to a 25-6 start and double-digit game leads over their closest Central Division competitors.You build a big lead, and I dont want to say we were coasting, but I guess we were, the Cubs first baseman told reporters during All-Star Game festivities this week. You cant be good all the time in this game. Its impossible. Well be ready for the second half.Chicago outfielder Dexter Fowler echoed Rizzos expectations for a second-half start.I think the break was good, I think well come back recharged, hopefully, Fowler told reporters. And I think were in for a long, long season.Fowler, a catalyst for the Cubs fast start, opens the second half still on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain and no projected return date.Rizzos assessment might be an overstatement because the Cubs slump could also be attributed to a series of injuries, fatigue through a stretch playing 24 consecutive games and the end of a run of exceptional pitching especially by reigning Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta that would be hard to perpetually sustain.Chicago (53-35) starts the second half with a seven-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and a six-game homestand with two challenging series.AL West-leading Texas (54-36) brings that leagues best record into a three-game weekend series. Thats followed by a three-game set with the New York Mets next week, a team that humbled the Cubs with a four-game sweep prior to the break.Chicago owns the National Leagues best home record (26-14) and are facing a team that knows about slumps.Texas owns a 5 1/2 game lead over the Houston Astros and has dropped seven of its last nine heading into the All-Star break while Chicago had lost five straight before beating the Pirates.Texas entered the break with the rotation having a 10.50 ERA over the final nine games as Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis are on the disabled list.Its obviously a challenge, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. We go as our starters go. When we get quality starts, its proven, has been all year long that when we get quality starts our offense gives us an opportunity to win baseball game.Texas sends left-hander Martin Perez (7-5, 3.85 ERA) against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (7-6, 2.55 ERA) in the series opener.Hendricks needs one win to match a career-high. Hes 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA at home. Perez is coming off a rough start again the Red Sox on July 5, allowing 11 runs (seven earned) over four innings in an 11-6 loss.Neither starter has ever faced the opposing team.Darvish (2-0, 2.87 ERA in three starts) is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Saturday and start against Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel (7-5, 3.46 ERA).Darvish had been on the disabled list since June 13 and has made two rehab starts. He also opened the season on the disabled list while recovering from 2015 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.Chicago and Texas have met only 12 times since interleague play began in 1997 and have six wins apiece.The Cubs took two of three in the most recent meeting in 2013 at Wrigley Field with two games played in cool April conditions and an early May makeup of a rainout.The Cubs play 24 of their next 32 games at home and two series will be strictly by bus including two against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field and three at Milwaukee. Chicago also has a three-game trip to Oakland (Aug. 5-7).The Rangers are on a 10-day, nine game road trip that also takes them to Anaheim and Kansas City before hosting the Athletics July 25-27. Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Cheap San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. http:///...leans-saints-jerseys . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Dozier can only do so much. The Minnesota Twins, already hamstrung by poor pitching, have lost their way at the plate, too.Matt Boyd breezed through eight innings, backed by home runs from James McCann and Miguel Cabrera as the Detroit Tigers beat the Twins 8-1 on Tuesday night to step forward to cut the deficit between them and the second AL wild card spot to 1 1/2 games.Boyd (6-4) bounced back from an 8-1 defeat by the Twins at home last week, giving up a homer to Robbie Grossman in the seventh among only three hits allowed. He matched his career best with seven strikeouts and walked just one, after being pounded by Minnesota for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings on Sept. 13.Dozier had a lonely leadoff single in the bottom of the first and stole second base with none out, only to be stranded. Max Kepler walked in the second inning and was quickly caught stealing. Then Boyd retired 14 straight batters until Grossman went deep with one out in the seventh.He was on tonight, and youve got to tip your hat to him, said Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.The Twins, who allowed eight or more runs for the 39th time in this awful season, have scored just five times in the last four games. With Trevor Plouffe, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Joe Mauer injured, the Twins have lost some punch.You can tell that some of the guys who arent used to playing this long into the season, maybe taking a little bit of a toll, but youve got to try to find a way to finish as strongly as you can, manager Paul Molitor said.Hector Santiago (12-9), who lost for the first time in his last five starts, wasnt exactly a hard-luck loser. He gave up a three-run shot into second deck above left-center in a four-run sixth to McCann. Cabrera hit his 34th homer the following inning, a two-run drive against Michael Tonkin.Detroit played without designated hitter Victor Martinez (bruised knee) and second baseman Ian Kinsler (concussion-like symptoms), both having been hit by pitches from Clevelands Trevor Bauer on Sunday.You take away two pitches, I think its a different game, said Santiago, who lasted 5 1/3 innings.MIGGY CAN MOVECabrera started the fourth innning by crushing a double to right field, sliding in to beat the throw. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys. . The hulking power hitter hustled to advance a base on a flyout to medium-range center field. Then he rumbled home for a 2-0 lead on a groundout to third, sneaking his foot underneath catcher John Ryan Murphys tag after the throw home to try to get the double play.We had three chances to throw out Cabrera. I dont know if you ever see that, Molitor said.Santiago teasingly shouted, What are you doing? to Cabrera when he backed up third on the tag-up throw.I think he caught everybody off guard, Santiago said.Cabrera is batting .375 in 32 at-bats over seven games at Target Field this season, all Tigers victories, with five doubles, three homers, seven runs and six RBI.STILL STREAKINGDozier stretched his hitting streak to 23 straight games, the longest for the Twins in nine years since Torii Hunter had one of the same length and the fourth-longest in the major leagues this season.Its just one of those things where he keeps finding a way to get it done, said Molitor, who was booed when he pulled Dozier for a pinch hitter in the ninth.ROSARIO WONT RETURNRosario was diagnosed with a broken left thumb after diving into first base trying to beat out a grounder in the game on Saturday, and hell need six weeks to recover. After a rough start that led to his demotion to Triple-A in May, Rosario rebounded and became one of nine Twins players to reach 10 home runs. This is the first year theyve had that many since 2004.TRAINERS ROOMSano (sore back) missed his seventh straight game, but hes been taking groundballs and batting practice and should be able to play this week. Mauer was given another rest for his ailing quadriceps.UP NEXTRHP Buck Farmer (0-0, 4.07 ERA in 13 relief appearances) will make his first start of the season for the Tigers on Wednesday night. Twins RHP Jose Berrios (2-7, 8.88 ERA) will take the mound for the 13th time. He finished only four innings in his last turn, but the rookie allowed two runs to match a season low. 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