has gotten hot at just the right time

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen says a little bit of adversity isnt always a bad thing and tough times can make a team better.If thats the case, the Bulldogs hope the results come sooner rather than later.Theres no denying its been a rough first half of the season for Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference), which has lost three of its last four games, including last weeks 28-21 double overtime loss at BYU.The BYU setback was undeniably frustrating -- especially since Mississippi State led for a big chunk of the evening -- but at least there was some reason for optimism. The Bulldogs were much more competitive than the week before, when they fell behind 35-0 at home before losing to Auburn 38-14.Mullen said the team played physical and hard in the BYU loss, but crucial mistakes -- including personal foul penalties and missed assignments -- are keeping the Bulldogs out of the win column.Some of the silly penalties we had overshadowed some tremendous efforts we had on the defensive side of the ball, but you see some young guys start to make plays and play a little better, Mullen said.Mississippi State appears to have a few winnable games ahead of it, starting with a road matchup against Kentucky (3-3, 2-2) on Saturday. The Bulldogs have won seven straight games in the series dating back to 2009.But Kentucky has played better of late, winning three of its last four.Mississippi State hasnt had nearly as much to celebrate lately.Mullen said he hopes the Bulldogs will do a better job in the passing game against Kentucky after an up-and-down week against BYU. Sophomore Nick Fitzgerald continued his inconsistent play, completing 17 of 36 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.One bright spot was Fitzgeralds short pass to freshman Keith Mixon, who ran 44 yards down the sideline for the Bulldogs first touchdown against BYU. Other than that, Mississippi State struggled to create big offensive plays.Mullen says hes willing to take shots downfield. Its up to his players to execute.I dont think weve decreased the number of shots we have taken down the field, Mullen said. I think weve decreased the efficiency of our shots downfield. I think we have to hit a couple of those.Mississippi States offense is working around the absence of starting running back Brandon Holloway. The senior missed the BYU game because of an ankle injury and his return for the Kentucky game is in doubt.Thats meant larger roles for others like sophomore Aeris Williams, who ran for a team-high 82 yards against BYU. Mixon, who has scored a touchdown in two straight games, and sophomore Malik Dear have also become a bigger part of the offense.Its just opportunities for someone else to take and step up, Dear said. Brandon (Holloway) is a great player and we are going to try to do what he does best and to fill his role. But Brandon can only be Brandon, Keith can only be Keith and Malik can only be Malik. So we are going to go out there and do what we can do.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP . AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org . New Air Max 97 2019 .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. Air Max 97 Have a Nike Day . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-vapormax-cheap.html . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Air Max 97 Clearance . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Air Max 97 Have a Nike Day Tropical Twist . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. BOSTON -- Two American League East contenders coming off big weekend series road wins get together for the next three games of the postseason chase at Fenway Park, starting on Monday night.Were going, were moving, we got that mojo back, slugger David Ortiz said after his go-ahead three-run homer on Sunday gave the first-place Red Sox some momentum heading into the series opener against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. We had a good road trip.The Red Sox, who defeated Toronto in the rubber match on Sunday to take a two-game lead in the division, won 2-of-3 in three different cities and come home for a seven-game homestand.The Orioles, who won their series in Detroit as ace Chris Tillman came off the disabled list to win their rubber game, hit Boston tied for second in the division and two games up in the wild card.We are going to go on a plane and go to the next hostile environment, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Sunday. We will let people continue to cast out on us and count us out. We like that.David Price, the expensive free agent who has gotten hot at just the right time, faces Wade Miley in the series opener. Price will pitch twice on this homestand.Weve been on the road so damn much, I dont think it matters to our guys where were playing, Boston manager John Farrell said before Sundays game. Were looking forward to getting on the field every day. To get back at Fenway, get back in front of our fans, sure thats always a motivatorr for us.dddddddddddd At this time of the year, you can feed off of that energy.Price, who has taken a bit of a backseat to 20-game winner Rick Porcello, has won six straight starts (one of them against Baltimore), compiling a 2.14 ERA and limiting batters to a .204 batting average over that span (42 strikeouts in 42 innings). He is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts against Baltimore this season, 9-5 with a 2.87 ERA lifetime against the Birds.The winning streak has made him a 15-game winner for the fifth time in his career, and he is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA in September divisional games since 2013.Miley, who pitched for the Red Sox last season before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in the offseason, has been a disaster since being acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline. He is 1-4 with a 7.15 ERA, yielding six homers and 27 earned runs in 34 innings.He has never pitched against the Red Sox, but last season went 7-5 with a 4.30 ERA at Fenway.The Orioles, who have gone 4-2 at Fenway this season, dont have great individual numbers against Price. Mark Trumbo leads the way by going 9-for-28 and two homers and Chris Davis is 8-for-28 with two blasts. Michael Bourn is 3-for-22 and Nolan Reimold 4-for-33.Hanley Ramirez is the only Red Sox hitter with a real past against Miley. Hes gone 5-for-24 with a homer. ' ' '