They had total control of that period.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A medium-deep fly ball by Joey Votto wouldve done the trick. He did better than that. Votto hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds over the Cleveland Indians 4-2 Monday in the opener of their intrastate matchup. "I just wanted to put the barrel on the ball and at least get a sacrifice fly," said Votto, who began the day leading the NL in hitting at .353. "It was important to not strike out there or roll over and put the ball on the ground." Votto won this interleague game with his ninth homer, tagging left-hander Nick Hagadone (0-1). The reliever was called up from Triple-A earlier in the day when closer Chris Perez was put on the disabled list with a sore right shoulder. Shin-Soo Choo led off the Reds eighth with a single and moved around on a passed ball and Zack Cozarts sacrifice bunt. With the Indians infield drawn in, Votto followed with an opposite-field shot into the seats in left, lifting the Reds to their sixth win in their last seven games. Vottos homer came with NL RBIs leader Brandon Phillips on deck, followed a conference on the mound. Reds manager Dusty Baker was asked if he was surprised first-year Cleveland manager Terry Francona pitched to Votto instead of perhaps walking him to face Phillips, whod already hit into one double play in the game. "I never second-guess the other teams manager," Baker said. "Youve got to take your shot at some point in the game. Votto won that time." The conversation dealt with how to approach Votto, Francona said. "Hagadone has great stuff," he said. "We wanted to pound Votto inside and not let him get his arms extended. Its part of the learning experience, but a pitcher also has to pitch to a comfort zone. If wed have walked him, it wouldnt have been the end of the world." Hagadone refused to blame his inexperience. "It was supposed to be a fastball away," he said. "Even if Id been up here all year, Id have been upset." Choo, traded from the Indians to the Reds in the off-season, also hit a leadoff homer in the first. Jason Giambi tied it in the Indians eighth with a long pinch-hit homer. The solo shot was estimated at 467 feet and caromed off the batters background in centre field. His ninth career pinch-hit homer ended his 0-for-24 slump and was third homer of the season and first since April 20. Jonathan Broxton (2-1) got two outs in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 13th save, clinching the Indians fourth consecutive loss and sixth in their last seven games. Reds starter Mike Leake allowed one earned run and five hits in 7 1-3 innings, striking out seven to match his season high. He left with a no-decision after giving up Giambis homer. "Even that pitch wasnt a bad pitch," Leake said. "He did a very good job with it. I thought I did a pretty good job today, as a whole. Thats a very good lineup. I was going after them, trying to make them hit my pitch." Leake had complete-game stuff, Votto said. "Its a shame Jason hit that ball," Votto said. "If it doesnt, maybe (Leake) finishes the game, but Jasons been around." Ubaldo Jimenez, 3-0 in five previous career starts against Cincinnati, gave up four hits and two runs in seven innings. Choo, sent to the Reds with infielder Jason Donald and cash for outfielder Drew Stubbs and infielder Didi Gregorius in December, led with his 10th homer of the season. The Indians took advantage of an error by Phillips, another former Indians player, to tie it in the fourth. Jason Kipnis singled and took third when Phillips mishandled Nick Swishers grounder. Carlos Santanas sacrifice fly made it 1-all. Cozart led off the sixth with a double that just nicked the outside of the left-field line, advanced on Vottos groundout to second and scored on Phillips sacrifice fly. NOTES: The Reds improved to 40-42 in their inter-league series with the Indians. ... The sellout crowd was the fourth straight for the Reds, the second time theyd had four consecutive sellout crowds since moving from Crosley Field in 1970 and the first time since 2004. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos (4-0) will try to stay undefeated in the second game of the brief two-game series on Tuesday. Hell be opposed by Cleveland RHP Zach McAllister (4-3). Max Fried Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Tyler Flowers Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. https://www.cheapbraves.com/263o-bryse-wilson-jersey-braves.html . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final hole after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. Phil Niekro Braves Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Glenn Hubbard Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. CHICAGO -- A lesser goalie would have been flustered by the Chicago Blackhawks hot start. Not Tuukka Rask. After giving up a goal and withstanding another 18 shots in the first period Saturday night, the Boston Bruins goalie may as well have hung a "Not Open" sign on his net. While he stymied the Blackhawks, his teammates regrouped and found enough offence for a 2-1 overtime victory that sent the Stanley Cup finals to Boston tied at one game apiece. "We definitely were in survival mode there for a bit," Rask said. "It looked like they had more guys out there than we did. They were bouncing on every single puck in front of net, had a lot of chances. We definitely played pretty bad. But it was good we were only down by one, and we regrouped after that." Rask finished with 33 saves, including stopping Game 1 winner Andrew Shaw cold in OT. Game 3 is Monday night in Boston. "We had the perfect start to the game, then we stopped doing what made us successful," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. Well, Rask had a lot to do with that. "He wasnt lucky, hes a good goalie," Chicagos Patrick Sharp said. "He doesnt do anything different. He stops the puck when he sees it." Boston had the edge in goaltending coming into the series -- and not simply because Chicago is seemingly ready to replace Corey Crawford at the drop of a puck. Rask was impressive enough last season that he made Stanley Cup winner Tim Thomas expendable, and the 26-year-old from Finland has taken his game to another level this post-season. He came into the series with the highest save percentage (.943) of the playoffs, and limited the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins to a measly two goals in a four-game sweep by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals. The Blackhawks made Rask look mortal in Game 1, tagging him for four goals -- more than hed given up in Bostons previous five post-season games combined. It wouldnt happen a second time. Chicago came out flying Saturday night, peppering Rask with rapid-fire shots,, trying to sneak up on him from behind and playing hot potato with the puck in front of the net in hopes of catching him off-guard and slipping one past.dddddddddddd Boston coach Claude Julien called the effort "totally lopsided." "The first period, we just werent there. We were on our heels," Julien said. "They had total control of that period. Tuukka kept us in there." Rask needed his head on a swivel to keep track of the traffic, and even that wasnt always enough. At about 11 minutes into the first period, the Blackhawks blitzed Rask with a series of shots, two from Patrick Kane and one from Michal Handzus. Rask handled all of them, but the puck squirted out to the right side where Sharp was waiting. With Rask still preoccupied with the scrum on the opposite side of the net, Sharp poked a goal past him, putting Chicago up 1-0. "Every goal you let in you have a chance to save. Im not going to blame myself for that," Rask said. "I think there were three or four saves before that goal. I couldnt find that puck until the last second. But you know, they had 19 shots and one goes by you. It happens sometimes." It happened again shortly after when Marian Hossa appeared to score. But officials waved off the goal, saying play had been stopped. When the first period finally ended, the Blackhawks had a 19-4 shot advantage. "Not much needed to be said after that first period," Chris Kelly said. "I think Tuukka pointed out that was a pretty terrible period by our team. If it wasnt for Tuukka, it would have been a lot worse. To a guy in there, I think we all knew weNEWPORT, R.I. -- Sixth-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France rallied past James Duckworth of Australia 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) to advance to the second round of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships on Tuesday.The 28-year-old Mannarino was the only seeded player in action and voiced his displeasure over playing on a side court and the condition of Newports grass surface.I feel relieved that I won the match, but still I didnt enjoy any minute on the court, he said. The court is just ridiculously bad. Were playing (next to) the other court. Youve got the camera, the microphone on the court. You cant really move. This is really not respectful for the players to come, that kind of court.Qualifier Frank Dancevic of Canada beat American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-4 on center court in a match that ended a few minutes after Mannarinos victory.Mannarino went up 5-2 after breaking serve in the seventh game of final set, but struggled and became visibly upset, yelling at himself when he hit a lob long to close the eighth game.The tourney is held on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and fans can get an up-close look at play on the side courts. Spectators stand about 20 feet beyond both baselines, behind a fence thats approximately three-feet high, with a mesh netting attached.Mannarino said its difficult for players to see shots, especially with bad bounces.We dont see the ball, he said. We dont see anything because youve got all the people behind the court.Mannarino closed the 2 1/2-hour match with an ace. He is hoping to play on the main court in his next match.Im seeded here so hopefully my second match will be on the center court, he said.Asked about Mannarinos comments, Todd Martin, a longtime pro who serves as the tournament director, focused on the Frenchmans victory.The players, no matter where they are or what conditions they play in, have one goal each day ... be better than their opponent. Today, Adrian Mannarino accomplished that in spite of not liking the conditions, Martin said through a spokeswoman for the tournament.The 24-year-old Harrison lost in the first round for the fourth straight match this season.Its been a disappointing year, he said.Projected as one of a rising group of young Americans a few years ago, Harrison reached 43rd in the world in 2012. He entered this week 158th.Its frustrating, he said. The beautiful thing is Im 24 and Ive got time to figure this out.Also Tuesday, wild card Stefan Kozlov beat Benjamin Becker, 6-1, 6-2; qualifier Brian Baker outlasted fellow American Austin Krajicek, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; and John-Patrick Smith ousted Jordan Thompson, 6-4, 6-4. Marco Chiudinelli edged Alex Kuznetsov, 6-4, 7-6 (6), Sam Groth beat Michal Przysienzny, 7-6 (2), 6-4; and Yuichi Sugita defeated Amir Weintraub, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Bubba Starling Jersey . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Scott Barlow Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. https://www.cheaproyals.com/1787a-heath-fillmyer-jersey-royals.html . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Hal McRae Jersey . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Bo Jackson Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Youve heard of counting your chickens before they hatch? Well, putting Bryce Harper anywhere near the top 100 -- let alone at No. 85 -- is counting your chickens before the eggs are even laid.Look, I get it. Harpers potential is huge. His ceiling is higher than the one in Yao Mings bedroom. Last year, as a 22-year old, Harper put up one of the greatest offensive seasons for a player his age. Im not going to regurgitate the numbers for you here because by now youve heard them plenty and seen them plenty. Suffice it to say, when you become the youngest unanimous MVP in the history of baseball, youve done OK.But just because a guy has one good year at the office (OK, one really, really good year) doesnt mean hes going to keep doing it over and over again. Sure, if you look at the roster of players who won MVPs at a young age, youll see lots of legendary names -- guys like Johnny Bench, Stan Musial, Cal Ripken, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. As youd expect, every one of those greats cracked the top 100, and with plenty of breathing room. But that same list of precocious players also contains names such as Don Mattingly and Fred Lynn, both very good players in their own right, but neither of whom even sniffed our rankings because their flames didnt burn eternal -- they werent good enough for long enough.I know what youre thinking (and by you, I mean our top-100 polling posse): Mattingly and Lynn werent blue-chip prospects like Harper. Donnie Baseball was a 19th-rounder. And although Lynn was a second-rounder, its still not the same thing as being the top overall pick, which Harper was in 2010. Combine the prime pedigree with the historic 2015 season, and presto, youve got a legend in the making. Or so it seemed.(Sound of needle scratching on record.)In case you havent noticed, the legend of Harper isnt going according to plan in 2016. Oh, he started the season well enough in defense of his MVP crown. Sure, you could argue that he didnt deserve to be named National League Player of the Month for April (see: Arenado, Nolan). But you cant argue that Harper -- with his 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 1.120 OPS during that first month -- didnt come out of the gate mashing.dddddddddddd But that was then, and this is now.Since April 27, Harper is hitting just .231 with a .378 slugging percentage. His average ranks 149th out of 159 qualified major leaguers over that time, and his slugging ranks 130th. Even when Harper isnt getting hits, his prolific plate discipline -- he set a franchise record with 124 walks last season and walked 45 times in his first 39 games this year -- has a huge impact on the game. But since May 19, he has drawn a relatively human 27 free passes in 50 games. During that time, his .347 on-base percentage puts him firmly in the middle of the pack (38th out of 82 NL players).On one hand, maybe its just a slump. A really extended, nearly half-season slump thats about to end. Maybe Harpers on the verge of busting out and going on a tear that will have his average north of .300 come October, and well all look back and say, See, we knew it was just a matter of time.On the other hand, maybe what were seeing this year is the real Bryce Harper. Maybe the .270-something that he hit in each of his first three seasons is more like the rule, and last years video game numbers were the exception. If thats the case, then the slash line were seeing offensively from Harper in 2016 (.252/.394/.477) is roughly equivalent to what we can expect in the years to come. For the record, its also roughly equivalent to what?Joey Votto?is doing this season. And with all due respect to Votto -- who, like Harper, is a former MVP -- his name doesnt appear anywhere on our top-100 list.Just because Harper put up one monster year doesnt mean we should automatically grant him the keys to the kingdom. Slow your roll. Let him do it a few more times before we exalt him to top 100 in the history of a sport that has been in existence for nearly two centuries status.After all, hes still only 23 years old -- well within the parameters of whats known in the poultry biz as a spring chicken. Its way too early to start counting him. ' ' ' had to go out and play better." Bostons defence tightened up, and Rask easily handled the few remaining chances the Blackhawks had. Chicago had only 15 shots in the last two periods and overtime. "That first period was extremely hard for (Rask)," Julien said. "But, thankfully, our guys rewarded him with that effort by being a lot better in front of him for the rest of the game." ' ' '