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KAMLOOPS, B. cheap jerseys .C. -- A stolen deuce in the ninth end was the back-breaker for Saskatchewan Tuesday night at the Canadian mens curling championship, as Alberta claimed a share of the lead going into the home stretch. But Saskatchewan (4-2) skip Steve Laycock says they had no one to blame but themselves at the Tim Hortons Brier. "Odds were still stacked against us even tied up coming home," he said after losing 8-6. "The real problem was we had lots of chances in that ninth end to set up a two and just heavy on a few hit and rolls and taps and stuff." Until then it had been a horse race, although Laycock was clearly the underdog. "We expected a close game all the way," said Koe, who advanced to 6-1 along with John Morris of B.C. "I was a little surprised with that steal of two in nine." Perhaps he shouldnt be, since hes at the top of the list when it comes to shotmaking by skips at this event, although Brier rookie Greg Balsdon of Ontario sits just below him with the same overall percentage of 86. Balsdons numbers got a big boost Tuesday night Eddie Mackenzie from Prince Edward Island (3-4) didnt bother to throw his last rock in the eighth end as he dropped 8-3 to Ontario (4-2). Balsdon is still very much in the hunt but knows he has his toughest games ahead. "Weve got a tough stretch coming up," he said. "Weve got Johnny Mo (Morris), Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba our next four games. If we could even split those games and end up 6-4 going into the last draw I think wed take it." Jean-Michel Menard of Quebec (3-3) was down early, came back and forced an extra end, but still lost 10-8 to James Grattan of New Brunswick (2-5). Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories-Yukon (2-4) defeated winless Jamie Murphy of Nova Scotia 7-4. Laycock says theyd be satisfied just to know theyre in the playoffs, but theyre not giving up hope of finishing in the top group. "We know we can beat these teams when it comes crunch time, weve just got to play better than we did tonight." Koe says it would be nice to stay on top of the leader board instead of having to work his way into the final through the 3-4 game. "Im not too worried about who were tied with at the top as long as you keep going and start looking at who plays who and probably where youre at Thursday." Manitobas Jeff Stoughton was another favourite heading into the Brier and he recovered from a 9-7 loss in the morning Tuesday to steal one in the 10th and beat Nova Scotia 8-6 in the afternoon. But a clutch shot through a narrow port even had his own team covering their eyes. Nova Scotia skip Murphy was light on his last-rock draw attempt to force an extra end. The Manitoba skip agrees he and third John Mead havent been as sharp as they need to be. "Both John and I need to make better shots," Stoughton agreed. "Weve just got to clean up the little mistakes." He says their draw weight is good but their hits and peels are a little off. "Were really close and were working hard." Newfoundland and Labradors Brad Gushue retained at least faint hope of making the playoffs with an 8-5 win over Grattan. But after dropping a morning game 7-6 to Saskatchewan, the 2006 Olympic champion said there is no room left for more losses if they want to stay alive. "Yeah, that fourth loss this morning was a punch in your gut," said Gushue. "You know your backs against the wall and you cant afford to lose any more. And its not only winning for more in the round robin, its probably winning a tiebreaker, the 3-4 game, semifinal and final against some world-class teams." The odds are long and it may not be entirely up to him, he admits. "Ive seen 7-4 get in the playoffs, Ive seen 6-5 get in the playoffs. But most of the time it probably doesnt. So youre going to need some help." cheap jerseys from china . KINGS TAKE FREEWAY SERIES The Los Angeles Kings stormed the Anaheim Ducks early in Game Seven, building a 3-0 first-period lead on their way to a 6-2 decision, earning the Kings a rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. nfl jerseys china . And it showed Thursday night. The Canadiens, playing in their second game in as many days, however, got a good performance in the end from their backup goaltender as he filled in for an injured Olympic gold medallist . CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Toronto Blue Jays went limping home from their long, losing road trip. The struggling AL East leaders lost infielder Brett Lawrie and right fielder Jose Bautista with injuries and fell to the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Sunday. Toronto was 3-7 on its visit to Baltimore, Yankee Stadium and Cincinnati. Lawrie, twice hit in the left hand by pitches earlier in the week, sustained a broken right index finger when he was hit by a pitch from Johnny Cueto in the second inning. The team didnt immediately announce how long he would be out. "Its definitely tough," said Lawrie, who said he expects to be placed on the disabled list. "Were big pieces of the puzzle, especially (Bautista). Its tough on the team to not have all its bullets. We just have to keep on grinding." Bautista left because of tightness in his left hamstring, manager John Gibbon said. The All-Star outfielder had a single and a sacrifice bunt before leaving. Cueto pitched eight effective innings and Todd Frazier broke a 2-all tie in the fifth with a two-run homer off R.A. Dickey (6-6). Toronto has lost five of six, and has dropped five straight series. Cueto (7-5) gave up three runs -- one earned -- and leads the NL with a 1.86 ERA. He gave up seven hits and struck out eight while winning his third straight start. Gibbon became just the latest opposing manager to be dazzled by Cueto, though he also was impressed by his own starter, who got two extra days of rest after his last start because of a sore groin. ""I thought (Dickey) was pretty good, except for the home-run ball," Gibbon said. "Thats been his nemesis. It was a hot day, but he stayed out there. Cueto was just a little bit better. Hes good. Hes in a different class." Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for his 13th save. Cueto led off the fifth with a bunt single. One out later, Frazier lined his team-leading 17th homer of the season, and the sixth allowed by Dickey in his last four starts. "I felt good," Dickey said. "I gave up nine hits, but I think only two or three of them could be described as hard--hit. wholesale nfl jerseys. I think all but one of my earned runs over my last four or five starts have come on home runs. Thats tough to overcome, especially against a guy like Cueto. I knew it was going to be a scrappy game from the beginning." The Reds had their own injury concerns. Second baseman Brandon Phillips left the game in the middle of the fifth with a bruised right heel, and Cueto had to shake off a hamstring cramp to stay in the game. "When Frazier hit that ball, I went back to tag and I felt it," Cueto said through a translator. "It was just a cramp." Frazier is tied with Pittsburghs Andrew McCutchen and Baltimores Adam Jones for the most home runs in the month of June, each with seven. Edwin Encarnacion led off the Toronto eighth with his 24th home run, connecting against his former team. He hit a pair of three-run shots Friday night while Toronto was coming back from an 8-0 deficit to grab a 14-9 win. The Reds used Encarnacions error at first to take a 1-0 lead in the first. With Frazier on first and two outs, Phillips was safe when Encarnacion couldnt handle third baseman Juan Franciscos throw on a chopper. Jay Bruce converted the error with an RBI single. The Blue Jays got help from two errors to take a 2-1 lead in the third. Munenori Kawasaki reached on first baseman Joey Vottos throwing error, Melky Cabrera singled and Toronto loaded the bases on Cuetos misplay of Jose Bautistas bunt. One out later, Colby Rasmus lined a two-run single. The Reds tied the game in the fourth on Bruces leadoff double, Ryan Ludwicks single and Brayan Penas run-scoring double-play grounder. Encarnacion homered off Cueto into the left-field seats. NOTES: Bautista was scheduled for an MRI on Monday. He left for pinch-runner Jose Reyes, who didnt start after fouling a ball off the side of his left knee on Saturday. ... Toronto is scheduled to open a seven-game homestand with the first of three against the Yankees on Monday. ... The Reds are due to open their second 10-game road trip of the season with the first of three games against the Cubs. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
