|
NEW YORK -- Scott Kazmir has been so good for the Oakland Athletics, manager Bob Melvin wasnt prepared to see his ace flop so badly. Nike Free Run+ 2 Mens Cheap . Kazmir was tagged for three homers and allowed a season-high seven runs in the As 10-1 loss to the New York Mets and Bartolo Colon on Tuesday night. "Its almost a shock when you see him give up some runs but he just got some balls up, missed locations with a few of them and they didnt miss them," Melvin said. "Usually hes so unpredictable in his pitches that if he does get a ball up sometimes he gets away with it but he didnt today." A first-round draft pick by New York in 2002 but sent to Tampa Bay in a very unpopular trade two years later, Kazmir struggled from the start in his first start ever in Queens. He entered with the ALs best ERA (2.08) and on a four-game winning streak, but was out after just three innings. His ERA rose to 2.66. Kazmir (9-3) gave up consecutive homers to Curtis Granderson and Chris Young in the second inning and a three-run shot to Travis dArnaud in the third. The left-hander went 22 starts without giving up more than one homer in a game since Aug. 18, with the Indians. Kazmir blamed his lack of command on his troubles, not his first outing against the Mets in New York -- he beat the Mets in September in Cleveland. "Ive never played in Shea Stadium. Id never played in Citi Field so its not really coming back for me," Kazmir said. "I think itd be a little bit different if I had actually played at the big league level with the Mets and had a little bit of history in that regard, but it was just going out here today to take care of business." The As second straight loss ended with reliever Jeff Francis striking out. Melvin had Derek Norris and Craig Gentry on the bench but Gentry was given a cortisone shot in a knee. Norris was out of the lineup after being hit by a backswing on Sunday. "I wasnt going to use him in that type of game," Melvin said of Norris. Colon (8-5) shut down the team that didnt want him back this year despite an 18-win season, pitching four-hit ball for eight innings against the AL West leaders. Signed by the Mets 10 days after the As inked Kazmir in December, Colon won his sixth straight decision. He also singled for his second straight game, much to the delight of the 25,751 in attendance. "Just when you think youve got him figured out hes going to throw something that you have no idea hes going to throw and thats just a testament to how good he is," Stephen Vogt said of Colon. "Obviously Im frustrated that we didnt beat him but obviously it was great to see him." Colon only faced trouble in the first when Yoenis Cespedes followed Brandon Moss single with a double to the wall in centre field for the early lead. Colon gave up a hit to Cespedes in the fourth and another single in the fifth to Coco Crisp, but he otherwise cruised through the best run-producing lineup in the majors. "It feels really good in particular because its a team like the Oakland As, which for me right now is the No. 1 team," Colon said through a translator. Slumping Mets outfielder Chris Young also homered off failed closer Jim Johnson in the fifth for only the Mets fifth four-homer game at Citi Field since it opened in 2009, according to STATS. Granderson and David Wright had RBI groundouts, and Daniel Murphy added a run-scoring single for the Mets, who scored at least 10 runs in consecutive games for the first time since June 28-29, 2011, in Detroit. They beat Miami 11-5 on Sunday. The Mets have won a season high-tying three straight. NOTES: The As activated RF Josh Reddick before the game. He was 0 for 2 with a walk. ... Oakland placed 1B Kyle Blanks on the 15-day DL with a left calf strain. ... Wright tied a career high with an RBI in his seventh straight game. ... First base umpire Joe West was hit in the chest by a line drive but he barely flinched. ... Up next: Oakland LHP Brad Mills (0-0) vs. New York RHP Zack Wheeler (3-7). Nike Free 3.0 Mens sale . Pelfrey hit a tiebreaking two-run double and limited the Rockies to three solo homers, helping the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over Colorado on Tuesday night. Nike Free 5.0 Womens Online . - Adam Scott didnt have to look as far down the leaderboard to find players who suddenly are a real threat to win at Bay Hill.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Vince Wilfork was pursuing a play when he planted his right foot, dropped to the ground and probably ended his season. "It doesnt look too good for Vince," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday on WEEI radio. "I think hes got a pretty serious injury and its probably unlikely that hell be able to play again this year." The Boston Globe reported that the star defensive tackle tore his right Achilles tendon in Sundays 30-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Belichick did not specify the injury. Wilforks agent, Kennard McGuire, did not respond to requests for comment. At his news conference earlier Monday, Belichick said he didnt know much about Wilforks injury or whether he would miss most or all of the remaining games. He said he hadnt met yet with medical personnel. But as the injuries to key Patriots players pile up -- Wilfork is a five-time Pro Bowl selection -- so do the victories. Theyre 4-0 despite missing one of the NFLs best tight ends, Rob Gronkowski, for all those games, as he recovers from forearm and back surgery, and their top wide receiver, Danny Amendola, for the last three with a groin injury. "We always talk about next man up. We have a lot of talented guys on our team," linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "Guys really stepped up and played well for us. We ended up getting the victory." When Wilfork left, undrafted rookie Joe Vellano stepped in and got a sack. And Chris Jones, cut by Houston and Tampa Bay after the Texans drafted him in the sixth round this year, saw his first action with the Patriots. So theyre thin at defensive tackle behind the other starter, Tommy Kelly. "He has good instincts, kind of has a nose for the ball and a good feel for whats going on," Belichick said of Vellano. "Hes still got a long way to go but definitely making progress." Jones, he said, is "just overall getting familiar with what we do, our calls, his assignments, block reactions. Alll those kind of things have gotten better over the last couple weeks. Nike Free 5.0 UK. ." But no one plays quite like Wilfork, a defensive captain Belichick calls "a great leader." His 325-pound frame demands double teams, opening up space for teammates to make tackles. And hes been very healthy, until now. Sundays game was the 166th of his career, including the post-season. Hes played in 160 and started 148. "Obviously, Vince has been a staple for a long time," said Mayo, another defensive captain. "He rarely goes out with injuries so it was very shocking and surprising to see my friend go down like that." Wilfork was hurt on the 10th play of the Falcons opening series. He was blocked lightly by left guard Justin Blalock, who then ran to his left to block on a pass to Julio Jones. Wilfork changed direction to run toward the action when his right leg gave way. The Patriots said he had an ankle injury, and he didnt return. On the sideline, Tom Brady talked with Wilfork, then patted him on the shoulder. A short time later, Wilfork was sitting on the back of a cart, his right leg bare below the knee, with Dr. Thomas Gill, the team physician, by his side as they headed off the field. Wilforks absence lightens the load for opposing offensive linemen. "Hes not only strong and powerful, but he is also quick for a man his size, and hes a smart player," Patriots left guard Logan Mankins said. "He takes on double teams so well. He just engulfs linemen. In pass protection, he just pushes the pocket. He is always collapsing inside, and that helps the edge rush. So, he just does so many things for us, and does it so good." Now Belichick must get along without that massive force in the middle. "Clearly, there are no Vince Wilforks just standing around out there on the corner waiting to sign with the Patriots or some other NFL team," he said on WEEI. "He is a special player, one of the very best at his position." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
