Gäste Forum » series at home to the Reds. San Francisco the

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Just in case the four-day All-Star break isnt enough to jar the Tampa Bay Rays from the worst slump in their history, they will have a few lineup tweaks as the return Friday for a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.Im not going to lie. This All-Star break has been tough, said Rays manager Kevin Cash, eager from a distraction after losing 22 of 25 games entering the break.You look at the standings, you read how far back we are. Weve got a long road and were going to need to play better baseball. I think that starts by putting a goal of winning as many series up front coming out of the break as possible.As early as Fridays game, the Rays are expected to get back Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, a catalyst in the field and on the bases, where he had six steals and 15 extra-base hits before missing 45 games with a fractured hand.The Rays also optioned backup catcher Hank Conger, hitting just .194 with 10 RBI in 124 at-bats, to Triple-A Durham, with Luke Maile taking his place as Curt Casalis backup. Maile, 25, had 35 at-bats last season and hit just .171, but he should be an upgrade defensively.And in one more move, the Rays signed reliever Kevin Jepsen, who was released by the Minnesota Twins, the same team that acquired Jepsen from the Rays at the trade deadline last year.Jepsen was sharp last season with a 2.33 ERA but struggled in Minnesota this year with a 6.16 ERA. Still, hes seen as more dependable than the Rays current options. Theyll likely send down two relievers to make room for Jepsen and Kiermaier on Friday.The Orioles (51-36), leading the American League East, are looking for a different kind of upgrade. They could pursue a key addition in the next two weeks before the trade deadline, most likely to bolster their starting rotation with a replacement for struggling Ubaldo Jimenez.Help is right here in this group. We are not coveting other peoples players, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters about not needing a trade at the deadline. Every answer we need to have is in here.Baltimore won four of five going into the All-Star break, with two wins from Chris Tillman, who is 12-2 and will start Saturday against the Rays. Kevin Gausman is 1-6, however, and Yovani Gallardo (3-1), Fridays starter, hasnt been reliable, either.The Orioles are where they are in part because of a major-league-best 137 home runs -- a ridiculous 28 from Mark Trumbo, another 22 from Chris Davis and 19 from Manny Machado. Its enough to have them 15 games above .500 at the break, but they might need more pitching if they want to be more than a division winner.Black Air Max 2018 . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. White Air Max 2018 .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. http://www.cheapairmaxonlinesale.com/ .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Cheap Air Max 2018 .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 2018 Sale . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace.SAN FRANCISCO -- Sure, Jake Arrieta and Joe Maddon know all about what Madison Bumgarner has done on the postseason stage in recent years.Just how good the big lefty has been and his San Francisco Giants, too. Theyre 9-0 in elimination games under manager Bruce Bochy, rallying from improbable deficits to win it all three times this decade -- every other year, and this is one of those even years.San Franciscos October theme this time: BeliEVEN.As the Chicago Cubs arrived Sunday in the Bay Area with a 2-0 NL Division Series lead and a chance to close out the home team, Maddon knows theres plenty that still must go right Monday night for his club to move closer to ending its World Series curse.Wed be foolish to be overconfident about this situation, Maddon said. Theyre really good, theyve done this before. That is a group that is just dripping with tested veterans and a manager thats outstanding. So you never take the Giants for granted. Never.The Cubs were in for an unexpected treat Sunday: The Blue Angels regularly buzzed over the bay during Fleet Week as Chicago wrapped up its afternoon work, with a few players and coaches stealing a glance up at the blue sky.Maddon found himself reflecting to his youth when Bumgarners name was brought up before an on-field workout. The 2014 World Series MVP has thrown 23 straight scoreless innings in the postseason, going 2-0 with a save in elimination games.Its like when I was a kid. I could only relate it to that. I was a Cardinals fan growing up, and seeing Bob Gibson do what he did in the `60s and then Mr. (Sandy) Koufax, what he did. So you have to kind of draw the parallels or the comparisons from when you were a kid, Maddon said.So I look at it as, wow, its just like what Gibson did, its like what Koufax did. And maybe with Whitey Ford and the Yankees prior to that. Its unique. So I hope the kids that are really watching right now understand how good this guy is and how it parallels throughout baseball history, what hes doing right now, he said.Bumgarner dazzled with a four-hitter last Wednesday in New York as the Giants eliminated the reigning NL champion Mets in the wild-card game. He did the same thing at Pittsburgh two yeears ago to get that championship run rolling.ddddddddddddEven with all of the accolades and comparisons, Bumgarner just goes about his business ignoring any fanfare.When told of Maddons remarks about Gibson, Ford and Koufax, Bumgarner insisted he never thinks about where he might rank in postseason lore.You cant, MadBum said. As soon as you start buying into that its probably going to take a turn.Arrieta already has said he has no fear about this matchup, giving his respect to Bumgarner while also noting hes beatable.Hes been one of the best in the postseason for the last several years. We have got a challenge ahead of us, but we put ourselves in a really good position, obviously taking care of business at home with the opportunity to close the series out in three games and get back to Chicago and prepare, Arrieta said. He is tough, but at the same time we have got a pretty potent offense that he has to try and neutralize.Trailing in a postseason series or being on the brink of going home for the offseason has hardly seemed to faze Bochys teams in recent history. In 2012, the Giants became the first team to win three straight road games in a best-of-five series after dropping the first two in the division series at home to the Reds. San Francisco then rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat St. Louis.This club has a history, and thats what you like about whats going on now, finding a way to win that game they have to win and moving on, Bochy said. Thats experience thats so vital to draw on. If you dont have that, you may not have that belief that you can do it. They know theyve done it.As brilliant as Bumgarner might be against the Cubs slugging lineup, the Giants must find a way to score runs -- or a run if thats all it takes in a likely pitchers duel -- to extend their season by at least one more day. Arrieta won 22 games and the NL Cy Young Award in 2015 and another 18 this season.Both pitchers are capable hitters, adding to the intrigue of Mondays matchup.I feel like well attack each other accordingly, Arrieta said, and not take it lightly. ' ' '