Beitrag Do 20. Feb 2020, 08:05

on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday

BOSTON -- Rick Porcellos 20 victories this season are impressive in their own right, but his performance at Fenway Park has proven to be the backbone of his success.Still unbeaten at home, Porcello looks to improve to 14-0 at Fenway as the Boston Red Sox host the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a three-game set Wednesday.Baltimore (79-65) picked up a game in the American League East standings after bouncing back from Mondays 12-2 rout with a 6-3 victory.The Orioles are tied for second with the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost at home to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, and are two games back of division-leading Boston (81-63).We get a chance to win another series on the road, which is something we knew we were going to have to do, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said.Weve got a 20-game winner going again tomorrow and weve got (Kevin Gausman), so well see what happens.Porcello (20-3, 3.21 ERA) is without a loss in his 14 starts at Fenway this year, posting a 3.03 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 92 innings at the ballpark.Porcello notched win No. 20 on Friday in Toronto, holding the Blue Jays to two runs on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over seven innings.Its definitely a huge honor, Porcello said of his milestone victory. Its hard to win one game in the big leagues, let alone 20, so Im definitely very proud.The right-hander has lasted seven or more innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine consecutive starts, the longest streak in the majors this season.Porcellos impressive streak is the longest by a Red Sox pitcher since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinezs 11-game run in 2000.Just a model of consistency, Red Sox manager John Farrell said. He keeps rolling along and we play with a lot of confidence (behind him).As dominant as Porcello has been in 2016, his lifetime numbers against Baltimore arent pretty. He is 3-7 with a 5.61 ERA in 13 career starts against the Orioles.Last time out against the Os, Porcello allowed five runs on six hits with three strikeouts in six innings and did not factor into the decision.Chris Davis is batting .276 (8-for-29) with three home runs and seven RBI off Porcello. Adam Jones has hit .270 (10-for-37) with two homers and eight RBI, but Porcello has 11 strikeouts against him.Baltimore hands the ball to Gausman (7-10, 3.61 ERA), who had a four-start winning streak and scoreless stretch of 20 2/3 innings snapped in a no-decision Friday in Detroit.He gave up three runs in six innings against the Tigers.Gausman boasts a 1.08 ERA in four starts since Aug. 23.Against the Red Sox, the right-hander is 2/3 with a 4.74 ERA in 12 career games (seven starts). He has gone 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in seven outings (three starts) at Fenway.Gausman has faced the Red Sox twice this season, most recently June 11 when he was shelled for six runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in just three innings in a 6-4 loss in Boston.David Ortiz is swinging at a .444 clip (8-for-18) against Gausman with three doubles, two homers and five RBI. Mookie Betts is batting .357 (5-for-14) with two homers and four RBI off Gausman. Cheap Avalanche Jerseys . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Fake Avalanche Jerseys . "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.cheapavalanche.com/ . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Colorado Avalanche Gear .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Colorado Avalanche Shirts . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. TORONTO -- Major League Baseball is pushing for an international draft as a centerpiece of change in the next collective bargaining agreement with the players association, according to sources familiar with the proposal.The current agreement expires in December, and the two sides have been in negotiations.Under the terms of MLBs initial concept, the new international draft system would start in March of 2018, with a 10-round draft held over two days. As the new structure evolved, with terms grandfathered into the process, the minimum age for draft-eligible players would be 18 years old by 2021.As part of baseballs proposal, MLB would operate facilities in the Dominican Republic, where international draft prospects would be invited to live to develop their skills and education before becoming eligible. This would also give MLB much greater control over a process which has often been viewed by baseball executives as a wild, wild West of player procurement.Part of the rationale for change put forth by Major League Baseball is the concern over the corruption that has infected the current situation, with handlers foor teenage players attempting to extract fees from teams -- and sometimes succeeding -- in return for delivering the talent.dddddddddddd There is also concern that under the current rules, young teenagers are motivated to use performance-enhancing drugs in an attempt to draw a higher signing bonus, without any possibility of oversight or testing. The business of handlers smuggling players from Cuba and demanding recompense has also been an issue that MLB, players and teams have had to face.Within the discussions, MLB is proposing the possibility of giving the players in the international draft signing bonuses comparable to what those players in the standard draft receive.If the proposal is successfully negotiated, its a change that would be embraced by a lot of small-market and mid-market teams, because there is a perception that even with revamped rules about international signings, the wealthiest teams -- like the Cubs and Dodgers -- have a significant advantage over their peers. ' ' '