Your one-stop shop for Houston Texans http://www.thetexanslockerroom.com/authentic-vyncint-smith-jersey , local sports, and news from around the league for Wednesday, April 10, 2019."Houston Texans NewsTexans work out Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (Houston Chronicle)Texans’ preseason includes game, joint practices with Packers (Houston Chronicle)Central Florida DT Trysten Hill to visit Texans (Houston Chronicle)Details revealed for Texans’ NFL Draft party at NRG (Houston Chronicle)NFL NewsBrown: ‘Not giving you media fakes no more ammo’NFL releases 65-game 2019 preseason scheduleKyler Murray among 23 prospects attending draftGostkowski re-signs with Patriots on 2-year dealLawrence not like Bell: ‘I ain’t skipping $20 million’Rodgers says he suffered tibial fracture in Week 1Eagles sign WR Johnson, who led AAF in receivingCasserly mock draft 2.0: Giants, Bolts, Pats go QBDraft guide: One burning question for all 32 teamsHouston & Collegiate SportsRockets blow another lead to Thunder, flub chance to clinch two-seed (The Dream Shake)Game Recap: Comeback Mojo Strikes Again. Astros Top Yanks 6-3 on Springer Double for 5th Straight Win (Crawfish Boxes) What does the configuration of the schedule mean for the Texans?"As we learned last year, the scheduling of the NFL season can make or break a team.Last year, the Texans could have been home for the NFL Playoffs with a bye if their Week 16 Eagles game took place earlier in the season http://www.thetexanslockerroom.com/authentic-greg-mancz-jersey , when Philadelphia was struggling.Although the schedule does not affect how well teams perform, it is significant in how teams shake out at the end of the season.Let’s break down the Texans’ 2019 schedule by dividing it into four quarters, with each quarter being comprised of four games.Weeks 1-4: @ Saints (MNF), vs. Jaguars, @ Chargers, vs. PanthersTo open up the season with the Saints on the road is a major YIKES!The last important NFL game to take place in New Orleans was the NFC Championship, where the Saints lost controversially and unexpectedly.Now the Saints will come marching in with all eyes on reversing their fortunes by beating the Texans for all of America to see on national TV.If it is any consolation, the Saints fell to the lowly Bucs during their home opener last year after losing the previous year in the playoffs to the Vikings in the Minnesota Miracle.I would not tab the Saints as an automatic win or loss just yet. It could be a benefit to play the Saints early in the season before they get into a rhythm.Or it could be the worst case scenario.As for the other games to begin the season, the Jaguars pose as a winnable game in Houston’s home opener, and playing the Chargers early in the season might also be a benefit.These are the games that players will miss with four-game PED suspensions or by being placed on the PUP list.I think 2-2 is difficult with this first foursome, but achievable. Weeks 5-8: vs. Falcons Senio Kelemete Jersey White , @ Chiefs, @ Colts, vs. RaidersThe home games in this stretch are winnable, but they are sandwiched around two very difficult road games against playoff teams from a year ago.This means that defeating the Falcons and Raiders will be two very important contests for the Texans, as the Chiefs and Colts games are two games the Texans will be expected to lose.If the Texans can go 2-2 in this quarter, it will be an accomplishment. Going 3-1 or 4-0 would be phenomenal, and the Texans would be considered as a playoff threat at this point in the season.If the Texans can get to 5-3, I’d be very content. 4-4 wouldn’t be bad either. 3-5 or worse is very possible and would worry me.Weeks 9-13: @ Jaguars (London), BYE, @ Ravens, Colts (TNF) http://www.thetexanslockerroom.com/authentic-jeff-allen-jersey , Patriots (SNF)Here comes the true gauntlet in Houston’s schedule.The Texans play their first game in franchise history outside of North America when the team faces the Jags in LondonThe Jags are a beatable opponent, but it will be interesting to see how the Texans will adjust to playing in London against a team with a lot of players with London experience. It could cause the visitors to slip up and fumble a winnable game.After the team returns home and enjoys their bye, the toughest three-game stretch in the 2019 schedule awaits.All three opponents in Weeks 11-13 played extra football last season. The Ravens can improve in Year 2 of the Lamar Jackson era, and the Texans have never played particularly well in Baltimore.Then come the Colts and Pats, the two teams that have given the Texans the most trouble as of late, both of which will be played in primetime.It would be nice for this to be the time where the Pats hit their midseason slump or for the Colts to be ailing on a short week, but recent history suggests that neither will happen.If the Texans can get two wins out of this quarter of the season, I’ll be impressed.Weeks 14-17: vs. Broncos, @ Titans, @ Bucs, vs. TitansThe best part about Houston’s schedule is that four of the final six games take place at NRG Stadium.Kareem Jackson makes his return to Houston in Week 14 as the Broncos face his former Texans.The Broncos game could be a season-saving game if the Texans win Martinas Rankin Jersey White , so the team will need to be sharp on that day.Then comes the unusual two games in three weeks stretch with the Titans and Bucs sandwiched in the middle.It’s very possible that the Titans could be eliminated from playoff contention at this point in the season, which will help the Texans chances. Then again, the Texans might also be eliminated from playoff contention if they cannot get past the prior midseason gauntlet.The Bucs on the road in December is an excellent part of the schedule. The Texans struggled last year playing the Eagles so close to Christmas.The coldest game of the year might come in Nashville during Week 15 or maybe Baltimore in Week 11.This final quarter is probably the easiest for the Texans, so if the team can stay in playoff contention for the first twelve games, they’ll have a great chance to make the playoffs with a favorable schedule to end the season.The Texans had the easiest schedule in the league last season based on win percentage. Now, their strength of schedule ranks fourth in the league at .527 based on last year’s strength of schedule. It’s definitely a big change, but the Texans’ win-loss record won’t come down to who they play and when they do, but rather how they play on the field.What’s your best guess as to how the Texans will fare in 2019?

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions won at Arizona for the first time since 1993 Matthew Stafford Jersey , and the game was about as tedious as expected between a pair of also-rans.For Zach Zenner, though, it was a day to remember.Zenner was the only offensive player to reach the end zone Sunday in Detroit’s 17-3 victory , and he led the Lions in rushing with 54 yards on 12 carries. Detroit is still a longshot to reach the playoffs, but Zenner could have a lot to play for down the stretch. With Kerryon Johnson out injured, Zenner is trying to make the most of his opportunities.“It’s just fun to get to run the ball again. I like running the ball,” Zenner said after the game. “Fun to be behind a good offensive line and to have those holes open up like that. Those guys are doing a great job. I really enjoyed the opportunity and let’s keep rolling and get a few more wins.”Zenner rushed for 334 yards during the 2016 season for the Lions Da’Shawn Hand Jersey , but he’s played sparingly since then. He hurt his back in this year’s preseason finale and was waived in September, but he was back with the team by mid-November.Johnson, a dynamic rookie from Auburn, has helped rejuvenate Detroit’s previously anemic running game, but he’s missed three straight games with a knee injury. That’s left Zenner, LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick as the team’s top running threats.“I think Zach, again Jarrad Davis Jersey , he’s one of those guys that does a phenomenal job of just preparing and being ready to go, whatever the situation is,” coach Matt Patricia said Monday. “He goes out and plays a lot of special teams for us and he does a lot of different things that can help us win or can help us win in special teams and also on the offensive side of the ball.”Detroit (5-8) took a 10-0 lead over the Cardinals in the third quarter, when Darius Slay returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown. The only other TD came on Zenner’s 1-yard run with 4:05 left in the game.The Lions won despite gaining only 218 yards.“I’m just excited to come away with a win. I think everybody has different views on what they think is exciting from football,” Patricia said. “I tend to like the struggle, I like the battle, I like all of it. So Teez Tabor Jersey , I think back in the day when I was growing up, SEC football used to be like 7-3 and I thought those were exciting, I thought they were great games. So, it doesn’t really matter however the game goes, you just have to try to find a way to win.”Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for only 101 yards, his lowest output since the 2010 season opener, when he left with an injury. The Lions were able to win anyway thanks to their defense — and the contributions of players such as Zenner.“He like everyone else is battling through things at this moment health-wise and doing a great job of being really effective Kenny Golladay Jersey ,” Stafford said. “Part of what makes him a really good football player is he’s always ready to go. He’s always ready to go, he’s locked into his game plan and did a great job of hitting some runs right where they needed to hit.” On Wednesday, Matt Patricia addressed the media for the first time since the Detroit Lions dealt Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick. For the first eight minutes of the press conference he answered questions about the reasoning for the trade, how he’s dealt with the locker room since the transaction and how the team may change going forward. You can watch the entire thing here: Here are my quick thoughts on Patricia’s Wednesday press conference:Nice of Patricia to open with the implications this trade has on Golden Tate’s family. A lot of times we lose perspective on just how much of a life-changing move this can be for the individual, especially someone with a newborn baby. It’s interesting hearing Patricia weight the benefits of short-term improvement versus long-term. He stressed the importance of not going too far in either direction. Multiple times during the press conference, he noted the emotions of a trade like this and how it was a “tough” decision. Patricia’s outburst at a reporter for poor posture is completely unprofessional and just plain weird. Reporters are not employed by the team, and Patricia shouldn’t be treating them like one of his players. It’s not the first time he’s butted heads with this specific reporter Jalen Reeves-Maybin Jersey , but Patricia is the one that comes off as the unprofessional one here.I don’t personally buy Patricia’s sell-job of the trade—that he believes in the players enough that they can withstand the trade. I’m curious to think if the players feel the same.

Nate Davis was a very good tackle at the University of Charlotte http://www.thetitanslockerroom.com/authentic-nate-palmer-jersey , but he told me a few weeks ago that he’d be making the move to play inside at the next level. The Titans had to address the..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Tennessee Titans PodcastWhy the Titans drafted Nate DavisNew,8commentsCDTShareTweetShareShareWhy the Titans drafted Nate DavisTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsNate Davis was a very good tackle at the University of Charlotte, but he told me a few weeks ago that he’d be making the move to play inside at the next level. The Titans had to address the interior of their offensive line at some point, and that’s what they decided to do here with the No. 82 overall pick.The why the Titans took Davis is pretty obvious. They entered tonight with a hole on the interior of their offensive line, specifically at right guard. They decided to move on from both of their starting guards this off-season by allowing Quinton Spain to sign with Buffalo and releasing Josh Kline. Both players struggled in 2018 as the interior of the offensive line took a lot of the blame for an underperforming offense. Signing Rodger Saffold in free agency is a big step towards improving, and Davis may be the other piece they needed on the interior.Davis will likely compete with Kevin Pamphile and Corey Levin for the right to start at right guard on opening day. Competition is always a good problem to have.Davis is a powerful guy who creates a lot of movement in the run game on tape. He possesses the strength to latch onto his opponents and remain engaged throughout the play. He’s also a better athlete than given credit for. I thought he moved very well in space on tape. He’s going to be a nice fit in the Titans’ outside zone scheme.Will Davis be able to seize a starting spot and contribute immediately? That much is yet to be seen. Leave your opinion in the comments. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans finally have a victory in a game where quarterback Marcus Mariota left injured, and Blaine Gabbert did much more than just win.Gabbert kept the Titans’ playoff hopes alive.The veteran threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt with 4:30 left and the Titans rallied to beat the Washington Redskins 25-16 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.“I don’t know,” Gabbert said when asked if this was the biggest win of his eight-year career with four teams. “It was a fun win. We got a big game next week.”The victory was Tennessee’s first in the seven career games that Mariota has left with an injury.Coming off the bench for the third time this season, Gabbert threw for 101 yards after the Redskins knocked Mariota out of the game late in the first half with a stinger. Gabbert hit Taywan Taylor for 35 yards to jump-start the winning drive, Derrick Henry ran four times for 33 yards, his last an 18-yarder to the 2. Gabbert then hit Pruitt at the back of the end zone.The Titans (9-6) must beat Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts and have either Baltimore or Pittsburgh lose once to earn the AFC’s second wild-card spot for a second consecutive playoff berth.“The only scenario that any of us are smart enough to worry about is us preparing to win and ultimately win, and that’s all we can do right now Kevin Byard Jersey White ,” first-year Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.Safety Kevin Byard intercepted Josh Johnson’s pass on third-and-3 with 1:17 left. Then Malcolm Butler picked off a pass as time expired and ran 56 yards for an emphatic TD.The Redskins (7-8) have lost five of six, and coach Jay Gruden said they couldn’t ask for anything more from quarterback Josh Johnson, who came off his couch only weeks ago. Washington needs losses by Minnesota and Seattle to avoid being eliminated.“I’m just very proud and sick for the way it ended for him tonight because he really just played (great), displayed great courage, leadership all in three weeks,” Gruden said. “I hate for him to be judged on that one pass (Byard’s interception), but overall just very, very proud of the way he came in here and led this team.”Mariota had thrown for 110 yards when sacked with 48 seconds left in the first half by defensive end Jonathan Allen. His right, throwing shoulder and arm were examined, then he walked to the locker room and was replaced by Gabbert.The stinger is the same injury that knocked him out of Tennessee’s loss Nov. 18 at Indianapolis. He also was knocked out of the season opener with an elbow injury that cost him a start. Vrabel said Mariota was still being evaluated after the game.Byard said the Titans have full trust in Gabbert.“It’s really no panic on the sideline,” Byard said.Henry finished with 84 yards and a TD on 21 carries.Johnson threw for 153 yards and a TD. Dustin Hopkins kicked field goals of 50, 40 and 46 yards, and Washington finished with three sacks.The fourth quarterback to start this season for Washington this season Wesley Woodyard Jersey , Johnson drove the Redskins on the NFL’s second-longest drive this season, taking the ball with 26 seconds left in the first quarter and then eating up 10:58 off the clock, going 93 yards over 17 plays. Johnson capped the drive with a 7-yard TD pass to Michael Floyd for a 10-6 lead.INJURIESWith Washington already thin at guard, guard Zac Kerin hurt a knee on the Redskins’ second drive of the game but was able to return. Redskins defensive end Matt Ioannidis hurt a hamstring.Titans Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jurrell Casey aggravated a knee that kept him out of practice all week with 4:21 left.PETERSON’S MARKSAdrian Peterson ran for 119 yards for Washington. That put him over 1,000 yards for the season for the first time since 2015 and made him the 12th player in NFL history with eight or more seasons with 1,000 yards rushing. None of that mattered with the loss.“Hopefully, I’ll appreciate it after Christmas, but for the time being, you know, I play this game to win and to have an opportunity to win a championship,” Peterson said. “Falling short of having that opportunity is weighing heavy on my heart right now. I’m just going to let this one sink in and bounce back and finish the season off on the right note.”UP NEXTRedskins: Host Philadelphia.Titans: Host Indianapolis.

The Seattle Seahawks will not have either running back Chris Carson or right guard D.J. Fluker for their week 10 road game against the Los Angeles Rams. Carson was questionable with a hip injury Will Dissly Jersey , whereas Fluker had a bothersome calf. This will be interesting to monitor given the Seahawks have a Thursday game against the Green Bay Packers coming up.Mike Davis, Rashaad Penny, and perhaps CJ Prosise will presumably split carries/snaps. Ethan Pocic figures to be starting at right guard, with Jordan Simmons also an option. Joey Hunt is inactive, and that’s unsurprising given he’s not an actual guard and looked out of his depth last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.One key player who is active is safety Bradley McDougald, who was questionable with a knee injury. So on the plus side, Seattle won’t be fielding backups at both safety spots, but the running game will surely take a hit without Carson and Fluker.The full inactives are as follows:Seattle SeahawksRB Chris CarsonRG DJ FlukerCB Neiko ThorpeCB Kalan ReedC Joey HuntDT Nazair JonesDE Branden JacksonLos Angeles RamsWR Nick WilliamsDB Darious WilliamsRB John KellyOLB Ogbonnia OkoronkwoDT Sebastian Joseph-DayTE Johnny MundtDT Tanzel Smart It’s over.The Seattle Seahawks (10-7) weren’t expected to make the playoffs, but they did, and unfortunately they couldn’t follow it up with a playoff win, as the Dallas Cowboys (11-6) held serve at home and beat them 24-22 in the NFC wild card round.It was a bad night of offense for much of the game and with the running game held in check Kam Chancellor Jersey , Seattle seemed lost yet still committed to running it. Russell Wilson only threw 27 passes but for 233 yards, and he had a touchdown pass and touchdown run in a losing effort. Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin both had amazing catches, but it wasn’t enough.On defense, they waned in the 4th quarter and couldn’t make the big stops outside of an incredible KJ Wright interception. Dak Prescott was scarcely pressured and Ezekiel Elliott ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown.1st HalfThe Cowboys got the ball first and used a balanced run and pass attack to get inside of Seattle’s 25, but Tedric Thompson helped stuff an Amari Cooper screen pass to hold Dallas to a field goal attempt, which Brett Maher converted from 39 yards out. 3-0 Cowboys.Dallas got the ball back after a three-and-out by the Seahawks, and Allen Hurns was able to prevent a three-and-out with a conversion for 14 yards, but Bradley McDougald landed awkwardly on the receiver’s left ankle, and it snapped. A gruesome, unfortunate injury that prompted a long delay as Hurns was carted off. Dallas would punt on this drive.Three-and-outs were exchanged by both teams, with Dak Prescott fortunate not to throw a pick-6 to Shaquill Griffin along the way. Russell Wilson was sacked on third-down and should’ve been a face mask Rashaad Penny Jersey , but they didn’t call it.A punt return touchdown by Tavon Austin was called back due to a clear Cowboys holding penalty on CJ Goodwin. Dallas got a couple of first downs and uh... punted again.Ed Dickson got Seattle’s first first-down of the game with a 27-yard catch deep down the field. Tyler Lockett then got free for 40 yards off of play-action on the next play to get to Dallas’ 12. Two failed runs by Carson and an incomplete pass to Dickson led to a chipshot field goal for Sebastian Janikowski. 3-3.The Cowboys got into gear and into Seahawks territory, but Frank Clark demolished Dak Prescott for a huge sack to put them at midfield. Ezekiel Elliott clawed the offense to Brett Maher’s field goal range, but he went wide right from 58 yards.Missing that FG meant great field position for the Seahawks, and Wilson was able to hit Tyler Lockett for a remarkable 25-yard diving catch along the sidelines to get Seattle into Dallas’ half of the field.They didn’t get another first-down out of that drive, but Seabass converted from 42 yards out. 6-3 Seahawks.Ezekiel Elliott busted free for a 41-yard run on 3rd and 1 to get into scoring range for Dallas. Two Blake Jarwin completions got Dallas to the 11. Dak Prescott found Michael Gallup in the end zone as he beat Shaquill Griffin. 10-6 Cowboys.Tyler Lockett got a huge kick return into Dallas territory with :16 to go, providing the Seahawks a chance to score again before halftime. Sebastian Janikowski was brought on for a 57-yard attempt... wide right. And he hurt his hamstring.2nd HalfSeattle started out with another three-and-out featuring run-run-pass. Dallas went run-pass-run and had their own three-and-out courtesy of Bobby Wagner’s brilliance. Rashaad Penny came into the game and provided a spark, including a 28-yard run into Dallas territory. However, a loss of 7 on the next play killed the drive. Michael Dickson and Neiko Thorpe combined to pin Dallas at the 2. Dallas gained only one yard and punted. A short kick by Chris Jones put Seattle at Dallas’ 44.Seattle ran three times for four yards and decided to go for it, and Wilson threw a ridiculous pass to Doug Baldwin, who made a ridiculous catch to the 18. Russell Wilson kept on a read-option on 3rd down to set up 1st and goal. He kept it again two plays after and scored his first rushing TD of the season. They went for two due to Janikowski’s injury and Mike Davis converted. 14-10 Seahawks.A 34-yard catch-and-run by Amari Cooper was Dallas’ biggest play on the ensuing drive, and Prescott nearly answered Wilson’s TD run with one of his own Travis Homer Jersey , but his 10-yard touchdown was overturned due to his knee being down before he crossed the goal line. Two plays later, Ezekiel Elliott atoned for his first-down stumble by scoring over right guard on 2nd and goal. 17-14 Cowboys with 12:28 to go.A three-and-out was conjured up by the Seahawks offense, and Tavon Austin got loose for a 53-yard punt return into Seattle territory. Amari Cooper got open for a 27-yard gain to the 11 as he broke free from Justin Coleman. K.J. Wright made an incredible interception at the goal line to keep Seattle’s season alive.Seattle, of course, didn’t take advantage. Two penalties on the o-line led to another punt. The Seahawks thought they had a three-and-out on defense, but KJ Wright committed pass interference on Michael Gallup. Another DPI was then called on Justin Coleman for grabbing Cole Beasley on third down. Dallas’ rushing attack kept beating down Seattle’s tiring defense and draining clock. On 3rd and 14, Prescott scrambled up the middle for 16 yards and a back-breaking conversion.Prescott plunged in on the next play. 24-14 Cowboys.This is of course Seahawks football, and they don’t do double-digit losses. Tyler Lockett was wide open for 53 yards and they were in business in the two-minute drill. They bogged down and were forced to go for it on 4th and 4, and JD McKissic made the catch for the touchdown. They went for 2 and got it. 24-22 Cowboys with 1:18 left. The onside kick... what the hell was that? Game over, season over. 24-22 Cowboys final. Seahawks injury reportCB Neiko Thorpe was listed as doubtful to return with a shoulder injury. He returned to the game in the 2nd quarter.CB Tre Flowers missed a couple of 1st quarter plays with an ankle injury. K Sebastian Janikowski pulled his hamstring on that missed FG before halftime and missed the rest of the night.Next opponentThe offseason.

The Titans announced some details regarding the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville this morning. The dates of the draft are Thursday Kevin Byard Jersey , April 25th (1st Round), Friday, April 26th (2nd and 3rd Round), and Saturday, April 27th (4th through 7th Rounds). The biggest news item is probably that the main draft stage will be set up at the intersection of Broadway and 1st Avenue. The same location where the Titans hosted their uniform unveiling event last offseason. I had thought they might choose the nearby Ascend Amphitheatre, but the Broadway avenue makes sense for a few reasons. First, the NFL gets to build their own stage from scratch with all the bells and whistles they want from a technology standpoint without having to work around an existing structure. It also showcases Broadway and many of the main tourist attractions of Nashville. The crowd spilling down Broadway and along the rooftop bars that line it will be spectacular on TV (event planners are expecting approximately 300,000 visitors). ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will all have booths set up on Broadway and there will also be large viewing screens set up along the street for those who can’t get right up close to the stage. The other big news item is that the draft will be free admission for the public. Seating will be limited, but obviously Broadway and it’s feeder streets will be shut down for the weekend for fans to watch from the street (no word on if they will be allowing camping chairs or not yet, but I would have to imagine they will). Selection Square — the location where team representatives sit at tables and make the actual selections — will be hosted in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (approximately three blocks away from the draft stage), but the picks will be announced and players will meet Roger Goodell on the main stage at 1st and Broadway. This part of the event will be one of the few that is closed to fans. The NFL Draft Red Carpet will take place on the green at Riverfront Park which is located just north of where the main stage will be located on 1st Avenue. This part of the event will be on Thursday only as it is primarily for the likely first round picks who get invited to attend the draft in person. The NFL Draft Experience is described as a “three day football festival” and it will be set up in the parking areas around Nissan Stadium on the east side of the Cumberland River. That event will feature games and activities, autograph sessions with current and past NFL stars, photo opportunities with the Lombardi Trophy, NFL Draft merchandise shops, local food and beer tastings, and free concerts.The draft main stage will also feature several free concerts from “high level” musicians throughout the three days. Those artists are yet to be announced, but with an event of this magnitude in Nashville, you can expect some pretty serious star power to turn out.More information about performers and transportation options will be forthcoming in the next couple months and we will share it here when we know it, but for now, this gives us a pretty good idea of what Nashville’s first NFL Draft is going to look like. Check back soon for a draft visitor’s guide to Nashville here in the next couple weeks as well. Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith says he has been involved in two errant calls the last two weeks.Smith says the NFL notified the team that he shouldn’t have been flagged for leading with his helmet while tackling New England receiver Chris Hogan in Week 2. Then, officials missed a holding call on Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan on a third-down play late last week that essentially allowed the Titans to run out the clock.Smith believes he would have tackled quarterback Marcus Mariota for a loss on the third-and-1 play. Instead, Mariota gained 15 yards.Smith also says officials need to be held more accountable.“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “That could have been a game-changing call. … We can’t do nothing about that, you know what I mean? So I don’t care if it was a holding call or not. We lost that game. We’re onto this week.“But that is where I think we must address this game. Put more pressure on them the same way pressure is being put on us to stay off that quarterback, don’t put your body weight on him. Got to have better eyes. You’ve got to be more detailed. You’re asking the players to do the same thing. You’re asking the coaches to coach us doing the same thing. Well Womens Malcolm Butler Jersey , now let’s get on to the officiating crew about.”REMEMBER, HE CAN THROWThe Bengals are prepared to see receiver Mohamed Sanu fling the ball on Sunday. After all, nobody knows better about his accuracy.Sanu completed all five of his passes during four seasons in Cincinnati, including a 73-yard touchdown to A.J. Green and an 18-yard scoring toss to Andy Dalton. He threw a 51-yard TD to Julio Jones last season, leaving him a perfect 6 for 6 for 228 yards and three touchdowns for his career heading into the Bengals’ game at Atlanta on Sunday.“If anyone knows about it, we do,” Dalton said.Dalton’s TD catch during a 33-7 win over Tennessee in 2014 made him the only quarterback in Bengals history to score on a catch. He pitched the ball to Sanu and drifted off to the left for a cross-field pass. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson decided to try for the interception instead of hitting Dalton and missed the ball. Dalton made the catch, ran down the sideline and dived into the end zone.“I should have gotten killed, that’s what I remember,” Dalton said. “We had it drawn up all week for it to be perfect: ‘Oh, I’m going to be wide open.’ But I wasn’t wide open. Luckily, I was able to make the play.“Mo has the stats. It’s not like he’s been throwing to wide-open guys, either. His arm talent is crazy.”HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS MYTHWhenever a team has much more success in the second half than the first half, it’s assumed the coaching staff made excellent “halftime adjustments.” Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz considers that notion a myth.“It makes a nice story, but there is really no such thing as halftime adjustments in the NFL, as much as you guys would like to write about it,” Schwartz said. “You’re adjusting after every series. After every series, you’re updating your checks, you’re putting fires out, you’re trying to get ready for the next series.”In Philadelphia’s case, the defense has been more stingy in the second half during Schwartz’s tenure.“We have a resilient bunch of guys,” he said. “We have a smart bunch of players. When you put something in front of them, they very rarely make a mistake a second time. I think that probably plays more into it than any adjustment or anything else.”TYRANN’S TECHNOLOGY ZONEHouston safety Tyrann Mathieu returned to Arizona this week to open a technology zone at a Boys & Girls Club in Phoenix.Mathieu was drafted by the Cardinals and spent his first five years in Arizona before signing with the Texans this offseason. Though he no longer plays in Arizona, he still feels a strong connection to the city and team. He wants to keep giving back there because the Cardinals took a chance by drafting him despite his dismissal from LSU for violating team rules as a junior.“Coming from LSU, I had a lot of different things I was going through,” he said. “And I felt like Arizona, the community embraced me Womens Brian Orakpo Jersey , my teammates embraced me and at the end of the day they gave me a second chance to do what I wanted to do. Always grateful for that and always try to keep that in the back of my mind.”Mathieu thought the technology zone would be good for kids who are looking to get involved in things others than sports.“Everybody can’t play sports and I don’t want kids to get their mind wrapped into that,” he said. “There are so many different opportunities for them … so I’m hoping that they can use it and it creates a passion for them, and they find out things about themselves that they didn’t necessarily know.”The room includes areas where kids can sing, learn videography and photography, and features a green screen where they can produce short videos to show their friends.Mathieu spent time with the kids in Arizona on Tuesday and loved the excitement they showed in exploring the room. He’ll continue to monitor feedback from the room and hopes to open more such spaces in Arizona, Houston and in his hometown of New Orleans.NATIONAL TEAM COACHUSA Football selected Eric Kasperowicz of Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, to head the 2019 U.S. Under-19 national team. Comprised of the country’s top high school seniors, it will play a to-be-determined foreign national team on Jan. 18 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Since becoming Pine-Richland’s head coach in 2013, Kasperowicz has led his Rams to a 57-14 (.803) record, including the school’s first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 6A state championship last season.“It’s a great honor to represent the United States and to coach some of the top football-playing student-athletes in the country,” Kasperowicz said. “There’s a rich tradition of success with our Under-19 national team and those who have led it. I look forward to continuing that tradition.”Established in 2010, the International Bowl is the longest-running annual series of high school-aged international football teams. The 2019 event will convene 16 teams from four continents across four age divisions.U.S. Under-19 national team alumni include Rams running backTodd Gurley, the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year; Patriots defensive lineman Malcom Brown; Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin; Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins; and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.USA Football is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and is the sport’s national governing body.MONTANA’S LEAGUEJoe Montana has a new league.The Hall of Fame quarterback has joined the Fan Controlled Football League (FCFL), which bills itself as the first professional football league in which fans call all the shots. Montana will be the league’s chief strategic adviser and an investor.The FCFL says all key decisions will be made by the fans, from picking a team name and logo to drafting players, hiring coaches and setting up a playbook. It will feature 7-on-7 play in a high-tech production studio arena with 50-yard fields and 8-yard end zones.Sounds a lot like Arena Football.Each of eight teams based in one location will have 18-man rosters, and talent will be chosen from open tryouts and some national combines. The top 100 rated players will participate in a two-day draft in which the fans select the teams.The FCFL plans a 14-game regular season with two playoff games and a championship contest. Each game will last one hour, the league says.“I’m tremendously excited to be partnering with the FCFL,” Montana said. “What this team has created is innovative, engaging, and will energize the digital age football fan. Fans will hire the coaches, draft the players and call all the plays in real time. It’s a real-life video game and the future of sports.”

At the 2018 East-West Shrine Game http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-shaun-alexander-jersey , Texas’s Poona Ford turned a strong performance into an invitation to the Senior Bowl on the following weekend. Though Ford was mindbogglingly excluded from the Scouting Combine and ultimately went undrafted, the player Ford showed himself to be in Tampa Bay showed up for the Seahawks in 2018. On the opposite sideline during the 2018 Shrine Game, a safety from Oklahoma State named Tre Flowers showed off his tremendous size and length for the East Team. In total, nine players from last year’s game were connected to Seattle between then and training camp—whether it was a pre-draft workout, signing with the team as a UDFA or starting 15 games, like Flowers did as a rookie. Though the college all-star circuit is already under way, the Shrine Game truly kicks off the lead up to the draft. We’ll start off the draft coverage here at Field Gulls with my watch list for the 2019 East-West Shrine Game. Devine Ozigbo, RB (5-foot-10, 219 pounds)Player Summary: Some running backs are just easy to identify as Pete Carroll’s type. Ozigbo is that type. The former Cornhusker runs incredibly hard and finishes with the kind of physicality Carroll craves. Of course, with Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny on the roster, there isn’t a huge need for running back. However, last year the Seahawks spent a considerable amount of time scouting pass-catching, satellite backs, such as Ito Smith. Though Ozigbo isn’t that player, he is extremely explosive (Rotoworld’s Josh Norris likened him to Matt Breida, a 94th percentile athlete). Ozigbo would be a like-for-like replacement for Mike Davis, who is a free agent. Davis was shoehorned into the third down role in 2018, and performed admirably. Ozigbo would provide the team with a far more natural pass catcher and athlete in space, while also providing further early down depth.(A note: There are some terrific writers and scouts at Shrine Game practices this week. The section below will be for sharing their observations, practice clips and the like.)What They’re Saying:Shawn Poindexter, WR (6-foot-4, 217 pounds)Player Summary: After two quiet seasons to begin his career at Arizona, Poindexter exploded onto the scene in 2018, hauling in 42 catches for 759 yards and 11 touchdowns. As Poindexter’s 18.1 yards per reception would indicate, he has a penchant for the big play. At 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds, he’s a long strider who can get vertical with ease. Poindexter has the size and the downfield ability, and, as a former volleyball player, he has the potential to be an excellent threat inside the paint. Russell Wilson and Paul Richardson formed a great partnership, with Richardson’s length, catch radius and downfield ability giving Wilson the same security Sidney Rice once did. Poindexter is in this mold.What They’re Saying: Bunchy Stallings, OG (6-foot-3, 315 pounds)Player Summary: Entering their second offseason under Mike Solari, Seattle’s evaluation of offensive linemen remains a fascinating case study. Under Tom Cable, they had a hyper specific type of athlete and build in mind. Under Solari, that’s changed considerably—highlighted by the selection of the not-at-all-athletic Jamarco Jones. While their new direction should remain under the microscope through their second draft with Solari as offensive line coach, they have an unquestioned need at guard. Both D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy are pending free agents, and both played great football in 2018. There will potentially be multiple holes along the interior, if one or both of Sweezy and Fluker aren’t re-signed. Stallings is in the mold of a Solari guard, with tremendous size and pedigree—having just been named first-team All-SEC.Stallings is a physical, tone-setting presence who plays with a legitimate edge to his game.What They’re Saying:Kyle Phillips, DL (6-foot-3, 272 pounds)Player Summary: Stepping into a starting role during his final two seasons at Tennessee, Phillips become a disruptive player for the Vols Womens Shaquem Griffin Jersey , collecting six sacks and 12 tackles for loss during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Phillips has a sturdy frame at 6-foot-4 and 273 pounds, and the way in which he was deployed at Tennessee will pique the Seahawks’ interest. (Phillips also earned the Piesman Trophy in 2018 for this epic touchdown against Alabama.) On early downs, Phillips was disciplined and strong enough to hold up and maintain on the edge. On passing downs, Phillips reduced inside and provided a twitchy presence rushing from the interior. Seattle loves outside-inside pass rushers and if Phillips tests well in the spring, he’ll be on their radar.What They’re Saying: Justin Hollins, EDGE (6-foot-5, 245 pounds)Player Summary: Another defensive lineman the Seahawks could be interested in due to the variety of rolls he can fill. Though Hollins is likely too light for Seattle to be interested in him in a pure pass rushing role, they could envision him in the same way as Jacob Pugh, a Shrine Game participant in 2018 who was with the Seahawks in training camp. Hollins can rush in sub packages or play off-ball, dropping into zones. The former Duck is coming off a productive season at Oregon with 6.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 14.5 tackles for loss. His size will hurt him, but if he can test well during the pre-draft process, it would make him a highly intriguing and versatile prospect. Helping his cause is the way he carries 245 pounds—he is by no means a scrawny prospect. What They’re Saying:Michael Jackson, CB (6-foot, 207 pounds, 32 3/8” arms)Player Summary: At the risk of sounding like Dwight K. Schrute describing himself, let me list off Jackson’s best traits: Length. Physicality. Press corner. Strong tackler. Jackhammer. Through and through, Jackson is the type of cornerback Carroll and Seattle craves. There’s reason to wonder how well Jackson will test prior to the draft, but if he can clear the Seahawks’ thresholds, he could be the latest prospect thrown into the mix. Though his ball skills need refining, with no interceptions and just six pass breakups in his final season at Miami, Jackson is a tantalizing prospect. What They’re Saying:A couple names not highlighted above, but worth mentioning: Wide receivers Terry Godwin (Georgia) and Jon Duhart (Old Dominion) have both met with Seattle after practice this week, per Trevor Sikkema of Pewter Report. Though it doesn’t quite have the glamour of the Senior Bowl, the Shrine Game is always an entertaining game, and a good opportunity to get familiar with prospects who will find themselves selected in the area of the draft where the Seahawks thrive. Back in a time where being a coach for the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll used to mean something, Ken Norton, Jr. was hired away by Jack Del Rio to be the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders in 2015. Norton had spent 11 years with Carroll, including the previous five for the Seahawks as linebackers coach under Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn, with back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.When Quinn left after Seattle’s second straight season of winning the conference, Carroll hired Kris Richard to take over as defensive coordinator, while Norton went to the Raiders. The two assistants saw their paths take different directions from that point forward, but now as things have come full circle, Norton suddenly looks to be “ahead” of his longtime colleague with USC and the Seahawks.But really isn’t just about timing and talent?Oakland went 3-13 and finished 32nd in points allowed in 2014, which is why they fired Dennis Allen (and replacement Tony Sparano), and hired Del Rio. That’s where Norton came in and he helped the Raiders improve to 22nd in points allowed, with 16 more sacks than they had the year before, and a notably better pass defense. All because of Norton, right?Probably a lot more to do with second-year linebacker Khalil Mack actually, who went from three sacks to 15. And as we’ve seen, Mack doesn’t need a certain coach in order to be productive. Not that the Raiders had a super talented defense (Charles Woodson, Aldon Smith, Malcolm Smith, David Amerson Womens Will Dissly Jersey , Dan Williams, Mario Edwards), but they also weren’t super good. They were just a little better.Then they weren’t.Then in September of 2016, Del Rio reportedly took playcalling away from Norton following a terrible start to the season by the defense; they gave up over 1,000 yards over the first two games. They stopped giving up 500 yards per game, but the Oakland defense was still among the worst in the NFL, even after adding Bruce Irvin and Reggie Nelson, probably because many other starters were still very bad. The Raiders finished dead last in net yards per pass attempt allowed. They did go 12-4, but lost badly in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe it’s a different story if not for Derek Carr’s broken leg, but the defense still stood no shot of helping them through that gauntlet.After a 4-6 start last season, Oakland fired Norton, severing ties completely. They had forced just five turnovers in 10 games. He hit the open market as a coach who wasn’t good enough to even improve the Oakland Raiders defense. Not a good place to be in.Luckily enough, Carroll didn’t care about any of his Oakland issues. He knew Norton for over a decade and he knew that he had the talent for a good defense. Isn’t that really the majority of what you need?Richard had the Seahawks back at their number one ranking for scoring defense in 2015, getting through a bad wild card game in Minnesota before losing on the road to the Carolina Panthers; they gave up 31 first half points to the Panthers but a significant problem that day was incompetence by the offense and then Seattle shut Carolina down in the second half. The Seahawks were third in points allowed in 2016, including first in yards per carry allowed. Quarterbacks had a rating of just 85 against Seattle, with only 16 touchdown passes.The Seahawks held the Detroit Lions to six in a wild card win, but again lost badly on the road in the divisional round.Things finally took a downward turn in 2017, with Seattle finishing 13th in points allowed and surrendering 30+ five times. However, there was a significant change that year: No Cliff Avril for 12 games, no Richard Sherman or Kam Chancellor for seven, Earl Thomas missed two games and was recovering from a broken leg, K.J. Wright was out for the defense’s worst game in years.It was a lack of talent.Carroll decided to shake things up — this is more the cause for Richard’s firing than anything, I believe — and found his old friend on the coaching free agent market. Now where are the Seahawks, Richard, and Norton?Well, somewhat quietly Norton has certainly raised his stock, hasn’t he? Seattle is ninth in points allowed, seventh in yards allowed, fourth in net yards per pass attempt allowed, and has a top-10 ranking in DVOA again. What’s the difference between the 2018 Seahawks and all of his Raiders defenses that weren’t as good? Well, Oakland had Mack, and Seattle has had an actual defense.That obviously changes now with the injury to Thomas. And if the Seahawks’ pass defense gets worse week-to-week, we’ll know why. If Norton’s resume goes from “coached a top-10 defense” to “helped sink a top-10 defense,” it’ll be because he didn’t have as much talent to end the year as he did to start it. Norton may be a great coach — whatever that even means — but coaches are only as good as the talent that they can put on the field. Bill Belichick is famous for overturning players-not-named-Brady all the time, but less talked about is the decade he’s spent with Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung as his safeties. If the players work, they work. If they don’t, you’re out of a job.Richard is drawing praise for his work with the Dallas Cowboys secondary as an assistant there now, including the Pro Bowl-caliber season for Byron Jones at cornerback. Certainly Richard’s knowledge has something to do with that, but it would be for nothing if Jones wasn’t one an extremely special athlete with the capacity to play at this level. And eventually, Richard will get another chance as a defensive coordinator too, perhaps leading to a head coaching opportunity.His best way back there will be to continue to follow the talent.

VANCOUVER Matt Martin Jersey Womens , British Columbia — After being demoted to the minors, Sam Gagner was not expected back with the Vancouver Canucks anytime soon — if at all — this season. Now, he is in demand.Gagner is expected to suit up for his first NHL game of 2018-19 with the slumping and injury-riddled Canucks (10-10-2) on Monday when they host the Winnipeg Jets (11-5-2). The 29-year-old was recalled from the minors Sunday as the Canucks continued to reel from health problems.Article continues below ...“The team is playing fun hockey,” Gagner told Postmedia. “I’m excited to help them wherever I can. I’m excited to be back in the NHL.”The veteran forward was caught on the wrong end of Vancouver’s youth movement following the preseason. The Canucks opted to loan him to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League even though he is in the second season of a three-year, $9.45 million contract. It’s a one-way deal, so he has earned an NHL salary at the lower level.Gagner, who was placed on waivers and subjected to unsuccessful trade attempts before the demotion, justified his big salary in the minors by producing 15 points in 15 games. Coach Travis Green indicated that he could play multiple forward roles. Gagner has played both center and wing with Vancouver and other clubs.“He gives us another centerman option,” Green told reporters. “He’s a right shot on the power play. All reports were he was playing well.”The Canucks as a team, though Seth Griffith Jersey Womens , have not been up to snuff. Vancouver has lost five straight games and been outscored 16-7 in the past four. Gagner will become the latest addition to a list of players pulling diverse duty.“We’re squeezing everyone and everyone is giving as much as they can,” said Green. “One night, we got a guy on the fourth line and the next night he’s on the first line. I love the way our guys are working and competing.”Gagner’s recall is an attempt to help make up for missing injured forwards Brock Boeser (groin), Sven Baertschi (concussion), Jay Beagle (arm) and Brandon Sutter (shoulder). While Green tries to create more offensive juice, the Canucks also want to get better defensively. They have struggled to control other teams’ breakouts, as they did again Saturday in a 3-2 home loss to Montreal.“It’s something we talked about,” center Bo Horvat told reporters. “Play direct — not making it a track meet out there.”“It comes down to being able to defend,” added defenseman Ben Hutton. “Get back to the way we’ve been playing.”The Jets, 6-3-1 in their last 10 games Jack Roslovic Jersey Womens , have been playing well defensively of late. They have averaged two goals against in their past eight games.But Winnipeg is still wary of Canucks rookie sensation Elias Pettersson, 20, who is the only dangerous Vancouver player right now. He has produced 11 goals and seven assists in his first 16 NHL games.“Finding him will be a challenge,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told reporters. “He’s a special young man.”Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot called Pettersson a “pretty fun guy to watch.” “(He’s) someone we’ll adjust to once we get out there and see what he’s trying to do,” Chiarot told reporters.However, at least one Jet does not want to give Pettersson special attention.“I don’t watch a lot of video on solo guys,” goaltender Connor Hellebuyck told reporters. “It’s a team game and I know what I’m going to get — and I prepare the same way for every guy.” SUNRISE, Fla. — Lately, it’s been domination by the Buffalo Sabres and frustration by the Florida Panthers.On Friday night, the Panthers will host the Sabres (17-7-2) Scott Mayfield Jersey Womens , who had won 10 straight games until losing an epic 5-4 battle at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.The Panthers (9-10-4), meanwhile, are nearly halfway through a crucial eight-game home stretch. They are 1-1-1 so far and have given up some painful goals late in games.Article continues below ...On Saturday night, the Panthers appeared to have a win over the Chicago Blackhawks. However, Chicago scored with just 1.8 seconds left in regulation and then got the overtime goal to stun the Panthers.Then, on Wednesday, the Panthers lost 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks, allowing the deciding goal with 1:28 left in the third period.“We’ve had a couple of tough bounces,” Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. “Those things come and go in waves. We just have to continue to stay in our system, and it will work itself out.”But the Panthers Max Domi Jersey Womens , who are tied for last in the 16-team Eastern Conference with 22 points, must feel a sense of urgency now that they have played roughly one-fourth of their season (23 games out of 82).Indeed, Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau said that giving up the late goal to the Ducks left a bitter taste.“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We battled a full 60 … It’s tough.”Things have been much happier for the Sabres, who had won seven of the 10 games in their streak in overtime. The Sabres finished last season with the worst record in the NHL but have found the winning formula so far this time around.The Sabres were so bad last season that they trailed the Panthers by 34 points in the standings … and the Panthers didn’t even make the playoffs.This season, the Sabres are fourth in the latest NHL power rankings put out by ESPN.com and also by CBS. The Panthers are 26th in the ESPN rankings and 21st by CBS.One of the keys for the Sabres is Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft who leads the league’s rookie defensemen with 13 points, including 11 assists.“We want to change this together,” Dahlin said of Buffalo’s transformation, so far at least http://www.officialsabres.com/authentic-adidas-jack-eichel-jersey , from last-place club to legitimate Stanley Cup contender.Dahlin had been on the ice for a team-best 12 goals during the just-concluded 10-game win streak.But it’s not just Dahlin. Goalie Carter Hutton had won eight consecutive games until losing on Thursday, the penalty kill has been outstanding, left winger Jeff Skinner leads the team with 19 goals, and center Jack Eichel tops the Sabres with 25 assists.On Friday night, on short rest, the Sabres will look to start a new streak … against a desperate Panthers team.

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins‘ quest for a three-peat is officially on.Patric Hornqvist picked up his 200th career goal and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions clinched their 12th straight playoff berth with a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.Phil Kessel Henrik Lundqvist Jersey Kids , Riley Sheahan, Conor Sheary and Carl Hagelin also scored for Pittsburgh, which dominated the largely listless Canadiens to improve to 17-1-1 in their last 19 games at PPG Paints Arena. Matt Murray finished with 24 saves for the Penguins, who swept their season series with Montreal for only the second time in franchise history.Jeff Petry and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Canadiens, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Antti Niemi made 28 stops but Montreal couldn’t handle the league’s top-ranked power play.GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, SHARKS 2LAS VEGAS (AP) – William Karlsson scored a short-handed goal in the third period, and the expansion Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division title.Vegas (50-22-7) reached 50 wins in its inaugural season with its third victory in four games. San Jose (44-25-10) is second in the Pacific, four points ahead of Los Angeles.Shea Theodore and Oscar Lindberg also scored for the Golden Knights, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots.San Jose goaltender Martin Jones made 35 saves. Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks.STARS 4, WILD 1DALLAS (AP) – John Klingberg scored and added to his NHL-leading assist total for defensemen, helping Dallas to the victory.Jason Spezza scored for the first time since Jan. 16 as the Stars, playing their home finale, won for just the second time in 11 games – a slide that wiped out any realistic hopes of making the playoffs.The Wild, still holding the third playoff spot in the Central Division with four games remaining, lost the second of a home-and-home set two nights after beating the Stars 5-2 in Minnesota.Wild defenseman Ryan Suter departed with a lower-body injury late in the second period. He wasn’t using his right leg as he was helped through the tunnel to the locker room.Klingberg got his career-best 56th assist on the first-period goal by Spezza.BRUINS 5, PANTHERS 1BOSTON (AP) – Jake DeBrusk scored twice in his first game in more than two weeks, and Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots to help Boston move back into first place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.David Krejci had three assists and rookie Ryan Donato had a goal and an assist for Boston, which has won four of its last five games. The Bruins have earned a point in eight straight games and 15 of their last 17.Jamie McGinn scored for Florida, which remains three points behind New Jersey in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. James Reimer stopped 17 of the 22 shots he faced before he was replaced by Roberto Luongo with 3:28 left in the second period, trailing 5-1.Luongo Jimmy Vesey Jersey , the losing goalie for Vancouver in the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup run, stopped all 11 shots the rest of the way.Two days after a physical battle for first place with the Tampa Bay Lighting, which the Bruins won 4-2 to take temporary possession of the top spot, Boston sent the struggling Panthers to their third straight loss and moved back into first. The Lightning had jumped ahead of the Bruins with a win at the New York Rangers on Friday night.CANUCKS 5, BLUE JACKETS 4, OTVANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Alex Edler scored 1:21 into overtime to lift Vancouver to its season high-tying fourth straight win.Jussi Jokinen had a goal and two assists against his former team, and Darren Archibald, Bo Horvat and Nikolay Goldobin also scored for the Canucks, who have won five of six after a seven-game skid. Thatcher Demko stopped 26 shots in his first NHL start.Seth Jones had a goal and three assists, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, Zach Werenski and Cam Atkinson also scored for Columbus. Artemi Panarin had four assists and Joonas Korpisalo finished with 24 saves for the Blue Jackets, who are 12-1-1 in their last 14 games as they try to pass Pittsburgh for second place in the Metropolitan Division.The Blue Jackets erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring three goals in 2:37 to tie the game.JETS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1TORONTO (AP) – Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien scored 1:10 apart in the second period as Winnipeg beat Toronto in a matchup of the only two Canadian teams headed to the playoffs.Andrew Copp had the other goal for Winnipeg, while Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots.Patrick Marleau scored for Toronto, and Curtis McElhinney had 26 saves.The Maple Leafs, who won 7-2 in Winnipeg to open the season on Oct. 4, are all but assured of finishing third in the Atlantic Division. The Jets, meanwhile, look just as certain to wind up second in the Central.Toronto’s only blemish at home in more than two months coming into this game was Monday’s 3-2 loss to last-place Buffalo that snapped a 13-game winning streak at Air Canada Centre.SABRES 7 Kevin Hayes Jersey , PREDATORS 4NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Sam Reinhart had a hat trick with Jack Eichel adding a career-high five assists as NHL-worst Buffalo stunned league-leading Nashville.The Sabres outshot Nashville from the start and chased goalie Pekka Rinne after he gave up six goals on 29 shots through two periods.Kyle Okposo had two goals, and Jason Pominville and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for Buffalo, and Eichel tied a franchise single-game record with his assists.P.K. Subban, Austin Watson, Kyle Turris and Nick Bonino scored for Nashville.The Sabres took control by scoring three power-play goals – two by Reinhart – on a 5-minute major after defenseman Victor Antipin was boarded by Nashville forward Scott Hartnell behind the Buffalo net at 14:09 of the second. Antipin was strapped to a backboard and taken off the ice on a stretcher.RANGERS 2, HURRICANES 1RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Ryan Sproul scored and Kevin Hayes added a short-handed goal to help New York eliminate Carolina from the playoff race.Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves for the Rangers, who entered having lost three straight and six of seven – going 1-4-2 in that stretch – and were formally knocked out of the postseason chase earlier in the week.Jeff Skinner scored and Cam Ward made 18 saves for the Hurricanes, whose longshot playoff hopes were snuffed out and will miss out for the ninth straight year – the longest active postseason drought in the NHL. For the third consecutive season, their official elimination came in their 79th game.Lundqvist’s third victory against Carolina this season helped the Rangers finish off a sweep in the series. New York won the first three games by a combined 17-5 margin.DEVILS 4, ISLANDERS 3NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Taylor Hall scored twice and New Jersey took a major step toward its first playoff berth since 2012.Coupled with Florida’s 5-1 loss to Boston earlier in the day, the Devils opened a five-point lead over the Panthers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and moved within a point of idle Philadelphia for the top wild card. Both teams have four games left in the regular season, one fewer than Florida.Stefan Noesen and Blake Coleman each had a goal and assist as the Devils won for the seventh time in 10 games (7-2-1). Keith Kinkaid, who has started nine of 10 games and been the mainstay in net since late January, had 27 saves, including a stop on a one-timer by Ryan Pulock with 14 seconds to play.Tanner Fritz, Anthony Beauvillier and Chris Wagner scored for the Islanders, who have lost 16 of their last 19 (3-12-4). Thomas Greiss made 31 saves in his first game since Feb. 16 Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey , when he sustained an ankle injury and went on injured reserve.COYOTES 6, BLUES 0GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Antti Raanta stopped 34 shots for his third shutout of the season and Arizona scored three goals in the second period to beat playoff-chasing St. Louis.Four of the Coyotes‘ goals came from defensemen, including Luke Schenn, who scored his first goal in his 61st game of the season. Schenn also energized a large crowd and his teammates with a powerful check of Blues forward Scottie Upshall early in the second period.Richard Panik added a goal just before the hit, and 28-win Arizona won its 10th this month.Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored a power-play goal and assisted on another second-period goal, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Goligoski and Zac Rinaldo scored, and Max Domi and Dylan Strome had three assists each for the Coyotes. Panik had an assist and Derek Stepan had two.The Blues entered 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, but ended the night tied with Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the West at 92 points through 78 games.RED WINGS 2, SENATORS 0DETROIT (AP) – Jimmy Howard stopped 31 shots for his first shutout of the season, leading Detroit to its third straight win.Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou scored to help the Red Wings get their longest winning streak since a season-high four-game stretch Dec. 29 to Jan. 5.It was Howard’s 24th career shutout and marked the ninth time Ottawa was blanked this season.Mike Condon finished with 25 saves for the Senators.FLAMES 3, OILERS 2CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Mikael Backlund had a goal and an assist, helping Calgary snap a seven-game skid.Dougie Hamilton and Garnet Hathaway also scored during the Flames‘ three-goal first period. Michael Frolik added two assists, and Mike Smith stopped 34 shots.Hamilton’s goal was his 17th of the season, the most by a defenseman in the NHL.Anton Slepyshev and Mike Cammalleri scored for Edmonton. Cam Talbot gave up three goals on seven shots before he was pulled 15 1/2 minutes in. CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Michael Frolik went from healthy scratch to catalyst for the Calgary Flames.Frolik scored two goals to lead the Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.“It feels good when you can help the team win the game,” the veteran winger said.Frolik had to watch his teammates edge the Avalanche 3-2 in overtime Saturday in Colorado.“I didn’t have the start I was looking for, but it’s a long season http://www.officialhockeyrangersshop.com/authentic-adidas-marc-staal-jersey ,” he said. “I just try to work hard in practice, get better every day and hopefully it’s going to turn around.“Tonight was a good start. Hopefully I can keep going.”Johnny Gaudreau collected his 100th NHL goal and rookie defenseman Juusu Valimaki scored his first for the Flames. Matthew Tkachuk added an empty-net goal.Mikael Backlund and Michael Stone each had two assists as Calgary won its second straight home game. Goaltender Mike Smith stopped 24 of 26 shots in the win.“I like the fact we have the ability to generate offense. Now, we’ll work on other things,” Calgary coach Bill Peters said. “We’re not quite there defensively or our play away from the puck in the neutral zone, but when we get there, we’ll be a much better team.”Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Brad Marchand also scored. Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask turned away 24 shots in the loss.“I don’t think we were as clean as we needed to be obviously against a team that forechecks and checks well,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That was clearly an issue throughout the game. Execution wasn’t good enough to beat a good hockey team.”The Bruins trailed 4-2 heading into the final period.Marchand was lightly defended when he scored at 13:45 of the second, taking a pass from Bergeron and scoring past Smith.Frolik nearly completed a hat trick on a short-handed breakaway, but his backhanded shot sailed over the Boston net. The Czech’s second goal came results from a Boston turnover in the offensive zone. Backlund flipped the puck across the slot, and Frolik tapped it over Rask’s stick at 3:32.On Boston’s first rush after killing off Calgary’s two-man advantage, Bergeron scored at 2:40 on a give-and-go with David Krejci.What appeared to be a goal by David Pastrnak late in the first period didn’t survive a coach’s challenge by Calgary’s Bill Peters. The Bruins were ruled offside.Valimaki’s first NHL goal gave the Flames a 3-0 lead at 16:08 of the first period.With Sam Bennett in front of Rask, the 20-year-old Valimaki’s shot from the top of the circle rolled over the goaltender and over the goal line.“I was happy actually finding out it was mine. Pretty awkward moment at the start because I didn’t know it was mine,” Valimaki said. “All the guys on the bench said ‘it’s yours’ and it felt great.”Gaudreau collected his milestone goal at 15:20. At the top of the crease, Sean Monahan batted the puck down low to the winger, and Gaudreau scored from a tough angle.Frolik had half an open net for a target following a nice passing play by Tkachuk and Backlund. Tkachuk hustled into the offensive zone to backhand the puck to Backlund, who was moving into the slot. Backlund flipped the puck over to Frolik to score at 4:36.NOTES: Flames: Gaudreau crumpled after taking a high hit from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the third period. Gaudreau played another shift, but was then pulled from the game for concussion protocol. Calgary head coach Bill Peters did not have an update on Gaudreau after the game.Bruins: Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said goaltender Jaroslav Halak will get a start against the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday.UP NEXTFlames: Home against Nashville on Friday.Bruins: At Edmonton on Thursday.

NEWARK Womens Mattias Ekholm Jersey , N.J. (AP) Getting to the playoffs many times involves getting big plays from guys on the third and fourth lines in addition to having your stars step up.The Devils got both in moving a little closer to their first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season.Stefan Noesen scored on a rebound with 1:33 to play and the Devils got two goals in the final nine minutes to post a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.”I was jumping on the bench,” said Devils catalyst Taylor Hall, who had three assists. ”Sometimes you need to make a play, need to have a performance and guy come through and really get that one for us. You don’t want to get to overtime and split the odds.”Noesen, whose 12 goals and 25 points are career highs, was in the right spot at the right time in helping the Devils win their third straight and sixth of eight.Andy Greene’s shot from the left boards was stopped by Scott Darling, but the rebound came to Noesen who fired it into the net.”Puck goes out to Greeny and comes right on my stick and those are nice, especially with a minute and a half left,” Noesen said. ”That’s a big win, as of now it’s the biggest win of the year. Every win now from this point forward will be the biggest.”The Devils (88 points) are three points ahead of idle Florida in the race for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers have two games in hand.”It wasn’t our greatest game, execution wise P.K Subban Jersey , defensive wise, but this time of the year you have to try and find a way to do whatever it takes,” said Kyle Palmieri, who had two goals and an assist.Pavel Zacha also scored and Keith Kinkaid, who has supplanted Cory Schneider as the No. 1 goaltender, made 31 saves.Phil Di Giuseppe, Warren Foegele and Noah Hanifin also scored as the Hurricanes had a three-game winning streak snapped despite taking a 3-2 lead early in the third period. Scott Darling was outstanding making 41 saves, but Carolina’s slim playoff hopes faded as it fell nine points behind New Jersey.”No matter what, you want to win,” Di Giuseppe said. ”That’s our focus. We are just trying to win for each other. Obviously disappointing tonight, but there are a few more games.”Palmieri tied the game twice with power-play goals Authentic Pekka Rinne Jersey Kids , with both being setup by great passes by Hall.The second tied the game 3-all with 8:55 left in regulation as a penalty against Valentin Zykov about to expire. Hall sent a pass between the circles and Palmieri deflected it with an open blade into the top of the net.Hanifin had given the Hurricanes at 3-2 lead 3:39 into the period with a shot from the left circle into a relatively open net after Jeff Skinner won the puck behind the net.Kinkaid was the difference in the second period when he stopped breakaways by Skinner and Brock McGinn with the Hurricanes leading 2-1.”Keith stood on his head and gave us a chance tonight and special teams came through when it mattered,” Palmieri said.The save on Skinner in the opening minute of the period was spectacular. The 23-goal scorer made a move to his forehand to get Kinkaid out of position but the goalie reached back at the last second and just the butt of his stick kept the puck out of the net.Hall then made a great cross-ice pass to find Palmieri low in the right circle for a quick power-play shot that beat Darling to tie the game 2-all with 5:53 left in the period.New Jersey dominated the opening 10 minutes and took the early lead when Zacha put the rebound of a Palmieri shot into an open net at 5:47.Darling kept the Hurricanes in the game, stopping a short-handed breakaway by Blake Coleman at 12:01.Di Giuseppe tied the game a couple of minutes late with a shot from the left circle after Skinner won a battle along the boards. Elias Lindholm found Di Giuseppe.Foegele, who scored in his NHL debut on Monday, got his second in two games with a wraparound goal at with 3:07 left in the period.NOTES: Hurricanes hope to get D Justin Falk back before the season ends. He has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. … Devils F Miles Wood returned to the lineup after missing three games with a similar injury. … Hall now has 52 assists, one shy of his career high with Edmonton in 2013-14. … Palmieri has three goals in the last two games. … Di Giuseppe has three goals in four games after scoring two in his first 40. …Hurricanes F Sebastian Aho snapped a nine-game point-scoring streak (4 goals, 8 assists).UP NEXTHurricanes: At Washington on Friday nightDevils: Host Pittsburgh on Thursday night in third straight home game.— CHICAGO (AP) The Vancouver Canucks have struggled to score since rookie Brock Boeser was shelved by a back injury.They got some help Thursday night from an unlikely source.Alexander Edler scored twice in his fourth career multigoal game, and the Canucks stopped a seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the sliding Chicago Blackhawks.Henrik Sedin and Bo Horvat each had a goal and an assist as Vancouver won for the first time since Boeser got hurt late in regulation of a 4-3 overtime victory against the New York Islanders on March 5. The Canucks (26-39-9) scored seven goals during their slide, which included three consecutive shutouts.”I don’t think we played a perfect game, but it was nice to get a win,” Edler said.Chicago (30-36-9) closed out a three-game homestand with its fifth consecutive loss. Jean-Francois Berube was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots Roman Josi Jersey , and Anton Forsberg finished with eight saves.The Blackhawks played without captain Jonathan Toews, who is out with an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated next week. Toews got hurt during Tuesday night’s 5-1 loss to Colorado, which officially eliminated Chicago from playoff contention.Nick Schmaltz and Matthew Highmore scored for Chicago, which has lost seven of eight overall. The Blackhawks have allowed at least five goals in each of their last five games.”It’s something we’re working on. We talk every day about limiting other team’s chances,” Schmaltz said. ”Whether we’re not coming back hard enough or turning pucks over at the blue line, I think we can do a better job of that.”Schmaltz picked up his 21st of the season when he got a piece of Brent Seabrook’s big slap shot from the right circle at 8:02 of the first, tying it at 1. The Canucks took over from there.Sedin made it 2-1 when he jumped on a rebound and knocked it by Berube with 2:18 left in the first. It was Sedin’s first goal since Nov. 14 and just his third of the season.”It’s a good feeling, but I put zero thought into not scoring,” Sedin said. ”I felt good for the most part. I mean two goals is not good, but there’s been other guys scoring around me. That’s helped.”Horvat scored on a rush in the second, and Edler chased Berube when he sent a long slap shot under the goaltender’s left arm 9:38 into the period. The veteran defenseman matched his career best with his first two-goal game since 2011 and No. 4 overall.”You need offense from your back end http://www.officialpredators.com/authentic-adidas-ryan-hartman-jersey ,” coach Travis Green said. ”Nice to see Eddie get a couple goals tonight.”Brent Sutter added his eighth 3:24 into the third, making it 5-1 Vancouver. The Blackhawks got one back when Highmore scored with 3:33 left, but the Canucks were never seriously threatened.”I think we’re doing a lot of good things,” Highmore said. ”It’s just momentary lapses. In this league, if you don’t play a full 60 minutes, teams make you pay.”NOTES: Canucks F Brendan Leipsic departed with an upper-body injury. … Horvat reached 20 goals for the second straight season. ”To get it in back-to-back years, that gives me confidence moving forward,” he said. … Highmore returned to the lineup after he missed the loss to Colorado with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTCanucks: Visit the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.Blackhawks: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday night.—Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap—

The last-place Cincinnati Reds slammed the Chicago Cubs – again.

Anthony DeSclafani hit the first grand slam by a Cincinnati pitcher in 59 years C.J. Uzomah Jersey , helping the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 11-2 on Saturday for their sixth consecutive victory.

It was Cincinnati’s third slam in five days and major league-leading seventh of the season, two short of the record set in 2002. Jesse Winker hit one in the series opener against Chicago on Thursday night.

The last Reds pitcher to hit a grand slam was Bob Purkey against the Cubs on Aug. 1, 1959.

Tucker Barnhart and Joey Votto also went deep in front of a crowd of 36,818, Cincinnati’s largest since opening day. Votto hit a three-run shot off backup catcher Chris Gimenez in the eighth.

”We’re playing clean baseball,” interim manager Jim Riggleman said. ”We’ve strung some good ballgames together.”

The Reds matched their longest win streak of the season and won a third straight game against the Cubs for the first time since winning five in a row in 2014.

”They definitely have played much better,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”They deserved all three. Our pitching was in disarray, and they took advantage of it.”

Willson Contreras and Ben Zobrist homered for Chicago, which has lost three straight games for the first time since a five-game slide from May 1 through May 6. Zobrist and Ian Happ each had two of the Cubs’ six hits.

Contreras’ fifth homer trimmed Cincinnati’s lead to 2-1 in the second, but the Reds responded with six in the third.

Votto sparked the rally with a two-out walk against Luke Farrell (2-3). Brian Duensing then came in and yielded run-scoring hits to Scooter Gennett and Eugenio Suarez with his first two pitches.

A walk to Winker and Adam Duvall’s infield single loaded the bases for DeSclafani, who drove a 3-2 pitch from Duensing into the seats in left for his first career homer.

”I got to a full count there,” DeSclafani said. ”I knew a fastball was coming, so I just tried to square it up and it happened to go out. At first, I didn’t think it was a home run. but I saw the left fielder kind of give up on it. Then I saw the ball get into the stands. It was awesome. Everything in that at-bat happened so quick, from when I swung and hit the ball until I started shaking hands in the dugout.”

DeSclafani (3-1) also pitched a season-high 6 1/3 innings in his fourth start after beginning the year on the disabled list with a left oblique strain. He allowed three hits, struck out three and walked four.

Farrell, a former Red and the son of ex-Red Sox manager and current Reds scout John Farrell, yielded Barnhart’s two-run homer in the first. He was charged with three runs and two hits in his second career start.

”I made one big mistake to Barnhart,” Farrell said. ”They’re an aggressive team. I got too aggressive with a fastball.”

GOOD SAMARITAN

Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who grew up in nearby Middletown Vincent Rey Jersey , took an autographed bat to a fan who was injured by one of his foul balls. The fan walked out with help wearing a white bandage around his head.

RED HOT

Cincinnati third baseman Eugenio Suarez had three hits, extending his career-high hitting streak to 13 games. It’s the longest streak by a Red this season.

FOUR FOR FOUR

DeSclafani is the fourth Reds pitcher to hit a grand slam, joining Purkey, Al Hollingsworth in 1936, also against the Cubs, and Icebox Chamberlain with an inside-the-park homer in 1892.

ABOVE, BEYOND

Cubs third baseman Tommy La Stella crashed into the first row of seats down the left-field line while catching Votto’s first-inning popup.

TRAPPED

Contreras’s homer survived a crew-chief replay review after video showed a fan wearing a Cubs jersey trapped it with his glove against the top of the fence before hauling it in.

FRUSTRATED

Chicago bench coach Brandon Hyde was ejected by plate umpire Greg Gibson in the top of the fourth inning for complaining about ball-strike calls.

WHITE FLAG

Gimenez made his 10th career pitching appearance and first for the Cubs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: LHP Rob Zastryzny left in the sixth with what Maddon called left side tightness.

Reds: INF Nick Senzel, Cincinnati’s top pick and the second overall selection in the 2016 draft, is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right index finger. He suffered the injury on Friday with Triple-A Louisville.

UP NEXT

Cubs: If Tyler Chatwood’s wife doesn’t go into labor, the right-hander will start Sunday’s series finale.

Reds: RHP Sal Romano (4-7) gave up six hits and seven runs in a 10-0 loss to Chicago on May 19.

The St. Louis Cardinals left Arizona feeling a little bit better about themselves, thanks to a late-inning surge by the offense and another strong outing from Miles Mikolas.

The Cardinals scored seven times in the seventh and eighth innings to beat Arizona 8-4 on Wednesday night. After coming to town on a four-game losing streak and off a three-game sweep at the hands of Atlanta, St. Louis took two of three from the first-place Diamondbacks.

Yadier Molina’s three-run homer on the first pitch from reliever Fernando Salas highlighted a five-run Cardinals seventh inning after Arizona had nursed a 2-1 lead through six in front of a sellout crowd of 44,072.

”Had some big hits today,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ”It allows those big five-run innings to happen. Wear the pitcher down, wear the defense down. Then you have Yadi come in and do something special on the back end.”

Tommy Pham drove in three Cardinals runs with a double and two singles. Matt Carpenter doubled twice and singled with one RBI.

”Carp kind of set the tone. He got on base a lot,” Pham said. ”I think we had good at-bats. Even when the results weren’t there, we made guys throw pitches. That’s key. If a guy is taking four or five plus pitches to get outs, that means you are grinding as a hitter. When you put that together as a team, it wears out pitching staffs.”

The Diamondbacks dropped to 1-5 on their homestand and lead the surging Los Angeles Dodgers by just a half-game in the NL West.

Mikolas (9-3) gave up two runs and seven hits, walked four and struck out three.

Arizona reliever Yoshihisa Hirano (2-1) had his franchise-record streak of 26 games without allowing a run end when Yairo Munoz homered to lead off the seventh. Hirano gave up four runs Authentic Albert Wilson Jersey , one earned, on three hits in two-thirds of an inning for his first loss since coming to the major leagues from Japan this season.

”Yoshi’s human,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. ”That’s what it means, right? And he’s absolutely spoiled us. He’s been a slam-dunk reliever and he made a really tough game look easy for a long time.”

After Munoz’s homer, shortstop Ketel Marte booted pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill’s grounder for an error. With one out and O’Neill on second, Pham singled to center to put the Cardinals up 3-2. Center fielder Jarrod Dyson left the game with discomfort in his right groin area, Lovullo said.

Salas relieved Hirano and gave up the big hit to Molina, who homered twice in the series.

”It was like two totally different games,” Lovullo said. ”The first six innings were exactly the way you’d like to see guys go out and execute and do their job, and then the final three innings unfortunately we couldn’t execute in a lot of key areas.”

HARD-LUCK LEFTY

Arizona starter Patrick Corbin allowed one run and six hits in six innings, his third straight strong outing without a decision. He’s given up two runs in 19 innings during those three starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Paul DeJong (broken left hand) homered and doubled and played shortstop all nine innings Tuesday night in his fourth rehab game for Triple-A Memphis. Matheny said DeJong would not be activated Thursday in San Francisco but could be at some time during the four-game series.

Diamondbacks: Right-handed reliever Randall Delgado (left oblique strain) was scheduled to make another rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno and is expected to be activated Thursday, the end of his rehab assignment. … OF Steven Souza Jr. (strained right pectoral) had Wednesday off in his rehab assignment with Reno after homering twice for the Aces on Tuesday night. Souza has three homers in his last two rehab games.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Head to San Francisco for four games against the Giants. RHP Luke Weaver (4-7, 5.16 ERA) starts for St. Louis in Thursday night’s opener. Johnny Cueto (3-0, 0.84) comes off the disabled list to pitch for the Giants.

Diamondbacks: RHP Shelby Miller (0-2, 11.42), following two rough starts in his return from Tommy John surgery, takes the mound Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against San Diego. LHP Eric Lauer (3-5, 5.08) goes for the Padres.

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