ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Tepesch and Robbie Ross helped the
Moderators: MrSpall, bassjones, sevesd93, zenmandan
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Tepesch and Robbie Ross helped the
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Tepesch and Robbie Ross helped the Texas Rangers hold off the Seattle Mariners. Bernd Leno Jersey . Tepesch, back from the minor leagues, earned his first major league victory in more than 10 months and the Rangers edged the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Wednesday. Ross, back in the bullpen after an unsuccessful stint in the rotation, bailed Tepesch out of a seventh-inning jam. Neal Cotts, whose ERA has ballooned from 1.11 in 2013 to 4.34 this season, had a strong eighth. Joakim Soria, back in a closers role this year for the first time since 2011, pitched a perfect ninth inning for his eighth save in eight opportunities. The Rangers offence had three first-inning runs and Shin-Soo Choos leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth that broke a 3-3 tie. Choos fifth homer went into the bullpen in left-centre. "Two strikes, I was in a rough spot. I think about more (getting) on base," he said. "Got a home run that got up in that gust a little bit, thats it," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Its a tough ballpark to pitch in, but I thought (Chris Young) did a pretty darn good job for us. Texas turned two double plays. The second was on Ross second pitch after entering the game with one out and runners on first and second for the Mariners. Pinch hitter Stefen Romero grounded to Adrian Beltre, who stepped on third base and threw to first to complete the inning-ending double play. "I was thinking, Gosh, here we go! Im in a situation where I like to be. I was pretty amped," Ross said. "I wanted to be out of that inning without those runs scoring." Tepesch (1-0) allowed five hits and two walks in 6 1-3 innings for his first win since defeating Houston 10-5 on July 5, 2013. The second-year pitcher threw a career-high 112 pitches. It was his second start this season for the Rangers after being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock, where he was 6-1. Texas manager Ron Washington has noticed a difference. "He has an out pitch right now. Hes got that slider working, and hes able to locate his sinker. With that going on and commanding the baseball, I think theres the difference right there." Washington visited Tepesch on the mound with one out in the seventh and Dustin Ackley coming up. Tepesch assured the manager he was OK. Then he walked both Ackley and John Buck. "I just wanted to know how he was feeling," Washington said. "Did he think he had enough to get this lefty up there? Because I had a lefty ready. The look in his eyes, he convinced me, and I had to end up getting Robbie to bail me out." After that, it was Cotts striking out Robinson Cano, who had homered earlier, and Seager, who entered the game with a .358 average in Arlington, with a runner on second base in the eighth. Against former Rangers right-hander Chris Young (3-2), Daniel Robertson led off the first with a walk and scored on Elvis Andrus homer. Alex Rios singled home the third run. Seattle tied it in the fourth. James Jones tripled and scored on Michael Saunders single. Cano then hit his two-run homer. Center fielder Michael Choice ran back to attempt a catch, but his glove hit the wall as the ball barely cleared it. Seattle had only one baserunner against Tepesch in the first three innings: Seager on a leadoff single in the second. He was erased in an unusual 4-5-3 double play. With Texas defence shifted to the right, Smoak grounded to second baseman Luis Sardinas, who threw to Beltre covering second. Beltres relay throw to first beat Smoak. Young gave up seven hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings. "You have those games where if you can limit the damage early, you feel like youll pitch a good game, and I gave up one too many in the first," Young said. NOTES: Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder (neck) missed a fourth consecutive game, and centre fielder Leonys Martin (stiff neck) was not in the starting lineup for the second game in a row. Martin entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth. ... The teams split the two-game series. Danny Welbeck Arsenal Jersey .com) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they face the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to secure their place in the post-season. Sokratis Papastathopoulos Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Authentic-Mesut-Ozil-Arsenal-Jersey/ . - Mark Sanchez found out the New York Jets had acquired Tim Tebow on a conference call with team management.Barcelona was banned by FIFA from signing any new players for next season after being found guilty on Wednesday of repeatedly breaching transfer regulations regulations in signing youth players to its renowned La Masia program. The Spanish club later announced that it would appeal FIFAs decision. The heavy sanction, which covers the summer and January transfer windows, followed an investigation over the past year into Barcelonas signing of players under the age of 18 from 2009 to 2013. FIFA found the signing of 10 un-named players to be in breach of its rules covering the protection of minors. A fine of 450,000 Swiss francs ($509,000) was also imposed on Barcelona, which was given 90 days "to regularize the situation of all minor players concerned." Barcelona released a 14-point rebuttal, vowing to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if it did not succeed in reversing the decision with FIFA and be allowed to sign during the transfer window. "Ever since FIFA opened the case the players licenses were cancelled and they have not participated in any official games," Barcelona said in a statement that mostly pointed fingers at the Spanish and Catalan football federation, along with FIFA, while defending La Masia as "an example" of social responsibility in educating young players on and off the field. "These players have all been given the option to remain with the club despite their licenses being revoked," the statement added. The Spanish Football Federation was also found by the world governing body to have violated the rules covering the registration of minors and fined 500,000 Swiss francs ($565,500). Barcelona said in February 2013 that FIFA had sent a communication instructing it not to select six players who are under 18 for its youth matches -- South Koreas Lee Seung Woo, Paik Seung-Ho and Jang Gyeolhee, Theo Chendri of France, Nigerian-Dutchman Bobby Adekanye and Patrice Sousia of Cameroon. The international transfer of players under the age of 18 can only go through if their parents move to the country for non-football reasons. Players between 16 and 18 can move within Europe if certain standards of education and living conditions are met. The punishment, which prevents Barcelona from signing any players until the summer of 2015, leaves recent agreements with Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Croatian teenager Alen Halilovic to join the club in July in limbo. Matteo Guendouzi Jersey. Barcelona has three working days to inform FIFA of an intention to appeal and then a further week to provide its reasons for challenging the punishment. Premier League club Chelsea had a one-year transfer embargo imposed after being found by FIFA to have induced teenager Gael Kakuta to leave Lens, but it was overturned in 2010 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. FIFA tightened its rules on transferring minors in 2010, to help end what global players union FIFPro described as the equivalent of "child trafficking." FIFA sought to close loopholes which allowed clubs and agents to bring youngsters to Europe on the promise of getting a lucrative contract, only to abandon them without a job or education. In the Barcelona case, FIFA stressed the "interest in protecting the appropriate and healthy development of a minor as a whole must prevail over purely sporting interests." "The disciplinary committee emphasized that the protection of minors in the context of international transfers is an important social and legal issue that concerns all stakeholders in football," FIFA said in a statement. "Above all, the committee highlighted that while international transfers might, in specific cases, be favourable to a young players sporting career, they are very likely to be contrary to the best interests of the player as a minor." Barcelona potentially needs to sign a replacement goalkeeper, with Victor Valdes out of contract at the end of the season and ruled out for seven months this week following knee surgery. Gerard Pique is in need of an assured partner in central defence with the impending retirement of Carles Puyol. The FIFA case threatens to further damage the image of a Catalan football institution that is owned by its members and prides itself as being "more than a club". It is currently grappling with the fallout from last years signing of the 22-year-old Neymar. Barcelona president Sandro Rosell abruptly quit in January as he fights a lawsuit alleging he misappropriated funds by hiding the real cost of Neymars signing from Brazilian club Santos. In February, Barcelona paid 13.55 million euros (then $18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities to cover any potential irregularities over the transfer, while maintaining its innocence of fraud charges. AP Sports Writer Paul Logothetis in Madrid contributed to this report ' ' '