Willkommen » Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a double and Mich

Nneka Ogwumike had a phenomenal season, but I wasnt surprised. Ive seen this for years. Ive always known Nneka was supertalented and that she plays with an unbelievable passion.Its not surprising how well she played, because thats what shes capable of. You know how its the day before a game and theres a ball going out of bounds and you dont dive for it because you have a game tomorrow? Nneka will dive for it. Theres no chill button.In a drill, theres no, You take it easy, Ill take it easy. Theres none of that. And you kind of get to a point where you do what she does. I think everybody kind of took on her identity a little bit.Nneka doesnt get upset when she doesnt get shots. She just goes and gets it. Thats kind of what shes done her whole career, but this year [she was named WNBA most valuable player], we just got her shots. Coach Brian Agler always said that all we needed to do was have practice time together so we could come together and take advantage of our strengths. Thats truly what happened. We got on the court and figured out how to really feature her. [The Sparks won their first WNBA championship since 2002.]Shes always been a good friend and supporter. She helped me understand that its OK to be vulnerable. She often would say, We know you can do everything. Let us help you! If somebody else would say that to me, itd be like, What do you mean? But with Nneka, I knew genuinely that she meant it and its coming from a really good place.I think she understands where I come from and my journey. She kind of bridged the gap between me and the world. I dont really show myself to a lot of people. And she was the one who said, Its OK. Show yourself.We were in Minnesota when she got elected president of the WNBA players union. I went over to congratulate her and she was like, You know I ran unopposed?I laughed. Thats even more of a congratulations, because nobody else would step forward and do it, I said.She wants to spark change and affect things positively. The WNBA can really grow in the right hands. Nneka doesnt just play in the WNBA, she plays overseas, so shes going to protect the rights of both types of players.There were things that were done in the collective bargaining agreement, before this, that basically swayed it to the advantage of players that only played in the WNBA. We cant ignore the fact that you make your living overseas. I know thats something shes thinking about.She definitely cares about the world. Shes very passionate about making sure things are the right way. Thats her biggest thing: making sure things are fair. Whoever you are, whatever you are, if you work hard, you can get out of it what you put in.More on Nneka Ogwumike? Ogwumike helps power Sparks to WNBA title Story ?? No matter how you look at it, Ogwumike is right pick for MVP Story ?? WNBA players turn to Ogwumike as players union president Story ?? What it feels like to be a WNBA champion Video ?The IMPACT25 is espnWs annual list of the 25 athletes and influencers who have made the greatest difference for women in sports. Explore the 2016 list and more content at espnW.com/IMPACT25. Eddie Robinson Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Nick Wittgren Indians Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-trevor-bauer-jersey/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Brad Hand Indians Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Danny Salazar Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead.CLEVELAND -- Justin Verlander recently watched videotape of his 2011 season, when he was the ALs MVP and noticed he wasnt pitching the way he had back then -- dominating, overpowering, nearly unhittable. Verlander made an adjustment. And made the Indians look silly. Verlander toyed with Clevelands lineup for eight innings and Don Kelly hit a three-run homer off Justin Masterson, leading the Detroit Tigers to their 10th straight win, 5-1 over the Indians, who cant seem to beat the one team theyre chasing. "Thats the Justin Verlander we know," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Verlander (12-8) allowed one run and four hits as the Tigers won their second straight in this four-game series and beat the Indians for 10th time in 11 games to open a five-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. Kelly connected in the fifth inning off Masterson (13-8) and Miguel Cabrera picked up his 100th RBI as the Tigers improved to 11-3 against their nearest division rival. "Every games a big game but especially against the guys who are chasing us," Verlander said. "Theyve been playing extremely well. We know its going to be a battle this series. Its not over yet but winning the first two is a great start." The Indians, who are 24-10 against the Centrals three other teams, have to win the next two over Detroit just to gain a split. To do that, theyll have to beat Doug Fister and Max Scherzer. "Detroit has four aces, which is why they are so good," Indians manager Terry Francona said before the game. Although Scherzer leads the AL with 16 wins and is the front-runner to win the Cy Young this season, Verlander remains the Tigers top gun and the one they turn to when things get tough. He has struggled at times this season, but has now found his old form. "The adjustment that I made obviously made not just a little impact but a pretty big impact," said Verlander, who explained he altered his motion toward the plate. "Everything Ive been searching for I was able to find it today. Thats a huge stride in the right direction." Verlander gave up an RBI groundout in the second, but otherwise handled the Indians with ease. When Cleveland threatened in the sixth with two on and none out, Verlander turned up the heat. He retired Nick Swisher on a deep fly to right before blowing a 100 mph fastball past All-Star Jason Kipnis for strike two and then locked him up with an 84 mph changeup. Verlander then got Asdrubal Cabrera to ground out on another fastball then hit the century mark on the radar gun. As he headed toward the dugout, the right-hander pumped his fist knowing he had probably put the Indians away for good. "We had a couple chances and he seemed to find another gear tonight, that weve unfortunately seen in the past," Francona said. "When he starts hitting 100 at the knees, thats tough." Masterson had one bad inning, and it cost him. Kellys three-run shot highlighted Detroits five-run ffifth off the right-hander, who hurt himself by hitting two batters during the inning.dddddddddddd First, he plunked No. 9 hitter Ramon Santiago, who had squared to bunt before getting drilled. Austin Jackson followed with a single and Torii Hunters RBI groundout brought in Santiago to tie it 1-all. Cabrera, who missed three games with a hip injury, then sent a drive off the centre field wall for a go-ahead RBI double, arriving at second with a slow-motion slide. One out later, Masterson hit Victor Martinez on the right foot. Detroits DH hopped around in obvious pain and Cabrera even left third base to check on his teammate, who limped to first but stayed in the game. Kelly followed by drilling a 1-1 pitch into the Tigers bullpen for his fifth homer to make it 5-1. Kelly owns Masterson. Hes now 11 of 24 (.458) with two homers and eight RBIs. On June 9, he hit a three-run homer off Masterson in Detroits 4-1 win. "If I was Superman, hed be my Kryptonite," Masterson said. "Theres always a guy. He salivates when Im up there." Like his teammates, Masterson struggles with the Tigers. He dropped to 0-3 with a 7.23 ERA against Detroit this season. The Indians got some bad news even before losing their second straight game in this crucial four-game series as starter Corey Kluber was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right middle finger. The team said Kluber injured his finger on Monday night when he pitched 7 1-3 shutout innings. There is no timetable on Klubers injury, but Indians starter Zach McAllister recently missed seven weeks with a similar ailment. "Im disappointed for him," Francona said. "It makes it harder for us." The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second on Verlander, who despite his gaudy numbers against most teams, came in just 16-14 in his career against Cleveland. Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a double and Michael Brantley followed with a single. Cabrera got caught in a rundown between third and home for the first out, but Ryan Raburn came through with an RBI groundout against his former teammates. Masterson pitched himself into and out of trouble in the second. He walked Prince Fielder and Martinez to open the inning and then gave up a single to Kelly. However, the right-hander buckled down and struck out Alex Avila and Jose Iglesias before getting Santiago to bounce into a force at second. NOTES: The Tigers have won 14 of 18 against the Indians dating to Sept. 5 last season. Detroit has outscored Cleveland 109-62 in those games. ... Indians rookie RHP Danny Salazar will make his second career start Wednesday. Ubaldo Jimenez was pushed back for Salazar, who took a no-hitter into the sixth in his debut on July 11. ... Tigers 2B Omar Infante (sprained left ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday. ... Tigers RHP Octavio Dotel (sore elbow) will began a rehab assignment at Class-A Lakeland (Fla.) Wednesday. Hes been out since April 20. ' ' '