edge, OpTic Gaming put the tournament away, riding a

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins open the second half of the Major League Baseball season with a three-game series beginning Friday night at Target Field.Despite a 4-6 finish to the first half, the Indians will begin play 6 1/2 games clear of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central and seven games ahead of the Chicago White Sox and defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.Its the first time since Terry Francona took over as manager of the Indians in 2013 that the club begins the second half atop the division standings.I dont want to get too carried away because were still playing, and nobody has a crystal ball, Francona told MLB.com. But weve played ourself into a position where every single game we play from now on is fun as (heck). And I dont doubt our guys will embrace it and see how good we can be. Thats the whole idea.The Indians have done their damage with a balanced attack, including All-Star pitchers Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar as well as sterling defense and a lineup capable of piling up runs in a hurry.Shortstop Francisco Lindor, another All-Star, has been a linchpin for the Tribe all season both in the field, where he is a strong Gold Glove contender, and at the top of lineup.Theyve done it with outfielder Michael Brantley on the shelf with an injured shoulder for all but 11 games this season. But he is on a rehab assignment and could be just a week or two from rejoining the club.Carlos Carrasco, who missed a sizable chunk of the first half with a hamstring injury, will start against Minnesota in Fridays opener.The right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts but has a record of just 3-2 during that stretch. He allowed five runs against the New York Yankees in his final turn before the break, but four of the runs were unearned.Carrasco hasnt pitched against the Twins this season but struggled against them a year ago, going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two starts against Minnesota in 2015.Minnesota is the only team in the AL Central not within striking distance of the Indians, sitting 20 games out of first place. But the Twins were the best team in the division in the final two weeks of the first half, led by a suddenly surging offense.Only the Chicago Cubs have equaled the Twins in the power department since June 26; both clubs have slugged 28 homers to lead the major leagues.Minnesotas 140 runs since June 18 are eight more than the next closest club and the most in baseball since that stretch.The Twins finished the first half by winning seven of their final nine games before the break, including five of seven over the AL-leading Texas Rangers during that stretch. Minnesota won three of four in Arlington in its final weekend before the break, outscoring the Rangers 38-18 in the series.Id think were on the high end here (offensively) the last two or three weeks, and its been balanced, Twins manager Paul Molitor told MLB.com. (Brian) Dozier has been hot, Kurt (Suzuki) has been on an incredible run.The young guys have injected some life and are taking advantage of some opportunities. (Max) Keplers development and RBI-to-games-played ratio is pretty impressive. You can just go on about the guys who are swinging the bat well.Minnesotas starting staff has also been better of late, led by right-hander Ervin Santana, who will get the ball against the Indians on Friday.Santana, who has been the subject of trade rumors recently, is 2-0 with a 1.63 ERA in his last four starts, capped by a brilliant two-hit shutout of the Oakland Athletics his last time out on July 6.Santana beat Cleveland in his only start against the Indians, limiting the Tribe to one run, five hits and a walk in six innings on May 14 at Progressive Field. Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Buccaneers Jerseys Authentic China . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseysauthentic.com/ . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Buccaneers Jerseys China Cheap . 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. After an opening round upset loss to Luminosity Gaming in the Stage 2 playoffs, OpTic Gaming appeared to head into MLG Orlando motivated and hungry to reclaim its spot a top the competitive Call of Duty scene. Team EnVyUs, having won the Stage 2 playoffs, entered MLG Orlando looking to prove that its championship win wasnt a fluke.Both teams seemed destined to meet in the Grand Finals at MLG Orlando, with each team trying to walk away with the grand prize and a statement win heading into the biggest event of the year, Call of Duty XP.And like most events during the 2016 season, it was OpTic Gaming who emerged victorious. Heres a breakdown of the action that took place during the final day of MLG Orlando.Follow the Green Brick Road?Despite a terrific run through the upper bracket, Day 3 was a rocky road for Team eLevate. First, it was a 3-0 series loss to OpTic Gaming, in which Jared Nagafen Harrell and the rest of eLevate struggled to keep up in the slaying category. Moving down to a do-or-die matchup against Team EnVyUs in the lower bracket finals, eLevate struggled once more in the slaying category, dropping all three rounds en route to a tournament-ending loss. While eLevate has been one of the premiere Search and Destroy teams in the CWL, the team must improve in the respawn game modes such as Hardpoint and Uplink if it plans on making a dent at Call of Duty XP.EnVyUs, on the other hand, was excellent in the slaying category, relying on the entire roster to make critical plays during different junctions of its lower bracket run. Whether it was critical kills by Johnathan John Perez and Jordan Jkap Kaplan in the 3-1 lower bracket semifinal win over FaZe Clan, or a near dominating performance by Austin SlasheR Liddicoat in the aforementioned 3-0 win over Team eLevate, EnVyUs certainly followed up their Stage 2 win with a convincing performance at MLG Orlando. However, needing to win two best-of-five series over OpTic Gaming thanks to the double elimination format, EnVyUs entered the MLG Orlando finals in an unenviable position.Clash of the TitansIf EnVyUs was worn down and weary heading into its final matchup, the team certainly didnt show it, racing out ahead of OpTic Gaming 2-0 in the first best-of-five matchup.dddddddddddd Led by SlasheR and John, EnVyUs battled through a back and fourth Round 1 Hardpoint, and rallied from an 0-4 deficit in Round 2 Search and Destroy to claim a 6-4 win. But even with a series cushion in its back pocket, OpTic Gaming refused to fold, securing both Round 3 Uplink and Round 4 Capture the Flag to force a Round 5. Ian Crimsix Porter, who struggled during the first two rounds of the matchup, was huge during Round 4 Capture the Flag, securing three captures on his own while putting together a 26/14 KD. However, even with all the momentum going against them, Team EnVyUs would stave off elimination, securing a 6-3 Round 5 Search and Destroy win thanks in no small part to SlasheR, who finished with a terrific 13/5 K/D.Now, even with OpTic Gaming in the Grand Final and needing just one more series win to claim the MLG Orlando crown, EnVyUs appeared to run out of gas. First, another back and fourth Round 1 Hardpoint went the way of OpTic Gaming, as both Matthew FormaL Piper and Damon Karma Barlow put up over 40 kills. Then, it was the Crimsix show during a 6-0 Round 2 Search and Destroy win, in which the multi-time champion posted a 9/2 KD mark. And finally, with its opponents tournament lives teetering precariously on the edge, OpTic Gaming put the tournament away, riding an offensive assault by both Crimsix and FormaL en route to a 15-8 Round 3 Uplink win.Take nothing away from EnVyUs admirable run through the lower bracket. The players performance during MLG Orlando officially solidifies them as one of the best teams in the world and makes for yet another juicy storyline heading into Call of Duty XP.But like so many other events during Call of Duty: Black Ops III, it was OpTic Gaming who reigned supreme in Orlando. And its the Green Wall who look like the favorites heading into the world championships in September. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '