e hit back-to-back homers 12 times this season.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: Choo spent the minimum 15 days on the disabled list with lower back inflammation. It was his third stint on the DL t

Weve officially started the run to the finals and its clear some top eight sides are struggling.The Hawks inflicted back-to-back SCG losses on Sydney after prevailing in a thrilling Thursday night contest. The Swans could have snatched top spot with a win, but now after dropping out of the top four, they sit fifth on percentage.On the other side of the country Geelong had to fight until the very end to hold off a Fremantle side desperate for a win. Patrick Dangerfield continued his march towards a maiden Brownlow Medal after racking up 31 disposals and booting four goals.North Melbournes mid-season dip in form has gone from bad to worse after being stunned by the Power?The Kangaroos have now lost six of their last seven matches after starting the season 9-0. If their shaky form continues, a top eight finish is no certainty.Speaking of shaky, the West Coast Eagles were far from convincing against a wasteful Carlton side on Sunday. If the contest had run five minutes longer, the Blues may well have run over the top of them, but as it was they crucially secured the four points.However, in Scott Thompsons big milestone, Adelaide swept their way to eight straight wins with their victory over Collingwood and now occupy second spot on the ladder behind Hawthorn.HEROESShaun Burgoynes final term:?What can you say about Burgoyne that hasnt already been said? The 300-plus gamer inspired his team to victory after being thrust into the midfield in the final quarter against the Swans. Burgoyne was dominant in the last, racking up 11 disposals and kicking two crucial goals to steer the Hawks to a terrific top-of-the table clash win. For so much of his career he has been able to play the Mr-fix-it role at the most desperate of times and Thursday night was no exception. Cyril Riolis long bomb from outside 50 on his birthday also deserves a mention, and capped off a memorable night for Hawthorn. The reigning premiers now have a four-point cushion at the top of the table; could a fourth straight flag be on the cards?Koby Stevens: Influential in the middle and dangerous when forward, Stevens is emerging as yet another valuable member of the Western Bulldogs squad after arguably his career-best match against the Suns on Saturday. The former Eagle had 34 disposals, eight clearances and kicked back-to-back goals for the Dogs in the opening quarter of the 48-point win. In a game that was overshadowed by the return of prized forward Tom Boyd, it was the smaller forwards and midfielders that got the job done with Clay Smith, Marcus Bontempelli and Mitch Wallis also prominent in front of goals. After a wretched run with injuries lets hope Stevens can string more than a handful of games together as the Dogs look to do some damage in September.Jackson Trengove: Since Matthew Lobbe went down with a knee injury, Trengove has stepped up enormously in whats been a mid-season revival for the Power. Up against the games most dominant ruckman Todd Goldstein on Saturday, many would have excused Trengove for being unable to contain him, but the defender-turned-ruckman was outstanding, particularly in the first term when Port Adelaide motored to a five-goal lead. Trengove finished the day with 22 disposals (10 more than Goldstein) and six tackles. Is the shorter, more versatile ruckman the way of the future?VILLAINSMelbournes record at Etihad Stadium: Theres only one word that springs to mind when describing Melbournes recent record at Etihad Stadium: dreadful. The Demons have lost 24 of their past 25 games at Docklands and again on Sunday were well beaten by the Saints. If that wasnt humiliating enough, Sundays loss stretched the Dees losing streak against St Kilda to 14 straight matches. It was a day to forget for Melbourne -- who had been playing good football heading into the clash -- after Jesse Hogan was reported for striking Jarryn Geary in a marking contest.Tom Hawkins: Hes such an important player for the Cats and at his best could prove the difference between a mediocre Geelong and one thats a serious premiership threat. However, just one disposal in the first half against Freo is simply inexcusable. Full credit to Zac Dawson who played a terrific game on the Geelong star forward, but Hawkins was guilty of a plethora of forgettable moments, most notably spilled marks and poor positioning. Despite improving in the second half, Hawkins still failed to have any impact on the contest. He looked relieved to finish up with one goal, but against a bottom four side thats simply not good enough. If Geelongs indifferent form is to be eradicated, they need the big man firing -- especially with two tough challenges against Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs in the next fortnight.50m penalties:?To the letter of the law, I believe both 50m penalties against Swans duo Kieren Jack and Ben McGlynn against Hawthorn were there. However, in a tight, low-scoring contest, decisions like that have the ability to drastically change momentum, as we all witnessed at the SCG on Thursday night and against Kade Simpson versus the Eagles on Sunday. The Jack decision was of particular concern as he was clearly in the protected zone and should be afforded the opportunity to exit the area without being pinged and costing his side a goal. It is worth noting that Jack was also on the boundary side of the Hawk in possession, Jono ORourke, in these types of instances we need to take a more lenient approach as it is not stopping the ball from moving quickly through the corridor. NFL Jerseys Outlet . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Cheap MLB Jerseys China . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . http://www.cheapnfljerseysoutlet.com/ . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Online . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Cheap Jerseys From China . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. BALTIMORE -- It sure didnt take long for new players on the Texas Rangers to get comfortable in a different environment. The trio has made a good team even better.Jonathan Lucroy hit his first homer with Texas, Carlos Beltran had two hits and an RBI, and the Rangers beat Wade Miley and the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Thursday night to avoid a three-game sweep.Texas received contributions from the threesome it acquired before Mondays non-waiver trade deadline. Lucroy homered in the second inning. Beltran -- who homered Wednesday -- singled in a run in the fifth. And Jeremy Jeffress pitched a scoreless seventh.For those guys to go a new ballclub, the travel, and assimilating themselves into the clubhouse ... theyre professionals but anytime you make that move it can be a change, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. But it was nice to see theyre starting to perk up and do what they do. We saw tonight what this lineup can be capable of.Ian Desmond drove in two runs and Shin-Soo Choo came off the disabled list to get two hits and score a run for the Rangers, who took back from Baltimore the distinction of owning the best record in the AL.Texas won the season series 4-3 and would have home-field advantage in the postseason if the teams finish with the same regular-season record and meet in the playoffs.Its been a dogfight with these guys. Thats another first-place team over there, Lucroy said. Its another team that can hit, hit a lot of home runs, especially in this park. It feels good to pull that one out and kind of break out offensively.Mark Trumbo hit his major-league leading 31st homer for the Orioles, who fell to 39-17 at home. Pedro Alvarez and Hyun-Soo Kim also hit solo shots.Miley (7-9) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings in his debut with the Orioles. The left-hander was traded by Seattle on Sunday.I wish the results would have been a little better, Miley said. I had some jitters.After Miley took a line drive off his left calf for the final out in the fifth, manager Buck Showalter went to bullpen in the sixth.ddddddddddddI dont think its a big concern at all, Miley said.A.J. Griffin (5-1) allowed three homers in 5 1/3 innings but won a second straight start following a six-game run without a victory.Theyve got some power, but for the most part I felt like we kept them off-balance really well, Griffin said.Sam Dyson, the fifth Texas pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.After Lucroy put the Rangers up 1-0, Desmond added a run-scoring groundout in the second.Texas made it 4-0 in the fifth on RBI singles by Desmond and Beltran. Desmonds single bounced past first baseman Chris Davis, who was screened by Choo advancing to second, and Beltrans pop bounced off the glove of second baseman Jonathan Schoop in right field.Trumbo and Alvarez homered in succession in the bottom half, and Kim led off the sixth with his fourth homer of the season -- his first at Camden Yards.Consecutive doubles by Adrian Beltre and Roughned Odor off Logan Ondrusek made it 5-3 in the eighth.SHORT HOPSRangers: Griffin has allowed at least one HR in eight straight starts. ... Texas hit a season-high six doubles.Orioles: Miley is the first lefty to start for Baltimore this season. ... The Orioles have hit back-to-back homers 12 times this season.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: Choo spent the minimum 15 days on the disabled list with lower back inflammation. It was his third stint on the DL this season.UP NEXTRangers: Martin Perez (7-7, 4.22 ERA) starts for Texas on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Houston. The Rangers are 9-1 against the Astros this season.Orioles: Baltimore starts a 10-game trip Friday night by facing former teammate Miguel Gonzalez (2-5, 4.06) and the Chicago White Sox. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '