Dein erstes Forum » t for him to get more carries. -- Sheil K

CHICAGO -- Nobody buys a ticket to watch managers manage.So if Major League Baseball is in a charitable mood, refund checks will be in the mail for the 42,000-plus paying customers Saturday night who watched the Cubs beat the Dodgers 8-4 in the NL Championship Series opener at Wrigley.They got their fair share of exciting baseball, to be sure. But considering all the late-game maneuvering between the Cubs Joe Maddon and his Dodgers counterpart, Dave Roberts, youd think they were holding the Rosetta Stone instead of lineup cards. And theyre hardly the only ones guilty of overmanaging in this postseason.For those keeping score at home, Maddon used three relievers in the seventh inning, two more -- including regular closer Aroldis Chapman -- in the eighth and Hector Rondon to close out the ninth. Roberts used two in the eighth but probably wishes now it had been three, since that third guy, left-hander Grant Dayton, was warming up in the bullpen.The Dodgers began the eighth with right-hander Joe Blanton, then had him load the bases with two intentional walks, and left him in to face Cubs left-handed pinch-hitter Miguel Montero.Roberts rationale was that Chicago had enough pinch hitters available to get a favorable lefty-righty matchup either way. So he stuck with Blanton.Its more of, I trust Joe, Roberts said afterward. Ive trusted him all year long.Montero promptly blew a hole in that vote of confidence by driving a 0-2 pitch from Blanton into the right-field seats for a grand slam.At this point, it should be noted that the same seat-of-the-pants moves in the NLDS had us lauding Roberts for stealing the deciding game from the Nationals. But it could also be the case that Washington manager Dusty Bakers decision to go through his own relief corps like tissues was a big contributing factor.Second-guessing managers, especially guys as savvy as Maddon and Roberts, is usually a waste of time. Unlike Roberts, who is a rookie in the trade, Maddon has been at it for more than 10 years and unorthodox as hes been at times, hes got plenty of success to show for it.The strange thing is that he burned up his bullpen in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Giants, got burned in a 6-5 loss and learned that Chapman, his 100-mph closer, might not be the best option when the Cubs need two innings and six outs instead of just one and three. Then Maddon watched San Franciscos Bruce Bochy plunder his bullpen the very next night and lose the series to Chicago.So youd think the memory of those two games back-to-back less than a week ago would still be fresh. And before the game, that appeared so.A thin starting rotation and a rash of injuries forced the Dodgers to lean heavily on their bullpen all season long. Considering that, Maddon was asked whether he anticipated having to make more moves to get the matchups he wanted.I think you sometimes get caught up in the other side way too much, he said. And I dont want to feed that to our players either.Not long after, in response to a question about pressure, Maddon continued the theme.I have a different take on things. Today is what, Oct. 15th? I really want to believe our guys are going to treat it like July 15th or Aug. 15th, he said. I know I am.Not exactly.It turns out Maddon called all his relievers together before the game.He said, `Everybody in here, be ready for everything, recalled Rondon, who pitched the ninth and got the save. For me, I dont care about the matchups. I feel like anybody in our bullpen can go lefty-righty. So maybe we learned from the situation tonight and tomorrow, we prepare better.Maybe.The Cubs have seen Maddon pull so many levers so often, theyll apparently take that on faith.Im never surprised with anything Joe does. He thinks outside the box, said catcher David Ross, who was behind the plate for all the pitching machinations. Hes the manager, were the players.But when somebody relayed Maddons remarks about our guys are going to treat it like July 15th or Aug. 15th, Ross couldnt stifle a laugh.Saw that happen, didnt you? he said.There was a lot cat-and-mouse going on that inning, he added a moment later, and it paid off for us.---Jim Litke is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and https://Twitter.com/JimLitke . 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Kent Perkins Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. NFL Nation reporters assess the biggest injuries across the league for Week 3.AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC West NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC WestAFC EASTBuffalo BillsWide receiver Sammy Watkins remained out of practice Wednesday with a foot injury. He continues to insist hes not in pain and is?simply overcoming mental hurdles following offseason foot surgery, but coach Rex Ryan has yet to definitively say whether Watkins will play Sunday. Hes likely to be listed as questionable again this week. -- Mike RodakMiami DolphinsRunning back?Arian Foster remains a question mark after a groin injury kept him out of practice Wednesday. If Foster cant play Sunday against Cleveland, the Dolphins will go with a committee of tailbacks led by Jay Ajayi and rookie Kenyan Drake. The pair combined for 26 rushing yards and a touchdown last week after Foster was injured in the second quarter against the Patriots. -- James WalkerNew England PatriotsQuarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder, has been limited in practice and has a chance to be active for Thursdays game against the Texans. A telling sign is that the Patriots havent added another quarterback this week. Meanwhile, tight end Rob Gronkowski remains limited, saying Tuesday that he feels decent, but his status for the game was kept under wraps. Well see. It will definitely be a coachs decision, a trainers decision. Well all come together, he said. -- Mike ReissNew York JetsWide receivers Brandon Marshall (knee/foot) and Eric Decker (shoulder) didnt practice Wednesday and could be game-time decisions. Decker already has said he will definitely play Sunday against the Chiefs. Theres a good chance Marshall also will play, but the Jets will try to maintain the suspense as long as possible. -- Rich CiminiAFC NORTHBaltimore RavensOutside linebacker Elvis Dumervil?practiced for the first time since suffering a setback with his foot injury on Aug. 29. Dumervil, however, was limited to individual drills and didnt finish practice. The Ravens will probably use Dumervil as a pass-rush specialist Sunday at the Jaguars. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley sat out Wednesdays practice with a foot injury. Theres little concern, however. Its going to take a lot for me to miss a game, Stanley said. -- Jamison HensleyCincinnati BengalsTight end Tyler Eifert returned to practice for the first time since injuring his ankle in the Pro Bowl. Eifert said he doesnt know if hell play against the Broncos on Sunday, but its the next step in a rehab that has lasted the entire offseason. Quarterback?Andy Dalton, who was hobbling after the Steelers game Sunday, was listed with a hip injury but practiced fully as normal. -- Katherine TerrellCleveland BrownsThe Browns hope rookie Cody Kessler?will lead them at quarterback. Kessler replaces Josh McCown, who replaced Robert Griffin III. But there are also issues up front. John Greco moves to center to replace Cam Erving (bruised lung), and Alvin Bailey steps in at guard and has a tough draw against?Ndamukong Suh, Miamis rampaging defensive tackle. -- Pat McManamonPittsburgh SteelersThe Steelers are relatively healthy for once, but wide receiver Markus Wheaton has missed two games with a shoulder injury and must get through a full week of practice without any setbacks in order to play Sunday at Philadelphia. Wheaton was optimistic last week, but coach Mike Tomlin opted to sit him. Wheatons presence adds more speed to the lineup. -- Jeremy FowlerAFC SOUTHHouston TexansRookie wide receiver Braxton Miller, who injured his right hamstring in the victory over the Chiefs, will not play Sunday. Miller has been starting as the Texans slot receiver, so Houston could move Will Fuller or have?Keith Mumphery play in his place. Miller did not practice all week, and he was not expected to play, especially because this is a short week. With the quick turnaround for Thursdays game against the Patriots, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who missed all of training camp and the preseason while recovering from back surgery, said he is being extra cautious while taking care of his body this week. He said he hopes to continue to knock off the rust that comes from missing an extended period of time, but he said he felt much better after Sundays game than he did after Week 1. -- Sarah BarshopIndianapolis ColtsQuarterback Andrew Luck is always at the top of the list when hes on the injury report. He missed Wednesdays practice with a sore right shoulder. This is the fourth time this season that Luck has not practiced or been listed as limited on the teams injury report. When asked if he planned to be teams starter?against San Diego on Sunday, Luck said, Absolutely. -- Mike WellsJacksonville JaguarsLeft tackle Kelvin Beachum suffered a concussion against San Diego and didnt practice Wednesday, so his status for Sunday is uncertain. The Jaguars have several options, including moving left guard?Luke Joeckel,?the former No. 2 overall pick,?back to left tackle. The Jaguars signed Beachum because of Joeckels struggles as a pass protector, so they might opt to keep Joeckel inside and use fourth-year veteran Patrick Omameh at tackle. Its not an ideal situation for the Jaguars, becuase it looks like the Ravens might have pass-rusher?Elvis Dumervil back for Sundays game. -- Mike DiRoccoTennessee TitansWith right guard Chance Warmack?going to injured reserve and probably finished for the year, the question is whether itll be former starting center Brian Schwenke or Sept. 8 waiver claim Josh Kline who takes over for him. The Titans have done some good work building continuity among the group, and whoever replaces Warmack needs to fit in and help things get better. There is still a lot of room for improvement. Schwenke or Kline will have a big effect on how?Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry?perform. -- Paul KuharskyAFC WESTDenver BroncosRight tackle Donald Stephenson (calf) did not practice Wednesday and is not expected to play Sunday in Cincinnati. One of the Broncos objectives in the offensive line this past offseason, however, was to add depth and versatility, so they have options to?replace Stephenson. They can move Michael Schofield from right guard to right tackle and play Darrion Weems at right guard, or they could leave Schofield at guard and put Ty Sambrailo at right tackle. Sambrailo is ready to return from an elbow injury he suffered in training camp. He did not play in the Broncos four preseason games or the first two weeks of the regular season. Also, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who suffered a hip injury in the season opener and was limited in practice last week, ran well in practice Wednesday and already looks better than he did at this point last week.?-- Jeff LegwoldKansas City ChiefsThe Chiefs have three of their top seven offensive linemen on this weeks injury report, and only one of them, guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, was able to practice Wednesday. Even then, he was a limited participant. The chances are good that the Chiefs will use their third starting offensive line combination of the season Sunday against the Jets. The Chiefs might?have to start a lineman, Jordan Devey, who began the season on the practice squad. -- Adam TeicherOakland RaidersWhile?David Amerson has been the Raiders best cornerback through two games, during which the defense?has surrendered 808 net yards passing, he is also in the leagues concussion protocol after getting injured late in Oaklands loss to the Falcons on Sunday. Still, coach Jack Del Rio is not stressing. We expect hes going to be fine for the game, Del Rio said, but he has to go through the proper protocol. -- Paul GutierrezSan Diego ChargersThe Chargers finally got some good injury news, with rookie Joey Bosa practicing in pads for the first time since joining his teammates on Aug. 29. Bosa is working through a minor hamstring strain, but he said he felt good after practice Wednesday, when he was a limited participant. Asked if he will play Sunday against the Colts, Bosa said hes still taking it day-by-day, which means Bosa could still be another week away from taking the field in a game. -- Eric D. WilliamsNFC EASTDallas CowboysIn a perfect world, cornerback Orlando Scandrick would be able to rest his ailing hamstring this week, but thats just not doable now. What the Cowboys can do is manage him througgh the practice week to make sure he can get through games.ddddddddddddHe practiced twice last week and played in the Cowboys sub-packages against Washington. That will probably continue to be the plan this week against Chicago, with Morris Claiborne taking the base defense snaps. -- Todd ArcherNew York GiantsRunning back Rashad Jennings is dealing with a left thumb injury. He practiced Wednesday and insists hes going to play Sunday against the Redskins. The question is how much hell be affected by the injury. Jennings had a cast on it earlier in the week, and it was heavily wrapped Wednesday. Clearly, he wont be 100 percent, and it will be interesting to see if hes willing to carry the ball in his left hand at all, if necessary. -- Jordan RaananPhiladelphia EaglesThe Eagles could be without tight end Zach Ertz for a second straight week as he continues to recover from a rib displacement. Im not in a lot of pain right now, he said. Its just a matter of healing. Trey Burton stepped in for Ertz against the Bears and had five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Burton could play a significant role against the Steelers on Sunday. -- Tim McManusWashington RedskinsWide receiver DeSean Jackson missed practice with a knee and ankle issue suffered in the third quarter of Sundays loss to the Cowboys. Redskins coach Jay Gruden said a big key will be how Jackson is feeling Thursday and whether he can practice. Hopefully hes OK, Gruden said. The Redskins cant afford to have Jackson sit Sunday vs. the Giants. He can burn teams with big plays, but his presence also allows others to get free. -- John KeimNFC NORTHChicago BearsQuarterback Jay Cutlers thumb injury on his throwing hand is the Bears biggest injury issue. Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer is expected to replace Cutler in the starting lineup Sunday night in Dallas, although the Bears have yet to rule out Cutler. Cutlers problem, however, is the tip of the iceberg. The Bears will also be without inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (thumb surgery), outside linebacker Lamarr Houston (torn ACL) and nose tackle Eddie Goldman (high ankle sprain). And defensive backs Adrian Amos (concussion), Bryce Callahan (concussion) and Chris Prosinski (calf) are questionable, too. Not a great beginning to the year for the Bears. -- Jeff DickersonDetroit LionsThe Lions practiced with just two healthy linebackers on the 53-man roster Wednesday: middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead and reserve Thurston Armbrister. DeAndre Levy (quad) was nowhere to be seen. Kyle Van Noy (calf) and Antwione Williams (thigh) were there but not practicing. While Lions coach Jim Caldwell said his team will have guys thatll be able to play and play well, its not clear who those linebackers will be. And thats just part of the issue on defense. Defensive linemen?Ezekiel Ansah (ankle), Tyrunn Walker and Wallace Gilberry all sat out practice, too. Ansah, like Levy, was not spotted during the open period. -- Michael RothsteinGreen Bay PackersThe Packers have five key defensive players with injury concerns, led by outside linebacker Clay Matthews, who couldnt finish last Sundays loss at Minnesota. The Packers on Wednesday announced hes dealing with two injuries, one to his left ankle and the other to his hamstring. Matthews did not practice Wednesday. Neither did cornerback Sam Shields (concussion), defensive tackle Letroy Guion (knee), safety Morgan Burnett (groin) and outside linebacker/defensive end Datone Jones (knee). Shields and Guion arent expected to play Sunday against the Lions. The status of the other three is up in the air. -- Rob DemovskyMinnesota VikingsRunning back?Adrian Peterson and left tackle?Matt Kalil?are likely to miss all or most of the season. Cornerback?Xavier Rhodes, who missed the teams first two games,?was limited in practice Wednesday with a knee injury. The fact Rhodes practiced would seem to be a good sign as he tries to return for Sundays game against the leagues top-scoring offense in Carolina. -- Ben GoesslingNFC SOUTHAtlanta FalconsWide receiver?Julio Jones is supposed to be fine coming off his latest injury, a calf strain, but the status of rookie defenders Keanu Neal and DeVondre Campbell is a little unclear. Neal, the first-round pick from Florida, is expected to return to practice Thursday for the first time since having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in the preseason. Once he fully returns, hell be the starting strong safety. Meanwhile, Campbell, the starting weakside linebacker, missed the last game with an ankle injury but is expected back sooner rather than later. -- Vaughn McClureCarolina PanthersTwo days after saying running back Jonathan Stewart might miss a week or two, coach Ron Rivera said it could be as many as three or four weeks. Carolina will go with a mix of Fozzy Whittaker, Cameron Artis-Payne and Mike Tolbert to replace Stewart. Not all the news is bad for Carolina, though. Defensive tackle Kawann Short (shoulder) and starting right guard Trai Turner (ankle) are expected to return to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday. -- David NewtonNew Orleans SaintsWe will find out Thursday how healthy the Saints offensive tackles are. The Saints re-signed veteran tackle Tony Hills on Wednesday in case they need an extra body. Right tackle Zach Strief left last Sundays game early with an unspecified injury. His replacement, Senio Kelemete, is solid but has more experience at guard than tackle. Left tackle Terron Armstead has also been fighting through knee and quad injuries this year. -- Mike TriplettTampa Bay BuccaneersHow long will two-time Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin be out? Its looking like three weeks, but hamstring injuries are tricky and unpredictable. The Bucs top defensive end Robert Ayers also missed practice Wednesday after suffering an ankle injury against the Cardinals. If he cant go, second-round pick Noah Spence, speed rusher Howard Jones and DaVonte Lambert, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Auburn, will split the reps. -- Jenna LaineNFC WESTArizona CardinalsRight guard Evan Mathis did not practice Wednesday, giving his left foot a rest. He played in Sundays win with the foot taped more than usual, and his status for this weekend in Buffalo is still undetermined. Arizonas biggest injury concern could change this week if left tackle Jared Veldheers fibula injury gets any more serious. He was added to the injury report Wednesday and was listed as limited. -- Josh WeinfussLos Angeles RamsThis would be a nice week for the Rams to get back third-year cornerback?E.J. Gaines. He spent all of last season recovering from foot surgery, then was bothered by a hamstring ailment throughout training camp and has yet to play in a regular-season game because of a thigh injury. If healthy, Gaines would line up on the outside, opposite Trumaine Johnson, and look to shut down a pass-heavy Bucs offense led by former No. 1 overall pick?Jameis Winston. Said Gaines: The coaches have a lot of respect for me, and they cant wait for me to get back, just like I cant wait to get back. -- Alden GonzalezSan Francisco 49ersThe 49ers lost linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong to a season-ending pectoral injury against Carolina, leaving the Niners to turn to the other two inside linebackers he competed with for the job in training camp. Gerald Hodges figures to get the first chance to replace him, and Hodges?needs to be on his game Sunday against Seattle and running back Christine Michael. Michael is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and is fourth in the NFL in yards after contact, putting the pressure on Hodges and Co. to wrap him up and get him to the ground. -- Nick WagonerSeattle SeahawksRunning back Thomas Rawls is dealing with a leg injury that sidelined him for the second half of last weeks game against the Rams. He was limited at practice Wednesday but is expected to play this weekend against the 49ers. Rawls had offseason ankle surgery and has struggled to get going so far this season, with just 25 yards on 19 carries. I think Thomas has been a little overexcited about hitting the line of scrimmage, coach Pete Carroll said. I think his patience is coming, and if we can get him back out this week, I think it will be really important for him to get more carries. -- Sheil Kapadiat for him to get more carries. -- Sheil K ' ' '