Baugebiete » relishes matchups against not only top receivers

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles attempt to bounce from being swept in a crucial four-game series when the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town for a three-game set starting Friday.Boston rolled over Baltimore (82-71) in four straight including a 5-3 verdict Thursday, all but ending the Orioles chances at winning the American League East.They sit seven games behind the Red Sox -- and in third place with nine games left.Baltimore fell one-half game behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot after Detroit swept a doublehead from Minnesota on Thursday. The Orioles are 1 1/2 games behind Toronto, which leads the wild-card race.Yovani Gallardo (5-8, 5.77 ERA) starts Friday for the Orioles, and hes struggled throughout the season. His last start came Sept. 15, when the right-hander lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits in a 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay.Hes won once in his last 14 starts, but sports a 7-2 career record versus the D-backs.Arizona (64-88) starts Shelby Miller (2-12 6.90), whos never pitched versus Baltimore. Hes lost six straight decisions and hasnt won since June 20 while spending most of July and all of August in the minors.Baltimore came into an 11-game homestand with a 45-25 record at Camden Yards but dropped six of the first eight games.Manager Buck Showalter said the Orioles need to get going again, and hes got faith they can do it.When you are down they are going to step on you and when youre up you are going to ride the flow as much as you can, Showalter said. Its all about riding the good times and shortening up the bad times as much as you can and we are going to try to shorten this one up starting tomorrow.Baltimore first needs to start hitting again. Boston starters shut down the Orioles throughout the four-game series, holding them to eight runs after Baltimore recently took two of three from the Red Sox at Fenway Park.The Orioles made it clear that they must forget about this series as quickly as possible.This series is over, closer Zach Britton said. Its disappointing. It would have been a nice ... to at least stay close for the division. The whole thing is just come back and be better tomorrow. If were better tomorrow and win that one, then we can try to be better the next day.The D-backs already have been eliminated from the playoff race, but are playing hard.Paul Goldschmidt (.298, 23 home runs, 90 RBI) hit two homers in the last game, a 3-2 victory over the Padres on Wednesday, and said he felt good after getting Monday off. But he wanted to be ready to go when returning to the lineup.Youre always looking to take rest when you get it, and when (manager) Chip (Hale) puts me in the lineup ... just try to be ready to go and do my job, Goldschmidt said on MLB.com. Anthony Mantha Red Wings Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Custom Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently the second highest scorers in the league but Wenger insists Walcott will add something extra to his team. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/anthony-mantha-jersey/ . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Pavel Datsyuk Red Wings Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Brett Hull Jersey . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. LANDOVER, Md. -- Losers of two in a row, the Green Bay Packers had no trouble sharpening their focus on the Washington Redskins when they met in the playoffs in January.Its their intent to do that again to pull out of this tailspin before its too late.The Packers (4-5) return to the scene of their NFC wild-card win Sunday night hoping that facing the Redskins (5-3-1) can turn their fortunes around after a three-game skid.This game is important because its the game this week, so thats what were focused on: beating the Redskins, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said.We clearly understand where we are in our season and understand how weve played the last couple games, so its about improving each and every week.Another loss would make the Packers path to an eighth consecutive playoff appearance more difficult. But the margin of error is also small for the Redskins, who could fall to last place in the NFC East with a loss and a win by the Philadelphia Eagles.While Washingtons position is more comfortable than Green Bays, coach Jay Gruden said the Packers are not far away from being the Packers that we know.Injuries havent helped, but the mere presence of two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers makes them formidable.The fact that the Packers have lost a couple of games here really is irrelevant when you have him as the quarterback and some of the other great players that they have on defense, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins said.You realize youve got to come ready to go because theyre going to be hungry and theyre going to be ready.The Redskins are seemingly better than they were when they lost 35-18 on Jan. 10. Cornerback Josh Norman gives the defense a different look, and undrafted rookie Robert Kelley has shown evidence that he can be a capable starting running back.A similar scheme that they ran last year, theyre just doing a little bit better I think, Rodgers said. You have some guys who maybe werent big contributors last year who are kind of stepping up and being more of an impact player this year.Some things to watch when the Packers visit the Redskins:SACKS IN BUNCHES: One reason things fell apart for the Redskins in the playoff game was that their initial pass rush on Rodgers was neutralizzed by Green Bays running game.dddddddddddd. Washington has three sacks in five consecutive games, including two big ones by Preston Smith in a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Its a lot of guys trying to find ways to get to the quarterback, Smith said. And of course its a competition to see who can get more sacks by the end of the year. Maintaining a consistent pass rush was a goal from training camp, and this is another major test.RUN IT OUT: In the span of a few days, Christine Michael went from being the leading rusher for Seattle, to Seahawks outcast, to potential backfield savior for the Packers. Green Bay has only three rushing touchdowns this season, all from Rodgers. McCarthy wants to balance the offense, which has been pass-heavy since Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury. Any semblance of a consistent running game will help the Packers extend drives, which could in turn rest a defense that has been on its heels the past few weeks.OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD: Norman relishes matchups against not only top receivers but top quarterbacks, and on a conference call Wednesday he referred to Rodgers as a wizard. Rodgers has Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson as targets, and Norman is eager for the challenge. Facing definitely a cerebral assassin in that guy over there, he said of Rodgers. I know how he works, so Im looking forward to it.STARTING STRONG: Fast starts used to be a Green Bay specialty. Lately, the Packers have been falling behind early. Last week, DeMarco Murray had a 75-yard touchdown run on Tennessees first play from scrimmage. The previous week, the Colts ran the opening kickoff back 99 yards for a score. The poor starts left the Packers scrambling in both games, with the offense forced to get away from the run. The Packers need to avoid another slow start. They also need to avoid the momentum-sapping late scores that have also plagued them near the end of second quarters of recent games.---AP Sports Writer Genaro Armas in Green Bay, Wisconsin, contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '