Off-Topic » utista out of town. Still, Sierra believes

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Wesley Johnson was hard-pressed to think of a more memorable shot hes had than his game-winner against Portland. Kent Bazemore lobbed to Johnson for the go-ahead basket with 6.9 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers 107-106 on Monday night. Theyd been practicing that very play. "Its one of them. Its gotta be up there," Johnson said about where the shot ranked. "To pull out the win like we did and fight the whole game, it was a good one." Pau Gasol scored 22 points and the Lakers won their second straight, snapping the Blazers five-game winning streak. Jodie Meeks added 21 points. The Lakers, who led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, pushed the lead to 97-86 in the fourth on MarShon Brooks short jumper. But Nicolas Batums 3-pointer narrowed the gap to 103-101 for the Blazers with 3:37 left before Wesley Matthews fadeaway jumper tied it at 105 with 1:10 left. Damian Lillard hit one of two free throws to give Portland its first lead since the first quarter. But the officials reversed a possession call with 7.1 seconds left, giving the ball to the Lakers. Bazemore pitched to Johnson for the deciding layup and Lillard missed a 3-pointer as time ran out. "These guys are straight up athletes in this league and you can just throw it anywhere around the dash," Bazemore said. "He (Johnson) caught it and could have actually dunked it but went with a safe one." Robin Lopez had 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Batum had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers. Los Angeles was coming off a 126-122 victory at home Friday over Sacramento, which snapped a three-game losing streak. But the Lakers still sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with the Kings. "They were making shots. They were making jumpers. I think we were deflated all the way around," Blazers guard Wesley Matthews said. "Their energy was higher than ours." The Blazers won the first meeting against the Lakers, 114-108 on Dec. 1. Xavier Henry, who had 27 points against the Blazers in December, returned to the Lakers lineup Monday after missing 28 games with a right knee injury, but he was played only sparingly. Coach Mike DAntoni said hed limit Henrys minutes to start. Steve Nash ran through drills on the court before the game but sat out of his eighth straight game after a brief return from a nerve root irritation, which causes him back pain. Earlier in the day at shootaround, DAntoni told reporters he was doubtful Nash would return this season. After the game DAntoni said: "Hes not quite there physically. He tried it and couldnt finish a game so theres really no point in pushing the injury further. Hes just trying to get well and then well see." Nash, who made the trip to Portland, was noncommittal: "Well see how I feel next week and if I get a chance to practice." Nash, 40, has played in 10 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 7.6 points and 4.7 assists. Kobe Bryant was also in Portland, but he has not been medically cleared to play after breaking his left knee in December. The Lakers jumped out to a 31-16 lead in the first quarter, capping a 14-2 run with Meeks dunk. Portland struggled with eight turnovers. Portland closed the gap in the second quarter, pulling to within 45-38 on Batums dish to Lopez for the dunk and a free throw. But Bazemores last-break dunk extended the Lakers lead to 56-47 with 3:27 left in the half. The Lakers led 63-56 at the half. Los Angeles wouldnt let the Blazers get closer than four points and Gasols dunk extended the lead to 82-73 with 2:36 left. Dorell Wright hit two consecutive 3-pointers for Portland to close within 82-79, but Bazemore answered with a 3 for the Lakers. Blazers coach Terry Stotts said he didnt believe his team overlooked the Lakers. "I think its a credit to the Lakers. They sustained their style of play from the very beginning," Stotts said. "They got out in transition, they were aggressive in passing lanes, they forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. They got us on our heels right away. We got back, but I thought what the Lakers did more than anything was they came out and sustained it for the entire game." Notes: Robin Lopez had 13 points in the first half, a new career high. ... The Blazers announced a contest for fans to design a new floor for the Moda Center for the 2014-15 season. ... Portland was coming off a 102-96 victory at home over Denver on Saturday. Ben Roethlisberger Jersey .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Justin Layne Jersey . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. http://www.cheapsteelersjerseysauthentic...l-blount-jersey. -- Catriona Matthew remained atop the Airbus LPGA Classic leaderboard Friday, birdieing four of the last seven holes to take a one-stroke advantage over Charley Hull into the weekend. Zach Gentry Jersey . After Mondays comments by Coach Claude Noel that its work first and skill second, and that more “A” games are needed, the Jets responded with a 47-shot effort. If not for terrific goaltending by Braden Holtby the Jets would have had two points in regulation. Mike Wagner Jersey . Vonn "reopened" the idea of competing in the season-opening World Cup event on Oct. 26-27 in Soelden, Austria after returning to the slopes last month in Portillo, Chile.TORONTO - A rival scout, in town to see the Blue Jays play the Orioles last weekend, was captivated after taking one look at Moises Sierras offensive numbers. He was particularly interested in the number of extra base hits per at bats. Entering play Thursday, Sierra was 23-for-75 (.307) since his recall from Triple-A Buffalo on August 21. Of those 23 hits, 15 have gone for extra bases (13 doubles, one triple, one home run). Break it down further and Sierra has reached at least second base in 20 per cent of his at bats. When the scout was presented with the small sample size argument, he quickly retorted, "The guy can hit a baseball. Hes a natural talent." This is what makes Sierra such an interesting ballplayer at this point in his career. He can wow you with his power. His right field arm can best be described as cannon-like. The natural attributes are so apparent. So too, however, are the gaffes. Sierras baserunning, to be diplomatic, leaves something to be desired. He gets caught wandering. There was one occasion, last weekend, when it appeared he had lost track of the number of outs in the inning while at third base. That cannon-like arm, while powerful, isnt always accurate. Cutoff men get missed. A throw ends up in the seats. On occasion, hes taken strange routes to fly balls which fall as a result. It all lends itself to the feeling that youre on a wild adventure with Sierra. A good thing will happen at some turns and bad things will happen at others. It will never be boring, quite the opposite, and the result is always unpredictable. "A work in progress," said one Blue Jays executive. The Jays have a decision to make on Sierra. Hes out of options, which means the club cannot demote him to the minor leagues next season without first exposing him to irrevocable waivers. Again, with that natural talent, Sierra would likely be claimed. Maybe hes trade bait, a guy who could be made part of a package deal to acquire a player who would address one of the Jays many needs. He does not appear to be, at this time, a suitable replacement in right field should general manager Alex Anthopoulos stun the fan base and ship Jose Bautista out of town. Still, Sierra believes hes ready to be a full-time major leaguer. "I feel comfortable right now," he said. "When I came up, the first couple of at bats I didnt feel comfortable but Ive worked in the cage with the hitting coach and now I feel better." Prior to Edwin Encarnacions season-ending wrist injury, Sierra was working with the star hitter on his swing and on pitch recognition. Unlike Encarnacions work with Brett Lawrie, which featured a lot of video, Sierra spent time with Encarnacion in the cage and, simply, just talking. Sierra is making adjustments as he grows more comfortable. "Hes getting in a better position to hit," said hitting coach Chad Mottola. "He gets so anxious sometimes, kind of the way he plays the game hitting, it gets him out of position to hit the fastball. But I think, in time, Eddies kind of talked about approach to certain pitchers and just experience." Manager John Gibbons has often referred to the larger stadia, the effect of the third deck, when discussing the adjustment from Triple-A to the big leagues.dddddddddddd It can be a lot to absorb, the atmosphere, and add the fact Sierra isnt used to the fake grass at Rogers Centre makes for some getting used to. "I think hes played solid," said first base coach Dwayne Murphy, who also coaches the outfielders. "This is a big, huge difference between the minor leagues and big leagues. The ball travels faster, it gets out there faster and hes just making the adjustment, catching up to game speed. I think hes done very well. Hes made great catches, ran balls down." The final word goes to the hitting coach. Youve got to understand, the more we throw them out there, the more they get experience and the game teaches them just as much as we do," said Mottola. "Its one of those things. Its getting better so thats the good thing." ENCARNACION UNDERGOES SURGERY Edwin Encarnacion underwent successful surgery on his left wrist on Wednesday and will need approximately two months of recovery time. Encarnacion played in 142 games this season. With a slash line of .272/.370/.534, he enjoyed a second-straight season with an OPS above .900 (.904). Encarnacion hit 36 home runs, had 104 RBI, walked more times (82) than he struck out (62) and participated in the first All-Star Game of his career. GIBBONS CONFIDENT OF BULLPEN BOUNCEBACK Casey Janssen has reached the 30-save plateau for the first time in his career; Sergio Santos is healthy for the first time since arriving in Toronto; Steve Delabar and Brett Cecil had terrific first halves before being derailed by injury; Aaron Loup is consistent; Dustin McGowan and Neil Wagner are throwing the ball hard. Despite leading the majors in innings pitched for most of the season (now ranked third), manager John Gibbons is confident his bullpen will continue to perform to the standard it has set. "I dont see why there should be any drop off," said manager John Gibbons. "You know, it does happen a lot in baseball - its usually that odd year because when guys are really good they get used a lot, lets say this year, and that usually leads to drop off the following year and a lot of times they regroup and theyre that much better the next year. Most of thats because of the workload. Were conscious of that and I dont think theres been too much excess that should affect them next year." Cecil experienced shoulder fatigue in July and believes the nerve problem he is currently experiencing in his elbow is linked. Steve Delabar is tired, even if he wont come right out and say it. Casey Janssen has grinded through most of the year at less than 100 per cent. Its the nature of the beast. "If youre ever going to win and youre going to get through September and play in October, I mean thats a long season and youve got to figure it out," said Gibbons. "Youre not always going to be good, youre not always going to have your best stuff, whatever it is and youve got to find a way to survive. Thats what the good ones do and thats what the teams that win, their relievers, they get used a lot but theyre effective through most of the year." 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