Gäste-Forum » Hoedlmoser said. "Maybe

(SportsNetwork.com) - If you would have said a year ago that the Boston Red Sox would be back in the American League Championship Series this season, you likely would have been laughed at. But, one year removed from losing 93 games, that is exactly the position the Red Sox find themselves in, as they kick off the best-of-seven set versus the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on Saturday. Boston is back in this round for the first time since 2008 after upending the Tampa Bay Rays in four games of the ALDS. Only two teams were worse than Boston in the AL in 2012, leading to the dismissal of manager Bobby Valentine after just one season. So, out with the old and in the new, as the team hired John Farrell away from Toronto to be its new skipper. All Farrell did was put himself atop most peoples AL Manager of the Year ballots, as he guided the Red Sox to a 28-game turnaround and ended the year 97-65, leading the club to its first AL East title since their World Series championship season of 2007. The 97 wins were also the second most for the team since 1978. Farrell, of course, was the Red Sox pitching coach under Terry Francona, and his impact was immediately evident, especially among the starting staff which saw its ERA decrease by nearly two runs from the prior season. Nobody benefited from having Farrell back more than Game 1 starter Jon Lester, who was a miserable 9-14 in 2012, but bounced back to go 15-8 this past season, while pitching to a 3.75 ERA. Lester gave up two runs in 7 2/3 innings in a win over the Rays in the ALDS and has held the opposition to a .199 batting average with 46 strikeouts to 16 walks in 49 2/3 postseason innings. Including his Game 1 win over the Rays, Lester is 8-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 14 starts since the All-Star break. Hes also allowed three runs or less in eight of his nine postseason starts. "The more serious the game is, the better he gets," said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. "Sometimes when youre facing teams when you maybe dont have the record or the lineup isnt as strong, maybe you can let off a little bit. But he has the ability to turn it on whenever he wants. So if hes in trouble, hes got no problem getting out of it." Detroit, meanwhile, is back in this round for the third straight season after a hard-fought five-game win over the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. Justin Verlander flirted with a no-hitter in the clincher and wound up giving up two hits over eight scoreless innings in the Tigers 3-0 win. "I can usually tell by the look on his face and his demeanor prior to a game when hes zeroed in and locked in," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, "and he was locked in tonight." Now the Tigers turn their attention toward the Red Sox, as they try to get back to the World Series for a second straight season. Detroit went 93-69 to win a third straight AL Central crown thanks to another amazing campaign from Miguel Cabrera, and despite a wildly inconsistent season from Verlander. While Verlander struggled, the rest of the staff thrived, specifically right- hander Max Scherzer, who enjoyed the best year of his career, as he won an MLB-best 21 games, while pitching to a 2.90 ERA and striking out 240 batters over a career-high 214 innings. In Verlander, Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez the Tigers produced three 200- strikeout pitchers on the same team for just the third time in history, the first since the 1969 Astros. Sanchez, who led the AL with a 2.57 ERA, will get the start for the Tigers in Game 1 against the Red Sox. Often overlooked because of his high-profile teammates, Sanchez was one of the best pitchers in either league over the second half of the season, going 7-2 with a 2.20 ERA after the All-Star break. Sanchez, though, was rocked by the As in the ALDS to the tune of six runs -- earned -- in 4 1/3 innings. "Its a big day for me, especially because Im going to start the series again," Sanchez said. "This team, a pretty good team. But I think every day is different. I need to keep working. I need to be focused tomorrow." Detroit left-hander Phil Coke has been added to the roster for the ALCS after missing the division series with elbow problems. Coke gives the Tigers another option out of the bullpen, although he struggled this year, going 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA. Right-hander Luke Putkonen was left off the ALCS roster to make room for Coke. Right-hander Bruce Rondon, who also missed the division series against Oakland with elbow trouble, is still out. Boston and Detroit have been playing one another since 1901, but amazingly this is the first postseason matchup between the charter AL clubs. The Tigers were 4-3 against the Red Sox in 2013, winning three of four at Comerica Park in June and dropping two of three at Fenway in September. In fact, the last time they met Boston smacked eight home runs and won, 20-4. Discount Nike Air Max Wholesale . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. Nike Air Max Sale .C. -- Eric Staal kept his focus after his apparent breakaway goal was waived off early in the third period. https://www.wholesalenikeairmaxshoes.com/. The Flames are in the midst of a six-game slide (0-5-1), their longest losing streak since an 0-6-3 skid from Jan. 11-28, 2010. They havent won since Nov. 3 in Chicago and most recently went winless on a three-game homestand. Cheap Air Max 270 . The Cavs announced the move Saturday, one day after LeBron James said hes returning to Cleveland. A 12-year veteran, Haywood has played in 794 NBA games, averaging 6. Fake Nike Air Max Replica . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday.LIENZ, Austria -- Lindsey Vonns head coach says no date has been set for the injured skiers return to the World Cup, and that she might not compete at all before the Sochi Olympics in February. Vonn flew back to Vail, Colo., last week after hurting her surgically repaired right knee at a downhill race in France. "Her knee was swollen again after Val dIsere," U.S. womens head coach Alex Hoedlmoser told The Associated Press. "She is working with the guys from (her own team) Red Bull and the medical staff to get that under control." Hoedlmoser added that "there is no decision yet if, or where she is going to race ahead of the Olympics." Vonn needed surgery in February to reconstruct two knee ligaments after a crash in super-G at the world championships, and then partially re-tore one of them in November. Vonn returned to the World Cup in Lake Louise, Alberta, in the first week of December and finished 40th and 11th in two downhills before placing fifth in super-G the next day. After the next setback in Val dIsere, Vonn said she would compete in "one maybe two races before the Olympics." "Im going to play it safe and race minimal races, so I can get the confidence and the timing and the feeling of racing again," Vonn said last weekend. "Im really going to be safe and smart as I can." Vonn hopes to defend her Olympic downhill title on Feb. 12. The womens super-G in Sochi is three days later. "Lindsey prefers tto work quietly on her comeback," Hoedlmoser said.dddddddddddd"We are in contact regularly but I am too far away to judge the situation so I leave it to her and her team now." The next World Cup speed races are Jan. 9-12 in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, where Vonn won a super-combined event in 2009. Hoedlmoser said he cant predict whether Vonn might start in the Austrian resort. "She has indicated she might consider racing Cortina (on Jan. 16-19) but its too early to say that shes going to," Hoedlmoser said. "Maybe she wont race at all if she feels she can do without another race in her preparation for Sochi. I think shes handling it well and shes determined to race in Sochi." According to American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, Vonn has been "trying to stay quiet" since leaving the World Cup circuit last week. Shiffrin was convinced that Vonn was doing everything possible to make it to Sochi. "She is a tough girl, competing with a knee that just has a mind of its own right now," Shiffrin said. "I think theyll figure something out so she can be at her best." Shiffrin expected Vonn "to do a few races and to really save up so she can try to perform and represent the U.S. in the Olympics." "I think thats still her goal," Shiffrin said. "Theyve been working on helmet designs ... it looks like her helmets are sweet and I am sure shes fired up to still try to race the Olympics." ' ' '