boss Rafa Benitez While he struggled, from corse178's blog
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants combined some unexpected power at the plate with a gritty outing from Madison Bumgarner to beat the Braves and finally get a much-needed series win -- a rarity for manager Bruce Bochys ballclub since the All-Star break. Malik Jackson Jersey .With a little more than a month left in the season, even hitting four home runs, including a pair by Joe Panik, paled in comparison to taking two of three from Atlanta.There havent been many of them in the second half, but things look like theyre starting to turn around for us, Bumgarner said after pitching seven innings in San Franciscos 13-4 victory Sunday. Weve been playing pretty good but a lot of things havent gone our way. Thats a good win for us, to win that series.The Giants had won only one series since the break. In the process, a 6 1/2-game lead in the NL West turned into a two-game deficit heading into Sunday.San Francisco is still two games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, but the outlook sure is a lot brighter after the Giants completed their first series win at home since early July.Its great to take any series, Bochy said. Hopefully, we can come back and carry this the rest of the way.Panik hit a solo homer in the second and added a two-run shot in the fourth. The second baseman also reached on an infield single in the sixth and had a sacrifice fly in the seventh to match his career high of four RBI.It was the first multihomer game of his career.It was a combination of getting some good counts where I can be aggressive and just not missing those spots, Panik said.Denard Span and Eduardo Nunez also homered for the Giants. Brandon Crawford had three hits and Jarrett Parker drove in three runs.Three of San Franciscos four homers came off Braves starter Aaron Blair (0-6), who allowed five runs over four innings.When I kept the ball down they were effective pitches, and when I got hurt they were up and flat, Blair said.Bumgarner (13-8) allowed three runs over seven uneven innings. He struck out five and walked two.San Franciscos four-time All-Star pitched in and out of trouble most of the day but punctuated his afternoon with an emphatic fist pump after striking out pinch-hitter Jace Peterson to end the seventh.It seemed like it was ball one to every hitter, Bumgarner said. My command was good, just not the first pitch of the at-bat it seemed like.Freddie Freeman and Gordon Beckham homered for Atlanta. Ender Inciarte doubled, tripled and scored twice, but the last-place Braves have lost 13 of 18.Nunez, who had three hits, homered as part of an eight-run seventh, when the Giants tripled three times and sent 14 batters to the plate.MAKING HISTORYThe Giants had not had four home runs and four triples in one game since at least 1900. The last major league team to do it was the New York Yankees against Texas on May 6, 1998. Three triples came in one inning, the first time in San Francisco history that the Giants have done that.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: RHP John Gant was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to make room for Blair.Giants: 1B Brandon Belt was in the lineup after being a late scratch Saturday because of a stiff neck. ... OF Hunter Pence missed his third consecutive game with tightness in his right hamstring. ... Giants reliever Derek Law was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. ... Parker was called up from Triple-A Sacramento before the game.UP NEXTBraves: RHP Julio Teheran (3-9) pitches against San Diego on Tuesday in the opener of a brief, three-game homestand. Teheran is winless since June 19.Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (14-4) faces Arizona for the fourth time this season Tuesday at AT&T Park. Cueto has two wins and a 3.86 ERA in his previous three games against the Diamondbacks. DJ Chark Jersey .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. Leonard Fournette Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.thejaguarsfansshop.com/Jaguars-Dj-Hayden-Draft-Jersey/ . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup.Barcelona hammered Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu in November with a performance which boss Luis Enrique said would go down in history. A double from Luis Suarez and further goals from Neymar and Andres Iniesta humiliated the hosts and moved Barca six points clear at the top of La Liga. They did it without Lionel Messi for much of the game too, with the Argentina ace only making his return from injury 57 minutes in.A rash challenge from Isco, which saw him sent off, capped a miserable night for the hosts and the Madrid fans jeered Real boss Rafa Benitez before the full-time whistle was even blown. But how did Barca pull off the victory? And what went so wrong for Real Madrid?Here, ahead of Saturdays El Clasico, we look back at the first meeting between the sides this season and pick out the key factors in Barcelonas remarkable win… Watch highlights of Barcelonas 4-0 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Team selectionAhead of the match there was intense speculation on whether Messi would return from a knee problem to take on Real Madrid and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ultimately, Messi started on the bench and Sergi Roberto was given a chance to impress. But it was the team selection of hosts Real Madrid which proved to be more decisive.Benitez opted to drop defensive midfielder Casemiro to make way for James Rodriguez. It left Real unbalanced and unable to boss the midfield battle. Jamie Carragher was unimpressed with the selection and suggested it was an uncharacteristic move from Benitez. Jamie Carragher picks apart what went wrong for Real Madrid in their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona Thats not a team Rafa would pick, Carragher said when analysing the game on Monday Night Football. Either the people above him have got involved or maybe hes bowed to media pressure or the players, I just dont know.You look at the team and hes not gone in with a holding midfield player - Rafa would normally play two. His best player this season has been Casemiro and hes left him out. I dont know if theres something where hes maybe getting pressure from the owner - weve bought these big stars and they need to play - and hes said ok lets play them against Barcelona, thats what happens. You see the results.Attitude from Reals players Gareth Bale tries to chase down Lionel Messi While the balance of the Real team may not have been right, what cant be denied is they fielded and XI bursting with quality. The problem was their application. There was a clear split in the Real Madrid team between attack and defence, with the hosts seemingly playing a 4-2-4 for much of the game. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were left exposed in midfield and Barcelona were able to capitalise.They looked like the team had broken in two, Carragher said. There was a big gap between attack and defence and it was a bit like watching a Sunday league game. People just waiting up front. Were talking about world class stars. There was no intensity.Your nightmare as a player, as a midfield two, is playing against Barcelona and your front four arent willing to help you out. What can be worse than that? This type of game is not about the tactics. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasnt there at all [from Real Madrid]. Thierry Henry Thierry Henry was equally unimpressed with the attitude from Reals players and said that their failure to apply themselves appropriately left Benitez no way to influence the encounter.This type of game is not about the tactics, the former Barcelona forward told Sky Sports. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasnt there at all [from Real Madrid]. You cant play a Clasico like that.People are going to talk about Benitez and the tactics but the tactics come along when both teams desire and commitment is there and the game is tight. Then the boss will have to trigger one, two or three things to see whos going to be the best boss. But if your team goes out there without the right desire or commitment it becomes really difficult for the coach.Im not trying to find any excuses for Benitez but first and foremost you need to bring the desire on the field. You saw a team on one side and on the other side you see a group of players playing for themselves and not being a team at the moment. It was a collective thing. At the end of the day hes [Benitez] going to maybe take the blame. They ultimately failed as a team today. They didnt play well. Terry Gibson analyses Real Madrids tactical errors in El Clasico Barcelonas brillianceWhile much of the post-game reaction focused on Real Madrids shortcomings and the impact the result would have on Benitezs future, Barcelonas exceptional performance should not be overlooked. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jersey. uarez was clinical in attack, converting two of his four shots, while Neymar conjured up twice as many key passes as any other player on the pitch. Ivan Rakitic didnt misplace a single pass in Reals half, Sergio Busquets racked up more tackles than anyone else and Gerard Pique was imperious at the back. All in all, it was a superb team performance from the visitors. Luis Suarez hit a brace against Real Madrid I dont think Real Madrid gave up, I just think we were a level above them, was Barca boss Enriques clinical assessment of the contest. We outnumbered them in many areas of the game and we were very effective. The game is more of a reflection of our merits than Madrids faults.This victory tastes glorious because it is against our eternal rivals and, as well as the victory, it will be very difficult for us to better this performance. This game will go down in history; it will be remembered by all Barcelona fans. This squad won the treble last year and it is one of the best squads you could hope for. Terry Gibson reviews Barcelonas tactics in their 4-0 win over Real Madrid Barcelonas commitment For all of Barcelonas eye-catching play, Henry was also keen to highlight their remarkable work rate when they didnt have the ball.Real Madrid recorded a far worse passing accuracy to their rivals (82.6 v 90.2 per cent) and managed just 41.4 per cent of possession. The Catalans intense pressing gave Benitezs men no time on the ball. Guillem Balague and Graham Hunter review Barcelonas win over rivals Real Madrid People always talk about when Barcelona have the ball and how they pass the ball well but they put pressure on, the back line is backing up the midfielders and striker to put pressure on, said Henry.The distances are right between the players. They never give up, they help each other. You even saw Busquets in the 91st minute making a foul. It could have been 4-1 but no, 4-0. The discipline and intensity is key for that team.When you see the likes of Suarez working hard, Neymar working hard, Andres Iniesta working hard, it speaks volumes to the other guys to be better. We dont emphasise enough how Barca is good in those type of situations. Neymar got on the scoresheet at the Bernabeu Contrasting performances from star performers Barcelonas brilliance is built on more than just one man and in the previous nine games, with injured Messi absent, Enriques side had won seven. At the Bernabeu, with the Argentine benched, attacking duo Suarez and Neymar stepped up and delivered once again.The pair scored 18 goals during Messis absence and, with him watching from the dugout, added three more to their tally against Real. Suarezs opener after 11 minutes concluded a brilliant 24-pass team move.For Real, Ronaldo could easily have made his way onto the scoresheet had it not been for two brilliant stops from Claudio Bravo - but the hosts key man was unable to influence proceedings as he would have liked. Ronaldo only managed two shots at goal in the entire game and produced just one pass leading to a shooting opportunity. The defeat heaped pressure on then Real boss Rafa Benitez While he struggled, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez failed to make their mark, too. The trio only managed to work Bravo four times between them.The performance of the latter three players raises questions about whether they were physically ready for the intensity of a Clasico, given they had all been sidelined with injury in the weeks leading up to the game. Since the start of October Real Madrid played seven games but of the 1890 minutes the trio could have racked up, they had managed just 309.Gareth Bale was the only one to have played a full 90 minutes in that time. He did it just once, in Reals 3-2 defeat to Sevilla in the previous game. In short, most of Reals key attackers were undercooked. Also See: Barca pay tribute to Cruyff Messis 117-game shooting streak ends Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Hockey Jerseys China Nike Baseball Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys China Cheap Football JerseysWholesale Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys Canada Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys Canada Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic Canada Stitched Soccer Jerseys Canada Cheap Jerseys Canada NFL ' ' '
The Wall