ekansekans's blog: "df"

NEW YORK -- Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies arent finished. Coby Fleener Womens Jersey . Howard hit a go-ahead homer with two outs in the ninth inning and the Phillies rallied to beat the New York Mets 3-2 on Wednesday night, adding a dramatic victory to their late-season playoff push. "He was kind of due," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He needed a big hit like that, and he came through." Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff home run but the Phillies went into the ninth with only two hits. Chase Utley worked a two-out walk on a full-count pitch from rookie Josh Edgin (1-2), filling in for ailing Mets closer Frank Francisco, and Howard launched a 93 mph fastball off the facing of the second deck in right field to give his team a 3-2 lead. "It meant something to us, and it also meant something to him. Im sure that will give him a big boost," Manuel said. Trying for a last-gasp post-season charge after a miserable first half, the surging Phillies (75-74) won for the 10th time in 13 games. They remained four games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild-card spot, with two other teams in between. "To be here is a testament to the character of this team -- that we dont give up," Howard said. "Its a 162-game season and were just going out here trying to play it all out." The big slugger pumped his fist as he rounded first base and Phillies players broke into a happy frenzy on the bench. It was Howards 11th homer in an injury-shortened season and first since Aug. 31. Edgin had not allowed an earned run since Aug. 19, putting together 16 straight scoreless appearances. "Thats the Howard that weve grown accustomed to," Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels said. Hamels equaled a season high with 10 strikeouts over six innings and left trailing 2-1. Philadelphias young bullpen kept it close, and Jeremy Horst (2-0) got Andres Torres to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon worked a one-hit ninth for his 36th save in 40 tries. Left fielder Domonic Brown, who had just shifted over from right, helped out with a diving catch in the corner. The punchless Mets wasted a splendid outing from Matt Harvey, who finished his rookie season with a flourish. David Wright hit a solo homer but the Mets (66-82) dropped their eighth straight home game and 24th in the last 28 at Citi Field. This one guaranteed them a fourth consecutive losing season, despite a 46-40 first half. New York has lost four in a row and 10 of 11 overall. The Mets have managed three runs or fewer in a team-record 15 straight home games since a 6-5 win over Atlanta on Aug. 12 at Citi Field. Harvey struck out seven and did not allow a hit after Rollins homer in the latest eye-catching performance of his promising campaign. This was the last one, too. The prized right-hander, drafted seventh overall in 2010, will be shut down after 10 major league starts to protect his 24-year-old arm. Harvey finished 3-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 59 1-3 big league innings. He permitted only 42 hits and 26 walks. "With this being his last start, I wish we would have got a win for him," manager Terry Collins said. "But Matt Harvey oughta spend the winter feeling pretty good about himself and the way hes handled everything up here, the way hes pitched." A bright spot in an otherwise dismal second half for New York, Harvey walked three and threw a career-high 112 pitches over seven stellar innings. He has thrown 169 1-3 innings this season between the Mets and Triple-A Buffalo. Harvey got two double plays and whiffed Howard for the second time with a 97 mph fastball in the seventh. He walked off to a standing ovation from the sparse crowd of 21,741 and received a handshake from veteran catcher Kelly Shoppach. "There was definitely some excitement. I had some tingles. It was kind of a sad moment, I guess, because I knew I was done," Harvey said. "It was a good experience. ... I left it all out there." Bobby Parnell struck out two in a one-hit eighth and handed the lead to Edgin, seeking his first career save. Francisco was unavailable after an MRI showed tendinitis in his pitching elbow. One night after the teams were rained out at Citi Field, Rollins gave the Phillies another quick start when he homered to right on Harveys fifth pitch. It was his 43rd career leadoff shot and sixth this season. Rollins, who homered and scored twice in Monday nights 3-1 victory over the Mets, has 22 home runs this season and seven this month -- five in the last eight games. Ruben Tejada singled and stole second with two outs in the third before scoring on Daniel Murphys tying single. Wright opened the sixth with an opposite-field drive to right-centre for his 201st career homer and 18th this year. After a sensational start to the season, he has only two home runs and 12 RBIs since July 28. The next batter was Scott Hairston and he was hit in the back by Hamels second pitch. NOTES: Francisco is day to day. ... The previous major league club to score three runs or fewer in more consecutive home games was Seattle, which went 16 straight in 2010. ... Philadelphia improved to 3-59 when trailing after eight innings. ... Rollins has 26 homers against the Mets, his most against any team. ... RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-1), who lost to Harvey in his major league debut on Aug. 29, is scheduled to start Thursday nights makeup game for Philadelphia. Fellow rookie Jeremy Hefner (2-6) pitches for the Mets. Johnny Unitas Jersey . Kerber became the first German to win the Paris tournament since Steffi Graf in 1995, clinching victory with a forehand winner. "I knew I had nothing to lose," Kerber said. Andrew Luck Shirts . The Anchorage native won a new, US$50,000 Acura MD X Thursday when he hit a hole-in-one at his own Scotty Gomez Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament. http://www.coltsteamstore.com/pat-angerer-jerseys .C. -- Admirers of Sarah Burke gathered in Whistler, B. Dwight Freeney Jersey . Kennedy struck out nine in six innings to remain perfect for his career against San Diego, and Jason Kubel doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to send the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-1 victory over the Padres on Thursday night. Pat Angerer Youth Jersey . The way the low-scoring Michalek figures, he doesnt get enough shots to worry about it. Maybe he should start. Michalek scored for the first time since October, Chris Kunitz added his 19th goal of the season, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 36 shots as the Penguins beat Phoenix 2-1 on Monday night for their sixth straight win.DES MOINES, Iowa -- Canadas Cam Levins continued his blistering pace on the track Wednesday, racing to victory in the 10,000 metres at the NCAA Division 1 track and field championships. The University of Southern Utah senior from Black Creek, B.C., ran 28 minutes 07.14 for the victory. Stephen Sambu of Arizona was second in 28.09.52, while Chris Derrick of Stanford won the bronze in 28.17.28. Levinss victory gives Southern Utah its first NCAA outdoor national champion in track and field "That was the big goal for me. I wanted to leave them with that. They gave me the opportunity to run and improve. I am so thankful for that and to give back to them," Levins said. The 23-year-old has been turning heads on the track all season, winning the 10,000 metres at the Payton Jordan Invitational a few weeks ago, easily achieving the Olympic qualifying standard in his first time racing the distance. That result came a week after Levins outkicked the field to win the 5,000 metres at the Mt. SAC Relays, achieving the A-plus Olympic standard for London in that distance as well. Levins is scheduled to race the 5,000 metres at the NCAA championships as well. Oklahomas Brittany Borman won the javelin at 184 feet, 7 inches, Nebraska sophomore Chad Wright took the discus at 206-0, and Texass Marquise Goodwin won the long jump at 27-0. Stanfords Katerina Stefanidi won the womens pole vault at 14-7 1/4, and San Diego States Whitney Ashley took the discus at 196-10. Auburns Harry Adams qualified for the 100 final in 9.96, the fastest qualifying time in the history of the outdoor meet. The Wednesday session of the national outdoor is typically a light schedule loaded mostly with semifinals. There were only six titles on the line -- but Borman went for two of them. Borman, the school record holder in both the discus and the javelin, took home her second consecutive championship in the javelin. But while the rest of the top eight was honoured at midfield, Borman was back out at the discus. Borman didnt fare as well in the discus, although she wasnt expected to. Borman failed to qualify for the finals with a throw of 172-2, though defending her javelin title more than made up for it. "Ive been surrounded by a great team, great coaches, so I felt like they really prepared me for it," Borman said. Dukes Curtis Beach, second in the decathlon a year ago, also competed in two events -- the 800 and the long jump. But Beach finished 16th out of 24 runners in the 800 and missed the final in the long jump. Andrew Luck Blue Jersey. Wrights winning throw in the discus came shortly after he noticed a small insect in the ring, which helped calm him down. "I was so focused and then I saw it and I said, Hold it, theres a bug in the ring. And I was laughing when I said it and it just relaxed me," Wright said. Many expect the womens team title race to come down to either LSU or Oregon -- though Texas A&M can never be counted out since its won the last three in a row. The Tigers and Ducks both shone in semifinals on the track. LSUs 400 relay team qualified first in 42.68, followed by the Aggies, and star sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan was first in her 100 heat in 11.11. Oregons Anne Kesselring, the defending champion in the 800, qualified in 2:02.66 despite finishing second in her heat in part because she got boxed in by the rail. "I went out too slow, which kind of surprised me. I feel like I was maybe a little bit asleep. But then I woke up and just gradually moved up and really attacked on the home stretch and it worked out for the best," Kesselring said. The Florida men are going for their first outdoor title after finishing second four times since 2004. Sprinter Tony McQuay ran a promising semifinal for the Gators by clocking in at 44.67, which was more than a second faster than the time he posted to win the NCAA indoor meet earlier this year. Texas A&Ms men also have won the last three NCAA outdoor titles. The Aggie men are favoured along with the Gators and Florida State, but they could be in trouble. Sophomore Prezel Hardy Jr., counted on by Texas A&M for major points in the 100, failed to make the final. Hardy finished fourth in his heat in 10.11, missing out on the final spot by 0.02 seconds. Hardy had the fastest time of the year among the NCAA qualifiers, running a 10.03 in winning the Big 12 championship. The Aggies women also suffered a major setback, as star Ashley Collier ran an 11.33 and finished fourth in her heat, 0.04 seconds out of the final qualifying spot. Boise States Kurt Felix leads the decathlon through five events with 4,187, just 10 more than Gunnar Nixon of Arkansas. The decathlon wraps up on Thursday, and unlike in 2011 it should be able to be finished by then. Californias Michael Morrison won the event a day later than scheduled and in an empty stadium because of heavy storms that forced a number of delays. ' ' '