Storm- News » It will be remembered for the final

DENVER -- Clayton Kershaw conquered Coors Field and the weather in one afternoon. Kershaw overcame his past struggles in Denver, striking out nine and going the distance as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 Sunday in a game cut short by rain in the sixth inning. Hanley Ramirez homered as L.A. broke open the game with four runs in the top of the sixth. The game was then delayed 1 hour, 35 minutes before it was called. The shorter game was helpful to the scuffling Dodgers, who had lost six of eight before taking two out of three from the slumping Rockies. "It was one of those wins you kind of like because you dont have to end up using your pen," manager Don Mattingly said. "So it ends up being pretty good." Matt Kemp had a triple and two RBIs for the Dodgers, who played without outfielder Yasiel Puig and second baseman Dee Gordon, both of whom sustained hip injuries Saturday. Chone Figgins singled and also scored a run filling in for Gordon at the top of the lineup. Rain started falling in the second inning and was steady for the rest of the afternoon. The moisture appeared to affect Kershaw (5-2) when he faced Brandon Barnes in the bottom of the third. He threw one pitch high to the backstop and then bounced the next one in front of the plate. The two-time Cy Young Award winner said afterward the wet weather was helpful. "The rain sometimes helps here as far as getting some moisture on the ball and being a little more humid," Kershaw said. "It helps with the break." In the middle of the fifth, lightning flashed and a loud clap of thunder sent fans scurrying for cover while Kershaw calmly warmed up on the mound. He worked a perfect bottom of the inning. "Teams that Ive coached and played on, I dont think we had anybody quite like him," Mattingly said. "Ive seen some pretty good guys in (Mike) Mussina and (Andy) Pettitte, but not quite the same as Clayton." Kershaw struck out nine for the fourth consecutive game and fifth time this season. He was also able to leave Coors Field on a high note after having mixed results in the past. He pitched a four-hit shutout last July 2 but two months later was rocked for five runs and a season-high 11 hits in five innings and saw his ERA jump from 1.72 to 1.89. Entering Sunday he had a 5.24 ERA in 13 starts at Coors Field but he fanned six through the first two innings and didnt walk a batter. "I felt good today. Its a good lineup over there and its no secret I havent pitched well here in the past so I wanted to come out and establish out there." He planned on going back out for the bottom of the sixth but after the delay reached an hour he was done for the day. The tarp came off the field a little more than an hour after the delay started but it quickly went back on. The umpires called the game at 5:52 p.m. Troy Tulowitzki homered and starter Jorge De La Rosa struggled through 5 1-3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits for the Rockies, who have lost nine of 10. He struck out a season-high eight but walked four, also a season high. His troubles started right away when he walked the first two batters of the game and Kemp followed with a triple to make it 2-0. De La Rosa struck out the side but needed 35 pitches to get out of the first inning. "He threw really well after that," manager Walt Weiss said. "Then two walks on the tail end of the outing scored also. He threw the ball really well but again, its always tough when youre playing from behind against a guy like Kershaw." He settled down and held the Dodgers to just a hit through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. Ramirez hit a 461-foot homer, his 10th, onto the concourse in left to make it 3-1, and then De La Rosa walked Adrian Gonzalez and Kemp. Matt Belisle came on and struck out Scott Van Slyke before giving up a two-run double to Jamie Romak and an RBI single to Miguel Rojas to make it 6-1. It was the first major league hits and RBIs for Romak and Rojas. "You feel good for both those guys to get big knocks like that, and they were big knocks with RBIs," Kershaw said. Tulowitzki jumped on a rare mistake by Kershaw, driving a 92 mph fastball 417 feet into the left field seats to make it 2-1 in the fourth. It was Tulowitzkis 17th home run and tied him with Miamis Giancarlo Stanton for the NL lead. NOTES: Mattingly said Puig (right hip flexor) and Gordon (sore right hip) were day to day but wouldnt say when they will return to the lineup. ... Rockies OF Michael Cuddyer (sore left shoulder) was out of the lineup for the third straight game. He could go on the 15-day DL on Monday when the Rockies recall RHP Christian Bergman to start the opener of a four-game series with Atlanta. It will be his major league debut. ... Dodgers RHP Dan Haren (5-4, 3.50) will face Reds LHP Tony Cingrani (2-6, 4.09) Monday in the first of four games in Cincinnati. Pekka Rinne Predators Jersey . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Craig Smith Predators Jersey . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. http://www.officialpredatorsproshop.com/...-Adidas-Jersey/. In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil. Calle Jarnkrok Jersey . -- The Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten with a scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Matt Irwin Jersey . made a diving catch in left field for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in a regular-season finale Sunday. Zimmermann (14-5) allowed only two baserunners, finishing with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the fifth no-hitter in the majors this year.Day 11 in 100 words or less We must remember that people are seeing a World Cup for the first time, just dont tell them it isnt always like this. Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy. Portugal 2-2 USA Football is a funny old game. Last week the USA struggled to keep the ball, were not at their best, and still won. This time they treasured the ball far better, were absolutely outstanding, and didnt win. This World Cup has been an absolute blockbuster and some of its main characters have been counter-attacks, comebacks, headers, and substitute goals. All four starred together in an incredible last scene in Manaus. Portugal were on the ground, seemingly knocked out in Brazil, flat out on their back with the referee standing over them about to wave his arms and end their misery. They knew they were out of the fight. Angry, petulant, disappointed they were a wounded bunch. Then, like a boxer swinging one last right hook at an opponent just for the sake of it, they delivered a stunning final moment to another monumental match in Brazil. The clock read 94:25. Michael Bradley picks up the ball and has no outlets to pass the ball to. Eder, the Portugal striker who came on early in the first half finally did something valuable by making a crucial tackle. 94:28 - Nani counters with pace, looks up and sees Cristiano Ronaldo on the right side. It was the first time the talisman was in that zone where he could put a pass in. (stats powered by Opta) 94:31 - Ronaldo had just enough time to take one touch, look down at the ball, look up and deliver an absolutely incredible cross. 94:33 - Silvestre Varela then runs into the box and delivers a powerful header into the mix. The USA victory and place in the last 16? Gone in eight seconds. It was a fitting dramatic finale to an enthralling game in the Amazon. It will be remembered for the final scoreline, the Ronaldo pass, and the USA comeback, but we shouldnt forget about the tempo. The game was stretched throughout, played at an incredible pace in exhausting conditions. Watching it we learned many things. We learned that Portugal have very little depth. Anyone who has followed this small, yet proud football nation would tell you they already knew that but this exposed it even deeper. Anyone who criticizes Ronaldos performance would be best served to look at what he had to work with. They lost Helder Postiga early, threw on Eder and effectively played with 10 men for the second successive match. The sight of the worlds finest player having to play up front in the second half and get absolutely no service was an all too familiar one. A sad tale of what could have been. Nani scored a goal but was very disappointing the rest of the way, giving the ball away far too much. Joao Moutinho is a special player but his sparring partners, Miguel Veloso and Raul Meireles are not at the form of Euro 2012. Theyve been hammered by injuries, admittedly, but this was one of the worst showings by a Portugal team in two decades. Last week they could blame Pepe and a brilliant German attack. On Sunday their excuses ran out and they will likely fly home on Friday as another European team humbled in Brazil. Jurgen Klinsmanns team were by far the better side and will be happy to be on four points through two games but it is far from job done. Indeed, it could turn out to be what might have been. Sure, Jurgens new mates and old mates can kick a ball around for 90 minutes in Recife on Thursday and both go through but anyone who thinks Germany would agree to that are kidding themselves. Germany are in Brazil to win the World Cup, not risk playiing a close game with an inferior country, where a bad bounce or poor decision could end up costing them the chance to progress or, even, win the group.dddddddddddd If the game is even as it enters the final 25 minutes I could see the two teams defending deep and giving up very little but until then I expect Germany to use the game as an opportunity to get back the tempo and attacking guile that was missing against Ghana. Belgium 1-0 Russia The 2014 World Cup has been billed by some as the greatest ever but then Fabio Capello arrived in a time machine from 2010 to remind us just how easy a game can be killed off. It almost worked. To be fair, the dullest game of the tournament so far was not all Russias doing. An average Belgium defended deep and rarely got playmaker Eden Hazard into the game, looking to settle for a point they know would have helped them win the group. The schedule makers also played a small part in the snoozefest. Every team in this World Cup, Mexico vs Brazil aside, had four or five games off in between group games but all the teams who played on Sunday play again on Thursday, giving them just three days off before a crucial group finale. Thankfully, Belgium decided to find some extra gears in the last ten minutes and for the second successive match their changes made a difference. Substitute Kevin Mirallas got the best out of Hazard and the two combined on the goal, scored by another sub, 19-year-old striker Divock Origi. The extra gear found by Belgium showed, again, they can reach another level when required and also left Russia embarrassed that they couldnt. Russia were organized and clearly had a game plan that almost worked and it is hard to be too critical of that based on that game but the bigger question mark over this teams methods is do they have it in them at all to play a more open, expansive style that will be needed against Algeria to progress? This World Cup has made a mockery of players and coaches who have tried to play like it was 2010. Capello gets one last shot to prove otherwise, against Algeria. How did that work out for him in 2010? South Korea 2-4 Algeria Missed by many, this was a fantastic game. Algeria are a real threat to Russia. They are strong in attack, have a fine, technical leader in Sofiane Feghouli who can glide by midfielders and can score. Admittedly, South Koreas defending in the first half was woeful but Vahid Halilhodzics side deserve tremendous credit for sensing their opportunity to finish the game off early. It has been a good couple of days for African football. Man of the day Nominees.... Vincent Kompany - on a day where most of his teammates were average, the Manchester City skipper was fantastic in the middle of the Belgian defence. Islam Slimani - he got his first start at the World Cup and it wont be his last after he tormented the South Korean backline. Clint Dempsey - talk about a big game player. Not blessed with any one outstanding trait, he just seems to pop up in big moments. Jermaine Jones - After a brilliant display on the left of a midfield diamond against Ghana, he was asked to come more centrally this time and had a superb match. Cristiano Ronaldo - he was far from his best but, just like Lionel Messi on Saturday, he had his moment. Winner Cristiano Ronaldo - a defensive liability in the first half, clearly not fit, playing with a bunch of average players, sulking and then he does that. Wow. Whats next Australia vs Spain & Chile vs Netherlands (12pm/9am) Croatia vs Mexico & Brazil vs Cameroon (4pm/1pm) Burning question for Mondays games Can Chile win the group and finally carve open a path to the late rounds that doesnt include nemesis Brazil? Stat of day 11 Silvestre Varela became the 16th substitute to score at this World Cup. NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale NFL Gear China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China ' ' '