Storm- News » about the hack-a-Howard method.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jose Reyes was put on the disabled list after aggravating a hamstring injury, R.A. Dickey struggled and the Toronto Blue Jays ended up with a one-sided loss to Tampa Bay. David Price took a shutout into the eighth inning and Matt Joyce drove in three runs Monday to help the Rays begin the season with a 9-2 victory over Blue Jays. Reyes was lifted after his first at-bat because of a tight left hamstring, an injury that first bothered him late in spring training. The star shortstop led off the game and was robbed of a hit on a diving catch by Rays centre fielder Desmond Jennings. "I tried to run a little bit faster between home plate and first base, and I kind of feel my hammy there," Reyes said. "So I have to slowdown and get out of the game because I dont want to get any worse." Reyes missed several games during the final week of spring training and wasnt at 100 per cent for exhibition games Friday and Saturday in Montreal. "Irritated the same spot, so thats a concern," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. Several hours later the Blue Jays put him on the DL. Reyes said the hamstring was "good enough" to play in Montreal and felt better Monday. "When I tried for a little speed, something not right," Reyes said. Reyes missed 66 games last season after going on the DL April 13 with a sprained left ankle -- after just 10 into his first season with the Blue Jays. He was replaced in the field by Ryan Goins. The Blue Jays purchased the contract of infielder Jonathan Diaz from Triple-A Buffalo to take Reyes roster spot. Price (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits over 7 1-3 innings to beat R.A. Dickey in a matchup of 2012 Cy Young Award winners. The hard-throwing lefty walked one and struck out six before a crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field -- the Rays ninth consecutive sellout for a home opener. "Its really disappointing and frustrating," Dickey said. "You feel like you let a lot of people down. Against David Price, one of the best pitchers in baseball, if you dont match him inning per inning, its going to be tough to win the game. I put us in a hole early. Walked some guys early, gave up some 0-2 hits with runners in scoring position, and that was the game." Dickey dropped to 14-13 with a 4.21 ERA last season after winning 20 games and NL Cy Young honours with the Mets two years ago. The 39-year-old knuckleballer is off to another shaky start after allowing six runs, five hits and walking six over five innings against essentially the same Tampa Bay lineup he went 3-1 against in 2013. Joyce had a sacrifice fly and two-run double off Dickey (0-1), who yielded six two-out runs in five innings. Evan Longoria got the Rays going with a first-inning RBI single and Wil Myers drove in two more when he singled with the bases loaded in the second. Price limited the Blue Jays to four singles and had only allowed two runners past second base before Maicer Izturis opened the eighth with his second hit of the day. Pinch-hitter Erik Kratz followed with a first-pitch, two-run homer over the centre field wall. The 28-year-old lefty became the Rays first 20-game winner and edged Justin Verlander in AL Cy Young balloting two years ago. He got off to a slow start in 2013, but finished strong after spending more than a month on the disabled list, leading the majors in innings, complete games and fewest walks per nine innings after July 2. NOTES: The Rays havent lost a home series to the Blue Jays since April 2007. ... Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen, whos on the 15-day disabled list due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back, doesnt feel the injury will be a long-term problem. ... The four-game series continues Tuesday night with RHP Alex Cobb getting the start for Tampa Bay and the Blue Jays countering with RHP Drew Hutchison. Vince Carter Jersey . Roy says he will know more about Duchenes potential playing status Sunday. Duchene has been out since damaging the MCL in his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29. Hes been skating on his own all week, before joining the team Saturday hours before a pivotal game in a series tied at 2. Bruno Caboclo Jersey . His stated reason for abruptly resigning as head coach of Canadas Olympic womens hockey team was he felt there were doubts about his ability to coach the team to Olympic gold in February. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authenti...Raptors-Jersey/. LOUIS -- The St. OG Anunoby Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames are spoilers once again. C.J. Miles Jersey . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek.HOUSTON - Coming off a dominant performance at home, the Raptors will have their starting point guard in uniform when they face a stiffer test in Houston Monday. Kyle Lowry, who sat out the entire second half of Saturdays 115-91 rout over Utah with a sprained right ankle, will give it a go against his former team as Toronto opens a two-game Western road swing against Dwight Howard, James Harden and the Rockets. "Im not 100 per cent but Im okay," Lowry said following his teams shoot around Monday afternoon. "No complaints. I wont favour it, it wont be a hindrance to me. Its just another game." The Raptors point guard came down awkwardly on the foot of Enes Kanter in the final possession of the first half Saturday and was removed from the game as a precaution. "I knew at halftime it wasnt serious," Dwane Casey said. "I think if it was a close game, he would have been able to play. Hes a tough kid and I had all the faith in the world [that he would be okay]." Although the Raptors set season highs in points, field goals (40), field goal percentage (.484), three-pointers (10) and assists (23) against the winless Jazz Saturday, they will have the odds stacked against them when the visit Houstons Toyota Center, a building they havent won in since 2007. Toronto has lost six straight road contests to the Rockets and is 15-3 all-time in Houston. However, this may be the best time for the Raptors, in search of their second straight win, to pay Houston a visit as the Rockets are struggling to find themselves early in the season. Houston won its first three games in the Howard era but has dropped three of four since, most recently falling to the Clippers, 107-94 on Saturday. The Rockets led by nine at the half in that game but were outscored 61-39 over the final 24 minutes. Howard is averaging 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds - third in the NBA - in seven games with his new club and has been a handful for the Raptors dating back to his time in Los Angeles and Orlando, scoring 24.7 points on 62 per cent shooting in his last 18 games against Toronto. However, the Rockets centre is shooting just 49 per cent from the free throw line this season and Casey indicated hes not opposed to taking advantage of that. "Usually our philosophy is if you get in a bad way against a guy whos not a great free throw shooter, you want to wrap him up," Casey said Monday, asked about the hack-a-Howard method. "Dwight is no different. Its within the rules and well have to look at it." Lowry played 218 games for the Rockets over three-plus seasons, improving his scoring numbers each year. He averaged a career-high 14.3 points for Houston in 2011-12 before Toronto acquired him in a trade that summer. "It has a special place in my heart," Lowry said of Houston. "I love coming back here. This is a great city, the fans were great for me the organization was great for me. I always get a good kick out of coming back here." Trends and Tidbits The Raptors second unit had totalled 133 points in the teams first six games, outscored by the opponents bench in each contest, before exploding for 56 in Saturdays win. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 23 points, matching a career best 11 made free throws on a career-high 13 attempts. Houston limited opponents to just 93.7 points on 39 per cent shooting in its first three games of the season, all wins, but has allowed 111.0 points on 45 per cent shooting in ffour games since, losing three.dddddddddddd. Mondays game in Houston is the Raptors first on the road against a Western Conference opponent this season. They were 3-12 when visiting teams in the West last year. Toronto will face the Grizzlies in Memphis on Wednesday before returning home for six of seven games at the Air Canada Centre. What to Watch For Two of the leagues best on the boards Both the Raptors and the Rockets have been two of the NBAs most dominant teams on the boards to begin this season. Averaging 46.3 rebounds per game, Houston ranks second in the league in that category while Toronto ranks ninth grabbing 44.3 boards per contest. The Raptors have out-rebounded their opponent in each of the first seven games, with a plus-52 differential on the glass overall. They rank third in offensive rebounds (14.1) and first in second-chance points per game (21.0), which has accounted for 22 per cent of their total offence thus far. Toronto faces its toughest test on the boards with the Rockets front line of Howard - who has led the league in rebounding in five of the last six seasons - and Omer Asik, who was third last year. "Its a challenge," Casey admitted. "Everyone from that standpoint has their work cut out for them as far as keeping them off the boards and winning the rebounding game." Pressure the home team With the front-court pairing of Howard and Asik, along with sophomore point guard Patrick Beverley stepping into the starting lineup for Jeremy Lin, the Rockets are still working out the kinks offensively. Although theyre still scoring at a torrid pace - ranked fourth, averaging 105.6 points per game - they have had some difficulty taking care of the ball. The Rockets have turned the ball over at least 18 times in five of their last six games. Overall, they allowed an average of 21.2 points of 19.0 turnovers in the six games since their opener. Who to Watch For DeMar DeRozan After a strong preseason, DeRozan has struggled to begin the campaign, specifically with his jump shot. The Raptors guard has hit just 12 of his 45 field goal attempts (27 per cent) over the last three games. Although hell have his hands full defensively with Harden, the Raptors need DeRozan to get back on track on the other end of the floor as well. DeRozan averaged 15.5 points in two games against the Rockets last year, as the two teams split the season series, and has scored 21.6 per over his last five meetings with Houston. James Harden Harden - the NBAs fourth leading scorer, averaging 24.7 points per game - is coming off his worst outing of the season, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting against the Clippers while playing with two sore feet. He is also under the weather, battling a flu bug that is going around Houstons locker room. Although hell be playing at less than 100 per cent, Casey and the Raptors have still keyed in on the Rockets wounded star. "Hardens the head of the snake and weve got to do everything we can to control him," said Casey, who plans to throw multiple defenders at Harden, including DeRozan, Rudy Gay and possibly even Julyan Stone. Injury Report Lowry (sprained right ankle) will play for the Raptors. Harden, who is under the weather and has been playing with a series of foot ailments, is expected to give it a go. Omri Casspi (strained left knee) and Chandler Parsons (back spasms) are also expected to play but will be game-time decisions for Houston. Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 ' ' '