DETROIT -- Max Scherzer could only watch as the lead -- and another shot at his 20th win -- slipped away. [url=http://www.cheapn

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DETROIT -- Max Scherzer could only watch as the lead -- and another shot at his 20th win -- slipped away. South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks Jerseys . The Detroit right-hander didnt mind, especially once Alex Avilas homer put the Tigers ahead again moments later. Avila homered twice, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the eighth inning that lifted Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Sunday. Scherzer was in line for his 20th win when reliever Drew Smyly allowed the Royals to tie it in the top of the eighth, but Avila answered with a drive to right-centre for his 11th home run this season. "Were just looking to win the game," Scherzer said. "I dont care if I win another game, if we win our division, thats all that matters." The AL Central-leading Tigers remained five games ahead of second-place Cleveland, which beat the Chicago White Sox. Scherzer has two losses and two no-decisions since a 19-1 start but was terrific Sunday. He allowed a run and five hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk in seven innings. He was on track to become baseballs first 20-game winner this year when he pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the seventh to preserve a one-run lead. But Smyly (6-0) allowed a leadoff double to Alcides Escobar in the eighth. After a flyout by Alex Gordon, Emilio Bonifacio struck out - with Escobar stealing third on the third strike. With Eric Hosmer batting, Smyly bounced a wild pitch that didnt skip too far away from Avila. Hosmer, who hits left-handed, stood and motioned to Escobar, who gambled by trying to score. Avila jumped up to retrieve the ball, which had bounced up the first-base line - but the Detroit catcher plowed right into Hosmer, who had moved slightly to his right in an apparent effort to get out of the way. That collision cost the Tigers any chance to catch Escobar. Tigers manager Jim Leyland came out to discuss the play with plate umpire James Hoye, but the run stood. "It wasnt interference," Avila said. "It was the right call. It was just a weird situation." Avilas homer in the bottom half put the Tigers back on top. After a poor start at the plate, Avila is hitting .313 since the All-Star break. "Just trying to hit the ball hard. Theres nothing that I changed, theres no magic or secret to it," Avila said. "Im just having some luck, some good swings and hitting the ball hard, really." Joaquin Benoit got three outs for his 20th save in 20 chances. Jeremy Guthrie (14-11) pitched all eight innings for the Royals, who remained 3 1-2 games back in the AL wild-card race. "I thought he could get us to the end. In hindsight, I pushed him too far, but I thought he could get us through the bottom of the order and maybe get the win or turn it over to the pen with a tie game," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "He did a lot of bending, but he didnt break." Guthrie allowed three runs and 13 hits. He struck out four and walked one. Avilas first homer was a two-run drive in the second. Gordon hit a solo homer for Kansas City in the fourth. Detroit left 10 men on base. In the fifth, Miguel Cabrera led off with a single and Prince Fielder followed with a double. They were stranded when Guthrie retired Victor Martinez, Andy Dirks and Omar Infante on consecutive groundouts. Gordons solo homer down the line in right field to lead off the fourth made it 2-1, and Bonifacio followed with a single. Scherzer found a groove after that, retiring 10 of 11 with nine strikeouts before a one-out single by Salvador Perez in the seventh. NOTES: Bonifacio was picked off by Scherzer in the first - the third straight game a Kansas City player was picked off. Toronto is the only other team to have that happen this year, according to STATS. The Blue Jays had a runner picked off three straight games in May. ... Detroit hosts Seattle on Monday night, with RHP Rick Porcello (12- facing LHP Joe Saunders (11-14). Kansas City takes on Cleveland. Royals RHP James Shields (11-9) opposes LHP Scott Kazmir (8-. Karl Joseph West Virginia Jersey .Y. -- The New York Islanders were seeking a positive finish to a frustrating season on home ice. Cheap South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks Jerseys .com) - Theres nothing better for a team than to send out the staff ace in the most important game of the season. http://www.cheapnfljerseyswholesaleoutlet.cc/vols-27-arian-foster-white-stitched-ncaa-jersey.html . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series.Fun times for the Blues against the Sabres, Johansson a goal-scoring threat for the Capitals, the Habs-Stars trade, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Jori Lehtera – The first-year Blues centre recorded a natural hat trick in a 6-1 win against Buffalo. Linemates Jaden Schwartz (3 A) and Vladimir Tarasenko (2 A) got in on the act as the trio, led by Schwartz (20 shot attempts for, 7 against, 74.1%) controlled better than two-thirds of the even-strength shot attempts when they were on the ice. Lehtera, a third-round pick in 2008, has been a great addition to the St. Louis lineup, putting up 14 points in 16 games, falling behind only his emerging star wingers Schwartz (15 points in 15 games) and Tarasenko (19 points in 15 games). Shutouts – Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who has been off to a so-so start this season, turned aside all 33 shots sent his way by Pittsburgh and Canadiens G Carey Price stopped all 29 shots against Winnipeg. Marcus Johansson – The Capitals left winger scored two goals and had eight shots on goal, in a 4-2 win against Columbus. The pair of goals leaves Johansson with eight goals in 15 games this season, matching his 80-game total from last season, and he has seven even-strength goals this year, which is more than he’s scored in the previous two seasons (five even-strength goals in 114 games). ZEROES Viktor Fasth – The Oilers goaltender isn’t exactly pushing Ben Scrivens for the starting job. He gave up three goals on 17 shots, getting pulled after the first period at Nashville, and through six games has an .885 save percentage. Michal Neuvirth - It’s not an easy life goaltending for Buffalo, and for 90% of the game against the Blues, Neuvirth held his own, but after allowing three power play goals in a two-minute span in the third period, the night ended with six goals against on 29 shots. Even after that, Neuvirth still has a respectable .915 save percentage in eight games this year. Shotless – Wild RW Charlie Coyle recorded no shot attempts in 16:52 of ice time at New Jersey, while Coyotes RW Martin Erat failed to generate a shot attempt in 18:38 vs. Dallas. A single shot attempt shouldn’t be too much for forwards playing big minutes on a scoring line, especially in games that their teams ultimately lost. HABS-STARS TRADE There was a minor deal between Montreal and Dallas Tuesday, but there are some ramifications for others on those rosters. A quick look at the deal: Sergei Gonchar – A 40-year-old defenceman who was injured at the start of the year, Gonchar has played very little (13:02) in three games since returning to action. He was, at one time, an elite power play defenceman, but his role has decreased significantly since arriving in Dallas last season. He’s a third-pair defenceman who can help the second power play unit, which doesn’t seem like much contribution for a player who comes with a $4.6-million cap hit. Travis Moen – A fourth-line winger who has no points while playing a career-low 10:30 per game in 10 games for Montreal this season. There’s little reason to expect him to be anything more than a fourth or fifth-line winger for Dallas. The trade-off for Dallas is that they gain more flexibility this year, by taking on Moen’s contract, which comes with a $1.85-million cap hit, but runs through next season. John Klingberg – Called up to the Stars from the AHL, where he scored 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 10 games, the 2010 fifth-round pick made his NHL debut at Arizona, playing 18:32 with team-best possession stats (21 shot attempts for, 13 against, 61.8%) alongside partner Alex Goligoski. Nathan Beaulieu – This is where the deal gets dicey for Montreal. They’ve already sent Jarred Tinordi to the AHL to make room for Gonchar, but if Gonchar’s going to get into the Montreal lineup, it’s likely at the expense of 21-year-old Beaulieu who has played sheltered minutes on the Habs’ third pair, but has been stellar in that role. POSSESSION STATS - MONTREAL DEFENCE Player Corsi% CorsiRel% Nathan Beaulieu 54.4% +4.9% P.K. Subban 52.3% +3.6% Andrei Markov 51.5% +2.1% Jarred Tinordi 50.5% -2.4% Mike Weaver 47.9% -2.1% Tom Gilbert 47.6% -3.9% Alexei Emelin 47.2% -2.5% Maybe Gonchar will get into the lineup in place of Weaver, but if it’s Beaulieu that gets bumped, there’s a decent chance that the Canadiens are going to suffer during 5-on-5 play. LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Mikael Granlund – The Wild centre, who has no points in four games and only five points in 14 games this season, despite excellent possession (56.2%) stats, played a season-low 12:53 at New Jersey. Ales Hemsky – Off to a miserable start in Dallas, with no goals and one assist in 15 games, Hemsky played less at even strength (8:40) than any other Stars at Arizona. Brandon Prust – Played 19:02 to lead all Canadiens forwards against Winnipeg, and diidn’t register a shot attempt. C.J. Fair Syracuse Jersey. Jannik Hansen – With Radim Vrbata out with a leg injury, Hansen got a chance to play with the Sedins against Ottawa, and had a strong night possession-wise (19 shot attempts for, 8 against, 70.4%). Leon Draisaitl – The Oilers rookie was held to a career-low 7:25 ice time at Nashville. He has one point in the past eight games, and four points in 16 games this season, but does have favourable possession (53.8%) stats. Beau Bennett – After suffering a knee injury in the preseason, the 22-year-old Penguins winger was eased into the NHL lineup after racking up five assists in a couple of AHL games. Bennett played 9:35 against the Rangers, mostly on the fourth line with Marcel Goc and Craig Adams. John Moore – Returned from suspension to play 21:49 for the Rangers against Pittsburgh. Josh Gorges – Played 10:10 at St. Louis and left with a lower-body injury. Johnny Oduya – Left Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot. Tyler Johnson – Left Tuesday’s game against Chicago with an upper-body injury after a crosscheck in the ribs from Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook. Sharks resting – Trailing 4-0 early in the third period at Florida, the San Jose Sharks limited the ice time of C Joe Thornton, RW Joe Pavelski and LW Tomas Hertl, keeping all three under 14 minutes. Jesper Fast – Called up to the Rangers, to play on the fourth line with Tanner Glass and Dominic Moore, after scoring nine points (1 G,8 A) in 11 games with Hartford of the AHL. Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch as a result. Drayson Bowman – Called up to the Canadiens, the left winger played 6:39 against Winnipeg, but was buried in his own end (1 shot attempt for, 9 against, 10.0%) Jonathon Blum – Inserted into the Minnesota lineup after five points (1 G, 4 A) in seven AHL games, the 2007 first-rounder played 8:35 in his first NHL game of the season. SHORT SHIFTS Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals, on a dozen shot attempts (8 SOG) against Columbus, giving him 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in the past six games… Islanders RW Ryan Strome (who also had 70% possession) had a goal and an assist in a 6-0 win over Colorado…Blue Jackets C Boone Jenner had a pair of assists and strong possession (26 shot attempts for, 8 against, 76.5%) at Washington, giving him four points in three games since joining the Columbus lineup. Capitals C Andre Burakovsky picked up a couple assists in a 4-2 win over Columbus. Burakovsky now has 12 points in 15 games, tied for second among rookies…Panthers rookie D Aaron Ekblad had a couple of assists in a 4-1 win over San Jose, giving him six points (1 G, 5 A) in the past five games…Predators rookie LW Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist, running his point streak (6 G, 4 A) to six games. Predators C Mike Ribeiro notched a goal and an assist, giving him 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in the past 13 games…Predators RW James Neal had an assist and 15 shot attempts (10 SOG) and dominated the shot share (26 for, 5 against, 83.9%) against Edmonton…Blues RW Joakim Lindstrom scored a pair of goals, his first points since the second game of the season…Blues LW Alex Steen recorded three assists and had the first fight of his career, against Buffalo’s Tyler Ennis…Score effects reign in a 5-0 loss, but Penguins LW Blake Comeau had a strong possession night (18 shot attempts for, 3 against, 85.7%). Jets RW Dustin Byfuglien is on a 10-game goalless drought, but had 11 shot attempts (7 SOG) at Montreal…Panthers RW Shawn Thornton had the best possession stats (11 for, 5 against, 68.8%) against San Jose…Stars C Tyler Seguin scored a pair of goals, giving him 12 goals in 15 games…Arizona’s fourth line – Kyle Chipchura, B.J. Crombeen and Joe Vitale – had better than 70% of the shot share, led by Chipchura (17 for, 5 against, 77.3%) when they were on the ice. FIRSTS John Klingberg – Made his NHL debut, had Dallas’ best possession stats (21 for, 13 against, 61.8%) at Arizona. 12 points in 10 AHL games. Seth Helgeson – The Devils defenceman, a fourth-round pick in 2009, played all of 6:14 in his first NHL game and recorded his first point, an assist, on Tuomo Ruutu’s goal. He did have a rough time (3 shot attempts for, 10 against, 23.1%) possession-wise. FANTASY FOCUS Two games on the NHL schedule tonight, two players to keep an eye on: Leo Komarov – The Leafs’ agitator is something of a surprise with four points in the past five games, and 10 points in 16 games this season, but he’s not completely lost offensively, putting up 14 goals and 44 points in 65 KHL games over the previous couple seasons. Devante Smith-Pelly – With no Corey Perry, the Ducks have Patrick Maroon and Smith-Pelly skating on the wings with Ryan Getzlaf. It’s a good opportunity for Smith-Pelly, who has played nearly 39 minutes, generating nine shots on goal, in the past couple games. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '