K -- Mets second baseman Neil Walker will miss the rest of the se

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Its been 40 days since Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Francisco Liriano won a game. Hell try to end that drought Sunday afternoon against the Oakland As and impressive rookie pitcher Daniel Mengden.Liriano had ERAs of 3.38 or lower in each of his past three seasons with Pittsburg and went a combined 35-25. This year, hes 4-8 with a 5.33 ERA, more than a full run higher than his career mark of 4.05.A mysterious lack of command has been a key to Liarianos struggles. In his previous start, he walked five and lasted only 4 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers on Monday. He gave up four hits and five runs (four earned).Over his past six starts, Liriano is 0-5 with a 7.12 ERA with 24 walks in 30 1/3 innings. Hes allowed five home runs and 36 hits during that stretch. He hasnt won a game since May 24 against Arizona.Ive been here before, Liriano said after his loss to the Dodgers. Ive just got to stay positive and keep working.Liriano went 6-12 with a 5.34 ERA in 2012, pitching for the Twins and White Sox, before signing with the Pirates as a free agent on Feb. 8, 2013. In his first season with Pittsburgh, he went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA. He walked 63 and struck out 163 in 161 innings.I would never have called him a pinpoint pitcher his whole career, Pirates catcher Chris Stewart said Saturday before the Pirates 4-2, 10-inning victory. I think this year is a little more out of the zone with certain things, falling behind a lot of hitters and putting guys on base, and it seems like guys are getting big hits against him when theyre on base.Its just a matter of him going out, trusting his stuff, attacking the strike zone, establishing the fastball command early, and that way hell get the chases on the other stuff.Mengden is 1/3 in four starts, but he has a 2.81 ERA and is coming off his first career major league victory. He allowed two hits and four runs over a career-high 7 2/3 innings in an 8-3 victory Monday against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.Mengden started the season with Double-A Midland, was promoted to Triple-A Nashville then was called up to the As on June 11. He has 26 strikeouts and nine walks over 25 2/3 innings. With each major league start, his confidence has grown.Every time you step on the rubber and get out there you gain experience and confidence and trust in yourself, as well, said Mengden, who will try to prevent the Pirates from sweeping the three-game series. Getting used to the atmosphere, the type of hitters youre facing. The more and more you do it, the easier it gets, and I guess the more confidence youll get. And Ive been throwing well, so that always helps with the confidence and trusting my stuff. Its a lot of fun.Mengden scouted the Pirates hitters on Monday in the series opener and again on Tuesday. He knows what to expect when he takes the mound in the series finale.They have a lot of balance to their whole lineup, Mengden said. Speed, power. Theyre a good team. ... Its always nice seeing a few guys face a team before you face them. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. https://www.nhljerseys2020.com/ . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Fake NHL Jerseys 2020 .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Buy NHL Jerseys 2020 . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. NFLSAN DIEGO -- Colin Kaepernick and San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid kneeled during the national anthem, continuing the quarterbacks preseason protest of American racial injustice and minority oppression.Kaepernick and Reid dropped to one knee while a naval officer sang The Star-Spangled Banner and dozens of military members unfurled an oversized flag at the Chargers Qualcomm Stadium.Kaepernick and Reid received scattered boos when they dropped to a knee amid a crowd of teammates, but the protest was otherwise unremarked by the San Diego crowd. The 49ers visit coincided with the annual Salute to the Military preseason game for the Chargers, who have strong fan support in their citys extensive armed forces community.Kaepernick got much heavier boos when he took the field to start the game for the 49ers.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With a four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal beginning in just a few days, Tom Brady had an NFL going-away party Thursday night, playing the first half in the New England Patriots preseason finale against the New York Giants.Brady completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Patriots (3-1) missed out a perfect preseason in a 17-9 loss to the Giants (2-2).PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL is expected to pick up the majority of the cost to stage the 2017 draft in Philadelphia, with the citys iconic Rocky steps serving as its backdrop.City officials say they dont expect the NFLs 82nd event to come at taxpayer expense, but instead expect to fundraise about $5 million of the $25 million budget with the league paying for the events staging and infrastructure.Senior vice president Peter OReilly said on Thursday the events location will represent a return to the birthplace of the draft. The first NFL draft was held in Philadelphia in 1936, when the Eagles selected versatile halfback Jay Berwanger first overall.MINNEAPOLIS -- While Teddy Bridgewater is weighing options for surgery, the Minnesota Vikings are scrutinizing the possibilities for another quarterback.Bridgewater visited team headquarters just two days after the freak non-contact injury to his left knee sent him to a hospital by ambulance and devastated a team that was counting on its beloved leader to help make a legitimate push for the Super Bowl.About 20 players gathered around Bridgewater in the training room for encouragement, inspiration and even a few laughs.The initial diagnosis was a dislocation of the knee and a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, plus other significant damage that the Vikings have not disclosed, and the likelihood of it occurring was pegged at less than 1 percent.COLLEGE FOOTBALLKNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Exactly nine years to the day after it pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, Appalachian State nearly did it again.A couple of missed kicks and an inability to recover an overtime fumble prevented the Mountaineers from getting it done.Jalen Hurd pounced on quarterback Joshua Dobbs fumble in the end zone and No. 9 Tennessee overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to escape with a 20-13 vvictory over Appalachian State.ddddddddddddhe Mountaineers were trying to stage a repeat of their 2007 upset of No. 5 Michigan, which marked the first time a Football Championship Subdivision program had beaten a Top 25 team. Appalachian State has since left the FCS ranks and is in its second season as a full-fledged Bowl Subdivision member.Tennessee faced third-and-goal from the 2 when Dobbs ran to his right and lost control of the ball as he tried to stretch his arms across the goal line. Hurd won the scramble for the loose ball in the end zone to give the Volunteers their only lead of the night.TENNISNEW YORK -- When heavy rain began pelting the closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Andy Murray couldnt pick up the usual sounds of a tennis match.Most importantly, he said, the thwack of a ball coming off his opponents racket strings -- or his own, for that matter -- was completely indiscernible during a 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 second-round victory over Marcel Granollers at the U.S. Open on Thursday.As it is, the new $150 million retractable cover makes the tournaments main stadium louder because the structure, even when open, traps the sounds of spectators chatting in the stands.Because of the wet weather, action around the grounds was limited until the early evening -- but matches kept coming under the roof in Ashe, including Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3 victory over American wild-card entry Vania King at night.Men advancing included 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, No. 6 Kei Nishikori, No. 8 Dominic Thiem, No. 14 Nick Kyrgios and No. 22 Grigor Dimitrov, but No. 16 Feliciano Lopez lost.Williams older sister, seven-time major champion Venus, beat Julia Goerges 6-2, 6-3, 2011 U.S. Open winner Sam Stosur lost 6-3, 6-3 to Zhang Shuai of China, and No. 5 Simona Halep eliminated Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-4 in a meeting between past French Open finalists.BASEBALLNEW YORK -- Mets second baseman Neil Walker will miss the rest of the season because of surgery for a herniated disk in his back, the latest in a series of severe injuries to strike the defending NL champions this year.Walker made the announcement before the wild-card contenders played Miami.Had he continued to play, he estimated he wouldve been at 60 percent. Or, as New York manager Terry Collins said Walker told him Wednesday night, Not sure I can help.Minus Walker, the Mets will use Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson at second base. A recent push moved the Mets within 1 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second NL wild-card spot.GOLFCAMBRIDGE, Ontario -- Chella Choi ended up on top of the LPGA Manulife Classic leaderboard at windy Whistle Bear when Belen Mozo unraveled with a closing triple bogey.Choi shot a 6-under 66, finishing with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.Mozo was 7 under before running into trouble on the par-4 18th. The Spaniard finished with a 68.Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was four strokes back after a 70 in her bid to win three straight events for the second time this season. ' ' '