Gildenschlachten » shoowed some fight in the loss against OKC.dd

NEW YORK -- If the pitching-depleted New York Yankees plan to make a second-half charge, they will need several specific contributions the rest of the way: Big hits from Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. Steady starts from David Phelps and a makeshift rotation. Maybe a little more punch from No. 3 batter Jacoby Ellsbury. First game after the All-Star break? Check, check, check. Ellsbury hit a two-run homer, Phelps pitched into the seventh inning, and the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Friday night. "Big win for us to start the second half," Ellsbury said. "You always want to play well at home. You should play well at home. I think were going to." McCann and Beltran had two-out RBIs for the Yankees (48-47), who began a 10-game homestand by winning the opener of an interleague series against a National League contender. New York, with a major league-high 40 home games after the break, snapped a five-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium and improved to 19-23 in its ballpark. All-Star reliever Dellin Betances struck out three in 1 2-3 perfect innings, and David Robertson worked a one-hit ninth for his 24th save in 26 chances. "A week off always helps," Betances said. "I just felt like maybe I had a little more power." Phelps (4-4) gave up three runs -- two earned -- in 6 1-3 innings against a lineup missing injured thumpers Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one for his first win since June 19 against Toronto, which preceded four straight no-decisions. Phelps is 3-0 in seven outings since a four-game skid, and he has yielded two earned runs or fewer in six of those seven starts. "Regardless of what the rotation looks like, I pride myself on being consistent," he said. "Thats one thing Ive always strived for in the big leagues and even in the minor leagues. When our rotation does take hits, I kind of put (it) on myself to step up." It was the kind of effort New York needs from the unheralded fill-ins in its injury-ravaged rotation. Before the game, general manager Brian Cashman announced that left-hander CC Sabathia is scheduled for surgery on his right knee Wednesday -- ending any hope of him returning this year. "We need everybody to step up," Ellsbury said. Brayan Pena, subbing for Votto at first base, homered twice for the Reds. Mike Leake (7-8) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings. "It was not as sharp as he has been, but he competed well and gave us a chance," manager Bryan Price said. "We just caught a guy who was a little bit better today." With the score tied 2-all, Derek Jeter singled to start the fifth, and Ellsbury lined a 1-1 pitch to the short porch in right field for his seventh home run. "It was a cutter that backed up, but it was still decent location," Leake said. "He was able to drop his hands and hurt me." Brett Gardner was hit on the left foot by Leakes third pitch. Shaken up a bit, he was checked by manager Joe Girardi and a trainer before remaining in the game. Gardner stole second and scored on McCanns two-out double. McCann is 16 for 45 (.356) in his last 11 games, raising his batting average 19 points to .239. "Ive been feeling pretty good at the plate the last 10-12 games, so hopefully I can keep that up and drive in some runs," he said. Jeters leadoff single in the third deflected off third baseman Todd Frazier. Ellsbury also singled before Beltran, just activated from the seven-day concussion list, came through with a two-out single. Pena connected off Phelps to start the third and seventh for his first multihomer game. Cincinnati tied it at 2 in the fourth, capitalizing on errors by Brian Roberts at second base and Jeter at shortstop. Devin Mesoraco had an RBI grounder, but Phelps prevented further damage. "Hes been doing great," Betances said. "Hes given us a chance to win every time he goes out. Hes done an awesome job, and today was a great win -- a great team win." NOTES: Cincinnati will start All-Star pitchers in the final two games of the series. RHP Alfredo Simon (12-3, 2.70 ERA) goes Saturday, when RHP Brandon McCarthy makes his home debut for the Yankees. RHP Johnny Cueto (10-6, 2.13) faces New York RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 4.10) on Sunday. ... Jeter made his 2,610th career start at shortstop, passing Omar Vizquel for the most in major league history. ... The Yankees announced they will honour Jeter during a ceremony before their Sept. 7 home game against Kansas City. Jeter is retiring after this season. ... Beltran also beat the shift with a check-swing double down the third-base line. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Kurt Warner Womens Jersey .Leicester won 25-21 in a heated European Rugby Champions Cup group match on Sunday.Toulon said on its website on Wednesday that it decided to open an investigation after Leicester complained about the behaviour of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fullback Delon Armitage. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/cory-littleton-jersey/ . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web. Clay Matthews Youth Jersey . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. Robert Woods Youth Jersey . - Erick Torres scored his 10th goal of the season on a stunning volley, and Chivas USA edged 10-man Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Sacramento Kings will hope to keep a recent run of great basketball going Monday night when they head to the Pepsi Center to face the Denver Nuggets. The Kings have won two in a row and the victories came over some impressive teams. Sacramento dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers at home on Friday, then bested the Los Angeles Clippers, 98-92, Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center. It feels good to come in here and get a win. This is definitely a confidence booster, point guard Darren Collison said. DeMarcus Cousins had 34 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in the win. Rudy Gay added 25 points, seven boards and six assists for the Kings, who fell to Golden State in their opener. Darren Collison tallied 14 points and no other Sacramento player scored in double figures. The Kings shot 50 percent from the field and held the mighty Clippers offense to 37.5 field-goal shooting and 29 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Nuggets began the season with a home victory over the Detroit Pistons, but fell Saturday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 102-91, at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Denver shoowed some fight in the loss against OKC.dddddddddddd The Nuggets trailed by 26 at one point, but cut the deficit to just three points. Serge Ibaka and Perry Jones both nailed 3-pointers that ended Denvers hopes. We didnt execute the way we wanted to, point guard Ty Lawson said of the slow start. We didnt come to play. Lawson netted 14 of his 25 points in the final quarter, but it was too little, too late for the visitors. Arron Afflalo scored 14 and Timofey Mozgov chipped in 10 points. In stark contrast to a Thunder team that featured eight healthy players due to not just injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but almost every two guard on the roster, the Nuggets saw 10 players get at least 13 minutes of game action. All 11 players who checked in, scored for Denver, but only managed 28 points. These two teams will meet Wednesday night in Sacramento. The Nuggets are 11-3 in their last 14 meetings with the Kings, although Sacramento did win two of three during the 2013-14 season. When the Kings won at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 23, it snapped a nine-game series road losing streak. ' ' '