Smalltalk » Hes stepped up particularly on defence.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NFL has announced Panthers backup defensive end Frank Alexander has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2014 regular season for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. The league announced Friday Alexander will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 29, one day after Carolina visits the Baltimore Ravens. Under NFL rules Alexander is eligible to participate in all off-season and preseason practices and games. Alexander, a fourth-round draft pick in 2012, played in 12 games and had 15 tackles and one sack last season. He played in 16 games a rookie with 2.5 sacks. Air Jordan Wholesale China . - A pitch clock will be used this season during minor league games at Triple-A and Double-A, but it has been ruled out for the major leagues this year. Discount Air Force Ones . -- Kenneth Faried made a turnaround hook shot over Draymond Green with a half-second remaining, and the Denver Nuggets made Golden State wait at least one more game to secure a playoff berth with a stunning 100-99 win over the Warriors on Thursday night. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/who...rance-sale.html. With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth. Nike Air Max China Paypal . As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened their main training camp Sunday, Kuale is one of the newcomers brought in to bolster a sagging defence that ranked overall where the Bombers finished 2013, in the CFL cellar with a league high 585 points against. Yeezy Store China Website .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.A look at the best-of-five National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers:___Schedule:(All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Los Angeles (6:37 p.m.); Game 2, Saturday, at Los Angeles (9:37 p.m.); Game 3, Monday, at St. Louis (TBD); x-Game 4, Tuesday, at St. Louis (TBD); x-Game 5, Thursday, at Los Angeles (TBD). (All games on FS1 or MLB Network)x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Cardinals: 3B Matt Carpenter (.272, 8 HR 59 RBIs), CF Jon Jay (.303, 3, 46), LF Matt Holliday (.272, 20, 90), SS Jhonny Peralta (.263, 21, 75), 1B Matt Adams (.288, 15, 68), C Yadier Molina (.282, 7, 38), 2B Kolten Wong (.249, 12, 41, 20 SBs), RF Randal Grichuk (.245, 3, 8).Dodgers: 2B Dee Gordon (.289, 2, 31, MLB-leading 64 stolen bases), CF Yasiel Puig (.296, 16, 69), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.276, 27, MLB-leading 116), RF Matt Kemp (.287, 25, 89), LF Carl Crawford (.300, 8, 46), SS Hanley Ramirez (.83, 13, 71), 3B Juan Uribe (.311, 9, 54), C A.J. Ellis (.191, 3, 25).___Projected Rotations:Cardinals: RH Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38, 3 shutouts, 5 complete games), RH Lance Lynn (15-10, 2.74), RH John Lackey (14-10, 3.82 with Red Sox, Cardinals), RH Shelby Miller (10-9, 3.74).Dodgers: LH Clayton Kershaw (21-3, major league-best 1.77 ERA), RH Zack Greinke (17-8, 2.71), LH Hyun-Jin Ryu (14-7, 3.38), RH Dan Haren (13-11, 4.02).___Relievers:Cardinals: RH Trevor Rosenthal (2-6, 3.20, 45/51 saves), RH Pat Neshek (7-2, 1.87, 6 saves), RH Seth Maness (6-4, 2.91, 3 saves) LH Sam Freeman (2-0, 2.61), RH Carlos Martinez (2-4, 4.03, 1 save), LH Randy Choate (2-2, 4.50), RH Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.20).Dodgers: RH Kenley Jansen (2-3, 2.76, 44/49 saves), RH Brandon League (2-3, 2.57), LH Paco Rodriguez (1-0, 3.86), LH J.P. Howell (3-3, 2.39), RH Chris Perez (1-3, 4.27), RH Jamey Wright (5-4, 4.35).___Matchups:A rematch of last years league championship series won by the Cardinals in six games behind NLCS MVP Wacha, who beat Kershaw twice. This will be the teams fifth meeting in post-season, and third in the last six years. Cardinals are 3-1 ... The Dodgers took three of four in Los Angeles in June, and the Cardinals took two of three in St. Louis in July. ... The Dodgers outscored the Cardinals 17-4 in four home games, while each of the three games in St. Louis were decided by two runs or less. ... The Dodgers are a healthier team heading into the playoffs compared to last year, when they were missing Kemp, Andre Ethier was slowed by a bad ankle and Ramirez broke a left rib after getting hit by a pitch in Game 1 of the NLCS and wasnt the same for the remaining games. ... Kershaw is favourite to win third Cy Young and dominated in winning both starts against St. Louis this season, allowing three runs and striking out 21 in 14 innings. ... Carpenter is 3 for 6 against Kershaw this season, 9 for 35 (.257) with 10 BBs and 10 Ks overall. ... Peter Bourjos is the only Cardinals player to homer off Kershaw this year. ... Ethier has most success against Wainwright for Dodgers. Hes 10 for 39 (.256) with three homers and seven RBIs. ... Puig led NL outfielders with 15 assists. ... Will Molina be able to slow Gordon? The Cardinals catcher threw out nearly half the potential base stealers (21 of 44 runner) against him. Gordan led the majors with 64 steals but was thrown out 19 times.___Big Picture:Cardinals: St. Louis finished 90-772, two games ahead of Pittsburgh in the NL Central.dddddddddddd Wainwright is among majors elite starters and was a no-doubt MVP for team that was on and off offensively, but he might have to beat Kershaw twice for Cardinals to advance. Wainwright will be well-rested, scratched from his start in the regular-season finale after the Pirates lost and St. Louis clinched its second straight Central crown. ... Pitching staff is deep enough that Wacha likely wont be in rotation given struggles to regain form after a lengthy DL stay from a shoulder injury. The 35-year-old Lackey has come on strong his last few starts and has big game bonafides, beating the Cardinals twice in World Series last fall with Boston. ... The franchise is in the post-season for 10th time in 14 seasons. ... In first full season as closer, Rosenthal was among majors best, giving hitters more to worry about than just a fastball that tickles triple digits. ... Molinas return for final month from torn thumb ligament was a plus, even though he wasnt that productive at the plate. ... Peralta is among majors best-hitting shortstops and had a big second half. ... Cardinals were so-so on road, going 39-42.Dodgers: Los Angeles (94-68) won the NL West by six games over San Francisco and begins the playoffs on a five-game winning streak. ... The Dodgers have been one of baseballs best hitting clubs in September, leading the majors with 156 runs scored. Powering the offence have been Crawford, Kemp and Gonzalez, who ended the regular season with 116 RBIs, three short of his career high set in 2008. ... Manager Don Mattingly guided the Dodgers to a second consecutive division title. He is 354-293 in the regular season during the last four years. ... The Dodgers win total has been up every year since hes been at the helm. ... Los Angeles swept St. Louis in the 2009 division series.___Watch For:a€” Ryus Shoulder. The Dodgers left-hander continues progressing after leaving a game on Sept. 12 with shoulder irritation. He missed nearly a month earlier in the season with the same problem. In his first game back on May 21 against the Mets, Ryu pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out nine.a€” Hot Hitters: With four days off before Game 1, the Dodgers might wonder whether their hot-hitting lineup can stay that way. Kemp has been tearing it up since the All-Star break after starting the season slowly. Gonzalez also struggled early, but has been a consistent run producer since the break.a€” Deep Outfield. Grichuk was considered an afterthought in an off-season trade for outfielder Bourjos that sent 2011 post-season star David Freese to the Angels. The rookie has done well enough in his second stint to earn at least a platoon role with fellow rookie Oscar Taveras, considered the teams top prospect. Jay was supposed to be the fourth outfielder and got a one-year deal, a wakeup call thats prompted his strongest overall season. Hes stepped up particularly on defence.a€” Closing it Out: Manager Mike Matheny had a push-button approach to the late innings, with Rosenthal leading staff with 73 appearances, Maness with 72 and Neshek with 71. Late in the year, all of them needed rest. The side-arming Neshek was a first-time All-Star and was nearly untouchable much of the year with ERA below 1.00 until late August, but had a loss and blown save his last two outings. ' ' '