Musik, Sounds etc. » ven hits over six innings while striking out

BALTIMORE -- Two weeks after trading their closer to Oakland, the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract with former Athletics closer Grant Balfour on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the deal. Balfours contract will not be completed until the right-hander passes a physical, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the transaction had not been announced by the Orioles. Balfour fills the vacancy left by the trade of closer Jim Johnson, who was dealt to Oakland because Baltimore didnt want to pay him about $10 million a season. Johnson had 50 saves in each of the past two seasons but was in line for a huge raise. "Its really about the allocation of resources and to have a competitive team," Orioles executive vice-president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said at the time. "You have to have proper balance." Balfour is the first significant addition this off-season by the Orioles, who went 85-77 in 2013 but came up short in their bid to reach the post-season for a second straight year. Balfour, who turns 36 on Dec. 30, went 1-3 with 38 saves in 41 opportunities with Oakland last season. He made $4.5 million with the Athletics in 2013. He had a 2.59 ERA and 72 strikeouts, with 27 walks in 62 2-3 innings. In 2012, he had 24 saves in 26 chances. In 10 seasons with Minnesota, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and the Athletics, Balfour is 28-17 with 72 saves and a 3.27 ERA. The addition of Balfour means the Orioles wont have to try Tommy Hunter or Darren ODay at closer. Both likely will be tried in a setup or situational role. Cheap Nike Roshe Shoes . Geovany Soto had an RBI for the Cubs. Carlos Silva gave up one run on three hits over six innings to pick up the win. Josh Willingham drove in the lone run for the Nationals, who had just four hits. Nike Roshe Sale Cheap .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. http://www.cheapnikeroshe.com/. Down 2-1 after Rick Nash scored on a penalty shot, the Oilers ran off four unanswered goals in the remainder of the second period on the way to a 6-3 victory on Sunday. Nike Roshe Buy Online . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Roshes On Sale . The win puts Arsenal four points clear of Everton in fourth place with two games to play in the Premier League, a position which would qualify the club for Europes top competition for the 17th straight year.CINCINNATI - The Toronto Blue Jays have quite the act to follow. The American League East leaders take aim at a second straight victory on Saturday afternoon in the middle contest of a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds. The Blue Jays seemed well on their way to an eighth loss in 10 games in Fridays opener, falling behind 8-0 after the second inning. However, they began to chip away, starting with Edwin Encarnacions three-run homer in the third frame, and trailed 9-3 after the fifth inning before catching fire and battling back for a 14-9 win. Toronto tied the contest in the eighth inning on Dioner Navarros RBI double and Encarnacion highlighted a five-run ninth frame with another three-run homer, his MLB-leading 23rd longball of the year. Juan Francisco had a two-run homer and Brett Lawrie added a solo shot as Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak. "What a ballgame. Those things are some kind of rare," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said on his teams website. "Were down 8-0, youre scrambling, and basically all youre thinking is, How are we going to get through this game with the pitching? Then of course Edwin got us on the board, we had some other action, we kind of held them in check and then we just kind of exploded." Devin Mesoraco and Jay Bruce hit two-run homers in the big second inning for the Reds, and Mesoraco added a run-scoring groundout in the fifth inning, but Cincinnati ended uup losing its second straight game after winning six of seven.dddddddddddd "Fortunately, tonights loss counts as one loss. Unfortunately, it was an ugly loss," Reds manager Bryan Price said on his teams official website. "And that is one of the types of losses that affects everybody." Despite the epic comeback, the Blue Jays hope that starter J.A. Happ can prevent the club from falling behind big again today. Happ has won five of his last seven starts and is coming off a 5-2 victory in Baltimore on Sunday. The left-hander had one of his better outings of the year, allowing one run on seven hits over six innings while striking out six without a walk. Happ, 31, improved to 6-3 with a 4.05 earned run average on the year and is 1-2 lifetime versus the Reds with a 5.64 ERA in five meetings. Looking to right the Reds ship will be Mike Leake, but he will need to put his June struggles behind him to do so. Leake has pitched to an 8.22 ERA in three outings this month, losing the first two before getting plenty of support in a 13-4 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday. The 26-year-old righty needed the help as he allowed four runs on nine hits and three walks in five innings of work. Leake is 4-6 with a 3.80 ERA on the season and lost his only previous start against the Blue Jays on June 17, 2011, though he allowed just three runs over seven innings. Toronto is 9-4 versus Cincinnati dating back to the 2003 campaign. ' ' '