Talk » That nearly yearlong stretch of dominance ended aft

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton has hailed the efforts of star midfield duo Patrick Cripps and Bryce Gibbs after the Blues ended Melbournes AFL finals bid.The Blues outworked the Demons on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak with a 20-point win in slippery conditions at the MCG.Bolton says the win was a reward for his sides perseverance, and dominant displays by Cripps and Gibbs were pivotal.Id particularly like to acknowledge Cripper and Gibb ... both of them had really good contested numbers and clearance numbers, he said.I think in and around the ball, around stoppages, we won that battle in terms of scoring.Cripps finished with 30 possessions, 13 tackles and 12 clearances, and Gibbs with 33 touches, five tackles and eight clearances as the Blues won the clearance count 41-26.Carlton have struggled since captain and midfield prime mover Marc Murphy was sidelined after injuring his ankle in round 10, and Bolton praised the pairs willingness to keep grinding away.Theyve had to shoulder a real burden and to their credit they havent taken a backward step, he said.The occasional quarter or game theyve been a little bit slower. Its hard to be up every game at that level, but well challenge them to do that.The Blues lost Jack Silvagni (soreness) and Sam Kerridge (illness) before the game, but should regain both for their season finale against Essendon. Vapormax Store . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Wholesale Vapormax . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. https://www.cheapvapormaxoutlet.com/ . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Vapormax 2021 . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Fake Vapormax . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. CLEVELAND -- By the time Jake Arrieta threw his first pitch on Tuesday night, the Chicago Cubs were already in control of Game 6. By the time the reigning Cy Young winner gave up his first hit, a leadoff double in the fourth, the Cubs led by seven.I knew that was all we were going to need, Arrieta said.And then some.Keeping the Cleveland Indians off balance for 5 2/3 innings, Arrieta didnt let the massive cushion go to waste. He never does. The pitcher who won all 15 games in which his teammates gave him at least six runs stayed aggressive in a largely drama-free 9-3 victory, just as manager Joe Maddon knew he would when he entrusted Arrieta with the ball and Chicagos season in the balance.Maddon didnt give Arrieta any sort of pep talk. The stakes were obvious. So was the weight of history. Who better to trust than the guy whose rebirth in Chicago has come in lockstep with the clubs rise from cuddly also-rans to blossoming juggernaut?I think Jake likes to shoulder these kind of moments, Maddon said a couple of hours before the game.And own them too.Given an early boost by Chicagos suddenly hot again offense, Arrieta struck out nine and walked three to improve to 2-0 in the World Series.In Game 2, he kept the Indians hitless into the sixth to send the Cubs back to Chicago with things all tied up. Tuesday night he battled occasional control issues to move Chicago within one victory of its first championship in 108 years. Even after needing 102 pitches to get 17 outs, he plans to be in the bullpen just in case.Ill definitely be available if outs are needed, Arrieta said. Last game of the year, Game 7 of the World Series. Everybodys pretty much available tomorrow.The only tense moment came after Jason Kipnis scored on Mike Napolis RBI single with one out in the fourth. Arrieta hit Lonnie Chisenhall with a pitch and walked Coco Crisp to load the bases.Just as it appeared Arrieta was on the brink of letting the Indians back in it, he recovered. When Tyler Naquin swung and missed on a 1-2 pitch, the Cubs were out of danger and on their way.Its those bouts of temporary wildness thhats taken just a bit off the edge that made Arrieta so unhittable during his Cy Young winning run in 2015, when he practically carried Chicagos pitching staff in the second half as the Cubs locked down a playoff spot and eventually made it all the way to the NLCS before falling to the New York Mets.dddddddddddd.Arrietas 16 wild pitches led the National League and his 76 walks marked a career high during a year in which he went 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA and made the All-Star team. Its a great season by just about any measure, except when the measure is Arrietas 2015 when he led the majors in wins (22), ERA (1.77) and shutouts (three).That nearly yearlong stretch of dominance ended after the All-Star break. He went just 6-4 over the seasons final 10 weeks and his ERA in September was a mediocre 4.68. His two starts before the World Series were both Chicago losses, one to San Francisco in the Division Series in which he pitched well and another to the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he did not.Arrieta saw his spot as the teams ace vanish too with Jon Lester getting the nod in Game 1 of the World Series and Kyle Hendricks -- who will start Game 7 -- leading the majors with a 2.13 ERA.Yet the prospect of living up to the outsize expectations Arrieta set for himself hardly seem to bother him. He spent Monday taking his two kids trick-or-treating. A day later, he looked at ease silencing the non-Cubs portion of Progressive Field. The only Indian he struggled with in the Series was Kipnis, who went 3 for 5 against him. The rest of the Indians combined to go 2 for 34.By the time Maddon came out to take the ball from Arrieta following a two-out walk in the sixth, the loud Chicago contingent behind the Cubs dugout gave him a rousing ovation.The dream of ending a championship drought that extends back more than a century is very much alive thanks in part to the well-bearded right-hander who makes up in tenacity what he sometimes lacks in polish.Just like his team. ' ' '