somewhat of a good note and get the guys swinging heading into tomorrow

The team with the hottest bats in the American Association were held virtually silent on Monday night. Five hits is all the Winnipeg Goldeyes (3-2) could manage in a 7-3 loss to the Laredo Lemurs (3-2) at Uni-Trade Stadium. Heading into the game, the Goldeyes led the American Association with a .323 batting average. The loss puts a halt to Winnipegs three-game winning streak. Laredo jumped on Goldeyes starting pitcher Chris Salamida by scoring a run in the first inning. Salamida was able to get out of further trouble by striking out John Alonso and getting JP Ramirez to ground out with runners on the second and third base. The Lemurs extend the lead to 4-0 with two runs in the fourth and one run in the sixth. "He didnt have his best stuff tonight," Goldeyes pitching coach Jamie Vermilyea said of Salamida on the Jewel 101 post-game show. "He wasnt throwing strike one and youre going to struggle when you dont do that. That kind of dictated the game." Winnipeg finally got on the board in the top of the seventh inning when third baseman Ryan Pinedas sac fly scored right fielder Josh Mazzola from third. Laredo restored the four-run cushion with a Travis Denker solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and added two more runs an inning later. The Goldeyes scored twice in the top of the ninth inning on a double from left fielder Donnie Webb and another sac fly from Pineda. "Its good to finish on somewhat of a good note and get the guys swinging heading into tomorrow," Vermilyea said. "Hopefully we can start scoring a little earlier tomorrow than we did today." Lemurs starter Sean Tracey picked up the win for Laredo, while Salamida had his record fall to 0-2. Mazzola and first baseman Casey Haerther each had a pair hits to lead Winnipeg. Webb was the only other member of the Goldeyes to register a hit. The Goldeyes are now 1-3 all-time in Laredo. The two sides meet again in Laredo on Tuesday night. Carter Kieboom Jersey . Howard hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. Erick Fedde Jersey . -- One shot came out of bottom of a cactus, the other from the base of a desert bush with rocks scattered around it. https://www.cheapnationals.com/ . Carey Price made 27 saves for Montreal (30-21-6) for his fourth shutout of the year and second in four games. David Desharnais added an empty netter for the Canadiens. Reto Berra stopped 25 shots for Calgary (21-28-7). Austin Voth Nationals Jersey . Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, Nowitzki was another of seven Dallas players in double figures with 11 points and the Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-104 Tuesday night. Hunter Strickland Nationals Jersey . Nick Holden scored two goals and had an assist and the Avalanche held off the Nashville Predators 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.A running back is like a city bus. If you miss one, just wait five more minutes and another will come along. This rather harsh maxim is something thats been said on many a draft day of the position. It reflects the mindset of a pro football team that there are so many talented players at that spot, it should be relatively easy to find a replacement should one go down with an injury or retire. The Toronto Argonauts are hoping thats the case because Chad Kackert has been forced to step away from his starting job after breaking his lower leg in a non-contact practice just before last years Eastern Final. Replacing a back of his talent will not, despite the adage, be easy. Sporting a lengthy vertical scar on the outside of his left leg, starting just above the top of his shoe, Kackert said he found out a couple of days ago that camp would be a no go. "I expected to come back and be on IR (injured reserve)," said Kackert, "but I understand the circumstance of the league. I dont want a handout, I dont want to come onto a team and just take a paycheque while Im sitting around not helping anybody."Kackert has been named the teams strength and conditioning coach and was in attendance as the Argos opened their full camp at York University on Sunday. "Im going to rehab. I mean I want my leg to get better...who wants to walk around on a gimp leg for the rest of their life?" continued the 27-year-old. "If its sooner rather than later then Ill reevaluate, but as of right now Im going to get my leg better and I going to coach this team as far as strength and conditioning goes." If Kackerts career is over it was certainly an eventful one. He was named the starting running back in 2012 amid a firestorm of controversy when Cory Boyd, the leagues leading rusher at the time, was unceremoniously cut by the club during the bye week. Kackert took over and led the team to the 100th Grey Cup, where he was named the games Most Outstanding Player. Scott Milanovich benefited from Kackerts play, but now the head coach must carry on without him, something that he was prepared for. "I wasnt expecting him to be here (at camp) as a player," said Milanovich. "It was a very serious injury, particularly with his style of play, using his quickness and his speed so we were planning all along, to unfortunately have to replace him." The coach underscored the importance of Kackerts role on the team, not only on the field, but in the locker room, where his intangibles will still be present in his new coaching role. On the field, life goes on. The Argos currently have six other tailbacks in camp. Canadians Anthony Woodson and Brendan Gillanders would be long shots to start. Another Canadian, this years first-round draft pick Anthony Coombs, is "absolutely" a possibility to be the starter, according to the coach.dddddddddddd. The other three are Americans. Steve Slaton is a former starter with the Houston Texans who was a Heisman Trophy finalist with West Virginia, Jeremiah Johnson is a one-time star at Oregon, while Curtis Steele is back for another year. Steele saw some game action last season when Kackert was injured. His best game was against B.C., when he rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Milanovich says that experience will help him in his quest to become the starter, although the competition is wide open. "Curtis has an advantage because hes been here and hes been in the offence," said the coach. "It could be any of those guys at this point." Steele took reps with the first team on Sunday, something he may not have envisioned because he didnt find out about the severity of his teammates injury until the night before camp opened. Like Kackert said about his paycheque, Steele doesnt want anything handed to him. "It just means that you have to come here and work even harder," Steele told TSN.ca. "I thought Kack was going to be back this year, now (the starting spot) is up for grabs. Every day counts, every rep counts, so you just have to come out and give it your all." Its been an interesting calendar year for the University of Memphis product, who got his first taste of the Canadian game, before getting married in April. How much did last years experience help him prepare for this opportunity? "It was huge," said Steele. "I learned so much last year. The plays (this year) are coming to me faster, Im doing less thinking, and thats what I was aiming for for this year. I dont want to think as much so I can just feel comfortable and just make plays and just play." Coombs is the wild card here. A decade ago a Canadian would be a long shot to start at running back, but with two of the leagues best backs, Jon Cornish and Andrew Harris, being Canadian, the adage that a home-grown product wasnt talented enough to play that position has been proven to be a myth. Can the University of Manitoba product continue the trend? He knows he has a lot of work to do. "Things go a lot quicker in the backfield and you have to stay patient. You have to stay calm and focus on your steps and your aiming point and make your read and go. Once I get comfortable with that I think the skys the limit." He quickly added something about the passing game that will make his coaching staff and quarterback smile ear to ear. "We (the backs) are more concerned with the protection because if you cant protect Ricky Ray, you wont be running no routes (laughs) so thats the first thing." With the "Kack Attack" gone, the battle to replace him becomes one of the more interesting subplots to an already fascinating training camp. ' ' '