Dein erstes Forum » Redskins in position to still challenge for a

SAN FRANCISCO — Two teams expecting key pitchers to be ready for their regular duties clash Saturday afternoon when the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants lock horns for the third time in their four-game series.

The clubs have split the first two games http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-irv-smith-jr.-jersey , with the Cardinals doing pretty much all the hitting in an 11-2 shellacking on Thursday night, before the Giants got the better of a pitchers’ duel in a 3-2 victory on Friday.

Two days after watching Johnny Cueto get rocked in his return from the disabled list, Jeff Samardzija is expected to make his first start for the Giants since May 29.

Samardzija (1-4, 6.56) struggled through pectoral and shoulder soreness in April and May before being shelved.

“I always willed myself through little injuries and pains here and there along the way,” Samardzija told SFGate.com. “I thought with a little break, I’d be fine. It just ended up being an uphill battle the whole time. We feel back to normal.”

He pitched well against the Cardinals last season, allowing a total of one run and seven hits in 15 innings in two starts, striking out 17.

He didn’t get a decision in either game, both of which the Giants won.

Samardzija has faced the Cardinals 23 times in his career, 12 times as a starter, and has a 4-4 record with a 3.68 ERA.

The veteran’s return means the Giants will have their three top guns — Madison Bumgarner Alexander Mattison Jersey , Cueto and Samardzija — in the rotation at the same time for the first time this season.

Samardzija will be opposed by Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez (5-4, 3.20), who is coming off consecutive strong outings against Cleveland and Arizona, giving up a total of four runs in 12 innings in a pair of wins.

He will be pitching in San Francisco for just the second time in his career, having allowed one run in five innings in a Cardinals win in 2014.

Martinez is 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in his career against the Giants in five games, including three starts.

The 26-year-old has dominated his head-to-heads with several of the Giants’ top hitters, including Buster Posey (1-for-9, .111) and Andrew McCutchen (7-for-39, .179). McCutchen delivered the eventual game-winning hit in Friday’s San Francisco win.

St. Louis welcomed back Paul DeJong from the DL on Friday and he responded immediately with a hit and scored both of the Cardinals’ runs.

The standout second baseman had been out for seven weeks with a fractured hand.

The Cardinals didn’t have closer Bud Norris available to them in the first two games of the series after he experienced pain in his right index finger in Arizona on Wednesday.

Norris, a San Francisco Bay Area native, underwent an MRI on Friday and was cleared to remain on the active roster.

He threw a side session before Friday’s game and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny announced he would be available to pitch on Saturday.

“At this point in this season http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dru-samia-jersey , we’re going to get every look at every guy we can,” Matheny said of recent roster shuffling that included the return outfielder Dexter Fowler from the DL on Thursday. “Whenever they get a runny nose, I think we’ll have two different doctors check it out. It’s that kind of year. Be cautious when we can.”

Fowler hasn’t started either game in the series, but is a candidate to play Saturday based on his five career extra-base hits, including a home run, in 33 at-bats against Samardzija.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Redskins have lost four in a row, are down to their fourth quarterback and are mired in criticism from several players.A once-promising season has gone off the rails thanks to injuries on the offense and blown assignments and missed tackles on defense. The finger-pointing is well underway on a team that has fallen to 6-7 and there is plenty of blame to go around.Defensive backs Josh Norman and D.J. Swearinger were outspoken after the latest loss, linebacker Mason Foster vented his frustration in a private social media message that came to light and it’s becoming clear there’s a disconnect between players and coaches. While the 2017 season could be written off for injuries, everyone from team President Bruce Allen to coach Jay Gruden and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky could be in danger of losing his job.“If anyone’s going to have to take the fall, it’s going to have to be all of us — everyone in this building Daniel Jones Jersey ,” tight end Vernon Davis said Wednesday. “Everyone is just going to have to take accountability for it.”Gruden said his “job is in jeopardy every week,” so his focus is getting the team ready to face Jacksonville on Sunday. He and some players were quick to point out Washington is only a half-game out of a playoff spot, so the season is far from over.That itself is remarkable.The Redskins’ defense that ranked first in the NFL early in the season is now 20th, Alex Smith and Colt McCoy each suffered broken right legs and quarterback Josh Johnson is making his first start since 2011. Injuries have again played a role in this freefall, which points to personnel decisions made Allen, Gruden, senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams and the rest of the front office.And even though he got an extension through 2020, Gruden is the eighth coach to work under owner Dan Snyder and is on the hot seat after just one playoff appearance in his first four seasons.“Sometimes it’s hard not to think about it because of course you’re going to get asked about it,” said running back Chris Thompson, who expressed his support for Gruden and the rest of the coaching staff. “I really don’t want to think about that too much. We got three more games to go and at this point anything could happen and then the decisions that are made upstairs, we can’t really control that stuff.”The Redskins can control their practice habits Ed Oliver Jersey , an area Swearinger has been critical of the past two seasons. He has raised questions about the team’s lack of preparation, a problem that has bubbled up and caused inconsistency.“I can’t tell you what needs to be changed. I ain’t the coach,” Swearinger said after a 40-16 loss to the Giants on Sunday. “We ain’t executing. We ain’t getting the job done. That’s the answer they want me to give.”Norman said he wasn’t going to blame the injury-ravaged offense or make excuses for the four-game skid. And it’s impossible to pinpoint one source of all the losing.“There’s a lot of things when you’re talking about losing a football game,” Gruden said. “If we had it narrowed down to one thing, we’d fix it and be OK. Sometimes it’s defense, sometimes it’s offense, sometimes it’s special teams, sometimes it’s coaching. It’s a combination. So it’s a matter of all of us having to step up in some key players’ absences and playing better and we haven’t done that.”Foster cursing the team and its fan base in a private message on Instagram was just the latest development in a quickly unraveling season. Gruden and Foster’s teammates brushed it off, citing the veteran’s contributions on the field.The bigger problem is the defense as a whole isn’t getting the job done.“I know for me personally the wear and tear and the grind of the season, mentally you start to just lose a little bit of focus and it’s natural,” defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “It’s a long season http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-cody-ford-jersey , so naturally you’re going to fall off in certain areas, and that’s the goal to not fall off.”Beating the Jaguars and getting help around the league could put the Redskins in position to still challenge for a playoff spot. In the midst of all the frustration, veteran running back Adrian Peterson wants everyone to realize the season isn’t over.“We’re only half a game out,” Peterson said. “When they show the playoff picture on ESPN, we’re there.”NOTES: TE Jordan Reed (right foot/ankle), WR Josh Doctson (concussion protocol) and DL Matt Ioannidis (shin) were among the players who didn’t practice Wednesday. … Gruden shortened practice to under 90 minutes amid his team’s injuries.