Bewerbungen » a doorknob. Try sending a leather ball a

WASHINGTON -- Jordan Zimmermann is staying away from any discussion about whether he should be part of the NL All-Star team, let alone the starting pitcher. Thats fine. His numbers are doing the talking for him. Zimmermann dominated after a shaky start and rookie Anthony Rendon had his third three-hit performance as the Washington Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 on Wednesday night. After surrendering two runs in the first inning, Zimmermann (11-3) held the Diamondbacks scoreless with one hit over his final six innings. He allowed three hits overall, retired the final 10 batters he faced and improved to 13-0 at home dating back to May 17, 2012. The right-hander is tied for the major league lead in wins with Detroits Max Scherzer. In 16 starts, Zimmermann sports a 2.28 ERA. "It means a lot," Zimmermann said about notching his 11th victory. "These guys have given me great run support all year. Im pitching pretty well, too." The NL West-leading Diamondbacks have lost three straight, including the first two games of their current 10-game road trip. Wade Miley (4-7) allowed three runs, including an unearned run in the fifth. Denard Span scored on Ryan Zimmermans double play after Tyler Moores solo homer in the fourth tied the game. Zimmermann struck out four and issued two walks, raising his season total of base on balls to a minuscule 17 in 114 2-3 innings. Arizonas only hit against the Nationals starter after the first inning was Jason Kubels two-out single in the fourth. "He got rolling," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "Got all of his pitches over, put them where he wanted to. We had some borderline balls that we swung at when he got ahead." Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Rafael Soriano closed out the ninth for his 21st save. Soriano allowed a one-out single and issued an intentional walk, but A.J. Pollocks popup ended the game. The Diamondbacks worked Zimmermann hard early, forcing him to throw 28 pitches in the first inning. "I just didnt feel very good in the first couple of innings," said Zimmermann, who has made 20 starts since his last home loss. "I knew I had to have some quick innings. After that and I was able to get a few and get it back to manageable pitches and go seven." As for possibly playing in the midsummer classic on July 16, Zimmermann said, "Im not thinking about that until it comes out and then Ill talk to you guys about it." Rendon had two singles and double in his first three at-bats before a flyout to the wall in the eighth inning. Since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on June 4, he has multihit performances in 10 of 18 games and is batting .392 (29 for 74). Groomed as a third baseman, Rendon is making the transition to second on the big league level, but its the batters box where he is most at-ease. "Thats where I feel the most comfortable," Rendon said. "Thats what Ive been doing my whole life. I like to hit." Miley pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and one walk while striking out four. Arizona starting pitchers are 0-7 since June 5. "Felt good, got in a rhythm a little bit," said Miley, now 0-2 in his last four starts. "Made some mistakes early and they capitalized on it." Span singled off Miley leading off the fifth, advanced to second on a passed ball, moved to third on Rendons third hit and crossed home on Zimmermans double play. After picking up hits in his final three at-bats on Tuesday, Paul Goldschmidt doubled in his first plate appearance against Zimmermann, scoring Aaron Hill from first base after a walk. Martin Prados two-out single plated Goldschmidt and staked Miley to a 2-0 lead in the first before the crowd of 31,172. Zimmerman hit an RBI double in the bottom half. Washingtons third baseman returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Tuesdays series opening win due to discomfort in his surgically repaired right shoulder. NOTES: Playing in the second game of a rehab assignment at Single-A Potomac, Washington OF Bryce Harper went 1 for 3 with a home run. .... Entering as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, Diamondbacks INF Willie Bloomquist injured his left hand after getting hit on a pitch from Clippard. Gibson said the hand immediately swelled and that X-rays were taken after the game. ... Arizona fell to 17-11 in one-run games. ... Moore played in his first game since being activated from the DL on Tuesday. ... Nationals manager Davey Johnson said he hopes injured catcher Wilson Ramos (left hamstring) can return to the active roster by July 4. Ramos has been on the DL since April 14. ... Arizona LHP Patrick Corbin (9-0, 2.28) faces RHP Stephen Strasburg (4-6, 2.40) in Thursdays series finale. Custom North Carolina Tar Heels Jerseys . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Stitched Custom NCAA Shirts . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. http://www.collegecustomjerseyscheap.com/ . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Discount Custom NCAA Shirts . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Custom NCAA Shirts . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Before this Test match, one of the last snapshots of Jeetan Patel in international cricket was that of him on the way to square leg when facing Dale Steyn with the score on 62 for 8 in Port Elizabeth in January 2013. With BJ Watling fighting at the other end on 25. Patel was bowled.If you are a New Zealand cricketer, you are known for making the most out of the limited resources available, through acumen, through spirit and through courage. The last thing you want to be known for in New Zealand is a soft dismissal. The tag just sticks. It is no surprise then that when three-and-a-half years later Patel was remembered again, he had almost given up on wearing that black cap again. Even New Zealand hadnt thought of him until Mark Craig got injured.In this second life, which might not extend to any cricket outside India, Patel first showed improvement as a spin bowler. A wiser and fitter man now, leading wicket-taker in this years county championship, he bowled at an optimum pace for a spinner in Indian conditions without overly sacrificing his length. Ajinkya Rahane said he was the toughest bowler to face on the first day of the Test in which fast bowlers have done most of the wicket-taking. It was with the bat, though, that he had come a full circle. Once again walking out to join that fighter Watling, once again during a collapse, out to face a hat-trick ball in fading light.How was Patel going to react to this déjà vu cricket had given him? He went after the hat-trick ball, but didnt move away from the stumps. Still he came pretty close playing what could be seen as a soft shot in a time of strife. When he drove at the next ball - this one was slightly fuller and hence he connected properly - it seemed like there might have been a plan to look for runs because the pitch was doing too much and might have undone the defence of a No. 9 anyway.Patel had to survive only one more over before the light faded enough for the umpires to take players off the field. This morning, the same intent was clear as he punched the first ball down the ground, between bowler and mid-off for four. Watling kept his vigil going at the other end, and Patel looked to keep scoring. If a drive went gracefully through cover, an edge would fly wide of slips. Once in his 20s, Patel began to rely less on luck and more on finesse.Ravindra Jadejas first ball of the day was driven through cover for four. A sweep for four soon followed. Then came three boundaries in the same Jadeja over. A short ball cut away, two full ones flicked wide of mid-on. He was going with the spin, against the spin, and everything was connecting. With Watling solid at the other end, with runs flowing from Patels end, with Virat Kohli getting increasingly impatient, New Zealand fans would have just started wondering if this side was going to pull off another scarcely believable escape.Cricket was about to play a cruel joke now. Playing back to a ball from Jadeja with flatter trajectory but still on a full length, Patel was caught so plumb he almost started to walk. It turned out Jadejas front foot had failed to stay behind the line, though. This was a man who had bowled three no-balls in 4446 deliveries in Test cricket before this series. It just so happened that Patel caught Jadeja on a streak during which he had just bowled a fourth no-ball in 480 deliveries this series. Cricket was smiling.dddddddddddd. It was giving Patel yet another chance. Cricket was obviously only going to snatch it away again.R Ashwin was Kohlis fourth choice on the day. Perhaps, while others were doing the damage, Kohli wanted to rest the finger of his main weapon; Ashwin has been bowling with some discomfort thanks to a corn on the middle finger of his right hand. Thirteen overs into the days play, Kohli finally went to Ashwin. Jadeja had already bowled four overs for 25 runs. He had been attacked right away. There was no reason to not look to attack Ashwin if Patel got one in his zone. This is how he had got so far, and he now had his eye in.The first ball was full enough, outside off, the seam rotating towards fine leg, an offbreak. Patel looked to play it with the turn, but the ball pitched and almost changed direction. The ball straightening is enough to defeat you once you have committed to a shot, but this one did more than that and lobbed up for an easy catch. A commentator on air wondered if Patel had played a bad shot in his anxiety to get to his fifty - he was three short. It might have looked like that on first viewing, but Patel had been unlucky here. He was playing the way he had played until then, but Ashwins natural variation did him in.****It is quite possible Ashwin didnt know this ball was not going to turn, but he had given it the best opportunity to not turn. Therein lies the skill of Ashwin and Jadeja. Natural variation is a part of the game. You are bowling on soil, over five days, with a leather ball stitched with a hard seam. It wont always behave as expected. India have derived more natural variation simply because they have put themselves in a position to do so. And that has not just come through accuracy. If you look at visiting spinners, the seam position on their offbreaks is at 45 degrees, or one to seven on a clock. Asian finger spinners have the skill to bowl an offbreak with the seam parallel to the ground, or three to nine on the clock. This gives them the possibility of landing the ball on the leather and bringing in the possibility of that variation. If it lands on the seam it turns.It is not a matter of just flipping the seam in the hand and bowling the way Ashwin and Jadeja do. It takes hours of practice and strong wrists. Watch Ashwins instructional video on bcci.tv. His offspinning action is like turning a doorknob. Try sending a leather ball across 22 yards with that action. It is bloody difficult. Both Ashwin and Jadeja can keep doing this seemingly tirelessly. With Ashwin it becomes even more difficult because he doesnt bowl all his balls this way. Sometimes the seam comes out at 45 degrees, sometimes parallel. He bowls the seam-up arm ball. He bowls carrom balls. He bowls them all accurately. Dont undermine the role of drift in Patels dismissal either. Ever since he has sorted his action out, Ashwin gets beautiful drift and dip on his offbreaks.Cricket is a game of luck where you cant leave things to luck. All you do is try your best to eliminate it as a batsman, and try to put yourself in the best position to catch some luck. The more you try to understand it, the more it can drive you to insanity. Sometimes you just sit back and watch the drama. ' ' '