Morgensterns injuries were not life-threatening
Posté: Lun Oct 31, 2016 10:30 amNEW YORK -- Daisuke Matsuzaka pinched his eyelids, clenched his teeth and thought back. He couldnt remember all the details of the first save of his professional career. After 123 starts during seven seasons in Major League Baseball, the 33-year-old right-hander was turned into a reliever by the New York Mets when they brought him up from the minor leagues on April 16. Eight days later, manager Terry Collins took a chance -- a roll of the Dice-K? -- and Matsuzaka responded with a perfect ninth inning Thursday to cap a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He hadnt saved a game since May 2000, his second season with the Seibu Lions of Japans Pacific League, when he struck out four during the final three innings of a 9-0 win at the Chiba Lotte Marines. "Its definitely different," he said through a translator, "but I think Im starting to get used to going from the bullpen." Chris Young homered to start New Yorks comeback from a 1-0, fifth-inning deficit, slumping Curtis Granderson singled in a run as a pinch hitter and Daniel Murphy drove in two runs. Bartolo Colon (2-3) allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked none, sending Lance Lynn to his first career loss in April. Matsuzaka, who completed a four-pitcher, four-hitter, was a rookie of the year in Japan in 1999, MVP as his national team won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and was given a $52 million, six-year contract by the Boston Red Sox after they paid Seibu $51,111,111.11 for his rights. Matsuzaka went 15-12 in his first season with the Red Sox and 18-3 in his second, but he injured a hip during the 2009 WBC and was never the same, hurting his arm and eventually needing elbow ligament-replacement surgery. He was just 50-37 for the Red Sox and signed a minor league contract in February 2013 with Cleveland, which released him in August. Then he joined the Mets, started seven games and signed a minor league deal with New York, which initially sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas this spring. But when Bobby Parnells season ended with a torn elbow ligament on opening day, the Mets had to scramble to restock their bullpen. Jose Valverde struggled as the closer and Kyle Farnsworth took over the role. Manager Terry Collins wanted to give the 38-year-old Farnsworth a rest after three appearances in four days. "I just said this is a good opportunity to see how Dice handles it," Collins explained, "and he did well." In a 15-pitch outing, Matsuzaka retired Allen Craig on a lineout to right after falling behind 3-1, struck out Daniel Descalso in an eight-pitch at-bat and got Peter Bourjos on a game-ending foulout to the catcher. "Before, I never really thought I would be able to pitch out of the bullpen because I just take so long to prepare," Matsuzaka said. "I think I just have to keep pitching well to gain full confidence from the team, but I think having had a few opportunities in tight situations definitely is encouraging." Collins said Farnsworth, who has two saves, remains his first-choice closer but Matsuzuka may receive more ninth-inning opportunities. His preparation, which includes lengthy stretching, will have to change. "If hes going to pitch the back end of the game, be it the eighth, the ninth, somewhere in there," the manager said, "I dont want him to wear himself out in the fifth inning, at 8:15. I want him to kind of save something." Dice-K said its as much mental as physical. "Just to comfort myself, I think I throw more than I probably have to," he said. New York also gave 40-year-old right fielder Bobby Abreu hit first big league start since July 25, 2012. Abreu went 1 for 3 with an opposite-field double to left in the fifth -- his first hit with the Mets. "Its been a long time," he said. "It was kind of exciting. At first I had to calm down my emotions and just go out there and play the game." New York took three of four from the defending NL champions and has won four of five overall. St. Louis lost for the sixth time in nine games and has gone 291 at-bats without a home run since Allen Craig connected at Milwaukee off Wily Peralta on April 16. Lynn (4-1) had been 12-0 through April in his big league career, including one March victory. But given a fifth-inning lead, he allowed the Mets to tie the score in the bottom half and go ahead 2-1 on Murphys RBI double in the sixth, a ball that dropped just in front of diving centerfielder Jon Jay. Lynn was chased in a two-run seventh after Eric Young Jr. bunted and reached on a two-base error when the pitcher threw off first baseman Matt Adams glove and into right field. Granderson had been 2 for 20 against left-handers this year before he greeted Kevin Siegrist with an RBI single, and Murphy singled in the final run. "Weve been home six days in the past 2 1/2 months," Lynn said. "I think a lot of people are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds." NOTES: With hitters on both teams complaining about plate umpire Alan Porters wide strike zone on a blustery afternoon, New York batters struck out 10 times, raising their total to 213 and passing Miami (203) for the major league lead. ... Zack Wheeler (1-2) starts Fridays series opener at home against Miamis Henderson Alvarez (1-2). Andrew Cashner Jersey . Kerber will next play Estonias Kaia Kanepi, who beat American qualifier Victoria Duval 6-1, 6-3. In other first-round matches, Lucie Safarova beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-4 and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands had a 6-4, 6-3 win over Canadas Eugenie Bouchard. Yellow Ozzie Smith Jersey . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. http://www.mlbpadresstore.com/authentic-ozzie-smith-padres-jersey/ . Before that, Rousey needed a total 23 minutes and 26 seconds to take care of her last eight opponents - and one of those fights lasted 10 minutes and 58 seconds. Alexei Ramirez Padres Jersey . Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidics header in the 58th minute. Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. Alexei Ramirez Jersey .Fiji striker Roy Krishna scored in the 14th minute to give Wellington its fourth win, along with a draw, from its past five matches, putting the Phoenix fourth but only a point behind third-placed Adelaide.TAUPLITZ, Austria -- Three-time Olympic ski jump champion Thomas Morgenstern of Austria suffered skull injuries and a bruised lung in a ski flying crash on Friday, 30 days before the opening event at the Sochi Games. The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday. The individual competition on the normal hill in Sochi is scheduled for Feb. 8, with the large hill on Feb. 15 and the team event on Feb. 17. Morgenstern won Olympic gold in the individual competition and the team event in 2006, and again in the team event four years later. Morgensterns injuries were not life-threatening, head of clinic Josef Obrist told the Austria Press Agency. "He has a serious injury and he has to be monitored fulltime," said Obrist, adding that Morgenstern was responsive and gave clear answers. The 27-year-old Morgenstern crashed while training for this weekends ski flying World Cup. During his second jump of the day, he lost his balance in the air, turned over to the left and landed on his back and head. He briefly lost consciousness but was able to speak shortly afterward. "Fortunately he was responsive, Thomas can move arms aand legs.dddddddddddd Thats very important," team physician Herbert Leitner said. "He asked me what happened." Morgenstern received first aid on the hill and was flown by helicopter to the hospital, head coach Alexander Pointner said. "We can only hope for the best," Pointner said. "This really hurts because we are all very close. Thomas is the heart of this team." Earlier Friday, Morgenstern jumped 196.5 metres in his flawless first training run on the Kulm, one of the five largest ski flying hills in the world. His second attempt was disturbed as his skis made contact in the air, the federations sport director, Ernst Vettori, said. "He didnt make a mistake at his jump but the ends of his skis touched each other which threw him offline," said Vettori, a 1992 Olympic ski jump champion. Its the second big crash for Morgenstern in the Olympic season. He crashed into the snow following a jump at the World Cup in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany, on Dec. 15. That crash came one day after Morgenstern had won his first World Cup event in almost two years. He suffered several bruises, face cuts and a broken finger from that mishap, but recovered quickly and finished runner-up to Austrian teammate Thomas Diethart in the Four Hills Tour last week. Morgenstern, who has won 23 individual World Cup events and took the overall title in 2008 and 2011, won the prestigious Four Hills title three years ago. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '