CLEVELAND -- Once he discarded his bat, rounded the bases and tossed his helmet, Michael Brantley was doused with water by his celebrating teammates.
[b]Derrick Nnadi Jersey[/b] . Just like that, a four-game losing streak and a forgettable weekend were washed away. Brantley homered with two outs in the 10th inning off Al Alburquerque, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-4 win over the drowsy Detroit Tigers on Monday night. Brantley connected on a 3-2 pitch from Alburquerque (1-1), driving it into the Tigers bullpen to end Clevelands four-game slide. Brantley held onto his bat until he nearly reached first base, unsure if the ball was going to clear the wall. "I was nervous," Brantley said. "I didnt know what do." After rounding third, Brantley flung his helmet to the side and received a wet welcome home. He was sprayed with bottles of water and then drenched by a bucket dumped over his head during a postgame interview. "It was cold," he said. It was worth it. Brantleys homer warmed the Indians, who have seen errors and losses pile up lately. Over the weekend, they were outscored 30-6 in being swept by Oakland. With the first-place Tigers in town, the Indians couldnt afford to fall any further in the AL Central, and Brantley gave them a dramatic win in the opener. "As long as we win, thats the main thing," manager Terry Francona said. "But the way it ended -- that was great." Scott Atchison (1-0) pitched a perfect 10th, retiring Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez for the first two outs. Detroits J.D. Martinez hit a pinch-hit homer in the ninth off Cody Allen to tie it 4-all, but the Tigers couldnt muster more magic in extra innings. The Tigers, who arrived just three hours before the first pitch because of travel delays from Boston, had their 11-game road winning streak ended. "We knew the game would end at some point, and wed be able to go back and get some sleep," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We were hoping to go back and get some sleep with a win, but it wasnt to be." Rookie Jesus Aguilar had two RBIs for the Indians. Martinez hit his 11th homer for the Tigers, who despite the loss have won 19 of the last 26 against Cleveland. With Detroit two outs from losing its road winning streak, Martinez homered off interim closer Allen to tie it 4-all. Batting for shortstop Andrew Romine, Martinez drove a 1-0 pitch over the wall in centre, just over the glove of leaping outfielder Michael Bourn at the wall. It was Martinezs first homer in 40 at-bats and it came at the perfect time for the sleep-deprived Tigers, who earlier rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie it in the fifth. The Indians took a 4-3 lead in the seventh on Aguilars sacrifice fly. Cleveland badly needed a strong outing, and Corey Kluber came through. The right-hander allowed eight hits and struck out eight in seven innings. He contained the ALs best hitting club and didnt show any fear while pitching inside to Cabrera, who didnt seem pleased with the right-handers challenge. Kluber set the tone early when he started Cabrera off with a high, inside pitch in the first that annoyed baseballs most feared hitter. Cabrera took his time getting back into the batters box as Kluber waited patiently. Cabrera, who came in batting .417 with three homers against Kluber, struck out and then shot a menacing stare toward the right-hander. "I saw him looking at me," Kluber said, "and I just ignored it. You got to keep them honest." The Tigers, who walked into Progressive Field wearing pajama-like travel suits after their long day, tied it 3-3 in the seventh on a two-run double by No. 9 hitter Rajai Davis. Nick Swisher and Aguilar hit RBI singles in the fifth off Detroit starter Drew Smyly, who was the only well-rested Tigers player. He spent Sunday night in Cleveland while his teammates were stuck in Boston, where they were forced to spend an extra night due to mechanical problems with their plane. The Indians went 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position against the Athletics before Swishers base hit. NOTES: Former Tigers manager Jim Leyland watched the game from the press box. Leyland, who retired after last season, is a special assistant to general manager Dave Dombrowski. ... Detroit starters came in with a major league-best 2.64 ERA. ... The Indians plan to activate DH Jason Giambi from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. The 43-year-old has been out with a calf strain since May 5. ... Indians OF Michael Brantley has hit safely in 16 straight home games. ... Indians RHP Trevor Bauer will be recalled to start Tuesdays game against Justin Verlander.
[b]Juan Thornhill Jersey[/b] . Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
[b]Sammy Watkins Jersey[/b] . -- Cole De Vries had a couple of key strikeouts during what could have been the inning that doomed him to defeat against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to escape further damage and keep the game tied up. CALGARY -- With friends and family in the stands, Brayden Schenn had a night to remember. Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. "Its obviously a good building to play in," said Schenn, who hails from nearby Saskatoon. "I had friends and family here. Its obviously nice to have a big night here." Among his cheering section at the Saddledome were his parents Rita and Jeff and sisters Madison and Macy. "My immediate family drove down," explained Schenn, whose older brother Luke also had an assist during the win for the Flyers. "Its nice to have a good game in front of them." The 22-year-old forward also scored one night earlier during Philadelphias 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver over the Canucks to snap a 16-game goalless drought. "I guess that happens to most guys," said Schenn, who played in the Western Hockey League for both the Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. "They go through slumps and they get a little shot of confidence. Tonight, as a line, as a team, as a whole we worked hard. At times there we were obviously playing in our own end a bit, but thats two games in two nights. It was good to come out on top." Philadelphia coach Craig Berube was definitely pleased to see Schenn contribute with goals in back-to-back games. "It helps," Berube said. "Guys that score goals, they lose their confidence when they dont score. You get a goal, it gets you going a little bit. He looked really good tonight." Mark Streit, Scott Hartnell and Braydon Coburn also scored for the Flyers (20-16-4), who have won four straight games and six of their past seven. Wayne Simmonds chipped in with two assists, while goalie Ray Emery made 23 saves to improve his record to 4-7. Rookie Sean Monahan scored the lone goal of the game for the Flames (14-20-6), who have now lost three straight after dropping a pair of 2-0 decisions at home to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday and the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. "Putting the puck in the net gives you confidence and its big for me to put the puck in the net, and that helps the team, but at the end of the day I want to win games," Monahan said. Calgary forward Lee Stempniak, who hasnt recorded a point in 11 straight games, said the Flames have to start believing in themselves again in order to snap their losing streak. "You certainlyy feel a little bit better if youve been scoring, but, to me, thats a little bit of a cop-out," he said.
[b]Tyrann Mathieu Jersey[/b]. "Youve got to take ownership of it and be ready for the next opportunity that comes." Starting his fourth straight game for the Flames, Reto Berra made 17 saves in a losing cause. The game marked the debut of forward Kevin Westgarth, who was acquired by the Flames from the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday in exchange for centre Greg Nemisz. Westgarth played on a line with Joe Colborne and Brian McGratton. "Ive been a healthy scratch for a little bit here and coming and jumping in the game right away is awesome," Westgarth said. "What I want to do is play hockey." Streit put the Flyers up 1-0 at 3:15 of the opening frame when his let go a wrist shot from the point that found its way into the top corner over the outstretched glove of Berra, who was screened by Simmonds and Hartnell on the play. The Flyers continued to pour on the pressure as Streit rang a shot off the post before Brayden Schenn appeared to score to put Philadelphia up 2-0, but the goal was waved off because Hartnell made contact with Berra after taking the initial shot on goal. Monahan tied the game at 1-1 with his first goal in seven games at 14:30 of the second. Monahan skated down the left wing into the Philadelphia zone on a two-on-one with Stempniak. Instead of passing, Monahan fired a shot to the far side into the net over Emerys left pad to end Calgarys goalless drought at 159 minutes 35 seconds. Jakub Voracek then had a chance to regain the lead for the Flyers, but he fell down in the slot and Berra poke checked the puck out of harms way. With 1:29 left in the second, Schenn put Philadelphia back up by one when he spun and fired a shot from the slot past Berra. Hartnell added an insurance marker for the Flyers at 10:14 of the third when he tipped Luke Schenns point shot past Berra. Coburn rounded out the scoring with a late empty-net goal while the Flyers were killing a penalty. Notes: Calgary now has an all-time record of 12-8-3 on games played on New Years Eve. a Heading into Tuesdays game, the Flames had won the last six times they have played on New Years Eve, including a 3-2 win at home over the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 31, 2010. a After playing 6:24 in the first period, Philadelphia forward Matt Read left the game with upper-body injury and didnt return. a The Flyers have now won five straight games at the Saddledome against the Flames. ' ' '
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