Die Macht » Pederson walked and stole second

PHOENIX -- Dave Joerger is off to a winning start with the Sacramento Kings.The Kings gave the former Memphis coach a 113-94 season-opening victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, led by 24 points from DeMarcus Cousins and 22 from Rudy Gay.The Kings won an opener for the first time in three years and gave Joerger a victory in his Sacramento debut.The Kings used an 18-1 run from its second unit to take control in the first half and was up by as many as 26 points in the third quarter.First we kind of came out a little rusty,. Cousins said. The second group came in with incredible energy and really opened the game up and really got energy going. Basically, there was no looking back from there.Joerger brings a defensive mindset to the Kings.They got after it on defense, Joerger said of his second unit in the big run. The key for our defense is to set it. We executed offensively and didnt turn it over. When we did that, we were able to set our defense. `Gay said the Kings are buying in.Were helping each other, Gay said. That was one of the things at camp we worked on. We have to help each other and play as a team.Devin Booker, plagued by foul trouble, scored 18 points for the Suns. Eric Bledsoe added 16 and T.J. Warren had 14. Dragan Bender, the 18-year-old fourth overall pick in this years draft, scored 10 points for Phoenix, all in the second half.Weve got some adjustments to do, said Bledsoe, in his first game since injuring his knee last December. They went on a run, we could never bounce back from it. Its the first game.A lineup featuring all three Phoenix draft picks -- first-rounders Bender and Marquese Chriss and second-rounder Tyler Ulis -- got the Suns back within 10. Bender hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter and Chriss scored inside to slice it to 86-76 with 9:07 to play.It was fun to watch, Suns coach Earl Watson said. Dragan came in and gave us great minutes. Marquese is Marquese. I think the biggest surprise out of the second unit was Tyler. His defense on the ball was aggressive and we need that energy.But Gay scored seven points and Matt Barnes had five in a 12-1 outburst to put the Kings back firmly in control 98-77.Sacramentos reserves dominated their Phoenix counterparts to give the Kings their big first-half lead.Ben McLemore scored six points and Garrett Temple and Willie Cauley Stein added four apiece in a 16-1 run to end the first quarter, with the Kings leading 30-19. Anthony Tolliver made a 6-foot floater to open the second quarter to make it an 18-1 run and a 32-19 lead.Temples 17-footer with 2.8 seconds left in the half gave Sacramento its biggest lead of the game thus far, 57-39.KIDS CORPSWhen Bender entered the game in the third quarter, Phoenix became the first team to have three teenagers appear in a game. Chriss is 19 and Booker barely made it. He turns 20 on Sunday.McCOY HONOREDSuns owner Robert Sarver took the microphone and told Suns longtime broadcaster Al McCoy that he would be added to the Ring of Honor on March 3. The 83-year-old McCoy has been the Suns radio announcer for 40 seasons.TIP-INSKings: Cousins scored 10 straight Sacramento points in the third quarter. ... Sacramento last won a season opener in 2013, beating the Denver Nuggets.Suns: The Suns won 23 games last season, second-worst record in the teams 48-year history. ... Phoenix has missed the playoffs the last six seasons. ... Chriss drew a flagrant foul with 5:37 left in the third quarter. ... Booker got in early foul trouble and had a brief shoving match with Cousins in the second quarter.UP NEXTKings: Play their home opener Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs.Suns: Travel to Oklahoma City for the Thunders home opener on Friday night. New England Patriots Gear . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. New England Patriots Pro Shop . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Patriots Jerseys 2020 . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Cheap Patriots Jerseys . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. ST. LOUIS -- The Los Angeles Dodgers gave St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Mike Mayers one of the worst major league debuts ever.Adrian Gonzalez hit a grand slam and Howie Kendrick added a two-run homer while the Dodgers exploded for nine runs in the first two innings off Mayers and held on for a 9-6 win over the Cardinals on a hot, muggy Sunday night.Mayers lasted 1 1/3 innings and became the first pitcher to allow nine or more runs with fewer than two innings pitched in his debut since at least 1913.Sometimes, it can be more difficult when you have a young kid out there you dont know anything about, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. So for us to get on him earlier and the home run early there by Adrian was big. To see that power surge come was a big boost for us. To tack on another three in the next inning was big for us.Then we basically held on.Scott Kazmir (9-3) pitched five innings to earn the victory. He allowed three runs on six hits.Those first two innings were a battle, Kazmir said. I didnt have a feel for my breaking ball at all. I didnt have a grip. I was about to get some outs. It was tough out there. I was drenched coming out of the bullpen.After a rainout earlier in the week forced a doubleheader, the Cardinals decided not to start Carlos Martinez on short rest and called up Mayers, 24, from Triple-A Memphis for a spot start. St. Louis was the last team in the majors to use a pitcher not in their starting five this season.Mayers threw 62 pitches and gave up nine runs on eight hits, including two home runs, with about 35 family members and friends on hand. His ERA is 60.75.I thought I did a pretty good job with the first two batters and then it felt like it snowballed on me, Mayers said. I felt like that was the probably the hardest part, just slow the game down. I definitely need to do a much better job of that.St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he felt for his starting rookie.He was amped up for sure. Every kid thats picked up a baseball, thats their dream to be in that kind of situation and I thought he had pretty good composure overall, Mayers said. I thought he was in the zone a good bit but he was so amped up maybe he was overthrowing his off-speed pitches a little where he couldnt put guys away.Kenley Jansen got his 29th save in 34 opportunities with a spotless ninth.The Dodgers scored six runs in a 45-pitch first inning.Mayers loaded the bases on two singles annd a walk.dddddddddddd Gonzalez crushed a fastball 427 feet to center for his fifth career grand slam and first since Aug. 26, 2010. After a double by Kendrick, Mayers struck out Yasmani Grandal and got a nice ovation from the crowd. With two outs, Joc Pederson walked and stole second. Kazmir singled up the middle for the final two runs and his first RBI of the year.Matt Holliday doubled home a run in the first. It was the first run scored in the first inning by St. Louis since July 3.After Los Angeles chased Mayers in the second with three more runs, Tommy Pham cut the Dodgers advantage to 9-3 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.Four St. Louis relievers combined for 7 2/3 scoreless innings.In the seventh, Los Angeles failed to score despite four walks.Dodgers reliever Adam Liberatore allowed three runs in the seventh inning. It was the first runs hes allowed since May 20 -- a span that covers 29 games. He had pitched scoreless relief in 41 of his previous 42 games this year.HOT HOT HOTThe temperature at the start of the game was 96 degrees.TRANSACTIONSDodgers: Los Angeles called up RHP Ross Stripling from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned LHP Grant Dayton, who threw two scoreless innings in his debut on Friday night. The Dodgers needed a fresh arm after using 17 pitchers in the previous two games.Cardinals: To make room on the teams 25-man roster for Mayers, St. Louis optioned RHP Miguel Socolovich to Memphis following Saturdays game. Socolovich made two relief appearances while in St. Louis.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: RF Yasiel Puig (right hamstring) did not start for the third straight game.Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this week. Carpenter, sidelined since July 6 with a strained right oblique, took swings in the outdoor batting cage and ran the bases Sunday.UP NEXTDodgers: On Tuesday, Bud Norris (5-9, 4.56) will square off against Tampa Bays Chris Archer (5-13, 4.60). Norris last start was July 20, but he pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief during Fridays 16-inning game against St. Louis and took the loss.Cardinals: Martinez (9-6, 2.83) faces the New York Mets Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.43). Martinez logged seven innings in a 4-2 win over San Diego in his last start despite suffering a bloody nose. ' ' '