find the middle pings even when the grain wavers and the knots spoil the finish

BALTIMORE -- Michael Brantley took care of the offence, and Clevelands bullpen did the rest. Brantley homered and had four RBIs, and the Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 Monday night for their ninth win in 12 games. Brantley put the Indians ahead with a two-run single in the sixth inning, and Clevelands relievers made the lead stand up by throwing 3 2-3 innings of one-hit ball. "Our bullpen was phenomenal," manager Terry Francona said. Just for good measure, Brantley made it 5-2 with a two-run shot in the eighth off Darren ODay. His four RBIs tied a career high, reached twice previously. Nick Swisher had two hits and scored a run for the Indians, and former Oriole Mark Reynolds went 1 for 2 with two walks. The victory improved Clevelands record against the AL East to 7-17 and provided an uplifting start to an 11-game road trip. Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4) allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings before Rich Hill, Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith combined for 2 2-3 innings of hitless relief. Vinnie Pestano wrapped it up by working the ninth for his fourth save. Hill came in with a 7.58 ERA, but retired all three batters he faced. "When Rich Hill pitches like that, it complements our whole bullpen," Francona said. "Hes thrown the ball pretty good the last few times out. Getting him on a roll will really help our bullpen." Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles, who have lost four straight. Zach Britton (1-2) allowed only two hits through five innings and took a 2-0 lead into the sixth before faltering. He left before getting an out and with Baltimore trailing 3-2. "Just elevated some balls, lost his command," manager Buck Showalter said. "I thought he pitched well for five innings but different stuff showed up there in the sixth." Jason Kipnis led off with a double and scored on a single by Swisher. Carlos Santana followed with a double to put runners at second and third, and after Reynolds received an intentional walk, Brantley grounded a single up the middle to chase Britton. "Early in the game I was able to make pitches with guys on base, executing a little bit better," Britton said. "I think I was trying to do too much after that leadoff double and things kind of escalated right there." Brantley understood why the Orioles walked Reynolds to get to him. "Obviously, they were playing strategy," he said. "Left-hander on the mound and Im a left-handed hitter. I just wanted to make sure I did what I could for my team, get that run in from third. I was lucky to get a single up the middle." Brantley iced it in the eighth with his fifth homer after a leadoff single by Reynolds. "The pitch was middle-inside, kind of down," Brantley said. "I was able to get a good swing on it. I just stayed through it the best I could. At the time, it was a big swing, and the pitching staff ... came in and closed the door." After being swept in a three-game series in Toronto, the Orioles hoped a return to Camden Yards would reverse their slide. But their only offence came on two swings of the bat. After Markakis put Baltimore up 1-0 in the first inning with his eighth home run, the Orioles left the bases loaded in the second and stranded two runners in the third. Wieters led off the fourth with his 10th home run to end an 0-for-13 skid and make it 2-0. NOTES: The Orioles optioned RHP Freddy Garcia to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for rookie Kevin Gausman, who was added to the bullpen. Garcia can refuse the assignment and become a free agent. Gausman is a candidate to start Friday against the Yankees. ... Cleveland recalled LHP T.J. House from Triple-A Columbus and optioned RHP Carlos Carrasco to the same minor league club. ... Francona said SS Asdrubal Cabrera (right quad strain) has been taking grounders and running the bases, and could soon be activated from the DL. ... Cleveland closer Chris Perez (rotator cuff) is expected to make another rehab appearance in the minors before the Indians consider activating him. ... Baltimores Ryan Flaherty had two hits and is 10 for 22 in his last six games. ... Baltimores Chris Tillman (8-2) and Clevelands Justin Masterson (9-5), the winningest pitchers on their respective teams, square off Tuesday night. ... Kipnis has reached base in 26 straight games. ... Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy will see a specialist Tuesday because of lingering pain in his forearm. Wholesale Shoes ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Vans Shoes Sale . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/nmd-sale/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Wholesale Shoes Cheap . LOUIS -- St. Yeezy 700 Sale . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. With an empty Coke can, a plastic bottle, or even just a stone, we used to play football. Drop down a pair of jumpers for goalposts and you have an instant pitch in classrooms, corridors, and even the little patio at my grandmas house, where I played epic matches against my sister. To form a basic game of football cost absolutely nothing. And yes, cricket too: with improvised bats from bits of wood and balls shaped from scrunched-up paper. You can pretend to be a national legend when stroking a sphere of rubbish along the floor with a rolled-up umbrella.However, if you actually take the field and formally upgrade, the financial costs of playing football and cricket rapidly diverge.Ask Durham, relegated from top-flight cricket because they couldnt balance their books.Ask mum and dad when their son or daughter picks up a bat.Ask the club cricketer walking to the crease on a Saturday afternoon, where the rising price of playing is at its most extortionate. Before even being picked for his team, the treasurer will have asked for his annual subs, and while not as wallet-emptying as joining a golf club, these could be anything from ￡100 upwards, along with a weekly match fee - the last time I played league cricket, this was ￡15 a game.Still, our amateur is eager, and he has paid his bills and is striding to the middle. Depending on whether he wants his boots to fall apart before he scores that century, or he rightly understands that his feet are precious - my dad once broke his ankle darting for a quick single when one set of spikes stuck and the others slipped - and need support, he could have forked out anything from ￡20 for a pair of clodhoppers to ￡125 for a pair of cutting- edge Asics that promise to help him run quicker between the wickets.Inside this boot is a sock - white, because no one rates a player wearing any other colour. And for a day standing in the field this sock might include ventilation channels and be constructed from choice Merino wool and polypropylene to wick away moisture and set you back ￡10-￡15 a pair. And unless youre a cricket brute who thinks its okay to take guard in a pair of chinos, youll be wearing whites: a shirt and pair of trousers that may or may not be included in your team subs.Youre dressed for the sport and youve paid to be on the pitch. Now you need protection.Before pads, the Gentlemen and Players of yesteryear would suffer gangrene from cricket-ball welts. So you don modern leg guards that make you look like a stormtrooper, especially in addition to that brand new helmet, the second one you have bought in two seasons as your old lid didnt conform to the latest ECB British standard regulations banning movable grilles. Still, safety is paramount, and if your teeth get knocked out, your dentist becomes part of the cricket-cost eqquation, rather than the landlord after you buy that round in the pub after the game.dddddddddddd Besides, at your level, batting on the occasional minefield wicket, you need all the defence you can get against a ball weighing 5? ounces, travelling up to 90mph - not to mention costing anything from ￡5 (if you want to bowl with something shaped liked a potato after ten overs) to ￡90. You also need hand-stitched gloves (even cheap gloves are handmade, due to their design complexity) to defend your digits, and a priceless box. Finally, and most importantly - and most expensive - your bat. Your beloved blade, an extension of your body. The bat you choose represents something of your character, and perhaps your financial situation. Some men buy flashy cars in a mid-life crisis, others buy bats. Interviewed on Test Match Special this season, fellow writer Jon Hotten wondered if the pricey clefts of his team-mates would ever make more runs than they had cost in pounds. The problem is that bat quality does tend to equal bat price. You can get lucky with a bargain plank, and find the middle pings even when the grain wavers and the knots spoil the finish, but the best willow will cost.So there our club player stands, kitted out and settled up with the treasurer, ready to face his first ball of the season, a delivery that will pitch on a wicket tended and maintained by professional ground staff. Even the mangiest of park tracks will, despite appearances, have been mowed, weeded, scarified and rolled. A strip will have been painted on, sightscreens erected, and quite possibly an umpire who is not one of your mates will be adjudicating, and expecting a few quid in exchange for listening to bowlers swear at him all afternoon.Cricket costs. It drains pockets of the impoverished keen. Its simply not a cheap sport when played properly, and I do wonder how many kids from less privileged backgrounds dont get into the game because they, or their parents, cant afford it. Good schools, usually private, provide proper facilities. Bad comprehensives cant afford a manicured square and paid coaches. Vandals set fire to my own schools artificial strip a week after it was laid.Thankfully, beyond the governing bodies who ultimately dole out cash coming in from the clubs, amateur players and spectators, there are benefactors: sponsors, broadcasters, great charities, like Chance to Shine, dedicated mums and dads who dig deep so their children can take the pitch in proper whites and proper kit, and the generous clubs who subsidise the less well-heeled player.Cricket costs, but its also a sport people obsess about. A sport we love. And when were in love, we find a way. ' ' '