Die Macht » go Costas 13th goal of the season secured them

Fans headed to Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon are in for a treat with Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta set to take the mound in a meeting of two of baseballs premier aces.Both outstanding competitors, both have won the top awards, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Saturdays matchup. It will be an interesting day theres no question -- its going to be a very low-scoring good game.Go inside the numbers that make both pitchers stand out, and then vote for which ace you would rather have at the bottom of the page:?Why Bumgarner-Arrieta is a true ace showdownSaturdays matchup will be a spectacle because of their pedigrees, obviously. Arrieta, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, is enjoying an impressive followup season with a 16-5 record, a 2.84 ERA, and a scant 111 hits allowed in 168 innings. Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, has been in optimal MadBum form this year. He ranks second in the NL in ERA to Kyle Hendricks and third in strikeouts behind Max Scherzer and Jose Fernandez, and hes instinctively the man that manager Bruce Bochy and the Giants look to when things arent going well and the team is in dire straits.Beyond the numbers, few matchups in baseball exude more intensity than this one. Bumgarner and Arrieta both wanted to take part in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, and were legitimately ticked when they didnt get the call. They also have two of the best death stares in baseball. Whomever comes out on top in this one is going to have to earn it. -- Jerry CrasnickWhat makes Bumgarner special?Bumgarner doesnt have the Cy Young on his mantel that Arrieta does, nor the no-hitter (let alone more than one) under his belt, but for the Giants power pitcher, it feels like only a matter of time before he reaches those accolades and accomplishments. A few more thoughts on the lefty whose 2.49 ERA is second in the majors:Get him to the postseason and watch him go: Bumgarner won World Series MVP honors in 2014 for a Fall Classic performance that just begs on the superlatives. His five-inning save in Game 7 was the longest in postseason history. He became just the second pitcher with 5 or more scoreless innings in relief in a winner-take-all World Series game, and the first since 1947 (Elias). And it wasnt just that game -- he threw 21 innings in that World Series, allowing just one earned run.And it wasnt just 2014 in the World Series, either. Bumgarner has a 2.14 ERA in his career in the postseason, the best ERA among active pitchers with at least 9 postseason starts. Those pre-2014 starts include eight scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series at just 21 years old and seven scoreless in World Series Game 2 in 2012.Hes consistent: Bumgarner has made at least 30 starts in each full season of his career. Saturdays start will be his 29th this season. He has 106 starts of at least seven innings pitched since he was called up for good in 2010 -- only two NL pitchers have more such games in that span.Good luck hitting his curveball: Opponents are hitting just .118 against Bumgarners curveball this season, the third-lowest mark against any starter who has thrown at least 350 curves and the best among NL starters. Hes one of just two starters to throw at least 350 curveballs this season and not give up a home run on the pitch.?-- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & InfoWhat makes Arrieta specialWhile Arrieta hasnt been quite as dominant as he was during his Cy Young-winning year last season, hes still in the mix to repeat for the prestigious award. Heres what makes the Cubs ace stand out: ?He avoids hard contact: Since the start of 2014, Arrieta is one of three starting pitchers with a hard-hit rate under 10 percent (9.5 percent). The other two are Clayton Kershaw (8.6 percent) and Tyson Ross (9.2 percent).Its hard to get hits off of him: Opposing hitters are hitting .185 against him this season, lowest in MLB. The highest batting average against any of his pitches this season is .237 against his slider.His curveball has been great lately: In his last eight starts, Arrieta has thrown 102 curveballs. Opponents are 2-for-23 in plate appearances ending with the pitch with no walks and nine strikeouts.Its nearly impossible to get to him early: In the first three innings of his starts this season, Arrieta has allowed a 1.73 ERA, second in MLB to Kyle Hendricks (1.44). Opponents have a .454 OPS against him in the first three innings of games this season, which is nearly 100 points lower than the next-closest pitcher (Carlos Martínez, .550).The Cubs are 14-1 in Arrietas starts this season when they give him a lead after three innings. --?Ken Woolums, ESPN Stats & Info Discount Nike Air Max Wholesale . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Wholesale Nike Air Max From China . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . https://www.wholesalenikeairmaxshoes.com/cheap-air-max-270/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Nike Air Max Sale . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Fake Nike Air Max Replica . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. An excellent Diego Costa header was enough to secure Chelsea their 11th consecutive Premier League win over a defensive-minded Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.The Blues now have a commanding lead at the top of the league after another solid defensive performance and Diego Costas 13th goal of the season secured them their third 1-0 win in a row.Defensively, they looked solid and hard to break down, not giving their opponents any time on the ball, and Chelsea looked ever dangerous on the break due to the presence of Costa and Hazard. Cesc Fabregas continued his return to form with a virtuoso performance from the bench.The goal came just before halftime, when Costa lost Dann with a subtle bit of movement, and met Cesar Azpilicuetas sumptuous right-wing cross with a header back across Wayne Hennesseys goal from eight yards.Palace looked decent defensively, and actually had more possession than the visitors, but failed to make the most of it.dddddddddddd Christian Benteke looked isolated up front, and there was very little movement around the striker. Wilfried Zaha was very quiet and the home side missed his direct, aggressive running. Despite getting plenty of balls into the box, they didnt win the second ball.Bournemouth are up next for the league leaders on Boxing Day, although they will be without Kante and Costa, who both picked up a booking today to earn them suspensions.For Palace, Watford are up next, and they will need to start picking up some points against the teams around them if they are to fight their way out of trouble. ' ' '