Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona28. Cincinnati RedsRecord:?48-68 Week 18 ranking: No. 28Since the All-Star break, the mighty Redlegs are 16-11 (.593 win perce

Graham Arnold has revealed the inspiration that powered Sydney FC to their thumping A-League derby triumph, telling of an extraordinary message hed received the morning of the game.Young cancer sufferer Gabriel Cipriano, who last October sat with Arnold in the dugout to watch the Sky Blues 1-0 Sydney derby win, sent the coach his best wishes on Saturday morning.The coach said the little boys words galvanised his squad as they prepared to walk out in front of a record crowd of 61,800.I had a beautiful text this morning from a kid, Gabe, who sat next to me in the derby last year, whos got cancer, Arnold said after the 4-0 opening-round win over Western Sydney.He said hed be watching the game, and that this type of result with a Sky Blues win gives him reason to live.I read that to the boys before the game, and you could see the hunger straight away in the players faces, that they wanted to do it for that boy.Left-back Michael Zullo described it as an emotional moment for the whole group.It was a bit unexpected. Its probably the first time Ive had to deal with that, Zullo said.But it put everything into perspective.It brought us back to ground level and made us think about how lucky we are to be here.Not just that, how much of a difference we can make to a fans day and their life by putting in a good performance.Sydney were superb all over the park against the Wanderers, who made their visitors work but could not convert chances and were let down in defence.Particularly impressive was the teams revived attack.Milos Ninkovic, Filip Holosko and David Carney were all in rich form around Brazilian striker Bobo.The fact that Bernie Ibini is still to come into the squad and bg-scoring captain Alex Brosque started on the bench only highlights Sydneys depth.It gives me good headaches ... just look at who we had on the bench, Arnold said.What I wanted in the off-season was to recruit two top players for every position, for them to push each other every day and work hard and fight for a position on the team.If they continue to play like that Ill keep getting more and more headaches.They just set their own standards, now theyve got to keep doing that.Vapormax 2 Clearance . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Cheap Vapormax Mens China . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/nike-air-vapormax-2019-white-metallic-gold-clearance.html . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Nike Air VaporMax Plus Black Gold . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Cheap Vapormax Plus .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.The Chicago Cubs roll on at No. 1 for another week, a spot it doesnt appear theyll give up anytime soon. The Washington Nationals remain No. 2 for another week, but theyre getting pushed by the Texas Rangers, who jumped to No. 3 this week and received second-place votes.The Los Angeles Dodgers jumped from No. 10 to No. 8 and are closing in on the San Francisco Giants (No. 6) in both the rankings and the National League West. The Dodgers still dont have Clayton Kershaw back, Rich Hill hasnt pitched for them yet, and Brandon McCarthy (right hip stiffness) and?Brett Anderson?(wrist) left their starts over the weekend, but theyve managed to stay afloat in the playoff race.Elsewhere in the rankings, the Seattle Mariners jumped four spots, from No. 16 to No. 12, after winning five of six games.This weeks voters are Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Eric Karabell of ESPN Fantasy, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Most of the team comments come courtesy of the SweetSpot Blog Network.Past rankings: Week 18 |?Week 17 |?Week 16 |?Week 15 |?Week 14 |?Week 13 |?Week 12 |?Week 11 |?Week 10 | ?Week 9 |?Week 8 |?Week 7 |?Week 6 |?Week 5 |?Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason1. Chicago CubsRecord: 73-43 Week 18 ranking: No. 1After a series split with the Cardinals, caused primarily by bullpen blowups, watch for the Cubs to make two moves before rosters expand on Sept. 1: One to reach out to Jonathan Papelbon, given the familiarity with Theo Epstein, and one to add a left-handed bench bat to counteract the Tommy La Stella standoff.?--?Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers2. Washington NationalsRecord: 69-47 Week 18 ranking: No. 2Shoutout to Wilson Ramos, who continues to rake with a .332/.379/.541 line. Ramos had Lasik surgery in early March, after a career-worst 2015 season, and has cut his strikeout rate from 20 percent to 12.9 percent. Also: Jonathan Papelbon was released. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot3. Texas RangersRecord: 69-50 Week 18 ranking: No. 5Texas, likely to finish with 90 or more wins for the fifth time in the past seven seasons, looks to be in the drivers seat in the AL West. The keys will be getting the starting rotation healthy and keeping veterans fresh down the stretch. --?Brandon Land (@onestrikeaway), One Strike Away4. Cleveland IndiansRecord: 67-48 Week 18 ranking: No. 4Late last week, the Indians received the disappointing news that Michael Brantley will not play again this season. This bad news was tempered somewhat by a four-game sweep of the Angels, in which the Indians outscored the Halos 37-12. In Fridays 13-3 win, the Tribe stole eight bases, which tied a franchise record. -- Stephanie Liscio (@stephanieliscio), Its Pronounced Lajaway5. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 67-51 Week 18 ranking: No. 3J.A. Happs past seven starts: 6-0, 1.25 ERA, 43 1/3 innings, 28 hits allowed, 55 strikeouts. His 3.4 WAR to this point in the season is his best mark since he compiled a 4.0 figure with the Phillies in 2009. Aaron Sanchez, having already tossed a career-high 152 1/3 innings this year, will have at least a couple of starts skipped over the next six weeks. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit6. San Francisco GiantsRecord: 66-51 Week 18 ranking: No. 7Joe Panik was a well-above-average player in 2015, as he slashed .312/.378/.455 with strong defense at second. In the first half this season, his line was down to .256/.321/.407, and since his return from the DL, his batting line is just .184/.293/.224. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona7. Baltimore OriolesRecord: 66-51 Week 18 ranking: No. 6A three-run blast by Jonathan Schoop capped a comeback victory over the San Francisco Giants in the Orioles final game on the West Coast this season. Schoops tater salvaged an otherwise disappointing series of games in California, which included dropping three of four to the Oakland As. The Os remain a half-game behind Toronto and get an off-day before they play eight straight games at home. --?Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer), Camden Depot8. Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 65-52 Week 18 ranking: No. 10Los Angeles sits right behind the Giants for the division lead, despite its middle-of-the-road offense (homers and OPS-wise) and horrific list of pitcher injuries. The depleted pitching staff suffered two more hits over the weekend when Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson each left their starts with injuries.?--?Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit9. Boston Red SoxRecord: 64-52 Week 18 ranking: No. 9Could it have been Boston that picked up the most dominant reliever this July? After three strikeouts with the bases loaded and no outs Saturday, Brad Zieglers batting average against with the Red Sox dropped to .229. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona10. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 62-56 Week 18 ranking: No. 11This was a tough week, as Michael Wacha and Matt Holliday both landed on the DL. Wacha has a shoulder issue that could sideline him the rest of the season, and Holliday suffered a fractured thumb after getting hit by a pitch. -- ESPN.com11. Detroit TigersRecord: 63-54 Week 18 ranking: No. 8If the best the Tigers can do is limp into a one-game, sudden-death playoff game, they might be best served to buck veteran experience and give the opportunity to Michael Fulmer, who has allowed three runs or fewer in 14 of his past 15 starts. --?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers12. Seattle MarinersRecord: 62-54 Week 18 ranking: No. 16With wins in eight of their past nine games, the Mariners are just two games behind in the wild-card race. Nelson Cruz led the way last week, hitting .435 with a 1.370 OPS in six games. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona13. Houston AstrosRecord: 61-57 Week 18 ranking: No. 13After releasing Carlos Gomez and with Colby Rasmus on the DL, the Astros are trying to win with a makeshift outfield that includes Tony Kemp, who played mostly second base in the minors, and Teoscar Hernandez, who was called up after hitting .307 with 10 homers in the minors. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot14. Miami MarlinsRecord: 61-56 Weeek 18 ranking: No.dddddddddddd12With Giancarlo Stanton possibly out for the remainder of the season, Miami has Alex Rodriguez under consideration. Also, the team isnt expecting Wei-Yin Chen back anytime soon. Chen, who has been on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left elbow since July 24, is expected to return in mid-September at the earliest.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit15. Pittsburgh PiratesRecord: 59-56 Week 18 ranking: No. 15Gerrit Cole has allowed nine earned runs in his past 10 innings, and since starting the season 5-3 through May 26, he has pitched to a 2-5 record. A 4.04 ERA over that span, however, is hardly a disaster. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona16. New York YankeesRecord: 60-57 Week 18 ranking: No. 18The new-look Yanks sandwiched a pair of losses around four straight wins this week, a week that saw a rather clumsily handled end to Alex Rodriguezs career. In his place arrives a bevy of youngsters, including behemoth Aaron Judge (home runs in first two games). With the team barely clinging to hopes of a wild-card berth, all eyes are firmly forward to 2017 and beyond.-- Jason Rosenberg (@Jason_IIATMS),?Its About the Money17. New York MetsRecord: 59-58 Week 18 ranking: No. 14Neil Walker is leading MLB with a .444 batting average since July 27; he has two doubles, one triple, five home runs, 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored in that span (18 games). Prior to 2016, Walker had six career homers vs. LHPs. This year, he has hit seven off lefties. After going 15-7 in April, the Mets have been seven games under .500 (44-51), including 12-17 since the All-Star break. -- ESPN.com18. Kansas City RoyalsRecord: 57-60 Week 18 ranking: No. 20Eric Hosmers free fall continues. Since July 1, hes hitting .209/.255/.297 with just three home runs in 38 games. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot19. Colorado RockiesRecord: 56-62 Week 18 ranking: No. 17Charlie Blackmon has twice as many home runs in August (eight) as the Rockies have wins (four). Not only has the bullpen fallen apart (again), but Rockies starting pitching has also faltered and has failed to throw more than five innings in any of the past five road games. --?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers20. Chicago White SoxRecord: 56-61 Week 18 ranking: No. 19It has been a down year for Jose Abreu, who followed 5.3 and 3.0 WAR seasons with a minus-0.3 WAR effort in the first half of 2016. He has seemed to find his footing since the All-Star Break, however, as he is hitting .306 with a .359 OBP in his past 27 games. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona21. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 56-63 Week 18 ranking: No. 21The dog days of August havent been hounding the Phillies offense. Theyre scoring 6.2 runs per game in August, well more than the 3.6 runs per game they scored in the four months prior. --?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers22. Oakland AthleticsRecord: 52-66 Week 18 ranking: No. 26Khris Davis continues to mash home runs. He hit his 30th on Sunday and has a chance at 40 this season. The most recent As player to hit 40 homers was Jason Giambi, who had?43 in 2000. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot23. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 52-64 Week 18 ranking:?No. 22Ryan Braun has continued to stay hot since the All-Star break with a slash of .381/.465/.762 and nine homers and 21 RBIs . He has reached the 20-plus homer mark for the eighth time in his career.?-- Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3), Disciples of Uecker24. San Diego PadresRecord: 50-67 Week 18 ranking: No. 24Alex Dickerson, Travis Jankowski and Jabari Blash have thrived since San Diego dealt Matt Kemp at the trade deadline. The Padres now have a three-rookie outfield. Ryan Schimpfs power surge shouldnt surprise anyone. He homered at least 20 times in the minors in each of the past four seasons. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit25. Los Angeles AngelsRecord: 49-68 Week 18 ranking: No. 23What a mess. The Angels have now lost 10 in a row after the Indians swept a four-game series by a score of 37-12. The teams current .419 win percentage would be the franchises worst since a .409 mark in 1994.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot26. Tampa Bay RaysRecord: 47-69 Week 18 ranking: No. 25In a week highlighted by the debut of Matt Duffy at shortstop and Brad Miller continuing to mash, the pitching staff allowed six or more runs in four of six games this week (Monday through Sunday). The team doesnt have enough offense to compete in those games with the bottom half of the lineup struggling to produce. --?Jason Collette (@jasoncollette), The Process Report27. Arizona DiamondbacksRecord: 48-69 Week 18 ranking: No. 29As reported by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the D-backs have until Aug. 31 to decide on 2017 options for GM Dave Stewart and Senior VP of baseball operations De Jon Watson. CBO Tony La Russa said that he, owner Ken Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall had not yet spoken about the status of Stewart or Watson. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona28. Cincinnati RedsRecord:?48-68 Week 18 ranking: No. 28Since the All-Star break, the mighty Redlegs are 16-11 (.593 win percentage). Extrapolated over a full season, that equates to 96 wins. Unfortunately, the Reds were on pace for 100-plus losses after the first half. --?Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation29. Minnesota TwinsRecord: 47-71 Week 18 ranking: No. 27Brian Dozier homered in all three games against the Royals at Target Field over the weekend. That put him past the century mark for his career and tied him with Robinson Cano for the 2016 lead among second basemen. Dozier has gone deep 21 times in 67 games since the start of June.?-- Nick Nelson (@NickNelsonMN), Twins Daily30. Atlanta BravesRecord: 44-74 Week 18 ranking:?No. 30The Braves are a very respectable (for them) 13-15 since the All-Star break. They have a record of 7-5 so far in August, despite playing teams with winning records in eight of those games. Is it the Matt Kemp effect? -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County ' ' '