Funkerstation » His free pass to Matt Joyce with two outs

BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelonas next two matches will go a long way to making or breaking its Spanish league title defense.Barcelona hosts league leader Real Madrid in two weeks. But before the seasons first clasico, Luis Enriques side must try to break its peculiar curse at Real Sociedad.Not a particularly daunting ground for most visitors, Anoeta Stadium has proven to be a quagmire for Barcelona.Barcelona hasnt won in its last six visits to San Sebastian, making the trip to the upscale Basque city on the Atlantic coast one of its most difficult of the season.Barcelona can ill afford another slip on Sunday, when it plays Sociedad a day after Madrid will try to increase its four-point advantage when it hosts struggling Sporting Gijon.It will be a very complicated game, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi said of Sociedad. We will play at a stadium where we havent been able to win lately and things get complicated. We need to win.Whether its the often wet and cold conditions, Sociedads relatively talented team, or Barcelonas own squad choices, which have included second-choice players in recent years, Sociedad has Barcelonas number.Barcelona lost at Sociedad 1-0 in April, part of a late-season slide which almost cost it the league title. Barcelona needed to win its last match to secure back-to-back championships.Sociedad, which won the league in 1980 and 1982, has beaten Barcelona in the last four seasons at home, and is in its finest form in years.Socieded coach Eusebio Sacristan, a former Barcelona player and reserve team coach who took over for the fired David Moyes last year, has led the club to its best start through 12 matches since 2002, when it finished runner-up.Sociedad has risen to fifth place after winning its last four matches, outscoring opponents 10-1. Only Madrids ongoing five-game winning streak surpasses that. Sociedad has also won four in a row at home, including a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.Offseason signing Willian Jose has a team-leading six goals, while forward Carlos Vela has scored four times, and veteran midfielder Xabi Prieto has added three more.This season we have more resources, Sacristan said, while urging his team not to take too much confidence from their positive precedents.This is a new season. We have to focus on this match, not on statistics about the past, he said. We will have to exploit our virtues to the maximum.Messi and Luis Suarez will be back after Barcelonas top two scorers missed the scoreless draw against Malaga last weekend. Suarez was suspended for accumulated bookings, while Messi was sick. They have eight league goals, matched only by Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.Messi scored both of Barcelonas goals in its 2-0 win at Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.Barcelona has been better on the road than at home so far. It has won only three of six league matches at Camp Nou, and won five of six away.Besides Madrid, another team that will be pulling for Sociedad is Sevilla. In third place, the Andalusian side can overtake Barcelona in the standings with a victory over Valencia on Saturday.Zach LaVine Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. John Paxson Bulls Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.officialbullsfanstore.com/kids-zach-lavine-bulls-jersey/ . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Kris Dunn Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Robin Lopez Bulls Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd.NEW YORK -- Chris Archer popped out of the dugout for the bottom of the ninth inning and allowed himself to take a quick peek at left field. Yep, he saw relievers Fernando Rodney and Joel Peralta warming up. Nope, he didnt care. "I was feeling confident we wouldnt have to go the bullpen," the rookie said. Boy, was he right. Archer threw a two-hitter for his second shutout in three starts, outpitching Ivan Nova and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday Kelly Johnson had an RBI single off Nova (4-4) in the sixth to help the AL East-leading Rays improve to 24-5 since June 23, when they were in last place. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said before the game Archer (6-3) embraces the big moments, and he sure did once again at Yankee Stadium. The 24-year-old right-hander with a Captain America lunch box in his locker never threw more than 14 pitches in an inning and needed just 97 overall -- 67 for strikes -- for his second career complete game. Even more impressive: Archer became the first visiting rookie to toss a complete-game shutout in the Bronx since Arthur Rhodes in 1992. Archer gave up a single to Lyle Overbay with one out in the fifth and a ground-rule double to Brett Gardner in the sixth for New Yorks only hits in its sixth loss in nine games since the All-Star break. "I dont feel helpless," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I still believe in these guys. I see how they go about their business." Archer did not walk a batter and struck out six. After catching Ichiro Suzukis comebacker and tossing to first for the final out, Tampa Bays starters met in front of the mound for what is becoming a common occurrence: the starting fives group chest bump reserved for complete-game victories. Archers gem was the teams third in six games this week. It was also the Rays sixth shutout in July, a club record. "To follow the other starters in the bunch makes it easier for me," Archer said. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs before the 2011 season in a deal for Matt Garza, Archer enjoyed his best month as a major leaguer. He shut out Houston with a five-hitter on July 14 and his ERA for July is 0.73, an AL record for rookies. The Angels Bob Lee had an 0.76 ERA in 1964. Archer outpitched Nova in the Bronx for the second time this season. Last month, Archer won by holding the Yankees to one run over six innings. "Thats like a classic, old mid-60s kind of pitchers duel at Yankee Stadium," Maddon said of Saturdays matchup. "It was incredible to watch." Derek Jeter again was absent from the lineup and the Yankees newest hope to provide power -- Alfonso Soriano -- was hitless in three at-bats, leaving him 0 for 8 since returning to New York. Jeter was eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday buut instead played a simulated game at a location that Yankees would not disclose until long after he had eight at-bats at the Staten Island Yankees home field.dddddddddddd. Girardi said Jeter will start at shortstop Sunday for the Yankees if he has no setbacks. "You can be in great shape, but playing shapes a little bit different because youre getting used to standing around, starting and stopping, so we had to do all that," Girardi said. "As of right now, he came out very well. So well see how he feels tomorrow." With the captain out and Alex Rodriguez, on his 38th birthday, rehabbing his quadriceps strain at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., alongside other injured stars, including Curtis Granderson, the Yankees bats were again dormant. And now they will be without designated hitter Travis Hafner for at least 15 days. The lefty-swinging slugger had an MRI Saturday that showed a right rotator cuff strain. He will be put on the DL Sunday. The Yankees have not homered in nine straight games, their longest streak since going 10 in a row in 1984. Nova matched Archer with a mixture of fastballs that reached 96 mph and a biting curveball that had the Rays swinging at dirt. He yielded six hits in seven innings. Nova threw 62 curveballs out of his 105 pitches in seven innings. He struck out the side in the fourth after Wil Myers led off with a double and James Loney followed with one of Novas three walks. Nova finished off the fifth with strikeouts of out Desmond Jennings and Evan Longoria. Longoria chased a breaking pitch down and away and smacked the barrel of his bat in frustration. "He was good," catcher Chris Stewart said. "His fastball command was strong down in the zone, with movement. He got a lot of groundball outs, mixed in the curveball. Had some jams out there but he was able to make some good pitches to get out of them." The walks finally hurt Nova in the sixth. His free pass to Matt Joyce with two outs put runners on first and second and extended the inning to allow Kelly Johnson a chance to bat. Johnson then got enough of a 95 mph fastball to bloop it out into centre field to drive in Ben Zobrist for a 1-0 lead. Zobrist had reached on a fielders choice and stolen second base. NOTES: Tampa Bay DH Luke Scott was kept out of the lineup. He had soreness in the shoulder/upper back area but said postgame that he would be fine to play Sunday. ... Rodriguez did light running in the outfield, played catch, hit off a tee in the indoor cage and took 17 grounders hit directly at him on the grass in front of the dirt at third. Six fans, one with a poster board sign saying "Happy Birthday Alex" were there when he left. ... Maddon became a grandfather for the fourth time. Giuseppe Ennio Maddon was born Friday night. ' ' '