Funkerstation » numbers.Last season, Westbrooks usage soared f

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ryon Healy was so focused on getting to second base the Athletics rookie didnt realize he had hit a game-ending home run until he looked up and saw third base coach Ron Washington celebrating.After that, the Oakland third baseman slowed up his trot to allow the players in the bullpen to join the fun.Healy homered with two outs in the ninth inning two batters after Jake Smolinski tied it with a two-run homer, and the As rallied past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Saturday night.It was definitely a special feeling, one I havent had a ton in my life, Healy said. I dont think theres anything more fun than walk-off wins in baseball. The fact weve been able to have so many in my short eight-day career just makes winning that much better.The As have notched three walk-off wins in their last five games to improve to 6-3 since the All-Star break.Oaklands good fortunes happen to coincide with Healys call-up from the minors on July 15.Coincidence or not, manager Bob Melvin couldnt be happier.He has not been afraid of any situation that hes been in, Melvin said. He went up there with fire in his eyes.Both home runs by the As in the ninth came off closer Alex Colome, who had recorded 21 consecutive saves before giving up three runs to the As.Completely uncharacteristic of him because hes been outstanding for us all year, manager Kevin Cash said. If the same situation arises, well have all the confidence in the world in him.Khris Davis opened the ninth with a walk before pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso struck out swinging. Smolinski hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field to tie the game 3-3.Colome (1-3) got Marcus Semien to fly out before Healy hammered a 3-2 pitch to left-center for the winner.Its Healys second home run since being called up from the minors July 15 , the first game-ending hit of his career and the second consecutive walk-off win in as many games for the As.Kendall Graveman (7-6) pitched a complete game for his sixth consecutive win. The right-hander allowed three runs with four strikeouts and one walk, throwing 102 pitches.SMYLYS STREAK CONTINUESColomes meltdown in the ninth prevented starter Drew Smyly from ending a skid of seven straight losses, the worst of his career. Smyly allowed one run over six innings and left with a one-run lead. It really showed a lot about him to give up the early run and not cave there, Cash said. He kept battling and making some really good pitches.OUCH OSWALDOTampa Bay right fielder Oswaldo Arcia had two hits and an RBI before leaving with a mild strain in his right elbow after striking out swinging in the seventh. Cash said Arcia is expected to be back in the Rays lineup Sunday.TRAINERS ROOMRays: RHP Chase Whitley (offseason elbow surgery) will make his second rehab appearance with Class A Charlotte on Sunday. ... OF Mike Mahtook (fractured left hand) will begin hitting off a tee Sunday.Athletics: OF Josh Reddick was scratched from the lineup because of lower back soreness. ... Stephen Vogt was placed on the family medical leave list. Bruce Maxwell was called up from Triple-A Nashville before the game to replace the veteran catcher. ... LHP Rich Hill (middle finger blister) will throw a bullpen session Sunday.UP NEXTRays: LHP Blake Snell (2-4) pitches the finale of the three-game series at the Coliseum on Sunday after throwing six scoreless innings in Colorado during his most recent start.Athletics: RHP Jesse Hahn (2-4) is expected to be called up from Nashville to start against Tampa Bay. Les Dodson Jersey Retro . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Kevin Wyatt Jersey Retro . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/bud-cooper-jersey-retro/ . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Bruce Thornton Jersey Retro . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. Jim Ritcher Jersey Retro .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Kevin Durants decision to leave Oklahoma City for Golden State not only sends shockwaves throughout the Western Conference and all the NBA, it also drastically changes the way we should look at the fantasy values of stars like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.We need to recognize something here -- never before has one move impacted so many top-20 caliber fantasy talents quite like this one.With Durant on the Warriors, not only is he going to have a harder time finding the 19.2 shots he averaged this past season, but so will Curry (20.2) and Thompson (17.3).How this plays out is anyones guess, and it doesnt help that Warriors coach Steve Kerr loses a key assistant in Luke Walton to help with this transition, but its easy to envision a scenario where the Warriors ride the hot hands on a nightly basis. Notice I said hands - plural.If the Splash Bros arent hitting, thats a game where the team can live off of Greens energy and feed Durant. If Durant is cold, then maybe thats a game he turns into more of a distributor and lets Curry or Thompson fire away from 30 feet. Any way you slice it, the pressure wont be on Curry and Durant to save the day all the time as theyve had to do in the past, but roles will have to be established.Who takes the shot with the game on the line? Down one late, do you set up Curry or Thompson for an open three or do you feed Durant on the block and let him go to work with a big size advantage? These are the things Kerr will have to determine over the course of next season and, while it wont be easy, its certainly a nice problem to have.But none of this is good for the Warriors as far as fantasy is concerned.As much as Durant is on upgrade over Harrison Barnes, its easy to overlook what Barnes complementary role allowed the Warriors stars to do in recent years. Barnes, who signed an offer sheet with Dallas for four years, $95 million that now wont be matched by Golden State, averaged 9.6 shots a game from the small forward spot this season after putting up a mere 8 shots per game in 2014-15.Barnes was shooting fewer than 10 times per game and Andrew Bogut barely ever looked to score (4 shots per game this past season), enabling Curry to take control and earn back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards. The passive nature of Barnes and Bogut was also a big reason why, even with guys like Thompson and Green on the court, Curry was still able to average 20.2 shot attempts in 2015-16.That changes with Durant in the fold.There are only so many shots to go around, and theres a good chance that Durant, Curry and Thompson will all see their shot attempts drop by 1-3 per game. All of their scoring numbers are also going to suffer some as well, maybe not to the degree that LaMarcus Aldridge saw after joining San Antonio or Kevin Love experienced in Cleveland , but enough to be concerning.dddddddddddd.As such, Curry is no longer a surefire No. 1 pick in fantasy going into next season, with guys like James Harden and Russell Westbrook knocking on the door for that top spot. I still wouldnt let him drop past third in any draft, though.Durant drops a bit as well, going from a second or third overall pick to somewhere in the 4-6 range. LeBron James will be drafted ahead of Durant in some leagues.Thompson, who may be the most negatively impacted out of everyone, becomes a bit of a reach in the second round. He finished this past season at No. 18 on ESPNs Player Rater, but it wouldnt surprise me if his shots per game dipped into the 14-15 range, which would hurt his scoring and 3-point production -- the two best parts of his game.Green is the one player I feel less worried about from a fantasy standpoint. He just does so much other than score, and a lot of his scoring comes in ways like transition and put-back baskets that wont be affected by the arrival of Durant. Look for Greens rebound numbers to take a slight dip thanks to the presence of the 6-foot-9 small forward, but his assist numbers should rise beyond the 7.4 he averaged in 2015-16.I mentioned Westbrook above, and to me hes the other big winner here -- not in real life, where his Thunder wont be the same without Durant -- but in terms of putting up numbers.Last season, Westbrooks usage soared from 31.8 with Durant on the floor to 40 whenever the star forward was off the court. As he enters a contract year, you can expect huge things out of Westbrook next season. Look for his scoring to approach 30 PPG as he attempts around 22-23 shots per game, even if it means a sizeable drop in his career-high assist numbers (10.4 APG) from last season.Victor Oladipo might have been a complementary player to Durant, but now he becomes the second scoring option on a Thunder team that is very backcourt oriented. OKC is a better system for his skill set and he has a good chance to put up career numbers after finishing 40th on ESPNs Player Rater last season in Orlando.More shots will also be available for emerging big man Steven Adams, who looked like one of the games best centers in the playoffs and is entering his fourth season in the league. He averaged only 5.3 shots a game last season, but his growing confidence on the offensive end and the absence of Durant could cause that number to jump to 9-10 next season. ' ' '