NAPA Cornellius Carradine Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Marquel Lee wasn’t quite ready to end the revolving door at middle linebacker for the Oakland Raiders when he was thrown into the starting lineup to start his rookie season last year.
With a year of experience and a defensive scheme that better suits his game, Lee is doing his best to seize that role this season even after the Raiders brought in veteran Derrick Johnson to be the likely starter.
Lee has spent most of training camp as Oakland’s middle linebacker in the base defense and was one of the team’s best defensive players in the exhibition opener last week against Detroit when he had three solo tackles and two assists in just 15 snaps.
“There is a guy that really stepped up,” coach Jon Gruden said. “He had a great game. He’s physical. I think he’s more and more of a complete linebacker. He’s getting more comfortable in pass coverage. I think he’s a presence in the middle of our defense right now. It’s something that is not going unnoticed with his teammates and coaches.”
Lee showed signs of being stout against the run when he started the first five games last year as a fifth-round draft pick. But he struggled in coverage and the Raiders brought in veteran NaVorro Bowman to take over as starter in Week 6 and Lee played only sparingly the rest of the way.
But Lee looks like a different player in year two and Gruden said he sees the potential for him to become a three-down linebacker. Lee said he feels much more confident in coach Paul Guenther’s defense than he did last year when Ken Norton Jr. was coordinator.
“I’m playing faster,” Lee said. “I’m seeing things faster and diagnosing things and playing with more instinct. I’m more comfortable in the defense. I know where I need to be, which allows me to fit the run well and just make plays.”
The Raiders signed veteran Derrick Johnson in May with the thought of making him the starter but Lee has gotten more time so far in camp with Johnson playing a limited role in sub packages.
Finding a middle linebacker has been difficult for Oakland in recent years.
The Raiders drafted Rolando McClain in the first round in 2010 with hopes he would solidify that spot for years to come. But McClain lost his starting job midway through the 2012 season and the Raiders have been searching for a long-term answer ever since.
Nick Roach filled that role in 2013 but then suffered a career-ending concussion the following preseason. Miles Burris took over in 2014 but wasn’t up to the task and the Raiders signed Curtis Lofton the following season.
Lofton struggled in the passing game and wasn’t brought back the following season when Ben Heeney started the year as the starter before Perry Riley was brought in off the waiver wire midway through the year.
The Raiders made a midseason switch again last year after Lee began the year as the starter. Bowman was signed after being released by San Francisco and finished the year as the starter.
Oakland overhauled the position this offseason, signing Tahir Whitehead and Emmanuel Lamur, who have been starting on the outside, as well as adding Johnson.
Lamur played for Guenther in Cincinnati and has helped his teammates make the transition to a new system.
“I feel like we’ve had a chance to grow as a core together, going through offseason workouts, and then summer workouts Mitch Morse Jersey , and then into training camp,” Lee said. “Just being around each other all the time and stuff, grow as a core, we have each other’s backs out there. Also having Emmanuel, he’s been in the system for a long time, since he came out of college. He’s a great help. He knows the ins and outs, and if we have a question we go to him — or any of the guys — but Emmanuel for sure knows the ins and outs of this defense.”
NOTES: CB Daryl Worley, WR Seth Roberts and WR Martavis Bryant all returned to practice. Bryant had missed two days with an illness. “We’re calling Martavis the ‘White Tiger,'” Gruden said. “Thirteen times I went to Busch Gardens. The white tiger was always in his cage. Well, the white tiger came out today. Bryant came out. I don’t know if you get that analogy Rees Odhiambo Jersey , but sometimes he comes out to play and sometimes he doesn’t. It’s good to see because he’s really special like the white tiger.” … The Raiders claimed DT Gabe Wright off waivers from Miami and placed DT Ahtyba Rubin on injured reserve.
The Tigers knew exactly what hit them – the daunting combination of a homer-friendly park and a free-swinging Reds offense starting to come around.
Scooter Gennett hit a tying two-run homer , and Eugenio Suarez also connected on the next pitch – a hit originally ruled a double but changed to a homer on review – for a 5-3 victory and a two-game sweep on Wednesday.
The Reds moved ahead in the all-time series 13-11, with two games left at Comerica Park starting July 31.
After managing only a pair of singles through the first five innings, the Reds finally got to Michael Fulmer (3-6). Gennett connected with two outs for his 13th homer, tying it 2-2.
”The way we’re playing right now is how we expected to play all year,” Gennett said. ”It’s a lot of fun.”
Fulmer threw Gennett a slider that was headed for the dirt on a 1-2 count, only to see it sail out to right field aided by the wind.
”I thought it was a great pitch,” Fulmer said. ”I’m mad at the results, but I’m not mad at the way I pitched.”
Suarez hit Fulmer’s next pitch to left field, with the ball landing on the top of the wall and bouncing back into play. The Reds sounded their home run siren and shot off fireworks Stefan Charles Jersey , but the umpires ruled the ball was in play and stopped Suarez at second base.
After a review of 1 minute, 12 seconds, the hit was ruled a homer – replays indicated the ball skipped off the top of the wall and deflected off a railing behind it.
Adam Duvall added a solo shot in the eighth as the Reds out-homered the Tigers 3-2.
”That’s the way it is here,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Tyler Mahle (6-6) overcame a pair of solo homers to remain unbeaten in four June starts. The rookie has allowed a total of four earned runs while going 3-0 in the month. He struck out eight in six innings of his team-high sixth quality start.
”I was more lucky than good today,” Mahle said . ”If I had to give myself a grade today, it would be a `D.”’
Raisel Iglesias gave up a hit in the ninth while earning his 11th save in 13 chances.
INTERLEAGUE
The Reds improved to 6-1 in interleague games. They’ve won five straight against the AL, tying their best all-time mark. The Tigers fell to 1-7.
SWING AND A MISS
Fulmer has little hitting experience in the majors, and it hurt the Tigers in the sixth. With runners on second and third and two outs, the Reds intentionally walked Dixon Machado to bring up Fulmer. He struck out on three pitches, the last one a high 94 mph fastball. Fulmer is 0 for 9 with six strikeouts for his career.
Gardenhire said that’s the big advantage for the NL Mohamed Sanu Jersey , where pitchers take batting practice regularly.
”There’s your unfair advantage,” he said.
HARDY APPEARANCE
Left-hander Blaine Hardy relieved in the seventh and gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Hardy has been a fill-in starter for the Tigers’ depleted rotation and pitched into the sixth inning Sunday for a 3-1 win over the White Sox.
VOTTO HONORED
Joey Votto received his 2017 Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s Athlete of the Year, the second time he’s won it. Ferguson Jenkins and Larry Walker are the other baseball players to win it.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Right-handed reliever Drew VerHagen was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a broken nose suffered Tuesday night when he was hit by a thrown ball while covering first base. Right-handed reliever Johnny Barbato was called up from Triple-A Toledo. He gave up Duvall’s homer in the eighth.
Reds: Manager Jim Riggleman and the training staff are developing a rehab plan for starter Homer Bailey, who has been sidelined since June 2 with a sore right knee. He’s 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA.
UP NEXT
Tigers: After a day off, the Tigers start a weekend series in Cleveland, where they’ve lost 20 of their past 26 games, including their past seven. Mike Fiers (5-3) is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts at Progressive Field.
Reds: Matt Harvey (1-5) makes his eighth start for the Reds, who open a four-game series against the Cubs at Great American Ball Park. Harvey has lost his past three decisions for the Reds, who got him from the Mets in a trade for catcher Devin Mesoraco on May 8.
—
Womens Weston Richburg Jersey
« Dan Feeney JerseySviatoslav Mykhailiuk Jersey »
Weitere Artikel der Kategorie Allgemein
RSS-Feed abonnieren
Besucher
Forum Statistiken
