Boxengasse » he Kings raced to a 7-0 lead but the Taipans didnt pani

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The ever-changing roster of the Texas Rangers figures to have a new look when the club begins a pivotal four-game series against Cleveland on Thursday at Globe Life Park.Texas, which is in first place in the American League West despite getting shutout four times this month, will try to add some pop to the offense as outfielder Carlos Gomez is expected to be added to the roster in time for the series opener.The former All-Star was released by Houston on Aug. 18 after a dismal start to the season. Texas signed Gomez two days later and sent him to Triple-A Round Rock, where he hit .308 in three games with a pair of extra-base hits and two RBI.Texas isnt expected Gomez to be a savior for an offense that has struggled this month despite adding Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran. Hes not guaranteed a starting spot in an outfield that has two fixtures in Nomar Mazara and Ian Desmond.But Gomez, who was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014, was worth the risk for Texas despite his .210 average in 85 games with Houston this year.Texas manager Jeff Banister is hoping getting dumped by American League West rival Houston serves as motivation for Gomez.For a player of his caliber, for a team to not want you, then not be claimed, has to be a wake-up call, a punch to the nose, if you will, Banister said. Hes still passionate for the game. Can still run, throw, hit for power. He has an opportunity to show the rest of the baseball world that hes still a relevant player, with a team that has a lot to play for.The first-place Indians have a lot to play for, too. The only team with a better record in the AL than the Indians is Texas. Cleveland comes into the series 5-5 in its last 10 games and losers of consecutive games in Oakland.While the Indians have a 5 1/2-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central, they know theyve got to get things going against a Texas team that is 39-20 at Globe Life Park and leads Seattle by 6 1/2 in the West.Like the Rangers, Cleveland is in an offensive downturn. The Indians scored three runs in their three games against Oakland.Hopefully we just had like three days of amnesia, Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. Those things happen. Its not fun when it does, but it happens. Fortunately we won one game 1-0, but we have to give them some (the Athletics) some credit. They did a number on us.While the Indians may not be hitting the ball well, the series in Texas will provide one Cleveland player with a chance to play where hes had a lot of success. Mike Napoli helped the Rangers to the World Series in 2011 and to the playoffs last year before signing with the Indians. This series will be the first for him in Texas since the postseason.Its a place that Ill always love, Napoli said. But Im going there to compete and try to help our team win in any way. Ive got a lot of friends on the other side, but when I step across the lines its time to compete and try to win. Starling Marte Pirates Jersey . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Jameson Taillon Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Chris-Archer-pirates-jersey/ . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. 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American forward Greg Whittington and guard Jason Cadee starred for the Sydney Kings in Saturday nights 92-78 NBL victory over the Cairns Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena.The Kings lost backcourt dynamo Kevin Lisch to a head injury in the third period and were down by a point with a quarter to play.Cadee rose to the occasion in Lischs absence, erupting for 17 of his game-high 23 points in the final quarterI feel like Ive matured and learned a lot, Cadee said.Im really finding my spot in the team.When we lost Kev I just took it upon myself to be aggressive and it worked out well.Whittington scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and added nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks.Sydney were backing up after Thursday nights 88-84 road win over Illawarra and completed a perfect week to improve their record to 2-1 after two rounds.To start the game on Saturday the Kings raced to a 7-0 lead but the Taipans didnt panic, patiently chipping away and forging ahead 24-23 at quarter-time.The visitors mainntained the upper hand by a small margin throughout the second period, only to slip behind 42-39 at halftime.ddddddddddddCairns seized the momentum in the third and were leading by four when Lisch crashed to the floor after colliding with a Taipans player.He was assisted from the court by Kings medical staff and played no further part in the match.Cadee connected with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the third quarter to cut Cairns lead to 66-65.He continued to find the bottom of the net down the stretch to give rookie Kings coach Andrew Gaze his second NBL win.The Taipans are winless after two games.Sydney face a hectic schedule in round three, taking on the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland next Thursday and hosting the Illawarra Hawks the following Monday.The Taipans have one game scheduled in round three - next Fridays road meeting with the Adelaide 36ers. 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