Whats behind Erik Hurtados sudden and dramatic turnaround? Why is he all of a sudden scoring highlight reel goals and game winners? According to Whitecaps Coach Carl Robinson there is no difference. Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. Last year, you could almost see the Santa Clara grad thinking while he played. "Should I go here?" "Whos my man?" "Do I shoot or do I cross?" The amount of times a promising attack would fizzle out at his feet was frustrating for not just the fans, but his former manager as well. When your coach loses faith, its tough to believe in yourself. So the mantra this year for Hurtado and many of the other young studs in the Whitecaps stable is stop thinking. Just go play. For the most part, its working. Hurtado has been employed as both a lone striker, and a right sided weapon. Hes looked equally dangerous in both roles. One can only imagine what might happen when his freedom of thought becomes routine and instinctual. Compare the Real Salt Lake game a month ago, when in the late stages, last years fifth overall pick burst down the right flank and instead of unleashing one of his palm stinging drives, he squared it up for a team-mate, with coach Robinson pleading for a shot. From virtually the same spot in last Saturdays game against Seattle Sounders Hurtado blasted home off the cross bar, and the Whitecaps were back on level terms only minutes after cruelly falling behind. There was no thought. There was no passing of responsibility. It was the same explosive drive the 23-year-old has unleashed hundreds of times in training, and throughout his formative years. The ball doesnt seem to run away from "E-Money" anymore either. His touch is tidier, the runs are becoming less predictable, and the end product is inherently powerful. Youd be hard pressed to find a similarly statured player with the kinds of tools Hurtado possesses. Hes been told more than once that a running back in the other type of football might have suited his skill set more. Thankfully his dad wasnt having it. Now the one time Beaverton Oregon boy gets to return to the state of his youth, as a bona fide starter, and a legitimate threat. Surely the family and friends in attendance will motivate him further, rather than distract. Carl Robinson could also have the luxury of Darren Mattocks at his disposal for the June 1st tilt at Providence Park. Mattocks will be racking up the air miles on Jamaican duty, but will still be available to face his old Akron Zips coach Caleb Porter, and best pal Darlington Nagbe. Might we see Hurtado, Mattocks and Manneh all on the park at once as some supporters had fantasized already last pre-season? 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The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak. Fake Jerseys 2020 . The whole deflation of New England Patriots footballs is like a murder mystery without the violence or significance. On one side, this is a ridiculous issue.EDMONTON -- There was plenty of post-Olympic rust to go around, but none seemed to stick to Darcy Kuemper in the Minnesota Wilds net. Kuemper made 21 saves to earn his second career shutout as Minnesota returned from the Olympic break on a winning note, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 on Thursday night. "We did a real good job, we were aware of the situation and everyone was focused tonight," Kuemper said. "It was just a solid team game tonight. We had seven days of practice. You just use the first two practices to get the fundamentals back and then you worry about the next game. I stuck to my game and obviously the team played great in front of me." Mikael Granlund, Stephane Veilleux and Dany Heatley scored for the Wild (32-21-7) who won their third game in a row. "I think thats our biggest strength, to have a good defensive game," Granlund said. "I thought we played good defensively and Kemps had a good game in net. We didnt give them too much." Wild head coach Mike Yeo said his team played far from perfect, but they will take the win anyway. "I dont think that we played this game at the level that we headed into the break at and I think thats normal," he said. "I was impressed with the detail and the structure in a lot of areas, but I think our puck work can get a little better in some areas too." The Oilers (20-34-7) have lost two in a row after winning five of their previous six. "It was pretty embarrassing," said Edmonton forward David Perron. "Nothing was going right for us. We couldnt generate any offence and our defence wasnt good. It was an awful game." It was the fifth time this season that the Oilers have been shutout at home and eighth time this season they have failed to score in a game. "Thats not how we wanted to come back from the break at all. It seemed like there was a lot of rust on our team," said Oilers forward Taylor Hall. "Whether that was the break or whatever, it doesnt really matter. They had the same break that we did and we just didnt play well." Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins thought neither team really looked that good on their return to action following the long break. "That was an ugly hockey game, I thought for both teams," he said. "It was quite amazing watching this game the number of players falling down with nothing going on around them and passes going behind players. It was firmly two teamss coming off of a long break.dddddddddddd." The game started with a bang as Oilers forward Matt Hendricks checked Wild defenceman Nate Prosser in to the boards in the first minute of play. Prosser was helped to the dressing room and did not return until the second period. Minnesota got revenge for the hit by taking a 1-0 lead a minute later as Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens was caught out of position as Zach Parise fed the puck in front to Granlund who had an empty net to put his teams first shot of the game into. Each team only accounted for six first period shots apiece, with Edmontons best chance coming late in the period when a high bounce flipped off of Kuempers back and landed in the crease before being sent to safety by Jared Spurgeon. Kuemper made a big save of his own seven minutes into the second as he was quick to come across and rob Jordan Eberle at the side of the net on the tail end of an Oiler power play. Minnesota made it 2-0 midway through the second period as Erik Huala fought off Oiler Anton Belov behind the net to send a backhand to a primed and ready Veilleux who blasted a one-timer from the top of the circle past Scrivens for just his second goal of the season. The Wild took a three-goal lead midway through the third as Charlie Coyle made a nice play to swing out from behind the net and find Heatley in front, who lifted his 12th of the season over a sprawling Scrivens. Notes: Both teams saw some success before the pause in the NHL schedule as the Oilers were 5-1-1 in their previous seven games, while the Wild were 4-1-2 in their last seven. Edmonton only allowed 12 goals during that seven-game stretcha The Wild have had a great deal of success against Edmonton in recent years, coming into the game having won five of six and 14 of its last 17 versus the Oilers, including seven of their last eight appearances in Edmontona Minnesota forward Mikko Koivu is reportedly close to returning but remained out with an ankle injury for Thursdays gamea Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom returned from an abdominal injury dating back to Jan. 30, but served as the backup to Kuempera It was Edmontons only home game in all of February. The Oilers last home date was on Jan. 29 when Scrivens set an NHL record for most saves in a shutout with 59 in a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharksa Oiler forward Nail Yakupov took a shot to the right ankle from teammate Justin Schultz in the third and did not return. ' ' 'shutout twice in one day since April 9, 1987, against Kansas City, according to STATS, and no team in the major leagues had done it since Minnesota swept Oakland on June 26, 1988. The Cubs had not been blanked twice on the same day since Larry Jackson and Ray Sadecki pitched complete games for St. Louis on June 27, 1962. Chicago was 9 for 61 (.148) at the plate, dropping its season average to .230, and struck out 17 times. Pineda (2-1) was pitching for the first time since he was spotted with brown goo on his right hand during Thursdays 4-1 win against Boston, touching off a debate about pitchers use of sticky substances to get better grips in cool weather. It was significantly colder Wednesday, with temperatures in the low-40s and a frigid wind, but Pinedas hand was clean throughout. "I didnt do nothing," Pineda said when asked if he used something to improve his hold on the ball. "I was focusing on throwing the ball good." And he did, despite pitching in some really harsh weather. In fact, he said it was the coldest hes ever pitched in. Anthony Rizzos triple with two outs in the sixth off Pineda was the Cubs only extra-base hit of the day. Chicago totalled six hits against a pair of 25-year-old power pitchers who rarely walk batters. Tanaka (2-0) and Pineda each gave up one free pass. "Both of them, they were good," said Emilio Bonifacio, who was 0 for 8 on the day. "Their breaking pitches, they were pretty good, so it was really tough." Shawn Kelley yielded a hit to Rizzo, who had three hits overall, in the ninth inning of the opener but secured his fourth save. Adam Warren put runners on second and third in the ninth inning of the nightcap, but finished for his first save. With Tuesdays rainout postponing Jackie Robinson Day festivities, the Yankees unveiled a plaque honouring Nelson Mandela before the second game. Players from both teams wore No. 42. The Cubs have yet to win in the Bronx. They were swept in the 1932 and 38 World Series and lost all three-games in 2005, their only interleague series in New York. After an overnight storm, the grounds crew used blowers to melt the ice on the tarp before removing the covering from the infield. Snow still covered the grass in right field while the Cubs took batting practice, and many players wore ski caps. But it wasnt too cold for Beltran. He connected on a 1-1 changeup from Hammel (2-1) with one out in the first. Dean Anna started again at shortstop for Derek Jeter and drove in his run with a fly to left field in the fourth. Jeter went 1 for 5 in the night game, his first action since Friday. New York added a run in the fifth when Junior Lake lost Gardners liner to left in the sun for a double. After Gardner advanced on Beltrans groundout, Jacoby Ellsburys bat made contact with catcher John Bakers glove before dunking a ball in front of the mound. Catchers interference was called but under rule 6.08 (c), the Yankees had the choice to reject the interference call -- it would have put runners at the corners -- and take the play as it unfolded on the field. The elected for the latter, with Gardner scoring and Ellsbury tagging out by Hammel. "With one out, you take the run," Girardi said. Lake got the first hit off Tanaka with one out in the second when he bunted toward the third base side, and the right-hander fielded it cleanly. Initially, first base umpire Manny Gonzalez called Lake out but Renteria requested a challenge and the call was overturned. Hammel was nearly as good as Tanaka. He yielded three runs and five hits, striking out five. NOTES: Cubs pitchers Edwin Jackson and Carlos Villanueva will swap start days. Jackson will pitch Saturday against the Reds and Villanueva on Sunday. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (right hamstring) is working out in Tampa, Fla. Girardi said he will play three innings Thursday. Teixeira is eligible to return from the DL Sunday. ... Yankees closer David Robertson (left groin strain) said he was going to pitch in a minor league game in Tampa on Saturday. MLB Jerseys From China . The second-ranked Jayhawks will play the Miners of Texas-El Paso at Imperial Arena in the Bahamas. The game can be seen live on TSN2 starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . The All-Pro left tackle agreed to a five-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday. Peters was signed for 2014, and his new deal adds four years through 2018. https://www.mlbjerseys2020.com/ . -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. Nike MLB Jerseys For Sale . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. MLB Jerseys 2020 . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats say head coach Steve Clifford will coach Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks after having two stents placed in his heart Friday. The Bobcats first-year head coach checked himself into a Charlotte hospital with chest pains Thursday night. He was hospitalized overnight and doctors performed the procedure the following day. Associate head cooach Patrick Ewing filled in as head coach against the New York Knicks on Friday night, a game the Bobcats lost 101-91 to fall to 3-3.dddddddddddd. The 52-year-old Clifford joined the Bobcats during this off-season, replacing Mike Dunlap, who was fired after one season. Clifford will have a busy week as the Bobcats have four games in six days beginning Monday. ' ' '