OAKLAND -- Oakland As right-hander Kendall Graveman was 12 starts into the season and was searching for answers. He was 2-6 with a 5.28 ERA, and opposing hitters were batting .309 with 11 home runs against him.Thats when pitching coach Curt Young made a suggestion that helped turn Gravemans season around.Curt came up to me and said, You got to find what works for you, what makes you have a chip on your shoulder, whats going to lock you in, Graveman said.Graveman said he remembered how locked in he was in 2014, when he visualized his pitches before every game and rocketed through the Toronto Blue Jays system, earning five promotions and finishing the season in the major leagues.It was something that I just had to get back to, visualize throwing every pitch to both sides of the plate to lefties and righties, Graveman said. Its almost like youre visualizing a pitch that you want to make in a big situation to try to get someone out, but also just visualizing quality pitches.I think for me it sets up nicely because I get to see the movement when I visualize it. Youve seen it so much after you throw it and watching video that I think that just reinforces it. The minds a powerful thing. I think we know that now in the game of baseball. You start really thinking positively before a start, I think positive outcomes will happen.In his past six starts, Graveman has gone 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA, and opposing hitters are batting .232 with two home runs.Graveman will take a career-high five-game winning streak into his start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Drew Smyly.Smyly has lost a career-high seven straight games and is trying to escape the worst slump of his career. Hes 2-11 with a 5.64 ERA. Smyly, who missed 105 last year because of a left shoulder injury, entered this season with a career record of 24-15 with a 3.24 ERA.Its just been a slump, man, Smyly said. I wish I had an answer but I dont. You just got to keep grinding, keep searching. Im healthy. I feel fine. Every chance I get Im competing my hardest, so hopefully I can get it turned around. It is what it is.Despite Smylys struggles, the Rays have no plans to take him out of the rotation, manager Kevin Cash said.Were very confident he is going to pitch his way out of this, Cash said before the Rays 1-0, 13-inning loss to Oakland. Were looking forward to getting him on the mound (Saturday). I sat down and talked to him casually with him after his start in Colorado. Hes doing all the right things. The results just arent coming. Sometimes youve got to let it kind of work its course and one start, one, two good innings of something clicking can be really beneficial for him.Smyly gave up five runs and needed 100 pitches to get through five innings in a 7-4 loss to the Rockies on Monday at Coors Field.First of all, I believe hes healthy, too, Cash said. Weve talked to Drew. I think its just inconsistencies in his off-speed pitches. He has not gone into a start here recently where hes really had his wipeout cutter or wipeout breaking ball and it becomes difficult. Youre facing some good hitters, good lineups and to go out there with just a fastball -- he tries to get really picky with the fastball knowing that he doesnt have that. I know thats kind of been the focal point for him, to try to get one if not two of those off-sped pitches going for him.Graveman, who relies heavily on a nasty sinker, is 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA in three career starts against Tampa Bay. He took the loss on May 14 at Tropicana Field, allowing four runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-0 defeat.Smyly is 1-2 with a 6.87 ERA in six appearances against the As, including three starts. Fred Warner Womens Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Kentavius Street Womens Jersey . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. http://www.cheap49ersjerseys.net/ . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Authentic 49ers Jerseys . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Black Friday 49ers Jerseys . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. NEW YORK -- Paul Pierce stared straight ahead, an occasional smile or laugh interrupting the otherwise distant look on his face. Now a Net, its clear hes still getting over not being a Celtic. "Its tough when youve been in a situation like me for 15 years," Pierce said. But hes getting used to it, and he and Kevin Garnett are ready to make the most of their new surroundings. Traded from Boston to Brooklyn, the duo was introduced along with Jason Terry on Thursday at a news conference at Barclays Center, their new home. Pierce said it was difficult to leave the city where hed spent his entire career. He appeared dazed at times while listening to questions and answers, even having to ask for one to be repeated while trying to fight his way out of a fog. "You saw the trade and its like, OK, theres a trade. But for me to actually be here now, looking for a place to live, being in this arena, trying to get to know my way around the city, its really starting to sink in now that its become real," Pierce said. "Im no longer a Boston Celtic, Im a Brooklyn Net and thats what it is right now," he continued. "Its a business. At some point we all have to move on and Im here to try to create some kind of legacy here in Brooklyn." The crowd applauded, appearing more excited about having Pierce in Brooklyn than he was about being here. Thats understandable given his history in Boston, where he is the Celtics No. 2 career scorer and was the NBA Finals MVP when they won the last of their NBA-high 17 championships. "Hell yeah, hes been with Boston his whole life," Garnett said. "Youve been in a system, been in a city, especially its the Celtics. Yeah, its very difficult." But Pierce realized it would be coming, saying he thought "the writing was on the wall" in June when the Celtics negotiated a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to let coach Doc Rivers out of his contract in Boston. "Its sinking in and Im liking what I feel right now," Pierce said, adding he got a jolt when he saw his new white-and-black uniform in the locker room. The Celtics and Nets agreed to the blockbuster trade on draft night and it became official last week. Garnett waved a no-trade clause to accept the deal -- after some urging from Pierce during a lengthy phone call -- and while saying it was "unfortunate" they had to move on, he seemed to have a little easier time embraccing it, greeting the audience with "Whats up, Brooklyn!" before his first remarks.dddddddddddd "I dont know anyone that loves change, but change has to happen for things to (get) better," he said. The three newcomers were joined on the podium by general manager Billy King and first-year coach Jason Kidd, who at 40 is a longtime rival, a former teammate of Terrys and just a few years older than his new players. And they got a visit at the end from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who made a late decision to attend the news conference and meet the players whose salaries helped the teams payroll soar so high that the club will pay about $80 million in luxury tax next season. "I think theyre still counting money in the back office, but frankly speaking, I just hope the check doesnt bounce," Prokhorov joked. The Russian billionaire has said his goal was to win a championship within five years of buying the team in 2010. Including the signing of Andrei Kirilenko this summer, Brooklyn has now gotten into position to contend. "For me, its not the way to wait 10, 15 years for results," Prokhorov said. With Pierce and Garnett joining the trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and All-Star centre Brook Lopez, the Nets will have one of the NBAs most potent lineups. But they will have to win soon, as Pierce will be 36 by opening night and Garnett is 37 -- though his refusal to answer to question about how much he has left showed he believes the answer is plenty. The Celtics won a title in the first year that Garnett and Pierce were together, and they believe the Nets have the talent to compete for one this season. "This is like mirror images," Garnett said. "You see the talent thats already here, you see us coming into it, now its about how well we gel." It will be strange trying to do it in jerseys that dont have any green. Garnetts even has an unfamiliar number, now in No. 2 in honour of his friend and former Minnesota teammate, the late Malik Sealy. Pierce always envisioned them playing together, but not anywhere else. He figured when he signed his last contract that he would retire a Celtic, and felt even more certain after Garnett later re-signed. "I thought we were going to be linked together pretty much the rest of our careers in Boston," Pierce said. "As you can see we are pretty much linked together, but just not in Boston anymore." China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys ' ' '