ber combinedber combined to retire the first 15 St. Louis hitters to retire the first 15 St. Louis hitters

RICHMOND Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , Texas (AP) — A Texas sheriff said Friday he has apologized to New England Patriots player Elandon Roberts for the actions of a deputy who referred to the linebacker’s race and size during a March traffic stop but also defended the deputy’s comment and the stop.Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said during a news conference that he spoke with Roberts and his attorney and said the deputy should not have taken so long with the March 10 traffic stop.Roberts was stopped as he pulled into the driveway of his Houston-area home and Nehls also said Deputy Adam Watkins was wrong to order Roberts’ wife back inside the home when she saw flashing lights and stepped outside.“The way he interacted with his wife, I didn’t appreciate the tone,” Nehls said of his deputy.Watkins, who is white, ultimately was issued a verbal reprimand for how he conducted the stop, according to sheriff’s Capt. Steve Holtz.But the stop, which was captured on dash-cam video , was warranted because Roberts was traveling 59 mph in a 35 mph zone as he traveled home, Nehls said. Holtz explained the ticket later was changed to a warning at the deputy’s request.Watkins Elgton Jenkins Jersey , in speaking to a colleague, referred to Roberts as a “big, black male” but Nehls defended the reference to race, saying the deputy was simply offering a description of the driver. The sheriff didn’t comment on why it was necessary for the deputy to invoke Roberts’ race.Roberts, 25, in a statement to USA Today was critical of his treatment, saying, “Unfortunately, these types of things are happening all too often to African Americans.”Watkins also told a colleague that Roberts “wouldn’t comply” when told to get back into his car after getting out once he pulled into his driveway. “I had to yell at him pretty hard Jace Sternberger Jersey ,” Watkins is heard saying on the video.Holtz said Watkins, a rookie only on the job a few months when the stop occurred, became nervous when he saw Roberts initially get out of his car. He said the mistakes Watkins committed were understandable in light of his inexperience.Nehls criticized USA Today for publishing an edited version of the stop that he believes was misleading. The sheriff also criticized those who turn the encounter “into a racial issue.”“I think there have been traffic stops and interactions between white and black that have caused some of the most horrible, civil unrest in this country,” Nehls said, adding that, “We haven’t experienced that in Fort Bend County.”The fast-growing county is just southwest of Houston. Roberts, who lives in Richmond, starred at the University of Houston before being drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Two young starters searching for consistency will try to find it Wednesday night in the rubber game of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Padres left-hander Eric Lauer (2-4 Dexter Williams Jersey , 6.64 ERA) is undergoing on-the-job training with mostly painful results, while Cardinals right-hander Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.35) has won once in his last 10 starts, struggling to put hitters away and frequently running up high pitch counts.

The last start for each summarized their seasons. Lauer suffered a 4-0 loss Friday night in Miami, while Weaver was no-decisioned in a 7-6, 10-inning victory that same evening in Cincinnati as each failed to command the strike zone.

Lauer, who is in the majors because Bryan Mitchell (0-3, 7.08) was horribly ineffective, has allowed a whopping 81 baserunners (57 hits Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , 24 walks) over 39 1/3 innings in nine starts.

Seven of those walks occurred in Miami, where Lauer threw 111 pitches and gave up three runs in a five-inning stint. Lauer at least managed to minimize damage, escaping a bases-loaded spot in the fifth without ceding extra runs.

“It was a good learning experience for me,” Lauer said to MLB.com. “And a good mental sign for me that (manager Andy Green) was comfortable leaving me in in those situations and letting me get that chance to grow. Being able to work through those tough situations is something I need to do.”

Lauer was shelled in a 9-5 loss to St. Louis at Petco Park on May 11, allowing four homers and six runs over 2 1/3 innings before getting hooked.

Weaver, who pitched well over the last two months of the 2017 season, came out of the gate strong in 2018 with two wins in his first three starts. But Weaver has lasted seven innings just two times in his last 10 outings, taxing a bullpen that hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency.

The Reds touched Weaver for seven hits, five walks and four runs in five-plus innings on Friday http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/anthony-zettel-jersey , but only a blown save by Bud Norris in the ninth prevented Weaver from notching a win.

“Today was a tough one with the weather conditions and the rain, with it getting a little muddy,” Weaver said to MLB.com. “It is one of those where you have to put your stuff down and grind through it and make some good pitches.”

Weaver has stumped San Diego (32-37) in both career outings, winning both and not allowing a run over 12 innings.

The Padres evened this series Tuesday night as their bullpen checked the Cardinals (36-29) on five hits in a 4-2 victory. Matt Strahm and submarining right-hander Adam Cimber combined to retire the first 15 St. Louis hitters.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said the difference between Cimber and Strahm, a left-hander who touched 94 mph with his fastball, was difficult for his hitters.

“That was unique stuff from the right side,” Matheny said of Cimber. “Most of the time, he’s using the (arm) angle to hit the top of the zone. It’s certainly like an upshoot.”