Tire Pros Invitational on Friday night

NEW YORK -- Its been more than a century since a National League starting pitcher was as perfect as Stephen Strasburg so far.Strasburg stayed undefeated, winning a marquee pitching matchup against an ailing Noah Syndergaard by tossing seven innings of two-hit ball Friday night that sent the Washington Nationals to a 3-1 victory over the banged-up New York Mets.Clint Robinson hit a two-run homer for the Nationals, going deep for the second consecutive night, and Daniel Murphy added an RBI double against his former team. Strasburg (12-0) struck out nine and became the first NL starter in 104 years to win his first 12 decisions in a season. He has won a franchise-record 15 straight since September.Just shows how good they swing on the days I pitch, I guess, Strasburg said with a laugh.Oliver Perez and Blake Treinen combined to escape an eighth-inning jam, and Washington extended its NL East lead to four games over the Mets after dropping the opener of the four-game set Thursday night.Series like this, they tend to be, who makes the least amount of mistakes -- and we didnt make very many mistakes tonight, Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon said.Syndergaard (9-4) and slugger Yoenis Cespedes left early with injuries, hours after New York announced that struggling pitcher Matt Harvey will have season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.Cespedes was pulled after three innings with a strained right quadriceps and said he hopes to return after the All-Star break. The slugger got hurt chasing Murphys double to deep center field in the third and was replaced by Juan Lagares in the fourth.With his velocity dipping, Syndergaard exited in the fifth with arm fatigue that was not elbow-related, the Mets said. The big right-hander has been pitching with a bone spur in his right elbow that he called pretty insignificant.His arm went dead. Hes got a tired arm and (his) stuff went away, manager Terry Collins said. But he said theres no pain.Cespedes and Syndergaard were selected for the All-Star Game on Tuesday in San Diego, but both are unlikely to participate, Collins said. They are expected to be examined Saturday.Its disappointing, but there will be a lot more, Syndergaard said. Its a long season, you put a lot of wear and tear on your body, just right now I think I need a little break.Strasburg also was picked for the NL squad but was replaced on the roster Friday by Washington teammate Max Scherzer. Strasburg came off the disabled list this week and wont pitch in the Midsummer Classic as a precaution. The right-hander is from San Diego and plans to attend the game, the Nationals said.They came to me and they said that that was what they were thinking, Strasburg said. In my head, Im like, I want to make up for the two starts I missed, so hopefully be able to start the first game back and get the second half going right.After tossing 6 2/3 innings Sunday against Cincinnati in his return from an upper back strain, Strasburg was pulled with a no-hitter intact because he had already thrown 109 pitches.This time, he held New York hitless until Asdrubal Cabrera homered leading off the fifth. Brandon Nimmo followed with a single, but the Mets didnt do much else until the eighth.I think the DL stint, good thing was that it wasnt something that was impacting my throwing arm, Strasburg said. So it wasnt really like a big process to try and get back into things. I think my arm felt good. When my trap and back subsided a little bit, I was able to throw in between and maintain what Ive been working on.Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances. With his 367th save, he tied Jeff Reardon for ninth on the career list.It was the first matchup between Syndergaard and Strasburg, who is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in three outings against the Mets this year. He became the first NL starter to begin 12-0 since Hall of Famer Rube Marquard opened 18-0 for the New York Giants in 1912.Speaks for itself, man, Papelbon said.Washington improved to 15-1 with Strasburg on the mound this year. He is the only qualified starter in the majors without a loss.I think this year he has become a more complete pitcher than Ive personally seen in the past, Mets second baseman Neil Walker said. So, hes as advertised.New York dropped to 7-2 on an 11-game homestand, its longest of the season.The start was delayed 37 minutes by rain.TAKE THAT!Murphy, booed again by the Citi Field crowd of 35,030, has hit safely in all 11 games against the Mets since they let him leave as a free agent in the offseason. Hes batting .409 with 15 RBI and five of his career-high 15 homers vs. New York.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: 1B Ryan Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left rib cage strain.Mets: Rookie RHP Seth Lugo relieved Syndergaard with New York trailing 3-0 and tossed two hitless innings.UP NEXTScherzer (9-6, 3.21 ERA) pitches Saturday night against RHP Logan Verrett (3-5, 4.01), who starts in place of Harvey. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Trent-Brown-Jersey/ . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Garry-Gilliam-Jersey/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Eric-Reid-Jersey/ . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Dontae-Johnson-Jersey/ . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Colin-Kaepernick-Jersey/ . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oklahoma missed some shots they normally make and committed some head-scratching turnovers in the first half against Tulane on Thursday night.The next thing the Sooners knew, they were in a heck of a game.Oklahoma corrected many of its early mistakes in the final 20 minutes to run away with an 89-70 win over the Green Wave during the first round of the Tire Pros Invitational. The Sooners advanced in the winners bracket where they will meet Northern Iowa in the late game Friday night.We just played smarter in the second half, said Oklahoma senior guard Jordan Woodard, who led his team with 22 points, seven assists and four steals. We started playing our game.We let them dictate a little bit in the first half. They are a good ball club and so are we. We just had to take it to another level in the second half and keep advancing.After clinging to a 38-35 halftime advantage, the Sooners (2-0) came out much more aggressive early in the second half and quickly built a double-digit lead. Rahsard Odomes (15 points) and Woodard let the way in the final 20 minutes with a combined 24 points, but it was some the young players who made timely contributions to keep the attacking Green Wave (1-2) from making a comeback.Freshman forward Kristian Doolittle was a force inside, scoring eight points while leading the charge on the offensive boards where he pulled five of his game-high 12 rebounds. Freshmen Matt Freeman and Jordan Shepherd also both had key contributions, which is what the Sooners needed after losing three senior captains off of last seasons team.We had a lot of young lineups out there tonight on many occasions, said OU coach Lon Kruger. This is going to be a club where individually you will seee more people get comfortable with each game.dddddddddddd.BIG PICTURETulane: The Green Wave are athletic and can make it difficult on teams with their quickness to the paint and 3-point shooting. Ray Ona Embo was sometimes brilliant in his ability to break defenders down and either penetrate or pull up for a jumper on the perimeter.Oklahoma: Facing their toughest competition so far this season, the young Sooners showed plenty of resolve in overcoming an aggressive shooting Tulane team. Woodard and Odomes made most of the big shots during the critical second-half run but Shepherd and Doolittle also contributed key points to help the Sooners pull away in the second half.KEY STATSTulane, which had led by as many as four points in the first half, gave up 21 points off of turnovers and allowed Oklahoma to score 15 points on second-chance shots.So 36 of their points come in that manner, Tulane coach Mike Dunleavy said. Its a quick turnaround and we have to do better in that space.YOUNG GUNSSo much has been made out of how young the Sooners will be this season after losing three talented seniors of last years team.But Woodard says he likes what he is seeing out of all of them so far.Each game is a learning experience, Woodard said. We have guys who are not afraid to step up to the challenge and take ownership of the team and Coach is going to put us in good spots to be successful.UP NEXTTulane: The Green Wave will face Arizona State in the second round of the Tire Pros Invitational on Friday night.Oklahoma: The Sooners will take on Northern Iowa in the second round of the invite on Friday night. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '