Dein erstes Forum » Bumgarner pitched eight superb innings

VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Whitecaps forward Erik Hurtado was known more for his wild hair style than his ability on the pitch prior to Saturdays match against the Columbus Crew. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Green . That bleach blonde Mohawk still stands out, but not as much as his first goal in Major League Soccer -- a wonder strike in the first half that helped propel Vancouver to a 1-0 victory in Ohio. The fifth overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Hurtado has had to bide his time with the Whitecaps and he took full advantage of his first league start of the season. The 23-year-old controlled a long free kick in front of a Columbus defender on the right before cutting into the middle and unleashing a vicious left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that curled into the top corner. "You know how when you hit it on the sweet spot and you just know its going in? Thats what happened," Hurtado said after Mondays training session. "As soon as it left my foot, I was like Oh my God yes. Thank you God." The Fredericksburg, Va., native has played 22 MLS games since joining Vancouver last season, including five starts. But with the club parting ways with veteran striker Kenny Miller earlier this month, and with Darren Mattocks on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Hurtado is finally getting an opportunity under Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "Im maturing as a player. I matured over my rookie season last year a lot," he said. "(Robinson) having faith in me has been great. Hes going to give players opportunities if they deserve it. "Ive been working really hard on the field and I got my chance and took it." Hurtado stands out because of his raw talent, but also for a hairstyle that has earned him an array of nicknames from teammates, including Rufio from the movie "Hook" and Sonic the Hedgehog, in honour of the video game character. "I dont know if its like a Brazilian blowout mixed with a mohawk and some bleach -- got in a fight with a bottle of bleach or something like that," Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey said with a chuckle. "Thats his style and how he wants to express it and more power to him." Hurtado is fine with the jabs. "I dont know if Im trying to achieve anything," he said. "Im just trying to stay fresh." In his first season at the Whitecaps helm, Robinson couldnt care less what Hurtados hair looks like as long as he continues to develop and stays committed to his craft. "Hes an example to all the young players that things dont go your way sometimes," said Robinson. "Its important you put the work in and youll get your reward. It might not come in the next week or two weeks. It might come in the next two or three months, and thats what happened with Erik." Hurtados raw talent was evident to his teammates as soon as he arrived in Vancouver, but it was clear his game needed to be honed. "It was kind of like corralling a wild stallion, if you know what I mean," said Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. "Hes one of those guys (where) you can see his athletic ability. You can see his pace, his power, and its about corralling that and making sure that turns into good football. You can see it really start to take shape now, you can see him gaining in a little bit of confidence." Speaking of confidence, Hurtado and his teammates have loads of it heading into Wednesdays second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal against Toronto FC. Robinson fielded a "younger than young" squad in last weeks 2-1 away defeat in the first leg, but that result means that a 1-0 victory for Vancouver at B.C. Place Stadium would see the Whitecaps advance to the final on the away goals rule. DeMerit and many of Vancouvers other veterans watched from the sidelines as the baby-faced Whitecaps, including Hurtado, battled hard against Torontos star-studded roster. "Guys are contributing when asked upon. Guys are staying on the same page and as a collective were continuing to work on our brand of soccer," said DeMerit, who looks likely to sit out against Toronto again this week after playing Saturday in Columbus. "That needs to continue. That mentality needs to continue to shift and even get better." Apart from Hurtados recent success, former No. 1 pick Omar Salgado has impressed since rejoining the Whitecaps from the second-tier Charleston Battery last week. A big target who has been plagued by injuries in his young career, Salgado seems fitter and had a great chance late against Columbus that just bounced wide in the games dying minutes. "Im still a little disappointed I missed that but every striker in the world misses chances," said Salgado, the top choice in 2011. "Its something youve just got to get over and score against Toronto." Robinson said saying goodbye to Miller was difficult because of their personal friendship, but added that it was a move that had to be made with youngsters like Hurtado, Salgado and Kekuta Manneh clamouring for minutes. "It was the right decision for the club and me moving forward with this group of players that Ive got," said Robinson. "It will give the young players more opportunities to play and Ive said from Day 1 that I will give them more opportunities and I think you will see that more now." Nike Air Max Womens 90 Yellow . Vonn flew back to Vail, Colo., last week after hurting her surgically repaired right knee at a downhill race in France. "Her knee was swollen again after Val dIsere," U.S. womens head coach Alex Hoedlmoser told The Associated Press. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Red . A steady downpour and low temperatures were predicted for much of the night. No makeup date was immediately announced, although it was determined that the game will not be part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. http://www.nikeairmaxwomens90.com/ . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday.LOS ANGELES -- Once he found the outside corner, everything went smoothly for Madison Bumgarner. His only hiccup led to a quick confrontation with Yasiel Puig. Bumgarner pitched eight superb innings and Brandon Crawford hit a two-run homer, leading the San Francisco Giants past the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 Friday night. "I felt better as the game went on," Bumgarner said. "I was making pitches and making adjustments. I was having a hard time getting the outside corner early on, but I got to where I could hit that spot the last two or three innings." San Franciscos 12th victory in 15 games was overshadowed, however, by the broken left thumb first baseman Brandon Belt sustained when he was hit by Paul Maholms first pitch of the second inning. Belt will be sidelined for at least six weeks, according to manager Bruce Bochy. The Giants were leading 3-0 when Puig homered to centre in the sixth, after taking a called third strike his previous time up and stranding Justin Turner at third base. As soon as Puig made contact, he flipped the bat away, walked a few feet toward first base and began a slow trot around the bases. "Honestly, I think Puig overreacted a little bit. I dont know," Dodgers teammate Scott Van Slyke said. "He felt like he had an unfair pitch thrown to him the previous time up, and then he acted like he got him back. But Puigs an emotional guy. Some people just have that fire in them when they play, and it comes out sometimes. I wouldnt necessarily say that its wrong or right. Its just that theres lots of different personalities in the world, and youve just got to learn to deal with them." Bumgarner walked toward the third base line and had a few choice words for Puig as he approached home plate. But the hostilities ended there with some quick action by plate umpire Will Little, who intercepted Bumgarner. "I was just congratulating him," Bumgarner said, tongue in cheek. "That was a really good swing. That was pretty impressive. I dont know why everybody got so mad. It escalated quickly for no reason. "I think he said, Thank you. Im not sure if he did. I dont speak Spanish very well. But its always a passionate series when you play the Dodgers, and its fun. No matter what the records are, either team could be 30 games out and its still going to be a big series just because its the Giants and Dodgers." Hanley Ramirez was the next batter and took a 1-1 pitch for a strike that had manager Don Mattingly chirping from the dugout. Little ejected Mattingly, who came running out to argue. Belt, who leads the Giants with nine homers, ran the bbases until the second inning ended but was replaced on defence by Joaquin Arias. Nike Air Max Womens 90 2018. "When I looked at it, I said: Its not good. He couldnt move it, and it was just locked," Bochy said. "I had a bad feeling it was broken and that he was going to have to come out of the game. "Its the old bittersweet thing," he added. "It was a great game and a great performance by Bumgarner, so you appreciate that. But at the same time, we lost our first baseman. And thats a blow for us because of the job he does at first base and the fact that he hits in the heart of our order." Bumgarner (4-3) allowed a run and four hits with eight strikeouts en route to his second straight victory after three consecutive losses -- two of them by 2-1 scores against the Dodgers and Colorado. He is 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his last six starts at Dodger Stadium, and hasnt allowed more than two earned runs in any of them. "Hes good at missing just high, or just outside, or just inside," Van Slyke said. "Hes really tall and he throws hard. He has an idea of what he wants to do and his ball moves. And hes a competitor, so hes going to be tough for a lot of years." Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save in as many attempts. Maholm (1-3) gave up three runs, three hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander is 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in his last five starts against the Giants. Maholm got out of a first-inning jam by retiring cleanup hitter Mike Morse on a double-play grounder and matched zeros with Bumgarner until the fifth. Brandon Hicks walked with one out and Crawford drove the next pitch into the right-field pavilion for his fourth homer of the season and first in 117 career at-bats against the Dodgers to that point. Dodgers reliever Brandon League escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the seventh when he fielded Hunter Pences comebacker to start a 1-2-3 double play and then retired Buster Posey on a fly to right. NOTES: Mattinglys ejection was his 13th as a manager and first this season. ... Puig extended his hitting streak to nine games, matching his longest as a rookie last season. ... Turner started at third base because of Juan Uribes sore right hamstring. ... It was the 12th time in the Dodgers last 15 meetings with San Francisco that they have scored fewer than four runs. ... Romos scoreless inning reduced the ERA of the Giants bullpen to a major league-best 1.75. ... Maholm, who has induced a major league-high 192 double-play grounders since the start of the 2006 season, hasnt had more than three strikeouts in any of his six starts this season. ' ' '