*** NEWS *** » The Colorado Rockies begin a weekend series Frida

Miami Marlins http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-ben-banogu-jersey , hoping to finish a homestand by taking advantage of another National League East laggard.

A 6-4 win over the New York Mets on Thursday enabled the Rockies to take three of four games in that series. The Marlins (29-46), who were off Thursday, have the worst road record (15-25) in the NL but have won nine of their past 16 games overall. They are 3-3 on a road trip that included stops in Baltimore and San Francisco and will end in Denver.

“This has been a good little three-game swing for us,” Rockies manager Bud Black said after his team beat the Mets for the third straight time. “We were scuffling a little bit on the mound. We were starting to hit. So collectively, these three hopefully produce a little momentum going forward.”

The Rockies (37-38) broke their major-league record-tying string of allowing at least eight runs in nine consecutive home games but have won a season-high tying three straight games at Coors Field where they are 14-20.

Jon Gray (6-7 5.89) will start for the Rockies against Marlins left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (2-3, 5.91). Gray is 0-2, 7.36 in his past two starts, the most recent Sunday at Texas where he gave up one run in five innings and left after giving up five runs and facing four batters in the sixth. The last was Jurickson Profar, who hit a two-run homer that gave the Rangers a 6-5 lead. Gray ended up with a no-decision in what became a 13-12 loss to the Rangers.

Gray is 1-2, 6.75 in four starts against the Marlins and 3-3, 6.45 in seven starts at home this season.

Chen gave up three runs in six innings Saturday at Baltimore and won 5-4. It was his first victory in nine starts since he made his 2018 debut against the Rockies in Miami and held them to one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Chen is 1-3, 8.88 in six starts on the road this season. He’s 1-1, 7.07 in three starts against the Rockies and will be pitching at Coors Field for the first time.

The Marlins scored three runs in the ninth Monday to beat the Giants 5-4. They are coming off a 6-5 loss Wednesday to the Giants. In that game Parris Campbell Jersey , Miami came back from a 5-1 deficit and scored two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth before J.B. Shuck struck out to end the game with runners on first and second. For a young team in a total rebuild like the Marlins, a stirring comeback win followed two games later by a close-but-not-quite effort can help.

“If we’re going to grow,” veteran Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin said after Wednesday’s game, “these are the kinds of series that you need to be in. The type of series where the fans come at you. I think series like this can help a young team like us grow, more than anything.”

Unlike the Marlins, the Rockies, an NL wild-card team last year, have realistic aspirations of returning to the postseason, something they have never done in consecutive seasons.

A series win against Miami would complete a 5-2 homestand for the Rockies, a series sweep would make it 6-1 Regardless, a stumble against the Marlins would be ill-advised.

“We know that we’re a good team that’s got to take care of business, especially when we play at home and play teams that everybody will say on paper we’re going to win those games,” Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “I think we’re making progress. We’re hitting the ball well. Pitching is making progress http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/miles-boykin-jersey-cheap , too. We believe in each other. I think this is the perfect time for us to continue to play good baseball and finish strong the first half.”

Steve Sarkisian will return as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator despite a decline in production in his debut 2017 season.

Sarkisian has been the target of criticism as the Falcons, who lost at Philadelphia in the divisional round of the playoffs last week, fell short of a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Coach Dan Quinn announced Thursday that Sarkisian will return in 2018.

After leading the league in scoring in 2016, the Falcons fell to 15th this season . Quinn said Sarkisian doesn’t deserve the full blame for the offense’s struggles.

”To be clear with you, if this was about one person, that decision already would have been made,” Quinn said, adding he has ”no issue with making changes, no problem with that but I have no interest in making change just for the sake of change.”

The Falcons finished 10-6 in the regular season and won a wild card game at the Los Angeles Rams before the 15-10 loss to the Eagles . The Falcons were scoreless in the second half. Sarkisian’s play-calling was second-guessed when Atlanta couldn’t score after having a first down at the Eagles 9. A fourth-and-2 pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones was incomplete.

Sarkisian was hired from Alabama after Kyle Shanahan was hired as San Francisco’s coach. Quinn offered the reminder that Shanahan also faced harsh criticism following is first season leading the offense in 2015. Atlanta led the league with 33.8 points per game in 2016.

”A number of people wanted his head” after the 2015 season, Quinn said. ”What has stayed the same and what I learned during that process is what you’re doing in order to build consistency, you better be consistent.”

Quinn said the struggles on offense were ”not an indication of one play-caller or one player. It’s on all of us.”

Meanwhile, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said reaching an agreement on a contract extension with Ryan will be ”the number one focus” of the offseason.

Ryan is entering the final year of his six-year, $103.75 million contract. He will be 33 next season but is still seen as the team’s long-term starter who http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-bobby-okereke-jersey Jersey , like New England’s Tom Brady, can play to or beyond the age of 40.

”Personally that is my feeling,” Dimitroff said. ”He’s a guy who takes care of his body both on and off the field properly. … And of course we’re fortunate with the way the rules are set up in the league, they’re going to preserve our quarterback, hopefully. Again, we want him to be part of this organization for a long time coming.”

Dimitroff expressed optimism an agreement on Ryan’s contract extension could come quickly.

”I think it’s not going to be that difficult of a negotiation, quite honestly,” he said. ”I think we’re going to be in a good spot with it.”

NOTES: Quinn confirmed special teams coach Keith Armstrong will have a second interview in Arizona’s search for a coach . Quinn said Armstrong ”is terrifically qualified to lead a team.” … Quinn said he is ”in the middle” of his search to replace quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan, who left to become the offensive coordinator at University of Washington. Among the candidates are longtime NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp, the Falcons’ former offensive coordinator under Jim Mora, and Jedd Fisch, who was UCLA’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season.

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