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Catch a doubleheader of September baseball action on TSN2 tonight. First, tied for top spot in the AL Central, division rivals go head-to-head when the Detroit Tigers host the Kansas City Royals. Then, the NL Wild Card-leading San Franciso Giants entertain the Arizona Diamondbacks. All the action gets underway at 7pm et/4pm pt. Royals at Tigers - 7pm et/4pm pt (TSN2) Rick Porcello has gotten the better of James Shields twice already this season. With a chance to move past Kansas City for first place in the American League Central, Porcello will try to make it a hat trick on Wednesday evening as the Detroit Tigers go for a three-game sweep of the Royals. Porcello is 15-10 with a 3.30 earned run average this season, but yielded six runs -- three earned -- and 11 hits over 6 2/3 frames of a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 31. The right-hander followed up with another setback to San Francisco on Friday, charged with six runs, one of them unearned, and 10 hits over a mere three innings of work. "It was a combination of some good pitches that got hit and some bad pitches that got hit, and they capitalized on all of them," Porcello said. The 25-year-old has allowed only three runs over 14 innings in a pair of wins over the Royals this year, defeating Shields both times. Shields goes up against Porcello again tonight and is 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA in three meetings with the Tigers overall on the year. Shields has won four of his last five decisions and pitched a gem last time out to get a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees on Friday. The righty gave up three hits and struck out six over 8 1/3 scoreless innings, retiring 11 in a row before allowing a one-out single in the ninth. "Any time you face this team its going to be a grind," Shields said. "To be able to pitch like that and save our bullpen for our road trip was nice." The 32-year-old Shields is 13-7 this season with a 3.23 ERA. Kansas City has lost 11 of 15 to Detroit this season, and allowed the Tigers to pull into a tie atop the AL Central by losing the first two games of this series. The Royals had won five of six overall coming in. Max Scherzer, who was roughed up for a career high-tying 10 runs in a meeting with Kansas City on June 17, held the Royals to one run over 6 2/3 frames in last nights 4-2 Detroit win. Rajai Davis smacked a two-run homer and J.D. Martinez added a solo shot in the triumph, Detroits third in a row overall. "This is a huge series and were getting huge wins," Scherzer said. "Were playing great as a team and everybody is contributing." The Royals nearly came back, putting their first two runners on base against Joe Nathan in the ninth, but the closer struck out Alex Gordon, picked off pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson at second base and fanned Salvador Perez to notch his 30th save of the season. Jason Vargas surrendered four runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings for Kansas City. "Two mistake pitches, both of them in the middle of the plate," Vargas said of his two homers allowed. While Kansas City closer Greg Holland remains out due to a tight right triceps, Detroit reliever Joakim Soria is expected to be activated off the disabled list before tonights game. Soria, acquired from Texas on July 23, has been out since suffering a strained oblique on Aug. 9 and will provide a boost to the bullpen bridge to closer Nathan. Diamondbacks at Giants - 10pm et/7pm pt (TSN2) The San Francisco Giants continue their push toward the postseason on Wednesday when they play the second of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park. San Francisco drew first blood in this series on Tuesday, as Yusmeiro Petit tossed another complete game against his former team, going the distance in the Giants 5-1 win. Petit was masterful, throwing an incredibly efficient 68 of his 84 pitches for strikes. The 29-year-old kept his pitch count low despite striking out a season high-tying nine batters. "Hes been a lift for us," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "He was hitting his spots tonight." Petit (5-3) was charged with a run on four hits in his first complete game since just over a year ago. He tossed a one-hitter against the D-backs on Sept. 6, 2013. The pitching performance overshadowed a career-best 5-for-5 effort at the plate from Joe Panik. Angel Pagan went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and Buster Posey drove in two runs for San Francisco, which has won seven straight games at home and pulled within 2 1/2 games of Los Angeles for the NL West lead. The Dodgers lost to San Diego Tuesday night. San Francisco is currently first in the NL wild card standings. Panik, Pagan, Gregor Blanco and Petit accounted for all 12 Giants hits. San Francisco chased D-backs starter Wade Miley (7-11) after just two innings. Miley fell to 0-3 over his last five starts after giving up three runs on five hits and four walks. "I felt really, really good," Miley said. "Thats the most frustrating part. I felt really good in the bullpen. Just couldnt execute my fastball. Couldnt throw it close to where I wanted to throw it." Heading to the hill for the Giants on Wednesday will be righty Ryan Vogelsong, who is 8-10 with a 4.06 ERA. Vogelsong absorbed the loss last Wednesday in Colorado and looked bad in doing so, as he was rocked for eight runs and 10 hits in just five-plus innings. "Its an adventure out there," Vogelsong said. "The ball flies, especially during the day. Then every kind of bloop shot falls in because guys have to play so deep. Their infield grass is really quick, too. So it seems like a lot of ground balls get through that dont at a lot of places. Put that together and youre looking at a long day." Vogelsong has faced the D-backs 19 times (13 starts) and is 3-5 with a 4.67 ERA. Arizona, meanwhile, will counter with righty Josh Collmenter, who has won his last two decisions. Collmenter beat the San Diego Padres last Wednesday, holding them to a run and five hits over seven innings, as he improved to 10-7 to go along with a 3.81 ERA. He has allowed just two runs over his last three starts, spanning 21 2/3 innings. "Ive been able to locate, move the ball in and out and mix pitches up," Collmenter said. "Thats my game plan. Just trying to force contact. I dont want to be a guy that walks guys and gets behind in the count. Today I was a little more erratic than the last couple, but I was still able to make some pitches when I needed to and guys made some good plays for me." Collmenter is 5-1 lifetime versus the Giants with a 3.74 ERA in 16 games (5 starts). San Francisco is 9-5 this season against Arizona. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Baltimore Orioles Nike Jerseys . "It feels good, Ive never had one before, not even in College," Hagelin said after the Rangers outgunned the Jets 4-2, behind some solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist following a pretty wide open first period. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/. We wonder if the price of a Roberts rookie card has at least gone up a few cents? Tribute Tweets #Padres Tony Gwynn had 287 career plate appearances against #Braves trio of Maddux, Glavine, & Smoltz, he hit . Stitched Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys . The Miami Heat star tops the leagues global list of top-selling jerseys for the 2012-13 season, edging Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Heat teammate Dwyane Wade for the No. Custom Minnesota Twins Nike Jerseys . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad.HOUSTON -- Brian Cushing wanted to make sure Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith was aware of the progress the linebacker was making during months of excruciating rehabilitation on his surgically repaired left knee. He bombarded Smiths phone with pictures and videos, all of it a reminder of how far hed come. It paid off Wednesday when Smith and the Texans signed Cushing to a six-year, $55.6 million contract extension. The deal includes $21 million guaranteed. "I wanted to just improve every single week," Cushing said. "Every time I set a new goal I would send it to him and just let him know Im coming back." Smith laughed as he recounted the near-constant updates and beamed as he announced the deal. "Its a big day for the franchise," Smith said. "He can lead our defence and be a part of what were doing for many, many years to come." Cushing saw limited action in preseason while easing his way back after surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but the Texans expect him to start in the opener Monday at San Diego. The 26-year-old standout has been sidelined since the injury in Week 5 last season. He had never had a major injury before and had a difficult time dealing with being away from his team for so long on top of the physical demands of rehabilitation. Coming through it, he said, made him a much stronger person. "It was a very dark time," he said. "Any previous injury before that was maybe missing a game or two. And now having a season taken away from, watching the guys go out and practice every day and not being able to contribute was a helpless feeling. It was something that I just didnt want to feel anymore. It motivated me to get back and to just push every single day." Cushing, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009, has had more than 110 tackles in the two seasons when he played each game. The Texans are hoping he is as effective as he was before the injury, when he finished with 114 tackkles and four sacks in 2011.dddddddddddd Smith raved about the versatility, playmaking ability and instincts of Cushing. But he thinks he can be even better. "I do think that as good as he is theres a level for him to reach that he hasnt gotten to yet," Smith said. "I think hes motivated to reach that level and Im excited to watch him do it." Houston started 5-0 last season behind a defence that was dominant with both Cushing and eventual Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt leading the way. Though Houston finished 12-4 and won its second straight AFC South title, some thought the unit never played as well without Cushing, who also missed the first four games of 2010 for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing substances. Cushing is close with Watt and cant wait to get back on the field with him. As tight as they are, he did admit that things get a bit competitive between them at times. "We definitely have a little bit of a rivalry," Cushing said. "But at the same time we look at ourselves as a duo, a two-headed monster, two guys who are going to have to be dealt with for a long time and kind of feed off of each other." Cushing was in the last year of the deal he signed as a rookie in 2009. The Texans were happy to get the contract done this week because they have a policy of not negotiating once the season begins, and the team is expected to contend for a Super Bowl a year after being eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second straight season. Cushing has a lofty goal for what he hopes he can accomplish now that he knows hell spend most of this decade in Houston. "What I envision is being the clear-cut best middle linebacker in the NFL," he said. "Ive never hid that. Its something that I want. I think that I can get there. I know that I can get there. Obviously its going to require a lot of work and a couple more years of dominant play, but I feel like I have the tools to do that." ' ' '