Stakes.He beat four or five really good Group One horses that day,

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- As he prepares for his final start this year, the Los Angeles Angels Ricky Nolasco hopes an encouraging finish can provide the antidote to an exasperating season.The veteran right-hander will face rookie Daniel Mengden in the Angels second game of their series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.Nolasco, 33, brings a streak of 13 consecutive scoreless innings into the game since an 8-1 loss to the Mariners on Sept. 12.That appearance was the only one of his past five in which Nolasco did not record a quality start. Since Aug. 31, when he threw a four-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds, Nolasco has permitted just 22 hits and only six walks in 35 innings while amassing 27 strikeouts, compiling a 1.80 earned-run average and holding opposing batters to a .182 average.Coinciding with his stretch of scoreless innings is a two-game winning streak, Nolascos first of the season. On Sept. 17, the right-hander scattered five hits and two walks in six innings to the Toronto Blue Jays while striking out seven in a 6-1 win. Then on Thursday night, Nolasco combined with two relievers for a 2-0 shutout of the Houston Astros. Nolasco allowed five hits and a walk in seven innings and added five strikeouts.Not since August 2013, when he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has Nolasco refused to concede a run in successive starts.Right now, hes throwing the ball consistently, Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com. Hes putting his pitches together better. Hes able to command counts. Hes pitching the outside corner and hes pitching inside well. Mixing in both breaking balls is helping him.Nolascos recent success provides a dramatic contrast with the rest of the season. Before his shutout against the Reds, the right-hander had lost four consecutive starts and five straight decisions. Entering that game against Cincinnati, Nolasco owned a 4-12 record and a 5.24 ERA, most of which he compiled for the Minnesota Twins. The Angels acquired Nolasco and fellow right-hander Alex Meyer at the trading deadline in a four-player deal for left-hander Hector Santiago.I feel Ive been throwing the ball well all year, but Im putting everything together now, Nolasco told MLB.com. Im trying to finish up strong.Mengden, like Nolasco, has struggled most of the season. Acquired from the Houston Astros last year for veteran Scott Kazmir, Mengden lost his first three major league starts after being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on June 11. A 1-5 record and a 5.73 ERA led to a trip back to Nashville before the As summoned him Sept. 3. After two more losses, the 23-year-old right-hander had the best performance of his brief career.Mengden dispersed three hits and issued no walks in seven shutout innings while collecting six strikeouts in a 14-5 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 15. The rookie retired 10 successive Royals from the first through the fourth innings.I got a lot of quick, early outs on weak contact, which is what we try to do, Mengden told the Associated Press. I went in every inning and tried to establish Strike One, which I guess has been one of my biggest flaws since Ive been up here. NHL Jerseys China . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Cheap NHL Jerseys From China .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. https://www.nhljerseys2020.com/ . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. 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In a small ski town in Austria, Hopfgartens fan club will be hoping the horse who shares his name with their home can do them proud in the Villiers Stakes.Rob Heathcote named the gelding after the town where he ran a resort while working for Contiki Tours, his job before becoming one of Brisbanes most successful trainers.Hes a legend in the little Austrian ski town, they love him, Heathcote said.I still know a few people who live there so they follow him.There could hardly be a more different setting from Hopfgarten in Tirol, one of Austrias most prominent ski regions, to Randwick where the temperature is expected to push into the low 30s for Saturdays Group Two race over 1600m.Hopfgarten ran second to the Desleigh Forster-trained Cylinder Beach in the Listed Recognition Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on November 26, giving up 6 kilograms.I dont care how good they are, weight stops them, Heathcote said.His last run was a cracker.Cylinder Beach is likely to stay in Brisbane for a Listed 1600m race and Hopfgarten drops from 60kg to 57.5kg in the Villiers.Hopfgarten, a multiple stakes winner, went back to Group One company at Flemington on October 31, running sixth in the Cantala Stakes.He beat four or five really good Group One horses that day, Heathcote said.ddddddddddddHe was 2-1/2 lengths behind some of the best milers in the spring carnival.I was proud of his run.While he emerged winless from the Melbourne spring carnival, Heathcote said a combination of bad luck and Hopfgartens preference for clockwise racing hindered the horse.Early favourite Fabrizio has been supported from $4.60 to $3.20 with Hopfgarten at $15.Other moves in the TABs all-in market include the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Pajaro who has come in from $26 to $15 and the Mike Moroney-trainer Loyalty Man who has shortened from $51 to $26 after being assured of a start.Im under no illusions about how hard it is, Heathcote said.Tye Angland gets the ride on Hopfgarten while Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy has been booked for the Lee and Anthony-trained Sarrasin, a stakes winner in France set to make his Australian debut on Saturday.If Hopfgarten can win the Villiers, a $100,000 bonus will be up for grabs in the Bernborough Handicap in Brisbane on New Years Eve. 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