eager to turn things around.Honestly, after you play like we

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to awaken their slumbering offense. Atlanta Braves right-hander Joel De La Cruz is just looking for a victory.De La Cruz (0-7, 4.66 ERA) will oppose Jeremy Hellickson (10-8, 3.80 ERA) when the National League East rivals open a three-game series Friday night in Citizens Bank Park.De La Cruz, a 27-year-old rookie, signed with the Braves as a free agent in December, having previously pitched in the minors for the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers.His struggles have continued even as the National Leagues worst team has gone on a rare hot streak, winning four of five and five of seven. De La Cruz has pitched to a 6.60 ERA over his last four outings.Most recently he was tagged with a 7-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants, lasting just four innings and allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits. He struck out two without walking a batter.De La Cruz surrendered four consecutive two-out hits in the first inning, including an RBI single by Brandon Belt and a two-run double by Joe Panik. He then yielded a two-run homer to Angel Pagan in the second, after an error by second baseman Jace Peterson.(De La Cruz) threw the ball OK, but when (your defense) makes some miscues, youve got to be able to get the next guy out, Braves manager Brian Snitker said, according to Major League Baseballs official web site. He wasnt able to do that. I think in the third inning, things were little bit better and crisper. But to assess his performance, it wasnt real good.He has faced Philadelphia three times this season, twice as a starter and once as a reliever, going 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA over 11 innings.The Phillies, who have lost five of six, are last in the major leagues with 492 runs, and their .238 team batting average is next-to-last. They are also hitting an MLB-worst .224 at home, and managed three runs on nine hits while being swept in a three-game series by the Nationals earlier this week.Nine hits in a three-game series isnt going to cut it, manager Pete Mackanin said after a 2-1 loss in Wednesdays series finale. Were just not hitting the ball. We need more offense, obviously.Hellickson leads the Phillies in victories, and 15 of his first 18 outings were quality starts. Last time out, however, Hellickson went just four innings against the New York Mets, his second-shortest appearance of the season, and allowed five runs on seven hits to absorb a 12-1 loss.Hellickson, who saw his ERA balloon from 3.60 to 3.80, gave up a two-run homer to Asdrubal Cabrera in the third, and a three-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes in the fourth.I just lost command of pretty much all three pitches tonight, Hellickson told MLB.com. I think the two home runs were probably two of the better fastballs that I threw. Its a good lineup. Its hot right now.Hellickson is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA in two career starts against the Braves. NFL Jerseys 2020 Paypal .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. https://www.nfljerseys2020.com/ . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. NFL Jerseys 2020 . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Wholesale NFL Jerseys 2020 .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. DETROIT -- The Philadelphia Eagles have gotten off to a memorable start under new coach Doug Pederson. He would prefer for them to forget it ever happened.The Eagles were the most surprising success story during the opening month of the season, dismissing three opponents by a combined score of 92-27 despite starting rookie Carson Wentz at quarterback. That included a stunning 34-3 pummeling of Pittsburgh prior to their bye Week 4.They return with a road game against the stumbling Detroit Lions, who have lost three straight. Philadelphia is one of three remaining unbeaten teams, along with Denver and Minnesota.Really, in my opinion, our season starts now, Pederson said. What weve done already is great. Were in a good position but we need to buckle down and prepare as if this is Week One.Wentz became the starter when Sam Bradford was traded to the Vikings just before the regular season. He has justified the teams faith in him, completing 64.7 percent of his pass attempts and throwing for five touchdowns without an interception.Im going to continue to coach him up, coach him hard and try to put him in the best possible situations on Sunday, where hes not having to hold the ball a long time, Pederson said. Well utilize the run game, play-action passes, all that stuff youve seen in the first three games and keep that formula.The offense should get a boost from the return of starting running back Ryan Mathews and tight end Zach Ertz. Mathews only had two carries against the Steelers before exiting with an ankle injury. Wendell Smallwood rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown in his absence.Ryan is still our primary guy, hes our go-to guy, Pederson said. If hes 100 percent well go with Ryan and mix the other guys in according to the gameplan.Ertz sat out the last two games after suffering a displaced rib during the opener but has been cleared to play and returned to practice on Monday. He has six catches for 58 yards in 2016. Philadelphias leading receiver has been wideout Jordan Matthews with 15 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns.But there are some looming issues for Philadelphia.Linebacker Nigel Bradham could be facing a suspension after he was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Miami International Airport over the weekend.dddddddddddd Offensive tackle Lane Johnson is facing a 10-game suspension for taking a banned substance, pending the results of his appeal, which took place earlier this week.Very little has gone right for the Lions since their opening-day victory at Indianapolis. They lost a late lead to Tennessee in their only home game thus far, then fell to division rivals Green Bay and Chicago.The 17-14 defeat to the injury-ravaged Bears, who were without their starting quarterback, top two running backs and several key defenders, was particularly troubling.All this has put coach Jim Caldwell on the hot seat.You know thats one of those things that we dont worry about, he said. My job is to coach this team and to get this team headed in the right direction.The Lions have been held to 66 and 50 yards rushing, respectively, over the last two games after starting running back Ameer Abdullah was sidelined with a foot injury.Quarterback Matthew Stafford couldnt overcome the lack of running game in Chicago, throwing for just 213 yards and getting picked off twice. Hes eager to turn things around.Honestly, after you play like we did in Chicago thats the first thing I want to do, get back on the field, he said. I wish we could practice after the flight home. But, practice is all just leading up to Sunday. Were preparing to try and play better this Sunday than we did last Sunday, and we need to, we have to.Getting underperforming wide receiver Golden Tate more involved could help the cause. Tate had just one catch against the Bears, caught an earful from Stafford after a miscommunication led to an interception and was benched for part of the game.Detroits pass rush has been mostly ineffective since premier defensive end Ziggy Ansah left the Titans game in the first quarter with a high ankle sprain. Hes questionable to return this week.The teams met last Thanksgiving, with Detroit romping to a 45-14 victory. ' ' '