APPLICATION » against Kansas City. That came less than two years after h

ESPNs Buster Olney is on vacation this week, but hes still compiling roundups. View Thursdays roundup here.There are two guarantees every time the Los Angeles Dodgers win a home game. First, Randy Newmans I Love L.A. will blare throughout the stadium as our fans stand to cheer and we slap hands behind the pitchers mound in celebration of the victory. Simultaneously, my 6-year-old son, Luke, will begin his descent toward the home clubhouse. For us, securing the final out means another tally in the win column and one step closer to our postseason goals. But for Luke, a Dodger home win means only one thing: chocolate milk!After a home win last week, Luke walked into the clubhouse and, as usual, danced his way over to my locker as our post-win playlist boomed over the speakers. Instead of his beeline to the players lounge, he asked me a question.Dad, who is the man who talks about the Dodgers on TV?Do you mean Vin Scully? I replied.Yeah, Vin Scowee. I saw him on the elevator. He gave me a high-five and a hug. Hes a nice guy.With that, he was in search of his spoils of victory-- a new fan of the nice guy who talks about his dad and the Dodgers.Someday in the future, Luke will ask me about Vin. I could start by telling him about perhaps my first baseball memory -- that of a 7-year-old boy who got to stay up extra late to watch the first game of the 1988 World Series. How I can still remember Kirk Gibson slugging a 3-2 backdoor slider into the right-field pavilion. How I still remember the voice on the television telling me about the high fly ball into right field and how she is gone! But then I will tell him about how I was recently directed to watch the entire bottom of the ninth inning from that night, and how perhaps our sports most memorable World Series home run call was actually part of the greatest half-inning ever called.I will tell him about joining the Dodgers and how nearly all of my nights ended with me on the MLB app, listening to the highlights of our game, and the chills I got as I heard Vin utter my name describing an RBI single or throwing out a would-be base stealer or how he got me trending on Twitter. Luke will ask, Whats Twitter? (as there is sure to be some new hip social-media device his dad will be too old to understand).I will tell Luke about the man of faith Vin is. How I could count on him to be in our clubhouse every Sunday morning making a cup of coffee as he was on his way to Mass. About how I secretly hoped he was a few minutes early so we could sit and talk in our players lounge about anything.I will tell him about how I built up enough courage over time to ask him a sarcastic question. I asked him which perfect game was his favorite to call. Was it Don Larsens, Sandy Koufaxs or Billy Chapels? He chuckled as only Vin can chuckle and dove into a story about sitting in a studio and doing play-by-play for the movie For Love of the Game while watching the film on the screen.I will definitely tell my son about being part of a nearly perfect game myself. How I was behind the plate as Clayton Kershaw threw a no-hitter and struck out 15 Colorado Rockies in June 2014. I will show him the game but also show him the link I ran across and watch regularly of Vin calling all 27 outs in the game. Hopefully he will see the way Vin allows the tension and drama to build. The way he allows the game, and especially the conclusion, to play out through the buzz of the stadium and the work of the cameras: 0 and 2 ... got him! Hes done it! Thats the way Vin described the final pitch of the dominant performance. And then, 30 seconds of silence as he allowed the pictures and crowd to tell the story.Mostly, and very regularly, I will tell Luke how special it was to be part of the Dodger organization. How the organization that gave us Jackie, Newk and Campy, Sandy and Clayton, had allowed me to wear its uniform. And while wearing that uniform, competing in front of baseballs best fans in baseballs most beautiful ballpark, I was humbled and honored to know that Vin Scully was sitting right above home plate, painting the picture of our great game and, at times, even using me as the paint for his brushstrokes.This past Sunday I spent about 10 minutes with Vin up in his booth. I had to wait for a few moments as he was finishing up meeting with Gerrit Cole of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who made the five-floor journey up to the press box to spend time with Vin in his 67th and final season as the Dodgers broadcaster. Cole joined a long list of visiting players, including Bryce Harper and David Ortiz, who wanted to say goodbye to the greatest sports broadcaster, let alone baseball broadcaster, of all time.We posed for a picture with the perfectly manicured playing surface in the background. We chatted about family and home. I told him about my children, and he proudly told me about his 11-year-old grandson who is a young catcher. I thanked him for his time and made sure to let him know this wasnt goodbye and that I would see him around the ballpark. With that, it was time to go. We both had a ballgame to prepare for. We shook hands and hugged, just like my son had a few days before. 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Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Cheap Hydro Flask Free Shipping . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. CHICAGO -- Jon Lester pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and settled for his second complete game of the season, helping the sizzling Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday to move a season-high 40 games over .500.Hunter Pence ended Lesters bid for a second no-hitter with a homer to left on a 1-2 cutter. Brandon Crawford followed with a double, and Lester (15-4) got Eduardo Nunez to line to third and worked around Trevor Browns one-out double in the eighth.Lester allowed three hits and walked two. The Cubs have won five straight to improve to 87-47.David Ross and Dexter Fowler had RBI hits in the second off Albert Suarez (3-3).Pences second homer in two days ended a 12 2/3-innings hitless streak for the San Francisco. The Giants are a major league-worst 15-29 since the All-Star break.Lester walked Buster Posey with two outs in the first inning and followed by setting down 18 straight by getting some help.Third baseman Kris Bryant made a diving, backhand grab of Crawfords liner to lead off the fifth and Dexter Fowler made a sliding catch of Kelby Tomlinsons liner in center an inning later.The 32-year-old Lester threw a no-hitter on May 19, 2008, for Boston against Kansas City. That came less than two years after he was diagnosed with cancer.ORIOLES 8, YANKEES 0BALTIMORE -- Mark Trumbo hit his major league-leading 41st homer to cap a six-run second inning, and Baltimore peppered New York with four long balls.Pedro Alvarez and Chris Davis hit two-run homers in the second inning and Manny Machado added a two-run shot in the fourth. Baltimore leads the majors with 213 home runs, including 117 at home.When Alvarez went deep, the Orioles became the 19th team in big league history to have six players hit at least 20 in the same season. Alvarez joins Trumbo, Machado (33), Davis (33), Adam Jones (24) and Jonathan Schoop (21).Dylan Bundy (8-5) allowed two hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. Rookie Chad Green (2-4) yielded four runs and five hits in 1 2/3 innings before leaving with right elbow pain.NATIONALS 4, METS 1NEW YORK -- Bryce Harper hit two doubles and became the latest player to steal a base against Noah Syndergaard, helping A.J. Cole post his first major league win as Washington beat New York.Washington won its fourth in a row and increased its NL East bulge over the wild card-contending Mets to 10 1/2 games.Like a lot of teams, the Nationals came out running on Syndergaard (12-8), swiping four bases in the early innings. Tall and slow to the plate, hes had 45 runners steal with him on the mound -- the most against any pitcher since Hideo Nomo in 2001, ESPN Stats & Info said.Trea Turner led off the game with a single, stole two bases and scored on Harpers sacrifice fly. Harper doubled with one out in the fourth, stole third with two outs and came home on a single by Wilson Ramos. Harpers double set up Anthony Rendons two-run single in the ninth.Cole (1-1) gave up one run and three hits in six innings.Asdrubal Cabrera homered for the sixth time in eight games, sending a drive over the right-center wall in the Mets fourth.Mark Rzepczynski, Koda Glover, Oliver Perez and Mark Melancon combined for three innings of scoreless relief. Melancon closed for his 38th save.INDIANS 6, MARLINS 2CLEVELAND -- Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 while pitching scoreless ball into the eighth inning, and Cleveland beat Miami.Carrasco (10-7) had the 10th double-digit strikeout gamee of his career and the third this season.dddddddddddd The right-hander allowed six hits and walked one in 7 1/3 innings, leading AL Central-leading Cleveland to its fourth straight victory.Cleveland scored three times in the first and once in the second off Andrew Cashner (4-11). Abraham Almontes two-run double pushed the lead to 6-0 in the fifth.J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer off Jeff Manship in the eighth for Miami.RAYS 8, BLUE JAYS 3.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Cobb went five solid innings during his first start in two years, Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead two-run homer, and Tampa Bay beat AL East-leading Toronto.Cobb, coming back from Tommy John surgery, allowed two runs and four hits in his first appearance since Sept 28, 2014, at Cleveland. He struck out seven, walked one and retired his final 10 batters.Morrison put the Rays up 4-2 in sixth on his 12th homer off Marcus Stroman (9-6).Luke Maile hit a solo homer and Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI triple off Francisco Liriano before Brad Miller added a two-run shot against Ryan Tepera in a four-run seventh that made it 8-2.Danny Farquhar (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth for the win.REDS 3, CARDINALS 2CINCINNATI -- Eugenio Suarez singled up the middle with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, rallying Cincinnati past St. Louis.Seung Hwan Oh (4-3) walked Zack Cozart on four pitches to open the ninth, and Brandon Phillips followed with a single. After Scott Schebler singled one out later to load the bases, Suarez got his first career game-ending hit. The Reds had loaded the bases in the seventh and eighth and failed to score.Raisel Iglesias (1-1) gave up a walk in the ninth.Yadier Molina and Randal Grichuk connected for an early lead off Anthony DeSclafani, who has been tough against St. Louis during his career. The right-hander is 3-1 in six starts against the Cardinals with a 2.25 ERA.BRAVES 8, PHILLIES 4PHILADELPHIA -- Freddie Freeman hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth, Matt Kemp had four RBI and Atlanta beat Philadelphia.Ender Inciarte and Adonis Garcia started the ninth with consecutive singles off closer Jeanmar Gomez (3-3). Freeman then lined a double to left to put the Braves up 5-4. Kemp followed with an RBI single past a drawn-in infield. Kemps three-run homer in the fifth tied it at 4.Nick Markakis added an RBI double in the ninth and Tyler Flowers had a sacrifice fly.A.J. Ellis hit a three-run homer for the Phillies.Braves starter Joel De La Cruz allowed four runs and six hits in five innings and remained 0-7. Mauricio Cabrera (3-0) struck out three straight batters in the eighth.BREWERS 1, PIRATES 0PITTSBURGH -- Six Milwaukee relievers picked up the slack when starter Junior Guerras return from the disabled list lasted less than four innings, leading the Brewers past Pittsburgh.Guerra left after 70 pitches over 3 1/3 innings in his first start since going to the disabled list with right elbow inflammation on Aug. 8. Milwaukees bullpen limited Pittsburgh to just two hits the rest of the way as the Brewers dealt the Pirates their fourth consecutive loss.Blaine Boyer (2-3) pitched a scoreless fifth to pick up the win. Tyler Thornburg worked the ninth for his seventh save. Scooter Gennett drove in Milwaukees only run with an RBI-double in the sixth off Pittsburghs Jameson Taillon (3-4). ' ' '