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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- With the All-Star Game fast approaching next week, its natural for teams to evaluate their progress at the unofficial halfway point of the season. That Detroit won its third straight against host Tampa Bay on Saturday marked what the Tigers hoped to be a turning point in a thus-far mediocre season.Detroit has pounded out 23 runs on so far this series, which concludes on Sunday. Second baseman Ian Kinsler made note of the good feeling the team shares lately, but added the pitching staff has just as much to do with the teams success as its bats.Our bullpen is shaping up nicely, our rotation is shaping up, too, Kinsler said. (Francisco Rodriguez) has done an unbelievable job. Justin Wilson and Shane Greene have done an unbelievable job, and then we obviously have guys who can be steady down there in Alex Wilson and Kyle Ryan, guys that can provide you innings.As long as we can stay healthy, like we have been saying since spring training, we should be OK.Verlander took home honors Saturday after collecting eight strikeouts in seven innings. On Sunday, Mike Pelfrey will get the ball as the Tigers attempt to secure a road series sweep versus Tampa Bay.Pelfrey won his last start, against Miami, despite allowing 12 hits over 5 1/3 innings. He seeks his first win since June 4, but is 0-5 on the road this season with a 4.19 ERA.Saturday marked the exact midpoint in the Tigers season. Detroit has posted a 43-38 record so far, a number thats encouraging considering the team endured 11 losses in 12 games to kick off May.But manager Brad Ausmus would still like improvement in the second half.Overall, the first half hasnt been bad, but wed like it to be better, he said. Pitching is the key in baseball, period.Saturdays loss for the Rays marked the 15th in their last 17 games as Tampa Bay still seeks to round the corner before its too late.Perhaps one of the Rays biggest problems so far is a rash of untimely injuries that have decimated their roster, especially in the outfield. Entering Sundays series finale with Detroit, Tampa Bay has 28 roster moves in 32 days. Nine players have been put on the DL in the past 50 days including four outfielders -- Kevin Kiermaier, Mikie Mahtook, Brandon Guyer and Steven Souza Jr.With all of the walking wounded and a sometimes cobbled-together roster, its no wonder the Rays are still just short of jelling as a team.Any mistake or something that works against us seems to turn into a run against us right now, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. I think the best way we overcome that is come out and do what we did against Boston and kind of create the runs ourselves. Gives the guys some breathing room.The Rays (33-47) reach the midpoint of their season on Sunday.Chandler Parsons Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Charlie Brown Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. https://www.cheaphawks.com/ .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Pete Maravich Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Mookie Blaylock Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont.Everyone had their own theories for why Al Horford left the Atlanta Hawks for the Boston Celtics. Two of them -- that Hawks fans werent good enough and he didnt want to play with Dwight Howard -- can be taken off the list.?After Horford agreed to a four-year, $113 million contract with Boston on July 2, his father spoke about Atlanta.There wasnt as much motivation for him when he saw all the empty seats when they were winning, he told the Boston Globe. He said to me, Dad, when we were playing Boston, they were down 15 points and they were cheering their team like they were winning the game. Theyre so into the game. This is special for us, especially for him.In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that was posted Monday, Al Horford said he didnt have any problems with Atlantas fans and that he was disappointed in his fathers comments.That made me really upset, he said. I was angry when I heard about that because I never felt that way. Ive been here a long time. Ive actually gotten to know a lot of our fans, a lot of our season-ticket holders with the Hawks. Theyve always been great to me. Ive always been very content and happy with the way theyve treated me and my family.Parents are sometimes a little more passionate about their sons and daughters. I can relate because I have a son now. So my dad, with him, sometimes he would come to the games and get frustration. His frustrations dont reflect on me with the fan base.The other big idea circulating was that Horford jumped ship after the Hawks agreed to a deal with Howard, whose reputation has taken a hit after failed stints with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. CBS Sports cited a person familiar with the situation ass saying that Horford didnt want to play with Dwight.ddddddddddddNo, no, no. Not at all. I dont have a problem with Dwight at all, Horford told the Journal-Constitution. I think that he is a great player and he has a lot of ability and a lot of potential. It has nothing to do with not wanting to play with Dwight. I dont know if you remember but there was a time when I wanted to play power forward. With a guy like him, that would have been easier. It had nothing to do with Dwight. Hes a good guy.Horford said that as free agency loomed, his first option was always to stay in Atlanta, the only NBA team the 29-year-old has played for.I started to see that when the team stepped up and did what they had to do, I didnt think we were on the same page, he told the newspaper. Thats when I was forced to start looking at other options.And it wasnt fans or Howard that forced that, it was from a financial standpoint, Horford said.When that door opened, Boston stepped in.When I took the meetings with the other teams, I met with Boston and other teams as well, when I sat with them I just saw the roster and their vision, Horford said. There was a lot of impact on me with [general manager] Danny Ainge and coach [Brad] Stevens. It was a very positive meeting. Two of their owners were in the meeting and three or four of their players were there too. They seemed like a very close group and were focused on what their goal was and they got my attention.I wasnt sure in what direction I was going to go. But I knew in order to leave Atlanta it was going to take a very special situation. ' ' '