Gästebereich » interceptions and a lost fumble.Receiver Sammy Watk

NEW YORK -- Getting above .500 has proved to be difficult for the New York Yankees.The degree of difficulty is about become even more challenging.The Yankees will begin a 10-game homestand against three of the best teams in the majors starting Friday night when they face the Boston Red Sox.The Yankees will be taking on an opponent that leads baseball in runs (490), batting average (.292), on-base percentage (.359), slugging percentage (.474), OPS (.833) and doubles (216).And the difficulty doesnt let up after that with seven games against the first-place Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants.Its the kind of homestand that can put you in a good position or it could put way downstairs, right fielder Carlos Beltran told reporters during the All-Star break.Way downstairs would be even worse deficits in the American League East and the wild-card races. The Yankees are 7 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the AL East and 5 1/2 out of the second wild card with six teams (Toronto, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City and Seattle) ahead of them.Friday begins a stretch of seven straight games against the top two teams in the AL East.Were not in a great position necessarily, but if youre in this position you want to be playing a lot of games, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. That could be a really good thing.The Yankees have reached .500 eight times since May 24 and the latest instance might have been the least unexpected. New York ended the first half by taking three of four in Cleveland after dropping four of six in San Diego and Chicago, respectively.The Red Sox took a 49-38 record into the break and have seemingly recovered from a June slump that dropped them out of first place. From June 14 to June 29, the Red Sox dropped 10 of 16 to fall 5 1/2 games out, but since then they have won seven of nine and concluded the first half with a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay when David Price threw eight outstanding innings and David Ortiz hit a two-run homer.This homestand is what we needed, Red Sox manager John Farrell said. Coming off a tough month of June, we gain a little momentum as we go into the break.Ortiz has 75 regular-season games remaining in his career and enters Friday with a .332 average, 22 home runs and 72 RBI.According the Elias Sports Bureau, he has the most RBI at the break of any player 40 or older and is the second oldest player to hit 20-plus home runs in the first half.Its probably beyond our expectations coming into his final season, Farrell said. Just a powerful and impressive first half.Ortiz is not the only Red Sox player to post impressive numbers in the first half.Mookie Betts is batting .408 (20-for-49) during an 11-game hitting streak, the sixth Red Sox with a hitting streak of at least 10 games this season. Dustin Pedroia is batting .315 (23-for-73) during his current 18-game on-base streak and Hanley Ramirez is hitting .408 (20-for-49) in his last 14 games since June 22.Michael Pineda (3-8, 5.38 ERA) has personified inconsistency at various points this season and will open the second half for New York.Pineda had a 2.75 ERA in six June starts but began July by allowing five runs and five hits in six innings during a 5-0 loss at Chicago on July 6. It marked the sixth time he allowed at least five runs, and it is one less than the amount of starts that Pineda has gotten at least eight strikeouts.Pineda is 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Red Sox. On April 30 in an 8-0 loss at Fenway Park, Pineda allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. On May 6 in New York, he gave up two runs and eight hits in six innings of a 3-2 win.If pitching to Bostons offense isnt challenging enough, hitting against knuckleballer Steven Wright might only add to the difficulty for the Yankees. Wright (10-5, 2.68 ERA) took a shutout into the ninth inning and pitched a three-hitter in two hours and 20 minutes on May 8 in New York.Wright is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA in four outings (three starts) against the Yankees. He went into the break with straight wins despite allowing a combined nine earned runs and 17 hits in 11 innings against the Angels and Texas Rangers. Nike Cortez Aanbieding . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Air Force 1 Kopen . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. http://www.airforce1schoenen.com/off-white-air-force-1.html . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Nike Air Force 1 Sale . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Air Force 1 Aanbieding . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Tyrod Taylor remains the Bills starter, and coach Rex Ryan is focused solely on winning Buffalos final three games, starting with the winless Cleveland Browns this weekend.The one thing Ryan refuses to spend time on: questions about his future now that the Bills (6-7) are in jeopardy of extending the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 17 seasons.Im not signing up for a dismissal either, Ryan said Monday.I really dont know what to feel, Ryan added when asked if he feels hes on the hot seat. Ive been in this game a long time. And I know one thing, to do the very best job that I can do, I have to focus on whats right in front of me, and thats the Cleveland Browns.And I promise you thats exactly what Im going to do. So Im not going to think one minute about something that may or may not happen.Later, Ryan dismissed a question regarding whether he might consider playing backups if keeping his job might not be a concern.Im assuming Im going to be the coach, he said.Ryans comments come a day after the Bills unraveled on both sides of the ball in a 27-20 loss to Pittsburgh . A week earlier, Buffalo blew a 15-point third-quarter lead in a 38-24 loss at Oakland .Buffalo has lost five of seven, with the skid raising speculation over Ryans job security two seasons into his tenure since signing a five-year contract.He now has a 15-16 record, and Ryans prized defense is struggling. Steelers running back LeVeon Bell scored three times and had a franchise record 236 yards rushing Sunday.Buffalos Taylor-led offense is hardly better after managing just seven first downs and 87 yards net offense on its first nine possessions before scoring twice in the final eight minutes against Pittsburgh.The Bills sputters on offense led to questions about Taylor. Saying, well see, Ryan was noncommittal about Taylors status immediately following the game.On Monday, Ryan backed the second-year starter by saying he continues to believe Taylor provides the Bills the best opportunity to win.And thats what we signed up for: Were trying to win these games, Ryan said..ddddddddddddHe said the choice is his to make, and added hes not given any consideration to starting backup EJ Manuel or fourth-round draft pick Cardale Jones.Taylors future remains uncertain beyond this season.In restructuring the final season of Taylors contact and signing him to a five-year extension in August, the Bills retained the right to opt out of the deal -- and the $27.5 million he is owed in salary and bonuses -- before it kicks in this offseason.Taylor has regressed this season, though his production has been hampered by an injury-depleted group of receivers.Consistency, however, has remained an issue for a quarterback who has been dynamic as a scrambler but hit or miss as a passer. In his past seven games, Taylor has four touchdowns passing, five rushing with four interceptions and a lost fumble.Receiver Sammy Watkins backed Taylor when asked about a potential change at quarterback.Im rolling with Ty. Thats our guy, said Watkins, who has missed eight games this season after aggravating an injury to his surgically repaired left foot.There could be speculation and people talking crazy. But that position is one of the hardest positions, Watkins said. We cant sit there and point fingers at anybody. Hes our guy.Ryan pinned the Bills problems on inconsistency.At times we look absolutely terrific on either side of the ball, and then theres other times we play poorly, Ryan said. We have yet to put a full 60 minutes together of playing a game that I think were capable of playing.Game notes Without revealing the severity of the injury, Ryan said S James Ihedigbo hurt his ankle against the Steelers. ... DT Kyle Williams was spotted at his locker following a walk-through session, though theres no update on his playing status. Williams did not play Sunday because of a back injury. ... LB Lerentee McCray remains in the NFLs concussion protocol.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '