an RBI.TRAINERS ROOMOakland reserve catcher Josh Phegley

Looking like a character out of a horror movie at times, UFC bantamweight John Lineker stalked John Dodson for 25 minutes on Saturday, en route to a narrow split decision.A former flyweight, Lineker (29-7) managed to edge Dodson on the judges scorecards, despite landing fewer strikes. The 125-pounder headlined UFC Fight Night 96 at Moda Center in Portland.According to Fightmetric, Dodson (18-8) out-landed Lineker in total strikes 120 to 102. Linekers punches appeared to carry far more weight, however, even though Dodson did swell up the Brazilians right eye with his left hand.It was a very close fight. Judges Marcos Rosales and Sal DAmato scored it for Lineker, 48-47. Glenn Trowbridge had it for Dodson, 48-47. ESPN.com also scored it 48-47 for Dodson.The fight consisted of Lineker, who missed weight by half a pound, relentlessly chasing Dodson around the Octagon. He repeatedly walked into Dodsons dangerous left hand but never appeared all that hurt by it. He was staggered once in the fifth round but quickly went back on the offensive, waving his hands at Dodson to come forward.The win improves Linekers mark in the bantamweight division to 4-0. He moved up from the 125-pound division after missing weight four times.Ill fight anybody they put in front of me, but I think I deserve [champion] Dominick Cruz, Lineker said. Thats four consecutive wins. Its my turn now.Dodson, 32, turned in a very technical performance, but he couldnt hide the effect Linekers heavy punches had -- particularly to the body. He did well circling to his right while finding a home for the straight left but was also trapped on the fence, covering up from Lineker flurries on multiple occasions.In the second round, Lineker showed a little frustration at Dodsons measured game plan. He stood in the center of the Octagon with his hands on his hips and then mockingly jogged in place, to suggest Dodson was running. Dodson smiled and put up his hands as if to say his strategy wasnt about to change.Later on in the fourth, Dodson landed a very hard left to Linekers chin, but Lineker ignored it and ripped shots toward the body. At one point, Dodson essentially turned his back and sprinted away from Lineker, which drew boos from the crowd. In the fifth, Dodson went for a takedown and briefly took Linekers back during the scramble.Lineker, who is associated with American Top Team in South Florida, has now collected bantamweight wins against Dodson, Michael McDonald, Rob Font and Francisco Rivera. Dodson falls to 7-3 in the UFC. Prior to Saturday, his only losses in the UFC both came to long-reigning flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.Alex Oliveira (15-4-1) defeated Will Brooks (18-2) via third-round TKO, although not without some controversy. Oliveira finished Brooks with strikes on the ground at the 3:30 mark, in a performance that would have been highly impressive had he not missed the 156-pound weight limit by 5.5 pounds on Friday.A former Bellator MMA lightweight champion, Brooks still accepted the fight despite Oliveiras size advantage. It did appear to be a factor in the bout, as Brooks struggled at times to match Oliveiras physicality in the clinch and couldnt keep him down after several takedowns.Brooks, who trains out of American Top Team in South Florida, also appeared to suffer a rib injury in the first round. He winced numerous times during the bout, particularly in the third round after being taken down.After the bout, Oliveira stood up and taunted Brooks from several feet away. Brooks, who was still dazed from the finishing punches, got up and tried to confront the Brazilian. He eventually threw his mouthpiece in the direction of Oliveira. In a postfight interview, Oliveira apologized for missing weight and said he would go back to 170 pounds, where he has competed in the past.Im sorry, Oliveira said through an interpreter. He insulted me yesterday. Im sorry I didnt make weight. This is the first time. Thats no excuse for him to disrespect me. Im going [back] to welterweight. Im sorry.For Brooks, it is his first loss in 10 fights. He falls to 1-1 in the UFC.UFC newcomer Brandon Moreno (12-3) got off to a great start in the Octagon, hanging a submission upset over highly ranked flyweight Louis Smolka (11-2).A recent competitor on The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Moreno tapped Smolka with a guillotine choke at 2:23 of the opening round. It was a major upset for the 22-year-old, who accepted the fight on short notice.Smolka was originally supposed to face Sergio Pettis, who withdrew due to injury. It is the first time he has been finished in his career, and it brings his UFC record to 5-2. Cyber Monday Soccer Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Custom Soccer Jerseys .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Authentic Soccer Jerseys .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. MINNEAPOLIS -- Kennys Vargas, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano hit home runs, Tommy Milone beat his old team and the Minnesota Twins topped the Oakland Athletics 11-4 in a game that ended early Wednesday morning after a severe thunderstorm delayed the start by 2 hours and 42 minutes.Marcus Semien hit his 18th home run in the second, but that was all the As managed against Milone (1-2). Winning for the first time in eight starts since Sept. 28, Milone finished the sixth inning for only the second time this season. He allowed five hits and one walk to the team that traded him to the Twins two summers ago.Milone averaged 4 1/2 innings over his first six starts this year. With top prospect Jose Berrios on a tear for Triple-A Rochester, the left-hander was likely pitching to keep his spot in the rotation.Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer in the eighth to bring the As within 7-4, but Sano hit his three-run shot in the bottom of the inning to seal it and help the Twins (28-55) move ahead of Atlanta (28-56) in the race for the worst record in the major leagues.Vargas, recalled Monday from Triple-A Rochester, went deep for the first time since June 22, 2015, with a two-run, two-out home run in the fifth against Sean Manaea (3-5). Then Kepler homered on the next pitch.After a meager four-hit performance Monday, the Twins brought their bats to life. Kurt Suzuki, another former As player, had two RBI. Byron Buxton had two doubles, driving in one.The dark clouds rolled in early enough to cancel batting practice, but with both teams scheduled to travel Wednesday evening (Minnesota to Texas and Oakland to Houston) the preference on both sides was to avoid a doubleheader. So they waited out the heavy rain, swirling wind and thunder and lightning, and the tarp was pulled off the infield at 9:17 pp.ddddddddddddm. local time. The game started at 9:52 p.m. and ended at 1 a.m.Paid attendance was announced at 16,938, the smallest crowd in Target Fields seven seasons. The upper decks were completely empty and the actual number of people in the seats at first pitch couldnt have been much more than 1,000. The Twins granted fans ticket exchanges for a future game because of the long delay.ALL-STAR SELECTIONSOakland catcher Stephen Vogt was selected for his second All-Star Game. He had the night off.Minnesota shortstop Eduardo Nunez was picked for his first All-Star Game. He went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI.TRAINERS ROOMOakland reserve catcher Josh Phegley, placed Sunday on the DL, had minor surgery in San Francisco to remove a cruciate ligament cyst on the inside of his right knee that was causing swelling and inflammation. Hell be reassessed in 10 days. Matt McBride has taken over as the backup.Buxton was back in the Minnesota lineup after two days off to rest bumps and bruises. He crashed hard into the wall in left-center making a catch in the game Friday. In the seventh inning, Buxton made a sprinting grab of Jake Smolinskis smashed line drive and collided with the fence around the same spot.UP NEXTOakland RHP Sonny Gray (3-7, 5.42 ERA) will pitch Wednesday against Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana (2-7, 4.50 ERA) in the series finale.Gray is 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six starts since coming off the DL due to a trapezius muscle strain between his shoulder and neck. Santana gave up only three hits in his last start, going 6 2/3 innings in a defeat by Texas. That was his lowest hits total since opening day, when a rain delay limited him to two innings. ' ' '