season, 18 more than any other pitcher

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams barely had time to process the news that head coach Jeff Fisher was being fired before starting preparations to play the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.That was especially true for interim coach John Fassel.Fassel found out an hour before he was set to lead a special teams meeting Monday that Fisher had been fired after going 31-45-1 since becoming head coach of the Rams in 2012. He met with Fisher to get his blessing to take over for the final three weeks before sit-downs with Executive Vice President Kevin Demoff, general manager Les Snead, and the teams medical staff. Fassel then oversaw an hour-long walk-through as the Rams began on-field preparations to face the NFC West leaders.Fassel did not even have time to let his father, former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel, know he was now in charge of an NFL team.A lot has happened in a little amount of time, said Fassel, who has been the Rams special teams coordinator for five seasons. It will be an interesting couple days. It happened fast. Football, you got to be able to adapt and react and this is one of those situations you cant ever really prepare for.The last 24 hours Ive been learning on the fly, he added. Its been an incredible experience. I would love to know everything Coach Fisher knows. Just there are so many things and Ill never learn all of it, but its interesting to be on that side of it.Even as Rams players expressed their disappointment with Fishers firing and regret that their performances in recent weeks had cost the job of a coach who was well-liked and respected in the locker room, everyone understood the need to pivot quickly on a short week.Cant help but feel some type of responsibility, but Seattles not going to care how we feel. Our last three opponents arent going to care how we feel, safety T.J. McDonald said. We just know we got to go out and keep playing, keep fighting and get better every week.The Rams have actually fared quite well against the Seahawks in recent years, winning three straight games and four of the last five. The Rams first game back in Los Angeles after 22 years was a 9-3 win over the Seahawks in September during which the Rams allowed just 67 yards rushing and sacked quarterback Russell Wilson twice.Usually its a knockdown dragout all the way to the last play and we see that same type of game coming, linebacker Alec Ogletree said.Leaning on that familiarity is critical, as there simply isnt enough time to make dramatic changes. The Rams had one more practice Tuesday before traveling to Seattle on Wednesday.Fassel acknowledged it felt strange taking on a more prominent role with the offense and defense.I kind of had to find my place, where Im supposed to be, Fassel said. Im used to being with the specialists or bouncing around and talking to the guys on the sideline. No manual for it and I just tried to find my spot.In spite of the turmoil and short turnaround, defensive tackle Aaron Donald expects the Rams to respond well this week.Were playing a team we know and its usually a dogfight when we play these guys, so we know what to expect, Donald. We got the mindset of going in there and trying to get a win.Game notes Safety Maurice Alexander (concussion), running back Benny Cunningham (neck) and cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh) did not practice for the second consecutive day.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Panthers Jerseys . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Panthers Jerseys 2020 . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. https://www.panthersjerseycheap.com/ . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Florida Panthers Store . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Florida Panthers Pro Shop . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. A look at the National League wild-card playoff between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets:---Schedule: Wednesday, at New York, 8:09 p.m. EDT (ESPN).---Season Series: Mets beat Giants 4-3.---Projected Lineups:Giants: CF Denard Span (.266, 11 HRs, 52 RBI, 12 SBs), 1B Brandon Belt (.275, 17, 82, 41 2Bs, 104 BBs), C Buster Posey (.288, 14, 80, 33 2Bs), RF Hunter Pence (.289, 13, 57), SS Brandon Crawford (.275, 12, 84), LF Angel Pagan (.277, 12, 55, 15 SBs), 2B Joe Panik (.239, 10, 62), 3B Conor Gillaspie (.262, 6, 25).Mets: 3B Jose Reyes (.267, 8, 24, 9 SBs in 60 games), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (.280, 23, 62), LF Yoenis Cespedes (.280, 31, 86), CF Curtis Granderson (.237, 30, 59), 2B T.J. Rivera (.333, 3, 16 in 105 at-bats), RF Jay Bruce (.250, 33, 99 with Reds and Mets; .219, 8, 19 in 50 games with Mets), C Rene Rivera (.222, 6, 26 in 65 games), 1B James Loney (.265, 9, 34 in 100 games).---Starting Pitchers:Giants: LH Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA, 251 Ks).Mets: RH Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60, 218 Ks in 183 2/3 IP).---Relievers:Giants: RH Sergio Romo (1-0, 2.64, 4/4 saves), RH Derek Law (4-2, 2.13, 1 save), LH Javier Lopez (1-3, 4.05, 1 save, .211 BA vs LH hitters), RH Hunter Strickland (3-3, 3.10, 3 saves), RH Santiago Casilla (2-5, 3.57, 31/40 saves), RH George Kontos (3-2, 2.53), LH Will Smith (2-4, 3.35 with Giants and Brewers), LH Steven Okert (0-0, 3.21 in 16 games), RH Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79 in 32 starts), RH Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81 in 32 starts).Mets: RH Jeurys Familia (3-4, 2.55, MLB-high 51/56 saves in 78 games), RH Addison Reed (4-2, 1.97, 1 save in 80 games), RH Fernando Salas (3-7, 3.91, 6 saves in 75 games with Angels and Mets; 0-1, 2.08, 19 Ks, no walks in 17 games with Mets), LH Jerry Blevins (4-2, 2.79, 2 saves in 73 games, 42 IP), RH Hansel Robles (6-4, 3.48, 1 save), LH Josh Edgin (1-0, 5.23 in 16 games), RH Bartolo Colon (15-8, 3.43 in 34 games, 33 starts, team-high 191 2/3 IP), RH Robert Gsellman (4-2, 2.42 in 8 games, 7 starts).---Matchups:This is the second postseason meeting between the teams. New York beat the Giants in four games during their 2000 NL Division Series. ... Both clubs finished 87-75, and the Mets earned home-field advantage for this game by winning the season series. New York took two of three at home early in the season before the teams split a four-game series at San Francisco in August. Bumgarner had two of the Giants three wins and is 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He allowed four runs over five innings in a 10-7 victory Aug. 18. He had allowed four runs in his first 35 innings against New York, including six scoreless innings to outpitch Syndergaard on May 1. ... Syndergaard threw eight innings of two-hit ball to win 2-0 at San Francisco on Aug. 21. ... Posey is a .336 career hitter against the Mets. ... New York set a franchise record with 218 home runs, which ranked second in the NL and fifth in the majors. The Mets went 77-40 when they homered. ... New York also clocked a club-record 13 pinch-hit homers this season. Only the Cardinals (17) had more. ... In addition to his quality stuff and sensational postseason resume, Bumgarner could present a matchup problem for the middle of New Yorks lineup simply because hes a lefty. Granderson, Bruce and Loney all bat left-handed. Reyes and Cabrera are switch-hitters, but injured infielder Wilmer Flores (wrist) will be missed. Flores hit .340 with 11 homers in 100 at-bats vs. left-handers this season, including .393 with 25 RBI in his last 61 at-bats. He had a whopping .710 slugging percentage against southpaws. Flores had been subbing at second base for injured Neil Walker (23 HRs). That role now belongs to T.J. Rivera, an undrafted rookie from New York City who won the Pacific Coast League batting crown. Hes done an excellent job filling in. ... The winner heads for Chicago to play the NL Central champion Cubs in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Friday. New York swept the Cubs in last years NL Championship Series and went 5-2 against them this season, including a four-game sweep at Citi Field.---Big Picture:Giants: After leading the majors with a 57-33 record at the All-Star break, San Francisco stumbled to the finish and nearly missed out entirely on the postseason. The Giants ended the regular season with their first four-game winning streak of the second half to beat out St. Louis by one game for the second NL wild card. Now that San Francisco is in, manager Bruce Bochys team hopes to extend the even-year karma that led to World Series titles in 2010, `12 and `14. ... San Francisco set up its rotation with the right man on the mound for this one in Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP.dddddddddddd He is 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 14 career postseason appearances, and 5-1 with a 0.99 ERA in his last seven postseason starts. ... The bullpen was the biggest issue in the second half, with the team setting a franchise record by losing nine games it led after eight innings, including five in September. ... Posey hit just three HRs in his last 63 games but picked up his performance late with 12 RBI in the final nine games. ... Pence, who missed 48 games with a hamstring injury, had a strong finish, batting .340 over his final 24 games. ... San Francisco committed a major league-low 72 errors, with Crawford playing mistake-free defense in his final 43 games at shortstop. ... With 3B Eduardo Nunez still sidelined because of a hamstring injury, Gillaspie will get the nod. He is 7 for 14 with five RBI in the past five games.Mets: Following last years World Series loss to Kansas City, the well-stocked Mets began the season with big expectations and legitimate aspirations of winning their first championship since 1986. Then the aches and pains started piling up. Every established regular besides Granderson spent time on the disabled list, in addition to handy part-time players Flores (16 HRs, 49 RBI) and Juan Lagares. Lucas Duda (back) missed four months, and captain David Wright (neck surgery) has been out since late May. By early September, the imposing young rotation had been decimated by season-ending injuries to Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. Zack Wheeler never made it back from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, further testing New Yorks pitching depth. The trade-deadline deal for Bruce looked like a bust before he finally went on a timely tear during the last week of the season. But when the resilient Mets reached down to the farm, several marginal prospects delivered under pressure. Gsellman and Seth Lugo saved the rotation down the stretch, while the 43-year-old Colon was a rock throughout -- even becoming the oldest major leaguer to hit his first career home run. Loney and Rene Rivera, steady veterans dumped by Tampa Bay just before the season started, arrived from the minors and provided important contributions. Reyes, released by Colorado after serving a domestic-violence suspension, rejoined his original team at a new position July 5 and combined with Cabrera to energize a sagging offense. Both dyed their hair bright, too, and manager Terry Collins persistent team finally took off. New York was 60-62 after losing at San Francisco on Aug. 19, the day Cespedes and Cabrera came off the DL. Then the Mets went an MLB-best 27-13 the rest of the way and jumped over four teams in the pennant race. They secured the top wild card on the penultimate day of the regular season, reaching the playoffs in consecutive years for the second time in franchise history (1999-2000). That allowed them to hold back Syndergaard for this game. Now, the Mets will try to make another October run with Cespedes. The star slugger can opt out of his contract and become a free agent again this fall.---Watch For:- Closing Time. The bullpen that played such a key role in San Franciscos recent World Series championships melted down in the second half. Casilla tied for the most blown saves in the majors with nine and lost his job. After struggling to find a replacement, Bochy went to Romo, the closer during the 2012 title run. He successfully converted all four save opportunities in the final two weeks. Meanwhile, the Mets have a reliable formula at the back end in Salas, Reed and Familia.- Running Wild. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Syndergaard has trouble holding runners and is often slow to the plate. He allowed 48 stolen bases this season, 18 more than any other pitcher and most in the majors since 2001. Its a big reason why strong-armed Rene Rivera has become his regular catcher. San Francisco probably will try to take advantage. The Giants ranked eighth in the NL with 79 steals but were caught 36 times for a success rate of 69 percent.- Power Outage. While the bullpen woes got the most attention, the Giants bats also struggled in the second half. The team went from scoring 4.7 runs per game before the All-Star break to 4.0 afterward, with Posey, Crawford and Belt all struggling to hit for power.- Tried and Tested. The Mets havent played a team that finished with a winning record since Sept. 14 at Washington. Meanwhile, the Giants are coming off a three-game sweep of the NL West champion Dodgers. ' ' '