ved.Right-hander Mike Pelfrey (2-9) is scheduled to start for Detroit. He allowed four runs in six innings in his la | Forum

                                      MINNEAPOLIS -- The transition in head coaches at Minnesota from Jerry Kill to Tracy Claeys has been subtle, save for a contrast in personality and size. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic .Claeys had one big target for change, though. The offensive line needed to be restored as a power. Road graders was the label he used to describe the type of players desired up front.Jonah Pirsig and the rest of the returners received the message after their 6-7 season a year ago.Offensive linemen have just really bought into the fact that we need to be bigger and we need to be stronger to kind of change the culture, the senior right tackle said, adding: Were only going to see good things from that.With junior college transfers Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright joining Pirsig in the starting five, the Gophers will be bigger. Obsessive work in the weight room over the winter and spring has drawn rave reviews, so the group is stronger. Will it be better?Theres no question that theyve made a lot of progress, Claeys said.In 2015, the Gophers were second-to-last in the Big Ten in scoring, third-to-last in yards and fourth-to-last in rushing. Claeys fired offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, picking Jay Johnson and Bart Miller as dual replacements. The five up front, of course, will go a long way toward senior quarterback Mitch Leidners success.I know theyve outworked everybody in the entire country, as far as that goes, Leidner said. They straight grind.Here are some other key angles to follow for the Gophers:LEIDNERS HELPERSWith Shannon Brooks hobbled by a foot injury, Rodney Smith will take the lead at running back following a promising freshman year for both of them. Senior Drew Wolitarsky is the only proven wide receiver. Tight end Brandon Lingen, named a captain as a junior, will likely be Leidners go-to guy.Its been an incredible thing to try to help lead this team in maybe some different capacities than I wouldve before, Lingen said.SECONDARY SCRUTINYSpeedster Jalen Myrick, who was second on the team last season with three interceptions, will lead an inexperienced collection of cornerbacks with Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray in NFL camps. Safety Damarius Travis has returned for a fifth year after a hamstring injury in the 2015 opener led to a medical redshirt. Myrick and Travis will be counted to maintain the secondary as a team strength.One bonus for the defensive backs is that Jay Sawvel, their fiery former position coach, has replaced Claeys as defensive coordinator.Hes not only yelling at us, Travis said. Hes yelling at everybody.SEASON OPENERThe Gophers host Oregon State Sept. 1, their now-annual Thursday night lid-lifter. After kicking off last season with a 23-17 loss to TCU, ranked then No. 2 in the nation, the Gophers ought to have a smoother start. The Beavers finished 2-10 last year, including 0-9 in Pac-12 play, and allowed an average of 37 points per game that ranked 113th out of 127 FBS teams.KEY GAMESThe Big Ten opener at Penn State on Oct. 1 will be a big test, as will the Nov. 12 trip to Nebraska. For the Gophers, though, rare are the games more important than border-state rivals Iowa (home, Oct. 8) and Wisconsin (road, Nov. 26). The Hawkeyes are the defending Big Ten West Division champions, and the Badgers have beaten Minnesota 12 straight years. The Gophers have lost 10 consecutive games at Wisconsin since winning there in 1994.PREDICTIONBy trading TCU for Oregon State on the nonconference slate and swapping East Division crossover opponents Michigan and Ohio State for Maryland and Rutgers, the Gophers are set up for a significant jump from their 5-7 regular-season finish that got them to a bowl game only because there werent enough eligible FBS teams to fill the spots. An 8-4 record with a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten, now on a nine-game schedule, is a safe bet for 2016. Nine or 10 wins wouldnt be unrealistic, either. Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. http://www.cheapmlbjerseysfastshipping.com/ . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. CHICAGO -- James Shields is pitching considerably better for the Chicago White Sox -- but hes been unable to pick up a victory in his last two starts due to zero run support.Shields will try to continue his progress as he takes the mound for the opener of a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night in Chicago.The right-hander allowed three runs in his last 15 2/3 innings in a 2-0 loss to the National League-worst Braves and a 1-0 defeat to the Angels. Shields gave up nine runs in his last 33 1/3 innings after surrendering 21 runs in 8 2/3 innings in his first three starts with the White Sox, who acquired him from the Padres on June 4.When youre going bad, you have all these people telling you what youre doing wrong, Shields told the Chicago Tribune. You need to fix this. You need to fix that. But Ive never been one of those guys whos been like I need to get complete 180 fixed, maybe little things here and there in the bullpen sessions.I go out there with my heart on my sleeve, and I go out and compete the best I can on the mound, he added. Having that mentality of not thinking about my last outing, Ive always been that way, so thats where I got back to.Shields will have to deal with extreme conditions Thursday -- the forecast is predicting highs in the 90s. The ball can travel when the temperature heats up at U.S. Cellular Field.I just make sure Im hydrated, Shields said. Im in condition, so I feel pretty good about it. The main thing is to not cramp up and stay hydrateed. Cheap Nike Baseball Jerseys. ome-field advantage could be a welcome change for the reeling White Sox (46-48), who are fourth in the American League Central. Capped by a 6-5 extra-inning loss on Wednesday in Seattle, the team is coming off a 1-5 road trip against the Angels and Mariners to open the second half of the season.It is tough, especially when youre leading both the ones that you lose late, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. Those are always tough to be able to bounce back. Our guys have bounced back. You just need to be able to add on (runs).The White Sox will play a six-game homestand against the Tigers and National League Central-leading Cubs.The Tigers (49-46) lost two straight to the American League-worst Twins and are 3-3 in the second half, 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading Indians in the American League Central.We werent overlooking them, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com after losing the series finale to the Twins 4-1 on Wednesday. Were just in a funk offensively, to be honest with you. It started before they arrived.Right-hander Mike Pelfrey (2-9) is scheduled to start for Detroit. He allowed four runs in six innings in his last start against the White Sox on June 15 for a loss. He has won just one of his last eight outings.My job doesnt change, Pelfrey told MLB.com about the expected hot weather in Chicago. Throw strikes and execute pitches. ' ' '