SEATTLE -- Dustin Ackley drifted back to find the wall, jumped and wondered. Only when the Seattle Mariners left fielder tumbled to the ground did Ackley know hed robbed Travis dArnaud of a home run. "I knew I felt something. I didnt know if I felt it hit off my glove or go in the web, but when I came down is when I knew I had it," Ackley said. "I was like, Well something is in there." Ackley had three hits to go along with his outstanding catch, Kyle Seager drove in two runs and Mike Zunino homered into the second deck in the Mariners 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Monday night. After losing two of three to the Angels after the All-Star break, Seattle got a solid start from Roenis Elias and improved to 8-2 all-time against the Mets. Elias (8-8) threw 5 1-3 innings before leaving with cramping in his left forearm. Seattles bullpen was stellar the rest of the way, helped by Ackleys grab to steal a home run from dArnaud in the sixth. "How about that catch?" Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I think it really goes back to the work he put in in spring training ... and he really, really worked hard to improve his outfield play, and he continues to work hard." Seager had RBI singles in his first two at-bats and Zunino hit his 14th homer of the season, an estimated 415-foot shot off starter Jonathon Niese (5-5) into the second deck in left field. Ackley added an RBI double in the eighth. "Ive felt pretty good and the results are there, too," Ackley said. "That helps build the confidence." Elias took advantage of a long break between starts -- he hadnt pitched since July 9. He looked rested and his improved command led to eight strikeouts and two walks. Elias had retired five of six batters when he looked down at his hand after throwing a pitch to Lucas Duda leading off the sixth. Elias was immediately visited by trainers and McClendon. The left-hander threw a couple of warmup pitches and stayed in, striking out Duda on a 2-2 pitch. That was enough for McClendon, who immediately signalled to the bullpen. Elias walked off to a nice ovation, but with a trainer at his side and continuing to try to stretch his hand. Seattle announced Elias left with cramping in his left forearm and McClendon said there was no worry as of now about it being a lingering problem. "I didnt want to take a chance," McClendon said. "He was outstanding." Dominic Leone took over and was immediately greeted by a deep drive from dArnaud. Ackley found the left-field fence, got just enough elevation to get his glove over the wall and made the catch in the webbing of his glove. Niese came off the disabled list before the game. He hadnt pitched since leaving in the first inning July 4 against Texas when he was struck in the back by Alex Rios line drive. The left-hander was placed on the DL two days later with a left shoulder strain. Nieses streak of 21 straight starts giving up three earned runs or less was snapped when Willie Bloomquist collected his third hit, an RBI double in the fourth inning for a 4-1 Seattle lead. David Wright had an RBI single on the 10th anniversary of his debut in the majors, but the Mets only other run came on second baseman Robinson Canos error in the ninth that allowed Juan Lagares to score. New York lost its third straight after winning eight of nine. "You look at every game since the All-Star break and weve been outhomered," manager Terry Collins said. "That was what was getting us going, and youre not going to ask guys to start swinging for the fences, but it helps out when we hit the ball out of the ballpark." NOTES: Seattle optioned 1B Justin Smoak to Triple-A Tacoma after the game to clear a roster spot for RHP Erasmo Ramirez to start Tuesday. ... Wrights debut came on July 21, 2004, at Shea Stadium against Montreal. He went 0 for 4 while batting seventh in a 5-4 Mets win. Wright said the memories of being at Triple-A Norfolk the night before, getting notified of his call-up and arriving at the stadium remain vivid. His teammates treated Wright to dinner on Sunday night when they arrived in Seattle. Wright said the dinner became more of a roast. ... Seattle picked up its 22nd win vs. left-handed starters, most in baseball. ... Niese last allowed more than three earned runs Sept. 7, 2013, at Cleveland. .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006. . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266.
http://www.bluejacketsauthority.com/aut ... ts-jersey/. Bayern winger Franck Ribery marked his league return after recovering from a cracked rib by scoring two goals and setting up two more as the league leaders inflicted the heaviest home defeat on Bremen in the Bundesliga. . -- The Detroit Lions made it crystal clear to Golden Tate that he was their top target in free agency. .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday.KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Jordan Spieth thought the Plantation Course was a blast to play when he arrived at Kapalua. He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. That gave him a share of the lead at the Tournament of Champions with fellow newcomer Michael Thompson, Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson. "Its a course that I shouldnt make a lot of bogeys on if you keep the ball in play and just think your way around the course," Spieth said. "Ultimately, I did some good preparation and did a lot of hard work the last two or three weeks getting ready for today, and now just happy to be in good position after the first round." The wind off the west coast of Maui was the biggest surprise, shifting direction and speed throughout the opening round on a mostly sunny afternoon. But with an inch of rain overnight, the Plantation Course was soft enough that only two players in the 30-man field of PGA Tour winners failed to break par. Kirk thought he might be one of them when he first got to this slice of paradise. He had not played since winning the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island two months ago, and his first practice round was a skins game with Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown. Kirk got shut out and figures he shot about 80. When it counted, he was on the money, especially late in the round by closing with five straight birdies. The last two were not easy, especially with the wind blasting into him on the 17th hole, a par 4 that measures 545 yards down the hill. He hit a poor tee shot and had to smash a 3-wood into 30 feet for an unlikely birdie. He had to hit 3-wood and 9-iron for his final two shots on 18 to make birdie. "Some slightly more exciting birdies in the last few holes," he said. For the opening round of the year, where players are still trying to shake off some rust, the leaderboard has rarely been this tight. PGA champion Jason Dufner had four birdies and an eagle on his front-nine 30, only to settle into a string of pars on the back nine for a 6-under 67. Kevin Streelman bogeyed his last two holes and also was at 67, along with Zach Johnson and Ryan Moore. The top 10 players were separated by three shots. Adam Scott, coming off a two wins and a runner-up in Australia, and defending champion Dustin Johnson wwere among those at 70 On a day like this, experience might have been overrated.dddddddddddd. "I think the more times you play it, the more advantage you have," Kirk said. "Today was a little bit funny. Today was a day with the wind ... Ive never played in this wind. All the guys who have played here a bunch of times, youre very rarely going to see that wind. So that could throw some people off that were used to it." Even the players at Kapalua for the first time have watched enough of it on television to know how the ball reacts on the ground. Thats why Thompson was so surprised to see that his tee shot on the 18th bounced back a few feet. "From what I understand from guys that Ive talked to, that ball at least rolls 40 yards," Thompson said. "So its playing obviously very different." Spieth is getting plenty of attention going into a new year, mostly to see if he can back up his amazing rookie season. He had no status on any tour at this time a year ago, and by the end of the year he had won a tournament (John Deere Classic), finished No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and played on the Presidents Cup team. He is easing his way into the year, coming out to Maui with only his agent, still finding time to enjoy the Pacific and everything else at Kapalua. "Its almost like a vacation tournament in a sense," Spieth said. "Its been an awesome week so far. Obviously, Im here for this reason, and I dont have my family here with me. So theres definitely more of an emphasis on golf than maybe some other guys are putting into it here. Maybe thats an advantage." DIVOTS: Along with 13 newcomers to Kapalua, there were a few new -- or different -- faces on the bags. Simpson is using the caddie of Bubba Watson because the wife of his regular looper, Paul Tesori, is about to have a baby. The biggest change was with Patrick Reed, whose wife has carried his bag for his entire professional career. She is expecting their first child, so her brother is taking over. ... Kapalua is the toughest walk on tour, especially for the caddies. So it didnt help when Kip Henley, the caddie for Brian Gay, felt the bag heavier than usual on the fourth tee. He searched into the umbrella pocket and found a bottle of red wine that had been in the bag since the OHL Classic in Mexico last November. Gay gave it to his wife, who was in the gallery. ' ' '
