Wir suchen Dich! » U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2011.

BALTIMORE -- The home runs dont come often these days for 41-year-old Henry Blanco, and neither do starting assignments. When they do, however, Seattles backup catcher often leaves a memorable impression. Blanco hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Wei-Yin Chen, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 Sunday behind left-hander Joe Saunders. Batting ninth in the lineup, Blanco sent an 0-2 pitch into the left-field seats to erase a 2-1 deficit. The 16-year veteran was playing in his 32nd game of the season, the 17th with Seattle after being signed as a free agent. "If we could get that by the backup catcher every other day, every third day, well be in good shape," acting manager Robby Thompson said. "He comes to play, hes in great shape." Blanco has played for 11 different teams during a career that began in 1997. This was his third homer of the season; the other two were grand slams, including a game winner in his Mariners debut against Oakland on June 15. "When you get a win and you can help the team win some games, its a good feeling," Blanco said. Blancos batting .182, but hes done his job quite capably. "Hes had some huge hits for us," Thompson said. "Huge home runs, a couple grand slams and a two-run there. The times that hes in there, hes produced." Blanco isnt the only old-timer in the Seattle clubhouse. The Mariners other run Sunday came from 41-year-old Raul Ibanez, who hit an RBI double in the second inning. "Thats a good thing," Blanco said. "At this point, you just want to contribute to win games and hope for the best. Raul is a pretty good hitter, hes always been, and I just get lucky." Saunders (10-10) worked out of trouble in almost every inning but improved to 7-0 lifetime against Baltimore after allowing two runs, eight hits and two walks in six innings. He walked off the mound for the last time trailing 2-1, but Blancos blast made him a winner. "It was unreal," Saunders said. "Its one of those moments in the game where its like do or die and he put a good swing on a good pitch, I think, and bailed me out." Saunders, who played a key role for the Orioles late last season, has five consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins. In this one, he walked a tightrope through five innings and gave up a two-run drive to Danny Valencia in the sixth. Baltimore went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight. The Orioles dropped two of three to the Mariners and went 4-5 on a homestand that began with three games apiece against Boston and Houston. "We did some really good things to create some situations, but Joe pitched out of it," manager Buck Showalter said. "It was really kind of characteristic of a good veteran pitcher like Joe. Weve seen that before." Yoervis Medina struck out four in two perfect innings and Danny Farquhar got three straight outs for his second save, both of which came within 24 hours. Chen (6-4) gave up three runs and five hits over seven innings in losing for the first time in seven starts since May 1. Valencia was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game for his third stint with the Orioles this season. Starting at designated hitter, he homered after Steve Pearce drew a leadoff walk to put Baltimore up 2-1. The lead didnt last. One inning later, following a walk to No. 8 hitter Brendan Ryan, Blanco pulled a slider a few feet inside the foul pole. "Thats the spot I wanted to attack," Chen said through an interpreter. "I threw the ball right on the spot and he still swings the bat really well and he hit a home run off me. Hats off to him." Seattle and Baltimore combined for 14 homers in the three games, none more important than Blancos. "I wasnt expecting to hit a home run," Blanco said. "I was trying to get a pitch where I could put the ball in play and see if something can happen. I just hit it pretty good." The Mariners used successive doubles by Michael Morse and Raul Ibanez to go up 1-0 in the second. Over the first five innings, the Orioles wasted repeated opportunities to score. NOTES: Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says manager Eric Wedge, who had a mild stroke on July 22, wont rejoin the team this week. Zduriencik said Wedge is "doing well," but added, "This is a lifelong health issue for him. When he gets back here managing this club, we want him to be here. We dont want him to come in and be here for two or three days."... Zduriencik also said RH reliever Stephen Pryor has been shut down for the year with an injured right triceps muscle. ... Orioles 2B Brian Roberts missed a third straight game while on paternity leave. He is expected to travel with the team Monday to San Diego for a two-game series that begins Tuesday night. ... The Mariners host Toronto on Monday night after going 2-4 on a six-game trip through Boston and Baltimore. ... Seattle won the season series 4-2.Air Max Plus Tn Cheap .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Air Max Plus Tn Blue . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/air-max-plus-tn-cheap/tns-black-discount.html .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Air Max Plus Wholesale . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Air Max Plus 97 Cheap . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. WASHINGTON -- A couple of plastic sandwich bags filled with ice were resting on his left thigh, and some others were chilling his right knee, as an admittedly exhausted John Isner assessed how hes holding up after eight victories in 10 days. "My body doesnt feel great," Isner said, then paused and smiled. "At the same time, nothing is wrong with me, besides just being a little tired and a little worn out. But thats what happens when you play well." The highest-ranked American man certainly has been doing that lately. Isner, who is ranked 20th and seeded eighth, set up his sternest test of late, earning a matchup against top-seeded and two-time champion Juan Martin del Potro in Sundays Citi Open final. Taking control by breaking serve immediately after a rain delay, Isner hit 29 aces and beat unseeded Dmitry Tursunov 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4. Later, del Potro came out much stronger after his semifinal was interrupted for more than three hours by showers and he turned things around to beat third-seeded Tommy Haas 7-6 (4), 6-3 in a match that ended past midnight. "The rain, for sure, helped me to come back in this match," said the seventh-ranked del Potro, who hasnt dropped a set in three previous victories against Isner. Del Potro stretched his winning streak at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open to 13 matches. He won Washingtons tournament in 2008 and 2009, then skipped it the past three years. Trailing Haas 4-1 when a downpour came, 2009 U.S. Open champion del Potro won four games in a row. "The rain delays annoying. It bothers me a lot, actually," said Haas, who showed frustration at various moments by spiking, tossing or kicking his racket. "Come back out there, and the momentum was really on my side, at least for the first set, I think. (If) it would have been mine, it would have been maybe a different match. But these are all the ifs and buts and not worth talking about." Still, Haas actually held two set points late in the first, one of which del Potro erased with a 117 mph second-serve ace, and the other with a volley winner. "He went for it," said Haas, a finalist last year. "He deserved it." Defending champion Magdalena Rybarikova beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-0 in the first womens semifinal, which was stopped by rain at 5-2 in the first set. Because of all the delays, the other womens match, between Alize Cornet and Andrea Petkovic, started after 12:30 a.m. Much, much earlier, Isner finished with a flourish -- his last six serves were aces -- and continued the strong form he showed last week while winning the title at Atlanta on a hard court. "When youre winning, youre playing a lot of matches, and from that, naturally, youre just going to wear down," said Isner, who was visited by a trainer in the third seet but said the left leg injury that forced him to stop playing at Wimbledon in June was not bothering him.dddddddddddd "I just wanted to get it massaged a little bit," said Isner, who for years has been officially listed as being 6-foot-9 by the ATP, but the tours website recently changed that to 6-10. "It wasnt anything I was seriously worried about." Isner, the 2007 runner-up in Washington, acknowledged his body feels "like its a little beat up" after a second consecutive three-setter and a busy 1 1/2 weeks, "but Ill be ready to go tomorrow, for sure." After dropping the first set against Tursunov, Isner was ahead on serve 2-1 in the second when, with the match 70 minutes old and a drizzle falling, play was suspended. When they resumed at 30-40, Isner converted the break point with a forehand passing winner on a 12-stroke exchange. "Its definitely not a comfortable feeling" to return from a delay facing break point, Tursunov said. "Really, you understand that if you dont win this point, youre down a break, and then the set is over." Indeed, that was the first break in the match, and all Isner would need to even things at a set apiece 15 minutes later. "Gave me all sorts of momentum," Isner said. He broke again to lead 3-2 in the third, this time at love, helped by three unforced errors by the 61st-ranked Tursunov. That was pretty much that, because Isners powerful serve was clicking -- just as it usually does during the summer hard-court season in North America. "Its my absolute favourite time of the year," said Isner, whose best Grand Slam showing was a run to the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2011. "Its not a coincidence that I play and do well here in the summer, every single year." Isner won 69 of 86 points he served Saturday, including runs of 16 and 14 in a row, and did not face a break point. "You really cant see the serve too well. ... Its really just a lot of guessing," Tursunov said. Said del Potro, looking ahead to facing Isner: "Nobody can break his serve in this tournament. ... Of course, sometimes you get frustrated when you cant return his serve." If Isner wins Sunday, he would earn his third title of 2013 and pull even with No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the third-highest total on tour. Only Rafael Nadal (seven) and Andy Murray (four) have won more. As for whether a ninth match in 11 days might force him to reconsider his schedule over the coming weeks -- the years last major tournament starts in New York on Aug. 26 -- Isner said he hasnt thought about that yet. "I want to be as fresh as I can for the U.S. Open," the 245-pound Isner said. "I have played a lot of matches (and) Im not necessarily built to play week after week after week." ' ' '