Dein erstes Forum » season. He added his second two innings later

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Roush Fenway Racing enters a season of rebuilding following a self-described brutal 2014 that included just two Sprint Cup wins and top driver Carl Edwards defection to Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year.Although RFR placed two cars in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, the organization failed to win in the second-tier then-Nationwide Series and team president Steve Newmark said the company fell well short of expectations. There were organizational changes this off-season, he said.If you had walked through the halls of Roush Fenway during the latter part of last season, there would have been a high level of dissatisfaction, Newmark said Wednesday at NASCARs annual media tour. We set goals for ourselves and didnt meet them.Edwards won both Cup races for RFR last season and reached the third round of the Chase before being eliminated.Greg Biffle qualified for the Chase on points, but was ousted in the first round. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didnt even make it that far with his second season at RFR turning out worse than his first.As the season kept going, we kept sliding and sliding, Stenhouse said. We were glad the season came to an end so we could stop sliding.Newmark said that led to plenty of soul searching — and changes — trying to figure out how to get back on top.Bob Osborne, who helped Edwards win 18 Cup races between 2004 and 2012, has returned to RFR as crew chief for Trevor Bayne, who replaces Edwards and will drive the No. 6 Ford.Also, Nick Sandler, former lead engineer under Jimmy Fennig on the No. 99 team of Edwards, will be the crew chief for Stenhouses No. 17 team. Greg Puccia will remain crew chief for veteran Biffle and the No. 16 car.Newmark said more money has been invested in the operation in an effort to produce better results.We felt like we werent giving the drivers the equipment they needed to succeed, Newmark said. We had talented drivers, but we werent giving them the equipment to maximize their talent.Biffle will look to provide some needed stability at RFR, which also lost Matt Kenseth following the 2012 season. Biffle said with only limited testing allowed by NASCAR this off-season it has been an agonizing few months for an organization eager to get back on the track.But he believes that may be a blessing in disguise as it gave RFR a chance to look at where we made the wrong turn in the road.We have some new people in and when you are racing every week and trying to do this and testing and over at Nashville and doing all these things, you are looking at the problem down low, Biffle said. It wasnt until we got up higher and really looked at the landscape we decided we made some wrong decisions back possibly over a year ago on the direction with our cars.Biffle said the team has found things theyve done wrong in the past and begun to correct them. Team owner Jack Roush was particularly disappointed with his teams performance on 1 1/2- and two-mile tracks last year, traditionally a strength for RFR teams.As for losing Edwards, Roush compared it to free agency in the NFL and NBA.This sport has changed and it has taken on the vestiges of other big-time entertainment where people move around to earn some money and sometimes to improve on chemistry, Roush said. I think he just wanted to try his luck elsewhere.How long it will take for RFR to resurface as a top competitive team remains to be seen.I dont think there is a magic bullet or some elixir that all of a sudden is going to come out, but it will come out over time, Newmark said. Whether it manifests itself at Atlanta or Texas, I think youre going to see improvement on the intermediate tracks. ... We will have to have some patience, but we will come out with some improvement. china jerseys . 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He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing.PITTSBURGH -- Pedro Alvarez mashed two home runs that travelled an estimated 831 feet Friday night. It was a series of sprints by the burly Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman, however, that ignited a 12-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Alvarez broke open a close game in the sixth by beating out a potential double play, followed it up with the fifth stolen base of his career then scored with a deft slide around St. Louis catcher Yadier Molinas tag that gave the Pirates the momentum they needed to pull away. "I thought the stolen base was key," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He puts a lot of focus on running the bases and hes arguably one of our best baserunners when hes on." It certainly looked like it, as Alvarezs outstretched left arm slid across the plate a split second before one of the games best defensive catchers could nab him. The Cardinals imploded from there as Shelby Miller (0-1) continued to struggle against Pittsburgh. Miller fell to 0-5 with a 5.92 ERA against the Pirates in his brief career after tying a career-high by allowing five runs in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander is 16-5 with a 2.34 ERA in his 33 other major league appearances. "Its not the park. Its not the team. I just pitched poorly today," Miller said. "I guess it just lines up that way where I dont pitch well when I face them." Travis Ishikawa added his first major league home run in nearly two years for Pittsburgh. Gerrit Cole (1-0) gave up two runs in seven innings in his first start since losing the deciding Game 5 of the NL division series to St. Louis last October. Six months removed from a taut NLDS that pushed the eventual NL champions to the brink of elimination, the Pirates sent an early message they have no plans of going away. Cole is considered the ace in waiting after a stellar rookie season in which he was arguably Pittsburghs best pitcher over the final six weeks. Eager to take the next step in his development, the 23-year-old kept the Cardinals in check by mixing a fastball that consistently reaches the upper 90s with improved offspeeed stuff.dddddddddddd He also showcased some of his maturity, working out of a bases loaded situation in the fourth by getting Jhonny Peralta to fly out. His only mistake came in the fifth when Carpenter drilled a shot into the right field stands to pull the Cardinals to 3-2. Otherwise he teamed with catcher Russell Martin to keep St. Louis in check. "I think it was just a really well-played ballgame on our part," Cole said. "I cant say enough about what Russ did behind the plate. Not sure there are any other catchers in the entire world that could handle what I threw at him tonight." Pittsburghs offence -- which mustered all of 20 hits in 35 innings of a season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs -- made sure it didnt stay close for long after pounding out 16 hits in eight innings against the NL Central favourites. Alvarez began the year in a 1 for 15 slump but ended that with a home run to the gap in left-centre for his first home run of the season. He added his second two innings later with a long drive to right-centre that travelled an estimated 448 feet. His hustle down the first-base line in the sixth allowed Pittsburghs rally to continue and the Pirates pressed the advantage. Molina committed a rare error after Alvarezs slide, botching a potential rundown at third base when his throw hit Martin in the back and rolled into the stands. The miscue gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead and Pittsburgh poured it on in the late innings. NOTES: Ishikawas solo home run in the fourth was his first since May 15, 2012 while playing for the New York Yankees. ... The start of the game was delayed 1:05 by rain, the third straight game a Cardinals game was delayed by weather. ... Injured Cardinals 2B Mark Ellis is starting baseball activities but it remains uncertain when hell be ready to return from left knee tendinitis. Ellis went on the 15-day DL on March 27 and is eligible to return on April 11. ... The series continues on Saturday. RHP Joe Kelly will make his season debut for the Cardinals against Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano (0-0, 0.00). ' ' '