Hard und Software » picks.There was no intentional dumping. Ther

NEW YORK -- Terry Collins was watching another masterful pitching performance by shaggy-haired rookie Jacob deGrom when David Wright returned to the New York dugout with the news that his season was over because of a shoulder injury. The Mets manager had little time to think about the ramifications of losing his star third baseman, not with his team suddenly on the fringe of the National League playoff race. DeGrom pitched three-hit ball for eight dominant innings, and New York held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0 on Tuesday night for its sixth win in seven games. "At the moment I was trying to win a baseball game," Collins said. "Theres a lot of discussions that are going to have to take place here to decide where we need to head." Jeurys Familia got Wilin Rosario to ground out with the bases loaded in the ninth for his fifth save, helping the Mets move five games under .500 (70-75). They are just 5 1-2 games behind Pittsburgh for the second NL wild card with three teams in front of them. "Just a really good team win right there," said All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy, who went 1 for 3 in his return from the disabled list. "A little bit of a sour taste in your mouth with whats going on with David." Wright has been playing with a sore shoulder since mid-June. The pain became more severe Monday night and he had an MRI Tuesday, missing the game. The seven-time All-Star will be shut down for the rest of the season and begin a six-week rehabilitation program after a period of rest. "Its disappointing," Wright said Tuesday night. "But I think for me personally, making sure I end this year as healthy as can be and then do what I can, starting with this rehab program, to ensure that I will be as close to 100 per cent for spring training is the goal." Juan Lagares had an RBI single, and Curtis Granderson added an RBI double off Christian Bergman (2-3) one night after he hit a tying triple in the ninth inning of the series-opening win. In his 20th career start, deGrom (8-6) didnt allow a baserunner after Nolan Arenados one-out double in the fourth -- retiring his final 14 batters. He struck out nine and walked none. "I felt like I was getting stronger as the game went on," deGrom said. "Thats a great feeling because its my first time Im pitching this late into a year." Over his last 10 starts, deGrom is 7-1 with a 1.60 ERA. He hasnt allowed an earned run in 22 straight innings. Matt den Dekkers double with one out in the fifth gave the Mets their first runner in scoring position against Bergman, and they came through. After deGrom grounded out, Lagares had an RBI single. Den Dekker was later hit by a pitch in the hand. X-Rays were negative. Bergman yielded six hits and two runs in six innings in his seventh major league start. He didnt walk a batter for his second consecutive outing. "Bergy did another nice job," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Hes been one of those guys whove come up and been a bright spot for us -- he competes pretty well." TRAINERS ROOM Rockies: Weiss said OF Ben Paulsen has shown no ill effects from being hit in the elbow by a pitch on Sunday. UP NEXT Two pitchers who made their major league debuts this season will start the finale of this three-game series. Colorado LHP Tyler Matzek (5-9) is set to make his 17th start. Mets RHP Rafael Montero will be making his seventh career start. He is 0-3 with 4.71 ERA at Citi Field. MOVEEM IN Collins is a fan of general manager Sandy Aldersons idea to bring in the right field fence at Citi Field again. Collins said moving in the fence that is 375 feet from home plate would help players such as Lucas Duda, Wright and Granderson. "I think its going to help us a little bit, confidence-wise," Collins said. WHEELS WORKING A day after returning from a left hamstring strain, Michael Cuddyer made a spectacular diving catch on deGroms sinking liner in the third inning. The right fielder ran a long way before laying out to make the grab in right-centre. "That was a good sign," Weiss said. "He made a heck of a play on that and no issues." Custom Football Jerseys Throwback ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. Discount Football Jerseys Throwback . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback. Clearance Football Jerseys Throwback . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday. Wholesale Football Jerseys Throwback . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift.PHILADELPHIA - Ellen DeGeneres used her monologue on Wednesdays show to speak right to the heart of Philadelphia 76ers fans.I want to be a glow where its gloomy, she said.Around the NBA, no city is gloomier these days than Philadelphia. Turns out, she said, the Sixers are having a bad season.And where did they get that name?I believe theyre named after the 76 gas stations, she said.Rim shot!And just like most of the 76ers shots at the rim, it was a clunker.She should have tried this one — I believe theyre named after the number of games theyll lose this season.Of course, the Sixers would have to roll into quite the hot streak to win six games this season, so perhaps that one-liner aims a bit high for the worst franchise in sports this side of the Oakland Raiders.The 76ers are the Hacky Sack of the NBA. Watch as Larry Brown kicks an insult to Eric Bledsoe who punts it to Fred Carter who may as well just let it drop to the court and let the other 29 NBA teams stomp and romp all over it.Yes, the 76ers were supposed to be bad — the only one smiling after this 0-11 start is team president and tank mastermind Sam Hinkie — but this bad?Using old school stats or modern analytics, the Sixers are the worst of the worst by any set of numbers.The 76ers are only seven defeats from tying the 2009-10 Nets for the worst start in NBA history.They have five more straight losses ahead to top the 1972-73 team for worst start (0-15) in Sixers history and are the No. 1 contenders to wrest away the crown from those Sixers (9-73) as the worst 82-game season team in NBA history.Keep going?The Sixers are 15 straight losses away from matching an NBA record of 26 straight in a season held by ... set by ... cmon, the answer is on the tip of your tongue ... Yes! The 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers.The Sixers have done so much deep-hole drilling on second-year coach Brett Browns career record, hed need a Phil Jackson/Michael Jordan run to climb out and see .500 daylight.The 76ers did get a boost this week when they signed the No. 1 pick of the draft! The D-League draft. Robert Covington simply took a roster spot that once belonged to a former All Star. Malcolm Thomas, a D-League All Star.The 76ers have sold fans on the Together We Build slogan. But all theyve built is a D-League team at NBA prices.Around Philly, rebuilding has a different nickname: Tankadelphia.Larry Brown, the vaggabond coach who led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA finals, said the last two seasons have made me sick to my stomach.ddddddddddddCan you imagine telling Allen Iverson that this is a rebuilding season so were going to be bad on purpose? he said last month.Bledsoe, the Phoenix Suns guard and former Kentucky standout, said Wednesday that the top-ranked Wildcats could defeat the 76ers.Thats certainly in doubt. But not Wednesdays result at the Wells Fargo Center: Boston Celtics 101, 76ers 90.We have to keep the locker room together, Brown said. We have to keep our guys believing that if they dont cheat days, if they really come in and invest in what were selling, then we believe we have a chance of finding some wins.But when?The Sixers play Friday against Bledsoe and the Suns, then hit the road Saturday against the 3-10 New York Knicks. Maybe the Knicks are the tonic for what ails the Sixers. It cant be worse than last week when the Sixers were thumped 100-75 against San Antonio and 123-70 against Dallas.Carter, who played on that 1972-73 Sixers team and would coach the team in the 1990s, said this years team is worse because of how open the franchise has been about the plan to hit bottom for a few seasons before potentially climbing back into contention with great draft picks.There was no intentional dumping. There was no plan to lose games to get better because people didnt think that way, Carter said. Dump a whole season like whats being done now? Its really sickening to the stomach to hear and see that.The 76ers hope a nucleus of Michael Carter-Williams, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric can become winners in three or four seasons.In a column for Derek Jeters new sports website, The Players Tribune, Carter-Williams wrote that he escaped from the grind by watching The Ellen DeGeneres Show with his stepfather.DeGeneres read the column, thanked MCW for watching, and said, Im sorry youre having a tough season. She said everyone on the Ellen team was rooting for him — and brought out characters like Giggles the Clown, Nick the Gardener, and Dave the Stagehand.Somewhere, Hinkie had to wonder if he could sign them to 10-day contracts.Allen Iverson was figuratively castrated for saying, practice, practice, practice, Carter said. What the organization is doing is intentionally losing. Losing, losing, losing.You tell me which is worse? ' ' '