eneral manager Jon Daniels, is with the club for this series after mak

SEATTLE -- Everything that Clint Dempsey hoped would happen last year after his splashy signing with the Seattle Sounders is happening now. Custom Jerseys China . Dempsey scored twice in a five-minute span early in the second half and set up Lamar Neagles first-half goal to help the Seattle Sounders beat the Colorado Rapids 4-1 on Saturday. Dempsey leads MLS with eight goals. He has at least a goal or an assist in each of Seattles last six games. It is the second time in his career that Dempsey has had a six-game scoring streak in MLS, having done it previously in 2005 while with the New England Revolution. "The year I scored 23 with Fulham, I was on a pretty good run there, but it feels good," Dempsey said. "Were in a good rhythm as a team, we have a good locker room, and it think that shows on the field in our play." After Dempsey joined the Sounders last August, expectations for him and the team soared. But in nine games, he scored only one goal, and Seattles late-season swoon ended with another early playoff exit. Now, the Sounders have won three straight to improve to 5-2-1, thanks in large part to Dempsey. "When I first came, I felt like there werent too many games where I could look back and say, You know what? I had a lot of chances, I should have scored," Dempsey said. "I feel like in games now, Im getting good looks and looks that are allowing me to put the ball into the back of the net. I have to compliment my teammates on that. I feel like were playing better right now than we were toward the end of last season." Added Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, "I dont know what the records are for so many goals in so many games, but he might be setting some of those." Obafemi Martins added a 75th-minute goal for Seattle. Dillon Serna scored in the 62nd minute for the Rapids (3-2-2). Dempsey and Martins (who tallied his third) have accounted for 11 of the Sounders 17 goals. "Whether it six against six or eight against eight in practice, we try to put them on the same team where they look for each other and find each other," Schmid said, "and you see it showing now in games." Neagles blast 2 yards in front of a wide-open net gave the Sounders a 1-0 lead 15 seconds into the only minute of first-half stoppage time, and was his third goal of the year. Dempsey made it 2-0 at the outset of the 47th minute, running onto a loose ball at the top of 6-yard box that Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin had slapped away, but couldnt latch onto. Early in the 52nd minute, Chad Marshall headed Gonzalo Pinedas corner kick toward Dempsey, and Dempsey headed it in just over Irwins reach. Neagle assisted on the goal by Martins, which was his third goal of the season. Colorado came in with back-to-back shutouts and had allowed just five goals all season until yielding the four on Saturday. The Sounders outshot the Rapids, 20-10. "The two guys up top (Dempsey and Martins) really made a difference," Rapids coach Pablo Mastoeni said. "Dempsey caused us a bit of grief. And again, if youre not good with the ball, youre going to end up defending. Against a team like this, you definitely dont want to be defending deep in your half as we found ourselves for the majority of the game. "With the type of players they have, it just puts a lot of pressure on our defence and forced a lot of errors that led to the dismantling of the team," Mastoeni added. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys . The Braves optioned outfielder Jose Constanza to Triple-A Gwinnett. As expected, the Braves also called up right-hander Julio Teheran from Gwinnett to start Sundays game and optioned backup catcher J. Custom Juventus Jerseys . After making his All-Star debut in Fridays Rising Stars Challenge, the Raptors sophomore centre wont be sticking around for the duration of the weekends festivities, thinking about the big picture instead. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-florida-panthers-jerseys/ . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus struggling at the plate, Texas manager Ron Washington enjoyed watching a couple of home runs from two of the few players in his lineup who were hitting .300 or better. Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rios homered in the sixth inning against winless Hector Santiago, and the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 Friday night to end a four-game losing streak. The only other time this season that the Rangers had two home runs in one inning was April 15, when Fielder and Kevin Kouzmanoff went back-to-back to start the second against Seattles Blake Beavan in a 5-0 win at Arlington. "It was certainly something that we needed. We were able to string some offence together and put some runs on the board," Washington said. "I dont think you can play this game relying on home runs. But I think the more at-bats the guys (have) that are supposed to hit it out of the ballpark, the more theyll get." Choo added an RBI single in the seventh and Colby Lewis (2-1) pitched 5 2-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out six. The right-hander, making his fourth start after missing 1 1/2 seasons because of operations on his elbow and hip, was lifted after issuing his only walk. "I was able to throw the fastball where I needed to, my changeup was really good and I was able to command my pitches," Lewis said. "But I ran into that dumb walk in the sixth. The bullpen came in and stepped up and was huge tonight to solidify the win for me, so hats off to them. Theyve been taxed, and I was hoping to go deep into the game and give them a little bit of a break." It was the fourth straight game in which a Rangers starter failed to get through the sixth. Lewis was working on an extra day of rest after the rotation was set up to have him avoid next weeks interleague series in Colorado, where he would have to bat. Joakim Soria, the sixth Rangers pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save. Choo left in the seventh because of soreness on the outside of his left ankle. Santiago (0-5) was charged with five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. The left-hander, who has a 5.01 ERA in six starts, was replaced by Kevin Jepsen with a 3-2 deficit. Choo then singled home Leonys Martin, and Michael Choice crossed the plate with the Rangers fifth run as third baseman Ian Stewart fielded Andrus grounder and hit Choice with his throw home. Custom Ottawa Senators Jerseys. . "I think hes going to be fine," catcher Hank Conger said of Santiago. "Physically, it wont take much. Mentally, it does start to creep into pitchers minds. But hes been throwing good bullpens and hes been upbeat. "He knows he wants to get that first win off his back. But I think this experience is going to be a good test for him, and a good challenge for him to try to harness what he took out of this start and take it into the next one." Angels third baseman David Freese left with what was described as a bruise on the middle finger of his right hand after he was hit by an 0-2 pitch in the third. Postgame X-rays revealed a small, non-displaced fracture. The 2011 World Series MVP, acquired in a November trade with St. Louis, is batting .202 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 84 at-bats. Texas was trailing 2-0 when Choo drove Santiagos first pitch of the sixth just beyond the reach of centre fielder Mike Trout to end a six-game home run drought by the Rangers -- who hit 26 against the Angels last year while winning the season series 15-4 over their NL West rivals. "They have a good lineup, with a good mix of power guys and a couple of guys that can set the table for them," Conger said. "Tonight it was just two pitches that really turned the game around." Two outs later, Fielder reached on an infield single and Rios sent a 2-1 pitch into the rock pile in left-centre for his second of the season. Angels No. 9 hitter J.B. Shuck, fighting a 2-for-30 slump, drove in the games first run with a two-out bunt single that hugged the third base line all the way to the bag. Howie Kendrick made it 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI single after Shuck singled with two outs and stole second. NOTES: Kouzmanoff, who hasnt played since April 22 because of a herniated disk in his lower back, is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday. ... Texas C Robinson Chirinos was scratched about 90 minutes before the game because of a stomach virus. ... Greg Maddux, a special assistant to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, is with the club for this series after making the trip from his Las Vegas home. ' ' '