Rory McIlroy believes his game is showing signs of improvement, despite a disappointing finish to a promising second round at the Wells Fargo Championship.The world No 3 picked up five shots in a four-hole stretch around the turn to briefly move within three strokes of midway leader Andrew Loupe, only to bogey his final two holes and close a three-under 69.Having followed an eagle-three at the seventh with a hat-trick of birdies to make his move up the leaderboard, McIlroy bounced back from a blemish at the 12th to leave a kick-in gain at the 14th. McIlroy, who struggled to an opening-round 73 on Thursday, then stuttered along the closing stretch, leaving his approaches in to the 15th and 16th short of the green before two-putting from 20 feet to bogey 17.Worse was to come when McIlroys second shot in to the last ended in the hazard, although a smart up-and-down ensured the two-time Quail Hollow champion would only drop one more stroke and stay within six of the lead.Obviously its not nice to finish the way I did with two bogeys, but the rest of the card looks pretty good, McIlroy told Sky Sports. I wish it was a little lower but its a step in the right direction. Im here for the weekend and hopefully I can put together a weekend like I have here in the past. Rory McIlroy I got it going in the middle of the round there and hit a lot of shots of much better quality than I hit yesterday, so I feel like I definitely improved on that.I worked on the range yesterday afternoon to try and work a couple of things out and it felt a little better out there for me today. McIlroy broke the course record to snatch a maiden PGA Tour title in this event in 2010, before going even lower on his way to a seven-shot victory last May.Both victories saw McIlroy overturn a large deficit to force his way up the leaderboard over the weekend, with the Northern Irishman now looking for a repeat performance this time around. The 27-year-old sits in a tie for 24th Im here for the weekend and hopefully I can put together a weekend like I have here in the past, McIlroy added. Ive had a couple of really low weekends here.If I can draw on those memories then I can go out and get off to a fast start tomorrow then Ill be right back in the tournament.Watch the Wells Fargo Championship throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golfAlso See:Wells Fargo: R1 highlightsQuail Hollow leaderboardTackling the Green MileGolf live on Sky Sports 4Wholesale Shoes Black Friday .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Discount Shoes Black Friday . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve.TORONTO -- Aaron Sanchez was supposed to be in the Blue Jays bullpen by now. Instead, the All-Star right-hander will start against the Texas Rangers on Sunday night, hoping to pitch Toronto into the AL Championship Series.When the 24-year-old Sanchez cracked Torontos starting rotation after a solid performance in spring training, the team said it planned to move him to a relief role at some point to limit his workload. The thinking was a full season of starting would be too much for a pitcher whose previous career high was 133 1/3 innings, reached at three levels in 2014.We were all set that he was going to eventually end up in the bullpen, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said as both teams worked out Saturday for Game 3 of the AL Division Series. That was the plan in spring training.Those plans went out the window as Sanchez pitched like an ace, earned an All-Star berth, and led the AL with a 3.00 ERA.We thought it would be crazy to take him out of that role, Gibbons said. Hes been so good, one of the best pitchers in baseball.Sanchez got extra rest between starts over the final two months, even spending 10 days in the minor leagues, in order to stay fresh. Toronto also acquired left-hander Francisco Liriano at the trade deadline and briefly used a six-man rotation to spread the work out even more.Neither the extended rest, nor the 10 days he spent at Class A Dunedin, were any kind of issue to Sanchez.I knew we had something special with this club and I wanted to be a part of it, he said. To be here to pitch in a game like (Game 3), Im just blessed with the opportunity to go out there and compete.Sanchez hasnt pitched since allowing one run in seven innings to beat Boston on the final day of the regular season, a victory that ensured Toronto would host the AL wild-card game.Sanchez made one start against the Rangers this season, and it want his best. He allowed six earned runs, matching a season worst, and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-6 loss on May 15. That game also featured a brawl between Rangers infielder Rougned Odor and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, an incident that happened after Sanchez had already left the game.With Texas facing ellimination after losing the first two games at home, Sanchez presents a tough test in an even tougher situation.dddddddddddd Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said the key is to stay aggressive at the plate.Hes a power pitcher and we know hes going to try and establish himself and his pitch early, Andrus said. Dont let him get comfortable. When you face guys like him, the last thing you want is them to feel comfortable on the mound.Right-hander Colby Lewis, who is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in nine career postseason games, will start for the Rangers.He can definitely be our stopper, Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.Texas has not been swept in a playoff series since back-to-back ALDS losses to the New York Yankees in 1998 and 1999. Dating to 2015, the Rangers have lost five straight postseason games, all to Toronto.Theres no panic in this club, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.Liriano, who has made two relief appearances this postseason, sustained a concussion when he was struck in the back of the head by Carlos Gomezs line drive in Torontos 5-3 win in Game 2 on Friday.Trainer George Poulis said Liriano felt good after undergoing tests Saturday but said there is no timetable for Lirianos return.The symptoms were very good, Poulis said. Were going to examine him each day and just go from there.Players who sustain a concussion must be cleared by Major League Baseball before returning.Liriano and Gomez were teammates in Minnesota and remain good friends. Gomez said he spoke to Liriano on the phone Friday night and was relieved to hear his friend was not seriously hurt.I slept better knowing he didnt have any problems, Gomez said, adding that he and Liriano had discussed going for dinner together on Saturday night.So, did Gomez plan on picking up the check after nailing his pal in the head?Were both rich, so it doesnt matter, he joked.Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis, who was scratched from Game 2 with a sore right knee, had an MRI Saturday morning. He is day-to-day with a bone bruise but has no structural damage, Poulis said. ' ' '
