WHERED THEY GO?Downey finished with just four points on 2-for-10 shooting, and Miye Oni, averaging 18.5 coming in, had

DETROIT -- After being activated from the DL earlier in the day,?Tigers?right fielder J.D. Martinez entered Wednesdays game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and pounced on the first pitch he saw from?White Sox?pitcher?Chris Sale, sending it into the shrubs above the center-field fence.I saw the pitch coming, and it looked nice and slow, and I just knew, he said.Martinezs solo shot would prove to be the deciding run as Detroit held on for the 2-1 win and extended its winning streak to eight games.?That was like a movie, Detroit infielder Ian Kinsler said. That was something Ive never seen before. It is certainly good to have him back.Martinez, 28, received a long standing ovation when he made his way to the plate to hit for James McCann, and it only got louder as he launched Sales fastball an estimated 434 feet.That was probably the coolest moment of my career, Martinez said. I tried to go up there with a plan, but it was so crazy that I just decided to see the ball and hit the ball.The crowd of 32,526 roared again during the musical tribute until Martinez took a curtain call.If I could thank every fan individually, I would, he said. I didnt know what to do. I wasnt expecting any of that.After playing a double-header with Triple-A Toledo the day before, Martinez didnt start Wednesday but was available to pinch hit if necessary. He is expected to start Thursday.?Martinez had been sidelined since mid-June with a fractured elbow. According to Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, Martinez has been throwing from 290 feet, so throwing from the outfield is not expected to be an issue when he takes the field again.?When I read it, too, I was like, Is this a typo? Ausmus said. But I double-checked. He said he was throwing basically from the outfield wall to home plate.Said Martinez: I threw it hard, threw good, so I dont have any doubt about my throwing.Martinez, who led the team with 38 home runs last season, said the time missed has been frustrating, though the teams recent success has made it a little less mind-numbing.Its definitely been hard, Martinez told reporters of his time away. Its been easier because weve been playing pretty well. I was down there, and Im like, This is sweet. Were gaining ground right now. Everythings good right now. Me and [Jordan Zimmermann] are on the verge of coming back now, and it was just exciting down there watching the games and watching the guys play so well.The Tigers are in the thick of the race for the American League Central, sitting two games behind the Cleveland Indians, who fell 13-5 to the?Twins?on Wednesday. Thats a stark contrast from last season, when the team had essentially waved the white flag, jettisoning a trio of key players at the?trade deadline with the clubs playoff chances looking bleak.Martinez said he is excited to rejoin the team just as the playoff race heats up.Thats what helps teams get through August and September, he said. Its a long last couple months if youre out of it. Youre kind of just grinding through, and the clubhouse is miserable. Last year thats kind of how it felt. Its tough to go out there and play, but you know when youre in it and youve got a shot to get to the playoffs, theres nothing like it.Zimmermann, who was recently activated from the disabled list after being out with a neck strain, will take the mound Thursday in his first appearance since July 4.These guys have been playing great with J.D. down and myself, Zimmermann told reporters. Guys stepped up nicely and have played well. We have a nice streak going, so hopefully that continues [Wednesday] and I can do my part [Thursday] and keep it going. I am just excited to get back.Information from ESPNs Katie Strang and The Associated Press was used in this report.?Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Brandon Ingram Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Zion Williamson Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Zion Williamson Pelicans Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season.CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia fans looking for assurances that they could still have high expectations despite the dismissal from the team of expected offensive stalwart Austin Nichols got plenty to feel good about Sunday in the No. 8 Cavaliers 62-38 victory against Yale.Marial Shayok scored 15 points, freshman Kyle Guy had 12 and Darius Thompson 11 in a balanced offensive display that complemented a Virginia staple: defense. The Cavaliers (3-0) held Yale scoreless for a stretch of nearly nine minutes in the second half, making it look easy.To be able to have them coming off the bench for us is huge, senior London Perrantes said of Shayok and Guy, who scored all but two points in a 16-0 run that turned a 37-33 lead into a runaway.Guy, former Mr. Basketball in Indiana, scored eight in the blitz, hitting a pair of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers that drew roars.It was surreal when the crowd erupted after we hit a shot or got a stop, he said.Blake Reynolds led Yale (2-1) with 10 points. The Bulldogs arrived averaging 93.5 points, had an early 8-0 burst and then never found any rhythm again. They made only 16 of 48 field goal tries (33 percent).Virginia had a lot to do with that. The Cavaliers had scoring runs of 22-0 in their opener against UNCG and 20-0 against St. Francis Brooklyn, and nearly matched that after Shayok scored off a feed from Perrantes to make it 39-33 and start the run with 15 minutes left.And while pulling away on offense, they never lost sight of their need to attend to the defensive side.They did a great job limited opportunities tonight, Bulldogs coach James Jones said.BIG PICTUREYale: The Bulldogs, who won their first NCAA Tournament game last season, will win plenty because they can score. They arrived at John Paul Jones Arena with five players averaging 12 points or better, including Downey (19.5 after averaging 5.7 last year) and Copeland (17 after averaging 2.3 last year). They also had 41 assistss and just 17 turnovers coming in, but finished with 14 miscues and seven assists.ddddddddddddAveraging 94 points a game, thats not us, Jones said.Virginia: The Cavaliers were somewhat stagnant early on offensively, which probably was to be expected after Nichols was kicked off the team on Friday for an unspecified violation of team rules . Nichols was with the team all last season as a transfer and much of the offense was expected to be inside-out. The adjustment may take several games, making a game against Iowa on Friday night loom as a stiffer test.That was something we thought we had, and now we dont, Bennett said of Nichols offense. We just have to adjust.WHERED THEY GO?Downey finished with just four points on 2-for-10 shooting, and Miye Oni, averaging 18.5 coming in, had three on 1-for-8 shooting.BLOCK PARTYRedshirt freshman is another Cavaliers player that will look to pick up the slack left by Nichols absence, and he is already becoming a fan favorite for his shot-blocking ability and incredible athleticism, which Perrantes compared to former Virginia star Justin Anderson, now making highlight reel plays for the NBAs Dallas Mavericks. Diakite had four blocks against the Bulldogs, giving him five in two games.STRUGGLING HALLDevon Hall has started all three games for Virginia as an off-guard, and off also has described his shot thus far.Through three games, hes just 3-for-14 from the field, including 1-for-6 from 3-point territory.UP NEXTThe Bulldogs stay on the road, and against ACC competition, as they play at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.The Cavaliers face Grambling State in the second round of the Emerald Coast Classic before moving to Florida for Round 3 against Iowa.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '