Kritik und Lob » ozier connected for his 35th homer. Sano hit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Four games removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the Carolina Panthers secondary is a mess and in need of retooling.The struggling Panthers (1-3) abruptly cut starting cornerback Bene Benwikere on Friday, five days after giving up 503 yards passing to Matt Ryan and 300 yards receiving to Julio Jones in a 48-33 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.Benwikere, who started all four games this season for the Panthers, allowed 228 yards and a touchdown on eight catches to Jones on Sunday according to Pro Football Focus.The decision means Carolina will have three different starters in the secondary when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. The teams other starting cornerback James Bradberry said he wont play because of a turf toe injury, while the Panthers are benching safety Tre Boston in favor of recently acquired veteran Michael Griffin.Were trying to put it together so we can move forward, coach Ron Rivera said. Its a big part of retooling this football team. Its tough.The Panthers rank 14th in the league in pass defense and have allowed eight touchdowns passing in four games.Rivera said he wants to see what the teams younger defensive backs can do.The Panthers drafted three rookie cornerbacks this past April to help fill the void left by All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman. The team had initially placed the franchise tag on Norman, then removed it and allowed him to become a free agent. Norman wound up signing a huge contract with the Washington Redskins.The addition of Griffin to the starting lineup means strong safety Kurt Coleman will move back to free safety, the position he played last season for the NFC champions.With Bradberry out at least a week, rookie Daryl Worley is expected to make his first career start alongside Robert McClain against Tampa Bay at cornerback. The team promoted rookie cornerback Zack Sanchez from the practice squad to take Benwikeres spot on the roster and he will play the nickel spot.Benwikeres agent Bardia Ghahremani says he was shocked when his client was cut, particularly so late in the week.Just weird, Ghahremani said. I mean he was their best cornerback.Benwikere broke the fibula in his leg 10 months ago and Ghahremani said he is still working himself back into shape.Teammates said they will miss Benwikere.Bene was a great part of what we have been about, about this culture and this team, safety Kurt Coleman said. But its a business.Sanchez found out before practice that he had been elevated to the 53-man roster. He was a part of the teams final cuts, but was later re-signed to the practice squad.I think it was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to get back to who I am, which is a hard-working guy, Sanchez said. I think I got too caught in the hype of being one of three cornerbacks drafted and coming in and playing right away.Bradberry is expected to start once he returns to full health.He said he is week to week with the toe injury.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLSwell Schweiz . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Swell Flasche 500 Ml . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. http://www.swelltrinkflascheschweiz.com/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Swell Flasche Größe . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Swell Flasche Online . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers.MINNEAPOLIS -- White Sox manager Robin Ventura approached Jose Abreu at his locker following Sundays tight victory over the Twins, and the two shared a joke.It was a moment of levity at the end of a stressful day.Abreu hit two three-run homers and drove in a career-best seven runs, and Chicago used Tim Andersons two-run double in the 12th inning to beat Minnesota 13-11 for a split of their four-game series.I will say that this is my best moment of this season, Abreu said.Abreu, Anderson and Melky Cabrera had three hits apiece, helping the White Sox overcome four homers for Minnesota. The teams combined for 18 homers in the series.Abreu fell one shy of the franchise record of eight RBI in a game, a mark shared by three people, including Ventura.We were joking about the RBI, our record that he owns, Abreu said through a translator. I was one short, but we were all joking about it.While Abreu delivered another impressive performance, Anderson had the biggest hit of the day. With one out and runners on second and third in the 12th, the rookie doubled to deep left against Pat Dean (1-6).Juan Minaya (1-0) earned his first major league win. He pitched a scoreless 11th but walked the first two batters in the 12th. Tommy Kahnle then came in and earned his third career save, retiring Eddie Rosario with the bases loaded for the final out.Im not going to tell you what was going through my mind, Ventura said of Minnesotas threat in the 12th. But theyre not easy.Byron Buxton hit his first career grand slam for Minnesota, and Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano and John Ryan Murphy also went deep. The Twins hit 11 homers in the four-game set.To have an offensive day like that, and to really have the guys you want in the game at the end with a chance, Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said of the frustrating pitching performaance.dddddddddddd I dont know how many of those weve had that would rank up there with that one.Abreu opened the scoring with a three-run shot in the first. He added an RBI single in the fifth and another three-run drive in the seventh, trimming Minnesotas lead to 9-7.Abreu is batting .370 with 11 homers and 30 RBI in his past 31 games.Hes swinging it, this is what you really expect out of him, Ventura said. I know that its pretty free and easy right now. But even the home runs, thats really more indicative of him. Right now hes feeling pretty good about it, sitting in the middle of our lineup driving in some runs.Buxton had three hits, and Dozier connected for his 35th homer. Sano hit his 22nd and Murphy added his first for the Twins after being recalled a day earlier.TRAILING ONLY KILLEBREWDozier leads the majors with 21 homers since the All-Star break. He has the most home runs of any Twins player since Josh Willingham also hit 35 in 2012.Only Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew has hit more homers in a single season in Twins history.Dont be putting me in Killebrews, in a sentence with him, Dozier said. Thats pretty cool. Weve still got a little ways to go, but thats pretty cool.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Chris Sale (15-7, 3.10 ERA) starts Monday against the Detroit Tigers, who counter with Justin Verlander (14-7, 3.30 ERA). Sale is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings in four starts against Detroit this season. Verlander has allowed more than two runs just once in his past 12 starts.Twins: Molitor said rookie right-hander Jose Berrios (2-4, 9.24 ERA) will be called up to start Monday against Kansas City. The Royals counter with RHP Ian Kennedy (9-9, 3.66 ERA). ' ' '