NEWS » in and Tavarres, one source in atten

DETROIT -- When Doug Fister is in a groove, the innings can fly by pretty quickly. "I do take pride in going fast. Its a fine line between working fast and hurrying through your delivery," the Detroit right-hander said. "You keep your defence on their toes. Theyre more behind you when youre working fast at a good tempo." Fister pitched eight innings without allowing an earned run on Friday night, and Alex Avilas two-run double in the fifth gave him all the support he would need in the Tigers 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Fister allowed three hits and a walk -- and the game was finished in a crisp 2 hours, 24 minutes. "Pretty easy when youre pretty much on the same page, and hes getting it, getting it back up there and throwing it," said Avila, Detroits catcher. "When hes throwing strikes and getting guys out, its pretty fun." Avilas big hit sent the Phillies to their season-worst sixth straight loss. Cole Hamels (4-13) was trying to protect a 1-0 lead for the Phillies when he allowed the bottom of Detroits order to break through. After a one-out walk to Hernan Perez, Ramon Santiago and Avila -- the No. 9 batter -- hit back-to-back doubles. "Changeup. He threw a hanger -- thats what it was. I just saw it out of his hand, and it was up, and put a pretty good swing on it," said Avila, who is hitting .187 on the year. "It was just a good all-around baseball game -- good pitching, a lot of tense moments -- a fun game." Santiago was playing third base in place of slugger Miguel Cabrera, who hasnt played since Monday because of an injured left hip. Fister (9-5) struck out six. Joaquin Benoit pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 10 chances. Darin Ruf grounded out with a man on third to end it. With the Phillies struggling to stay in playoff contention, the trade deadline might take on added significance for them. "I think it might be bothering them," manager Charlie Manuel said of his club. "Weve got a lot of young, inexperienced players, and they get concerned about where they are going to be playing and who is going be traded. That didnt used to be the case, but things are all over the place now and they read it all." The Tigers were without Cabrera, outfielder Torii Hunter (left Achilles) and second baseman Omar Infante (sprained left ankle). The Phillies were short-handed, too, with first baseman Ryan Howard and outfielders Domonic Brown and Ben Revere on the disabled list. In the middle of their latest loss, the Phillies announced left-hander Cliff Lee would miss Saturday nights start because of a stiff neck. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead with a third-inning run off Fister. John Mayberry Jr. reached on an error by Perez, the second baseman. One out later, Carlos Ruiz hit a single, and Michael Young followed with an RBI single to snap an 0-for-12 skid. But Fister struck out the next two hitters to get out of that jam. After Rufs single in the fourth, no more Phillies reached base until the eighth. Young drew a two-out walk then, but Fister retired Kevin Frandsen on a groundout and walked off to an ovation from the Comerica Park crowd. Benoit allowed a leadoff single by Jimmy Rollins. With one out, Rollins stole second, and with two outs, he stole third. But the Phillies couldnt get him home. Santiago had a nice all-around game. Young led off with a grounder toward the hole between Santiago and shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and Santiago made a diving stop to retire the Philadelphia third baseman. In the fifth, Santiagos double down the left-field line brought Avila to the plate in a second-and-third situation. Avila hit a drive to the gap in left-centre to score both runners. Hamels allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out six. NOTES: Philadelphias Delmon Young was hitless in his return to Detroit, where he was the MVP of last years AL championship series for the Tigers. ... Detroits Max Scherzer (14-1) faces Philadelphias Raul Valdes (1-0) on Saturday night. Wholesale Nike Shoes Ireland . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Nike React Ireland For Sale . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.nikereactoutletireland.com/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Cheap Shoes Ireland . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Cheap Nike React Ireland Free Shipping . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia Eagles rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres has reversed course and will now stand for the national anthem Thursday, after earlier saying he would sit it out in protest.He plans on standing for the National Anthem, Tavarres agent, Corey Williams, said in a statement Monday. Myke does not want to be a distraction to the Philadelphia Eagles organization. Mykes goal is and will always be to make the Eagles 53-man roster and help the team win a Super Bowl.Asked whether he advised Tavarres to change his stance, Williams replied: Yes, I did.In a statement released through Williams on Monday, Tavarres said: I want to apologize for the distraction Ive become to all of Eagle Nation. I feel passionate about racial issues going on in our country, and I thought that sitting during the National Anthem would bring more awareness to this issue and encourage more constructive discussion to find solutions, but I feel I only made things worse. I want to make change in this world, but sitting down during the national anthem just isnt the best way to do it. With that being said, I do plan on finding a better way. Im young, and I still have a lot to learn about saying and doing the right thing. For now, I will stay focused on football, but I will definitely look for opportunities to do what I can to prevent injustices. I am so blessed to be an American, and I just feel a responsibility to do what I can to make things better.Speaking to ESPN on Monday, Tavarres said he almost sat during the anthem ceremony preceding Saturday nights game against the Colts?in Indianapolis, and he had planned to follow through when the Eagles host the New York Jets in their preseason finale Thursday night.Oh, I thought about it.dddddddddddd Believe me, I definitely thought about it, Tavarres said of sitting Saturday night. And usually, Im front and center on the line with the rest of the guys, and thats since pre-K all the way up. Saturdays game, I stepped back, I was in the background, and it didnt feel right to me at all, and so I will be taking a stand -- or sitting down -- for the fourth game.San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has created a national conversation by opting to not stand for The Star Spangled Banner this preseason because of his views on the countrys treatment of racial minorities.Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had an open forum on the topic during a group meeting Monday, according to multiple players. Several people spoke, including Malcolm Jenkins, Leodis McKelvin and Tavarres, one source in attendance said.Weve got an issue in this country in this day and age, and I feel like somebody needs to step up, and we all need to step up, Tavarres said. Weve got that right. Theres just a lot going on that people dont want to talk about, and I feel like us as athletes, were looked at as role models. And I feel like with Colin Kaepernick, hes doing a great job for standing up in what he believes in, and most people may not like that, but thats his opinion, hes entitled to it, and I respect him for doing it.Tavarres is an undrafted rookie out of Incarnate Word. He made the first round of cuts, after the Eagles recently trimmed their roster to 74 players, and is trying to make the team to contribute mainly on special teams. ' ' '