CLEVELAND -- The Tampa Bay Rays road show rolls on. Next stop: Boston. Alex Cobb dodged trouble for nearly seven innings and the Rays pitched their way to another must-have win on the road, beating the Cleveland Indians 4-0 Wednesday night in the AL wild-card game. Cobb, who missed a chunk of the regular season after he was hit in the head by a line drive, quieted a thundering Cleveland crowd and ended the Indians unexpected season. "Cant put into words the appreciation I have celebrating on this field," Cobb said. "I knew how close it was to not coming back. Sitting on the couch watching these games, I knew we had a good chance. We have a great team. I was going to do everything I could to get back and be a part of it." Delmon Young homered in the third inning off rookie Danny Salazar as the Rays, playing in their third city over four days, advanced to face the AL East champion Red Sox in the division series starting Friday. "I felt like weve done it and been here before," said Desmond Jennings, who hit a two-run double. "The road we took to get here was pretty tough going to New York, Toronto, playing a game in Texas." Cobbs comeback in August from his frightening injury helped stabilize the Rays, who have spent the past two weeks winning crucial games to reach the post-season for the fourth time in six years. Cobb pitched out of massive jams in the fourth and fifth, and allowed two runners to reach in the seventh before turning it over to Tampa Bays dependable bullpen. Joel Peralta struck out Nick Swisher on three pitches, ending Clevelands last real chance. Fernando Rodney worked a perfect ninth, striking out Lonnie Chisenhall to end it. Rodney dropped to one knee, pointed skyward and soon was mobbed by all the Rays, who may be a little homesick but are Boston-bound. "Go out and play our game," Jennings said. "Its going to be tough anytime you play Boston." Unfazed by a raucous, red-clad, towel-waving crowd of 43,579 that roared like a jet engine inside Progressive Field, the Rays handled the Indians and will now face their division nemesis, the Red Sox, who went 12-7 against Tampa Bay this season. David Price set the tone for the Rays post-season run by throwing a complete game to beat Texas in the wild-card tiebreaker Monday night, and Cobb picked up where his teammate left off. After he was pulled in the seventh, Cobb walked to the dugout where he was first greeted with a high-five from Price. "The adrenaline was going pretty fast there in the early going," Cobb said. "Once Delmon hit that home run, I tried to fill up the strike zone. My stuff wasnt the best, but I made my defence work. They were awesome." There was a time when Cobb wasnt even sure he would pitch again this season. On June 15, he suffered a concussion when he was struck in the right ear by a line drive hit by Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer. Cobb was sidelined for 50 games and Tuesday he recalled lying on his sofa and wondering if he would be able to help the Rays contend for a playoff spot. He didnt want a repeat of 2011, when he couldnt pitch in the playoffs after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his ribs. But not only did Cobb go 5-1 after his scary moment, the 25-year-old finished 11-3 in 22 starts and manager Joe Maddon didnt hesitate giving him the ball for the winner-take-all wild-card game. The Indians went from 94 losses a year ago to 92 wins under first-year manager Terry Francona and won their last 10 games to make the post-season for the first time since 2007. But it was one and done for Cleveland, which didnt capitalize on scoring opportunities. The first three hitters, Michael Bourn, Swisher and Jason Kipnis, went a combined 0 for 12. The road-tested Rays, who have travelled 3,627 miles since leaving home on Sept. 23, took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on Jennings two-run double. James Loney and Evan Longoria hit one-out singles before Salazar retired Ben Zobrist on a fly to right, sending Loney to third. Jennings, who recently missed time with a hamstring injury, pulled Salazars pitch past diving a diving Chisenhall at third, and by the time left fielder Michael Brantley, who had been shading Jennings toward centre, ran it down, Loney and Longoria scored to give Cobb a three-run cushion. Cobb was in trouble in the bottom of the inning as the Indians loaded the bases on a double, single and walk. But Cobb got Asdrubal Cabrera to hit a grounder to first baseman Loney, who threw to second for a force and shortstop Yunel Escobar fired to Cobb covering first for the double play. Cobb pumped both fists in celebration, knowing he had escaped danger. It was nothing new for Cabrera, an All-Star the past two seasons who struggled in 2013 and went 2 for 15 with the bases loaded. The Indians threatened again in the fifth, putting two on with none out. But Cobb struck out Bourn, got Swisher to ground to first and retired All-Star Kipnis on a soft-as-cotton comebacker to keep it 3-0. Francona was confident Salazar, who sailed through Clevelands farm system with a rocket right arm, could prolong the season. "We gave him the ball for a reason," Francona said. "This stage isnt too big for him." And for the most part, Salazar held his own. But a few mistakes cost him and will undoubtedly give him some restless nights until spring training. Youngs ninth homer in the past three Octobers gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the third, and their first hit off Salazar. Drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in 2003, Young returned to the Rays in August with plenty of post-season experience -- and success. He was the ALCS MVP with Detroit last season as the Tigers swept the New York Yankees in four games. Now hes on the road with the Rays, who want to travel as deep as they can this month. NOTES: Young is appearing in his fifth straight post-season: two with Minnesota, two with Detroit and this one with Tampa Bay. ... Indians reliever Chris Perez, who lost his closers job in the final week of the season after two horrid performances, was kept on the 25-man roster for the game. Francona said it "wasnt a tough decision" and said part of it was out of loyalty to the two-time All-Star. ... Rays RHP Jamey Wright was selected to his first post-season roster in his 18th major league season. ... Former Indians slugger Jim Thome was in attendance and got a rousing ovation when shown on the scoreboard. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts .com) - Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri is expected to miss the next two weeks because of a thigh injury. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . The flanker began his comeback from a right shoulder injury by coming off the bench on Saturday when Wales opened with a victory over Italy. Warburton replaces Justin Tipuric, one of three changes announced on Tuesday by coach Warren Gatland. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/. He was 40. Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Friday because Brown was unresponsive at his home near the Inner Harbor, fire spokesman Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright said. He said Brown was dead when firefighters arrived. Pirates Jerseys 2020 . "I met her, I think, a week ago. We went to a Norwood hockey store and picked her out some gear. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Parnell will be out much longer if it turns out he needs surgery. But first, he will try resting for two weeks before beginning a throwing program that could last up to a month, general manager Sandy Alderson said.Tampa Bay’s sensational sophomores, the Isles’ supporting cast, Detroit’s stifling defence, lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Palat, Johnson, Kucherov – This is hardly the first time noting their outstanding play but, after putting up four of Tampa Bay’s five goals in a 5-1 win at Buffalo Wednesday, with three at even strength, the trio of Lightning second-year forwards took over as the league’s most productive line, scoring 24 goals. LW Ondrej Palat led the way against Buffalo, with a goal and three assists, while C Tyler Johnson had three helpers and RW Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist and all three were on for 20 shot attempts for and three against (87.0%) at even strength. TOP SCORING LINES LINE TEAM GOALS Palat-Johnson-Kucherov Tampa Bay 24 Marchand-Bergeron-Smith Boston 23 Raffl-Giroux-Voracek Philadelphia 19 Tarasenko-Lehtera-Schwartz St. Louis 18 Forsberg-Ribeiro-Neal Nashville 17 Strome, Nielsen, Lee – The Islanders’ second line scored four of their five goals in a 5-2 win at Winnipeg New Year’s Eve. Strome, one of the most efficient point producers in the league, led the way with a goal and three assists and all three were on for better than 75% of the shot attempts against Winnipeg. Among players with at least 300 5-on-5 minutes this season: POINTS PER 60 MINUTES, 5-on-5 PLAYER TEAM POS. PTS/60 Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay C 3.79 Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay RW 3.66 Rick Nash N.Y. Rangers LW 3.59 Ryan Strome N.Y. Islanders RW 3.33 Tyler Seguin Dallas C/RW 3.05 Detroit Red Wings – In a 3-1 win over New Jersey on New Year’s Eve, the Red Wings outshot the Devils 28-13. This was practically a perfect storm for stifling shots, at least in a game not involving the Buffalo Sabres. The Red Wings allow a league-leading 45.30 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play this season, while the Devils generate a paltry 47.23 shot attempts 60 minutes (only the Sabres, at 39.52 are lower). Detroit’s best shot suppressor is C Riley Sheahan, who starts more than 62% of his shifts in the offensive zone and allows a league-best 37.7 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. Among players with at least 400 minutes of 5-on-5 play this season: SHOT ATTEMPTS AGAINST, PER 60 MINUTES AT 5-on-5 PLAYER TEAM POS. CA/60 Riley Sheahan Detroit C 37.7 Tomas Tatar Detroit LW 40.3 Jaromir Jagr New Jersey RW 42.9 Anton Stralman Tampa Bay D 43.6 Brendan Smith Detroit D 43.8 Travis Zajac New Jersey C 44.5 Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay C 44.6 Ryan Callahan Tampa Bay RW 44.8 Patrice Bergeron Boston C 45.0 Jonas Brodin Minnesota D 45.1 ZEROES Boston’s fourth line – Though they didn’t start a single shift in the offensive zone in their 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto New Year’s Eve, the line of Gregory Campbell, Dan Paille and Craig Cunningham were all crushed in termf os possession, with Campbell at the low end (1 shot attempt for, 12 against, 7.7%) against a team that has its own puck possession woes. Bo Horvat – The Canucks rookie started 75% of his shifts in the offensive zone against Los Angeles Thursday, but managed to be on the ice for just one shot attempt for and 13 against (7.1%) and has a team-worst (minimum 20 minutes of 5-on-5 play) 43.1% Corsi; further evidence that it’s not easy to play in the league as a teenager. Nicolas Deslauriers – The Sabres winger put the finishing touches on his league-worst Corsi percentage in December with 11.8% of the shot attempts (2 for, 15 against) against Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve. Here are the leaders, and trailers, in Corsi% for the month of December. Among players with at least 120 5-on-5 minutes in the final month of 2014: CORSI% LEADERS - DECEMBER, 2014 PLAYER TEAM POS. CORSI% Trevor Lewis Los Angeles RW 65.4% Brad Boyes Florida RW 63.3% Tyler Toffoli Los Angeles RW 62.5% Marian Gaborik Los Angeles LW 62.4% Tomas Tatar Detroit LW 62.1% Joe Thornton San Jose C 61.7% Brayden McNabb Los Angeles D 61.5% Tanner Pearson Los Angeles LW 61.2% Jason Demers Dallas D 60.6% Pavel Datsyuk Detroit C 60.4% At the other end of the spectrum: CORSI% TRAILERS - DECEMBER, 2014 PLAYER TEAM POS. CORSI% Nicolas Deslauriers Buffalo LW 30.8% Drew Stafford Buffalo RW 33.6% Rasmus Ristolainen Buffalo D 33.9% Brian Flynn Buffalo C 35.9% Nikita Zadorov Buffalo D 36.0% Chris Stewart Buffalo RW 36.3% Josh Gorges Buffalo D 36.4% Tyler Bozak Toronto C 36.7% Phil Kessel Toronto RW 37.1% Zemgus Girgensons Buffalo C 37.dddddddddddd.2% LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Kris Versteeg – Left the Winter Classic early after suffering an apparent hand injury as he blocked a shot from Washington’s Eric Fehr. The Blackhawks have the luxury of being able to slide a player as skilled as Patrick Sharp into Versteeg’s spot with Brad Richards and Patrick Kane if Versteeg is going to miss significant time. Joffrey Lupul – Toronto’s frequently-injured winger suffered a lower-body injury after an awkward collision with Boston’s Milan Lucic. Peter Holland is also out for the Leafs, so they have recalled Greg McKegg from the AHL Marlies. McKegg has 15 points (7 G, 8 A) and is minus-2 in 23 AHL games this season. Beau Bennett – The oft-injured winger assisted on both of Pittsburgh’s goals in a 2-1 win over Carolina, in his first game in five weeks, skating on a line with Chris Kunitz and Brandon Sutter. Corey Perry – Returned to the Anaheim lineup, after missing nearly four weeks, in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to San Jose. Joe Thornton – Played only 3:35 at Anaheim on New Year’s Eve after getting hit by Ducks D Clayton Stoner, though the Sharks downplayed the severity of the injury. Ryan Murphy – The Hurricanes recalled their young puck-moving blueliner after he spent a couple of months toiling in the AHL, where he had 17 assists and a minus-7 rating in 23 games. Mason Raymond – The Flames winger was a healthy scratch against Edmonton Saturday. He had seven points (5 G, 2 A) in seven games to start the year, but has gone scoreless in 13 games since. Micheal Haley – The agitating centre was called up to the Sharks, and played three games in the past week. He has three points (2 G, 1 A) and 168 penalty minutes in 55 career NHL games and had 13 points (10 G, 3 A) with 60 penalty minutes in the AHL when he got the call. SHORT SHIFTS Jets LW Andrew Ladd scored both of Winnipeg’s goals in the 5-2 loss to the Islanders. In the past 12 games, Ladd has 13 points (6 G, 7 A)…Rangers C Derek Stepan had three assists in a 5-2 win at Florida, giving him 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in the past seven games…Maple Leafs RW Phil Kessel contributed a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win at Boston on New Year’s Eve; Kessel has 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in the past 16 games…Bruins C Carl Soderberg had a goal and an assist in the loss for Boston, and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past seven games…Blue Jackets D Kevin Connauton picked up a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Minnesota New Year’s Eve, giving him nine points (5 G, 4 A) in the past nine games…Sharks RW Joe Pavelski scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 win at Anaheim Wednesday, and has nine points (7 G, 2 A) in the past nine games…Avalanche D Brad Stuart had a pair of assists in a 4-3 win against Philadelphia, and has four assists in the past four games. Those are Stuart’s first points of the season, but he could use some positive recognitition after getting slammed twice for puck possession shortcomings this week. Capitals D Mike Green recorded a pair of assists in Washington’s 3-2 Winter Classic win over Chicago; he has eight points (1 G, 7 A) in the past seven games... Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist in the Winter Classic, while generating 13 shot attempts (4 SOG)…In his past 11 games, Ovechkin has registered 120 shot attempts (10.9 per game)…Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp, who is second to Ovechkin in shots on goal per game, scored a goal and generated 15 shot attempts (10 SOG) in the outdoor game…Canucks RW Radim Vrbata had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to Los Angeles, giving him five points (3 G, 2 A) in the past five games…Colorado’s fourth-liners, Cody McLeod (12 shot attempts for, none against, 100.0%) and Maxime Talbot (13 for, 1 against, 92.9%) had dominant possession games against Philadelphia Wednesday, crushing the head-to-head matchup against Philadelphia’s Vincent Lecavalier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Stars G Kari Lehtonen recorded a 32-save shutout against Arizona New Year’s Eve…Sharks G Antti Niemi had 28 saves on a shutout at Anaheim, and had a .929 save percentage in December…Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky had 28 saves on 29 shots in a 3-1 win over Minnesota, and had a .937 save percentage in December…Hurricanes G Cam Ward stopped 37 of 39 shots faced in a 2-1 loss at Pittsburgh; Ward has a .926 save percentage in 22 games since the start of November. FIRSTS Brett Ritchie – The 2011 second-round pick scored a goal in his NHL debut against Arizona Wednesday, playing 10:21 on the fourth line with Travis Moen and Vernon Fiddler. The 6-foot-4 winger had 18 points (11 G, 7 A) and was plus-10 in 22 AHL games. Joe Whitney – The 5-foot-6 winger scored his first NHL goal, in his third career NHL game, at Detroit Wednesday. Whitney had 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 30 games with Albany before he was promoted. Nikita Nesterov – The 2011 fifth-round pick of the Lightning played 15:02 in his NHL debut against Buffalo Wednesday. He had 14 points and was plus-4 in 32 AHL games before getting the call, with Radko Gudas still nursing FANTASY TIPS A few under-the-radar players to consider for your lineup Friday: Lars Eller – On a modest three-game point streak, the Habs’ pivot played a season-high 18:56 at Florida last game. Matt Read – He has just one goal and six points in his past 18 games, but joined Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek on the top line last game. Patrick Maroon – By the same token, Maroon hasn’t done much for the Ducks this year, scoring only two goals, but he was re-united with Ryan Getzlaf and a healthy Corey Perry New Year’s Eve against San Jose. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca ' ' '