the wild-card game before flying to Texas for the ALDS. They expended a lot of emotional energy dispatching the Orioles and used Marcus Stroman in the process. Now, all they have to do is beat Cole Hamels, who

MONTPELLIER, France -- Over the space of five days, Chris Froomes reputation has evolved from the most calculating of riders to a master tactician on the bike.First came his daring solo downhill attack and stage victory in Stage 8 in the Pyrenees.Then the British rider used the wind to his advantage and slipped into a four-man breakaway Wednesday to gain more time on his direct rivals as he attempts to secure a third Tour de France title in four years.This is bike racing at its best, Froome said. Im just enjoying my racing, attacking every opportunity I can.World champion Peter Sagan won the windy 11th stage by easily edging Froome in a sprint finish.For sure it was not a boring stage, Sagan said. It was always dangerous wind.With crosswinds of 40 kph (25 mph) sweeping across the road, cyclists rode with their heads crouched down all day to reduce resistance.With 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) remaining in the mostly flat 162.5-kilometer (101-mile) leg from the medieval city of Carcassonne to Montpellier near the Mediterranean coast, Froome and Geraint Thomas, one of his top support riders on Team Sky, joined the Tinkoff duo of Peter Sagan and Maciej Bodnar in the lead.Again it was just another one of those spur of the moment kind of things, Froome said. When Sagan went I thought, `Well, why not? Let me go after him and see what happens. The four of us worked well together. It was in all of our best interests to work together.Peter wanted the stage and we wanted to gain time on the GC (general classification, or overall) guys, Froome added.It was Sagans second victory in this Tour and his sixth career win in cyclings biggest race.Bodnar crossed third.It was a surprise also for me, Sagan said. We dont plan that. We are like artists. ... It just happens. With this wind it was dangerous every moment in the stage.Getting a six-second bonus for his second-place finish, Froome gained 12 seconds on all of his main opponents who finished in the peloton six seconds behind.While winning the 2013 and 2015 Tours, Froome relied mostly on uphill attacks and his time trialing skills, and was often criticized for a lack of creativity. Perhaps realizing that he cant pull away from his rivals in the mountains anymore, he has become more unpredictable.We really are looking for every opportunity, Froome said. Its our mentality this year to try our luck every time its possible, even on the flats.The bigger gaps also made Froome more comfortable in the yellow jersey ahead of Thursdays mountain finish at Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day.Froome moved 28 seconds ahead of fellow British rider Adam Yates.Dan Martin of Ireland is third overall, 31 seconds behind, and two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia is fourth, 35 seconds back.I was wondering if it was worth spending that energy but I was thinking, `Im going to try and get anything I can, knowing that Nairo is really strong in the third week, said Froome, who lost some time to Quintana during the final week en route to last years title. If I can take any seconds, I will.Quintana lamented that narrow roads played a role in the stage. Caught far behind in the peloton when Froome made his move, the Colombian made no effort to bridge the gap.It was a difficult day for me, Quintana said. There was a lot of wind and it was all flat. ... Organizers are thinking about the show but we take chances with our lives every day and especially in stages like this.On paper, the stage had appeared to set up well for sprinters. But the wind made it into a more tactical finish.At times, the wind split the peloton into several small groups -- known as echelons -- that swept across the road in fan-like formations.Even midway through the stage, Froome rode hard at the front of the peloton, perhaps sensing that some of his rivals were having trouble keeping up.Everyone knew the wind would be a factor and everyone rode at the front all day, Froome said. But just at the end, thats where the legs were a little bit (tired) and we got away.---AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Adidas NHL Jerseys 2020 . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. 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An ALDS rematch between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays promises to provide plenty of drama after the bad blood left over from last Octobers bat flip and this springs brawl, but which club has an edge, starting with a Game 1 showdown between Marco Estrada and Cole Hamels?Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Thursday nights game, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen Estrada is on the mound: Estrada proved that his 2015 season wasnt a fluke as he made the All-Star team and led the AL in fewest hits allowed per nine innings for a second straight year. He did struggle in August and early September as he has had to pitch through a herniated disk in his back, but he finished strong with only two runs allowed over 19 innings in his final three outings.Estradas four-seam fastball averages 88-89 mph, which tells you a bit about where his changeup, the pitch on which he makes his living, comes in. Thrown 75-78 mph, its a pitch Estrada has the ability to manipulate to both side of the plate, so its moving away from lefties on the outside corner and away from righties on the outside corner to them as well. Batters hit just .159 against with a 32 percent strikeout rate in plate appearances ending with the pitch, an 11 percent increase from last year. Another reason for Estradas improvement from his Milwaukee days is the addition of a cutter that he now throws 12 percent of the time.Estrada is the opposite of teammate Marcus Stroman, who had the highest ground-ball rate among qualified starters. Estrada had the second-highest fly-ball rate, which is a reason why his BABIP is so low. The way to beat him is to hope one or two of those fly balls leave the park. -- David SchoenfieldWhen Hamels is on the mound:?The veteran lefty is making his 16th career postseason start, so he already knows all about the ramped-up intensity of playoff baseball. His changeup, once regarded as the best in the game, wasnt as dominant this year as batters hit .252/.311/.430 against it -- the third season in a row theyve increased their damage against the pitch after Hamels held them to a .154 average and .417 OPS in 2013. He still does a great job locating pitches down and away from right-handed batters, but its not the strikeout pitch it was a few years ago.As a result, he threw the changeup less often than ever, under 20 percent of time, and he now throws his cutter -- a pitch he didnt have when he was a World Series hero for the Phillies in 2008 -- about 21 percent of the time. Its a great pitch to get inside on right-handed batters, who hit only .217 against it, although with some power (six home runs in 129 at-bats).Hamels had a four-start stretch near the end of the season where hee gave up 21 runs in 18 innings before finishing with seven shutout innings against the As and giving up five runs in seven innings against the Brewers.dddddddddddd Hamels did have a notable platoon split this year with righties posting an OPS 117 points higher, so matching up against that right-handed Toronto power will be a fun challenge. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightRougned Odor:? Odor led the Rangers with 33 home runs and punches that landed on Jose Bautista. He had one of the most distinctive seasons in major league history, however, as he walked only 19 times against 135 strikeouts. Jeff Banister has been hitting him fifth, behind Adrian Beltre, so given Beltres season-long clutch hitting, look for the Jays to pitch to him carefully and go after Odor and his ultra-aggressive approach. -- SchoenfieldWhat will decide tonights gameAmong players to see at least 100 fastballs with similar vertical movement and spin rate to Marco Estradas, Rougned Odors .462 batting average was highest in MLB (12 hits in 26 at-bats). Odors five homers against such pitches were most among second basemen and tied for fourth-most among all players in MLB. --?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win? The Toronto Blue Jays spent the night guzzling champagne and celebrating after their dramatic win over the Baltimore Orioles in the wild-card game before flying to Texas for the ALDS. They expended a lot of emotional energy dispatching the Orioles and used Marcus Stroman in the process. Now, all they have to do is beat Cole Hamels, who has a 3.03 ERA in 15 career postseason starts, and the best team in the AL, which happens to be 53-28 at Globe Life Park. -- Jean-Jacques Taylor I dont expect the bad blood to spill over into a 15-round fight between Jose Bautista and Rougned Odor. One, I think Bautista would win in fewer rounds. Two, the two teams should contain their emotions and focus on the game. It should be a tight series, but I look for Toronto to win Game 1 because they have been playing at an intense level to keep their season alive the past couple of weeks while the Rangers possibly could have lost a little rhythm after clinching so early. They also were 4-3 against Texas this season. -- Jim CapleWhere the series standsThe Rangers have the home-field advantage, which could be vital considering their 53-28 record at home (although the road team won four games when this teams met in last years division series). The Rangers would obviously love to take both games at home, but it might be even more imperative given the Game 3 pitching matchup (Colby Lewis versus Aaron Sanchez) favors the Blue Jays.?--?Schoenfield ' ' '