it gives Nebraska players extra confidence knowing that Ohio State was upset by Penn State and struggled until the last drive before beating Northwestern. But the Buckeyes, he said, must be respected. Theyre a different kind of animal,, Westerkamp said.dddddddddddd We know how good they are, but theyr

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo was annoyed as he faced a sea of microphones before the Chicago Cubs first game following the All-Star break.The only people that are panicking about this team is the media, Rizzo said. Its been pretty negative all the comments coming out of everyones mouth, except in this clubhouse.A few hours later, the Cubs put together one of their best games of the season.Kyle Hendricks and four relievers combined on a five-hitter, Addison Russell had a two-run single to key a five-run sixth inning, and the Cubs beat the Texas Rangers 6-0 on Friday in a matchup of slumping division leaders.We pitched and really played defense today, manager Joe Maddon said. It was outstanding.The Cubs won for the seventh time in 22 games, while the Rangers lost their eighth in 10 games thanks to a rough sixth that included Prince Fielders throwing error.As Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester have struggled lately, Hendricks (8-6) has remained sharp. The former Rangers draft pick allowed three hits in six innings, lowering his ERA to 2.41.Only stars Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner have lower ERAs in the majors.Kyles one of the best pitchers in the National League right now and nobody is talking about it, Maddon said.Carl Edwards Jr. struck out two in a perfect seventh and Travis Wood, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm combined for the final six outs in Chicagos eighth shutout.Russells bases-loaded hit in the sixth was followed by pinch-hitter Matt Szczurs two-run single against Martin Perez (7-6).One of the runs was unearned after Fielder fired a throw high and wide of third in a rare start at first base due to interleague play.The sixth inning got away from us, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. I felt like Martin was still making good pitches, still had life on his pitches. We just didnt help him out.The Cubs, who entered percentage points ahead of Texas for the second-best record in the majors behind San Francisco, had seven hits on an unseasonably cool, drizzly day with the wind blowing in.The breeze kept Rizzos drive to right in the park in the sixth that helped load the bases and extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Two batters later Russell came through.Took a few days off and came back and felt great, Russell said.Albert Almora Jr. added two fine catches in center field, Ben Zobrist made a nifty play at third and catcher Willson Contreras threw out Rougned Odor stealing second.We played poorly the last three weeks or so and showed our vulnerability and humanity as a team, Cubs president Theo Epstein said. In the long run that might be a good thing because it means we know how hard we have to work and how well we have to play to get where we want to go.TRAINERS ROOMRangers: LHP Jake Diekman, who cut his left index finger on a beer mug earlier this month in Boston, was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Its retroactive to July 6. ... RHP Keone Kela (elbow) was activated. ... LF Shin-Soo Choo (back) was out of the lineup. Ryan Rua replaced him, while Odor led off.Cubs: OF Dexter Fowler (hamstring) isnt expected back before the end of next week. ... C David Ross was activated off the seven-day concussion list. ... RHP Trevor Cahill (right knee tendinitis) was placed on the 15-day DL. ... OF Jorge Soler (hamstring) could start a rehab assignment soon. ... RHP Adam Warren returned to the bullpen, but could make another spot start.PHONES BUSYEpstein said they had a few things going on, but didnt get anything done regarding trades during the All-Star break. The Cubs are seeking bullpen help, while the Rangers want starting pitching.PEREZS HITPerez recorded his first major league hit with a swinging bunt toward third base in the second. He had been 0 for 9. Perez was charged with five runs in 5 2/3 innings.NICE LOOKFormer Cubs and Rangers pitcher Ryan Dempster sported giant glasses and a white wig in an impressive Harry Caray impersonation while leading the crowd during the seventh inning stretch.UP NEXTRangers RHP Yu Darvish (2-0, 2.87 ERA) returns from the disabled list and starts Saturday against Cubs RHP Jason Hammel (7-5, 3.46). Darvish is expected to throw 85-90 pitches.Dustin Byfuglien Jersey . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Teppo Numminen Jets Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-jack-roslovic-jets-jersey/ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Dmitry Kulikov Jersey . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Connor Hellebuyck Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For a pair of one-loss teams, there couldnt be much more at stake when No. 9 Nebraska clashes with No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday night.Wisconsin beat the Cornhuskers (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) in overtime last week, spoiling their perfect record, dropping them in the AP Top 25 poll and making it much harder for them to accomplish their postseason goals.Ohio State was upset by unranked Penn State two weeks ago. The Buckeyes continue to struggle in the vertical passing game and just squeaked by unranked Northwestern last week at home.The loser of Saturdays primetime game at Ohio Stadium will have its national playoff hopes all but dashed in front of a huge TV audience, and be saddled with a much more winding route to the conference crown.It will be a big chore for us, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. We have to play a great, complete ballgame, and have to be ready to take advantage of any opportunities presented to us as we go.Nebraska wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp said the matchup has all the makings of a statement game for the Cornhuskers.The mood is good, he said. We are excited for this week -- huge opportunity for us. We control our own destiny. Guys are still pumped up, theyre jacked to go to Columbus to play a great team at Ohio State.Ohio State guard Billy Price said the team cant wait to play a Saturday game at home after being on the road for three of them this season.Night games here in the `Shoe are special, Price said. Its just one of these historical places, and its an absolutely electric atmosphere. Pretty much the city of Columbus shuts down, and everybodys worried about the Buckeyes game.Some other things to consider when Nebraska visits Ohio State:BUCKEYES ARE VULNERABLEWesterkamp said it gives Nebraska players extra confidence knowing that Ohio State was upset by Penn State and struggled until the last drive before beating Northwestern. But the Buckeyes, he said, must be respected. Theyre a different kind of animal,, Westerkamp said.dddddddddddd We know how good they are, but theyre beatable.Riley, in his second year at Nebraska, will be making his first trip to Ohio Stadium. Ive had a lot of respect for what theyve done and obviously their recruiting has been outstanding, he said. Theyve been that team in the league lately thats set the bar, but I think that theres teams rising too, so thats kind of exciting.ARMSTRONG VS. THE TOP 25Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has struggled while going 0-3 against ranked opponents on the road in his career. Hes a combined 38 for 92 (41.3 percent) with one touchdown and five interceptions in those games. The fourth-year starter is 1-8 against ranked opponents, home and away, hitting 49.7 percent of his passes with 10 TDs and 14 interceptions.TOUGH IN FOURTH QUARTERNebraska will like its chances if its a close game in the fourth quarter. The Huskers have outscored opponents by a nation-best 95 points in the final quarter and were dominant even in their loss at Wisconsin last week, outscoring the Badgers 10-0 to force the extra session and holding the ball for 9:41. The Huskers average 10:05 in possession time in the fourth quarter.RANKINGS? WHAT RANKINGS?Ohio State is No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and Nebraska is No. 10. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he doesnt really care. Oh, its important, (but) not for us, he said. I wont look at it. Im sure people will tell me about it. But, I mean, its not going to change the way we work.Barrett said the ranking is of little importance right now. I dont care about it too much, being that theres still a lot of football to be played, he said.---AP College Football Writer Eric Olson contributed from Lincoln, Nebraska.More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.orgFollow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy ' ' '