NEW YORK -- Yasiel Puig knew the question was coming. What about that rocket throw to third base Tuesday night? The one you made when the inning was already over? Before it was even translated into Spanish for him, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger broke into the sheepish grin of a forgetful schoolboy who keeps getting sent to the principals office for the same silly offence. And he was ready with a playful response: Blame it on teammate Juan Uribe. See, only a few days before, Uribe and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy, who doubles as a translator for Puig, were marveling out loud about how the young right fielder hadnt goofed in more than a week. Turns out, they jinxed him! At least thats the way Puig tells it. "So when he made the mistake last night," Bundy said Wednesday, "Juan came off the field, he was looking for me and he goes, Lorenzo, hes back! Hes back!" The Dodgers are accustomed to those sort of untamed miscues from Puig -- over-exuberant baserunning, wild throws from the outfield, huge hacks at the plate. They laughed off his latest gaffe against the New York Mets because it was harmless: Puig caught a routine fly for the third out and immediately whipped a laser beam across the diamond to hold an opposing runner who was only headed back to the bench. Puig got razzed in the dugout, for sure. He may have forgotten how many outs there were, but hes been right on point at the plate. The second-year star from Cuba has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, batting .408 with seven homers and 23 RBIs during that stretch. Hes all over the National League leaderboard, ranking second in RBIs (37) and slugging percentage (.610), fourth in on-base percentage (.427) and fifth in home runs (10). Puig credits Uribe and fellow teammate Adrian Gonzalez, among others, with helping him polish his game. Hes laying off bad pitches and having more disciplined at-bats. Hes hitting the cutoff man and eliminating fundamental mistakes on the bases. "I just think hes making adjustments," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Really his whole game has just matured, so I think that maturity has really been the key for him." All without losing the unique effervescence thats already made him a fan favourite around the majors. "Guys that love to play, you can just see it. And I think thats what people love about Yasiel," Mattingly said. "You get that Little League quality thats just lovin playing baseball. And I think thats what people really like seeing. A guy that plays hard with that energy, and then the talent." The 23-year-old Puig is a rare talent, indeed. That quickly became clear when he burst into the majors with a bang last June. But hes also riled opponents with his antics on the field. Some dont like the way he flips his bat when he connects. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner took exception to that this season and barked at Puig after he rounded third. "Its his style. Its been a way that hes played baseball for a long time," Bundy said, translating for Puig. "He doesnt really worry about the other team or what other players think about him -- other than his team, our team. "He says he tries to play the game hard, he tries to play the game happy. He wants to have a good time when hes playing. He said this is a game of entertainment. He doesnt really play it to offend people, but he does have a good time playing the game of baseball. But he doesnt really worry about the opinions of other teams." Details of Puigs dangerous escape from Cuba in June 2012 were revealed last month in a story first reported by Los Angeles Magazine. According to court documents in a federal lawsuit in Miami, smugglers who helped Puig leave his country on a speedboat have made death threats against him and a boxer who says he defected with Puig. The outfielder signed a $42 million, seven-year contract with the Dodgers, a record for a Cuban defector. And in his first visit to Citi Field this week, Puig has put on quite a show. He got three hits and reached base five times in Tuesdays series-opening victory over the Mets. He and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in a 4-3 win Wednesday night. Asked if hed had a chance to do any sightseeing in New York, Puig said he planned to get to the Statue of Liberty on Thursday and maybe the Empire State Building. Wearing a white T-shirt with "PUIG" written in big red, white and blue letters, he said hes still not used to all the attention and he misses his friends and former teammates in Cuba. Welington Castillo Jersey .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. Darren ODay Jersey . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. http://www.oriolesapparelsshop.com/mann ... ersey-c-7/. 3 seed Phillip Kohlschreiber from Germany. Defending champion Marin Cilic also reached the semifinals -- his fourth in Zagreb -- defeating fellow Croat Ivan Dodig. German qualifier Bjorn Phau beat Dudi Sela of Israel to reach his first semifinals in nearly five years. Frank Robinson Jersey .com) - Jimmie Johnson won Sundays AAA Texas 500 while championship contenders Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski as well as their teams were involved in a post-race fight on pit road after the two clashed in the closing laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness.DENVER -- Peyton Manning slapped his hands together five, six, seven times and barked out the signals. A few seconds later, Wes Welker was all alone, cradling the quarterbacks latest touchdown pass. All part of another impeccably crafted victory for Manning and the Denver Broncos, who rolled over the Oakland Raiders 37-21 Monday night. Denvers 127 points lead the league and are 31 more than second-place Green Bay. It was Denvers 14th straight regular-season win, tying the franchise record set in 1998 when the Broncos won their second Super Bowl. Manning went 32 for 37 for 374 yards and put his name in the record books a few more times while outwitting the overmatched Raiders (1-2). "You see flashes of good things," Manning said. "When were executing and not making mistakes, we can go the distance. We can go 80 yards, take advantage of a short field." Mannings 12 touchdown passes are one more than Tom Bradys old record for the first three games, set in 2011. Manning still has yet to throw an interception, which matches a record held by Michael Vick, who also threw 12 touchdowns before his first pick in 2010. "We get to play with one of the greatest quarterbacks and football players to ever play the game," said tight end Julius Thomas, who caught one of the touchdowns. "Hes great. Theres no other way to cut it up or slice it." As much as the numbers, it was Mannings deciphering of the Oakland defence that made jaws drop in this one. His first touchdown, a 2-yard pass to Eric Decker (eight catches, 133 yards), came after a subtle play-action fake that froze the defence and left Decker uncovered in the back of the end zone. Mannings targets for the next two touchdowns -- Welker and Thomas -- didnt have defenders within three steps of them when they caught the passes. Wide open. A sure sign that Manning had diagnosed the defence he was looking at well before the snap and knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball. "You see what he can do. I dont even know too many people who can do that in Madden," running back Ronnie Hillman said, referring to the popular video game. "Its pretty cool to have a quarterback like that." OK, so the evening wasnt perfect. There were the five incompletions, though two of them were flat-out drops and another two hit receivers in the hands, but would have been difficult catches. Thhe Broncos (3-0) settled for three field goals and had to punt once.dddddddddddd Rookie Montee Ball lost another fumble. Denver came a field goal short of reaching 40 points for the third straight game. And Mannings prediction that Chris Clark would be a seamless replacement for injured Ryan Clady as his blindside protector didnt exactly pan out. Lamarr Houston beat Denvers new starting left tackle badly in the third quarter for a sack and strip that halted a drive that had reached the Raiders 13. But Denver was ahead 30-7 at that point. And, really, any complaints about Denvers offence seem like quibbling given whats gone on so far this season. The record for touchdown passes in a season is 50, set by Brady in 2007. If he keeps up this pace, Manning will throw 64. "Any inch of mistake that he sees, hes going to put the ball there and find that hole," Raiders cornerback Mike Jenkins said. As for Denvers biggest rival, the Raiders -- since Manning arrived, the Broncos have outscored them 100-40 in three runaway wins. The Raiders offence made one big play before the game got out of hand. Terrelle Pryor (19 for 28 for 281 yards), who left the game late with a concussion, hit Denarius Moore in the middle of the field and Broncos defensive backs Duke Ihenacho and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie whiffed on the tackle. Moore went 73 yards to cut Oaklands deficit to 17-7 in the second quarter. All of which simply gave Manning the ball back more quickly. On the first play of the next drive, he hit Decker, who spun away from his defender for a 61-yard gain. Three plays later, the Broncos were up 17 again after Manning found Thomas on an out route for a 13-yard score. The Broncos defence, now halfway through Von Millers suspension and playing again without injured Champ Bailey (foot), allowed only 9 yards on the ground to Darren McFadden, who came into the game leading the league with 223 yards from scrimmage. McFadden did, however, throw a touchdown -- a 16-yard connection to Marcel Reece on a halfback option -- and get a late rushing score. NOTES: Broncos DBs Duke Ihenacho and Tony Carter each left with ankle injuries. ... DL Robert Ayers, who took the starting spot vacated when Elvis Dumervil left, had two sacks for Denver. ... Pryor had nine rushes for 36 yards to reach 198 yards on the ground this season. Jerseys From China