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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays are 6-7 since the All-Star break and steady starting pitching has been a major part of the turnaround for a team that had lost 24 of 27 games at one point.Everything is going well for our starters -- just consistent outings back-to-back-to-back, said Fridays winner, Jake Odorizzi, who pitched six-plus innings of shutout baseball in the Rays 5-1 win over the New York Yankees.It really takes the stress off the bullpen. I think another thing is our defense is playing phenomenal. Theyre really backing us up and its a lot easier to pitch when you have great plays being made behind you.The Rays (40-61) have allowed more than four runs just once in 13 games since the All-Star break. At one point in June, they gave up at least five runs in 13 straight games, so theyre at the opposite end of the spectrum.Weve played that way since the break, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. I know we dont have the wins to support that, but were playing tighter ballgames, our pitching has been tremendous and the timely hits, hopefully they continue to come.As both teams move another day closer to the trade deadlines and teams around them continue to make moves, the Rays must decide if theyre dealing starters like Odorizzi and Matt Moore.Meanwhile, the Yankees -- having already dealt away closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs -- must decide how much talent they are willing to part with while they linger on the fringe of wild-card contention.Asked if the trade deadline -- and the thin line between seller and buyer -- changes his approach to these games, Yankees manager Joe Girardi was adamant his focus is unchanged on putting his team in position to win games.Zero, he said of how he allows the deadline to impact his decisions as a manager. You try to win every game, no matter what the situation is.On Saturday, the Yankees will send RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 4.80 ERA) against Rays LHP Drew Smyly (2-11, 5.42). The Yankees have lost back-to-back games after a stretch that saw them win eight of 10. They went into Friday night with a chance to match their season high of four games above .500.Just as the Tampa Bay pitching has stepped up, New York has struggled in its last two games, giving up a combined nine runs after holding opponents to 10 in the previous five games. Nova gave up two home runs Friday to the first three batters, literally trailing from his third pitch of the night on.By the time the Rays-Yankees series ends, the trade deadline will arrive and both teams will have a better sense for whether their path to the end of this season is easier or harder, depending on how active they are at the deadline. Nike Zoom Online Shop . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Nike Zoom Cheap . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. http://www.wholesalenikezoom.com/ . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Wholesale Nike Zoom .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Nike Zoom For Sale . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Music is a central part of Brazilian culture, and many of the countrys stars performed during in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A look at some of the artists and internationally famous songs that fans heard opening night of the games:AQUELE ABRACO (That Embrace)This is Rio de Janeiros anthem. It was used during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Games, as well. The song was composed by Grammy Award winner Gilberto Gil. In it, Gil sends hugs to different folks from all over Rio, in that way embracing the city and viewers worldwide. Aquele Abraco kicked off Fridays ceremony.GILBERTO GILGil, 74, is a Grammy Award winner originally from Salvador in the northeastern state of Bahia. He is one of the main faces of the musical movement called Tropicalia, which consists of international and traditionally Brazilian sounds.Gil was recently hospitalized for kidney problems, and in the weeks leading up to the ceremony there was some doubt whether he would be able to perform. His appearance on stage Friday was both a celebration and relief for millions of fans.CAETANO VELOSOVeloso, 73, is the founder of Tropicalia and also Grammy Award winner. Just like Gil, his best friend, Veloso was in exile in London during Brazils military dictatorship (1964-1985). The two internationally acclaimed musicians performed together in the ceremony finale with Anitta, a 23-year-old Rio resident and funk singer known for her sensual voice and Shakira-like dancing skills.The three sang Isto aqui o que e?or What is this here? The song was composed by Joao Gilberto, considered one of the founders of bossa nova, a mixture of jazz and samba that is also known in the United States as Brazilian jazz.SONG CONSTRUCAO (Construction Song)The song, composed by internationally acclaimed Chico Buarque, is considered one of the most ingenious in Brazilian Portuguese. All the verses have a stress on the two syllables before the last. The lyrics tell the story of a builder who dies by falling from a building. Like many Brazilian songs, it also includes a love tale in the middle.ddddddddddddAROTA DE IPANEMA (The Girl From Ipanema)Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote the song as a tribute for a girl he fell in love with as she left Ipanema Beach, one of Rio de Janeiros iconic areas. The end result is a tune that is arguably Brazils most recognizable song internationally.On Friday night, it was performed in part by Jobims grandson, Daniel Jobim, while supermodel Gisele Bundchen walked on stage.The actual girl the song was written for, Helo Pinheiro, is now 71.MC SOFFIAThe 12-year-old sensation is from the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazils economic capital. She said before the ceremony that she hoped that American pop icon Beyonce would watch her perform. The pre-teen, who is black, has also become an activist for empowering black women.JORGE BENBen, 71, is considered the soul of Brazilian funk music. Pais Tropical, or Tropical Country, is one of his most popular songs, frequently played in bars and on the radio. He performed the song on Friday night, garnering strong applause from the crowd. He is seen by Rio residents as a symbol of coolness.LUDIMILLAFormerly known as MC Beyonce, Ludimilla is a pop singer of funk melody. Ludimilla first became famous in 2012. In the opening ceremony, she sang So quero ser feliz,or I just want to be happy, a song from popular group Rap Brasil. The song is considered an anthem for residents of Rios hundreds of slums, often controlled by drug traffickers and ravaged by violence.ELZA SOARESKnown as the queen of samba, Soares is still performing at 79 years old. For decades, she had the most notable voice in Brazilian samba.ZECA PAGODINHOPagodinho, 57, is seen by many Brazilians as an icon of coolness. Despite his fame, he lives a simple life outside Rio, partying a lot playing samba music for friends.MARCELO D2Marcelo D2, a 48-year-old hip hop singer, rose to fame in the 1990s with the band Planet Hemp. He has been arrested a handful of times for protesting in support of legalizing marijuana. ' ' '