SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Leake has gotten stronger every year, and his fastball velocity has increased as a result. Even so, he still doesnt know where all those strikeouts came from. Leake allowed four hits in eight innings and had a career-high 12 strikeouts in the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night. "It didnt feel like that many," said Leake, who allowed one run and walked one, which was intentional. "But I guess its a big accomplishment. Im not high on strikeouts." Cincinnati manager Bryan Price thinks Leake (6-6) could be a strikeout pitcher if that was his goal. "Hes pretty consistent hitting 93, 94 mph with his fastball," said the former pitching coach. "Thats not a fastball you have to apologize for. He could throw more pitches and be less effective but strike out more guys." Brandon Phillips had three hits, including a home run and double, and scored twice in his return to the lineup for the Reds, who won their fifth in six games. Leake, still looking for his first major league shutout, didnt try to talk his way onto the mound for the ninth. He hasnt pitched a complete game in nearly two years. Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances. "We have a good closer, why not use him?" Leake said. Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier each added two hits for the Reds. Bruce doubled in the seventh and has an extra-base hit in each of his last seven games, the longest streak by a Reds player since Dave Parker did it in eight straight in 1986. "We seem to play well here," Bruce said. "With this pitching staff, if you put runs on the board, you have a chance." Adam Duvall, making his major league debut, hit a home run for the Giants, who lost for the 12th time in 16 games. Ryan Vogelsong (5-4) allowed a run on five hits over six innings one day after Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. He struck out seven and walked one. "I rubbed up against him before the game, but it didnt work," Vogelsong said. "I just wasnt good enough." Jean Machi, who allowed Phillips home run leading off the seventh, had his scoreless streak end at 25 1-3 innings. Zack Cozart and Ryan Ludwick also drove in runs for the Reds, who have won eight of their last 10 games, including playoffs, in San Francisco. The Reds ended a scoreless duel with a run in the fifth. Phillips, who missed the last three games with a bruised heel, led off with a single. Two outs later, Cozart doubled him home. Bruce followed Phillips homer with a double and scored on Ludwicks single. Duvall hit a 0-2 pitch from Leake into the left field bleachers to put the Giants on the scoreboard. "Thats a feeling Ill never forget running the bases," Duvall said. "I tried to tell myself it was the same game, just a bigger crowd." Leake allowed a two-out double to Buster Posey in the first and then retired 15 of the next 16 hitters before Hunter Pences triple in the sixth. Leake improved to 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in four starts at AT&T Park. The Giants also threw out two runners at home. Billy Hamilton tried to score on Devin Mesoracos shallow fly to second baseman Joe Panik in the sixth, and Brandon Crawford nailed Mesoracso trying to score on Phillips double to centre field in the eighth. NOTES: Frazier has a 13-game hitting streak against the Giants. ... Chapman has at least one strikeout in each of his last 33 appearances, the longest active streak by a reliever and the fourth longest since 1900. . Reds LHP Tony Cingrani, optioned to Triple A Louisville on Friday, was placed on the minor league disabled list with a strained shoulder. That came as a surprise to the Reds, who sent him down to work. ... RHP Johnny Cueto (7-5, 1.86), the major league leader in ERA, pitches for the Reds on Friday night. Hes won his last two decisions. . LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-4, 2.63) goes for the Giants. Hes 2-2 in five starts against the Reds. ... Giants 1B Michael Morse was scratched because of illness. . Duvall became the 11th Giant since 1958 to homer in his first game. ... The Junior Giants Stretch Drive Fund, created in honour of Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, began Thursday to help provide baseball programs in 90 underserved communities. Information can be obtained at the website jrgiant.org. Rockies Jerseys 2019 .com) - Avery Bradley scored 21 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 89-81. Rockies Jerseys China .J. - Pete Carroll is in support of the NFL looking further into whether medicinal marijuana could beneficial for players. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/. The Flames announced Monday that Treliving, a former assistant general manager with the Coyotes, will take over the vacant GM spot in Calgary. "Im ready for this,"Treliving said. Custom Colorado Rockies Jerseys . Acclaimed by world football leaders but held in contempt by many football fans. Blatter should arrive at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo to watch host Brazil play Croatia confident that this tournament -- his fifth as president -- wont be his last leading the worlds favourite sport. Cheap Rockies Jerseys . The Brazil defender was substituted 13 minutes into Wednesdays 2-1 Copa del Rey win at Athletic Bilbao because of a right hamstring problem. Scans revealed a second grade tear which could keep him out for a reported four to six weeks.The Carolina Hurricanes missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, prompting an organizational re-shuffling that resulted in Ron Francis being named General Manager. Off-Season Game Plan looks at Francis challenge: finding a way to take this top-heavy team and make it a playoff contender. The second order of business for Francis figures to be finding a replacement for head coach Kirk Muller, who was fired in Francis first order of business as the new GM. All of the Canes problems cant be laid at Mullers doorstep, but its low risk to try a new approach when the past two seasons have yielded a .481 points percentage (125 points in 130 games). Francis former teammates Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson have both been rumoured as possible fits for the job. In addition to someone new calling the shots behind the bench, Francis has some complicated personnel decisions. The Staal brothers, Alexander Semin and Cam Ward each come with a cap hit of at least $6-million and that kind of ticket can always get moved out if it doesnt come with results. Its one thing to pay your marquee No. 1 centre more than $8-million if youre making the playoffs regularly, but when youve been on the outside for five straight seasons, its not inconceivable to consider trying something different. Same goes for paying a goaltender more than $6-million per season; only it gets more challenging to find takers when that goalie has struggled to stay healthy and played poorly over the past couple years. At one time -- much closer to 2006 -- it would have seemed sacreligious to consider trading Eric Staal or Cam Ward, but those are some possibilities that Francis may have to consider as he takes over the reigns of a budget-conscious team. To be fair, its not impossible for the Hurricanes to turn what they have into a competitive team. In addition to their high-priced forwards, the next generation is represented by Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm and their defence at least has a legitimate first pairing in Andrej Sekera and Justin Faulk. Its going further down the depth chart that causes more concern, as the Canes have been attempting to get by with bargains in those final roster spots. "I dont know if youre ever ready for this job," Francis told the Raleigh News & Observer after taking over from Jim Rutherford. "One thing Ive learned is there are no easy decisions. There are a lot of tough decisions." He may not be ready for it, but it sounds like Francis has some idea what hes getting himself into. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACHRon Francis/Vacant Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Jeff Skinner 74.48 71 33 21 54 51.2% $5.725M Eric Staal 73.38 79 21 40 61 52.4% $8.25M Alexander Semin 73.10 65 22 20 42 55.2% $7.0M Jordan Staal 68.53 82 15 25 40 54.0% $6.0M Patrick Dwyer 62.71 75 8 14 22 48.4% $900K Riley Nash 61.45 73 10 14 24 50.6% $575K Elias Lindholm 61.08 58 9 12 21 49.6% $925K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Nathan Gerbe 66.34 81 16 15 31 51.8% RFA $550K Jiri Tlusty 66.09 68 16 14 30 51.2% RFA $1.6M Andrei Loktionov 60.82 68 7 15 22 55.1% RFA $725K Manny Malhotra 60.35 69 7 6 13 41.4% UFA $600K Drayson Bowman 58.61 70 4 8 12 45.5% RFA $600K Radek Dvorak 57.67 60 4 5 9 42.7% UFA $600K 21-year-old Jeff Skinner has had some ups and downs already in his career, but after scoring a career-high 33 goals last season, he now has 97 goals in 259 games through his first four years. Since 2000, the players to have more than 97 goals through their age 21 season are Steven Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Ovechkin. He could be a premier offensive threat, though if thats the case, it probably makes sense to give him more ice time -- he played more, per game, in each of the previous two seasons. For the first time since his rookie season, Eric Staal finished a full season with fewer than 70 points and, coming off a knee injury suffered at the World Championships, it contrasted with a percentage-driven 2012-2013 season during which he put up 53 points in 48 games. There were rumblings during the year that Staal (or Skinner) might be available and that isnt necessarily a crazy idea. The cap hit for the two seasons remaining on his deal is $8.25-million, but the actual cost is $18.75-million and while turning 30 isnt a hockey death sentence, Staal will turn 30 in October and hes put on a lot of miles -- since coming into the league, in 2003-2004, he ranks fourth in games played with 769. This doesnt mean shipping Staal out at the first possible moment, and he does have a no-trade clause, but if a contender will pay a premium of young players, prospects and picks to land a big scoring centre like Staal, then the Hurricanes may want to at least consider that option now while he has value. While his scoring numbers declined last season, Alexander Semin was a victim of percentage regression more than anything. He had more than three shots on goal per game for the fifth time in the past six seasons and, over the past four seasons, has been one of the best at generating shot attempts while hes on the ice. Its entirely fair to wonder about the value of paying a $7-million cap hit for the next four seasons, until hes 34 but, at the moment, Semin is still a dangerous offensive winger. When the Hurricanes brought Jordan Staal in from Pittsburgh, the idea was that Staal would be able to play in a more offensive role, and it hasnt really worked out that way. He gets significant ice time against quality opponents, but Staal hasnt been blessed with great finishers on his lines in Carolina (Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Dwyer were his most common linemates last season) so, even with strong possession stats, his scoring rates have actually decreased. Hes also signed forever, through 2023, so theres room to improve the situation, by finding Jordan Staal linemates that may be more suited to producing offensively. Patrick Dwyer has played more than 14 minutes per game for each of the past three seasons, yet has been among the lowest-scoring forwards in the league (among those playing at least 2000 5-on-5 minutes). His possession numbers have fluctuated from year to year too, based on situations, so there is a fit in the lineup for Dwyer, but it only makes sense in a checking role. Riley Nash is ostensibly a checking centre, though one who started 59.3% of his shifts in the offensive zone and didnt face tough competition. Its not on Nash to determine usage, thats on the coach, but if the Hurricanes intend to free up others for offensive opportunities, then Nash should be taking on more defensive responsibility. The fifth pick in last summers draft, Elias Lindholm had a solid, if unspectacular rookie season. His role increased as the season progressed and scored 14 points in 37 games after a stint playing for Sweden at the World Juniors. Expect Lindholm to move into a more prominent role next season. Bought out by the Buffalo Sabres, Nathan Gerbe came in at a bargain cost and tied career highs with 16 goals and 31 points, with impressive underlying numbers to support that production. In fact, with any kind of luck (ie. a respectable on-ice shooting percentage), Gerbe could have put up better scoring stats. It turned out that Jiri Tlustys 23-goal-in-48-games outburst from 2012-2013 was fluky (who knew?), and his scoring stats came back to earth. With decent possession numbers, its still reasonable to think that Tlusty can be a useful complementary scorer. After coming over from New Jersey in the Tuomo Ruutu trade, Andrei Loktionov capably filled a complementary role. His usage has always been sheltered, but he puts up good possession numbers and should be hitting a point at which he can be given more responsibility, fitting in a top-nine role. Drayson Bowman played a career-high 70 games for the Hurricanes last season, but hes managed 33 points in 176 career games. With uneven results to this point in his career, Bowman is likely still battling for a job. Nothing wrong with keeping him for a fourth-line role, but its possible there are better alternatives too. It would be great for Carolina to dip into the free agent market and bring in another proven scoring forward, but if the Hurricanes are operating on a budget, the more likely scenario could be to find some value plays, not unlike last years addition of Gerbe or Manny Malhotra. Peter Regin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Steve Bernier and Ryan Carter are a few veterans that might come relatively cheaply, but could still upgrade the Hurricanes forward depth. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Andrej Sekera 73.dddddddddddd85 74 11 33 44 51.5% $2.75M Justin Faulk 68.67 7 5 27 32 51.8% $4.833M John-Michael Liles 62.94 41 2 7 9 49.5% $3.875M Jay Harrison 61.47 68 4 11 15 47.9% $1.5M Ryan Murphy 61.31 48 2 10 12 48.8% $863K Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Ron Hainsey 62.09 82 4 11 15 51.0% UFA $2.0M Brett Bellemore 60.41 64 2 6 8 48.4% UFA $600K Mike Komisarek 58.09 32 0 4 4 48.5% UFA $700K Joni Pitkanen N/A UFA $4.5M Moving to Carolina brought about a dramatic change for Andrej Sekera, who had been a steady enough to-four defenceman in Buffalo, but he emerged as a top-pair stud for the Hurricanes, setting career-bests in goals (11), assists (33) and time on ice (23:41), all while facing high quality of competition. Next season is the final year on his current contract, so Sekera is due for an extension which will come with a healthy pay raise. 22-year-old Justin Faulk is the building block on the Carolina defence, playing 23:19 per game through his first three seasons and facing the toughest assignments. A great skater, who makes smart decisions and signed through 2020, Faulk is a stable presence already and should continue to get better. Unable to crack the lineup of the Toronto Maple Leafs, John-Michael Liles played over 20 minutes per game in Carolina and even provided strong puck possession numbers in the process. Hes three seasons removed from his last 40-point season, but Liles mobility and smarts still work to his advantage, on a team that is willing to make use of those assets. Jay Harrison offers size, but his ice time was down last year after struggling more than he had in previous years. Hes reasonably priced as a third-pair option, in the hopes that maybe he finds a better fit with another partner. One of Harrisons regular partners last season, Ryan Murphy is an undersized 21-year-old who is still trying to make his way in the league. Murphy is a terrific skater, and that has helped him put up 24 points in 25 AHL games, in addition to a dozen points in 52 career NHL games, so there is offensive upside to be realized. Even if Murphy is given easier minutes, with power play time, he should be able to find a regular spot on a Carolina blueline that needs to be better. The Hurricanes are looking at some significant changes on defence, thanks to four unrestricted free agents. Ron Hainsey was certainly good enough to keep and if Joni Pitkanen is healthy, that could be interesting but, otherwise, the Canes may look elsewhere for improvement. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Anton Khudobin 77.25 36 19 14 1 2.30 .926 $2.25M Cam Ward 63.71 30 10 12 6 3.06 .898 $6.3M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Justin Peters 69.64 21 7 9 4 2.50 .919 UFA $538K Anton Khudobin had a terrific year, posting a .926 save percentage in a career-high 36 games, earning a two-year contract extension and, if the Hurricanes can find a taker for incumbent starter Cam Ward, the starting job would appear to be Khuodbins going forward. Khudobin has a .928 save percentage in 57 career games, which is great, the best among goalies with at least 50 games, but thats such a small sample, and he had a .912 save percentage in 156 AHL games, so theres most likely downward mobility in those numbers. Ward won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP in 2006 and was an above average goaltender from 2008 through 212, but injuries have limited him to 47 games over the past two seasons and, even when hes played, he hasnt been effective, posting a .902 save percentage, which is near the bottom among goaltenders over the past couple seasons. Theoretically, the Hurricanes may be prepared to move Ward, but finding a taker for the remaining two years (and $13.5-million) on his contract could be challenging, at best. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Brock McGinn LW Guelph (OHL) 43-42-85, +46, 58 GP Michal Jordan D Charlotte (AHL) 4-21-25, -12, 70 GP Victor Rask C Charlotte (AHL) 16-23-39, -3, 76 GP Trevor Carrick D Sudbury (OHL) 22-29-51, -6, 70 GP Sergey Tolchinsky LW Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 31-60-91, -9, 66 GP Phil Di Giuseppe LW Michigan (Big 10) 13-11-24, +7, 35 GP Brett Pesce D New Hampshire (HE) 7-14-21, -4, 41 GP Daniel Altshuller G Oshawa (OHL) 2.56 GAA, .917 SV%, 52 GP Jaccob Slavin D Colorado College (NCHC) 5-20-25, +2, 32 GP Keegan Lowe D Charlotte (AHL) 2-10-12, -7, 63 GP Zach Boychuk LW Charlotte (AHL) 36-38-74, -7, 69 GP Brock McGinn, the third of Fergus, Ontarios McGinn brothers (Jamie and Tye are with Colorado and Philadelphia, respectively) to be drafted to the NHL,has enjoyed a great season with a powerhouse Guelph team. Hell play a physical game and, as hes shown this year, should be able to contribute some offensively too. After four AHL seasons, Michal Jordan could be ready for a real NHL opportunity with Carolina. Hes been their best AHL defenceman and, with free agents potentially departing, Jordan could slide into a depth spot next season. A second-round pick in 2011 Victor Rask had a solid first pro campaign. He could use more time to refine his game, and establish that he can score consistently at the AHL level, before pushing for an NHL spot. 2012 fourth-round pick Trevor Carrick has steadily improved throughhout his junior career and is ready to embark on a pro career next season, but likely will require a few years of development. Undrafted last summer, after scoring 51 points in 62 games in his draft year, Sergey Tolchinsky quickly earned a free agent contract with the Hurricanes, then continued to improve his game in the OHL. Hes small, but skilled. Drafted in the second round in 2012, Phil Di Giuseppe didnt make a ton of progress at Michigan, scoring 26 points in 40 games as a freshman, then 52 points in 75 games over the past two seasons. Hes signed with the Hurricanes and played in three games with Charlotte late in the year, so Di Giuseppe will have a chance to show whether or not hes going to have a notable offensive game in the pros. Taken in the third round last summer, Brett Pesce is a lanky collegiate defender who improved his production as a sophomore. He still has a couple more seasons of collegiate eligibility and can use them to get stronger as he prepares for his pro career. A third-round pick in 2012, Daniel Altshuller has steadily improved throughout his junior career and, at 6-foot-4, has good size for the position. Give him a few years in the AHL and see what happens. An offensively-minded blueliner, Jaccob Slavin played for Team USA at the World Junior Hockey Championships and led Colorado College in scoring as a freshman. A tough, physical stay-at-home defenceman, Keegan Lowe was a third-round pick in 2011 and had a decent first pro campaign. Lowes game wont stand out, but for a team without great defence prospects, hes in the picture. Zach Boychuk has been a top Hurricanes prospect forever, since he was a first-round pick in 2008, and hes managed nine goals and 24 points in 96 NHL career games, but after 74 points in 69 AHL games last season, the undersized winger cant be ignored altogether. Hurricanes advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT7th - Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Hurricanes have approximately $37.9M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 16 players. Check out my possible Hurricanes lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: Three forwards, one top four defenceman, depth defencemen.What I said the Hurricanes needed last year: Two top nine forwards, depth forwards, depth defencemen.They added: Nathan Gerbe, Elias Lindholm, Andrej Sekera, Ron Hainsey, Ryan Murphy, Mike Komisarek, Brett Bellemore, Anton Khudobin. TRADE MARKETEric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jiri Tlusty. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '