om the stands.The French players have often spoken about being upset during games when the fans turn. Speaking after a 2-0 defeat to Argentina in 2009, left back Patrice Evra berated France fans for sarcastically supporting Argentina.All the matches we play in France feel like they

NEW YORK -- For a team thats historically been known for pitching, speed and defense, these St. Louis Cardinals sure are hitting a lot of home runs lately.Especially Jedd Gyorko.Gyorko connected again, launching a two-run drive off Noah Syndergaard that sent the Cardinals over the New York Mets 3-2 Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader.Gyorko homered for the sixth time in eight games, giving him 13 this season.Hes amazing. Hes doing a great job, manager Mike Matheny said. Hes an interesting player. I dont think people realize how good he is.The Cardinals lead the NL in home runs with 137, matching last years total. The last time they led the league was 1998, the Elias Sports Bureau said, when Mark McGwire hit 70 of their 223.No one on the Cardinals is among the league leaders in home runs, but eight players have reached double digits.We have a lot of guys with 20-plus potential, Matheny said. Not every team can say that.St. Louis has homered in 16 straight games, its best streak since a team-record 19-game string in 2006.The Mets played at home for the first time since the All-Star break and lost in a matchup of NL wild-card contenders. Citi Field was nearly empty at the start, a day after a rainout forced the twinbill.New York lost despite throwing out three runners on the bases and manager Terry Collins winning a pair of replay challenges. The Mets have alternated wins and losses for the last 11 games.I dont know how many times I got to say it, this is crunch time, Collins said. Say whatever you want, this is the time where we got to win games, string them together, win eight out of 10.Carlos Martinez (10-6) gave up a two-run homer to Rene Rivera and left after the fifth inning with a 3-2 lead. Three relievers finished, with Seung Hwan Oh getting his fifth save in six chances.Curtis Granderson led off the Mets ninth with a single but was thrown out trying to tag up on Yoenis Cespedes drive that Tommy Pham caught in deep center field.Syndergaard (9-5) has won only one of his last five starts. The All-Star had a tough sequence in the second -- he got hit in the lower right leg by Phams one-hop single to load the bases, then made a wild, off-balance throw home on Martinezs comebacker to let a run score.Gyorko was hitless in his previous 10 at-bats when he connected in the third.The Cardinals opened a 10-game trip that also takes them to Miami and Cincinnati. They arrived at their New York hotel around 8:30 a.m. Monday after plane trouble, and the rainout gave them some much-needed rest.This was the Cardinals second doubleheader in a week, and their first against the Mets since 1999.26TH MANThe Cardinals recalled RHP Sam Tuivailala as the 26th player for the second game. Hes made three relief appearances for St. Louis this year. The Mets brought up 27-year-old lefty Josh Smoker -- hes made 43 relief appearance for Triple-A Las Vegas, and has never been in the majors.UP NEXTCardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (7-6, 3.98) pitches Game 2. He is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. Thats his lowest ERA vs. any opponent.Mets: RHP Bartolo Colon (8-5, 3.48) faces the Cardinals in the second game. He went 0-2 with a 15.58 ERA against them last year.Jamal Adams Jersey Cheap . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Ny Jets Jerseys For Sale . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. http://www.jetsofficialsshop.com/ .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Sam Darnold Color Rush Jersey . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Official New York Jets Store .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play.CLAIREFONTAINE, France -- Like a theater audience demanding to be entertained, French football fans can be a fickle lot.The team will be keen that tradition doesnt re-emerge on Sunday when it takes on Iceland in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. Iceland, after all, is extremely popular among neutrals after its 2-1 victory over England in the round of 16.Les Bleus have often endured a fractious relationship with their fans. Relations are better, but still precarious.Last weekend in Lyon, the players were jeered off at halftime against Ireland, when trailing 1-0. In the group game against Albania in Marseille, the vocal frustration was evident until Antoine Griezmanns 90th-minute goal.Any frayed nerves among the French contingent at the Stade de France this Sunday will surely contrast with those of Icelands devoted fans, who will be shouting their traditional Viking chant and cranking up the pressure on Frances players.Ideally for France, a quick goal or two would help settle nerves.That France has failed to score in the first half in this tournament may not be just a coincidence. Players start games nervously as if trying to avoid mistakes. Chances are snatched at, the body language is tense and cagey, the fans rarely indulgent.I think we should be a bit more supportive, France fan Ahmed Kchikech told The Associated Press after a public team training session on Wednesday. Were fed up with things only happening in the second half ... French fans are like this. We dont forgive (the players) the slightest mistake.Kchikech said he feels envious at the way Irelandd and Iceland supported their teams at this tournament, with prolonged chants and heart-warming songs.ddddddddddddIts magnificent ... but thats not the French way, he said.Over the years, games have often mapped out the same way at the national stadium.A flag-waving rendition of La Marseillaise -- the national anthem -- followed by some hearty early encouragement and then a tense, watchful silence. If France fails to impress, jeers and boos ring out from the stands.The French players have often spoken about being upset during games when the fans turn. Speaking after a 2-0 defeat to Argentina in 2009, left back Patrice Evra berated France fans for sarcastically supporting Argentina.All the matches we play in France feel like theyre away from home, Evra said.Theres little doubt that the French side has not always helped itself -- notably at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when the players went on strike.Things have improved, especially in November 2013 when France overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Ukraine to win 3-0 at the Stade de France and qualify for the World Cup.Since coach Didier Deschamps took charge after Euro 2012, he has opened up more training sessions to the public.On Wednesday, some 500 fans attended a training session at Frances base at leafy Clairefontaine on the outskirts of Paris. Deschamps and the players happily signed autographs and chatted with fans before training.On Sunday, they will hope they remain supportive. ' ' '