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DETROIT -- Chris Archer is making a concerted effort to become a better fielder on the mound, working with strength coach Kevin Barr on drills that can help him improve. "Moving my feet and fielding groundballs, and he stands like 10 feet away," Archer said. "Hes throwing them pretty hard, so Im prepared for it." Archers efforts paid off Saturday, when he made two terrific defensive plays as part of the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. In the sixth inning, he snagged a comebacker by J.D. Martinez and threw to first for the out, and in the eighth, Archer fell to the ground while backhanding Austin Jacksons line drive up the middle. "That ball hit him right in the glove. That was Jackson, I believe," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He has no idea how he caught that. Thats a play when the ball catches you." The Rays broke the game open with three runs in the fifth inning and four in the sixth, and the Tigers never mounted much of a rally against Archer (5-5). The 25-year-old right-hander allowed solo homers to Alex Avila in the seventh and Martinez in the ninth. Archer called it his best performance of the season. Maddon finally pulled him with two on and one out in the ninth after 106 pitches. He allowed six hits, walked four and struck out four, falling just short of his third career complete game. "There was 25 outs that I did get, and those are the ones that Im going to focus on," Archer said. Anibal Sanchez (5-3) took a no-hitter into the fifth, but things unraveled quickly for the Detroit right-hander. He allowed seven runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, with four walks and a strikeout. "I dont know when everything changed," Sanchez said. "I know we had a pretty good game plan going for four innings." Logan Forsythe homered for Tampa Bay. Kevin Kiermaier had three hits for Tampa Bay, including triples in the fifth and sixth. The Rays have won seven of eight. The Tigers were without designated hitter Victor Martinez, who left Friday nights game because of back irritation. Sanchez didnt allow a hit until Forsythes drive carried over the fence in left-centre field with one out in the fifth. The Rays poured it on after that. After a walk to Ryan Hanigan, Kiermaiers drive bounced off the wall and past J.D. Martinez in right, enabling Hanigan to score. With the infield in, Desmond Jennings lined a single to make it 3-0. "I really like the way were swinging the bats right now," Kiermaier said. "Everyones doing their part, and were all staying positive and were having so much fun out there on the field." Matt Joyce and Evan Longoria singled to start the sixth, and after a walk to James Loney loaded the bases, Brandon Guyer brought another run home with a sacrifice fly. Forsythes RBI single made it 5-0, and Kiermaiers two-out, two-run triple off reliever Phil Coke capped the rally. Kiermaier came into the game in an 0-for-15 slump. "The thing I love about him is if he has a somewhat bad day at the plate, it never carries to the next day," Maddon said. "He doesnt carry an at-bat to the other at-bat. Its all a new experience. Every time he goes up there, its a new experience for him." Sanchez, the American League ERA champion last season, had gone 32 starts without allowing more than four earned runs. Archer allowed a homer, a single and a walk in the ninth, so Maddon brought in Grant Balfour, who struck out the final two batters in a non-save situation. NOTES: Detroit reliever Patrick McCoy left the game in the ninth with a right hamstring strain. ... Detroit RHP Rick Porcello (11-4) faces Tampa Bay ace David Price (7-7) on Sunday night. Enos Slaughter Jersey .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month. Stan Musial Jersey .com) - Devon Johnson ran for a school record 272 yards with four touchdowns and No. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-mark-mcgwire-jersey/ .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. Willie McGee Jersey . De La Rosa pitched six strong innings to win his sixth consecutive decision, Todd Helton homered and the Colorado Rockies snapped the Los Angeles Dodgers six-game winning streak with a 7-5 victory on Wednesday night. Matt Carpenter Jersey . An unconventional night for Texas-El Paso nearly led to the Miners getting a huge upset. Down by 14 with 2:21 left, the Miners went on a frantic closing spurt that fell just short, and UTEP was beaten by No.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kemba Walker has seen NBA basketball in Charlotte at its worst. Hes willing to stick around to see it at its best. The diminutive point guard said thats why he agreed to a contract extension Thursday which allows him to remain with the Hornets instead of testing the free agent market. Now that were a good team, I want to keep us good, Walker said Thursday at a press conference at the teams downtown arena. I want to be in the middle of that. Walker signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Hornets, a person familiar with the deal said Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal had not been announced publicly. The Hornets drafted the 6-foot-1 Walker with the ninth pick in 2011. He has started 180 games in three seasons and averages 16 points, 5.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. After agreeing to the contract late Tuesday night, Walker immediately began paying dividends for the Hornets. He hit two huge shots, including the game-winner with 5 sseconds left in overtime to propel the Hornets to a 108-106 win over the Bucks in the season opener on Wednesday night.dddddddddddd Its been unbelievable, Walker said of the past few days. It wasnt always so great. Walker endured a 7-59 season as a rookie, the worst winning percentage (.106) in NBA history after leading Connecticut to the national championship as a senior. But things have turned around in Charlotte and he and centre Al Jefferson — one of the players Walker helped recruit to the team — are two of the big reasons why. Charlotte won 43 games last season and reached the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. They were swept by the Miami Heat, but are expected to better this season with the addition of another top free agent in Lance Stephenson. From day one we werent so good and you see us now, Walker said. Everyone is talking about us and we come into the season with high expectations. A few years ago it wasnt like that. Im happy to say Ive been a part of this whole rebuilding process. ' ' '