NEW YORK -- A year ago, the New York Mets had an eventful first homestand after the All-Star break.The Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kerhsaw nearly threw a perfect game against the Mets, who called up their top prospect, made three trades and vaulted into first place in the National League East.New York will hope its first homestand of this year after the All-Star will be filled with wins. The Mets kick off the home portion of the second-half scheduled Monday with the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.The homestand will begin a year and one day after Michael Conforto was called up and trades for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson were completed. It also starts three days shy of the one-year anniversary of the Wilmer Flores-for-Carlos Gomez trade that fell through, setting up the dramatic acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes three days later.Conforto, Johnson, Cespedes and Flores are still with the third-place Mets, who are 52-45 and five games behind the Washington Nationals in the National League East. New York also is a half-game behind the Miami Marlins for the second NL wild card.The Mets would have been further back, but they took two of three in Miami and ended an eight-game road trip by getting a 3-0 victory, highlighted by Steven Matz retiring Giancarlo Stanton with two on for the final out of the fifth inning.This was crunch time for us, Mets manager Terry Collins said. We couldnt lose any more ground. We have to hang in there until we start to get healthy or we start to really get it clicking offensively. This was a good series for us to win.Cespedes had an RBI single Sunday, and he has five hits in 20 at-bats in six games since returning from a quadriceps injury. He is batting .299 with 21 home runs and 56 RBI, but the quad ailment means he cant move well enough to play center field and can play only left field.Conforto was used in center field for the first time Sunday. He is 5-for-11 in five games since returning from Triple-A Las Vegas after a massive slump earned him a demotion.Trade rumors are swirling around the Mets. Among the reports: The New York Daily News wrote that the Mets are among the teams trying to acquire Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy with a possible offer being catcher Travis dArnaud and a prospect.While dArnaud may become expendable, Noah Syndergaard is not.Syndergaard was acquired with dArnaud from the Toronto Blue Jays following the 2012 season in the R.A. Dickey deal and has emerged as the Mets ace. He will pitch the series opener against the Cardinals on Monday, only his second outing in 17 days surrounding the All-Star break.Syndergaard (9-4, 2.43 ERA) experienced arm fatigue July 8 against Washington, and the Mets pushed him back to the fifth game after the break to give him more time off. His fastball velocity reached 100 mph Tuesday, when he allowed an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings during a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.I felt really comfortable starting the game, he said. I was just trying to nibble on the corners a little bit and not getting the balls over and missing my spots -- not by much -- just a little bit. ... (But) I felt pretty crisp in terms of mechanics out there.The right-hander is 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA at home this season and 12-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 23 appearances at home with 167 strikeouts and 16 walks.In his only career outing against the Cardinals, Syndergaard pitched seven innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 loss July 17, 2015 at Busch Stadium.St. Louis (52-46) will play 20 of its next 26 games on the road, and it starts this stretch a game behind the Marlins in the wild-card chase and 7 1/2 behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The Cardinals will start the trip without third baseman Jhonny Peralta, second baseman/third baseman Matt Carpenter and first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss but could end it with the trio back in the lineup.Any way you look at it, it certainly strengthens your club, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said.The Cardinals won six of their first eight games after the break, but following a 16-inning win Friday, they were outscored 16-8 in consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers.St. Louis used its bullpen for 20 2/3 innings in the weekend series, and so it will look for distance Monday from starter Carlos Martinez (9-6, 2.83 ERA). Martinez allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings Wednesday against the San Diego Padres and is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his last seven starts.Martinez has provided St. Louis with distance by pitching into the seventh during 10 of his 18 starts. He did so in his last start after getting a bloody nose in the second inning.It actually really helped me stay focused after the fact, Martinez said through an interpreter. I was trying to stay in the game and (keep) my mind in the game where it should be.Martinez is 1-1 with a 0.57 ERA in five career appearances (two starts) against the Mets. He was the losing pitcher when the teams played 19 innings July 19, 2015, in St. Louis, and he allowed four hits in 6 1/3 innings during a 9-0 win at New York on May 20, 2015. Jalen Ramsey Youth Jersey .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Jawaan Taylor Jaguars Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Jalen-Ramsey-Elite-Jersey/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Telvin Smith Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Telvin Smith Youth Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Everywhere Sue Bird looks on the court, theres someone in a U.S. jersey that can score. Its a point guards dream.From top to bottom, this version of the American Olympic womens basketball team is stacked with offensive weapons. And at the pace they are scoring in the early stages of the Rio Games, they might break the 1996 teams record average of 102.4 points a game.Diana Taurasi scored 13 points and Sylvia Fowles added 12 on Monday as the U.S. posted its second blowout in as many days, beating Spain 103-63 on Monday. Thats two consecutive contests in which the U.S. scored at least 100 points -- the last time the Americans did that was in 2004.A lot of Olympic teams that Ive been on have had offensive power, but now we go all the way down the line to the 12th player, said Bird, who had nine points and five assists in the win. And the minute you stop, theres no let-off. That person comes in and can do just as much offensively as the next. And also, we have our foot on the gas pedal.Were trying to get better in every single game and you cant, you cant relax. I know the score is, it is what it is. But we dont relax regardless.This team is so good offensively that reigning WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne comes off the bench and Tamika Catchings is the 12th player.Weapons. Were full of weapons. One through 12, everybody that comes in contributes to some capacity, Catchings said. And thats offensively, defensively as well. Youre talking about 100 points -- youve got to be able to score. Its fun. Its fun to watch. Its fun to be a part of. When we move the ball and everybody is just kind of like -- everybodys doing their part -- screening, rolling, cutting to the basket -- you never know where the shot is going to come from. As a team, were so selfless.The Americans (2-0) had a team-record 36 assists in the opening win. They followed that up with 23 against Spain.The victory was the 43rd consecutive win for the U.S. in the Olympics. The contest was a rematch of the 2014 world championship gold medal game, which the Americans won by 13. While this win diidnt come in the same record fashion that the U.ddddddddddddS. opened the Olympics with when it beat Senegal by 65 points, the Americans coasted after the first few minutes.Spain (1-1) led 8-6 before the U.S. closed the quarter on a 23-6 burst. Delle Donne was in the middle of it. She had seven points, including a 3-pointer from the wing that made it 27-11 during the game-changing spurt. The Spaniards couldnt get within single digits the rest of the way.Everyone we bring in off the bench can score and make a play, U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said. Its fun to watch. For as little time as we had together, we do a lot of really nice things out there, which is nice to see.Spain fought just to stay within 20 in the second quarter, thanks in part to the play of guard Leticia Romero, who stars at Florida State. The Olympic newcomer got her first playing time of the tournament and scored five straight points as Spain trailed 54-37 at the half. She finished with nine points.It was going to be a tough game, Romero said. They have to have a really, really bad game for us to have a chance to win it. Anything that we can get from today is positive.Bird ensured there would be some tough lessons Spain could take away.Playing in her fourth Olympics, Bird started the second half with a steal and then raced down the court for the layup. A few minutes later, the lead was over 20 and the rout was on as Taurasi and Brittney Griner waved their arms to get a USA chant started. In Sundays win over Senegal, the crowd was behind the underdogs and shouted down any American cheers. This time, U.S. fans wouldnt be drowned out.Alba Torrens, who the Connecticut Sun have the rights to in the WNBA, led Spain with 20 points.Spain missed the 2012 Olympics, but won the silver at worlds. The Spaniards have never beaten the U.S. in a major competition, falling to 0-10 at the Olympics and world championships.The U.S. next plays Serbia on Wednesday while Spain faces China. ' ' '