after Volquez hit Jose Iglesias with the first pitch in the third inning. NOTES: Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, on the 15-day disabl

There is an oddly long list of gadgets that were invented in Birmingham - it includes the microwave over, the electric kettle and the pacemaker - but if England could use one of them, the photocopier, to produce a facsimile of Ben Stokes to run out at Edgbaston, they undoubtedly would. Dennis Rodman Jersey .Stokes absence from the side, after tearing his right calf while bowling in the second Investec Test at Old Trafford, forces England to make a change that could threaten the balance of their side. With no batsmen added to the squad, England will call on either Steven Finn or Jake Ball to replace Stokes unless the Edgbaston pitch looks especially spin friendly, in which case Adil Rashid may get another opportunity to perform at Test level.Any of these options undoubtedly weakens Englands batting line up which, with three out of the top five batsmen struggling to make runs this summer, has relied heavily on Alastair Cook and Joe Root to shore up their innings. But its with the ball in hand that Stokes will be more sorely missed, according to Stuart Broad.The way he likes the game to move forward, you need players like that in your team, said Broad. If Cookie and Rooty continue their form hes probably more of a loss with the ball, because hes not needed [with the bat].He does change the dynamic slightly. He bats at six and hes your fourth seamer but hell be replaced by a spinner or a frontline seamer so he does give a bit more depth in the batting. We do bat a long way down so thats not too much of a worry.While some may have considered Chris Woakes to be a slightly faded facsimile of Stokes before the start of the summer, he has proved to be as useful a Birmingham product as the microwave oven.After coming into the side as a straight replacement when Stokes was injured during the Sri Lanka series, Woakes has made himself invaluable to Englands pace attack in his own right taking 26 wickets at 13.84 in four Tests this season. And his half-century, scored after he came in as nightwatchman in the first innings at Old Trafford (following his maiden Test fifty against Sri Lanka at Lords) was compiled with a composure that - while differing to Stokes explosive shotmaking - stiffens the middle-to-lower order.After checking in and checking out several times Woakes - in English conditions at least - seems to belong as a resident in Englands house, rather than being a temporary visitor. Broad has noticed the difference, but says he and James Anderson have had little to do with the transformation.Maybe its the confidence of belonging, said Broad. Its hard to tell how much hes moved forward from South Africa in that the pitches over there are much flatter and the Kookaburra ball compared to the Dukes ball that hes bowled with for his whole career.He was under a bit of pressure after South Africa with people questioning whether he could make it as a Test match bowler but hed only played six or seven Test matches. I think I took my first five-fer in maybe my ninth Test match so I said to him look, youre not in a massive rush here. Youre a talented player. Dont feel like you have to get a five-fer every time you run on the field. Do what you do for Warwickshire: hit the top of off consistently and wickets will come for you.I think he showed that at Lords. He didnt get his wickets with his best balls actually, he picked up a few cheaper ones. Hes become very consistent in putting the batsmen under pressure and when your confidence is that high you feel like you can release the ball at full whack.Hes getting his fingers behind the ball and thats helping him get bounce. You give him the ball and hes got something more about him. You feel like hes there to take wickets and thats the confidence that I gained from that five-fer at the Oval in 2009. That I can do it, I can get Ricky Ponting out, Im not just a county bowler, I can step up to that next level. This summer has been Chris Woakes delivering that belief.With the series level at 1-1, England now return to the ground where the parochial crowd provides the most hostile atmosphere for visiting teams - just ask the Australians, who had nowhere to hide from the cacophony from the Eric Hollies stand last summer. The Barmy Army will be out in force at this Test, too, although Warwickshire have promoted the match heavily within the local Asian community and worked with Pakistan fan groups to encourage attendance.To maximise home advantage, Englands pace attack will turn to Woakes for advice; a further sign of his increase in stature within the side.This week I imagine Chris will be very influential on certain field placings for Edgbaston, said Broad. Does gully come into the game? Is it fourth slip? Do you need to bowl a bit fuller? Is the bouncer a good option? Does it reverse? Theres a lot that can change in six months of cricket so [well listen to] his experience of what Edgbaston has been like this summer.Edgbaston feels like our Gabba so to speak, in the way the crowd roar behind us and I think some of our results reflect that.Weve got Chris in form of his life going to home ground where hes bowled thousands of overs and that can only be a good thing.Stuart Broad is an Investec Test Cricket ambassador. For more on Investec private banking visit investec.co.uk/banking Stitched Mavericks Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Tyson Chandler Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. https://www.cheapmavericks.com/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead.BOSTON -- Jonny Gomes knew hed have another chance at the same pitch after looking bad on a pair of sliders. He didnt miss the next time. Gomes hit a pinch-hit homer leading off the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 win over the suddenly offensively challenged San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. Gomes lined a 2-2 pitch off Luke Gregerson (4-4) into the first row of seats above the Green Monster for his second game-ending homer of the season. "That guy throws good sliders like he did the inning before and he did to me," said Gomes, who swung and missed badly on two that sailed away. "The first three pitches no one was going to hit them. I let one go and then kind of set my sights on getting one up, and got good wood on it." Gomes rounded third after his game-ending shot, took his helmet off, held it like a fullback going into the line of scrimmage and was mobbed by his teammates at home plate. "The clubhouse stuff has been talked about more than his play on the field, but hes been great for us," Boston starting pitcher Jon Lester said of the easygoing Gomes. "I just had three swings tonight," Gomes said, standing in the middle of clubhouse wearing red, white and blue shorts. "Those guys did a lot of work. Whether its me or someone else, winnings fun. Its contagious." Mike Carp had two hits and scored a run for Boston, which is 7-1 on its nine-game homestand that concludes Thursday against the Padres. "When we get into some of these National League teams, we dont have a lot of history against their guys coming out of the bullpen," Boston manager John Farrell said of the move. "In this case, Gomes had faced Gregerson twice and also hit a walkoff against him previous." Carlos Quentin went 3 for 4 with a double and two singles for the Padres. San Diego has scored just five runs in its five-game losing streak. "Little bit up in the strike zone. Threw a couple of good ones down that Gomes swung through," Padres manager Bud Black said of the game-winning homer. "Im sure he tried to execute the same one that he did the previous two for strikes, just left it a little bit up. Gomes was probably looking for it. Gomes has some pull-side power, he can elevate the ball and thats what he did." Koji Uehara (2-0) pitched one inning for the win. The Red Sox squandered a good chance in the eighth. Dustin Pedroia led off with a double off the Monster against Nick Vincent. After David Ortiz was intentionallyy walked for the second time, Gregerson relieved and retired the next three batters, striking out Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Antoine Rigaudeau Jersey. San Diego starter Edinson Volquez pitched six innings on his 30th birthday, giving up one run on seven hits, striking out six with one intentional walk. "When we lose a game like that, theres nothing we can do," he said. "We battled the whole game. We lost in the ninth. Cant happen. Weve got to come back tomorrow and win the next game." Lester had a similar line over seven, allowing six hits, one run, walking one and striking out five. He entered just 2-4 with a 6.98 ERA in his last eight starts. Lester laboured in the first, throwing 32 pitches and giving up a run. Plate umpire Doug Eddings called time just as Lester was starting to throw a pitch to Chase Headley. It hit him on the foot, but was waved off. Headley then proceeded to have a 10-pitch at-bat, reaching on a single. Kyle Blanks followed with an RBI single to centre. Boston tied it 1-1 when Carp singled leading off the fourth and scored when left fielder Quentin misplayed a carom off the Green Monster on Saltalamacchias double. Lester settled down after the first, retiring the Padres in order on just five pitches in the second. He gave up a hit, but needed only 12 in the third. Volquez struck out the side in the second after allowing Carps leadoff single. Both dugouts were warned by Eddings after Volquez hit Jose Iglesias with the first pitch in the third inning. NOTES: Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, on the 15-day disabled list since June 9 with a neck strain, threw from flat ground at about 100 feet. Buchholz was 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA before the injury. ... The Padres made a lineup change about three hours before the game, moving Quentin from DH to left field and Blanks from left to DH. ... Farrell gave 1B Mike Napoli the day off and inserted Carp at first, batting him sixth. "Trying to get a few more left-handed bats in the lineup," Farrell said. ... Quentin was 0 for 11 against Lester. ... Boston SS Iglesias was named AL rookie of the month for June, the first Red Sox player to win it since Jacoby Ellsbury did it in September 2007. Iglesias hit .395 in 25 games. ... Game time temperature was 87 degrees with a steamy feeling in Fenway Park. ... The clubs conclude the three-game series Thursday afternoon with Boston rookie Allen Webster (0-2, 9.50 ERA) making his fifth major-league start against San Diego left-hander Eric Stults (6-6, 3.51 ERA). ' ' '