MINNEAPOLIS -- Nelson Cruz had a big homer in the fourth inning, but that was all the Seattle Mariners struggling offense could muster.Cruz tied Saturdays game against Minnesota at 2-all but the last-place Twins recovered for a 3-2 win Saturday night.Cruzs homer was estimated by MLBs Statcast as 493 feet, the second-longest home run in the majors this season behind a 504-foot strike by Miamis Giancarlo Stanton in Colorados Coors Field.Ive hit a few over there but they havent measured that far, Cruz said. You never know with Statcast, you never know how far its going to go until they say.Mariners manager Scott Servais was also impressed by Cruzs blast.Thats about as far as you can hit it in this park, Servais said. He absolutely killed it. Big hit at the time to give us a little momentum going forward, but then they quickly got it back with the Sano homer. I thought we had a chance there late, we just didnt get it done.Minnesotas Miguel Sano answered Cruz with a tiebreaking homer in the bottom of the fourth and Tyler Duffey pitched seven strong innings for his best start in more than a month to lead Minnesota.They hit a big homer there, Sano said. But I want the team win every day, and not a loss.Ariel Miranda (5-2) lost for the first time in five starts this month, lasting four innings and giving up three runs and three hits. Seattle fell 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card.Theyre all important, Servais said. Tonight was important, tomorrows important, the next ones important. Its just where we are in the season.The Mariners threatened in the ninth against Brandon Kintzler when Robinson Cano singled and Cruz reached on an error by Sano. But Kyle Seagers hard grounder was snared by Sano, who stepped on third and threw to first for a double play. Adam Lind flied out to end the game and give Kintzler his 15th save in 18 chances.Seattle has struggled offensively even while winning 11 of its previous 15 games. The Mariners have scored two runs or fewer in six of their past eight games.We certainly need to score more than two runs, Servais said. Not a sharp night all around; just not a lot going on offensively. Obviously we had some chances late and didnt get the big hit.NO UNDEFEATED MONTH FOR MIRANDAMiranda was vying to become just the 14th rookie in major league history to go 5-0 in September. Acquired from the Baltimore Orioles for Wade Miley at trade deadline, Miranda had allowed a total of six earned runs in four September starts.My secondary pitches were not very good, Miranda said through an interpreter. When I had a chance to throw my breaking ball, it was not working. So thats when I threw my fastball and got hit. The fastball was a little bit up.UP NEXTMariners RHP Taijuan Walker (6-11, 4.32 ERA) starts against Twins LHP Hector Santiago (12-9, 4.82). Walker gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Twins earlier this season. Santiago was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts against the Mariners this season with the Los Angeles Angels. But Santiago has a 6.20 ERA in nine starts for Minnesota after being acquired in a trade. Vans Slip On Sale . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Vans Old Skool Discount . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Cheap Vans SK8 . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Vans Shoes Clearance . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. They havent heard of Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli. But the mention of Indian movies elicits more than just broad smiles and approving nods: PK, PK! exclaims Chit Ko Ko.The 32 year-old from Myanmar, along with his senior compatriot Aung Htay, 50, is participating in the World Billiards Championship, currently underway in Bengaluru, for the first time. English isnt one of the languages either players speak and travelling coach-cum-manager Zerne Aung Than doubles up as interpreter on most occasions.Lorded over by the oppressive military junta for close to five decades, the struggle for freedom, human rights and peace took centrestage in Myanmar. Sport, has at best, been a diversion in the strife-torn nation.Ranked No 1 and 2 respectively in the country, Htay and Ko Ko, who hail from Yangoon, admit that billiards is far from a popular sport in Myanmar and certainly not enough to sustain their families. While Htay, who lost to Pankaj Advani in the semifinals on Monday to finish with a bronze (points format), is an engineer by profession and holds a government job, Ko Ko, runs the family hardware store when he finds time off from the sport.Leaning forward, hands resting on the table, they listen intently at the questions asked, nodding at occasional familiar-sounding English words before Than takes over. Football and Manchester United are near-synonymous in the country, says Than, conveying the more passionate fan of the three, Ko Kos enthusiasm. Leithwei, a form of unarmed martial art, similar to kickboxing, is another favourite with the locals, he adds.Myanmar has little over 40 billiards players today with close to five of them in the top 100. The pacier format of snooker as opposed to billiards has found far more takers, particularly among youngsters in the country. The interest, however, is largely limited to being a recreational one.Pursuing a cue sport isnt seen as a serious career option. Snooker players number no more than 30 in the country. Over the past decade, Than says, there has been a spurt in interest for snooker, largely due to the mushrooming of pool parlours. Youngsters love snooker, he says, Its fast.Sponsors are hard to come by and players depend largely on the national federation for funding their playing expenses, which includes footing the travel cost for tournaments. Sponsors are reluctant to invest in a sport thats not popular enough, says Than, So thhe federation is the sole source of funds for players.dddddddddddd Its tough.The non-physical nature of billiards was what appealed to Ko Ko as a teen. It helped that he had a pool parlour in the neighbourhood, whetting his interest for the sport. Its not too exacting physically, he says, Concentration and composure are the foremost traits needed for the sport. I think Ive both. For Htay, whos spent over the three decades playing billiards now, it began with his father, who had some knowledge of the sport, handing him a cue.Having known each other for close to seven years now, Htay and Ko Ko are more than familiar with each others playing styles and occasionally find themselves pitted against each other at tournaments. Like this time. Htay beat Ko Ko in the pre-quarterfinals (long up format) of the tournament last week.?There are no hard feelings, says Ko Ko, We knew only one of us can make the quarterfinals. Htays run ended in the quarterfinals after a loss to Dhvaj Haria. Admittedly in the twilight of his playing career, Htay wants to win the Asian championship title before he retires. Ko Ko, whos yet to have a major international win to his name, nods to convey a similar dream.In September this year, Htay, the most accomplished billiards player from his country among the current crop, finished with silver in his seventh appearance at the Asian billiards championship. He also has two gold and five silver medals to his credit so far from the South East Asian Games.As the conversation meanders to the next rung of billiards players in the country and chances of a possible spike in interest, Htay shakes his head disapprovingly before putting forth a brutally honest observation. Its not a sport I would encourage youth of our country to take up. You cannot feed your family with its earnings. Theres no money in it, he says.The silence that followed the loaded statement is broken by an animated Ko Ko, punching his fist into the air. Having heard him out, a clueless Than turns to me and asks, Hes talking of an Indian movie he loved. Its about a female boxer. Any idea? The answer wasnt obviously tough. Mary Kom?, I suggest, as Ko Ko jumps up from his chair excitedly to affirm, unmindful of the five-time world champions existence beyond the movie realm. ' ' '