Tradeskills » can win and were confident still, weve just got to

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres struggling offence finally had a breakout performance -- 37 games into the season. Jedd Gyorko hit two home runs off Jose Fernandez, including a grand slam, in the Padres 10-1 rout of the Miami Marlins on Friday night. Gyorko had a career-high six RBIs as the majors worst offence scored its season high in runs and had its first genuine laugher. "Im trying to think, have we had one?" Padres manager Bud Black asked. "Those type of games happen and its rare that we have only had one. There are two ways to look at it for me. On the positive side, there is more of that to come." For Gyorko, the win had more meaning coming less than 24 hours after his key error preceded Giancarlo Stantons go-ahead two-run homer in the 11th inning of the Marlins 3-1 win Thursday night. "That was probably one of the lowest points of my career, to be honest," Gyorko said. "To pretty much cost your team a game, its good to bounce back. Its good to show that resiliency." Gyorko, who came into the game hitting just .146, connected for a two-run shot in the second and a grand slam in the sixth. "Hopefully, a game like this can jump-start an offence," Gyorko said. "Its still to be determined." The Padres hope this game can spark the 25-year-old Gyorko, whom they signed to a five-year, $35 million contract extension last month. "Guys are capable of those types of performances," Black said. "Not that Jedd is going to hit two homers and hit a grand slam, but hes capable of knocking in some runs." The Padres, who came in averaging a major league-low 2.6 runs per game, snapped a three-game losing streak. It was their highest-scoring game since a 12-2 victory over Arizona last Sept. 25. San Diego sent 11 men to the plate during a six-run sixth inning that broke it open. The Padres previous high for runs in a single game this season was six. The run support was not lost on starter Tyson Ross (4-3), for whom the Padres had scored more than three runs just twice in his previous seven starts. "Its huge early in the game," he said. "The hitters did a great job with their approach. They had some good at-bats early and got on the board and really broke it open." Fernandez (4-2) was charged with six runs on six hits in five-plus innings. The right-hander, who won the NL Rookie of the Year award last season, was 2-0 with a sparkling 0.60 ERA in his previous four starts. "It was a tough one," Fernandez said. "I was trying to do what I do, go out there and compete. But mostly my stuff wasnt there today, my fastball really wasnt there." Miami manager Mike Redmond knew it right away. "It just wasnt his night. You could tell from the first inning on he was up in the zone and they hit some balls hard off him," Redmond said. "We really didnt get anything going offensively either and we didnt help him there." Ross was working on a shutout before Marcell Ozuna homered in the seventh inning. The righty allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings. Tim Stauffer and Kevin Quackenbush each pitched an inning to close out the combined four-hitter. San Diego won for just the third time in 10 games and snapped the Marlins five-game winning streak. Gyorkos fourth homer in the second came after Yasmani Grandal reached on a throwing error by first baseman Garrett Jones. Everth Cabrera sparked the Padres biggest inning of the season with a leadoff single in the sixth. Seth Smith singled and Grandal walked to load the bases for Gyorko, who turned on a 2-0 fastball and hit it into the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Building down the left-field line. It was Gyorkos second career multi-homer game and his second grand slam. Fernandez had beaten the Padres in two previous starts by giving up just five hits in 14 2-3 scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts. NOTES: Marlins RHP Carlos Marmol was struck in the back by a ball off Kyle Blanks bat while stretching during San Diegos batting practice. Marmol said he was fine. ... Barring an injury, Padres 3B Chase Headley (strained right calf) will be activated from the 15-day DL on Saturday. Headley was scheduled to play Friday night with Single-A Lake Elsinore. ... The San Diego State mens basketball team that won the Mountain West Conference regular-season title and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament was honoured before the game. ... Marlins RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-1, 2.78 ERA) opposes Padres LHP Eric Stults (1-3, 5.40) on Saturday night. Jonathan Allen Jersey . Cox started the season with San Francisco, but was released by the team on Nov. 12 before being signed by Seattle, where he appeared in two games and tallied three tackles before being released on Dec. Jonathan Allen Redskins Jersey . Jesus Navas bookended yet another huge home win for City by scoring after 14 seconds and again in second-half stoppage time, with Sergio Aguero also netting in each half to add to an own goal by Sandro and a brilliant strike by Alvaro Negredo. http://www.redskinsfansproshop.com/Redsk...y.html?cat=1353. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. Custom Washington Redskins Jerseys . The stakes were higher, the competition more fierce and the atmosphere was that of a playoff game - something the young, upstart Raptors have five weeks to better prepare themselves for or the result will be eerily similar. Geron Christian Jersey . Alexander was released last week by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he spent the past three seasons at safety. He had 121 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles and seven interceptions in 51 regular-season and three playoff games.ST. LOUIS – On the heels of their best game all year came one of the worst. The Maple Leafs were blasted 6-3 by the Blues at Scottrade Center on Thursday night. It was Torontos eighth loss in the past 10 games (2-6-2), 13th in the past 19, and a drastic reversal in course from an inspired home loss to the Kings one night earlier. "Tonight it looked like we were totally brain-dead in a lot of areas," said Randy Carlyle, following the defeat. All the persistence, feistiness and energy of their effort against Los Angeles deteriorated in a hurry against the Blues. St. Louis buried three goals on its first 15 shots in a dominant opening frame – chasing James Reimer from the crease – before adding a goal in the second and a pair in the third. "It just looked like we werent there mentally at the start," said Carlyle. It was a stinging return to the inconsistent, chaotic hockey which has plagued the group for the better part of the season. Most baffling, however, was the dramatic shift in performance from the night previous. Though they ultimately fell 3-1 to Los Angeles at the ACC on Wednesday night, the Leafs were the superior team and played their most complete game of the season. The starting point they hoped to gain from the effort – a largely stingy defensive effort – never materialized against the Blues, dominant with 21 wins in 30 games this season. "Even though we lost that game [against the Kings] it was something to build on," said Carl Gunnarsson, "and tonight its like it was all gone." Concern has to be inching ever upward with the mounting losses and little to no sustained improvement. The Leafs have just two regulation victories since the start of November and face the defending Stanley Cup champs at home on Saturday. "Our concern has been very high for a while here," said Carlyle. "We thought with our performance [Wednesday] night it would be something we could build on, but we just didnt have any kind of an energy to be able to put forth an effort that was needed." Five Points 1. Defensive Issues In describing his team as "totally brain-dead", Carlyle was referring mostly to the areas in which St. Louis managed to score. David Backes opened the scoring untouched from just outside the slot. Jaden Schwartz had two whacks just outside the blue paint for the second St. Louis goal. Derek Roy pranced in untouched through the slot on the third. Chances and opportunities of that kind continued throughout the night. "I dont know any other way to describe it from a standpoint of where the goals were being scored from again," said Carlyle. "We have systems that our coverage has to be in place and if you vacate those critical areas youre going to give up quality scoring chances." Revealingly, the Leafs have allowed three goals or more in 13 of the past 19 games, losing all but one. "They had a lot of freedom in our zone," said Carlyle of the Blues. "Look where they scored the goals from." 2. In Need of Urgency Carlyle has been beating the drum of urgency from the opening days of the season when his team won games on the shoulders of terrific goaltending and special teams. But at this point in the year, more than a third of way through but with plenty of time still remaining, the urgency level appears mixed in the Toronto dressing room. A clear understanding of just how long this skid has lingered seems lost. "Theres lotts of time," said Nazem Kadri.dddddddddddd "Fifty games left, theres no reason to panic. Its just something weve got to figure out in the dressing room." "We started off playing terrific," he said later of the teams start to the season. "Obviously some things made us take a couple steps backward with injuries and things like that. Its tough to be mentally and physically prepared when things like that just keep happening. But its up to us. Were professionals. We do have a good team inside this dressing room. We believe we can win and were confident still, weve just got to figure out ways around these games." 3. Urgency v. Intensity James Reimer had interesting insight on the need for urgency amid a skid thats lingered for more than a month and longer than that if you include October. "Sometimes its hard to differ between urgency and intensity," he said. "If you get tense thats the worst-case scenario. If you can get some urgency in your game without squeezing your stick then thats important. But in the market we play in the biggest key is keeping the pressure off and trying to stay as loose as possible. Thats the main thing. Its really easy to get too intense. Do we need some more urgency? Probably. But you have to be careful when you start going down that path." 4. Reimers Quick Night Reimer got the hook after third Blues goal. He allowed three goals on 15 shots and was replaced by Jonathan Bernier. "Too many goals," Reimer said of the performance, coming on the heels of a 47-save effort in Ottawa. "I felt good out there, felt good in warm-up, felt like I was seeing the puck. But just a couple got by, obviously a couple too many. "I felt like I was on my game, pucks just found a way in." "Im not blaming the goaltending specifically," said Carlyle. "I just think it was part in parcel with our hockey club." 5. Western Exposure The Blues were the fourth Western Conference team on the Leafs docket in the first two weeks of December with Chicago and Phoenix lying ahead in the days to come. "Guys say its more defensive in that conference," Jake Gardiner said prior to the loss to St. Louis. "I was talking to [former Leaf] Matt Frattin and he said the same thing. He said its a lot harder to score and get points and get production. Yeah, definitely noticed a difference." (Frattin had seven goals and 13 points in 25 games with the Leafs last season, but has just two goals and six points with similar ice-time through the same number of games with the Kings). "Theres definitely a different style," said Jay McClement, who spent all but his last two seasons in the West. "Theres obviously a lot of big, strong teams out here." The Leafs are now 7-7-1 versus the West this season. Stats-Pack 13 – Losses for the Leafs in the past 19 games. 13 – Number of times in those 19 games that the Leafs allowed three goals or more, losing all but one. 7-7-1 – Leafs record versus the Western Conference this season. 14 – Goals for James van Riemsdyk this season. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 23.3 per cent (4th) PK: 3-3Season: 77.2 per cent (27th) Quote of the Night "Tonight it looked like we were totally brain-dead in a lot of areas." -Randy Carlyle, following the loss to St. Louis Up Next The Leafs host the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks at the ACC on Saturday evening. 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