SAN DIEGO -- Travis dArnaud returned to San Diego, the site of his major league debut, and recorded another memorable moment.
Custom Lightning Jersey . DArnauds go-ahead single in the ninth inning lifted the New York Mets to their fourth straight
win, 5-4 over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. The Mets won for the ninth
time in 11 games as they began a 10-game trip and matched their longest winning
streak of the season. DArnaud played his first game for the Mets at Petco Park
on Aug. 17, 2013. That night he went 0 for 2 with two walks. "That was my first
thought all day today," he said. On Friday he had three hits and two RBIs as the
Mets picked up where they left off before the All-Star break. After a slow
start, dArnaud is showing the promise that has long made him among the Mets top
prospects. "Im not thinking about mechanics anymore," dArnaud said. "Im more
focused in on the ball that is 90 miles an hour coming at me." And the Mets
stayed hot, after an 8-2 homestand. "Thats big," dArnaud said. "We had good
momentum before the All-Star break happened, and we won tonight and were going
to keep it going." Jeurys Familia (2-3) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for
the win. Jenrry Mejia worked the ninth for his 11 save in 13 chances.
Joaquin Benoit (3-2) took the loss as he pitched the ninth inning with closer
Huston Street unavailable. Street was dealt to the Angels in a six-player trade
that was announced after the game. "Its tough to see guys go," Padres third
baseman Chase Headley said. "I think guys know thats part of it." New York had
seized a 4-0 lead but Bartolo Colon couldnt hold it and left the game after
giving up four runs in San Diegos fifth inning. Colon was derailed by a sour
stomach and a headache. "He didnt feel very good," Mets manager Terry Collins
said. "The fifth inning wore him down a little bit. Usually as the game goes on
he gets better." Curtis Granderson drew a leadoff walk in the ninth and moved to
third on groundouts by Daniel Murphy and David Wright. After Lucas Duda was
walked intentionally, dArnaud punched a single to right field for his second RBI
and third hit of the game. "I just try to keep my eye on the ball and put a
swing on it," dArnaud said. "Fortunately, it found a gap." The Mets had gotten
the go-ahead run into scoring position in the eighth inning on Ruben Tejadas
two-out double, but Bobby Abreu grounded out and failed to get a hit for the
18th straight time as a pinch-hitter. Colon was strong early, which was
different for him. He had allowed a first-inning run in five consecutive starts,
before shutting down the Padres over the first 4 1-3 innings. The Padres snapped
a 25-inning scoreless skid when they scored four in the fifth. Will Venable
opened with a single, Jake Goebbert walked, and they advanced on a double steal.
Chris Nelson, who joined the Padres earlier Friday from Triple A El Paso,
singled in Venable. Alexi Amarista, who had three hits, followed with a
run-scoring single to slice the deficit in half. After Nelson and Amarista moved
up on Seth Smiths grounder to first, Headley tied the game with a two-run
single. New York extended its lead to 4-0 in the third when Duda scored after
starting the inning with a double. DArnaud drove in Duda with his second single
of the night. The Mets struck early with three first-inning runs as Ian Kennedy
struggled after getting two outs. Kennedy, who had surrendered just two runs in
21 innings, allowed three hits, nailed Duda with a pitch, and walked
Kirk Nieuwenhuis. "It showed the guys we are still in that zone right now,"
Collins said. "It was a good first inning. Hes been pitching good." The key blow
was Juan Lagares single that scored Duda and dArnaud, who was aboard on a single
that drove in Granderson. "Hes made some adjustments at the plate," Collins said
of dArnaud. "His confidence is soaring and he is seeing the ball really good."
NOTES: Padres RHP Andrew Cashner, sidelined by a sore right shoulder, will throw
on Saturday. ... 2B Jedd Gyorko will play this weekend for Triple A El Paso as
he rebounds from plantar fasciitis in his left foot. ... Padres SS
Everth Cabrera (left hamstring strain) is expected to leave Monday for a
rehabilitation assignment. ... Mets RHP Jon Niese (left shoulder strain) threw a
bullpen session on Friday. ... The Mets are 4-2-1 in their last seven series.
... Mets RHP Dillon Gee (4-1, 2.56) faces Padres RHP Tyson Ross (7-10, 2.85) on
Saturday night.
Jason Garrison Jersey . The Gatineau Olympiques head coach will lead Canada in its quest to end its gold medal
drought at the 2015 world junior hockey championship held in Montreal and
Toronto at the end of this year.
Valtteri Filppula Jersey . Hoffman, the former star closer, will evaluate and help co-ordinate all pitchers at Double-A,
Triple-A and the big league team. Byrnes says Hoffman "will be a key part of
finishing the development of our younger pitchers.SAN ANTONIO -- Teams are
finding out theres little they can do to stop Kevin Durant. Durant had 36 points
to offset Tony Parkers season-high 37, and Oklahoma City survived a testy
111-105 victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night, their third win this season
over the defending Western Conference champions. Durant is averaging 38.1 points
in his last 11 games, helping the Thunder reclaim the Western Conferences record
with a five-game winning streak and an 8-3 mark. "Kevin did his thing down the
stretch, it was pretty remarkable," San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Reggie Jackson gave Durant all the help he needed, matching his season high with
27 points while handing out eight assists. Durant and Jackson combined for 22
points on 9-for-15 shooting in a 35-point fourth quarter for Oklahoma City
(33-10). Jackson had 11 consecutive points early in the fourth, blowing past
Parker for layups to give the Thunder a 94-89 lead with 8 minutes left. "He has
had great games against the Spurs," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "I
cant put my finger on it. We want him to play aggressive basketball on both ends
of the floor. I thought he did a good job of finding spots on the floor that he
can finish around the rim." Jackson averages 13.2 points, but has scored 23.7
points against the Spurs this season. Durant bounced up and down excitedly after
his second 3-pointer of the quarter gave Oklahoma City a 108-98 lead with 1
minute remaining. "Durant hit some tough shots, he hit some big 3s down the
stretch and it just got away from us," Spurs veteran Tim Duncan said. "I dont
know how else to explain it." Duncan and Boris Diaw scored 14 points each,
Marco Belinelli had 13 points and Manu Ginobili added 10 points. Duncan added 13
rebounds, but San Antonio (32-10) struggled to overcome the loss of their top
defensive stopper, Kawhi Leonard. Durant finished 12 for 22, but struggled to
get his shot off against the snug defence of the 6-foot-7 Leonard, who has a 7-4
wingspan. Leonard left the game late in the first half after sustaining a
non-displaced fracture in his right hand. His status is unknown, but a similar
injury is expected to sideline Danny Green for a month. "Its tough, were
dropping like flies right now," Duncan said. "Losing Kawhi was huge, especially
in a game like tonight." Durant scored 24 points after Leonard left the game
with 3 minutes left in the first half. "I felt early in the game the
pick-and-roll was working," Durant said. "I was able to go at the bigs a little
bit and in the second half I missed some shots, too. They did a good job of just
being physical. I think in the second half the defence was a little better."
With Leonard out, the Spurs rotated Belinelli, Ginobili and 6-3 former Texas
Longhorns teammate Cory Joseph on the 6-9 Durant. San Antonio even attempted a
zone at one point to slow Durannt to no avail.
Anton Stralman Jersey. "(He guarded Durant) just one time in the zone -- he just shot over me," Parker said. "He is on fire
right now anyways. He played great tonight. You just have to give them credit."
The Spurs used a physical defence against Durant with Leonard out, especially
when Ginobili drew the assignment. The tough play angered Durant, who twice
lowered his shoulder and dropped Ginobili. Both plays resulted in non-calls,
which incensed Popovich. The Spurs coach screamed at officials while Durant
appeared to yell at Popovich. Popovich was assessed a technical foul, which
Durant angrily sank with 1:12 to give Oklahoma City a 55-51 lead with 1:19 left
in the first half. Durant dismissed the heated emotion just as quickly as he did
any psychological boost the Thunder will get from beating the rival Spurs three
times. "Im sure those guys arent worried that we beat them three times," Durant
said. "Were just going to keep plugging away." San Antonio is 1-9 against the
Wests remaining top-five teams and the Easts best, Indiana, but they have bigger
problems now. After remaining relatively healthy in reaching the NBA finals last
season, the Spurs have been plagued by a rash of injuries in the past month.
Leonard joins starting centre Tiago Splitter and former starter Green on the
injured list. Parker is also still has a bruised shin that limits his mobility
and long-range shooting forward Matt Bonner has to wear a mask after breaking
his nose Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. "(Losing Leonard) is a big
loss for us," Parker said. "We are already down Tiago and Danny, but everyone
goes through injuries and we have to deal with it. Other guys are going to have
to step up, but we just have to keep playing." Parker had 20 points in the
second half, including 12 in the fourth quarter. "Offensively, Tony was great,
but he needed some help for a little while and we just did not get it to him,"
Duncan said. There were four lead changes and six ties in the third quarter, but
Oklahoma City never trailed in the fourth. NOTES: Splitter (sprained right
shoulder) and Green (broken left index finger) both missed the game. ...
Oklahoma City is 10-4 in back-to-back games, including a 4-3 record on the
second night. They have swept three back-to-backs this season. San Antonio has a
54-22 record at home over Oklahoma City. ... Bonner, the Spurs fun-loving
forward, is playing along with the ribbing he is getting about the mask he must
wear to protect the broken nose he sustained Friday against the Portland Trail
Blazers. Duncan, who owns a vehicle customization shop, offered a custom-paint
job for the clear mask and Parker joked that Bonner could "scare Durant" with
it. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News jokingly asked if the injury
ends Bonners hopes of a modeling career once his NBA days are over. "I can still
be a hand model," Bonner said.
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