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DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins meet in the rubber game of their series Sunday against the backdrop of history.Ichiro Suzuki is one hit shy of becoming the 30th player in major league history to reach 3,000 hits. He got No. 2,999 with a pinch-single in the eighth inning on Saturday night, stayed in the game and narrowly missing No. 3,000 in the ninth when pitcher Scott Oberg bobbled Suzukis high-bouncer, slipped to one knee while retrieving the ball and narrowly threw him out.After the Marlins 12-6 loss, manager Don Mattingly would not say whether he plans to start Suzuki on Sunday afternoon against Rockies right-hander Jon Gray.Ichiro declined to speak Saturday night, saying through a Marlins public relations official that after a loss he had no desire to talk about his personal accomplishment or anything upbeat.Regardless, the baseball world will be watching Sunday, waiting and hoping that Suzuki makes history. One of those with more than passing interest in his quest is Ken Griffey Jr., who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July and was Suzukis teammate in Seattle. The Mariners provided the following remarks by Griffey.I got a first row (seat) to watch one of the greatest ballplayers to (ever) play ... to watch what hes done, day in and day out, Griffey said. Its pretty impressive ... for him to go out there and roll out the hits that he has, its pretty incredible.Its a tribute to his work ethic and everything that he believes in. ... It is something special, not just for the guys who played with him but for all of baseball and all the people in Japan. This is something thats huge. I know that he doesnt take it lightly. He works hs butt off day in and day out.Opposing Gray for the Marlins will be Adam Conley, who is 7-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 22 starts. Right-handed hitters have hit 10 homers against Conley but are batting just .225 (78-for-347). Left-handed hitters havent homered against Conley but are batting .306 (33-for-108) against him.He has been much more effective against right-handed hitters.Conley is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA on the road, including his last start on Monday in Chicago where he lost 5-0 to the Cubs and gave up two runs, five hits and six walks with four strikeouts in four innings.Gray, a rookie in his first full season in the majors, is 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA overall in 19 starts and 5-0 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts at Coors Field.In Grays past seven outings, he is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA, and hes 3-0 with an 0.69 ERA (26 innings, two earned runs) in four starts since the All-Star break with eight walks and 25 strikeouts. Not surprisingly, Gray is brimming with confidence.Even when Im not on my game, I know I can keep us in the game, just by competing, Gray said. Saucony Online Outlet . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Wholesale Saucony Shoes . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. http://www.wholesalesauconyaustralia.com/ . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Saucony Clearance . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Saucony Shoes Sale . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves made another move in the dramatic offseason retooling of their rotation on Thursday by acquiring left-hander Jaime Garcia from the St. Louis Cardinals.The Cardinals got a trio of prospects, including second baseman Luke Dykstra, the son of former All-Star Lenny Dykstra. The Cardinals also landed right-handers John Gant and Chris Ellis.Tied for the fewest wins in the NL this season, the Braves began to reconstruct their 2017 rotation by recently agreeing to one-year deals with veteran right-handers R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon.Garcias $12 million option for 2017 was recently exercised by the Cardinals. Like Dickey and Colon, Garcia could be a bridge to young pitching prospects. Julio Teheran returns as a fixture atop the rotation. Among other candidates for the rotation are Mike Foltynewicz, Josh Collmenter and Matt Wisler.Braves general manager John Coppolella said he the team had interest in Garcia long before the offseason deal.We had targeted him for a number of years and feel he will be an impactful part of a revamped rotation, Coppolella told The Associated Press. It was tough to trade away three kids we really liked, but we want to win and we want to create competition for our young pitchers. I spoke with Jaime and hes feeling great and really excited about this opportunity.The Braves are moving into new suburban SunTrust Park in 2017.Garcia has spent his entire injury-interrupted career with the Cardinals, going 62-45 with a 3.57 ERA. He was third in rookie of the year voting in 2010, went 13-7 the following season while helping St. Louis win the World Series, and threw 171 2/3 innings last season -- the second-most of his career.But the 30-year-old with a history of shoulder trouble was also just 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA last season, and a glut of starting pitchers made him expendable. The Carrdinals are expected to have Lance Lynn back after missing last season to an elbow injury, and Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and rookie Alex Reyes are expected to solidify the rotation.ddddddddddddThe Cardinals also plan to have Michael Wacha start again, and general manager John Mozeliak has indicated former closer Trevor Rosenthal could be stretched out to start.By trading Garcia and his $12 million option for next season, the Cardinals gain the financial flexibility to chase down an outfielder, their biggest remaining hole. They already shored by their bullpen by signing left-handed reliever Brett Cecil to a four-year, $30.5 million contract.The 21-year-old Dykstra, a seventh-round pick of the Braves in 2014, hit .304 in 81 games for Class-A Rome. He was voted an All-Star in the South Atlantic League.He may have the biggest name recognition, but the two pitching prospects may offer more upside.The 24-year-old Gant debuted with Atlanta last season, making seven starts and going 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 20 games. He also made 12 appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett, going 3-3 with a 4.18 ERA.Ellis made 28 starts for Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi, going 12-9 with a 4.49 ERA. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander was a third-round draft pick of the Angels in 2014.The Braves also have signed utility player Sean Rodriguez, who played for Pittsburgh the last two years, to an $11.5 million, two-year contract and acquired outfield prospect Alex Jackson, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2014 amateur draft, from Seattle for right-handers Rob Whalen and Max Povse. Jackson may be given an opportunity to play catcher, his high school position.---AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report. ' ' '