Dein erstes Forum » obviously disappointing to see my side, Leed

BALTIMORE -- Not so long ago, the Padres were scuffling for victories no matter the opponent. Now a scrappy roster minus high-profile names is finding ways to win even against one of the American Leagues best. Alexi Amarista homered and doubled twice and the San Diego Padres matched their season-high with 17 hits, beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Wednesday for a two-game sweep. Everth Cabrera had four hits and a walk, and Jedd Gyorko had three singles for the Padres, who are 13-6 after a 5-15 start. John Baker hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the second against Freddy Garcia (0-2), and Kyle Blanks hit a solo homer in a two-run fourth as San Diego took a 4-1 lead. "Weve been playing well the last three weeks," said Padres manager Bud Black, whose club rallied after losing three straight at Tampa Bay. "Things have turned in a good way. We had a tough series down in Tampa. I liked the way the guys responded today. It was outstanding. We got to their starter. We kept the pressure on, got a lot of base hits." Every starter had at least one hit for the Padres, including Amarista, who entered the game batting .233 in 73 at-bats. Slotted eighth in the lineup between Blanks and Baker, the lefty-swinging outfielder went the opposite way for a two-run homer off Tommy Hunter in the seventh. "Every time you have an opportunity to get in there and produce, you have to take advantage of that so you can have some more opportunities to help the team," Amarista said through a translator. J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles off Jason Marquis (5-2), who won his fourth straight start. Manny Machado had four hits. In getting swept for the first time this season, the Orioles allowed a season-high 17 hits. Marquis allowed two runs, seven hits and four walks in five-plus innings. He has a 2.45 ERA in his last four starts. Garcia gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2-3 innings, his shortest outing in three starts for the Orioles. "Not quite as crisp," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We just didnt pitch well today. What did we give up, like 17 hits? It wasnt just Freddy. They had some good fortune, too, but they hit a lot of balls hard too. They came in here and swung the bats well." Baltimore loaded the bases in the first before Wieters hit an inning-ending groundout. The sinkerball-throwing Marquis also escaped damage in the second and fifth by inducing double-play grounders. "Some days youre not going to feel as good as others, but at the end of the day you have to make pitches in big situations," Marquis said. "I dont want to keep putting myself in those situations, but if you do, got to find a way." Dale Thayer relieved Marquis with two on in the sixth and retired three in a row. Bakers second-inning single was one of three straight two-out hits. The fourth inning included Blanks homer, Amaristas second double of the game and Will Venables RBI double off T.J. McFarland. "Baker, Amarista, Blanks get in the lineup, those guys want to be a part of the contribution," Black said. "Today they were." Machado has at least three hits in four of his last five games and is batting .560 (14 of 25) in that span. The Orioles finished the first quarter of the season with a 23-17 record, not that Showalter is interested in such road markers. "This is an impossible game to be perfect at," Showalter said. "Im not going to get too reflective at the . thats for the Preakness or whatever it is, where they go a quarter-mile and all that other stuff." NOTES: The Padres have four series sweeps. ... After throwing 35 pitches on Wednesday, Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez (blister) is expected to pitch Friday either in a simulated game or in the minors. Placed on the 15-day DL on May 4, Gonzalez is 2-2 in six starts. ... Padres INF Logan Forsythe (right foot plantar fasciitis) is eligible to come off the 60-day DL on May 22, but will not begin baseball activities this week, Black said. ...Following an off day, the Orioles start a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Jason Hammel (5-1) is slated to start Fridays opener against Jeremy Hellickson (1-2). ... The Padres return home for four games against Washington. Edinson Volquez (3-3) starts for San Diego on Thursday against fellow RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-5). Jeff Hornacek Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Rudy Gobert Jazz Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/kids-jeff-hornacek-jazz-jersey/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Tony Bradley Jazz Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Adrian Dantley Jersey . 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.Jonny Bairstow reveals which caped hero he would dress up as, plus reflects on Englands Headingley victory, his second Test ton and Leeds Rhinos struggles… Headingley was a great Test match for myself and the team - and I also had a lot of fun chuckling at the crowd!There were loads of people in fancy dress - I saw foxes, plus Zippy from Rainbow and much, much more, and it just goes to show how great a place Headingley is to play and watch cricket. Jonny says he fancies dressing up as Robin If I attended I would probably come as Ron Weasley from Harry Potter - I have the hair for it - but having been to university I am no stranger to fancy dress, while I have pretended to be Batmans sidekick Robin in the past.Liam Plunkett would probably be my Batman - thats who he turned up as at a Yorkshire end-of-season do and as he is a bit taller than me we would probably look the part.Im sure there will be plenty of fancy dress up at Durham, too, with it being Bank Holiday Weekend, and I expect there will be people wanting to outdo the Yorkshire folk in those stakes. Im sure the Durham fans will be disappointed that Ben Stokes is out injured and so are we - we know the qualities he possesses in all departments.Hes our fourth seamer, a destructive batsman at No 6, and is superb fielding either in the slips or in the outfield, so it will be a big loss.Stokesy, too, will be frustrated that he wont be out there - thats the sort of competitor he is - but as he has two kids Im sure he will be kept pretty busy!We wish him a really speedy recovery, and we know that whoever comes in will do a sterling job. Jonny Bairstow’s return to the England team came about in the fifth ODI against New Zealand last summer SpecialI now have two Test centuries to my name after my 140 at Headingley, and although they have come in completely different scenarios, both were very special.The first one, my 150 not out against South Africa in Cape Town, was huge because it was my first in an England shirt but the second was big, too, as it was on my home ground with the side in a more difficult position.I didnt tell myself too much when I came in at 83-5 - you dont want to change too much about the way you have been playing so I didnt consciously adapt anything. Bob Willis and The Verdict panel praise Jonny Bairstow’s hundred against Sri Lanka at Headingley and look at the strides he has made since his early Tests I was slightly nervous in the nineties - if youre not in that situation then I think theres something wrong with you - but thankfully I was able get over the line.ddddddddddddI enjoyed my partnership with Alex Hales - the runs he scored and the length of time he batted was imperative for us as we set a total that helped us win the game.Steven Finn played his part, too - his flick for four off sixth stump was an epic shot! He was delighted and we had a real laugh about it, but we quickly told him to get back in his box! Steven Finn, perhaps surprisingly, played some glorious shots at Headingley TurnaroundI didnt get to see much of Magic Weekend with the Test overlapping with it but it was obviously disappointing to see my side, Leeds, beaten by Wigan.Its been a real tough start for the team and they are currently bottom of the table, but they are a tough unit and have a brilliant fan base which will stand them in good stead.We must not forget that they won the Super League and Challenge Cup double last season and that over a long period of time the club has achieved a huge amount of success. Highlights from the Magic Weekend match between Leeds and Wigan The quality in the side is unbelievable and it will only take one or two games and for one or two things to go their way and then they will be on a roll - thats the nature of sport.Its like my golf game - Im hitting it really well at the minute but no doubt it wont be too long before it turns around and I am playing a few more shots than I would like!Watch live coverage of Englands second Test with Sri Lanka, from 10am, Friday, Sky Sports 2. Also See: WATCH: Players of First Test England fixtures/results Beefy backs Root, Broad Sri Lanka fixtures/results ' ' '