who hit a second-pitch fastb
who hit a second-pitch fastb
LOS ANGELES -- A.J. Ellis hasnt had many opportunities to drive in important runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season because of his two stints on the disabled list. But Ellis was in the batters box at the right time Saturday night. His bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted the Dodgers 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres and increased his RBI total to seven. "Its great to be in those situations. Its something you always want to be a part of," Ellis said. "After the eighth inning, I looked up at the scoreboard. I saw where I was hitting and I said, You know, theres a chance something could happen in the ninth. "And I got in a position to be the guy who drives in the big run." Adrian Gonzalez greeted Kevin Quackenbush (1-2) with a leadoff double before Matt Kemp struck out and Andre Ethier was intentionally walked. Juan Uribe then worked out a seven-pitch walk that included two checked swings that were upheld on appeal by first base umpire Jim Wolf. Ellis then lifted a 1-2 pitch to right field after Padres manager Bud Black then employed a drawn-in five-man infield. "You cant even look at them," Ellis said. "One of the worst things you can do as a hitter is try to direct the ball. You just hit it where its pitched. In that situation, Im looking to get a ball in the outfield, anyway, so the infield is the least of my concerns. Im just looking for something up that I could hit to centre or right, and I was really happy to find a pitch up there." Kenley Jansen (1-3) pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory, striking out cleanup hitter Yasmani Grandal with runners at first and second. The Dodgers win, coupled with San Franciscos loss, put the Dodgers back in front of the Giants by a full game in the NL West. Left-hander Paul Maholm, coming out of the bullpen to make a spot start for the injured Josh Beckett, threw 64 pitches through the first six innings -- using just nine in the first, third, fourth and sixth. "Unfortunately for Josh, he had to miss a start and go on the DL, so I had to step in," Maholm said. "Ive made it known to the front office that I want to start, and thats my gig. But I signed up for this. So whenever the call, they call -- whether its one hitter or a couple of innings, I just want to pitch." It was Maholms 250th career start, his eighth this season and first since May 14 against the Marlins, when he was charged with 10 runs -- five earned -- over 3 2-3 innings in a 13-3 loss at Dodger Stadium. The Padres only hits off him were singles in the fourth and seventh by Chase Headley, whose solo homer in Thursdays series opener ended Clayton Kershaws string of 41 consecutive scoreless innings. Maholm, who came in 1-6 with a 4.27 ERA in his eight previous career starts against San Diego, was lifted by manager Don Mattingly after Headleys leadoff hit. Brandon League finished the seventh after retiring Carlos Quentin on a double-play grounder to third with his second pitch. Ian Kennedy held the Dodgers to three hits over eight innings and struck out eight, after back-to-back victories over Cincinnati and Colorado. This was the third straight start in which he pitched at least six innings while allowing fewer than two earned runs, and the ninth overall under those circumstances. St. Louis Adam Wainwright leads the NL with 12 such outings. "Thats a really good lineup, but youve just got to navigate through it and execute pitches," Kennedy said. "Later on in the game, my curveball was better, sharper. It wasnt very good in the bullpen and I was bouncing it. But my fastball location was keeping me ahead of guys." Dodgers All-Star right fielder Yasiel Puig was ejected by umpire David Rackley after he took a called third strike to end the third inning. His only other ejection in the majors was on June 11, 2013 -- his ninth big league game -- after a bench-clearing incident that also involved Kennedy. NOTES: By virtue of Puigs ejection, Ethier and Kemp found themselves at the same positions they had for most of their careers before Puig came along. Ethier moved from centre to right, Kemp from left to centre, and Carl Crawford went in to play left. ... The Padres are taking advantage of the four-day All-Star break by optioning RHP Jesse Hahn (5-2, 2.21 ERA) to Triple-A El Paso after he pitched six innings of three-hit ball Friday night in his seventh big league start and beat the Dodgers 6-3. Manager Bud Black said the club will continue to keep a close eye on Hahns innings the rest of the season. ... INF Jace Peterson was recalled by the Padres to fill in for injured 1B Tommy Medica, who was removed from Thursdays game because of tightness in his groin and remains on the active roster. ... Kershaw shaved off his scraggly beard for Sunday nights trip to Minnesota and his fourth career All-Star game. Al Woods Jersey . -- Officials have approved a deal to build a new $672 million stadium for the Atlanta Braves away from the downtown Atlanta area that has traditionally been its home. Peyton Manning Jersey . LOUIS -- The Atlanta Braves used a two-run rally in the ninth to end their road trip with a win. http://www.coltsfansshop.com/Colts-Regg ... ft-Jersey/. PETERSBURG, Fla. T.Y. Hilton Jersey .com) - On the bright side, either the Minnesota Wild or Buffalo Sabres will end their losing streak on Thursday night. Malik Hooker Jersey . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes. ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman heard fans calling his name and, with dark clouds moving in, he knew the grounds crew had just removed the cover from the infield tarp. What better time for a game-winning hit? Freemans single to the centre-field wall scored Jason Heyward from second base with two outs in the 10th inning on Sunday, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. "You live for moments like that when you want to be a big league player," Freeman said. "You hear the crowd chanting your name and you want to come through. So it was a pretty cool moment." Freemans big hit saved the game from an almost certain wait through bad weather. "I was like, Yes, we dont have to go to any more innings and we wont have a rain delay," Freeman said. "We were all thinking about it." Sure enough, minutes after the postgame celebration ended on the field, a thunderstorm brought lightning and heavy rain to Turner Field. Cincinnatis Johnny Cueto and Atlantas Julio Teheran were spectacular. Each allowed only three hits in eight scoreless innings before giving way to relievers. "It was a great game," Cueto said through a translator. "We both competed. Things went good for us, him and me." Cueto struck out 11. He has allowed only one run in his last three starts, leaving him with a 1.15 ERA. Teheran also has given up just one run in his last three starts. His 1.47 ERA has helped the Braves starters lead the majors with their 1.57 mark. "He just keeps getting better and better," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. With two outs in the 10th, Heyward hit a single up the middle off J.J. Hoover (1-3). B.J. Upton followed with a grounder that bounced off Hoovers glove toward shortstop for an infield hit. "I thought I had it and it kind of hit a second gear and just tipped out of my glove," Hoover said. Left-hander Manny Parra was summoned to face Freeman, who hit a second-pitch fastball for a drive that bounced on the warning track beyond centre fielder Billy Hamiltons reach. Braves players swarmed Freeman at second base following Atlantas first three-game sweep of the Reds since 2008. Freeman tried to duck from the swarm of congratulaatory slaps and swats.dddddddddddd "I got hit from every angle, but its always a good feeling," he said. The Reds couldnt take advantage of a scoring opportunity in the 10th. Ryan Ludwick hit a one-out single off David Carpenter and moved to second on Zack Cozarts two-out single. Pitcher Mike Leake pinch-ran for Ludwick at second base. Atlanta left-hander Ian Thomas (1-0) ended the threat by getting pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina to pop up. Cueto, coming off back-to-back, complete-game wins over Pittsburgh, finished one strikeout away from his career high of 12 set April 16 against the Pirates. Teheran struck out five and walked two. Jordan Walden maintained the impressive pitching by recording two strikeouts in a perfect ninth. Reds manager Bryan Price and pitcher Homer Bailey were ejected in the first inning after a replay ruling went against them. Price asked for a replay after first-base umpire Greg Gibson called Upton safe on a pickoff throw from Johnny Cueto. The replays shown on the video board indicated first baseman Joey Votto may have applied the tag before Upton reached the bag. Price came back out of the dugout after the ruling that the call stands, meaning there was not "clear and convincing" evidence to overturn it. Price was ejected by crew chief Bill Miller, the second-base umpire. Miller also tossed Bailey, who argued from the Reds dugout. "In the end, you have the biggest Jumbotron in the country out there in centre field that would strongly suggest that the runner was out on the pickoff," Price said. "And then to say that hes not seems to contradict what everyone in the ballpark thought was an out. I didnt get it. It didnt make any sense to me." NOTES: The Reds, playing their first extra-inning game of the season, completed a 5-5 road trip. ... RHP Alfredo Simon will face Cubs RHP Jeff Samardzija on Monday in Cincinnati. ... The Braves are off on Monday before beginning a series at Miami on Tuesday when LHP Alex Wood will face RHP Jose Fernandez. ... The ejections were the first for the Reds since Brandon Phillips on Sept. 1, 2012 at Houston. The last Reds manager to be ejected was Dusty Baker on Aug. 28, 2011. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '