on could play some third base, where he | Forum

NEW YORK -- If rookie Ryan Schimpf keeps hitting home runs at this pace, he could play a key role in the Padres future. DeSean Jackson Eagles Jersey .The 28-year-old second baseman homered twice and drove in six runs as San Diego beat the reeling New York Mets 8-6 on Friday night.I want him to kind of get lost in the game hes competing in and the day and not think about what it means in the future, Padres manager Andy Green said. I think if youre worried about your future, you dont do nearly as well in the present.Fellow rookie Jabari Blash and Christian Bethancourt also homered early for the Padres, who handed the Mets their fourth straight defeat and sixth in seven games. The defending NL champions (57-58) fell below .500 for the first time since April 17.One day after getting swept at home by last-place Arizona, the Mets again failed to look like legitimate wild-card contenders. Beneath a dark sky with lightning flashing, the Padres lineup provided quick thunder against starter Logan Verrett (3-8).San Diego, which has alternated wins and losses since July 26, jumped out to a 5-0 lead six batters into the game -- including a grand slam by Schimpf.Travis Jankowski opened the game with a single, and Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte walked to load the bases.After a popout to left field, Schimpf sent a 1-0 fastball just over the center-field wall for his first career slam.Its just one game, but Im just trying to go up there and put together a good at-bat, said Schimpf, who has spent parts of eight seasons in the minors. Just trying not to do too much and not think about numbers.As Mets fans began to chant Rainout! Rainout! hoping for a reprieve, Blash hit an opposite-field homer into the visitors bullpen to make it 5-0.The threatening clouds passed, and inclement weather couldnt save New York.Travis dArnaud, who had three hits, got the Mets on the board in the second, lining a two-run homer to left off Padres starter Paul Clemens.San Diego answered immediately in the third. Schimpf sent a two-run shot into the right-field upper deck, his 12th home run in 47 games.I was just up there trying to get a good pitch to drive and I got two of them, so its good to do something and get the win, Schimpf said.Two batters later, Bethancourt chased Verrett with a solo home run, putting the Padres up 8-2.The four homers allowed by Verrett, who gave up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings, were the most by a Mets starter since Bartolo Colon also served up four in April 2014.Im disappointed in the game today, Verrett said. I put our team in a hole.Clemens (2-2) pitched five innings of three-run ball, and Brandon Maurer worked a flawless ninth for his fifth save.Jay Bruce had an RBI single in the fifth, and New York rallied in the sixth against San Diegos bullpen.After dArnaud led off with a single, Alejandro De Aza was hit in the neck by Buddy Baumanns 87 mph fastball. De Aza was OK, and Matt Reynolds followed with an RBI double. Ty Kelly had a run-scoring single to make it 8-5.Left-hander Brad Hand struck out Curtis Granderson, and pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores grounded into a fielders choice that scored Reynolds.They did not roll over at all. They fought and made it a heck of a baseball game, Green said. A lot of teams easily roll over when theyre down 8-2 and just kind of concede the game.A trio of Mets relievers combined for 6 1/3 perfect innings with eight strikeouts.SHUT `EM DOWNThe Padres have won 133 consecutive games when leading after eight innings, the longest active streak in the majors.TRAINERS ROOMPadres: RHP Tyson Ross (right shoulder, right ankle) will throw a bullpen Friday or Saturday. He is inching closer to pitching live batting practice. ... CF Jon Jay (right forearm) will return to San Diego on Sunday and have tests done on Monday. Green hopes Jay will then be cleared to begin swinging a bat.Mets: INF Jose Reyes (oblique) continued his rehab assignment with Class A Brooklyn, going 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs while playing seven innings at third base.UP NEXTPadres: RHP Jarred Cosart (0-1, 5.79 ERA) makes his third start for San Diego since being acquired from Miami. He has allowed five runs on 11 hits and six walks in 8 1/3 innings with the Padres.Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (7-5, 2.35) goes for his fourth straight quality start. He is 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA since the All-Star break. Reggie White Eagles Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Seth Joyner Womens Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. https:///...rds-Inverted-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.ATLANTA, Georgia - When Alex Anthopoulos made blockbuster deals with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets to acquire the likes of Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and R.A. Dickey, he couldnt have envisioned his Blue Jays mired in last place in the American League East two months into the season. Yet after play on Wednesday, after an impressive 3-0 win over the Braves, the club was seven games under .500 and looking up at the rest of the division, eight and a half back of first place Boston and five and a half back of its nearest foe, Tampa Bay. The offence has come around. The statistics say so. The Blue Jays are a middle of the pack team in team batting average (.253) and on-base percentage (.320) after being near the bottom of the league in both categories in April. The club is slugging sixth-best in the majors (.427,) powered by 67 home runs, second-most in the American League. Its the starting rotation, afflicted by injuries, aches and inconsistency, which has the most room for improvement. "I think (the offence) will be able to carry us for quite some time, but theres no question the rotation is going to be a big part and getting a guy like Josh (Johnson) back soon is going to help," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "Expect R.A. (Dickey) to be a lot better and Buehrles continuing to throw the ball better. Even a guy like Chad (Jenkins,) we didnt know what to expect, but Chad has done a really nice job." The Blue Jays 5.46 starters ERA ranks ahead of only two teams in Major League Baseball: Houston and Minnesota. Check the standings for the commonality; the three clubs each are last in their American League division. Josh Johnson (triceps) and J.A. Happ (head/knee) have injuries that have forced them out of the lineup. R.A. Dickeys pitched most of the season battling a neck strain which has robbed him of his high-velocity knuckleball. Brandon Morrow, who missed 10 days in May with a back strain, left Tuesdays game against the Braves after two innings with a strained forearm. While he expects to make his next scheduled start, Sunday in San Diego, he would be less than 100-percent. Mix in visits to the disabled list for relievers Sergio Santos and Darren Oliver and the uncertain availability of closer Casey Janssen and its been a trying season. Anthopoulos and his staff study different ways to maximize a pitchers health and efficiency but he concedes injuries are a risk of the business. "Weve done the same program for 10 years, the same staff," said Anthopoulos. "Weve looked at it, I think we were 14th lowesst, basically the middle of the pack, in DL days. Miles Sanders Youth Jersey. . Weve studied it and always, just like the same thing, we dont get a guy in from third base with less than two outs, you feel like youre the only team in the league doing it and a lot of teams are going through it, a lot of teams have guys going down and getting hurt. From that standpoint, I think DL days, it seems across the league are up. I think for the most part you continue to study it." BULLET POINTS Anthopoulos addressed a number of other topics, including: - Josh Johnson will make his final rehab start on Thursday night, for Buffalo, in Durham. Johnson is on schedule to pitch on Tuesday, when the Blue Jays open a two-game series in San Francisco. - Brandon Morrow, suffering from a forearm strain, is expected to make his next start on Sunday in San Diego. The final decision wont be made until closer to the date. - Brett Lawrie, placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 28, will be shut down for a week to allow his sprained left ankle to heal. Lawries likely to return in no more than three weeks. - Rajai Davis is close to returning from a strained oblique. Davis played in an extended spring training game on Wednesday. - Jose Reyes, whos begun taking batting practice and ground balls as he rehabs a badly sprained ankle, is about two weeks away from appearing in an extended spring training game. Reyes is expected to return to the Blue Jays in late June. - The club has considered different options in order to keep Adam Lind in the starting lineup in games played under National League rules. The absence of the designated hitter makes it a challenge. Edwin Encarnacion could play some third base, where he played in only one game last season. Lind, who played 16 games in leftfield in 2010, may see time in the outfield. - Anthopoulos was asked if Ricky Romero, who allowed eight runs in just 2/3 of an inning in his latest start at Triple-A Buffalo, is suffering a crisis of confidence and needs time away from the game. "I dont know," said Anthopoulos. "He hasnt said that to me. He hasnt been able to pinpoint anything. I think you have to be open to anything at this point. Some people have talked about confidence and so on. I dont know how you could be confident when youre not having some success. Its the age old question, what comes first? Everyone has theories and we brainstorm and weve had so many people come up with ideas. Its one of those things that he continues to work and pitch and hopefully at some point hes going to find it again." ' ' '