Spielberichte » and general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

MINNEAPOLIS -- At the crack of the bat, San Diego Padres manager Bud Black didnt think centre fielder Alexi Amarista had a chance to get Eduardo Escobars screaming line drive. Step by blazing step, it didnt take Amarista long to give Black and the rest of his team some much-needed hope. Amarista made that game-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth inning and Seth Smith followed with a solo homer in the 10th to lift the Padres to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. "Then I saw Alexis route, and youre sort of watching Alexi and watching the ball," Black said. "And then in flight, you think maybe." Amarista ran backward on a dead sprint and laid out for a brilliant diving catch of the drive with two on and two outs to keep the game tied. "When he hit it, I thought game over," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We just watched their whole outfield move way in with two strikes, and he moved way in when that ball was hit, and Esco got a hold of it really nice, we thought he had no chance to catch that ball. But the young man ran it down, and it was a hell of a play." Smith had two hits and two RBIs. Joaquin Benoit picked up his fourth save in five tries and the Padres earned a split in the two-game series. Trevor Plouffe had a homer and three RBIs for the Twins. But All-Star closer Glen Perkins blew his fourth save in 32 chances this year. San Diego trailed 4-3 going into the ninth against Perkins, but Everth Cabrera tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The Padres earlier in the day hired Texas Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller as the teams new general manager, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The speedy Amarista was a late-game defensive replacement, and what a move it was for Black. He raced a good 35 yards or more to track down Escobars hit and the Padres bench erupted when he hauled it in. Smith responded with a drive more than 400 feet off Anthony Swarzak (2-1) into the right-field stands for his 12th homer. "It was nice to win a game like that," Smith said. "Those are the games you need to win." Kevin Quackenbush (2-2) got the win. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Yangervis Solarte came up hobbling in the sixth inning after sliding home to tie the game at 3. Solarte appeared to actually roll over a bat laying in his way as he made the slide. But he was able to finish the game at third base. Twins: Gardenhire said first baseman Joe Mauer and right-hander Ricky Nolasco both had successful debuts on their rehab stints with Class A Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night. Mauer (strained right oblique) was scheduled to play first base on Wednesday. If all goes well, Mauer will join the team in Houston next week. Gardenhire said Nolasco (elbow) "felt great" after throwing 51 pitches. He will make at least one more start before being activated. FOR STARTERS Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne gave up four runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. It was his third straight outing allowing at least four runs and his third straight where he hasnt reached the seventh inning. "Hes been a little bit too up out over the plate for the most part," Black said. YONDER HEATS UP Alonso went 6 for 8 in the series to raise his average to .233. He was activated from the disabled list last week after dealing with right wrist tendinitis, and Black said he can see the difference. "Theres no soreness in his wrist," Black said. "His forearms, his hands, everything having to do with gripping the bat feels good. His timing is there. Hes one of the guys that we need to continue this hitting." UP NEXT Padres: San Diego is off on Thursday before opening a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday night. RHP Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.59) will start the opener against Pirates RHP Vance Worley (4-1, 2.43). Twins: Minnesota starts a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday night. RHP Yohan Pino (1-3, 4.57) pitches for the Twins against newly acquired As LHP Jon Lester (11-7, 2.59). Marty Mcsorley Jersey . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Custom Los Angeles Kings Jerseys .C. -- The Steve Smith era in Carolina is over. http://www.kingsauthentic.com/authentic-rogie-vachon-kings-jersey/ .200. His solution to his hitting woes was business in the front and a party in the back."That would be a mullet," Norris says. Los Angeles Kings Jerseys .com) - American Madison Keys grabbed a first- round victory on Sunday in a rainy start to the Apia International Sydney tournament. Rob Blake Jersey . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup. TAMPA, Fla. -- Bobby Raineys never lacked confidence in himself. All he wants is an opportunity to show he can play in the NFL. "Thats my motivation, when people tell me what I can and cannot do," the diminutive running back said Sunday after rushing for 163 yards and scoring three touchdowns to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominate the Atlanta Falcons 41-28. Picked up on the waiver wire last month, Rainey is playing for his third team in less than two seasons. This performance came six days after he carried the ball for the first time with Bucs and played a key role in helping them get their first win. "To come back and do it again today was huge," Rainey said. The 5-foot-8, 212-pounder whose lack of size hurt his chances of being drafted is making his mark while filling in for the injured Doug Martin and Mike James. Rainey scored on first-half runs of 43 and 3 yards, then caught a 4-yard TD pass from Mike Glennon in the third quarter to help the Bucs (2-8) win for the second straight time following an 0-8 start. The previous week, he rushed for 45 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in a 22-19 victory over Miami. He began the season as a kick returner and backup running back with the Cleveland Browns. "Hes stepped up. We put a lot on his plate, but hes handled it well," receiver Vincent Jackson said. "Hes being very coachable. Hes taking in everything thats being asked of him, doing a great job in the passing game as well, picking up blocks," he said. "I see the kid being successful the rest of this year. We put guys in position to be successful. Hats off to our coaches for working with him, putting the time in so he can go out there and compete." Matt Ryan threw an 80-yard TD pass to Harry Douglas, extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one touchdown to 16 games. He threw a 6-yarder to Roddy White in the fourth quarter, but also was sacked three times by Tampa Bays Gerald McCoy and had one of two interceptions returned 37 yards for a TD by linebacker Mason Foster. The Falcons (2-8), who went a NFC-best 13-3 and finished one victory shy of the Super Bowl last season, have lost four straight by a combined score of 135-61. "Its embarrassing, the way we came out and performed as a team. I mean all of us," Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez said. "Its all of us. (Im) gettting tired of it.dddddddddddd Its all of us. Thats the thing about it. Its going to take all of us to get out of it." Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he still has confidence in coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. "I absolutely do. And, theyve earned it over the past five years," Blank said. "Its a tough business. Weve had a lot of injuries, and issues on top of the injuries. These guys are proven leaders and proven by success. ... Theyll do the work that has to be done with my full support." Glennon completed 20 of 23 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jackson caught a 3-yard TD pass and finished with 10 receptions for 165 yards. Rainey entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Baltimore after leaving Western Kentucky as the Hilltoppers career rushing leader. He was released once, re-signed to the Ravens practice squad and eventually wound up on the active roster before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Baltimore went on to win the Super Bowl, and Rainey received a championship ring despite not appearing in a regular-season game as a rookie. "I think preparation meets opportunity. ... Hes not lucky. This guy worked his tail off, he trained to do all the right things, and here come his chance and hes ready for it," Bucs coach Greg Schiano said. "So good for us, good for him." The Bucs opened the season with eight straight losses, with four of the setbacks coming in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. They beat Miami to become the last team in the league to win this season, and played again Sunday with a confidence thats been building since an overtime loss at Seattle two weeks ago. Ryan completed 19 of 36 passes for 254 yards. He was replaced by Dominique Davis midway through the fourth quarter, but re-entered the game after the backup limped off the field with an injury. The Falcons trailed 41-13 before Antone Smith scored on a 50-yard run and Ryan threw his TD pass to White. NOTES: Foster, who left the game in the second half with a concussion, became the first Bucs linebacker since Derrick Brooks in 2002 to return two interceptions for TDs in the same season. ... The Falcons rushed for 152 yards, most of it in the fourth quarter. Besides his 50-yard TD burst, Smith gained 38 on his only other carry. ... Douglass had six receptions for 134 yards for Atlanta. 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