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SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Cashner is "totally aware" the San Diego Padres have never had a no-hitter in their mostly sad-sack history, which has now reached 46 seasons and 7,176 games. cheap jerseys . After throwing his second one-hitter in a span of five starts, the big Texan is the leading candidate to end that drought. "Thats one of my goals. I definitely want a no-hitter," Cashner said after allowing just one single and striking out 11 in a 6-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. "I dont think theres any reason why I cant build off this. When you get late in a game and your pitch counts high, youve really got to bear down and grind through. I think this will build toward something down the road." Cashner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Rajai Davis hit a one-out flare single into centre field, just past the glove of outstretched second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Davis stole second and third, and Ian Kinsler walked before Miguel Cabrera hit into a double play. Cashner ended his remarkable outing by striking out Cabrera, the AL MVP in 2012 and 2013, on a 95-mph fastball. On Sept. 16 at Pittsburgh, the right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in a one-hitter. He retired his first 18 batters before Jose Tabata grounded a clean single into right field leading off the seventh. Cashner said Friday nights one-hitter meant more. "Just with the guys in their lineup, it was a lot bigger game. Theyve got a heck of a team over there. A lot of guys can hit the ball out of the park." Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs. Cashner (1-1) retired 14 in a row before allowing the single. He walked two. "I felt as good as Ive felt in a while," he said. "Im conditioned to run the bases and to be a complete ballplayer." Manager Bud Black said Cashner was so good because of "tremendous movement with command" of his fastball. That was a well-pitched game. Well-pitched. As good as youre going to see." Five of his strikeouts were looking, including all three in the third, when he caught pitcher Rick Porcello, Davis and Kinsler looking at strike three. "He was just beating guys with his velocity. They just couldnt get the head out front," Black said. "But when you have a pitcher hitting the glove for called third strikes, and you see the look on the hitters, and I saw that early on, I knew he had a good feel for his fastball." Dating to Aug. 19, Cashner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine straight starts for an ERA of 0.96. "He pitched outstanding," said Brad Ausmus, who worked in San Diegos front office before being hired as Detroits manager in early November. "Hes always been a hard thrower. He located extremely well. His slider was extremely effective, his changeup. I know hes not a household name, but I know what h is capable of." The Padres hit Porcello hard, collecting 10 hits in his 6 1-3 innings. He left after Cashner singled. The Padres were onto Porcello from the start. Everth Cabrera hit a leadoff single, advanced on two groundouts and scored on Gyorkos triple. The ball hit the heel of right fielder Don Kellys glove and hit the ground as Kelly slammed headfirst into the wall. After being checked by a trainer, Kelly stayed in the game. Headley then doubled into the left-centre gap to bring in Gyorko. Headley homered to right on a 2-2 slider from Porcello with one out in the sixth, his first. It was estimated at 385 feet. Seth Smith was aboard on a leadoff double. Porcello (1-1) allowed five runs and struck out five. "There were a couple of balls up in the zone that the Padres hitters took advantage of," Ausmus said. "But he kept us in the game. Its really more about the way Cashner pitched more than anything else." NOTES: Padres CF Cameron Maybin, who ruptured his left biceps tendon making a diving catch in a spring game on March 2, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Manager Bud Black said hed like Maybin to get more than 20 at-bats during the assignment. "Right now hes restarting his spring training," Black said. "Hes in baseball shape. Now weve got to get him in baseball-ready shape." ... Black said pitcher Josh Johnson, whos also on the DL, still has soreness in his forearm. ... Black said LF Carlos Quentin, on the DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is working in the weight room and hitting in the indoor batting cage. Black said Quentin is getting close to hitting on the field. ... The series continues Saturday night when Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27). Verlander was one of several top players the Padres could have taken with the first pick in the 2004 amateur draft. Instead, they took local SS Matt Bush, who was a bust. Verlander went to the Tigers with the second overall pick. nfl jerseys china . The Bobcats (2-2) trailed 35-23 early in the second quarter, but cut the lead to 42-40 at halftime. Charlotte outscored Cleveland 32-17 in the third quarter to go ahead 72-59 and pulled away. cheap nfl jerseys . Free agent John Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but has struggled the past two seasons, agreed to a one-year, $4.The NHLs Mar. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out todays trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. Not Much Talking Steve Zipay of Newsday reports that the New York Rangers have yet to have concrete contract talks with their captain Ryan Callahan who will become an unrestricted free agent at seasons end. The article says many teams would be interested in the 28-year-old gritty and skilled forward if the Rangers dont spend enough to keep him in the Big Apple. A concern could be with Callahans health as hees racked up a number of various injuries over his career. cheap jerseys from china. No First-Rounders Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun reports that Calgary Flames general manager Brian Burke sees no scenario in which he would give up his first round pick which will likely be a top-five lottery selection. "No — its not in play," said Burke to the Sun. ""Weve had no inquiries — people wait to see the draft sequence." Burke said hes looking for trade partners in the market right now, but hasnt received any offers that make sense in the long term. He thinks trade talk will pick up after the Olympic break. Dennis Wideman and David Jones are being shopped around according to the article. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
