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CHICAGO -- Ian Kennedy has had enough problems getting run support from his offence. Olivier Vernon Jersey . This time, he had to deal with a mental lapse by his defence. Kennedy struck out nine in six strong innings and Yonder Alonso hit a two-run homer to lead the San Diego Padres past the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Friday night. Cameron Maybin hit his first home run of the season in the third inning, but also had a mental lapse in the fourth. With one out and Conor Gillaspie on second, Alexei Ramirez hit a routine fly to Maybin in centre field. Maybin thought it was the third out of the inning. He put his head down and started jogging in. Gillaspie noticed that Maybin was unaware of how many outs there were and tagged up to third without a throw. One pitch later, Gillaspie scored on Kennedys wild pitch to tie it at 1. "You hate to see that," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Cam, when he came in, the first guy that he went to was to Ian and apologized. Cam doesnt make those mistakes." It wasnt the first time Kennedy had to overcome a position player forgetting how many outs there were. "Ive done it before on the mound so at that point, for me, Ive just got to get over it. My job was to keep that runner there. Yeah, but he came up to me and apologized to me," Kennedy said. "It was after he hit the home run and I said, Make it up to me, hit another home run, I will forget about it." Kennedy (4-6) allowed one run and four hits with three walks. The right-hander has struggled to get help from San Diegos offence. Before the game, he ranked 98th out of 101 qualified pitchers with 2.79 runs of support per nine innings. He struck out the side in the fifth and Gillaspie leading off the sixth. Alonso finished with three hits as the Padres ended Chicagos three-game winning streak. Padres closer Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 16 opportunities. Nick Vincent and Joaquin Benoit backed up Kennedy with a scoreless inning apiece. "In this day and age the bullpen is so important," Black said. "Our guys have been pretty solid all year, pretty consistent. We saw that again tonight. We feel good about our pen. Its a big part of our early-season victories." White Sox starter John Danks (3-5) followed an impressive outing against the Yankees with seven effective innings against the Padres. Danks allowed two runs and scattered eight hits. He struck out four and walked one. "I for the most part was able to get the kind of contact I wanted," Danks said. "Obviously, made some mistakes and got burned for them, but all in all it was a good day." Danks pitched eight shutout innings last Saturday but ended up with a no-decision in Chicagos loss to New York. White Sox starters have 2.21 ERA in their last 10 games. "Theyve come along," manager Robin Ventura said. "I think theyre getting stronger as we go along. Where were at right now, you stay with them and we have confidence when they go out there." Maybin led off the third with a home run on a 2-0 pitch from Danks. It was his first home run since June 9, 2013, at Colorado. Danks got help from second baseman Gordon Beckham. Everth Cabrera put down what appeared to be a perfectly placed bunt, but Beckham dove at the ball in the infield grass and swiped the ball with his glove to Adam Dunn at first for the out. Rene Rivera led off the fifth with a double to the warning track in centre and later scored on Danks wild pitch to give the Padres a 2-1 lead. "Its kind of odd that they score a run on a wild pitch and we score a run on a wild pitch," Kennedy said. "Its crazy how the game works like that. For the most part, its nice to get that in the next inning right away." Alonso added insurance runs in the eighth with a two-run drive off reliever Javy Guerra, his fourth homer of the season. NOTES: Kennedy struck out 12 against Miami on May 8. ... White Sox LHP Chris Sale (4-0, 1.73 ERA) will start Sunday instead of Monday, scuttling a potential marquee matchup against Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 3.57). ... Chicago DH-1B Paul Konerko, bothered by a stiff back since Tuesday, said he was available to pinch-hit. ... Ventura reiterated his support for RHP Ronald Belisario (3-0, 5.10) as the teams closer, saying there was no need to break in somebody else. Belisario has three saves in six chances. ... San Diego RHP Andrew Cashner (2-5, 2.35) threw all his pitches during a bullpen session and is expected to throw a simulated game Monday. Cashner has been on the disabled list, retroactive to May 15, with soreness in his right elbow. ... Black said LHP Robbie Erlin (3-4, 4.53) continues to rehab his sore left elbow in San Diego and there is no timetable for his return. Erlin is on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 18. Dion Jordan Authentic Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders have signed quarterback Trent Edwards and defensive tackles David Carter and Torell Troup to reserve/future contracts. Randy Starks Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.The Houston Astros failed to sign the first pick in this years draft, San Diego high school left-hander Brady Aiken, before Fridays deadline. The head of the players association says the union is working with the pitcher and his advisers to explore "all legal options." Aiken originally was offered a deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus by the Astros, a person familiar with the negotiations said earlier this week, speaking on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized. But the club expressed a concern over Aikens elbow ligament and lowered the offer, the person said. The union is also concerned with Houstons handling of the negotiations with fifth-round pick Jacob Nix. The right-hander from Los Alamitos, California, didnt sign either. "Today, two young men should be one step closer to realizing their dreams of becoming Major League ballplayers," union head Tony Clark said in a statement. "Because of the actions of the Houston Astros, they are not. The MLBPA, the players and their advisers are exploring all legal options." The Astros insisted in a statement that their offer to Aiken "was extremely fair considering all the factors involved in this case." "As always, we approached these negotiations in good faith and with the best interests of the Astros organization in mind, both short-termm and long-term," the team said. Larry Csonka Authentic Jersey. "Throughout this entire process, we have absolutely acted within Major League Baseballs rules and guidelines, which MLB has confirmed on numerous occasions." MLB Executive Vice-President Dan Halem defended the team Tuesday and said "we fully support the Astros." "We believe that they have conducted themselves appropriately," Halem added. Aiken was just the third high school pitcher to be selected first overall when he was taken last month, joining fellow lefties Brien Taylor (1991, Yankees) and David Clyde (1973, Rangers). He was also the first high school lefty to be drafted in the first five picks since Adam Loewen went fourth overall to Baltimore in 2002. Both Aiken and Nix have committed to UCLA and are being advised by Casey Close. The Astros were the first team to select first in three consecutive drafts, picking shortstop Carlos Correa in 2012 and right-hander Mark Appel last year. Aiken has terrific control of a fastball that hits 96-97 mph, a knee-buckling curve and a tough changeup that sits in the low- to mid-80s. On draft day, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow raved: "Its the most advanced high school pitcher Ive ever seen in my entire career." "He has command like Ive never seen before of his stuff," the GM said. ' ' ' |
