lucylily's blog: "ght"

DENVER -- Chris Nelson wasnt sure he had hit the ball hard enough for a homer. When he saw the saw ball disappear over the fence as he rounded first base, out came a celebratory fist pump, and a day marked by frustration at the plate and in the field turned noticeably bright. Nelson had his go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning, and the Colorado Rockies overcame a career-best six RBIs by Chase Headley to beat the San Diego Padres 11-10 on Sunday. "I was hustling out of the box, but I got it pretty good and I was thinking triple out there," said Nelson, who was still fuming over his strikeout in his previous at bat as well as what he considered his sloppy fielding of a grounder to third base that Cameron Maybin beat out for an infield hit in the Padres three-run fourth. "The day wasnt going the best for me, just wasnt going well, and it all came out at once," Nelson said. "Ive had a couple (of game-winning homers) before but none like that one. Its a great feeling, a great feeling to be up at the plate with guys in scoring position and to get them all in." Tyler Colvin and Ramon Hernandez also homered and Dexter Fowler had three hits and two RBIs to help the Rockies win two of three to snap the Padres string of three consecutive series victories. "Everybody is just doing their job. Everybody is doing what they need to do to get the win at the end of the day," Nelson said. Headley drove in at least one run with each of his four hits, including his 23rd homer of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning. Alexi Amarista had a career-best five hits for the Padres, who had a season-high 20 on the day. "I was swinging good. I found some holes, hit a couple of balls hard, hit a couple not as hard and was able to find the holes today," Headley said. "I had a lot of opportunities with guys on base. It makes my job a lot easier when there is a lot of pressure on the pitcher." With San Diego leading 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Tommy Layne hit Carlos Gonzalez with a pitch, Jordan Pacheco singled, and one out later Nelson homered to straightaway centre against Brad Brach (1-4). It was Nelsons seventh home run of the season. "I was trying to throw a slider down and away and out of the zone," Brach said. "I left it up, he made a good swing on it and hit it out." Rockies manager Jim Tracy said Nelson has been swinging the bat well recently. "The ball has been on the barrel of his bat regularly lately," Tracy said of Nelson, who has had at least one RBI in four of his last five games. Colorado added a run in the eighth, with help from a two-base throwing error by Brach that allowed Charlie Blackmon, aboard with a walk, to advance to third. Fowler drove him in with his third hit of the day and second RBI single. Guillermo Moscoso (1-1) retired the only batter he faced to close the seventh, and Rafael Betancourt gave up three consecutive two-out hits in the ninth -- including an RBI single by Amarista -- before getting Chris Denorfia to ground out for his 27th save. The Rockies recovered to get the win after giving up a four-run lead following a seven-run third inning. San Diegos Casey Kelly, who pitched six scoreless innings to beat Atlanta in his major league debut last Monday, was roughed up when the Rockies sent 11 men to the plate in the third. Fowler singled to drive in the innings first run for the Rockies and after a two-out, ground-rule double by Gonzalez, Pacheco hit a two-run double to tie the score at 3-all. Colvin followed with a drive into the right-field seats for his 17th home run of the season and second in two games. After Nelson singled, Hernandez connected for a two-run shot, his first homer since April 27, ending a drought of 121 at-bats. Staked to the 7-3 lead after trailing 3-0 early, Rockies starter Jeff Francis couldnt get out of the fourth inning. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings, including Headleys two-run homer in the first and RBI single in the third. Headleys two-run single in the fourth helped the Padres pull to 7-6, finishing Francis and bringing on reliever Adam Ottovino. After Amarista doubled in the sixth and scored on Logan Forsythes single, Headley hit his third run-scoring single of the day and the Padres went in front 9-7. NOTES: Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki, on the disabled list since May 30 with a groin injury, was slated to play 5- and 7- innings Sunday and Monday at Triple-A Colorado Springs as part of a minor league rehab assignment. Hell be re-evaluated on his return. ... The Padres move on to Los Angeles, where LHP Andrew Werner (1-1) will pitch the opener Monday against the Dodgers RHP Joe Blanton (9-12). ... Colorado heads to Atlanta and RHP Tyler Chatwood (4-3) is set to start against the Braves RHP Kris Medlen (6-1). ... Pacheco extended his hitting streak to 11 games. ... The Padres previous season high was 18 hits on May 24 against the New York Mets. ... Amaristas five-hit game was the first by a Padre this season. cheap jerseys . A week earlier, Patrick killed another drive in a four-point game when he locked up with a Saskatchewan linebacker Chris Graham, ran him 10 yards off the field and into a blistering-hot sideline heater. The six-foot-five, 305-pound former San Francisco 49er has become the poster player for an Eskimo team that will play the B. cheap jerseys us . -- Paul Postma snapped a shot past Harry Sateri to give the St.LISBON, Portugal -- Cristiano Ronaldo makes a big difference for Portugal. When an ankle injury kept him out of Portugals first two European Championship qualifying games, the team drew at home against Cyprus and lost to Norway. When the captain returned, Portugal racked up a five-game winning streak that put it back in contention. Portugals problem, however, is that the squad lacks depth and, beyond Ronaldo, top-class talent in some key positions. As with previous greats Eusebio and Luis Figo, Ronaldos presence lifts the team a notch. The Real Madrid forward was Portugals top scorer in its qualifying campaign, with seven goals in eight games, and is the countrys third-highest scorer with 32 goals in 87 appearances. Portugal coach Paulo Bento, mindful of the weight on Ronaldos shoulders, is eager to stop the expectations from becoming a burden. "Were going to avoid putting pressure on any one player," Bento said. "We know what value, talent and commitment Ronaldo has given us but we wont put him under pressure to resolve the teams problems." That may be easier said than done for a team that so far hasnt looked like one of the continents best despite being ranked fifth in the world by FIFA. Portugal is the odd one out in what is arguably the tournaments toughest group as rivals Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark are all past winners of the tournament while the Portuguese are still chasing their first international title. Portugal came close to collecting its first silverware at Euro 2004, when it lost to Greece in the final. At the 2006 World Cup, it reached the semifinals. Since then, it has rarely impressed. Perhaps Portugals biggest shortcoming is the absence of a world-class centre forward. Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida have had disappointing seasons at their clubs but they have remained first-choice strikers in a Portugal teeam that gets most of its goals from midfield players.dddddddddddd The pair together scored seven goals -- the same as Ronaldo -- in qualifying. When Ronaldo is absent Portugal looks to Nani, who missed the 2010 World Cup because of injury. But the winger, despite some spectacular goals, hasnt made the same impact as Ronaldo with Portugal or Manchester United. There is also a question mark over the right back and left back positions. Fabio Coentrao has been inconsistent on the left of Real Madrids defence, while Sporting Lisbon right back Joao Pereira is seen as a lightweight. There is no obvious replacement for either of them. The most encouraging development for Portugal is Bentos career as national coach. When he replaced Carlos Queiroz in September 2010 after Portugal earned only one point from its first two qualifiers, Bentos only previous senior coaching experience was at Sporting Lisbon between 2005-09. But Portugal recorded five straight victories after he took charge. And crucially, Ronaldo regained his goal touch under Bento. Ronaldo scored three times in his first four appearances under Bento after finding the net only twice -- once from the penalty spot -- in 18 matches with Queiroz. Bento has also broadened the squad by trying out a series of uncapped players and has recalled others sidelined under his predecessor. "The change (of coach) brought new blood and a change of mentality, and Paulo Bento should be congratulated," Ronaldo said. Despite the improvements, Bento, a former defensive midfielder who played for Portugal at Euro 2000 and at the 2002 World Cup, is aware that its a big ask at Euro 2012 to get Portugal beyond the group stage -- a hurdle it has never before failed to clear. "Its a very difficult group," Bento conceded. "Well have to be at our best to reach the following round." ' ' '