SAN DIEGO -- In what has been an emotional stretch for the San Diego Padres they have played their best baseball. Sheldon Richardson Jersey . The Padres ninth-inning rally on Friday night produced a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, their third straight victory. "This has been a tough week for San Diego," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When you look at the whole week, it has been more so than just the game. This was a good win for the city." Hall of Famer and Padres icon Tony Gwynn died Monday at age 54 after a long battle with cancer. The team has been struggling with the emotional aftermath since. But after returning home Tuesday, the Padres havent lost. With Gwynns No. 19 etched in right field, the Padres came back to beat the Mariners twice and added another thrilling win against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (0-3). "Its unacceptable to pitch a game like that," Jansen said. Everth Cabreras sacrifice fly capped San Diegos three-run ninth. "When I hit the fly ball I celebrate like it was a walk-off bomb," Cabrera said. "Especially against the Dodgers with all their fans from L.A. here." It was the Padres third consecutive win and it snapped a three-game winning streak by the Dodgers. Trailing 5-3, Alexi Amarista opened the San Diego ninth with a single off Jansen and scored on Carlos Quentins pinch-hit double. Venable tied the game when his double scored pinch-runner Andrew Cashner. Venable took third on Rene Riveras sacrifice and scored on Cabreras deep fly to right. "The last three days, we played real baseball," Cabrera said. Dale Thayer (3-2) pitched the ninth for the victory. Yasiel Puig, who had two RBIs for the Dodgers, left in the eighth inning with a mild left hip muscle strain. Seth Smith homered twice, doubled and walked for the Padres. It was Smiths sixth multi-homer game of his career. "I came in early and worked on some things," Smith said. "Its fun when you put in the work and you see the results." The Padres bullpen, which has been strong all season, threw four scoreless innings to keep the game close. "All year long those guys have done their thing," Black said. After Smiths second homer in the sixth, the Padres had the tying runs aboard when Cameron Maybin reached on a fielders choice and Amarista walked. But Jace Peterson struck out to end the threat. The Dodgers scored three times in the fifth, aided by two wild pitches and an error by Amarista at third base. With runners in scoring position and the infield playing up, Puig hit a one-out grounder between third and shortstop which deflected off the gloves of Amarista and Cabrera into short let field to score Dee Gordon. Amarista retrieved the ball and when his throw home was wide, Hanley Ramirez scored on the error. Puig advanced to third on the play and scored on Adrian Gonzalezs sacrifice fly for a 5-1 lead. Gordon opened the game with a triple and scored on Petersons errant relay throw to third. Later in the inning Gonzalez doubled and Matt Kemp drove him in with a base hit to left off Amaristas glove for a 2-0 lead. Smith homered to right-centre in the first to bring the Padres within 2-1. "There are always close games with these guys," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "To me, they are one of those clubs that are tough to beat." NOTES: The National Baseball Hall of Fame requested Clayton Kershaws cleats from his Wednesday no-hitter. Kershaw said his accomplishment has started to sink in. "I couldnt sleep very well that night obviously, then the next day to turn on the TV and hear about it was pretty cool stuff." ... Dodgers OF Carl Crawford (left ankle sprain) is still unable to do baseball activities, Mattingly said. ... Padres 3B Chase Headley was out of the lineup with a sore back. ... Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (left elbow soreness) has increased his throwing program and could join the team on its upcoming trip. There is no date for his return. ... Dodgers RHP Josh Beckett (4-4, 2.49) faces Padres RHP Tyson Ross (6-6, 3:27) on Saturday night. Calvin Pace . "Its time that you look at it," chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said, setting the stage for a rigorous first day of cross-examination of Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with premeditated murder for shooting Reeva Steenkamp three times through a toilet door at his home. Eric Decker Jets Jersey . Grant was fired a day after the Cavs dropped their sixth straight game, an embarrassing home loss to a Los Angeles Lakers team that started with eight players and finished with five.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Reggie McKenzie made clear on his first day as Raiders general manager that theres a new regime in Oakland. Soon after officially signing his contract to be the first general manager since longtime owner Al Davis death, McKenzie fired coach Hue Jackson in a bold first move as he looks to give the organization a fresh start. "There comes a time when change is necessary," McKenzie said Tuesday. "For the Raiders the time is now. The Raiders organization, with respect and deference for all its tradition and history, is about to embark on a new era." The era will begin without Jackson, who was fired after going 8-8 in his first season as head coach. McKenzie wanted to bring in his "own guy" to rebuild the organization. Finding that coach will be the first major task for McKenzie, who also must bulk up the personnel department and evaluate the roster in what promises to be a busy off-season. Owner Mark Davis said McKenzie will decide on the new coach and the personnel decisions, with the coach ultimately reporting to the general manager. Thats a major change from how the organization was run before Davis father, Al, died of heart failure on Oct. 8. Al Davis made all the major decisions when he was in charge of the team, with many of those now falling to McKenzie as Mark Davis focuses on finding a new stadium and other off-field issues. "Change happened on October 8th," Davis said. ""The one thing I know is what I dont know. The one thing I did know was I needed to bring the right people in here. ... My feeling always has been that if my father wasnt here we needed someone to run that football side of the building. I needed to find the right person. I truly believe that Reggie McKenzie is the right man for this job." McKenzie had spent the past 18 years in the front office of the Green Bay Packers, last serving as director of football operations. He was well-respected for his role in helping to build a Super Bowl championship team with the Packers and also had ties to the Raiders, having played linebacker for four years with the team in the 1980s. Many of his former teammates were on hand at the news conference introducing him. "Guys, this is where I came from. Im back home now. Im back home," he said. "As soon as Mark told me We want you for the job I couldnt, you know, I couldnt stop smiling." Davis said he had targeted McKenzie as his desired general manager in the weeks after his fathers death and noted it was awkward when he ran into him at the Raiders game in Green Bay last month. About an hour after Oaaklands season ended, Davis had the organization formally request permission from the Packers to interview McKenzie. Joe Namath Jersey. They sat down for a six-hour interview last Wednesday, with former Raiders coach John Madden assisting Davis. They quickly finalized the deal and McKenzie signed it Tuesday morning. He then immediately fired Jackson, marking a rapid fall for the man who was in charge of personnel decisions and coaching after Davis death. Jackson made the trade for quarterback Carson Palmer after starter Jason Campbell broke his collarbone, costing the Raiders a 2012 first-round draft pick and a conditional 2013 second-rounder. While Palmer showed signs of giving the Raiders a big-time quarterback, he was unable to get Oakland to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, raising questions about how effective that trade was. After starting the season 7-4, the Raiders lost four of their final five games to mark their ninth straight season without a winning record or a playoff berth. A late-game collapse at home against Detroit on Dec. 18 and a 38-26 loss to San Diego at home in the season finale did in the Raiders and ultimately Jackson. Jackson joined the Raiders as offensive co-ordinator in 2010 under head coach Tom Cable and engineered a dramatic improvement as Oakland more than doubled its point total and improved to 8-8. That helped him get the job when Davis decided not to retain Cable. The offence wasnt quite as effective with Jackson as head coach, with injuries to star running back Darren McFadden, receiver Jacoby Ford and Campbell played a role in the decline. But the biggest problems this past season were an inability to curb the teams propensity for penalties and on the defensive side of the ball. The team committed 163 penalties for 1,358 yards, setting records in both categories, as Jackson was unable to instil the discipline he promised. The Raiders also had franchise worsts in touchdown passes allowed (31), yards per carry (5.1), yards passing (4,262) and total yards (6,201), while giving up the third-most points (433) in team history. Oakland joined this seasons Tampa Bay team as two of the four teams to allow at least 30 TD passes and 5.0 yards per carry in a season, a distinction achieved previously by only the 1950 Baltimore Colts and 1952 Dallas Texans. The Raiders also became the sixth team since the 1970 merger to allow at least 2,000 yards rushing and 4,000 yards passing in a season. The new coach will be Oaklands seventh in the past 10 seasons, following Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin, Cable and Jackson. ' ' '
