recognizes the leagues top teams use their fourth line

SAN DIEGO - Rookie Tommy Medica walked into the San Diego Padres equipment room to get a new cap before Friday nights game and noticed one of Yasmani Grandals 35-inch, 32-ounce Louisville Slugger bats. "I saw a nice-looking piece of lumber," said Medica, who normally swings a 34-31 bat. "I Picked it up, it felt good. I said, Im going to try it out today. " Great move, because it powered a career night. Medica had five hits, including two two-run home runs, drove in four runs and scored four runs — all career-bests — to lead the Padres to a 10-1 win against the Atlanta Braves. "Can he borrow it tomorrow?" said manager Bud Black, who will write Medica into the lineup again Saturday night. "That was quite a night for him. The two swings to start the night for him were great swings." Left-hander Eric Stults and three relievers combined on a four-hitter. Everth Cabrera had four hits for the Padres, who had a season-high 20. Medicas previous career-high was four hits a week earlier at Atlanta. He made his big league debut in September and is in his third stint with the Padres this season. Medicas second shot, on a 1-0 pitch from Mike Minor with one out in the third, went an estimated 438 feet into the second deck in left field and gave San Diego a 5-0 lead. His first homer, also to left, was on a 1-1 pitch with two outs in the first. He has six this season. Medica singled in his final three at-bats. "I was feeling good and it just seemed like good things happened. To get that last hit like that, it was just the way the game was going," he said. Medicas first big league hit was a homer off Cliff Lee in the second at-bat of his debut on Sept. 10. "Tommy can be a little streaky at times so hopefully right now were catching him in a hot streak," Black said. The Braves, who lost their fourth straight game, have been held to 10 runs total in their last five games. Stults (4-13) won for just the second time in his last 11 starts. He didnt allow a hit until the fourth, when a two-base error by right fielder Jeff Francoeur on B.J. Uptons fly ball to the warning track led to an unearned run. Chris Johnson hit an RBI single with two outs. Cabrera scored twice and drove in a run. He was aboard for Medicas first homer. Jedd Gyorko, who continues to hit well after his return from a 44-game stay on the disabled list, was aboard for Medicas second shot after hitting an RBI double in the third inning. Gyorko is 8 for 19 with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and four runs scored in his five games back. Minor (4-7) allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings, walked two and struck out one. He has allowed six runs in three of his last four starts. San Diegos hitting frustrated the Braves. "They found holes," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "We never seemed to be close to it. We would play a little shift and they would hit the ball down the line. We played the line, they would hit a ball in the hole. Tommy (La Stella) is playing a shift on Tommy Medica and he hits two ground balls to the right side. Will Venable is looping balls in front of our outfielders. It was just one of those things." TRAINERS ROOM Braves: Outfielder Jason Heyward missed his fourth straight game with back stiffness. He left Mondays game against San Diego. He originally was hurt while chasing a foul ball on July 24. Padres: Grandal, the catcher, missed his second straight game with fluid in his right knee, which was surgically repaired last summer. ON DECK Braves: Right-hander Ervin Santana (10-6, 3.63) tries to beat Padres in consecutive starts. He pitched five-hit ball for eight innings in Mondays 2-0 win in Atlanta. Padres: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.66) returns after missing his start Monday at Atlanta because of a left oblique strain. HEADS UP PLAY Medica singled in the fifth and advanced on Rene Riveras grounder to third. With the Braves not paying any attention to him, Medica stole third. "I just kind of saw the shortstop and third baseman. They turned around and Minor was still kind of looking at the plate," Medica said. "I just started walking and noticed no one was still seeing me and I took off. With a lefty on the mound I knew it would be tough to turn all the way around and throw me out." OFFENSIVE PADRES After a brutal first half, the Padres have scored 71 runs in 14 games since the All-Star break, the most in the NL. HOT GYORKO Gyorko is hitting .421 (8 for 19) with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in five games back from the DL. Buy Cheap Vans Australia .com) - Jahlil Okafor had 21 points, Tyus Jones scored 16 with 10 assists and No. Cheap Vans Shoes Australia Free Shipping . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. http://www.wholesalevansaustralia.com/ . The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Wholesale Vans Authentic . - David Tomasek had two goals in regulation time and was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Belleville Bulls upset the Oshawa Generals 6-5 on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action.Following their end-of-season collapse, Dave Nonis told TSN Radio 1050 that hes looking to get the Leafs back to where they were two seasons ago when the team broke their seven-year playoff drought. The GM said the additions of Leo Komarov, Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak were made with the expectation that the veterans would set an on-ice example of the way the Leafs want their top players to compete. “Those players can generate a lot of emotion and they can bring players into the fight with them, and thats what we had two years ago and we need to get it back this year,” Nonis said. Despite the addition of two defencemen, Nonis said he wasnt overly concerned about his back-ends overall talent level, but felt like their fit as a group of six wasnt ideal. “We wanted to change the way we played the game. With Robidas and Roman, youre talking about guys who play very very hard and the compete-level of those guys is a big part of their game and we think itll rub off with the rest of our group.” Besides the players he did sign and acquire, Nonis also weighed in on the loss of centre Dave Bolland, and the Josh Gorges situation, in which the veteran blueliner accepted a deal to the Sabres after vetoing a trade that would have sent him to Toronto. “We did put a significant offer on the table for him,” Nonis said of the Bolland negotiations. “We felt it was reflective of his value to us, where he should be paid and there was another team that felt like he should be paid more.” On Gorges: “I may find that odd, but thatts his choice and hes earned that right.dddddddddddd” To round out his roster, Nonis mentioned he is still in the market for forward depth, pointing out the Leafs are looking to put an emphasis on increasing the reliance on their fourth line. “Your third and fourth lines have to contribute,” Nonis said, adding that he recognizes the leagues top teams use their fourth line for between eight and 12 minutes a game in order to lighten the load on top-end players and prevent them from wearing down. In addition to possible future free agent additions, Nonis speculated Josh Leivo, David Broll and possibly Sam Carrick could challenge for a roster spots up front next season, while on the back-end, Petter Granberg and Stuart Percy could work their way into the mix. Addressing the rumours surrounding back-up goaltender James Reimer, Nonis said he is fielding offers for the 26-year-old, but if a deal cant be reached expects him to be ready for the start of camp. “If theres a deal that makes sense for us to move James Reimer, and makes us better and gives us assets that are reflective of what he is, which is a goaltender who has been a no. 1, who could challenge for a no. 1 here, then youll look to do it,” Nonis said. “But its difficult finding quality goaltenders. We think he is one and I would expect if there isnt a deal that makes sense that he would come to camp in the best shape that he could possibly be in with the mindset to play in as many games as he can.” Nonis: Leafs looking to increase compete-level ' ' '