ld be a bigger pot in free agency. Raul Ibanez hit 29 homers at age 41, but there its unclear if Seattle wants t | Forum

ATLANTA -- Andrelton Simmons believes winning close games in late September can only help the Braves in October. Jordan Henderson Jersey . Simmons single to the gap in right-centre drove in Justin Upton with two outs in the ninth inning to give Atlanta a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. It was Simmons third game-ending hit of the season and the Braves 24th win in their final at-bat. Simmons said its a good habit for the NL East champions to carry into the playoffs. "Its always good to have those close games and come out victorious and create that winning habit that weve had throughout the year," Simmons said. "To keep that going into the post-season is big." Upton led off the ninth by hitting the first pitch from Donovan Hand (0-5) for a single to left. Freddie Freeman hit a fly ball to deep centre for the first out before Evan Gattis, who had three hits, hit a grounder that Scooter Gennett bobbled behind second base for an infield hit, leaving runners at first and second. The official scorer originally ruled Gennetts play an error before changing the call after the game. Brian McCann popped out to third base for the second out before Simmons first hit of the night ended the game. "Hes come up big in those situations," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez of Simmons, who is best known for his standout defence at shortstop. Gonzalez said Simmons, 24, thrives in pressure situations. "Hes got a pretty good temperament and I just think he keeps getting better and better," Gonzalez said. "... We all know what kind of defender he is, and I think his bat is just going to keep getting better and better as he matures." Craig Kimbrel (4-3), who leads the majors with 49 saves, struck out the side in the ninth. He has 96 strikeouts in 65 innings. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi hit his first homer of the season in the fifth for Milwaukee. Brewers rookie Tyler Thornburg set a career high with eight strikeouts while giving up two runs, seven hits and one walk in seven innings. Thornburg, 24, has allowed no more than two runs in any of his seven starts. "You never feel good when you dont win a game, but hes got to feel good about what he did this season," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "From a Triple-A start, thats quite a finish." Thornburg was born in Houston but attended high school in the metro Atlanta area. "Being from here, I tried to push the moment aside a little bit and to try to stick with what Ive been doing," Thornburg said. "And it worked well tonight." Thornburg had consecutive wins over the Cardinals and Cubs before facing the Braves. He also had strong starts against Texas and Pittsburgh. "I know there are a lot of people out there that either dont think I belong or dont think I belong in the starting rotation," Thornburg said. "I did pitch against four playoff teams. It wasnt exactly bad teams I was facing. Im really excited about that. That will give me a lot of confidence going into the off-season." Freddy Garcia allowed two run, six hits and one walk in 6 2-3 innings for Atlanta. Garcia, 36, had seven strikeouts to set a season high in a combined 13 starts with Baltimore and the Braves. Jonathan Lucroy gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead in the first when his single drove in Norichika Aoki, who doubled. Lucroy leads the majors with 76 RBIs as a catcher. He has driven in 82 runs overall. Thornburg was helped by double plays in the second and third innings before giving up a run in the fourth. With two outs, Freeman singled and scored on a double to the base of the wall in centre field by Gattis, who was thrown out trying to advance to third. NOTES: The Braves announced RHP David Hale will start Thursday night against Philadelphia. RHP Kris Medlen will have an extra day of rest before starting Friday night, followed by LHP Mike Minor and RHP Julio Teheran. Medlen, Minor and Teheran are in line to be the first three in the rotation for the playoffs, but Gonzalez said hes not yet ready to name Medlen the Game 1 starter. ... Brewers SS Jean Segura had to stop running before the game after he felt tightness in his strained right hamstring. ... Roenicke said RHP Wily Peralta, who developed a blister on his throwing hand in his last start against the Cardinals on Sunday night, will not make his scheduled start Saturday against the Mets. ... Braves LHP Paul Maholm and Brewers RHP Kyle Lohse will bring 10-10 records into Wednesday nights final game of the series. Chris Smalling Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Theo Walcott Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http:///...er-UEFA-EURO-Jersey/ .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry.SEATTLE -- Lloyd McClendon was hired as manager of the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, taking over a rebuilding job that Eric Wedge walked away from. McClendon becomes the third manager hired by general manager Jack Zduriencik. Wedge quit at the end of the Mariners fourth straight losing season, citing differences with the front office on how to move forward with improving the team. Wedges three-year contract expired after the season. The 54-year-old McClendon is the 16th full-time manager in club history. He takes over a club that went 71-91 last year. He will be formally introduced by the team on Thursday. "I am extremely excited about the opportunity to manage the Seattle Mariners," McClendon said in a statement. "Seattle has a tremendous group of talented players and the fans and city should be excited about the clubs future. Im looking for this group to take a big step forward." Seattle is the fourth club to fill its managerial vacancy. The Washington Nationals hired Matt Williams to replace Davey Johnson. The Cincinnati Reds, who fired Dusty Baker after a 90-win season, went with pitching coach Bryan Price as their new manager and Detroit chose Brad Ausmus to take over for Jim Leyland -- a job McClendon interviewed for. The Chicago Cubs are still looking for a manager. McClendon was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2001-05, going 336-446 during the Pirates 20-year stretch of losing seasons. Pittsburgh never won more than 75 games or finished higher than fourth in the NL Central during his tenure and he was fired in early September of the 2005 season. After Pittsburgh, McClendon settled into a stable role Leylands staff in Detroit. For eight seasons, McClendon was a coach for the Tigers, including the last seven as hitting coach. He interviewed for managerial positions in Seattle and Miami during that stretch, but never got an offer. "Lloyd is a bright and articulate guy," Zduriencik said in the statement. "He has major league managerial experience and has served in a vital capacity in Detroit under one of the games best managers. He is a tireless worker and is very respected by the players with whhom he has worked. Nathaniel Clyne Jersey. We look forward to Lloyd embracing our players as we move the Mariners forward." Zduriencik didnt expect to be in this position. As of late September, Zduriencik was preparing for Wedge to be around to continue to rebuild Seattle into a contender. Instead Wedge left and Zduriencik was tasked with hiring the eighth manager or interim manager for the franchise since 2002. McClendon was one of five reported finalists for the Mariners job, a list that included Joey Cora, Oakland bench coach Chip Hale, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach and San Diego bench coach Rick Renteria. McClendon was the only one of the group with previous major league managerial experience. Cora had ties to the Mariners franchise from his time as a player in Seattle. McClendon spent eight seasons in the majors as a player with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and the Chicago Cubs. He immediately transitioned from a playing career into coaching, serving as a hitting coach for the Pirates in 1995 until he accepted their managerial position before the 2001 season. McClendon will likely need time to build a winner in Seattle even with a starting rotation anchored by AL Cy Young award finalist Hisashi Iwakuma and 2010 Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. The Mariners havent been to the post-season since 2001, and there are numerous roster questions for the club playing in one of baseballs toughest divisions. Seattle has high hopes for young catcher Mike Zunino, shortstop Brad Miller and second baseman Nick Franklin. Justin Smoak solidified himself at first base after showing some consistency at the plate last season and third baseman Kyle Seager was the Mariners most reliable everyday player. But even with making a qualifying offer, it seems unlikely slugging designated hitter Kendrys Morales will accept a $14.1 million, one-year deal when there could be a bigger pot in free agency. Raul Ibanez hit 29 homers at age 41, but there its unclear if Seattle wants to bring him back, and hes not a long-term solution. The rest of the Mariners outfield is unproven and their bullpen struggled for stretches of the season. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jersey ' ' '