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. Dino Ciccarelli Jersey . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. Mattias Janmark Jersey . Carey Price made 27 saves for Montreal (30-21-6) for his fourth shutout of the year and second in four games. David Desharnais added an empty netter for the Canadiens. Reto Berra stopped 25 shots for Calgary (21-28-7). http://www.authenticstarspro.com/Alexand...v-stars-jersey/. Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Jon Casey Jersey . This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up. Ben Bishop Jersey . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward.WINNIPEG – As an early afternoon practice wrapped in the blustery Manitoba capital of Winnipeg, Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle ambled over to James Reimer, stretching just outside the visitors crease, and offered a quick word. He, the 25-year-old Toronto backup net-minder and Manitoba native, would be making just his fourth start in the past 16 games against the Jets the following evening. It was the word of opportunity for Reimer, who has fallen into the role of backup, outmatched in recent weeks by Jonathan Bernier, his Quebec counterpart. "Its been," said Reimer in conversation with the Leaf Report, pausing briefly to choose his words, "its been an interesting year. Thats maybe the best way I can describe it." More than eight months after he steered the Leafs into their first playoff appearance in nine years and Reimer is no longer the no. 1 guy in Toronto. Bernier has wrestled hold of that mantle for the time being, earning the bulk of starts since the middle of December – 32 on the year compared with 21 for Reimer. Challenged, doubted, and dissected often throughout his 127-game NHL career, be it through summer trade talk for Roberto Luongo, deadline trade talk for Miikka Kiprusoff or a concussion that badly derailed his first full season, Reimer has managed to overcome a series of different hurdles in his tenure as a Leaf, but maybe nothing quite like this. Bernier is not a rumoured threat, nor a nagging injury to bypass, but a feisty challenger itching to prove himself in the spotlight. And thus far, the 25-year-old has taken full advantage of the opportunity hes been granted in Toronto, sitting amongst the top-10 in league save percentage (.925), while eventually establishing himself as the Leafs undeclared no. 1 starter. The looming challenge for Reimer is to snatch the job right back. And he plans to fight for it. He has not and has no intention of asking for a trade out of Toronto despite circumstances (Bernier trade, a proven track record) that might have led others in his situation to stray down that path. "Your end goal is to be the guy and you want that, but youve got to focus on everyday what I need to do so that that can happen," said Reimer. "Its like I want to win the Cup, but its not like every day I hit the ice Im going to win the Cup. I want to win the Cup, but when I hit the ice its what do I need to do to be the best I can be. And if you focus on that everyday then eventually the Cup will come. "Same with this (situation). Its obviously something you want. Its something you really want. But youve got to focus on a lot smaller goals." Those goals start with making full use of the opportunities he gets, however infrequent, and reshape a race that is likely far from over. One such oopportunity presented itself earlier this week in Denver, Reimer propelling the Leafs to an unlikely 5-2 win over the Avalanche with 35 big saves.dddddddddddd And now another opportunity looms against the Jets on Saturday evening, his club looking to avenge a 7-1 loss in Dallas two nights earlier. Reimers only real control in the matter of playing time is performance. And though he started with a bang in October – a gaudy .949 save percentage in six games – that performance has dipped downward (albeit with little help in some situations) with Bernier proving the more reliable and consistent of the two. "Thats exactly the way you approach it," Reimer said of earning more starts with performance. "You try not to look ahead. You try not to say Id like to get 10 out of 12 (starts) or 10 out of 20, or whatever, three out of seven, whatever it may be. "To me, when I get the nod I want to go out there and play my heart out." This is unfamiliar terrain for the Morweena native, that of the NHL backup. Though he very briefly battled with Ben Scrivens at the outset of last season, Reimer has quickly defined himself as a viable starter in the league, finishing 2013 with eighth best save percentage while steering the Leafs to a near-first round upset of the Bruins in the playoffs. He owns an impressive 63-38-15 career mark with a sturdy .915 save percentage. Falling into the role of second fiddle, thus, has been a challenge, mostly in the mental arena. "Its 105 per cent mental, I think, this game," said Reimer. "Its all about trying to be in the right mindset and trying to stay positive and knowing that when you have the extra time to work on stuff thats what youve got to do. Youve got to work your butt off so that when you get the nod youre as prepared as you can (be)." His longer-term future in Toronto remains murky at best. Reimer is a restricted free agent this summer with Bernier locked up for another year. In theory, the organization could opt to keep both – though Reimer holds arbitration rights and would seem to hold a pretty good case for a good raise – but more than likely one will be gone by next fall, if not sooner. Both want and have earned the right to start. The choice will ultimately belong to general manager Dave Nonis, who brought Bernier into the fold from Los Angeles in his first big splash as the Maple Leafs boss last summer. Reimer wants to stay and wont ask to go. But he also wants to play and intends to fight to do so. "I feel like Im becoming a better person for it or at least I hope so," he said of the experience this season. "I feel like Im battling and grinding and trying to do everything I can. As far as I know if youre doing that then thats all you can do." 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