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PEORIA, Ariz. Adidas Zx Flux Weave w m21371 . -- Asked how miserable he was in a 2013 season in Toronto filled with arm pain and hard-hit balls, Josh Johnson chuckled and shook his head. "Miserable might be an understatement," Johnson said Friday. "It was like two innings and all of a sudden eight runs are on the board. I had no idea what was going on. It was crazy." The right-hander was able to crack a smile in part because he has a surgically repaired elbow and a fresh start with the San Diego Padres, a combination he hopes will help him return to the form that included two All-Star selections and a National League-best 2.30 ERA with the Marlins in 2010. "Before he got hurt, to me, he was the most dominating pitcher in the National League and probably in the major leagues," said Joaquin Benoit, another of the Padres off-season pitching acquisitions. "It will be really good if hes healthy. Hes going to be a really big piece for our rotation." Thats the plan for the normally thrifty Padres, who opened spring training Friday with the first workout for pitchers and catchers sporting a new look and a higher payroll. The Padres signed Benoit away from Detroit with a two-year, $15.5 million deal to be their setup man, and inked Johnson to a one-year, $8 million deal after his terrible season with the Blue Jays in hopes he can be an anchor in their rotation. "Physically, mentally hes in a good spot," manager Bud Black said of Johnson. That was not the case last year, or the past few seasons. After going a combined 26-11 with 377 strikeouts for the Marlins in 2009-10, he had his season cut short a year later with shoulder trouble. He went just 8-14 with a 3.81 ERA in 2012 before he was traded to the Blue Jays after the season. The 6-foot-7 Johnson said he struggled with his "extension" in Toronto because of elbow problems. It led to command issues, and getting balls up in the strike zone in hitter-friendly Rogers Centre proved costly. Johnson went 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA and allowed 15 home runs in 16 starts as the Blue Jays were one of the more disappointing teams in baseball. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in his right elbow Oct. 1, the Blue Jays decided not to give him a qualifying offer. Johnson then told his agent he wanted to play for San Diego or San Francisco, so he could be closer to his Las Vegas home. Moving to a pitcher-friendly park wouldnt hurt, either. Knowing hed likely have to accept a one-year deal, he took the Padres offer, taking a pay cut from the four-year, $39 million deal he signed with the Marlins. Now he joins a franchise looking to rebound from consecutive 76-86 seasons, with free agency looming again next off-season. "I want to get to the playoffs. I want to be in that atmosphere, to be throwing in October," said Johnson, who turned 30 last month. "If you go out there and you perform, the moneys going to be there." Johnson, who has thrown off a mound five times since the surgery, threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session with catcher Yasmani Grandal on Friday morning without problems. Black said hell throw again on Sunday and that hes on the same schedule as the rest of the healthy starters. "The short time Ive been around him, I love his mindset, I love his makeup, his mentality, his aggressiveness," catcher Nick Hundley said. "I think his body of work kind of speaks for itself. Hes a multiple-time All-Star. He led the league in ERA. I dont think you luck into those types of things. "Were excited to have him. Now hopefully he stays healthy and he can be out there a lot for us." NOTES: Black said they "probably wont" carry three catchers, signalling its an important camp for Grandal, who is recovering from knee surgery. . Black indicated RHP Casey Kelly is "three weeks, four weeks behind" the rest of the staff as he recovers from elbow reconstruction surgery. . The only player missing was LHP Alex Torres, whos dealing with a visa issue in Venezuela and is expected next week. . A Padres spokesman said theyre close to selling out the opener March 30 against the Dodgers. Adidas Zx Flux Dames Sale . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Adidas Neo Lite Racer Dames .C. -- Mallory Blackwelder won the Symetra Classic on Saturday for her first Symetra Tour title, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With another bountiful barrage of homers, the Texas Rangers matched a franchise record with their 95th victory in the penultimate game of the regular season. Ian Kinsler thinks the Rangers will have to break that record to make sure they will start the playoffs at home this weekend. Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning, and the surging Rangers stayed on track for homefield advantage in the AL division series with a 10-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. The Rangers (95-66) have won five straight and nine of 10 while holding off Detroit (94-67), which beat Cleveland 9-6, for the ALs second-best record. With five homers and 15 hits against a series of Angels pitchers who sometimes appeared to be throwing batting practice, Texas matched the club record for victories set in 1999 -- but nobody in the defending AL champions clubhouse is thinking about the past with such a bright future. "My thoughts are, Lets get one more and beat it," said Kinsler, who homered and had three hits while joining the 30-30 club for the second time. If Texas wins Wednesdays season finale or if the Tigers lose to the Indians, the Rangers will host the ALs wild-card winner on Friday. Detroit holds the tiebreaker if the clubs finish even, which would leave the Rangers opening the playoffs at Yankee Stadium. "Wed rather play the first two games at home than on the road," said Napoli, who hit two homers against his former teammates. "We feel comfortable playing anywhere, but to sleep in our own beds and have your normal routine feels great." A day after the AL West champion Rangers eliminated the Angels from the wild-card race, Colby Lewis (14-10) pitched six innings of three-hit ball, adding one more victory to his career-best total while throwing just 76 pitches in his final tuneup before the post-season. Lewis retired the final 11 batters he faced after Peter Bourjos RBI triple in the third inning. The Rangers have improved their record in four straight seasons under manager Ron Washington, but he betrayed no pride in matching the Texas wins mark set by Johnny Oates club 12 years earlier. "Weve been playing good baseball all year," Washington said. "Thats how you get those wins. It means weve been consistent. ... If we go out there (Wednesday) and win the ballgame, we know were going home. Thats our intention. Of course we want to play in front of our home fans. Well show up and strap it on, go out there for nine, and see what happens." Angels manager Mike Scioscia provided a boost to the Rangers homefield hopes when he scratched Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver from their finall starts of the season, instead sending out two rookies -- Tyler Chatwood and Garrett Richards -- in Los Angeles final two games. Adidas Stan Smith Dames. "With only a couple of games left, I dont know if we were going to see much more than we already know about these young guys," Scioscia said. "But its good to get them out there and let them get some get some energy out." Kinsler connected for his 32nd homer during the Rangers four-run third inning against Chatwood (6-11). Kinsler stole his 30th base in the fourth inning, earning just the third 30-30 season in club history -- and a standing ovation from his teammates, who exuberantly crowded the dugout rail. Beltre had three hits and homered in his fourth straight game, leading off the fifth with his 32nd. The slugging third baseman is propelling the defending AL champions into the post-season with a dynamite September, collecting 12 homers and 24 RBIs in the past 17 games. The Angels have lost five of six and eight of 12 while missing the post-season for just the fourth time in 10 years. Howie Kendrick, the Angels All-Star second baseman, also sprained his left wrist in the fifth inning while stopping a grounder. Chatwood flopped in the final start of the 21-year-old right-handers up-and-down rookie season, yielding seven hits and four runs while failing to get out of the third inning. Jerome Williams wasnt much better on short rest, giving up a run in the fourth and three straight homers to open the fifth. "I learned what I need to work on and what I need to keep building on," Chatwood said. "I didnt do a very good job of getting ahead, and when I was ahead, I made pitches and they hit them. Thats a pretty good lineup and a pretty deep one, top to bottom." After Beltres blast leading off the fifth, Napoli hit his career-high 27th homer, and Cruz followed with his 29th. Napoli added a two-run shot in the seventh. The Angels traded Napoli to Toronto in the off-season, but none of his three main replacements in Los Angeles has more than six homers or an average above .210. NOTES: Angels OF Jeremy Moore got his first major league hit in the seventh inning when his line drive skipped off the glove of Michael Young, who started at shortstop for the first time since 2008 to freshen his skills for the post-season. Young, who won a Gold Glove at shortstop that season before yielding the position to Elvis Andrus, went 2 for 5 with an RBI single. ... Gil Velasquez had a pinch-hit single in the seventh for Los Angeles and another single in the ninth, getting the second and third hits of his major league career. Velasquez got his first with Boston back in 2008, but hadnt played in the majors since May 16, 2009. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap soccer jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '
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