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WASHINGTON - On the same day the Marlins ended their 2014 season by getting no-hit by Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals, Miami began looking ahead by giving manager Mike Redmond a two-year contract extension. Nike Roshe Run Cheap Online .Redmonds deal, which runs through 2017, was announced Sunday by team president David Samson during Miamis 1-0 loss to NL East champion Washington.Im just excited to continue this process of building this team and this organization in the direction that we know were headed, Redmond said after the game, which ended when Nationals rookie Steven Souza Jr. made a sensational catch of Christian Yelichs drive to deep left-centre.What I came here for, Redmond added, is to turn this thing around and to get us to win ballgames and get back to the playoffs.The centerpiece of Miamis rebuilding is outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who led the NL with 37 homers despite missing the final 17 games after getting hit in the face by a pitch. Hes the franchises first home-run champion.Mike Hill, the clubs president of baseball operations, said Tuesday that when Stanton gets back from vacation, the Marlins will begin negotiating a long-term contract for the slugger.We said we would respect his wishes, and during the season we wouldnt discuss it, but now were into the off-season, Hill said. Our plan is to talk to him about extending him beyond his arbitration years.Sundays loss left the Marlins with a 77-85 record and fourth in the five-team NL East, 19 games behind Washington, and two behind both the Braves and Mets.Redmond entered the weekend hoping to finish second.Still, the Marlins wound up with their most wins in a season since going 80-82 in 2010. They also ended a slide of three consecutive last-place finishes, including when they went 62-100 in 2013, Redmonds first year as a major league manager.We sat down as a group and an organization and tried to figure out how we could get better and improve the ballclub. And weve been able to do that by 15 games in one year, which is not easy to do, Redmond said.Weve got a lot of great talent in that room and with the help of those young guys, were learning how to win and learning how to compete, he added. For me to know that Im going to be here for that long is great. I think it sends a message of the direction that were headed and thats the right one.This was the second consecutive season that the Marlins were involved in a no-hitter on the final day: In 2013, Miamis Henderson Alvarez didnt allow a hit to the Tigers.On Sunday, Alvarez (12-7) was on the mound facing Zimmermann and allowed the games only run in the second inning, on Ian Desmonds 24th homer.Zimmermann (14-5) struck out 10 and allowed just two baserunners. After retiring the first 14 batters, he walked Justin Bourn on a low, full-count fastball with two outs in the fifth. In the seventh, Garrett Jones reached first base on a strike-three wild pitch; moments later, catcher Wilson Ramos picked him off.With two outs in the ninth and a 2-1 count, Yelich turned on a 94 mph fastball over the plate. Souza, who came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth, was shaded well over toward the left-field line at a coachs prompting.Souza sprinted, extended his glove and leaped to make the grab, using his bare hand to squeeze the ball in his mitt as he fell.The one thing on my mind is, no matter how Im going to get there, Im going to get there, Souza said. Getting there, I kind of blacked out.Souza held his glove aloft to show he had the ball.With that on the line, that might be one of the best plays Ive ever seen. Ever, Yelich said.Zimmermann raised both arms. Nationals relievers in the home bullpen lifted their arms, too. So did thousands in the Nationals Park crowd of 35,085, who roared with every pitch late.I dont think anyone in the stadium expected Souza to get to that, Zimmermann said.Indeed, Miamis Mike Dunn said he and other relievers in the left-field visitors bullpen started cheering as the ball headed their way.When he caught it, Dunn said, it was just like, Really? Did that just happen?___AP freelance writer Ian Quillen contributed to this report.___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Nike Free Run 3 Womens Pink And Green UK . He didnt need a whole lot of experience to know what was coming this time. Nike Free Run 2 Black And White Womens . The Pelicans had seven players in double figures and stayed in the game despite foul trouble all night for big man Anthony Davis. Davis ended up playing the fourth quarter with four fouls, providing enough of a presence on both ends of the floor to allow his teammates to go strong to the hoop.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jared Spurgeon spent a month watching the Minnesota Wild from the press box. When he returned to action Tuesday night, he didnt waste any time making an impact. Spurgeon had two assists in his return from injury, Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves and the Wild defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1. One of Minnesotas top defencemen, Spurgeon was placed on injured reserve Jan. 4 after he hurt his left foot against Buffalo. While the Wild went 8-4-2 in his absence, they were eager to get him back in the lineup -- and he was eager to get back into the flow. "I think theres lots of adrenaline that helps you," Spurgeon said. "At the start I was a little nervous being off for a month, but they threw me right out there for the opening shift and that helped me really calm down and get my feet wet for that first one." Spurgeon got started early, setting up Nino Niederreiter for his fifth goal of the season 9 seconds into a power play in the first period. Early in the third, Spurgeon helped the Wild double their lead when he fed Dany Heatley in the slot for his 11th. Spurgeon ended up playing 21:12, third-most among Minnesota defencemen. "Hes taken really good care of himself while hes been out," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "To be able to come in and play at the level that he did tonight just shows you how smart of a player he is." The Lightning pulled within a goal with just more than 6 minutes to play when Valtteri Filppula tipped in Martin St. Louis pass at the goalmouth for his 20th of the season. Tampa Bay buzzed around the net the rest of the way, but Kuemper stopped Alex Killorn and St. Louis from in close, and Tyler Johnsons shot hit the post in the final 40 seconds. Lightning coach Jon Cooper was hoping to see a little more fire out of his club at the end of a 1-3 road trip. "I dont know how much courage we had going to the net tonight, until the end," Cooper said. "Hence, its shocking wherre our goal was scored, standing right in front of the net. Nike Free 3.0 V5 Womens Black Green Running Shoes. " While the Lightning are still clinging to second place in the Atlantic Division, goalie Ben Bishop said theyll welcome a return home for two games before the Olympic break. "I dont know if you want to say were tired, but its been a long road trip," Bishop said. "We dont want to make excuses, but weve got to be better." Bishop, who finished with 24 saves, was tested often throughout the first two periods, stopping Zach Parise on a breakaway with 5 minutes to play in the first period and stoning Mikael Granlund on a point-blank backhand early in the second. Bishop was shaken up midway through the second when Parise fired a slap shot that hit the goalie in the head, but he remained in the game. Meanwhile, Kuemper made a nifty glove save to stop Johnson on a breakaway late in the second and stood tall all night in his 11th straight start, a franchise record for rookie goalies. The Wild are 6-3-2 in that span, but Yeo was impressed with how Kuemper rebounded from his last two starts, a loss at Colorado in which he was pulled and an overtime defeat at Calgary. "How do you come back to the rink the next day and be mentally tough enough to come in and perform at the level that you need to? Thats what was very impressive about him tonight," Yeo said. "I liked his game an awful lot." While the Wild got Spurgeon back, they had another setback on the blue line 2 minutes into the game when defenceman Marco Scandella got tangled up with Johnson. Scandella skated off the ice with assistance, favouring his right leg, and did not return. Yeo labeled him "doubtful" for Minnesotas pre-Olympics finale Thursday against Nashville. NOTES: Filppula returned after missing Saturdays game at Montreal with a lower-body injury. ... St. Louis assist gave him 966 points, moving him past former Canadiens great Maurice Richard into 85th place on the NHLs career list. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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