MINNEAPOLIS -- At the crack of the bat, San Diego Padres manager Bud Black didnt think centre fielder Alexi Amarista had a chance to get Eduardo Escobars screaming line drive. Torry Holt Womens Jersey . Step by blazing step, it didnt take Amarista long to give Black and the rest of his team some much-needed hope. Amarista made that game-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth inning and Seth Smith followed with a solo homer in the 10th to lift the Padres to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. "Then I saw Alexis route, and youre sort of watching Alexi and watching the ball," Black said. "And then in flight, you think maybe." Amarista ran backward on a dead sprint and laid out for a brilliant diving catch of the drive with two on and two outs to keep the game tied. "When he hit it, I thought game over," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We just watched their whole outfield move way in with two strikes, and he moved way in when that ball was hit, and Esco got a hold of it really nice, we thought he had no chance to catch that ball. But the young man ran it down, and it was a hell of a play." Smith had two hits and two RBIs. Joaquin Benoit picked up his fourth save in five tries and the Padres earned a split in the two-game series. Trevor Plouffe had a homer and three RBIs for the Twins. But All-Star closer Glen Perkins blew his fourth save in 32 chances this year. San Diego trailed 4-3 going into the ninth against Perkins, but Everth Cabrera tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The Padres earlier in the day hired Texas Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller as the teams new general manager, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The speedy Amarista was a late-game defensive replacement, and what a move it was for Black. He raced a good 35 yards or more to track down Escobars hit and the Padres bench erupted when he hauled it in. Smith responded with a drive more than 400 feet off Anthony Swarzak (2-1) into the right-field stands for his 12th homer. "It was nice to win a game like that," Smith said. "Those are the games you need to win." Kevin Quackenbush (2-2) got the win. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Yangervis Solarte came up hobbling in the sixth inning after sliding home to tie the game at 3. Solarte appeared to actually roll over a bat laying in his way as he made the slide. But he was able to finish the game at third base. Twins: Gardenhire said first baseman Joe Mauer and right-hander Ricky Nolasco both had successful debuts on their rehab stints with Class A Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night. Mauer (strained right oblique) was scheduled to play first base on Wednesday. If all goes well, Mauer will join the team in Houston next week. Gardenhire said Nolasco (elbow) "felt great" after throwing 51 pitches. He will make at least one more start before being activated. FOR STARTERS Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne gave up four runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. It was his third straight outing allowing at least four runs and his third straight where he hasnt reached the seventh inning. "Hes been a little bit too up out over the plate for the most part," Black said. YONDER HEATS UP Alonso went 6 for 8 in the series to raise his average to .233. He was activated from the disabled list last week after dealing with right wrist tendinitis, and Black said he can see the difference. "Theres no soreness in his wrist," Black said. "His forearms, his hands, everything having to do with gripping the bat feels good. His timing is there. Hes one of the guys that we need to continue this hitting." UP NEXT Padres: San Diego is off on Thursday before opening a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday night. RHP Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.59) will start the opener against Pirates RHP Vance Worley (4-1, 2.43). Twins: Minnesota starts a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday night. RHP Yohan Pino (1-3, 4.57) pitches for the Twins against newly acquired As LHP Jon Lester (11-7, 2.59). Rodger Saffold Womens Jersey . KINGS TAKE FREEWAY SERIES The Los Angeles Kings stormed the Anaheim Ducks early in Game Seven, building a 3-0 first-period lead on their way to a 6-2 decision, earning the Kings a rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. T.J. McDonald Rams Jersey . Victoria now has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series for Canadas senior indoor lacrosse championship. Jeff Shattler had a pair of goals and four assists for the Shamrocks, while Scott Ranger, Karsen Leung and Mitch Jones chipped in as well.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama didnt catch the upset bug that struck much of the Southeastern Conference. The top-ranked Crimson Tide looked perfectly robust in a 52-0 romp over struggling Arkansas on Saturday night, racking up 352 yards rushing, big plays and yet another stout defensive performance. AJ McCarron threw three touchdown passes, Kenyan Drake rushed for 104 yards and two scores, and freshman Derrick Henry tacked on an 80-yard run in the last minute as a final blow. The Tide (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead on a day when No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 11 South Carolina, No. 15 Georgia and No. 22 Florida fell -- three of them to unranked opponents. Alabama didnt give fans anything to worry about, and many of them had streamed out of the stadium long before Henrys big run. "Were starting to come together more," McCarron said. "Guys are starting to do the right things. Not only on the field but off the field. Were going to class, education. Thats the most important thing. Everyones starting to buy into the process. It helps us." The Tide has won by the same margin over Arkansas two years running. Its the first time Alabama has shut out an SEC opponent two years in a row since wins over Mississippi State in 1973-74. "We pride ourselves on being a tough, relentless defence and we got it done tonight," said Tide cornerback Deion Belue, who blocked a field goal to preserve the shutout. "Having a zero at the end of the game is going to feel great. We come in to play great defence." The Razorbacks (3-5, 0-4) have dropped five straight games --the longest losing streak of Bret Bielemas head coaching career -- and were coming off a 52-7 loss to No. 11 South Carolina. "This is getting a little old," Bielema said. "Its a long way to go. We just cant have one missed tackle turn into a touchdown. It happened on two or three occasions." The Tide outgained Arkansas 532-256 in total yards. McCarron was 15-of-21 passing for 180 yards in three quarters, including touchdowns of 4, 30 and 17 yards. Drake needed just eight carries to reach 100 yards for the second straight week. T.J. Yeldon had 88 yards and a 24--yard touchdown on 12 carries. Benny Cunningham Rams Jersey. Yeldon caught four passes for 45 yards. Henry ran for 111 yards on six carries, all in the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks had allowed only eight rushing touchdowns in the first seven games, but gave up four Saturday. Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen continued to struggle in the teams fourth consecutive game against a ranked team. He completed 7 of 25 passes for 91 yards with two interceptions. "We have to stay together," Razorbacks defensive tackle Darius Philon said. "Weve still got a whole lot of the season to go." The Tide also managed to contain Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who both came in ranked among the SECs top seven rushers. Collins ran for 77 yards on 18 carries and Williams had 13 rushes for 48 yards. "We certainly respect their passing game but we were really trying to stop the run as much as possible," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. Alabama has allowed just one touchdown and 16 points in its last five games. The offence pounded away at Arkansas but also produced some big plays, especially in the first half. Drake bounced off tight end Brian Vogler at the line and burst outside for a 46-yard touchdown. Amari Cooper, easily the Tides best receiver as a freshman, caught his first touchdown pass of the season. He dropped one ball on the sideline then caught a near-perfect throw from McCarron on the next play for the TD. Freshman tight end O.J. Howard added a 17-yard catch for his first career touchdown in the third quarter. Defensively, Alabama got one veteran safety back but might have lost another. Vinnie Sunseri left the game with an apparent leg injury in the first quarter. He limped off the field after helping cover a kick, headed to the locker room and didnt return to the game. Free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix returned from a two-game suspension and picked off a tipped pass for his first interception of the season after Arkansas moved into Alabama territory on its second drive. Clinton-Dix was reinstated by the NCAA on Friday after reportedly accepting a short-term loan from an assistant strength and conditioning coach. "It felt great just to be back with my team," he said. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '