Jamroom » ers. The Vikings settled in and played better in the

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres are on a roll, proving how quick momentum can flip in baseball. Will Venable homered and San Diego beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Sunday for their first three-game winning streak of the season. This run comes on the heels of Thursdays extra-inning loss, when second baseman Jedd Gyorkos error led to Giancarlo Stantons home run and a deflating defeat. Now the Padres hit the road packing along some confidence. "Its a much better vibe, theres less tension in the clubhouse and in the dugout," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When you dont score theres tension. And its been released a little bit and the guys are playing a little more relaxed. That is what winning does. When you dont score, things get a little tight." The surging Padres offence, which has scored 24 runs in the three games, also got two hits and two RBIs from Chris Denorfia. Robbie Erlin (2-4) scattered five hits in 6 1-3 scoreless innings before giving way to three Padres relievers. Huston Street pitched around a hit and two walks in the ninth to earn his 11th save. Street handled the middle of the Marlins order, Stanton and Casey McGehee with caution. He didnt mind putting them on when they didnt offer at border line pitches early in their counts. "I saw (Jeff) Baker in the hole and while he swung the bat well in series, I felt like once the bases were loaded I got to start attacking," Street said. "You know how you feel and youve seen how guys are hitting and when I fell behind those guys in middle of lineup, you feel like you dont want to give them anything to hit, especially Stanton." Street retired Baker on a fielders choice. "Got to be a little crisis at the end but Huston has proven over the years how to work his way through an inning, how to get an out," Black said. "He always knows whos on deck, whos in the hole and as the inning proceeds, what he has to get done and that is always a good sign of a good closer." Stanton understood. "He wasnt going to give me something to hit a homer and go up in the game," he said. "So he was either going to take the corners and if I didnt bite, he was going to let (McGehee) take over." Erlin handed his game over to the bullpen and was rewarded. He had lost four straight decisions before beating the Marlins in his first appearance against them. But it was his second consecutive strong showing after a seven-inning, one-run outing versus the Royals. The Padres pitchers struck out 48 over the four-game series to set a franchise record. They broke their mark of 44 set in 1998 against Montreal. Miamis Henderson Alvarez (2-3), who was coming off his second shutout of the season and third in his last eight starts, wasnt sharp. He lasted four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts. "He didnt have a good feel for his sinker today and that is his bread and butter," catcher Jeff Mathis said. "Without his sinker today we were doing what we could do throw the ball over the plate." Venable hit his franchise-best 10th career leadoff homer. His 400-foot blast off a 1-0 fastball over the right-field wall was his first home run of the year. NOTES: Padres SS Everth Cabrera was out of the starting lineup after his wife, Connie, gave birth to their daughter late Saturday night. ... OF Carlos Quentin was to play with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Sunday as he continues his rehabilitation from bruised left knee. Quentin could join the club on its upcoming road trip. ... LHP Casey Kelly threw a bullpen session and will pitch at Double-A San Antonio on Wednesday; hes rebounding from Tommy John surgery. ... Marlins MGR Mike Redmond said hes not sure where RHP Henry Rodriguez fits into the teams bullpen. Rodriguez, who worked the seventh inning, was summoned from Triple-A New Orleans. ... Marlins RHP Tom Koehler (3-2, 1.99) faces Dodgers RHP Dan Haren (4-1, 2.68) on Monday in Los Angeles. ... Padres RHP Andrew Cashner (2-5, 2.86) goes against Reds RHP Mike Leake (2-3, 3.40) in Tuesdays series opener in Cincinnati. Kris Draper Jersey . Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. Nicklas Lidstrom Jersey . -- Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes Thursday for a 7-under 63 to take the lead after one round of the Honda Classic. http://www.hockeyredwings.info/. - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour. Alex Delvecchio Jersey . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St. Terry Sawchuk Jersey . Cleveland released the troubled wide receiver on Wednesday, an expected ending after Bess was arrested in January for assaulting a law enforcement officer at an airport and other bizarre behaviour.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - The problems for the Minnesota Vikings with Christian Ponder at quarterback were obvious from the start.Their list of missing players on offence has grown long and increasingly conspicuous. Playing their primary rival on the road in the rain at night with only three days to rest and prepare was already an uphill climb.When Eddie Lacy began to trample through their defence early in the first quarter for the Green Bay Packers, well, thats when the Vikings really lost it.Theres nothing more disheartening as a coach for you to get manhandled up front, to be in the wrong gaps, to have people running the ball at you, coach Mike Zimmer said the day after the Vikings were pummeled 42-10 by the Packers at Lambeau Field.In 2000, Zimmers first season as a defensive co-ordinator, Dallas gave up the most yards rushing in the NFL. Only one team allowed more yards per carry.And I said, Never again, Zimmer recalled Friday. So I guess thats where that all stems from.His players have largely been tough to run against since. Over his next 13 years as a defensive co-ordinator (six more with Dallas, one with Atlanta and six with Cincinnati), Zimmers teams finished in the bottom half of the league in yards per game three times, and four times in yards per attempt. They were in the top 10 six times in yards per game and seven times in yards per attempt.The Vikings had a stout front seven, or at least an effective scheme, to stop the run long before Zimmer was hired. They were in the top half of the NFL in yards per game and yards per attempt every year since 2006, and last season ended a seven-year streak of finishing 11th or higher in the league in both categories.After factoring in what the Packers did against them Thursday, with 105 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries by Lacy, the Vikings fell to 17th in the NFL. They allow an average of 4.3 yards per rush and are 19th in the league with an average of 121.8 yards surrendered per game.There was a llot of freelancing, a lot of guys in the wrong place, said Zimmer, who delivered the majority of his answers Friday at his news conference in stern, clipped tones.ddddddddddddHe was clearly as upset with his team as hed been since taking the job.Zimmer said he looked hard at the game film trying to find a lack of effort on either side of the ball, but didnt see it. Defensive end Brian Robison, however, said he felt some people had checked out after the Packers built a 28-0 halftime lead.You could see it on the sidelines. Everybody was quiet, Robison said.The Vikings forced a three-and-out by the Packers on the games first possession, but they quickly got the ball back and turned Lacy loose -- for 18, 29 and 6 yards to set up a short touchdown pass by Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings settled in and played better in the middle of the game, but on Green Bays first drive of the third quarter Lacy had carries of 9, 10 and 11 yards, which took him into the end zone.Then came Lacys 10-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession. That provided the ultimate insult on a humbling night for the Vikings. He barrelled into Robert Blanton at the goal line and without breaking stride popped the strong safetys helmet off.The Vikings fell to 1-8-1 against the Packers since the start of the 2010 season. Theyll have the benefit of being at home against Detroit, and then the most manageable stretch of the schedule follows: at Buffalo, at Tampa Bay, back home against Washington and the bye week.But they wont get far if they dont learn to play with more discipline on defence, and learn to trust the scheme theyre being taught rather than straying from responsibilities to chase highlights.You cant be out there trying to make plays because once you do that, you leave another guy out to dry, defensive end Everson Griffen said. So youve got to rely on your technique to make that play for you.___AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '