Black- and Whitelist » running for the 15th and final spot on the Raptors

SAN DIEGO -- Tanner Roark of the Washington Nationals probably wishes he could face the punchless San Diego Padres a few more times this season. Roark pitched three-hit ball for eight innings, struck out a career-high 11 and walked none, and Anthony Rendon hit a two-run homer Friday night to lead the Nationals to a 6-0 victory against the Padres. In two starts against the Padres this season, he has allowed only six hits in 17 scoreless innings, struck out 19 and walked one. "Everything felt good coming out of my hand," he said. "Thats a plus." The right-hander took a one-hitter into the eighth before Rene Rivera hit a leadoff single and pinch-hitter Tommy Medica had a one-out base hit. Roark (4-4) beat the Padres 4-0 at Washington on April 26th, throwing a three-hitter for his first career shutout. He struck out eight that game, his previous career high. Roark said the key was throwing first-pitch strikes. "That really gets a hitter on his heels and gives you confidence," he said. "I dont try to strike guys out. I just try to make quality pitches. Strikeouts happen. Today everything was working." Said manager Matt Williams: "Hes just been pitching like that for us all year. He just continues to pound the zone, all of his pitches. Pretty impressive." The Nationals won their fourth straight and for the sixth time in seven games. "Same thing he showed over in Washington," Padres manager Bud Black said of Roark. "Mixed his pitches, changed his speeds, commanded his fastball a little bit different than in his start in Washington. In Washington, he used his curveballs, more changeups." San Diego has just 15 hits in five games. On Wednesday, Everth Cabrera bunted for a single in the first inning for San Diegos only hit in a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "You have to keep going through it," Black said. "You have to keep your nose to the grindstone and keep working. There is no magic formula to this. You keep working, you keep busting your butt in the cage, you keep watching video, you keep your confidence, you keep telling yourself youre going to have good at-bats, you stay together as a team, you hang in there in the hopes that it will turn." Padres starter Tyson Ross (6-5) had a bad night. He walked Washingtons Denard Span to open the game and then allowed Rendons homer to left field, his ninth. Rendon, the third baseman, came out after grounding out in the sixth. He was struck in the right hand trying to field Carlos Quentins smash in the fourth inning and committed a throwing error. He committed a fielding error the next inning. Williams said X-rays were negative. Ross was chased during a nightmarish four-run sixth inning in which he had a throwing error, wild pitch, walked two, hit a batter and allowed two hits. Ross allowed an RBI double to Wilson Ramos that bounced over the fence in right-centre and then walked Ian Desmond to load the bases. Ross hit Danny Espinosa on the left knee to force in a run and Nate McClouth hit a two-run single to right to end Ross night. Ross allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits in 5 1-3 innings. He struck out seven and walked three. NOTES: The Padres placed 2B Jedd Gyorko on the 15-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, retroactive to Wednesday. Gyorko has struggled after signing a $35 million, six-year contract extension in April. Hes hitting just .162. Manager Bud Black says Gyorko had an anti-inflammatory shot, will use a walking boot and will wear a strap when he sleeps to keep the arch stretched out. ... LHP Eric Stults was activated from the bereavement list. Hes scheduled to start Sunday. ... The Padres will make two more roster moves Saturday, when RHP Andrew Cashner (2-5, 2.35) is due to be activated from the disabled list and start against the Nationals. Hes been out with a sore elbow. ... 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Burke, who tragically died at age 29 from a training accident in 2012, headlined the 2014 class named for induction Wednesday. Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years.TORONTO - The NBA pre-season can seem numbingly long, but the Toronto Raptors still have plenty of work to do before the curtain comes up on the regular season next week.Coach Dwane Casey spent Tuesdays practice session in teaching mode. At the top of his agenda: defence. Again.The Raptors are 5-1 on the pre-season, but have yet to put in the solid defensive effort — especially on the boards — that Casey would like to see before opening-night tipoff.I want to start the real season but were still in practice mode, weve got to fix some things, said centre Jonas Valanciunas, who led the Raptors in rebounds last season. (Rebounding) is an area weve got to get better on. Were doing that every practice, so hope were going to get better and were going to show better results.Weve got to get used to going for the ball, all five guys.The Raptors were a disappointing 20th in the NBA last season in defensive rebounding.The 22-year-old Valanciunas will be counted on to anchor Torontos defence. However, despite going into his third NBA season, the Lithuanian still has a lot to learn before he has a complete grasp of the nuances of the NBA game.Valanciunas played in Los Angeles last summer before going to Spain for the FIBA World Cup, where he led the tournament in shooting percentage at 69.6 per cent.But one summer is not enough, he needs to continue to go with Hakeem (Olajuwon, former Raptor and Hall of Famer) or whoever in the summer, Casey said. He needs to play pickup basketball where its not as organized or you really have to anticipate against quicker athletes, maybe smaller athletes, so its a work in progress for him.Valanciunas could be one of the moree comfortable Raptors when the team hosts Maccabi Haifi at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.dddddddddddd The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Super League, winning the Super League championship in the 2012-13 season — its first Israeli title since the team was formed in 1953. Its a good test for us, they play a different style, mostly four out and one in, really spread the floor, a lot like four guards out there on the floor, Casey said. So its going to be a challenge for Amir (Johnson) and Tyler (Hansbrough) and the big fours (power forwards) to get out there and guard those guys off the bounce, off the dribble, getting back in transition.It will be a challenge for us. They play faster up and down moreso than were used to and a tremendous amount of pick and rolls, a lot like what San Antonio did with four ball-handlers with the ability to run a pick and roll, which is a little different than what you see in the NBA.Maccabi Haifa, which is owned by American businessman Jeffrey Rosen, was beaten 91-59 by the Kings on Sunday. Theyd arrived in Sacramento following a 10-hour bus ride from Portland, where they lost 121-74 to the Trailblazers.Three players remain in the running for the 15th and final spot on the Raptors roster — centre Greg Stiemsma, point guard Will Cherry and swingman Jordan Hamilton. NBA rosters have to be set by opening day on Oct. 27.I think it makes it tough on management because we all can play, were good players, Hamilton said. Wills a good young guard, I feel like I can score, and Greg, he does all the intangibles. Best man wins.The Raptors open the regular season Oct. 29 against the visiting Atlanta Hawks. ' ' '