Regeln » Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact

CHICAGO -- Rick Renteria prefers positive reinforcement, usually taking the approach of building up his players. Nick Boyle Jersey . But following another loss and ho-hum effort on Friday, the new Chicago Cubs manager had seen enough and let the players know their intensity and focus was unacceptable. "I think when Ricky talks and shows emotion, it means something," Darwin Barney said. "He doesnt do it every often. We know hes got our back and hes on our side. When he shows a little fire, it usually works." It certain did Saturday. Barney and Welington Castillo hit two-run homers and Mike Olt added a solo shot as the Cubs broke out of a weeklong offensive funk and beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Cubs. Since scoring four times last Sunday in St. Louis, the Cubs had managed just one run before beating the Reds. Cincinnati had won 16 of the last 17 at Wrigley Field. "I think the intensity was better," Renteria said. "Obviously, the results were better. But had the results not been there, I think the way they went about it was significantly better than yesterday." Emilio Bonifacio had three hits and scored a pair of runs for the Cubs. Junior Lake, Starlin Castro and Justin Ruggiano each drove in a run. Edwin Jackson (1-1) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. "He battled and got into a little trouble there," Renteria said. "But all in all, he kept working. ... He showed some intensity and he showed some fight." Tony Cingrani (1-2) gave up three runs in five innings. Jay Bruce went 3 for 3 with a walk for the Reds. "Ive been battling myself the last couple of starts and Im just trying to find that command and my consistent mechanics," Cingrani said. "It just hasnt been working that well the last couple of starts." Bonifacio led off the bottom of the first with a single, went to second on a walk to Lake and came home on a single by Ruggiano. Olt stretched the lead to 2-0 when he led off the second with his third homer of the season, and Castro drove in Bonifacio in the third to make it 3-0. Jackson kept Cincinnati off the board until the sixth, when Devin Mesoraco doubled home Bruce. Zack Cozart made it 3-2 with an RBI grounder. Barney homered in the bottom of the sixth, the first shot of the season for the light-hitting second baseman. Lake added an RBI single later in the inning. An error by Olt at first base on a routine grounder helped the Reds score twice in the seventh. Castillo homered in the bottom half. "The guys hit the ball well when we needed it," Renteria said. "They picked us up a little bit." NOTES: Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo left the game in the eighth inning with back spasms. He said tweaked it stretching for a pickoff throw and has had similar issues in the past. "I felt a little bit of it (Friday)," he said. "With this, itll probably be gone tomorrow or the next day. Its weird." . Reds 2B Brandon Phillips was back in the lineup after leaving Fridays game in the third inning because of back spasms. "As far as I know he didnt have any lower back issues until he took that swing off (Jeff) Samardzija, so my feeling is once he gets past that he wont have to do anything to maintain it," manager Bryan Price said. ... Reds OF Ryan Ludwick sat out Saturday after fouling a ball off his left foot during Fridays game and sustaining a bruised toe. X-rays were negative, but Price is not certain when Ludwick will be able to play. ... Reds RHP Homer Bailey (0-1) faces RHP Carlos Villanueva (1-3) in the series finale on Sunday. Wholesale Ravens Jerseys Online . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. Kenneth Dixon Jersey . The $145.7-million Tim Hortons Field was slated to open this month, a year before it was to host all 32 mens and womens soccer competitions. The delay has forced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team to use a smaller facility for the first two home games of the season. http://www.cheapravensjerseyssale.com/?tag=justin-tucker-jersey-sale . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. SAN DIEGO -- A front-office shakeup had no impact on the San Diego Padres performance. After the team announced general manager Josh Byrnes was fired minutes before the first pitch with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, the Padres put up another punchless performance in a 2-1 loss against Hyun-Jin Ryu. Although Padres President and CEO Mike Dee said there were a number of factors that figured into the firing, Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler made it clear that the ownership group was not happy with the product on the field. "When you invest 50 per cent more money over the last two years, in terms of payroll, you expect better performance," Fowler said. "We gave baseball ops a clean slate as far as who did they want, what did they want to do. For my perspective, we are standing here as a consequence of that not working." Byrnes off-season moves included free agent signings of starting pitcher Josh Johnson, who has yet to pitch for San Diego since straining his right forearm in spring training, reliever Joaquin Benoit and outfielder Seth Smith. "We were led to believe, and I think its fair to say we believed, based upon the investment that we made, the additions we made in the off-season, the addition of certain players during the off-season, that would put us over the top," Dee said. "We felt confident that we would be in a position to compete for post-season baseball." Dee added that manager Bud Black has been told that his job is safe at least through the end of the season. Until the club hires a new general manager, senior vice-president for baseball operations Omar Minaya and assistant general managers A.J. Hinch and Fred Uhlman, Jr. will assume the GM duties. Minaya was the general manager of the New York Mets from 2005-10. Byrnes was hired by the Padres as their senior vice-president for baseball operations in December 2010 after he was let go as general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he was in the middle of an eight-year deal. He was promoted 10 months later to GM and was given a five-year contract. Under Byrnes, the Padres payroll increased nearly $400 million to $89,881,696 on opening this season -- 23rd overall -- but the team has made little progress. Alex Lewis Jersey. After finishing with 76-86 records in his first two seasons, the Padres are 32-43 and 12 1/2 games back in the NL West during an injury-plagued season. Byrnes was touted by the Padres as excelling at scouting and player development, but his biggest moves came through trades. He sent first base prospect Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs for top-line starter Andrew Cashner, and he dealt starting pitcher Mat Latos for infielder Yasmani Grandal, catcher Yonder Alonso, and right-handers Edinson Volquez and Brad Boxberger. Byrnes also acquired starter Tyson Ross, closer Huston Street, outfielder Carlos Quentin and right-hander Ian Kennedy. Ryu (9-3) had few problems against the light-hitting Padres, as he won for the sixth time in seven starts since missing more than three weeks with shoulder inflammation. The left-handed Ryu gave up one runs and four hits in six innings, and he did not allow San Diego to get its first hit until the fourth inning. The Dodgers, winners of 10 of 14, took two of three games in the series and have either won or split their last 11 series in San Diego. The last time they lost a series in San Diego was a three-game sweep in September 2010. Adrian Gonzalez and Dee Gordon drove in runs against Eric Stults (2-10). J.P. Howell pitched 1 1-3 perfect innings and Brian Wilson got two outs before Kenley Jansen finished off the four-hitter by pitching the ninth for his 22nd save in 25 chances. NOTES: Dodgers LF Matt Kemp extended his hitting streak to 10 games, while Ramirez increased his to nine games. ... San Diego has scored 23 runs in Stults 16 starts. ... Padres 3B Chase Headley (back) missed his fourth straight game. ... Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (9-3, 2.57 ERA) faces Royals RP Jeremy Guthrie (4-6, 3.86) Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Kansas City. 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