Geburtstagsgrüße » After the Reds do the honours next year,

SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Cashner is "totally aware" the San Diego Padres have never had a no-hitter in their mostly sad-sack history, which has now reached 46 seasons and 7,176 games. After throwing his second one-hitter in a span of five starts, the big Texan is the leading candidate to end that drought. "Thats one of my goals. I definitely want a no-hitter," Cashner said after allowing just one single and striking out 11 in a 6-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. "I dont think theres any reason why I cant build off this. When you get late in a game and your pitch counts high, youve really got to bear down and grind through. I think this will build toward something down the road." Cashner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Rajai Davis hit a one-out flare single into centre field, just past the glove of outstretched second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Davis stole second and third, and Ian Kinsler walked before Miguel Cabrera hit into a double play. Cashner ended his remarkable outing by striking out Cabrera, the AL MVP in 2012 and 2013, on a 95-mph fastball. On Sept. 16 at Pittsburgh, the right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in a one-hitter. He retired his first 18 batters before Jose Tabata grounded a clean single into right field leading off the seventh. Cashner said Friday nights one-hitter meant more. "Just with the guys in their lineup, it was a lot bigger game. Theyve got a heck of a team over there. A lot of guys can hit the ball out of the park." Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs. Cashner (1-1) retired 14 in a row before allowing the single. He walked two. "I felt as good as Ive felt in a while," he said. "Im conditioned to run the bases and to be a complete ballplayer." Manager Bud Black said Cashner was so good because of "tremendous movement with command" of his fastball. That was a well-pitched game. Well-pitched. As good as youre going to see." Five of his strikeouts were looking, including all three in the third, when he caught pitcher Rick Porcello, Davis and Kinsler looking at strike three. "He was just beating guys with his velocity. They just couldnt get the head out front," Black said. "But when you have a pitcher hitting the glove for called third strikes, and you see the look on the hitters, and I saw that early on, I knew he had a good feel for his fastball." Dating to Aug. 19, Cashner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine straight starts for an ERA of 0.96. "He pitched outstanding," said Brad Ausmus, who worked in San Diegos front office before being hired as Detroits manager in early November. "Hes always been a hard thrower. He located extremely well. His slider was extremely effective, his changeup. I know hes not a household name, but I know what h is capable of." The Padres hit Porcello hard, collecting 10 hits in his 6 1-3 innings. He left after Cashner singled. The Padres were onto Porcello from the start. Everth Cabrera hit a leadoff single, advanced on two groundouts and scored on Gyorkos triple. The ball hit the heel of right fielder Don Kellys glove and hit the ground as Kelly slammed headfirst into the wall. After being checked by a trainer, Kelly stayed in the game. Headley then doubled into the left-centre gap to bring in Gyorko. Headley homered to right on a 2-2 slider from Porcello with one out in the sixth, his first. It was estimated at 385 feet. Seth Smith was aboard on a leadoff double. Porcello (1-1) allowed five runs and struck out five. "There were a couple of balls up in the zone that the Padres hitters took advantage of," Ausmus said. "But he kept us in the game. Its really more about the way Cashner pitched more than anything else." NOTES: Padres CF Cameron Maybin, who ruptured his left biceps tendon making a diving catch in a spring game on March 2, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Manager Bud Black said hed like Maybin to get more than 20 at-bats during the assignment. "Right now hes restarting his spring training," Black said. "Hes in baseball shape. Now weve got to get him in baseball-ready shape." ... Black said pitcher Josh Johnson, whos also on the DL, still has soreness in his forearm. ... Black said LF Carlos Quentin, on the DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is working in the weight room and hitting in the indoor batting cage. Black said Quentin is getting close to hitting on the field. ... The series continues Saturday night when Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27). Verlander was one of several top players the Padres could have taken with the first pick in the 2004 amateur draft. Instead, they took local SS Matt Bush, who was a bust. Verlander went to the Tigers with the second overall pick. Robert Williams Jersey . Although Spain could still advance out of the group stage, the game may have signalled the end of the run by a generation of Spanish stars whose quick passing, "tiki-taka" style delighted the world and helped them win the last three major tournaments. John Havlicek Jersey . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-jayson-tatum-celtics-jersey/ . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. Kevin Mchale Jersey . The move will give Hentgen the "time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues," the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . After a tight first half, the Croatians took command in Reykjavik after Skulason was dismissed for a professional foul in the 51st minute, but couldnt find a way past Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson and his packed defence. Eduardo had a weak shot cleared away from near the goalline after barely a minute for Croatia, whose substitute Ivica Olic forced a fine reaction save from Halldorsson in the 55th.On the eve of the 85th All-Star game at Target Field in Minneapolis, I was digging around in my basement and came across a complete copy of the Toronto Star from July 10, 1991. That was the day after the Blue Jays hosted their one and only All -Star Classic at what was then Skydome. I have so many memories of that week, but really just a fragment of what came flooding back when I re-read that edition of the Star. I was fortunate to be able to work the National League dugout during the "Legends" game on the Monday afternoon, so I was right there when Bill Mazeroski -- the man who hit the first World Series winning walk-off homer vs the Yankees in 1960 -- hit a shot to left in this game 31 years later. To speak with him right after this homerun was one of the greatest thrills Ive ever had as a broadcaster. Then there was the incredible display of power hitting Cal Ripken Jr. put on in the homerun derby. He smashed 12 homers and including a number of titanic shots that wowed the crowd. Cal wasnt done there, though. In the bottom of the third on Tuesday night, he slugged the game-winning three run homer off the Expos; Dennis Martinez. That would ultimately propel the American League to a 4-2 victory in the 62nd All-Star game and made Ripken the games MVP. By a twist of fate, the Blue Jays Jimmy Key got the win. In the second inning, the Twins Jack Morris (a Blue Jay a year later) got hit on the foot with a line drive through the box. He left the game after the second and fortunately for him and the Twins, who would go on to win the World Series that year, Morris suffered only a bruise. Ripken slugged the homer right after Key had worked the top of the third, for his only inning of the night. This game had an element of controversy too. Julio Franco, who was the All Star game MVP the year before at Wrigley Field in Chicago, was upset when Roberto Alomar was named the starting second baseman over him. How did that work out? Well American League skipper Tony La Russa made Alomar the only position player in his lineup to play the entire game. Franco did not get inserted into the lineup at all, though Robbie went (0-4) that must have been satisfying. George Bell, then of the Chicago Cubs, was back in his old stomping grounds pinch hitting in the 9th, facing Dennis Eckersley. "Eck" struck him out and then was more than a little surprised, when he received the bulk of the cheers and Bell was booed. Another special moment I had completely forgotten -- Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk has a bloop single in his 12th All-Star game. Not only was it his first hit in the mid-summer classic since 1981, at 43 it made him the oldest All-Star ever to get a hit. We rarely got to see the National League in those days and the two members of the Senior Circuit squad who impressed me be the most were lefty Tom Glavine and reliever Rob Dibble. Glavine started and pitched two shutout innings, striking out three, while Dibble was throwing "seven kinds of smoke" in his one inning of relief. There were out events that made this game special. A Canadian "Hall of Famer" Fergie Jenkins got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Before the game, two of the games immortals -- Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, were honoured at home platte for their incredible feats, 50 years earlier, when Joe "D" ran up his incredible 56 game hit streak for the Yankees and Teddy Ballgame" became the last man to bat over .dddddddddddd400 for a season. " Home run King Hank Aaron was the honourary captain for the National League and Rod Carew one of the games great pure hitters for the American. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S President George Bush even attended and sat together talkng politics for part of the game. A Skydome record crowd 52,383 gave us all a taste of what it would be like to host a World Series, which of course the Blue Jays did a year later against Atlanta. One more trivia note on that 1991 All-Star game. Ken Griffey Jr.. at 21. was playing in his second All-Star game, but the year before at Wrigley he went (0-2). In 91, at Skydome he got his first two All-Star hits. Something else about that All-Star break; the Blue Jays had won 15 of 18 games going into it, and had a five-and-a-half game lead in the Division. They went on to win the East with a (91-71) record and finished seven games ahead of Detroit and Boston. However, they lost the ALCS to Minnesota in five games, losing the last three at home. There are all kinds of trade rumours surrounding the All-Star break and 1991 was no exception. The hot one involving the Blue Jays had them getting Dennis Martinez from the Expos. It never happened and "El Presidente" went on to lead the National League in ERA with a 2,39 mark. I guess the real purpose in all of this All-Star storytelling was to ultimately wonder when the game will return to Toronto. Cincinnati will host the "Big Game" next year and Commisioner Bud Selig said a few weeks ago that Baltimore had the inside track for 2016. That would have marked the 25th Anniversary of the game being played in Toronto, and would have been the perfect opportunity to schedule a sequel. With Minnesota hosting this years event, only two other American League teams have gone longer without hosting the All-Star game. Oakland hasnt since 1987 and Tampa Bay never has. After the Reds do the honours next year, only 4 National League teams will have waited long than the Jays -- the Dodgers (1980), the Cubs (1990), Washington (1969) and Miami ( never). The 1991 All-Star game was special. Its high time the Blue Jays had the chance to host it again! The Orioles hit the All-Star break with a solid four-game lead on the Blue Jays and a five game lead on the Yankees. The last time the 0s won the division was 1997. That year, they had quite a Blue Jays connection. Pat Gillick was the GM, and there were four players who either had been or would be Blue Jays. The four included Jimmy Key, who won 16 games that season, lefty Randy Myers who be the Blue Jays closer for part of the following season, Roberto Alomar and Geronimo Berroa. Joe Carter would join the Orioles in 1998. In the Wild Card Race, the Blue Jays are in a virtual tie with Kansas City -- two-and-a-half games back of Seattle and that second Wild Card slot. Considering all of that, the Blue Jays final seven games, all at Rogers Centre, include four with Seattle followed by three versus Baltimore. It will be an incredible finish providing they are all meaningful games. ' ' '