at his craft and was always accountable for his play. The qualities w

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres look to continue their home run spree when opening a nine-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Petco Park.Or should the Padres downtown digs be christened Muscle Beach?While little has gone right for rebuilding San Diego (44-58) this season, it has blasted home runs in 25 straight games. Slugging San Diego joins the 1998 Atlanta Braves (25), and four American League clubs, as the only clubs to reach that mark in major-league history.If the Padres go yard on Friday in the first of a three-game series with the Reds, they will set the NL record and inch closer to the 2002 Texas Rangers standard of homers in 27 straight games.San Diegos lineup is matched against a Reds starter whos been torched by big flies. Southpaw Brandon Finnegan (5-8, 4.93 ERA) has absorbed 22 home runs in 20 games.The Padres are coming off Wednesdays 8-4 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in which Adam Rosales and Brett Wallace went deep and Alex Dickerson, among the organizations top prospects, stroked a homer for the fourth consecutive game.Thats a nifty personal feat but it pales to what the Padres are accomplishing.What gives for a team which is shedding veterans and trying to construct a brighter future as it careens toward its sixth straight losing season?Our chase percentages are down outside the strike zone, and were forcing guys into the zone more often, (and) were walking more than we were early in the season, Padres rookie manager Andy Green told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Those things you can control.Hitting the ball out of the ballpark 25 straight (games), its borderline fluke. Its just one of those things that happen. We dont think about it much.The Padres brawn will likely occupy Finnegans thoughts. He has surrendered a home run in six straight starts and 10 blasts in his last four.San Diego hands the ball to veteran Edwin Jackson (1-1, 4.30 overall), hoping he can duplicate his last outing at Petco. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Giants in his Padres debut on July 17 before settling for the win. Jackson has been keen in two starts after taking Drew Pomeranzs rotation spot when Pomeranz was peddled to the Boston Red Sox.With Mondays trading deadline approaching, the Reds continue to field offers for Jay Bruce. The All-Star right fielder has been on a tear, tying a club record with a homer in five straight games; he has six homers in five games. Its possible the All-Star is playing his final games with the Reds.I would expect things to probably over the weekend get a little more engaged, Walt Jocketty, the Reds director of baseball operations, told mlb.com. There are clubs that have been engaged in Jay for a while. Its basically the same clubs but no one has really come up and been really aggressive.It figures scouts from three West Coast contenting teams, the Giants, Dodgers and Mariners, will be evaluating the left-hand hitting veteran corner outfielder who fills a need.Like the Padres, the Reds (40-61) are trying to flip their roster and collect young talent with upside. Surprisingly, San Diego is doing it while hitting the ball outside the ballpark at an historic rate. Adidas Superstar Canada Sale . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Fake NMD Canada . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/stan-smith-cheap-canada.html . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. NMD R1 Canada Mens .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. y-3 Sale Canada .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans tight end Craig Stevens is retiring at the age of 31.The Titans announced Tuesday that Stevens informed the team he would file retirement paperwork with the NFL.Craig is a consummate pro, coach Mike Mularkey said in a news release. I have enjoyed working with him as a position coach and as a head coach, and he was someone who could always be counted on. He worked at his craft and was always accountable for his play. The qualities we use to describe players here -- tough, dependable, team-first -- those are the qualities Craig had as a player.Stevens spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Titans, who drafted him in the third round out of California in 2008.Stevens had 12 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns last season while receiving the Ed Block Courage Award from teammates after overcoming a serious leg injury hed suffered in 2014.ddddddddddddHe posted career totals of 60 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns. Stevens also had 25 special-teams tackles during his first two NFL seasons.Mularkey said there has been an ongoing discussion with Craig about his plans for the future. Mularkey said the team wants to give him time to decide what is best for him and his family.We are proud to call him a Titan, and he is always welcome around this team, Mularkey said. We wish him and his family the best in his next chapter of life.---Online:AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '