aking quickness Julian showed in running for nearly 2,500 ya

PHILADELPHIA -- The red-hot Atlanta Braves found a different way to continue their winning streak: good, old-fashioned hustle. Dan Uggla had a tiebreaking RBI grounder in the 12th, the Atlanta bullpen pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings and the Braves beat the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Saturday night for their ninth straight win. Luis Avilan (4-0), one of seven Atlanta pitchers, threw a scoreless 11th inning to earn the win and Craig Kimbrel got the last three outs for his 33rd save in 36 chances as the Braves won for the 11th time in 13 games. Phillies left-hander Jake Diekman (0-2) pitched a perfect 11th but ran into trouble in the 12th. Justin Upton walked leading off and went to second on Freddie Freemans groundout. After an intentional walk to Evan Gattis, Diekman walked Paul Janish, a career .215 hitter, on four pitches to load the bases. Justin De Fratus replaced Diekman and Uggla hit a bounding ball to short that looked like it could be a double play, but Uggla was safe at first when Chase Utleys relay pulled an extended Kevin Frandsen off the bag. Utley withstood a strong takeout slide from Janish, who made contact with the Philadelphia second baseman. "Unnoticed by a lot of people is the way Janish went into second against Utley," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "If you go in tiptoeing there, Utley gets a clean look." Said Janish, "The ball was hit slow enough and I was able to disrupt the play. Fortunately, it helped us win the game." Gonzalez also credited Uggla for his effort on the play. "Uggla really busted it down the line," he said. "The winning run came on a double-play ball, but our two runners made a difference." John Mayberry Jr. homered for Philadelphia, which has lost four in a row and 12 of 13. "Obviously, this is very frustrating," Mayberry said. "It can flip and come back around just as easily. Were going to remain confident until the end." The Phillies did threaten in the 12th off Kimbrel, as Jimmy Rollins reached second with two outs on a fielders choice and wild pitch. But Kimbrel struck out pinch-hitter Laynce Nix to record his 23rd straight save. "It seems like we have a hard time getting going," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Were having a hard time playing good enough or doing enough to win. Were playing the game out and staying there with it. Were just getting beat right now." Justin Upton homered for the Braves. Atlanta took a 4-3 lead with a three-run fifth highlighted by Freemans two-run single. But Rollins tied it with a two-out double in the seventh off reliever Luis Ayala that scored Mayberry. That hit closed the book on Brandon Beachy, who gave up three earned runs on five hits in 6 1-3 innings in his second start this season following Tommy John surgery. Beachy was 5-5 with a 2.00 ERA in 13 starts last season before having surgery June 21, 2012. He struggled in his return to the big leagues, allowing seven runs on eight hits in 3 2-3 innings Monday against Colorado. Beachy, who struck out four and walked two, lowered his ERA to 9.00. "It was a step in the right direction for me, thats for sure," Beachy said. "I settled in after the first inning and made some quality pitches." The Phillies took a 3-0 lead on Utleys RBI groundout in the first and Mayberrys two-run homer in the second. Upton brought the Braves within two runs with a solo shot in the third before Atlantas three-run fifth. John Lannan allowed two earned runs and four hits in 4 1-3 innings with a two walks and no strikeouts. Lannan was pitching on three days rest after rookie Jonathan Pettibone, who was scheduled to start Saturday, was placed on the DL on Friday with a right shoulder strain. "Everybody has to go through it and learn from it and move on," Lannan said of the skid. Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon entered to boos in the ninth inning but left to cheers with a 1-2-3 frame that featured two strikeouts. Papelbon has blown six of his last 13 save opportunities and has made critical comments of the team in recent weeks. Atlanta got a runner in scoring position in the 10th off Antonio Bastardo when Chris Johnson and Uggla walked with two outs, but the left-hander struck out B.J. Upton to end the threat. Frandsen nearly ended it leading off the 10th when he ripped the first pitch to left off David Carpenter, but Justin Upton caught it while backing into the wall in left-centre. And Scott Downs came in to get the final two outs of the inning. "It definitely wasnt from a lack of effort," Manuel said. "We just didnt get the hit or we didnt get the big hit to win the game." NOTES: B.J. Upton, who was activated from the DL earlier Saturday, went 1 for 5. ... Atlanta got its MLB-leading 35th come-from-behind win. ... Chris Johnson went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two walks, halting his streak of consecutive games with a hit at 11 and multi-hit games at eight. ... The Phillies honoured several former members of their organization, including players from their 1993 World Series team, in a pregame ceremony. Catcher Darren Daulton, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last month, received the loudest ovation and received hugs from John Kruk, Mike Schmidt and manager Charlie Manuel. ... Phillies LHP Cliff Lee (10-4, 3.05) opposes Atlanta LHP Alex Wood (1-2, 3.51) in the finale of the three-game series Sunday night. ... Phillies LF Darin Ruf went 1 for 4 with a walk and has now reached base safely in 31 consecutive games. Joe Smith Astros Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Larry Dierker Astros Jersey . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. https://www.cheapastros.com/1243o-martin-maldonado-jersey-astros.html . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Zack Greinke Astros Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Jeff Kent Astros Jersey . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Editors note: Julian Edelman is expected to serve as the Patriots No. 2 quarterback again on Sunday as?Jimmy Garoppolo inactive. This story was originally published on Sept. 22.?Frank Edelman remembers the first sight of his teenage son as a high school quarterback. It wasnt pretty.Jules was 5-2 or 5-3 as a junior on varsity, just tiny, Edelman said. All you saw was his head over center.Little Jules, or Julian, grew 7 or 8 inches before the start of his senior season at Woodside High in Woodside, California.And then all hell broke loose, his father recalled from the auto service shop he still runs more than 3,000 miles from Gillette Stadium. Jules started dominating just like he had in Pop Warner.New England Patriots fans know the rest of the story.?Julian Edelman became a dual-threat quarterbacking star at the College of San Mateo and then at Kent State before Bill Belichick decided he was worth drafting in the seventh round in 2009. Belichick didnt know what position Edelman would play for Tom Bradys team. The coach just knew the kid was good enough at football to play somewhere.On Thursday, that somewhere just might be back under center against the Houston Texans. Brady is suspended, Jimmy Garoppolo has a bum shoulder, and rookie?Jacoby Brissett might be one J.J. Watt hit away from needing a temporary replacement. Thats where Julian Edelman, stud receiver, comes in.Edelman hasnt thrown a single pass in 89 career NFL regular-season games. However, he threw one pass in the postseason, a 51-yard touchdown strike to Danny Amendola against Baltimore two seasons ago. Its only one of the biggest passes in recent Patriots history. Without it, New England probably doesnt reach the Super Bowl, and people are probably talking today about Belichick and Bradys failure to win the big one since 2004.Frank Edelman was Julians first and longtime football coach, from the youth leagues into high school, and he was heavily involved in the management of his sons college career. For the record, despite reports that Belichick has been prepping Julian to play quarterback if needed, Frank doesnt think its going to happen.Youre dealing with Bill Belichick here, and youd have to take two quarterbacks down, he said. And its an AC joint for Garoppolo. They can numb that. Jules played through a sprained AC joint in high school, and Ben Roethlisberger played with it llast year in a playoff game.dddddddddddd I thought Brissett played pretty well last week. I mean, Jules could play a quarter or so and hang in there, and if anyone can do it, the Patriots can. I just dont see it.What if Belichick actually put Edelman in at quarterback against Houston, the way he put Edelman and Troy Brown in the secondary in the past?Id be a nervous wreck watching, Frank said. Jules has been out of that quarterback position for eight years. Were not really good at winging it -- thats not in our DNA. Weve got to study for a test. And hes added muscle for the punishment he has to take as a receiver, so he might have tighter mechanics trying to throw the ball.Can Jules do it? Yeah, he could definitely do it. But could he do it well? Im just not sure. I dont know how many picks he would throw. Ill say this: He does know the offense like the back of his hand. That wouldnt be a problem.Frank Edelman said he has been eternally grateful that his son ended up with Belichick, a master at cloaking weaknesses and accentuating strengths. But if he were asked to assume Belichicks role for a night and game plan his sons return to the quarterback position, Frank said he would lean on the athleticism and ankle-breaking quickness Julian showed in running for nearly 2,500 yards (and throwing for nearly 5,000 yards) over three seasons at Kent State.Id have Jules drop back to pass, let the play break down and then find the open alley and run, Frank said. Id have him hand off, run the read-option, run some bootlegs, some waggle passes. Hes going to have to move the pocket. Remember, hes only 5-10, so he cant throw over the line of scrimmage. And without practice, you cant wait for throwing lanes to open.When Jules runs, as long as he tries to stay vertical and runs north and south, hell be all right. If he takes off that way, J.J. Watt wont catch him. But if Jules tries to run sideways, those big guys are fast, and they eat up a lot of yards.When Jules throws, Ill bet you five bucks hell throw those little crossing routes to Amendola and [Chris] Hogan. I promise you hell stay between the hashes, and he wont throw one ball to the outside.And the other thing I can promise you is that Jules will do the very best he can. ' ' '