DieBruderschaft.com

MIAMI -- The first time Jose Fernandez faced Aledmys Diaz on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger fouled the first pitch off with a mighty swing.I told him, `Really? Youre going to swing first pitch like that? Fernandez said. That swing had a lot of bad intentions.It was a sign of things to come. Diaz homered, doubled and drove in three runs in the first-ever meeting between the two childhood pals from Cuba, helping the Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 5-4.Fernandez fell behind 5-0, departed after five innings and dropped to 26-2 at Marlins Park.I made some mistakes and they took advantage. Thats on me, he said. Every time you get four runs and have your ace on the mound, you should expect to win.Miamis Dee Gordon, the 2015 NL batting and stolen bases champion, returned from an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test and went 0 for 4. Ichiro Suzuki doubled as a pinch hitter in the seventh for Miami and needs two hits for 3,000.Michael Wacha (6-7) allowed three runs in six innings, and three relievers completed an eight-hitter. Seung Hwan Oh pitched around a one-out single in the ninth for his seventh save.Diaz and Matt Holliday homered in the third inning against Fernandez (12-5), who had never previously given up more than one homer in a home game.That was a lot of fun to compete against my buddy, Diaz said. I just tried to be aggressive with him, hes such a great pitcher.Fernandezs only other loss at Marlins Park came on opening day this year against Detroit.Diaz and Fernandez were neighbors growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, and the Cardinals enjoyed their reunion. Fernandez walked Jeremy Hazelbaker to start the third inning, and Diaz followed with his 14th homer.This guy wants to hit it 10,000 feet, Fernandez said. Hes helping his team win. You cant get mad about that.Two batters later, Holliday hit his 18th homer just inside the right-field foul pole, prompting a rueful grin from Fernandez. The outing was his shortest since May 4.The Cardinals homered in 17 consecutive games before being blanked in that department Wednesday.Hazelbaker tripled and Diaz drove in a run with a double, his 25th, in the Cardinals two-run fifth.UNDER SIEGEMarcell Ozell hit comebackers off Wacha (right foot) and Oh (left buttocks). Both stayed in the game. Its the third game in a row Wacha has been hit on the right foot.Its got a bulls-eye on it, Wacha said.BALK REVERSALThe umpires said they erroneously reversed a balk call, taking a Cardinals run off the board in the second inning.With runners at second and third and two out, Fernandez was about to intentionally walk No. 8 hitter Kolten Wong when third base umpire D.J. Reyburn called a balk. Fernandez protested, and after the four umpires conferred, they reversed the call and decided there was no balk.Wacha struck out to end the inning and keep the game scoreless. After the game, crew chief John Hirshbeck reviewed video and decided Reyburns balk call had been correct.D.J. called it from third, and I thought I saw (Fernandez) step off with his right foot, Hirshbeck said. I overruled D.J. with what I thought I saw. He was right, I was wrong.SUZUKI UPDATESuzuki received a standing ovation when he pinch-hit, and he responded with his 350th career double, raising his season average to .335. He has started only one of seven games on the homestand.I dont think hes searching to make this about him, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. I think hes comfortable with the way were playing it.CARDINALS ROTATIONCardinals LHP Jaime Garcia will start Saturday on four days rest, manager Mike Matheny said. Garcia threw 77 pitches Tuesday, when he gave up two earned runs in five innings and lost to the Mets.TRAINERS ROOMRHP Lance Lynn, who underwent Tommy John surgery in November, threw to hitters again Thursday, and the Cardinals havent ruled out his return this season.UP NEXTCardinals RHP Mike Leake (7-8, 4.24), who is scheduled to start Friday, is 3-0 with an 0.44 ERA in three starts at Marlins Park. RHP Jose Urena (1-2, 5.34) will start for Miami.Tyler Miller Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Sacha Kljestan USA Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Jordan-Morris-Copa-America-Jersey/ . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Alejandro Bedoya USA Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Antonee Robinson USA Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night.MADRID -- By himself, Lionel Messi has already scored more than Real Madrids top three forwards combined.The Barcelona star is off to one of the best starts of his career with 14 goals in 11 matches, two more than what Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have netted so far with Madrid.And Messi has done it despite being sidelined for three weeks because of an injury.Messi has been superb, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said simply.The Argentina forward hadnt started a season with so many goals since 2011-12, when he scored 14 times in 10 matches.So far, Messi has already scored eight more goals than he did last season at the same point. He has two hat tricks and is the leading scorer in both the Spanish league and the Champions League. In his last six games, he has scored 11 goals, with six coming in the three games he played since recovering from a right groin strain.Messis rivals at Madrid have not come close to him this season.Ronaldo has nine goals, but that includes five with Portugal in World Cup qualifying. He is currently in a slump in the Spanish league with only two in six matches.I prefer that he always scores two or three goals a game but Im not worried, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Tuesday. Hes not scoring with the chances that hes getting at the moment but the important thing is that hes getting chances. Hell score soon and everyone will relax.Benzema scored his fourth goal of the season in a Spanish league gamee last weekend, while Bale has netted seven times in 14 appearances.dddddddddddd Three of his goals came in three World Cup qualifiers with Wales.Seven of Messis goals this season were scored in the Spanish league, with one in the Spanish Super Cup and six from a couple of hat tricks in the Champions League.The current form could leave the 29-year-old forward in position to again win the Ballon dOr award for the worlds best player. He has already won the award five times, including last season.Messis great scoring start is somewhat of a surprise because in the last few years he has taken more of a playmaker role after the additions of Luis Suarez and Neymar. The trio broke scoring records in each of the last two seasons, with Suarez leading the way last season. The Uruguay striker has opened with 10 goals in 13 appearances, while Neymar has found the net six times in 10 matches this season.Barcelona plays Espanyol in the Catalonia Super Cup on Tuesday, but neither Messi nor any of the other regular starters will be playing.Messis next chance to increase his goal tally will likely be Saturday against last-place Granada, a team that has already conceded 23 goals in nine Spanish league matches.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '