LOS ANGELES -- The National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers open a three-game series Friday against the visiting San Diego Padres as they attempt to keep the San Francisco Giants at bay heading into the stretch run.The Dodgers (74-59) hold a two-game lead over the Giants (72-60), who dropped a 5-4 decision to the Chicago Cubs to open a four-game set on Thursday. The Dodgers, who begin a six-game homestand, were off Thursday.Despite numerous injuries, Los Angeles has ridden its core of young players to remain in first place.Shortstop Corey Seager (.315, 23 home runs and 62 RBI), who is the likely leader for NL Rookie of the Year honors, has been one of the clubs top performers. However, rookie outfielder Andrew Toles shined Wednesday, drilling a go-ahead grand slam in a 10-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies and preventing Los Angeles from being on the wrong end of a three-game sweep.Rookie Julio Urias (5-2, 3.71 ERA) will vie for his fifth straight decision as he faces the Padres for the first time in the series opener. The 20-year-old Urias has been solid since the All-Star break, posting a 4-0 mark with a 2.03 ERA in his last six games (four starts).I think the thing thats stood out to me the most with Julio has been his composure, said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations. We saw it early on. Its one of those things we thought we knew coming into the year but you dont really know it until someone competes at the major-league level and goes through the inevitable ups and downs.Just watching how he processed some of his hardships early on and the aptitude that he showed in his side work with (pitching coach Rick Honeycutt) and taking it into the game and watching how he competes inning to inning and start to start has been something.In his last start in a win over the Cubs on Saturday, Urias allowed a run on six hits and tied a season-high with eight punch-outs in six innings.Clayton Richard (1-3, 3.51 ERA) will oppose Urias in a matchup of southpaws. Richard, who the Padres re-signed after being released by the Cubs in August, is 1-2 with a 1.40 ERA in three starts (five games) with San Diego.Richard worked seven scoreless innings and scattered eight hits against Miami last Saturday. One of his losses though occurred in relief for the Cubs against the Dodgers on May 31 when he surrendered two runs on three hits and failed to retire a batter.Richard has a 6-4 record with a 3.84 ERA in 18 career games (16 starts) for San Diego against Los Angeles.The Padres (55-78), who reside in last in the West, were handed a three-game sweep Thursday by the Atlanta Braves. A strong September would help soothe another painful campaign, manager Andy Green said.I want to see guys finish strong, Green told MLB.com. I want to see us get better at the fine details of the game, execute things that we know we can do well.Nike Air Vapormax Outlet .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Nike Air Vapormax Sale . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. https://www.fakevapormaxwholesale.com/ . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Nike Air Vapormax China . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Clearance Nike Air Vapormax . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday.LONDON -- Branislav Ivanovics second-half header gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa moments after he avoided a red card in a fiery second match of the Premier League season on Wednesday. The right back was only booked for elbowing Christian Benteke in the head, and then sent Frank Lampards free kick into the net in the 73rd minute. "This is English football, for some reason the world loves it more than any other league -- one thing is (because of) a real aggression I would call it," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "Another thing is duels that are handled in a certain way and I think the referee did very well. "From minute 1 to minute 95 there was a real fight -- a football fight between Benteke and Ivanovic." Chelsea fortuitously went in front after seven minutes when the ball inadvertently bounced off Antonio Luna into his own net. Although Chelsea faded, allowing Benteke to level in first-half stoppage time, Villa couldnt find the net again and replicate its surprise victory at Arsenal on Saturday. Instead, Ivanovic ensured Mourinhos second spell at Stamford Bridge has started with back-to-back league wins. "A draw wouldnt have been an unfair result -- they fought a lot," Mourinho said. "They created great difficulties." The victory gives Chelsea an early edge over its title rivals, with this game moved forward by almost two weeks due to the Europa League winners Supercup match against Champions League winner Bayern Munich. After scoring eight past Villa in this fixture last season, Chelsea did not find it as easy going this season -- even after going in front so early. A fine pass from Oscar set up Eden Hazard on the left of the penalty area and the Belgium midfielders resulting shot was pushed by goalkeeper Brad Guzan onto LLuna and the ball bounced off him into his net.dddddddddddd. Just like in Sundays 2-0 victory over Hull, Chelsea was overwhelming the opposition, with its incisive and superior football -- initially at least. But after failing to extend its lead -- Oscar struck wide and Demba Ba forced Guzan into a low save -- Chelsea conceded for the first time this season. In the third minute of stoppage time, Gabriel Agbonlahor cut down the left and crossed low to Benteke, who controlled the ball with his first touch and then curled the shot around Petr Cechs near post. Villa came close to taking the lead in the second half, with Agbonlahor curling over and Andreas Weimann only denied at close range by Cech. As Villa came close to bursting Mourinhos early-season joy, the newly self-styled "Happy One" looked more like the combative manager of the 2004-07 spell at Chelsea as he raged at the referee. But Kevin Friend then delighted Mourinho by only booking Ivanovic for his foul on Benteke, ensuring he was still on the pitch to meet Lampards free kick with a free header. "He clearly elbowed Christian Benteke, it was a sending off," Villa manager Paul Lambert said. Cechs reflexes were required to deny Weimann again in the 86th, using his legs to block the shot. And Lamberts fury boiled over in stoppage time when his side was denied a penalty after Chelsea captain John Terrys raised arm blocked Bentekes header. "The penalty was a penalty, everybody saw that," Lambert said. "He missed two huge moments. How can you miss that magnitude of a decision? It is beyond me." Mourinho dismissed Lamberts protests. "(Lambert) reminds myself of 10 years ago when I was complaining of every decision ... he complains about every decision," Mourinho said. ' ' '