place, Chiller told reporters on Tuesday.Chiller had aske

SAN DIEGO -- Stephen Strasburg had quite the homecoming. Pitching in front of about 50 family members and friends, Strasburg lasted a career-high eight innings against his hometown Padres to snap a seven-start winless streak, and Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche homered to lead the Washington Nationals to a 6-2 victory against San Diego on Thursday night. "Its easy pitching in front of a lot of loved ones," Strasburg said. "Its just another place to me, to be honest. Its my hometown. Im an Aztec. But I look forward to pitching anyplace in the big leagues. Its kind of a dream come true." Strasburgs 54th big league start was his first professional appearance at Petco Park. The big right-hander went to high school in suburban Santee and pitched for Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn at San Diego State before the Nationals took him with the first overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft. He pitched twice at Petco Park for SDSU. "I heard a lot of Welcome home and a lot of Go Aztecs out there. Its great. Im just glad they remembered me." He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out four and walking three. He got the final out of the eighth on his 117th pitch. Strasburg had never thrown a pitch in the eighth inning of a big league start until he faced Everth Cabrera on Thursday night. Strasburg said he had been looking forward to "just getting deep in the ballgame, getting used to that, getting into the routine of how youre bodys going to feel the next day and learning how to recover and getting ready to doing it again." Strasburg (2-5) had gone seven innings 10 times, including three this year. He said he was happy manager Davey Johnson let him go back out for the eighth. "Im just glad he wasnt waiting for me at the top step after the seventh," Strasburg said. "I went out there in the eighth and I got the first out and it was like, All right, so this is what it feels like. I trust Daveys judgment and obviously he saw that my stuff was still there. He had the trust in me to go out there and get it done." Strasburg was supposed to pitch at Petco Park last year but a rainout pushed that start back. "I thought he pitched a heck of a ballgame," Johnson said. "It was the first time hes ever gone eight innings. It was a good homecoming for him. I liked it. I didnt think he was as sharp as he usually is, but it was a good ballgame. It was nice to see some offence coming up to give him some run support." Strasburg earned his first victory since beating Miami on opening day. In Strasburgs only other appearance against the Padres, he lasted just four innings in a 6-1 loss at Washington on May 15, 2012. Strasburg held the Padres scoreless through four innings and allowed only one run in the fifth despite loading the bases with one out. "He kept the ball down for the most part," San Diegos Yonder Alonso said. "We had the bases loaded there and we couldnt get it done." Harper, back in the lineup three nights after running full-on into the scoreboard in right field at Dodger Stadium, hit a monster shot estimated at 431 feet to straightaway centre field on the first pitch he saw from Tyson Ross with two outs in the seventh. Harpers homer nearly reached the base of the batters eye. It was his 11th. Harpers violent collision with the wall at Dodger Stadium left the 20-year-old slugger with 11 stitches in his chin and a sore body. Harper said he felt a little better but his whole left side was still sore. He played left field and batted third. LaRoche hit a two-run homer into the sandy play area beyond the fence in right-centre off Edinson Volquez (3-4) with one out in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. It was his fifth. The Nationals added three runs off Volquez in the fifth, on a two-run single by Ryan Zimmerman and an RBI single by Steve Lombardozzi. Volquez allowed five runs and five hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked four. San Diegos Jedd Gyorko led off the fifth with a double that caromed off the base of the stands in left and Alexi Amarista walked. With one out, pinch-hitter Kyle Blanks hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, whose throw to second sailed over Steve Lombardozzi for an error that loaded the bases. Everth Cabreras groundout brought in a run before Strasburg struck out Will Venable. "He worked his way out of that jam," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We tried to get a little closer. He made a couple of pitches to minimize the damage and that got him through the middle part of the game." Chris Denorfia hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth. NOTES: Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, known as "Johnny Football," threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He put a football twist on it by dropping back, scrambling and tossing it to Mark Kotsay, who caught it behind his back. Manziel also took two rounds of batting practice, with mixed results. The bat went flying out of his hands on his first swing, but he later hit a ball off the right-field wall at Petco Park. Manziel took BP while wearing loafers. ... Manziel is in town to work with quarterbacks coach George Whitfield Jr. "He came out here last year as a third-stringer and now he comes out here as a Heisman Trophy winner," Whitfield said. ... Manziel and Padres RHP Burch Smith have known each other since they were kids growing up in Tyler, Texas. Manziel said Smith once pulled a prank on him by locking him a batting cage. ... Johnson, who also went to Texas A&M, chatted up Manziel during batting practice. ... Manziel threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin missed the game to be with his wife, Jeane, who gave birth to their first son, Clark. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Australias team boss is disappointed Rio Olympics organisers have ignored her request to heighten security in the host city ahead of the Games.Australian chef de mission Kitty Chiller says shes had no reply from Games organisers to her June 20 letter, which followed the gun-point robbery of an Australian Paralympian in Rio.It is disappointing because every day that we dont get a response means one less day that what we asked for can be in place, Chiller told reporters on Tuesday.Chiller had asked Rio organisers to bring forward their deployment of some 85,000 security personnel, ahead of the August 5 official opening of the Games.Her move came after Paralympian Liesl Tesch and team physiotherapist Sarah Ross were robbed while training in Rio.The security personnel, there will be 85,000 of them on the road at Games time and Im confident at Games ttime that the venues and areas around the venues will be safe, Chiller said.ddddddddddddBut as you know we have athletes and team members there already. Im going next week and I would like to know that I can walk the streets being safe from next week.Chiller said she had never personally had any security concerns in Rio.To be honest, I have been there five times and I have never felt personally unsafe, she said.But I have followed the protocols that we have in place for our team.So I would never go out on my own, I would always walk in a group, I would stick to main thoroughfares and avoid darkness (areas).I think if our team members follow the safety and security protocols that we have put in place, we should be fine. ' ' '