Barnes inside the box. United tied it in the 27th min

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins proved they can win the close ones, too. After scoring 18 runs in their last two wins, the Marlins found that winning a tight game can be just as enjoyable. Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGehee hit consecutive run-scoring singles off David Carpenter during a two-run rally in the seventh inning that led the Marlins to a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night and a three-game sweep of the NL East leader. "Honestly, I like wins, I dont care how we get them," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "9-0 is fun, but a game like tonight, 5-4, where youre putting guys in some situations they havent been in and see how they respond, thats fun too." Miami has won six straight home games for the first time at Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. It is the longest home winning streak for the team since the Marlins won eight in a row from June 20 to July 1, 2009. With the Marlins trailing 4-3, pinch-hitter Reed Johnson singled off Ian Thomas (1-1) leading off the seventh and took second on Christian Yelichs single. Derek Dietrich lined out, and Carpenter relieved and gave up the back-to-back hits. "Weve done a really good job in putting ourselves in situations to have a chance late in games," McGehee said. "Fortunately, tonight we were able to get some hits that were big." Mike Dunn (3-3) pitched a hitless seventh, and Steve Cishek got four outs for his sixth save in seven chances to complete the Marlins first series sweep of Atlanta since 2009. Cishek relieved with two on and two outs in the eighth, walked Andrelton Simmons, then struck out pinch-hitter Ramiro Pena and pitched a perfect ninth. The Marlins bullpen allowed one hit in three shutout innings. Cishek admitted being a bit nervous between the eighth and ninth innings. "I was pacing around the dugout," he said. "I wanted the offence to get more runs, of course, but I was just trying to stay focused and stay sharp mentally and make sure I was ready to get back out there and get the job done." The Marlins swept Atlanta at home for the first time since June 13-15, 2006. "Its huge for us," Redmond said. "These guys keep battling and keep pushing forward and moving on and really picking each other up playing with a lot of energy out there." Garrett Jones had a home run for the Marlins. Evan Gattis and B.J. Upton homered for the Braves. Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, giving up multiple homers in a game for the first time since Sept. 24, 2012. Atlanta starter Ervin Santana gave up three runs and five hits in six innings. The last time the Braves lost three straight was Sept. 15-17, 2013. "The way they scored in the seventh inning, they got a couple balls to drop and they got some ground balls that got through the infield off of Carpenter," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We had some opportunities. Now we take a flight home and stop this losing streak." Miami led 2-0 in the third when Justin Heyward, batting with one on, grounded softly to Jones at first, who tossed to Alvarez covering the base. Heyward was initially called out by first base umpire Jim Reynolds, but the call was reversed by the review umpire in New York when a replay showed Alvarez missed the bag and the tag. Upton followed with a three-run homer. Adeiny Hechavarria hit an RBI grounder in the fourth, but Gattis homer put Atlanta back ahead in the sixth. NOTES: Upton has hit safely in 15 of the last 18 games in which he has had an at-bat. ... Braves RHP Gavin Floyd is expected to be activated by Sunday and initially pitch out of the bullpen. . McGehee got his 300th RBI in the first inning. ... The Marlins finished April with an 11-4 home record, a 2.40 home ERA and a .307 home batting average. They ranked first in the majors in home wins. ... The Marlins nine-game homestand continues Friday with the opener of a weekend set against the Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Atlanta returns home Friday to play a weekend series against San Francisco. Wholesale Custom Jerseys Authentic . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. Cheap Custom Jerseys . The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/custom-san-francisco-49ers-jerseys/ .com) - Minnesota Vikings fans would surely concede Teddy Bridgewater is not Peyton Manning. Custom Jerseys From China . Heavily-criticized after allowing a dozen goals on 58 shots in two games in Boston, Luongo continued his dominance at home. Hes now allowed two goals in three home games in this series. Fake Custom Jerseys . Not bad for a defenceman. The goal, that is. Although the shuffling dance steps werent bad, either. Barrie scored 55 seconds into overtime, Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, and the Avalanche moved a step closer to their first playoff berth in four years with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.WASHINGTON - After reaching the last two MLS Cup Finals, the Houston Dynamo are back in the playoffs. That might be bad news for the rest of the league. Boniek Garcia and Giles Barnes scored in the first half and Houston beat D.C. United 2-1 on Sunday to wrap up a playoff spot on the final day of the season. Despite just qualifying for the post-season, confidence is high for Houston. "I dont think were a team that you necessarily want to play," defender Bobby Boswell said. "I dont think were a team that people are saying, Oh were matched up with Dynamo — good. Its kind of one of those, Oh boy, what are we in for." D.C. United (3-24-7) was winless in its final 12 games and set the MLS record for fewest victories in a season, breaking the previous mark of four set by Tampa Bay in 2001 and matched by Chivas USA in 2005. The Dynamo are the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and will host Montreal in the knockout match on Wednesday or Thursday. Houston finished fifth last season and won three consecutive playoff series on the road before eventually falling to Los Angeles in the MLS Cup. "I think that play-in game can make you dangerous," Boswell said referring to last years run. Captain Brad Davis, whose shot in the first half resulted in the corner kick that provided the winning ggoal, echoed his teammates belief.dddddddddddd "I do feel like last year the run that we made — that play-in game - did help us," Davis said. "We wanted to get back on the field as quick as possible." Garcia scored his third goal of the season, converting a penalty kick in the 11th minute. Houston (14-11-9) earned the spot kick after defender James Riley pulled down Giles Barnes inside the box. United tied it in the 27th minute when Kyle Porter headed home Chris Pontius cross at the far post right. It was Porters third goal of the season, tying him for the team high. Houston pulled ahead in the 39th minute when Barnes flicked home a header on a corner kick. Barnes finished the season with a team-high nine goals. Houston has qualified for the playoffs seven times in the clubs eight-year history and made four appearances in the MLS Cup. Davis has been a part of each Dynamo playoff run and takes pride in the fact that his team is well respected this time of year. "I actually read to the group that somebody from D.C. said that you know when you play Houston its going to be a battle," Davis said. "They never look forward to playing us because they know its going to be hard and its going to be difficult. So when other teams are saying that, its a good thing." ' ' '