CHICAGO -- Despite struggling on the mound most of the game, Ian Kennedy executed his pitches when he needed it the most. What is the best site to buy team jerseys from China . Tommy Medica hit a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth, the same inning Kennedy pitched out of a bases loaded jam, and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Wednesday night. On a cool, unseasonably summer night in Chicago, Kennedy (8-9) won his third straight decision. He allowed three runs and three hits, while striking out six and pitching around a season-high five walks in six innings. With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Kennedy struck out Anthony Rizzo and got Starlin Castro to ground out to end the inning. Rizzo, currently one of the hottest hitters in baseball was coming off a two-homer game against the Padres on Tuesday. "Hes been swinging the bat very good, all season he has. If you make a mistake to him it will cost you quite a bit. I knew I had to execute and bear down in that situation. It was a big at-bat in the whole game and it kind of stopped their momentum," Kennedy said. Medica finished with three hits and drove in two runs for the Padres, who came into the game with baseballs worst batting average at .215. Luis Valbuena hit a three-run homer for the Cubs, who have lost 12 of 15. Cubs starter Tsuyoshi Wada (0-1) allowed five runs, five hits and four walks in four-plus innings. It was his second career start after receiving a no-decision against the Reds on July 8. "On the hill he looks as composed as anybody, but he didnt find his rhythm and command today as he had in his last outing against Cincinnati, but he kept grinding. He did try to get through it," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. After a leadoff walk in the first inning, Yangervis Solarte hit an RBI triple to right. Solarte scored on Carlos Quentins sacrifice fly to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Solarte was acquired on Tuesday from Yankees, centring around a trade that sent Chase Headley to New York. "Right off the bat that was great to see. It brought us some energy," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He looked good, everything as advertised. It was good to get him acclimated." Jeff Francoeur, who had his contract purchased by the Padres from Triple-A El Paso before the game, singled in his major league season debut, then scored from first on Chris Nelsons double. He finished the game 1 for 3 with a walk a sacrifice fly. Kennedy was unable to hold the 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. He allowed two walks, then with two outs, Valbuena drove Kennedys 0-1 pitch into the bleachers in right field to tie the game. It was Valbuenas sixth homer of the season. "It was just a bad curveball I threw to Valbuena. That was frustrating because I thought my curveball was pretty good all night," Kennedy said. "That was by far the worst one I threw all night." Wada, who struggled with his control the entire game, walked the first two batters in the fifth. His night ended when Medica hit an RBI ground-rule double in the ivy in left. Reliever Brian Schlitter continued with the control problems for the Cubs. He walked Rene Rivera with the bases loaded to give the Padres a 5-3 lead. Pinch-hitter Seth Smith and Medica had RBI singles in the eighth for the Padres and Francoeur added a sacrifice fly. NOTES: The Cubs promoted OF prospect Jorge Soler to Triple-A Iowa where he will join infielders Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. "Our last big call was around the All-Star break. With Soler, we talked about the fact that he really looked like he was on a mission. He came off the DL (hamstring injury) without missing a beat. It was remarkable for him not to show any signs of rust, in fact the opposite. And he said, now is my time," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. ... Francoeur took OF Cameron Maybins spot on the roster. Maybin was suspended 25 games Wednesday for testing positive for amphetamines. 01:11ET 24-07-14 Where Can Buy Cheap Jerseys .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. What is the best place to buy knockoff jerseys . Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. https://www.wheretobuycheapjerseys.com/ . Rob Klinkhammer and Mikkel Boedker scored 63 seconds apart in the first period for the Coyotes, who handed the Kings their third straight loss and took over sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. Mike Smith made 36 saves. CALGARY -- That the decision was painful was evident, as Dan Church was in tears by the end of the conversation. His stated reason for abruptly resigning as head coach of Canadas Olympic womens hockey team was he felt there were doubts about his ability to coach the team to Olympic gold in February. "If there isnt confidence in what Im doing, I need to step aside and let the team move on," Church told The Canadian Press in a phone interview Thursday. "Im heartbroken, to be honest, about the whole situation. Im sad I cant finish this journey." Church didnt specify whether it was players or Hockey Canada who doubted his competence as a coach. "Just discussions Id had over the last few days made that apparent, in some meetings Id had with leadership," Church said. "I think it was just difference of opinion on the direction we were headed. "In the end, I just decided if Im getting in the way of where the team needs to go, I need to step aside and let them continue on in the process." That bombshell comes less than two months before the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Church was expected to announce his 21-player Olympic roster before the end of December. Church left Calgary on Thursday morning without addressing the players and flew to Toronto, where he lives with his wife Regan. Canada hosted the U.S. women in Calgary at night. "I was in shock. It was unexpected," veteran forward Caroline Ouellette said. "I appreciate Dan. I always have. I have a lot of respect for him. I think hes done a lot of great things for our team since 2011 when he took over as head coach." The Canadian women will attempt to win a fourth straight gold medal in Sochi after victories in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Church coached Canada to a womens world title in April, 2012. The 40-year-old from Toronto was rewarded with a two-year contract to coach for the 2013 world champions and the Winter Olympics. When asked if Hockey Canada tried to convince him to stay or reverse his decision Thursday, Church replied, "No, they did not." "Dan has decided to resign for personal reasons," Hockey Canadas chief operating officer Scott Smith said at news conference Thursday. "Hes put a tremendous amount of work into this and we respect the decision hes made." Assistant coaches Danielle Goyette, a former national team player, and Lisa Haley will co-coach until a new coach is named, Smith said. "Time certainly is of the essence," Smith said. "This decision came upon us in the last few hours and were going to react as quickly as possible. Melody Davidson coached the Canadian women to Olympic gold in both 2006 and 2010. She became Hockey Canadas female head scout and serves in a general managers role for the national team. Davidson was adamant Thursday she would not step into the breach. "I stepped down in 2010 for a reason," Davidson said. "I left because it was time to be off that bench and Im comfortable in the role I can play off the ice." "I think theres some real good candidates there who can help us and bring a different voice than mine. Ill definitely support whatever direction we go in, but its not going to involve me as part of the coaching staff." The reality is the ppool of Canadians who have experience coaching international womens teams is shallow. What is the best Chinese web site for cheap Jerseys. . Davidson says she could identify with Churchs feelings as she nearly quit when Canada lost the 2009 world championship final to the U.S. prior to the 2010 Olympics. "The Olympics is overwhelming at times," she said. "Sometimes you get caught up in that. Maybe Dan couldnt feel he could envision something different." Davidson didnt think Church was in over his head as head coach of the team. "Definitely not," she said. Haley says she did not question Churchs decisions. "In my opinion, Dan has done and said everything with the intention of this team winning a gold medal," Haley said. "I trusted his decisions all along when Ive gotten the chance to coach with him over the years. "Hes gotten a lot of things right. Right now, what we want to do is trust this decision that this is whats best for the team and hopefully we can win him that gold medal." Church and Davidson invited 27 women to try out for the Olympic team. Theyve been training full time in Calgary since August. Church cut forward Jenelle Kohanchuk and defenders Tessa Bonhomme and Brigette Lacquette in November. Two more forwards and a defenceman will be released when the Olympic team in named. The Canadian women lost 3-2 to the U.S. in the final of this years world championship in Ottawa, but were on a three-game winning streak against their archrivals until Thursday night. With Goyette and Haley behind the bench, Canada lost 5-1 to the U.S in the third exhibition game between the two countries this winter. In their previous meeting at the Four Nations Cup in November, Canada doubled the Americans 4-2. Canada went 4-0 to win that international tournament. The women were 10-11 against male teams in the Alberta Midget Hockey League and have played 31 games since September. "All I can say is I gave 100 per cent effort in everything I did this year," Church said. "I worked tirelessly. "I put in all the hours to be successful and I believe we were moving in the right direction as a team. We had reached all the benchmarks at the times we had wanted and winning all of our games against the U.S., winning at Four Nations. "While we had struggled a little bit with the midget results, wed played with a lot of injuries to our lineup and a really tough November schedule. "Its disappointing to not feel theres confidence in what youre doing." Hes coached the York University womens hockey team for nine seasons. His father died of cancer in January at age 70, but Church said his decision was not related to health or family issues. Church coached the Canadas under-18 womens team to a world champoinship in 2010. He was an assistant coach to Ryan Walter on the womens team that took silver at the 2011 world championship. With Church behind the bench at the 2012 world championships in Burlington, Vt., Canada suffered a worst-ever 9-2 loss to the U.S. women to open that tournament, but rebounded with a 5-4 overtime win in the final for the countrys first world title since 2007. The U.S. has won four of the last five world championships. Canada and the U.S. will meet again Dec. 20 in Grand Forks, N.D., Dec. 28 in St. Paul, Minn., and Dec. 30 in Toronto. ' ' '