• Samantha Sais

The Padres brought out their bats for a 9-7 win over the Sacramento River Cats yesterday and have a big weekend coming up at Kino Stadium.

Tonight, local chefs will be competing to be crowned the Tucson King of Hot Wings. (We didn't want to say Tucson's Best Wings because of legal issues with our very own—and upcoming—Best of Tucson™.)

The Padres will also be giving away a photo of slugger Anthony Rizzo, who went up to The Show earlier in the season.

Tomorrow night, the Padres will be shooting off fireworks after the game (as they will again on the Fourth of July, so get your tickets to that game now).

First pitch is 7 p.m. and the homestand continues every night through Tuesday, June 28. Find the details here.

Here's a summary of last night's game from the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

The Tucson Padres scored three runs each in three consecutive innings Thursday on their way to beating the Sacramento River Cats 9-7 at Kino Stadium. After falling behind 1-0, the Padres second inning started with a Kyle Blanks home run into the left field bullpen. Blanks was involved in the third inning rally also, hitting an RBI triple into the left field corner, and then scored on Aaron Cunningham’s home run one pitch later. Matt Clark’s 12th home run highlighted the Padres fourth inning; a deep home run that rolled to the fence separating the stadium from the street.

• Samantha Sais

The Tucson Padres suffered a tough loss in the bottom of the 10th last night, but they're back on the field to redeem themselves at 7 p.m. tonight. It's also Wiener Wednesday, which means you can get a hot dog for just one dollar.

And don't forget: Tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday, sponsored by your pals at the Tucson Weekly. On Friday, Skinny scribe Jim Nintzel will be at on hand as one of the celebrity judges who will determine who serves Tucson's best hot wings! And on Saturday, the Padres will be firing off fireworks after the game.Details on the games here.

Here's a summary of last night's game from the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

Cedric Hunter was caught trying to steal second base in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday, ending the Tucson Padres 4-3 loss to the Sacramento River Cats. After Michael Taylor’s RBI single off Greg Burke gave Sacramento the extra-inning lead in the top of the 10th, River Cats reliever Vinnie Chulk struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the tenth. Matt Clark kept the Padres hopes alive with a two-out single and was then replaced by the faster running Cedric Hunter. With Kyle Blanks batting, Sacramento catcher Josh Donaldson threw out Hunter trying to steal second to end game one of the series.

ESPN's SportsNation hosted a live chat with Derrick Williams yesterday. The former U of A basketball star discussed his pre-NBA draft workout, his hopes to win Rookie of the Year and his gratitude for all the Arizona fans, which is so strong that he thanks us three times in a row. (You're welcome!)

Some highlights:

Toby (Orange County)
How has playing under coach Miller prepared you for the NBA?
Derrick Williams
I think it's prepared me really well, especially with him having a lot of confidence in me to lead Arizona. He told me that if we're going to go far, I'm going to have to play at a high level. When you have a coach with confidence in you like that, it brings out the best in you.

Ciaran (Solihull)
What kind of preperation have you been going through prior to the draft>
Derrick Williams
I've been working out three times a day for the last two months, five days a week. I do basketball twice a day and I either do yoga or weights for the other part. Yoga is great for flexibility and preventing injuries.

Derrick Williams
I just want to say thanks to all of my fans. I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for my fans. I want to say thanks to all of the fans, especially the Arizona fans.

It seems that fewer than a million people watched each episode of the Onion Sportsdome, so I blame you, fellow Americans for not providing the show with the support it needed. Now Comedy Central has canceled the show (along with the Norm McDonald sports-themed ripoff of The Daily Show, which I have no affection for whatsoever). Are you happy now that you've taken away one of the only things I actually cared about? Are you?

• Samantha Sais

The T-Pads, who have already hit the halfway mark in the season, return to Tucson tonight to start a eight-game homestand that will include all sorts of great promotions, including Wiener Wednesday and fireworks on Saturday. And if you haven't made it to Thirsty Thursday yet, you'd better go this week. It's the last one until July 21.

A full list of the promotions here.

Here's the summary of last night's win over Colorado Springs, courtesy of the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

With wind advisories in Colorado Springs Monday morning, many expected a high scoring game between the Padres and Sky Sox, but 40 mile per hour winds did not affect Tucson starter Will Inman. The righty threw five no-hit innings and pitched into the seventh in the Padres 9-6 victory. The T-Pads had a 9-0 lead before six late runs by Colorado Springs made it a save situation for Luis Perdomo, who saved his third game in three days.

Logan Forsythe led the Padres offense on the day he was optioned to Tucson from San Diego. Forsythe was 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. Aaron Cunningham also had a pair of doubles, going 3-for-4 in the win. Kyle Blanks hit his third home run of the road trip and went 2-for-4 Monday.

After winning one game in four tries in Reno to begin the road trip, the Padres were able to go 4-4 since leaving Kino Stadium. The Padres beat the Sky Sox three times in the last four days and have taken nine of 12 this season vs. Colorado Springs. The Padres are now 33-39, in third place, 13 games behind first place Sacramento.

• Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com
• Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords poses with her bike after a ride in October 2010.

Great news from the Gabrielle Giffords camp. In addition to going home from the hospital, she also got back on a bicycle. Read more about the bike rehab and her love of cycling.

A music video director accidentally captures a Tucson bicycling institution while filming a local band. Check out the video.

Four youth cyclists are invited to a development camp that offers them the opportunity to be picked for the USA Cycling national team. Learn more about the group and the camp.

Tucson is home to many pro bike racers including mountain biker Chloe Forsman. She's been racing around the world, but always returns to Tucson. Learn more about her and how she is doing this summer.

I was bummed that the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup last night to the Boston Bruins 4-0, but these folks were downright PISSED! Word to the wise: despite the generally agreeable nature of most Canadians, don't mess with Canuck fans.

It makes sense that Macy's had an ad ready for the Miami newspaper with merchandise celebrating the Heat as NBA Champions just in case Lebron and company won Games 6 and 7. What doesn't make sense is that no one thought to pull the ad when the Heat lost last night or that the ad was apparently scheduled to run on a day when the Heat would have only tied the series the night before. Oops.

[Miami New Times]

The San Diego Chicken made a brief appearance at the ballpark last night, dancing atop a dugout and laying a few eggs between second and third base. He'll be back for a full night of fun tonight at Kino Stadium as the Tucson Padres take on the Las Vegas 51s.

The homestand continues through Sunday. Details here.

Last night, the Padres shut out the Stars, 6-0. Tim Hagerty, the voice of the Padres, has details:

The Tucson Padres completed their first shutout in team history Thursday, beating Las Vegas 6-0 at Kino Stadium. Jeremy Hefner had his best start of the season, against a very strong offensive club, pitching seven innings, scattering six hits and striking out three. Colt Hynes and Samuel Deduno pitched a scoreless inning each to finish the shutout.

The Padres offense struck early, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning on a Matt Clark two-run single. Tucson added a run in the second when Luis Durango hit a single to left field, scoring Andy Parrino. Two of the Padres 11 hits came off the bat of Parrino, who now has a .347 average through his first 30 Triple-A games. The Padres started the fifth inning with three consecutive hits and all three of the runners ended up scoring to give the Padres a 6-0 lead.

The Padres have played better against Las Vegas than any other PCL opponent, winning four times in five tries against the 51s. Both teams ahead of the Padres in the standings lost Thursday, putting Tucson in third place, 11 games behind first place Sacramento. Thursday was the first shutout of any kind in a Tucson Padres game. In the first 60 games in team history, Tucson had never been shut out either.

Next Game: Friday, 7:00 pm — Las Vegas LHP Brad Mills (4-5, 3.09) vs. Tucson RHP Will Inman (1-5, 5.13)

• A Tucson cyclist gains speed heading down Mt. Lemmon, which is where cyclists traditionally escape the summer heat.

Tucson's transportation director, Jim Glock, tells the Bicycle Advisory Committee that the city is in "a world of hurt" when it comes to street repair and bicycle infrastructure projects. Check out how much money the department is losing.

While Tucson officials and cyclists are trying to get a platinum bicycle friendly rating from the League of American Bicyclists, the state as a whole is losing ground. Arizona has dropped seven spots in this year's ratings. Check out how far the state has fallen since 2008.

The Bicycle Advisory Committee considered pulling support for the streetcar because some members believe the city has been lying to them. Read about it.

The Coronado Forest closure affects road and mountain bikers in different ways. Find out what the restrictions mean for cyclists.