MINNEAPOLIS -- At the crack of the bat, San Diego Padres manager Bud Black didnt think centre fielder Alexi Amarista had a chance to get Eduardo Escobars screaming line drive. Lance Stephenson Lakers Jersey . Step by blazing step, it didnt take Amarista long to give Black and the rest of his team some much-needed hope. Amarista made that game-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth inning and Seth Smith followed with a solo homer in the 10th to lift the Padres to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. "Then I saw Alexis route, and youre sort of watching Alexi and watching the ball," Black said. "And then in flight, you think maybe." Amarista ran backward on a dead sprint and laid out for a brilliant diving catch of the drive with two on and two outs to keep the game tied. "When he hit it, I thought game over," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We just watched their whole outfield move way in with two strikes, and he moved way in when that ball was hit, and Esco got a hold of it really nice, we thought he had no chance to catch that ball. But the young man ran it down, and it was a hell of a play." Smith had two hits and two RBIs. Joaquin Benoit picked up his fourth save in five tries and the Padres earned a split in the two-game series. Trevor Plouffe had a homer and three RBIs for the Twins. But All-Star closer Glen Perkins blew his fourth save in 32 chances this year. San Diego trailed 4-3 going into the ninth against Perkins, but Everth Cabrera tied the game with a sacrifice fly. The Padres earlier in the day hired Texas Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller as the teams new general manager, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made. The speedy Amarista was a late-game defensive replacement, and what a move it was for Black. He raced a good 35 yards or more to track down Escobars hit and the Padres bench erupted when he hauled it in. Smith responded with a drive more than 400 feet off Anthony Swarzak (2-1) into the right-field stands for his 12th homer. "It was nice to win a game like that," Smith said. "Those are the games you need to win." Kevin Quackenbush (2-2) got the win. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Yangervis Solarte came up hobbling in the sixth inning after sliding home to tie the game at 3. Solarte appeared to actually roll over a bat laying in his way as he made the slide. But he was able to finish the game at third base. Twins: Gardenhire said first baseman Joe Mauer and right-hander Ricky Nolasco both had successful debuts on their rehab stints with Class A Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night. Mauer (strained right oblique) was scheduled to play first base on Wednesday. If all goes well, Mauer will join the team in Houston next week. Gardenhire said Nolasco (elbow) "felt great" after throwing 51 pitches. He will make at least one more start before being activated. FOR STARTERS Padres right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne gave up four runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. It was his third straight outing allowing at least four runs and his third straight where he hasnt reached the seventh inning. "Hes been a little bit too up out over the plate for the most part," Black said. YONDER HEATS UP Alonso went 6 for 8 in the series to raise his average to .233. He was activated from the disabled list last week after dealing with right wrist tendinitis, and Black said he can see the difference. "Theres no soreness in his wrist," Black said. "His forearms, his hands, everything having to do with gripping the bat feels good. His timing is there. Hes one of the guys that we need to continue this hitting." UP NEXT Padres: San Diego is off on Thursday before opening a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Friday night. RHP Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.59) will start the opener against Pirates RHP Vance Worley (4-1, 2.43). Twins: Minnesota starts a four-game series in Oakland on Thursday night. RHP Yohan Pino (1-3, 4.57) pitches for the Twins against newly acquired As LHP Jon Lester (11-7, 2.59). Kobe Bryant Jersey . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north. Jamaal Wilkes Lakers Jersey . -- Down to 10 men and behind on the scoreboard, Toronto FC displayed its perseverance. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Tyson-Chandler-Lakers-Jersey/ . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd.Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Bosh is back in the spotlight after taking a back seat to LeBron James the last four years in South Beach. He got off to a great start in the post-LeBron era Wednesday. Bosh had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Miami Heat defeated the Washington Wizards 107-95 in the season opener for both teams. Bosh, who saw his numbers decline each year with James in town, signed a five- year $118 million deal in the offseason to remain in Miami. He hopes to return to the 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game averages during his final season with Toronto in 2009-10. The 29-year-old lefty had averaged 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game with Miami coming into this season. Its one game. We need to stay focused on what we need to do as a team and individually, Bosh said. Dwyane Wade netted 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, while Norris Cole added 23 for the Heat, who made it to the NBA Finals in each of James four years and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Luol Deng posted 12 points in his Miami debut. John Wall tallied 16 points and 11 assists, Marcin Gortat supplied 18 points and seven rebounds and Drew Gooden provided 18 points for Washington, which will be without blossoming third-year guard Bradley Beal for the first month due to a wrist injury. Throughout the whole game they got to every loose ball, Wall said. The Wizards, who went 44-38 last season, made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals before falling to the Indiana Pacers. Ten-time All-Star Paul Pierce had 17 points, six bboards and five assists in his Wizards debut, taking over for Trevor Ariza, who signed with Houston. Kurt Rambis Jersey. . Otto Porter scored the first four points during an 8-0 Wizards run to pull them within 84-83 with 5:22 left in the fourth, but Miami responded with the next six to push the margin back to seven. Mario Chalmers nailed a 3-pointer and Wade sunk two free throws for a 90-83 Heat advantage with 4:14 to play. Gortat split a pair of free throws to claw Washington within 99-93 a few minutes later, but Wade found Deng underneath for a layup and then hit a triple to seal it with 1:01 remaining. Earlier, Washington led 28-22 after a quarter of play before the Heat put in the first six points of the second to tie it, with Bosh netting the final four points of the spurt. The Heat held a 53-52 edge at the break. Miami took a 72-70 margin into the fourth, where the Heat used an 8-0 surge to build a nine-point cushion. Chalmers hit James Ennis in stride with a cross-court pass and he leapt over the top of Rasual Butler for an emphatic dunk. Ennis then knocked down the subsequent free throw for a three-point play. Shabazz Napiers steal of Wall and layup provided Miami an 84-75 lead with 8:35 to go. Game Notes The Heat went 224-88 and won 59 postseason games during the James era ... Napiers layup was his lone two points in his NBA debut ... Miami shot 48.1 percent (39-of-81) from the floor and was 87 percent (20-of-23) from the foul line ... Miami outrebounded Washington 44-36. ' ' '