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PHILADELPHIA -- The cheers started when Tony Gwynn Jr. walked to the batters box, grew louder when he was introduced as a pinch-hitter and turned into a standing ovation when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia went to the mound. On a night when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 7-4, the fans reaction to Gwynn trumped the scoreboard. Gwynn grounded out in the eighth inning Tuesday night in his first at-bat since his father, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, died last week. Though hes batting just .153 in his first season in Philadelphia, fans showed the younger Gwynn some love. "Thats why guys who play here like to play here," Gwynn said. "When things are going well, or regardless of whether theyre going bad or good, I think the fans stay behind us. Much appreciated by the Gwynn family." Saltalamacchia prolonged the ovation by purposely going to the mound, a move Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg called "classy." "I dont know what it must be like to lose a father, especially a guy who brought so much to this game," Saltalamacchia said. Marlon Byrd hit a two-run homer and David Buchanan threw five effective innings to help the Phillies snap a three-game losing streak. Buchanan (4-3) allowed two runs and six hits. The rookie right-hander struck out Marcell Ozuna on a 3-2 changeup with two runners on and two outs in the fifth, preserving a 4-2 lead. He pumped his fist and shouted as he walked off the mound. "I was pumped getting through that inning and not letting it escalate," Buchanan said. Miamis Garrett Jones hit a two-run homer off B.J. Rosenberg in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 20 tries. Andrew Heaney (0-2) gave up five runs and four hits in five-plus innings in his second career start for the Marlins. After being shut out Monday for the 10th time this season and seventh time in their last 25 home games, the Phillies jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning. Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch leading off and Chase Utley walked one out later. On a double steal, Saltalamacchias throw to third bounced away for an error and Rollins scored to snap the teams 21-inning scoreless streak at Citizens Bank Park, dating to June 15. After Ryan Howard struck out, Byrd hit a 419-foot shot out to left-centre to make it 3-0. "Hes a strong guy and he works very hard," Sandberg said. "Byrdie is one of the first at the ballpark and he prepares. He loves to hit and hes strong. He stays in great shape and he keeps his power stroke. Hes a threat every time he comes up." Cody Asche lined a two-run double in the sixth and scored on Bryan Morris wild pitch for a 7-2 lead. Rollins had two steals to move into a tie with Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty for second place on the clubs career list with 438. Rollins finished 2 for 2 and also walked. It was his first multi-hit game since May 30, even though hes hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games, including a 15-game hitting streak. The Marlins got a run in the second when Utley dropped Ed Lucas infield fly with the bases loaded, allowing Saltalamacchia to score from third. Utley dropped another pop-up in the eighth, but it turned into a fielders choice. Ben Revere hit a triple and scored on a wild pitch to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead in the second. After Giancarlo Stantons second double of the game put runners on second and third in the fifth, Casey McGehees sacrifice fly cut it to 4-2. NOTES: The Phillies signed OF Grady Sizemore to a minor league contract. The three-time All-Star was released by Boston on June 18. "We needed more production from our outfield," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. Sizemore is expected to join the Phillies after playing in Triple-A. ... Injured Phillies ace Cliff Lee said he felt fine after a bullpen session. Hes hoping to return before the All-Star break. ... Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria had an MRI that revealed a right triceps strain. He could land on the disabled list. ... Miami had four wild pitches, tying a club record. ... A.J. Burnett (5-6, 3.89) goes for the Phillies on Wednesday against Henderson Alvarez (4-3, 2.39). Trey Burke Jersey . -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night. Patrick Ewing Jersey . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. http://www.knickssale.com/kids-kevin-kn ... ks-jersey/. -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night. Frank Ntilikina Jersey . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League. Tim Hardaway Jr. Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- There were moments of frustration for Kansas coach Bill Self, moments where hed angrily call a timeout or attend a post-game news conference and glumly bemoan another uneven performance. There never was a moment where he lost faith in his team. Now, after enduring the nations most brutal non-conference schedule, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks are proving to be exactly what the pundits thought theyd be: The Big 12s premier team, one that already has a substantial lead in the conference as the race nears its midway point. "We have grown, but were just now to the middle of the season. Thats whats so strange," Self said. "The big thing is that were playing with more energy and were starting to understand how were going to score -- not just running an offence to run an offence. Were not a tough team by any stretch, but are playing tougher than we did earlier in the season." Thats certainly been evident in the results. After a loss to fifth-ranked San Diego State ended the Jayhawks 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has ripped off seven straight wins through arguably the toughest part of its league schedule. It began with a win at No. 23 Oklahoma, and continued with wins over four straight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. After a blowout win at TCU, the Jayhawks beat the No. 16 Cyclones for a second time on Wednesday night. Now, theyll head to No. 25 Texas with essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12. You catch the game on TSN2 on Saturday at 12am et/9pm pt. "Im not surprised at all," junior guard Naadir Tharpe said. "I knew it was going to be a matter of time until everybody just let water run off their back and start going out there and just playing. That is what I feel like dudes are doing right now." The most important of them may be Andrew Wiggins, the highly touted freshman. After fits and starts to begin his college career, the 6-foot-8 swingman and projected lottery pick in the Junee draft has gone on a tear.ddddddddddddWiggins scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Horned Frogs, and then bested it with 29 points against the Cyclones earlier this week. Hes averaging more than 24 points over his past three games. "I would say I feel more comfortable on the court," Wiggins said this week. "A lot of things are slowing down for me and my teammates are looking for me." Hes also starting to create his own shot, something that he was reticent to do early in the season, prompting Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to say hes "oozing with confidence. "Thats scary," Hoiberg said. "With that athleticism, that length and that speed, the kids got it all. When hes knocking down shots, not too many better." There arent many teams better than the Jayhawks right now. Since the start of league play, the nine-time defending champions are putting up a Big 12-leading 84 points per game. Theyre just a half-point out of second place in scoring defence, and their scoring margin of 12 points per game is seven better than second-place Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) also lead the league in field-goal and 3-point percentage, rebounding defence and margin, blocked shots, assists and, well, you get the idea. "They have a special group," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "At every position, they have somebody who can score. They can attack you, so you really have to be on your toes." After the Jayhawks, Texas may be the next hottest team in the Big 12 heading into Saturdays game. The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2) have rattled off five straight wins, the last three coming against ranked teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. The Jayhawks will represent the first time in school history that Texas will have played four consecutive Top 25 opponents. "Theyre young. Theyre not quite as young as we are, but theyre young and fast, probably as fast as any team well play," Self said. "Theyre obviously playing their tails off." ' ' '