ST. LOUIS -- Two days after losing his childhood friend, Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, in a boating accident, Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz hit the first grand slam of his career Tuesday in his teams crucial 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.Its amazing, you know, Diaz said. To come back and hit that grand slam, I cant explain that. Im very grateful.After getting the ritual splash of water to the face from Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, Diaz emerged to acknowledge a curtain call from the relatively small crowd -- announced as 34,286 -- at Busch Stadium that nonetheless was roaring its approval. Diaz doffed his batting helmet, then jabbed it at the sky and looked up at the stars.Every time I put on a uniform, I want to think of him and the way he played baseball. He gave everything every day, Diaz said. I think thats his legacy for every MLB player, especially for the Cuban players. He was living the American dream. He made it, so every time I come here to this clubhouse and put on the uniform, I want to think of him.The Cardinals trail the New York Mets by 1? games for the first wild card and the Giants by one game for the second.?Diaz, 25, grew up just a few houses down from Fernandez in Santa Clara, Cuba. Fernandez defected to the United States when he was 15, eight years before Diaz left the island in 2014.Diaz spent Monday back in Florida with his family and Fernandezs mother and grandmother. Fernandez told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2015 that Diazs father, Rigoberto, was the reason he became a baseball player.The Cardinals were hesitant to use Diaz in the preceding games, in part due to his grief. He was due to pinch hit in Sunday nights game in Chicago but never got the chance because Aroldis Chapman struck out Jose Martinez?and stranded?Diaz in the on-deck circle as the game ended.Tuesdays blast off Reds right-hander Robert Stephenson came in Diazs second at-bat since Fernandezs death. Diaz said he feels he can best honor Fernandez by playing the game with passion and joy and competing as fiercely as Fernandez did.Even now, I cant believe it, Diaz said.Stephenson was aware of Diazs relationship with Fernandez.I thought that was real unfortunate timing for me, Stephenson said. But really, a special moment for him.Watching him cross the plate and watching his reaction as he [shook hands] with the guys, [it] really hit me on how much that meant to him, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. You can never understand what each persons going through when they suffer a loss like that. The show goes on, and so does life. But its a tough thing for anyone to go through.Diaz and Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena, a fellow Cuban, taped a No. 16 Fernandez jersey to the Cardinals dugout wall before the game. Pena predicted Diaz would hit a home run in Tuesdays game. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright compared it to Mondays home run by Marlins leadoff batter Dee Gordon, who cried after going deep against Bartolo Colon in the teams first game since Fernandezs death.I felt some serious goose bumps when he hit that, you know, Wainwright said. I almost got choked up. I know he was and we were all excited for him, and he wanted to make some good swings for Jose, Im sure. I dont know if theres a spot all year we needed that more than we did tonight.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mitchell Trubisky Jersey . 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"I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. CHICAGO -- When it comes to power plays in the Stanley Cup finals, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins might just prefer to keep going with everyone on the ice. The last two teams in the NHL playoffs have been lousy with the man advantage and terrific at killing penalties during the post-season. When the Blackhawks are forced to play a man down, Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger are so persistent it almost resembles an even-strength situation. And the Bruins have hulking defenceman Zdeno Chara and goalie Tuukka Rask, who is swallowing everything at the net these days. Heading into Game 1 on Wednesday night, goals on special teams have been so scarce for these teams that a couple for either side could tip the series in one direction. "The special teams are kind of key, if you want to (have) success," Frolik said after Chicago held an optional practice on Monday. "We try to talk about it all the time about that and make sure were on the same page. Its especially going to be key right now. Weve got to make we are ready for the challenge." So far, so good on that front for the Bruins and Blackhawks. With Frolik and Kruger tying up the action on top of the zone, Chicago has allowed just three goals in 58 power-play opportunities for an astounding 94.8 per cent kill rate. Los Angeles got two of them in the Western Conference finals, but one was a meaningless goal by Tyler Toffoli at the very end of the Blackhawks 4-2 victory in Game 2. The 92.5 per cent finish for the 2000 New Jersey Devils is the best playoff rate for a Stanley Cup champion in the last 25 years, according to STATS. "I think they do a good job of fronting shots," Boston coach Claude Julien said of Chicagos penalty killers. "You really have to work hard to get the shots through. Thats what they are, theyre very patient; theyre very aggressive when you do lose, I guess, control of the puck and if they feel they can get on you, theyll get on you quick. Theyve done a good job that way." Pittsburgh had converted an NHL-best 28.3 per cent of its power-play chances heading into the Eastern Conference finaals against Boston, but the high-powered Penguins went 0 for 15 with the man advantage during the Bruins impressive four-game sweep.dddddddddddd One of the lasting images from Bostons post-season run came with Pittsburgh on the power play in the second period of Game 3. Bruins forward Gregory Campbell broke his right leg when he dove to block Evgeni Malkins hard shot, then limped around for more than 30 seconds until Boston cleared the zone and he was able to get off the ice. Campbells gutsy display served as inspiration for the Bruins, and they went on to finish off the Penguins with a 1-0 victory on Friday. But Campbell will miss the remainder of the playoffs, presenting a challenge for the series against Chicago. "It just means some other guys have to step in and do the job," Julien said. "(Campbell) is an elite penalty killer for us. Like anything else, when you lose a player like that it certainly hurts your team. But at the same time, theres also guys that come up and step up and do a great job just like our young Ds did when our three Ds were hurt." When it comes to scoring on Boston, whether its even strength or on the power play, the last line of defence may be the most difficult one to solve. Rask has been terrific throughout the playoffs, making an NHL-best 497 saves. Led by the 26-year-old Finn, Boston has yielded seven goals in 52 power-play opportunities for an 86.5 per cent kill rate in the post-season. "Were facing a goalie that in the last round was as good as any of the goalies weve seen over a segment of two years in the playoffs," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. While the penalty killing has been great for both sides, the power play for the Blackhawks and Bruins has been, well, powerless. Each team has seven goals with the man advantage in the playoffs. Boston had an NHL-worst 18 power-play goals during the regular season, compared to 25 for Chicago. Quenneville and Julien have faced a running stream of questions about the lack of production, and thats likely to continue in this series -- especially with the PK units on each side. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '