DENVER -- Troy Tulowitzki showed why he is an All-Star and the NL captain for the Home Run Derby next week. More importantly, he is trying to show his young teammates the Colorado are still post-season contenders. He hopes winning a series at home was a fresh start. Tulowitzki hit two of Colorados five home runs, and the Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Wednesday. Drew Stubbs, Charlie Blackmon and Wilin Rosario also went deep for the Rockies, who won a home series for the first time in nearly two months. "Im careful about saying when wins are must-wins or what games are must-wins, but all things considered we needed to win that series," manager Walt Weiss said. Colorado last won a home series taking two of three from San Diego in May. The Rockies managed to split a four-game set with Atlanta in June but lost five other series at Coors Field. They were swept twice and in the process went from second in the NL West to last before taking two straight from the Padres. "A series win is important, especially against a division opponent," Tulowitzki said. Tulowitzki has expressed frustration with Colorados extended slump but hasnt given up on the season. He pointed out the Rockies used big turnarounds after the All-Star break to reach the World Series in 2007 and the playoffs again two years later. "Thats something Im trying to preach to these guys. Anything can happen," Tulowitzki said. "Even though it doesnt look like were in it keep coming to work every single day and hopefully it transfers over. Its been a rough first half but second halves here, those playoff-run years have been pretty good." They took a step with back-to-back homers off reliever Joaquin Benoit (3-1) in the eighth. Blackmon started the rally with a single and Stubbs followed with his ninth homer of the season and fifth in his last five games. Tulowitzki then hit an 0-1 fastball into the left field seats for his 20th home run of the year. It was Tulowitzkis second multihomer game this season and 10th of his career. Benoit had not allowed a run in 19 1-3 innings before Stubbs homer. "Benoit has been outstanding," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He got two strikeouts and a popout to centre and they hit a couple of high flies that went out. One by an All-Star." Boone Logan (2-1) pitched the eighth for the win and LaTroy Hawkins worked the ninth for his 17th save in 18 chances. Jake Goebbert and Seth Smith homered for San Diego. The Padres have not won a series in Denver in two years. Rockies starter Jair Jurrjens didnt experience any of the breathing trouble he suffered from during his Rockies debut last Friday but he was only able to last 4 2-3 innings. He left after the Padres tied the game 3-3 on Smiths solo home run and a wild pitch that scored Chris Denorfia. It was the only run in the game not scored on a homer. "We outhit them but they outhomered us and that was the difference," Black said. Jurrjens gave up eight hits and struck out six before leaving, but it could have been worse. With two runners on in the fifth Yasmani Grandal hit a foul home run down the right-field line, a call that was held up under review. It was the second time in the game Grandal was on the losing end of a review. "I thought it was fair. From my point of view it left the ballpark fair but it was so high that by the time it came down it just went straight out," Grandal said. "It got into the wind stream and blew the other way." Colorados All-Stars got things started in the first off starter Eric Stults. Blackmon hit his fourth leadoff home run of the game and second homer in as many days into the Rockies bullpen. One out later Tulowitzki hit a line drive into the bleachers in left to give Colorado a 2-0 lead. "You can only keep a talent like Tulo down for so long," Weiss said. NOTES: Colorado has hit five homers in a game three times this season. The last time was May 10 at Cincinnati. ... Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez (left index finger tumour) is set to rejoin the team for this weekends series against Minnesota. ... Padres INF Everth Cabrera (left hamstring strain) will meet the team in L.A. on Friday for a series against the Dodgers. ... Rockies 1B Kyle Parker singled in the second for his first major league hit. ... Both teams have Thursday off. Air Max2 Light Canada . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Air Max 90 Womens Canada .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air...anada-sale.html. -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Air Max 720 Saturn Canada .C. - The Panthers will be without starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei for Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game against Seattle after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot. Air Max 1 Sale Canada . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was also taken to three sets but emerged with a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Tobias Kamke of Germany, while second-seeded David Ferrer joined Murray in making an early exit after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Daniel Brands of Germany.TORONTO -- Harry Redknapp got a rude shock after taking over Queens Park Rangers in November 2012. The team was in last place in the English Premier League, its roster filled with bloated contracts and egos. "The attitude stank. Attitude towards the game, attitude towards training," he wrote in his autobiography "Always Managing." "I cant remember a worse one -- and behaviour like that cannot be altered overnight." Redknapp, however, found one kindred spirit. "Within weeks I had worked out that my best player was Ryan Nelsen, a 35-year-old New Zealand international -- and he couldnt wait to get out," Redknapp wrote. "`Youve got no chance, he told me. Not a prayer. This is the worst dressing room Ive ever been in in my life. You havent got a hope with this lot. I dont know how you solve it." Today, Nelsen is in his second season as manager of Toronto FC. He recalls his season with QPR -- his finale as a player -- as a ringside seat on what happens when a dressing room goes wrong. "It was an amazing learning experience for me," he said in an interview this week. Redknapp, whose team was relegated at the end of the 2012-13 season, is on the verge of taking QPR back to the Premier League after one season in the Championship. QPR faces Derby Country on Saturday at Wembley in a promotion playoff worth up to 120 million pounds (C$220.5 million), mostly from broadcast rights, according to a 2013 report by the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. With reported debts of 177 million pounds (C$325 million), Queens Park Rangers could do with hitting the promotion jackpot despite the deep pockets of millionaire owner Tony Fernandes. Among the things Nelsen learned at QPR was the need to get recruitment right, to watch wages and that a good football team needs chemistry off the field as well as organization in it. "It was an environment that probably players were getting paid too much for potentially their mentality to win," he said of QPR. "Young guys probably on too much before they had earned it." There were also older players who might have lost their fire. And second-tier Championship players who had the character desire but perhaps not the talent needed. "Everybody tried their best to get the mixture right, but it just didnt jell," said Nelsen. "It was just wrong." The ill-fated QPR spending spree was funded by Fernandes, a British-Malaysian businessman whose net worth as of February was valued at US$650 million according to Forbes magazine. He took over in August 2011, almost a year before Nelsen came on board. The New Zealand international didnt expect to play much at QPR, thinking his job would be to help then-manager Mark Hughes and successor Redknapp off the pitch. He ended up playing 21 league matches, becoming captain and turning into a fan favouriite before leaving in January 2103 to take over Toronto FC.dddddddddddd Nelsen points no fingers today, saying the intentions of Hughes and Fernandes "were so right for the club to do really well." The rot had set in too much by the time Redknapp took over. "There had to be a clearout before you could get it back again," he said. There are more fashionable soccer teams in London but Loftus Road, QPRs home in Shepherds Bush, has seen its share of players with flair in Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles and Gerry Francis in the 1960s and 70s. A blue-collar club, QPR won the League Cup in 1966-67 and was runner-up in 1985-86. It was also runner-up in the FA Cup in 1981-82 and was runner-up in the First Division, precursor to the Premier League, in 1975-76. Celebrity QPR fans included musicians Phil Collins, Pete Doherty and composer Michael Nyman. A no-nonsense defender at the end of his playing career, Nelsens work ethic appealed to the QPR fans tired of rental players on big salaries. "I think they just liked that I worked hard and tried to win games," said Nelsen. "People respected that." Nelsen loved the QPR supporters right back. "But it wasnt right off the field," he said of the team. "And that weighed heavily on me because I was kind of brought in to help that out." QPR was relegated several months after Nelsens departure to Canada. According to the Daily Mail, the clubs wage bill was higher than that of Spanish champion and Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid. Toronto benefited from the subsequent clearout, with Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar coming to MLS on a loan agreement. Loic Remy (Newcastle) and Adel Taarabt (AC Milan) were also sent out on loan. Cesar, whose attitude has earned nothing but praise from Toronto coaches and players, says QPR wants him back in August. The team will have to reload if it returns to the Premier League. Redknapp, a master wheeler and dealer, brought in hardened veterans of the Championship to help climb back up the mountain. "He invested really wisely," said Nelsen. "He moved guys that probably had big value. And in saying that, their value has probably increased." Nelsen will be watching closely this weekend. "Ive got a lot of friends on that QPR team," he said. In addition to the big-time Charlies, he remembers of group of honest players desperate to succeed. "And QPR had them. They probably got outnumbered bit a little at the end but those guys, you wish them the best so badly. and for Harry as well, because at his age (now 67) he probably could have gone off and retired somewhere. But he knuckled down in the Championship and you wish them all the success. "All of his coaching staff were fantastic when I was there. And theyve helped me since Ive been here, to tell you the truth." ' ' '