TORONTO – The Toronto Rock has announced the signing of transition player Brodie Merrill to a three-year contract extension pending league approval. The Rock acquired Merrill in a blockbuster trade in August from the New England Black Wolves (formerly the Philadelphia Wings) for a combination of players and draft picks. The runner-up for NLL Transition Player of the Year in 2014, had one-year remaining on his previous contract. The extension has him under contract through to the 2018 season. The contract gives me a chance to get settled for the long term and hopefully the rest of my career, said an excited Merrill. It is nice to have that commitment and put it behind me and just focus on playing and contributing. Merrill has also chosen to wear the number 37 with the Toronto Rock. He will wear the number in honour of good friend and former teammate Kyle Miller who wore it in Junior Lacrosse while the two played together in Orangeville. Kyle passed away in 2013 after a long battle with cancer and is also the brother of Rock goaltender Brandon Miller. The number also pays homage to another close friend of Merrills that lost his battle with cancer in 2012, Chris Sanderson. I have worn 17 my entire career but it is obviously not available here, explained Merrill. I gave it a lot of thought. To me, it is a combination between Chris Sanderson who wore 17 and Kyle Miller who wore both 35 and 37. The number has great meaning to me. Every time I put on that jersey, it will be a reminder of their legacy and what they meant to me. The two-time winner of the NLL Transition Player of the Year Award was one of three major additions to Torontos defensive corps over the off-season. Toronto has increased their depth and size on defence with the additions of Merrill, Jeff Gilbert (free agent) and Brock Sorensen (trade with Minnesota). 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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.Jon Lester tries to make it four straight wins in an Oakland uniform on Sunday when the Athletics close out a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. You can catch all of the action live on TSN2 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Lester improved to 7-0 in his last 11 starts on Tuesday in Kansas City, as he held the Royals to three runs and six hits in six innings to improve to 13-7 overall on the year to go along with a 2.52 ERA. Since arriving from Boston, Lester is 3-0 with a 2.51 ERA. In addition to being unbeaten the last 11 times hes taken the ball, hes also pitched to a 1.46 ERA. Lester has faced the Braves three times and is 2-1 against them with a 3.32 ERA. Getting the call for Atlanta on Sunday will be lefty Mike Minor, who has lost three of his last four starts. Minor fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, as he allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, dropping him to 4-8 with a 5.33. Minor had pitched to a 7.33 ERA in his previous 10 starts. "Things were just easy," Minor said. "There was no time where I was pressured or I felt like I couldnt make a pitch or scared almost like, Dont miss the barrel or dont miss here. It was one of those starts where I felt Im kind of back where I want to be." Atlanta added to Oaklands recent woes on Saturday, as Chris Johnson went 3- for-4 with a pair of RBI in the Braves4-3 win.dddddddddddd Andrelton Simmons added two hits, including an RBI single, while Freddie Freeman continued his hot hitting by lacing a run-scoring double to support six effective innings from Julio Teheran. Teheran (11-9) yielded just four hits, one a two-run homer from Stephen Vogt, and three walks to end a three-start losing streak and help the Braves post consecutive victories for the first time since taking three straight from San Diego on July 26-28. Atlanta had dropped 12 of 16 prior to Fridays 7-2 triumph in the opener of this three-game series. "Weve been swinging the bat well, pitchings been good," said Freeman. "Got to keep going out there and keep going tomorrow and hopefully we can complete the sweep." John Jaso had a solo homer for the As, but Sonny Gray struggled over 5 1/3 innings in losing his fourth straight start. The young right-hander was tagged for four runs on eight hits. With Saturdays setback, Oaklands fourth in a row and sixth in seven games, the As had 106-day stay of sole possession of first place in the AL West. Oakland is now percentage points behind Anaheim for the top spot after the Angels downed Texas on Saturday. "I think anything can go against us right now," said Gray. "We have to get out of it a little bit." ' ' '