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ALLEN PARK, Mich. Tedy Bruschi Jersey . -- The Detroit Lions are postponing contract talks with All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh until after the season. Suh is entering the final season of his contract, and team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew said before practice Monday that negotiations are being tabled. Lewand and Mayhew both expressed optimism that a deal can eventually be reached. "Hes told me he wants to be here. I have a good relationship with him," Mayhew said. "I know I want him to be here. I dont know what else to tell you." Lewand said Detroits salary cap situation isnt the reason for the delay in an agreement. If the two sides cant reach a deal after the season, the Lions could still keep Suh by using their franchise tag on him. "I wouldnt close the door on that," Mayhew said. "Every year, we have people concerned about our ability to function under the salary cap, and thus far weve been able to go out in free agency every year and add to our team, make our team better. ... I think the cap is going to go up next year, and probably the year after that too." Suh was drafted in 2010 by the Lions with the second overall pick, and he has 27 1/2 sacks in his four pro seasons. "We have a high degree of confidence that we can work out something thatll be mutually satisfactory at the right time, and the goal hasnt changed in the least. But the timing is such that we think the focus needs to be on the field, starting today," Lewand said. "Theres no adversarial nature to this decision. ... I think this is whats right for everybody." Mayhew said contract negotiations during the season can make it harder for a player to stay focused, so its important to put off any further discussions. He admitted these talks havent progressed as quickly as he expected. "At the combine, I probably thought around the start of free agency, possibly," Mayhew said. "After the draft, I thought probably by now. And now I think probably next year." So now the Lions sound prepared to wait until then for a resolution. "Its been my experience from doing this that when you can get a deal done in five minutes, the players not very good," Mayhew said. "It takes a little bit of time to get good players signed, and its a little bit more complicated." Cheap Shane Vereen Jersey. Agent Mike McCartney confirmed via Twitter on Sunday that Mendenhall had decided to end his playing career after six NFL seasons, all but one of them with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rob Gronkowski Nike Pink Jersey . -- As usual, Aksel Lund Svindal was super fast on this hill. HOUSTON -- After a tough June where Justin Upton has hit under .200, the Atlanta Braves hope the last two games are an indication that hell get back to where he was earlier this season. Upton homered for the second straight game and drove in three runs and Alex Wood pitched seven scoreless innings to help the Braves to a 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. "When he gets hot like this its really, really something to watch," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Hopefully this is the beginning of one of those big runs that he can give us." Upton is hitting just .185 this month, but his average for the season is .272 after a great start to the year. "Im seeing the ball and hitting it, thats about it," Upton said. "Ive gotten some good pitches to hit and Ive put good swings on them." Shae Simmons and Juan Jaime finished the three-hitter as the Astros were shut out for the 10th time this season. The Braves had just two hits when Upton launched his 16th homer, a two-run shot into the bullpen in right-centre, to make it 3-0 in the seventh inning. Collin McHugh (4-6) had plunked Jason Heyward to set up things for Upton. Upton drove in Atlantas first run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning. He joked that Wood owed him a treat of some kind for providing most of the offence in the win. "Just maybe get an ice cream cone or something," Upton said with a laugh. "Theyve got some good ice cream in there, at least get a scoop of ice cream." Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman left in the eighth after being hit by a pitch on what appeared to be his right elbow. He was examined by a doctor and said he was fine and hoped the swelling wasnt too bad on Thursday so he could play. Wood (6-6) was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his first start since May 4 after appearing in 11 games out of the bullpen in his last stint with the Braves. He allowed three hits and struck out four with one walk. "He did a nice job," Gonzalez said. "Mixed all his pitches ... his breaking ball, his fastball, threw some nice change ups." Gonzalez was encouraged by Woods performaance in filling in for Gavin Floyd, who had surgery this week after breaking a bone in his throwing elbow. Red Tedy Bruschi Womens Jersey. Simmons and Jaime struck out two apiece in a hitless inning apiece. McHugh struck out nine in his third straight loss. "He made a mistake to a really good hitter, and he didnt miss it," manager Bo Porter said of Uptons homer. "But outside of that one pitch, I feel like he was in complete control of the game the entire time." B.J. Upton doubled and took third on a balk before scoring on a groundout by Tommy La Stella to push Atlantas lead to 4-0 in the eighth. Evan Gattis doubled to start the second and scored on the one-out sacrifice fly by Justin Upton. McHugh walked a pair in the fourth inning, but the Braves didnt get another hit until Freeman singled with two outs in the sixth. Freeman was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double to end the inning. Dexter Fowler hit a leadoff double in the first, and was thrown out at third trying to advance on Jose Altuves grounder. Houston didnt get another runner until rookie Jon Singleton snapped an 0-for-17 skid with a ground-rule double to right-centre field with two outs in the fourth. The ball got lodged under the wall and Singleton was already heading toward home when he was called back to second base. Wood got right back on track after Singletons hit and set down the next five Astros before walking Fowler with one out in the sixth. George Springer singled with two outs to put runners at the corners, but Wood struck out Singleton to escape the jam. NOTES: Braves LHP Ryan Buchter was optioned to Gwinnett to make room for Wood on the roster. ... The Astros recalled OF L.J. Hoes from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned OF Robbie Grossman there before the game. ... Atlanta RHP David Carpenter, on the disabled list with a strained right biceps, felt good after throwing a bullpen on Tuesday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. ... SS Carlos Correa, Houstons top prospect and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, had season-ending surgery on Wednesday after breaking his right fibula. ' ' '