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Getting frank with Francoeur Braves right fielder and Atlanta native Jeff Francoeur discusses last season’s misery and his goals for 2009. Page 15 SUNDAY MAY 17, 2009 SEE A DIFFERENT GAME VOLUME 1 ISSUE 299

DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP

Braves blanked by D-backs, Scherzer, Page 21

CHUCK BURTON / AP

NHL PLAYOFFS

Tony Stewart won his first race as an owner, and got a $1 million payday.

NBA PLAYOFFS

Million-dollar pass

The pressure’s on

Tony Stewart passed Matt Kenseth with two laps to go to win the Sprint All-Star Race. Page 12 1. Tony Stewart 2. Matt Kenseth 3. Kurt Busch 4. Denny Hamlin 5. Carl Edwards

Chevy Ford Dodge Toyota Ford

Scoreboard Baseball American League N.Y. Yankees 6, Minnesota 4, 11 innings Toronto 2, Chicago White Sox 1 Texas 5, L.A. Angels 3 Tampa Bay 4, Cleveland 2 Detroit 9, Oakland 1 Baltimore 3, Kansas City 2 Boston 5, Seattle 3 National League Philadelphia 8, Washington 5, 1st game Phila. 7, Wash. 5, 5 innings, rain, 2nd game Chicago Cubs 5, Houston 4 Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0 N.Y. Mets 9, San Francisco 6 Florida 6, L.A. Dodgers 3 Arizona 12, Atlanta 0 Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 4 San Diego 6, Cincinnati 5, 16 innings

CHICAGO AT DETROIT

If the Lakers and Celtics want an NBA Finals rematch, they must first get through Game 7 of their conference semis

ORLANDO AT BOSTON Today, 8 p.m. ET, TNT

What it means if the Lakers win: It means, first of all, that the team will have avoided an embarrassing collapse against the undermanned Rockets. But it will also mean that the Lakers will need to address some of the obvious problems that have sprung up in this Houston series—the sporadic shooting, the lack of focus and intensity—before they take on the very hot Nuggets.

What it means if the Celtics win: The longer Boston stays alive, the longer Celtics fans can keep hope that injured forward Kevin Garnett will hobble off the inactive list in time to face Cleveland. It’s a slim chance, and for the guys in green, it doesn’t matter. “We have a belief in each other,” forward Glen Davis said. “With Kevin or without Kevin, we want another championship.”

NAM Y. HUH / AP

What it means if the Celtics lose: G.M. Danny Ainge starts thinking about the future. The big three—Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen— are not getting younger, and injuries will only

After scoring 27 in Game 4, Paul Pierce had a total of 36 points in Games 5-6. come more frequently. It hit rock bottom in their was about 20 years ago wake. These Celtics that the Celtics had a have more young talent, star trio—Kevin but it might be time to McHale, Larry Bird and start piling up draft Robert Parish—that got picks. old, and the franchise — Sean Deveney

What it means if the Lakers lose: Disaster. The Lakers haven’t been as deep as expected, and that figures to worsen next season if Lamar

MATT SAYLES / AP

Odom leaves via free agency. Without Odom, this is probably not a roster that can win 60-plus games, and won’t be the hands-down

favorite in the West. And, of course, this question will persist: Can Kobe Bryant lead this team to a championship? — Sean Deveney

Wings, ’Hawks take flight today Anaheim showed the hockey world the Red Wings are beatable. Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf shares what he thinks the Blackhawks must do to beat the defending champs in the Western Conference finals, which start today:

HOUSTON AT L.A. LAKERS Today, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

Kobe Bryant is averaging nearly 30 points a game vs. Houston.

Today, 3 p.m. ET, Versus

1. Play with more energy: “Chicago, they’re a young energetic team. That’s what they have to bring. They’re two opposite ends. Detroit is an older, experienced team. Chicago is going to have to use that to its advantage and come out hard.”

2. Win the puck-possession battle: “It’s all about puck possession and controlling that puck against these guys. If they have the puck all night, (Chicago) is going to be tired out in a hurry chasing them around.”

3. Understand the task: “(The Red Wings) are a great team, there’s no doubt about it. They prove it every year. … It’s a matter of them staying healthy and doing what they want to do.”

— Craig Custance West Finals preview, Page 9

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NBA

Magic at Celtics 8 p.m., TNT A Game 7 win tonight gets either team to the next round, but the reward is an Eastern Conference finals matchup against the well-rested Cavaliers, who haven’t played since last Monday. The formula is simple for both teams. For Orlando, it’s get the ball to Dwight Howard and get out of the way (as his 23 points and 22 rebounds in Game 6 attest). For Boston, it’s let the two healthy members of the Big Three (Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) do their thing and feed off what always is a raucous Boston crowd.

NHL

Blackhawks at Red Wings 3 p.m., NBC The Winter Classic at Wrigley Field played between these two teams on Jan. 1 seems so long ago. Detroit was in firm control all game before winning 6-4, and won four of the six games between the rivals this season. However, Chicago won the home-and-home set that ended the regular season for both teams, and its young stars, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg will give the defending champions as much to contend with as Anaheim.

BASEBALL

Mets at Giants 8 p.m., ESPN Matt Cain is a young workhorse who really hasn’t gotten his due because of poor run support. Though he’s 3-1 to start this season, you wonder if it’s a matter of time before the Giants’ offense lets him down again. San Francisco is among the league’s bottom feeders in offense, with Bengie Molina accounting for eight of the team’s 20 home runs (San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez has 15 by himself). Cain will have his hands full with the Mets and starter Mike Pelfrey, who is 4-0 through six starts.

— Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE AUTO RACING Noon VERSUS—IRL, pole qualifying for Indianapolis 500 4 p.m. SPEED—Rolex Sports Car Series, Festival of Speed, at Salinas, Calif. 7 p.m. ESPN2—NHRA, Thunder Valley Nationals, final eliminations, at Bristol, Tenn. (same-day tape) 10 p.m. SPEED— American Le Mans Series, at Salt Lake City (same-day tape) GOLF 9 a.m. TGC—European PGA Tour, Irish Open, final round, at Baltray, Ireland 1 p.m. TGC—Nationwide Tour, BMW Charity Pro-Am, final round, at Spartanburg, S.C. 2 p.m. ESPN2—LPGA, Sybase Classic, final round, at Clifton, N.J. 3 p.m. CBS—PGA Tour, Texas Open, final round, at San Antonio 7 p.m. TGC—Champions Tour, Regions Charity Classic, final round, at Hoover, Ala. (same-day tape) MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 1 p.m. TBS—Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees

2:10 p.m. WGN—Houston at Chicago Cubs 8 p.m. ESPN—N.Y. Mets at San Francisco MOTORSPORTS Noon SPEED—MotoGP 250, French Grand Prix, at Le Mans, France (same-day tape) 1 p.m. SPEED—MotoGP World Championship, French Grand Prix, at Le Mans, France (same-day tape) 2 p.m. SPEED—FIM World Superbike, at Johannesburg, South Africa (same-day tape) NBA BASKETBALL 3:30 p.m. ABC—Playoffs, conference semifinals, Game 7, Houston at L.A. Lakers 8 p.m. TNT—Playoffs, conference semifinals, Game 7, Orlando at Boston NHL HOCKEY 3 p.m. NBC—Playoffs, Western Conference finals, Game 1, Chicago at Detroit RODEO 10 p.m. VERSUS—PBR, Ford F-150 Invitational, at Pueblo, Colo. (same-day tape)

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

ON SALE NOW!

2

OFF THE FIELD

Selig tells grads: Dream big, make a difference Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has a message for graduates at the University of Wisconsin: Dream big and don’t fear failure. In his commencement address Saturday, Selig urged the graduates to be resolute during these difficult economic times. Selig did not address baseball’s drug problem or this season’s drop in attendance. Instead, the 1956 Wisconsin graduate said he views baseball as a metaphor for life. “In baseball, as in life ... hope and faith are critical to success,” Selig told graduates at the first of four ceremonies. “Take advantage of these difficult times because if you have hope and faith, if you are smart and tenacious and dedicated and willing to sacrifice, you can make a difference and make this a better world. And don’t be afraid of failure.”

MORRY GASH / AP

MLB commissioner Bud Selig delivered the commencement address at his alma mater, Wisconsin.

chest, arm and shoulder with a chair after the Ducks’ 4-3 loss to the Red Wings, according to the website for FOX’s Detroit affiliate. Rachel Paris, a Red Wings fan, said Murray was apparently upset over her enthusiasm and used the chair to express his displeasure. “I was taken to the boards by Bob Murray and survived the hit. I felt like I was cross-checked and I didn’t even have the puck,” said Paris. “It was a complete accident,” Murray told the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve spoken with her and cleared it all up.”

Memorial service set for Tisdale

Quick hits

A public memorial service for former Oklahoma basketball great and jazz musician Wayman Tisdale will be held Thursday at the BOK Center in Tisdale’s hometown of Tulsa, Okla. Tisdale’s band will play selections starting a halfhour before the service begins. Tisdale was a three-time All-American for Oklahoma in the mid-80s before playing 12 seasons in the NBA. He died Friday at a Tulsa hospital after a two-year battle with bone cancer. He was 44.

Movie director Steven Soderbergh was at the Metrodome in Minneapolis this week to interview former Twins manager Tom Kelly for the upcoming movie Moneyball, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The movie will star Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane but include cut-ins to Kelly and others associated with baseball.

Ducks G.M. delivers cross-check Ducks general manager Bob Murray was interviewed by Detroit police Thursday night but was not charged after a woman working as a TV stage manager at Joe Louis Arena said he hit her in the left

Buffalo Bills fullback Corey McIntyre was arrested Thursday in Florida on accusations he fondled himself outside a Port St. Lucie woman’s home. McIntyre was charged with exposing sexual organs, a misdemeanor. McIntyre’s agent says his client is “guilty of absolutely nothing.” — Compiled by Benson Taylor, with wire services

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

Jimmy Johnson Former Cowboys, Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes coach (What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend)

Born: July 16, 1943, in Port Arthur, Texas Status: Married Alma mater: Arkansas What’s on TV: Sports, Survivor What’s in my iPod: Celine Dion, Mariah Carey What I drive: 2009 Corvette Z06 Favorite flick: The Silence of the Lambs Bookmarks: noaa.gov—for wind speed for fishing; realtimemarkets.com—for stocks Worst habit: Always been early On my office walls: Fishing pictures, sporting pictures, memorabilia First job: Age 14, 1957, washing trucks at the Ice Cream Factory for $40 a week Talent I’d most like to have: None that I don’t have Favorite meal: Any Mexican Favorite athlete to watch in another sport: Tiger Woods Favorite city to visit: 1. Islamorada, Fla. (my home), 2. New Orleans Favorite team as a kid: The baseball or football team I played on at the time Dream date: My wife Rhonda My greatest love: Relaxing on the water in a boat My bucket list: Just more of what I’m doing

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What does spring football mean for fall? SN Magazine looks in on 74 of the nation’s biggest college programs to get the answers.

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Next Gen

RECRUITING DISH

West Virginia lands two recruits West Virginia picked up two new recruits in less than 24 hours, Scout.com reported. The Mountaineers are now up to eight commitments for the class of 2010. Outside linebacker Jessel Curry, out of Buford, Ga., gave his word to the Mountaineers. Curry is 6-2, 195 pounds. He also was being recruited by Auburn, but did not report any other scholarship offers. The other pickup came out of the talent-rich Everglades area of Florida, where Pahokee, Fla., WR Fred Pickett committed to the Mountaineers. Pickett is 5-9, 165 pounds and has been clocked at a 4.52-second time in the 40-yard dash. He also reported scholarship offers from Florida International and Florida State. “I’ve watched West Virginia on television and been following them for a while,” Pickett told Scout.com. “I had real strong interest in them after they offered me, and I just like them and their offense ... I don’t care what position, slot or whatever, just wherever I have a chance to help the team. The coaches said I can be like a Jock Sanders, and run and get the ball in different ways.” Curry is the son of former Atlanta Falcons LB Buddy Curry, who played for the Falcons from 198087. Pickett caught 18 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) LB A.J. Tarpley has committed to Stanford, Scout.com reported. The 6-1, 215-pound outside linebacker also reported scholarship offers

9 : H H : H D7 (in a good way)

JEFF GENTNER / AP

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart landed a recruit from Florida and one from Georgia. from UCF and Kansas State. Tarpley is the 10th commitment of 2010 for Stanford. The decision came after a recent visit to the campus by Tarpley and his family. “He still has to go through the admission process,” Tarpley’s mother Karen told Scout.com. “We started at eight in the morning with Stanford. We met the head coach, Jim Harbaugh. We met the linebacker position coach, Andy Buh ... It was very nice. So, we got to meet everyone at Stanford and had a fabulous day. They said that he still has to write essays and go through the admission process.” Connally (Waco, Texas) OL Troy Baker has dropped his commitment to Texas Tech and has chosen

Baylor, Rivals.com reported. The 6-7, 285-pound offensive tackle also reported scholarship offers from Missouri, Oklahoma State and Arkansas, among others. “I think Baylor is a much better opportunity for me,” Baker told Rivals.com. “It’s basically the whole package. I fit in as a whole a lot better at Baylor. The offense, Waco being my hometown, just everything.” Colton (Calif.) K Alejandro Maldonado has committed to Washington, Rivals.com reported. The 5-11, 190-pounder also was drawing interest from Fresno State, Nebraska, Oregon and Iowa State. He is the school’s eighth commitment for 2010. — Brian McLaughlin

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BASEBALL / AMERICAN LEAGUE

BASEBALL / NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego 6, Cincinnati 5, 16 innings

Boston 5, Seattle 3

Bay, Bailey boost Beckett SEATTLE—Jason Bay reacted to the first fastball he saw and slugged it into the bullpen in left field. That’s expected from Boston’s powerful left fielder. Jeff Bailey, who was hitting just .167 with one homer entering Saturday night? He was happy to simply make a good swing. The ball just happened to land in almost the same spot as Bay’s. “It was just nice to hit a ball hard to be honest with you,” Bailey said. Bay’s 11th homer, Bailey’s second and Jason Varitek fifth long ball accounted for all of Boston’s runs in a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night snapping a three-game skid. While David Ortiz and his slumping bat rested on the Red Sox bench as a spectator for the second straight game, Boston found some pop from other parts of its lineup. “We’ll take them,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. The trio of homers made a winner out of Boston starter Josh Beckett, who threw a season-high 120 pitches and completed seven innings, giving a break to a Red Sox bullpen that has been asked to pitch a lot recently. It was the seventh time in Beckett’s career he’s reached the 120-pitch mark and the first time in nearly three seasons. The Red Sox ace gave up just four hits and two earned runs while striking out five. Beckett allowed only one hit after Russell Branyan’s RBI double in the fourth—Ichiro Suzuki’s infield single in the seventh—and Beckett struck out Suzuki, Ken Griffey Jr., and Adrian

Red Sox 5, Mariners 3 Boston AB R H BI Ellsbury cf 5 0 1 0 Pedroia 2b 3 0 0 0 J.Drew rf 2 1 0 0 Bay lf 4 1 1 2 Lowell 3b 4 0 1 0 Baldelli dh 3 0 0 0 Lugo ss 2 1 1 0 Velazquez ss 0 0 0 0 Varitek c 3 1 1 2 J.Bailey 1b 4 1 1 1 Totals 30 5 6 5

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .303 1 0 .317 2 0 .250 0 0 .305 0 0 .297 1 2 .226 1 0 .333 0 0 .000 1 0 .229 0 2 .173 6 5

Seattle I.Suzuki rf Jo.Lopez 2b Griffey Jr. dh Beltre 3b Branyan 1b Balentien lf Johjima c Y.Betancourt ss En.Chavez cf Totals

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .315 0 0 .236 1 2 .205 0 2 .216 1 0 .302 0 0 .303 0 0 .254 1 0 .256 0 0 .273 3 5

Boston Seattle

AB 5 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 4 33

R 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3

H BI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 6 3

220 010 000 — 5 6 1 020 100 000 — 3 6 0

E: Lugo (3). LOB: Boston 5, Seattle 7. 2B: Branyan 2 (10). HR: Bay (11), off Olson; Varitek (5), off Olson; J.Bailey (2), off Olson; Y.Betancourt (2), off Beckett. RBIs: Bay 2 (40), Varitek 2 (15), J.Bailey (7), Branyan (18), Y.Betancourt 2 (14). Runners left in scoring position: Boston 1 (Ellsbury); Seattle 3 (En.Chavez, Balentien, I.Suzuki). DP: Boston 1 (Pedroia, Lugo, J.Bailey); Seattle 3 (Y.Betancourt, Jo.Lopez, Branyan), (Beltre, Branyan), (Beltre, Jo.Lopez, Branyan).

ELAINE THOMPSON / AP

Jason Bay is third in the A.L. in homers with 11 and second in the league with 40 RBIs.

Beltre in the fifth. By getting through the seventh, Beckett set up the situation perfectly for Francona. The combo of Hideki Okajima and Ramon Ramirez got through the eighth and Jonathon Papelbon worked the ninth for his A.L.leading 10th save in as many attempts. “I feel like personally I owe them a lot of innings,” said Beckett, who made it through the seventh for just the second time this season. “It was nice. It would have been nicer to get even deeper than

5

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

that. We’ve been really leaning on those guys.” All of Boston’s pitchers were helped out defensively. Jacoby Ellsbury made a sliding catch in center on Suzuki’s line drive for the first out in the first. With the score 5-3 and a runner on third and none out in the fourth, Julio Lugo made a diving stop of a sharp drive by Wladimir Balentien that appeared headed for the outfield. — The Associated Press

Boston Beckett W, 4-2 Okajima H, 6 R.Ramirez H, 6 Papelbon S, 10-10 Seattle Olson L, 0-1 Batista

IP 7 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 IP 6 3

H 4 1 0 1 H 4 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 2 3 5 120 5.85 0 0 0 0 13 3.00 0 0 0 0 3 0.44 0 0 0 0 13 1.06 R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 4 2 93 4.85 0 0 2 3 53 2.61

Inherited runners-scored: R.Ramirez 1-0. HBP: by Beckett (Jo.Lopez), by Batista (Velazquez). Umpires: Home, Gary Cederstrom; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Brian O’Nora; Third, Fieldin Culbreth. T: 2:54. A: 42,589 (47,878).

Hundley HR ends marathon SAN DIEGO—Nick Hundley homered with two outs in the 16th inning to give the San Diego Padres a 6-5 win Saturday night over the Cincinnati Reds in the longest game of the season. Hundley sent an 0-1 pitch from Micah Owings (3-4) into the leftfield seats to give San Diego its second straight win. Hundley’s shot, his second of the season, landed in the second deck to end the 5-hour, 14-minute game, the longest of the season in terms of time for both teams. Rookie Luis Perdomo (1-0), the Padres’ eighth pitcher, pitched three hitless innings for the first win of his major league career. The previous longest game by innings this season came earlier this month, when Seattle and Oakland went 15 innings. The Padres scored twice in the eighth inning to tie the score at 5-all. Adrian Gonzalez led off with a walk off against Arthur Rhodes. David Weathers replaced Rhodes and gave up a double to Scott Hairston before Jody Gerut grounded out to bring in Gonzalez. Weathers then walked two batters, sandwiched around an out, to load the bases. Weathers walked pinch-hitter Drew Macias on a full count to bring in the tying run. — The Associated Press

Padres 6, Reds 5, 16 innings Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Taveras cf 7 0 0 0 0 2 Hairston Jr. 3b 7 1 1 0 0 2 Votto 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 A.Rosales 1b 4 1 1 0 1 0 Phillips 2b 6 0 1 1 1 0 Bruce rf 7 1 1 2 0 1 R.Hernandez c 5 1 2 0 2 0 L.Nix lf 6 1 2 2 1 1 Ale.Gonzalez ss 6 0 0 0 1 1 Volquez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 Lincoln p 1 0 0 0 0 1 Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Weathers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Herrera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 d-Dickerson ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 Burton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 f-D.McDonald ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Owings p 1 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 55 5 8 5 7 10

Avg. .295 .247 .366 .286 .268 .238 .283 .308 .171 .063 .000 ----.000 .214 --.212 .273

San Diego AB R H BI BB Giles rf 5 1 1 1 3 Eckstein 2b 7 1 1 0 1 Ad.Gonzalez 1b 7 1 1 0 1 Hairston lf 7 1 3 0 1 Gerut cf 7 0 0 2 0 Kouzmanoff 3b 5 0 1 0 2 Hundley c 6 1 2 1 2 C.Burke ss 3 0 0 0 0 b-Headley ph 0 0 0 0 1 Jo.Wilson ss 2 0 0 0 0 Geer p 1 0 0 0 0 Thatcher p 0 0 0 0 0 G.Burke p 0 0 0 0 0 a-E.Gonzalez ph 1 1 1 1 0 Meredith p 0 0 0 0 0 c-Macias ph 0 0 0 1 1 Bell p 0 0 0 0 0 Mujica p 0 0 0 0 0 e-Blanco ph 1 0 0 0 0 Gregerson p 0 0 0 0 0 g-Correia ph 1 0 0 0 0 Perdomo p 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 54 6 10 6 12

Avg. .173 .242 .302 .340 .222 .222 .258 .216 .246 .207 .222 ----.170 --.333 ----.146 --.286 .000

SO 1 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 11

Cincinnati 000 122 000 000 000 0—5 8 0 San Diego 200 000 120 000 000 1—6 10 1 Two outs when winning run scored. a-homered for G.Burke in the 7th. b-walked for C.Burke in the 8th. c-walked for Meredith in the 8th. d-walked for Herrera in the 9th. e-struck out for Mujica in the 10th. f-flied out for Burton in the 11th. g-struck out for Gregerson in the 13th. E: Jo.Wilson (3). LOB: Cincinnati 9, San Diego 17. 2B: Hairston Jr. (7), L.Nix (10), Eckstein (10), Hairston (9). HR: L.Nix (3), off Geer; Bruce (11), off Geer; Giles (2), off Volquez; E.Gonzalez (3), off Lincoln; Hundley (2), off Owings. RBIs: Phillips (27), Bruce 2 (23), L.Nix 2 (9), Giles (15), Gerut 2 (13), Hundley (9), E.Gonzalez (6), Macias (2). CS: Phillips (3). S: Jo.Wilson, Geer. SF: Gerut. Runners left in scoring position: Cincinnati 2 (Taveras, D.McDonald); San Diego 10 (Kouzmanoff, Eckstein 3, Giles 2, Jo.Wilson 2, Hairston 2). DP: San Diego 1 (Kouzmanoff, Eckstein, Ad.Gonzalez). Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Volquez 52/3 4 2 2 3 2 93 4.25 Lincoln H, 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 1 7 9.64 Rhodes H, 7 2/3 0 1 1 1 0 17 0.75 Weathers BS, 1-1 2/3 1 1 1 3 0 23 2.70 Herrera 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 4 1.93 Burton 2 1 0 0 2 2 40 4.67 Owings L, 3-4 52/3 3 1 1 3 5 81 3.95 San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Geer 52/3 5 5 5 2 2 88 5.61 Thatcher 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.00 G.Burke 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.00 Meredith 1 1 0 0 0 0 17 3.86 Bell 1 0 0 0 2 1 20 0.00 Mujica 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 3.44 Gregerson 3 2 0 0 2 3 47 4.57 Perdomo W, 1-0 3 0 0 0 1 1 35 4.70 Rhodes pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runnersscored: Lincoln 1-0, Weathers 1-1, Herrera 3-0, Thatcher 1-0. IBB: off Burton (Giles), off Owings (Hundley), off Gregerson (Ale.Gonzalez). HBP: by Burton (Kouzmanoff). Umpires: Home, Jim Joyce; First, Brian Runge; Second, Bill Miller; Third, Derryl Cousins. T: 5:14. A: 31,001 (42,691).

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NBA

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

6

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS HOUSTON AT L.A. LAKERS 3:30 today, ABC

Inconsistent Lakers hope for hot start in Game 7 LOS ANGELES—The Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets appears to come down to a simple question. Which Lakers team will show up for the decisive Game 7? The one that blew out the undermanned Rockets by 40 points in Game 5 to set up what most everyone thought would be the clinching game? Or the one that quickly fell behind by double digits two nights later and lost by 15? The Lakers, it seems, will be the ones who determine whether today’s matinee at Staples Center is a feel-good story or a horror show. The winner of this physical, sometimes-testy series will advance to the conference finals to face the Denver Nuggets, who’ve been resting since eliminating Dallas on Wednesday night. Kobe Bryant admits it’s a mystery why the Lakers have been so wildly inconsistent against a team few expected would reach the second round, let alone push the top seed in the West to a Game 7. “Yeah, that’s the million-dollar question,” Bryant said Saturday. “There’s a bunch of other teams in the past that went through the same thing for whatever reason. It’s just the emotions of an NBA season, I guess.” Bryant expects to see “the team that won all those games this year. We’re continuing to evolve, too. “I think the second half of that game in Houston we picked up our defensive intensity and saw kind of

what we’re capable of by playing as hard as we did on the defensive end,” Bryant said. “Hopefully we’ll get off to a hot start.” After being outmuscled by the now-sidelined Yao Ming in the opener at home, the Lakers dominated Games 2, 3 and 5. Los Angeles was twice embarrassed in Texas by a Rockets team that’s been without Tracy McGrady since February, backup center Dikembe Mutombo since the first round and Yao since he broke a bone in his left foot in Game 3 of this series. Chuck Hayes, a 6-foot-6 forward who’s now the Rockets’ starting center, is a full foot shorter than Yao. Lakers coach Phil Jackson acknowledged before Game 5 his team has a split personality. “This team has a Jekyll and Hyde in it a little bit, I’ll admit that,” Jackson said. “They have a tendency to get on their heels at times as a basketball team, but they’ve always responded.” It’s just that there’s no more room for error for a team that allows itself to be dominated in the paint one game and then does the dominating the next; lets Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks penetrate at will one night and then controls him the next time they meet; or sees the largely ineffective Andrew Bynum score 14 points in Game 5 and then zero in Game 6. Bryant said there’s “a lot” of pressure on the Lakers. “But this is what we do so, we’re supposed to be here and as players you have to respond. If you’re going to be an NBA champion, you’ve got to be able to respond

CHRIS CARLSON / AP

Pau Gasol (16), Kobe Bryant and the Lakers stomped Houston in a 40-point Game 5 win, then came out flat with a chance to clinch the series. to situations like this.” Going against popular opinion, Jackson thinks Game 7 will be about which Rockets team shows up. “They’ve been the provocateur

and they’ve been the one that has been the team that goes out and makes a decided difference in games,” Jackson said. “Their activity level was certainly much greater

in games 4 and 6.” A quick start will be important. The team leading after the first quarter has won all 12 of Houston’s postseason games.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said. “They’re going to come out and try to put a hit on us early. They’re going to try to attack us inside early. I know Kobe will be aggressive. It’s all about seeing how much we’ve grown. I think we’re ready to play.” That said, “I’m not going to have a lot of patience,” Adelman added. “Guys off the bench, they have to perform. There’s no tomorrow in this situation.” The Rockets have played loose in this series, and at times with more energy than the Lakers. “I fully expect us to play a good game (today),” Adelman said. Luis Scola, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds in Game 6, expects a close game. “It’s not time for any mistakes. We’ve got to do everything right,” Scola said. Yes, the Lakers are disappointed they didn’t take care of business earlier. “Ain’t nothing we can do about it. Nothing. We just got to come out and play,” Bryant said. Teammate Pau Gasol said the Lakers need to control Brooks, be aggressive and enjoy their homecourt advantage. “Game 7, playing at home, it’s something you deserve and earned in case of getting to this position,” he said. “It will be pressure, but at the same time we’re a good team to respond to that by playing hard, playing well and winning. That’s the bottom line.” — The Associated Press

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EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS ORLANDO AT BOSTON 8 tonight, TNT

Celtics in favorable confines for another Game 7 WALTHAM, MASS.—The Boston Celtics are exactly where they want to be for Game 7—home. Now they must keep Dwight Howard from getting to his favorite spots, right near the basket. Defense will mean more than decibel level when the defending NBA champions try to control the Orlando Magic’s powerful center tonight. The winner faces a huge challenge in the Eastern Conference finals—LeBron James and his playoff-perfect Cleveland Cavaliers, who swept their first two series. The Celtics are in their second straight seven-gamer. They beat Chicago in the first series and bobbled themselves into the Game 7 against Orlando by blowing a 10-point, third-quarter lead and losing 83-75. Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds Thursday night. “Game 7 is the ultimate players game. I’ve always thought that,” said Boston coach Doc Rivers, who feels their will and execution mean more than coaching tips. “If you need a rah-rah speech for Game 7, your team’s probably in a little trouble.” So he plans to forego any inspirational pregame words. The fans will be loud enough. But the Celtics don’t want to hear about home-court advantage. “You can’t go into any situation thinking that you’re comfortable at home,” Ray Allen said. “You’ve got to play basketball and it starts with not getting too comfortable at home.” The Celtics beat Atlanta and Cleveland at home in Game 7 of the first two rounds last year. They did it again against the Bulls, a series in which four games reached overtime.

They’re 17-3 in seventh games at home. “You can’t think about the aura of Boston while you’re playing them,” Magic guard Rafer Alston said, “but the days before, leading up to it, you have a thought in your mind about it. There’s nothing bad about it. The history of that organization to me is fascinating, the fact that they consistently get it done in their building in decisive games.” The Celtics did lose the opener there when Howard had 22 rebounds. He was even more dominating in Game 6 in Orlando after he complained that he didn’t get the ball enough. So he got it himself with 10 offensive rebounds. “His performance the other night was remarkable. His energy and intensity were off the charts,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “His athleticism is so great when he’s playing that hard, it’s really, really difficult for people to keep up with him.” The Celtics must keep trying without Kevin Garnett, their defensive mainstay in the middle whose knee injury has kept him out of the playoffs. Rivers said he won’t change the way the Celtics defend Howard, but they must do a better job of keeping dribblers from penetrating and drawing center Kendrick Perkins away from Howard to help out. The key is “to be physical with him, try to get him off the block as much as possible,” Paul Pierce said. “Just limit his easy opportunities. You’ve got to keep him off the offensive rebound because he does a lot of damage there.” Brian Scalabrine is the only big substitute in Rivers’ rotation, so starters

Perkins and Glen Davis must avoid foul trouble. Howard is hungry for his first trip to the conference finals. “Just being dominant is going to be key for my team. That’s the word of the week. Dominate!” he said with a laugh. “I woke up and ate some alphabet cereal and the first scoop I picked up was ‘dominate.’ So I stirred the bowl up, picked it up again, and it was ‘dominate.’ So I ate it.” The word for Allen is “shooting.” Against the Bulls, the veteran marksman hit a winning 3-pointer with two seconds left in Game 2 and scored 51 points in Game 6. But in four of the games against the Magic—three of them losses— he’s 10-for-47 from the field. “Every shot that I put up there, it always looks good to me,” Allen said. “You see the ball rattling around the rim and then sometimes it toilet-bowls and goes down and sometimes it pops out and you just never know until that ball goes all the way through. “So I’ll be making sure that ball goes all the way through (today).” The Celtics say they’re comfortable playing in a Game 7. The Magic say they won’t feel added pressure. “It doesn’t worry me at all,” Orlando’s Rashard Lewis said. “We were facing elimination the other night.” It’s been close all season between the two Eastern Conference powers. The Magic and Celtics split four games in the regular season. “Obviously, it’s the end of the road for one team, but ... you can only do what you’re capable of doing,” Allen said. “You’ve seen a team 10 times already that year so there’s not too many surprises.” — The Associated Press

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP

Dwight Howard, center, and the Magic face an uphill battle tonight, as Boston is 17-3 at home in Game 7s.

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INSIDE DISH

Cavaliers have fed off last year’s playoff loss to Celtics The Cavs say they’ll be ready for whoever wins today’s Game 7 between the Magic and Celtics. But there’s a sense that the Cavs would be especially eager to play the Celtics, as a chance for payback for last year’s loss in a grueling seven-game series in the conference semifinals. “I’m a competitor, I thrive on going against the best,” F LeBron James told The Associated Press. “I love playing against the best. You make your answer out of that.” James scored 45 points in Game 7 last year, but the Celtics won en route to winning the NBA title. This season, the two teams seemingly have been on a collision course. They split four games during the regular season, with the home team winning each time. “We don’t want to hold any personal grudges or anything like that,” F Joe Smith said. “But we remember last year and remember what happened in Game 7, and that’s something guys have fed off all year long. It’s why we achieved what we did during the regular season and why we’ve been so focused in the first two rounds.” The NBA rescinded the technical foul that Lakers G Kobe Bryant was assessed in the second quarter of Game 6 against the Rockets. It would have been Bryant’s fifth technical foul of the playoffs, bringing him within two of an automatic one-game suspension. “There was a petition . . . and it was rescinded,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant’s fifth technical foul. He picked up a technical foul in

ESPN.com reported. According to the report, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has mandated that the new general manager make it Kevin McHale’s choice whether to keep coaching or leave the organization. It’s believed McHale wants no less than a two-year deal to continue coaching. The Bucks have cleared C Andrew Bogut to begin offseason workouts after tests showed his back injury has healed. The team said Saturday that Bogut underwent tests in Australia this week that show the stress fracture in his lower back has healed. Bogut played 36 games this season, averaging 11.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots. He signed a five-year contract with the Bucks last year worth $60 million. Kings president Geoff Petrie is in Spain scouting players for the upcoming draft, and he’s giving fans updates of what he’s seeing via Twitter. Saturday, he was watching PG Ricky Rubio in the Spanish league playoffs—but Rubio played only 10 minutes before leaving the game with an injury.

PAUL SANCYA / AP

LeBron James won’t say who the Cavs want to play next, but said, ‘I love playing against the best.’ Games 1 and 2 of the first round against Utah. He had a technical foul in Games 2 and 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.

The Timberwolves are close to hiring Tom Penn, currently assistant general manager for the Trail Blazers, as their new general manager,

C Mehmet Okur can opt out of his contract this summer, but he says he’d like to remain in Utah as long as the Jazz have a competitive offer. “I will not be changing teams if there is a difference of $3-5 million in the total worth of the new contract,” Okur wrote on his website. “I believe my managers and I have let our feelings be known (to) the

Playoff glance CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (Best-of-7), all times ET

Jazz management.”

EASTERN CONFERENCE Developer Bruce Ratner says he is ready to break ground on a Brooklyn arena for the New Jersey Nets this year after an appeals court struck down a challenge to his Atlantic Yards project. Ratner says he plans to begin building this year after issuing bonds to finance the project this fall. The New York Supreme Court’s appellate division on Friday struck down a lawsuit that sought to stop the state from using eminent domain to seize property where the project is slated to be built. The opponents say they will appeal. Nuggets fans just can’t get enough of F Chris Andersen. According to The Denver Post, Andersen’s was the top-selling custom jersey on NBAStore.com for the month of April. And now the NBA has introduced a new T-shirt featuring Andersen as part of its “Where Amazing Happens” line.

Today’s games

Cleveland vs. Atlanta (Cleveland wins series 4-0) May 5: Cleveland 99, Atlanta 72 May 7: Cleveland 105, Atlanta 85 May 9: Cleveland 97, Atlanta 82 May 11: Cleveland 84, Atlanta 74

Boston vs. Orlando (Series tied 3-3) May 4: Orlando 95, Boston 90 May 6: Boston 112, Orlando 94 May 8: Orlando 117, Boston 96 May 10: Boston 95, Orlando 94 May 12: Boston 92, Orlando 88 May 14: Orlando 83, Boston 75 Today: Orlando at Boston, 8 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE L.A. Lakers vs. Houston (Series tied 3-3) May 4: Houston 100, L.A. Lakers 92 May 6: L.A. Lakers 111, Houston 98 May 8: L.A. Lakers 108, Houston 94 May 10: Houston 99, L.A. Lakers 87 May 12: L.A. Lakers 118, Houston 78 May 14: Houston 95, L.A. Lakers 80 Today: Houston at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m.

(Best-of-7), all times ET

Denver vs. Dallas

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(Denver wins series 4-1) May 3: Denver 109, Dallas 95 May 5: Denver 117, Dallas 105 May 9: Denver 106, Dallas 105 May 11: Dallas 119, Denver 117 May 13: Denver 124, Dallas 110

Houston at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m., ABC Orlando at Boston, 8 p.m., TNT

Betting lines FAVORITE ..........LINE at Boston..................2½ at L.A. Lakers.............13

O/U ........UNDERDOG (186) ..............Orlando (194½) ..........Houston

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NHL PLAYOFFS: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

NO. 2 RED WINGS VS. NO. 4 BLACKHAWKS

Series glance (Best-of-7), All times ET

BY CRAIG CUSTANCE | [email protected]

The fans in Chicago wanted this. The Blackhawks’ elimination of the Canucks was only a few minutes away when the chants in the United Center started, targeting the Red Wings. There’s been speculation that the players in Chicago wanted this, too, although they would never say it publicly. Beating the Red Wings would not only elevate the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup final, it also would signal a power shift in the Central Division. Now, we know, even the Red Wings wanted this Western Conference showdown between two Original Six teams. “You think we wanted Vancouver to win so we have to travel way out there?” Detroit coach Mike Babcock asked. “Chicago, it’s right there. It’s 45 minutes instead of these marathons with three-hour time changes and all that stuff. We want to play them, too. It’s great.”

Today: Chicago at Detroit, 3 p.m., NBC Tuesday: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., Versus Friday: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., Versus Sunday, May 24: Detroit at Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC Wednesday, May 27: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Saturday, May 30: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., if necessary, Versus Monday, June 1: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

NEEDS TO RAISE HIS GAME

THE STAR SO FAR

F Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit: Datsyuk was instrumental in helping Detroit kill key 5-on-3s in Game 7 against Anaheim, so he’s still contributing. But at some point, if his lack of offensive production continues, it’ll seriously hurt the Red Wings.

OUR PICK

MARK HUMPHREY / AP

F Johan Franzen, Detroit: Franzen has elevated himself into the discussion for Conn Smythe Trophy consideration and his eight playoff goals trail only Sidney Crosby and Eric Staal among those still playing.

Red Wings in six: We can’t forget Detroit’s dominance against Chicago in back-toback regular-season wins that included the Winter Classic. Detroit’s depth and experience will trump Chicago’s youthful energy and speed.

Youth vs. experience: The Blackhawks’ surprising success flies in the face of everything we know about the NHL playoffs. It’s a time for experienced teams to thrive. It makes sense that the Red Wings have advanced this far. But the NHL’s youngest playoff team? It’s clearly ahead of schedule. “It’s almost like they don’t know any different,” Chicago assistant G.M. Stan Bowman told Sporting News Today. “They’re a resilient group.” The Red Wings can pull on decades worth of playoff experience when things get tight, much like they did against the Ducks. The Scotty Bowman factor: Aside from Marian Hossa, this is essentially the same team Bowman left behind when he jumped from a consultant for the Red Wings to taking on the same job with the Blackhawks. He may not know some double-secret strategy to beating Detroit, but he can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Babcock isn’t buying it. “You think Joel Quenneville doesn’t know us? C’mon,” Babcock said. The edge may be in the confidence having a guy like Bowman on your side brings. “He has a certain aura about him because he’s a Hall of Famer, he has Stanley Cup rings,” Detroit senior vice-president Jim Devellano said. “When he walks into the dressing room, there’s some impact in his presence.” The top defensemen: They don’t carry the same name recognition as Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, but the Red Wings aren’t getting much of a break in facing Chicago’s top defensive pair of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Keith is one of the

1.

2.

3.

MARK HUMPHREY / AP

Twenty-year-old Patrick Kane, left, and 21-year-old Jonathan Toews, right, are among Chicago’s leading scorers. NHL’s most underappreciated rising stars and generated some Norris Trophy consideration. “Their depth on the back end and ability to move the puck is good,” Babcock said. On the other side, keep an eye on Brian Rafalski’s health. He only played two games against the Ducks and was held without a point. Detroit will need more production from him. Experienced goaltending: Both goalies have won Stanley Cups, and Chris Osgood has answered season-long critics with a strong postseason. Osgood’s 2.06 goals-against average is the second-lowest of the postseason, behind only Tim Thomas’ 1.85. “He’s a big-game goalie,” Red Wings forward Dan Cleary said of Osgood. “He has the ability to stay

4.

calm, poised, control rebounds and he doesn’t get frustrated. He has a great sense of calmness.” Chicago’s Nikolai Khabibulin has room for improvement. Of the four remaining goalies, his playoff goalsagainst average is the highest and his save percentage the lowest. Battles in front of the net: Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien has been outstanding while providing a big body and a distraction in front of opposing goalies. He scored two goals against the Canucks and Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo said he enjoyed the verbal sparring. Detroit’s answer for Byfuglien, Tomas Holmstrom, didn’t have a point against Anaheim. Holmstrom usually is one of the best in the game in front of the net.

5.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Staal tactics: Brothers meet with Cup finals bid on line

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal, left, and older brother Eric of the Hurricanes will face each other in the Eastern Conference finals.

PITTSBURGH—When Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes proudly took the Stanley Cup back home to Ontario on a sunny summer’s day in 2006, little brother Jordan Staal probably was the only person in their hometown of Thunder Bay who didn’t lift it. Oh, he was eager to revel in his brother’s accomplishment and proudly posed with it. As the Pittsburgh Penguins’ newly minted firstround draft pick, though, Jordan Staal knew he shouldn’t handle it. It’s an NHL players’ superstition to not lift the Stanley Cup until he has won it and Jordan, while only 17 at the time, wasn’t about to break with tradition. “I kind of kept my distance,” he said. There will be no such separation between the Staal brothers when the Hurricanes and Penguins play in the first NHL conference finals to match brothers in 35 years, or since Phil and Tony Esposito went at each other in 1974. Eric Staal is one of the NHL’s best power forwards, Jordan Staal is a top two-way center, and they will go at each other shift after challenging shift, night after strenuous night. Back in Thunder Bay, nervous parents Henry and Linda Staal will agonize over every hit, uncertain who to root for, understanding that one brother will play for the Stanley Cup again—each has done so since 2006— but the other’s season must end. “For myself and for Jordan, after the games, to talk to them, it’s a grind,” Eric Staal said. “You know it’s tough.”

So tough that two brothers who regularly text each other and talk during the season probably will silence communication for the next two weeks. Jordan Staal jumped off his couch to celebrate when the Hurricanes ousted top-seeded Boston on Thursday night, but now his Penguins’ success may be determined by how well he can control his big brother. “I’ve been playing against the top lines the last two series, so I’m sure Eric is right up there, so I might be matched against him,” Jordan Staal said. “It’s just another big challenge.” From going against Alex Ovechkin to going against his own brother. How much tougher does it get than that? “When you have two Staals, one is moving on to the Stanley Cup finals, so that’s always a good thing,” Jordan Staal said of the fifth brother vs. brother matchup in an NHL conference finals. Two Staals, two styles. Eric, 24, and Jordan, 20, are strong, physical players—a testament to their years of work on the family’s 500-acre Sunshine Sod Farm—but they’re not the same type of player. Eric Staal is more of a pure goal scorer, with 40 this season and at least 30 each of the previous three seasons. His 28 points led Carolina during its Stanley Cup playoff run in 2006. Jordan Staal can score, as he proved by getting 29 goals as a rookie, but he is prone to slumps and didn’t score in his first 10 playoff games this spring. Even when he doesn’t score, Jordan Staal is an excellent penalty killer and defender. Last season, he helped the

Penguins eliminate another of the four hockey-playing Staal brothers, defenseman Marc Staal of the Rangers, during the conference semifinals. The other brother, Jared, is a Phoenix prospect. Eric Staal, of course, doesn’t want to be the next forward to be shut down by Jordan. Or the next brother to be sent home by him. “Hopefully, (there’s) some big games on my side so it’s a story about the big brother, not the younger brother,” said Eric Staal, who leads Carolina with nine goals and 13 points in the playoffs. While Staal vs. Staal adds a personal element to the finals, Hurricanes forward Scott Walker is dealing with a far more serious family matter as his team awaits Game 1 in Pittsburgh on Monday night. Walker learned during the Boston series that his wife, Julie, has cervical cancer, which doctors believe is treatable. Despite those pressures, Walker scored the game-winning overtime goal in Game 7. “My wife is an amazing person and we are looking forward to a positive outcome from this challenge,” Walker said Saturday. Walker’s adversity serves as a reminder that while both teams are only a round away from playing for a championship, they’re only playing a game. The Staals will go back to being brothers when this series is over, no matter who wins, and the Stanley Cup can’t separate them. “You obviously want to do well, you want your team to do well, but at the same time you want your family to do well,” Jordan Staal said. — The Associated Press

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Playoff glance

INSIDE DISH

Report: Bettman would move to Winnipeg before Hamilton Earl Scudder, an attorney who works with Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, said in an affidavit filed Friday night that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told team officials in early April that the NHL would consider moving the team to Winnipeg, but not Hamilton, according to court filings reported by the Globe and Mail of Toronto. Scudder said he told Bettman on April 3 that there was interest “by a purchaser from Canada that wanted to move the team to Southern Ontario.” Bettman replied, according to Scudder’s affidavit, that the league would not approve relocating the Coyotes to Hamilton because Copps Coliseum was more than 30 years old. He added, however, that “if the team did return to Canada, it would be to Winnipeg,” Scudder alleged. The affidavit, according to the Globe and Mail, was among documents Moyes’ group filed as a response to the league’s strong opposition to the proposed sale of the team to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie. The league argues Moyes did not have authority to put the club into Chapter 11 protection or arrange a sale to Balsillie. But Moyes alleges the NHL’s position that it took control of the Coyotes last November in return for financing is a fraudulent attempt to take the club away from its current owners. “The NHL’s current position proves the fraudulent inducement claim,” Moyes alleged in one filing. Moyes also said the league never had control of the team and, in fact, did not want control. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Penguins coach Dan Bylsma is cautiously optimistic that top D Sergei Gonchar, who played in Game 7 of a semifinal series victory over Washington despite a knee injury, will be ready to play Monday when Pittsburgh and Carolina open play in the Eastern Conference finals. “In this situation, where there could be

“Right now, things are progressing, and he’s getting his treatment, and we’ll see (every time) we come to the rink what’s in store for him and how he’s doing.” Gonchar suffered the injury in a Game 4 knee-to-knee collision with Washington star Alex Ovechkin and missed Games 5 and 6. The Carolina Hurricanes revealed Saturday that the wife of forward Scott Walker, who scored the game-winning goal Thursday night in a Game 7 semifinal series win over Boston, has cancer. The team said Julie Walker was diagnosed during the second-round series with cervical cancer. According to The Associated Press, the cancer is treatable and she is expected to make a full recovery. Scott Walker said his wife wants him to concentrate on hockey, adding that she has been consoling him more than the other way around. Walker was vilified after Game 5 for punching Boston D Aaron Ward, a discretion that earned him a $2,500 fine. The Hurricanes will open their Eastern Conference finals series against Pittsburgh on Monday.

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

The Penguins are optimistic that D Sergei Gonchar (55) will be able to play Monday. setbacks, right now everything is moving forward,” Bylsma told the newspaper. “That means he’s getting better, but it’s

11

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

something we look at each day, and each day we reschedule what’s going to happen the next day.

Chicago’s Duncan Keith has the first officially reported Blackhawks injury of the postseason, but the Chicago Tribune reported that the team’s top defenseman won’t miss a game. Keith revealed that he was the recipient of an accidental stick to the lip from rookie teammate Kris Versteeg during a Thursday practice. He left the ice and received seven stitches to his lower lip—five on the outside, two inside his mouth—but returned to practice Friday. “It was an accident but I told him if he did it again today my stick might accidentally come up,’’ Keith told the newspaper. ‘’I bought him dinner (Wednesday) on his birthday, (and) that’s the thanks I get, I guess.’’

CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7), All times ET

EASTERN CONFERENCE Carolina vs. Pittsburgh Monday: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., Versus Thursday: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., Versus Saturday: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. Versus Tuesday, May 26: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., Versus Friday, May 29: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Sunday, May 31: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Tuesday, June 2: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

WESTERN CONFERENCE Chicago vs. Detroit Today: Chicago at Detroit, 3 p.m., NBC Tuesday: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., Versus Friday: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., Versus Sunday, May 24: Detroit at Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC Wednesday, May 27: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Saturday, May 30: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., if necessary, Versus Monday, June 1: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

Betting line Today FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at Detroit -190 Chicago Monday at Pittsburgh -200 Carolina Odds to Win Series Detroit -220 Chicago Pittsburgh -190 Carolina

LINE +165 +170 +180 +165

Odds to win Stanley Cup TEAM Detroit Pittsburgh Chicago Carolina

CURRENT ODDS 3-2 8-5 7-2 6-1

OPENING ODDS 4-1 7-1 25-1 35-1

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12

All-Star: Stewart celebrates first win as owner/driver Sprint All-Star Race results

BY REID SPENCER [email protected]

FINISH CONCORD, N.C.—The celebration everyone knew was coming arrived Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway against a background of exploding fireworks. The real pyrotechnics, however, were reserved for the racetrack. Tony Stewart passed Matt Kenseth through Turn 2 on Lap 99 of 100 to win the Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, his first victory in the annual nonpoints event and his first as an owner/driver. Stewart did what he had threatened to do since the beginning of the season. He had parlayed five top-five finishes in the last six races into a second place in the Cup series standings, but victory had eluded the 37-year-old driver nicknamed “Smoke”—until Saturday night. Stewart, who led only the final two laps, streaked across the finish line .971 seconds ahead of Kenseth and pocketed the winner’s share of $1,058,656. Kurt Busch ran third, followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin and Kyle Busch. “I can’t believe he gave me the bottom,” Tony said of his inside pass for the lead. “I just cannot believe he gave me the bottom. But I’ll take it. Matt is a guy you can trust. We got to second there, got by the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and I thought, ‘All right, we have a shot at this thing.’ “We weren’t that good until the last run. Darian Grubb (crew chief), I mean he made some awesome calls there at the end to get us where I could drive that thing the way I

TERRY RENNA / AP

Tony Stewart never won an all-star race while running for Joe Gibbs Racing, but he got the job done Saturday driving for his own team. could. Man, it was fast.” Adjustments during the 10-minute break before the final segment made Kenseth’s car better but not good enough to keep Stewart behind him. “We were too loose all night, and we were really slow on restarts,” said Kenseth, who led the field to the green flag with five laps remaining after caution for debris in Turn 3 slowed the field for the final time. “For long runs we were pretty good… During the break we had to tighten the car up a lot, which we did—put more air in the tires and did all the things we needed to do for a short run. “It was actually pretty good for five or six laps, but with all the short

runs and cautions (three after the start of the final segment) and getting the body banged in a little bit, it just hurt it, and with three or four (laps) to go, it started getting really tight and wouldn’t turn at all that last lap. And Tony just rolled on by.” As the cars worked Lap 93 of 100—the third in the final 10-lap shootout—Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet roared into the mix, pushing Kyle Busch past leader Jeff Gordon on the backstretch. As the cars sped three-wide through Turn 3, however, contact between Gordon’s Chevrolet and Busch’s Toyota sent the No. 24 spinning through the

grass and ultimately into the wall. “Looks like a race broke out here,” Busch quipped to spotter Jeff Dickerson under the caution that followed. Since only green-flag laps counted in the final segment, the field restarted with Kyle Busch in the lead with eight laps left, but he soon ceded the top spot to Kenseth. With a car set up for the short run, Jimmie Johnson led every lap of the first 50-lap segment, opening a lead of more than three seconds before a required green-flag pit stop midway through the segment. On new tires after the stop, Johnson pulled away from Kurt Busch

START

1 15 2 3 3 2 4 18 5 14 6 5 7 13 8 21 9 20 10 4 11 7 12 17 13 1 14 8 15 9 16 19 17 10 18 12 19 6 20 16 21 11 PE: Points exempt

CAR

DRIVER

MAKE

14 17 2 11 99 5 18 20 26 88 96 33 48 9 29 77 9 39 24 31 16

Tony Stewart Matt Kenseth Kurt Busch Denny Hamlin Carl Edwards Mark Martin Kyle Busch Joey Logano Jamie McMurray Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bobby Labonte Clint Bowyer Jimmie Johnson Kasey Kahne Kevin Harvick Sam Hornish Jr. Brad Keselowski Ryan Newman Jeff Gordon Jeff Burton Greg Biffle

Chevrolet Ford Dodge Toyota Ford Chevrolet Toyota Toyota Ford Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Chevrolet Dodge Chevrolet Dodge Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford

POINTS

LAPS

PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE PE

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 93 92 85 71

MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com Sprint Showdown: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=549674

and Gordon, only to have those two drivers narrow the advantage to a car length by the end of the run. Johnson held off his pursuers but dropped to fifth for the restart on Lap 51 when Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and Sam Hornish Jr. took two tires under the competition caution between segments. A spin during the final segment dropped Johnson to 13th at the finish. Clean air proved beneficial to Kyle Busch, who led all 20 laps in winning the second segment. The driver of the No. 18 Toyota stayed

out between the second and third segments and surrendered the lead to Gordon halfway through the run. With Busch and Kenseth battling for second, Gordon won the third segment going away, leading the final 10 of 20 laps. Notes: Newman, Stewart’s teammate, suffered a cut tire after the final restart and fell to 18th at the finish… Stewart’s co-owner, Gene Haas, attended his first Cup race after his release from federal prison, where he was serving a sentence for tax fraud. — Reid Spencer writes for the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

13

Mayfield denies taking illegal drugs

INSIDE DISH

BY BOB POCKRASS SceneDaily.com

BOB JORDAN / AP

Jeff Gordon, far right, lost control of his No. 24 car while battling Kyle Busch, center, and Ryan Newman for the lead late in the race.

Wreck in last segment ruins Gordon’s night Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon led the field to the green flag for the final 10-lap segment of the Sprint All-Star Race. But he ended up finishing 19th after crashing while battling for the lead. Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch and Gordon got three-wide in Turn 4, but Gordon slipped into Busch, who bounced off Newman and into Gordon. Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet slid sideways off the track before turning and hitting the outside wall. “It’s the all-star event,” Gordon said. “That’s just a bunch of guys racing really, really hard. I heard three-wide, and I was already wide open holding it down as much as I could. I felt like Kyle probably could have given me a little bit more room and we might have been all right. But I think he was a little bit surprised that the No. 39 (of Newman) was outside of him, too.” An upset Busch, who finished seventh, left the track without commenting, SceneDaily.com’s Jared Turner reported. — Lee Montgomery, SceneDaily.com Penske Racing driver Kurt Busch was pleased with

his third-place finish in the All-Star Race, and he hopes his performance bodes well for next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. Busch’s No. 2 Dodge wasn’t the fastest car early in a green-flag run, and that hurt him in the All-Star Race—which ended with a 10-lap shootout. But that could be exactly what Busch needs in next Sunday’s 600-mile race. “That’s the good news of it, and the fact that our car seemed like it would handle and the other cars would come to us the longer that we ran,” Busch said. “It’s something that you don’t know that you’re setting up into the car. It’s just sometimes the balance that you’re dealt as you race. For a 600-mile race you definitely want to be good on the long run.” — Lee Montgomery

Kevin Harvick won Saturday’s Pennzoil Victory Challenge burnout competition, held before the AllStar Race. Harvick scored a 58 out of a possible 60 from a panel of judges. Kasey Kahne finished second, with Kyle Busch third. — Reid Spencer writes for the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C.—Suspended driver/ owner Jeremy Mayfield denied Saturday he had used illegal drugs to cause a positive drug test taken May 1 and vowed he would not go through drug rehabilitation. Mayfield also stated NASCAR hasn’t even sent him a paper copy of the test indicating which substance yielded the positive result. Having watched the Sprint Showdown at Lowe’s Motor Speedway from an infield hospitality area, Mayfield spoke with a handful of reporters. NASCAR suspended Mayfield on May 9 for a failed drug test May 1 at Richmond. Mayfield stated May 9 that a mix of over-the-counter and prescription drugs had caused the positive result. But NASCAR chairman Brian France said Friday it was a “serious” violation resulting from a positive test for either performance-enhancing or illegal recreational drugs that led to Mayfield’s automatic indefinite suspension. In response to France’s comments Friday, Mayfield said, “That’s what he indicates (about my test), but they’ve indicated something different every day of the week. I’ve heard the same story y’all have heard. I really don’t want to say a whole lot. “All I can say is look at me, I’m alive. I’m well. I’m the same guy I was Thursday night before Richmond, Friday night at Richmond, Saturday night at Richmond. I ran the race, and I’m the same guy today as I’ve always been. My credibility should speak for something.”

C.J. DRIGGERS / AP

With Jeremy Mayfield, right, suspended, wife Shana will run his race team. Mayfield, 39, who has 433 career starts with five victories and two appearances in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, was asked if he denied using illegal drugs. “Am I denying it? Yeah, I’m denying it. Illegal drugs? Yeah, definitely,” Mayfield said. Mayfield, who said he has had independent tests done, would not say which prescription drug he is taking. He said he also took two tablets of Claritin-D. “(The prescription) is not an illegal drug,” Mayfield said. Mayfield said he did not have a paper copy of what drugs he had tested positive for in the May 1 test. “If any of you guys were in my shoes, wouldn’t y’all want your results of what happened?” Mayfield said. “I’ve got nothing. I’ve got reinstatement papers. I’d like to see the results and I don’t have the results. … I have never gotten anything saying what it was.”

NASCAR stands by its process, according to a statement it released late Saturday night. “All NASCAR members who violate the policy, including Jeremy, are notified of the substance that caused the failure,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a statement. “Jeremy was verbally informed of the substance on three occasions last week by NASCAR’s medical review officer. NASCAR stands by the reputable physicians and the nationally renowned lab that handles our substance abuse program.” Until he is reinstated, J.J. Yeley will drive Mayfield’s car and Mayfield’s wife, Shana, will be the team owner. After Mayfield talked with reporters, NASCAR asked him to leave because being in the infield violated the rules of his suspension. [email protected]

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INSIDE DISH

What to expect in the major leagues today

Damon’s third-inning ejection from Friday’s game: The New York Daily News noted it ended Damon’s streak of 10 consecutive games with an extra-base hit. Damon’s run was tied for the best in franchise history. Meanwhile, C Jorge Posada told the newspaper that his hamstring is about 85 percent. Posada could play in a rehab game soon.

According to the Boston Herald, Red Sox DH David Ortiz is expected to return to the starting lineup Tuesday, when the team returns home to face the first-place Blue Jays. After going 0-for-7 and stranding 12 runners in Thursday’s loss to the Angels, Ortiz was benched Friday and wasn’t in the starting lineup again Saturday. He has yet to homer this season, and the Red Sox hope a break will help snap him out of his funk. In more positive news, Red Sox P Daisuke Matsuzaka (shoulder) struck out nine in a Class AAA rehab start Friday and is nearing a return to Boston’s rotation, according to The Boston Globe. And P John Smoltz (shoulder) threw two innings in a simulated game Friday.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Angels OF Vladimir Guerrero (chest) will take batting practice for the next week or two and then probably will need a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the Angels’ lineup. Marlins P Josh Johnson, who left his most recent start early because of shoulder discomfort passed a strength test and threw Friday without any problems, according to The Miami Herald. He won’t miss a start.

As expected, the Mets placed 1B Carlos Del(hip) on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. gado The New York Daily News reported surgery remains a possibility for Delgado, and manager Jerry Manuel told reporters he thinks Delgado will be out for a while. Also out Saturday: SS Jose Reyes missed his third consecutive start because of a sore calf. Meanwhile, P Billy Wagner’s rehab from Tommy John surgery is going well. According to the New York Daily News, Wagner already is throwing 90 mph and could return to the Mets’ bullpen in August.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the Braves plan to call up pitching prospect Kris Medlen to start Tuesday against the Rockies. As a

14

THE LAUNCHING PAD

Slumping Ortiz expected to ride the pine until Tuesday

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told reporters that Cardinals P Chris Carpenter (oblique) could rejoin the rotation as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday. Carpenter, who has been on the disabled list since April 15, threw more than 100 pitches in four innings in a simulated game Friday and apparently won’t need a minor league rehab assignment. In addition, the St. Louis PostDispatch reported Cardinals 3B Troy Glaus is making progress with his rehab work, though there still is no timetable for his return from shoulder surgery. Finally, OF Rick Ankiel (shoulder) could be activated from the disabled list this week.

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

MATT A. BROWN / AP

David Ortiz has gone 144 at-bats since his last home run on Sept. 22. result, P Jo-Jo Reyes will move from the rotation to the bullpen. Medlen was 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA at Class AAA, while Reyes is 0-9 with a 6.91 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) since last June. Eventually, P Tom Glavine (shoulder) is expected to take over as the team’s fifth starter, perhaps by late May or early June. Another costly aspect of Yankees OF Johnny

DUANE BURLESON / AP

Miguel Cabrera, left, has an OPS of 1.058 and is batting .389.

Eight would be great

Because of sore heel that also sidelined him two games earlier in the week, White Sox OF Carlos Quentin was scratched from Saturday’s starting lineup. Interestingly, the slumping Quentin would have been dropped from third to sixth in the batting order if he had played.

In what could turn out to be a great A.L. Cy Young Award race, Royals ace Zack Greinke tied Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay for the major league lead in wins (seven) on Friday. Of course, Greinke has the edge in just about every other pitching category, but Halladay can pick up win No. 8 this afternoon against the struggling White Sox—a team he beat in late April. Once again, Halladay is on pace to finish among the league leaders in innings pitched, having lasted at least seven innings in all eight of his starts this season.

Already noticing improvement with his sore shoulder, Royals P Joakim Soria told the Kansas City Star that he expects to come off the disabled list when eligible next weekend. However, the newspaper speculated the Royals might take a more cautious approach with their closer because he still isn’t throwing.

Terrific Tigers

According to The Arizona Republic, new Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch and P Doug Davis got into a confrontation in the dugout after Hinch removed Davis from Friday’s game. In other Diamondbacks news, the newspaper reported Diamondbacks P Tom Gordon’s injured hamstring bothered him so much Wednesday that he collapsed on the mound while throwing batting practice. However, Gordon was able to play catch Friday.

How has Detroit made up for the precipitous drop in production from right fielder Magglio Ordonez, the injury to left fielder Carlos Guillen and the utter lack of offense from the catching position? The duo of first baseman Miguel Cabrera and third baseman Brandon Inge has done its best to keep the Tigers’ offense afloat. The two are battling for the team lead in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage, and Cabrera appears poised to make a run at the A.L. batting title. They’ll look to continue to abuse A’s pitching this afternoon in the series finale at Comerica Park.

Here come the Cubs Picked by many to run away from the pack and win their third consecutive N.L. Central title, the Cubs have yet to spend a day alone in first place this season and fell as far as five games back earlier this month. However, a recent hot streak has them right back in the race, despite the fact that first basemen Derrek Lee, center fielder Milton Bradley and catcher Geovany Soto all have struggled to get their batting averages above .200. Chicago concludes its three-game series against Houston and its six-game homestand this afternoon.

— Chris Bahr

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15

Q&A with ... Braves RF Jeff Francoeur

‘Last year I panicked when things weren’t going well’ franchise back to where it was back then? We’re getting there. Our starting pitching is getting there. Our whole starting lineup has finally been together on the field for (a good stretch of games) now. So, yeah, we’re getting close.

After hitting 48 home runs and driving in 208 runs in his first two full seasons, Francoeur’s production took a dive in 2008—a drop so precipitous the Braves briefly sent him to the minors to work on his swing. Francoeur says his struggles last season made him realize how difficult it is to have sustained success in the major leagues. He recently spoke with Sporting News Today’s Bill Eichenberger about the lessons he learned from his struggles.

A:

Q:

Close to being competitive in the N.L. East, or close to being the dominant N.L. power those teams were? Those three or four pitchers the Braves had for all those years, that’s pretty tough to beat. But people do forget that those old offenses for the Braves weren’t all that great. They’d score three or four runs a game. But in this day and age, the game is more offensive-minded, and you can’t win consistently that way. You have to score more runs, and we are trying to do that.

Q:

Had you ever been through a stretch like what you went through last season, when it just seemed like nothing was going your way? You realize pretty quickly that this is the big leagues. It’s tough, and you have to come out every day ready to go.

A:

A:

Q: A:

What did you learn about yourself and your game last year that will help you going forward? I think more than anything was to learn to be patient. Don’t try to force things too much. Try to take one at-bat and one game at a time. You have to realize you are going to have your bad games, your good games, your good weeks and bad weeks. But at the end, you are judged on a season’s worth of work. And last year I panicked when things weren’t going well and tried to do too much.

Q: A:

Are there any technical adjustments you’ve made to your swing that have helped you? I’ve tried to be a little more quiet with my feet and my hands, and not have quite as much movement. But that is still a work in progress. When you don’t feel great at the plate, you tend to go back to what you did before. I’m trying not to do that. One of my goals is to be more consistent, so that even when I get in a bad rut, to

Q:

After a couple of down years, are the fans in Atlanta starting to get excited about the Braves again? I think fans are excited about the new pitchers that we have— between Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez and the way J.J. (Jair Jurrjens) is pitching.

A: GREGORY SMITH / AP

Jeff Francoeur, trying to rebound from an awful 2008, is attempting to be more patient at this plate this season. He is batting .252 through 36 games. not revert back to my old habits but to keep doing what I have been doing.

Q:

You had an incredibly successful career as a football player in high school and turned down a football scholarship at Clemson to

sign with the Braves. Was there ever a point last season when you secondguessed your decision to pursue a career in baseball? Oh no, not at all. I loved football, but baseball always was my first love. It wasn’t about that. For me, it was all about

A:

trying to be the best baseball player I could be.

Q:

Growing up in Atlanta in the 1990s, you had to be a big fan of those great Braves teams of that era. How close is this team to getting this

Q: A:

How special is it for you to be a hometown kid playing for the hometown team? I love it. It’s great. But it has its good and bad sides. On the bad side are the number of ticket requests and people always wanting you to do stuff. And there is a lot pressure playing at home. On the good side is the fact that you’re really at home, not just in some place where you live during the season. And my family can come watch, so that’s nice.

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

LEAGUE LEADERS Batting Average A.L.

JEFF ROBERSON / AP

Kyle Lohse has seen his share of May falls.

Fantasy Focus Pitcher rankings The return of Angels aces Ervin Santana and John Lackey is a welcome sight for their owners, and it has affected the rankings.

Risers ▲ SP Ervin Santana, Angels. Santana gets two outings (at Seattle, at Los Angeles Dodgers) this week to prove his worth. ▲ SP Jorge De La Rosa, Rockies. Despite being winless, de la Rosa has been lights-out (2.37 ERA, 10.0 K/9 ratio) in his past six starts. ▲ RP Bobby Jenks, White Sox. He is on the verge of returning to elite status now that his strikeouts are back.

Fallers ▼ SP A.J. Burnett, Yankees. He has been mediocre for a month and faces the Phillies at home this week. ▼ SP Kyle Lohse, Cardinals. Just like the past two seasons, Lohse has regressed in May (6.72 ERA in May since ’07). ▼ RP Matt Capps, Pirates. Whether it is because of injury or just poor performance, Capps is in danger of losing his closer job. — Matt Lutovsky

MORE COVERAGE Get everything you need to dominate your fantasy league at: sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball

Player VMartinez MiCabrera AdJones Bartlett MYoung Callaspo Longoria

Player Beltran Ibanez Votto Zimmerman Hawpe HaRamirez DWright

.409 .389 .370 .359 .354 .344 .343.

A.L.

Team New York Philadelphia Cincinnati Washington Colorado Florida New York

.379 .368 .366 .364 .362 .354 .350.

Player CPena Morneau Bay Kinsler Longoria Four tied

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Minnesota Boston Texas Tampa Bay

Player AdJones Markakis Scutaro Bay BRoberts VMartinez Three tied

Player Ibanez Pujols Zimmerman ASoriano Hudson Werth Two tied

35 34 34 32 32 31 30

A.L.

Team Philadelphia St. Louis Washington Chicago Los Angeles Philadelphia

33 33 32 31 29 29 28

Player Crawford Ellsbury Figgins Abreu BUpton Bartlett Crisp

Player Longoria Bay Huff Markakis CPena Three tied

Player Pujols Ibanez Cantu Fielder Hawpe Five tied

46 40 33 33 33 32

A.L.

Team St. Louis Philadelphia Florida Milwaukee Colorado

37 35 33 32 31 29

Player Frasor RRamirez Palmer Halladay Greinke Slowey

Player Longoria Callaspo Lind MYoung Byrd Markakis Polanco

Player Hudson HaRamirez FSanchez Kotchman Zimmerman FLopez Sandoval

16 15 14 14 13 13 13

4-0 4-0 4-0 7-1 7-1 5-1

Player Crisp Andrus Crawford 11 tied

A.L.

Team Los Angeles Florida Pittsburgh Atlanta Washington Arizona San Francisco

14 14 14 13 13 12 12

5 3 3 2

Team Washington Los Angeles New York Philadelphia San Diego Atlanta

5-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 5-1

1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .833

Player Verlander Greinke Lester FHernandez Halladay Beckett Garza

Team Detroit Kansas City Boston Seattle Toronto Boston Tampa Bay

Player JSantana JVazquez Lincecum Peavy Billingsley Haren WRodriguez

69 65 54 53 49 46 45

Player Kemp Bourn Morgan Victorino Winn DWright 19 tied

A.L.

Team Los Angeles Houston Pittsburgh Philadelphia San Francisco New York

4 3 3 3 3 3 2

Player Papelbon FFrancisco Fuentes Jenks Soria Sherrill MaRivera

Team New York Atlanta San Francisco San Diego Los Angeles Arizona Houston

67 67 66 61 56 56 48

N.L.

Team Boston Texas Los Angeles Chicago Kansas City Baltimore New York

10 9 9 8 7 7 7

Player FrRodriguez Cordero Broxton Hoffman Bell Franklin Two tied

East Toronto Boston New York Tampa Bay Baltimore

W 25 22 19 18 16

L 14 15 17 20 21

Pct .641 .595 .528 .474 .432

GB WCGB L10 — — 6-4 2 — 5-5 4½ 2½ 6-4 6½ 4½ 6-4 8 6 6-4

Str W-2 W-1 W-4 W-2 W-1

Home 14-6 13-4 8-7 8-8 11-11

Away 11-8 9-11 11-10 10-12 5-10

Central Detroit Kansas City Minnesota Chicago Cleveland

W 19 19 18 15 14

L 16 18 19 20 24

Pct .543 .514 .486 .429 .368

GB WCGB L10 — — 6-4 1 3 3-7 2 4 5-5 4 6 3-7 6½ 8½ 3-7

Str W-2 L-1 L-2 L-3 L-2

Home 10-5 12-8 14-9 8-8 7-11

Away 9-11 7-10 4-10 7-12 7-13

West Texas Los Angeles Seattle Oakland

W 22 18 17 13

L 14 17 20 20

Pct .611 .514 .459 .394

GB WCGB L10 — — 8-2 3½ 3 6-4 5½ 5 2-8 7½ 7 4-6

Str W-6 L-2 L-1 L-2

Home Away 13-6 9-8 12-8 6-9 8-8 9-12 8-10 5-10

National League Standings East New York Philadelphia Atlanta Florida Washington

W 21 19 18 18 11

L 15 16 18 19 24

Pct .583 .543 .500 .486 .314

GB WCGB L10 — — 8-2 1½ 2 5-5 3 3½ 7-3 3½ 4 3-7 9½ 10 4-6

Str W-3 W-3 L-1 W-1 L-3

Home 12-8 8-12 6-10 7-8 5-10

Away 9-7 11-4 12-8 11-11 6-14

Central Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis Cincinnati Houston Pittsburgh

W 22 21 21 20 16 15

L 14 14 15 16 19 21

Pct .611 .600 .583 .556 .457 .417

GB WCGB L10 — — 8-2 ½ — 7-3 1 ½ 4-6 2 1½ 6-4 5½ 5 5-5 7 6½ 3-7

Str W-4 W-5 L-1 L-2 L-1 W-1

Home 12-7 12-6 12-6 7-9 8-10 10-9

Away 10-7 9-8 9-9 13-7 8-9 5-12

West W Los Angeles 25 San Francisco 18 San Diego 15 Colorado 14 Arizona 14 z-first game was a win

L 13 18 22 21 23

Pct GB WCGB L10 .658 — — 5-5 .500 6 3½ 5-5 .405 9½ 7 3-7 .400 9½ 7 4-6 .378 10½ 8 3-7

Str L-1 L-4 W-2 L-1 W-1

Home 14-3 12-8 10-6 7-10 9-15

Away 11-10 6-10 5-16 7-11 5-8

Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)

N.L.

Saves N.L.

Team Kansas City Texas Tampa Bay

Player Martis Broxton Pelfrey Condrey Meredith DLowe

1.000 1.000 1.000 .875 .875 .833

Triples A.L.

13 11 10 10 10 10 10

Strikeouts

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Kansas City Toronto Texas Texas Baltimore Detroit

Team Houston New York San Francisco Colorado Pittsburgh Cincinnati New York

N.L.

Team Toronto Boston Los Angeles Toronto Kansas City Minnesota

Doubles A.L.

Player Bourn JosReyes Burriss Fowler Morgan Taveras DWright

24 16 15 13 11 10 10

Pitching (4 decisions) N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Baltimore Baltimore Tampa Bay

15 13 13 11 11 11 10

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Los Angeles Los Angeles Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Kansas City

RBIs A.L.

Team San Diego Philadelphia St. Louis Washington Chicago Cincinnati Philadelphia

Stolen Bases N.L.

Team Baltimore Baltimore Toronto Boston Baltimore Cleveland

Player AdGonzalez Ibanez Pujols Dunn ASoriano Bruce Utley

13 12 11 11 11 10

Runs A.L.

American League Standings

Home Runs

N.L.

Team Cleveland Detroit Baltimore Tampa Bay Texas Kansas City Tampa Bay

16

Team New York Cincinnati Los Angeles Milwaukee San Diego St. Louis

11 10 9 9 9 9 8

American League Minnesota (Slowey 5-1) at N.Y. Yankees (A.Burnett 2-1), 1:05 p.m. Oakland (Cahill 2-2) at Detroit (Galarraga 3-3), 1:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Floyd 2-3) at Toronto (Halladay 7-1), 1:07 p.m. Cleveland (Huff 0-0) at Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine 1-4), 1:38 p.m. L.A. Angels (Jer.Weaver 3-1) at Texas (Feldman 2-0), 2:05 p.m. Baltimore (Uehara 2-3) at Kansas City (Hochevar 0-1), 2:10 p.m. Boston (Masterson 2-2) at Seattle (Vargas 1-0), 4:10 p.m.

The Line at NYY -200 Min +185 at Det -165 Oak +155 at Tor -250 ChW +220 at TB -140 Cle +130 at Tex -105 LAA -105 at KC -110 Bal +100 Bos -130 at Sea +120

National League L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 1-3) at Florida (Koronka 0-1), 1:10 p.m. Colorado (Jimenez 3-4) at Pittsburgh (Duke 4-3), 1:35 p.m. Philadelphia (Park 1-1) at Washington (Zimmermann 2-1), 1:35 p.m. Arizona (Garland 3-2) at Atlanta (D.Lowe 5-1), 1:35 p.m. Milwaukee (M.Parra 2-4) at St. Louis (Wellemeyer 3-3), 2:15 p.m. Houston (Moehler 0-2) at Chicago Cubs (Harden 4-1), 2:20 p.m. Cincinnati (Arroyo 5-2) at San Diego (Peavy 2-5), 4:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Pelfrey 4-0) at San Francisco (Cain 3-1), 8:05 p.m.

The Line LAD -140 at Fla +130 at Was -115 Phi +105 at Atl -200 Ari +185 at Pit -115 Col +105 at StL -135 Mil +125 at ChC -250 Hou +220 at SD -150 Cin +140 at SF -115 NYM +105

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17

AMERICAN LEAGUE N.Y. Yankees 6, Minnesota 4, 11 innings

Toronto 2, Chicago White Sox 1

A-Rod homer breaks slump, ends game

Bautista hit gives rookie first win

NEW YORK—Alex Rodriguez’s first hit at the new Yankee Stadium was a doozy. Rodriguez belted a game-ending, tworun homer in the 11th inning to give New York a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Rodriguez hit a long drive off Craig Breslow (1-2) into the seats in left after Mark Teixeira led off with a walk. The jubilant slugger threw his arms up as he rounded first, then discarded his batting helmet as he made it to the plate and was mobbed by teammates. “I was so tired,” Rodriguez said with specks of a postgame shaving cream pie still on his right ear. “I haven’t played a lot of baseball this year so I was exhausted. I was really just trying to put a good swing on the ball.” It was just the second game at the Yankees’ $1.5 billion palace for A-Rod, who missed the first part of the season with a hip injury after admitting in spring training to using steroids when he played with the Texas Rangers. Off to a slow start, the homer raised his batting average to .154 this season. “For me, I gave you guys something to talk about and write about in the 11th inning and I didn’t have to open my mouth,” Rodriguez said as he addressed the media scrum after the game, “and that’s kind of the way I want things, you know. Stay out of my own way.” Teixeira tied a career high with four hits and also had four RBIs for New York, which has won four straight. Alfredo Aceves (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the victory. Justin Morneau hit his third homer in two games and Joe Mauer also connected for the second straight day for Minnesota, which absorbed its second consecutive difficult loss. The Yankees

FRANK FRANKLIN II / AP

Alex Rodriguez’s home run in the 11th inning raised his batting average to .154. scored three times off All-Star closer Joe Nathan in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win Friday night. “This is a tough place to play,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You can’t make mistakes here.” Minnesota pushed across two runs in the eighth to take a 4-3 lead. Morneau started the rally with a one-out drive off Phil Coke into the second deck in right. Brian Buscher added a run-scoring double for his second RBI. Morneau went deep twice in the series opener and has four homers in his last four games to give him 12 for the

season. New York responded in the bottom half. Teixeira, showing signs of breaking out of his usual slow start, hit a tying RBI single off Nick Blackburn. “Obviously I wanted to be more careful than that,” Blackburn said. “I was trying to hit the corner and I threw one that got over the plate. Every at-bat, I just gave him something too good.” Teixeira’s three-run drive after Blackburn issued a pair of two-out walks in the third gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. The switch hitter is 6 for 6 against the righthander in his career. “I was just getting good pitches to hit,” Teixeira said. “I got four good pitches to hit and I didn’t miss them.” Mariano Rivera pitched two scoreless innings to help set up A-Rod’s second homer of the season. Minnesota put the first two batters on in the 10th but Rive a retired the next three to keep it tied. It was Rivera’s longest outing since he pitched two innings against Kansas City on Aug. 16. The four homers—all no doubters— brought the season total to 56 in the first 15 games at the Yankees’ swanky ballpark, quickly developing a reputation as a launching pad. The major league record for most homers in the first 15 games at a new park is 59 at Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium from 2001-03, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Opponents were batting .481 in the first inning against Chamberlain before the game against the Twins. Each of the seven runs he gave up in his previous two starts came in the first. “We got a good start from Joba,” manager Joe Girardi said. “It all starts with pitching.” — The Associated Press

Yankees 6, Twins 4, 11 innings Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Span cf 5 0 0 0 1 2 .292 B.Harris 2b 6 0 0 0 0 2 .289 Mauer dh 4 1 1 1 1 1 .423 Morneau 1b 3 2 2 1 2 0 .324 Kubel lf 5 0 2 0 0 2 .341 Cuddyer rf 4 1 0 0 1 1 .260 Buscher 3b 3 0 1 2 1 0 .220 Redmond c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .255 1-Gomez pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .207 J.Morales c 1 0 0 0 1 0 .333 Punto ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 .200 Totals 38 4 8 4 7 9 New York Jeter ss Damon lf Teixeira dh A.Rodriguez 3b Swisher 1b Cano 2b Me.Cabrera rf Gardner cf Cervelli c a-H.Matsui ph 2-R.Pena pr Cash c Totals

AB 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 1 0 1 34

R 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6

H BI 0 0 1 0 4 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 6

BB SO Avg. 2 0 .266 1 0 .312 1 0 .238 1 2 .154 0 1 .239 0 0 .300 0 0 .316 0 0 .244 0 1 .286 0 0 .262 0 0 .280 0 1 .125 5 5

Minnesota 010 100 020 00 New York 003 000 010 02

4 8 0 6 7 0

No outs when winning run scored. a-doubled for Cervelli in the 8th. 1-ran for Redmond in the 7th. 2-ran for H.Matsui in the 8th. LOB: Minnesota 10, New York 4. 2B: Buscher (2), Teixeira (7), H.Matsui (7). HR: Mauer (6), off Chamberlain; Morneau (12), off Coke; Teixeira (8), off Blackburn; A.Rodriguez (2), off Breslow. RBIs: Mauer (16), Morneau (32), Buscher 2 (7), Teixeira 4 (24), A.Rodriguez 2 (6). SB: Span (9). CS: Jeter (1). S: Punto, Jeter. SF: Buscher. Runners left in scoring position: Minnesota 5 (B.Harris 3, Punto, J.Morales); New York 3 (A.Rodriguez, Swisher 2). GIDP: Swisher. DP: Minnesota 1 (Morneau, Punto, Blackburn). Minnesota Blackburn Guerrier Breslow L, 1-2 New York Chamberlain Veras H, 1 Coke BS, 2-2 E.Ramirez Ma.Rivera Aceves W, 1-0

IP 7 2⁄3 2 1⁄3 IP 6 1⁄3 1 1⁄3 1⁄3 2 1

H 6 0 1 H 3 1 2 0 2 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 3 4 111 4.38 0 0 1 1 28 3.92 2 2 1 0 9 7.11 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 4 6 108 3.76 0 0 1 0 11 6.75 2 2 1 1 30 4.60 0 0 1 0 10 4.86 0 0 0 2 29 2.93 0 0 0 0 10 2.45

Breslow pitched to 2 batters in the 11th. Inherited runners-scored: Guerrier 1-0, Coke 2-0, E.Ramirez 1-0. WP: Guerrier. Umpires: Home, Marty Foster; First, Chad Fairchild; Second, John Hirschbeck; Third, Wally Bell. T: 3:35. A: 45,455 (52,325).

TORONTO—The Chicago White Sox knew it wasn’t going to be easy to make a 1-0 lead stand up against the A.L. East-leading Blue Jays. Eventually, Toronto hitters proved them right. Jose Bautista drove in the goahead run with an eighthinning single, and the Blue Jays beat the struggling White Sox 2-1 on Saturday to give rookie righthander Robert Ray his first major league win. Ray (1-1) allowed one unearned run and three hits in a career-high eight innings. He walked one and struck out three, before Scott Downs closed it out for his fourth save. “It’s awesome to get called up here and then your first strikeout, but that’s the one—the win— that you really want,” Ray said. White Sox third baseman Josh Fields said Ray’s variety of pitches kept him off balance. “He threw three pitches and all three of them he was throwing for strikes and throwing well,” Fields said. “When you’re getting up there and you’re looking for a certain pitch and then he drops another one in on you for a strike, it’s kind of a tough day.” Joe Cora served as interim manager with Ozzie Guillen in Chicago for his son’s college graduation. Guillen will return Monday. “We went with our best, but it’s tough to hold that team,” Cora said. — The Associated Press

Blue Jays 2, White Sox 1 Chicago AB R H BI Podsednik lf 3 1 0 0 Getz 2b 3 0 0 0 c-Betemit ph 1 0 0 0 Dye rf 3 0 0 0 Konerko 1b 3 0 1 0 Thome dh 3 0 1 0 Al.Ramirez ss 3 0 0 0 Pierzynski c 3 0 0 0 Fields 3b 3 0 1 0 Lillibridge cf 0 0 0 0 b-J.Nix ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 26 1 3 0

BB SO Avg. 1 0 .256 0 0 .247 0 0 .250 0 1 .275 0 0 .305 0 1 .234 0 0 .218 0 0 .279 0 1 .237 0 0 .154 0 0 .240 1 3

Toronto AB Scutaro ss 4 A.Hill 2b 4 Rios rf 4 V.Wells cf 3 Lind dh 4 Bautista 3b-lf 4 Overbay 1b 3 R.Chavez c 3 1-Jo.McDonald pr 0 Barajas c 1 Snider lf 2 a-Millar ph-3b 1 Rolen 3b 0 Totals 33

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .285 0 1 .339 0 0 .259 1 0 .270 0 0 .324 0 2 .310 1 1 .247 0 0 .269 0 0 .250 0 1 .303 0 1 .247 0 1 .281 0 0 .331 2 7

Chicago Toronto

R H BI 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 2

100 000 000 — 1 3 0 000 000 02x — 2 11 1

a-struck out for Snider in the 7th. b-flied out for Lillibridge in the 9th. c-grounded out for Getz in the 9th. 1-ran for R.Chavez in the 7th. E: R.Chavez (1). LOB: Chicago 1, Toronto 9. 2B: Scutaro 2 (9), Lind (14). RBIs: Lind (32), Bautista (6). SB: Podsednik (1), V.Wells 2 (6), Bautista (2). CS: Lillibridge (1). S: Lillibridge. Runners left in scoring position: Chicago 1 (Getz); Toronto 5 (A.Hill 3, Bautista, Barajas). DP: Toronto 2 (Bautista), (Scutaro, Bautista, Overbay). Chicago IP Colon 5 Dotel H, 5 1 Thornton H, 6 1 Linebrink L, 1-2 BS, 1-1 1 Toronto IP R.Ray W, 1-1 8 Downs S, 4-4 1

H 5 1 2 3 H 3 0

R ER BB SO 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 2 0 1 R ER BB SO 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0

NP ERA 62 4.21 18 0.00 22 2.63 30 2.08 NP ERA 91 3.60 10 1.96

HBP: by R.Ray (Lillibridge). WP: Linebrink. Umpires: Home, Larry Vanover; First, Dan Iassogna; Second, Charlie Reliford; Third, Adrian Johnson. T: 2:26. A: 21,759 (49,539).

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18

AMERICAN LEAGUE Texas 5, L.A. Angels 3

Detroit 9, Oakland 1

Hit batter ends Lackey’s debut after 2 pitches

Luck changes for Tigers, A’s

ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Angels starter John Lackey was gone only two pitches into his season debut. After Lackey’s first pitch sailed behind Ian Kinsler’s head and the next one hit Texas’ leadoff batter in the ribs, home plate umpire Bob Davidson immediately ejected the pitcher. “It was interesting,” Kinsler said after the AL West-leading Rangers won 5-3 for their sixth straight victory Saturday. “I haven’t pitched in six weeks. I was obviously trying to come in on him but there was no intention to hit him or to come in behind him,” Lackey said. “It was definitely surprising.” Lackey, activated from the disabled list to make the start, had a 1-0 lead after Chone Figgins walked on four pitches to start the game and scored on a wild pitch by Vicente Padilla (3-2). Kinsler jogged to first base without incident after getting plunked. But Davidson tossed Lackey, who raised his arms and stood near the mound with a look of disbelief on his face. Manager Mike Scioscia argued at length with Davidson and crew chief Tim Tschida to no avail, though he wasn’t ejected. “He hasn’t thrown in two months,” Scoscia said. “It looked bad, but John’s trying to make sure the two-seamer is in.” Still, Tschida said the second pitch was too much for umpires to overlook after Friday night, when Kinsler homered twice. “When the first pitch of the next game to that hitter is behind him, that’s a red flag,” Tschida said. “We gave (Lackey) the benefit of the doubt because maybe he was a little amped up coming off the

Rangers 5, Angels 3 Los Angeles AB R Figgins 3b 4 1 M.Izturis 2b 4 0 Abreu rf 4 0 Hunter dh 2 0 K.Morales 1b 4 0 Napoli c 4 1 Matthews Jr. cf 4 1 J.Rivera lf 4 0 E.Aybar ss 4 0 Totals 34 3

H 3 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 10

BI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2

BB 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3

SO Avg. 0 .273 0 .262 0 .300 0 .317 0 .283 1 .316 0 .284 1 .284 0 .306 2

Texas AB Kinsler 2b 2 M.Young 3b 4 Hamilton cf 2 Blalock dh 4 Byrd lf 3 N.Cruz rf 3 C.Davis 1b 4 Saltalamacchia c 3 Andrus ss 3 Totals 28

H 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 8

BI 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 5

BB 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 4

SO Avg. 0 .313 0 .354 1 .250 1 .236 0 .303 0 .271 1 .232 0 .273 1 .276 4

Los Angeles 100 200 000 — Texas 120 200 00x —

3 10 0 5 8 0

R 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 5

LOB: Los Angeles 7, Texas 7. 2B: N.Cruz (7). RBIs: Figgins (8), J.Rivera (11), M.Young (17), Hamilton 2 (19), Saltalamacchia 2 (16). SB: M.Izturis (4), Kinsler (9), Andrus (4). S: Andrus. SF: Hamilton 2. Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 4 (K.Morales, Abreu 2, Hunter); Texas 5 (Kinsler, N.Cruz, Blalock, M.Young, Andrus). DP: Los Angeles 1 (E.Aybar, M.Izturis, K.Morales); Texas 3 (Andrus, C.Davis), (C.Davis), (Kinsler, Andrus, C.Davis). TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

John Lackey’s first start after recovering from a strained forearm ended when he plunked Texas’ Ian Kinsler. DL. When he hit him with the second pitch, that was something else.” Both benches were issued warnings, though there were no more incidents. Kinsler stole second and scored on the first of Josh Hamilton’s two sacrifice flys. Texas went ahead to stay on Michael Young’s tiebreaking RBI single in the fourth just before Hamilton’s other run-producing flyball made it 5-3. Texas (22-14) has won 12 of 14 and leads the Angels by 3½ games in the AL West. The Rangers are eight games over .500 for the first time since June 2005.

Lackey, who missed the first first six weeks of the season because of a forearm strain, said he wasn’t even thinking about a tension-filled series between the two teams three years ago that included a benches-clearing brawl. Scioscia, former Rangers manager Buck Showalter and six others, including Padilla, were suspended after two days of trouble in that August 2006 series. Lackey was fined, but not suspended after coming out of the dugout in a game he didn’t pitch. — The Associated Press

Los Angeles Lackey Loux L, 2-3 Oliver J.Speier Bulger Texas Padilla W, 3-2 C.Wilson S, 2-2

IP 0 3 1⁄3 1 2⁄3 2 1 IP 8 1

H 0 7 0 0 1 H 10 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 0 0 2 4 4 2 1 58 5.40 0 0 1 0 26 1.10 0 0 1 2 25 6.59 0 0 0 1 10 7.30 R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 3 2 115 4.71 0 0 0 0 11 3.86

Lackey pitched to 1 batter in the 1st. Inherited runners-scored: Loux 1-1, Oliver 3-1. HBP: by Lackey (Kinsler). WP: Loux 2, Padilla. Umpires: Home, Bob Davidson; First, Rob Drake; Second, Jeff Nelson; Third, Tim Tschida. T: 2:52. A: 34,284 (49,170).

DETROIT—The Detroit Tigers came into this weekend’s series reeling from a pair of bad losses while the Oakland Athletics had won two in a row. It didn’t take long for things to change. Miguel Cabrera drove in four runs, Ryan Raburn hit a threerun homer and the Tigers roughed up the Athletics for the second straight night, winning 9-1 on Saturday. Raburn, who entered the series hitting .095, has two homers and eight RBIs in two games. “I told him that I was taking away his entrance music if he didn’t start hitting,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “That’s why he started hitting.” The Tigers have outscored Oakland 23-2 in the first two of a three-game series. “The good thing is that we are adding on runs,” Leyland said. “That’s one of the big things. Everyone relaxes more when you score some runs, and that makes it easier to add more of them.” Oakland will try to salvage the series finale today. “We had a couple of good wins to finish the homestand, and then we play two games like this,” Ryan Sweeney said. “It’s hard to understand.” Rick Porcello (4-3) allowed one run on three hits and two walks in six innings. — The Associated Press

Tigers 9, Athletics 1 Oakland AB R O.Cabrera ss 4 0 K.Suzuki c 3 0 Cust dh 4 0 Holliday lf 3 0 Giambi 1b 3 0 Kennedy 2b 4 0 R.Sweeney cf 4 1 Crosby 3b 3 0 T.Buck rf 2 0 a-Cunningham ph-rf1 0 Totals 31 1

H 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 4

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

BB 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

SO Avg. 0 .223 0 .323 2 .271 0 .244 2 .202 0 .273 0 .248 2 .250 0 .209 0 .000 6

Detroit Granderson cf Polanco 2b Santiago 2b Thomas rf Mi.Cabrera 1b Larish 1b Ordonez dh Inge 3b Raburn lf Laird c Everett ss Totals

H 1 3 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 3 1 14

BI 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 3 1 0 9

BB 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4

SO Avg. 3 .255 0 .264 0 .300 2 .341 0 .389 0 .242 0 .256 2 .281 1 .167 0 .220 0 .280 8

001 000 000 — 010 051 02x —

1 4 1 9 14 0

Oakland Detroit

AB 5 5 0 3 4 0 5 4 4 4 4 38

R 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 9

a-grounded into a fielder’s choice for T.Buck in the 7th. E: Braden (1). LOB: Oakland 6, Detroit 9. 2B: R.Sweeney (7), Granderson (4), Mi.Cabrera 2 (7), Ordonez (4), Raburn (1), Laird 2 (4). HR: Raburn (2), off Braden. RBIs: T.Buck (6), Mi.Cabrera 4 (30), Ordonez (17), Raburn 3 (9), Laird (8). Runners left in scoring position: Oakland 2 (Cust, Crosby); Detroit 6 (Ordonez 3, Granderson, Everett, Inge). Oakland Braden L, 3-5 Wuertz Springer K.Cameron Detroit Porcello W, 4-3 Seay Zumaya Rodney

IP 5 1 1 1 IP 6 1⁄3 1 2⁄3 1

H 9 2 1 2 H 3 1 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 6 6 2 5 107 3.64 1 1 1 1 23 1.83 0 0 0 1 13 2.25 2 2 1 1 16 3.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 5 86 3.86 0 0 0 0 8 5.40 0 0 0 0 23 1.74 0 0 0 1 18 4.50

Inherited runners-scored: Zumaya 1-0. HBP: by Porcello (Holliday). WP: Wuertz. Umpires: Home, Phil Cuzzi; First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Tom Hallion; Third, Jerry Crawford. T: 2:39. A: 31,554 (41,255).

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

AMERICAN LEAGUE Tampa Bay 4, Cleveland 2

Baltimore 3, Kansas City 2

Rays meet Maddon’s expectations Hill begins climb back after rough ’08 Rays 4, Indians 2 Cleveland AB Sizemore cf 4 A.Cabrera ss 5 V.Martinez 1b 4 Choo rf 4 Peralta 3b 4 LaPorta lf 4 Dellucci dh 1 1-B.Francisco pr-dh 0 Shoppach c 2 Valbuena 2b 4 Totals 32

REINHOLD MATAY / AP

Gabe Gross, left, Akinori Iwamura and the Rays have won 10 of 16 after a slow start to the season. ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Joe Maddon is hopeful the Rays are back to playing championship-caliber baseball. B.J. Upton homered for the second consecutive day, Matt Garza pitched six effective innings and Tampa Bay beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 on Saturday. “I expect us to get back to the playoffs and I expect that we’ll stop making the little mistakes that we didn’t make in the past,” the Rays manager said. The defending A.L. champions Rays (18-20) have won 10 of 16. Hours after he completed the Rays’ rally from seven runs down with a game-ending drive Friday night for an 8-7 victory over Cleveland, Upton put the Rays ahead 1-0 with his second home run of the season off Carl Pavano in the fourth. “B.J.’s homer was big,” Maddon said. Upton, who started the season on the

disabled list after left shoulder surgery, is hitting .192. However, he has worked recently on the lower half of his batting stance and has seven hits in his last 19 at-bats. Gabe Gross and Akinori Iwamura pulled off a double steal in the fifth, giving Tampa Bay at least one stolen base in 18 straight games, which is the longest stretch in the A.L. since the New York Yankees had a 19-game run in 1914. Both scored on Jason Bartlett’s single to make it 3-0. “The double steal really killed me,” Pavano said. Bartlett stole second later in the fifth, but left was stranded on base. The Rays have stolen three bases or more in a game 11 times this season. Garza (4-2) gave up two runs and five hits. The righthander had three strikeouts and four walks. — The Associated Press

R 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

H 0 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 6

BI 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2

BB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 4

SO Avg. 1 .220 3 .315 0 .409 1 .295 0 .265 2 .194 0 .235 0 .236 1 .210 0 .105 8

Tampa Bay AB R H BI BB SO B.Upton cf 4 1 1 1 0 3 Crawford lf 4 1 2 0 0 1 Longoria 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 C.Pena 1b 3 0 0 0 1 3 W.Aybar dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 Gross rf 1 1 0 0 1 0 a-Zobrist ph-rf 2 0 1 1 0 0 Iwamura 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 Bartlett ss 3 0 1 2 0 0 Navarro c 3 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 30 4 8 4 4 9 Cleveland 000 002 000 — Tampa Bay 000 120 01x —

Avg. .192 .338 .343 .250 .259 .258 .291 .281 .359 .179 2 6 0 4 8 0

a-grounded into a fielder’s choice for Gross in the 6th. 1-ran for Dellucci in the 8th. LOB: Cleveland 9, Tampa Bay 6. 2B: Peralta (8), Zobrist (7). 3B: Crawford (3). HR: B.Upton (2), off Pavano. RBIs: Peralta (16), Dellucci (1), B.Upton (6), Zobrist (19), Bartlett 2 (16). SB: B.Francisco (7), Gross (2), Iwamura (8), Bartlett (10). SF: Dellucci. Runners left in scoring position: Cleveland 5 (A.Cabrera, Shoppach 3, Valbuena); Tampa Bay 5 (W.Aybar, Crawford, Iwamura 3). GIDP: W.Aybar, Bartlett. DP: Cleveland 2 (Valbuena, V.Martinez), (Valbuena, A.Cabrera, V.Martinez). Cleveland Pavano L, 3-4 Laffey Tampa Bay Garza W, 4-2 Shouse H, 5 Balfour H, 3 J.Nelson S, 2-2

IP 5 3 IP 6 1 1 1

H 6 2 H 5 1 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 2 6 92 6.33 1 1 2 3 52 3.41 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 4 3 120 3.50 0 0 0 2 19 3.29 0 0 0 2 17 5.94 0 0 0 1 14 5.94

Pavano pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. Inherited runners-scored: Laffey 1-0. HBP: by Balfour (Dellucci). PB: Shoppach. Umpires: Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Ted Barrett; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Greg Gibson. T: 3:27. A: 34,235 (36,973).

KANSAS CITY—Rich Hill took a giant step toward forgetting his disappointing 2008 season. Hill came off the disabled list to pitch into the sixth inning, picking up his first victory in more than a year as the Baltimore Orioles beat the slumping Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Saturday night. Hill, who had been out with a strained left elbow, limited the Royals to two runs on seven hits—six singles—in 5 2/3 innings. He earned his first victory since April 18, 2008, when he was still with the Chicago Cubs. After winning 11 games in 2007 for the Cubs in 2007, Hill had trouble throwing strikes last year. He walked 18 in 19 2/3 innings and the Cubs sent him back to the minors after five starts. The Cubs gave up on Hill and dealt him to the Orioles for a player to be named on Feb. 2. “It’s satisfying in a lot of ways,” Hill said. “The challenges from last year when you have to learn patience and understand the trials I went through and to get to the point I am this year. Without learning that patience, I might not be standing here right now. That was the biggest stepping stone. “You really appreciate the game a lot more, especially when you go through a tough year and some injuries that kept me on the sideline,” Hill said. “Every day you’re happy that you’re able to play and compete at this level. I won’t ever take it for granted.” Danys Baez, Jim Johnson and George Sherrill held the Royals hitless after Hill exited, with Sherrill

Orioles 3, Royals 2

CHARLIE RIEDEL / AP

Baltimore CF Felix Pie (18) and LF Nolan Reimold celebrate after their 3-2 win. working a flawless ninth to pick up his seventh save in nine opportunities. “That’s as good a game as we’ve seen out of a starting pitcher this year,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of Hill’s performance “He showed tremendous poise and had real good command for a guy who hasn’t pitched all year in the big leagues. He gave us everything we expected and more. I think it’s a tremendous accomplishment by him. It’s a real shot in the arm for everybody. The bumbling Royals, who have scored three runs or fewer in 17 of 37 games, have lost seven of their past eight. — The Associated Press

Baltimore B.Roberts 2b C.Izturis ss Markakis rf Huff 1b Mora 3b Wigginton dh Reimold lf Moeller c Pie cf Totals

AB 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 35

R 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3

H 0 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 8

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

BB 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

SO 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4

Kansas City Crisp cf Bloomquist 3b Butler 1b Jacobs dh J.Guillen rf Callaspo 2b Olivo c Lu.Hernandez ss Maier lf Totals

AB 4 4 4 4 2 4 4 2 2 30

R 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

H 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 7

BI 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2

BB 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3

SO Avg. 1 .250 0 .338 2 .273 3 .261 0 .280 0 .344 1 .222 0 .167 1 .267 8

Baltimore 100 110 000—3 Kansas City 000 200 000—2

Avg. .295 .252 .333 .282 .275 .214 .231 .216 .200

8 0 7 1

E: Callaspo (2). LOB: Baltimore 7, Kansas City 5. 2B: Huff (11), Mora (1), Reimold (1), Callaspo (15). RBIs: Reimold (1), Callaspo 2 (16). SB: B.Roberts 2 (8), Crisp (10), Bloomquist (6). S: Maier. Runners left in scoring position: Baltimore 3 (Wigginton, Moeller, B.Roberts); Kansas City 4 (Olivo 3, Bloomquist). DP: Baltimore 3 (B.Roberts, C.Izturis, Huff), (B.Roberts, C.Izturis, Huff), (B.Roberts, C.Izturis, Huff); Kansas City 1 (Lu.Hernandez, Callaspo, Butler). Baltimore R.Hill W, 1-0 Baez H, 3 Ji.Johnson H, 6 Sherrill S, 7-9 Kansas City Davies L, 2-2 Ho.Ramirez J.Wright

IP 5 2⁄3 1 1⁄3 1 1 IP 7 1⁄3 1 2⁄3

H 7 0 0 0 H 5 1 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 2 6 88 3.18 0 0 1 1 15 2.11 0 0 0 0 6 3.00 0 0 0 1 13 3.45 R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 2 2 4 119 4.82 0 0 0 0 10 6.59 0 0 0 0 21 1.66

Inherited runners-scored: Baez 2-0, J.Wright 1-0. IBB: off R.Hill (J.Guillen). WP: Davies 2. Umpires: Home, Jerry Meals; First, Mike DiMuro; Second, James Hoye; Third, Dale Scott. T: 2:38. A: 26,720 (38,177).

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NATIONAL LEAGUE N.Y. Mets 9, San Francisco 6

Florida 6, L.A. Dodgers 3

Johnson stuck on 298 SAN FRANCISCO—Randy Johnson plans to bury himself in the film room between starts to figure out what’s going wrong. The Big Unit knows his pursuit of 300 wins could take a while if he doesn’t get on track. Johnson dug himself an early hole against New York and ace Johan Santana, and the potent Mets beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 on Saturday with another late rally. “I’m not too happy with my last three starts. I’m not happy where I’m at,” Johnson said. “I need to do some work on the video machine and talk with (pitching coach Dave Righetti) a little bit. I’ll look at location, sequences.” Carlos Beltran hit a pair of doubles and drove in three runs, and David Wright had a two-run double and three RBIs for New York. Fill-in cleanup hitter Gary Sheffield added three hits as the Mets won their 11th in 13 games and improved to 12-3 in May. The Big Unit, looking to become the 24th pitcher to reach the 300-win milestone, is stuck on 298 victories. He heads to familiar territory to try again: Seattle on Friday night. That’s where his career took off in the early 1990s. Santana (5-2), the NL ERA leader at 0.78 coming in, was far from dominant in a pitching matchup of two southpaws with seven Cy Young awards between them. He allowed a seasonhigh six runs, his four earned runs double his previous 2009 total and raised his ERA to 1.36, and it was only the second time he had allowed 11 hits in his career. J.J. Putz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in place

Mets 9, Giants 6 New York AB Castillo 2b 4 Cora ss 5 Beltran cf 5 Sheffield lf 4 Reed lf 0 D.Wright 3b 5 Tatis 1b 4 R.Castro c 5 Church rf 5 J.Santana p 2 b-Pagan ph 1 Parnell p 0 c-Dan.Murphy ph 1 Putz p 0 Totals 41

R H BI 1 1 0 2 2 0 3 3 3 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 16 9

BB SO Avg. 1 0 .297 0 0 .327 0 0 .379 1 0 .270 0 0 .375 0 0 .350 0 1 .317 0 1 .279 0 0 .265 0 1 .077 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 .276 0 0 --2 3

San Francisco Burriss 2b F.Lewis lf Sandoval 3b B.Molina c Winn rf-cf Uribe ss Rowand cf Medders p Ishikawa 1b Ra.Johnson p J.Miller p Valdez p a-Aurilia ph Misch p Schierholtz rf Totals

R H BI 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 12 6

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .258 0 1 .294 0 0 .309 0 0 .298 0 2 .261 0 2 .283 0 1 .246 0 0 --0 2 .233 0 2 .071 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 .196 0 0 --0 0 .227 0 10

New York SF GEORGE NIKITIN / AP

By losing Saturday, Randy Johnson wasted a chance to win his 300th game in Seattle on Friday. of Francisco Rodriguez for his first save since last Sept. 28 with Seattle. Putz had been nursing inflammation in his right elbow. The Mets pounded Johnson (3-4) even without slugger Carlos Delgado in the middle of their order. He went on the disabled list before the game with a right hip injury and manager Jerry Manuel called for others to contribute. He got solid production throughout the order—even Santana added a fourth-inning single for his first hit of the season. Ramon Castro also drove in two runs. — The Associated Press

AB 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 1 38

300 040 002 — 9 16 2 001 202 100 — 6 12 0

a-doubled for Valdez in the 6th. b-grounded out for J.Santana in the 8th. c-grounded out for Parnell in the 9th. E: Castillo (4), D.Wright (6). LOB: New York 9, San Francisco 5. 2B: Cora (3), Beltran 2 (10), D.Wright (10), F.Lewis (9), Sandoval 2 (12), Aurilia (2). HR: Rowand (3), off J.Santana. RBIs: Beltran 3 (28), D.Wright 3 (27), Tatis (9), R.Castro 2 (12), Sandoval (17), Winn (18), Rowand 3 (16), Aurilia (10). SB: Castillo (6), Cora (3). CS: Winn (1), Uribe (1). S: J.Santana. SF: Tatis. Runners left in scoring position: New York 5 (R.Castro, Tatis, Cora 2, Dan.Murphy); San Francisco 3 (B.Molina 2, Burriss). DP: New York 1 (R.Castro, R.Castro, Cora). New York J.Santana W, 5-2 Parnell H, 7 Putz S, 1-2 San Francisco Ra.Johnson L, 3-4 J.Miller Valdez Misch Medders

IP 7 1 1 IP 4 1 1 2 1

H 11 1 0 H 11 2 0 1 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 6 4 0 7 101 1.36 0 0 0 2 16 2.08 0 0 0 1 13 3.86 R ER BB SO NP ERA 7 7 0 3 77 6.86 0 0 1 0 25 2.00 0 0 0 0 10 3.75 2 2 1 0 3012.00 0 0 0 0 18 3.63

Ra.Johnson pitched to 4 batters in the 5th. Misch pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored: J.Miller 1-1, Medders 2-2. Balk: Ra.Johnson. Umpires: Home, Hunter Wendelstedt; First, Brian Knight; Second, Dana DeMuth; Third, Doug Eddings. T: 3:11. A: 41,336 (41,915).

Marlins play through pompons MIAMI—There was a mess on the field, and for a change it wasn’t because of the way the Florida Marlins performed. Countless silvery pompon strands blew onto the diamond Saturday on pompom giveaway night, but the Marlins emerged from the litter with a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers to break a five-game losing streak. “I assume there won’t be pompoms in the future,” winning pitcher Andrew Miller said with a smile. Miller (1-1), activated from the disabled list before the game, won for the first time since June 16. John Baker broke a 2-all tie in the fifth inning with a two-run homer for the Marlins, who scored five of their runs with two out. The flurry of pompom strands was heaviest in the middle innings, and some players found it distracting. “Who wants to be playing baseball when there are streamers everywhere?” Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla said. “It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t fun. It was brutal. When was the last time you’ve seen that at a baseball game? I understand having a pompom giveaway, but you need to get the right kind of pompoms that don’t fall apart.” Most of the strands were launched from the left-field corner behind the Dodgers’ bullpen, where a 20-mph wind carried the litter onto the field. “It doesn’t matter to complain, because the Marlins had to deal with it too,” Dodgers left fielder Juan Pierre said. “It was funny at first, and then it just got more. After that I didn’t even think about it.” The grounds crew hustled between innings to pick up the pompom pieces

J PAT CARTER / AP

Casey Blake and the Dodgers dropped a game highlighted by airborne pompon strands. but couldn’t keep up with the volume. “It wasn’t dangerous,” Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “It wasn’t like they were throwing Frisbees, or Disco Demolition Night. But it’s distracting to the players, because you get all that shiny stuff going through people’s line of sight. It’s hard enough to hit 94-mph fastballs without glittery stuff blowing around you.” Left field shimmered with silver by the sixth inning, and the home team showed a little sparkle, too. Hanley Ramirez singled, walked, scored a run and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Uggla, who came in batting .182, walked twice, singled, scored a run and had an RBI. “We’ve been needing a win,” Uggla said. “We need to get on a roll here. We’ve had a lot of things not go our way the past two to three weeks, so it was nice to have the ball take some funny hops in our favor.” — The Associated Press

Marlins 6, Dodgers 3 Los Angeles AB R H BI Pierre lf 5 3 3 0 Furcal ss 5 0 0 1 Hudson 2b 2 0 1 2 Ethier rf 3 0 1 0 Martin c 2 0 1 0 Loney 1b 4 0 0 0 Kemp cf 3 0 1 0 Blake 3b 3 0 0 0 Milton p 1 0 0 0 Jef.Weaver p 0 0 0 0 a-Paul ph 1 0 0 0 Leach p 0 0 0 0 Belisario p 0 0 0 0 Ohman p 0 0 0 0 c-Loretta ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 30 3 7 3

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .406 0 0 .233 0 1 .346 1 1 .273 2 1 .281 0 2 .275 1 1 .295 1 2 .276 0 0 .000 0 0 .167 0 1 .500 0 0 --0 0 .000 0 0 .500 0 0 .333 5 9

Florida Bonifacio 3b-cf Coghlan lf Ha.Ramirez ss Cantu 1b Jo.Baker c Uggla 2b Hermida rf C.Ross cf Meyer p Nunez p b-Gload ph Helms 3b A.Miller p C.Martinez p Amezaga cf Lindstrom p Totals

BB SO Avg. 0 2 .265 0 0 .174 1 0 .354 0 0 .273 1 2 .277 2 0 .187 0 0 .258 0 0 .213 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 .229 0 0 .238 0 1 .000 0 0 --0 0 .217 0 0 --4 5

AB 5 5 3 3 3 2 4 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 33

R 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6

H BI 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 6

Los Angeles 101 000 100 — 3 7 1 Florida 011 020 02x — 6 8 0 a-struck out for Jef.Weaver in the 6th. b-reached on error for Nunez in the 8th. c-flied out for Ohman in the 9th. E: Furcal (6). LOB: Los Angeles 8, Florida 8. 2B: C.Ross (5). 3B: Pierre (1). HR: Jo.Baker (5), off Jef.Weaver. RBIs: Furcal (9), Hudson 2 (23), Bonifacio (8), Jo.Baker 2 (17), Uggla (21), C.Ross (19), Amezaga (5). SB: Pierre 2 (7), Ethier (2), Martin (5), Amezaga (1). CS: Kemp (2). S: Milton. SF: Hudson 2. Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 4 (Loney 2, Pierre, Paul); Florida 4 (A.Miller, Hermida 2, C.Ross). Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Milton 4 2 2 2 4 3 84 4.50 Jef.Weaver L, 2-1 1 4 2 2 0 0 26 3.38 Leach 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 8.10 Belisario 1 2⁄3 2 2 0 0 1 28 2.78 Ohman 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 1 5.56 Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA A.Miller W, 1-1 5 4 2 2 4 4 98 5.94 C.Martinez H, 1 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 20 3.86 Meyer H, 6 1 1⁄3 2 1 0 0 2 27 1.62 Nunez H, 6 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 2.00 Lindstrom S, 7-9 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 5.40 Inherited runners-scored: Ohman 1-0, Meyer 2-0. HBP: by Milton (Cantu). PB: Jo.Baker. Umpires: Home, Ed Rapuano; First, Paul Schrieber; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Joe West. T: 3:17. A: 25,132 (38,560).

SPORTING NEWS TODAY Pirates 7, Rockies 4 Colorado AB R Fowler cf 4 0 d-S.Smith ph 1 0 Tulowitzki ss 4 1 Helton 1b 3 1 Hawpe rf 3 1 Spilborghs lf 4 0 Stewart 3b 4 0 Iannetta c 3 0 Barmes 2b 4 1 Cook p 1 0 Belisle p 0 0 a-Atkins ph 0 0 Grilli p 0 0 Flores p 0 0 Corpas p 0 0 c-Murton ph 0 0 Totals 31 4

BB SO Avg. 0 3 .250 0 0 .313 1 1 .250 1 1 .347 0 0 .362 0 0 .270 0 1 .202 1 1 .233 0 0 .234 0 0 .200 0 0 --1 0 .193 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 --1 0 .278 5 7

Colorado 211 000 000 — 4 6 0 Pittsburgh 040 012 00x — 7 11 1 a-walked for Belisle in the 6th. b-struck out for Meek in the 6th. c-walked for Corpas in the 9th. d-grounded into a double play for Fowler in the 9th. E: Ja.Wilson (4). LOB: Colorado 7, Pittsburgh 6. 2B: Tulowitzki (6), Spilborghs (10), Ad.LaRoche (11), Moss (5). HR: Barmes (4), off Snell; McLouth (6), off Belisle. RBIs: Hawpe (31), Spilborghs 2 (16), Barmes (13), Delw.Young 2 (4), McLouth (24), An.LaRoche 2 (13), Ja.Wilson 2 (10). SB: Barmes (3), Delw.Young (1), McLouth (5). S: Belisle, Grabow. SF: Hawpe, Ja.Wilson. Runners left in scoring position: Colorado 4 (Stewart, Fowler 2, Spilborghs); Pittsburgh 5 (F.Sanchez 2, An.LaRoche 2, Delw.Young). DP: Pittsburgh 1 (Ja. Wilson, F.Sanchez, Ad.LaRoche). IP 1 2⁄3 3 1⁄3 1⁄3 1 1⁄3 1 1⁄3 IP 2 3 1 1 1 1

H 4 1 3 2 1 H 3 3 0 0 0 0

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE H BI 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4

Pittsburgh AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Delw.Young rf 5 0 2 2 0 1 .333 F.Sanchez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .314 McLouth cf 3 1 1 1 0 0 .281 Ad.LaRoche 1b 4 1 2 0 0 2 .242 Moss lf 4 2 2 0 0 0 .235 An.LaRoche 3b 4 2 2 2 0 1 .255 Jaramillo c 3 1 1 0 1 0 .280 Ja.Wilson ss 3 0 1 2 0 0 .242 Snell p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200 S.Burnett p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Meek p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --b-Hinske ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .246 J.Chavez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Capps p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 33 7 11 7 1 5

Colorado Cook Belisle L, 1-1 Grilli Flores Corpas Pittsburgh Snell S.Burnett W, 1-1 Meek H, 1 J.Chavez H, 2 Grabow H, 5 Capps S, 7-9

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R ER BB SO 4 4 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 R ER BB SO 3 3 1 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

NP ERA 33 5.71 39 7.63 18 2.84 21 0.00 18 4.50 NP ERA 46 4.93 46 2.95 15 3.86 12 2.45 13 5.29 10 7.50

Inherited runners-scored: Belisle 1-0, Flores 1-0, Corpas 1-0. HBP: by Belisle (McLouth). WP: Grilli. Umpires: Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Bill Welke; Second, Tim Welke; Third, Scott Barry. T: 2:44 (Rain delay: 1:37). A: 24,496 (38,362).

Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 4

Arizona 12, Atlanta 0

Rain delay brings Bucs needed relief

Pickoff propels Scherzer to first win

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Pirates got a reprieve from the rain. Ian Snell struggled before the delay, but the bullpen shut down the Colorado Rockies after the rain let up for a 7-4 victory Saturday night. Nate McLouth homered and five relievers allowed only one run on three hits after a delay of 1 hour, 47 minutes chased Snell after two innings. The Pirates have won three of five since snapping an eight-game losing streak. “These kind of nights are tough, and our bullpen did a great job,” McLouth said. “They won the game for us tonight.” Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young each had two hits and two RBIs, Jack Wilson added two RBIs and Brandon Moss had two hits and two runs for Pittsburgh. Sean Burnett (1-1) earned the win with three effective innings of relief, and beleaguered closer Matt Capps pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Clint Barmes hit his fourth home run and Ryan Spilborghs had a two-run double for the Rockies, who have lost three of four. Burnett was shaky at the beginning of his outing. He didn’t record an out until his third batter, Troy Tulowitzki, hit a sacrifice fly but settled in

after that. Evan Meek, Jesse Chavez, John Grabow and Capps each followed with a hitless inning— all but Chavez walking a batter. Capps had blown a 1-0 lead Friday night by allowing three runs in taking the loss. “Burnett gave us three, I thought, good innings, and Meek and Chavez did a great job, Grabow, too,” Pittsburgh manager John Russell said. “That’s what you need in a game like that. It’s going to be a battle of the bullpens, and fortunately ours was pretty solid.” Colorado’s was, too, with Matt Belisle, Jason Grilli, Randy Flores and Manuel Corpas combining to allow seven hits and no walks in 6 2-3 innings. But Belisle (1-1) took the loss because he allowed McLouth’s fifth-inning homer, and Grilli was charged with two runs on three hits while retiring only one batter in the sixth. “Their bullpen pitched better than ours,” Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. The Rockies took the early lead when Todd Helton and Brad Hawpe scored on Spilborghs’ first-inning double. Barmes made it 3-0 with one out in the second when he took an 0-1 pitch from Snell into the left-field seats. — The Associated Press

ATLANTA—Max Scherzer may remember the best throw in his first major league win as one he made to first base. Scherzer used momentum from a firstinning pickoff play to pitch six scoreless innings and Chris Snyder hit a grand slam in the ninth, capping the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 12-0 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night. Snyder matched his career high with five RBIs, including the grand slam off Buddy Carlyle in a six-run ninth. Rookie Gerardo Parra drove in three runs with three hits as Arizona ended a four-game losing streak. Scherzer (1-3) gave up four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. His first win came in his 14th start. “Finally,” said Scherzer, who was collecting souvenirs after the game—including a game ball and the lineup sheet. Scherzer said the turning point was a simple throw to first base in the first inning. The Braves had runners on first and third with one out after singles by Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones. Scherzer’s throw to first caught Jones breaking to second. Shortstop Stephen Drew tagged Jones to end a brief rundown, and Drew threw to third where Mark Reynolds put the tag on Escobar trying to dive back to the bag. Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said he called for the throw to first after seeing Jones breaking for second on a foul ball on the previous pitch to Garret Anderson. “We knew he was going to start the runner again,” Hinch said of Braves manager Bobby Cox. “It works every once in a while,” Scherzer said. “That was what we needed to create momentum and sure enough the next inning we scored two runs.” Scherzer lost his first seven decisions over two seasons. He entered the game with no

21

Diamondbacks 12, Braves 0 Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg. F.Lopez 2b 6 1 2 0 0 1 .317 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --G.Parra cf 6 1 3 3 0 0 .385 J.Upton rf 4 1 2 0 1 0 .310 S.Drew ss 4 1 0 0 1 0 .214 Reynolds 3b 3 3 1 1 2 2 .244 Byrnes lf 5 2 2 2 0 1 .210 Tracy 1b 3 1 0 0 2 0 .193 Snyder c 2 2 1 5 2 0 .214 Scherzer p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .250 b-Whitesell ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .115 Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --J.Gutierrez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --d-Montero ph 0 0 0 1 1 0 .240 Vasquez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --e-C.Young ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .177 Ojeda 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .310 Totals 37 12 11 12 9 6 Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. K.Johnson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .234 Escobar ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 .303 C.Jones 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 .314 G.Anderson lf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .238 Carlyle p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 McCann c 3 0 1 0 0 0 .275 f-D.Ross ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .264 Kotchman 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .296 Francoeur rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .252 Schafer cf 2 0 1 0 1 0 .220 Kawakami p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .231 a-Norton ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .130 Parr p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-Prado ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .295 Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --M.Diaz lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261 Totals 31 0 7 0 3 6 Arizona Atlanta

PAUL ABELL / AP

Braves CF Jordan Schafer gave chase to Chris Snyder’s ninth-inning grand slam, part of Arizona’s six-run frame. wins despite a strong 3.39 ERA in 22 career games. Snyder said Scherzer can build off the first win. “Scherzer got the win. He can check that off the list,” Snyder said. “Now it’s time for him to start rolling, and as a team, the same. It’s a big win. We scored a lot of runs. That’s what we need. We need some momentum. We need some confidence.” Braves relievers walked eight batters in four innings. Jeff Bennett and Carlyle forced in runs with bases-loaded walks in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. “That turned into a nightmare,” Cox said. — The Associated Press

021 000 216 — 12 11 0 000 000 000 — 0 7 1

a-struck out for Kawakami in the 5th. b-struck out for Scherzer in the 7th. c-flied out for Parr in the 7th. d-walked for J.Gutierrez in the 8th. e-popped out for Vasquez in the 9th. f-struck out for McCann in the 9th. E: Escobar (3). LOB: Arizona 8, Atlanta 7. 2B: F.Lopez (12), J.Upton (8), Reynolds (5), Byrnes (8), Escobar (10). 3B: G.Parra (2), J.Upton (2). HR: Snyder (2), off Carlyle. RBIs: G.Parra 3 (5), Reynolds (16), Byrnes 2 (14), Snyder 5 (13), Montero (6). CS: G.Parra (2), C.Jones (1). SF: Snyder. Runners left in scoring position: Arizona 4 (S.Drew, J.Upton, F.Lopez 2); Atlanta 3 (Schafer, G.Anderson, Prado). DP: Arizona 2 (Scherzer, Tracy, S.Drew, S.Drew, Reynolds), (Tracy, S.Drew, Scherzer); Atlanta 1 (McCann, McCann, C.Jones). Arizona Scherzer W, 1-3 Schoeneweis J.Gutierrez Vasquez Qualls Atlanta Kawakami L, 2-5 Parr Bennett Carlyle

IP 6 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 1 IP 5 2 1 1

H 4 2 0 1 0 H 5 1 0 5

R ER BB SO 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 R ER BB SO 3 3 1 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 4 0 6 6 2 0

NP ERA 92 3.35 10 2.53 2 3.66 14 5.40 11 2.57 NP ERA 73 5.73 42 4.50 30 2.60 43 8.27

Inherited runners-scored: J.Gutierrez 2-0. IBB: off Carlyle (S.Drew), off Bennett (Tracy). WP: Kawakami. Umpires: Home, Randy Marsh; First, Mike Winters; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third, Alfonso Marquez. T: 3:10. A: 30,162 (49,743).

SPORTING NEWS TODAY

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22

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia 8, Washington 5, first game Philadelphia 7, Washington 5, 5 innings, rain, second game

Ibanez hits 3 HRs against beleaguered Nats

EVAN VUCCI / AP

Jayson Werth, left, Matt Stairs, center, and Ryan Howard try to stay dry during a second-game delay.

WASHINGTON—Playing two after a 12-inning game the night before, the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals both needed some solid starting pitching. The Phillies got it in the first game. The Nationals didn’t come close either time and got swept. Brett Myers cranked out seven innings in the afternoon, and emergency callup Andrew Carpenter pitched into the fifth in his first major league start in a nightcap called in the sixth inning due to rain. Raul Ibanez hit three long home runs, and the Phillies again battered the National League’s worst pitching staff Saturday in 8-5 and 7-5 victories in a day-night doubleheader. Philadelphia also got a scoreless oneinning save in Game 1 from closer Brad Lidge, who had allowed at least one run in each of his six previous outings. Meanwhile, things got worse for the Nationals: Game 1 starter Scott Olsen is headed to the disabled list because of tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, another setback for the worst pitching staff in the National League. Myers (3-2) matched his longest outing of season while striking out a season-high eight batters and allowing a season-low three hits. It was just the tonic for a team that used seven pitchers in Friday’s 10-6 extra-inning win. “We needed somebody to step up and eat up some innings,” Ibanez said. “Not only did he do that, but he turned in a brilliant performance.” Carpenter, promoted overnight from Triple-A because scheduled starter J.A. Happ worked in relief Friday night,

allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings in Game 2. His effort was enough because a thunderstorm halted play after three Phillies had batted in the top of the sixth. Umpires gave up trying to complete the game 90 minutes later, giving Clay Condrey (4-0) the win for getting the final two outs of the fifth. Ibanez finished the day with five hits, four runs and seven RBIs. In the first game, he hit a solo home run to center in the first inning and a three-run shot off the facade above right-center in the third. In the second game, he hit a threerun homer just right of the center field mark in the fifth, his 13th homer of the season. He is 19 for 33 with six homers and 16 RBIs against the Nationals this season. “Don’t need to talk about him,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, trying not to jinx his slugger. “Leave him alone.” For Nationals manager Manny Acta, Saturday was more of the same. After using eight pitchers Friday night, he said—only half-jokingly—that he expected eight innings from Olsen. Instead, Olsen (1-4) was gone after five innings and 94 pitches, having allowed nine hits, six runs (five earned) to put his ERA at 7.24. He gave up three homers. In the second game, Nationals starter Daniel Cabrera (0-5) allowed seven runs and eight hits in five innings to raise his ERA to 5.95. “That second game, that’s what you call a good break,” said Manuel, citing the thin bullpen from the extra-inning win on Friday night. “We’ll take it. That’s part of the game. It definitely helped us.” — The Associated Press

Phillies 8, Nationals 5

Phillies 7, Nationals 5, 5 innings, rain

1st Game Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Rollins ss 4 1 2 1 1 0 .207 Victorino cf 5 1 2 1 0 0 .258 Ibanez lf 5 3 3 4 0 0 .361 Howard 1b 4 0 1 0 1 1 .257 Werth rf 5 1 3 2 0 1 .289 Feliz 3b 5 0 1 0 0 1 .302 Coste c 5 1 2 0 0 0 .236 Bruntlett 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .107 Myers p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .188 b-Stairs ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .350 Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 40 8 14 8 3 5

2nd Game Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Rollins ss 3 2 2 0 1 0 .216 Utley 2b 3 2 3 1 1 0 .289 Ibanez lf 3 1 2 3 1 0 .368 Howard 1b 3 2 2 2 0 0 .266 Stairs rf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .318 Victorino cf 2 0 0 0 1 1 .255 Dobbs 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .125 Ruiz c 2 0 0 1 1 1 .279 Carpenter p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Condrey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 24 7 9 7 6 3

Washington AB C.Guzman ss 4 N.Johnson 1b 3 Zimmerman 3b 4 Dunn rf 4 Willingham lf 4 J.Bard c 4 W.Harris cf 2 A.Hernandez 2b 4 Olsen p 1 a-Cintron ph 1 Mock p 0 c-Belliard ph 1 Colome p 0 d-Dukes ph 1 Totals 33 Phi Wash

R 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5

H BI 1 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 5

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .373 0 1 .326 0 0 .366 0 2 .293 0 2 .194 0 1 .150 2 1 .250 0 0 .264 0 1 .000 0 0 .091 0 0 --0 0 .178 0 0 --0 1 .270 2 9

113 010 020—8 14 0 100 100 030—5 8 1

a-singled for Olsen in the 5th. b-walked for Myers in the 8th. c-singled for Mock in the 8th. d-struck out for Colome in the 9th. E: N.Johnson (4). LOB: Philadelphia 8, Washington 4. 2B: Feliz (8), Coste (6), C.Guzman (7). HR: Ibanez 2 (12), off Olsen 2; Werth (7), off Olsen; Zimmerman (9), off Myers; Willingham (6), off Myers. RBIs: Rollins (12), Victorino (21), Ibanez 4 (32), Werth 2 (23), C.Guzman (10), N.Johnson (20), Zimmerman 2 (29), Willingham (9). SB: A.Hernandez (3). CS: Rollins (3). SF: N.Johnson. Runners left in scoring position: Philadelphia 5 (Bruntlett 3, Ibanez, Coste); Washington 2 (C.Guzman, Dukes). Runners moved up: Bruntlett. GIDP: Howard, C.Guzman. DP: Philadelphia 1 (Bruntlett, Rollins, Howard); Washington 1 (A.Hernandez, Zimmerman, N.Johnson). Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Myers W, 3-2 7 3 2 2 2 8 108 4.50 Madson 1 4 3 3 0 0 18 3.57 Lidge S, 6-8 1 1 0 0 0 1 23 8.64 Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Olsen L, 1-4 5 9 6 5 2 3 94 7.24 Mock 3 4 2 2 1 1 44 4.97 Colome 1 1 0 0 0 1 1018.00 Umpires: Home, Chuck Meriwether; First, Damien Beal; Second, Mike Reilly; Third, Laz Diaz. T: 2:36. A: 19,910 (41,888).

Washington AB C.Guzman ss 3 N.Johnson 1b 3 Zimmerman 3b 1 Dunn rf 3 Willingham lf 2 W.Harris cf 2 Belliard 2b 3 Nieves c 3 D.Cabrera p 1 a-Cintron ph 1 Villone p 0 Totals 22 Phi Wash

R 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5

H BI 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 5

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .372 0 1 .326 2 0 .364 0 1 .294 1 0 .217 0 1 .263 0 0 .208 0 1 .297 0 1 .000 0 1 .087 0 0 --3 6

003 040—7 9 100 13x—5 9

0 0

a-struck out for D.Cabrera in the 5th. LOB: Philadelphia 8, Washington 7. 2B: Utley 2 (4), Howard (10), C.Guzman (8), Willingham (4), Belliard (1). 3B: Rollins (1), Belliard (1). HR: Howard (8), off D.Cabrera; Ibanez (13), off D.Cabrera. RBIs: Utley (24), Ibanez 3 (35), Howard 2 (28), Ruiz (5), N.Johnson (21), W.Harris 2 (7), Belliard (4), Nieves (3). S: D.Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position: Philadelphia 3 (Stairs, Carpenter 2); Washington 5 (Belliard 2, W.Harris, N.Johnson, Cintron). Runners moved up: C.Guzman. GIDP: Zimmerman. DP: Philadelphia 1 (Rollins, Utley, Howard). Philadelphia Carpenter, 4 Condrey W, 4-0 Washington D.Cabrera L, 0-5 Villone

IP 1-3 2-3 IP 5 0

H 8 1 H 8 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 3 4 9910.38 0 0 0 2 10 2.61 R ER BB SO NP ERA 7 7 4 3 107 5.95 0 0 2 0 15 0.00

Villone pitched to 3 batters in the 6th. Inherited runners-scored: Condrey 1-1. HBP: by Carpenter (W.Harris). WP: D.Cabrera. Umpires: Home, Eric Cooper; First, Mike Reilly; Second, Laz Diaz; Third, Damien Beal. T: 2:16 (Rain delay: 1:30). A: 23,896 (41,888).

SPORTING NEWS TODAY

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0

Chicago Cubs 5, Houston 4

Suppan still has magic at Busch

Cubs stave off Astros’ comeback

JEFF ROBERSON / AP

Corey Hart, right, scored the game’s only run by ending a 27-game homerless drought.

ST. LOUIS—The Milwaukee Brewers managed only two hits against Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis bullpen. That was just enough offense for Jeff Suppan, pitching in his favorite stadium, and star closer Trevor Hoffman. Suppan worked seven innings, Corey Hart ended a 27-game homerless drought, and Hoffman’s ERA stayed perfect after a 1-2-3 ninth in the Brewers’ 1-0 victory on Saturday. “You can’t pitch much better than Soup did,” manager Ken Macha said. “Today he had to give up nothing for us to win, and that’s what he did.” Suppan, who parlayed a 2006 NLCS MVP for the Cardinals into a free-agent contract, outpitched Wainwright in the first of 18 matchups between teams that entered the day tied for the NL Central lead. Suppan (3-3) is 131-126 for

his career, but 9-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 20 starts in St. Louis and 7-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 12 starts against the Cardinals. “It’s a matter of whatever juice you have going against a team, you use it to aid your performance,” Suppan said. “We’re human beings, so of course we have emotions. But your preparation has to be the same, it’s doing it on the field.” The Brewers won for the 10th time in 12 games, and for only the sixth time in franchise history with two or fewer hits. Wainwright (3-2) struck out seven and walked two in his longest outing of the year. He’s lost his last two starts after winning nine straight decisions. “It was a lot better,” Wainwright said. “I definitely felt more in control of my body, my arm slot, everything.” — The Associated Press

Brewers 1, Cardinals 0 Milwaukee AB R H BI Weeks 2b 4 0 0 0 Hardy ss 3 0 0 0 Braun lf 4 0 1 0 Fielder 1b 3 0 0 0 M.Cameron cf 3 0 0 0 Hart rf 4 1 1 1 Hall 3b 2 0 0 0 Kendall c 3 0 0 0 Suppan p 2 0 0 0 b-Counsell ph 1 0 0 0 DiFelice p 0 0 0 0 Stetter p 0 0 0 0 Hoffman p 0 0 0 0 Totals 29 1 2 1

BB SO Avg. 0 2 .274 1 0 .218 0 0 .320 1 1 .266 1 1 .297 0 0 .263 1 2 .273 0 1 .216 0 0 .154 0 0 .322 0 0 --0 0 --0 0 --4 7

St. Louis AB Schumaker 2b-lf 4 Robinson rf 4 Pujols 1b 4 Duncan lf 3 c-Barden ph-3b 1 Y.Molina c 4 Rasmus cf 3 T.Greene ss 2 a-K.Greene ph-ss 2 Thurston 3b-2b 2 Wainwright p 3 McClellan p 0 D.Reyes p 0 C.Perez p 0 Totals 32

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .310 0 1 .300 0 0 .320 0 1 .267 0 0 .281 0 0 .301 1 0 .255 0 1 .250 0 0 .213 1 0 .245 0 0 .200 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 --2 3

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H BI 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0

Milwaukee 010 000 000 — 1 2 0 St. Louis 000 000 000 — 0 6 1 a-grounded out for T.Greene in the 7th. b-flied out for Suppan in the 8th. c-grounded out for Duncan in the 8th. E: Thurston (4). LOB: Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 7. HR: Hart (4), off Wainwright. RBIs: Hart (15). SB: Robinson (1). Runners left in scoring position: Milwaukee 2 (Weeks, Hart); St. Louis 4 (Duncan 2, Wainwright, Schumaker). DP: Milwaukee 1 (Hardy, Fielder); St. Louis 1 (T.Greene, Schumaker, Pujols). Milwaukee Suppan W, 3-3 DiFelice H, 5 Stetter H, 7 Hoffman S, 9-9 St. Louis Wainwright L, 3-2 McClellan D.Reyes C.Perez

IP 7 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 IP 8 1⁄3 1⁄3 1⁄3

H 6 0 0 0 H 2 0 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 0 0 2 2 89 4.63 0 0 0 1 8 0.98 0 0 0 0 2 3.00 0 0 0 0 8 0.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 7 106 3.83 0 0 1 0 10 2.76 0 0 0 0 2 3.86 0 0 1 0 10 2.45

Inherited runners-scored: D.Reyes 1-0, C.Perez 1-0. Umpires: Home, Jeff Kellogg; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Gerry Davis. T: 2:31. A: 43,382 (43,975).

CHICAGO—Cubs reliever Sean Marshall was happy to steal a win from the Astros. Swiping one from teammate Randy Wells was another matter. Marshall pitched out of a jam in the ninth inning, and Alfonso Soriano drove in Bobby Scales with the winning run after the Cubs had squandered a four-run lead to give Chicago a 5-4 victory over Houston on Saturday. “I guess I kind of stole that one because Randy Wells pitched extremely well today,” said Marshall, who ended the Astros’ four-run rally by getting Lance Berkman to ground out. Scales then drew a leadoff walk against LaTroy Hawkins in the ninth before Aaron Miles’ sacrifice moved him into scoring position. Soriano singled to right off Hawkins (1-1), and Hunter Pence’s throw to the plate was high, allowing Scales to score. The rally came after Cubs closer Kevin Gregg couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead and secure Wells his first career victory after pitching six scoreless innings. Berkman and Lee hit back-to-back homers, and Ivan Rodriguez tied the game with a single to left before Marshall (2-2) got out of the ninth inning. “It is gut wrenching. I felt like that ninth inning could have turned out a little differently than it did,” Berkman said. “We probably should have come out of there with the lead. Then I think if you go onto the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead, it’s a different situation than if you go out there tied.”

NAM Y HUH / AP

Alfonso Soriano, right, had the game-winning RBI single to beat the Astros in the 9th inning. Rookie Micah Hoffpauir hit a tworun homer in the sixth for the Cubs, who won the opener of the rainshortened, two-game series against Houston for their season-high fifth straight win. “It was a very good win for us because we were winning the whole game,” Soriano said. Wells was impressive again in place of Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano, who is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. Wells scattered four hits and three walks while striking out four in his second career start. His 15 1/3 scoreless innings is the longest streak to start a Cubs career since Jose Guzman threw 17 1/3 scoreless in 1993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. — The Associated Press

23

Cubs 5, Astros 4 Houston AB K.Matsui 2b 5 Bourn cf 4 Berkman 1b 4 Ca.Lee lf 4 Tejada ss 4 Pence rf 3 Blum 3b 3 I.Rodriguez c 3 Oswalt p 2 Arias p 0 b-Erstad ph 1 W.Wright p 0 Sampson p 0 d-Michaels ph 1 Hawkins p 0 Totals 34

R 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

H BI 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 4

BB SO Avg. 0 2 .237 1 2 .307 1 0 .218 0 0 .341 0 0 .313 1 1 .333 0 0 .270 1 1 .284 0 1 .125 0 0 --0 1 .167 0 0 --0 0 .000 0 0 .207 0 0 --4 8

Chicago AB A.Soriano lf 5 Theriot ss 3 Fukudome cf-rf 3 D.Lee 1b 3 Hoffpauir rf 3 c-Re.Johnsonph-cf 1 Soto c 4 Fontenot 3b 4 Marshall p 0 Scales 2b-3b 3 R.Wells p 2 A.Guzman p 0 a-Freel ph 1 Marmol p 0 Gregg p 0 Heilman p 0 Miles 2b 0 Totals 32

R 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

H BI 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .276 0 0 .298 1 0 .330 1 1 .198 0 0 .309 0 0 .236 0 0 .202 0 3 .210 0 0 .111 1 2 .381 0 2 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .143 0 0 --0 0 --0 0 --0 0 .220 3 8

Houston Chicago

000 000 004 — 4 9 1 000 003 011 — 5 8 0

One out when winning run scored. a-grounded out for A.Guzman in the 7th. b-struck out for Arias in the 8th. c-grounded into a fielder’s choice for Hoffpauir in the 8th. d-flied out for Sampson in the 9th. E: Tejada (6). LOB: Houston 8, Chicago 7. 2B: Theriot (6), Soto (3). HR: Berkman (8), off Gregg; Ca.Lee (8), off Gregg; Hoffpauir (4), off Oswalt. RBIs: Berkman (20), Ca.Lee (29), I.Rodriguez 2 (17), A.Soriano (24), D.Lee (16), Hoffpauir 2 (13), Soto (10). S: Theriot, Miles. Runners left in scoring position: Houston 5 (Oswalt 2, Tejada, Berkman 2); Chicago 3 (D.Lee, Fontenot 2). DP: Chicago 2 (Theriot, Scales, D.Lee), (Fontenot, Scales, D.Lee). Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Oswalt 6 6 3 3 0 7 108 4.50 Arias 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 3.38 W.Wright 1⁄3 0 1 1 2 0 15 7.71 Sampson 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 12 1.59 Hawkins L, 1-1 1⁄3 1 1 1 1 0 12 2.70 Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA R.Wells 6 4 0 0 3 4 97 0.00 A.Guzman H, 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 3.32 Marmol H, 11 1 0 0 0 0 3 16 4.00 Gregg 0 4 4 4 0 0 16 6.06 Heilman BS, 3-3 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 16 4.86 Marshall W, 2-2 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 3 4.02 Gregg pitched to 5 batters in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored: Sampson 2-1, Heilman 3-2, Marshall 3-0. HBP: by Gregg (Blum). Umpires: Home, Bill Hohn; First, Angel Campos; Second, Gary Darling; Third, Bruce Dreckman. T: 3:01. A: 40,549 (41,210).

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Q&A with ... free-agent DE Simeon Rice

Rice ‘like a superhero with no one to save’ Simeon Rice has 122 career sacks, 25 forced fumbles and five interceptions and is attempting a comeback after sitting out last season with a shoulder injury. Rice, 35, says he’s again healthy, able to run the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range and complete 360-degree dunks on the basketball court. Sporting News Radio’s Tim Montemayor caught up with Rice this week to talk about his comeback attempt, his dream to play for his hometown Bears and his relationship with former Bucs coach Jon Gruden.

high level of intensity, and that intensity hasn’t changed.

Q: A:

Are you close to signing with a team? Yeah, I talked to my agent two days ago and he said we’ve got some takers that have been calling, and that’s a good thing because like I told him: It’s like a surgeon that goes through medical school and prepares and starts putting the work in and doing his rotations and not having anywhere to place the skills. And my skill set is sharp, my ability is as good as it’s ever been. Talent wise, I haven’t lost anything and now all I have to do is just add my talent, my ability, my thirst for the game to a team that wants to do something special.

Q:

You grew up in Chicago, so is it safe to assume you’d like to catch on with the Bears? That’d be a nice situation. You’ve got Rod Marinelli (coaching the defensive line) up there, and it’s a good situation if it can get around that way. I’m 100 percent physically capable. ... I’m really in playoff shape right now; it’s bananas that I’m not on a team right now. It’s great in a way, but it’s frustrating. I feel like a freak of nature, like a superhero with no one to save.

A:

Q: A:

It seems like the NFL world has forgotten you. That bother you? You know it’s not really that way. ... I didn’t respect the injury and I didn’t really understand how to be injured and take time off. It was the first time. So when I went out there kind of hurt

Q: A: STEVE DYKES / AP

After taking last year off to rehab a shoulder injury, Simeon Rice said he’s more than ready to help a team this season. like I was and coming off the injury and trying to play on the level I was accustomed to ... sometimes you’re going to take a setback. But now that’s being said, I took time away and got myself healthy, now I’m me again and race-running and changing speeds and training every day and doing what I would normally do to prepare myself for a

season.

Q: A:

What’s keeping you going? I was on pace to set every sack record and do all of those things and I got derailed by being injured. And more than anything, every man in their life wants to do what their capable of

doing and wants to be what they’re capable of being. And me having the ability to perform on a spectacular level and doing the things that I’m accustomed to doing, it’s just the love of it. It’s not about the money; it’s not about the hardship situations. I’ve always played football because I love to play the game. I’ve always played it with a

True greatness, the measurables are the thirst for the game and the love of what you do. If you really love what you do, the money’s going to reflect it. It’s never been about being the highest-paid player. ... I played because I loved it; I didn’t play because they paid me. The money was just a byproduct.

Q: A:

Talk to me about your departures from Tampa Bay and then Denver. Mike (Shanahan) was telling me, ‘Simeon, let’s wait until you’re healthy.’ And I was like, ‘I gotta play’ because it was all about showing Jon and showing that organization that I left that I didn’t really want to leave. ... It was like, ‘I’m going to show you all.’

What does special mean?

I’m trying to break all records, man. I’m coming back with that sense of urgency not only to wake the dead but show people what I’m really about. I feel like even though I’ve played a long time in the league, the people haven’t seen the best I have. By being in this situation, I was humbled by my situation and also excited and enthusiastic about what’s to come. I have a rookie excitement, however, I’m a seasoned veteran willing to work harder than anyone out there.

Q:

A:

Are you willing to play for the league minimum?

Q: A: Q: A:

Is Gruden a scum bag? After all, you did call him a ‘scum bag.’ I’m not about to get back into that. Do you regret saying that? I mean how? I mean I can only talk about the situation I was given. I can only talk about situations I was a part of. ... I don’t hate Jon, I don’t dislike him, I’m not angry at him. I’m just talking about in a relative sense. ... It wasn’t just me. I was talking about situations and honestly not until I went home was I like, ‘Uh-oh.’

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INSIDE DISH

Former Pro Bowlers McAllister, Alexander seek backup jobs RB Deuce McAllister is done trying to be a superstar, done trying to carry a team on his back as he did with the Saints earlier this decade. McAllister, 30, doesn’t want to be the embittered player living in denial about the effects of age and injuries on his game. He does, however, still want to win a Super Bowl. “Keep living,” McAllister said. “Either injuries are going to take you out or age will catch you, and you have to kind of redefine your role if you want to continue to play. “I’m content. I’ve been the guy before, so I’m beyond that. The ultimate goal is to win a championship and to be able to help a team out.” Released by New Orleans after last season, McAllister has spent part of the offseason visiting with doctors at Duke University and the rest in Gulf Breeze, Fla., working out about five hours a day at a sports medicine institute run by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Just about every morning, he’s pulling sleds or doing other traditional resistance training. With a military base nearby, he sometimes works out alongside special forces soldiers, admiring their techniques and stamina. He hopes within a few weeks to be ready to start visiting teams interested in signing him.

according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Winfield, who turns 32 in June, is heading into the final year of his contract, due to earn $6 million. Why is Pro Bowl WR Anquan Boldin still a Cardinal? Unhappy with his contract, he has demanded a trade but hasn’t received much interest. In fact, a source told The Arizona Republic that it has received only two trade offers for Boldin. On draft weekend, Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo said he offered the team’s second-round pick (49th overall), and the Eagles offered a thirdround pick and CB Sheldon Brown, according to The Republic. After the Cardinals rejected the Eagles’ bid, Philadelphia drafted WR Jeremy Maclin in the first round and thus no longer is a suitor. The Bears—along with the Jets—still have a gaping hole at wide receiver. Earlier this week, Eagles coach Andy Reid said the reason the club didn’t make a more competitive offer for Boldin is his contract demands—just shy of $10 million per season.

JOHN FROSCHAUER / AP

Shaun Alexander said the team that gives him a chance will be surprised with what he can do. Another veteran back looking for work, former league MVP Shaun Alexander, said he’d be willing to play for “nothing.” He struggled to find a job last year, eventually landing with the Redskins and appearing in only four games (11 carries, 24 yards). He maintains he’s not done.

“I think that if a team gave me a shot, I think that they would be so pleased with what they got,” Alexander told KNBR-AM. “They would feel like they got a ticket to have somebody that could play really, really well for nothing. I think that

would shock a lot of people.” The Vikings’ pursuit of retired QB Brett Favre does have at least one ripple effect: The team has stopped negotiating with Pro Bowl CB Antoine Winfield on a contract extension,

Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine says second-year OLB Vernon Gholston is making significant progress. Gholston, the No. 6-overall pick in the ’08 draft, had no sacks and only 13 tackles (five solo) as a rookie. “The signs are there,” Pettine told The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. “He asks the right questions. If he makes a mistake, usually he knows it right away. I think progressionwise, he’s right where he needs to be. ... I’m confident he’ll be better

once we have the pads on.”

five fumbles in 10 NFL seasons.

Broncos OLB Jarvis Moss just might be the player most excited about all the changes going on in Denver. After two unproductive seasons—3 1/2 sacks in 18 games— as an end in the team’s 4-3 scheme, the ’07 first-round pick is being shifted to outside linebacker in the team’s new 3-4 defense. “I think this is something I could have been—and maybe should have been—doing since I got into the league,” Moss said via the team’s website. “But this is a whole new chapter for me. This 3-4 defense, you know a lot of teams were looking for me to be a 3-4 player when I was coming out, so I’m excited about it. It will give me a chance to show that I’m versatile, and kind of a new beginning. I get to start all over with the new staff and coach in here.”

Vikings WR Sidney Rice, who sprained the PCL in Week 2 last year, says his right knee is improving but is not 100 percent. “It’s getting better,” Rice told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I’m running routes full speed and feeling pretty good. The coaches were watching me run the other day and they can tell I’m making progress with it. I’m not too far off from it. But I should be ready coming into training camp. “I still feel a little pain when I do get up to full speed or when I’m getting close to it. My main thing is strengthening my quad and my hamstring.”

CB Rod Hood, who visited the Browns and Bengals last week, is scheduled to go to Detroit on Monday, according to the NFL Network. Hood, who turns 28 in October, started 14 games for the Cardinals last season, recording one interception, one forced fumble and 16 pass deflections. CB Duane Starks, 34, is officially retiring from the NFL, according to The Miami Herald. He didn’t play last season after being cut by the Raiders in training camp. He also played for the Ravens, Patriots and Cardinals, starting on Baltimore’s Super Bowl 35-winning team. He intercepted 25 passes and forced

Minicamp schedule A listing of upcoming NFL minicamps (all include rookies and veterans unless otherwise noted): Buffalo—June 9-11 Cincinnati—June 18-20 Cleveland—Tuesday-Thursday (voluntary); May 26-28 (voluntary); June 11-13 Dallas—June 16-18 Denver—June 12-14 Detroit—June 23-25 (voluntary) Green Bay—June 23-25 Houston—June 15-17 Indianapolis—June 5-7 Kansas City—June 5-7 Miami—June 12-14 Minnesota—May 29-31 New England—June 10-12 New Orleans—June 5-7 N.Y. Giants—June 16-18 N.Y. Jets—June 9-11 St. Louis—June 5-7 San Francisco—June 5-7 Seattle—June 10-12 Tampa Bay—June 16-18 Note: Teams are allowed to have rookie minicamps separate from the full-squad minicamp, and teams with first-year head coaches are allowed to add up to two voluntary minicamps.

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Music City QB: Collins taps creative songwriter side THOMPSON’S STATION, TENN.—Kerry Collins leans forward and pops a compact disc into the player. The Titans’ quarterback listens intently to the country demo from someone who is hoping Collins will connect to music stardom. That’s right, the face of Nashville’s NFL franchise is also becoming a player off the field in Music City—someone would-be singers and writers hope can get them an industry hookup. The hopefuls all seem to have heard: The quarterback turned songwriter is serious about music. “It’s something I didn’t foresee happening,” said Collins, who has found CDs stashed in his mailbox and had people pass them to him after games. “I came to Nashville, I never even thought about writing songs and never even thought that that would be something I’d ever have the opportunity to do. “I started meeting people and had the opportunity to write with MARK HUMPHREY / AP some great people, and it just kind Titans QB Kerry Collins never thought about writing songs when he came to Nashville, but now he’s knee-deep in it. of took off from there.” Though Collins majored in labor NFL-best 13-3 record last season Happily married with a young who happen to be songwriters, and industrial education at Penn and was rewarded with a two-year, daughter, Collins likes to hunt back finding co-writers isn’t difficult. A State, he has something crucial for $15 million contract. home in North Carolina and has charity event last year led him to any aspiring songwriter: Life “I get to finish my career out as a targeted turkey and deer around Ed Hill, whose list of hits includes experience. Titan,” said Collins, who turns 37 Tennessee. co-writing Tracy Lawrence’s Find He has seen the highs and lows on Dec. 30. “I have a chance to be He also has been jotting down Out Who Your Friends Are. Hill football stardom offers. A top high on a good football team at this stage thoughts and ideas in a notebook couldn’t believe Collins called him school recruit, an All-American in in my career, so it just couldn’t work for years and needed an outlet. Col- back, and they co-wrote a song last college and a new NFL franchise’s out any better.” lins got his first crack at songwrit- October days before a big win over first-ever draft pick, he also has Collins is enjoying the confidence ing in ’07 with a couple friends in Indianapolis. been released by that team, strug- that comes from being given the the music business. His contribuThe only reason Collins had time gled with alcoholism, gone from starting job. The move has strength- tion comes through words, not to write during the season? It was a Super Bowl starter to backup and ened his relationship with the notes. Monday night game, giving him an back again to a starting role. teammates who watched him “It’s something completely dif- extra day in his schedule that The Titans became his fifth team achieve an 80.2 passer rating—the ferent from football, and it taps into week. in ’06, but he found himself back- third best of his career. He was a creative side I think I always Hill was impressed when he saw ing up Vince Young until taking intercepted only seven times, knew I had but never had an outlet Collins’ notebook with its pages over the offense late in the ’08 sea- sacked just eight and moved into for,” he said. curled from use and full of ideas. son opener. He led Tennessee to an 14th all-time in yards passing. In a town filled with football fans — The Associated Press

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

Remaining free agents A quick look at the remaining NFL free agents by position (R-restricted free agent, F-franchise tagged player): OFFENSE Quarterbacks—Brooks Bollinger, Dallas; Ken Dorsey, Cleveland; Brett Favre, NY Jets; Gus Frerotte, Minnesota; Charlie Frye, Seattle; Drew Henson, Detroit; Quinn Gray, Kansas City; Trent Green, St. Louis; Rex Grossman, Chicago; Brad Johnson, Dallas; J.P. Losman, Buffalo; Jamie Martin, San Francisco; Craig Nall, Houston; Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland; Anthony Wright, NY Giants. Running backs—Darian Barnes, New Orleans; Tatum Bell, Denver; Brian Calhoun, Detroit; Jesse Chatman, NY Jets; P.J. Daniels, Baltimore; Reuben Droughns, NY Giants; Warrick Dunn, Tampa Bay; DeShaun Foster, San Francisco; Samkon Gado, St. Louis; Nick Goings, Carolina; Ahman Green, Houston; Andre Hall, Denver; Kay-Jay Harris, NY Giants; Maurice Hicks, Minnesota; Edgerrin James, Arizona; Rudi Johnson, Detroit; Deuce McAllister, New Orleans; Travis Minor, St. Louis; Chris Perry, Cincinnati; Andrew Pinnock, Denver; Michael Pittman, Denver; P.J. Pope, Denver; Cecil Sapp, Houston; Aaron Stecker, New Orleans; Selvin Young, Denver. Wide receivers—Drew Bennett, St. Louis; Marty Booker, Chicago; Drew Carter, Oakland; Jason Carter; Carolina; Keary Colbert, Detroit; Jayson Foster, Denver; D.J. Hackett, Carolina; Dante Hall, St. Louis; Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis; Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay; Darrell Jackson, Denver; Nate Jackson, Denver; Matt Jones, Jacksonville; Joe Jurevicius, Cleveland; Ashley Lelie, Oakland; Brandon Lloyd, Chicago; Dane Looker, St. Louis; Anthony Mix, Tampa Bay; Ben Obomanu (R), Seattle; Tab Perry, Miami; Jerry Porter, Jacksonville; Kevin Robinson, Kansas City; Koren Robinson, Seattle; Edell Shepherd, Denver; Travis Taylor, Detroit; Amani Toomer, NY Giants; Kelley Washington, New England; Todd Watkins (R), Oakland; Harry Williams, Houston; Reggie Williams, Jacksonville; Wallace Wright (R), NY Jets. Tight ends—Courtney Anderson, Houston; Adam Bergen, Denver; Mark Bruener, Houston; Scott Chandler, San Diego; Owen Daniels (R), Houston; Nate Lawrie, Cincinnati; Michael Merritt, Kansas City; Chad Mustard, Denver; Jeff Robinson, Seattle; Derek Schouman (R), Buffalo; Stephen Spach (R), Arizona; Daniel Wilcox, Baltimore; Kris Wilson, San Diego. Offensive tackles—Tyson Clabo (R), Atlanta; Anthony Davis, St. Louis; Jon Dunn, Detroit; Wayne Gandy, Atlanta; Kwame Harris, Oakland; Jonas Jennings, San Francisco; Levi Jones, Cincinnati; James Marten (R), Oakland; Fred Miller, Chicago; Rob Petitti, St. Louis; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia; Ephraim Salaam, Houston; Charles Spencer, Jacksonville; Barry Stokes, New England; Mark Tauscher, Green Bay; Mark Wilson (R), Oakland. Guards—Lennie Friedman, Cleveland; Adrian Jones, Kansas City; Pete Kendall, Washington; Matt Lentz, Detroit; Terrence Metcalf, Chicago; Edwin Mulitalo, Detroit; Chris Naeole, Jacksonville; Tutan Reyes, Jacksonville; Grey Ruegamer, NY Giants; Kendall Simmons, Pittsburgh; Rob Sims (R), Seattle; Jason Whittle, Buffalo. Centers—Brennen Carvalho, Green Bay; Jean-Philippe Darche, Kansas City; Melvin Fowler, Buffalo; Matt Lehr, New Orleans; Andy McCollum, Detroit; Jeremy Newberry, San Diego; Scott Peters, Arizona; Bryan Pittman, Houston; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.

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DEFENSE Defensive ends—Kevin Carter, Tampa Bay; Earl Cochran, Houston; Sean Conover, NY Jets; Nick Eason, Pittsburgh; Kalimba Edwards, Oakland; Ebenezer Ekuban, Denver; John Engelberger, Denver; Simon Fraser, Atlanta; Roderick Green, San Francisco; Travis LaBoy, Arizona; Jayme Mitchell, Minnesota; Jerome McDougle, NY Giants; Julius Peppers (F), Carolina; Anthony Weaver, Houston; James Wyche, Jacksonville. Defensive tackles—Kenderick Allen, Minnesota; Gary Gibson, Carolina; La’Roi Glover, St. Louis; Vonnie Holliday, Miami; Antwan Lake, New Orleans; Langston Moore, Detroit; Kindal Moorehead, Atlanta; Dewayne Robertson, Denver; Orpheus Roye, Pittsburgh; Hollis Thomas, New Orleans; Josh Thomas, Indianapolis; John Thornton, Cincinnati; Darwin Walker, Carolina; Ellis Wyms, Minnesota; Brian Young, New Orleans; Jeff Zgonina, Houston. Linebackers—Rufus Alexander, Indianapolis; Jason Babin, Kansas City; Rocky Boiman, Kansas City; Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay; Khary Campbell, Washington; Anthony Cannon, Detroit; Dan Cody, Baltimore; Rosevelt Colvin, New England; Donte’ Curry, Carolina; Donnie Edwards, Kansas City; Keith Ellison (R), Buffalo; Troy Evans, New Orleans; Gilbert Gardner, Chicago; Curtis Gatewood, Kansas City; Morlon Greenwood, Houston; Marques Harris, San Diego; Napoleon Harris, Minnesota; Abdul Hodge (R), Cincinnati; Mike Humpal, Pittsburgh; Brad Kassell, NY Jets; Jason Kyle, Carolina; Teddy Lehman, Buffalo; Paris Lenon, Detroit; Wesly Mallard, Seattle; Jim Maxwell, Cincinnati; Willie McGinest, Cleveland; Marques Murrell (R), NY Jets; Ryan Nece, Detroit; Shantee Orr, Cleveland; Antwan Peek, Cleveland; Carlos Polk, Dallas; Junior Seau, New England; Matt Sinclair, Washington; Gary Stills, St. Louis; Terrell Suggs (F), Baltimore; Dontarrious Thomas, Minnesota; Pisa Tinoisamoa, St. Louis; Marcus Washington, Washington; Nate Webster, Denver. Cornerbacks—David Barrett, NY Jets; Dre’Bly, Denver; Fakhir Brown, St. Louis; Terry Cousin, Cleveland; Jason Craft, St. Louis; Travis Fisher, Detroit; Reynaldo Hill, Tennessee; Roderick Hood, Arizona; William James, Jacksonville; Michael Lehan, New Orleans; Sam Madison, NY Giants; Ricky Manning Jr., St. Louis; Derrick Martin (R), Baltimore; Chris McAlister, Baltimore; Mike McKenzie, New Orleans; R.W. McQuarters, NY Giants; Deltha O’Neal, New England; Dunta Robinson (F), Houston; Lewis Sanders, New England; Duane Starks, Jacksonville; Brandon Sumrall, NY Giants; DeJuan Tribble, San Diego; Jason Webster, New England; Jimmy Williams, Houston; Stanley Wilson, Detroit. Safeties—Oshiomogho Atogwe (F), St. Louis; Michael Boulware, Minnesota; Mike Brown, Chicago; John Busing, Cincinnati; Oliver Celestin, Kansas City; Corey Chavous, St. Louis; Keith Davis, Dallas; Will Demps, Houston; Mike Doss, Cincinnati; Hiram Eugene, Oakland; Mike Green, Washington; Rodney Harrison, New England; Terrence Holt, New Orleans; Dexter Jackson, Cincinnati; Sammy Knight, NY Giants; Marquand Manuel, Denver; Marlon McCree, Denver; Lawyer Milloy, Atlanta; Chad Nkang, Jacksonville; Jarrad Page (R), Kansas City; Pierson Prioleau, Jacksonville; Chris Reis (R), New Orleans; Dwight Smith, Detroit; Cameron Worrell, Chicago. SPECIAL TEAMS Kickers—John Carney, NY Giants; Matt Stover, Baltimore. Punters—Mitch Berger, Pittsburgh; Mike Dragosavich, Indianapolis; Sam Koch (R), Baltimore; Kyle Larson, Cincinnati; Ryan Plackemeier, Cincinnati.

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College Football / College Basketball

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

INSIDE DISH

INSIDE DISH

27

Meyer denies interest in Notre Dame

Tisdale’s friend: He ‘wasn’t doing very well’

Forget the games—the action between SEC coaches has been good enough this offseason. The latest round: Urban Meyer vs. Steve Spurrier. Spurrier started this one during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network, saying, “They’ve still got that rumor going down there, Paul, that if he has about one more big year he might be the Notre Dame coach. …. It’d be surprising if he left, but who knows? “He’s accomplished so much. I mean, I left after 12 years because I just said, ‘Hey, I’ve done enough. Try something else.’ He may get to the point where he needs to try something else. Who knows?” And that prompted a response from Meyer, who told The Gainesville Sun, “I didn’t know what (Spurrier) was getting at. Here’s a quote for you—I am not going to Notre Dame. There’s gotta be something else going on in sports. Isn’t there car racing going on?” Meyer has now denied he’s interested in Notre Dame twice since once calling it his “dream job.”

Melvin Gilliam, a longtime friend of Wayman Tisdale from their hometown of Tulsa, Okla., told the Tulsa World that Tisdale “wasn’t doing very well” when he saw him at a banquet last month. Tisdale, the former Oklahoma star that went onto successful careers both as an NBA player and jazz musician, died Friday after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 44. “I told him we were all praying for him, and he said, ‘Man, I’m doing all right’ with that big old smile of his,” Gilliam told the newspaper. “His hands were shaking and you knew he wasn’t doing all right, but that was Wayman. Nothing ever got him down.”

Florida State’s appeal of the NCAA ruling following an academic cheating scandal will cost Seminole Boosters more than $220,000, Tallahassee television station WCTV reported. The school could be forced to forfeit wins across 10 sports from 2006 to 2007. But the real concern is 14 victories that could be stripped from coach Bobby Bowden’s resume. That ultimately would eliminate him from the race with Penn State

Osborne said that policy was effective during his coaching days in the old Big Eight Conference. He doesn’t sound optimistic that the Big 12 will agree. “It probably will go over like a lead balloon,” Osborne told the World-Herald. “They don’t want to hear stuff like that. But if you think about it, the coach can’t comment on officiating. ... Officials are human, too. If you have a very poor job done on several occasions by the same official, and it’s getting to the point where you don’t have any confidence that the guy is going to do a good job, you ought to have the opportunity to ‘rest’ a guy.”

PHIL SANDLIN / AP

The most recent incident of gamesmanship between coaches in the SEC saw a rehash of the Urban Meyer-to-Notre Dame rumors. coach Joe Paterno for a record number of career victories. Seminole Boosters is privately funded. It supports the athletic department and scholarships— and now Florida State’s NCAA appeals. Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne wants coaches to be able to request an official take a “rest” because of repeated mistakes, the Omaha World-Herald reported. “If you feel somebody has really not measured up,” Osborne told the newspaper, “you could request that he not work any of your games the next year.”

At the upcoming Big Ten meetings, Penn State coach Joe Paterno plans to push commissioner Jim Delany and league athletic directors to again explore a college football playoff. “It makes sense that we have a playoff,” Paterno told the Philadelphia Daily News. “I don’t know what the problems are, but I don’t like to hear the phony reasons why they don’t have it. ‘The kids are going to spend too much time away from class.’ Aw, come on. Look what they do with the basketball (NCAA Tournament). All the other divisions in NCAA football have playoffs. I really think a playoff is fairer.” Former Alabama starting LB Prince Hall is transferring to Central Washington for his senior season. He made 152 tackles in three seasons.

University of Illinois trustees will consider giving coach Bruce Weber a 50-percent raise and contract extension when they meet next week. Chancellor Richard Herman is recommending Weber’s pay package be increased from $1 million to $1.25 million effective immediately and then to $1.5 million in January. If trustees agree when they meet Thursday in Chicago, Weber’s contract also would be extended from 2012 through April 2015. The Illini were 24-10 this season and finished second in the Big Ten before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Weber has coached at Illinois for six seasons. His teams have been to the tournament five times.

ROBERT K. O’DANIELL / AP

A contract extension and 50-percent raise could be in the future for Illinois’ Bruce Weber. During its latest national title run, North Carolina practically owned the court. Now the Tar Heels are letting their fans own a piece of it, too. A portion of the court used in the Final Four has been donated to the school. They’re selling roughly 200 souvenir pieces of hardwood autographed by coach Roy Wil-

liams and several players.

John Hegarty, a 7-foot center, is leaving the Portland Pilots. Hegarty was granted his request to transfer by coach Eric Reveno, the team announced. Hegarty averaged 2.9 points and one rebound per game last season, playing off the bench as a true freshman.

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Lacrosse

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

28

NCAA MEN’S QUARTERFINALS

New York teams punch tickets The offensive explosions might be saved for the second day of the NCAA men’s lacrosse Division I quarterfinals, but a pair of New York teams punched their tickets for the final four yesterday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Syracuse advances to play the winner of today’s contest between No. 3 Duke and No. 6 North Carolina, while Cornell prepares for the victor of No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins.

No. 2 Syracuse 11, Maryland 6 Stand-in goalie Al Cavalieri was the story for the Orange as the junior replaced sophomore John Galloway, who had started every game in his nearly two seasons on campus, and made 14 saves while powering Syracuse to the final four yet again. A defensive battle had the Orange leading 5-3 at the half, but the Orange used a five-goal run over five minutes at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter to blow the game open. Senior attackman Kenny Nims played through tonsillitis to lead all scorers with two goal and two assists, while midfielder Pat Perritt added a goal and two assists. Sophomore attackman Grant Catalino led Maryland with three points.

No. 5 Cornell 6, No. 4 Princeton 4 In what some called the real Ivy League championship game after Cornell won the regular season meeting but lost the conference crown on a tie-breaker, freshman attackman Rob Pannell had three assists to pace the Big Red’s ball control offense. Midfielder Rocco Romero had two goals, and senior Jon Glynn was brilliant at the face-off, taking 9-14 draws. — Terry Foy, InsideLacrosse

Rivals Virginia, Hopkins play for Final Four spot been hampered by a foot injury but appears ready to play after a night off against Navy. Second midfielder Mike Catalino is dodging with confidence, and attackman Zach Howell’s improvement has made Ned Crotty and Max Quinzani more dangerous. Crotty’s vision makes the entire team better. He puts the ball on target and rides with enthusiasm. Brad Ross and Steve Schoeffel are peaking on offense and may be Duke’s best defensive midfielders. Shane Walterhoefer has won 63 percent of his faceoffs this spring; Duke will counter with Sam Payton, C.J. Costabile and Mike Catalino. Too often in the series, Walterhoefer has won the draw and lost the war. He must run through pressure from Duke longpoles. Carolina’s Billy Bitter scored eight goals against UMBC; he’s within one of tying the school record of 47 in a season and he has 26 goals in his last six games. Expect Mike Manley to mark Bitter. Ben Hunt has shooting range from the moon; he can hit a 15-yard shot and make it look effortless. He has 17 goals but his health is a huge concern for Tar Heel fans.

BY QUINT KESSENICH InsideLacrosse.com

No. 1 Virginia (14-2) vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins (10-4) Noon, ESPNU Johns Hopkins has won seven straight games, including OT victories against Towson, Loyola and Brown. The Blue Jay defense is surrendering double-digit goals on a weekly basis: defensive groundballs, adventurous clears, giveaways and garbage goals have been recurring themes in the last month. Can they defend Virginia’s attack (nine goals, seven assists in a 16-15 regular-season UVa. win)? Expect Virginia’s defense to slide less this week, especially against Hopkins’s complementary players. They have to show patience and discipline. Hopkins is led by midfielders Mike Kimmel and Brian Christopher. Hopkins is second in the nation in shooting percentage (33.5 percent). When they draw double teams, Kyle Wharton gets looks from the wing and Chris Boland gets free on the pipes. Virginia will be tempted to put a shortstick on Boland, Wharton or Josh Peck and longpoles on Kimmel and Christopher. Goalie Mike Gvozden’s save percentage is only .51, he’s played well in the playoffs. His counterpart Adam Ghitelman will make saves if Virginia’s defense guards inside the football hash marks. The Wahoos have spent more time in practice scrimmaging starters versus starters. Offensively they became impatient in April and will be more deliberate this week. Cavalier middies Shamel Bratton and Steve Giannone must draw slides

JOHN MECIONIS / INSIDELACROSSE

Kenny Nims (10) had two goals and two assists in Syracuse’s 11-6 win over Maryland at Hofstra. if Garrett Billings, Brian Carroll and Steele Stanwick are going to be factors offball.

No. 3 Duke (14-3) vs. No. 6 North Carolina (12-5) 2:30 p.m., ESPNU The Blue Devils have won 12 of their

last 13 games, and 10 straight against North Carolina. Duke is the nation’s most improved team over the course of the spring. In the last eight games, they’re shooting 38 percent, Rob Schroeder’s save percentage is 60 percent and their man-down is killing off penalties at an 80-percent rate. Blue Devil midfielder Justin Turri has

Games to watch Today at Navy No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 8 Johns Hopkins, noon, ESPNU No. 3 Duke vs. No. 6 North Carolina, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU

MORE COVERAGE For live coverage all weekend, go to: InsideLacrosse.com

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Horse Racing

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

134TH PREAKNESS

Rachel Alexandra first filly winner since ’24 BALTIMORE—Girls rule! The best 3-year-old in the land just happens to be a filly named Rachel Alexandra. Jockey Calvin Borel all but guaranteed victory in the Preakness Stakes and, boy, did she deliver, becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. A rangy bay—as big as most of the horses she beat—Rachel Alexandra shot to the front Saturday and wasn’t seriously challenged until a late close by Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. She led by a head at the quarter and half-mile poles. She stretched it to a half-length at the threequarters pole. She was ahead by four lengths going down the stretch. In the end, the 9-5 favorite won by a length in her first race against the boys. The win also validated Borel’s decision to climb off Mine That Bird and stay on the filly as her regular rider. Now Borel may get a shot at a personal Triple Crown, if Rachel Alexandra goes on to the Belmont Stakes in three weeks. The 1½-mile race is the most grueling of the three. “I’m not worried about nothing,” he said. “It’s going to take a racehorse to beat her.” Rachel Alexandra had already beaten up on her own gender, winning her five previous races by a combined 43½ lengths. Musket Man finished third, as he did in the Derby, followed by Flying Private and Big Drama.

Preakness finish 1. Rachel Alexandra 2. Mine That Bird 3. Musket Man 4. Flying Private 5. Big Drama 6. Papa Clem 7. Terrain 8. Luv Gov 9. General Quarters 10. Friesan Fire 11. Pioneerof the Nile 12. Tone It Down 13. Take the Points

Rachel Alexandra covered 1 3-16 miles in 1:55.08 and became the first horse to win at Pimlico from the No. 13 post on the far outside. She paid $5.60, $4.60 and $3.60. Mine That Bird returned $6.60 and $4.80, while Musket Man paid $5 to show. “I’m thrilled to death with the race my little horse ran,” said Chip Woolley Jr., who trains Mine That Bird. “You have to give that filly credit. She’s a great one.” Rachel Alexandra earned $660,000 from the purse of $1.1 million. Papa Clem was sixth, followed by Terrain, Luv Gov, General Quarters, Friesan Fire, Pioneerof the Nile, Tone It Down and Take the Points. The last filly to win the Preakness was Nellie Morse in 1924. Rachel Alexandra became the second filly to go off as the wagering favorite and win. Whimsical at 8-5 odds was the first, in 1906.

JULIE JACOBSON / AP

Jockey Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird to a win in the Kentucky Derby, was astride Preakness-winner Rachel Alexandra on Saturday. Rachel Alexandra stumbled slightly leaving the gate, then stuck her head in front at the first turn and refused to give way. Her first challenge was to get rid of Big Drama, a persistent presence from inside down the backside and into the final turn. Once she shook him loose and opened up the four-length lead at the top of the stretch, Mine That Bird made a run at her. Borel sensed she was tiring, and took firm hold of the reins.

“I had to put the bit in her mouth because she was kind of struggling,” he said. “It kind of took a lot out of her.” Still, she had enough left at the end and crossed the finish line to the cheers of 77,850 fans—the smallest crowd since 1983—at Pimlico. “Awesome,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Pioneerof the Nile. “Rachel Alexandra is amazing. She took the heat and kept on going.”

The most impressive of Rachel Alexandra’s performances was her stunning victory by 20¼ lengths in the Kentucky Oaks, the day before the Kentucky Derby. “Rachel Alexandra was great,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “She took it right to them, led every step of the way. She deserves a lot of credit.” Fans hoping for a rematch in the Belmont will have to wait a few days for a decision, although Mine That Bird will definitely run. — The Associated Press

Preakness winners 2009 — Rachel Alexandra 2008 — Big Brown 2007 — Curlin 2006 — Bernardini 2005 — Afleet Alex 2004 — Smarty Jones 2003 — Funny Cide 2002 — War Emblem 2001 — Point Given 2000 — Red Bullet 1999 — Charismatic 1998 — Real Quiet 1997 — Silver Charm 1996 — Louis Quatorze 1995 — Timber Country 1994 — Tabasco Cat 1993 — Prairie Bayou 1992 — Pine Bluff 1991 — Hansel 1990 — Summer Squall 1989 — Sunday Silence 1988 — Risen Star 1987 — Alysheba 1986 — Snow Chief 1985 — Tank’s Prospect 1984 — Gate Dancer 1983 — Deputed Testamony 1982 — Aloma’s Ruler 1981 — Pleasant Colony 1980 — Codex 1979 — Spectacular Bid 1978 — Affirmed 1977 — Seattle Slew 1976 — Elocutionist 1975 — Master Derby 1974 — Little Current 1973 — Secretariat 1972 — Bee Bee Bee 1971 — Canonero II 1970 — Personality 1969 — Majestic Prince 1968 — Forward Pass 1967 — Damascus 1966 — Kauai King 1965 — Tom Rolfe 1964 — Northern Dancer 1963 — Candy Spots 1962 — Greek Money 1961 — Carry Back 1960 — Bally Ache 1959 — Royal Orbit 1958 — Tim Tam 1957 — Bold Ruler 1956 — Fabius 1955 — Nashua 1954 — Hasty Road 1953 — Native Dancer 1952 — Blue Man 1951 — Bold 1950 — Hill Prince 1949 — Capot 1948 — Citation 1947 — Faultless 1946 — Assault 1945 — Polynesian 1944 — Pensive 1943 — Count Fleet 1942 — Alsab

1941 — Whirlaway 1940 — Bimelech 1939 — Challedon 1938 — Dauber 1937 — War Admiral 1936 — Bold Venture 1935 — Omaha 1934 — High Quest 1933 — Head Play 1932 — Burgoo King 1931 — Mate 1930 — Gallant Fox 1929 — Dr. Freeland 1928 — Victorian 1927 — Bostonian 1926 — Display 1925 — Coventry 1924 — Nellie Morse 1923 — Vigil 1922 — Pillory 1921 — Broomspun 1920 — Man o’War 1919 — Sir Barton 1918 — War Cloud and Jack Hare, Jr. 1917 — Kalitan 1916 — Damrosch 1915 — Rhine Maiden 1914 — Holiday 1913 — Buskin 1912 — Colonel Holloway 1911 — Watervale 1910 — Lay Master 1909 — Effendi 1908 — Royal Tourist 1907 — Don Enrique 1906 — Whimsical 1905 — Cairngorm 1904 — Bryn Mawr 1903 — Flocarline 1902 — Old England 1901 — The Parader 1900 — Hindus 1899 — Half Time 1898 — Sly Fox 1897 — Paul Kauver 1896 — Margrave 1895 — Belmar 1894 — Assignee 1891-93—no races 1890 — Montague 1889 — Buddhist 1888 — Refund 1887 — Dubine 1886 — The Bard 1885 — Tecumseh 1884 — Knight of Ellerslie 1883 — Jacobus 1882 — Vanguard 1881 — Saunterer 1880 — Grenada 1879 — Harold 1878 — Duke of Magenta 1877 — Cloverbrook 1876 — Shirley 1875 — Tom Ochiltree 1874 — Culpepper 1873 — Survivor

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Horse Racing

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

134TH PREAKNESS

NOTEBOOK

Derby winner Mine That Bird falls short BALTIMORE—A few minutes after jockey Mike Smith dismounted Mine That Bird, trainer Chip Woolley balanced himself on his crutches and gave the Hall of Fame rider a big hug. “Thanks a lot, you did a good job,” Woolley said. “He just couldn’t get there.” Long shot Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird fell a length short of catching sensational filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, ending the chance of a Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes on June 6. Mine That Bird was virtually ignored all week with the hubbub surrounding Rachel Alexandra, who became the first filly to win the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924. Not only that, the Derby winner was jilted by jockey Calvin Borel, who chose to ride the filly over the Derby winner, claiming he would be riding the best horse in the field. Woolley accepted the decision and went with Smith, giving Mine That Bird the same rider who scored a Derby victory with 50-1 shot Giacomo in 2005. Sent off as the 6-1 third choice in the field of 13, Mine That Bird did not get the last-to-first, rail-hugging ride Borel gave him in the Derby. But Smith had the 3-yearold gelding poised to make a move on the turn before being forced wide by the rest of the pack. Still, the surprising Derby winner looked like he just might catch the filly in the 1 3-16-mile Preakness.

Owner: Filly could win Belmont Moments after Rachel Alexandra crossed the finish line to win the Preakness Stakes, the obvious question arose: Will this very special filly compete in the Belmont? “Would we love to run? Yes. Could she win? We think so,” said co-owner Jess Jackson, whose Stonestreet Stables bought the horse May 7. “We’ve already shown she can run with colts. It’s a question now of her best interests.” Oh, Rachel Alexandra certainly proved Saturday she could run with the colts. She broke from the No. 13 gate, quickly moved in front and never let the lead get away in defeating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a length.

Third again

MEL EVANS / AP

Mine That Bird, center, made a tremendous late run, but could not catch Rachel Alexandra, right. “Probably inside the eighth pole I thought we got a shot at her from there, but she just doesn’t falter enough,” Woolley said. “I’m real proud of him.” Co-owner Mark Allen was all smiles when he greeted Smith, an indication these cowboys from New Mexico were having a thrill a minute on their unlikely ride through the first two legs of the

Triple Crown. Second place felt like a win, Allen said, because it proved the Derby “was no fluke.” “He was coming but that filly, she run a big race. She’s about a length better than Mine That Bird,” he said. For now, a rematch is looking good in the Belmont, with Woolley planning to send Mine That Bird in the 1½-mile “Test of the

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Champion” in three weeks and Rachel Alexandra’s co-owner Jess Jackson saying the Belmont is in the plans. “He’s the best little horse I’ve ever been on, to be honest with you,” Smith said. “He proved today that he was no fluke. I wish we were going a little further, though.” — The Associated Press

Musket Man put on a good show Saturday. Unfortunately, he also paid to show for a second straight race. The third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby did it again in the Preakness, following Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird across the wire. The 11-1 shot beat 10 horses, but the two that finished ahead of him were just too strong. “My horse ran well, but we beat by a great one. She’s a filly for the ages,” trainer Derek Ryan said.

Cool-hand Luke With two entries in the Preakness on Saturday, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has saddled 34 horses in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The toteboard: Five winners, one second-place finisher and five who finished third. Lukas’ first entrant, Codex in 1980, won by 4¾ lengths.

Favored filly finishes Odds

Finish

Race

2009 Rachel Alexandra 1.80-1 1st Preakness 1995 Serena’s Song 3.40-1 16th Kentucky Derby 1988 Winning Colors 1.90-1 3rd Preakness 1984 Life’s Magic 2.80-1 8th Kentucky Derby 1984 Althea 2.80-1 19th Kentucky Derby 1980 Genuine Risk 2.00-1 2nd Preakness 1935 Nellie Flag 3.80-1 4th Kentucky Derby 1922 Miss Joy (x) 1:55-1 10th Preakness 1921 Prudery 1.10-1 3rd Kentucky Derby 1919 Milkmaid (y) 1.40-1 8th Preakness 1915 Regret 2.65-1 1st Kentucky Derby 1906 Whimsical 8-5 1st Preakness 1905 Tanya 11-5 1st Belmont x-Part of an entry with St. Henry (11th) y-Part of an entry with Sir Barton (1st)

But Lukas finished 14th with Going Wild in 2005, didn’t have an entry in 2006, was ninth in 2007 with Flying First Class and was shut out last year. He couldn’t complain about Flying Private finishing fourth Saturday. “Flying Private really ran well. We went from 19th in the Derby to fourth in the Preakness,” Lukas said. — The Associated Press

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Golf

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

Johnson ties course record to take La Cantera lead SAN ANTONIO—Defending champion Zach Johnson matched the La Cantera course record with a 10-under 60 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead in the suspended third round of the rain-soaked Texas Open. Johnson holed out from 84 yards for an eagle on the par-4 seventh and had eight birdies on the soggy course in the round interrupted by a fivehour rain delay. He tapped in for par on 18 seconds after the horn blew and darkness suspended play. Paul Goydos and three-time champion Justin Leonard were 12 under through 12 holes. They’ll resume the round this morning. “I hit a lot of quality shots. I think I had to get up and down twice for par,” Johnson said. “I don’t think I missed a green on the backside.” Johnson wore his sunglasses down to the end as dusk turned to dark, having to peer over them on the tee box at No. 18 before pushing them right back on his face. He needed just 11 holes to erase a seven-stroke deficit after waiting until nearly 4:25 p.m. to start his round. An afternoon storm dumped more than 2 inches of rain, causing the longest delay on the PGA Tour this year. Fourteen players will finish the round today before starting the final 18, when they’ll re-pair. Marc Leishman and were Scott Sterling were 11 under before play suspended. Leishman had one hole left and Sterling will resume at 15. Kent Jones and Fredrik Jacobson were 10 under through 14. With the wind at his back, Johnson used an 8-iron on the par-3 17th tee to set up his final birdie. He made a little fist pump after sinking the easy 7-footer, knowing he had a chance at a becoming just the fourth player to

Texas Open Site: San Antonio Course: LaCantera Golf Club, Resort Course (7,153 yards, par 70) Purse: $6.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,098,000 TV: CBS, 3-6 p.m. ET

match a PGA Tour-record 59. His second shot from the fairway got him to about 17 feet. The small gallery, thinned out the by lengthy delay and encroaching twilight, groaned when he came up two feet short. “I did not want to leave that putt short,” Johnson said. “But, whatever, it was nearly pitch black.” In October, Johnson won the Texas Open’s final fall go-around before the tournament was moved to spring. The 2007 Masters winner picked up a sixth tour victory in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and the 33-year-old now has in his sights what would be a sixth tour victory. Sixth in the FedEx Cup standings, Johnson could vault to first with a win. He’ll have to hold off Goydos and Leonard, who is going for a record fourth Texas Open title and was the tournament’s last back-to-back winner, in 2000 and 2001. Leonard was both lucky and unrattled before darkness halted his pursuit of Johnson. Lining up for a possible birdie on the par-4 fifth, Leonard didn’t flinch when a car passenger coasting down a nearby street hollered “Woo-hoa!” out the window just as Leonard was about to play an 11-foot putt. Leonard sank it perfectly, the second of three birdies. Three holes later on the par-4 eighth, his tee shot sailed

ERIC GAY / AP

Despite a storm that dumped two inches of rain, Zach Johnson had eight birdies on the soggy course at the La Cantera Golf Club. left of the fairway, bounced off the cart path and into the trees—all before rolling back on the fairway. Despite being three strokes back, Leonard took some comfort in still having 24 holes to play today. “I feel like I’ve got a couple birdie holes to play in the morning, and then hopefully have some in the afternoon,” Leonard said. Goydos, whose 12 under had led after two rounds, lost two strokes quickly with bogeys on the par-3

third and sixth. His 120-yard tee shot on No. 6 sailed into a water hazard and cost him a drop. On the next hole, Goydos pitched out from the rough behind the green to set up a 4-foot birdie, and got another on 12 before play was suspended. Dustin Johnson surged from the back of the field with an 8-under 62, a career best for the 24-year-old rising star from South Carolina. He survived the cut on the number at 1 under, but quickly climbed the

leaderboard with four consecutive par-4 birdies on Nos. 8 through 12. He had nine birdies and got his only blemish with a bogey on the par-4 15th—the hole where lightning shooed Johnson off the fairway. When play resumed, the wind had shifted and Johnson’s second shot landed into the bunker beside the green because he didn’t adjust. “(The wind) completely went opposite,” Dustin Johnson said. — The Associated Press

Leaderboard

31

Saturday at La Cantera Golf Club Resort Course, San Antonio (round not complete because of weather delay) Purse: $6.1 million; Yardage: 6,881; Par: 70 Zach Johnson 68-67-60—195 -15 Dustin Johnson 74-65-62—201 -9 Todd Fischer 70-67-64—201 -9 Bill Haas 67-67-67—201 -9 Shaun Micheel 67-72-63—202 -8 Jonathan Kaye 71-68-63—202 -8 Charley Hoffman 70-69-63—202 -8 Matt Weibring 67-70-65—202 -8 Frank Lickliter II 69-68-65—202 -8 J.J. Henry 66-70-66—202 -8 Charlie Wi 68-71-64—203 -7 Martin Piller 69-70-64—203 -7 Garrett Willis 68-70-65—203 -7 James Nitties 68-69-66—203 -7 Bob Estes 67-70-66—203 -7 James Driscoll 67-69-67—203 -7 Tim Clark 67-69-67—203 -7 Kevin Stadler 67-68-68—203 -7 Lee Janzen 66-68-69—203 -7 Mark Brooks 71-68-65—204 -6 Corey Pavin 66-72-66—204 -6 Scott Verplank 67-70-67—204 -6 Scott McCarron 70-67-67—204 -6 Robert Gates 73-64-67—204 -6 Wil Collins 67-69-68—204 -6 Jimmy Walker 70-66-68—204 -6 Patrick Sheehan 68-68-68—204 -6 Harrison Frazar 67-69-68—204 -6 Nathan Green 70-69-66—205 -5 Bill Lunde 73-65-67—205 -5 Chris DiMarco 72-66-67—205 -5 Marco Dawson 68-68-69—205 -5 Bart Bryant 70-66-69—205 -5 Kris Blanks 70-65-70—205 -5 Aron Price 69-66-70—205 -5 Brandt Jobe 70-65-70—205 -5 Jason Gore 70-69-67—206 -4 Mark Wilson 67-72-67—206 -4 Paul Stankowski 70-69-67—206 -4 Gary Woodland 67-70-69—206 -4 Troy Matteson 72-66-68—206 -4 Scott Gutschewski 71-66-69—206 -4 Greg Chalmers 69-67-70—206 -4 Charles Warren 70-66-70—206 -4 David Peoples 72-67-68—207 -3 Richard S. Johnson 71-68-68—207 -3 Rocco Mediate 69-70-68—207 -3 Tim Herron 68-71-68—207 -3 Eric Axley 72-67-68—207 -3 Vaughn Taylor 70-68-69—207 -3 Jay Williamson 69-68-70—207 -3 Carlos Franco 71-66-70—207 -3 David Duval 66-69-72—207 -3 Jeff Maggert 64-70-73—207 -3 Matt Bettencourt 68-71-69—208 -2 Robin Freeman 70-69-69—208 -2 Anthony Kim 69-69-70—208 -2 Matt Jones 67-69-72—208 -2 Chad Campbell 68-69-72—209 -1 Tag Ridings 69-66-74—209 -1 Billy Andrade 72-67-71—210 E Matthew Loving 72-67-72—211 +1 Failed to complete third round Paul Goydos 63-65—128 Justin Leonard 63-68—131 Marc Leishman 64-69—133 Scott Sterling 68-63—131 Kent Jones 67-65—132 Fredrik Jacobson 66-66—132 Greg Owen 65-68—133 Stephen Ames 66-67—133 Brian Davis 65-67—132 John Mallinger 67-64—131 Briny Baird 68-66—134 Ted Purdy 64-67—131 Mathias Gronberg 66-65—131 J.P. Hayes 71-62—133

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Tennis

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

32

Nadal saves streak, sets up final with Federer MADRID—Roger Federer will face Rafael Nadal for a championship. On clay. In Spain. The two rivals set up their first clash since the Australian Open when Nadal saved three match points to beat Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) on Saturday. Playing their fourth match this year, they needed a Masters Series record 4 hours, 3 minutes to decide matters at the Magic Box tennis center. Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in their semifinal. Top-ranked Nadal’s 33rd straight win on clay lifted him into his seventh final this season, but he will be nursing a right knee injury into today’s match. Federer has lost his last five matches against Nadal, including the finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and Australia in February, when the Swiss player was in tears after the defeat. “What’s important for me is to get past that semifinal hurdle that I haven’t been able to get past in the last couple of months,” Federer said ahead of their 16th meeting in a final. “I feel like playing him anywhere is a challenge. The extra flair here is that it’s in Spain.” Earlier, top-ranked Dinara Safina beat Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2 to set up a final against teenager Caroline Wozniacki, who put away former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (1), 6-3. Nadal, who won in the Spanish capital in 2005 when the event was played on indoor hard court, is 9-1 on clay against Federer, who didn’t doubt Nadal would be in top shape for the pairs first match in Spain. “They asked me the same question in Australia,” said Federer, who faced Nadal after he had won a grueling five-set match against Fernando Verdasco. “I think with the adrenaline and the crowd he’s going to be the Rafa we know (today).” It’s the mental aspect that Federer will have to prepare for as he comes face-to-face with Nadal for the first time since the

Madrid Open Saturday at Caja Magica, Madrid Purse: Men, $5.04 million; Women, $4.5 million Surface: Clay-outdoor Singles Men Semifinals Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Novak Djokovic (3), Serbia, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9). Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, def. Juan Martin del Potro (5), Argentina, 6-3, 6-4. Women Semifinals Caroline Wozniacki (9), Denmark, def. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 7-6 (1), 6-3. Dinara Safina (1), Russia, def. Patty Schnyder, Switzerland, 6-4, 6-2.

JUAN MANUEL SERRANO / AP

Caroline Wozniacki made quick work of Amelie Mauresmo in their semifinal match, 7-6, 6-3. Spaniard denied him a chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins. Djokovic was also left red-eyed after feeling in control for most of Saturday’s match. “It’s frustrating when you play so well and you can’t win,” No. 4-ranked Djokovic said. Nadal complained of discomfort in his right knee before the match, which hampered his ability to move as he made uncharacteristic errors that allowed for an early break in the first set. Nadal had his leg wrapped in the second set before leveling. In the deciding tiebreaker, Djokovic

watched Nadal hit forehand winners down the near line to save his first two match points. The Serb then beat Nadal with a passing shot to save a match point of his own. But leading 9-8, Djokovic sent the ball out and then netted on Nadal’s next match point to end the longest three-set match in the history of Masters tournaments, the ATP level below the Grand Slams. “I love these matches, it’s very special to play these matches,” said Nadal, who improved to 27-1 in clay semifinals. “If I don’t fight here, when am I going to fight?” Despite 50 unforced errors against

Djokovic, Nadal’s perseverance paid off as he rallied the 12,500 spectators with crucial winners to reach his 26th claycourt final. He has won 25 of those. Djokovic, who missed a chance to take the No. 3 ranking from Andy Murray, added his latest loss to Nadal to those recently in the Olympics, the Davis Cup, and finals at Monte Carlo and Rome. “I played one of my best on this surface, so ... I don’t think you need my comments, you saw everything,” Djokovic said. “A couple of points decided the winner.” Federer improved to 5-0 against del Potro, who has yet to take a set off the former No. 1. He will be going for his 15th Masters title—and first in nearly two years—which would allow him to equal the 22-year-old Nadal’s tally. Only Andre Agassi has won more with 17. Safina, coming off a victory at Rome, reached her fifth final of the season by staying undefeated in four meetings against Schnyder. Wozniacki, who hasn’t dropped a set this week to reach her third final of the season, saved two set points before rallying to take the first and then clinched it on her second match point when Mauresmo hit long. — The Associated Press

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Swimming / Indy 500

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

SWIMMING

33

INDY 500

Prior wrecks don’t deter Doornbos

GERRY BROOME / AP

Michael Phelps is participating in his first meet since the Beijing Olympics, and his coach said Phelps’ conditioning wasn’t all there.

Phelps falls in 100-meter backstroke CHARLOTTE—Michael Phelps is not unbeatable. Not when he’s going against Aaron Peirsol. The world-record holder and two-time Olympic champion handed Phelps his first defeat in almost a year, winning the 100-meter backstroke at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Saturday night. Wearing his new Arena suit, Peirsol got off to a strong start and touched in 53.32 seconds. Phelps was trailing by more than a half-second at the turn and had no chance to make that up against one of the world’s greatest backstrokers, taking second in 53.79. Phelps will remember this one. “No matter who I’m racing, I hate to lose,” he said. “Aaron and I have had a number of battles back and forth. ... That’s the fun part about racing Aaron— you know he’s always going be there. He’s a racer, he’s a competitor. He’s someone I like to race.” Phelps’ last defeat in a final? Exactly 364 days

ago, when Peirsol beat him in the 200 backstroke at Santa Clara, Calif., during the run-up to the Olympics, according to USA Swimming. Phelps didn’t swim the backstroke in Beijing—it didn’t fit into the schedule that produced a record eight gold medals and made him the winningest Olympian ever. But he’s changing things up as he looks ahead to this summer’s world championships and the 2012 London Games. The 100 backstroke is one of his main targets. Bring it on, Peirsol said. “By no means is anybody giving anything to anybody,” said Peirsol, who set a world record in the 100 back while winning his second straight Olympic gold in the event at Beijing. “I definitely wanted to win that race.” Phelps is swimming five events in Charlotte— his first meet since Beijing—but only two were on his Olympic program. He won them both on Fri-

day night, the 200 freestyle and 100 fly. He swam the 50 free during the Saturday morning prelims and posted the eighth-fastest time, but that was merely a chance to test out the new straight-arm stroke he’ll use in his final event, the 100 free today. Phelps scratched from the 50 final, which was won by world-record holder Frederick Bousquet of France. There’s still some work to do in the 100 back. “There’s probably three or four things in that race he can do better,” said Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman. “His start wasn’t very good, he came up really bad. His turn was not exactly where it should be. And he didn’t have any legs at the end. That’s just conditioning.” Phelps wasn’t too upset by his loss, because he’s coming off a nine-month layoff—longest of his career. — The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS—Hitting the wall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—twice—could slow down some drivers. Not Robert Doornbos, who shook off two crashes in practice last week and led the third of four rounds of time trials for the Indianapolis 500 as the final 11 spots in the 33-car field were tentatively filled. The Dutchman, a rookie at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, crashed on consecutive days in the first week of practice for the May 24 race and missed the opening weekend of qualifying. He came back strong with a four-lap average of 221.692 mph on Saturday to grab the 23rd position in the lineup. “I can’t say it’s been a boring month,” said Doornbos, who has been mentored here by twotime Indy winner and countryman Arie Luyendyk. “I arrived here with Arie and, inspecting the track, he scared me to death in the pace car ride,” Doornbos added. “And then I got going in my IndyCar, and I was really quick the first day and the next day, as well. I think we got a little bit too excited because Arie said I probably didn’t need him anymore, and then we took off too much downforce and we crashed.” Doornbos, driving for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, persevered. But, thanks to a 3½-hour rain

TOM STRATTMAN / AP

Robert Doornbos, above, is getting tutelage from Arie Luyendyk. delay in Saturday’s qualifying, and a gusty wind, it wasn’t easy. “Here, it’s such a long track and with the wind picking up you feel like every lap is a new adventure,” he said. “Every lap is a new adventure because the wind is coming from different angles. It’s a tough four laps.” While the field is now filled, it is not final. The slowest drivers can be bumped out by faster qualifiers today, the last day of time trials. Nelson Philippe wound up the slowest qualifier at 218.032. He was sitting in his car in the qualifying line, waiting to make another try, when the gun ending the session went off with fellow Indy rookie Stanton Barrett on the track. “I’m not too worried,” Philippe said. “We’ve got a little more in the car and (today) is supposed to be a good day. If we get knocked out, we’ll just go out there and try to get back in.” — The Associated Press

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SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2009

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IN BRIEF

Man U. captures third straight Premier League crown LONDON—Manchester United tied Arsenal 0-0 Saturday to capture their third consecutive Premier League title and match Liverpool’s mark of 18 league championships. In a poorly played game between two of England’s glamour clubs, United won their 11th league title in 17 seasons. All came under manager Alex Ferguson, who has major 25 trophies in his 23 years at Old Trafford. “It makes you want to go on for ever,” said the 67-year-old Ferguson, who already has put off retirement once. MADRID—Barcelona won the Spanish league title for the first time in three years. Barcelona clinched the crown Saturday when Real Madrid lost 3-2 at Villarreal. Barcelona has 86 points with three games left. Madrid has 78 with two to play. Next up for Barcelona is Manchester United in the Champions League final May 27. It is trying to become the first Spanish team to win the three trophies in one season. MILAN—Inter Milan became the first club in more than 50 years to win four straight Serie A titles when AC Milan lost to Udinese 2-1 on Saturday. Milan had to win to keep the title race alive, but the loss left it with 71 points, an insurmountable seven behind its city rival with two matches to play.

Boxing OAKLAND, CALIF.—Andre Ward remained unbeaten and stayed on course for a 168pound title shot this year with the biggest victory of his pro career, a unanimous decision over Colombia’s Edison Miranda on Saturday night. Ward (19-0, 12 KOs), the 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, showed resilience

the nine Astana riders protested not being paid for two months by wearing shirts with the names of sponsors faded. “Legs finally felt a bit better today. Team Faded was amazing,” Armstrong wrote on his Twitter feed. Kanstantsin Siutsou of Belarus won stage with a late solo breakaway, and Danilo Di Luca of Italy added eight seconds to his overall lead by finishing third. Di Luca leads Thomas Lovkvist of Sweden by 13 seconds in the overall standings, with Michael Rogers of Australia third, 44 seconds back. Leipheimer was fourth, 51 seconds behind. Armstrong and Leipheimer crossed with the main pack. Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, remained 25th overall, 4:39 behind Di Luca.

TRANSACTIONS BASEBALL American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Placed DH Luke Scott on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 11. Activated LHP Rich Hill from the 15-day DL. LOS ANGELES ANGELS: Activated RHP John Lackey from the 15day DL. Optioned C Bobby Wilson to Salt Lake (PCL). TEXAS RANGERS: Placed RHP Frank Francisco on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 7. Recalled RHP Warner Madrigal from Oklahoma (PCL). National League FLORIDA MARLINS: Activated LHP Andrew Miller from the 15-day DL. Optioned OF Brett Carroll to New Orleans (PCL). NEW YORK METS: Palced 1B Carlos Delgado on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 11. Recalled OF Angel Pagan from Buffalo (IL). Southern League CAROLINA MUDCATS: Announced INF Michael Griffin has been assigned to Louisville (IL). Atlantic League LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Signed RHP Jake Dittler. American Association GRAND PRAIRIE AIRHOGS: Signed LHP Justin Garcia.

JEFF CHIU / AP

Andre Ward, a 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist, improved to 19-0 with a unanimous decision over Edison Miranda. in fighting 11½ rounds with a cut over his left eye caused by a head-butt from the freeswinging Miranda (32-4). Although Ward couldn’t land a knockout, he clearly demonstrated better skill and discipline while thriving in the late rounds of just the second 12-round fight of his career. Fighting at Oracle Arena in his hometown for the first time as a pro, Ward heard his name chanted during several rounds, and received a standing ovation afterward from the crowd of 7,818. “This is kind of a bittersweet victory,” Ward said. “I’m happy and excited because the fans had a good time, and there were a lot of people here, but I’m not 100 percent happy with my performance. I’ve got to go look at the tape. I did some things well, but I felt I could have improved in other areas.” Two judges scored the fight 119-109 for Ward, while the third favored him 116-112. The Associated Press also scored it 117-111

for Ward. Miranda once was a prime 160-pound prospect, but was knocked out by Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham in the last two years. The loss is his third in seven fights. ROME—Giacobbe Fragomeni retained his WBC cruiserweight title Saturday night, earning a draw with Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in his first defense.

Cycling BERGAMO, ITALY—Lance Armstrong and his teammates have not faded away. Only their jerseys have. After losing time all week in climbs and steep descents, Armstrong stayed with the chasing pack on a short uphill stretch in the eighth stage of at the Giro d’Italia on Saturday and teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner attacked. For the second consecutive day, eight of

Golf CLIFTON, N.J.—Suzann Pettersen and Ji Young Oh shot 3-under 69s Saturday, taking a one-stroke lead over Brittany Lincicome after three rounds of the LPGA Sybase Classic. Pettersen and Oh had 54-hole totals of 12-under 204 at Upper Montclair Country Club. Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie shot 69s and were three shots behind the leaders in the $2 million tournament. BALTRAY, IRELAND—Irish amateur Shane Lowry bogeyed the final hole on a blustery Saturday to fall into a tie for the lead with England’s Robert Rock after three rounds of the Irish Open. Play was delayed more than five hours because of the wind. The two leaders had played just one hole in the morning before play was suspended. — The Associated Press More golf, Page 31

Major League Soccer EASTERN CONFERENCE W Chicago 3 D.C. 3 Kansas City 4 Toronto FC 3 New England 2 New York 2 Columbus 1 WESTERN CONFERENCE W Chivas USA 7 Seattle 4 Colorado 3 Houston 3 Real Salt Lake 3 Los Angeles 1 San Jose 1 FC Dallas 1

L 0 1 4 3 2 5 2

T 6 6 2 4 4 3 5

Pts 15 15 14 13 10 9 8

GF 16 17 14 13 7 10 11

GA 11 15 12 15 13 12 14

L 1 2 2 2 5 1 5 6

T 2 3 3 3 1 6 2 2

Pts 23 15 12 12 10 9 5 5

GF 14 12 11 8 14 10 8 8

GA 5 6 9 6 13 10 16 16

NOTE: Three points for victory, one

Saturday, May 23

point for tie.

New England at Toronto, 4 p.m. Real Salt Lake at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. Chivas USA at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Houston, 8:30 p.m. Seattle at Colorado, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Chicago 2, Toronto FC 0 New England 1, Colorado 1, tie New York 1, Houston 1, tie FC Dallas 1, Seattle FC 1, tie Kansas City 2, Real Salt Lake 0 Chivas USA 2, D.C. United 2, tie Today’s Game

Columbus at Los Angeles, 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 24

Chicago at New York, 3 p.m.