Sportingnews - 20090531

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N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5

Drive for 25 Texas beats Boston College in 25 innings in NCAA baseball regionals Page 31

TONY DEJAK / AP

CC Sabathia carried a no-hitter into the 5th inning in his first start in Cleveland since last July’s trade. Page 15

Scoreboard NHL Stanley Cup finals Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1 (Detroit leads series 1-0)

NBA Eastern Conference finals Orlando 103, Cleveland 90 (Orlando wins series 4-2)

Baseball American League Toronto 5, Boston 3 Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 2 Detroit 6, Baltimore 3 N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5 Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City 3 Texas 14, Oakland 1 Seattle 4, L.A. Angels 3, 10 innings National League Florida 7, N.Y. Mets 3 Arizona 3, Atlanta 2, 11 innings Chicago Cubs 7, L.A. Dodgers 0 Milwaukee 9, Cincinnati 5 Pittsburgh 7, Houston 4 Philadelphia 9, Washington 6 Colorado 8, San Diego 7 St. Louis 6, San Francisco 2

SUNDAY MAY 31, 2009

STANLEY CUP FINALS S

Red Wings 3, Penguins 1

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME VOLUME 1 ISSUE 313

FRANK GUNN / AP

Johan Franzen, left, had the go-ahead goal for Detroit.

NBA PLAYOFFS

Vital offseason begins for Cavs Playoff ‘failure’ raises big issues BY SEAN DEVENEY [email protected]

They won a league-best 66 games, they set a franchise record with a 39-2 home mark and they posted consecutive sweeps in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But despite that, for the Cavaliers, 2008-09 ended in bitter disappointment with a loss to Orlando, which closed out Cleveland in six games after a 103-90 win Saturday. As power forward Joe Smith told SN Today just before the start of the conference finals, “This is all about a championship. Anything short of that, it’s a failure for us.” It certainly wasn’t supposed to be a failure. For much of the second half of the season, Cleveland seemed destined for the Finals. Now,

Look out, Lakers After a breakout series against the Cavs, Dwight Howard sets his sights on L.A. and a title. Page 5

as LeBron James stands just one year away from free agency in the summer of 2010—and speculation in the New York papers is once again heating up—general manager Danny Ferry and his front office team will be under pressure to ensure that this disappointment does not repeat itself. “There will be plenty of time to reflect for us, and to talk about the future,” coach Mike Brown said after Saturday’s loss. Those talks will need to address the deficiencies that become clear over

the course of the Magic series—and it may take drastic measures to patch them. When the Cavaliers’ top perimeter shooters went cold from the outside vs. Orlando, Cleveland was doubly hurt because it has no interior scorers. The solution might be radical—revive trade talks with Phoenix for center Shaquille O’Neal. The Cavs did a nice job gathering shooters around James. But only James can get to the rim, which means when shots aren’t falling, James repeatedly drives the paint himself. That wore him out. The Cavs could throw the midlevel exception to a young scoring guard (Milwaukee’s Ramon Sessions, for example). Reserves Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic—they had decent

Wings bounce Pens DETROIT—Like last year, Detroit beat Pittsburgh in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, although this 3-1 victory hardly had last year’s feel of Red Wings’ dominance. Detroit’s biggest weapons were the lively end boards, which produced crazy bounces that led to two goals. Here are the other three stars GAME 2 of Game 1: Pittsburgh Chris Osgood, at Detroit G, Red Wings: 8 tonight, Osgood made a TV: NBC series of crucial saves during a second period in which the Penguins outplayed the Red Wings but never took the lead. His save on Evgeni Malkin’s breakaway was the turning point in the game.

Justin Abdelkader, F, Red Wings: Abdelkader scored his first career NHL goal in the third period, and it was a back-breaker. So where does this goal rank for him? “I think it’s right up there,” he said. JOHN RAOUX / AP

Dwight Howard (12) proved to be too much for LeBron James and the Cavs. regular seasons, but Mike Brown did not know whom to trust in playoff situations. Economy-minded teams will

be selling off draft picks this year. To build its bench, Cleveland should buy up a pick or two.

Henrik Zetterberg, F, Red Wings: Zetterberg was constantly on the ice against Sidney Crosby and helped hold the Pittsburgh star to two shots.

— Craig Custance Pens remain upbeat, Page 9

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Tune In Today A quick look at the best sports on TV — all times Eastern BASEBALL

Dodgers at Cubs 8 p.m., ESPN Anyone else surprised how well the Dodgers have continued to play in the absence of Manny Ramirez? Especially impressive is the way Joe Torre’s team has played on the road—winning series against the Phillies, Marlins and Rockies without their star left fielder. The Dodgers can only hope for a split with the Cubs by winning tonight at Wrigley Field. Los Angeles’ Eric Milton faces Chicago’s Sean Marshall in a battle of lefties.

NASCAR

Autism Speaks 400 1:30 p.m., FOX The big question heading into today’s race is how Dale Earnhardt Jr. will do with a new crew chief. While interim chief Lance McGrew won’t be in that role until next weekend at Pocono, we’ll see if Brian Whitesell helps Junior’s cause any. Earnhardt Jr. is 203 points behind the final Chase-eligible position currently held by teammate Mark Martin, and there are six drivers between he and Martin to navigate, too. Battling for a Chase spot will be an extreme uphill race.

GOLF

Crowne Plaza Invitational 3 p.m., CBS Tim Clark has six second-place finishes on the PGA Tour, but he doesn’t have a victory. His first could come today at Colonial, where he has a two-shot lead over three other competitors heading into today’s final round. His playing partner will be Steve Marino, who shot an 8-under 62 to vault into contention. Steve Stricker and Jason Day are the other two golfers two shots back, while Vijay Singh is alone in fifth.

— Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE AUTO RACING

1:30 p.m. FOX—NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Autism Speaks 400, at Dover, Del. 3:30 p.m. ABC — IRL, AJ Foyt 225, at Milwaukee 4 p.m. ESPN2—NHRA, Summer Nationals, final eliminations, at Topeka, Kan. (same-day tape) COLLEGE SOFTBALL

1 p.m. ESPN—NCAA Division I, World Series, Games 11 & 12 at Oklahoma City 7 p.m. ESPN2—NCAA Division I, World Series, Games 13 & 14, at Oklahoma City (if necessary) GOLF

10 a.m. TGC— European PGA Tour, European Open, final round, at Kent, England 3 p.m. CBS—PGA Tour, Crowne Plaza Invitational, final round, at Fort Worth, Texas 7 p.m. TGC— Champions Tour, Principal Charity Classic, final round, at West Des Moines, Iowa (same-day tape)

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

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If you deliver it daily, they will come.

OFF THE FIELD

12:30 p.m. TBS—N.Y. Yankees at Cleveland 2 p.m. WGN—Chicago White Sox at Kansas City 8 p.m. ESPN—L.A. Dodgers at Chicago Cubs MOTORSPORTS

3 p.m. SPEED— MotoGP 250, Italian Grand Prix, at Mugello, Italy (same-day tape) 4 p.m. SPEED— MotoGP World Championship, Italian Grand Prix, at Mugello, Italy (same-day tape) 5 p.m. SPEED—FIM World Superbike, at Salt Lake City (same-day tape) NHL

8 p.m. NBC—Playoffs, Stanley Cup finals, Game 2, Pittsburgh at Detroit TENNIS

3 p.m. NBC—French Open, early round, at Paris (same-day tape)

The ‘Spirit of Detroit’ statue is donning a Red Wings jersey for the first time since 2002.

CARLOS OSORIO / AP

Union wants support of retired NFL players The NFL Players Association wants the support of various groups of retired players in its upcoming contract talks with the league. “I don’t represent active players. I don’t represent retired players. I represent all NFL players. We are one team,” DeMaurice Smith, the union’s new executive director, said Saturday at a meeting of the NFLPA Retired Players Organization. Smith is trying to get the retiree groups behind the union in negotiations to extend the contract that expires after the 2010 season. Talks start Wednesday, although both sides concede little will be done then. Groups of retired players—such as NFL Alumni, Gridiron Greats and Fourth and Goal—were critical of former union chief Gene Upshaw and often clashed with him over benefits and other matters.

Quick hits The “Spirit of Detroit” statue in downtown Detroit has been decked out in an oversized Red Wings jersey. A crew put the jersey on the 26-foot-tall bronze statue Saturday ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The statue in the past has been draped in oversized jerseys of the Detroit Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings in honor of the teams’ championship runs. The Newark Bears decided to replace Jim Leyritz with former Yankee outfielder Roy White as part of their Legends Sunday promotion, The Star-Ledger reported. The team originally had planned to have Leyritz sign autographs as part of the weekly event to attract fans. Leyritz is facing DUI manslaughter charges in Florida stemming from a Dec. 2007 accident. — Compiled by Benson Taylor, with wire reports

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

Saints linebacker (What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend)

JAY DROWNS / SN

Born: Nov. 23, 1979, in Genoa, Neb. Alma mater: Nebraska What’s on TV: Celebrity Apprentice, Fast Money, Seinfeld What’s in my iPod: Seether, Metallica, Puddle of Mudd, Linkin Park What I drive: 2008 black Cadillac Escalade Favorite flicks: Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Batman What I’m reading: Finish Strong, by Dan Green Magazine subscriptions: Fortune, Forbes, Smart Money Bookmarks: Google, Hotmail, CNBC Worst habit: Eating before I go to bed On my office walls: Pictures of my two boys (4, 1) Love to trade places for a day with … The President, to see what it’d be like in those shoes Favorite meal: Chicken Calzone, steak Favorite athlete to watch in another sport: LeBron James Favorite city to visit: Orlando—Disney World with the fam Favorite teams as a kid: San Francisco 49ers, Nebraska Cornhuskers Favorite value in others: Honesty My greatest love: My family My bucket list: Travel around the world and see sporting events at historical places—Duke vs. North Carolina basketball, Michigan vs. Ohio State football, Texas vs. Oklahoma football My motto: Every day is a blessing. — Jeff D’Alessio

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A Division I head basketball coach at 31? If anyone can do it, it’s Memphis’ Josh Pastner, Sporting News college hoops expert Mike DeCourcy explains in the new magazine.

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FHECEJ?ED

RECRUITING DISH

Ga. native leaning toward Tide Garry Peters is trying his best not to let it get out that he has Alabama as a solid favorite. Good luck. You see, Peters is a native of Conyers, Ga., smack in the middle of Georgia’s recruiting turf. Of course, the Bulldogs haven’t offered a scholarship yet, but they have been checking out the 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back. Peters said he hasn’t been bragging about his infatuation with Alabama, at least not locally. However, word managed to leak. In fact, an opposing college’s Garry Peters coach, who the player didn’t want to reveal, even playfully referred to Peters as ‘Garry Saban’ recently—obviously pointed at Alabama coach Nick Saban, who Peters likes. “I haven’t made a decision yet, but I have a top school right now—Alabama,” Peters told Sporting News Today. “I just feel like that’s a place where it’s close to home, has good academics, and I feel like that’s the best chance to win the national championship one day. That’s the ultimate goal.” Peters, who is on the Sporting News Top 100 list for the class of 2010, said he’ll definitely take all of his official visits before making a decision. He told SN that taking visits is a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Alabama will get an official visit, and he said he’ll likely visit Clemson, too. He said Georgia is so close, and he’s been there so many times, he may not take an official visit to see the Bulldogs. Auburn, Florida State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma State also have offered scholarships. Peters said he was thrilled to be named part of the inaugural SN100. “(Alabama QB commitment and fellow SN100 member) Phillip Sims told me first, and I didn’t believe him,” Peters told SN Today. “I got the e-mail and I went crazy. I was thinking, ‘This isn’t just for Georgia or the Southeast, this is the entire USA.’ I showed it to all my family, and my girlfriend. It’s a blessing. It’s ridiculous.” Union (Tulsa, Okla.) WR James Roberson has committed to Tulsa, Rivals.com reported. The 6-3,

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Nick Saban could nab a top recruit right out from under Georgia’s nose. 185-pounder also had received interest from Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, but Tulsa was his lone scholarship offer. Due to injuries, Roberson only played two games as a junior. “(Tulsa was) the best place for me,” Roberson told Rivals.com. “With all my injuries this year, they’ve stuck by me and let me know I still have a spot there ... It wasn’t easy for me to accept the fact that I lost my entire junior year to injuries, which scared off a lot of colleges, but (Tulsa coaches) know what I can do, because they’ve seen it before.” — Brian McLaughlin

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

NOTEBOOK

Orlando 103, Cleveland 90

Lakers, beware: Dwight Howard’s coming ORLANDO—A moment of silence, please, for Andrew Bynum. Someone has to guard Dwight Howard, and next in line is Bynum. Let’s hope he has more luck than everyone else. Howard’s meteoric rise in the NBA playoffs hit another improbable high Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. A league that has gone away from dominant big men this decade now Matt Hayes finds itself smack in PRO BASKETBALL the middle of old school. “If (Howard) continues to shoot the ball the way he has in the playoffs,” says Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, “It’s going to be a long next decade for all of us.” And a long NBA Finals for the Lakers. June was supposed to bring us Kobe vs. LeBron, settling the best-in-theworld argument and giving Nike its marketing lovefest. Now after Orlando’s 103-90 victory over Cleveland, we suddenly have Kobe vs. Big D. Or whatever you want to call it. After watching Howard score 40 points in the biggest game of his young career, he doesn’t need some cheesy marketing campaign. He needs four more wins. “I’m happy we won, but it’s over with, it’s done,” Howard said. “We have to move on.” Here is where we return to Mr. Bynum, who despite what you’ve seen and heard and know about Kobe Bryant, is the key to the series for the

STEPHEN M. DOWELL / AP

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has said Dwight Howard is the first player he would pick to build a team around. Lakers. Ask Cleveland, which had the NBA’s best record and best defense, if having a superstar supersedes everything. The Sixers tried guarding Howard with Samuel Dalembert in the first round. The Celtics tried Kendrick

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Perkins in the second round. The Cavs, meanwhile, tried a combination of three players who didn’t have a prayer. And now we have Bynum. Or Pau Gasol. Or Lamar Odom. Think about this for a moment: LeBron James had one of the best runs in

playoff history in this series, and the Magic still could’ve won in four games. There’s a reason Lakers coach Phil Jackson said earlier this season that he’d take Howard if he were starting a team today. Game 6—and really, the entire series—was a microcosm of what league teams face for the foreseeable future. Defend Howard one-on-one, and he scores or gets fouled. Or both. Collapse the defense in the paint, and he finds someone on the perimeter—his passing has grown by leaps this season—who will knock down a 3. And right now, everyone on the Magic other Howard and backup center Marcin Gortat will hurt you beyond the arc. The Cavs began the game with the idea of extending on the perimeter and forcing Howard to make shots (and free throws) for Orlando to advance to their first Finals since 1995. Howard hit 8-of12 field goals and had 21 points in the half. In the second half, the Cavs collapsed on Howard, and the Magic hit five 3s (12 in the game), and Howard had 19 points and four assists. “We were put in a situation,” said Cavs guard Mo Williams, “where we were hoping they missed shots.” Howard woke the day before Game 6 and texted every one of his teammates, saying it was time to dominate. The reality is, he has been doing it all along in these playoffs. “If we run, defend and rebound, we can beat anyone,” Howard said. “At the end of the Finals, we should have a ring. We should have a trophy.” The only thing standing in the way is Andrew Bynum. [email protected]

Speculation will swirl around James LeBron James fled Amway Arena without speaking to the media after yet another season passed with more disappointment. Cleveland led the league in wins in the regular season, and swept Detroit and Atlanta to begin the playoffs. But the Cavs had no answers for matchup problems presented by Orlando in losing the Eastern Conference finals. And now the big question: Will the continued failure in Cleveland convince James to opt out of his contract after next season? Much speculation has centered on James opting out if he feels Cleveland can’t surround him with players who can help him win a championship. The Cavs’ starters struggled to play with consistency in a support role, and the bench added zero help. “We were confident we were going to win it all,” said Cleveland guard Mo Williams. “Obviously you’re going to be disappointed and hurt inside. … This is motivation, drive for him. I’m 110 percent sure he’ll be all right.”

A brief preview Because the Magic and Lakers play in separate conferences, they played only twice in the regular season. The Magic won both games, and like the Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals, the Lakers had no answer for Howard. Howard had 43 points and 32 rebounds in two games, including 25 points and 20 rebounds in the game at Los Angeles. The Finals start Thursday in Los Angeles. “We’re not at our best yet,” Howard said. “But I’m happy with our progress.”

The big move Lost in the Magic’s second half push was the key acquisition of point guard Rafer Alston after Jameer Nelson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. While Alston and backup Anthony Johnson don’t have the scoring ability of Nelson, they’re perfect role players. Alston had three big offensive games in the East finals, including 13 points (three 3-pointers) in Game 6. “He didn’t try to be Jameer,” Howard said. “It was push the pace, take shots when he’s open and facilitate our offense. He fit in with our team very well.” — Matt Hayes

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS Orlando 103, Cleveland 90

‘Superman’—not ‘Chosen One’—to face Lakers next ORLANDO—The Orlando Magic can no longer be ignored. After 14 frustrating years, a team overlooked and ignored all season sent LeBron James home and is on its way to face Kobe Bryant in the NBA finals. Dwight Howard dominated inside for 40 points, Rashard Lewis added 18 and the Magic, a team that can make 3-pointers drop from thin air, hit 12 in a 103-90 victory over James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night. “Total domination,” Lewis said. “He totally dominated. He carried us on his back tonight.” The Magic will be making their first finals appearance since 1995, one year before Shaquille O’Neal bolted as a free agent for Los Angeles, leaving this Florida franchise in ruins. It’s been a long, slow climb back, but Orlando has been rebuilt and will meet the Lakers on Thursday night at the Staples Center in Game 1. Disney World vs. Disneyland. “I just think this team all year long has shown an incredible amount of heart,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “This team just keeps fighting back.” Oh, and memo to Nike executives: It’s time to break out the Howard puppet. LeBron’s can go in summer storage. For now, the only matchup between James and Lakers superstar Bryant will have to be limited to those cute TV commercials. The Magic made them irrelevant. With the city’s most famous athlete, Tiger Woods, sitting courtside,

Orlando made believers of all those who wondered if they were better than the Cavaliers, a team that won 66 games in the regular season, or the defending champion Boston Celtics. The Magic made both disappear in the postseason. James scored 25 in his worst game of the series, but the 24-year-old was magnificent for most of it, adding to a legacy still in its infancy. But the league MVP had to it alone, as Mo Williams lost his shooting touch and Cleveland’s bench was badly outplayed by Orlando’s reserves. Afterward, James put on his headphones and stormed out of Amway Arena without saying a word. He skipped the news conference and briskly walked down the corridor with two security guards as escorts. He plopped into a chair to be scanned for the team’s charter plane ride, grabbed his bags and was gone— a special season ending in stunning disappointment. Delonte West added 22 and Williams, who guaranteed the Cavs would come back and win the series, 17 for Cleveland, which went 0-5 in Orlando. During the closing minutes, James was mocked by Orlando’s crowd singing “M-V-P” as Howard shot free throws. After Superman muscled underneath for a thunderous dunk with 2:21 left, the crowd moved into finals mode chanting, “Beat L.A.!” Howard’s one flaw has been his free-throw shooting, but he made 12 of 16 in Game 6.

The Magic’s season hasn’t been without its share of turmoil. Point guard Jameer Nelson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in early February, a setback that at the time seemed as if it would prevent Orlando from doing anything special this year. But general manager Otis Smith acquired guard Rafer Alston in a trade with Houston. Alston, a former playground legend, fit in perfectly. In the opening round against Philadelphia, the Magic lost the opener before rebounding and winning a close-out Game 6 on the road. Then, following Game 5 of the Boston series, Howard called out Van Gundy for not getting him the ball enough and challenged his substitution patterns. The Magic shook off that spat, too, winning two straight, including Game 7 on Boston’s parquet. In the conference finals, they beat Cleveland with a devastating mix of inside power and outside firepower. All year, the Cavaliers ended their pregame huddle the same way, with James leading them in a cheer he used with his high school team. “One, two, three,” James said. “Hard work,” they replied. “Four, five, six,” he offered. “Championship,” they yelled. But there would be not title, and once again Cleveland fans will feel nothing but heartache as they wait for a team to end the city’s 45-year championship drought. Everything that could go wrong did in the first half for the Cavaliers. They couldn’t stop Howard in the

Series glance (Orlando wins series 4-2) May 20: Orlando 107, Cleveland 106 May 22: Cleveland 96, Orlando 95 May 24: Orlando 99, Cleveland 89 May 26: Orlando 116, Cleveland 114, OT May 28: Cleveland 112, Orlando 102 Saturday: Orlando 103, Cleveland 90

Cleveland Orlando CLEVELAND James Varejao Ilgauskas MWilliams West Wallace Gibson Szczerbiak Pavlovic Kinsey Totals

25 30 Min 44:53 32:53 21:55 38:51 46:21 14:06 20:38 13:57 5:24 1:02 240:00

15 28

30 28

FG FT Reb 8-20 7-11 1-7 7-12 0-1 1-8 1-5 0-2 1-7 6-12 2-2 0-3 9-19 2-4 2-4 2-3 0-2 3-3 1-3 0-0 0-1 1-5 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 35-79 11-22 8-34

20 — 90 17 — 103 A 7 0 0 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 17

PF 4 5 4 4 0 0 2 1 1 0 21

PTS 25 14 2 17 22 4 3 3 0 0 90

Percentages: FG .443, FT .500. 3-Point Goals: 9-20, .450 (M.Williams 3-4, West 2-3, James 2-8, Gibson 1-2, Szczerbiak 1-3). Team Rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 10 (8 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (James, Wallace, West). Turnovers: 10 (James 3, West 3, Gibson, Szczerbiak, Wallace, M.Williams). Steals: 6 (Ilgauskas 2, West 2, Kinsey, Pavlovic). Technical Fouls: Coach Brown, 12:00 third.

PHELAN M. EBENHACK / AP

Dwight Howard is carrying the Magic to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995. paint and when Cleveland’s defense focused its efforts on containing him, the shoot-first-ask-questions-later Magic worked the ball around the arc and took turns launching 3-pointers while building an 18-point halftime lead. On Cleveland’s last possession before half James drove the lane and

missed a short runner while being knocked to the floor. He sat there in disbelief, looking for a call, looking for help, looking lost. Cleveland’s coaching staff stormed off barking at the officials and coach Mike Brown was assessed a technical. — The Associated Press

ORLANDO Min FG FT Reb Turkoglu 37:37 3-12 2-2 1-7 Lewis 40:34 6-13 3-3 1-8 Howard 41:27 14-21 12-16 6-14 Alston 37:44 5-16 0-0 0-4 Lee 30:09 4-7 0-0 0-4 Pietrus 35:02 5-10 0-0 2-5 Gortat 6:33 0-0 0-0 0-3 Johnson 10:54 0-1 0-0 1-2 Totals 240:00 37-80 17-21 11-47

A 5 2 4 2 1 2 0 3 19

PF 5 2 5 1 0 4 2 1 20

PTS 10 18 40 13 8 14 0 0 103

Percentages: FG .463, FT .810. 3-Point Goals: 12-29, .414 (Pietrus 4-7, Alston 3-7, Lewis 3-7, Turkoglu 2-6, Howard 0-1, Lee 0-1). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 12 (8 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Howard, Lewis). Turnovers: 12 (Lewis 3, Turkoglu 3, Howard 2, Johnson 2, Alston, Lee). Steals: 6 (Alston 2, Lewis 2, Pietrus 2). Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 7:14 second. A: 17,461 (17,461). T: 2:29. Officials: Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford.

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

7

FINALS

Lakers ready ‘to finish what we didn’t finish last season’ LOS ANGELES—Kobe Bryant stared straight ahead, delivering his answer without emotion. His teammates were out of earshot, though Bryant undoubtedly told them the same thing. Asked what it would take to close out Denver in six games, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar replied, “Be cold-blooded, go out there and execute. We have to stay focused and poised and try to cut them up.” Led by Bryant’s merciless efficiency, the Lakers sliced and diced the Nuggets to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year. Los Angeles turned what had been a back-and-forth series into a rout Friday night, winning 119-92 on the road. “Now we’re in a place where we didn’t get the job accomplished last year,” Bryant said. “Hopefully we will this time.” Battered, bruised and just plain exhausted, the Lakers took Saturday off. They’ll get a few days’ rest before the finals begin Thursday against Orlando, which beat Cleveland 103-90 to win the Eastern Conference title in six games. The Lakers will open at home. “We’re back to where we wanted to get to and we’re probably playing at the highest level that we have all year,” Luke Walton said. It hasn’t been easy. Critics have questioned the Lakers’ effort throughout the playoffs, especially when they were forced to a seventh game by an undermanned Houston team in the conference semifinals. They have seemingly turned it

on and off at times, getting thumped 120-101 in Game 4 at Denver before coming home and dominating the Nuggets in the fourth quarter of Game 5, then dissecting them with precision in the elimination game. “We didn’t allow the early energy and emotion of the home team and their crowd to force us to play from behind,” Derek Fisher said. “That was a real key for us, mentally as well. We had a very solid start and we were able to sustain it for four quarters.” The Lakers overwhelmed the Nuggets with a 21-7 run in the second quarter, with Bryant scoring 11, to lead 53-40 at halftime. Denver failed to make a serious run in the second half. “That was definitely killer instinct. That was definitely as focused of a game as we’ve played all year,” said Walton, who had 10 points. “We’ve heard in the media people questioning us. We’ve never questioned our own ability. It’s nice to put a full 48 (minutes) together in one of the biggest games of our year.” For the second consecutive game, Bryant got his teammates involved while he passed out of double-teams. Sure, he scored 35 points, but he also had 10 assists and counseled his teammates to keep their focus. Pau Gasol added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Lamar Odom scored 20 and Trevor Ariza 17 while helping the Lakers shoot 57 percent. The bench, including Walton, Jordan Farmar and Shannon

Finals Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers Thursday: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., ABC June 7: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., ABC June 9: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC June 11: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC June 14: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., if necessary, ABC June 16: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC June 18: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC

Brown, injected energy. The Lakers made all 24 of their free throws. “It was important to step through that door, seize the opportunity. Don’t wait,” Fisher said. “Now is our time to finish what we didn’t finish last season.” A year ago, the Lakers breezed into the finals with a 12-3 playoff record before losing to Boston in six games. This year, they’re 12-6, having been tested by the Rockets and the Nuggets in arduous backto-back series after beating Utah 4-1 in the first round. “We’re more prepared to play against teams that are physical or extremely athletic or play a certain style of offense or defense,” Fisher said. “It doesn’t guarantee us any success going forward, but I definitely think we’ve learned from some of the things we’ve been through in the last three or four weeks.” — The Associated Press

JOHN LEYBA / AP

Kobe Bryant averaged 34 points a game in the Lakers’ six-game series win over Denver in the Western Conference finals.

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Playoff glance

INSIDE DISH

Allegations could prove costly to Bulls’ Rose NBA rookie of the year Derrick Rose, the hometown kid whom the Bulls tabbed as the face of the franchise when selecting him No. 1 overall last summer, has come under a cloud cast by an NCAA investigation of major violations at Memphis during the only season he played there. Marc Ganis, president of Chicagobased consulting company Sports Corp. Ltd., estimates the allegations—which center around his SAT and high school transcript— will cost him about $500,000 in the short term and millions in endorsements if trouble continues to follow him. If he avoids it, though, this will be little more than a simple stumble. “He will not have very many benefits of the doubt in the future,” Ganis told The Associated Press. “He’s got to be very clean, but he can come back from this. He’s very talented, he’s young.” Rose has endorsement deals with adidas and Chicago’s Wilson Sporting Goods. He has kept quiet since the allegations surfaced, with his attorney stating that Rose cooperated in an investigation by Memphis that uncovered “no wrongdoing on his part.”

No. 2 pick, have plenty of options in the upcoming draft. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the team has been exploring everything from trying to trade up to No. 1 to moving down and acquiring an established player. “We don’t want to exclude anything. We’re going to give everything a fair shot at being evaluated so we can do what’s best for us on draft night,” general manager Chris Wallace said. “I don’t want to get locked into a particular transaction.” Among the rumors currently floating about: The Knicks have expressed interest in acquiring C Darko Milicic in a deal that could possibly include G/F Quentin Richardson. Also, Oklahoma City and Sacramento are said to be interested in moving up from the third and fourth slots, respectively, to obtain the Grizzlies’ pick.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor wants Kevin McHale to return as coach, but preferably on a oneyear deal, ESPN.com reported. McHale is said to be seeking a multiyear contract. A resolution on McHale’s future could come later this week.

PG Jonny Flynn has been drawing interest from several teams leading up to the draft. Still, he was surprised when he learned the Bulls wanted to bring him in for a workout, considering Chicago has Derrick Rose. “But they said there are times they wish to move Derrick off the ball. When they said that to me, it fell into place.”

The Grizzlies, who have the

Skiles. “He said he liked my toughness. Scott Skiles on the basketball court was tough, too, tough as nails. He said he sees a lot of that in me.’’ Raptors C Andrea Bargnani, who’s in Italy training in the offseason, says he’s encouraged the team made Jay Triano coach and wasn’t disappointed to see Sam Mitchell go. “As a coach, everyone in the team likes him, unlike Mitchell, and he earned the respect of all the players right from Day 1,” Bargnani told La Gazetta dello Sport, according to The Globe and Mail of Toronto. “That’s why we asked (Raptors president Bryan Colangelo) to confirm him. And he agreed, because he’s the right man to start over with.” The Heat will monitor C Jermaine O’Neal’s workouts closely this offseason, according to The Miami Herald. O’Neal has recovered from the concussion symptoms that sidelined him for the final games of the Heat’s first-round playoff series, and he has been cleared to resume workouts. O’Neal also had knee problems last season—his knee was drained three times in the final two months of the season.

It appears the G Jeff Teague is leaning toward staying in the draft. Teague told ESPN.com that the only way he would return to Wake Forest for his junior season is if “a G.M. told me I’m not ready and I’m in the second round.” Teague currently is projected to go in the high teens in the first round.

WINSLOW TOWNSON / AP

Endorsements could be tougher to get for Derrick Rose following the recent controversy. Flynn might not be around when the Bulls pick at No. 16. According to The Journal Times of Racine, Wis., there is growing sentiment among some NBA officials

8

that the Bucks, who pick 10th, are high on Flynn. The Bucks interviewed Flynn at the predraft combine, and Flynn said he connected with Bucks coach Scott

Despite a first-round exit from the playoffs, the Hornets have had 80 percent of their season-ticket holders renew for next season, team officials said. The team’s encouraging numbers are despite a recession that has caused some NBA teams to experience a decline in renewals and trim staff. The team said it has no plans to lay off workers, as the Heat did recently.

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

EASTERN CONFERENCE Cleveland vs. Orlando (Orlando wins series 4-2) May 20: Orlando 107, Cleveland 106 May 22: Cleveland 96, Orlando 95 May 24: Orlando 99, Cleveland 89 May 26: Orlando 116, Cleveland 114, OT May 28: Cleveland 112, Orlando 102 Saturday: Orlando 103, Cleveland 90

WESTERN CONFERENCE L.A. Lakers vs. Denver (L.A. Lakers win series 4-2) May 19: L.A. Lakers 105, Denver 103 May 21: Denver 106, L.A. Lakers 103 May 23: L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 97 May 25: Denver 120, L.A. Lakers 101 May 27: L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 94 Friday: L.A. Lakers 119, Denver 92

Finals Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers Thursday: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., ABC June 7: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., ABC June 9: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC June 11: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC June 14: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., if necessary, ABC June 16: L.A. Lakers at Orlando, if necessary, ABC June 18: Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC

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STANLEY CUP FINALS S

GAME 1: DETROIT 3

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

NOTEBOOK

PITTSBURGH 1

Penguins lose game, but not confidence DETROIT—The result was the same as last year: Detroit won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. But the mental state of the Penguins after this opening-game loss is completely different. If there was any doubt Pittsburgh could play with the defending champions, it’s gone. The Penguins lost, but they’re ready to go back at it tonight.Unlike Craig Custance last year, this HOCKEY group is confident it can compete with the best—even coming off a 3-1 loss to the Red Wings. “Yeah, definitely,” Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby said. “We made a few mistakes tonight, and so did they. They got a few bounces, that’s what it came down to. This is tight hockey. We didn’t expect to come in here and have it be easy. We knew we were in for a tough series. But we believe in our game.” Crosby is a superstitious player. Last year, he refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after the Penguins clinched the Eastern Conference title. This year, he grabbed it out of the hands of NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly and skated for pictures—anything to change

the luck of last year’s disappointing final. Well, whatever pregame ritual Crosby had for Game 1, he needs to scrap it. It didn’t work. Detroit’s first goal came on a fluky bounce off the end boards after a shot from defenseman Brad Stuart. In the second period, the Penguins outshot Detroit 13-11 and finished the game as one of the few visiting playoff teams to enter Joe Louis Arena and outshoot the Red Wings. They also had more quality scoring chances. But the bounces that went Detroit’s way never evened out. At least they haven’t yet. “You do get bounces—some nights you do get them, some nights you don’t,” Pittsburgh forward Bill Guerin said. “They did get a few tonight, that’s part of it. You have to accept that.” Before blaming it all on bad luck, give Detroit credit. Henrik Zetterberg matched up with Crosby and did an outstanding job holding him to two shots on goal. Chris Osgood deserves credit for making big saves when they were needed most. But even Osgood was aided by a little good fortune when a puck landed on his back after he was sprawled in the crease. Zetterberg covered it with his glove, a move Crosby thought should have been called a penalty.

9

Bettman: Balsillie issue about rules, not personal On Saturday afternoon, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman met with the media for his annual state-of-the-union address. Bettman’s meeting came at a time when the onice product is thriving with an attractive matchup in the Stanley Cup finals between Pittsburgh and Detroit. But off-ice issues, including the situation in Phoenix and drug testing, quickly became the focus of the press conference. Earlier this week, a man was arrested for dealing anabolic steroids and mentioned the Washington Capitals as one of the pro teams to which he sold his drugs. It’s a topic Bettman says the league takes seriously. “We are investigating,” he said. “We don’t believe there is a performance-enhancing drug problem in this league. But I acknowledge that our testing program could be more comprehensive.” The case of the Coyotes turned into multiple questions about Jim Balsillie, the Canadian businessman who is trying to purchase the team and move it to Hamilton. “That question and the other one seem to imply that somehow this is personal. It’s not, at least for me,” Bettman said while answering questions about Balsillie. “It’s about league rules and it’s about doing the right thing.”

A Lemieux sighting, too FRANK GUNN / AP

Detroit’s Chris Osgood, left, made some key saves, but he also had some luck—as in the time when the puck landed on his back. After the game, Osgood could laugh about it. “I think it hit my arm and bounced up in the air on top of my back,” he said. “I knew it was there, I’m not that flexible.” Detroit also dominated on faceoffs, winning 71 percent—an

important stat since both teams rely on puck possession and it’s hard to possess the puck if you’re losing faceoffs. But even that number, Detroit coach Mike Babcock said, was slightly skewed. It was just a good night for Detroit centers,

not something he thinks his team will exploit the entire series. “Just a night. I think it goes like that,” Babcock said. “Some nights it goes your way, other nights it doesn’t.” [email protected]

Pittsburgh owner and former Penguins star Mario Lemieux held a rare press conference before the game as well, and it was just slightly less contentious. Lemieux continues to be impressed with the growth and maturity of Sidney Crosby and said Crosby is further along at age 21 than he was. “He’s a lot more mature than I was,” Lemieux said. “He’s a special kid. He’s a better player than I was at the same age, for sure. Some of the stuff he does on the ice—his strength, skating ability, is incredible.” — Craig Custance

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STANLEY CUP FINALS S

GAME 1: DETROIT 3

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

10

Stanley Cup finals

PITTSBURGH 1

Detroit vs. Pittsburgh

Wings’ fortunate bounces fluster Fleury DETROIT—The Detroit Red Wings gave Marc-Andre Fleury flashbacks. And, they weren’t good. Johan Franzen scored the goahead goal late in the second period and Chris Osgood made 31 saves, helping the defending champions beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. Franzen and Brad Stuart had goals that bounced off Fleury, who sat on a shot that trickled in for Detroit’s series-clinching goal last year. Replays of that moment had to haunt Fleury in the series opener. Stuart simply dumped the puck behind Fleury and was rewarded with a fortunate carom that sent the puck off Fleury’s right skate and across the goal line in the first period. “It’s kind of tough,” Fleury said. “Guy shoots and it misses the net, and it comes back pretty quick.” Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby didn’t have such luck when his thirdperiod shot went off Osgood, a post and landed in the middle of the goalie’s back as lay on the ice. “I knew it was there, but I’m not that flexible,” Osgood said. “I was kind of hoping for the best.” Crosby was dumbfounded. “I’ve never seen that before,” he said. The Stanley Cup finals opener was full of reminders about last year. Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were

slowed down and Detroit scored some fortunate goals. “I don’t think there are going to be a whole lot of skill plays,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. Detroit rookie Justin Abdelkader did come up with an impressive play. He scored his first playoff goal by leaping to grab his own rebound, putting the puck on the ice and flipping it past Fleury. “That was huge for us to get that insurance goal,” Lidstrom said. Game 2 is tonight in Detroit. “It’s good,” Pittsburgh’s Maxime Talbot said. “We don’t have to think long about it.” The NHL and its TV partners likely were happy with the first Stanley Cup finals rematch since the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders met again in 1984. The action, especially in the first period, matched the hype. “When you’ve been here before, you know what to expect so you’re ready to start on time,” Babcock said. End-to-end action, big hits such as Crosby’s left shoulder sending Henrik Zetterberg to the ice, scoring opportunities and a 1-1 score had to hold nontraditional viewers giving hockey a chance. The Penguins didn’t need good fortune to tie it. Malkin baited Stuart into trying to clear a puck off the boards and took advantage of the turnover with a slap shot that Osgood couldn’t control, leading to Ruslan Fedoten-

player every night,” Babcock said. “It’s hockey.” Osgood had to make a pair of saves two-thirds of the way through the second, denying Miroslav Satan on a shot just outside of the crease after Malkin set him up beautifully and turning away Crosby’s backhander after a spectacular spin move. Crosby and Malkin are running away with the postseason scoring title with 28 points each, but they know Detroit is different than any team they played in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Franzen’s goal was his team-leading 11th goal of the playoffs and 24th in the postseason since the start of last year’s Stanley Cup run. The Red Wings are shooting to be the first to repeat since they won back-to-back titles in 1997 and ’98, but their opposing coach says they’ve got work to do. “This is a race to four,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. “They’ve got one on us.” — The Associated Press Pittsburgh Detroit PAUL SANCYA / AP

The go-ahead goal by Johan Franzen, top, was one of two that bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury. ko’s backhander off the rebound. Pittsburgh had a breakaway and two power plays in the first half of the second period, and had nothing to show for it. Osgood got part of his glove on

Malkin’s wrist shot on the breakaway, and Detroit’s penalty killers limited the Penguins to two shots on their first power play and none on their second. “The goalie is the most important

1 1

0 1

0 1

— —

1 3

First Period: 1, Detroit, Stuart 2, 13:38. 2, Pittsburgh, Fedotenko 7 (Malkin), 18:37. Penalties: None. Second Period: 3, Detroit, Franzen 11 (Rafalski, Zetterberg), 19:02. Penalties: Lebda, Det (slashing), 4:38; Samuelsson, Det (holding), 7:05; Adams, Pit (hooking), 13:44. Third Period: 4, Detroit, Abdelkader 1 (Leino), 2:46. Penalties: None. Shots on Goal: Pittsburgh 7-13-12: 32. Detroit 11-11-8: 30. Power-play opportunities: Pittsburgh 0 of 2; Detroit 0 of 1. Goalies: Pittsburgh, Fleury 12-6-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Detroit, Osgood 13-4-0 (32-31). A: 20,066 (20,066). T: 2:25. Referees: Paul Devorski, Dennis LaRue. Linesmen: Derek Amell, Pierre Racicot.

(Best-of-7), All times ET (Detroit leads series 1-0) Saturday: Detroit 3,Pittsburgh 1 Today: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8 p.m., NBC Tuesday: Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., Versus Thursday: Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., Versus Saturday, June 6: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8 p.m., if necessary, NBC Tuesday, June 9: Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., if necessary, NBC Friday, June 12: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8 p.m., if necessary, NBC

Betting line FAVORITE ..........LINE UNDERDOG............... LINE at Detroit ................-160 Pittsburgh .....................+140

Odds to win series Detroit ....................-150

Pittsburgh..........+130

NHL calendar June 18—NHL awards show at Las Vegas. June 26-27—NHL draft, Montreal. July 1—Free agency signing period begins. July 5—Deadline for playerelected salary arbitration. July 6—Deadline for clubelected salary arbitration. July 10—Deadline for eligible players to elect Group 5 free agency. July 20-Aug. 4—Salary arbitration hearings held. Aug. 6—Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered.

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STANLEY CUP FINALS S

GAME 1: DETROIT 3

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

PITTSBURGH 1

Icing calls shape Game 1

INSIDE DISH

Burke: Maple Leafs will spend for talent Toronto general manager Brian Burke conceded to the Toronto Star that an opportunity to trade up in the draft might not materialize, but he added that the Maple Leafs will spend this summer to upgrade the team. “We intend to be pushing the cap every year,” Burke told the newspaper. “We want to spend the money intelligently. We’re Big Blue, we’re going to spend to the cap.” One source has indicated that Burke is not as interested in signing Vancouver free-agent Fs Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin as reported, but added that Florida D Jay Bouwmeester is high on his radar. The Maple Leafs reportedly were about $7 million under the cap last year and have enough money to attract high-priced free agents. Burke talked to the Star at a break in the NHL Draft Combine, which was held this week in Toronto. He said any trade tied to the draft probably would be made closer to the June 26-27 event. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Blackhawks aren’t wasting any time in resuming contract talks with Allan Walsh, the agent for potential freeagent F Martin Havlat. The team would like to keep its leading scorer, and Havlat told the newspaper, “I’d love to stay here.” The Blackhawks have the month of June to get Havlat signed before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. G.M. Dale Tallon says, “We want Marty back. We’ll keep working to get it done.”

Tom Hicks, the majority owner of both the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, told The Dallas Morning News he has decided to try to sell a majority stake in the baseball team, but will maintain majority ownership of the Stars. Hicks, whose sports holdings have been struggling financially, said that lack of success in trying to sell a minority piece of the Rangers has prompted him to broaden the pool of investors by offering to sell majority control of the team. Hicks also said the jury still is out on how the Stars will approach the NHL’s salary cap. “Teams won’t act like that cap is a magnet anymore,” Hicks told the paper. “That just doesn’t work.” Look for the Stars to be closer to the cap’s basement than ceiling.

WILFREDO LEE / AP

With their extra cap room, the Maple Leafs may go after Panthers D Jay Bouwmeester, right. “We’ll see how it goes,” Havlat told the paper. “We didn’t talk during the playoffs. That wouldn’t have been the

11

right thing to do. We’re got a month to agree to everything, so hopefully it’s going to work out.”

The Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard reports that Mike Danton, the former NHL player who was imprisoned in a murder-for-hire plot targeting his Ontario-based agent, has been transferred to minimum-security Pittsburgh Institution in Kingston—a significant step toward gaining his freedom. The newspaper said Danton was moved to Pittsburgh after his case was reviewed at the federal assessment unit. Danton was transferred to Canada on March 19 to complete his sentence after he had served a little more than four years in prison in the United States. Danton, a member of the St. Louis Blues at the time, pleaded guilty to offering a hitman $10,000 to kill David Frost, his former junior coach, mentor and agent, in November 2004. He was sentenced to 7½ years in prison.

DETROIT—Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux were both in the building when the Stanley Cup finals opener changed in a way it couldn’t have during their Hall of Fame careers. With Detroit and Pittsburgh tied 1-1 late in the second period, the visiting Penguins cleared the puck down the ice for a routine icing call. Only now, in this post-lockout NHL, icing can be devastating. Not only does the faceoff come back in the offending team’s end, but that club must keep its players—who are often tired—on the ice. The rule, put into play to create offense, is only four years old. And it worked just as it was supposed to. The Penguins were caught with a drained top line in their own zone, unable to clear the puck and eventually keep it out of their net. That goal put Detroit back in front and sent them on the way to a 3-1 victory. “We had an opportunity to get it out a couple of times at that point,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “We didn’t, and they got a bounce. That’s what it came down to.” Sensing the game was on the line, even with more than a period left, rookie Penguins coach Dan Bylsma tried to help out the tired forward trio of Crosby, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz and defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi. He used his lone timeout. “We were out for a long shift,” Bylsma said. “We had not only our forwards, but our D especially. We’re tired in that situation. At times you need that timeout to give your guys an extra breath—you know, 20 seconds, 30 seconds to regather themselves and get ready. And they get fresh guys on the ice, as well, so you have to deal with that situation. “It was a timeout I felt we needed to take, and we’d do it again.” Just 16 seconds later, those exhausted Penguins were still on the ice when Johan Franzen banked in a goal off goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, restoring Detroit’s lead. “He did the right thing,” Crosby said of Bylsma’s timeout. “Our set of forwards was probably not out there quite as long as our D. Those two guys were out there for a long time. I think the breather was something we needed.” But Detroit still scored, the crowd roared and momentum shifted. The Red Wings were on their way to victory. — The Associated Press

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INSIDE DISH

THE LAUNCHING PAD

Torre not sure how much longer he wants to manage Joe Torre is enjoying life with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That doesn’t mean he plans to manage much longer. The 68-year-old manager is in the second season of a three-year contract with the Dodgers. “I’ve got another year, but beyond that I’m not sure,” Torre told The Associated Press. “Well, next year is always in question. You hope you still continue to feel as energized as you do now.” After several rounds of auditions, Lou Piniella has settled on 3B Mike Fontenot as the Cubs’ short-term replacement for Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs have tried out Fontenot, Bobby Scales and Ryan Freel at the hot corner since losing Ramirez to a dislocated left shoulder on May 8. Fontenot, who came up as a second baseman, hadn’t played any third until this year. “Fontenot is honestly our best option there,” Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times. “When we get Aaron Miles back (from the disabled list) it will help the situation too. But we feel very comfortable with Fontenot at third, and we can use Scales and (Andres) Blanco at second.” The Cubs don’t expect Ramirez back until the All-Star break but the prognosis is better for P Rich Harden. Piniella said Harden will be back in the rotation on the team’s next road trip, which begins Tuesday in Atlanta. Yankees P Andy Pettitte’s strained lower back likely won’t cost him a start, manager Joe Girardi said Saturday. Pettitte, who was taken out of Friday’s game against Cleveland in the sixth inning, is still

12

What to expect in the major leagues today

Lester is lagging Last May, Jon Lester threw a no-hitter against the Royals and used that amazing outing to build a season’s worth of momentum. The lefthander was 16-6 in 2008 and reached near-ace status. This season, things just haven’t been the same. Lester (3-5, 6.07 ERA) has allowed at least five earned runs in six of his 10 starts, after doing so only four times all of last season. Good news: He will face the slumping Blue Jays tonight, and he shut them down over 6 1/3 strong innings a little over a week ago. Bad news: This game is at Toronto, and Lester has a 7.04 ERA on the road.

a go for his next start, Wednesday against Texas. “He’s still on target,” Girardi told The Associated Press. “The progress he made overnight makes me feel good.” If Pettitte’s condition worsens, Girardi said there’s a chance P ChienMing Wang would get the nod. Wang was taken out of the rotation—and put on the D.L.—after going 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA in his first three starts.

Farewell, fish If it seems like the Mets and Marlins always are playing each other, that’s because ... well, they have played each other eight times already. After their ninth meeting today, New York and Florida won’t meet again until late August (when they will play each other nine more times in a one-month span). The resilient Mets, who continue to battle injuries, will hit the road for seven games after this series finale and will play 13 of their next 16 away from Citi Field.

So much for Oliver Perez being back in the Mets’ rotation anytime soon. An MRI on Saturday showed patellar tendinitis in his right knee, causing the team’s high-priced offseason acquisition to miss his scheduled start today in Class AAA Buffalo. Instead, after just one rehab start, Perez is headed to Port St. Lucie, Fla., for more rehab. “He’s not shut down, but that being said, we have to make sure that the knee is all OK to the satisfaction of the doctors,” Mets G.M. Omar Minaya told The New York Times. Perez, who has been on the D.L. since May 7, was 0-2 with a 9.97 ERA in five starts with the Mets.

Pavano power At 5-4, Indians righthander Carl Pavano has been a huge surprise, especially considering his disastrous first start this season (nine earned runs allowed in one inning). With a win today against New York, Pavano would have six wins in the month of May. In his entire Yankees career (2005-08), Pavano won nine games. Making matters worse, New York paid him $39.95 million for those nine wins, while Cleveland signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million deal before this season. When he faced the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in April, Pavano allowed just one earned run in six innings in a no-decision.

— Chris Bahr

KATHY WILLENS / AP

Despite leaving Friday’s game with a stiff back, Andy Pettitte is likely to make his next start. “Stress-related issues” will sideline the N.L.’s second-leading hitter for at least two weeks. That’s all the details the Reds would provide about Saturday’s announcement that 1B Joey Votto was headed to the 15-day disabled list. “He’s dealing with a personal issue,” manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com. “He wants us to respect his privacy about that.” Struggling Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal is beginning to feel more

comfortable at the plate, thanks to some one-on-one time with Don Mattingly. The former Yankees star, L.A.’s hitting coach, told The Los Angeles Times he is trying to slow down Furcal’s approach at the plate. “Everything he does is high tempo,” Mattingly told the Times. “I don’t want to take anything from him because he’s a high-energy guy. But when you’re moving fast, you don’t see the ball too well.”

The Royals could get their closer back as soon as today after Joakim Soria’s second encouraging throwing session. A right rotator cuff strain has kept Soria out of major league action since May 7, but Royals manager Trey Hillman got a positive review of Soria’s workout Saturday in Surprise, Ariz. “Good report,” Hillman told MLB. com. “He had 23 pitches, commanded and controlled the ball. No pain. Seven outs. Velocity was 88 to 91 (mph).”

CHARLES KRUPA / AP

Jon Lester has allowed at least five earned runs in six of his 10 starts.

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

13

Q&A with ... Nationals RF Adam Dunn

‘I think sometimes I am too patient at the plate’ Signed to a two-year, $20 million deal this past offseason, Dunn is paying immediate dividends for Washington. Hitting behind third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in the cleanup spot, Dunn already has more home runs than any Nationals player had in 2008 and once again is on pace for 100-plus RBIs. One of Major League Baseball’s most prolific (and sometimes overlooked) sluggers, Dunn’s power numbers in the past six seasons rank among the best in the majors. But he is almost as well known for his patience at the plate, which annually places him among MLB’s walk and strikeout leaders. Sporting News Today’s Bill Eichenberger recently caught up with Dunn to chat about his patience, his outlook for the Nationals and his durability.

has been a common thread throughout your career. Have you always had great patience at the plate? I’ve always walked a lot and seen a lot of pitches. It’s just a part of my game.

Q:

A:

After your abbreviated stay in Arizona at the end of last season—following the trade from Cincinnati—are you satisfied that your career with the Nationals is off to a good start? I usually don’t start off very well. So especially being on a new team, you want to come in and start off well. And fortunately I’ve been able to do that.

A:

Q:

What has it been like hitting behind Ryan Zimmerman? Do you marvel at his consistency? He’s on base every game, so that’s a plus. Our guys at the top of the lineup, we have guys on base all the time anyway. This is a very deep lineup. It’s a fun lineup to be in.

A:

PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP

Adam Dunn (44), who has hit 40 or more home runs in a season five times, is on pace for a career-high 54 this season with the Nationals.

Q:

You are among the major league leaders in walks again this season. That

A:

Q:

What about the strikeouts, the other part of your game that has been maddeningly consistent as well? Is there anything about your approach at the plate that makes you particularly vulnerable to striking out? I think sometimes I am too patient at the plate. I’ve tried to change it and I can’t. So it’s kind of what I am.

Q:

So you’re saying that a pitch has to be where you want it before you’ll swing? No, not exactly. I have an idea how a team or a pitcher is going to pitch me. And I like to not be overly aggressive and swing at a pitch that I normally wouldn’t swing at early in the count. And sometimes that puts me in a hole.

A:

Q:

Consistency is clearly your strength, whether it is being the only major leaguer to hit at least 40 home runs in each of the past five seasons, or just being available to play every day. You missed a total of 19 games from 2004-08. Is that something you emphasize?

A:

I enjoy playing. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be healthy enough to do it. I get paid to play. That’s what I like to do.

Q:

Has it been hard to keep your morale up as this team has struggled so much to win games? That’s very tough. You always think you can do more to help the team win. And if that’s what we have to, then that’s what we have to do. Individual stats are great, but they don’t win ballgames. And that’s the goal.

A:

Q: A:

Is there a light at the end of tunnel for this team and franchise? I think so absolutely, 100 percent. I think if you ask anybody around in baseball, they will tell you the same thing. I think we are few players away from not just being mediocre, let’s skip that, and go straight to being very good. I really believe that we are a couple players away from that.

Q:

Do the fans of the Nationals share your optimism about the direction this franchise is headed? They’ve been good, but it’s tough again because we are not playing as well as we need to be playing. It’s kind of tough, I would imagine, for the fans to rally around us right now. But again, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re going to get a lot better really quick.

A:

SPORTING NEWS TODAY

Baseball

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

LEAGUE LEADERS

Fantasy Focus Pitcher Rankings

Batting Average A.L.

Player Bartlett MiCabrera VMartinez AdJones Morneau ISuzuki AHill

Player Beltran Tejada Pence NJohnson Hudson DWright Two tied

.373 .355 .350 .350 .344 .342 .338

American League Standings

Home Runs

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Detroit Cleveland Baltimore Minnesota Seattle Toronto

A.L.

Team New York Houston Houston Washington Los Angeles New York

.352 .347 .343 .337 .335 .335 .333

Player CPena Teixeira Bay NCruz Morneau Three tied

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay New York Boston Texas Minnesota

Player AdGonzalez Ibanez Dunn Pujols Bruce Howard Reynolds

16 15 14 14 14 13

Team San Diego Philadelphia Washington St. Louis Cincinnati Philadelphia Arizona

19 17 16 16 14 14 13

MARK AVERY / AP

Tim Wakefield’s knuckler hasn’t worked lately. Tigers’ SPs Rick Porcello (5-0, 1.50/1.07) and Armando Galarraga (0-5, 8.49/1.82) have been polar opposites this May. And that’s why they’re two of the biggest movers in our pitcher rankings this week.

Risers SP Rick Porcello, Tigers. Porcello gets two chances this week to continue his hot streak (vs. BOS, vs. LAA). SP Josh Outman, A’s. Outman’s performance in May shouldn’t be ignored, either: 2.45/1.04, 7.1 K/9 ratio. RP Huston Street, Rockies. Street hasn’t allowed a run since April 24, and he’s converted his last seven save chances.

Runs A.L.

Player BRoberts Scutaro Crawford AdJones Morneau Five tied

43 42 40 40 40 38

A.L.

Team St. Louis Philadelphia Washington Los Angeles San Diego Chicago

41 39 39 37 36 36 34

Player Crawford Ellsbury Figgins Abreu BUpton Bartlett Two tied

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Los Angeles Los Angeles Tampa Bay Tampa Bay

RBIs Player Longoria Bay Morneau TorHunter Markakis CPena Teixeira

Player Fielder Ibanez Dunn Pujols Hawpe Howard Two tied

55 48 46 40 40 40 40

Tim Wakefield, Red Sox. The knuckler isn’t knuckling for Wakefield lately (16 hits, eight walks, 11 runs in last two starts). SP Armando Galarraga, Tigers. Horrible May has made owners forget about stellar April (1.85/1.23). RP Matt Lindstrom, Marlins. Lindstrom has allowed at least three baserunners in four of his past five appearances. — Matt Lutovsky

Player AHill Crawford VMartinez Morneau MiCabrera Cano Longoria

A.L.

Team Milwaukee Philadelphia Washington St. Louis Colorado Philadelphia

48 46 42 42 39 39 37

77 69 69 66 65 65 65

Player Palmer Halladay Greinke Slowey Buehrle Penny Pettitte

N.L.

Team Los Angeles Toronto Kansas City Minnesota Chicago Boston New York

5-0 8-1 8-1 7-1 6-1 5-1 5-1

Player Longoria MYoung Byrd Callaspo Lind Markakis BRoberts

Player Hudson Tejada Zimmerman FSanchez Beltran Ibanez Victorino

A.L.

Team Los Angeles Houston Washington Pittsburgh New York Philadelphia Philadelphia

69 67 66 64 62 61 60

20 19 17 17 16 16 16

Team Los Angeles San Francisco Washington San Francisco New York New York Florida

5-0 6-1 5-1 4-1 4-1 4-1 4-1

1.000 .857 .833 .800 .800 .800 .800

Player Verlander Greinke FHernandez Halladay Lester Garza Beckett

Team Detroit Kansas City Seattle Toronto Boston Tampa Bay Boston

Player Tejada FSanchez Hudson Kotchman Beltran FLopez HaRamirez

Player JVazquez JSantana Peavy Lincecum Billingsley Haren JoJohnson

90 81 72 68 62 60 59

A.L.

Team Houston Pittsburgh Los Angeles Atlanta New York Arizona Florida

19 18 16 16 15 15 15

Player Papelbon Fuentes FFrancisco Jenks MaRivera Sherrill Rodney

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

86 86 84 84 76 71 64

N.L.

Team Boston Los Angeles Texas Chicago New York Baltimore Detroit

13 13 11 11 10 10 9

Player Bell Cordero FrRodriguez Qualls Franklin Hoffman Three tied

East New York Boston Toronto Tampa Bay Baltimore

W 29 28 29 25 23

L 20 22 23 27 27

Pct .592 .560 .558 .481 .460

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

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

Home 14-9 17-6 18-6 13-10 16-12

Away 15-11 11-16 11-17 12-17 7-15

Central Detroit Chicago Minnesota Kansas City Cleveland

W 27 23 24 23 21

L 21 25 27 26 30

Pct .563 .479 .471 .469 .412

GB WCGB L10 — — 5-5 4 4 7-3 4½ 4½ 6-4 4½ 4½ 2-8 7½ 7½ 6-4

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

Home 15-7 12-10 19-11 15-14 11-13

Away 12-14 11-15 5-16 8-12 10-17

West Texas Los Angeles Seattle Oakland

W 30 24 24 18

L 19 24 26 29

Pct .612 .500 .480 .383

GB WCGB L10 — — 7-3 5½ 3 4-6 6½ 4 6-4 11 8½ 3-7

Str W-3 L-2 W-3 L-4

Home 18-8 13-12 12-12 11-13

Away 12-11 11-12 12-14 7-16

National League Standings East Philadelphia New York Atlanta Florida Washington

W 27 27 24 23 13

L 20 21 25 27 35

Pct GB WCGB L10 .574 — — 6-4 .563 ½ 1½ 6-4 .490 4 5 4-6 .460 5½ 6½ 4-6 .271 14½ 15½ 2-8

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

Home 11-14 16-9 11-12 9-14 7-16

Away 16-6 11-12 13-13 14-13 6-19

Central Milwaukee St. Louis Cincinnati Chicago Pittsburgh Houston

W 29 29 26 25 22 19

L 20 20 22 23 27 28

Pct .592 .592 .542 .521 .449 .404

GB WCGB L10 — — 4-6 — — 7-3 2½ 2½ 6-4 3½ 3½ 4-6 7 7 4-6 9 9 2-8

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

Home 15-9 17-9 13-12 16-9 12-10 9-15

Away 14-11 12-11 13-10 9-14 10-17 10-13

West W Los Angeles 34 San Francisco 24 San Diego 24 Arizona 22 Colorado 20 z-first game was a win

L 17 24 25 28 28

Pct GB WCGB L10 .667 — — 6-4 .500 8½ 4½ 5-5 .490 9 5 7-3 .440 11½ 7½ 6-4 .417 12½ 8½ 5-5

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

Home 18-5 17-9 17-6 12-18 9-13

Away 16-12 7-15 7-19 10-10 11-15

Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)

N.L.

Saves

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Texas Texas Kansas City Toronto Baltimore Baltimore

Player Broxton Cain Martis Lincecum Pelfrey LiHernandez JoJohnson

1.000 .889 .889 .875 .857 .833 .833

Doubles A.L.

16 12 11 11 11 11 11

Strikeouts N.L.

Team Toronto Tampa Bay Cleveland Minnesota Detroit New York Tampa Bay

Team Houston Cincinnati San Francisco Colorado Los Angeles New York New York

Pitching (5 decisions) N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Minnesota Los Angeles Baltimore Tampa Bay New York

Player Bourn Taveras Burriss Fowler Kemp JosReyes DWright

30 21 19 15 15 14 11

HIts A.L.

For more great fantasy advice, visit: sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball

Player Pujols Ibanez Zimmerman Hudson AdGonzalez ASoriano Three tied

A.L.

Fallers

MORE COVERAGE

Stolen Bases N.L.

Team Baltimore Toronto Tampa Bay Baltimore Minnesota

14

Team San Diego Cincinnati New York Arizona St. Louis Milwaukee

14 13 13 12 12 12 11

American League N.Y. Yankees (Hughes 3-2) at Cleveland (Pavano 5-4), 12:40 p.m. Boston (Lester 3-5) at Toronto (Romero 2-1), 1:07 p.m. Detroit (E.Jackson 4-3) at Baltimore (Berken 1-0), 1:35 p.m. Minnesota (Blackburn 4-2) at Tampa Bay (Garza 4-3), 1:38 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Danks 4-3) at Kansas City (Greinke 8-1), 2:10 p.m. Oakland (Braden 4-5) at Texas (Millwood 4-4), 3:05 p.m. Seattle (Olson 0-1) at L.A. Angels (E.Santana 0-2), 3:35 p.m.

The Line NY -115 at Cle +105 Bos -120 at Tor +110 at Bal -115 Det +105 at TB -155 Min +145 at KC -160 Chi +150 at Tex -150 Oak +140 at LA -180 Sea +170

National League Florida (Volstad 4-3) at N.Y. Mets (Maine 4-3), 1:10 p.m. Houston (Hampton 2-4) at Pittsburgh (Maholm 3-1), 1:35 p.m. Washington (Lannan 2-4) at Philadelphia (Moyer 3-5), 1:35 p.m. Cincinnati (Owings 3-5) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 4-2), 2:05 p.m. San Diego (Gaudin 1-3) at Colorado (De La Rosa 0-5), 3:10 p.m. St. Louis (Wainwright 5-2) at San Francisco (J.Sanchez 2-4), 4:05 p.m. Atlanta (Medlen 0-2) at Arizona (Scherzer 2-3), 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Milton 1-0) at Chicago Cubs (Marshall 3-3), 8:05 p.m

The Line at NY -150 Flo +140 at Pit -125 Hou +115 at Phi -155 Was +145 at Mil -200 Cin +185 at Col -155 SD +145 SL -145 at SF +135 at Ari -175 Atl +165 at Chi -135 LA +125

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15

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

AMERICAN LEAGUE N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5

Toronto 5, Boston 3

Sabathia makes triumphant return to Cleveland

Sox struggling away from Fenway

CLEVELAND—CC Sabathia knew he had a no-hitter going in his return to Cleveland—at least for a little while. Sabathia didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning, and the surging New York Yankees got homers from Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher in a 10-5 victory over the Indians on Saturday night. The big lefty worked seven strong innings to beat his former team for the first time since signing a $161 million, seven-year contract with New York as a free agent in December. “Early on, you got the feeling this could be a special night for CC in his return,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He had good stuff and was throwing strikes.” Sabathia, who is 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last five starts, knew the situation. “Any pitcher who tells you they don’t know is lying,” Sabathia said. “But I don’t know what no-hit stuff feels like. I just know I felt comfortable being back on the mound here. I wasn’t nervous.” Sabathia (5-3) allowed three runs, five hits and three walks, striking out eight. And he wasn’t surprised by the fans’ reaction to his effort. He was neither loudly jeered nor cheered—unlike Thursday night at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff game when basketball fans booed him soundly. “These are baseball fans here and they know how much I cared for their team,” Sabathia said. “They know how I tried to play for them. There were a lot of Yankees fans here, too.” Robinson Cano drove in three runs, while Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon had two RBIs apiece as the Yankees opened a 1½-game lead in the A.L. East over Bos-

Yankees 10, Indians 5 New York AB R Jeter ss 5 0 Damon lf 5 1 Teixeira 1b 5 2 A.Rodriguez 3b 3 0 R.Pena 3b 0 0 Cano 2b 5 1 Posada c 5 1 H.Matsui dh 5 1 1-Berroa pr-dh 0 0 Swisher rf 4 2 Gardner cf 3 2 Totals 40 10

H BI 2 2 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 1 1 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 13 10

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

SO 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 5

Avg. .302 .296 .276 .260 .246 .320 .318 .262 .167 .227 .271

Cleveland A.Cabrera ss Sizemore dh V.Martinez c Shoppach c Jh.Peralta 3b Choo rf DeRosa lf Garko 1b B.Francisco cf J.Carroll 2b Totals

H 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 7

BB 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3

SO 3 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 10

Avg. .315 .223 .350 .221 .257 .299 .268 .263 .267 .290

New York Cleveland

AB 5 4 1 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 32

R 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 5

BI 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 5

020 501 002 — 10 13 0 000 021 002 — 5 7 2

1-ran for H.Matsui in the 9th. E: Choo (4), Garko (2). LOB: New York 7, Cleveland 5. 2B: Teixeira (11), H.Matsui 2 (11), B.Francisco (11). HR: Posada (6), off Carmona; Swisher (10), off Carmona; Sizemore (9), off Sabathia; Choo (7), off Veras. RBIs: Jeter 2 (25), Damon 2 (31), Cano 3 (31), Posada (21), H.Matsui (19), Swisher (29), Sizemore (31), Choo (30), Garko (23), B.Francisco (20), J.Carroll (2). Runners left in scoring position: New York 3 (Cano, A.Rodriguez, Swisher); Cleveland 3 (A.Cabrera 3). DP: New York 2 (A.Rodriguez, Cano, Teixeira), (Cano, Jeter, Teixeira).

TONY DEJAK / AP

CC Sabathia didn’t hear many boos—or cheers—from his former home crowd. ton with their 14th win in 17 games. “It starts with pitching,” Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. “CC had phenomenal stuff. His velocity was up to 98 (mph) with a good changeup. But everybody is contributing. We’re 25 men deep.” New York also played its 16th straight errorless game, one short of the major

league record set by the Red Sox in June 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “It’s great to have defense like that behind you,” Sabathia said. “Even after I left, A-Rod made a play on a ball that I thought was foul and turned it into an out.” — The Associated Press

New York Sabathia W, 5-3 D.Robertson Veras Cleveland Carmona L, 2-5 Ohka

IP 7 1 1 IP 4 5

H 5 0 2 H 8 5

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 3 8 113 3.46 0 0 0 1 14 2.45 2 2 0 1 23 6.97 R ER BB SO NP ERA 7 4 3 2 81 6.60 3 3 1 3 74 5.40

HBP: by Sabathia (Garko), by Veras (DeRosa). WP: Sabathia. Umpires: Home, Bob Davidson; First, Jeff Nelson; Second, Mark Carlson; Third, Tim Tschida. T: 3:16. A: 34,396 (45,199).

TORONTO—When there’s no Green Monster to aim at, the Boston Red Sox don’t seem to have the same offensive punch. Alex Rios had four hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, leading Brian Tallet and the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-3 victory over the slumping Red Sox. Boston has dropped four of five, all away from home, and scored just 13 runs during that span. The Red Sox are 17-6 at Fenway Park, where they average 6.3 runs per game. On the road, however, Boston is 11-16 and averages 4.2 runs. “The players we have, not everybody but a lot of them, are suited for Fenway,” manager Terry Francona said. “There’s guys on our club who know they can reach out and hook something and hit it off that wall. Some of these road games, you can go out and hook it and fly out. There’s a difference. It’s been something we’ve been trying to figure out for a while. Our home and road, there’s a lot of disparity. I would like, hopefully, to figure it out by (today).” Batting sixth for the fifth straight game, David Ortiz went 0-for-4 and struck out twice, dropping his average to .185. Toronto won its second straight after a nine-game losing streak and has now won six consecutive games at home, where it is 18-6 overall. — The Associated Press

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 3 Boston AB R Ellsbury cf 4 0 Pedroia 2b 1 1 Youkilis 1b 4 0 Bay lf 3 0 Lowell 3b 4 0 D.Ortiz dh 4 0 Varitek c 3 1 Baldelli rf 2 1 J.Drew rf 2 0 N.Green ss 3 0 Totals 30 3

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

BI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3

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

SO 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 7

Avg. .299 .328 .362 .282 .306 .185 .243 .244 .248 .300

Toronto Scutaro ss A.Hill 2b Rios rf V.Wells cf Lind dh Bautista 3b Overbay 1b R.Chavez c 1-Jo.McDonald pr Barajas c Inglett lf Totals

H 3 1 4 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 14

BI 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

BB 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

SO 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 5

Avg. .301 .338 .276 .270 .289 .275 .274 .250 .222 .293 .100

Boston Toronto

AB 5 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 0 1 4 37

R 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

120 000 000 — 101 001 20x —

3 4 1 5 14 0

1-ran for R.Chavez in the 6th. E: Baldelli (2). LOB: Boston 5, Toronto 9. 2B: N.Green (9), Rios 2 (14), V.Wells (14), Overbay (12). HR: Baldelli (2), off Tallet; Lind (8), off Penny. RBIs: Lowell (34), Baldelli 2 (6), Rios 2 (24), V.Wells (24), Lind 2 (38). SB: Pedroia (8). CS: Pedroia (4), Scutaro (3). Runners left in scoring position: Boston 3 (D.Ortiz, Youkilis, Ellsbury); Toronto 3 (Scutaro, V.Wells, Overbay). Boston Penny R.Ramirez L, 4-2 Okajima Delcarmen Toronto Tallet W, 3-3 League H, 3 Downs S, 7-8

IP 6 2⁄3 1 1⁄3 IP 7 1 1

H 10 3 1 0 H 3 0 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 2 0 5 102 5.63 2 2 1 0 22 1.44 0 0 0 0 11 2.45 0 0 0 0 2 1.23 R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 4 6 117 4.26 0 0 0 1 11 3.97 0 0 0 0 9 2.35

Inherited runners-scored: Okajima 2-0, Delcarmen 1-0. IBB: off R.Ramirez (Lind). HBP: by Tallet (Pedroia). WP: R.Ramirez. Umpires: Home, Tim McClelland; First, Andy Fletcher; Second, Scott Barry; Third, Ted Barrett. T: 2:53. A: 35,484 (49,539).

SPORTING NEWS TODAY

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Baseball

16

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

AMERICAN LEAGUE Detroit 6, Baltimore 3

Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 2

Thomas pulls off rare feat, tops Scott BALTIMORE—On a night in which Baltimore’s Luke Scott extended his homerun hitting streak to four games, the Detroit Tigers benefited from an unexpected power surge of their own. Clete Thomas hit two solo home runs, and Detroit provided Justin Verlander with his sixth straight win by pulling away to a 6-3 victory Saturday night. Thomas, who came in with two homers in 191 career at-bats, connected in the third and seventh innings. The second drive, off Matt Albers (0-2), put Detroit up 4-3. Selected by the Tigers in the sixth round of the 2005 amateur draft, Thomas played three seasons in the minor leagues before jockeying between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit last season. He couldn’t remember ever hitting two homers in one game. “I don’t think I’ve ever done it in professional ball,” he said. “It’s there. It’s just a matter of getting it to show up. It showed up tonight.” Thomas added an RBI double in the eighth. Curtis Granderson also homered for the Tigers, and Magglio Ordonez had three hits. The defeat ended Baltimore’s fivegame winning streak. The Orioles trailed 3-1 in the sixth before Scott hit his sixth home run in four games, a two-run drive that traveled an estimated 420 feet. The shot came on a 3-2 pitch from Verlander after he fouled off several tough pitches. “The pitch I hit was a fastball, right down the middle,” Scott said. “It was probably the only mistake pitch I had all night.” But Thomas quickly put Detroit back in front with his third homer of the season.

Tigers 6, Orioles 3 Detroit AB Thomas rf 5 Polanco 2b 5 Ordonez dh 5 Mi.Cabrera 1b 4 Granderson cf 5 Inge 3b 4 Raburn lf 4 Everett ss 2 Sardinha c 3 a-Laird ph-c 1 Totals 38

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

H 3 0 3 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 12

BI 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 6

BB 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

SO 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 2 0 10

Avg. .288 .255 .285 .355 .258 .268 .267 .283 .083 .230

Baltimore B.Roberts 2b Ad.Jones cf Markakis rf A.Huff 1b Mora 3b Scott dh Wieters c Reimold lf C.Izturis ss Totals

R 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3

H 1 0 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 11

BI 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3

BB 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

SO 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 7

Avg. .305 .350 .299 .272 .279 .333 .250 .267 .262

Detroit Baltimore

AB 4 5 5 4 3 4 4 4 4 37

011 100 120 — 000 012 000 —

6 12 0 3 11 1

a-reached on error for Sardinha in the 8th. E: C.Izturis (5). LOB: Detroit 8, Baltimore 9. 2B: Thomas (4), Ordonez (7), Inge (6), Markakis 2 (16), Wieters (1). 3B: Wieters (1). HR: Granderson (12), off Guthrie; Thomas (2), off Guthrie; Thomas (3), off Albers; Scott (11), off Verlander. RBIs: Thomas 3 (12), Granderson (29), Raburn (12), Laird (14), Scott 2 (29), Reimold (11). CS: Raburn (1). S: Everett. Runners left in scoring position: Detroit 4 (Thomas 2, Inge, Polanco); Baltimore 8 (Wieters, Scott, Markakis 3, C.Izturis, Mora 2). DP: Detroit 1 (Verlander, Sardinha, Mi.Cabrera).

GAIL BURTON / AP

Detroit’s Clete Thomas, right, is congratulated by third base coach Gene Lamont after hitting his second homer. “Luke Scott is amazing,” Thomas said. “He ties it up and I end up hitting another one to give Justin the win. That made it even more special.” Said Verlander: “I just gave him a big hard high five. Obviously that was the pivotal point in the game.” Since returning from the disabled list Wednesday, Scott has gone 8-for-15 with 14 RBIs. He has five homers in his last three games, all against Detroit. “I won’t be pitching to him with an open base (today),” Tigers manager Jim

Leyland said. “He’s really in a groove.” Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters had a triple and a double after going 0-for-4 in his much-anticipated major league debut Friday. He also scored his first run. Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings. The righthander matched his career high with 10 strikeouts, becoming the first Oriole to reach double figures since Erik Bedard against Texas on Aug. 21, 2007. — The Associated Press

Detroit Verlander W, 6-2 Perry H, 5 Seay H, 10 Zumaya H, 3 Rodney S, 9-9 Baltimore Guthrie Albers L, 0-2 Walker Bass

IP 6 1⁄3 1⁄3 1 1⁄3 1 IP 6 1 1⁄3 1⁄3 1 1⁄3

H 9 0 1 0 1 H 7 4 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 1 5 112 3.63 0 0 1 0 9 2.66 0 0 0 0 4 5.52 0 0 0 2 12 2.81 0 0 0 0 12 3.15 R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 1 10 113 4.86 3 2 0 0 33 5.63 0 0 0 0 5 3.97 0 0 0 0 10 4.05

Inherited runners-scored: Seay 1-0, Zumaya 2-0, Walker 2-1, Bass 1-0. HBP: by Guthrie (Everett). WP: Verlander 2. Umpires: Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Sam Holbrook; Second, Adrian Johnson; Third, Larry Vanover. T: 2:55. A: 34,567 (48,290).

Price shines in first victory ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Even before he earned his first regular-season win, David Price knew what it was like to get a standing ovation. That doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy this one, too. Price struck out 11 for his first career victory and Evan Longoria got his 55th RBI of the season to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Saturday. “It was fun out there,” said Price, who tipped his cap to the cheering crowd of 36,052 when he left the game. “Any win you’ve got to look at all the positives. It’s fun to be here. It’s fun to pitch here.” Price (1-0), who started the season at Triple-A Durham and was recalled Monday, gave up one run, five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in his first start at Tropicana Field. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft was the winner out of the bullpen in Game 2 and picked up the Game 7 save in last year’s A.L. championship series against Boston, making the rookie an immediate fan favorite. “David again, great stuff,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “His stuff was dominant.” Longoria had an RBI single during a four-run third for the Rays, who have won two in a row after a season-high five-game skid and Carl Crawford had two RBIs, including a solo homer. — The Associated Press

Rays 5, Twins 2 Minnesota AB Span lf 5 Mauer c 3 Morneau 1b 4 Cuddyer rf 4 Crede 3b 1 Tolbert ss 2 B.Harris ss-3b 3 Delm.Young dh 4 Gomez cf 4 A.Casilla 2b 4 Totals 34

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

H 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 6

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

BB 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3

SO 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 3 2 0 15

Avg. .300 .414 .344 .277 .239 .189 .275 .236 .219 .170

Tampa Bay AB R H BI BB SO B.Upton cf 4 1 1 0 0 2 Crawford lf 4 1 3 2 0 1 Longoria 3b 4 1 1 1 0 1 C.Pena 1b 2 0 0 0 2 1 W.Aybar 2b 3 0 0 0 1 0 Zobrist ss 3 0 1 1 1 0 Dillon dh 4 1 2 1 0 1 Kapler rf 2 0 0 0 1 0 M.Hernandez c 3 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 29 5 9 5 5 6

Avg. .200 .329 .332 .231 .274 .306 .250 .181 .289

Minnesota 001 000 001 — Tampa Bay 004 000 10x —

2 6 0 5 9 1

E: Price (1). LOB: Minnesota 8, Tampa Bay 5. 2B: Mauer (7), B.Harris (7). HR: Dillon (1), off Liriano; Crawford (3), off Dickey. RBIs: Morneau (46), A.Casilla (5), Crawford 2 (25), Longoria (55), Zobrist (26), Dillon (1). CS: Crawford (1). Runners left in scoring position: Minnesota 6 (A.Casilla 2, Crede, Cuddyer, Gomez, Span); Tampa Bay 2 (Dillon 2). DP: Minnesota 3 (Crede, A.Casilla, Morneau), (A.Casilla, Tolbert, Morneau), (Tolbert, A.Casilla, Morneau). Minnesota Liriano L, 2-7 Dickey Tampa Bay Price W, 1-0 Balfour H, 5 Choate S, 2-2

IP 4 4 IP 5 2⁄3 2 2⁄3 2⁄3

H 7 2 H 5 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 3 3 93 6.60 1 1 2 3 49 3.26 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 11 108 3.00 1 1 1 3 35 5.48 0 0 0 1 11 3.00

Inherited runners-scored: Balfour 1-0, Choate 2-1. WP: Liriano 2. Umpires: Home, Jerry Meals; First, James Hoye; Second, Mike DiMuro; Third, Dale Scott. T: 2:54. A: 36,052 (36,973).

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

AMERICAN LEAGUE Texas 14, Oakland 1

Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City 3

McCarthy avoids some early trouble ARLINGTON, TEXAS—The Oakland Athletics had Brandon McCarthy on the ropes in the first inning before the Texas Rangers righthander executed a great escape. McCarthy went on to pitch six strong innings, Hank Blalock and Marlon Byrd hit back-to-back homers, and the Rangers routed the A’s 14-1 on Saturday night. McCarthy (5-2) was coming off his first major league shutout on May 24 against Houston, but he walked the game’s first two batters before Matt Holliday grounded into a double play on a 2-0 pitch. After walking Jason Giambi, McCarthy gave up an RBI double to Kurt Suzuki, then retired Ryan Sweeney to limit the damage. “We had our chances to bust it open,” A’s manager Bob Geren said. McCarthy settled down to retire 12 in a row before giving up a fifth-inning single. He allowed one run and three hits in six innings with two strikeouts and three walks as he matched his career high for victories. “I was all over the place in the first,” said McCarthy, in his second season as a full-time starter. “I couldn’t find what I wanted to do. I was a little out of sorts. But we figured it out. In the second I had better command and went from there. A couple years ago, I don’t know if I get out of that jam.” By working out of trouble, McCarthy earned the confidence of his teammates. “That was big,” said Michael Young. “He settled back down. That’s what pitchers do when they get experience, make the right adjustment. It’s a credit to him that he stayed with it and pitched a real good game.” Texas went in front with a three-run

Rangers 14, Athletics 1 Oakland AB R H O.Cabrera ss 3 1 0 Kennedy 2b 2 0 0 Holliday lf 3 0 0 b-R.Davis ph-cf 1 0 0 Giambi dh 3 0 2 K.Suzuki c 3 0 1 Powell c 1 0 0 R.Sweeney cf-rf 4 0 1 Cunningham rf-lf 4 0 0 Crosby 1b 3 0 0 G.Petit 3b 3 0 1 Totals 30 1 5

SO 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 4

Avg. .236 .377 .264 .146 .219 .286 .186 .250 .059 .204 .261

Texas AB R H BI BB SO Kinsler 2b 3 2 2 4 2 0 M.Young 3b 4 1 3 2 0 0 a-Vizquel ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 Hamilton dh 5 0 1 2 0 1 An.Jones lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 N.Cruz rf 5 2 2 1 0 1 Blalock 1b 4 2 2 1 1 1 Byrd cf 4 3 3 1 1 0 Saltalamacchia c 3 2 1 1 1 2 Andrus ss 5 2 3 2 0 0 Totals 39 14 17 14 5 7

Avg. .281 .332 .333 .234 .284 .299 .252 .299 .256 .289

Oakland Texas

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

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

100 000 000 — 1 5 0 003 340 31x — 14 17 0

a-fouled out for M.Young in the 7th. b-struck out for Holliday in the 8th. LOB: Oakland 6, Texas 7. 2B: K.Suzuki (15), Kinsler (12), M.Young 2 (19), Byrd (17). HR: Blalock (12), off Bre.Anderson; Byrd (4), off Bre.Anderson; N.Cruz (14), off K.Cameron. RBIs: K.Suzuki (17), Kinsler 4 (39), M.Young 2 (21), Hamilton 2 (24), N.Cruz (36), Blalock (27), Byrd (23), Saltalamacchia (21), Andrus 2 (11). SF: Saltalamacchia. Runners left in scoring position: Oakland 3 (R.Sweeney 2, Cunningham); Texas 3 (Hamilton, An.Jones 2). GIDP: Holliday, Cunningham, Hamilton. DP: Oakland 1 (Crosby, O.Cabrera); Texas 2 (Kinsler, Andrus, Blalock), (Andrus, Kinsler, Blalock). TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

The Rangers have won seven of their last nine games and sport the second-best start in club history. third on Young’s run-scoring double and Josh Hamilton’s two-run single. Blalock and Byrd led off the fourth against rookie starter Brett Anderson (2-5) with homers and Young added an RBI double later in the inning to stretch the lead to 6-1. Nelson Cruz’s 445-foot solo blast in a four-run fifth was his seventh homer in his last 11 games, helping the Rangers extend their edge to 10-1. Ian Kinsler had four RBIs, including a two-run double highlighting a three-run seventh to make it 13-1. Byrd, Young and rookie Elvis Andrus

each had three hits for Texas. The Rangers have been winning with pitching and defense, but on Saturday night they got a lift from their 17-hit attack. “Our approach has been a little off, so we’ve made it a point to have better at bats,” Young said. Texas (30-19) has won seven of nine to equal the 1996 team for the second-best start in club history. In 1998, Texas opened at 31-18 for its best start. The Rangers are 20-8 in May, setting a club record for wins in that month. — The Associated Press

Oakland Bre.Anderson L, 2-5 K.Cameron Springer A.Bailey Texas McCarthy W, 5-2 Guardado Madrigal Moscoso

IP 4 2 1 1 IP 6 1 1 1

H 8 4 3 2 H 3 0 0 2

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

NP ERA 83 5.70 35 3.57 45 6.98 13 2.35 NP ERA 87 4.35 14 4.38 17 7.71 13 0.00

Umpires: Home, Mike Everitt; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Brian Gorman; Third, C.B. Bucknor. T: 2:38. A: 45,325 (49,170).

White Sox on the right track KANSAS CITY—The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals are heading off in opposite directions. It’s no mystery why. The White Sox are executing well and doing the little things right. Jim Thome drove in two runs and Scott Podsednik and Alexei Ramirez delivered RBI singles in the ninth, leading Chicago past the staggering Royals 5-3 Saturday night. It was the eighth win in 11 games for Chicago, following a five-game losing skid. For the Royals, it was the 15th setback in 20 games following a six-game winning streak. “We’re doing a lot of good things,” said Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen. “We ran the bases hard, going first to third. That’s the baseball you’ve been watching the last couple of weeks. We’re pushing every time we get on base, we try to get something done.” The Royals in their threeweek skid have been doing most of the little things wrong. “We should have won the game,” said Trey Hillman, the Royals’ disgusted manager. Mark Buehrle went 7 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and seven hits. He struck out six and did not issue a walk for the third straight start. The victory went to Scott Linebrink (2-2), who relieved Buehrle one out after Miguel Olivo had hit his first pitch of the eighth for a home run that tied it 3-all. — The Associated Press

White Sox 5, Royals 3 Chicago AB R Podsednik lf 5 1 Al.Ramirez ss 5 0 Dye rf 3 1 Thome dh 3 0 Konerko 1b 3 1 Pierzynski c 3 0 Bri.Anderson cf 3 0 b-Wise ph-cf 1 0 Getz 2b 2 1 Fields 3b 3 1 Totals 31 5

H 2 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 10

BI 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4

BB 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 5

SO 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 8

Avg. .281 .261 .278 .248 .316 .287 .275 .217 .248 .242

Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Bloomquist rf 4 2 2 0 0 1 Maier cf 4 0 1 2 0 0 Butler 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 J.Guillen dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 Teahen 3b 4 0 2 0 0 1 Callaspo 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 c-Jacobs ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 DeJesus lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 J.Buck c 0 0 0 0 0 0 a-Olivo ph-c 3 1 1 1 0 1 Lu.Hernandez ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 33 3 8 3 0 8

Avg. .297 .289 .287 .272 .286 .307 .248 .234 .226 .229 .200

Chicago 000 100 112 — Kansas City 101 000 010 —

5 10 0 3 8 1

a-popped out for J.Buck in the 3rd. b-struck out for Bri. Anderson in the 9th. c-struck out for Callaspo in the 9th. E: J.Buck (5). LOB: Chicago 6, Kansas City 3. 2B: Fields (5). 3B: Dye (1), Bloomquist (3), Maier (2). HR: Olivo (4), off Buehrle. RBIs: Podsednik (7), Thome 2 (28), Getz (8), Maier 2 (5), Olivo (14). SB: Getz (5). CS: Al.Ramirez (2). SF: Thome, Getz. Runners left in scoring position: Chicago 5 (Al.Ramirez, Podsednik, Fields, Pierzynski 2); Kansas City 1 (Butler). DP: Chicago 2 (Fields, Getz, Konerko), (Fields, Getz, Konerko); Kansas City 2 (Callaspo, Lu.Hernandez, Butler), (Callaspo, Lu.Hernandez, Butler). Chicago Buehrle Linebrink W, 2-2 Jenks S, 11-12 Kansas City Meche Bale J.Cruz L, 3-1

IP 7 1⁄3 2⁄3 1 IP 7 1 1

H 7 0 1 H 5 2 3

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 0 6 95 2.71 0 0 0 1 6 2.04 0 0 0 1 20 3.18 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 2 7 103 4.33 1 1 2 0 17 2.70 2 2 1 1 19 3.68

IBB: off Bale (Konerko). WP: Meche. Umpires: Home, Chad Fairchild; First, Paul Nauert; Second, Paul Schrieber; Third, Ed Rapuano. T: 2:29. A: 37,894 (38,177).

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Disabled List Through May 28

Seattle 4, L.A. Angels 3, 10 innings

Lopez’s homer helps spark late-game rally Mariners 4, Angels 3, 10 innings Seattle AB R H BI BB I.Suzuki rf 4 0 1 0 1 Y.Betancourt ss 3 0 0 1 0 Beltre 3b 4 1 3 0 0 Griffey Jr. dh 5 0 0 0 0 Branyan 1b 4 1 2 0 0 Jo.Lopez 2b 4 1 1 3 0 Ro.Johnson c 4 0 0 0 0 En.Chavez lf 2 0 1 0 0 a-Balentien ph-lf 2 1 1 0 0 F.Gutierrez cf 3 0 0 0 0 Totals 35 4 9 4 1

SO 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 5

Avg. .342 .255 .227 .205 .321 .219 .193 .285 .240 .267

Los Angeles Figgins 3b Abreu rf Guerrero dh 1-Kendrick pr Tor.Hunter cf K.Morales 1b M.Izturis 2b Matthews Jr. lf E.Aybar ss Mathis c Totals

SO 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 6

Avg. .292 .292 .226 .229 .314 .279 .260 .269 .286 .233

AB 4 5 5 0 4 4 4 4 4 3 37

R 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3

H 1 0 2 0 2 1 1 1 2 1 11

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 3

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

Seattle 000 000 003 1 —4 9 2 Los Angeles 000 000 120 0 —3 11 0

MARK AVERY / AP

Seattle’s Wladimir Balentien, right, slides into home plate ahead of the tag of Angels C Jeff Mathis to score the go-ahead run. ANAHEIM—Jose Lopez didn’t deny it—he was trying to hit a home run with his team three-runs down in the ninth inning and two runners on base. Lopez connected against closer Brian Fuentes for his second homer in two nights, and Yuniesky Betancourt delivered the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. Fuentes was brought in to

preserve 30-year-old rookie Matt Palmer’s sixth victory without a loss in seven starts. But Lopez had other ideas. He drove a 1-1 pitch to left field with one out, after the left-hander gave up singles to Adrian Beltre and Russell Branyan. “I was looking for one pitch to try to go deep and tie the game,” said Lopez, whose homer off John Lackey in Friday night’s 5-2 victory just cleared the outstretched glove of left fielder Juan Rivera. “It’s tough when you try to hit a homer. But in that

situation, I want to swing hard and hit the ball good. It’s tough to hit a homer off a closer, especially a lefty.” The blown save was the third for Fuentes in 16 attempts, and his fourth in his last 40 overall. The lefthander signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Angels in December to replace Francisco Rodriguez, who left to sign with the New York Mets as a free agent after setting a major league record with 67 saves last season. — The Associated Press

a-grounded out for En.Chavez in the 8th. 1-ran for Guerrero in the 10th. E: Branyan (5), F.Gutierrez (1). LOB: Seattle 6, Los Angeles 8. 2B: Balentien (9), E.Aybar (8). HR: Jo.Lopez (5), off Fuentes. RBIs: Y.Betancourt (16), Jo.Lopez 3 (25), M.Izturis (12), Matthews Jr. (15), E.Aybar (12). S: Y.Betancourt, F.Gutierrez, Mathis. SF: Y.Betancourt. Runners left in scoring position: Seattle 2 (Griffey Jr. 2); Los Angeles 5 (Abreu 2, M.Izturis, K.Morales, Figgins). DP: Seattle 4 (Jo.Lopez, Y.Betancourt, Branyan), (Y.Betancourt, Branyan), (Branyan, Y.Betancourt, F.Hernandez), (Aardsma, Jo.Lopez, Branyan); Los Angeles 1 (K.Morales, E.Aybar, K.Morales). Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA F.Hernandez 6 2⁄3 6 1 0 1 6 113 3.41 M.Lowe 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 10 4.68 Morrow 1 3 2 2 1 0 23 7.63 Batista W, 3-1 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 3.60 Aardsma S, 8-8 1 1 0 0 0 0 9 1.09 Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Palmer 7 4 0 0 0 5 111 4.06 Oliver H, 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 1.99 Fuentes BS, 3-16 1 3 3 3 0 0 16 5.30 Arredondo L, 1-2 1 2 1 1 1 0 19 5.32 Inherited runners-scored: M.Lowe 1-0. IBB: off Morrow (K.Morales), off Arredondo (I.Suzuki). HBP: by F.Hernandez (Tor.Hunter), by Palmer (Beltre). WP: F.Hernandez, Palmer. PB: Ro.Johnson. Umpires: Home, Paul Emmel; First, Bill Miller; Second, Bill Hohn; Third, Bruce Dreckman. T: 3:11. A: 39,329 (45,257).

AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore OF Luis Montanez, May 23 RHP Dennis Sarfate, May 2 RHP Alfredo Simon, April 15 RHP Koji Uehara, May 24 Boston RHP Miguel Gonzalez-x, March 27 OF Mark Kotsay, March 27 SS Jed Lowrie, April 12 RHP John Smoltz, March 27 Chicago None Cleveland 1B Travis Hafner, April 29 LHP Aaron Laffey, May 23 LHP Scott Lewis-x, April 11 RHP Anthony Reyes-x, May 23 RHP Joe Smith, April 29 RHP Jake Westbrook-x, March 26 Detroit RHP Jeremy Bonderman, March 30 SS Carlos Guillen, May 5 OF Marcus Thames, April 19 C Matt Treanor-x, April 24

Seattle RHP Roy Corcoran, April 29 LHP Ryan Feierabend-x, March 15 LHP Cesar Jimenez-x, March 29 C Kenji Johjima, May 26 RHP Shawn Kelly, May 6 LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, April 11 RHP Carlos Silva, May 7 Tampa Bay SS Jason Bartlett, May 25 RHP Chad Bradford, March 27 OF Pat Burrell, May 11 INF Akinori Iwamura-x, May 25 LHP Scott Kazmir, May 21 RHP Troy Percival, May 22 CF Fernando Perez-x, March 27 C Shawn Riggans, April 10 LHP Brian Shouse, May 25 Texas RHP Joaquin Benoit-x, April 5 RHP William Eyre, April 23 RHP Eric Hurley-x, April 5 RHP Dustin Nippert-x, March 27 RHP Vincente Padilla, May 17 Toronto C Michael Barrett, April 18 RHP Jesse Litsch, April 14 RHP Shaun Marcum, March 27 RHP Dustin McGowan, March 27 RHP Robert Ray, May 22 NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona 1B Tony Clark, May 5 RHP Tom Gordon, May 4 1B Conor Jackson, May 12 RHP Yusmeiro Petit, May 9 RHP Brandon Webb, April 7

Los Angeles RHP Kelvim Escobar-x, April 4 RHP Shane Loux, May 17 RHP Dustin Moseley, April 18 C Robert Shields, May 27

Atlanta RHP Buddy Carlyle, May 26 LHP Tom Glavine, April 2 RHP Tim Hudson-x, Feb. 24 SS Omar Infante, May 21 LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, May 21

New York RHP Brian Bruney, May 20 LHP Damaso Marte, April 26 C Jose Molina, May 8 OF Xavier Nady, April 15 C Jorge Posada, May 5 SS Bryan Ransom-x, April 25 Oakland 3B Eric Chavez-x, April 25 RHP Joey Devine-x, April 4 RHP Justin Duchscherer-x, March 27 2B Mark Ellis-x, April 29 SS Nomar Garciaparra, May 24 RHP Dan Giese, May 16

Florida SS Alfredo Amezaga, May 17 LHP Renyel Pinto, May 23 RHP Scott Proctor-x March 27 RHP Anibal Sanchez, May 8 RHP Henricus Vandenhurk-x, March 29 Houston 3B Aaron Boone-x March 27 RHP Doug Brocail, May 4 RHP Geoff Geary, May 14 RHP Jose Valverde, April 27 Los Angeles LHP Hong-Chih Kuo, April 30 RHP Hiroki Kuroda, April 7 1B Doug Mienkiewicz-x, April 17 OF Xanvier Paul, May 21 RHP Jason Schmidt, March 30 RHP Claudio Vargas-x, April 6 Milwaukee RHP David Riske, April 10 2B Rickie Weeks, May 18 New York OF Ryan Church, May 23 INF Alex Cora, May 18 1B Carlos Delgado, May 11 LHP Oliver Perez, May 3 SS Jose Reyes, May 21 C Brian Schneider, April 16 LHP Billy Wagner, March 27 Philadelphia None

Kansas City SS Mike Aviles, May 24 3B Alex Gordon, April 16 SS Tony Pena, May 3 RHP Joakim Soria, May 8 RHP Robinson Tejeda, May 21 RHP Doug Waechter, April 18

Minnesota RHP Boof Bonser, March 27 RHP Pat Neshek-x, Feb. 21 LHP Glen Perkins, May 19

18

Chicago RHP Chad Fox, May 10 INF-OF Ryan Freel, May 28 RHP Rich Harden, May 18 2B Aaron Miles, May 26 3B Aramis Ramirez, May 9 Cincinnati 3B Edwin Encarnacion, April 28 RHP Edinson Volquez, May 17 Colorado INF Jeff Baker-x, April 27 RHP Taylor Buchholz-x, March 27 RHP Matt Daley, May 18 LHP Jeffrey Francis-x, March 27 C Chris Iannetta, May 24 LHP Franklin Morales, April 22 RHP Ryan Speier, April 19

Pittsburgh C Ryan Doumit, April 20 LHP Phil Dumatrait-x, March 27 RHP Craig Hansen, April 20 RHP Tyler Yates, May 16 St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia, March 27 3B Troy Glaus, March 27 San Diego RHP Mike Adams-x, April 1 RHP Cha Seung Baek-x, March 30 SS Everth Cabrera-x, April 20 OF Cliff Floyd, April 5 RHP Shawn Hill, April 26 2B Luis Rodriguez, May 14 RHP Mark Worrell-x, April 1 San Francisco LHP Noah Lowry-x, March 26 RHP Joseph Martinez-x, April 10 RHPSergio Romo, March 26 Washington CF Roger Bernadina-x, April 19 LHP Matt Chico-x, March 27 OF Elijah Dukes, May 18 C Jesus Flores, May 10 LHP Scott Olsen, May 17 1B Dmitri Young, April 1 RHP Terrell Young, March 27 (x-60-day; all others are 15-day)

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Chicago Cubs 7, L.A. Dodgers 0

Dempster bounces back from awful outing

Cubs 7, Dodgers 0 Los Angeles AB Pierre lf 4 Furcal ss 4 Hudson 2b 2 Loney 1b 4 Ethier rf 4 Martin c 3 Loretta 3b 3 Kemp cf 3 Stults p 1 Mota p 0 a-Ausmus ph 1 Jef.Weaver p 0 Leach p 0 b-Hoffmann ph 1 Wade p 0 Totals 30

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

H 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BB 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

SO 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

Avg. .384 .240 .335 .286 .257 .265 .306 .302 .071 .000 .344 .143 --.273 .000

Chicago A.Soriano lf Theriot ss Bradley rf D.Lee 1b Re.Johnson cf Soto c Scales 2b A.Blanco 2b Fontenot 3b Dempster p A.Guzman p c-Hoffpauir ph Heilman p Totals

R 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 7

H 0 1 3 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 10

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

BB 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 7

SO 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 7

Avg. .246 .288 .223 .246 .270 .215 .250 .111 .230 .080 .000 .284 ---

AB 5 2 4 3 3 2 3 0 3 3 0 1 0 29

Los Angeles 000 000 000 — Chicago 011 220 10x —

0 5 0 7 10 0

a-grounded out for Mota in the 5th. b-grounded into a double play for Leach in the 8th. c-struck out for A.Guzman in the 8th. LOB: Los Angeles 5, Chicago 6. 2B: Ethier (11), Martin (9), D.Lee (8), Fontenot (7). 3B: Fontenot (1). HR: Re.Johnson (3), off Jef.Weaver. RBIs: Theriot (22), Re.Johnson 2 (12), Soto (12), Fontenot 2 (20). SB: Re.Johnson (1). CS: Theriot (3). Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 3 (Loretta 2, Ethier); Chicago 3 (Dempster 2, Soto). GIDP: Loney, Hoffmann, Bradley, Scales 2. DP: Los Angeles 3 (Hudson, Furcal, Loney), (Hudson, Furcal, Loney), (Furcal, Loney); Chicago 2 (Fontenot, A.Blanco, D.Lee), (A.Blanco, Theriot, D.Lee). NAM Y. HUH / AP

Cubs 3B Mike Fontenot, center, slid into third base for a triple, one of his two hits on the day. Fontenot also had two RBIs and a run scored. CHICAGO—Cubs manager Lou Piniella already has dealt with enough injuries this season, so he didn’t want to take any chances with Ryan Dempster despite a strong performance. Dempster bounced back from his worst start of the year, pitching seven sharp innings with a blister on his right middle finger in a 7-0 win. Piniella said he took Dempster out as a precaution because of the blister, which has been bothering him

throughout the season. Piniella said he can push back Dempster in the rotation if the blister becomes a bigger problem. The Cubs have righthander Rich Harden and slugger Aramis Ramirez on the disabled list, while ace Carlos Zambrano is serving a six-game suspension. “I’ve been battling it most of the year, but I’ve tried to keep it quiet,” Dempster said. “Today we did a good job between starts of getting it where it needs to be and got me out before it flared up.

Hopefully we can get past this and not be much of an issue for the rest of the season.” Milton Bradley had three hits and Reed Johnson homered for the Cubs, who have won four of five since losing a season-worst eight straight games. Mike Fontenot had two extra-base hits and two RBIs. Piniella expects Harden back in the rotation on the next road trip. — The Associated Press

Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO Stults L, 4-2 3 6 4 4 2 3 Mota 1 1 0 0 0 1 Jef.Weaver 2 1⁄3 3 3 3 5 2 Leach 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 Wade 1 0 0 0 0 1 Chicago IP H R ER BB SO Dempster W, 4-3 7 3 0 0 1 5 A.Guzman 1 1 0 0 0 0 Heilman 1 1 0 0 1 0

NP ERA 55 4.80 14 7.11 59 4.38 3 4.70 10 5.40 NP ERA 99 4.48 11 2.82 24 4.98

Stults pitched to 2 batters in the 4th. Inherited runners-scored: Mota 1-1, Leach 1-0. IBB: off Jef.Weaver (Fontenot). HBP: by Stults (Theriot). Umpires: Home, Jeff Kellogg; First, Rob Drake; Second, Mark Wegner; Third, Tim Timmons. T: 2:46. A: 41,153 (41,210).

Philadelphia 9, Washington 6

Howard’s two homers include slam PHILADELPHIA—Ryan Howard set a Philadelphia Phillies record with his eighth career grand slam—and did it in emphatic fashion. Howard’s slam traveled 475 feet and became only the second ball to reach the third deck in right field. He also added a solo homer to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-6 win over the Washington Nationals. Trailing 3-2 in the third, Howard connected on his slam to move past Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. Howard had given the Phillies their first run with a solo shot in the second inning. It was the 19th multihomer game of Howard’s career. “Yeah, it definitely felt good,” Howard said of his grand slam. “I knew it was high enough to go out. When everything comes together, you never know how far it’s going to go. I got it pretty square.” Howard also hit the only other homer to reach the third deck in the ballpark’s five-year history off the Yankees’ Mike Mussina on June 20, 2006. “He’s just as strong as anyone,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said, when asked to compare Howard to the alltime sluggers. “I’ve seen him hit some long ones.” — The Associated Press

Phillies 9, Nationals 6 Washington AB R H A.Hernandez 2b 5 0 2 N.Johnson 1b 5 0 2 Zimmerman 3b 5 0 0 Dunn rf 4 0 1 Willingham lf 4 1 1 Kearns cf 3 2 1 Alb.Gonzalez ss 3 1 2 Nieves c 4 1 1 Martis p 2 0 0 Bergmann p 0 0 0 a-Belliard ph 1 1 1 MacDougal p 0 0 0 Villone p 0 0 0 Tavarez p 0 0 0 K.Wells p 0 0 0 d-W.Harris ph 1 0 0 Colome p 0 0 0 Totals 37 6 11

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

BB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

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

Avg. .282 .337 .325 .276 .243 .216 .294 .281 .250 .000 .174 ----.000 --.254 ---

Philadelphia Rollins ss Victorino cf Utley 2b Howard 1b Ibanez lf Werth rf Feliz 3b Ruiz c Hamels p b-Dobbs ph S.Eyre p Condrey p c-Stairs ph Madson p Lidge p Totals

BI 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

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

SO 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5

Avg. .232 .297 .287 .265 .333 .257 .304 .304 .182 .135 ----.290 -----

AB 5 4 3 5 5 5 4 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 35

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

H 2 2 1 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10

Washington 030 102 000 — Philadelphia 015 102 00x —

6 11 3 9 10 1

a-homered for Bergmann in the 6th. b-walked for Hamels in the 6th. c-struck out for Condrey in the 7th. d-struck out for K.Wells in the 8th. E: Dunn 2 (7), A.Hernandez (5), Rollins (3). LOB: Washington 6, Philadelphia 9. 2B: Nieves (3), Victorino (12), Werth (10), Ruiz (10), Hamels (1). 3B: Alb.Gonzalez (1). HR: Belliard (2), off Hamels; Howard 2 (14), off Martis 2. RBIs: A.Hernandez (13), Alb.Gonzalez (6), Nieves 2 (8), Belliard 2 (6), Rollins (18), Howard 5 (39), Hamels (1). SB: Rollins (9), Victorino (8), Utley (4), Werth (9), Ruiz (2). S: Hamels. Runners left in scoring position: Washington 3 (N.Johnson, A.Hernandez, Kearns); Philadelphia 7 (Utley, Feliz, Ibanez, Rollins 2, Werth 2). GIDP: N.Johnson, Nieves. DP: Philadelphia 2 (Feliz, Utley, Howard), (Rollins, Utley, Howard). Washington Martis L, 5-1 Bergmann MacDougal Villone Tavarez K.Wells Colome Philadelphia Hamels W, 3-2 S.Eyre H, 9 Condrey H, 4 Madson H, 11 Lidge S, 11-15

IP 4 1 2⁄3 1⁄3 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 IP 6 1⁄3 2⁄3 1 1

H 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 H 8 2 0 0 1

R 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 R 6 0 0 0 0

ER 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 ER 6 0 0 0 0

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

SO NP ERA 1 71 5.62 0 15 4.35 0 11 10.13 0 16 0.00 1 16 5.40 0 8 6.26 3 16 9.00 SO NP ERA 7 104 5.21 0 19 3.09 1 13 1.95 2 10 2.59 1 9 8.06

Inherited runners-scored: Villone 2-2, K.Wells 2-0, Condrey 2-0. HBP: by Tavarez (Ruiz), by Colome (Utley), by Hamels (Alb.Gonzalez). Umpires: Home, Brian Knight; First, Dana DeMuth; Second, Doug Eddings; Third, Hunter Wendelstedt. T: 3:09. A: 45,121 (43,647).

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona 3, Atlanta 2, 11 innings

Florida 7, N.Y. Mets 3

Reynolds’ double sets up D-backs PHOENIX—With Mark Reynolds, it’s often been a strikeout or a home run, and not much in between. On Saturday, it was his opposite-field double on an 0-2 count that paved the way for Arizona’s 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves. Eric Byrnes singled home Reynolds to give the Diamondbacks a 3-2 victory. “Mark’s developing as a hitter every day,” Byrnes said. “He’s got probably some of the best power I’ve ever seen. Obviously that’s evident with the home runs. But I think he’s really maturing as a hitter, starting to use the entire field and that’s fun to watch.” Reynolds opened the 11th with a ground-rule double off Jeff Bennett (2-2) that bounced into the Atlanta bullpen down the right-field line. Reynolds moved to third on Miguel Montero’s sacrifice bunt. With the infield playing in, Byrnes hit a dribbler up the middle. “It’s fundamental baseball at its finest,” Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said, “and we executed well there. We got a two-out hit with Chris Young (in the seventh). We did things to help you win games today.” Juan Gutierrez and Tony Pena each pitched two scoreless innings of relief. Pena (5-2) retired all six batters for the win. The Braves fell to 1-5 on their trip out West. “That’s a real tough loss,” said Atlanta catcher David Ross, who got into a shouting match with Arizona’s Justin Upton, clearing the benches. “It’s not sitting well with me right now.” Javier Vazquez blanked the Diamondbacks through six innings but didn’t

Diamondbacks 3, Braves 2, 11 innings Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO K.Johnson 2b 5 1 1 1 0 2 Escobar ss 4 0 0 0 1 0 G.Anderson lf 5 0 1 1 0 0 Prado 3b 5 0 1 0 0 1 M.Diaz cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 Schafer cf 2 0 1 0 0 0 Francoeur rf 5 0 1 0 0 3 Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 D.Ross c 3 1 2 0 1 1 J.Vazquez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 O’Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 R.Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 b-C.Jones ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 M.Gonzalez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 38 2 8 2 2 10

Avg. .247 .289 .260 .236 .277 .210 .250 .281 .274 .100 ----.303 --.000

Arizona F.Lopez 2b G.Parra cf J.Upton rf S.Drew ss Reynolds 1b Montero c Byrnes lf R.Roberts 3b D.Davis p a-C.Young ph J.Gutierrez p c-Whitesell ph T.Pena p Totals

Avg. .318 .308 .329 .210 .263 .218 .221 .368 .190 .176 --.111 .000

Atlanta Arizona ROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP

Eric Byrnes, third from left, is hugged by teammates after singling home the winning run. make it through the seventh. With one out and Arizona trailing 2-0, Byrnes beat out an infield single, then Ryan Roberts brought him home with a double to left-center. Roberts, a late addition to the starting lineup when Augie Ojeda was hurt in batting practice, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Young’s pinch-hit single on a 3-2 pitch. Lefty Eric O’Flaherty came on to get Felipe Lopez to line out to right and Gerardo Parra to ground out to third. “Vazquez was dynamite once again,” Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. “We just didn’t do enough hitting to get more runs after the deuce we put up. It was real hard to pull him. I don’t think he

was even tired, either, but they hit a couple of balls good and we had to hold it.” The Braves went up 2-0 in the third inning. The benches emptied for a brief shouting match after Upton walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases for Arizona with one out in the sixth. Ross apparently didn’t like the way Upton flipped his bat into the air after Vazquez threw the fourth ball. Upton turned and walked back toward the catcher, and the bullpens emptied. But order was quickly restored. “That’s stuff that goes on in the heat of the battle,” Ross said. — The Associated Press

AB 5 5 4 5 5 4 3 3 2 1 0 1 0 38

R 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3

H 1 1 0 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 10

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3

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

002 000 000 00 000 000 200 01

SO 0 0 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 12

2 8 0 3 10 0

One out when winning run scored. a-singled for D.Davis in the 7th. b-struck out for R.Soriano in the 9th. c-struck out for J.Gutierrez in the 9th. LOB: Atlanta 7, Arizona 9. 2B: K.Johnson (9), G.Anderson (7), S.Drew (6), Reynolds 2 (10), R.Roberts (6). RBIs: K.Johnson (18), G.Anderson (12), Byrnes (18), R.Roberts (5), C.Young (11). SB: Schafer (2). CS: Byrnes (3). S: J.Vazquez 2, Montero, Byrnes. Runners left in scoring position: Atlanta 5 (Kotchman, Prado, J.Vazquez, Escobar, Francoeur); Arizona 6 (Byrnes, Reynolds 3, F.Lopez 2). DP: Atlanta 1 (D.Ross, D.Ross, K.Johnson); Arizona 1 (F.Lopez, S.Drew, Reynolds). Atlanta J.Vazquez O’Flaherty R.Soriano M.Gonzalez Bennett L, 2-2 Arizona D.Davis J.Gutierrez T.Pena W, 5-2

IP 6 1⁄3 2⁄3 1 2 1⁄3 IP 7 2 2

H 7 0 0 1 2 H 7 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 1 1 8 99 3.58 0 0 0 0 3 3.00 0 0 0 1 9 1.25 0 0 1 3 30 3.27 1 1 0 0 7 2.42 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 2 6 102 3.65 0 0 0 3 21 3.18 0 0 0 1 22 1.85

Inherited runners-scored: O’Flaherty 1-0. IBB: off M.Gonzalez (R.Roberts). HBP: by J.Vazquez (Byrnes). WP: M.Gonzalez. PB: D.Ross. Umpires: Home, Jerry Crawford; First, Angel Campos; Second, Phil Cuzzi; Third, Tom Hallion. T: 3:06. A: 35,039 (48,652).

Johnson’s grip of Mets still firm NEW YORK—Marlins ace Josh Johnson might well make Mets manager Jerry Manuel sick every time he takes the mound—and it would have nothing to do with the stomach bug that seemed to be going around Citi Field on Saturday. Johnson scattered five hits over seven innings to remain unbeaten in eight career starts against New York, and Jeremy Hermida homered and drove in four runs to lead Florida to a 7-3 victory. The Marlins’ big righthander was among several players who felt ill during the game. Teammate Wes Helms was making regular trips to the clubhouse with similar symptoms, and Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran was pulled late in the game with a stomach virus. “I just go out there and battle, take it one pitch at a time,” said Johnson, who is 6-0 against the Mets, including the five-hitter he tossed in a 2-1 victory over Johan Santana on April 12. “The first inning was a little rough, but after that I settled down.” Johnson (4-1) also had been having trouble with a callus on the middle finger of his right hand, which had caused him to be erratic during his last three starts. — The Associated Press

Marlins 7, Mets 3 Florida AB Coghlan lf 2 Meyer p 0 Lindstrom p 0 Nunez p 0 Bonifacio 3b 5 Ha.Ramirez ss 5 Cantu 1b 5 Hermida rf-lf 5 Uggla 2b 3 C.Ross cf 4 R.Paulino c 4 Jo.Johnson p 3 b-B.Carroll ph-rf 1 Totals 37

SO 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 7

Avg. .210 .000 ----.249 .320 .272 .270 .207 .259 .242 .080 .182

New York AB R H BI BB SO Pagan lf-cf 4 1 2 1 1 0 F.Martinez rf 5 0 2 1 0 1 Beltran cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 Takahashi p 0 0 0 0 0 0 c-Santos ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Stokes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tatis 3b 4 0 1 1 0 0 Dan.Murphy 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 R.Martinez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 Schneider c 3 1 1 0 1 0 W.Valdez ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 Redding p 1 0 0 0 0 1 S.Green p 0 0 0 0 0 0 a-Castillo ph 1 1 0 0 0 0 Reed lf 2 0 0 0 0 2 Totals 35 3 7 3 3 7

Avg. .325 .154 .352 .000 .273 --.261 .254 .150 .167 .200 .333 --.293 .286

Florida New York

R 1 0 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 7

H 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 1 11

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 7

BB 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

202 030 000 — 100 010 001 —

7 11 2 3 7 1

a-grounded into a fielder’s choice for S.Green in the 5th. b-doubled for Jo.Johnson in the 8th. c-reached on error for Takahashi in the 8th. E: Meyer 2 (2), Tatis (1). LOB: Florida 7, New York 8. 2B: Bonifacio 2 (5), Cantu (10), Hermida (6), R.Paulino (3), B.Carroll (1), Pagan (2), F.Martinez (1). HR: Hermida (5), off Redding. RBIs: Cantu 2 (37), Hermida 4 (22), Uggla (34), Pagan (2), F.Martinez (2), Tatis (11). SF: Uggla. Runners left in scoring position: Florida 5 (C.Ross 2, Jo.Johnson, Cantu, Bonifacio); New York 6 (Beltran 3, Dan.Murphy, F.Martinez 2). DP: New York 1 (R.Martinez, W.Valdez, Dan.Murphy). Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Jo.Johnson W, 4-1 7 5 2 2 2 5 111 2.66 Meyer 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2.35 Lindstrom 2⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 26 6.10 Nunez S, 1-3 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 3 3.51 New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Redding L, 0-2 4 8 7 7 2 2 80 9.20 S.Green 1 1 0 0 0 2 18 6.98 Takahashi 3 1 0 0 1 2 50 2.92 Stokes 1 1 0 0 0 1 9 2.75 Redding pitched to 3 batters in the 5th. Inherited runners-scored: Nunez 2-0. WP: Jo.Johnson, Takahashi. Umpires: Home, Bill Welke; First, Tim Welke; Second, Jim Reynolds; Third, Angel Hernandez. T: 3:01. A: 40,727 (41,800).

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis 6, San Francisco 2

Milwaukee 9, Cincinnati 5

Carpenter gets his victory this time SAN FRANCISCO—Chris Carpenter would never suggest his St. Louis teammates owed him after they failed to secure a win for him last Monday when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals still felt bad about it, and they made amends with a late-inning outburst against the San Francisco Giants and hard-luck lefty Barry Zito, who probably can’t remember what it’s like to pitch with run support. Pujols burst out of his power slump with two homers, and Chris Duncan drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double off Zito in the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ 6-2 victory Saturday night. Skip Schumaker’s double drove home the tying run earlier in the seventh for the Cardinals, who scored five runs in the final three frames to make sure Carpenter’s first earned runs allowed this season wouldn’t keep them from their eighth victory in 11 games. “When you have a guy like Carp going out there every fifth start, always giving us a chance to win, our job is to score runs for him,” said Pujols, who had just one homer in his previous 15 games. “When we’re driving the ball, we can score runs from every part of the lineup.” Pujols hit solo shots in the fourth and ninth innings for his third multihomer game of the season. The defending NL MVP had driven in just six runs in those 15 games—a bona fide drought by his formidable standards. Carpenter (3-0), who pitched 23 innings in his first four starts without giving up an earned run, yielded Juan Uribe’s RBI triple in the second inning. Carpenter also gave up Bengie Molina’s run-scoring double in the third for the Giants, whose fourgame winning streak ended.

Cardinals 6, Giants 2 St. Louis AB R Br.Ryan ss 5 0 Duncan lf 4 0 Motte p 0 0 c-Rasmus ph-cf 1 0 Pujols 1b 3 2 Ludwick rf 5 0 Franklin p 0 0 Y.Molina c 5 0 Ankiel cf-rf 4 0 Barden 3b 5 1 C.Carpenter p 2 0 a-Stavinoha ph 1 1 Thurston 2b 1 1 Schumaker 2b-lf 4 1 Totals 40 6

H 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 3 15

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

BB 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3

SO 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 9

Avg. .257 .263 --.231 .329 .263 --.273 .233 .244 .000 .256 .244 .313

San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Rowand cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 Renteria ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 Winn rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 B.Molina c 4 0 1 1 0 1 Sandoval 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 F.Lewis lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 Uribe 3b 4 0 2 1 0 1 Burriss 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 Zito p 2 0 1 0 0 0 Medders p 0 0 0 0 0 0 b-Schierholtz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Romo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 J.Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 33 2 7 2 1 7

Avg. .278 .245 .279 .254 .303 .268 .299 .270 .125 --.246 --.000

St. Louis 000 100 221 — San Francisco 011 000 000 —

6 15 0 2 7 0

a-doubled for C.Carpenter in the 7th. b-grounded out for Medders in the 7th. c-lined out for Motte in the 9th. LOB: St. Louis 10, San Francisco 6. 2B: Duncan (13), Stavinoha (3), Schumaker (10), Winn (12), B.Molina (8), F.Lewis (10). 3B: Thurston (3), Uribe (1). HR: Pujols (15), off Zito; Pujols (16), off J.Miller. RBIs: Duncan (27), Pujols 2 (42), Thurston (15), Schumaker 2 (16), B.Molina (31), Uribe (8). CS: Br.Ryan (1). Runners left in scoring position: St. Louis 4 (Y.Molina, Ankiel, Ludwick, Barden); San Francisco 3 (Zito, F.Lewis, Burriss). GIDP: Y.Molina, Renteria. DP: St. Louis 1 (Br.Ryan, Schumaker, Pujols); San Francisco 1 (Burriss, Renteria, Sandoval).

BEN MARGOT / AP

St. Louis’ Albert Pujols (5) acknowledges fans after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning. Carpenter finished strong, allowing six hits with five strikeouts over six innings. The 2005 Cy Young Award winner appeared in just five games over the past two seasons, and he spent more than a month on the disabled list this spring— but the righthander has been nearly per-

fect when healthy. “I was battling those first three innings, and then I definitely felt the last three I was getting the ball down,” Carpenter said. “I was able to keep them off balance and stay in the game.” — The Associated Press

St. Louis IP H C.Carpenter W, 3-0 6 6 Motte H, 11 2 0 Franklin 1 1 San Francisco IP H Zito L, 1-6 6 2⁄3 10 Medders 1⁄3 0 Romo 2⁄3 3 J.Miller 1 1⁄3 2

R 2 0 0 R 3 0 2 1

ER BB 2 1 0 0 0 0 ER BB 3 2 0 0 2 0 1 1

SO NP ERA 5 91 0.62 2 17 3.00 0 9 1.35 SO NP ERA 6 116 4.02 0 5 3.00 2 21 27.00 1 25 2.42

Inherited runners-scored: Medders 2-0, J.Miller 1-0. IBB: off Zito (Pujols). HBP: by C.Carpenter (Sandoval). Umpires: Home, Eric Cooper; First, Mike Reilly; Second, Chuck Meriwether; Third, Laz Diaz. T: 2:45. A: 35,592 (41,915).

Brewers finally get offense going MILWAUKEE—The Milwaukee Brewers waited more than a week for their offense to start producing like it’s supposed to. The wake-up call finally came in the fifth inning of Saturday night’s victory over the Cincinnati Reds—and then some. Home runs by Ryan Braun and Mike Cameron gave the Brewers the lead, and Milwaukee went on to score six runs in the inning and beat the Reds 9-5. Milwaukee had scored four runs or fewer in each of its previous 10 games, going 4-6 during that stretch. “Guys are shaking loose a little bit,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Let’s hope we have a carryover.” Pitching was the Reds’ biggest problem Saturday, especially in a fifth inning that at times seemed like it might last all night. “They can hit,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “If you don’t make quality pitches on them, they’re going to hurt you.” With Milwaukee trailing 5-3 going into the fifth, Braun hit a one-out solo home run to cut Cincinnati’s lead to one. Prince Fielder then singled, and Cameron hit a 1-1 pitch from Reds starter Aaron Harang deep to left-center field for his 10th home run of the season and a 6-5 Milwaukee lead. — The Associated Press

Brewers 9, Reds 5 Cincinnati AB Dickerson cf 4 Hairston Jr. 3b 4 Bruce rf 4 B.Phillips 2b 3 L.Nix lf 1 d-Gomes ph-lf 1 R.Hernandez 1b 4 Ale.Gonzalez ss 4 Hanigan c 3 Harang p 1 Burton p 0 Herrera p 0 b-Castillo ph 1 Fisher p 0 Lincoln p 0 Totals 30

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

H 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 9

BI 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

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

SO 0 2 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9

Avg. .250 .270 .230 .275 .273 .400 .291 .215 .328 .182 --.000 .000 --.000

Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Counsell 2b 5 1 3 1 0 0 Hardy ss 5 1 1 0 0 0 Braun lf 5 1 2 1 0 2 Fielder 1b 4 2 3 3 1 0 M.Cameron cf 4 1 1 2 1 1 Hart rf 4 1 3 0 0 0 Hall 3b 4 1 1 1 1 1 Mi.Rivera c 5 1 2 1 0 0 Bush p 1 0 0 0 0 1 a-Gerut ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 McClung p 1 0 0 0 0 1 c-Catalanotto ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 Stetter p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Villanueva p 1 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 41 9 16 9 3 9

Avg. .327 .239 .318 .278 .279 .256 .224 .323 .158 .213 .000 .286 --.333

Cincinnati 310 100 000 — Milwaukee 300 060 00x —

5 9 1 9 16 0

a-struck out for Bush in the 4th. b-flied out for Herrera in the 7th. c-struck out for McClung in the 7th. d-flied out for L.Nix in the 8th. E: L.Nix (1). LOB: Cincinnati 3, Milwaukee 12. 2B: Ale.Gonzalez (6), Harang (1), Hall (9), Mi.Rivera (3). 3B: Dickerson (2). HR: Hairston Jr. (7), off Bush; B.Phillips (8), off Bush; Fielder (12), off Harang; Braun (9), off Harang; M.Cameron (10), off Harang. RBIs: Dickerson (8), Hairston Jr. 2 (16), B.Phillips (35), Hanigan (4), Counsell (8), Braun (32), Fielder 3 (48), M.Cameron 2 (24), Hall (12), Mi.Rivera (2). S: Harang. Runners left in scoring position: Cincinnati 1 (B.Phillips); Milwaukee 7 (Hart, Counsell, Braun 2, Mi.Rivera, Villanueva 2). DP: Milwaukee 3 (Counsell, Hardy, Fielder), (Counsell, Fielder), (Hardy, Counsell, Fielder). Cincinnati Harang L, 5-5 Burton Herrera Fisher Lincoln Milwaukee Bush McClung W, 2-1 Stetter Villanueva

IP 4 1⁄3 2⁄3 1 1 1 IP 4 3 2⁄3 1 1⁄3

H 12 2 1 1 0 H 7 2 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 8 8 0 5 104 4.19 1 1 0 1 20 6.33 0 0 1 0 20 1.93 0 0 0 2 14 0.00 0 0 2 1 20 9.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 3 3 57 4.38 0 0 0 2 45 2.73 0 0 1 2 17 4.20 0 0 0 2 18 3.75

Inherited runners-scored: Burton 1-1, Villanueva 1-0. HBP: by Lincoln (Hart). WP: Harang, Burton. Umpires: Home, Gary Cederstrom; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Brian O’Nora; Third, Fieldin Culbreth. T: 3:16. A: 44,172 (41,900).

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Colorado 8, San Diego 7

Atkins, Rockies finally rattle Bell

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP

Colorado’s Garrett Atkins, left, slides safely across home plate to score the winning run as San Diego C Nick Hundley, right, tries to make the tag. DENVER—When Jim Tracy took over the Colorado Rockies, he ignored Garrett Atkins’ .193 average and plugged him in the cleanup spot. Saturday night, Atkins rewarded the interim manager’s faith and delivered with his bat and his legs. Atkins’ came through with a two-out, game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth and then raced home from first base and the Rockies rallied against closer Heath Bell to beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday night, 8-7. “I watched this guy drive in over 200 some-odd runs for a couple of seasons,” said Tracy, who took over as manager when the Rockies fired Clint Hurdle on Friday. “You don’t do that by accident.” Atkins’ also had an error in the first inning that started San Diego’s three-run rally, but he made up for it.

The Rockies trailed 7-6 after pinch-hitter Scott Hairston hit a one-out solo homer in the top of the ninth. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Clint Barmes, who had four hits, singled and stole second. After Todd Helton grounded out, Atkins singled through the mound to tie the game. “I jumped out of the way. I was basically scared,” Bell said. “My initial reaction was to move left. I flinched left. I was hating myself because I thought I could have gotten that. If I reacted to the right I think I could have gotten it.” Brad Hawpe blooped a double to center and Atkins raced home with the winning run when Tony Gwynn Jr. dove for the ball, but missed. “Once I saw him dive and it got by him I was taking off,” Atkins said. “I was running like I was going to be scoring.”

Gwynn felt he had a chance to catch the ball when it came off of Hawpe’s bat. “I thought I could have gotten it,” he said. “In Colorado, balls hold up a little bit more.” Bell (2-1) blew his first save in 15 chances. Reliever Huston Street (1-1) got the win. Adrian Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs for the Padres, who have lost three of their last four after a 10-game winning streak. Hawpe homered and Barmes had two doubles and a triple for Colorado, which is 2-0 Tracy replaced Hurdle. “I definitely think the team’s played a lot more relaxed lately,” Barmes said. “You can tell in the dugout there’s a lot more energy. It’s definitely something we need.” — The Associated Press

Rockies 8, Padres 7 San Diego AB R Gwynn cf 5 2 Eckstein 2b 4 1 Ad.Gonzalez 1b 4 1 Headley lf 4 0 Giles rf 4 0 Kouzmanoff 3b 4 0 Hundley c 4 1 Jo.Wilson ss 3 0 b-Floyd ph 1 0 C.Burke ss 0 0 Geer p 3 1 Gregerson p 0 0 c-Hairston ph 1 1 Bell p 0 0 Totals 37 7

Pittsburgh 7, Houston 4 SO 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 7

Avg. .286 .247 .282 .242 .193 .223 .250 .179 .000 .206 .214 --.321 ---

Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Fowler cf 5 1 1 0 0 2 Barmes 2b 5 3 4 1 0 0 Helton 1b 3 1 1 1 2 0 Atkins 3b 4 1 1 2 0 0 Hawpe rf 5 1 3 3 0 0 S.Smith lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Corpas p 0 0 0 0 0 0 a-Quintanilla ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 Street p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tulowitzki ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 P.Phillips c 3 0 0 0 1 0 Hammel p 1 0 0 0 0 0 Fogg p 1 0 0 0 0 0 Spilborghs lf 2 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 36 8 11 8 3 4

Avg. .258 .255 .321 .193 .343 .259 ----.211 --.224 .286 .000 .000 .269

San Diego Colorado

H 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 11

BI 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 7

BB 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

310 200 001 — 301 000 202 —

7 11 2 8 11 1

Two outs when winning run scored. a-sacrificed for Corpas in the 8th. b-struck out for Jo.Wilson in the 9th. c-homered for Gregerson in the 9th. E: Jo.Wilson (4), Gwynn (1), Atkins (6). LOB: San Diego 4, Colorado 7. 2B: Hundley (6), Jo.Wilson (2), Fowler (11), Barmes 2 (10), Helton (10), Hawpe (14). 3B: Gwynn (1), Barmes (2), Tulowitzki (3). HR: Ad.Gonzalez (19), off Hammel; Hairston (6), off Street; Hawpe (7), off Geer. RBIs: Gwynn (1), Eckstein (15), Ad.Gonzalez 3 (37), Jo.Wilson (3), Hairston (21), Barmes (19), Helton (33), Atkins 2 (17), Hawpe 3 (39), Spilborghs (23). SB: Gwynn (1), Barmes (5). S: Quintanilla. SF: Atkins. Runners left in scoring position: San Diego 1 (Headley); Colorado 2 (Atkins, Spilborghs). DP: Colorado 1 (Atkins, Barmes, Helton). San Diego Geer Gregerson BS, 4-4 Bell L, 2-1 BS, 1-15 Colorado Hammel Fogg Embree Corpas Street W, 1-1

IP 6 2⁄3 1 1⁄3 2⁄3 IP 3 2⁄3 2 1⁄3 1 1 1

H 6 2 3 H 8 1 1 0 1

R ER BB SO 6 5 1 3 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 1 R ER BB SO 6 5 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2

NP ERA 89 5.17 27 3.38 18 1.33 NP ERA 65 4.83 37 0.00 20 7.07 3 6.35 14 3.38

Embree pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored: Gregerson 1-1, Fogg 1-1, Corpas 1-0. IBB: off Gregerson (Helton). WP: Hammel. Umpires: Home, Tony Randazzo; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Todd Tichenor; Third, Jerry Layne. T: 2:48. A: 32,064 (50,449).

Karstens’ good day rewarded PITTSBURGH—Jeff Karstens hadn’t pitched seven innings during one of his starts since August. He finally showed some efficiency Saturday night and was rewarded with a win. Karstens allowed two runs and six hits in seven solid innings to win for the first time in more than a month and the Pittsburgh Pirates roughed up Wandy Rodriguez, snapping a three-game skid with a 7-4 victory over the Houston Astros. “He threw the ball extremely well,” Pirates manager John Russell said. “His pitch count was very low, and he was extremely efficient. He used his off-speed pitches very well and kept them off-balance. He gave us a quality start.” Eric Hinske went 3-for-3 and reached base four times for the Pirates, who had lost six of eight. They are fifth in the N.L. Central, two games in front of the last-place Astros. Miguel Tejada doubled twice and drove in two runs to extend his hitting streak to an Astros season-high 13 games. Houston has lost eight of nine. “That’s a guy that has a pretty high ERA (5.19 coming into the game), and he usually doesn’t go more than five or six innings,” Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. “But we just couldn’t get a whole lot going.” Rodriguez, conversely, entered leading the N.L. with a 1.71 ERA. But his ERA climbed to 2.26. — The Associated Press

Pirates 7, Astros 4 Houston AB Bourn cf 4 Tejada ss 4 Berkman 1b 4 Ca.Lee lf 4 Pence rf 4 I.Rodriguez c 4 Keppinger 3b 4 Maysonet 2b 2 W.Rodriguez p 1 Fulchino p 0 a-Erstad ph 1 Byrdak p 0 Backe p 0 c-Michaels ph 1 Totals 33

R 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4

H 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 8

BI 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

BB 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

SO 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

Avg. .288 .347 .235 .313 .343 .264 .308 .438 .043 --.143 ----.200

Pittsburgh Morgan cf An.LaRoche 3b F.Sanchez 2b Monroe lf Hinske 1b Delw.Young rf R.Diaz c Ja.Wilson ss Karstens p Grabow p b-Moss ph Gorzelanny p Capps p Totals

R 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 7

H 0 2 2 1 3 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 13

BI 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 7

BB 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5

SO 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 8

Avg. .275 .307 .333 .246 .282 .291 .328 .252 .000 --.268 .000 ---

AB 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 4 2 0 1 0 0 34

Houston 001 100 002 — Pittsburgh 300 020 02x —

4 8 0 7 13 0

a-lined out for Fulchino in the 7th. b-doubled for Grabow in the 8th. c-doubled for Backe in the 9th. LOB: Houston 9, Pittsburgh 9. 2B: Bourn (8), Tejada 2 (19), Ca.Lee (11), Keppinger (7), Michaels (5), An.LaRoche (13), Ja.Wilson 2 (9), Moss (9). RBIs: Tejada 2 (28), Berkman (29), Keppinger (5), An.LaRoche (22), F.Sanchez (17), Monroe (15), Delw.Young (9), R.Diaz 2 (8), Moss (12). S: W.Rodriguez. SF: R.Diaz. Runners left in scoring position: Houston 6 (Ca.Lee 3, Berkman, Maysonet, Pence); Pittsburgh 5 (Ja.Wilson 2, Morgan, Monroe 2). DP: Houston 2 (Tejada, Maysonet, Berkman), (Keppinger, Maysonet, Berkman); Pittsburgh 1 (Ja.Wilson, F.Sanchez, Hinske). Houston W.Rodriguez L, 5-4 Fulchino Byrdak Backe Pittsburgh Karstens W, 2-2 Grabow H, 7 Gorzelanny Capps S, 10-12

IP 4 2⁄3 1 1⁄3 1 1 IP 7 1 2⁄3 1⁄3

H 9 0 1 3 H 6 1 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 3 6 105 2.26 0 0 2 1 28 3.79 0 0 0 0 10 3.50 2 2 0 1 2018.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 1 4 87 4.83 0 0 1 0 21 4.50 2 2 2 0 19 7.94 0 0 1 0 13 6.32

Inherited runners-scored: Fulchino 2-0, Capps 3-2. HBP: by Capps (Tejada). WP: Backe. Umpires: Home, Marvin Hudson; First, John Hirschbeck; Second, Wally Bell; Third, Marty Foster. T: 2:54. A: 37,167 (38,362).

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23

Edwards knows what chief change can do DOVER, DEL.—Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards is no stranger to the business of crew chief changes. As the Sprint Cup Series prepares for today’s Autism Speaks 400, the garage buzz has been about the crew chief change on the Hendrick Motorsports team of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., and it’s the type of situation that Edwards knows well. That’s because Edwards’ Nationwide Series team underwent a crew chief change last season when Drew Blickensderfer replaced Pierre Kuettel at midseason, and Edwards and his current Cup crew chief, Bob Osborne, also went their separate ways for a time. Osborne, who spent his first full season with Edwards in 2005, was reassigned to the team of driver Jamie McMurray for the better part of 2006 before being reunited with Edwards in 2007. So if anyone can empathize with Earnhardt Jr., whose cousin Tony Eury Jr. was recently reassigned from crew chief to a research-and-development role at Hendrick, it should be Edwards. “I’ve had a lot of different crew chiefs, and when things aren’t working, sometimes simply making a change makes the difference,” Edwards said at Dover International Speedway. “The crew chief, the driver, the engineer, everybody is just as important. This sport is a true team sport. It’s not just one person, and it’s not always people’s performance—sometimes it’s

Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del. When: Today, 2 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. Radio: MRN/Sirius XM Satellite Ch. 128 Track layout: 1-mile oval Race distance: 400 laps/400 miles 2008 winner: Kyle Busch 2008 polesitter: Greg Biffle

Starting lineup

ALAN MARLER FOR SN

Carl Edwards’ crew chief change in the Nationwide Series last year paid off. just the way they work together—so sometimes these changes are good.” That certainly proved to be the case for Edwards last year in the Nationwide Series. Once Blickensderfer came on board, the two won seven of the season’s last 19 races and staged a furious rally toward the series title, ultimately finishing second to Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer. “As a driver, you do everything the best you can,” Edwards said of what a driver goes through in a crew chief change. “You deliver your

information the best you can all the time. With the crew chief changes that I’ve had, there’s really not a set thing you have to learn about somebody. It either works or it doesn’t. You either run better or you don’t, and there’s no way to really tell how that’s going to happen. “Last season in the Nationwide Series, we made a change, and we went and won seven races, so I’m glad we made that change. I don’t know exactly what was different, but sometimes that chemistry just works.” — SceneDaily.com

(Car number in parentheses) 1. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 156.794 2. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 156.542 3. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 156.020 4. (43) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 155.952 5. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 155.932 6. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 155.885 7. (44) AJ Allmendinger, Dodge, 155.689 8. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 155.662 9. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 155.595 10. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 155.514 11. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 155.447 12. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 155.440 13. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 155.420 14. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 155.313 15. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 155.313 16. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 155.152 17. (07) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 155.086 18. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 155.065 19. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 155.032 20. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 154.919 21. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 154.812 22. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 154.799 23. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 154.706 24. (71) David Gilliland, Chevrolet, 154.593 25. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 154.573 26. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 154.566 27. (96) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 154.434 28. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 154.328 29. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 154.242 30. (12) David Stremme, Dodge, 153.932 31. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 153.675 32. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 153.577 33. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 153.446 34. (36) Mike Skinner, Toyota, 153.368 35. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 153.263 36. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 153.133 37. (09) Mike Bliss, Dodge, 153.120 38. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 152.853 39. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 152.84 40. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, Owner Points 41. (34) John Andretti, Chevrolet, Owner Points 42. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, Owner Points 43. (37) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 152.491

HAROLD HINSON FOR SN

Robby Gordon said the penalties NASCAR gave him were excessive for his infraction.

Robby Gordon appeals his Coke 600 penalties BY KENNY BRUCE SceneDaily.com

DOVER, DEL.—Sprint Cup Series owner/ driver Robby Gordon says he will appeal NASCAR penalties levied against his Robby Gordon Motorsports team May 27. Gordon was penalized 50 owner and 50 driver points while crew chief Kirk Almquist was fined $50,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Officials said the rear axle housing of the No. 7 Toyota, which was taken following a third-place finish by Gordon in the May 25 Coca-Cola 600, exceeded the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree. “The bottom line is we were no more ‘body yawed’ than anybody else,” Gordon said Saturday, “even though our rear end had more toe. “We ... pulled our right-side trailing arm forward and our left-side trailing arm backwards. We fit the template on the right side before the race. So we aren’t doing anything funny there; there was no advantage.”

NASCAR began limiting the amount of rear toe in 2008 when teams began exceeding two degrees with the rear axle housing. The adjustment creates a situation where the rear tires are turned out, or to the right, which allows the car to carry more speed into the turns. As a result of the penalty, Gordon fell from 33rd to 34th in owner points. He enters today’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway 131 points ahead of the 36th-place team of Red Bull Racing’s Scott Speed in the owner standings. Gordon, 40, said the rear axle measurement was one degree outside the NASCAR limit, and said he felt the penalty was “excessive” for the infraction. “We missed the one-degree rule by one degree, but we missed ... off the frame rails, which gives us the amount of yaw that we get in our cars,” he said. “In this economy and these times, I think they need to re-evaluate it. Just like the Carl Long deal. That’s ridiculous. Carl doesn’t build his engines.” [email protected]

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Scott’s 1st truck win comes at Dover

Keselowski capitalizes on Busch’s misfortune BY REID SPENCER [email protected]

BY REID SPENCER [email protected]

DOVER, DEL.—Opting to stay on the track and forego fresh tires before a 10-lap run to the finish, Brian Scott won his first Camping World Truck Series race in his 39th start Saturday at Dover International Speedway. Though blown right-front tires plagued almost the entire field in the AAA Insurance 200—and deprived Kyle Busch of a chance to win—Scott, Dennis Setzer, Stacy Compton and Jason White stayed out after Brian Scott Busch and Colin Braun each blew right fronts and hit the outside wall in the same corner on Lap 184 of 200. Scott, 21, stayed out front for the final 10 laps and held off a closing Setzer on the final circuit. Busch charged from the back in the final laps to finish ninth. “I watched all those tires blow—it was kind of scary,” Scott said. “But my crew chief (Jeff Hensley) just kept me calm and kept saying that we were getting really good tire wear. Track position at the end— we played the game perfectly, and I commend him. There were times when I didn’t think it was the right call or we were going to be in position, but it all worked out, and now we’re in victory lane, baby.” Busch led 133 laps but fell victim to hard luck in the closing stages of the race. He had suffered a similar fate earlier in the day when he lost the Nationwide Series race with a tire problem. Ron Hornaday Jr. slammed the Turn 1 wall after blowing his right front tire on Lap 34. Though Hornaday finished 26th, 157 laps down, he retained the series points lead over eighth-place finisher Mike Skinner, who trimmed Hornaday’s lead from 84 to 27 points.

AAA Insurance 200 results FINISH

START

TRUCK

1 2 3 4 5

3 25 14 13 4

16 8 24 23 13

DRIVER

MAKE

Brian Scott Dennis Setzer David Starr Jason White Johnny Sauter

Toyota Chevrolet Toyota Dodge Chevrolet

MORE COVERAGE Results: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554956 Standings: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554958

24

ROB CARR / AP

Brad Keselowski, front, was in the right place at the right time at Dover.

Heluva Good! 200 results FINISH START 1 2 3 4 5

12 1 17 7 8

CAR

DRIVER

MAKE

88 20 29 32 60

Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Clint Bowyer Brian Vickers Carl Edwards

Chevrolet Toyota Chevrolet Toyota Ford

DOVER, DEL.—Brad Keselowski finally caught a break. Keselowski’s good fortune came at the expense of continued bad luck to Kyle Busch, who failed to win Saturday’s Heluva Good! 200 despite leading a race-high 108 of 200 laps at Dover International Speedway. Keselowski took the lead for the first time on the next-to-last lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race after Logano ran into the back of Busch, his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, moments after a restart on Lap 199. The contact sent Busch up the concrete racing surface at the Monster Mile and gave Keselowski the opening he needed. A day after failing to qualify for today’s Sprint Cup race, Keselowski made a winner of JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he powered his No. 88 Chevrolet past Logano’s No. 20 Toyota through Turns 1 and 2 and crossed the finish line two laps later,

.299 seconds ahead of the 19-year-old driver. Clint Bowyer ran third behind Logano. Brian Vickers finished fourth, followed by Carl Edwards, who trimmed Busch’s lead in the series standings to 40 points. Busch cut a tire during the incident with Logano and finished 17th. Paul Menard, Scott Speed, Jason Leffler, Jason Keller and rookie Justin Allgaier completed the top 10. Leffler posted his seventh straight top-10 of the season and remained third in the standings. “We had a great car, we put ourselves in position to win, we needed a break, and we caught a break,” said Keselowski, who won his third Nationwide race. “Don’t feel guilty about it. Not one bit.” Logano, who started from the pole and led 87 laps, took responsibility for the contact that cost his teammate the race, though Busch’s crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, said after the race that Busch had a flat right-front tire while coming to the green on the final restart. — Reid Spencer writes for the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MORE COVERAGE Results: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554884 Standings: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554886

INSIDE DISH

RPM buoyed by strong qualifying efforts On Friday at Dover International Speedway, all four Richard Petty Motorsports cars qualified in the Top 10 for today’s Autism Speaks 400—and only Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 had the new Dodge R6 engine under the hood. “We had a good day (Friday), and it gives us good starting spots,” Richard Petty said Saturday afternoon at Dover. “It’s the first time we’ve had them running together—that fast in a while. I think that gives everybody confidence—the drivers, the crews, the sponsors, everybody is

really happy. We’ll just have to see how we do Sunday.” Petty says the team plans to phase in the new engine for drivers AJ Allmendinger, Reed Sorenson and Elliott Sadler, based on how it performs over the next few weeks in Kahne’s car. — Reid Spencer

Tony Eury Sr. said his son is “beat down pretty bad” after being replaced as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88

Sprint Cup Series team. Team owner Rick Hendrick announced he was replacing Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr.’s cousin, May 28, three days after the team finished a woeful 40th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Eury Jr. will move to the Hendrick research and development department. “Probably nobody in that garage works harder than him,” Eury Sr. said. “He has worked so hard ... he’s worn slap out.” — Kenny Bruce, SceneDaily.com

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25

INSIDE DISH

Simms advances in Broncos’ battle; Bucs’ Adams will bring it It has been assumed Kyle Orton is the clear favorite to win the Broncos’ quarterback job, but Chris Simms may be picking up ground, The Denver Post reported. Simms clearly got more first-team reps in the team’s passing camp session Thursday. Has Simms moved ahead of Orton in the quarterback competition? “No,” Broncos coach Josh McDaniels told The Post. “Both of them will take reps with the (first team), and we’re going to keep doing that until it becomes clear and apparent, and it’s not yet. They’re both doing some good things, and they’re both making some mistakes. When one seems to put himself ahead of the other, then it will be an easy decision.” Simms has thrown only two passes the past two seasons while Orton went 9-6 as the Bears’ starter in 2008. That would seem to give Orton a significant advantage. “I understand everybody else looking at it that way, but to me it doesn’t even matter,” Simms said. Simms had some success with the Bucs before a spleen injury derailed his career in 2006. In his only prolonged stint as a starter, he was 6-4 in 2005 and helped guide the Bucs to the playoffs. The Bucs think a change in schemes under new coordinator Jim Bates will increase the sack production of DE Gaines Adams, the fourth overall player chosen in the 2007 draft. Adams collected 12½ sacks over his first two seasons. “We’ve changed some approach angles,” defensive line coach Todd

season, including 19 receptions for 198 yards with Dallas.

Jon Jansen could end up as the Lions’ No. 3 offensive tackle, ESPN. com reported. Jansen has missed 34 games over the past five years because of injury, and at 33 might not be able to survive a 16-game schedule. So it would make sense for the Lions to pencil him in as a backup to former first-round pick Gosder Cherilus at right tackle. Cherilus started 13 games last year as a rookie. Falcons OL Quinn Ojinnaka is free on bond after being accused of fighting with his wife over his Facebook activity. Ojinnaka, a fourthyear backup, was charged with simple battery, a police spokesman said in Gwinnett County. Police said Ojinnaka’s wife confronted him about contact with a female friend on Facebook and that he tossed her down the stairs and threw her out of their house in Suwanee, Ga., late Tuesday.

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP

Chris Simms, competing for the starting QB job in Denver, has thrown only two passes the past two seasons.

Wash told ESPN.com. “What we do now is really defensive-end friendly. I think it’s going to allow Gaines, and all our ends, to rush the passer more and be more effective. He’s playing real wide, and he’s always going to be playing pass first, which is obviously Gaines’ strength.” The Bucs are working with

Adams to add moves and improve his technique. “He’s been kind of a one-move guy; just a spin off his speed,” Wash said. “But now we’re trying to develop a little bit more and get a little more usage of his hands.” There are plenty of doubters about Cowboys WR Roy Williams’

ability to be the team’s No. 1 wideout. Among them: former Cowboys Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman. “I don’t know why those guys started thinking I can’t play,” Williams told ESPN. com. “But I guess I’ll just have to show them what I can do.” Williams caught 36 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns last

The 49ers and officials in Santa Clara struck a tentative deal for a $937 million stadium that would contain 68,500 seats and open in 2014, ProFootballTalk reported. A term sheet between the team and the city was released on Friday. 49ers president Jed York is expected to meet with club employees on Tuesday to discuss the specifics of the project. The Santa Clara City Council will meet on Tuesday for a vote on whether to approve the term sheet. If approved, a time line will be established for a public election

as to whether the project should proceed. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the Raiders would consider being a tenant of the new stadium. The Eagles are adding former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart to their staff in an unknown capacity, WFAA-TV reported. Stewart was the fall guy last season after the Cowboys’ defense was inconsistent. The Eagles’ defensive coaching staff is in flux because coordinator Jim Johnson took a leave of absence to deal with a recurrence of cancer in his back. Secondary coach Sean McDermott is running the Eagles’ defense for now. The team might need some help in the defensive backfield while McDermott takes on Johnson’s old duties. Raiders coaches are working SLB Ricky Brown at middle linebacker in spring practices, perhaps to give Jon Alston more time outside or more likely to gauge Brown’s value in case they lose free-agent-to-be MLB Kirk Morrison next year. “They told me this offseason, ‘Well, we know you can play Sam; we just want to see you play Mike,’ ” Brown told the San Francisco Chronicle. “The only thing I try to do is just go out here and get better every day. I know Kirk’s a great player. Me, I’m just out here working every day. Whatever decision the coaches make, I’m completely cool with playing any position.” Brown also said he is fully recovered from double sports hernia surgery performed in late December.

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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; 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—J.J. Arrington, Denver; 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; KayJay 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; Marcus Maxwell, Baltimore; 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; Owen Daniels (R), Houston; Nate Lawrie, Cincinnati; Michael Merritt, Kansas City; Chad Mustard, Denver; Rob Myers, NY Jets; 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; Jon Jansen, Washington; Jonas Jennings, San Francisco; Levi Jones, Cincinnati; Kyle Link, NY Jets; James Marten (R), Oakland; Fred Miller, Chicago; Rob Petitti, St. Louis; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia; Charles Spencer, Jacksonville; Barry Stokes, New England; Mark Tauscher, Green Bay; Mark Wilson (R), Oakland. Guards—Lennie Friedman, Cleveland; Pete Kendall, Washington; Matt Lentz, Detroit; Terrence Metcalf, Chicago; Edwin Mulitalo, Detroit; Chris Naeole, 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; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.

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; Brian Johnston, Kansas City; Travis LaBoy, Arizona; Jayme Mitchell, Minnesota; Jerome McDougle, NY Giants; Julius Peppers (F), Carolina; Josh Savage, New Orleans; 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; Casey Tyler, Dallas; 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; 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; Marcus Washington, Washington; Nate Webster, Denver. Cornerbacks—David Barrett, NY Jets; Fakhir Brown, St. Louis; Terry Cousin, Cleveland; Jason Craft, St. Louis; Travis Fisher, Detroit; Reynaldo Hill, Tennessee; 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; Oliver Celestin, Kansas City; Corey Chavous, St. Louis; 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; Pierson Prioleau, Jacksonville; Chris Reis (R), New Orleans; Dwight Smith, Detroit; Jimmy Williams, San Francisco; 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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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

26

Kampman mum on switch to 3-4 outside ’backer GREEN BAY—Normally one of the Packers’ most pleasant and accessible stars, Aaron Kampman suddenly has gone quiet. That more than anything might indicate some level of discomfort with the team’s decision to switch defensive schemes, a move that will turn one of the league’s best pass rushing defensive ends into an outside linebacker in the team’s new base 3-4 alignment. Kampman has not spoken to reporters about the change, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy seemed to acknowledge last week that Kampman has some reservations. “I think this defense is going to help Aaron Kampman,” McCarthy said. “I think there is always a hesitancy when you are asked to do something different. Aaron was very comfortable in the old scheme, but I think this is going to create more opportunities for him.” After not speaking to reporters during the Packers’ fan fest in March, Kampman was present for Thursday’s voluntary OTA but did not appear in the locker room while it was open to the media. A team spokesman said Kampman originally planned to address reporters Thursday but changed his mind. One of Kampman’s closest friends on the team, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, said he hopes Kampman will embrace the change. “I hope he realizes that this is probably going to be the best thing for him,” Rodgers said. Rodgers reiterated a point brought up repeatedly by McCarthy and new defensive coordinator Dom Capers: Kampman’s position switch might not be as

MIKE ROEMER / AP

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers says Aaron Kampman (74) has been ‘very professional.’ drastic as it seems, given the fact he generally will go back to being a traditional end when the Packers deviate from their base defense with a “sub” package with extra defensive backs. “He’s not going to be standing up as much as maybe people think he is,” Rodgers said. “So I think he’s going to make the transition very smoothly, and we’ve got a lot of guys pushing him.”

Still, Kampman will have to learn how to rush the passer from a standing position—as opposed to the three-point stance at end, with his hand on the ground. He’ll sometimes drop into coverage, a staple of the 3-4 scheme intended to confuse offenses. “I give him credit because that’s a big transition, going from ‘D-end’ all the time to standing up and having to think a lot more and do

different things,” linebacker A.J. Hawk said. “He’s really transitioned well.” Capers said rushing the passer from a standing position could make Kampman even more dangerous once he gets comfortable with it. In certain situations, players in Capers’ defense can choose to line up in a three-point stance or stand up—and Capers said they often choose to stand up. “There’s a lot more information you can process on the football field as a stand-up pass rusher as opposed to a pass rusher down in a three-point stance,” said new outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene. “I would know that, playing 15 years. He’s going to have a lot more information to process to help him get off on the ball and blossom. We have all the plans in the world to improve his play, not to degrade his play at all, and he will be fine.” Capers downplayed talk of hesitancy on Kampman’s part, describingKampmanas“veryprofessional” and saying he is making good progress in his transition. “He’s obviously a very, very conscientious guy that’s going to attempt to do things exactly the way you want them done,” Capers said. “He’s a smart player—you can see that right now in the transition.” But is Kampman enthusiastic about the switch or just being a good soldier doing what his coaches tell him to do? “I don’t get into that part of it, OK?” Capers said. “All I know is, everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s done, and he’s certainly not been resistant to anything we’ve asked him to do.” — The Associated Press

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Top 100 countdown Sporting News Today is counting down its Top 100 college football teams for 2009, featuring one team each day leading into the season opener Thursday, Sept. 3. Go to SportingNews.com for the previous teams.

96 AL GOLDIS / AP

With a new coach and QB, MiQuale Lewis will have to repeat his ‘08 success.

BALL STATE 2008 record: 12-2 overall, 8-0 MAC

Coach: Stan Parrish Outlook: It’s all been downhill for the Cardinals since Dec. 5, the night Buffalo ended Ball State’s perfect season with a resounding win in the MAC championship. The Cardinals were embarrassed by Tulsa in a bowl game, lost head coach Brady Hoke to San Diego State and junior quarterback Nate Davis to the NFL. At least running back MiQuale Lewis (1,736 rushing yards and 22 TDs in 2008) returns. — Derek Samson

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

27

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

INSIDE DISH

INSIDE DISH

Paterno’s top-secret contract reveals he’s a millionaire

Chism video may have violated rules

Records released by Penn State indicate that 82-year-old coach Joe Paterno is the school’s highest-paid employee, making more than $1.03 million last year. That includes his base salary plus bonuses, but does not include compensation from outside the university that top coaches typically collect. Paterno’s compensation from other sources is not a public record. The salary information for Paterno and 31 other Penn State employees were released in compliance with a Pennsylvania Right-to-Know law that took effect in January, according to The Associated Press. Paterno’s salary was once one of college football’s biggest secrets. LSU’s Les Miles and Alabama’s Nick Saban are considered to be among the highest-paid coaches in the country. Saban’s total compensation package called for him to make roughly $3.8 million this year. Miles last year signed an extension with LSU that guaranteed him $1,000 more than any coach in the SEC. Former Duke starting QB Zack Asack has been kicked off the team for an undisclosed violation of team policy. Asack was entering his senior season after shifting to safety from quarterback during the spring.

It’s the second disciplinary action taken against Asack during his time at Duke. The Blue Devils’ starter at quarterback in 2005 was suspended for the 2006 season for plagiarism and returned in 2007 as Thaddeus Lewis’ backup. The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome will feature N.C. State vs. Tennessee in 2012, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. That will be the fifth year for the game between SEC and ACC schools. Michigan has added nonconference opponents Massachusetts and Bowling Green to its 2010 schedule. The Wolverines will play Massachusetts on Sept. 18 and Bowling Green on Sept. 25 at Michigan Stadium. Former Oregon QB Chris Harper and Minnesota WR Brodrick Smith could be transferring to Kansas State, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Smith is a Garden City, Kan., native, while Harper is from Wichita, Kan. “I’ve talked to both of them,” Wichita-based trainer Brian Butler told the Capital-Journal. “Basically, they’re trying to get closer to home. K-State is an option for both of them, a very serious option.”

Tennessee ordered senior Wayne Chism to remove roughly two dozen videos he posted on YouTube and Facebook—videos that could require the school to selfreport a violation to the NCAA, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. Chism attempted to make comical reality videos with Mike Norton, owner of All Pro Truck Tire Service in Knoxville. Norton and Chism are friends, and Norton told the newspaper that Chism has never worked for him nor received money. But Norton’s business was mentioned in the videos, and Chism wore a shirt that appeared to bear the logo of All Pro, the newspaper reported. The NCAA could consider that an endorsement—and therefore a violation. “When the athletic department was made aware of the videos, Wayne was immediately asked to remove them from the Internet,’’ said UT spokesman Tom Satkowiak. “Some of the videos didn’t portray Wayne in a good light, and he understands that he did not meet the men’s basketball program’s expectations. We’ll use this entire situation as a teaching moment for our student-athletes. “Our compliance office also has been made aware of the situation.’’ Norton told the newspaper that he received calls from an unhappy coach Bruce Pearl. “We didn’t mean to get anybody in any kind of trouble,’’ Norton said. In the final video, Chism expresses displeasure with those alerting Tennessee to videos in which Chism “is cussing a lot on YouTube.” “To the people who liked the videos we appreciate you watching,’’ Chism said. “You’ll look on Facebook and YouTube and see all the videos gone. The people that called and snitched on me, not cool. But I guess I appreciate that because they said they don’t want to make my image bad.’’ Former Villanova PG Chris Walker (1988-92) is the top candidate to replace Pat Chambers as the lead assistant on Villanova’s staff, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Chambers left Villanova to become the head coach at Boston University.

WADE PAYNE / AP

Videos of Tennessee’s Wayne Chism with the owner of a business could have been construed as an endorsement of the business. Walker has been an assistant coach the last two seasons at New Mexico under Steve Alford. He was an assistant in 2000-01 at Villanova under Steve Lappas, and followed Lappas to Massachusetts. Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik announced that sophomore Toby Veal will be leaving the program to spend more time with his newborn daughter. The 6-7, 225pound forward played in 18 games as a true freshman last season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Davidson’s Stephen Curry has been named Southern Conference’s male athlete of the year for a second straight season. Curry became the SoCon’s all-time leading scorer this season, finishing with 2,635 points. He became the first repeat winner since LB Dexter Coakley won in 1996 and 1997 with Appalachian State. Curry has chosen to give up his final season at Davidson to enter next month’s NBA draft.

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Golf

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28

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

Money man one round away from first win FORT WORTH, TEXAS—With $12.7 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour, Tim Clark has the dubious distinction of winning the most money without winning an event. Now he’s got a great chance to let someone else carry that burden. Clark shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday in the third round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. The 33-year-old South African has been near the top of the leaderboard all week, then finally moved into first place all by himself with a birdie on 11. After a string of pars, he birdied 18 to dip to 17-under 193 and stretch his lead. That kind of finish also might be the momentum-extender to help him snap his 0-for-183 skid. “It’s tough to win out here; everyone knows it,” said Clark, 63rd on the tour’s career money list. “Hopefully, I do get that win sometime and it makes things easier. That’s all I can hope for.” Reason to believe he can do it starts with his streak of eight straight rounds in the 60s at the Colonial Country Club. That includes all of last year’s event, when he walked off the course tied for first but wound up second when Phil Mickelson birdied the final hole. It was the sixth runnerup finish of Clark’s career; another came at the 2006 Masters. That giant 0-fer is reason enough to question whether Clark can do it. There’s also this nugget: Clark’s only other 54-hole lead was at the 2008 St. Jude Classic. He opened that final round with a triple bogey, shot 6 over and finished 18th.

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Site: Fort Worth, Texas. Course: Colonial Country Club (7,054 yards, par 70). Purse: $6.2 million. Winner’s share: $1,116,000. TV: CBS (Today, 3-6 p.m.).

“It’s never easy being the frontrunner. It’s a little bit tougher than coming from a few shots back,” he said. “But I have led a few tournaments on the European tour going into the last round and have been able to shoot a good score. It’s about staying calm and not getting too far ahead of yourself. “This is a great course for doing that, too. You still have to come out and play good golf. If someone is going to catch me tomorrow they have to play really good, so that’s good to know.” Well, that brings up another problem. Lots of people are playing really good this week. Wind is the only defense this old course has against modern players and their technological advances, and there’s yet to be anything more than a gentle breeze. Making things even easier, many greens are new and soaked by a rainy spring, leaving them nice and soft—just the way players like it. Jason Day has capitalized with three straight rounds of 65, and Steve Marino shot a tournamentbest 62 on Saturday, moving them into a tie for second place at 15 under with Steve Stricker (69).

Day and Marino also are winless on the PGA Tour. Both have extra incentive, too, from Marino’s mom growing up in Fort Worth (she was in the gallery, as were a bunch of her childhood friends) to Day having moved to Fort Worth last year. “My mind is in a really good spot right now,” Day said. Marino gave his mom and her friends plenty to shout about during the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. They were loudest on Nos. 11-13, when Marino put all of his approaches within 5 feet for “pretty stress-free birdies.” “I just felt really in control of everything,” he said. “It was a great feeling.” Stricker faded after setting the 36-hole record (126). Playing with Clark, Stricker birdied the second hole and parred all the rest. “I like the position I’m in,” Stricker said. “For the most part, it’s better to come from behind— unless it’s someone like Tiger who’s used to leading. Hopefully I can put up a good number tomorrow.” Vijay Singh got off track with consecutive bogeys early in his

Leaderboard Saturday At Colonial Country Club Fort Worth, Texas Purse: $6.2 million Yardage: 7,204; Par 70 Third Round Tim Clark 63-64-66 Steve Marino 66-67-62 Jason Day 65-65-65 Steve Stricker 63-63-69 Vijay Singh 64-64-69 Justin Leonard 66-68-64 Woody Austin 63-68-67 Paul Casey 66-67-66 Sean O’Hair 65-64-70

— — — — — — — — —

193 195 195 195 197 198 198 199 199

-17 -15 -15 -15 -13 -12 -12 -11 -11

round. He finished at 69 and was alone at 13 under in his first appearance in the event since pulling out after criticizing the tournament for letting Annika Sorenstam in the field in ’03. Justin Leonard (64) and Woody Austin (67) were 12 under. One more shot behind were Sean O’Hair (70) and Paul Casey (66), who is playing his first tournament as No. 3 in the world ranking. Mickelson isn’t here after announcing last week that wife Amy is battling breast cancer. In her honor, and to raise awareness about the disease, the tournament went into “pink out” mode Saturday. Most players wore pink shirts, as did tournament staffers and many folks in the gallery. CBS broadcaster David Feherty really got into it, going pink from head (cap, sunglasses and spraypainted beard) to toe (pants and shoes). “It’s pretty special to see,” Leonard said. “I’m not usually a pinkshirt wearer, but it felt good to put it on. I wish it were under different circumstances.” — The Associated Press

Zach Johnson Ian Poulter Kevin Na Ted Purdy Luke Donald Jeff Overton Lucas Glover Kevin Sutherland Tim Herron Harrison Frazar John Senden Jason Bohn Ryan Palmer Matt Kuchar Tom Lehman Charlie Wi Stephen Ames James Driscoll

69-67-64 66-69-65 66-68-66 69-65-66 68-65-67 69-67-65 70-65-66 66-67-68 71-65-66 67-69-66 68-67-67 69-65-68 69-63-70 70-68-65 68-69-66 67-70-66 68-68-67 69-64-70

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 202 202 202 202 202 203 203 203 203 203

-10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -9 -9 -9 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7

David Toms Kevin Streelman Mark Wilson Fredrik Jacobson Nick O’Hern Jim Furyk Geoff Ogilvy Hunter Mahan Kenny Perry Jason Dufner Charley Hoffman Bart Bryant Anthony Kim Stewart Cink Bob Estes James Nitties Corey Pavin Brandt Jobe

DONNA MCWILLIAM / AP

Tim Clark put himself in position for his first-ever tour victory with a third-round 66.

67-72-65 68-70-66 67-71-66 68-70-66 69-69-66 68-69-67 70-67-67 69-67-68 64-72-68 69-71-65 73-67-65 70-68-67 69-68-68 71-66-68 71-66-68 67-68-70 71-69-66 71-69-66

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

204 204 204 204 204 204 204 204 204 205 205 205 205 205 205 205 206 206

-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4

J.J. Henry Rod Pampling Scott Verplank George McNeill Rocco Mediate Greg Owen Tom Pernice, Jr. Chris DiMarco Matt Bettencourt Tommy Armour III Derek Fathauer Brian Davis Danny Lee Heath Slocum Dudley Hart Adam Scott Carl Pettersson Justin Rose

71-68-67 73-66-67 70-68-68 68-70-68 67-70-69 68-69-69 69-67-70 69-71-67 69-70-68 67-72-68 68-69-70 69-68-70 69-67-71 69-71-68 74-66-68 68-71-69 71-68-69 69-69-70

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

206 206 206 206 206 206 206 207 207 207 207 207 207 208 208 208 208 208

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2

John Rollins Mike Weir Rory Sabbatini Bo Van Pelt Brian Gay Ben Crane Richard S. Johnson Chez Reavie John Merrick Michael Bradley Ryuji Imada

70-67-71 69-67-72 71-69-69 71-69-69 68-71-70 71-68-70 71-69-70 72-68-70 71-68-71 70-67-73 69-68-73

— — — — — — — — — — —

208 208 209 209 209 209 210 210 210 210 210

-2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E E E E

Failed to make final round Ken Duke 71-69-71 Mark Brooks 71-69-72 Aron Price 67-72-73 Joe Ogilvie 67-73-73 Mark Calcavecchia 68-72-74

— — — — —

211 212 212 213 214

+1 +2 +2 +3 +4

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Tennis

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

29

FRENCH OPEN Glance PARIS—A look at the French Open on Saturday: Weather: Sunny. High of 75 degrees. Attendance: 35,365. Men’s seeded winners: No. 2 Roger Federer, No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 6 Andy Roddick, No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 11 Gael Monfils, No. 16 Tommy Robredo, No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber. Men’s seeded losers: No. 4 Novak Djokovic, No. 24 Jurgen Melzer, No. 25 Igor Andreev, No. 32 Paul-Henri Mathieu. Women’s seeded winners: No. 2 Serena Williams, No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 9 Victoria Azarenka, No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 24 Aleksandra Wozniak, No. 30 Samantha Stosur. Women’s seeded losers: No. 4 Elena Dementieva, No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 22 Carla Suarez Navarro. Stat of the day: 38—unforced errors by Djokovic, 16 more than his opponent, in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Kohlschreiber. Quote of the day: “I’m watching only men’s tennis on TV. I don’t really watch too much women’s. That’s why many times, when I play against them, I don’t know my opponent.” —Jankovic, after her 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jarmila Groth. On court today: No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 23 Robin Soderling, No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 13 Marin Cilic, No. 8 Fernando Verdasco vs. No. 10 Nikolay Davydenko; No. 1 Dinara Safina vs. Aravane Rezai, No. 8 Ana Ivanovic vs. No. 9 Victoria Azarenka, No. 25 Li Na vs. Maria Sharapova. Today’s forecast: Sunny. High of 75. Today’s TV: Tennis Channel, 5 a.m.-3 p.m. EDT; NBC, 3-6 p.m. EDT.

— The Associated Press

Roddick reaches fourth round for first time PARIS—Rust-colored flecks of clay dotted Andy Roddick’s white attire, from the brim of his baseball cap, down the back of his shirt, to his ankle braces. Never before nearly this comfortable at the only Grand Slam tournament played on the sport’s slowest surface, Roddick reached the French Open’s fourth round for the first time in his career by beating Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 Saturday. And the sixth-seeded Roddick is not satisfied, even though his performance so far is quite an upgrade for someone who hadn’t won a match at Roland Garros since 2005. “Any time you accomplish a goal, it’s nice. But my tournament is not over. You know, I’d like to keep going,” the American said. “I don’t even have anything else to do next week. I’d like to stick around.” He’s one of only two U.S. singles players, out of 17 men and women entered, who will compete in Week 2. The other is Serena Williams, the 2002 French Open champion, who lost a disputed point en route to dropping the opening set Saturday, but came back to defeat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Afterward, Williams branded Martinez Sanchez a cheater for failing to fess up that a ball ricocheted off her arm. Martinez Sanchez said the ball went off her racket. NBC replays appeared to show the ball went off the Spaniard’s arm, then her racket, on its way over the net; rules call for a player to lose the point if she touches the ball. “She should have lost the point—instead of cheating,” Williams said. Two-time semifinalist Novak Djokovic was upset by No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Then there were gasps as the scoreboard showed threetime runner-up Roger Federer dropped the first set, followed immediately by applause as the locals realized it was France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu who’d won

Results

Saturday at Stade Roland Garros, Paris Purse: $21.8 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Clay-Outdoor Singles Men, Third Round Tommy Haas, Germany, def. Jeremy Chardy, France, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Andy Roddick (6), United States, def. Marc Gicquel, France, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Juan Martin del Potro (5), Argentina, def. Igor Andreev (25), Russia, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (9), France, def. Christophe Rochus, Belgium, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Gael Monfils (11), France, def. Jurgen Melzer (24), Austria, 6-2. 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Tommy Robredo (16), Spain, def. Maximo Gonzalez, Argentina, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-0. Philipp Kohlschreiber (29), Germany, def. Novak Djokovic (4), Serbia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu (32), France, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Women, Third Round Svetlana Kuznetsova (7), Russia, def. Melinda Czink, Hungary, 6-1, 6-3. Samantha Stosur (30), Australia, def. Elena Dementieva (4), Russia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Agnieszka Radwanska (12), Poland, def. Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, 6-2, 6-4. Victoria Azarenka (9), Belarus, def. Carla Suarez Navarro (22), Spain, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. Aleksandra Wozniak (24), Canada, def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Spain, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Virginie Razzano, France, def. Tathiana Garbin, Italy, 7-5, 7-5. Jelena Jankovic (5), Serbia, def. Jarmila Groth, Australia, 6-1, 6-1. Serena Williams (2), United States, def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Spain, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, vs. Caroline Wozniacki (10), Denmark, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

MICHEL EULER / AP

Serena Williams didn’t have kind words for her opponent in Saturday’s match, accusing her of cheating. that set. But if Djokovic never got things turned around, Federer most certainly did, and he wound up wrapping up a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the 32nd-seeded Mathieu. The second-seeded Federer and fourthseeded Djokovic could have met in the

semifinals, but the 13-time Grand Slam champion shrugged when asked if he was relieved to see the Serb depart. “No, not at all,” Federer said. “Winning the semifinal is not winning the tournament, so it doesn’t change anything.” — The Associated Press

Doubles Men, Second Round Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Ashley Fisher (14), Australia, def. Dusan Vemic, Serbia, and Mischa Zverev, Germany, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Mahesh Bhupathi, India, and Mark Knowles (4), Bahamas, def. Johan Brunstrom, Sweden, and Jean-Julien Rojer, Netherlands Antilles, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3). Bob and Mike Bryan (2 ), United States, def. Andrei Pavel and Horia Tecau, Romania, 6-1, 6-4. Jose Acasuso, Argentina, and Fernando Gonzalez, Chile, def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Spain, and Sergio Roitman, Argentina, 6-1, 6-3. Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zimonjic (1), Serbia, def. Leos Friedl and David Skoch, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2. Third Round Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, and Leander Paes (3 ), India, def. Julien Benneteau and

Nicolas Mahut, France, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Wesley Moodie, South Africa, and Dick Norman, Belgium, def. Simon Aspelin, Sweden, and Paul Hanley, Australia, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Bruno Soares, Brazil, and Kevin Ullyett (5), Zimbabwe, def. Jaroslav Levinsky, Czech Republic, and Igor Zelenay, Slovakia, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6). Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov, Russia, def. Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay, and Luis Horna (8), Peru, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Women, Third Round Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Peng Shuai (9), China, def. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, and Ai Sugiyama (7), Japan, 6-3, 7-5. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany, and Patty Schnyder (11), Switzerland, and Maria Kirilenko, Russia, and Flavia Pennetta (8), Italy, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (1), United States, def. Vania King, United States, and Monica Niculescu (13), Romania, 7-5, 6-1. Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual (3), Spain, def. Vera Dushevina and Anastasia Rodionova, Australia, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Elena Vesnina (12), Russia, def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia, and Francesca Schiavone, Italy, 6-2, 7-5. Mixed First Round Nathalie Dechy, France, and Andy Ram, Israel, def. Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi, India, 6-1, 7-5. Ai Sugiyama, Japan, and Andre Sa (5), Brazil, def. Aurelie Vedy and Josselin Ouanna, France, 6-3, 6-3. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany, and Mark Knowles, Bahamas, def. Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-4. Anastasia Rodionova, Russia, and Rik de Voest, South Africa, def. Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, and Jordan Kerr, Australia, 6-1, 3-6, 11-9 tiebreak. Pauline Parmentier and Marc Gicquel, France, def. Vladimira Uhlirova and Leos Friedl, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-3. Second Round Nadia Petrova, Russia, and Max Mirnyi (4), Belarus, def. Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Ashley Fisher, Australia, 6-3, 6-3. Sybille Bammer, Austria, and Lukasz Kubot, Poland, def. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Leander Paes (2), India, 6-0, 1-6, 10-6 tiebreak. Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan (1), United States, def. Flavia Pennetta, Italy, and Dusan Vemic, Serbia, 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 tiebreak.

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College Baseball

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

30

NCAA REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Gwynn’s Aztecs eliminate defending champs IRVINE, CALIF. —Brandon Meredith hit two home runs and Tyler Lavigne pitched into the eighth inning as San Diego State eliminated defending College World Series champion Fresno State with a 4-1 victory in an NCAA baseball regional game Saturday night. Coach Tony Gwynn’s Aztecs (41-22) will face UC Irvine, which lost 5-0 to Virginia in a game that ended early today. Fresno State’s defense of its national title ended in two regional losses as Lavigne limited the Bulldogs (32-30) to just five hits and an unearned run in 7 1/3 innings while striking out eight and walking one. Addison Reed got four outs for his 20th save.

Southern Miss 10, Georgia Tech 7 B.A. Vollmuth homered, doubled and drove in four runs, and Southern Mississippi took advantage of Georgia Tech’s worst defensive game of the season. Elon 4, Georgia State 3 Cory Harrilchak hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, Jimmy Reyes struck out a career-high 14 and Elon edged Georgia State to eliminate the Panthers from their first NCAA tournament.

Gainesville (Fla.) Regional Florida 8, Miami 2 Stephen Locke pitched 7 1/3 stellar innings, Jonathan Pigott drove in two runs and Florida beat Miami for just the fourth time in 16 postseason meetings. Jacksonville 8, Bethune-Cookman 7 Chuck Opachich drove in four runs, the biggest on a solo homer in the eighth, and Jacksonville beat Bethune-Cookman to stave off elimination.

Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional Florida St. 8, Georgia 2 Freshman Sean Gilmartin pitched a complete game and Jason Stidham had five RBIs as Florida State advanced to the regional final.

Louisville (Ky.) Regional Louisville 3, Middle Tennessee 2 Jeff Arnold scored the go-ahead run on an errant pickoff throw by the catcher in the top of the ninth inning as Louisville rallied to beat Middle Tennessee.

Ohio St. 6 , Marist 4 Matt Streng drove in the winning run, Jake Hale picked up his 17th save and Big Ten champion Ohio State avoided elimination.

Greenville (N.C.) Regional South Carolina 12, East Carolina 2 Justin Dalles hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs, and Blake Cooper pitched a complete game to help South Carolina cruise past East Carolina.

Oklahoma State’s Michael Dabbs (2) is greeted after scoring what turned out to be the winning run against Clemson.

Binghamton 11, George Mason 6 Henry Dunn and Corey Taylor each hit home runs to help Binghamton beat George Mason in an elimination game.

Clemson (S.C.) Regional

East Carolina 11, Binghamton 7 Dustin Harrington hit one of East

Atlanta Regional

MARK CRAMMER / AP

Carolina’s three home runs, helping the Pirates beat Binghamton in a rain-delayed NCAA tournament opener.

Oklahoma St. 3, Clemson 2 Neil Medchill hit a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning to give Oklahoma State a victory over Clemson.

Tennessee Tech 6, Alabama 2 Michael Alcorn scattered nine hits in his third complete game of the season and Tennessee Tech knocked off Alabama in an elimination game.

Chapel Hill (N.C.) Regional North Carolina 14, Coastal Carolina 5 Ben Bunting, Levi Michael and Kyle

Vanderbilt 10, Indiana 0 Sonny Gray gave up seven hits and struck out 10 as Vanderbilt beat Indiana in an elimination game.

Oxford (Miss.) Regional Seager each drove in three runs to help North Carolina beat Coastal Carolina and move to the finals.

Mississippi 7, Western Kentucky 4 Matt Snyder hit a three-run homer, Phil Irwin (8-3) struck out nine and Mississippi beat Western Kentucky.

Kansas 16, Dartmouth 0 Shaeffer Hall threw a complete game while Zac Elgie had a school postseasonrecord six RBIs to help Kansas beat Dartmouth in an elimination game.

Missouri 9, Monmouth 0 Kyle Gibson (11-3) struck out eight and allowed six hits in eight strong innings and Missouri eliminated Monmouth. — The Associated Press

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NCAA Division I regionals glance At Clark-LeClair Stadium

Greenville, N.C. Friday South Carolina 11, George Mason 3 East Carolina vs. Binghamton, ppd., rain Saturday East Carolina 11, Binghamton 7 Binghamton 11, George Mason 6, George Mason eliminated South Carolina 12, East Carolina 2 Today Game 5 — Binghamton (30-21) vs. East Carolina (43-18), 2 p.m. Game 6 — South Carolina (40-21) vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m., if necessary

At Boshamer Stadium

Chapel Hill, N.C. Friday Coastal Carolina 11, Kansas 3 North Carolina 5, Dartmouth 2 Saturday Kansas 16, Dartmouth 0, Dartmouth eliminated North Carolina 14, Coastal Carolina 5 Today Game 5 — Kansas (38-23) vs. Coastal Carolina (47-15), 1 p.m. Game 6 — North Carolina (44-16) vs. Game 5 winner, 5 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m., if necessary

At Doug Kingsmore Stadium

Clemson, S.C. Friday Oklahoma State 10, Alabama 6 Clemson 5, Tennessee Tech 4 Saturday Tennessee Tech 6, Alabama 2, Alabama eliminated Oklahoma State 3, Clemson 2 Today Game 5 — Tennessee Tech (31-23-1) vs. Clemson (41-20), 3 p.m. Game 6 — Oklahoma State (34-22) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At Russ Chandler Stadium

Atlanta Friday Southern Mississippi 17, Elon 15 Georgia Tech 9, Georgia State 3 Saturday Georgia State 4, Elon 3, Elon eliminated Southern Mississippi 10, Georgia Tech 7 Today Game 5 — Georgia State (40-21), vs. Georgia Tech (36-18-1), 3 p.m. Game 6 — Southern Mississippi (37-23) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At McKethan Stadium Gainesville, Fla. Friday Miami 9, Jacksonville 4

College Baseball

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Florida 8, Bethune-Cookman 7 Saturday Jacksonville 8, Bethune-Cookman 7, BethuneCookman eliminated Florida 8, Miami 2 Today Game 5 — Jacksonville (37-21) vs. Miami (37-21), 1 p.m. Game 6 — Florida (41-20) vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m., if necessary

At Dick Howser Stadium

Tallahassee, Fla. Friday Georgia 24, Ohio State 8 Florida State 16, Marist 4 Saturday Ohio State 6, Marist 4, Marist eliminated Florida State 8, Georgia 2 Today Game 5 — Ohio State (41-18) vs. Georgia (38-23), Noon Game 6 — Florida State (44-16) vs. Game 5 winner, 4 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At Jim Patterson Stadium

Louisville, Ky. Friday Middle Tennessee 5, Vanderbilt 4 Louisville 8, Indiana 2 Saturday Vanderbilt 10, Indiana 0, Indiana eliminated Louisville 3, Middle Tennessee 2 Today Game 5 — Vanderbilt (35-26) vs. Middle Tennessee (44-17), 3 p.m. Game 6 — Louisville (46-15) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At Oxford-University Stadium

Oxford, Miss. Friday Western Kentucky 11, Missouri 5 Mississippi 8, Monmouth, N.J. 1 Saturday Missouri 9, Monmouth, N.J. 0, Monmouth, N.J. eliminated Mississippi 7, Western Kentucky 4 Today Game 5 — Missouri (35-26) vs. Western Kentucky (40-19), 2 p.m. Game 6 — Mississippi (42-17) vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m., if necessary

At Alex Box Stadium

Baton Rouge, La. Friday LSU 10, Southern U. 2 Baylor 5, Minnesota 0 Saturday Minnesota 11, Southern U. 8, Southern U. eliminated LSU 3, Baylor 3, 10 innings

At L. Dale Mitchell Park

Norman, Okla. Friday Arkansas 10, Washington State 3 Oklahoma 5, Wichita State 4 Saturday Washington State 3, Wichita State 2, Wichita St. eliminated Game 4 — Arkansas (35-22) vs. Oklahoma (42-18), 8 p.m. Today Game 5 : Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m. Game 6 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 8 p.m., if necessary

At Reckling Park

Houston Friday Kansas State 16, Xavier 8 Rice 5, Sam Houston State 2 Saturday Xavier 9, Sam Houston State 6, Sam Houston eliminated Kansas State 7, Rice 6, 10 innings Today Game 5 — Xavier (39-20) vs. Rice (40-16), 3 p.m. Game 6 — Kansas State (43-16-1) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At Lupton Baseball Stadium

Fort Worth, Texas Friday Oregon State 9, Texas A&M 8 TCU 6, Wright State 3 Saturday Texas A&M 6, Wright State 4, 11 innings, Wright St. eliminated TCU 13, Oregon State 1 Today Game 5 — Texas A&M (37-23) vs. Oregon State (36-18), 3 p.m. Game 6 : TCU (38-16) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At UFCU Disch-Falk Field

Austin, Texas Friday Boston College 8, Texas State 7 Texas 3, Army 1 Saturday Army 7, Texas State 4, Texas St. eliminated Texas 3, Boston College 2, 25 innings Today Game 5 — Army (35-20) vs. Boston College (34-25), 2 p.m. Game 6 : Texas (43-13-1) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.

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NCAA REGIONAL ROUNDUP

All times ET, double elimination Today Game 5 — Minnesota (39-18) vs. Baylor (30-25), 2 p.m. Game 6 — LSU (48-16) vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., if necessary

At Packard Stadium

Tempe, Ariz. Friday Oral Roberts 13, Cal Poly 3 Arizona State 17, Kent State 6 Saturday Kent State 10, Cal Poly 9, Cal Poly eliminated Arizona State 4, Oral Roberts 1 Today Game 5 — Kent State (43-16) vs. Oral Roberts (32-13), 4 p.m. Game 6 : Arizona State (46-12) vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m., if necessary

At Anteater Ballpark

Irvine, Calif. Friday Virginia 5, San Diego State 1 UC Irvine 4, Fresno State 2 Saturday San Diego State 4, Fresno State 1, Fresno St. eliminated Virginia 5, UC Irvine 0 Today Game 5 — San Diego State (41-22) vs. GUC Irvine (44-14), 7 p.m. Game 6— Virginia (45-12-1) vs. Game 5 winner, 11 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 p.m., if necessary

At Goodwin Field

Fullerton, Calif. Friday Gonzaga 19, Georgia Southern 10 Cal State Fullerton 18, Utah 2 Saturday Utah 11, Georgia Southern 10, Georgia Southern eliminated Cal State Fullerton 7, Gonzaga 4 Today Game 5 — Utah (27-30) vs. Gonzaga (36-17), 5 p.m. Game 6 — Cal State Fullerton (44-14) vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m. Monday Game 7 : Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m., if necessary

Texas wins longest game in NCAA history AUSTIN, TEXAS—Travis Tucker hit an RBI single with one out in the top of the 25th inning, leading Texas to a 3-2 victory over Boston College in the longest game in NCAA history. The game eclipsed the former record of 23 innings, set in 1971 when Louisiana-Lafayette defeated McNeese State 6-5. The game began at 7:02 p.m. EDT Saturday and concluded 7 hours, 3 minutes later at 2:05 a.m. today. Texas (43-13-1) scored when Connor Rowe walked to lead off the top of the inning and was sacrificed to second by David Hernandez. Rowe advanced to third on a wild pitch, and Tucker grounded past second base through the drawn-in infield to spark the record-setting victory. The Eagles and top-seeded Longhorns also shattered the NCAA tournament, surpassing the 19 innings played when Clemson edged Fordham, 3-2, on May 27, 1988. Army 7, Texas St. 4 Joey Henshaw tied an Army record with his 12th homer and drove in three runs as the Black Knights rallied past second-seeded Texas State in an elimination game.

Fort Worth (Texas) Regional Texas A&M 6, Wright State 4, 11 innings Joe Patterson’s two-run homer in the top of the 11th powered Texas A&M to a win over Wright State in an elimination game. Patterson also drove in the tying run in the ninth with an RBI single that made it 4-4. TCU 13, Oregon State 1 Kyle Winkler held Oregon State hitless through the first five

Xavier 9, Sam Houston State 6 Jordan Conley had three hits and pitched 2 1-3 innings of hitless relief for the win as Xavier beat Sam Houston State in an elimination game.

Norman (Okla.) Regional Washington State 3, Wichita St. 2 Derek Jones and Jared Prince hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to lift Washington State over Wichita State in an elimination game.

DAVID KADLUBOWSKI / AP

ASU’s Mike Leake fanned 15 to beat Oral Roberts. innings, and TCU used 17 hits to cruise to an easy win.

Baton Rouge (La.) Regional LSU 3, Baylor 2, 10 innings Anthony Ranaudo struck out 14 in nine innings, and Austin Nola hit a run-scoring single in the top of the 10th to lift LSU over Baylor. Minnesota 11, Southern 8 Justin Gominsky had four hits, scored twice, drove in two runs and added an inning-ending diving catch to help Minnesota stay alive in the NCAA tournament.

Arkansas 17, Oklahoma 6 Zach Cox’s three-run homer in the first inning got Arkansas off to a fast start and the Razorbacks cruised past Oklahoma.

Fullerton (Calif.) Regional Cal State Fullerton 7, Gonzaga 4 Dustin Garneau had a careerhigh five hits and Daniel Renken pitched eight strong innings to lead Cal State Fullerton. Utah 11, Georgia Southern 10 Michael Beltran’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning led Utah past Georgia Southern.

Tempe (Ariz.) Regional

Houston Regional

Kent St. 10, Cal Poly 9 Travis Shaw hit a two-run homer and Jared Humphreys drove in three runs as Kent State held on to beat Cal Poly in an elimination game.

Kansas State 7, Rice 6 A.J. Morris tossed a complete game and Justin Bloxom hit a goahead homer in the eighth inning as Kansas State beat top-seeded Rice and snapped the Owls’ streak of 13 consecutive regional victories.

Arizona State 4, Oral Roberts 1 Mike Leake struck out 15 and scattered five hits in a completegame effort as Arizona State beat Oral Roberts. — The Associated Press

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SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

IN BRIEF

TRANSACTIONS

Berto dominates to retain crown HOLLYWOOD, FLA.—Andre Berto remained unbeaten and retained his WBC welterweight title by scoring a dominating 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Urango at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Berto (25-0), making the third defense of his belt he won over Miguel Angel Rodriguez in June of last year, won by scores of 118-110 on two of the scorecards and 117-111 from a third judge.

Softball OKLAHOMA CITY—A record-setting day for SEC offenses at the Women’s College World Series has set the stage for a first-time champion to be crowned. Pinch-hitter Jazlyn Lunceford hit her first career grand slam during Alabama’s second surprising outburst Saturday, lifting the Crimson Tide past defending champion Arizona State 6-2 and into the World Series semifinals. With two outs, Lunceford sent a 2-2 pitch from freshman Hillary Bach (31-11) onto the walkway at the front of the left-field stands to put the Crimson Tide ahead 4-2 in the fourth inning. The Crimson Tide (54-10) also beat eight-time national champion Arizona 14-0 earlier in the day, setting records for the most runs and biggest margin of victory in a World Series game. Next up is a semifinal matchup today against top-seeded Florida, with the Tide needing two wins to reach the finals. Georgia also won twice to reach the semifinals and will have to duplicate the feat today against third-seeded Washington to advance again. The Bulldogs beat 2005 champion Michigan 7-5 with a World Series record four home runs in a single game. The losses by Arizona State, Michigan and Arizona left the semifinals void of any team that’s won the title before.

Golf TOLEDO, OHIO—With one mighty hack, Bronson Burgoon gave Texas A&M its first national title in men’s golf. His gap wedge soared into the wind, landed on the green and tracked toward the hole before coming to rest just 3 inches away. Burgoon, the Aggies’ No. 1 player, had lost the previous four holes to Arkansas’ Andrew Landry before hitting from the deep rough far to the right of the 18th fairway.

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J.D. POOLEY / AP

Members of the Texas A&M golf team celebrate after clinching the NCAA Division I golf championship. Landry conceded the tap-in for birdie, then missed a 35-footer that finalized A&M’s 3-and-2 victory. Texas A&M had qualified for the NCAA men’s tournament 23 times, but had never finished higher than fourth in 1982. WEST DES MOINES, IOWA—Nick Price shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Principal Charity Classic. Price had a 7-under 135 total on the Glen Oaks course. Joey Sindelar (67) and Mark Wiebe (68) were 6 under, and Fred Funk (69) and Mark McNulty (69) were 5 under. Mike Reid had a 66, the best round of the day, to top a sixplayer group at 4 under. Two-time defending champion Jay Haas was 3 under after a 67.

Auto Racing KNOXVILLE, IOWA—A 34-year-old driver involved in a crash during an Iowa race has died. Chad McDaniel of Concordia, Kan., was taking part in a United States Auto Club Midget Nationals event at Knoxville Raceway Friday night when he struck another car. The USAC says McDaniel suffered head and neck injuries. A spokesman at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Gregg Lagan, says McDaniel was pronounced dead at Mercy at 12:37 a.m. Saturday. The USAC said McDaniel had scored five top-10 finishes in six races this season.

Cycling ANAGNI, ITALY—Denis Menchov added two more seconds to his overall lead in Saturday’s next-to-last stage of the Giro d’Italia. Menchov leads Danilo Di Luca, his closest rival, by 20 seconds entering today’s final time trial in Rome. Lance Armstrong dropped back shortly before the finish as riders completed a circuit around Anagni twice. The seven-time Tour de France winner crossed 1:38 behind and remained 12th overall, but his gap behind Menchov increased to 15:04.

Soccer CAEN, FRANCE—Bordeaux won the French league title for the first time since 1999 Saturday after beating Caen 1-0. It was the 11th straight win for Laurent Blanc’s team, which finished with 80 points to stay three ahead of Marseille. It is Bordeaux’s sixth league title, and the last in 1999 was also secured on the final day. The other championships were in 1950, ’84, ’85, and ’87.

Horse Racing OKLAHOMA CITY—Ragazzo won by a nose over stablemate Streakin Down on Saturday night in the $1.107 million Heritage Place Futurity, the most lucrative race of Remington Park’s annual quarter horse meet. — The Associated Press

BASEBALL American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Purchased the contract of LHP Wes Whisler from Charlotte (IL). Designated C Corky Miller for assignment. OAKLAND ATHLETICS: Placed OF Travis Buck on the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Jeff Gray to Sacramento (PCL). Recalled OF Aaron Cunningham and INF Gregorio Petit from Sacramento. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Placed 1B Chad Tracy on the 15day DL. Recalled 1B Josh Whitesell from Reno (PCL). CINCINNATI REDS: Placed 1B Joey Votto on the 15-day DL. Recalled INF-OF Wilkin Castillo from Louisville (IL). NEW YORK METS: Activated C Brian Schneider from the 15-day DL. SAN DIEGO PADRES: Activated OF Cliff Floyd from the 15-day DL. Optioned OF Drew Macias to Portland (PCL). WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Recalled INF Alberto Gonzalez from Syracuse (IL). Optioned OF Justin Maxwell to Syracuse. Eastern League TRENTON THUNDER: Announced INF Eduardo Nunez was assigned to Staten Island (NYP). American Association EL PASO DIABLOS: Signed RHP Ricardo Rivas. GRAND PRAIRIE AIRHOGS: Signed LHP Cody Crowell. LINCOLN SALTDOGS: Released RHP Khalid Afify. PENSACOLA PELICANS: Released RHP Corey Bass. ST. PAUL SAINTS: Released INF Steve Butler. SIOUX FALLS CANARIES: Released RHP Kyle Zalenski. WICHITA WINGNUTS: Released LHP Nathan Parker. Atlantic League LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Signed RHP Robert Paulk. Can-Am League NEW JERSEY JACKALS: Signed LHP Giuseppe Granitto. Released RHP Steve Shepard. United League SAN ANGELO COLTS: Signed RHP Chandler Barnard.

Major League Soccer EASTERN CONFERENCE Chicago Kansas City D.C. Toronto FC Columbus New England New York WESTERN CONFERENCE

W 5 4 3 4 2 3 2

L 0 4 2 4 2 3 7

T 6 4 7 4 7 4 3

Pts 21 16 16 16 13 13 9

GF 20 16 18 16 15 10 12

GA 13 14 17 19 17 17 16

W L T Pts GF GA Chivas USA 7 2 3 24 17 9 Houston 5 2 3 18 14 7 Seattle 4 2 5 17 15 9 Colorado 4 2 4 16 16 13 Los Angeles 1 1 9 12 13 13 Real Salt Lake 3 6 2 11 15 15 San Jose 2 7 2 8 12 22 FC Dallas 1 6 3 6 9 17 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Wednesday’s Games Houston 3, Toronto FC 0 Columbus 2, San Jose 1 Seattle FC 1, Columbus 1, tie Thursday’s Games Los Angeles 1, Kansas City 1, tie Chicago 3, Chivas USA 2 San Jose 2, Real Salt Lake 1 Saturday’s Games Today’s Games Colorado 3, New York 2 FC Dallas at Chicago, 3 p.m. New England 2, D.C. United 1