Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

Tigers 9, White Sox 3

DETROIT — Justin Verlander pitched seven impressive innings through a misty rain, and Ryan Raburn drove in four runs, including a two-run homer, as the Tigers won their seventh straight over the White Sox. Verlander allowed four hits, including two homers by Carlos Quentin and another by Paul Konerko. He finished with eight strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career, and no walks. Verlander retired the first 11 Chicago batters before Quentin's first homer.

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

Mets 4, Diamondbacks 1

NEW YORK — Ike Davis hit a two-run homer and Mike Pelfrey had his first effective start of the year as the Mets rallied. Shut down by Joe Saunders for six-plus innings, Davis hit a drive to center off Esmerling Vasquez that appeared to hit above the line on the wall. David Wright, who walked to end Saunders' night, scored. Davis stopped at second and questioned if it were a homer. After a huddle, the umpires gave the homer sign.

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

ARLINGTON, Texas — Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is able to run and throw as he recovers from a broken right shoulder that is expected to sideline the reigning AL MVP for up to two months.

Swinging a bat is still out for the left-handed hitter because of the stress it would put on the shoulder.

"He's feeling better. His biggest problem is finishing," manager Ron Washington said of Hamilton's swing. "As far as all his other movements, it's great. But the finish is the thing."

Hamilton, a former top Rays prospect, refused to speculate on a timetable for his return.

"I'm not going to say ahead of schedule or behind schedule or anything," Hamilton said Friday. "The more I can use (the shoulder) in everyday life and try to get back to normal, the better it's going to be, the faster (the recovery is) going to be."

Hamilton was hurt April 12 at Detroit when he tagged up and tried to score from third on a foul popup. Hamilton slid headfirst into the plate. Texas won only two of its first eight games after the injury.

Angels: Reliever Scott Downs was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a gastrointestinal virus caused by food poisoning. This is the 10th time the 12-year veteran has been on the DL.

Brewers: 1B Prince Fielder, who will be a free agent after this season, said he is ecstatic LF Ryan Braun received a $105 million, five-year contract extension and hopes the organization will make an effort to sign him to a long-term deal, too. "I'm proud of Braunie. He's an unbelievable player, and now he's just superrich," Fielder said. "I hope they have a little left for me."

Dodgers: GM Ned Colletti is operating under the same budgetary guidelines he had before MLB seized control of the team and said he reports to owner Frank McCourt until an administrator is appointed by commissioner Bud Selig. The organization has been consumed by infighting since Frank's wife, Jamie McCourt, filed for divorce in October 2009, one week after he fired her as chief executive. … RHP Vicente Padilla was activated from the 15-day DL. Padilla, who had surgery on his right arm in February to free a nerve trapped by a muscle, will be in the bullpen.

Mariners: LF Milton Bradley left the game vs. Oakland in the third inning because of lower-back spasms.

Mets: CF Angel Pagan went on the 15-day DL because of a strained left oblique.

Reds: 3B Scott Rolen had two cortisone injections to relieve pain and stiffness in his left shoulder and neck, and was not in the starting lineup against the Cardinals. There is no timetable for his return. … Reliever Jared Burton had arthroscopic shoulder surgery and is sidelined indefinitely.

Jurisprudence: Former Royals OF Brian McRae was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence near Overland Park, Kan. McRae, son of former Royals great Hal McRae, has faced two previous DUI citations, the Kansas City Star reported. A judge cleared him of one in 2000, and one in 2004 led to a conviction.

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. — Sprint Cup star Kyle Busch earned his second NASCAR trucks victory of the season Friday night, passing Ron Hornaday on a late restart and easily holding off Nelson Piquet Jr. at Nashville Superspeedway.

Busch, the Nashville winner last spring, led 140 of 150 laps on the 1.333-mile concrete oval to take the Bully Hill Vineyards 200. He also won the truck race at Phoenix in February and has 26 series victories in 89 starts. In addition to Busch's two victories, Kasey Kahne won the March race at Darlington in Busch's No. 18 Toyota.

Hornaday slipped in front of Busch in Turn 3 with nine laps to go. A caution for Max Papis' spin let Hornaday stay in the lead for the restart with three to go. Hornaday opened a lead off the restart, but Busch rebounded quickly and nosed past Hornaday before they completed a lap.

Piquet, a former Formula One driver, was a career-best second followed by Timothy Peters, Hornaday and James Buescher.

SURGERY FOR KAHNE: Kasey Kahne had minor surgery on his right knee Monday on a torn meniscus but won't need a backup driver next weekend for the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

Kahne had surgery on both knees in the offseason to repair a condition known as "plica syndrome," the result of a buildup of tissue in the knees.

Thursday night, a post on Kahne's Twitter account said he feels fine.

"It actually just about feels better now then it has the last month so yeah I will def be driving Richmond," the tweet said.

It was unclear when Kahne, who has been involved in two hard accidents in the past three weeks, tore his meniscus.

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

MIAMI — Florida's Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before giving up a leadoff, broken-bat single to Colorado's Dexter Fowler, and the Marlins beat the Rockies 4-1 on Friday night.

Sanchez struck out nine and allowed one unearned run as he bid for his second career no-hitter before settling for a one-hitter. He walked three.

Sanchez threw a no-hitter for Florida as a rookie in 2006 and shook off the disappointment of falling shy of another.

"It was awesome to have the opportunity to almost throw again a no-hitter," Sanchez said. "I'm excited."

On Sanchez's 116th pitch, Fowler singled to right past second baseman Omar Infante. Fowler was then doubled up on a lineout by Jonathan Herrera. Carlos Gonzalez grounded out to end it.

"To see it go on a broken bat is kind of disheartening," Marlins catcher John Buck said, "but it shows how hard it is to do. It's just the way it rolls."

Added Fowler: "That was my best swing of the night, but he blew my bat up."

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

ATLANTA — Jamal Crawford banked in a 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to cap a brilliant second half, leading the Hawks to an 88-84 victory over the Magic on Friday night and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Hawks led most of the game, but things got close and testy in the final minutes.

Zaza Pachulia of Atlanta and Jason Richardson of Orlando were ejected with 2:22 left after a confrontation under the basket.

The teams swapped the lead four times after that near-brawl until former Florida star Al Horford put the Hawks ahead for good with 46.6 seconds left.

But Crawford, who had 18 of his 23 points after halftime, hit the biggest shot as his jumper struck high and went in.

The physical game turned ugly when Dwight Howard drove the lane and was hammered by Pachulia, who took on the job of guarding Orlando's big man after Jason Collins went out with a back injury in the first half.

As they jawed, Pachulia appeared to deliver at least one headbutt to Richardson, who responded by slapping Pachulia. In addition to ejecting the two, officials gave Howard a technical.

"In that situation, I'm never going to back down," said Pachulia, who had two long scratches on his right arm after a tough night tussling with Howard. "That's just my personality."

Howard said he didn't blame Richardson for lashing out.

"If you get headbutted three times, you're going to have some reaction," Howard said.

Pachulia and Richardson are likely to miss Sunday's Game 4 after the league hands down expected suspensions.

With order restored, Jameer Nelson put the Magic ahead at 82-81 with a jumper after a steal. Johnson drew a foul on Howard and hit both free throws to put Atlanta ahead 83-82. The Magic pulled ahead for the final time on Brandon Bass' jumper with 1:01 left.

Hawks 88, Magic 84

ORLANDO (84): Turkoglu 3-11 2-4 9, Bass 5-8 0-0 10, Howard 8-14 5-9 21, Nelson 5-17 2-2 13, J.Richardson 4-10 4-4 14, Redick 3-8 1-2 8, Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Q.Richardson 3-3 0-0 9. Totals 31-73 14-21 84.

ATLANTA (88): Smith 6-13 3-3 15, Horford 6-14 1-2 13, Collins 1-1 0-0 2, Hinrich 3-7 0-0 8, Johnson 9-23 2-4 21, Crawford 7-19 6-8 23, Pachulia 1-2 2-2 4, Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Teague 0-1 0-0 0, Powell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-81 14-19 88.

Orlando 25 17 20 22— 84

Atlanta 25 26 15 22— 88

3-Point Goals—Orlando 8-28 (Q.Richardson 3-3, J.Richardson 2-6, Redick 1-4, Turkoglu 1-6, Nelson 1-7, Anderson 0-2), Atlanta 6-14 (Crawford 3-5, Hinrich 2-4, Johnson 1-2, Smith 0-3). Fouled Out—Pachulia. Rebounds—Orlando 53 (Howard 15), Atlanta 48 (Smith 10). Assists—Orlando 20 (Nelson 10), Atlanta 20 (Johnson 5). Total Fouls—Orlando 24, Atlanta 24. Technicals—Howard, Orlando defensive three second. Ejected—J.Richardson, Pachulia. A—19,865 (18,729).

Celtics spoil MSG's playoff return party

NEW YORK — No fantastic finish needed for the Celtics this time.

Paul Pierce had 38 points, Ray Allen added 32, and Rajon Rondo had a Boston playoff-record 20 assists as the Celtics beat the Knicks 113-96 to take a 3-0 lead in their series.

The Celtics won two close games in Boston but never trailed in this one, dominating the first playoff game at Madison Square Garden in seven years.

The Celtics scored the first nine points and never really let it get much closer.

"You can't give them that big an opening that they can smell blood," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Amare Stoudemire started for the Knicks after missing the second half of Game 2 with back spasms. Chauncey Billups (knee) sat out.

Celtics 113, Knicks 96

BOSTON (113): Garnett 4-9 1-1 9, Pierce 14-19 4-4 38, J.O'Neal 3-7 0-0 6, Rondo 5-13 5-6 15, Allen 11-18 2-2 32, Davis 2-5 0-0 4, West 0-2 0-0 0, Green 3-8 3-4 9, Krstic 0-0 0-0 0, Wafer 0-2 0-0 0, Murphy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 42-83 15-17 113.

NEW YORK (96): Anthony 4-16 6-8 15, Stoudemire 2-8 3-4 7, Turiaf 2-2 1-1 5, Douglas 4-6 4-4 15, Fields 1-5 0-2 2, Jeffries 5-11 2-2 12, Walker 4-9 0-1 9, Carter 1-1 2-2 4, Sha.Williams 6-10 3-4 17, Mason 4-8 0-0 10. Totals 33-76 21-28 96.

Boston 27 25 34 27— 113

New York 20 24 19 33— 96

3-Point Goals—Boston 14-24 (Allen 8-11, Pierce 6-8, Wafer 0-1, Green 0-2, West 0-2), New York 9-20 (Douglas 3-4, Sha.Williams 2-5, Mason 2-5, Walker 1-1, Anthony 1-3, Fields 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Boston 50 (Garnett 12), New York 43 (Anthony 11). Assists—Boston 31 (Rondo 20), New York 18 (Anthony 6). Total Fouls—Boston 24, New York 16. Technicals—New York defensive three second. A—19,763 (19,763).

Lakers back in front

NEW ORLEANS — Kobe Bryant scored 30, Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Lakers took control of their first-round series with a 100-86 victory over the Hornets.

Andrew Bynum added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom had 13 points for the two-time defending champs, who lead the series 2-1.

Chris Paul had 22 points and eight assist for the Hornets, who stayed within single digits for long stretches but never truly threatened to take the lead.

KINGS FUTURE: NBA officials now expect the Kings to play next season in Sacramento, league executives told the Los Angeles Times. Whether the team, about to seek permission to move to Anaheim, stays in Sacramento beyond next season remains to be decided. That will depend on city and county officials and local businesses redeeming pledges made by Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson before the NBA's relocation committee last week in New York, including support for a new downtown arena. Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said his family is still deciding.

LATE Thursday: Wesley Matthews had 25 points for the host Trail Blazers, who got within 2-1 in their West series with a 97-92 victory over the Mavericks.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he was struck in the face by an unknown object during the game. He said he did not know what the object was, and he was unhurt by it. He also praised the security at the Rose Garden.

PACERS: The league ruled that two fouls committed by center Jeff Foster in Thursday's Game 3 were flagrant, but he won't be suspended for today's Game 4 at Indiana. The fouls were flagrant 1, which is less severe than flagrant 2.

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers have the comeback. The Sabres have the win, one more putting them into Round 2.

Tyler Ennis scored 5:31 into overtime Friday for a 4-3 victory and 3-2 series lead.

Mike Webber's shot bounced off goalie Michael Leighton's pads. Ennis swooped in from the right side and scored his second goal of the game.

"This is … a great place to play," Ennis said. "Any time you can silence the crowd like that, it's an awesome feeling."

The Sabres led 3-0 just 15:36 in. Brian Boucher allowed two soft goals — Ennis and Thomas Vanek put pucks in off his leg — 1:27 apart. After Marc-Andre Gragnani's power-play goal, out was Boucher and in was Leighton, who spent all but one game this season in the minors.

"I'd very much like to redeem myself," said Boucher, who took out a row of sticks upon reaching the bench. "To put your team in a hole like that, they didn't deserve that."

Philadelphia, the East's No. 2 seed, had no Jeff Carter (its leading goal-scorer during the regular season, out with a right knee injury) and no Chris Pronger (its top defenseman, out with a broken right hand) and is on its third goalie (Sergei Bobrovsky was chased in Game 2).

But this is the team that rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to beat Boston last season.

"We can't hang our heads," said Danny Briere, who tied it in the third. "We were in a worse position last year. So if there's a group of guys that can do it, I believe in this group here."

First Period—1, Buffalo, Ennis 1 (Niedermayer, Leopold), 2:24. 2, Buffalo, Vanek 3 (Kaleta, Gaustad), 3:51. 3, Buffalo, Gragnani 1 (Myers, Pominville), 15:36 (pp). Penalties—Meszaros, Phi (tripping), 8:50; Montador, Buf (high-sticking), 11:43; Butler, Buf (roughing), 13:46; Richards, Phi (slashing), 13:46; Briere, Phi (goaltender interference), 14:50.

Second Period—4, Philadelphia, van Riemsdyk 2 (Meszaros, Giroux), 8:12. 5, Philadelphia, Meszaros 1 (O'Donnell, Giroux), 9:57. Penalties—Gaustad, Buf (holding), 2:39; Niedermayer, Buf (delay of game), 4:30; Gragnani, Buf (cross-checking), 13:45.

Third Period—6, Philadelphia, Briere 3 (Richards, Versteeg), 3:36. Penalties—Briere, Phi (interference), 7:36; Leopold, Buf (hooking), 17:38. First Overtime—7, Buffalo, Ennis 2 (Weber, Montador), 5:31. Penalties—None. Shots on Goal—Buffalo 13-5-11-3—32. Philadelphia 9-15-11-4—39. Power-play opportunities—Buffalo 1 of 3; Philadelphia 0 of 5. Goalies—Buffalo, Miller 3-2-0 (39 shots-36 saves). Philadelphia, Boucher (11-8), Leighton 0-1-0 (15:36 first, 21-20). A—19,959 (19,537).

Top goalie finalists: The Canucks' Roberto Luongo (38-15-7, 2.11 goals-against average), the Predators' Pekka Rinne (33-22-9, 2.12) and the Bruins' Tim Thomas 35-11-9, 2.00) are finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

Bruin fined: The league fined Boston defenseman Andrew Ference $2,500 for making an obscene gesture to Canadiens fans during Game 4 on Thursday. Ference apologized after the game and again Friday, saying the gesture was an accident, made while trying to pump his glove to celebrate.

Around the league: Capitals wing Mike Knuble will sit out today for Game 5 against the Rangers with an undisclosed injury. He also missed Game 4. … Henrik Zetterberg, the Red Wings' leading scorer (80 points) in the regular season and who missed the first-round sweep of the Coyotes with a left knee injury, skated and is expected to be ready for the second round. … The Coyotes signed forward Brett Hextall, the son of former goalie Ron Hextall and their sixth-round draft pick in 2008. As a junior this season at North Dakota, he had 13 goals, 16 assists and 63 penalty minutes in 39 games.

Late Thursday: Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa scored twice as the visiting Blackhawks stayed alive for the second straight game by beating the Canucks 5-0 to pull within 3-2 in their West series. Keith, who also had two assists, Hossa and Patrick Kane scored in the first 12:17. Only three teams have won a series after trailing 3-0.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 22, 2011

Rays at Blue Jays

When/where: 1:07 today; Rogers Centre, Toronto

TV/radio: FSN; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Probable starters

RAYS: LH David Price (2-2, 2.83)

JAYS: RH Brandon Morrow (0-0, 0.00)

Watch for ...

Price check: Price has dominated the Blue Jays, going 6-0 with a 1.93 ERA in seven career starts, and six of the 10 runs he allowed came in one game, July 25 last season. He is coming off a strong start Monday vs. the White Sox, when he threw eight shutout innings.

He's baaaaack: Morrow, whose 17-strikeout, near-no-hitter was the best game thrown against the Rays last year, comes off the disabled list (elbow) to make his first start of the season. Overall, he is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA in eight games vs. the Rays.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Morrow

Reid Brignac 0-for-8

B.J. Upton 1-for-8

Ben Zobrist 2-for-11

Jays vs. Price

Jose Bautista 5-for-16, HR

Adam Lind 4-for-20

Juan Rivera 4-for-9, HR

On deck

Sunday: at Jays, 1:07, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (1-1, 3.07); Jays — Ricky Romero (1-2, 3.12)

Monday: Off

Tuesday: at Twins, 8:10. Sun Sports. Rays — Wade Davis (2-2, 2.73); Twins — TBA

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Fuld and Hellickson giveaways — in Des Moines

OF Sam Fuld said the Rays' May 29 Super Sam Fuld Superhero Cape giveaway is the first promotion in his honor and that he was close but "didn't make the cut" for an Iowa Cubs T-shirt during parts of four seasons in Triple A. Now he has, as the I-Cubs on May 24 will give away Fuld jersey T-shirts. "He was a fan favorite here, and his quote got our attention, in a good way," public relations man Randy Wehofer said. "With some of the guys we've done, there's no reason we shouldn't have had one for him." Fuld was honored and amused at the news: "That's hilarious. I guess I guilted them into it."

The I-Cubs will honor one of their own, with a Jeremy Hellickson bobblehead giveaway June 29. He is in his Hoover High jersey. Wehofer said they designed several promotions around native Iowans, and with Hellickson's success last year, "this was an easy conclusion to come to."

Times wires
Friday, April 22, 2011

Rangers 11, Royals 6

ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Napoli, Ian Kinsler and David Murphy were among five Rangers with homers. Kinsler's solo shot in the fourth put Texas ahead for good after the Royals tied it with five runs in the top half. Murphy's two-run blast in the fifth made it 8-5. Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland added insurance.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer


Friday, April 22, 2011

TORONTO — The Rays lost Friday's game 6-4 in stunning fashion, when typically light-hitting Toronto reserve infielder John McDonald cracked a two-run 11th-inning homer off Adam Russell.

"He's our kryptonite, man," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "John McDonald really likes to see Ray uniforms."

But the loss really was the culmination of a series of events: a blown one-run lead in the eighth, two questionable decisions by Maddon, several mistakes and missed opportunities, a lack of hustle by Felipe Lopez that led to him being pulled and even some travel-related issues (extended processing at customs, a lost passport, playing a night game at home Thursday) that delayed arrival at their Toronto hotel until 4 a.m.

The Rays (9-11) led 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2 and took a 4-3 advantage into the eighth for good reasons. Sam Fuld had three more hits, two more steals and, in another sign of respect, a series of derisive chants from the Rogers Centre crowd of 23,192. Johnny Damon, playing through a cracked, not bruised, left ring finger, logged two hits to move into 78th place all time. Jeremy Hellickson, so sick from a gastrointestinal issue he hadn't kept food down until Thursday, posted seven solid innings, though Jose Bautista had a double, triple and homer.

The end came quickly. After Cesar Ramos got the first out of the 11th, Maddon called on Russell, who gave up a single to Juan Rivera (hitting .095 at the time) and the homer to McDonald, a 36-year-old reserve who had only 19 career homers and was only in the game because Jayson Nix left in the second after a hard slide by Sean Rodriguez.

"Fastball right down the middle," Russell said. "That late in the game, when everyone's trying to end the game with one swing, you make a mistake down the middle of the plate and you're going to pay for it. And that's exactly what happened here."

But Maddon took some of the blame, saying the matchup orientation of their bullpen led him to warm up Russell twice previously and it "might have been really unfair" to put him in that situation.

"I thought Adam was in pretty good shape right there based on his workload, but I probably warmed him up too much," he said.

The other questionable decision Maddon made was not bringing in the smoother fielding Casey Kotchman to play first base in the eighth. He stuck with Dan Johnson to get him another at-bat (potentially against lefty Marc Rzepczynski), but Johnson made what turned out to be a key defensive mistake.

The inning started with Joel Peralta's four-pitch leadoff walk to Bautista, who needed just a single for the cycle. Then Johnson fielded a grounder for an out at first but hit Bautista in the back with his throw to second.

"Just one of those plays," Johnson said. "Four inches up and he's back in the dugout."

Maddon acknowledged it was "a really tough moment" deciding whether to replace Johnson with Kotchman but said: "I chose to leave him in because of what may happen.''

Another mistake followed as Rodriguez dropped a pickoff throw that would have nabbed Bautista, feeling so bad about it he apologized repeatedly afterward to Peralta. It hurt, because three pitches later, Peralta, who labored through 35 for the inning, left a curveball up and Edwin Encarnacion laced it over rightfielder Ben Zobrist's head for an RBI double. It was the Rays' first blown save of the season and led to their first bullpen loss — the last team in the majors to have one.

Also glaring was Lopez's lack of hustle in the 11th, when the Rays might have caught a break as McDonald bobbled a routine grounder. It looked worse when Rodriguez followed with a walk. It was the second time this week Lopez clearly did not run hard all the way to first — which is one of Maddon's cardinal rules — and the issue was brought to his attention after the first incident in Wednesday's game.

This the second controversy involving Lopez, a 30-year-old veteran infielder who came to the Rays with somewhat of a checkered past. He flung his bat at White Sox pitcher Chris Sale after hitting a home run April 9 and drew a stern rebuke from Maddon about not doing things the way the Rays do them.

Times wires
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Brewers 14, Astros 7

MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun, in his first game since signing a $105 million extension, hit a go-ahead three-run homer for Milwaukee. Yovani Gallardo struggled but won. He allowed two runs in his first two starts but 15 in his past three.

Times wires

Times wires
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Phillies 2, Padres 0

SAN DIEGO — Cole Hamels handed the Padres their second straight shutout and third in five games. San Diego, which has gone 21 innings without scoring, has been shut out a majors-high six times in 20 games while Philadelphia has pitched a majors-high five shutouts. Hamels, who went to San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High, also had two singles. He got all the support he needed when Ryan Howard hit a two-run triple with two outs in the third. Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco had walked.

Times wires
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Braves 4, Giants 1

SAN FRANCISCO — Chipper Jones hit a two-run double and Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman run-scoring singles in the third for the Braves. Atlanta showed no signs of fatigue after its 5-3, 12-inning loss at Los Angeles on Thursday, taking the opener of the rematch of last year's division series won by the Giants. Tommy Hanson, who had a no-decision in Game 2 of that series, struck out seven and walked one over seven innings.

Times wires
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Mariners 4, Athletics 0

SEATTLE — Mariners rookie Michael Pineda dazzled again, throwing six shutout innings for his third straight victory. Pineda's night was shortened only because of a rising pitch count. The right-hander gave up just three hits in his first five innings. And when he faced trouble in the sixth, he got Kurt Suzuki to line out to left and a ground ball from Mark Ellis to end the threat.

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

BY ANTONYA ENGLISH

Times Staff Writer

GAINESVILLE - Florida senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been cited for possession of marijuana for the second time in three months.

Gainesville Police Department spokesman Cpl. Tscharna Senn said Jenkins was given a notice to appear in court on Saturday for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana after police allegedly found a cigar with cannabis in a vehicle Jenkins was riding in.

According to a GPD release, officers observed Jenkins, 22, smoking a cigar in a vehicle in a parking lot in downtown Gainesville about 12:35 a.m. Saturday. When he saw the police officers, Jenkins allegedly exited the vehicle and began to walk away. An investigation revealed a burnt cannabis cigar in the center console, according to police.

Jenkins was arrested in January on the same charge after police said he was caught with a small, clear bag of cannabis and trying to roll a cigarette at the Status Night Club in downtown Gainesville. At the time, Florida coach Will Muschamp said the matter would be handled internally. Jenkins did not participate in spring drills because he was recovering from surgery.

This is his third arrest in 23 months. In May 2009, he was arrested in connection with resisting arrest without violence when he was among many involved in a fight outside a Gainesville night club. His attorney at the time said Jenkins believed someone was trying to steal jewelry from him and he was defending himself. Jenkins received deferred prosecution and was required to pay court costs and/or complete community service.The senior from Pahokee has eight career interceptions, including three this past season, and was a 2010 first-team, All-SEC selection by the Associated Press.

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

The poll

Which defensive play by Rays outfielder Sam Fuld impressed you most? 429 votes

Dive toward the rightfield corner against the White Sox's Juan Pierre: 75 percent

Diving catch robbing the Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia of a hit at Fenway: 10 percent

Running/sliding/diving catch against the White Sox's Brent Morel: 6 percent

Sliding/falling catch after tripping over the bullpen mound on a foul ball by the Orioles' Nick Markakis: 5 percent

One-hop throw to the plate to nail the Orioles' J.J. Hardy: 4 percent

Another poll | Lightning playoff memories

Which is your favorite? 340 votes

2004: Marty St. Louis' double-overtime goal to beat the Flames in Game 6: 39 percent

2004: Dave Andreychuk hoisting the Stanley Cup: 31 percent

2004: Vinny Lecavalier fighting the Flames' Jarome Iginla in Game 3: 15 percent

1996: Alexander Selivanov's overtime goal in Game 3 to beat the Flyers: 6 percent

2004: John Tortorella telling Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock, "Shut your yap": 6 percent

2003: Marty St. Louis' triple-overtime goal to beat the Capitals in Game 6: 3 percent

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Outside the Lines: 9 a.m. on ESPN. Celebrating the history of ABC's Wide World of Sports, which debuted 50 years ago on April 29, 1961.

MLB's 20 Greatest Games: 7 p.m. on MLB Network. Game No. 4 of the past 50 years is Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS between the Braves and Pirates. Guests include former Braves Mark Lemke and Sid Bream and former Pirate Andy Van Slyke.

Who's No. 1?: 8 p.m. on ESPN2. A look back at the biggest NFL draft busts of all time.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Johnny Damon, from his time with the Yankees, knows Reggie Jackson well. Well enough to know Jackson wasn't going to call or text his congratulations last week when Damon passed him on the all-time hits list. "I think Reggie still believes he can go out there and play," Damon said. "So he may suit up again and try to pass me." Damon, though, was more than happy with the accomplishment, and the ball as a keepsake to mark it. "All this stuff is cool," Damon said. "When you start seeing childhood idols that you start passing in certain categories, it's pretty awesome." Damon, with 2,588 hits that rank 78th overall, has a few more targets — and a few more souvenirs — in sight:

2,605 Tim Raines T-73rd (w/Rabbit Maranville)

Since Raines grew up in Sanford and Damon in Orlando, there are local bragging rights at stake. "He's got the most hits from Orlando, and if I pass him that mark goes to me," Damon said. He's not sure what he'd get for such a record though, since he already got a key to the city in 2004.

2,654 Ted Williams 71st place

Damon never got to meet Williams, but the respect is obvious. "The Ted Williams one would be very special," Damon said. "The greatest hitter of all time."

3,000 Roberto Clemente, 27th

It's not so much about the man, but the number, which typically was the standard to reach the Hall of Fame. "There's only a select few, but if you look at all the numbers in the history book, a lot of them are scarred now," Damon said, mentioning Pete Rose (4,256 hits) and Rafael Palmeiro (3,020). "I don't know how they're going to look at our generation. I don't know if they're going to classify the guys who used and the guys who haven't. I think I've put myself, being able to play all these years, into a pretty good category — a guy who hasn't used, a guy who's put up all these numbers, a guy who's stayed healthy, a guy who's won championships. I just think more numbers will definitely help, especially the runs scored. I'm already top-50 in that. Play a couple more years, I could be top 20, and that's what actually wins you games."

The legend keeps growing …

More on the Legend of Sam Fuld, which last week included features in the New York Times and SI.com (which named him MLB's biggest early surprise star), a T-shirt giveaway by the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and a series of unofficial shirts being sold on eBay:

A Twitter

Fuld has become a popular topic on Twitter — the #legendofsamfuld stuff remains hilarious reading — and is now leaning toward opening his own account. (The several with his name attached are not legit.) But he'd like to tie his account in as a fundraising tool for Juvenile Diabetes research and awareness: "I think Twitter would be a good way to spread the word about that."

Friend with benefits

Fuld went to the same New Hampshire prep school — Exeter Academy — as Mark Zuckerberg, who went on to fame and fortune as founder of Facebook. They weren't close, as Fuld was a couple years ahead and went on to Stanford, but there was a payoff when a common friend, A.J. Solimine, who was at Harvard with Zuckerberg, tipped Fuld off to Facebook and he got one of the initial accounts, which he still has. "I'm thinking it would be right around No. 100," Fuld said. "I've been using it a lot lately because I've been hearing from some folks I haven't heard from in a while."

Not half bad

Fuld has been embraced by Jewish sports fans, given the limited number of big-leaguers. But technically it should be only a half hug. Fuld's father, Kenneth, is Jewish, but his mother, Amanda Merrill, is Catholic, and Fuld and his sister, Annie, grew up celebrating both sets of holidays.

Rays rumblings

Former Rays All-Star closer Roberto Hernandez will be on the field during the next homestand to talk with and provide insight to the pitchers, the start of what could be an ongoing advisory role. … The Rays eventually may look to deal CF B.J. Upton, as well as RHP James Shields, but not until much deeper into season — depending on their record — making last week's reports of the Nationals' interest in the Virginia native well overblown. … Like Joe Maddon does at times, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen travels with a bicycle and goes on regular rides. … Minor-leaguers SS Hak-Ju Lee and LHP Frank De Los Santos were quarantined in a Port Charlotte motel for nearly two weeks until they recovered from chicken pox and were cleared to resume play. … Checking on Evan Longoria's karma: He had a car stolen and his spring home burglarized, got hurt in the second game of the season and forgot his passport for the trip to Toronto.

Got a minute? Cesar Ramos

Must-see TV show? Tosh.0 (on Comedy Central).

Big-night-out meal? Definitely steak, and mac and cheese.

Band or singer you'd most like to be on stage with? Lil Wayne.

Worst job? I've never had a job. So mowing the lawn at home in L.A. on Sunday afternoons.

Dream date? There's so many. How about any of the Victoria's Secret Angels girls.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Joe Maddon has some ideas — naturally — for how the details should be worked out, but he and other Rays officials couldn't be more pleased that MLB is heading, as commissioner Bud Selig confirmed last week, toward adding two wild-card teams to the playoff field starting next season.

"Of course it will be good for us," Maddon said. "This whole division keeps getting better on an annual basis. To have another opportunity to make the playoffs truly is absolutely going to be a good thing."

The planned change will expand the playoff field to 10, still the smallest percentage of the four major pro sports, creating more interest in more markets for more of the season.

Also, more hope.

"For smaller market teams, this is what we want: an expanded playoff situation," said 3B Evan Longoria, the Rays' player rep. "Where you're not going into the season going, you know New York and Boston and everybody else are going to be in the playoffs, and where are we going to pan out?

"Are we going to have to have another incredible year and surprise the world, or are we going to be able to have the kind of year that we had in 2009 where you get 85 wins (84 actually) and you're not even close to making the playoffs? But this is going to give teams that have that year to play September in a playoff hunt and get a city excited."

Not all the Rays are in favor, though. Veteran Johnny Damon said the postseason field would be too diluted: "I feel like the better teams should make the playoffs."

The biggest issues with the plan are deciding on a format (one game or two-out-of-three) and working it into an already too long schedule.

That's where Maddon's ideas, some he has already shared with new MLB VP Joe Torre, come in: Go with the two-out-of-three format. Strip out scheduled off days to make it more a test of the full roster than a couple of hot starters. Put more of a premium on winning the division by making it tougher on the wild cards. Create room in the schedule by planning several doubleheaders (true, not split), and allow for roster additions (three players) on those days.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 23, 2011

BY DAMIAN CRISTODERO

Times Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH - Sometimes a visual aid is the best way to make a point.

Such was the case with the Lightning Friday, when players, hanging around their common room at the team hotel, watched the Flyers-Sabres game and saw several goals scored on shots that had no business going in.

Coach Guy Boucher had his hook for the team meeting later in the evening.

"You don't know which shot is a great shot," Boucher said he told the players. "They're all dangerous."

Tampa Bay proved the point in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern quarterfinals at the Consol Energy Center, fighting off elimination, though it still trails three games to two in the best-of-seven series.

Four goals came off rebounds, three others off plays in tight.

"We're a team that drives to the net, so we didn't change anything," Boucher said. "But we made sure the shots were there. With shots on net come rebounds. With rebounds, if you've got guys around the net, it can pay off."

The payoff was a franchise record for goals in a playoff game, and chasing goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury 5:31 into the second period after he allowed four goals on 14 shots.

Steven Stamkos, previously invisible in the series, scored his first two career playoff goals and had three points. Simon Gagne had two goals as did Pavel Kubina.

Vinny Lecavalier and Dominic Moore scored and Teddy Purcell had three assists.

Four goals were on the power play and the Lightning killed seven penalties, 24 of 25 in the series.

None of it would have been possible without a strong first period from Dwayne Roloson, who made 13 saves while the Lightning was badly outplayed until Gagne and Stamkos scored in 46 seconds for a 2-0 lead with 2:17 left.

"He was making huge saves," Lecavalier said. "It gives us a lot of confidence. He's a game changer."

But Roloson, with 31 saves in the game and whose .942 save percentage is second in the playoffs, said, "It had nothing to do with me. We stayed with our structure. We did the things we needed to do to win a hockey game."

Like shooting the puck.

The Lightning had been outshot 159-111 entering the game. "Always waiting for the better play," Boucher said.

It was outshot 33-25 Saturday, and had its second-fewest shots of the series. But at least Tampa Bay did not pass up as many shots. And in the third period, in which it was outshot 13-7, the Lightning was simply trying to maintain and not get hurt as the Penguins got physical with two boarding penalties and one each roughing and slashing.

"It's exactly what we've been talking about," Stamkos said. "You shoot pucks on net and you never know what can happen. It's not always the pretty plays."

Stamkos' first goal was gritty as he outmaneuvered Penguins defensemen Zbynek Mychalek and Paul Martin to get to a rebound of Steve Downie's shot.

Lecavalier was in front to convert Stamkos' perfect pass from the corner after he checked Martin off the puck. And Moore's goal came off a Sean Bergenheim cross-slot pass after he picked up a rebound of Nate Thompson's shot.

"That's how they've been," Fleury said. "They always kept a lot of guys around the net to screen. It just seems like everything got back to them and ended up in the net."

"The difference is we shot (the puck)," Boucher said.

A difference the players could see.