Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Late Thursday, John Velazquez didn't know what was worse, failing to get to the winner's circle of the Kentucky Derby in 12 previous tries or not even making the starting gate with a favorite, as he has in the past three years.

He had just gotten the news that Uncle Mo, last year's Juvenile champion and the latest wonder horse, was still not himself after a stomach infection and would not run in the Derby.

Velazquez's mood improved when he got a call from trainer Graham Motion, who needed a rider for Animal Kingdom. Wednesday, regular rider Robby Albarado broke his nose at Churchill Downs when a horse bucked him off in a post parade and kicked him in the face.

"This is roller-coaster business, and I was more than happy to get the call," Velazquez said.

Animal Kingdom, who had never raced on dirt, reacted to his new rider the way a champion should, charging down the middle of the stretch Saturday to win by 23/4 lengths in front of 164,858, the largest crowd in Derby history. He ran the 11/4 miles in 2:02.04.

Nehro was second and Mucho Macho Man a neck back in third.

"For once, I'm on the good end of it," Velazquez said. "All of a sudden I pick up this one and he wins the Derby, so it was meant to be."

Dialed In went off as the 5-1 favorite for two-time Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito but finished eighth in the 19-horse field.

Tampa Bay Derby winner Watch Me Go, trained by Odessa resident Kathleen O'Connell, finished next to last, in front of Comma to the Top, who chipped his left ankle and will be sidelined for at least two months.

Mucho Macho Man's finish for trainer Kathy Ritvo tied her for second-best result by a female trainer in the race. Shelley Riley saddled Casual Lies to a second-place finish in 1992.

Last year, Velazquez didn't make the Derby starting gate because his mount, Eskendereya, was unable to perform. The same happened the year before with Quality Road. He had even lost his mount in Friday's Kentucky Oaks when R Heat Lightning was injured earlier in the week.

"It's words that you can't describe," Velazquez said of the win. "But I do really feel really bad for Robby. I hope he's winning the Derby with me here. … This is for both of us, buddy. I know you're not on it, but I know you're with me."

Velazquez had obstacles to overcome with Animal Kingdom, the least of which was the colt's 30-1 morning-line odds. (He went off at closer to 20-1.)

For one, Animal Kingdom had never run on dirt. He was bred to be a turf horse and had won the Spiral Stakes on a synthetic surface. But that was March 26, and the last horse to win the Derby off such a long rest was Needles in 1956. Even more daunting, he was lightly raced, and the last horse to win the Derby off just four lifetime races was Exterminator in 1918.

As the field gunned into the first turn led by the speedy Shackleford, Velazquez started to feel good about the colt he had previously watched only on video. "He was so relaxed," Velazquez said.

Shackleford was loping the field through an easy half-mile in 48.36 seconds. Animal Kingdom was cruising wide down the backstretch in 12th, and Velazquez was starting to like his chances.

Behind him, two of the major contenders were having problems. Dialed In was struggling with the dirt being kicked in his face, and Archarcharch's Jon Court was having trouble staying in his saddle after breaking from the No. 1 hole.

"My saddle slipped coming out of the gate," Court said. "He never really was comfortable."

Archarcharch was taken off the track in a van after the race with a leg injury and will have surgery for a non-life-threatening fracture.

As they circled the far turn, Velazquez let Animal Kingdom find another gear. As they hit the mile pole, they were fifth, behind Shackleford, Nehro, Comma to the Top and Pants on Fire.

"When I asked him to run, it was amazing," Velazquez said.

He scrubbed at Animal Kingdom's neck, and the big colt took off. He gave Animal Kingdom more reins and pumped in rhythm atop him, coaxing out gigantic strides. "I knew we were gone," Velazquez said.

By Bryan Burns, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, May 7, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — An injury-riddled FC Tampa Bay lineup took another hit before Saturday's match against Carolina when starting defender Andres Arango was a scratch after tweaking his right ankle in practice.

Tampa Bay entered the game at Al Lang Field with backup goalkeeper and Clearwater native Jeff Attinella his first professional start because of Daryl Sattler's season-ending injury in the team's previous game last Saturday.

Assistant coach David Hayes, who started Tampa Bay's first two matches, was inserted into the lineup with Arango out and performed admirably.

The defense as a whole, however, left much to be desired.

Tampa Bay conceded three goals, all lapses in concentration according to Tampa Bay coach Ricky Hill, in a 3-1 loss to Carolina in front of a crowd of 3,325. Since a season-opening victory against Montreal, Tampa Bay has lost two and tied two.

"If I analyze the three goals that they scored, they're three of the cheapest goals that I've ever conceded," Hill said.

Tampa Bay (1-2-2) fell behind after Carolina's Etienne Barbara scored in the 20th minute. Barbara, the NASL player of the month in April, maneuvered between two defenders after receiving a long pass from Stephen Glass and fired a low liner toward the far post that beat an outstretched Attinella (five saves).

Tampa Bay equalized almost immediately. Midfielder Pascal Millien got the ball at the top of the 18-yard box in the 23rd minute and wheeled around the defense to create space. With an open look at goal, Millien bent a shot just inside the left post for Tampa Bay's third goal of the season.

In the second half, Tampa Bay's Warren Ukah flicked a header at the goal from close range but right into the hands of RailHawks keeper Brad Knighton (11 saves).

In the 52nd minute, against the run of play, Carolina (3-1-1) went ahead for good. Barber broke free down the left wing after Tampa Bay's Omar Jarun slipped. Frankie Sanfilippo raced back, but his clearance ricocheted directly to Barber, who slipped a pass across the goal mouth to an open Brian Farber for the RailHawks' second goal.

Carolina clinched the win and the three points in the 76th minute when Barbara's shot deflected off Jarun's back and past Attinella, who was caught going the opposite direction.

"I can't hold Jeff accountable for any of the goals whatsoever," Hill said. "I thought his handling was good, his kicking was good, his positioning was good, distribution was good. Unfortunately for him we've gifted them opportunities from nice looks at goal."

Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 18 rebounds and Paul Pierce 27 points as the Celtics beat the Heat 97-81 on Saturday in Game 3 of the East semifinals.

Boston, back in the series after losing the first two games at Miami, trailed 46-44 at halftime. But it outscored Miami 28-15 in the third then opened the fourth with a 9-2 run.

"That was a championship-caliber response," Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said of the Celtics. "They played harder than us, and they played more efficient than us."

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo played after dislocating his left elbow.

He was hurt and left the floor in the third after crashing to the court in a tangle with Heat guard Dwyane Wade. But he returned to the bench by the end of the quarter and was on the court for the start of the fourth.

"He showed he's a really tough young individual," Garnett said.

Rondo had a right-handed dunk after a steal with 8:39 left that made it 81-63. Two minutes later, he drove and laid it up over LeBron James. Rondo finished with six points, four in the fourth, and 11 assists.

"I didn't have to do much scoring; just directing," he said. "That's using your mouth, using my legs."

The Celtics also got back center Shaquille O'Neal, who had played just one game since Feb. 1 because of injuries to his right calf and Achilles' tendon. He scored two in eight minutes.

Celtics 97, Heat 81

MIAMI (81): James 6-16 3-7 15, Bosh 1-6 4-4 6, Ilgauskas 1-2 0-0 2, Bibby 0-5 0-0 0, Wade 8-19 6-7 23, Anthony 6-7 0-0 12, Jones 2-7 0-0 6, Chalmers 7-9 1-1 17, Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-73 14-19 81.

BOSTON (97): Pierce 9-20 4-4 27, Garnett 13-20 2-2 28, J.O'Neal 1-3 0-0 2, Rondo 3-7 0-0 6, Allen 4-11 5-5 15, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, S.O'Neal 1-2 0-2 2, West 4-7 1-2 11, Green 2-3 2-2 6, Wafer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-74 14-17 97.

Miami 21 25 15 20— 81

Boston 27 17 28 25— 97

3-Point Goals—Miami 5-23 (Chalmers 2-4, Jones 2-7, Wade 1-5, Bibby 0-2, Miller 0-2, James 0-3), Boston 9-18 (Pierce 5-7, West 2-4, Allen 2-5, Green 0-1, Garnett 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Miami 43 (Anthony 11), Boston 44 (Garnett 18). Assists—Miami 20 (Wade 7), Boston 27 (Rondo 11). Total Fouls—Miami 16, Boston 17. Technicals—Miami defensive three second. A—18,624 (18,624).

Memphis rallies, wins in overtime for 2-1 lead

MEMPHIS — Zach Randolph had 21 points and 21 rebounds as the Grizzlies rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Thunder 101-93 in overtime in Game 3.

Memphis, 4-0 at home this postseason, is two wins from becoming the second No. 8 seed to reach a conference final. (The Knicks reached the Finals in lockout-shortened 1998-99.)

Oklahoma City led 70-54 after Kendrick Perkins' tip-in with 3:53 left in the third. But Memphis went on a 13-2 run and outscored Oklahoma City 23-10 in the fourth.

"I think once we looked up at the clock and saw how many points we were down, a little bit of desperation hit," guard Mike Conley said. "We were like, 'Man, we cannot lose this game.' And guys amped up their game, made some changes here and there. And we were able to just be scrappy and play our game."

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, the league's scoring leader during the regular season and these playoffs, missed a 20-footer off the back rim with four seconds left in regulation. He took only three shots in overtime and missed them all. (Oklahoma City as a team made only 3 of 12 shots in overtime.)

Durant finished with 22 points, his fewest this postseason after averaging 31.6 coming in, and attempted only one free throw, which he missed.

"This is a tough loss," Durant said. "I'm trying to stay positive, but it was tough. This was tough. We were up 13 going into the fourth, had a good roll going. It was tough."

Grizzlies 101, Thunder 93 OT

OKLAHOMA CITY (93): Durant 10-24 0-1 22, Ibaka 6-12 2-3 14, Perkins 2-6 2-2 6, Westbrook 7-22 8-8 23, Sefolosha 2-7 2-2 6, Collison 2-5 2-2 6, Harden 4-9 3-3 12, Mohammed 1-2 0-0 2, Maynor 0-3 2-2 2, Cook 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 34-93 21-23 93.

MEMPHIS (101): Young 2-6 0-0 4, Randolph 8-22 5-8 21, Gasol 4-14 8-12 16, Conley 8-15 1-2 18, Allen 2-5 6-10 10, Mayo 6-18 4-4 18, Battier 1-2 0-0 2, Haddadi 0-1 5-6 5, Vasquez 1-2 0-0 2, Arthur 2-5 1-2 5. Totals 34-90 30-44 101.

Oklahoma City 20 31 25 10 7— 93

Memphis 22 21 20 23 15— 101

3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 4-21 (Durant 2-7, Westbrook 1-3, Harden 1-5, Cook 0-3, Sefolosha 0-3), Memphis 3-10 (Mayo 2-6, Conley 1-3, Randolph 0-1). Fouled Out—Westbrook, Perkins. Rebounds—Oklahoma City 61 (Perkins 13), Memphis 70 (Randolph 21). Assists—Oklahoma City 19 (Westbrook 12), Memphis 17 (Conley, Mayo 4). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 30, Memphis 17. Technicals—Randolph. A—18,119 (18,119).

Draft: Kentucky forward Terrence Jones and Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs withdrew their names and will play their sophomore and senior seasons, respectively. Boston College junior guard Reggie Jackson will stay in the draft. Underclassmen who haven't hired agents have until midnight tonight to pull out.

Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Regan Smith moved in front on a caution nine laps from the end and survived a green-white-checkered finish Saturday night to win the Southern 500 for his first Sprint Cup victory.

Smith held off Carl Edwards in the final two laps at Darlington Raceway in a race that turned ugly late when Kyle Busch tangled with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer to set up the overtime finish.

Smith, the 2008 series rookie of the year with Dale Earnhardt Inc., lost his ride with DEI after that season and has been struggling ever since with Furniture Row Racing.

His best career finish going into the Southern 500 was seventh, though he has six top-five starts this season.

"Legends win this race, I'm not supposed to win this race," Smith told Fox. "I had never even had a top five."

Most of the contenders, including leader Edwards, stopped to get fresh tires during a caution flag. Smith stayed out to gain track position, took the lead with 11 laps to go and kept it. Those 11 laps led were the most Smith, 27, has had in a Cup race.

After the race, Harvick tracked down Busch's car, stopped in front of Busch on pit road, then got out of his car and attempted to punch or grab Busch through his window. Busch then slammed into Harvick's driverless car, sending it crashing into the inside wall.

Harvick and Busch then stared down each other from their cars as they entered the garage before a standoff that looked as if it might erupt further. It finally ended when Busch bumped Harvick several times to make space to drive off. Both drivers were summoned to the NASCAR hauler for questioning.

Brad Keselowski finished third, pole-sitter Kasey Kahne fourth and Ryan Newman fifth.

Edwards appeared to be cruising to his first Darlington victory with 10 laps remaining in what had been about 490 miles of relatively calm racing. Instead, things changed when Jeff Burton brought out the 10th and final caution, setting up a restart with five laps left and many of NASCAR's best not far from the lead.

Busch, Harvick and Bowyer wound up three-wide in a space where that doesn't work and Bowyer was sent into the interior wall. As cars spun out behind, Busch, who had been tapped from behind by Harvick in the previous corner, veered down the track and sent Harvick spinning.

Smith bobbled slightly on the final lap, but he regained control and took off for the victory. He was in tears in Victory Lane, winning for the first time in 105 Sprint Cup starts.

"We've had some ups and we've had some downs, this is an up," Smith said.

Smith's landmark win, though, will likely be overlooked with the dustup between Harvick and Busch, who have a history. Harvick admittedly wrecked Busch on purpose late in last season's finale at Homestead as retaliation for earlier contact.

"Just uncalled for. Just unacceptable racing," Busch said of Saturday's incident. "You know, it's in the last couple of laps, but I gave him room off (Turn 2), I didn't get the room. Just real unfortunate. I hate we tore up a few good cars there."

The spotlight figured to be on Newman and Juan Montoya, who tangled at Richmond a week earlier — a feud that continued into this week at Darlington.

But those two mostly stayed away from each other. Montoya did get into five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson early on.

Montoya apologized for tagging Johnson. "I bet he's sorry," Johnson responded.

F1: Vettel on pole again

ISTANBUL — Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel will again start at the front at today's the Turkish Grand Prix after securing his fourth straight pole position to start the season.

Red Bull will start 1-2 on the grid after teammate Mark Webber posted the second-best time. Vettel showed he had fully recovered from a practice crash in the rain on Friday.

"Straight away I felt comfortable in the car, felt the rhythm of the track very quickly," said Vettel, who ran a best lap of 1 minute, 25.049 seconds around the 3.317-mile track.

By Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, May 7, 2011

WINTER PARK — In the last year, Plant senior Brian Baird has nursed a stress fracture in his lower back, nagging shin splints and his coach's move to the Mountain Time Zone.

All of which begs a rhetorical inquiry: What else could fate hang on one kid?

How about a gold medal.

On a windless Saturday in Winter Park, Baird rediscovered his approach steps, his jump and his smile. In one of the most intense pole vault competitions in recent state meet memory, Baird nailed a 15-foot effort to win the boys Class 4A title at Bob Mosher Track at Showalter Field.

"I can't remember feeling a better feeling than this," Baird said.

On a day devoid of humidity, Baird's good feeling was only mildly contagious.

Each highlight — Riverview sophomore Faith Woodard's runnerup finish in the girls high jump, and Chamberlain junior Max del Monte's second-place effort in the boys 1,600 meters — seemingly was offset by a disappointment.

Singularly personifying that bittersweetness was Riverview senior Ashley Favors. Seeded first in the 100 hurdles, Favors clipped the third hurdle, causing a disruption to her stride, and she struggled to an eighth-place finish.

She redeemed herself an hour later with a runner-up effort in the 300 hurdles, recording a personal-best time (43.75 seconds) in an event in which she was seeded eighth.

"I was kind of sad about (the 100), and I kind of just said, 'You know what, whatever happens happens, just go out there and run as best as you can,' " Favors said.

Atonement was far more elusive for Alonso junior Brandon Holloway. For the second consecutive postseason, a false start ended his quest for a 200-meter medal, this time in the preliminaries. He reached the finals in the 100 meters, however, placing seventh in an ultra-elite field.

"It was very disappointing, but I'm still grateful I got to run here," Holloway said. "A lot of people can't even say they're top eight in the state or anything like that, so I'm glad to be running with the top in the nation out here in these races."

Then there was Baird, bedecked in black shin wraps and resilience.

Ten days after failing to clear 14 feet against a considerable crosswind at the Region 2 meet, Baird appeared to easily clear 15 feet and just missed at 15-6. On Saturday, his 15-foot effort was matched by Pinellas Park's Eddie Galan, but Baird prevailed via fewer misses.

"It's just a matter of getting my step right because that's what I was really struggling to find, and I was struggling down near the end of my jumps, at the end of the run," said Baird, who lost his coach when former Panthers state champ Justin Semeyn moved to Colorado.

"I just got it better today than I did any other day."

The top-eight finishers in each event earned medals. Other local girls placers were the Plant girls 4x800 relay (seventh), Wharton's Abby Ritter (eighth in 1,600) and Plant's Caroline Gibson (seventh in 3,200).

Other boys placers: Newsome's 4x800 relay (sixth, in a school-record time), Brandon's Shawn Council (seventh in discus) and Alonso's Franklyn Moseley (fourth in 400).

Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins' top playoff scorer, is expected to miss one or two games of the Eastern Conference final against the Lightning with what the team called a mild concussion.

General manager Peter Chiarelli said Saturday that it was "a safe assumption" Bergeron would miss at least a game, depending on when the series starts. The final can begin as early as Tuesday or as late as Saturday. The schedule will be determined once the West semifinals end.

Bergeron has two goals and 10 assists in the postseason. His 12 points are tied for second in the league with a group that includes the Lightning's Vinny Lecavalier and Steve Downie, and are one behind leader Marty St. Louis of the Lightning.

Bergeron was hurt in the third period Friday on a hit by Claude Giroux and didn't return to the Bruins' 5-1 win that completed a sweep of the Flyers.

This is Bergeron's third documented concussion. He missed the last 72 games of the 2007-08 regular season and the playoffs with one and 15 games in 2008-09 with another.

"When I spoke with him after the game, he was a little despondent," Chiarelli said, "but he was quite lucid, to me."

Bergeron's likely replacement would be Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall draft pick last year. Seguin was a healthy scratch in the first 11 playoff games. He had 11 goals and 22 points in 74 games this season.

Predators hold off elimination in West

VANCOUVER — Joel Ward scored two goals less than five minutes apart early in the third period and the Predators stayed alive against the Canucks with a 4-3 win in Game 5 of their West semifinal.

David Legwand also scored twice, Pekka Rinne made 29 saves and Ward had three points for Nashville, which trails the best-of-seven series three games to two. The Predators, in the second round for the first time, won for the first time when facing elimination. They had been 0-5.

"This is our biggest game so far in Predator history," Rinne said. "We did a great job … and at the end showed a lot of character."

Ryan Kesler, who had his face stitched up after he was struck by a deflected puck, scored his second goal of the game with 3:46 left. Kesler has five goals in three games.

"It's frustrating," captain Henrik Sedin said. "We battled hard. … It could have gone either way."

First Period—1, Nashville, Legwand 4 (Ward), 3:42 (sh). 2, Vancouver, Torres 1 (Hansen, Hamhuis), 5:59. 3, Vancouver, Kesler 4 (Raymond, Higgins), 15:06. Penalties—Kostitsyn, Nas (holding stick), 3:31.

Second Period—4, Nashville, Legwand 5, :51. Penalties—Vancouver bench, served by Torres (too many men), 7:22; Legwand, Nas (cross-checking), 16:04; Ehrhoff, Van (roughing), 16:04.

Third Period—5, Nashville, Ward 6 (Fisher), 1:14. 6, Nashville, Ward 7 (Tootoo), 5:45. 7, Vancouver, Kesler 5 (Edler, Torres), 16:14. Penalties—Fisher, Nas (roughing), 9:11; Ehrhoff, Van (roughing), 9:11; O'Brien, Nas (holding), 10:35. Shots on Goal—Nashville 5-8-10—23. Vancouver 12-8-14—34. Power-play opportunities—Nashville 0 of 1; Vancouver 0 of 2. Goalies—Nashville, Rinne 6-5-0 (34 shots-31 saves). Vancouver, Luongo 7-5-0 (23-19). A—18,860 (18,810).

Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011

D'backs 6, Padres 0

SAN DIEGO — Justin Upton hit a two-run homer and Daniel Hudson won his third straight start as the Diamondbacks handed the Padres their major-league-high eighth shutout loss this season. San Diego dropped to 6-14 at home, worst in the majors. Only one Padres baserunner made it to third base against Hudson. Ryan Roberts had three singles and three runs for Arizona.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Rangers 7, Yankees 5

ARLINGTON, Texas — Julio Borbon drove in three runs, including the go-ahead run with a squeeze bunt, and the Rangers recovered after blowing an early five-run lead. With Mitch Moreland running toward home on a 1-and-1 pitch in the sixth, Borbon laid down the bunt and almost beat the throw to first. That broke a tie at 5.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

White Sox 6, Mariners 0

SEATTLE — Gavin Floyd allowed three singles in eight innings, and the bottom third of the White Sox order went 10-for-12. Floyd allowed only two batters as far as second base, none after the third. Floyd has one career shutout, albeit a five-inning outing. But after 100 pitches, manager Ozzie Guillen used Tony Pena to finish up. It was Chicago's second shutout of the season. The Mariners have been blanked three times.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Giants 3, Rockies 2

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Fontenot's sacrifice fly in the ninth gave the Giants their second straight walkoff win. After Aaron Rowand and Freddy Sanchez led off with singles off Felipe Paulino, Franklin Morales relieved and moved both runners up with a wild pitch to set up Fontenot.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Indians 4, Angels 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Alex White pitched six gritty innings for his first major-league win, Shin-Soo Choo drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double that snapped an 0-for-18 drought since his arrest on DUI charges and the Indians handed Jered Weaver his second straight loss. White, the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft, allowed three runs and seven hits, including Vernon Wells' two-run homer, in his second big-league start.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, May 8, 2011

World Series Classic: 5 p.m. on ESPN Classic. A look at Game 4 of the 1989 World Series when the A's swept the Giants for the title.

World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony: 9:30 p.m. on Golf Channel. Inductees include Ernie Els, Doug Ford, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, the late Jock Hutchison and … former president George H.W. Bush?

World's Strongest Man marathon: 9 p.m. on ESPN2. It's three hours of the 2010 World's Strongest Man competition. (Hey, it beats watching C-SPAN.)

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Athletics 5, Royals 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kevin Kouzmanoff and Kurt Suzuki homered and Conor Jackson had three hits for the Athletics to help Tyson Ross win his first game in four starts since moving into the rotation last month when Dallas Braden went on the disabled list. Kouzmanoff's home run off Royals starter Jeff Francis with two outs in the sixth put Oakland on top 3-0. Suzuki added a solo shot in the ninth off Louis Coleman.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

MADRID — Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal on clay for the first time in 10 tries, beating the top-ranked Spaniard 7-5, 6-4 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday and extend his unbeaten start to the season to 32 matches.

Djokovic, ranked No. 2, squandered a 4-0 lead in the first set, but recovered to end Nadal's latest winning streak on clay at 37 and earn the Serb his third straight victory over Nadal in finals this season.

Djokovic's sixth title of 2011 allowed him to surpass Bjorn Borg's 31-match season-opening run in 1980. He trails only John McEnroe's 42-0 start in 1984.

"Probably it's right at the top," Djokovic said about beating Nadal on clay in Spain. "Under the circumstances I was playing, an unbelievable match. …I needed to be aggressive, and it was a great match."

Djokovic also defeated Nadal in the finals at Miami and Indian Wells this year.

"I came up against a great player obviously — he's having a monster year," Nadal said. "He was better, you have to accept that."

Nadal's last defeat on clay came against Robin Soderling at the 2009 French Open. He had won six titles on clay since, and this was only his seventh loss on the surface in 196 matches dating to 2005.

Nadal still holds a healthy advantage over Djokovic in the rankings, but the Spaniard said it's only a matter of time before Djokovic takes over the No. 1 spot if he keeps playing like this.

"The No. 1 ranking is not in danger — it's finished. Let's not lie to ourselves, that's the reality," Nadal said.

In the women's final, Petra Kvitova won her third title of the season, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 over Victoria Azarenka. Kvitova will be the sixth Czech player to reach the top 10 in the WTA rankings when she jumps to 10th today.

Setting standards

Longest ATP Tour winning streaks in the Open era (since 1968):

46: Guillermo Vilas (July-September 1977)

44: Ivan Lendl (September 1981-Feb. 1982)

42: John McEnroe (January-May 1984)

41: Bjorn Borg (October 1979-April 1980)

41: Roger Federer (August 2006-March 2007)

35: Bjorn Borg (May-August 1978)

35: Thomas Muster (April-June 1995)

35: Roger Federer (June-November 2005)

34: Novak Djokovic-x (December 2010-now)

32: Rafael Nadal (May-August 2008)

x-active streak

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Padres 4, D'backs 3

SAN DIEGO — Former Ray Jorge Cantu hit a three-run homer and Aaron Harang pitched seven solid innings for the Padres. Cantu, hitting .184 going in, homered in the first to cap a four-run burst. San Diego, which was shut out for a major-league-high eighth time Saturday night, came out swinging against Joe Saunders in its biggest first since scoring five against Harang on July 29, 2009, at Cincinnati.

By Don Jensen, Times Correspondent
Sunday, May 8, 2011

OLDSMAR — Backside workers headed for summer destinations and horse vans filled Race Track Road on Sunday as Tampa Bay Downs wrapped up its 2010-11 thoroughbred season. For the second consecutive year, the final day produced a dead heat for the trainer championship.

The Downs concluded its 85th year with gains in average attendance and handle from 2009-10. Attendance increased 3.5 percent to 3,197. Money wagered on the live product improved in every category: on-track, 1.2 percent at $219,680 daily average; in-state, 3.6 percent at $358,869; out-of-state, 9.4 percent at $3,962,409; and total all-source, 8.5 percent at $4,540,957. The Downs ran 90 days. It cancelled the Jan. 6 card with satellite issues. Statistics were available through Equibase, a company that monitors track data. Track vice president and general manager Peter Berube declined to comment.

Gerald Bennett, 67, won two races Sunday, including his final start with Irish Lion in Race 9 under leading jockey Ronnie Allen Jr., to share the conditioning title with Jamie Ness. Both horsemen saddled 61 winners. It was the first Downs crown for Bennett, who has 3,193 career victories. Ness, 36, has been atop the Downs standings for the past five seasons. Last year, he tied Kathleen O'Connell on the closing day.

Allen, 47, captured his first riding championship in 23 years with 109 victories. Angel Moreno was the top apprentice jockey with 17 wins. Midwest Thoroughbreds, Ness' top client, repeated as leading owner with a track-record 59 wins. Three horses tied for most wins at four: Generalissimo, Jr's Exchange and Mister Dish.

For the seventh time in eight years, the Downs sent its Tampa Bay Derby winner to the Kentucky Derby. O'Connell trainee Watch Me Go finished 18th on Saturday and is expected to go to Ocala for freshening.

"He's feeling very good, better than me," O'Connell told a Churchill Downs spokesperson in Louisville, Ky. "You can't go that wide in a race that long." She said Watch Me Go might be pointed toward the Grade II Virginia Derby on July 16 at Colonial Downs in New Kent.

The Downs' 92-day meet in 2011-12 is scheduled to begin Dec. 10.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Angels 6, Indians 5

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Peter Bourjos drove in the tying run in the eighth inning with an infield single, Erick Aybar followed with a two-run double and the Angels gave Mike Scioscia his 1,000th victory as a major-league manager. Los Angeles reliever Fernando Rodney blew a 3-2 lead for Dan Haren in the top of the eighth. Travis Hafner had an RBI infield hit and Orlando Cabrera a run-scoring fielder's choice.

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Reds 2, Cubs 0

CHICAGO — Johnny Cueto's 2011 debut showed his arm was sound and his stuff good, and now the defending NL Central champion Reds have their rotation intact. Three days after Homer Bailey came off the DL, Cueto pitched well into the seventh. "That was a great outing by Cueto," manager Dusty Baker said. "Took him to his limit, I think. He was still throwing the ball well, but you have to remember that's his first outing."

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, May 8, 2011

BALTIMORE — It wasn't long ago, when the Tampa Bay Rays dug such a deep hole to start the season, that everybody seemed ready to shovel red clay on them.

But by the time the Rays were done beating the Orioles 5-3 Sunday, setting a franchise record with their eighth consecutive road win by completing a three-game sweep, the team walking out of Camden Yards was in a virtual tie with the Yankees atop the American League East.

"It says we're pretty good," Rays DH Johnny Damon said. "We know our starting pitching has been solid. We have the best defense around. And it seems like we've been getting big hits.

"When someone doesn't come through, the next one is ready and willing to pick the guy up."

Despite an 0-6 and 1-8 start, only .006 separates the Rays (20-14, .588) from the Yankees (19-13, .594) in the standings.

But the Rays insist their revival might have more to do with the 6 inches between the ear flaps of their batting helmets.

"I think the cool thing about this clubhouse is that we all kept staying positive and said, 'Let's just play tomorrow, let's just work on our game and not think about the results right now,' " said Ben Zobrist, who extended his hitting streak to 14 games. "Let's just try to play our game and get better every day."

The Rays also avenged a three-game sweep by Baltimore to start the season at Tropicana Field.

They did it Sunday by centerfielder B.J. Upton driving in four runs with a pair of clutch hits and using a suddenly deep bullpen to rescue shaky starter Wade Davis, who allowed three runs and four hits while walking five.

Upton appealed the two-game suspension from Major League Baseball he received Saturday because he wanted to play in Baltimore, where he has had success at the plate.

"I like hitting here because I normally have a lot of family and friends come in," said Upton, who was born in Norfolk, Va. "This is a good field for me, it's kind of close to home and I like playing here."

Upton went 7-for-14 in the series, and the eight runs he drove in were more than the Orioles scored against the Rays all weekend. The centerfielder raised his average to .297 with nine homers and 31 RBIs in 39 games at Camden Yards.

"Yeah, he felt really strongly about playing here," manager Joe Maddon said. "Nice job."

Meanwhile, All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria, who left the second game of the season with a strained left oblique, went 5-for-12 with five RBIs in the series. Closer Kyle Farns­worth got the last four outs Sunday for his seventh save in eight tries.

Only eight teams in major-league history have begun the season 0-6 and improved to five games above .500 at any point. The last team to do it was the 1995 Reds, and the last in the AL was the '91 Mariners. Since the 0-6 start, the Rays have gone 20-8.

"Of course, to start out the way we did and where we're at right now, it's a tribute to our guys and how they go after the day," Maddon said. "As a manager, I appreciate that."

Damon, who called a closed-door meeting with players following the six losses, credited players and coaches for hanging together.

"We were definitely upset about it," Damon said. "But we also knew we had 156 more games to go, that we understood teams in the past that have won go through that all the time, just hardly ever at the beginning of the season. … It's been a nice journey."

Times wires
Sunday, May 8, 2011

Cardinals 3, Brewers 1

ST. LOUIS — Former setup man Kyle McClellan, now unbeaten as a starter, pitched into the ninth to become the NL's third five-game winner and lift the Cardinals. McClellan watched as the bullpen labored to close it out. "It's nerve-racking in those situations," he said. "I know what they're going through." Colby Rasmus had a two-run double and Tyler Greene matched his career best with three hits for the NL Central leaders, who took two of three.