By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Major League Baseball, per policy, had no apologies or explanations Tuesday for the obviously incorrect call that impacted Monday's game.

Not that Rays manager Joe Maddon would have felt any better if they had.

"That one really hurt," he said.

The seventh-inning out call on OF Justin Ruggiano at home plate was made by John Tumpane, a 28-year-old who is one of several Triple-A umpires used by MLB to fill in for vacationing or injured umpires.

MLB umpires are reviewed and evaluated (in part to determine future assignments), but it is done so internally, so there is usually no public acknowledgement of mistakes, unless the umpire admits it himself (Tumpane was not made available to the media). In the NFL, league officials will review controversial calls and occasionally issue statements acknowledging mistakes.

Maddon said he understood the reasons for MLB officials to refrain from public comment but wouldn't mind hearing that a bad call was addressed.

"When it comes down to reprimands, I think both sides should be made aware of it, but not necessarily publicly," he said. "I'm okay with it just being among us."

Monday's game was a makeup from an early rainout, and the crew had only two regular members — Mike Everitt (who was acting crew chief in place of Mike Winters) and Chris Guccione — and two replacements, Cory Blaser and Tumpane.

Maddon indicated, subtly, that was part of the problem.

"It's a situation where it's a makeup game and the crew is thrown out there to call that game," Maddon said.

REHAB REPORT: RHP Jeff Niemann made his third and final rehab start for Triple-A Durham, allowing three hits over 51/3 scoreless innings, throwing 92 pitches (60 strikes). He walked three and struck out four. Niemann, out since early May with a lower back strain, is set to rejoin the rotation Monday in Milwaukee.

STARRY-EYED: 3B Evan Longoria, the elected starter in 2009-10, dropped to fourth in the latest All-Star voting update, trailing New York's Alex Rodriguez (2,063,520-1,226,770), Texas' Adrian Beltre and Boston's Kevin Youkilis. … DH Johnny Damon and 2B Ben Zobrist are fifth, OF Matt Joyce 13th.

MINOR MATTERS: INF Felipe Lopez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham for the second time in the past six weeks. … Double-A Montgomery LHP Matt Moore (2-1, 1.05, 50 K in 341/3 IP) and Class A Bowling Green OF Cody Rogers (.297, 6 HR, 18 RBIs) were named the organization's top pitcher and player for May. … Montgomery pitching coach Bill Moloney, shot in the thigh June 6, returned to the dugout Monday but was not ready to make any trips to the mound.

DRAFT BREEZE: Second-round pick OF Granden Goetzman, of Palmetto High, became the 20th, and highest chosen, of the Rays' 60 draft selections to sign. "It's electric just standing here," he said on the field pregame. "This is the goal." … Scouting director R.J. Harrison spoke with top pick RHP Taylor Guerrieri on the phone Tuesday and is trying to schedule a visit. … Others signed included ninth-round C Matt Rice, 11th-round 1B Cameron Seitzer (son of former big-leaguer Kevin), 29th-round 2B Jonathan Koscso of USF and 42nd-round C Michael Bourdon of Tampa.

MISCELLANY: DH Johnny Damon extended his team-record streak of reaching base to 39 games with a third-inning double. He tied Rusty Staub for 53rd place on the all-time doubles list at 499. … The Rays held a moment of silence pregame for Tom McEwen, the longtime Tampa-area sports columnist who died June 4 at the age of 88.

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

DETROIT — Justin Verlander nearly pitched another no-hitter, taking his latest bid into the eighth inning to lead the Tigers past the Indians 4-0 Tuesday night and into first place in the AL Central.

With two no-hitters already on his resume, including one in Toronto last month, Verlander held Cleveland hitless until Orlando Cabrera lined a clean single to center with one out in the eighth for his 2,001st career hit.

The right-hander finished with a season-high 12 strikeouts in a two-hitter, giving Detroit sole possession of first place for the first time this season. He has won six straight decisions.

Andy Dirks drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have won 12 of 16.

The Indians lost for the 15th time in 20 games and fell out of first place for the first time since April 6.

Yankees left-hander Jim Abbott was the last pitcher to hold Cleveland hitless on Sept. 4, 1993, in New York.

The crowd of 28,128 groaned when Cabrera smacked a single to center and flipped his bat toward Cleveland's dugout. Verlander didn't acknowledge the cheers he received a moment later and didn't flinch or tip his cap when he got a rousing, standing ovation as he walked to the dugout after the eighth inning.

Carlos Santana blooped a single to left with two outs in the ninth and Verlander dropped into a crouch when the ball was hit. He retired Michael Brantley on a routine grounder to end it after 2 hours, 24 minutes.

Verlander fell five outs shy of becoming the sixth pitcher with three career no-hitters. Four are in the Hall of Fame: Nolan Ryan (seven), Sandy Koufax (four), Bob Feller (three) and Cy Young (three). Larry Corcoran, an ambidextrous pitcher who won 177 games from 1880-85, is the other.

Verlander also was trying to become the sixth pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a season, including Roy Halladay, who tossed his second in the NL division series last year.

Verlander was one strikeout shy of his career high. He hit a batter and walked another in a performance filled with fastballs approaching 100 mph and knee-buckling curves that were about 20 mph slower with the same arm action.

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Mets 4, Braves 3

ATLANTA — Jair Jurrjens couldn't slow Jose Reyes, who had three hits, two steals, an RBI and two runs for the Mets. Jurrjens, who went in with a majors-best 1.82 ERA, had season worsts of five walks, eight hits and four runs. Reyes' majors-high 34th multihit game helped Jonathon Niese to his third straight win.

Times staff, wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

tennis

serena starts shaky but earns win in return

EASTBOURNE, England — Playing again after recovering from blood clots in her lungs and two foot operations, Serena Williams slipped and fell in the final game of her match at Eastbourne.

She got up immediately and carried on the point, although she lost it. But it was not long before the 13-time Grand Slam champion was a winner once more.

After nearly a year off the WTA Tour, Williams regrouped after a slow start to defeat Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of a Wimbledon warmup.

Next up is a repeat of the 2010 Wimbledon final against top-seeded Vera Zvonareva, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Heather Watson.

Ana Ivanovic advanced to a second-round match against Venus Williams with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Julia Goerges. French Open runnerup Francesca Schiavone advanced with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 win over Kaia Kanepi.

On the men's side, top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his first round-match against Denis Istomin 6-2, 7-5. A foot injury forced former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt to quit his match against Olivier Rochus while trailing 6-2, 3-0.

Clijsters injures ankle again: Kim Clijsters is in doubt for Wimbledon after aggravating an ankle injury during a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 loss to Romina Oprandi at the Unicef Open in Den Bosch, Netherlands. She said she would return home to Belgium and seek medical advice before deciding whether to play at Wimbledon, which begins Monday. Clijsters initially hurt her ankle in April.

Soccer

Panama takes first in Gold Cup group

Luis Tejada scored during a scramble in front of the goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time in Kansas City, Kan., giving Panama a 1-1 draw with Canada and clinching first in its Gold Cup group.

Dwayne De Rosario converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute for Canada. The Canadians needed Guadeloupe to upset the United States in the late match to avoid elimination.

friendly scheduled: FC Tampa Bay's international friendly against the English Premier League's Bolton is set for 7:30 p.m. July 14 at Al Lang Field.

Volcanic ash may disrupt schedule: The cloud of ash spewing from a volcano in Chile grounded more flights from Uruguay to Australia and threatened to delay the start of next month's Copa America in Buenos Aires.

et cetera

Colleges: Gators OF Kelsey Bruder earned the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top softball player. She led the SEC this season in runs (32), hits (40), RBIs (36), slugging percentage (.883) and home runs (11). … Fired Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has landed a job at CBS Sports Network as a game and studio analyst for the upcoming football season.

wnba: Katie Douglas had 22 points with seven rebounds to lead the host Indiana Fever to an 82-74 victory over the Tulsa Shock. … Angel McCoughtry scored 18 and the visiting Atlanta Dream used three big runs to cruise to a 79-58 victory over the New York Liberty.

Figure skating: Three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir says he's sitting out the upcoming season but plans to compete at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. … Japan has been awarded the 2014 world championships, three months after giving up this year's event following a devastating earthquake.

Bryan Burns, Times staff writer; Times wires

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

VANCOUVER — Canucks wing Mason Raymond will miss tonight's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final and also could miss the start of next season with a fractured vertebrae after being checked into the boards in Game 6.

Raymond sustained a vertebrae compression fracture in Monday's 5-2 Bruins win, and the back injury needs three to four months to heal, the team said Tuesday.

Raymond, who played on the second line with center Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins, was hurt 20 seconds into the game. He became entangled with Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the corner after the puck went by both of them. He was spun backward with Boychuk's stick between his legs. Raymond ended up with his head down between Boychuk's legs, and the defenseman finished his check by delivering Raymond backward into the boards.

Raymond lay face down on the ice for several minutes before Kesler and Higgins helped him off. He was taken on a stretcher to a hospital, where the team said he would remain for a day or two.

No penalty was called on the play, angering the Canucks. Vancouver also wasn't happy the league Tuesday didn't discipline Boychuk. Boychuk "used a can opener (move) and used enough force to drive him into the boards and break his back," general manager Mike Gillis said.

Boychuk said he had "no clue" what happened. "I don't even really remember the play," he said.

The league's hockey operations department deemed it an "awkward collision" and not worthy of a suspension, acting disciplinarian Mike Murphy told the Toronto Globe & Mail.

The collision and the league's lack of discipline are the latest in a series of controversial actions — beginning most notably with Canuck Alex Burrows' alleged bite of Bruin Patrice Bergeron's finger in Game 1 — in what has become one of the most physical and all-around nasty Cup finals.

Raymond joined a growing list of Vancouver players out of the lineup. Forward Mikael Samuelsson had abdominal surgery earlier in the playoffs, top defenseman Dan Hamhuis hasn't played since an undisclosed injury in Game 1 of the Cup final, and his replacement, Aaron Rome, was suspended for a late hit that knocked top-line Bruins forward Nathan Horton out of the series in Game 3.

Raymond doesn't have a point in the series, but he was among the team leaders in shots (17 through five games), and his speed is valued.

"I'm sure for one game, we can have guys step up and play those minutes," captain Henrik Sedin said.

Jannik Hansen replaced Raymond in Game 6.

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Nationals 8, Cardinals 6

WASHINGTON — Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI double in his return from the disabled list to spark a six-run seventh for the Nationals. Zimmerman's double down the rightfield line drove in the first run of the seventh. The last four scored with two outs.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rays vs. Red Sox

When/where: 7:10 tonight; Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

TV/radio: Sun Sports, Bay News 9 Espanol; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Starting pitchers

RAYS: RH Jeremy Hellickson (7-4, 3.03)

RED SOX: RH Josh Beckett (5-2, 2.06)

Tickets: $17-$275 at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team store in Tampa, $3 surcharge within five hours of game.

Watch for …

Bounce back: Hellickson is coming off a rough start in Baltimore, having allowed a career-high five runs, including multiple homers. He has faced the Sox twice in Boston, including an April 11 win.

No Joshing: Beckett has been on a pretty good roll, with seven straight quality starts. Passed over for Josh Hamilton as the top pick of the '99 draft, he is 7-4, 3.43 vs. the Rays, including 1-3, 3.96 at the Trop.

Key matchups

Rays vs. Beckett

J. Damon 14-for-48, 2 HRs

Evan Longoria 9-for-29, HR

Casey Kotchman 6-for-16

Red Sox vs. Hellickson

Carl Crawford 1-for-3

J.D. Drew 1-for-3

David Ortiz 1-for-3

On deck

Thursday: vs. Red Sox, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (7-5, 3.51); Red Sox — Clay Buchholz (5-3, 3.59)

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

So that is the Rays-Sox difference

Among many things, former Rays/now Red Sox star Carl Crawford offered an interesting take when asked the biggest difference between his former and current employers. "It's a younger team over there so it was like party central all the time," Crawford said. "(In Boston), it's a little more calm, a little more conservative."

Elite company

With his next double, DH Johnny Damon will join this group — all Hall of Famers — as the only players with 100 triples, 200 home runs, 500 doubles and 2,500 hits: George Brett, Goose Goslin, Rogers Hornsby, Willie Mays, Paul Molitor, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Al Simmons, Robin Yount.

Quote of the day

"Nobody's got that kind of vision, including Superman."

Rays manager Joe Maddon, dismissing the reasoning umpire John Tumpane provided for Monday's controversial call

Elite company

With his next double, DH Johnny Damon will join this group — all Hall of Famers — as the only players with 100 triples, 200 home runs, 500 doubles and 2,500 hits:

George Brett

Goose Goslin

Rogers Hornsby

Willie Mays

Paul Molitor

Stan Musial

Babe Ruth

Al Simmons

Robin Yount

By Eduardo A. Encina, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — If there's one thing Carl Crawford has learned in his brief time in a Red Sox uniform, it is that taunts from fans on the road can be brutal.

And though Crawford was returning to Tropicana Field — the place where he spent his first nine major-league seasons and left as the best player in Rays franchise history — he still expected his reception to be icy.

When Crawford, who signed a seven-year, $142 million contract with Boston in December, stepped to the plate in his first at-bat Tuesday, most fans at the Trop greeted him with a standing ovation, but much of cheering was muted by loud boos that grew louder with each at-bat.

"It was smattering of negativity I thought out there, which was inappropriate," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "But for the most part the fans did a great job."

Crawford said he blocked it out at the plate but heard the fans yelling when he went to leftfield.

"They had a lot to say, but I expected that way," Crawford said. "Pretty much they called me a traitor all night, told me my batting average, all the stuff I've heard the last two months. It probably would have been cool if we had come here in first, but there were a bunch of other away teams that already beat them to the punch.

"I've had it pretty bad on the road this year so I was already bracing myself for the worst. It wasn't that bad. It was just like any other road game pretty much."

Crawford returned a different man — obviously a richer one — but had the same smile and distinctive laugh that endeared him to Tampa Bay fans. Since leaving the Rays, he said he has learned that playing the Green Monster is tougher than the Trop catwalks. He said playing through the lean years in Tampa Bay helped him through a first month in Boston in which he hit .155. He admitted he became nostalgic walking through the halls of the Trop.

Still, he tried to make Tuesday as routine as possible, though he knew he couldn't. Crawford did little damage for his new team — take away a broken bat in a 12-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout in the seventh — going hitless in three at-bats in a 4-0 Rays win that ended with Crawford in the on-deck circle.

"It was nice to go ahead and get it out of the way," Crawford said. "I got a chance to see everybody. The fans who didn't like me had a chance to do what they wanted to do. I'm good with putting stuff behind me, so (today) I'm going to try to make it feel as normal as possible.

"(Tuesday), I can't lie, it didn't feel like a normal game for me."

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Pirates 1, Astros 0

HOUSTON — Jeff Karstens pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and five relievers finished the four-hitter for the Pirates. Garrett Jones drove in the only run with a single to right in the second. Karstens extended his scoreless streak to 142/3 innings. Joel Hanrahan pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 18 tries.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Carl Crawford wasn't sure what to expect in his first game back at Tropicana Field as a member of the Red Sox. But one thing he was certain of was that longtime Rays teammate James Shields was going to stand tall on the mound.

"I know those guys and whenever the Red Sox are in town, they take it up a notch," Crawford said. "I expected him to pitch one of his better games, and he did."

Did he ever.

Forget Big Game James, this was Huge Game James. Shields gave the weary Rays the stellar start they needed, leading them to a 4-0 victory with his major league-leading third shutout and American League-high fourth complete game.

"That was one of my better games, that's for sure," Shields said. "No doubt about it as far as the magnitude goes."

The game meant more to the Rays — who improved to 36-31 and moved within 3½ games of the division-leading Red Sox — and it showed in what they did leading up to it, shuffling their rotation so Shields pitched Tuesday's opener, and what they said.

"I think this was a big game for us," Shields said. "I knew going into the series it was going to be a big series."

The game, the first between the teams since early April, was tense and tight, with what Rays manager Joe Maddon said was "a definite playoff atmosphere about it" — though with a crowd of just 20,972.

The Red Sox came in having won nine straight — scoring 35 during their weekend in Toronto — then had a leisurely off day Monday in Tampa. The Rays played the finale of a grueling 11-game, 12-day country-crossing road trip Monday night in Detroit, losing on a walkoff hit in the 10th and arrived home shortly before 4 a.m., and Maddon found inspiration in their effort.

"Coming off what we just went through, to come home tonight with short rest again and play that kind of game with that kind of energy, I'm really proud of our guys," Maddon said.

"Yes, we are the defending American League East champs. We plan on defending it and recapturing the flag again. Don't let anybody think anything differently."

It was scoreless into the fifth when the Rays took a 1-0 lead on a homer by Justin Ruggiano. They made it 2-0 the next inning with help from knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, as Evan Longoria walked, went to second on a passed ball and third on a groundout and scored when another pitched bounced away.

They doubled the lead in the eighth. Matt Joyce blooped a double, Longoria was hit by a pitch and Casey Kotchman dropped a single in front of Crawford, with Joyce scoring and Longoria racing straight to third. An out and a pitching change later, John Jaso singled in Longoria.

Shields allowed five hits, all singles, and pretty much cruised after a shaky 23-pitch first (throwing 110 total) that ended with him facing Crawford with the bases loaded and getting him out on a grounder to first.

They had a more memorable encounter in the seventh, as Crawford battled 12 pitches — including eight foul balls — before Shields struck him out.

"He made good pitches on Carl all night long." Maddon said. "He made good pitches on everybody."

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Phillies 9, Marlins 1

PHILADELPHIA — Former Pasco High star Domonic Brown hit two of the Phillies' season-high five homers and Cole Hamels pitched seven dominant innings. Hamels became the NL's second nine-game winner, tying teammate Roy Halladay and Boston's Jon Lester for the most wins in the majors. But he left in the eighth with tightness in the middle of his back. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury.

Times wires
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Yankees 12, Rangers 4

NEW YORK — Curtis Granderson homered and had four RBIs and Eduardo Nunez, filling in for Derek Jeter, sparked a six-run second inning with an RBI single for the Yankees. Granderson singled in two runs and Mark Teixeira had a two-run double in the second as New York batted around and knocked out righty Alexi Ogando.

By John Romano, Times Sports Columnist
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — You follow the rules, and you do what you're told. You work hard, and you stay out of trouble. You keep your mouth shut, and you wait your turn.

But what do you do if your turn never comes?

What do you do when you are approaching 29 years old and looking at a fifth consecutive opening day in Triple A, as Justin Ruggiano was a couple of months ago?

What do you do when you see hot shots such as Evan Longoria and David Price pass through Durham like they were sightseeing? What do you do when Fernando Perez passes you on the depth chart and Ben Zobrist is told to grab an outfielder's mitt?

What do you do when the organization spends its offseasons making trades for Matt Joyce and Sam Fuld, or signing Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez?

What do you do when your life does not measure up to your dreams? If you are a 25th-round draft choice with more than 3,000 plate appearances in the minor leagues, you change everything.

You stop pressing. You stop pushing. You stop worrying about what you are not and accept what you are. You stop fighting the tide and enjoy the ride. And when your turn finally comes, you have the most hellacious week you could have imagined.

The Rays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball the past eight days, and Justin Ruggiano has been their hottest hitter.

For the first time in his big-league career he is in the lineup every day, and it's as if a decade of frustration has been turned loose. Ruggiano is hitting .484 with two home runs and six RBIs in the past eight games, and the Rays have won six times.

Obviously, it is not sustainable. Not even close. But for now, it is enough.

"When I was younger, pride is what kept me going," Ruggiano said after hitting a home run in a 4-0 victory against Boston on Tuesday. "But when I'm through playing, I want to be remembered for someone who enjoyed being in the game. For being gracious about being here."

Four months ago, Ruggiano was a garage sale item. All those years in Durham had gotten him nowhere. When the Rays signed Ramirez and Damon in the offseason, they had to remove Ruggiano from the 40-man roster and put him on waivers. And 29 other teams decided he was not worth the roster space. "I was upset," Ruggiano said, "but I was probably more disappointed."

It's not as if Ruggiano is without upside. He'd been a .300 hitter in Triple A. He'd regularly stolen 20 bases or more a season and had a 20-home-run season. He is a good defensive outfielder, and there have never been complaints about his work ethic.

The problem is the Rays saw Ruggiano as a fourth outfielder and Ruggiano saw himself as something more. He never seemed to grasp that his best chance for success was to embrace a role as a part-time starter and defensive replacement.

So the Rays kept sending him to Durham, where he looked like a Casablanca extra in search of an exit visa. He'd grown so tired of minor-league life, Perez began calling him Scrooge.

"A couple of years ago we hit him between the eyes pretty hard on certain things we wanted to see and how he could carve out a role with us," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "It's one of those things where it's hard to get a young player to have the mind-set that they're content playing two, three, four times a week.

"His mind-set was, 'I can't do that. I don't think I can thrive in that kind of role.' To see the way he has evolved from a maturation standpoint has just been incredible to watch."

Ruggiano has been to the big leagues before. There was a brief stay in 2007. There were multiple callups in 2008 and another blink-and-you'll-miss shot in 2010. Each time Ruggiano felt as if he had to cram a career's worth of highlights into a handful of at-bats. It was not what the Rays wanted, and it was not a productive approach.

This spring, the Rays talked to Ruggiano once more about becoming a player who could fill a certain niche, and they assured him he was still in their plans.

"Given the circumstances and the past five years, it was kind of hard to believe that," Ruggiano said. "I guess at that point I took a step back and took a look at myself. I decided I'm playing this game because I love it and I'm not going to let where I'm at dictate the way I play or the attitude I bring to the clubhouse."

Six weeks into the season the Rays had a need for a fourth outfielder. They didn't want Desmond Jennings or Brandon Guyer sitting too much, so they turned to Ruggiano.

"I have respect for the word 'perseverance' and those it applies to," said manager Joe Maddon. "With a guy like Rugg, it took some time and it took losing his spot on the roster, but he persevered and made it here."

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Cubs 5, Brewers 4

10 INNINGS

CHICAGO — Starlin Castro looped a one-out single to rightfield in the 10th to score Tony Campana from third base as the Cubs rallied. Trailing 4-1, Chicago scored three runs in the eighth off reliever Marco Estrada.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5

11 INNINGS

TORONTO — Adam Lind homered off Koji Uehhara leading off the 11th as the Blue Jays snapped their four-game losing streak. Matt Wieters' two-run home run off reliever Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth, after a leadoff walk to Vladimir Guerrero, tied the score at 5.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Rockies 6, Padres 3

DENVER — Juan Nicasio had a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings and Chris Iannetta hit a three-run homer, helping the Rockies end a three-game skid. Manager Jim Tracy held a closed-door meeting before the game. Colorado responded to the pep talk, moving to 3-3 on its 10-game homestand.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Angels 4, Mariners 0

SEATTLE — Jered Weaver pitched a five-hitter for his second shutout of the season, and he finally got some run support on the road thanks to a four-run first inning as the Angels won consecutive games for the first time since late May. Los Angeles took advantage of one awful inning by Mariners starter Doug Fister, and Weaver made that outburst stand to give him his eighth win of the season and the Angels franchise its 4,000th win. Weaver gave up four singles and Ichiro Suzuki's ninth-inning double.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Giants 6, D'backs 5

PHOENIX — Cody Ross had a two-run double and scored on a double steal in the fifth to help San Francisco build a five-run lead, and the Giants held on to stay atop the NL West. The Giants took advantage of an off-kilter Josh Coll­menter to lead 5-0 after five, but starter Matt Cain nearly gave it back over the next two.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Reds 3, Dodgers 2

LOS ANGELES — Johnny Cueto pitched seven sharp innings and Joey Votto hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth for the Reds. Cueto allowed just an unearned run in a reprise of his June 4 matchup with Clayton Kershaw at Cincinnati, where neither got a decision in Los Angeles' 11-8, 11-inning victory. Cueto beat the Dodgers for the first time in five starts.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Star forward Steven Stamkos and Tampa Bay Lightning teammates Teddy Purcell, Nate Thompson and Mike Smith will take batting practice and throw out the first pitch for Thursday's Tampa Bay Rays game against the Boston Red Sox.

The Rays had been looking for an opportunity to honor the Lightning for their playoff run.

Stamkos played baseball through high school and claims that he was a pretty good hitter.