Times wires
Friday, June 17, 2011
Red Sox 10, Brewers 4
BOSTON — John Lackey retired 15 straight and Adrian Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking homer in the fifth for the Red Sox, who have won 12 of 13. Lackey, 3-0 since coming off the disabled list, gave up four runs before getting an out in the third. He closed the inning by inducing a groundball double play, beginning a run that ended on Nyjer Morgan's single in the eighth.
Times wires
Friday, June 17, 2011
Royals 5, Cardinals 4
ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols' error in the eighth allowed the winning run to score from second and the Royals to hand the Cardinals their seventh consecutive loss. Mike Moustakas led off the eighth with a walk and went to second on a fly ball. With two outs, Alcides Escobar's grounder to first went under Pujols' glove and into rightfield. That spoiled manager Tony La Russa's 2,500th game with the Cardinals.
By Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
Friday, June 17, 2011
TAMPA — Former USF receiver Amarri Jackson torched Orlando's secondary for five touchdowns, Tampa Bay's defense held one of the Arena Football League's best offenses in check and the Storm won back-to-back home games for the first time this season, holding off the Predators 46-44 before an announced crowd of 11,151 Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The Storm (6-7) saw its 23-point second-half lead nearly evaporate as the game came down to the final seconds. With the Storm leading 46-44, Jackson was denied the end zone on a fourth-and-8 play that was halted at the 1-yard line with 17.1 second to go. Orlando took over and quarterback Nick Hill completed a 21-yard pass to T.T. Tolliver, but the Predators were unable to get off another play as time expired.
"We like to make it exciting," Storm coach Dave Ewart said.
The win evened the "War on I-4" series at 24 wins each.
"It's always tough against (Orlando)," Ewart said.
The win against South Division rival Orlando (8-5) kept Tampa Bay's playoff hopes alive. The two division winners in the American Conference move on, with the two next-best records in the conference advancing as well.
"It means we stayed in the playoff hunt, but we have to take one game at a time," Ewart said. "We'll start board-watching later in the year."
The Storm, led by Jarriett Buie's 4 1/2 sacks, recorded seven sacks overall and harassed Hill all night. Orlando came in averaging 324.6 yards of offense a game but finished with 249. The Storm had two interceptions, including an 18-yard TD return by Erick McIntosh, and forced three turnovers on downs.
Cliff Dukes moved a step closer to setting the league's single-season sack record. He finished with 1 1/2, leaving him 2 1/2 short of the mark with five games to play.
"I can't say enough about (the defensive front)," Ewart said. "It's good to see them take control of a game."
Jackson had a huge game, catching 11 passes for 151 yards.
Tampa Bay took the lead for good on a 36-yard touchdown to Jackson to make it 12-7. Marcus Udell picked off Hill on Orlando's next possession, and Brian Zbydniewski again hooked up with Jackson on the ensuing possession, this time for a 30-yard score.
"When we keep Brian standing up, he's been pretty good," Ewart said.
McIntosh picked off a pass near the boards that bounced off a fan. No whistles blew, however, and he weaved down the sideline for a TD to push the lead to 26-7.
Tampa Bay held its biggest lead after an 8-yard Jackson TD catch to open the third quarter.
Hall of Fame finalists: Storm alumni George LaFrance, an offensive specialist, lineman Sylvester Bembery and wide receiver linebacker Stevie Thomas were among the 10 finalists for the 2011 Arena Football Hall of Fame class.
Times wires
Friday, June 17, 2011
Nationals 8, Orioles 4
WASHINGTON — Jerry Hairston doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth for the Nationals. Their seven-game winning streak is their longest since a seven-gamer to end 2009. Baltimore had 18 hits but stranded 12 and went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Times wires
Friday, June 17, 2011
Rockies 13, Tigers 6
DENVER — Chris Nelson hit his first career homer, a three-run shot, to cap the Rockies' six-run second. Pitcher Jason Hammel, who walked with the bases loaded during the second, ended a five-game skid dating to April 30. He allowed Jhonny Peralta's grand slam in the sixth. Colorado is 49-30 in interleague play since 2006, best in the National League.
Times wires
Friday, June 17, 2011
Twins 6, Padres 5
MINNEAPOLIS — Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer in the first for the Twins, who have won 12 of 14. Twins star catcher Joe Mauer (leg problems) played for the first time since April 12. Greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat, he hit an RBI single. He later hit into a double play and left five men on base. Clayton Richard has lost a career-high five in a row for the Padres, who have lost six of seven.
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Diamondbacks 4, White Sox 1
PHOENIX — Facing his former team, Daniel Hudson pitched his first complete game for the Diamondbacks. Hudson, 24, in his second season, outpitched the player for whom he was traded July 30, Edwin Jackson, to earn his eighth win in nine decisions. Paul Konerko's leadoff homer in the seventh ended a streak of 18 scoreless innings for the White Sox. Hudson even doubled to right-center to score Ryan Roberts with two outs in the seventh to knock out Jackson.
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Mariners 4, Phillies 1
SEATTLE — Rookie right-hander Michael Pineda made the Phillies the latest victim in his stellar season, pitching six strong innings while leading the Mariners to victory. The loss snapped a season-long seven-game winning streak for the Phillies, who fell in the first of a three-game interleague series. Miguel Olivo homered off of Roy Oswalt to lead off the fourth, and nearly did it again in the sixth before Shane Victorino chased down a long fly ball at the wall in left center.
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Astros 7, Dodgers 3
LOS ANGELES — Brett Myers pitched a four-hitter and retired 17 consecutive batters in the first complete game by Houston's staff this season. Myers allowed a first-inning sacrifice fly by Matt Kemp and a two-run homer in the ninth by Andre Ethier after an error by first baseman Brett Wallace. The right-hander, facing the Dodgers for the first time since the 2008 NLCS with Philadelphia, went the distance after going 1-6 with a 6.16 ERA in his previous 10 outings.
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Athletics 5, Giants 2
SAN FRANCISCO — Josh Willingham hit an RBI double and also scored on a wild pitch, and the Athletics ended their winless streak against San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum. The A's ended a six-game skid to the Giants and have won three straight under interim manager Bob Melvin. Lincecum, who entered the game 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA against the Giants' San Francisco Bay rival, had his fourth straight shaky outing.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Realignment talk is swirling around MLB again as part of the negotiations for a new labor agreement, and that can only be good for the Rays.
Not that they are going to get freed from the rugged American League East — they should be so lucky — but the plan being discussed could be a huge help if it includes a switch to a balanced, or at least more balanced, schedule.
The leading idea appears to be shifting a National League team (Arizona, Houston and Pittsburgh are considered the top candidates) to the AL so there are 15 teams in each, with three five-team divisions (as opposed to the current six in the NL Central and four in the AL West) as MLB expands its playoff field by adding two more wild cards.
A more balanced schedule has been part of the discussion. There is also talk of eliminating the divisional structure, and more extensive realignment (by geography or financial bases), but those seem less likely.
"Any idea that has been contemplated would be helpful to the Rays," team president Matt Silverman said. "It can't get worse."
The benefit of the balanced schedule would be obvious: More games against teams with similar financial foundations and construction, such as the Royals and Indians, and fewer against their tougher and richer AL East rivals, specifically the Red Sox and Yankees, whom they currently play 36 times in a 162-game schedule (22.2 percent).
"As much as I relish and cherish the competition," Rays manager Joe Maddon said, "tell me what other team would say I wish we played these guys 18 times each?"
There are some drawbacks to balancing the schedule, specifically at the gate as the Rays would have fewer home games with their top draws. Playing more games in the Midwest and West Coast time zones can hurt TV ratings and increase travel costs. While the wild-card races would be more equitable, there would be questions about diminishing the division races.
Plus, the switch to two 15-team leagues requires interleague games to be played throughout the season and brings into further question the inequity of having the DH in only one league.
But for the Rays, any change would be good. Maddon, who prefers a fully balanced schedule and no interleague play, said: "Whatever optimizes our chance of making the playoffs, I like."
By Steve Slowinski, Special to the Times
Saturday, June 18, 2011
While David Price labored through a loss to the Red Sox on Thursday night, something special was happening with the Rays' Double-A affiliate. Pitching prospect Matt Moore threw a no-hitter, the first complete game of Moore's career and the first no-hitter in Montgomery Biscuits history. It was also the first time all year Moore lasted beyond the sixth inning or cracked 100 pitches thrown.
Take a long, hard look, Rays fans: You are getting a glimpse into the future.
Entering this season, there was only one prospect in the Rays' system that Baseball America rated higher than Moore: Jeremy Hellickson. While Hellickson has flourished in the majors, Moore has been putting on a show down in Double A, striking out a phenomenal 103 batters in only 772/3 innings pitched, or nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings.
This should not be too surprising, as Moore led the minor leagues in strikeouts the past two seasons and has averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings at every level of the minors thus far. But it's one thing to have success in the low minors; it's another thing entirely to continue this dominance in Double A at the age of 21 (before his birthday Saturday).
For comparison, Price averaged around nine strikeouts per nine in Double A, and Jake McGee — who was once the top strikeout machine in the Rays' minors — averaged "only" 10 at that level; Price was 22 years old, while McGee was 23. Moore's level of dominance is unprecedented for the Rays.
Moore is not without his weaknesses. He throws a hard fastball and a plus curve, but he has struggled in the past with his command and with lasting deep into games. After offseason surgery to remove a bone chip from his throwing elbow, Moore has started off this season strong, averaging only 2.7 walks per nine innings.
He still needs to work on pitching deeper into games, but if he keeps up his recent success, he could enter next year ranked as one of the top five prospects in baseball and could reach the major leagues as early as late next season.
The Rays depend on their minor-league pitching depth to keep their major-league team competitive, rotating in top prospects on a yearly basis. It's unclear which starter will be the next to leave — James Shields and Jeff Niemann seem the likeliest candidates — but one thing is clear: The Rays have another ace on the rise.
Steve is the Editor-in-Chief of DRaysBay.com, a blog on the Tampa Bay Rays that specializes in analysis and statistics.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
OF Matt Joyce and 1B Casey Kotchman didn't know each other growing up on opposite sides of the bridges, but they now share a rare bond. Of the 296 men who played for the Rays, they are two of only 10 who were born and raised in the Tampa Bay area.
Both Joyce, who grew up on the Tampa side, and Kotchman, from St. Pete, say playing at home is a lot different than playing anywhere else.
"It's a blessing and a curse," Joyce explained. "You get all the positives and the negatives that other players don't get to experience. You get your friends and family and more of a crowd that cheers for you and roots you on, but that same crowd that roots you on also expects more and asks for more out of you in performance, and more so the tickets and the gear — hats, shirts and jerseys and stuff."
Kotchman, in his 11th pro season, said "it's been a privilege" to play at home, citing such benefits as seeing his parents on a regular basis and getting to live in his same place year-round and noting how comfortable an arrangement it is.
"There's no adjustment that you're in a season," he said. "In some respects it doesn't even feel like I'm playing baseball right now outside of (being at the field). I've tried not to let it hit me. I'll see the dome as I approach it and it's still kinda strange."
Joyce said it took some getting used to — and may take some further adjustment. "You never really get away, it's weird," he said. "I didn't know what to expect going into the offseason last year, and I was surprised at how much I got recognized. It was really weird."
Rays rumblings
ESPN The Magazine named OF Matt Joyce the "Best Surprise in Baseball," which could be considered a compliment or an insult. … LHP David Price is tempting fate, moving to a large locker in the back of the clubhouse used this season by Manny Ramirez, Dan Johnson and Felipe Lopez and previously by Rocco Baldelli and Rafael Soriano. … Don't expect LHP Matt Moore, even after Thursday's no-hitter, a 4-3, 2.43 record and 103 Ks in 772/3 innings at Double-A Montgomery, to be promoted anytime soon. … Among tidbits about RHP Kyle Farnsworth in Sun Sports' Inside the Rays show that debuts after today's game: He competes with the Tampa Bay Damage professional paintball team. … Farm director Mitch Lukevics was included in the Boston Globe's list of 25 "very passionate baseball people." … 3B Evan Longoria and Joyce are among the Rays interested in skating with the Lightning. … Baseball operations director Dan Feinstein was with the A's during the Moneyball era but doesn't have a role in the soon-to-be-released movie. … LHP David Newmann, a 2007 fourth-round pick (with a $250,000 bonus), left Double-A Montgomery with plans to retire.
Got a minute? Joel Peralta
Must-see TV? Baseball Tonight, and I really like Everybody Loves Raymond.
Big-night-out meal? I like to go to a Japanese steakhouse.
Singer you'd most like to be on stage with? It's got to be Hector Acosta, a Dominican merengue and bachata star.
Worst job? I used to load blocks for construction on a truck and then drive around and deliver them.
With your wife's permission, dream date? I really like Kim Kardashian, or Eva Longoria.
10 home-grown Rays:
• Fred McGriff, 1B, Tampa/Jefferson HS
Rays seasons: 1998-2001
Stats: .291-99-359 in 577 games
• Lance Carter, RHP, Bradenton/Manatee HS
Rays seasons: 2002-05
Stats: 13-10, 3.92, 29 saves in 165 games
• Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa/Armwood HS
Rays seasons: 2009-11
Stats: .273-23-81 in 153 games
• Tino Martinez, 1B, Tampa/Jefferson HS
Rays season: 2004
Stats: .262-23-76 in 138 games
• Doug Waechter, RHP, St. Petersburg/Northeast HS
Rays seasons: 2003-06
Stats: 14-25, 5.62 in 60 games
• Casey Kotchman, 1B, St. Petersburg/Seminole HS
Rays season: 2011
Stats: .333-3-16 in 55 games
• Ozzie Timmons, OF, Tampa/Brandon HS
Rays season: 2000
Stats: .341-4-13 in 12 games
• Kevin Cash, C, Tampa/Gaither HS
Rays season: 2005
Stats: .161-2-2 in 13 games
• Jason Romano, INF, Tampa/Hillsborough
Rays season: 2004
Stats: .125-0-1 in four games
•Kenny Kelly, OF, Plant City/Tampa Catholic
Rays season: 2000
Stats: .000-0-0 in two games
Also: Former manager Lou Piniella (Tampa Jesuit), pitching coach Chuck Hernandez (Tampa Catholic)
Hot stuff
In what has been a streaky season, the Rays have had some hot ones:
Player G Avg. HR RBI Otherwise
Matt Joyce 26 .443 8 23 .230-2-11, 29 G
Casey Kotchman 29 .380 2 10 .276-1-6, 26 G
Sam Fuld 14 .397 1 8 .172-2-14 43 G
Ben Zobrist 16 .417 3 12 .216-6-24 53 G
(All stats through Friday)
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Nationals 4, Orioles 2
WASHINGTON — Michael Morse hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth, Ryan Zimmerman also connected and the Nationals won their eighth straight game. Playing in his fifth game since being activated from the disabled list, Zimmerman had two hits, including a double that ignited a three-run uprising in the sixth. Washington is averaging 7.4 runs since his return.
By Gary Shelton, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Heaven help me but I almost cared about the NFL the other night.
It was late, and I was tired, and my defenses were down. I certainly didn't mean to care about the NFL. When the owners locked their gates, it turns out, my ability to give a rip was left on the outside.
Nevertheless, there I was, almost thinking about the possibilities of an upcoming season, if indeed such a season will exist. Fortunately, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer rerun came on, and I was able to withstand the temptation to ponder more deeply.
At this point, the football fans I know seem to talk less, think less and care less about pro football. At this point, apathy is the only ally football followers have.
When will the lockout be over? Who knows.
Who will outlast whom? Who cares?
This is the only sane position to have. Yes, you can get angry, as many people have, but outrage does not work on the owners, and scorn does not affect the players, and anger does not speed a process that seems hellbent on going into August and beyond.
The more passionate the emotions, the more obvious your frustration, the more it means you care — and the higher the probability is that those fans will be right there in the ticket line when the silliness ends.
What ought to alarm the players, and what ought to scare the dickens out of the owners, is the growing apathy. That's the real cost of this wasted offseason. Every time a fan turns his head, the Benjamin Franklins in his wallet do the same.
And so it does not go. Bounce around the Internet and you can find dozens of NFL headlines a day, and not one of them says anything new. Secret meetings? Positive signs? Someone else arrested? Both sides are talking, neither side is listening, and what else is new.
You know what ought to be new?
By now, someone — anyone — should be concerned about how good the football will be when the NFL comes back.
The quality cannot be the same, you know. A league cannot sacrifice all the organized team activities and offseason workouts and minicamps without losing chemistry and cohesiveness. The result is bound to be a lessened product on the field.
Forever, coaches have told us how important such activities are to the development of a football team. And so it stands to reason: If these workouts are vital to success, how can it not be a concern when they are stripped away?
Granted, it helps when teams such as the Bucs, Patriots and Broncos have player-run workouts. But no, it isn't the same as organized practices (which, as you remember, was where the Bucs' turnaround really began last year). The offseason is about chemistry and focus and timing and understanding. You can't trash all that without a cost.
Also, granted, all teams are in the same boat. Still, we aren't talking about competitive balance. We're talking about level of play. And the longer this thing goes, the sloppier things are bound to look. As for the NFL, it seems to hope no one will notice.
Go back to 1987, the only time the league had a stupider work stoppage. Back then, someone had the grand idea of interrupting the season two weeks in. Worse, someone decided to put different bodies into familiar laundry to see if the fans could tell the difference. For three games the NFL charged real money for fake players and called it football.
When the real players came back, it was a mess. Some were angry about the settlement, and some were disappointed that replacement players had taken the jobs of some former teammates, and some were annoyed that teammates had crossed the picket line, and some were outraged that the results of the three fake games counted in the standings.
At the time, I was a writer covering the Dolphins for the Miami Herald, and what I remember most is this: The Dolphins team that left camp that year was not the team that came back. Post-strike, the Dolphins never seemed quite as efficient, quite as focused as Don Shula's teams usually were. That team should have won 10 or 11 games; it ended up 8-7.
And those guys had a training camp.
So what happens this time? Does a team have to spend some of its training camp learning what it should have learned in minicamp and part of its regular season learning what it should have learned in training camp? Will a young team have progressed as much as it would have ordinarily? Will there be more injuries, more fumbles, more miscommunication? Will coaches get fired next year because the lockout kept them from doing their jobs properly this year?
Now ask yourself this: In their struggles to turn $10 bills into $20s, do the owners really care?
Eventually this will be over, because money says it will be. Teams will still win, and teams will still lose, and eventually most fans will cheer because that is what fans do.
Along the way, however, quality will be lessened, and passion will be lost.
The next time the owners and players have one of these double-secret decoder-ring meetings, maybe someone ought to bring that up.
By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
TAMPA — Barring a plea agreement or dismissal, Aqib Talib's shooting case likely won't be resolved until after the 2011 season, according to his attorney, Frank Perez.
That means only the Bucs —or NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — could prevent Talib from playing in the fall.
"Right now, if I requested a trial, it would be late November at the earliest and most likely it would be next year," Perez said Saturday.
Talib was indicted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for his role in a shooting case March 21 in Garland, Texas. The second-degree felony carries up to 20 years in prison.
Perez has met several times with the Dallas County district attorney handling the case and another announcement hearing is scheduled June 30.
At that time, Perez said he might request the case be set for trial. But he hopes charges will be dismissed and said he will present evidence favorable to Talib.
"I don't like the case if I'm the district attorney," Perez said. "We feel very, very strongly Aqib is going to prevail in this. There's nothing to this case. I can't tell you now, but I'm confident we've got something that's going to turn the tide of public opinion."
Police say Talib tried to pistol-whip his sister's live-in boyfriend, Shannon Billings, with a Springfield 9mm. During a struggle, the gun jammed after it struck a fence and was retrieved by Billings. About that time, Talib's mother, Okolo, 58, arrived at the scene and fired several shots with a .38 Ruger. At some point, Aqib Talib gained possession of his mother's gun and fired two shots at Billings, according to arrest warrants.
Goodell has said players that run afoul of the league's personal conduct policy during the lockout will face discipline after a new labor agreement is reached. The NFL Players Association is asking for an amnesty period for players who found trouble during the lockout.
The Bucs can't have contact with players or make transactions during the lockout. But there's increasing optimism that the work stoppage could end before the July 4 weekend. That's why Perez would like to have Talib's case resolved quickly and said he likely will set it for trial after his meeting with prosecutors July 30.
There are several things working against Talib. He and his mother gave conflicting statements to investigators. In fact, Okolo Talib told police "she did hear a shot and eventually admitted it could've been Aqib who shot," according to the arrest affidavit. She also said that after Aqib "took the gun from her, he chased after Billings with the gun."
There also was a shell casing from the .38 found in the driveway across the street. But Perez will try to put an end to the case this month.
"I probably will request a trial at that time," Perez said. "Aqib wants to put it behind him, but there are jail cases, and since he's free on bond, that could bump us back another year."
It took Goodell a year after Talib assaulted a St. Petersburg cab driver to suspend him for the first game of the 2010 season.
Bucs coach Raheem Morris has said Talib's fate will be determined by the legal system and ultimately by the league office.
Considering the slow progress of the case, and Talib's importance to the Bucs' defense, it appears more likely he will suit up for Tampa Bay whenever play resumes.
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Outside the Lines: 9 a.m. on ESPN. One of the scheduled stories is a look at just how dangerous professional bull riding is.
Baseball Tonight: 7 p.m. on ESPN. Live from Wrigley Field, where the Cubs host the Yankees. Game at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Prime 9: 10 p.m. on MLB Network. A look at the best players from the 1990s, followed by the nine greatest postseason catches.
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The poll
With little more than a month remaining before the nonwaiver trade deadline, do you think the Rays should be buyers or sellers? 332 votes
Buyers, they're in the middle of the AL East and wild-card races, and the right bat or bullpen arm could make the difference.
67%
This week's question
What area does the Lightning most need to address during free agency?
Vote at lightning. tampabay.com
Sellers, by turning some of their veterans into prospects, they'll position themselves for a more realistic future playoff run.
33%
Another poll
Will top draft pick Taylor Guerrieri sign with the Rays or play at the University of South Carolina? 268 votes
He's going to play at South Carolina.
56%
He's going to sign with the Rays.
44%
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Ryan Newman is in an interesting spot today.
Newman, who drives for teammate Tony Stewart, is in 10th place in the Sprint Cup standings. That's the last guaranteed transfer spot to the Chase and it also has him tied with Stewart in the standings.
But without a victory under his belt, Newman isn't working with much of a safety net.
Jeff Gordon, who has two victories, is a likely Chaser even if he isn't in the top 10 in points. If another driver inside the top 20 but not in the top 10 gets a win, he will likely get the other Chase spot.
That leaves little wiggle room for Newman, who must stay in the top 10 if he can't get a victory. Luckily for him, today's race is at Michigan International Speedway, where he has two wins, most recently in 2004. He starts 13th in the Heluva Good 400.
With the Chase starting in 12 races, Newman knows it's time to earn better position.
"They all weigh evenly and you can get just as much lucky as you do unlucky sometimes or vice versa," said Newman, who is honoring NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore with his paint scheme this weekend. "You can speculate, but Michigan is a place that I really enjoy and it's a really a wide-open racetrack. Once you get your car right, you can pretty much have a good day."
While Stewart-Haas Racing has both of its drivers in a Chase spot, things are far from perfect within the organization. Stewart removed Bobby Hutchens from his job as director of competition last week and replaced him with Matt Borland.
Hutchens had received a lot of the credit for the team's success the past two years.
Michigan might be coming at just the right time for the team in general and Newman in particular. His ninth-place run Sunday at Pocono was his first top-10 finish in more than a month. That slide cost him three spots in the points, but Newman knows it could have been much worse.
"Our 15th at Kansas (on June 5) was partially luck," he said. "We did the fuel strategy thing. I had a miserable race car and finished 15th, which was good. We salvaged a decent finish out of something that should have been 30th."
Though there is time before the Chase and many teams will experience ups and downs, Newman, 33, believes his Chase fate might rest on today's race.
Because Michigan is a 2-mile oval, Newman believes how he races here could determine the rest of his summer.
"(We're) not basing everything off of Michigan, but a big part of our summer stretch is working on racetracks that have lower grip and typically fast mile-and-a-half, 2-mile racetracks. We'll see what we can do there."
Times wires
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Yankees 4, Cubs 3
CHICAGO — Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, and Brett Gardner made a strong throw home from leftfield in the bottom half to end a bases-loaded threat. The Yankees won for the seventh time in nine games and bounced back from a 3-1 loss in the opener.
