Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Orioles 7, Reds 5
BALTIMORE — Derrek Lee and Mark Reynolds homered in a four-run fourth inning, and Luke Scott added a solo shot in the seventh for Baltimore. The Orioles totaled nine home runs in taking two of three from Cincinnati, which fell to 3-9 in interleague play. The teams combined for 16 homers in the series.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Phillies 3, Athletics 1
PHILADELPHIA — With two first-inning runs, Philadelphia gave Roy Halladay an almost insurmountable lead. Halladay pitched his NL-high fifth complete game and Jimmy Rollins had four hits for the Phillies as Halladay improved to 30-3 in 35 starts in which Philadelphia has given him the lead. "Obviously pitching with the lead is always beneficial for a pitcher," he said. "He's pretty steady," manager Charlie Manuel added. "If we can score three or four runs, our starting pitchers have a good chance to win the game."
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Nationals 2, White Sox 1
CHICAGO — Danny Espinosa hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to lift Livan Hernandez and Washington, which won its final game with interim skipper and former Rays bench coach John McLaren at the helm. Chicago starter Phil Humber carried a no-hit bid into the sixth, but a two-out walk in the seventh was followed by Espinosa's home run, handing Humber his first loss since April 30. Hernandez struck out a season-high nine.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Royals 6, Cubs 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alex Gordon extended his hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI double in a four-run first inning and Luke Hochevar won another afternoon start for Kansas City. Hochevar is 9-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 14 day starts the past two seasons, compared to 2-11 with a 5.28 ERA in 21 night games. He picked up his second victory in his past 10 starts, with both coming in afternoon games.
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Reds at Rays: 7 p.m. on Sun Sports. Interleague play has grown tired, but this is a pretty fun matchup.
College football classic: 8 p.m. on ESPNU. A replay of last year's national title game between Oregon and Auburn.
Little Big Men: Midnight on ESPN2. Parents should watch this "30 for 30" documentary on the 1982 Little League team from Kirkland, Wash.
Times staff and wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
He wrote it
It turns out nobody knew when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi walked out of Ashe Stadium in 2002 after that great men's (U.S. Open) final that they were pretty much taking men's tennis in this country with them. No kidding, I'd still rather watch (John) McEnroe and (Jimmy) Connors play, and Connors turns 59 in a couple of months.
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News
Anniversary of the day
It was 23 years ago today — June 27, 1988 — that Iron Mike Tyson knocked out Michael Spinks just 91 seconds into the first round of their heavyweight championship bout. Tyson moved to 35-0 and, at the time, was considered one of the most devastating fighters ever. Spinks would never fight again.
Rumor of the day
A column in the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer-Press said that it will be surprising if outfielder Delmon Young, the former Rays top pick who was traded for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett before the 2008 season, will return to the Twins next year.
By Jay Mastry, Times Correspondent
Sunday, June 26, 2011
What's hot: While it's well-known the full and new moon phases are among the most productive days of the month when tarpon fishing, the last quarter phase can be pretty sporty, too. Thursday, the first day of the quarter, we jumped 10 fish, including Lisa Scribano and Justin Nash recording their first releases. Then it got better. Saturday morning while fishing the "edge" off of Longboat Key, we jumped 16 and released nine, the largest we estimated at 140 pounds. An early morning minor solunar period and the last of the incoming tide proved to be the right combination. Fresh dead shad, heavy chumming and the barometric pressure change from the approaching storms likely contributed to the ravenous bite.
Tips: Don't rush to reel in the other rods once a fish is hooked. Though it can be a bit chaotic, leaving some baits in the water resulted in three doubleheaders.
Looking ahead: As we get deeper in the season, techniques may need to change. Large schools that we were able to sightcast to will become less abundant. Big schools will break up into smaller bunches, many will travel in pairs and some by themselves. "Edge" fishing is an option. Anchor in 12 to 17 feet, often just outside the swim buoys, and where you observe the best flow of fish. This technique will allow you to sightcast to the ones that pop up, but many you hook will be the ones you don't see.
Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, June 26, 2011
HOUSTON — Matt Joyce had been ready since the early innings, when the Rays got the sense it was going to be one of those games with the Astros. As rapidly as the runs were piling up and as quickly as the Rays were going through their bench and their bullpen, he knew he'd be used as a pinch-hitter.
He just didn't expect to hear his name then, as Sean Rodriguez was headed from the on-deck circle to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, the Rays a run down in what had already been a wild afternoon and no other position players left. But manager Joe Maddon made what he admitted was a very difficult and frenzied decision, and Joyce scrambled to pull on his batting gloves, pop on a helmet and grab his bat.
He took two balls from closer Mark Melancon then swung and missed twice. And then he delivered a two-run double, the biggest hit on a day of big ones as the Rays outlasted the Astros for a hard-earned 14-10 victory.
"To win it the way we did and battle it out is definitely a testimony to the team's determination and character and how bad these guys want to win," Joyce said. "Today was definitely a big win."
The win capped a sweep of the worst-in-baseball Astros, extended the Rays' run through this segment of interleague play to 8-1 and pushed them to a season-high 10 games over .500 at 44-34.
"These are the kind of games that we need to win," Evan Longoria said. "Just find a way to win."
Joyce had the biggest hit, but Longoria (who also turned a key double play) was in the running. Going without batting gloves for a third straight game, he hit a two-run homer in the sixth to tie it at 7 and a three-run shot in the ninth that provided a needed cushion. For the series, he was 8-for-14 with three homers and 10 RBIs, and though his batting gloves were sitting on top of his equipment bag, he doesn't expect to put them on any time soon.
"It feels pretty good right now," Longoria said. "It's all in the way my swing's feeling. It just so happened that it started happening without the batting gloves. And it's going to continue until either my hands go or I've got to change it up again."
The Rays tied their season high with 19 hits, and it seemed they needed every one of them because they didn't pitch very well, starting with Jeff Niemann lasting only three innings.
"We knew it would be a dogfight," B.J. Upton said. "We knew it would be a long one. We just didn't know how long."
Upton had a key hit, a three-run homer in the first, marking the second time in his career he'd gone deep in three straight games. So did Casey Kotchman, who followed Joyce's double with a two-run single that expanded the lead from 9-8 to 11-8. Johnny Damon had four hits. Heck, even two pitchers got hits — the first time that has happened in 2,181 Rays games — as Niemann singled in the second and Wade Davis, as a pinch-hitter, singled in the ninth.
The game had gone back and forth so much — the Rays leading 3-0, trailing 5-4, tied at 5, down 7-5, tied again at 7, down 8-7 — that Maddon figured he had to take his chance with Joyce in the eighth.
Even though it meant he would be out of hitters and could be forced to have a pitcher bat second in the ninth down a run, and even though it meant he had no one to catch in the event of emergency, he called for Joyce.
"That's a pretty tough decision right there in a sense," Maddon said. "You're thinking all that, but at the end of the day the one thought that was overriding was, the bases are loaded, two outs, this is your best chance to win the game right there. And that's what I went with."
"I didn't know," Joyce said. "Honestly, I didn't have my batting gloves on. I didn't expect to hit for Roddy because I kind of expected to hit for a pitcher in the later innings. With how it worked out and a big opportunity like that, he definitely made the right decision."
Nearly four hours after they started, it worked out that way.
Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com
By Jesse Simonton, Special to the Times
Sunday, June 26, 2011
OMAHA, Neb. — Ray Tanner can tell a story. But if he turns out to be a distant relative of Nostradamus, Florida fans will dance in the streets.
"Last year, when we got home, I got a nice note from Mr. (Jeremy) Foley; very, very nice note congratulating us," South Carolina's coach said of the Florida athletic director. "I wrote back and said, 'Your team is outstanding, your coach is the best and you will win a national championship in baseball sooner rather than later.' "
Then he paused and joked, "Be careful what you say."
In an all-SEC final, the Gators (53-17) and the defending national champion Gamecocks (53-14) will square off at 8 tonight on ESPN in the best-of-three championship series at the College World Series.
For the third straight season, baseball's championship trophy will find itself back in football country.
LSU captured the crown in 2009, the Gamecocks won it last season, and the Gators hope they bring it home this year. When UF reached the finals in 2005, the Gators were swept by Texas.
"There's going to be a team at Florida that wins it for the first time. Hopefully this is the one," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "It would be awfully special to be the first team at Florida to win the national championship in baseball."
Preston Tucker, a Plant High graduate who has a homer and team-leading six RBIs in this CWS, said last year's 0-2 finish in Omaha left him and his teammates hungry.
"We had a different mind-set coming in this year," Tucker said. "Last year was the first time for all the guys getting here, and I guess it was a little overwhelming. I know it was for me. But I think everyone's playing a little more comfortable, more relaxed this year, knowing that we have been there before."
The Gators and Gamecocks both endured roller-coaster seasons with the bull's-eye squarely on their backs. The Eastern Division rivals benefited from a grueling conference slate.
"It's kind of ironic that two SEC teams get a chance to go head-to-head here in Omaha," O'Sullivan said. "But all year we felt like the SEC is certainly the best conference in the country. I think playing the SEC schedule has certainly prepared us for this opportunity."
Tanner said there are no easy weekends because "everybody is good."
"I think one of the coaches coined it a long time ago. … I'll never forget, he said, 'Our league is tremendously exciting but very dangerous.' And that's what it is."
The recent history between Florida and South Carolina has been riddled with excitement, as the Gators celebrated in Columbia last season after winning the SEC regular-season title, only to see the Gamecocks close Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha with an even rowdier celebration.
"We were able to go up there and take two out of three from them, but they got the last laugh," UF catcher Mike Zunino said. "They got to hold up the championship trophy."
In late March, the Gamecocks won the series in Gainesville, sandwiching a pair of victories around sophomore Hudson Randall's complete game. Randall (11-3, 2.24 ERA) will start tonight for the Gators.
"I see him in my sleep a lot," Tanner said. "He's special. He's fun to watch."
The Gamecocks will start freshman Forrest Koumas (6-1, 3.07), who made his first career start against UF and tossed six sharp innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits.
The Gators will start freshman Karsten Whitson (8-0) in Game 2.
Tanner said he doesn't know who will pitch the second game. It's possible Michael Roth, who threw 90 pitches in seven innings against Virginia on Friday, will be back on three days' rest.
"My guess is that he'll want to pitch," Tanner said. "If it's a situation where we feel like Michael gives us the best opportunity, we'll run him back out there."
Both teams are confident, hitting their strides at the right time.
O'Sullivan said the turning point for Florida was hurdling the mental hump of a devastating Game 2 Super Region loss to Mississippi State, coming back to win Game 3 to reach the CWS.
"It's swag vs. swag," O'Sullivan said of South Carolina. "Both teams are playing very well."
The Gamecocks, who won the title with a walk-off hit a season ago, have continued their flair for the dramatic, winning two more contests at the CWS in last at-bat fashion.
"You know, if all you guys went away and there were no fans and we were on the back sandlot, I'm not sure it would be any different," Tanner said. "I think they love to play. We love to play. Yeah, there's a lot more at stake now than there ever was before. But it's really genuine baseball. Let's go."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Dodgers 3, Angels 2
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw outlasted Jered Weaver in a matchup of Los Angeles aces and the Dodgers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to prevent a Freeway Series sweep. Pinch-hitter Aaron Miles, batting for Kershaw, drove in the tying run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly and Tony Gwynn Jr. won it with a two-out single. The Dodgers ended a three-game skid, though they remain nine games below .500.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Padres 4, Braves 1
SAN DIEGO — Former Ray Jason Bartlett hit a two-out bases-loaded infield single for the tying run in the eighth, and Orlando Hudson followed with a two-run single as San Diego rallied to take two of three in the series. Cory Luebke, making his first start of the season for the Padres, combined with four relievers on a two-hitter.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
NEW YORK — For four innings Sunday, the Yankees were behind the 96 mph fastballs Rockies rookie Juan Nicasio was zipping over the corners. So they adjusted.
"We started looking for the fastball more," Jorge Posada said.
The adjustment paid off in the fifth. Posada followed Nick Swisher's two-run shot with a homer, and Eduardo Nunez hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh after shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's error, leading the AL East-leading Yankees to a 6-4 win over Colorado.
It was New York's first series win over the Rockies since a three-game sweep at old Yankee Stadium in 2004.
Nicasio did not allow a baserunner until Robinson Cano singled with one out in the fifth. He then left a 3-and-1 pitch over the middle of the plate to Swisher, who drilled it into the rightfield stands.
"In the first two innings he was consistently 95, 96 (mph). Then starting in the third, fourth, fifth inning, the velocity started dropping down to 92, 93," Swisher said.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
CHICAGO — General manager Mike Rizzo had to move quickly. He needed a seasoned and successful manager to run the Nationals, a promising team shocked by the abrupt resignation of Jim Riggleman.
He didn't have to look far.
Davey Johnson, who had been advising Rizzo since 2009, was the logical choice since he was already familiar with the team's operations, the players and Rizzo himself.
Johnson, 68, who led the Mets to the 1986 World Series title over the Red Sox and had managed four big-league teams, is returning to the dugout. The official announcement came Sunday.
Johnson will run the Nationals for the first time tonight when they start an interleague series against the Angels and stay on as manager through the rest of the season.
"Davey's a perfect fit for this job at this particular time," Rizzo said. "He's a guy with a track record that's beyond reproach. He knows the system, he knows the staff, he knows the major league club and he's a terrific baseball guy and a proved winning manager."
Johnson agreed to a three-year consulting contract that runs through 2013 and will help select Washington's next manager. It could be him, of course.
"It's going to be a mutual organization decision," Rizzo said. "Davey's going to do what's best for the organization and he and I will both have input in what's going on.
"This situation just emphasizes the type of team player he is. He's, in essence, dropping everything to get back in uniform to help us out."
Interim manager John McLaren, the former Rays bench coach, ran the team for the third straight game Sunday, a 2-1 victory over the White Sox. Riggleman's former bench coach finished his stint 2-1 and will be reassigned to scouting duties within the organization.
"The John McLaren era is over in Washington. Is three games an era?" McLaren said with a laugh.
Less than an hour before game time Sunday, a loud round of applause could be heard coming from the Nationals clubhouse as Rizzo thanked McLaren for filling in during a time of turmoil.
"I appreciate that. It was kinda cool," McLaren said.
JETER PROGRESSING: Yankees SS Derek Jeter could soon start a running program, a key step in his rehabilitation from a strained right calf. "Hopefully that will be (today) or the next day," Jeter said from the team's spring complex in Tampa. There is no date for when Jeter, who turned 37 Sunday, will rejoin the lineup. The Rays visit the Yankees July 7-10.
BRAVES: RHP Tommy Hanson, on the disabled list since June 17 with right shoulder tendinitis, is set to rejoin the rotation Tuesday.
PIRATES: LF Jose Tabata injured his left quadricep while beating out an infield hit in the first inning and was taken off the field on a stretcher.
RANGERS: SS Elvis Andrus was out of the lineup for a second straight day with a sprained left wrist and said he doubts he'll be ready for the series against the Astros that begins Tuesday.
RED SOX: RF J.D. Drew left in the second inning after hurting his left eye during batting practice when he fouled a pitch off his face. … RH reliever Bobby Jenks, on the disabled list since June 8 with a back injury, is expected to be activated Tuesday.
TIGERS: INF Carlos Guillen, who hasn't played a major-league game since having microfracture knee surgery in September, is set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment today at Class A Lakeland.
TWINS: C Joe Mauer, who recently returned from the disabled list, likely will start working out at first base this week. Manager Ron Gardenhire said he'd like to keep his options open with an injury-plagued lineup.
WHITE SOX: LHP John Danks went on the disabled list a day after leaving his start against the Nationals with a strained right oblique muscle. LHP Hector Santiago was called up from Double-A Birmingham.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Track and Field
Ex-FSU star Dix Doubles at U.S. Championships
EUGENE, Ore. — By the end of Sunday's U.S. track championships, Walter Dix was among the few who looked ready to take on the world.
Dix, the former Seminoles star, completed the 100-, 200-meter double, meaning he will be the headliner on the U.S. world team that will be missing Tyson Gay, Lolo Jones, Wallace Spearmon and other regulars because of ailments or slow-downs.
Dix won the 200 in a wind-aided 19.95 seconds for a 0.03 margin over Darvis Patton. He heads to worlds in South Korea later this summer as America's best sprinter, which puts him squarely on Jamaican world-record holder Usain Bolt's radar with the Olympics coming up in a year.
"I can't see myself losing," Dix said in a typical burst of optimism. Bolt's world record in the 200 is 19.19.
When he was winning his bronze medals at the Olympics in the 100 and 200, Dix lost to Bolt by a combined 0.90 seconds.
"I'm stronger. I'm lighter. I'm smarter," Dix said. "I know what I'm able to do."
NFL/College football
Arizona lawmakers in ticket flap
Arizona lawmakers, already on the hot seat for receiving free Fiesta Bowl tickets, also got in to Arizona Cardinals and college games without paying, the Arizona Republic reported.
Dozens of state legislators took free tickets to Cardinals games between 2006 and 2009, the newspaper said. Arizona, Arizona State and baseball's Diamondbacks also gave out free tickets to lawmakers.
The Cardinals started giving out tickets after the Fiesta Bowl succeeded in getting special legislation passed in 2005 that settled a dispute between the team and the bowl, spokesman Mark Dalton said.
Colleges
Michigan recruit in coma after crash
Michigan basketball signee Austin Hatch, a junior high school standout from Fort Wayne, Ind., is in critical condition in a drug-induced coma after surviving a plane crash that killed his father and stepmother, his father's business partner, G. David Bojrab, said.
Hatch, 16, has brain swelling and bruising, but he has moved all four limbs since the Friday crash that killed his father, Stephen Hatch, and stepmother, Kim. It is the second crash Austin has survived. A 2003 crash killed his mother and two siblings. His father was piloting both times.
Et cetera
Soccer: Legendary club River Plate was relegated to the Argentine second division for the first time in its 110-year history, sparking street battles between police and fans with dozens injured inside and outside the stadium after a 1-1 draw with Belgrano. Fans pelted players with objects from the stands, and police replied with fire hoses.
WNBA: San Antonio improved to a league-best 6-1 by beating host Atlanta 92-86. … Host New York beat Los Angeles 77-67 as Sparks center Candace Parker left the game with an apparent right knee injury. … Host Washington ended a four-game losing streak, 83-63 against Tulsa.
Times wires
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, June 26, 2011
St. Petersburg Times staff writer Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.
Golfer of the day
S eems as if everyone is ready to declare Rory McIlroy the next greatest golfer ever after he won the U.S. Open in record fashion last week. But the panel on ESPN's Sports Reporters points out that we are going crazy over a guy who has won exactly one major so far. The panel also points out that the same accolades were thrown at Johnny Miller when Miller shot a fourth-round 63 to win the 1973 U.S. Open when he was 26. He then won only one more major the rest of his career. But you can see what is at play here. McIlroy is only 22, and he's humble, classy and respectful. In the eyes of many, McIlroy is the anti-Tiger Woods. Folks want him to be the next greatest golfer ever.
Most interesting tweets
Richard Deitsch, the excellent sports media critic for Sports Illustrated and a big tennis follower, asked his Twitter followers which host they preferred on ESPN's Wimbledon coverage: Hannah Storm or Chris McKendry. Deitsch tweeted that the results came in about 90-10 in favor of McKendry.
Just to add to that: McKendry might be the most underrated of ESPN's on-air talent. She's professional, charismatic and knows her stuff. For my money, McKendry is SportsCenter's best anchor, and it's always a treat when she gets out of the studio to host tennis events.
Three things I liked on TV
1 Every year, I love the Sunday Wimbledon show on NBC. Sunday is typically an off day at Wimbledon, and NBC airs the highlights from the top matches of the first week. Good stuff.
2 Versus' coverage of the NHL draft, which was actually TSN of Canada's coverage of the draft. The TSN analysts know so much about a bunch of 18-year-olds we've never seen that it's scary.
3 TNT's NASCAR coverage on Sunday from California, mostly because it's fun to watch the good ol' boys racing on a road course instead of running in circles.
Three things I didn't like on TV
1 Sunday's Tour de France preview show on Versus, only because it reminds me that the race is just around the corner. We get a month of racing and then 10 months of waiting until the winner is stripped of his title for doping.
2 CBS's coverage of PGA's Travelers' Championship. It's not that the broadcast wasn't solid, but the week after a major is always such a letdown.
3 The ESPY Award nomination show Friday. Haven't we had enough of the ESPYs after 18 years?
Three things that popped into my head
1 Such a shame: Andy Roddick likely will never win another Grand Slam tennis event and will finish his career with one major — same as Michael Stich, Pat Cash, Thomas Muster and Albert Costa.
2 Who knows if the Rays are a playoff team, but at least they're relevant and fun to watch. Consider this, 10 years ago today, the then-Devil Rays were 22-54 and 23 1/2 games out of first place.
3 Speaking of the Rays, the next time you feel like complaining about them, remember that it could be worse this year. You could be an Astros fan.
Best interview
Sun Sports interviewed Rays pitcher James Shields, below, for a half inning during Saturday's Rays-Astros telecast. Shields, who wore a headset and did the interview from the dugout, was coming off a complete-game, three-hitter the night before.
They are not always easy to arrange, but these ingame interviews with players are always entertaining, and Sun Sports should do them whenever it can, especially because announcers Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson ask such good questions.
Best lines
Rays TV analyst Brian Anderson, talking about how the pitchers were blowing up during Sunday's Rays-Astros game, said, "Watching this ball game is like spending a day in the dentist's chair."
Later, as the Astros cut a Rays lead to 11-10, Anderson cracked, "This game is like a street fight, one punch after another."
Most interesting statistic
If you're watching Wimbledon, especially the men, you might notice there a lot fewer double faults these days. Double faults have declined steadily over the past 10 years, according to an item in the Wall Street Journal.
In 2002, for example, there was a double fault at a men's Grand Slam match every 3.5 games. This year, it happens only every 5.1 games. Yet, aces have either stayed the same or increased over the same time frame. Same for percentage of service games won.
Players point to two reasons why double faults have decreased. One, servers are simply better. The other is players are returning serves better. That means there are fewer serve-and-volley players. Instead of blasting away at second serves, players are placing them smartly just to get the point started.
If you love your double faults — and hey, who doesn't — you can always watch the women, who still have a double fault every 3.4 games on average.
Best hustle
Nice work all around by the Sun Sports crew on Evan Longoria's video-replay home run during the sixth inning of Sunday's Rays-Astros game. Replays clearly showed Longoria's shot was touched by a fan just above the wall, and Longoria was awarded the homer. Originally, the ball deflected back onto the field and Longoria was thrown out as he jogged into second.
Also, it was refreshing to hear announcers Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson criticize Longoria, left, for not sprinting, even though it turned out that the Rays third baseman was right to think it was a home run.
"You can't do your own umpiring," Staats said.
Also, excellent work all weekend showing revealing replays of plays at the plate, including the Rays' Matt Joyce being correctly called safe on a play Sunday that Houston manager Brad Mills argued for several minutes.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, June 26, 2011
HOUSTON — In the first eight games of NL-rules interleague play, Rays pitchers didn't have a hit to show for the months of prep they put in. Then in the last game — from the least likely of candidates and in the most unlikely of situations — they got two.
RHP Jeff Niemann, who lasted only three innings in the followup to Monday's impressive return from the DL, ended their 19 at-bat 0-fer with a second-inning single.
Not to say it was much of a surprise, but Niemann was 0-for-12 with nine strikeouts in his big-league career and admitted that he'd been DH'ed for since his sophomore year in high school.
"It's unfortunate that's the only positive I can take out of today," he said. "Physically I felt fine, it was just a lack of execution."
With the Rays out of position players in the ninth and trying to extend what was then a one-run lead, Wade Davis got the rare chance to pinch-hit. Manager Joe Maddon picked Davis over the four remaining players (starters Jeremy Hellickson, David Price and James Shields, plus reliever Andy Sonnanstine, who would be needed for extra innings) because he had had three at-bats Saturday and had the most time until his next start.
Davis delivered — the first pinch-hit by a pitcher in four tries over 14 seasons — with a single to right. Making it more impressive, as well as adventurous and eventually worrisome: he advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a single. Davis then broke fearlessly for home, getting called out after sliding into and knocking over C Carlos Corporan. "It's not something you're looking for," Maddon said.
It was the first time two Rays pitchers got a hit in a game and the second time two Rays got their first big-league hit in a game. Elijah Dukes and Akinori Iwamura did it April 2, 2007, at the Yankees.
SUT'S VIEW: Rick Sutcliffe knows plenty about pitching after spending 18 years in the majors (winning the 1984 NL Cy Young Award), several seasons as a minor-league coach and the past 15 years as a broadcaster.
And Sutcliffe, who will work tonight's game for ESPN, is impressed with what he has seen from rookie Hellickson.
"I see the same thing when I see him that I saw from Greg Maddux in the late 1980s and Mike Mussina in the early 1990s," Sutcliffe said. "I don't know how to explain what it is, but in tough situations he has better location and hits better spots. And he gets outs."
After a 7-3 start, Hellickson, 24, has lost his past three games, the combination of a lack of run support and costly mistakes.
SPEED ZONE: Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman brings more heat than anyone in recorded baseball history, clocked at 105 mph in September in San Diego then at 106 mph on the Great American Ballpark board April 18.
Several Rays saw Chapman when he was in Triple A last year and hit former C Dioner Navarro in the backside with a 103 mph pitch.
OF Matt Joyce homered off Chapman but said it was a relatively pedestrian fastball. "I turned around 95, and then he pumped it up. Next at-bat I faced him, I saw 99 right here (at his head). I don't know if he did it on purpose, but 99 at your dome, that's not a good feeling. That's scary," Joyce said.
"It's coming in hot, that's for sure. I haven't seen 105. I've never seen 105. I don't know if I really want to see it when I'm hitting."
MISCELLANY: With four hits, Johnny Damon moved to within three of Ted Williams' 2,654 and 71st place on the alltime list. … 3B Evan Longoria had his seventh multi-homer game, first since Aug. 4, 2009. It was the first multi-homer game for a Ray this season. … CF B.J. Upton homered in three consecutive games for the second time, also April 18-19-20 last season. … The win was their major league-leading 26th on the road.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
SONOMA, Calif. — Kurt Busch checked a number of things off his personal to-do list Sunday with his victory in the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway:
• He won for the first time on a road course in Sprint Cup.
• He ended a 38-race winless streak that dated to the 2010 Coca-Cola 600.
• And, he beat runnerup Jeff Gordon, who apologized to several drivers for his rough racing here last year but pointedly did not apologize to Busch, who felt slighted by the driver who wrecked him last year.
"To win a road-course race and to beat him, he's one of the best and always will be," Busch said. "To get a road-course race is a big check mark in my career."
Busch dominated, leading 76 of the 110 laps, while operating on a pit strategy that required only two fuel stops over the 1.99-mile course in Northern California wine country. After starting 11th, Busch had the lead by Lap 13 and clearly had the best car in a race that featured several dust-ups.
The most dramatic was between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers, who tangled twice. Vickers put Stewart into a pile of tires late in retribution for a spin caused by Stewart.
"I probably had it coming, because I dumped him earlier, but I dumped him because he was blocking," Stewart said.
Tempers flared across the garage. Juan Pablo Montoya was mad at Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne was mad at Montoya, Joey Logano was mad at Robby Gordon and Denny Hamlin was mad at AJ Allmendinger.
Gordon stopped by Victory Lane to congratulate Busch on his 23rd career win but there was no apology coming. Gordon said he felt Busch had run him off the track earlier in the race last year.
"He's done things to me I didn't get apology for," Gordon said. "It's just the kind of relationship I have with Kurt. I see no reason to apologize."
Sunday was a marked turn for Busch, who unloaded on his team over the radio at Richmond in May because of how poorly his Dodge had been running.
The rant led to behind-the-scenes changes at Penske Racing that have sparked both Busch and teammate Keselowski, who won at Kansas this month.
Busch, despite three consecutive poles, was winless but inching closer, with finishes of fourth, ninth, second and 11th.
"They definitely have turned things around," said Carl Edwards, who kept his points lead with a third-place finish.
Protecting the car, Busch said, was his primary goal: "The car would allow me to do everything on an A level."
That included getting past what happened last year.
"I wanted to get that revenge of a win over those guys," Busch said. "To beat Jeff Gordon on a day like today makes it that much sweeter."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
VALENCIA, Spain — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won his sixth race of the season at the European Grand Prix on Sunday, building on his commanding Formula One series lead.
Vettel beat Fernando Alonso of Ferrari by 10.891 seconds for his second straight victory along Valencia's street circuit. It was the German's fifth win this season starting from the pole.
Red Bull teammate Mark Webber was third after starting on the front row, and Lewis Hamilton was fourth. Felipe Massa of Ferrari split the McLarens after Jenson Button finished sixth.
Vettel, the defending F1 champion, extended his lead to 77 points with his 16th career win. He leads with 186 points, while Button and Webber are second.
"Fantastic race; better than anything I could have imagined," Vettel said over his radio after his sixth victory in eight races; he was second in the other two.
NHRA: Mike Neff raced to his third Funny Car victory of the season, beating Ron Capps in the final of the Norwalk, Ohio, event. Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won their classifications.
Record Climb: Nobuhiro Tajima, 60, lowered his record in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, becoming the first driver to break 10 minutes in winning the race for a sixth straight time. He covered the 12.42-mile course in 9 minutes, 51.28 seconds, surpassing the mark of 10:01.41 he set in 2007 in going from 9,390 feet to the 14,110-foot summit.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Yani Tseng wasn't satisfied with merely winning the LPGA Championship and, at 22, becoming the youngest to win four LPGA majors.
Once she made the turn with a 10-stroke lead Sunday, the best women's player in the world focused on making more history.
"I was like, 'What's a new goal for me?' " Tseng said. "And that's why I told myself I wanted to set a record, to make 20 under."
She missed by one stroke in one of her most dominating performances.
In closing with 6-under 66 to finish at 19-under 269, Tseng matched the LPGA record low at a major, most recently by Cristie Kerr a year ago when she shot the same score to win the tournament by 12 strokes.
Tseng can claim one mark as her own after bettering Se Ri Pak, who was 24 when she won her fourth major. Tiger Woods didn't win his fourth until he was 24.
"It's very special," Tseng said. "Now I'm thinking about a grand slam."
The top-ranked Tseng, who led after every round, won her second LPGA Championship and has won three of the tour's past six majors. The only major the star from Taiwan is missing is the U.S. Women's Open title, which she'll have an opportunity to complete her career slam in two weeks at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Morgan Pressel (71) was second, and Tampa's Cindy LaCrosse (77) fell from a tie for second to tie for 14th at 3 under. Seminole's Brittany Lincicome (69) tied for 20th at 2 under.
PGA: Fredrik Jacobson closed out his first tour title, shooting 4-under 66 in the Travelers Championship for a one-stroke victory over John Rollins (63) and Ryan Moore (63) in Cromwell, Conn. The Swede had one bogey in the tournament and finished at 20-under 260.
Nationwide: Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton won the Mexico Open in Leon, shooting 7-under 65 for a two-stroke victory over Richard H. Lee (69) at 17-under 271. Compton, 31, was diagnosed at age 9 with cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. He received a new heart in 1992, then the former Georgia star had another transplant in 2008.
European: Pablo Larrazabal birdied the fifth playoff hole to beat fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia at the BMW International Open in Munich. Garcia birdied No. 18 in regulation to shoot 4-under 68 and match Larrazabal (68) at 16-under 272.
Palm Harbor's Huston triumphs
ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Playing in just his third Champions Tour event, Palm Harbor's John Huston shot 7-under 65 to win the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
He finished at 16-under 200 for a three-shot victory over Nick Price (66). It marked his first win since the PGA Tour's 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
"Every time you tee it up, in the back of your mind, you're hoping you'll win," said Huston, who turned 50 on June 1. "It certainly feels good to go ahead and get a win early."
Mark Wiebe (71), who entered with a two-shot lead, bogeyed Nos. 12-14 and finished four back.
Times wires
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Giants 3, Indians 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner bounced back from a one-out, eight-run performance with one of his best starts, striking out a career-high 11 in seven innings to help San Francisco complete a three-game sweep. Chris Stewart hit a two-run double for his first RBIs in more than four years and former Ray Aubrey Huff added an RBI single for the Giants, who have won five straight after a season-worst five-game losing streak.
