Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Cardinals 5, Orioles 1

BALTIMORE — Chris Carpenter scattered seven hits for his second complete game of the season and Colby Rasmus homered for St. Louis. Carpenter threw a season-high 132 pitches to win his second straight start following a five-game losing streak. The right-hander surrendered just one extra-base hit, Nick Markakis' RBI double in the third inning. Carpenter's other complete game came May 25, an eight-inning effort in a 3-1 loss at San Diego. The last time he won a complete game was Sept. 30, 2010, against Colorado.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Angels 1, Nationals 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Dan Haren pitched 71/3 two-hit innings for Los Angeles, which swept Davey Johnson's new team. Johnson, 68, took over Washington this week, returning as a major-league manager for the first time since 2000. The Nationals had won 13 of 15 going into the series at Anaheim, with most of the wins coming before manager Jim Riggleman resigned. Despite the loss, the Nationals finished the month 17-10. It was their first winning June since 2005, the club's first season after leaving Montreal.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Blue Jays 2, Pirates 1

TORONTO — Yunel Escobar doubled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, and Brandon Morrow struck out 10 for Toronto. Rookie outfielder Eric Thames hit his first career homer for the Blue Jays, a solo shot in the sixth. Morrow struck out at least 10 for the fourth time in his career and second time this season. His career high is 17, set Aug. 8, 2010, in a one-hitter against the Rays. Paul Maholm fell to 0-7 in 11 career starts in AL stadiums. Toronto had lost seven of nine at home.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Despite the sudden stardom that came with his wild victory in NASCAR's biggest race, Trevor Bayne's future is anything but settled.

This much is clear: The youngest Daytona 500 winner wants to race full time in the Sprint Cup Series next season. And as he returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend, Bayne acknowledges he's keeping an eye on Carl Edwards' impending free agency.

Edwards has been coy about his contract situation at Roush Fenway Racing and there has been speculation he could move to another team in 2012.

"I don't know what he's going to do, but obviously I love having him as a teammate," Bayne said. "I want him to stay. On the other hand, if he leaves, it's an open seat."

Just the kind of opportunity Bayne is looking for.

Bayne drives for Roush in the Nationwide series and is running a part-time Cup schedule with the Roush-affiliated Wood Brothers team. If Bayne were to make a full-time move to Cup next year, Roush would be the natural place to do so.

But Bayne, 20, says nothing has been decided, and he's getting a little antsy.

"I just talked to my dad about it," Bayne said during a break in last week's Nationwide race weekend at Road America. "I was like, 'Man, it's about time for us to start talking about next year.' And we haven't yet at all. Hopefully that'll be the next conversation that we have."

On the track, Bayne is confident going into Daytona — if only because he knows other drivers will be more willing to work with him in the draft. Bayne doesn't want to get cocky, because that's not how he got to Victory Lane in February.

"I went in there with the mind-set of just finish the thing, just go out and survive and whatever happens, I'll be there at the end," Bayne said. "You've got to hold yourself back because if you go in there thinking 'I'm going to win this thing,' you might get in trouble trying to lead every lap or whatever."

Winning Daytona was an emotional high for Bayne, but it didn't last long. He soon found himself in the Mayo Clinic being treated for what he now believes was Lyme disease.

"They treated me for Lyme disease," Bayne said. "Those kinds of things are hard to diagnose. They treated me for that and hopefully if that's what it was, it'll be fine."

Bayne hopes he's in the clear, but can't be sure.

"You're never in the clear," he said. "The first time it comes around, you don't expect it, you feel great. I went hiking the day before and went jumping in waterfalls, and I wake up the next morning and I'm messed up. It could come back at any time. I don't think it's supposed to, but hopefully it doesn't."

After taking several weeks off, Bayne returned for the Nationwide race at Chicagoland but felt run down.

"Sitting in a hospital bed for that long will really put you down, and I felt it," Bayne said. "I came back at Chicago and I was like, 'Man, this is harder than I remember.' I've really been trying to get back after it."

If anything, winning Daytona and getting sick has taught Bayne how to deal with the highs and lows of a career in NASCAR.

"Now I kind of feel numb," Bayne said. "I was talking to somebody the other day, I'm like, 'Well, dang, no matter what happens I'll just feel numb because it doesn't feel as high or as low as what I've been through.' It's tough to maintain that, but then again, I'm not really defined by that. It's great to win a Daytona 500, and it stinks to get sick, but at the end of the day, racing's what I do, it's what I love to do, but it's not everything I'm made of."

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Yankees 5, Brewers 2

NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Russell Martin hit a three-run homer and New York won its fourth straight game. Robinson Cano tripled to start a four-run fourth inning and Jorge Posada rounded the bases twice on his solo shot in the sixth, which was changed to a home run after umpires watched the video replay. Nick Swisher had an RBI single for the AL East leaders, who have won four 14 of 18 overall.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

WIMBLEDON, England — Pete Sampras, the greatest men's player of the 1990s, has had to be a good sport as his seemingly untouchable records have tumbled like dominoes to the all-court pressure applied by Roger Federer.

But Sampras — for now — still has the historical edge at Wimbledon. Federer, a six-time champion at the All England Club, remains one title behind his friend Sampras, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the acrobatic Frenchman, made certain it stayed that way this year. He did it by doing something no one has managed against Federer in a Grand Slam tournament.

Until Wednesday's quarterfinal, Federer was an astonishing 178-0 when he won the first two sets of a major singles match. But Tsonga — with his potent serve, percussive forehand and foot speed — put an end to that streak by rallying to win 3-6, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court.

"I think my game was plenty good enough this year to win the tournament, but unfortunately there's only one who can win it, and the rest go home empty-handed," Federer said. "That's what happened to me today, but Jo played an amazing match."

For his efforts, Tsonga, a 26-year-old seeded 12th, will get to play Novak Djokovic in a semifinal Friday.

"I was feeling really strong because I never — how you say that? — panic. I was, all the time, really focused," Tsonga said. "I was not scared on big points."

The other semifinal match pits No. 4 seed Andy Murray against No. 1 Rafael Nadal for the second year in a row.

Murray defeated Feliciano Lopez, the unseeded Spanish left-hander, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Nadal topped Tampa resident Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Tsonga had started turning things around by ripping a forehand passing winner to break Federer for the first time and take a 2-1 lead in the third set. Tsonga broke to 2-1 in the fourth with another forehand winner, then jogged to the sideline with his right fist aloft. The final break came in the fifth set's opening game, when Federer put a forehand into the net.

"I'm the kind of player who likes these big moments," Tsonga said.

Nadal, the defending champion, played on an injured left foot numbed by anesthetics.

"My foot is not fine," the top-ranked Nadal said. "But we are in quarterfinals of Wimbledon. It's an emergency, so I had to play. So we decided to (numb) a little bit the zone of the foot to play the rest of the tournament, and that's what I'm going to do. … When you (numb) the foot before the match, the anesthetic is for five hours, so you don't feel nothing."

It didn't show much either as Nadal ran along the baseline to hit numerous passing shots to counter Fish's strategy of repeatedly attacking the net. He appeared to be cruising toward an easy victory after breaking Fish to start the third set before a momentary lapse let his opponent back into the match.

Nadal hit several uncharacteristic errors to help Fish break right back, and the American broke again in the 12th game, hitting a forehand winner down the right sideline on his second set point.

In the third game of the fourth set, he set up two break points with a perfect drop shot and converted the first when Fish netted a forehand volley. He was never threatened after that and served out the match at love, finishing off his first match point with an easy volley.

"I would have liked to have served even remotely as good as I have, you know, the full tournament," Fish said.

At 29, Fish was playing in his third Grand Slam quarterfinal and first at Wimbledon. He's still waiting to reach a major semifinal.

"I'm not in this situation all the time. Further than the quarterfinals is where I wanted to go," Fish said. "I'm lacking that one huge result, that one big one where it opens everyone's eyes and says, 'Wow, I can't believe he beat him; that's a really good win.'

"I don't have that."

Men

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Cubs 2, Giants 1

CHICAGO — Pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez singled in the winner with two outs in the ninth inning, and Chicago ended San Francisco's seven-game winning streak. Sergio Romo gave up an infield single to Tony Campana, who moved to second on Reed Johnson's sacrifice and third on a groundout. Ramirez then hit an 0-and-2 pitch to left. The Giants' Emmanuel Burris hit a tying RBI single in the top half.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Today: Off

Up next: vs. Cardinals, 7:10 p.m. Friday, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

Starting pitchers

RAYS

RH Wade Davis (7-5, 4.32)

CARDINALS

LH Jaime Garcia (6-3, 3.06)

On deck

Saturday: vs. Cardinals, 7:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeff Niemann (2-4, 5.58); Cardinals — Kyle McClellan (6-4, 4.02)

Sunday: vs. Cardinals, 1:40, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (7-7, 3.18); Cardinals — Kyle Lohse (8-4, 2.78)

Monday: at Twins, 2:10, Sun Sports. Rays — David Price (8-6, 3.43); Twins — Brian Duensing (5-7, 4.69)

Tuesday: at Twins, 8:10, Sun Sports. Rays — James Shields (8-5, 2.45); Twins — Scott Baker (6-5, 3.15)

Being picky

With his first-inning pickoff of Reds 1B Joey Votto, RHP James Shields has a major league-most eight this season, which also ties a club record set by Joe Kennedy in 2002.

High praise

Reds manager Dusty Baker after facing Rays LHP David Price and RHP James Shields on back-to-back days: "Especially the last couple days, we saw the best pitching we are going to see. I see why they are where they are."

Quote of the day 2

"Obviously people up there are probably going to say, 'Oh, he's no Teddy Ballgame.' We all know that. He was tremendous. But the one thing I do have is a championship."

DH Johnny Damon, on what he thinks fans in Boston — who still have hard feelings over him joining the Yankees — would say about him tying Red Sox legend Ted Williams on the all-time hits list

Quote of the day

"That is a very significant name in the history of this game. So if I'm a young man and I grew up and tied Ted Williams on the hit list, I might crack open a nice bottle that night."

Rays manager Joe Maddon on the significance of DH Johnny Damon tying Hall of Famer Ted Williams for 71st on the all-time hits list (2,654)

Numbers of the day

9 Times the Rays pitching staff has had at least 10 strikeouts in a home game.

17 RBIs in interleague play this season for 3B Evan Longoria, the most in the majors and one shy of club record (set by Fred McGriff in 2001 and Gerald Williams in 2000).

Number of the day

17 RBIs in interleague play this season for 3B Evan Longoria, the most in the majors and one shy of club record (set by Fred McGriff in 2001 and Gerald Williams in 2000).

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Rangers 3, Astros 2

HOUSTON — Ian Kinsler homered twice for the first time in almost two years and Colby Lewis had a third straight quality start for Texas. Kinsler hit a leadoff homer then went deep again in the third inning to help the Rangers to a 3-0 lead. It was the eighth multi-homer game of his career and his first since August 2009 against the Yankees. Lewis pitched six scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the seventh. Texas held on to win its eighth straight game in Houston.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

After missing last season because of post-concussion symptoms, seven-time All-Star wing Paul Kariya announced his retirement Wednesday after 15 seasons.

Kariya, 36, has a long history of concussions, including one that forced him to miss the 1998 Winter Olympics and much of the 1997-98 season after a cross-check to the jaw by then-Blackhawk Gary Suter.

Kariya, 1993's No. 4 overall draft pick by Anaheim, said the decision to retire wasn't difficult. "This is a black-and-white issue," he told ESPN.com.

Last summer, Kariya said, top concussion doctor Mark Lovell told him he had brain damage and wasn't able to play. "He said to me, 'No one in my profession would clear you to play this season.' "

Kariya began working with Dr. Daniel Amen, one of the NFL's leading postconcussion experts. After five months of hyperbaric chambers and other workout regimens, Kariya jumped from the 20th to the 80th percentile in brain function. Still, Amen told him playing again would be foolish. "There's still brain damage on the scan," Kariya said.

Kariya, who scored 50 goals in 1995-96 and had two seasons over 100 points, believes the league still hasn't done enough to address head injuries. Harsher penalties are needed, including suspending coaches and fining owners, he told Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper. "If you start fining the owners and suspending the coach, then (head shots are) out of the game," he said.

player moves: Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov, who can be a restricted free agent Friday, will play in Russia's KHL next season, his agent told Russia's Sovetsky Sport newspaper. … The Rangers bought out the final year of captain Chris Drury's contract for $3.333 million, making the forward an unrestricted free agent after four underwhelming seasons in New York.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — Vance Worley didn't get Dustin Pedroia's autograph. He did get the former MVP's attention, and the rest of the Red Sox, too.

Worley pitched seven strong innings, Raul Ibanez hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh and the Phillies beat Boston 2-1 Wednesday night.

Worley, a rookie right-hander who has filled in nicely for injured starters Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton, sent someone to get Pedroia's signature on a ball before the game but came up empty.

"He wouldn't give me one until I met him," Worley said. "Then I threw one up and in on him so I probably won't get it now."

Worley dusted Pedroia with a high-and-tight fastball in the first inning and left an impression with his solid performance.

"He had great mound presence, and we were all very impressed," Pedroia said. "It's really good for a kid that young to have a presence like that on the mound. He's going to be a good one."

The Phillies today go for a sweep of the Red Sox, who have lost six of seven and scored 15 runs in that span.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

PHILADELPHIA — Raul Ibanez hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh, Vance Worley pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies beat the Red Sox 2-1 on Wednesday.

Philadelphia, with the majors' best record, has taken two straight from slumping Boston and goes for a sweep today.

Worley, a rookie right-hander, continued to fill in nicely for injured starters Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton. In his past three starts, he has allowed two runs in 18 innings.

Ibanez was a triple shy of the cycle. He went in 5-for-44.

The Red Sox have lost six of their past seven games and have scored 15 runs in that span.

Desperate to wake up his offense, Boston manager Terry Francona gave Adrian Gonzalez his second career start in rightfield so David Ortiz could play first base. Ortiz hadn't started the previous four games because there is no designated hitter in National League parks.

It didn't work. Ortiz was 0-for-4.

Gonzalez didn't have any putouts in his first game in right since 2005.

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany — Rosana's second-half strike lifted Brazil to a 1-0 victory Wednesday over Australia in its opening match at the women's World Cup.

The breakthrough in a hard-fought Group D match came in the 54th minute, when Cristiane capitalized on some scrappy Australian defending to head the ball to the 28-year-old Rosana, who took one touch past a defender before unleashing her shot past the helpless Melissa Barbieri.

"Our passing is where we made most of our mistakes," said Brazil coach Kleiton Lima. "We couldn't keep hold of the ball. Luckily, we got the goal in a very demanding and even game, and that's put us at ease."

Lisa De Vanna might have scored an equalizer but missed in the 87th minute with only the goalkeeper to beat, and Australia also went close from a corner at the very end.

In the earlier Group D match, Emilie Haavi scored a late winner to give Norway a 1-0 victory over tournament newcomer Equatorial Guinea.

Brazil signaled its intent to attack when it lined up with three in defense, but Australia coped well with the likes of Cristiane and five-time FIFA player of the year Marta.

Marta started brightly, skipping past a number of challenges before putting in a cross in the third minute, and Servet Uzunlar's interception was crucial a minute later with the 25-year-old Brazilian through on goal.

"I was really pleased with the way we defended against Marta," Australia coach Tom Sermanni said. "I don't know if she got a shot on goal today."

Rosana was unlucky to see her header land on the top of the net in the ninth minute, after a move instigated by Marta's chip forward.

The Australians showed they were not intimidated, however, with De Vanna displaying trickery on the left wing, and Elise Kellond-Knight playing the ball through the legs of a Brazilian before clearing from defense.

They might have scored from a free kick that caused panic in the Brazilian defense before Fabiana finally managed to clear in the 19th, while Andreia was forced to react to stop a good shot from Kyah Simon.

Brazil looked disjointed in the face of Australia's pressing game, and passes went astray as it was forced to rely on individual efforts from Marta, who drilled a shot narrowly wide in the 35th.

Top two in each group advance:

GROUP A

GP W D L GF GA Pts

Germany 1 1 0 0 2 1 3

France 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Canada 1 0 0 1 1 2 0

Nigeria 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

GROUP B

GP W D L GF GA Pts

Japan 1 1 0 0 2 1 3

England 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

Mexico 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

New Zealand 1 0 0 1 1 2 0

GROUP C

GP W D L GF GA Pts

United States 1 1 0 0 2 0 3

Sweden 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Colombia 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

North Korea 1 0 0 1 0 2 0

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Mets 16, Tigers 9

DETROIT — Scott Hairston hit a bases-loaded triple and Ronny Paulino had four hits as part of another offensive barrage by New York. The Mets set a team record by scoring 52 runs in four games, according to STATS LLC. Miguel Cabrera hit two of Detroit's five homers.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE — The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did everything offensively to defeat rival FC Tampa Bay.

Midfielder Eduardo Coudet's goal in the 90th minute Wednesday extended the Strikers' unbeaten streak to seven games with a 1-1 draw in front of 5,848 at Lockhart Stadium.

A defensive miscue followed a Strikers corner kick, which led to Tampa Bay's goal in the 68th minute.

Forward Mike Ambersley took advantage of a Strikers missed call on the set play, taking a long downfield pass from Tsuyoshi Yoshitake, then beating Strikers defenders and goalkeeper Matt Glaeser to score his sixth goal of the season.

"We got a counterattack takeaway by Mike, which gave us the lead," Tampa Bay coach Ricky Hill said. "Give credit to the Strikers. They battled all the way to the 90th minute, and they got the break with the free kick."

Coudet's goal, his fifth of the season, came on a free kick from 25 yards out just off the hand of Tampa Bay keeper Jeff Attinella.

"The first half we were very aggressive," Strikers coach Daryl Shore said. "We had a lot of chances and just couldn't score.

"Soccer's funny, because you can have a team on their heels and one chance, you go down 1-0. It took a free kick from (Coudet) to save the game for us."

The Strikers (3-2-8) played their best attacking game of the season, outshooting Tampa Bay (3-5-5) 24-7, including a 6-2 advantage with shots on goal.

"It was frustrating, to say the least," Strikers forward Abe Thompson said. "We just weren't sharp in front of the goal (Wednesday). In the end, we were fortunate that (Coudet) scored the free kick."

The Strikers' aggressive play in the first half netted a 14-5 advantage in shots taken.

"We had a set play called on the corner kick," Shore said of Tampa Bay's goal. "We missed the signal.

"This was great for the fans, and this game is what the rivalry is all about. We didn't deserve to lose the game, and I'm sure they felt the same."

Times wires
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

White Sox 3, Rockies 2

DENVER — A.J. Pierzynski drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning for Chicago. Carlos Quentin singled off Huston Street to start the ninth and went to third on Paul Konerko's single. Alexei Ramirez struck out before Pierzynski's fly to right. Seth Smith ran in for the catch, but his throw home bounced near the third-base line.

Times wires
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Marlins 3, Athletics 0

OAKLAND, Calif. — Ricky Nolasco pitched a five-hitter, Hanley Ramirez and Logan Morrison homered and Florida showed signs of life. Nolasco overcame a shaky start for his first win in more than a month, which came the last time the Marlins were in the bay area against San Francisco. The homers by Ramirez and Morrison off Oakland starter Guillermo Moscoso were Florida's first in eight days. The Marlins improved to 4-23 in June, by far the worst month in franchise history.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib's legal suit won't be settled until after the 2011 season.

Talib, who was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, had his trial set for March 26, 2012, according to attorney Frank Perez.

By delaying the completion of the case, it may boster Talib's chances of being on the field for the Bucs this season.

However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said players who violate the personal conduct policy during the lockout must be subject to discipline. Goodell does not have to wait until the case is resolved if he chooses to issue sanctions on Talib, who was suspended for the first game of 2010 for assaulting a cab driver earlier.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2011

The agent for wing Sean Bergenheim said on Thursday he holds little hope of his client returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I don't see it happening, unfortunately," Todd Diamond said.

In other news, the team and goaltender Dwayne Roloson made it official as Roloson signed his one-year, $3 million contract. That signing sets the stage for Tampa Bay's pursuit of Mike Smith as backup, a signing for which GM Steve Yzerman is "hopeful."

Bergenheim, who had 14 goals during the regular season, was a force of nature in the playoffs with nine goals. Diamond said he and Yzerman met during last weekend's draft but they failed to bridge the money gap. Bergenheim made $700,000 last season. No word on what Bergenheim is seeking, but Diamond said, "I can't say we're close at all."

"I wouldn't shut the door," Diamond said of Bergenheim perhaps signing with Tampa Bay. "But I don't know if there is any room, any opening to come through."

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — RHP Wade Davis believes he's beginning to hit his stride heading into Friday's start against the Cardinals.

Part of the reason for Davis' recent success — having won three consecutive outings — has been cleaning up some parts of his delivery.

But another big key has been his decision-making on the mound, and Davis found that two heads can be better than one.

With Davis struggling earlier this season, manager Joe Maddon challenged him to elevate his game mentally, putting more thought into his pitch-selection in certain moments. And in his past two starts, Davis, has done better, resulted in allowing just two earned runs combined.

"We had two situations in my past two starts that have been pretty key situations and we really stepped back and talked to the catcher," Davis said.

One such example was in Davis' last start, a 7-2 win in Houston Saturday, when he faced a bases-loaded, two out jam with the Rays clinging to a three-run lead. Before a 2-2 pitch to Brett Wallace, Davis was thinking slider, but after conferring with C John Jaso, went with a curveball, drawing an inning-ending groundout.

"That made more sense to have somebody else like that, who has a lot of information that he studies, and so do I," Davis said. "So if you put your heads together, it's a lot easier."

Maddon said mechanics are one thing, but "your success is controlled by what you're thinking when you play at this level."

"You can't always rely on that blink moment and just do it right then and there," Maddon said. "If you've thought about it in advance, and here it shows up, it's a lot easier to make a better decision. He has challenged himself to elevate his method of thinking during the course of the game and I think he's done a good job. It's getting better."

GETTING PICKY: Maddon has always encouraged a "free market" when it comes to baserunning, telling players to "err on the side of aggressiveness."

But Maddon has said the biggest problem so far this season has been how often the Rays have been picked off (nine, second most in the majors to the Royals' 10), especially in non-running situations. Maddon said part of it is taking "overzealous leads," and another is that there's a lot of young players still learning, as well as ones from different organizations who didn't put as much emphasis on baserunning.

But to compete in the American League East, the Rays must push the envelope on the bases.

"We've got to take chances," Maddon said. "If we want to go and put the heavy gloves on and go toe-to-toe in Madison Square Garden vs. the Yankees, it's going to be kind of difficult. We've got to fly like a butterfly and jab and move, and if we do, we'll have a much better chance against them and the Red Sox."

BACK ON TRACK: LHP J.P. Howell had an encouraging and confidence-building outing Wednesday against the Reds, striking out two in a clean inning, his first scoreless appearance in his last four.

Howell has had some struggles since coming back from shoulder surgery, including a recent bout with gout, but feels he's getting close to where he wants to be.

"It was definitely a lot less thinking, a lot more going," Howell said. "No scenarios running through my head, just getting the ball and my goal is to hit the glove and that's it. Now that I know what I've got to work on, it should be coming along here pretty soon consistently."

DRAFT BREEZE: The Rays have signed 10th-round pick RHP Jacob Faria out of Gahr (Calif.) High. They have now signed 32 of their 60 draft picks.

MINOR MATTERS: Durham OF Brandon Guyer, INF Russ Canzler and OF Desmond Jennings made the International League All-Star team; all will be making their first appearance in the game, which is July 13 in Salt Lake City. Bulls play-by-play man Neil Solondz will call the game.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.