Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Giants 2, Phillies 1
PHILADELPHIA — Matt Cain pitched into the eighth inning to outduel Cole Hamels and lead San Francisco to its third win in four games and 12th in its past 17. The NL West leaders denied Hamels his NL-best 13th win. With Tim Lincecum out with an illness, Cain had his start moved up a day and again quieted Philadelphia's bats. Cain pitched seven shutout innings and beat Hamels in Game 3 of last year's NL Championship Series.
By Bryan Burns, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
ST. PETERSBURG — FC Tampa Bay coach Ricky Hill missed the team's previous two games after traveling to Jamaica to be with family after the death of his mother-in-law.
Fittingly, his son Shane Hill, who remained with the team, provided the winning goal in his father's return to the sideline Wednesday against FC Edmonton.
The 23-year-old midfielder from London scored in the 60th minute, tucking the rebound off a corner kick inside the far post, to break a 1-1 deadlock in front of 2,003 fans at Al Lang Field.
Pascal Millien added a late insurance goal in the 84th minute to finish off Tampa Bay's 3-1 defeat of Edmonton.
"I guess, in his mind, he's thinking that one's for Grandma and he wishes her a safe journey wherever she ends up," said Ricky Hill, who was gone nearly two weeks before returning to the Tampa Bay area late Tuesday. "I think for him that (goal) would be more of a tribute to her than it would be for himself, because that's the type of person he is."
The go-ahead score came with both teams trying to take control of an evenly played game. Millien sprinted down the left side and shot toward goal, forcing a save over the crossbar from Edmonton goalkeeper Rein Baart (eight stops). Aaron King got a shot off on the resulting corner that was knocked away by Baart. Hill found the loose ball and fired into the back of the net for his first score of the season.
"It meant a lot for the family," he said.
Tampa Bay (6-6-6, 24 points) got on the scoreboard in the sixth minute thanks to a display of speed and skill from Millien. The University of Tampa product took a long pass from the back and wheeled around his marker, using his quickness to blow past the defense. With King and Mike Ambersley making runs into the box, Millien crossed toward the far post, where King was able to latch onto the pass, resulting in his fifth goal in five games.
"I've got to give that all to Pascal," King said. "He beat his man up the left-hand side, saw me back post."
Edmonton (7-4-7, 25 points) equalized in the 28th minute after Tampa Bay goalie Jeff Attinella (seven saves) failed to corral a loose rebound near the goal line, and Edmonton's Alex Semenets shot past the out-of-position keeper.
After Tampa Bay regained the lead, Attinella protected it with a number of quality saves. He made a pair of diving stops in the 73rd minute off Edmonton corner kicks. Tampa Bay put the game away in the 84th minute when Millien gently tapped a pass from Ambersley past Baart.
With the win, Tampa Bay inches closer to securing a spot in the NASL postseason. The team has won three of its past five league games and has a 10-day break before an away match at Atlanta (Aug. 6), where it hopes to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Silverbacks on July 23.
"It's good to get back on track today. We needed a win," Shane Hill said.
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Red Sox 12, Royals 5
BOSTON — David Ortiz hit a grand slam to cap a five-run fourth inning and Dustin Pedroia extended his career-best hitting streak to 24 games with a solo homer, carrying Boston. Jacoby Ellsbury homered leading off the first inning for the Red Sox, who won for the 19th time in 23 games and scored in double digits for the second straight night.
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Marlins 7, Nationals 5
WASHINGTON — Javier Vazquez pitched seven strong innings, Emilio Bonifacio extended his hitting streak to 25 games and Mike Cameron hit two home runs as Florida won its fourth straight. Vazquez went seven for only the fifth time this season. Mike Stanton hit his seventh homer in 11 games in Washington.
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Braves 2, Pirates 1
10 innings
A.TLANTA — David Ross hit a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning, and Atlanta earned its second straight extra-inning victory after Tuesday night's controversial finish. Ross, replacing Brian McCann (left oblique injury) at catcher, had two hits, driving in both Braves runs.
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
NEW YORK — Dustin Ackley and the rest of the Mariners had the same thought as they piled up the hits Wednesday: don't stop.
By the time they were done, everyone was happy to talk about the No. 17.
Seattle snapped its 17-game losing streak with a 9-2 victory over the Yankees, boosted by a season-high 17 hits.
"It seemed like everything was clicking," Ackley said.
Felix Hernandez earned his third straight win in the Bronx, and the Mariners did something they consistently failed to during their skid: They turned an opponent's mistake into a big inning.
Seattle scored five in the seventh, highlighted by Mike Carp's bases-loaded triple after Robinson Cano flubbed a flip to Derek Jeter at second for an error. It added two in the ninth, when Adam Kennedy hit an RBI double that centerfielder Curtis Granderson lost in the sun. Kennedy scored on Carp's single.
"These guys haven't felt good in a long time," manager Eric Wedge said. "We've got a long flight, an off day (today) and this is a real big win for us."
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Rays vs. A's
When/where: 3:37 today; O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)
Starting pitchers
RAYS
RH Wade Davis (7-7, 4.46)
A'S
RH Rich Harden (2-1, 4.63)
Watch for …
Wading in: Davis made an unimpressive return from the DL on Friday in Kansas City, allowing 11 hits in 51/3 IP after being out two weeks with a forearm strain. He is 1-1, 6.30 in two starts vs. Oakland.
Harden fast: The oft-injured Harden makes his fifth start after missing the first three months with a shoulder strain. He is 3-2, 5.01, in six starts against the Rays but has faced them only once since 2006.
Key matchups
Rays vs. Harden
Johnny Damon 2-for-12
Casey Kotchman 3-for-15
Evan Longoria 1-for-2
A's vs. Davis
Hideki Matsui 4-for-7
Cliff Pennington 3-for-5, HR
Ryan Sweeney 3-for-6
On deck
Friday: at Mariners, 10:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeff Niemann (4-4, 3.86); Mariners — Erik Bedard (4-6, 3.00)
Saturday: at Mariners, 4:10, Ch. 13. Rays — Alex Cobb (3-0. 2.57); Mariners — Michael Pineda (8-7, 3.64)
Sunday: at Mariners, 4:10, Sun Sports. Rays — Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.27); Mariners — Jason Vargas (6-9, 4.09)
Monday: Off
Marc Topkin, Times staff writer
Maddon's first of the day
Manager Joe Maddon has done a lot of things during his long career as a minor- and major-league coach and manager. But Tuesday night was a first as he had to meet up with reliever Jay Buente at the hotel bar after the game to tell him he was going back to Triple-A Durham. "I've had conversations with players in the bar before, and I have instructed players in the bar before, '' Maddon, right, said. "But I've never sent a player down in a bar before."
Interesting news of the day
Pat Burrell, so bad for the Rays in 2009-10, then so good when he was picked up by the Giants and got to win a World Series, is being released by San Francisco.
Quote of the day
"Because I knew you guys (reporters) were standing here waiting for me."
B.J. Upton, on why he spent two hours in the trainers room Wednesday afternoon
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Brewers 2, Cubs 0
MILWAUKEE — Prince Fielder homered and Zack Greinke worked effectively into the seventh inning for Milwaukee, which kept pace in the crowded NL Central. Fielder homered off Carlos Zambrano to start the second. Zambrano had been 7-0 with a 2.40 ERA in his previous eight starts at Miller Park, which included a no-hitter against the Astros when Houston was forced to relocate two games in 2008 due to Hurricane Ike.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Rays seem to have found a way to make their short-handed bullpen work.
They keep bringing in fresh arms.
For the second straight day, and the fourth time in 10 days, the Rays on Wednesday brought up a reliever from Triple-A Durham to take a spot on the six-man staff.
"We thought we could deal with it," manager Joe Maddon said. "And we have been able to, the fact that we have all these different candidates that can fulfill that role."
The new reliever of the day Wednesday was RHP Rob Delaney, who took the place of RHP Jay Buente, who came up Tuesday and worked two innings after LHP Cesar Ramos had been sent down. (All three have been in the same locker.)
The Rays went through a similar routine last week, when they brought up LHP Alex Torres and pitched him, then replaced him with RHP Dane De La Rosa, then sent him down to make room for RHP Wade Davis' return from the disabled list.
Delaney, 26, had been pitching extremely well for the Bulls, working on a 172/3-inning scoreless streak. He was 2-0 with two saves, 18 strikeouts and three walks in 10 July appearances (14 innings) and allowed a .109 average. Overall he was 4-1, 1.78 in 35 games for Durham.
Delaney spent two weeks with the Rays in May, making three appearances. Two were good, the third not so much; he walked the three batters he faced, then Ramos gave up a grand slam.
Maddon said he didn't get word from executive VP Andrew Friedman until well after Tuesday's game that they were making the latest change, so he had to deliver the news to Buente in unusual fashion: at the hotel bar.
Buente, who got word of his promotion at noon Tuesday and scrambled to catch a 1:15 flight from Durham to Miami, then another to San Francisco, was already back at the team hotel. So Maddon found him in the bar, then sat down with him and explained the move.
"He was very gracious about the whole moment," Maddon said. "He was not surprised or affected by it, which I appreciated."
The Rays are going with six relievers because they are using six starters as a way to limit innings. They believed it would work given how infrequently RHP Andy Sonnanstine, the seventh reliever for the first half of the season, was used.
MOORE WOWS: Top prospect Matt Moore, in his second Triple-A start, struck out 13 Gwinnett Braves in eight innings and allowed only three hits and two walks and one runner past first. He threw 104 pitches. … SS Reid Brignac was 3-for-4 in his first game for the Bulls after his Friday demotion. He had one three-hit game for the Rays all season.
DRAFT BREEZE: Third-round draft pick SS Johnny Eierman, an LSU commitment from Warsaw High in Missouri, signed for $550,000 according to Baseball America, more than double the recommended slot bonus.
MISCELLANY: According to Stats Inc., 3B Evan Longoria this week became the fourth player in the past 55 years to strike out four or more times one day and draw four or more walks the next. … DH Johnny Damon on Tuesday tied Babe Ruth for 47th place on the all-time doubles list with 506.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. — B.J. Upton said Wednesday his gut feeling is that he won't be traded by the Rays before Sunday's 4 p.m. deadline for non-waiver deals.
"I think I'll be here," Upton said. "I don't think I'm going anywhere."
If so, it might be an upset, given a series of events over recent days that suggest a deal is in the works, topped by Upton being unexpectedly held out of the Rays lineup on Wednesday.
Or the result of an injury, as Upton told teammates he had been feeling tightness in his left quad, spent several hours in the trainers room Wednesday afternoon and didn't come on the field for batting practice.
Manager Joe Maddon acknowledged Upton was "a little beat up" but said there was nothing that would have prevented him from playing Wednesday. "Watching him move out there I just think he needs a little bit of a break," Maddon said.
The market for Upton is being shaped as the result of several deals made Wednesday. Carlos Beltran, the top outfielder on the market, is set to go from the Mets to the Giants, and Colby Rasmus — whom the Rays reportedly made an offer for — was shipped from St. Louis to Toronto as part of an 11-player, three-team deal.
The Nationals have long coveted Upton and are considered by some the leading candidate to acquire him. With the Giants out of the mix, the market for Upton would appear to include the Braves (who have an additional need to make a deal with catcher Brian McCann's bat out of their lineup for a while due to injury), the Indians (who were reportedly shunned by Beltran) and the Nationals (whom the Rays have been scouting closely), along with the Phillies, Pirates and Reds.
There was no deal in place as of gametime Wednesday, and Upton said he was not aware anything was close. "There's nothing going on," he said.
Maddon also said there was nothing to report.
But there was plenty of circumstantial evidence, starting with the decision to hold Upton out of the lineup, that something could be close. Also, that the Nationals held out two of their young players — shortstop Ian Desmond and catcher Wilson Ramos — who would be the type of players the Rays could want back in a deal. And that the Rays, according to St. Louis media reports, made an offer to acquire Rasmus.
But Maddon insisted it was just a matter of wanting to give the 26-year-old a break (and to get playing time for Sam Fuld), and that Upton would play in today's matinee.
"I've just been looking for moments to give B.J. a little bit of a rest, get him off his feet," Maddon said.
Upton said he only knew what he was told: "It's Joe's decision, not mine."
Maddon acknowledged the potential impact the rumors have had, as Upton was hitting .079 (3-fot-38) over his past nine games. "I know all these different things that are being swirled about have got to have some kind of an impact on him, too. So I want to give him a rest once in a while, but more importantly I wanted to get Sam involved," Maddon said.
Upton said he had stopped paying attention to the possibilities, and didn't even know of the Beltran deal until he got to the stadium Wednesday afternoon.
"I had no idea," he said. "I'm not looking at what teams and what they're doing, it's got nothing to do with me. … It's to the point now there's so many teams and so many rumors I don't even worry about."
The Rays' interest in Rasmus would be another sign they expected to move Upton. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Rays offered a package of starter Jeff Niemann, reliever J.P. Howell and a prospect. ESPN's Buster Olney reported the Rays offered the Cardinals their choice of Niemann, Wade Davis or rookie Alex Cobb.
Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.
Times wires
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Twins 7, Rangers 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer homered to back Brian Duensing's solid start for Minnesota. Duensing rebounded from one of his worst starts of the season to stifle high-scoring Texas, which had 28 runs in the first two games of the series. Mauer's two-out homer in the first inning was his first in 54 games, dating to September.
Times wires
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Astros 4, Cardinals 2
ST. LOUIS — Rookie Jose Altuve drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth, and Houston snapped a five-game skid. Jason Bourgeois unintentionally helped the Astros score an insurance run on Altuve's hit when centerfielder Jon Jay's off-line throw to the plate glanced off his leg. Bourgeois jumped at the last instant before the ball struck his leg and changed course en route to the backstop.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. — James Shields began Wednesday's game as the shining example of the Rays' successful stable of young starting pitchers, as with his first delivery the team broke the major-league record with its 705th straight game started by a pitcher under 30.
But at the end of the ugly night — a 13-4 loss to the A's that dropped the Rays 11½ games from first place in the AL East — he was being mentioned with some old pitchers from their dark Devil Rays days.
Shields gave up nine runs in the fourth inning — joining the legendary trio of Rob Bell, Travis Harper and Tanyon Sturtze as Rays to do so in one inning — and a career-high-tying 10 in one of the worst of his 173 starts as a Ray.
"An all-around terrible job,'' Shields said. "That's pretty much what it was.''
The loss was the Rays' 16th in their past 25 games and fifth in six games on the road trip to Kansas City, Oakland and Seattle, during which they expected to make up ground and get back in the race for a playoff spot.
Instead, the dismal effort appeared to have extinguished their chances and may accelerate their efforts to trade a number of players before Sunday's 4 p.m. deadline for nonwaiver deals.
Especially as poorly as they have played, with not only the repeated struggles by their offense but a significant dropoff in performance by their worn-out bullpen and a spike in mistakes, mental and physical, all around the field.
"It's not any fun," manager Joe Maddon said. "We're not playing horribly. … We're in one of those unlucky moments. We have to keep pushing until we turn it around."
The Rays (53-50) had just eight hits Wednesday and were close to being shut out for the 10th time in their past 49 games, and 11th overall, before Matt Joyce homered in the ninth. They snapped an 0-for-18 skid with runners in scoring position when rookie Desmond Jennings singled in a run and are 3-for-29 for the series.
"The hitting is just not there,'' Maddon said. "It's like at the beginning of the season. When we don't hit, everything else seems to be flat."
Shields, who has been having a tremendous season, is one of the players being mentioned in various trade rumors, with the Reds hot recently. But Shields said the trade talk was not an issue — "Not at all" — on Wednesday.
"I was leaving the ball up, I was making mistakes and they were hitting it,'' Shields said. "I wasn't sharp all night, right from the gates. I felt really, really good in the bullpen and right in the first inning I didn't feel too good.''
Shields gave up a couple of hits in the early innings day then a run in the third. But the fourth was a mess as he gave up the nine runs on seven hits — including home runs by Hideki Matsui and Ryan Sweeney — two walks and an embarrassing error by rightfielder Joyce, who overran a ground ball and later misplayed another ball in the corner.
"I came in hard and tried to make a play and try to throw a runner out but the ball snaked on me and, shoot, I missed it,'' Joyce said. "It's a tough thing to go through. It's even tougher to see one of your best pitchers out there and make a mistake.''
Shields joined some special company. Bell, in an April 18, 2005, game at Yankee Stadium, gave up a team-record 10 runs in the second inning. Sturtze allowed nine in the third at Boston on July 23, 2002, and Harper nine in the eighth on June 21, 2005, at New York.
The only good thing to come out of the night was that the Rays ended up using only two relievers after Shields, just-promoted reliever Rob Delaney (sent down after the game) and Brandon Gomes, though they had outfielder Justin Ruggiano in the bullpen at one point.
With B.J. Upton already being rested — or held out in advance of a trade — the Rays took third baseman Evan Longoria out of the game in the fifth.
"We've had a tough two weeks,'' Joyce said. "We have to pick ourselves up and grind through it.''
Times wires
Thursday, July 28, 2011
D'backs 4, Padres 3
SAN DIEGO — Justin Upton homered twice and Xavier Nady added a two-run shot for Arizona. Ian Kennedy won his fourth straight start. Upton reached 20 homers this season and extended his hitting streak to eight games with a pair of solo drives off Cory Luebke. During his hitting streak, Upton is batting .567 (17-for-30) with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Tampa Bay Rays' new reliever for today is Mike Ekstrom, who was recalled from Triple A and added to the now full 40-man roster.
Rob Delaney was optioned back to Durham after Wednesday's game.
By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
In the madness that is the NFL free agency market right now, several former Florida Gators are getting their shots with NFL teams.
DL Terron Sanders has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, where former UF defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is now an assistant. Sanders' Twitter account has been active the past two days detailing his travel to Baltimore, and his struggles to get through his medical examinations. He is expected to go through his first conditioning drills today.
Kicker Chas Henry is with the Philadelphia Eagles, joining former teammate Riley Cooper. DE Justin Trattou, a New Jersey native, has signed with the New York Giants. And former RB Emmanuel Moody will join the Buffalo Bills.
Veteran receiver and former Gator Jabar Gaffney was acquired from Denver by the Washington Redskins. Gaffney, 30, has 375 receptions over nine NFL seasons with Houston, New England and Denver. He is coming off the consecutive seasons of his career: 54 catches for 732 yards in 2009 and 65 catches for 875 yards last year.
By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Former Florida Gators All-American Ryan Lochte won his second world championship, becoming the first swimmer to set a world record in Shanghai. Lochte won a gold medal in the men's 200-meter individual medley in 1:54. The record-setting time bested Lochte's previous mark of 1:54.10 set in Rome at the 2009 World Swimming Championships. At that competition, high-tech body suits were allowed.
"I wanted to do something that everyone thought was impossible,'' Lochte said. "Since they banned those suits, everyone thought a world record would never get touched again. I just wanted to show everyone that can happen. That's why we have records – they're meant to get broken."
Lochte has two races remaining in Shanghai, the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley. He enters Friday night's finals for the 200 backstroke with the best semifinal qualifying time in the field.
By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Wayne Fleming, recovering from brain cancer surgery, is expected this weekend to be released from a California hospital and return to the Tampa Bay area.
Fleming, 61, who had surgery in April, also had chemotherapy and radiation treatments and has been rehabbing in the hospital's therapy center to regain his motor skills.
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman reiterated Friday Fleming has a job waiting for him (though it is unclear if Fleming will be able to resume his duties anytime soon) and said he has no plans to hire a replacement to join assistants Dan Lacroix and Marty Raymond.
"Wayne's contributions to the coaching staff will be determined by his health and will be at his discretion," Yzerman said. "We welcome any participation Wayne feels ready for."
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Tampa Bay Rays, as usual, have held exhaustive talks on an extensive number of trade possibilities.
But with the deadline for non-waiver deals Sunday at 4 p.m., manager Joe Maddon said Thursday he does not anticipate them making any deals, including CF B.J. Upton.
"I really would anticipate that we're probably going to have the same guys over the next week,'' Maddon said. "And two weeks, three weeks ... "
Upton also said he does not expect be moved, with trades already sending Carlos Beltran to the Giants, Colby Rasmus to the Jays and Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians.
"Nobody else needs a centerfielder, everybody that needed a centerfielder just got one,'' Upton said. "I just don't see it happening. ... I still don't think I'm going anywhere.''
By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Tampa Bay Rays did make a trade on Thursday, sending INF Felipe Lopez, who has been at Triple-A Durham, to the Brewers for cash considerations.
Lopez, a veteran of 10 big-league seasons, had been playing well for the Bulls, hitting .305 with 7 HRs and 37 RBIs. He had two stints with the Rays the season, and was benched at one point for a lack of hustle. The Brewers needed infield help with 2B Rickie Weeks going on the DL.
