Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Mets 5, Phillies 0

PHILADELPHIA — Jonathon Niese and two relievers combined on a six-hitter and David Wright went 3-for-5 for the Mets. Wright homered on the first pitch he saw after missing three games with a broken right pinkie. "I got a little confidence after the first at-bat,'' he said. "I wouldn't have gone out there if I didn't think I can contribute." The Phillies have scored two or less five times. "Doesn't faze me at all," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Rangers 6, Twins 2

MINNEAPOLIS — Yu Darvish escaped two bases-loaded jams with strikeouts and tagged out Ryan Doumit at home after a wild pitch, and Josh Hamilton's three hits included a home run for the Rangers. Former Tampa Catholic standout Denard Span led the Twins with three hits. Span's RBI double tied it at 2 in the sixth.

Washington AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Desmond ss 5 1 2 0 0 2 .370

Espinosa 2b 3 0 1 0 2 1 .211

Zimmerman 3b 4 1 1 0 1 2 .227

Werth cf-rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .273

DeRosa lf 2 1 1 1 3 0 .077

LaRoche 1b 4 0 0 0 1 1 .333

Nady rf 5 1 2 0 0 1 .267

Flores c 3 0 1 1 2 0 .429

Strasburg p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Lombardozzi ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333

Tracy ph 1 0 0 1 0 0 .333

B.Carroll ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 34 4 9 3 10 10

New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Tejada ss 4 0 1 0 0 2 .333

Dan.Murphy 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .320

Duda rf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .136

I.Davis 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .050

Bay lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .158

Turner ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .250

Thole c 3 0 0 0 1 0 .429

Nieuwenhuis cf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .250

Cedeno 3b 3 0 0 0 0 2 .429

J.Santana p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Hairston lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .222

Totals 30 0 3 0 4 15

Washington 010 000 111— 4 9 1

New York 000 000 000— 0 3 0

E—Espinosa (2). LOB—Was. 14, N.Y. 8. 2B—Desmond (2). RBIs—DeRosa (1), Flores (1), Tracy (3). SB—Nady (1). CS—Espinosa (1). RISP—Was. 9; N.Y. 4. DP—N.Y. 1.

Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Strasburg W, 1-0 6 2 0 0 3 9 108 0.69

Mattheus H, 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 22 7.71

S.Burnett H, 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 19 0.00

H.Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 0.00

New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

J.Santana L, 0-1 5 5 1 1 3 8 99 0.90

Acosta 1L1 1 1 3 0 26 6.00

R.Ramirez 1 2 1 1 2 1 38 2.70

RauchM0 0 0 0 0 2 0.00

Batista 0 1 1 1 1 0 16 7.71

Byrdak 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 0.00

HBP—by Strasburg (Cedeno), by Batista (Werth). WP—Strasburg, J.Santana. PB—Thole. T—3:36. A—34,614 (41,922).

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

White Sox 5, Tigers 1

CHICAGO — Gavin Floyd overcame three walks and three hit batters to pitch six scoreless innings and Alexei Ramirez homered as the White Sox won their fourth straight. Austin Jackson had three hits for the Tigers. Detroit infielder Brandon Inge was activated from the 15-day disabled list (groin strain) and ended the game with a pinch-hit groundout.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

NEW YORK — C.J. Wilson beat the Yankees to improve to 1-3 against them in 21 carreer appearances, Albert Pujols and his teammates teed off, and the Angels romped 7-1 Saturday.

Howie Kendrick, Chris Iannetta and Vernon Wells homered as the Angels ended a three-game skid and stopped New York's winning streak at four.

"Tried to raise my level up to as good as they are," said Wilson, pleased to shut down a team with "like, 1,400 career home runs in the lineup.''

"He got us to chase some pitches off the plate inside," New York's Joe Girardi said.

Add spotless relief and nice fielding plays, and this looked like the powerful Angels club many expected.

"I think we're scratching the surface of what we can do," manager Mike Scioscia said.

Pujols, who was off to a quiet start with his new team, singled sharply his first time up, then hit an RBI double. He later lined out twice and flied out to the fence in left.

He hasn't homered in eight games, matching his longest homer drought at the start of a season, in 2008.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Soccer

Player dies of cardiac arrest in Italy

MILAN — Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini died Saturday after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing during a Serie B match at Pescara. He was 25.

He was dead when he arrived at a Pescara hospital, cardiologist Edoardo De Blasio said.

Morosini fell to the ground in the 31st minute and tried to get up several times before receiving medical attention on the field. An autopsy is likely Monday. All other matches this weekend were called off.

The death came less than a month after Fabrice Muamba of English Premier League Bolton suffered cardiac arrest in a game. He remains hospitalized as he improves.

spain: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored their league record 41st goals of the season to help Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, win.

england: Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 to make the FA Cup final. It plays the winner of today's semifinal between Chelsea and Tottenham.

et cetera

steeplechase: Grand National favorite Synchronised was one of two horses to die during the world's toughest race at Aintree, England. He was hurt in a fall.

boston marathon: Organizers advised inexperienced runners and those with medical conditions not to run in Monday's race because of temperatures expected to rise into the high 80s.

tennis: Top seed Caroline Wozniacki made the e-boks Open final, beating Petra Martic 6-3, 6-2 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She faces Angelique Kerber, who beat Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-1.

hockey: Caroline Ouellette scored 1:50 into overtime to give Canada the women's world title 5-4 over the United States in Burlington, Vt. Switzerland beat Finland 6-2 for bronze.

horses: Dullahan ran down Hansen in the final furlong to become a Kentucky Derby favorite by winning the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. Tampa Bay Derby winner Prospective was sixth. … Bodemeister won the $1 million Arkansas Derby, a Kentucky Derby prep at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. Tampa Bay Derby third-place finisher Cozzetti was fourth.

Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

MIAMI — Ryan Williams, who sat out last season after transferring from Memphis, struggled in his bid to become Miami's starting quarterback during Saturday's spring game.

The sophomore became the No. 1 quarterback for the spring after incumbent Stephen Morris had back surgery. Williams' 44-yard pass to Phillip Dorsett set up the only touchdown, Mike James' 5-yard run with 4:19 left, as the Orange beat the Green 7-6.

Williams finished 15-of-27 for 169 yards and two interceptions. (Gray Crow also threw two interceptions.) The competition with Morris will resume in the fall. Williams said he didn't believe Saturday's shaky showing should be considered disappointing.

"It's more of what we do in the summer and fall," he said. "It's not how we finished this. It's how we continue to improve heading into the season."

There were five total turnovers, including Rashawn Scott's fumble after a 36-yard catch.

"I know it wasn't perfect," coach Al Golden said. "It certainly wasn't spectacular from a fan standpoint or viewing standpoint. But we came out of it … healthy. … I think we've accomplished a lot."

UCF: Quarterback Blake Bortles led two first-half touchdown drives as his team won the spring game 20-7. Bortles, named to Conference USA's all-freshman team last season, was 27-of-45 for 239 yards. Six passes were dropped. He hit Quincy McDuffie for a 10-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Bortles could have competition for the starting job from Jeff Godfrey, who left school after a tumultuous 2011 season and intended to transfer. But coach George O'Leary said Godfrey has asked about coming back and the two will meet this week.

Basketball: SMU talks to Larry Brown

DALLAS — Larry Brown interviewed for the coaching vacancy at SMU on Saturday, ESPN.com reported.

Brown, 71, hasn't coached since being fired by the NBA's Bobcats in 2010. He hasn't coached in college since leading Kansas to the NCAA title in 1988. He is the only coach with NBA and NCAA titles, having led the Pistons to the former in 2004. School officials were not available for comment.

The Mustangs, who fired Matt Doherty on March 13, also are talking to Marquette assistant Tony Benford, ESPN.com and the Dallas Morning News reported. SMU previously was turned down by Marquette coach Buzz Williams, Long Beach State coach Dan Monson and Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus.

Bull arrested: USF forward Victor Rudd was arrested near campus Friday night on a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid license. Hillsborough County jail records show Temple Terrace police pulled over Rudd, USF's top returning scorer, at 9:42 p.m. He was booked into jail and released on a $250 cash bond at 1:25 a.m. Saturday. The school declined to comment.

Missouri: Forward Alex Oriakhi will transfer in after three seasons at Connecticut. He can play right away because UConn is barred from the postseason for low academic scores.

Softball: USF's school-record winning streak ended at 19 when it fell 7-3 at Connecticut in Game 2 of a doubleheader. The Bulls' 12-0 start in Big East play also was a school record. USF (39-6) won Game 1 6-2 in eight innings. … Tampa (34-5, 19-2 Sunshine State), No. 7 in the Division II coaches poll, swept a doubleheader from visiting Eckerd (11-38, 3-15) 7-0 and 8-0. East Bay High grad Kayla Cox extended her scoreless-streak to 651/3 innings in Game 1.

Tennis: No. 2 Florida women (18-1, 11-0 SEC) beat host South Carolina 4-1 to capture the conference regular-season title.

Times staff writer Greg Auman contributed to this report.

By Bryan Burns, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Rowdies defender Takuya Yamada isn't regarded around the North American Soccer League as a scoring threat.

In home openers at Al Lang Field, however, the 37-year-old Yamada is as lethal as any player on the field.

For the second straight season, Yamada scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win to open Tampa Bay's home slate.

In 2011, Yamada's 30-yard blast in the closing minutes lifted Tampa Bay to a season-opening win. The Tokyo native went scoreless for the rest of the season.

Saturday night, before 3,129 at Al Lang, Yamada was again the hero, scoring in the 20th minute in a 1-0 victory over FC Edmonton that improved the Rowdies to 1-1.

"I thought (Yamada) was excellent throughout the whole game," said Rowdies coach Ricky Hill, whose team lost its season opener 1-0 at Puerto Rico on April 7. "He set the tempo for us from the first minute, so it was fitting that he was the one that actually got us the first goal."

Yamada's winner came courtesy of a corner kick from Luke Mulholland. After Mulholland's cross bounced around inside the box, Rowdies defender Andres Arango saved the ball from going over the end line and dropped a pass to Yamada, who was unmarked 12 yards in front of goal.

Yamada's right-footed shot was on target, beating Michel Misiewicz (six saves) just inside the far post.

"Arango sent a great pass," Yamada said.

"I just kicked it."

Rowdies goalkeeper Jeff Attinella had eight saves. But the night's best stop came in the 29th minute from defender Stuart Campbell. He headed Matt Lam's attempt off the goal line at the last moment after Attinella was blocked tracking a corner kick, giving Lam a clear view of the open goal.

"(Edmonton) played fairly direct, which caused us a few hairy-scary moments," Hill said. "Credit must go to the players for sticking in there and defending valiantly when they had to."

Edmonton (0-2) pushed for the equalizer late and was nearly rewarded in the 88th minute when Serisay Barthelemy saw his shot deflected toward the goal. Attinella, however, quickly recovered, punching the ball over the crossbar.

"It was great to get the shutout, obviously," Arango said. "We need to do a little bit better once it's coming down toward the end of the game and learning how to control the game and take them completely out of it."

The Rowdies next play Carolina on Wednesday at Al Lang.

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, April 14, 2012

TAMPA — It's never easy for Skip Holtz to feel particularly good about an intrasquad scrimmage, knowing every big play comes at the expense of his players on the other side of the ball.

So the glass half-full coach will point to USF's offense piling up 10 touchdowns and 550 passing yards over 148 plays in the second scrimmage of spring drills Saturday night at Corbett Soccer Stadium. The glass half-empty perspective knows it was USF's defense giving up those 10 scores.

"Every time you throw a touchdown pass, you get excited. 'Ooh, nice play.' Then you say, 'Who was the safety?' That was our defense, too," said Holtz, whose team will hold a final scrimmage next Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

All three quarterbacks threw for more than 150 yards. Senior starter B.J. Daniels hit Andre Davis for 59 yards to the 1 on his first play, and the two connected again on a 35-yard touchdown on the scrimmage's final play with plenty of scoring in between.

"It was good for us to move the ball down the field," said Daniels, who finished 18-of-26 for 224 yards. "We're still working on trying to be consistent with our drives.

"But all in all, I feel like it was a good day."

Junior Bobby Eveld looked to be the sharper of the backup quarterbacks. He opened 8-for-8 for 100 yards with touchdowns to Derrick Hopkins and Terrence Mitchell and finished 12-of-16 for 157 yards and three scores.

After opening 3-of-12 for 9 yards, redshirt freshman Matt Floyd found his rhythm, throwing late touchdowns to Davis and TE Mike McFarland and finishing 17-of-30 for 169 yards.

"We can't allow people to throw the ball over our heads," Holtz said.

"We've got to eliminate the big plays."

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: Walk-on TE Jake Carlton had a 31-yard catch across the middle, and walk-on WR Jordan Duval had catches of 16 and 32 yards. … Lindsey Lamar, shifting back to running back after two years at receiver, scored on a 9-yard run. … McFarland used his 6-foot-5 frame for a jump-ball touchdown from Floyd. Fellow tight ends Evan Landi and Tye Turner also caught scoring passes across the middle.

DEFENSE: Junior DE Ryne Giddins was a force on the pass rush, knocking Eveld's helmet off on the only interception of the game, by CB Kayvon Webster. Giddins' pressure of Daniels led to a safety, and he had two other plays that would have been sacks but were whistled dead as he got to Daniels, who wore a noncontact jersey.

THIS AND THAT: Holtz brought in a Big East officiating crew for the scrimmage but was unhappy with the number of penalties, 13 on the defense alone, by his count. … Holtz said senior backup DE Anthony Hill tore the ACL in his left knee during practice last week and will require surgery. It's unknown if he will play during the upcoming season.

Greg Auman can be reached at auman@tampabay.com. View his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/usf.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Braves 2, Brewers 1

ATLANTA — Mike Minor pitched two-hit ball into the eighth and the Braves survived a ninth-inning scare for their fourth straight win. Craig Kimbrel pitched out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out two for his fourth save. Minor recorded 18 consecutive outs after hitting Corey Hart to open the second. The lefty didn't allow an earned run in 7⅓, the first Braves starter this season to get an out after the fifth. "I can't wait to see (his) next start," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Astros 5, Marlins 4

MIAMI — Carlos Lee drove in the tying run with a two-out single in the ninth, and an error on a misjudged fly ball by leftfielder Logan Morrison allowed the Astros' go-ahead run to score. Miami closer Heath Bell had a 4-1 lead to start the ninth but had a shaky performance for the third time in as many outings.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Ryan Briscoe kept Penske Racing perfect this season by winning the pole Saturday for the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He wasn't be there for long.

A decision by Chevrolet to yank the engines from all 11 of its teams because of concerns they wouldn't last the race meant all the Chevy drivers knew they wouldn't start today's race where they qualified. IndyCar's penalty for unapproved engine changes is 10 spots on the starting grid, so Briscoe will actually start 11th.

Defending series champion Dario Franchitti, a Honda driver, qualified fourth but will start on the pole because the top three in qualifying were Chevy drivers.

Josef Newgarden, an IndyCar rookie, went from seventh to second and Justin Wilson from ninth to third.

Making it more confusing, three Lotus drivers also changed engines and will be penalized.

"I feel like we need to call in NASA to figure out who is starting where," said Chevy driver James Hinchcliffe, who qualified sixth.

"Who is starting sixth?" asked Chevy driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, who qualified third.

"I have no idea," Hinchcliffe replied.

"Who's on first?" Hunter-Reay cracked.

The engine issue was discovered after Hinchcliffe's blew up during a test session Monday.

"We were not certain something would happen during the race," said Chris Berube, Chevrolet's IndyCar program manager. "But we wanted to preserve the show."

Trucks: Nelson Piquet earned the pole for today's race in Rockingham, N.C. He turned a lap of 144.387 mph, edging the 144.381 of Paulie Harraka. Points leader John King qualified 25th.

F1: Nico Rosberg earned his first career pole in qualifying for this morning's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton qualified second but started seventh for changing his gearbox. That moved Michael Schumacher up to second. Points leader Fernando Alonso started ninth.

NHRA: Robert Hight (Funny Car), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) topped qualifying at the 4-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.H.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

NEW YORK — In a rock 'em, sock 'em game, Chris Neil scored 1:17 into overtime to give the Senators a 3-2 win against the Rangers on Saturday and pull them even at one game each in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

Neil backhanded home a rebound off a wild scramble in front of the net in which goalie Henrik Lundqvist lost his stick.

The game's tone was set before it started when Senators coach Paul MacLean made a last-minute lineup change to insert tough guys Zenon Konopka and Matt Carkner. Ottawa wasn't happy about New York center Brian Boyle landing a few punches to defenseman Erik Karlsson's head after the whistle during New York's 4-2 Game 1 win Thursday.

After delivering a clean check to Boyle 2:15 into the game, Carkner began unloading punches on him while the two were pinned against the side boards in the Ottawa end. Boyle fell to the ice and was still receiving blows from Carkner while trying to cover up.

As players from both teams gathered and exchanged shoves and words, Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky charged in to help Boyle. When things settled down, Carkner and Dubinsky were ejected. When the ejections were announced, Dubinsky stormed toward the tunnel and threw a full water cooler as he marched out of view.

Ottawa wouldn't make Carkner available after the game. Boyle wouldn't discuss what happened. Neither coach — the other being usually voluble Rangers boss John Tortorella — would comment, either.

Later in the first period, Neil fought Boyle. "We didn't like what (Boyle) did to Erik, and we got to take care of that stuff," Neil said.

In the second period, usually mild-mannered Rangers rookie Carl Hagelin landed a hard hit on Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson along the side boards in the Ottawa end. Hagelin got his elbow up and struck Alfredsson in the head, earning a major penalty. Karlsson scored on the power play to tie the score at 1.

Alfredsson didn't return to the game. MacLean didn't have an update on him.

Hagelin said he was trying to finish his check.

Blues 3, Sharks 0: Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak combined for a shutout, the Sharks put themselves in an early hole when defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic tapped the puck into his own net, and host St. Louis evened the West series at a game apiece. Halak left the game after teammate Barret Jackman ran him over in the second. Coach Ken Hitchcock said Halak had a lower-body injury and would be re-evaluated today.

capitals 2, Bruins 1 2 OT: Nicklas Backstrom scored 2:56 into the second overtime to help the Capitals tie the defending Stanley Cup champions at one game apiece in their East series. Game 1 went to the Bruins 1-0 in OT. "There's not a lot of chances out there," Backstrom said. "This is how it's going to be, I think. For you, maybe it's boring; I don't know. But for us it's fun."

coyotes-blackhawks: Coyotes leading scorer Radim Vrbata, who left early in Game 1 on Thursday with an injury, played in Game 2 late Saturday.

Canadiens great dies: Emile "Butch" Bouchard, a longtime Montreal captain and four-time Stanley Cup winner, died Saturday at 92 in Montreal. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup four times in his 15-year career, twice during the eight years he was captain. He retired in 1956 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. His son Pierre played for the Canadiens from 1970-78.

Lightning ahl team extends streak: Norfolk extended is league-record winning streak to 27 games with a 3-2 overtime win against host Binghamton. Mark Barberio scored the winner on a power play. Norfolk ends its regular season today.

First Period—1, NYR, Stralman 1 (Girardi, Anisimov), 10:11 (pp). Penalties—Carkner, Ott, minor-major-game misconduct (instigator, fighting), 2:15; Dubinsky, NYR, minor-game misconduct (roughing), 2:15; Neil, Ott, major (fighting), 8:17; Boyle, NYR, major (fighting), 8:17; Gonchar, Ott (tripping), 8:32; Prust, NYR (hooking), 11:58; Phillips, Ott (elbowing), 19:07.

Second Period—2, Ott, Karlsson 1 (Kuba), 13:50 (pp). Penalties—Kuba, Ott (high-sticking), 3:58; Hagelin, NYR, major (elbowing), 10:32; Richards, NYR (roughing), 15:50.

Third Period—3, NYR, Boyle 2 (Fedotenko, Del Zotto), 2:41. 4, Ott, Foligno 1 (Konopka, Turris), 15:23. Penalties—None. First OT—5, Ott, Neil 1 (Cowen, Smith), 1:17. Penalties—None. Shots—Ott 10-10-10-2—32. NYR 10-12-7-0—29. PP opps—Ott 1 of 4; NYR 1 of 4. Goalies—Ott, Anderson 1-1-0 (29 shots-27 saves). NYR, Lundqvist 1-1-0 (32-29).

First Period—1, St.L, Sobotka 1, 1:31. Penalties—Colaiacovo, StL (cross-checking), 7:48; Mitchell, SJ (hooking), 16:52; Vlasic, SJ (slashing), 18:59; Backes, StL (cross-checking), 18:59.

Second Period—2, St.L, Backes 1 (Oshie), 13:49. Penalties—Marleau, SJ (roughing), 7:52; Pavelski, SJ, major (fighting), 7:52; Crombeen, StL (roughing), 7:52; Russell, StL, major (fighting), 7:52; Burns, SJ (roughing), 14:36; Steen, StL (slashing), 18:45.

Third Period—3, St.L, McDonald 1 (Oshie, Pietrangelo), 19:35 (pp). Penalties—Nichol, StL (delay of game), :31; Galiardi, SJ (slashing), 4:36; Galiardi, SJ (charging), 9:50; Langenbrunner, StL (holding), 12:28; Mitchell, SJ (holding), 17:44; Burns, SJ (roughing), 18:36; Backes, StL (roughing), 18:36; Boyle, SJ, double minor (roughing), 19:12. Shots —SJ 10-10-9—29. St.L 9-17-6—32. PP opps—SJ 0 of 4; St.L 1 of 6. Goalies—SJ, Niemi 1-1-0 (32 shots-29 saves). St.L, Halak 1-1-0 (12-12), Elliott (1:07 second, 17-17).

First Period—None. Penalties—Chara, Bos (holding), 1:13; Green, Was (hooking), 9:52; Kelly, Bos (hooking), 12:35.

Second Period—1, Wash, Brouwer 1 (Ovechkin, Alzner), 17:57. Penalties—Hamrlik, Was (cross-checking), 1:54; Marchand, Bos (high-sticking), 11:11.

Third Period—2, Bos, Pouliot 1 (Rolston, Kelly), 12:13. Penalties—None. First Overtime—None. Penalties—None. Second Overtime—3, Wash, Backstrom 1 (Johansson), 2:56. Penalties—None. Shots—Wash 9-7-13-8-2—39. Bos 10-12-8-11-3—44. PP opps—Wash 0 of 3; Bos 0 of 2. Goalies—Wash, Holtby 1-1-0 (44 shots-43 saves). Bos, Thomas 1-1-0 (39-37).

Saturday, April 14, 2012

CLEVELAND — The NBA playoffs begin April 28, but the Magic does not know if its superstar will play, or be able to play effectively, by then.

All-Star center Dwight Howard has a herniated disc in his lower back that has caused painful, persistent back spasms.

Magic officials say no timetable has been set for Howard's return, as it will depend on how he responds to treatment and rest.

"It's a challenging issue while an athlete is trying to perform at a high level, and symptoms can change hourly," said Ralph Reiff, an athletic trainer and the executive director of St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis.

Physician Andrew Hecht, chief of spinal surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan and a consultant to the Jets and Islanders, said an athlete suffering from a herniated disc typically will begin with a conservative, nonsurgical course of treatment.

Discs sit between each spinal vertebra and function as shock absorbers and cushions. The discs consist of a gel-like interior surrounded by a tough exterior.

Problems arise when the gel either pushes against the wall of the disc or when the gel seeps through the wall of the disc. In those cases, pressure is put on surrounding nerves and can lead to pain.

It is unclear whether Howard's injured disc is fully herniated and leaking or whether the gel inside the disk merely is protruding from the disk. Both situations can lead to significant pain.

It's also unclear what, exactly, caused the defect in the disc's casing. It could be the result of a one-time incident or the result of years of stress on the back, or a combination of years of stress and a preexisting condition such as a pronounced curvature of the spine.

The Magic medical staff likely will treat the symptoms of the herniated disc by using electrical stimulation, ice and heat.

But those would not solve the root problem. Surgery to remove the herniated piece is an option, and the outcome is usually positive, Hecht said.

"If it comes to something like that," Hecht said, "90 percent of the elite athletes will resume their elite level somewhere between 12 and 16 weeks."

There there's the question of how it affects Howard's future. He is 26 and can become a free agent after the 2012-13 season. If his injury worsens, it could reduce his value on the free agent market.

Game highlights: Chris Paul scored 12 of his 28 in the fourth quarter and added 13 assists as host Clippers beat the Warriors 112-104 and got within a game of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead. The Clippers have won 11 of 13, inching closer to their first playoff appearance since the 2005-06 season. "It's all about locking up a playoff spot. You got to get in," Paul said. "Anything can happen when you get to the playoffs." … Avery Bradley hit three straight 3-pointers and scored 11 of his 18 in the third quarter as the surging Celtics defeated the host Nets 94-82. The Celtics have won 10 of 13, and 20 of 28 to take over first place in the Atlantic Division. … Luke Harangody had 16 points and 10 rebounds and the visiting Cavaliers beat the Wizards 98-89 in a battle of teams that had combined to lose 23 of their 28 coming in.

Around the league: Lakers star Kobe Bryant will likely miss today's game against the Mavericks, his fifth in a row, because of his bruised left shin. Bryant is walking comfortably, but he hasn't tried running or jumping. … Continued soreness and swelling forced Celtics guard Ray Allen to miss the game against the Nets. Allen will also miss today's game at Charlotte, and his status for Tuesday at New York is "50-50," coach Doc Rivers said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Clippers 112, Warriors 104

GOLDEN STATE (104): D.Wright 7-15 5-6 23, Tyler 2-6 0-0 4, Biedrins 0-0 0-0 0, Jenkins 0-4 1-2 1, Thompson 9-17 2-2 24, Rush 8-13 3-5 22, Robinson 10-18 4-6 28, Gladness 1-3 0-0 2, McGuire 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 37-80 15-21 104.

L.A. CLIPPERS (112): Butler 1-5 0-0 2, Griffin 9-14 2-8 20, Jordan 8-11 2-5 18, Paul 12-17 1-1 28, Foye 3-7 3-4 12, Martin 2-7 2-6 7, Young 2-4 1-2 6, Bledsoe 2-5 1-2 5, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 5-11 2-2 14. Totals 44-81 14-30 112.

Golden State 23 35 24 22— 104

L.A. Clippers 35 24 27 26— 112

3-Point Goals—Golden State 15-31 (Thompson 4-7, Robinson 4-8, D.Wright 4-9, Rush 3-7), L.A. Clippers 10-22 (Paul 3-3, Foye 3-5, Williams 2-5, Martin 1-2, Young 1-2, Griffin 0-1, Butler 0-2, Bledsoe 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Golden State 48 (McGuire 11), L.A. Clippers 54 (Griffin 9). Assists—Golden State 22 (Robinson 8), L.A. Clippers 22 (Paul 13). Total Fouls—Golden State 26, L.A. Clippers 18. Technicals—Tyler, Butler, Griffin. A—19,060.

Cavaliers 98, Wizards 89

CLEVELAND (98): Gee 3-8 5-5 11, Harangody 6-11 3-4 16, Thompson 5-11 4-4 14, Sloan 6-10 1-2 13, Parker 4-5 7-8 15, Casspi 3-5 2-2 8, Hudson 3-7 3-6 10, Samuels 0-1 0-0 0, Harris 2-5 2-2 7, Walton 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 34-66 27-33 98.

WASHINGTON (89): C.Singleton 1-3 0-0 2, Vesely 5-10 1-1 11, Seraphin 6-12 3-4 15, Wall 8-16 3-4 19, Crawford 8-17 1-2 18, J.Singleton 6-10 0-0 13, Martin 2-9 1-1 6, Mack 1-4 0-0 2, Mason 1-6 0-0 3, Evans 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-87 9-12 89.

Cleveland 22 28 23 25— 98

Washington 22 21 28 18— 89

3-Point Goals—Cleveland 3-8 (Harangody 1-1, Harris 1-1, Hudson 1-3, Casspi 0-1, Gee 0-1, Parker 0-1), Washington 4-14 (J.Singleton 1-2, Mason 1-3, Crawford 1-3, Martin 1-5, C.Singleton 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Cleveland 48 (Harangody 10), Washington 42 (Vesely 11). Assists—Cleveland 17 (Parker 5), Washington 20 (Wall 9). Total Fouls—Cleveland 17, Washington 22. A—17,200.

Celtics 94, Nets 82

BOSTON (94): Pierce 6-16 4-5 17, Bass 7-12 4-5 18, Garnett 8-16 5-6 21, Rondo 2-8 0-2 4, Bradley 7-14 1-2 18, Stiemsma 3-4 0-0 6, Pietrus 2-5 1-2 5, Pavlovic 0-3 0-0 0, Moore 2-3 0-0 5, Hollins 0-0 0-0 0, J.Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-81 15-22 94.

NEW JERSEY (82): Stevenson 2-5 1-1 5, Humphries 3-9 0-0 6, S.Williams 0-1 0-0 0, D.Williams 3-12 6-7 12, Brooks 6-17 0-0 13, J.Williams 6-11 0-0 12, Green 6-14 0-0 15, Morrow 1-8 2-2 5, Petro 2-3 0-0 4, A.Johnson 2-4 2-2 6, Gaines 1-3 1-2 4. Totals 32-87 12-14 82.

Boston 22 26 26 20— 94

New Jersey 28 20 13 21— 82

3-Point Goals—Boston 5-14 (Bradley 3-4, Moore 1-1, Pierce 1-4, Rondo 0-1, Pietrus 0-2, Pavlovic 0-2), New Jersey 6-22 (Green 3-6, Gaines 1-2, Brooks 1-3, Morrow 1-5, Stevenson 0-2, D.Williams 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Boston 61 (Garnett 12), New Jersey 47 (J.Williams 14). Assists—Boston 28 (Rondo 15), New Jersey 19 (D.Williams 14). Total Fouls—Boston 19, New Jersey 20. Technicals—Pietrus, Boston defensive three second, New Jersey Coach A.Johnson, D.Williams, New Jersey defensive three second. A—18,711 (18,711).

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Indians 11, Royals 9

10 innings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shin-Soo Choo hit a two-run double with two outs in the 10th for the Indians. The Royals had rallied from seven down to force extra innings.

Times wires
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Dodgers 6, Padres 1

LOS ANGELES — Ted Lilly allowed two hits in seven innings after coming off the disabled list with neck stiffness, Matt Kemp hit a pair of two-run homers and Andre Ethier also homered for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is a major league-leading 8-1, its best start since 9-1 during the 1981 World Series championship season. Joe Wieland lost in his major-league debut, filling in for Dustin Moseley (DL, right shoulder strain).

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Mariners 4, Athletics 0

SEATTLE — The two centerpieces the Mariners received in an offseason trade with the Yankees shined on the same night. Jesus Montero had a solo home run and a two-run double and Hector Noesi threw eight shutout innings for his first major-league victory as a starter. Noesi scattered hits to Daric Barton, Josh Reddick and a pair to Cliff Pennington. With two on and two outs in the eighth, Noesi was at 104 pitches but stayed in and got Coco Crisp to pop out. Oakland's Tommy Milone took a one-hitter into the sixth, when Seattle scored three.

Times wires
Sunday, April 15, 2012

Giants 4, Pirates 3

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants' Emmanuel Burriss scored on a throwing error by shortstop Clint Barmes in the ninth. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Melky Cabrera hit a grounder to short. Barmes, playing in at the edge of the infield grass, made a low throw that bounced in front of catcher Rod Barajas, who tried to backhand the ball but it skipped away.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2012

BOSTON — A fourth straight loss, this one 6-4 to Boston, was disappointing enough for the Rays on Sunday, especially since they contributed to their own demise with mistakes on the mound and at the plate.

But they came out of the game with a potentially more disturbing thought, that prized rookie left-hander Matt Moore might be tipping his pitches.

Certainly, the Red Sox hitters, led by David Ortiz, have been hot all weekend, putting up 31 runs in the three games. But in acknowledging how "locked-in" they were, Rays manager Joe Maddon mentioned, open-endedly, that "it's like they know what's coming almost." He noted how "they're on everything right now," no matter what type of pitch it was, and how they were "spitting on" — taking — certain borderline pitches.

What raised the specific pitch-tipping concerns about Moore were the aggressive swings the Red Sox were taking, particularly unexpected given their limited previous exposure to him.

"A couple of those balls we felt like they might've had something on him because they took some pretty comfortable passes for him," Rays catcher Chris Gimenez said.

"For him, really, them not seeing him that much, I don't know what really has been said about him or what the book is, but I haven't seen too many swings off him like that. We don't know if they do or not, but (it's) something we're going to have to keep in the back of our heads."

By the fifth inning, there was enough suspicion in the Rays dugout that pitching coach Jim Hickey huddled with Moore and Gimenez to assess the situation.

"We were trying to think of anything that he might be doing to tip his pitches, and we were talking about he might be tapping his glove on his fastball or something like that," Gimenez said. "I didn't see that, but Hick did."

There were other possibilities: that Gimenez, in his first game since being called up from Triple A, was giving something away by setting up too soon, or that the Sox hitters were peeking in or somehow stealing signs. "All possibilities, I guess," Gimenez said.

After the game, Hickey said their concerns were alleviated because video showed it was more a matter of bad location on Moore's pitches than anything else.

And Moore said he was confident there was no issue with tipping off the hitter — "I don't think so at all" — and had not been in the past. "Not that I've been told," he said. "Maybe years ago when I was in rookie ball or something like that. But not as far as I can remember."

But it is not unusual for young pitchers to face these issues once they get to the big leagues, given the extensive scouting and breakdowns done through video and computer work, as well as experienced personnel in the opposing dugouts. The Rays had a similar problem last season with Alex Cobb tipping his pitches in a game against the Angels by how he held his glove.

Overall Moore, who lost for the first time in the big leagues (six runs, eight hits, 6? innings, career-high 109 pitches), was frustrated that he couldn't keep the Rays closer after they battled back from a 4-0 deficit to tie it at 4. He allowed a run in the sixth on a double by Ortiz (his seventh consecutive hit) then a home run to Mike Aviles leading off the seventh.

"I didn't do a very good job of keeping us right there," he said. "They hit a few mistakes, they hit a few good pitches."

The bigger concern is if they hit a few pitches they knew were coming.

By the numbers

26 Runs allowed by Rays in nine games at Fenway last year.

31 Runs allowed by Rays in first three games at Fenway this year.

2 Rays losses in nine games at Fenway last year.

3 Rays losses in three games at Fenway this year.

4 Losses in a row is longest skid since dropping six to start last season.

4-5 Record marks the first time the Rays have been under .500 since 10-11 on April 23, 2011.

By Mike Gore, Time Correspondent
Sunday, April 15, 2012

What's hot: We are starting to get a little tease of what we have in store with the acrobatics and line-screaming action silver kings provide. Tarpon are slowly making their way back into St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay. And the snook and redfish bite has been phenomenal. These fish have been stacked up around all of the islands in Tampa Bay. I look for a pass between islands where the water flows in and out. I have found with the long incoming and outgoing tides, the fish have been eating later in the day, usually from about noon on.

Tackle: If you plan on targeting tarpon, you will need strong stuff. I would use a 7-foot medium-heavy weighted rod rigged with 50- or 60-pound braided line and 3 feet of 60-pound fluorocarbon liter. Finish it with a No. 4 or No. 5 circle hook.

Bait: Tarpon are not too finicky. A threadfin herring or big greenback will do. I have to chum pretty hard to keep the bite going on the snook. But once it starts, it hasn't stopped. The redfish have been mixed in with the snook, but the snook have been beating them to the bait. Once the snook bite slows, the redfish bite turns on. I have been using small- and medium-sized greenbacks to catch both.

Mike Gore charters out of Tampa Bay. Call him at (813) 390-6600 or visit tampacharters.com.

Sunday, April 15, 2012