Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — It had been easy to lump Lee Westwood in with the two other guys in his threesome the first two days. The difference was, he played well enough to hang around for the weekend, and he played well enough Saturday to get into contention for his first major title.

Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy, his mates in a group composed of the top three players in the world ranking, both failed to make the cut, which gave the group a bad name. Westwood hung in and made five birdies Saturday to shoot 3-under 67 and finish 2 over.

His round tied Casey Wittenberg for best of the day.

Of the U.S. Open, he said, "It has no respect for who you are or what your ranking is."

He turned the tables Saturday, not getting overwrought by the occasion or anything else.

"I go out and play golf for a living on the best golf courses in the world in the biggest tournaments," said the man who has seven top-three finishes in majors and 35 wins as a pro. "It's not a bad way to pass time."

Westwood overcame two bogeys to finish with five birdies, the last coming when he trickled a putt from about 15 feet into the hole on the historic 18th hole to bring the crowd roaring to its feet.

"I think every time you get yourself in contention you learn something new," Westwood said.

"I pick little bits out of all of those (times contending in previous majors), but the main thing is just to go out there and believe that I'm good enough."

LEFTY'S SERENADE: Phil Mickelson, a five-time Open runnerup, shot 71 and was 8 over for the tournament. But the crowd on 18 gave him some consolation. A large chunk of fans on the hillside green below the stately clubhouse serenaded him with Happy Birthday. Lefty turned 42: "It's a long, difficult day, even though it's my birthday. And it was very flattering of the fans, thank you."

PETERSON'S ACE: John Peterson, 23, playing in the next-to-last group with fellow LSU alum David Toms, was 4 over through 12 holes until he got to the 180-yard, par-3 13th. He saw his ball roll in the cup for a hole-in-one and leaped for joy. That brought him back within four of the lead. He shot 72 and was four strokes out of the lead.

STILES' DAY: Gulf High graduate Darron Stiles shot 73 and was 9 over for the tournament. He sandwiched bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18 around an eagle on the par-5 17th.

Golden Bear's golden anniversary

Today at 2 p.m., before its live Open coverage, NBC (Ch. 8) will debut a one-hour documentary, 1962 U.S. Open: Jack's First Major, chronicling Jack Nicklaus' playoff win over Arnold Palmer at Oakmont. Today is the 50th anniversary of the playoff. The win launched the "Golden Bear" toward his record 18 major titles and came on Palmer's home course, despite "Arnie's Army."

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Blue Jays 6, Phillies 5

10 innings

TORONTO — Rajai Davis drove in the winner with a two-out drive in the 10th inning that bounced over the wall, and the Blue Jays rallied to extend Cliff Lee's winless streak to 11 starts. Philadelphia has lost 11 of its past 14 games.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Cardinals 10, Royals 7

ST. LOUIS — Matt Holliday homered and drove in five and Yadier Molina homered and drove in four, leading the Cardinals to their third win in four games. Kansas City's four-game winning streak ended.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Brewers 6, Twins 2

MINNEAPOLIS — Ryan Braun hit two home runs and Michael Fiers pitched seven strong innings for the Brewers. Braun added a double and a walk, and Aramis Ramirez and Cody Ransom also homered for the Brewers, who have taken the first two games in this interleague series. Trevor Plouffe failed to homer for the first time in five games for the Twins, who lost their fourth straight.

Times staff, wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Tight end Kellen Winslow said he "had to roll" out of Tampa Bay once the Bucs fired Raheem Morris and new coach Greg Schiano began implementing his stricter ways.

"Greg Schiano came over there (and said), 'Toes on the line! Toes on the line!' Blowing the whistle. You can't laugh. You can't joke around. So I decided not to go to (organized team activities)," Winslow told the Real Robinson Report, an online sports talk show.

"They got my man (Morris) up out of there. I was loyal to him. Would take a bullet for that dude. So I had to roll, man."

Winslow, 28, said Morris "wasn't a company coach, he was a player's coach."

"I mean just everything about him … was real. Like you could talk to him face to face, real man to man," said the Browns' first-round pick in 2004 out of Miami whom Bucs traded for in 2009.

"They fired the wrong dude," added Winslow, who didn't say who should have been fired.

The Bucs traded Winslow last month to the Seahawks for an undisclosed 2013 draft pick. Schiano said the OTA issue wasn't the only reason the trade was made.

'Pacman' damages: The lawyer for Adam "Pacman" Jones said the $11 million in damages the Bengals cornerback was ordered to pay to two Las Vegas strip club employees injured in a 2007 shooting is "obviously a devastating amount for him financially."

Lisa Rasmussen said Jones, who will reportedly make $950,000 this season, doesn't have the cash to cover the award because he won't receive his first paycheck until September, adding: "It's the kind of judgment he likely won't ever be able to satisfy."

She said Jones will appeal the civil case verdict that will pay Tommy Urbanski, a club manager, and Aaron Cudworth, a bouncer.

Jones, who will speak about his challenges at the rookie symposium next week, told Profootballtalk.com: "I was pathetic. I had no respect for the money I got. I had respect for football. (But) I acted like I was still hanging out in college."

Obituary: Jerry Tubbs, who never lost a varsity football game at Breckenridge (Texas) High or as an Oklahoma Sooner, died in the Dallas area Thursday. He was 77. Mr. Tubbs played 10 seasons in the NFL and was an original Cowboys linebacker.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — As long as his boss went to the trouble of bringing IndyCar back to the Milwaukee Mile, Ryan Hunter-Reay figured he might as well bring home the winner's trophy.

Hunter-Reay took the lead on Lap 142 and held on in Saturday's Milwaukee Indy Fest.

It was doubly sweet for Michael Andretti, who owns Hunter-Reay's car and served as the event promoter for the race.

"It really is amazing," Hunter-Reay said. "Milwaukee has been so important to IndyCar for so long, and I think this is a huge event for Milwaukee."

It was the first win this season for Hunter-Reay and the first for an American driver. Tony Kanaan was second, followed by James Hinchcliffe.

IndyCar race director Beaux Barfield acknowledged officials made a mistake in handing Scott Dixon a drive-through penalty for jumping a restart. Barfield said a failure in timing and scoring caused officials to look at the wrong replay. Barfield said there was no way for officials to undo the mistake. Dixon finished 11th.

NATIONWIDE: Joey Logano earned the victory, his fifth of the year in NASCAR's second-tier series, in the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. James Buescher was second and Kurt Busch third after a one-week suspension. A wreck with seven laps left involving Josh Richards and Jamie Dick brought out a red flag. Both were evaluated and released.

24 HOURS OF LE MANS: After 12 hours Audi was in position to win the French endurance classic for the 11th time, with its cars in the top three spots. The race concludes today.

RALLY DEATH: Gareth Roberts of Wales, a navigator in the Targa Florio rally, died in a crash, authorities in Sicily said. Roberts rode with driver Craig Breen when their Peugeot struck a guard rail. Breen was unhurt. Organizers ended the rally.

NHRA: Antron Brown, who set track records for time (3.814 seconds) and speed (323.12 mph) Friday, retained the No. 1 position in Top Fuel qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. Bob Tasca (Funny Car) and Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) also kept the top spots.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

BROOKLYN, Mich. — The last time anyone was this fast in qualifying in NASCAR's top series, Richard Petty was still driving.

He's strictly an owner now, but when Marcos Ambrose won the Sprint Cup pole at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday for Richard Petty Motorsports, the Hall of Famer was on hand to put the accomplishment in perspective. Ambrose ran a lap of 203.241 mph around the 2-mile track, the first time since 1987 the 200 mph mark was broken during Sprint Cup qualifying.

"I can't hardly remember that far back," Petty, 74, said. "To be able to do it on a flatter racetrack, not Daytona or Talladega, that is unheard of."

Ambrose's first Cup pole was memorable on a day 19 drivers surpassed 200 mph on the newly paved surface. Because of increased speeds NASCAR altered the left-side tires for today's Quicken Loans 400, but that didn't affect qualifying.

The last pole winner to break 200 mph in the series was Bill Elliott (212.809), a quarter-century ago at Talladega, in the era before restrictor plates. Ambrose had the 11th-fastest pole speed in series history.

"It's going to sound great at the bar when you have had about six too many," Ambrose cracked. "It is good bragging rights, I will give it that."

Ryan Newman's track qualifying record of 194.232 mph went by the wayside almost immediately. In fact, 40 drivers broke the mark, set in 2005.

How fast was the field? One of the drivers to break the mark was David Stremme at 194.295. And he failed to qualify.

"When they redid the track and came up here testing and said they were running over 200 mph, it was blowing my mind," said Petty, who earned a pole at MIS in 1972 — at 157.607 mph. "I think the last time we even flirted with that was when they redid Atlanta and we ran 198 or 199 mph. We knew it was going to be quick, but I think it was a whole lot quicker than what we thought and definitely quicker than what Goodyear was thinking."

Nobody is sure what to expect for the 400-mile race. Drivers had an extra practice Saturday night after the tire switch was announced. The top speed in that session was 195.647, by Biffle.

Kevin Harvick was second in qualifying. Biffle was third.

"I am extremely happy with where I qualified. I just go into Turn 1 and bump Marcos out of the way," Biffle said. "No, I am extremely happy, I just don't know about this tire that we are going to."

Points leader Matt Kenseth qualified sixth. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 17th, and Kurt Busch was 26th in his return from a one-week suspension for verbally abusing a media member.

Ambrose, the Australian who has one win in 133 Cup starts, entered the record books in his No. 9 Ford, but the biggest theme this week hasn't been the drivers, but the track. It was repaved in the offseason and led to Ambrose joining Elliott, Benny Parsons and Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to win a pole at more than 200 mph.

How fast is too fast? Ambrose didn't seem worried.

"We're race car drivers. That's what we do," Ambrose said. "We're going to get on the starting line, we're going to put the pedal to the metal, and we're going to go."

. fast facts

Sprint Cup points

Through 14 of 36 races. The top 10 drivers plus two wild cards (based on wins) through 26 races make the Chase for the Championship.

Driver Pts. Back

Matt Kenseth 523—

D. Earnhardt Jr. 513 10

Greg Biffle 507 16

Denny Hamlin 504 19

Jimmie Johnson 493 30

Kevin Harvick 470 53

Martin Truex 465 58

Tony Stewart 448 75

Clint Bowyer 443 80

Brad Keselowski 426 97

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, June 16, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — When 2B/RF Ben Zobrist struggled the first few months of the season, manager Joe Maddon said one reason was that he was in "maybe mode" at the plate — a little too tentative.

There's no doubt Zobrist has looked, and felt, a lot better recently, entering Saturday with a career high-matching five consecutive multihit games. Zobrist said he's more comfortable, using his hands more in his swing and "seeing all the pitches well."

"He's more committed to the pitch," Maddon said. "He's hitting both fastballs and breaking balls, which is kind of nice to see. I think he's seeing the ball, but primarily, from a technical perspective, I think he's staying through the ball better."

Zobrist said he stayed up late one night during the Yankees series in New York from June 5-7, chatting with his longtime friend and former roommate, INF Drew Sutton, about various hitting aspects and "figured some things out." He then worked with hitting coach Derek Shelton, doing some early drills before the June 7 game. Since the Yankees series, Zobrist has raised his batting average from .199 to .235.

"Those two have been a big help to me," Zobrist said. "And since then, it's been really good."

ON TRACK: Though the results haven't reflected it, RHP Alex Cobb feels good about where he's at heading going into today's start against the Marlins.

Cobb has lost his past three outings but is encouraged with how he has thrown and how his mechanics have aligned. He allowed a career-high six runs against the Mets last week, with five scoring with two outs.

"I thought his last outing might have been the best I've ever seen him physically throw the ball," Maddon said. "He had a lot of strike-throwing with the fastball, good delivery, wasn't missing up and away to the lefties or righties. I was really pleased with that."

What has aggravated Cobb is that five of the 14 runs he has given up the past three starts have come in the seventh inning or later. He said it's a matter of better focus.

"I've got to bear down even more and really get that last out and finish strong," Cobb said. "It's easy to think you're doing it, but maybe you need to put a little more effort into really bearing down."

GO GOMES: Maddon said he thought RHP Brandon Gomes looked better and stronger when he was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Friday. And Maddon said he wasn't surprised to see Gomes strike out three of the four batters he faced in a scoreless ninth against the Marlins.

"What he did last September is indicative more of what he's capable of doing," Maddon said. "We've just got to get him out there. He keeps getting healthier and stronger, he's going to pitch well."

SAM I AM: OF Sam Fuld (right wrist surgery) has hit off a tee the past two days and felt good, saying he's pleasantly surprised with his progress and could start a rehab assignment in early July. Maddon said there's "no finish line" in terms of Fuld's return date.

MEDICAL MATTERS: 3B Evan Longoria (partially torn left hamstring) went 1-for-4 as DH for Durham on Saturday, his first game in a rehab assignment. "One game down, went well!" Longoria tweeted. "Feels good to be back on a baseball field!" INF Jeff Keppinger (broken right toe) was off Saturday due to general soreness after going 1-for-4 with an RBI groundout as DH Friday for the Bulls but is expected to play today.

FOR FIRST: DH/OF Hideki Matsui has been taking ground balls at first base, but Maddon said there are no days off planned for Carlos Peña. Maddon wants to prepare in case he has to make late-game pinch-hitting moves, especially heading into National League parks this week.

GOING FAST: There are about 1,500 tickets left for today's matinee against the Marlins.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

MIAMI — Russell Westbrook leads the NBA Finals with 18 assists, which is a great sign for the Thunder.

He also leads in shot attempts. That might not be a great sign.

Oklahoma City's point guard has fired off 50 shots so far in the Finals, which are tied and resume with Game 3 tonight in Miami. Westbrook's shot total is four more than LeBron James has attempted for the Heat, eight more than three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant has tried for the Thunder and just two fewer than James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha and Derek Fisher have for Oklahoma City combined.

Think Westbrook is apologizing for that? Think again.

"I'm not making no adjustments," he said. "Regardless of what anybody says or regardless of what you guys say about how I play, it doesn't matter. You know, I'm going to play my game regardless of what happens."

When Westbrook takes 25 shots in a game, his average in this series, the Thunder is 7-7 this season, including playoffs. When he takes fewer than 25, the Thunder is 53-16.

"That was the worst point guard in a championship finals I've ever seen," Magic Johnson, Hall of Famer and NBA analyst for ABC, said at halftime during Thursday's Game 2, when the Thunder lost 100-96. "He was too wild, he was taking off-balance shots."

"It's not deserving at all because without him we wouldn't be here at this point, and people don't recognize that," Durant said Saturday when asked about the criticism Westbrook takes. "Everybody thinks he should be a traditional point guard like a (John) Stockton or a Mo Cheeks (now a Thunder assistant coach). There's a lot of people that cannot be like Russ, either. We need him to play the way he plays."

So far against the Heat, his game has been up and down.

Miami has outscored Oklahoma City 56-37 in the two first quarters. Westbrook is shooting 17 percent (2-for-12) in that quarter. In the final three quarters, the Thunder has outscored the Heat by 26. And in those quarters, Westbrook is shooting 47 percent (18-for-38).

"We need Russell to score," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "I know some of you don't like that."

Two games is hardly a fair sample size. But if the trend — slow Westbrook starts feeding into slow Thunder starts — continues, that could be a particularly big problem for Oklahoma City, especially now that the series has shifted to Miami for three games.

If the Heat players had their way, they would probably prefer Westbrook shoot more than Durant. Westbrook is shooting 34 percent in his past seven games against Miami, but the Thunder is 4-3 in those games.

Westbrook plans to keep shooting. "I feel like I'm doing a good job of getting better, getting my team better," Westbrook said. "We're in the NBA Finals now, and the more negative you hear, the better you're doing. That's how I look at it."

South Beach Factor? The theory goes like this: Teams come into Miami, settle into their posh hotel, then hit the open-late club scene on South Beach. They stay out longer than they should, are weary-legged the next day, and the Heat takes advantage.

"It's a great environment, but we're here to play basketball," Brooks said. "There's only 10 days, two weeks left of the season, then there's plenty of time to vacation."

Heat guard Dwyane Wade believes that theory goes out when the stakes go up. "I think maybe during the regular season a team comes here once and will enjoy it, but not during the Finals," he said.

Durant Hot in Miami: Durant tends to play well in Miami. He has averaged 30.3 points in his past three games there, shooting 52 percent. "You can't stop KD; you just don't try to give him easy ones," James said. "You don't want to give him an easy dunk in transition where you didn't get back on defense."

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

College basketball

Peace between knight, IU?

Former Indiana stars want a reconciliation between the school and its former coach, Bobby Knight. But if it happens is unknown.

Knight, 71, won 661 games and three national titles at Indiana. But he was fired in 2000 after a student accused him of grabbing him by the arm. It was the final incident on a long list, including throwing a chair during a game.

"I hope someday (Knight) will be honored at Indiana," said Scott May, part of the 1976 title team that attended a Hoosiers reunion Saturday with Knight at Indianapolis' Marian University. "I think they should name Assembly Hall (in Bloomington) … the Bob Knight Center."

Knight, who didn't take questions at the event, in 2009 declined to attend a ceremony inducting him into the school's Hall of Fame. And he refused $75,000 to settle a lawsuit because it would come from alumni donors.

"It's not going to happen. Or maybe I should say I'd be surprised if it did," said Quinn Buckner, also part of the '76 team, the last to go undefeated. "It's one of those things … we'll just have to live with and some of us may not see."

College football

Pasco standout chooses Gators

Pasco High DL Joey Ivie orally committed to Florida. A four-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, he had eight sacks last season. He also considered Florida State and Miami, among others.

Ohio St.: Starting TE Jake Stoneburner and starting LT Jack Mewhort lost scholarships after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. But coach Urban Meyer said they "will have an opportunity to return to the team … following the summer session."

Soccer

Greeks, Czechs move on at Euros

Greece and the Czech Republic earned quarter­final berths at the European Championship with 1-0 wins over Russia and Poland, respectively. Neither team's opponent has been determined. In Warsaw, Greece's Giorgos Karagounis scored on the final touch of the first half. In Wroclaw, Poland, Petr Jiracek scored in the 72nd minute for the Czechs.

More Euros: UEFA made its first formal charge of racism after reports of Croatian fans making monkey chants at Italy F Mario Balotelli, who is black.

U.S. women win: Abby Wambach's half-volley from 35 yards just eight minutes in, her 136th career goal, helped lead the United States past host Sweden 3-1 in an Olympic tuneup.

Et cetera

Tennis: Roger Federer won the first set in 21 minutes and beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. He faces Tommy Haas, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

Triathlon: The world governing body said it won't change a rule barring those under investigation for doping from competing. That means Lance Armstrong is out indefinitely. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said last week it plans to charge him for doping during his cycling career.

Matt Baker, Times staff writer; Times wires

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

CHICAGO — The Red Sox placed RHP Josh Beckett on the 15-day disabled list because of right shoulder inflammation.

Manager Bobby Valentine said Saturday that the team is "going to take the conservative route."

"He's got some inflammation that we're going to calm down and take the time, whatever time it takes to do it," Valentine said. "We thought in-between starts was enough. He could have gotten an extra day or two, I guess."

Valentine said he didn't think the problem was related to a lat injury that caused Beckett to miss a start in the beginning of May. Beckett also has had a thumb issue all season that Valentine said the club might think about "dealing with" while he's on the DL.

Beckett declined to comment.

Beckett, the one-time ace who is 4-7 with a 4.14 ERA in 12 starts, was scheduled to start today. Valentine announced after Friday's game that LHP Franklin Morales (0-1, 3.04 in 22 relief outings) will start in his place.

Valentine's initial plan was for RHP Clay Buchholz to pitch on short rest in Beckett's place, but Buchholz felt he needed the extra days. He is scheduled to start Tuesday against Miami.

Morales might not have a pitch limit, according to Valentine.

"I think he can pitch more than five (innings)," Valentine said. "We have the off day (Monday) and a stacked bullpen. Whatever he gives us should be enough."

In other Red Sox news, former Rays LF Carl Crawford might be close to beginning a rehab assignment. Crawford, out all season with elbow and wrist injuries, felt no discomfort while playing long toss, the Providence Journal reported.

MANNY RELEASED: Manny Ramirez is a free agent again after he asked the Athletics to release him and the team granted his request late Friday.

Ramirez, who started last season with the Rays before temporarily retiring, signed a minor-league deal with Oakland on Feb. 20 and hit .302 with 14 RBIs in 17 games with Triple-A Sacramento. He served a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy last year but remained in the minors when the ban ended on his 40th birthday on May 30.

HAMILTON BACK HOME: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton was released from the hospital after becoming dehydrated because of an intestinal virus. The former Rays prospect, who spent the night at the hospital, was at home resting and is expected to work out at the ballpark today.

BAY OUT AGAIN: Mets OF Jason Bay is back on the disabled list with his second concussion in two years. Bay, who also missed six weeks this season with a broken rib, went on the seven-day DL for concussions. INF Justin Turner was activated from the 15-day DL.

ANGELS: RHP Jered Weaver, on the DL since May 29 with a lower-back strain, threw 60 pitches in a four-inning simulated game Friday night without pain.

BLUE JAYS: RHP Drew Hutchison went on the 15-day DL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament a day after he left his start after nine pitches.

BRAVES: RHP Brandon Beachy, who left his previous start Friday with soreness in his right elbow, had an apparent setback against the Orioles and was lifted in the fourth inning.

ROCKIES: SS Troy Tulowitzki is scheduled to fly to Philadelphia on Monday to be evaluated for a possible sports hernia. Tulowitzki's injury was described as a left groin strain when he went on the DL at the end of May.

TWINS: C Joe Mauer was held out of the lineup because of a sore hamstring.

YANKEES: 3B Alex Rodriguez got a scheduled day off, though he pinch-hit in the 10th inning.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Tigers 4, Rockies 1

DETROIT — Doug Fister pitched six shutout innings in his return from the disabled list and Miguel Cabrera homered and also scored when the Rockies misplayed his comebacker. In the fifth, pitcher Christian Friedrich knocked down Cabrera's grounder, scrambled to recover then threw wildly. Cabrera scampered to third before catcher Wilin Rosario threw past Jordan Pacheco at third, allowing Cabrera to score.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Reds 4, Mets 1

NEW YORK — Homer Bailey pitched out of trouble for eight innings, Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer and Cincinnati won its fifth straight game. Ryan Ludwick added an RBI single to help the NL Central leaders move a season-best 10 games over .500 at 37-27. Bailey worked out of several early jams and took advantage of the ample dimensions at Citi Field. David Wright hit two of four Mets drives caught within steps of the wall.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Orioles 5, Braves 0

ATLANTA — Former Ray Jason Hammel pitched a one-hitter for his first career shutout, allowing only Jason Heyward's two-out single in the seventh, and Baltimore won its sixth in seven games. There have been five no-hitters in the majors this season, and Hammel made a strong bid to add to the list. He walked Dan Uggla on four pitches to begin the second then retired the next 17 before walking Uggla with two outs in the seventh. Heyward followed with a clean single to leftfield.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Athletics 6, Padres 4

OAKLAND, Calif. — Former Ray Jonny Gomes hit a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning for Oakland. Seth Smith also homered for the Athletics, who have won a season-high five straight. Carlos Quentin homered for San Diego, which has lost two straight since sweeping the Mariners.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Pirates 9, Indians 2

CLEVELAND — A.J. Burnett became the first Pittsburgh pitcher since 1990 to win six straight starts, and Pedro Alvarez homered twice as the Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak. Burnett pitched 62/3 strong innings to extend the best stretch by a Pirates pitcher since Doug Drabek won six in a row during his NL Cy Young Award-winning season. Casey McGehee also homered for Pittsburgh.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

Rangers 8, Astros 3

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nelson Cruz hit a towering three-run homer one pitch after Adrian Beltre's two-run single, and Texas made Justin Grimm a winner in his major-league debut. Rookie Lucas Harrell held the Rangers scoreless until those consecutive one-out pitches in the sixth, right after a botched rundown loaded the bases.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

OMAHA, Neb. — Florida State lost another opener at the College World Series, and coach Mike Martin said no one deserved blame.

He gave all the credit to Arizona, which won 4-3 late Friday night on Johnny Field's RBI double in the top of the 12th inning.

Joey Rickard hit a one-out double into the left-center gap for the Wildcats' first hit off FSU closer Robert Benincasa, who came on in the ninth. Field followed with a double to right-center.

FSU got a runner on in the 12th when Seth Miller was hit by a pitch with one out. He went to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout. But Mathew Troupe struck out Devon Travis to end the game.

The Seminoles (48-16) have lost four consecutive Series openers since 1999 and are 1-6 in extra-inning games overall at the CWS.

"It was just a game that they got back-to-back hits," Martin said. "Benny turns around and gets us out of the (12th) inning. Got a one-run ball game and we got a runner on third. Credit Troupe. He made a couple of good pitches. Unfortunately, that happens every night in our game."

And unfortunately for the Seminoles, they have to go through the losers' bracket to win their first national title. That will be daunting. Only three teams have lost their first game and gone on to win the title.

The first step comes today, when FSU faces Stony Brook in an elimination game. Freshman Mike Compton (11-2, 2.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for FSU.

The Seminoles scored 35 runs in a two-game Super Region sweep of visiting Stanford. But they found runs harder to come by against Arizona.

Only one of FSU's three runs was earned, a third-inning homer by Alonso High graduate Sherman Johnson. And when the 'Noles threatened in extra innings, Arizona shut them down.

Travis was caught stealing second after reaching to start the 10th, and Justin Gonzalez was picked off first in the 11th.

"Great one to win, tough one to lose," Arizona coach Andy Lopez said. "In a game like that — two good programs — it's a shame somebody has to go home a loser."

Benincasa, an Armwood High graduate, had a strong outing. The junior, who led FSU in saves this season with 15, entered in the top of the ninth with no outs and a runner on first, which he stranded, then retired six in a row, striking out the side in the 11th. But he couldn't escape the 12th unscathed. "Benny has just been a workhorse and has given a tremendous lift to our baseball team all season," Martin said.

But the season could end today. Stony Brook, a Division I program for only 12 years, upset five-time champion LSU in the Super Region before losing its series opener to UCLA 9-1.

"You just have to tip your hat to (Arizona)," said DH John Holland, whose two-run double tied it in the sixth. "It was a dogfight, and we're going to come back and be ready to go (today)."

Arkansas' rout spoils Kent State's debut

OMAHA, Neb. — D.J. Baxendale and Brandon Moore combined on a four-hitter to lead Arkansas past Kent State 8-1 Saturday.

The Golden Flashes are in the Series for the first time and are the first team from the Mid-American Conference in it since Eastern Michigan in 1976. They advanced in the region as a No. 3 seed, then won Game 3 of the Super Region at Oregon on a walkoff single.

Kent State didn't get a hit Saturday until two outs in the fifth.

"We've got to make sure that we're not just happy to be here," coach Scott Stricklin said. "We want to compete and get some wins and make a run at it. It's still possible. We're still here."

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

OMAHA, Neb. — Michael Roth turned in another strong College World Series start, Erik Payne's bases-loaded triple scored the go-ahead runs and South Carolina began the last leg of its pursuit of a third straight national title with a 7-3 win over Florida on Saturday.

Payne's triple highlighted a five-run fifth inning that helped the No. 8-seeded Gamecocks (46-17) win their 22nd consecutive NCAA tournament game, including three CWS games in a row over the Gators, whom they met in the championship series last season. South Carolina faces another SEC opponent, Arkansas, on Monday.

The top-seeded Gators (47-19) fell into the losers' bracket and face Kent State in an elimination game at 5 p.m. Monday (ESPN2).

The Gators scored two off Roth in the second. Justin Shafer and Vickash Ramjit, who had four of UF's nine hits, opened the inning with singles. After a failed bunt and a fielder's choice, a two-out double by Preston Tucker, a graduate of Tampa's Plant High, made it 2-0.

South Carolina opened the fifth with a double, single and walk to load the bases against Brian Johnson. Payne then hit a blast to right-center to score three. L.B. Dantzler followed with a double. Greg Larson replaced Johnson and immediately gave up a single to Chase Vergason that scored Dantzler.

The Gamecocks added two runs in the ninth with the help of two errors and two wild pitches.

Roth (8-1) went 6? innings for the Gamecocks, allowing three runs and seven hits.

FSU goes with another freshman pitcher

Florida State has relied on its freshman pitchers all season. Facing elimination today, that won't change.

The Seminoles (48-16), in the losers' bracket after Friday's 4-3 12-inning loss to Arizona, go with Mike Compton today against Stony Brook.

Compton started Game 2 of the Super Region against Stanford on June 10. Despite being given a 6-1 lead, he lasted only four innings, allowing two runs and 11 hits.

But Compton, 11-2 with a 2.86 ERA, said he hopes being an observer Friday, when fellow freshman Brandon Leibrandt lasted 4? innings, helps.

"It was a little bit of an advantage to see how everybody reacted to all the fans because it is a big stage out there," Compton said. "You just have to calm the nerves and treat it like any other baseball game."

Stony Brook, a Division I program for only 12 years, won its region tournament as a No. 4 seed, then upset LSU in the Super Region. It lost its Series opener to UCLA 9-1. The Seawolves (52-14) have not lost consecutive games since March 25. They will start sophomore Brandon McNitt (8-3, 2.50 ERA).

Arkansas 8, Kent St. 1: D.J. Baxendale and Brandon Moore combined on a four-hitter as Arkansas spoiled Kent State's Series debut Saturday. The Golden Flashes didn't get a hit until two outs in the fifth.

Times wires
Saturday, June 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — Mark Teixeira hit a two-run double to the rightfield corner in the 14th inning Saturday as the Yankees won their eighth straight game, beating the Nationals 5-3.

New York outfielder Dewayne Wise said it felt as if the game "was going to go 25 innings. I was looking at the bullpen thinking I may have to come in and throw an inning or two."

Jayson Nix led off the 14th with an infield hit then stole second and advanced on Derek Jeter's single to left, which made the Yankees 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

After Curtis Granderson struck out, Teixeira got the Yankees up to 2-for-16 with the double off Brad Lidge.

"Find a way to get it done, and that's what our guys did," New York manager Joe Girardi said.

Nationals rookie Bryce Harper went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts.