By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 2, 2012

. Up next

Yankees

Today-Wednesday

What's new: The Yankees have been atop the AL East since mid June but are 19-23 since July 18, with injuries seemingly catching up to them. 3B Alex Rodriguez has been on the DL since late July (he may return this week), 1B Mark Teixeira is out with a calf strain, and OF Curtis Granderson is questionable with a hamstring issue. But they lead the majors in homers, have patched together a solid bullpen without Mariano Rivera and are getting a great season from Derek Jeter, who leads the majors in hits.

Key stat: The Yankees have made the postseason the past 15 times they were in first place on Sept. 1 and have finished first in 39 of the 43 seasons when they led the division on Labor Day.

Connections: Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild was the first Tampa Bay manager. RHP Rafael Soriano is a former Ray; RHP Cory Wade played at Triple-A Durham. Rays RHP Kyle Farnsworth and C Jose Molina wore pinstripes.

Series history: Rays lead 7-5 this season, 5-1 at the Trop; Yankees lead 155-95 overall, 70-56 at the Trop.

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

NEW YORK — The Orioles quickly fell behind, had their starting pitcher leave with an injury after three innings and looked lost against Phil Hughes.

It didn't matter.

Mark Reynolds had his second two-homer game of the series, and Baltimore pulled within two games of the American League East-leading Yankees with an 8-3 victory Sunday.

"You look at a lot of young guys in here; they don't even know they're in the middle of a playoff race, probably," Reynolds said. "Everyone in here's having fun, going out and playing hard."

Randy Wolf made his first Orioles appearance when starter Chris Tillman left with right elbow stiffness and pitched 31/3 effective innings.

Reynolds homered twice in Friday's victory, then got the Orioles on the scoreboard Sunday with a mammoth drive leading off the fifth inning. His three-run homer in the sixth finished Hughes and put Baltimore ahead 5-3.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Rangers 8, Indians 3

CLEVELAND — Touted prospect Jurickson Profar hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat and doubled the next time up to lead Texas. "I guess it's a pretty big thing," said Profar, 19, his hair and neck covered in shaving cream from a celebratory "pie" administered by teammate Elvis Andrus. "I was just a little bit nervous, but I'm with a lot of great players, so I just went out and played."

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Royals 6, Twins 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tony Abreu drove in three runs to help Kansas City avoid a three-game sweep. Abreu matched his career high for RBIs, set on Sept. 18, 2007, with the Diamondbacks at Colorado, and may be earning more playing time. "He's got some clutch hits," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He had some great at-bats, really was huge offensively for us."

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Mets 5, Marlins 1

MIAMI — Jason Bay hit his fifth career grand slam in a five-run first inning, and New York earned a three-game sweep. Bay, in the third year of a guaranteed four-year, $66 million contract, has been reduced to a platoon player. "I'm not out there trying to impress anybody or fake anything," he said. "It's obviously been a very trying time, and I take a lot of pride trying to be the same guy every day."

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Nationals 4, Cardinals 3

WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg pitched six shutout innings and struck out nine, giving him a league-high 195, to lead Washington. The National League East-leading Nats took three of four from St. Louis and passed their 80-win total from last season.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Reds 5, Astros 3

HOUSTON — Jay Bruce's three-run homer keyed a five-run eighth inning as National League Central-leading Cincinnati rallied. Bruce, who is from nearby Beaumont, Texas, has three homers and 10 RBIs in nine games in Houston this season.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Mariners 2, Angels 1

SEATTLE — Jesus Montero homered off Jered Weaver, his fourth in nine career at-bats against the Los Angeles ace, and Hisashi Iwakuma pitched 71/3 scoreless innings to lead Seattle. Montero homered to leftfield in the fourth. Only Yankees teammates Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez have more home runs (five) against Weaver, but they've needed 25 and 24 at-bats, respectively, to do it. Seattle's Carlos Peguero also homered.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Athletics 6, Red Sox 2

OAKLAND, Calif. — Seth Smith hit a two-run homer, Stephen Drew hit a solo shot for his first clout since joining Oakland and the Athletics won their season-best ninth straight game. The American League wild-card leaders outscored Boston 33-5 in the three-game sweep and tied the Yankees for the league's second-best record behind the Rangers. The Red Sox are 0-6 on a nine-game road trip.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Brewers 12, Pirates 8

MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun hit his National League-leading 37th homer, pitcher Yovani Gallardo also connected and Milwaukee tied a season high with five homers. Pittsburgh lost its 10th in 13 games.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Giants 7, Cubs 5

CHICAGO — Angel Pagan hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning, and National League West-leading San Francisco took advantage of Cubs closer Carlos Marmol's wildness to rally. The Giants finished a 5-1 road trip through Houston and Chicago, the worst teams in the NL Central.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Rockies 11, Padres 10

DENVER — Chris Nelson hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Colorado overcame Chase Headley's career-best six RBIs.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4

LOS ANGELES — Adrian Gonzalez doubled in two runs in the ninth inning, helping Los Angeles gain a series split. Gonzalez lined J.J. Putz's 0-and-2 pitch into the rightfield corner to drive in Mark Ellis and Shane Victorino. Matt Kemp tossed a container of water on Gonzalez during a postgame interview.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Rays vs. Yankees

When/where: 1:10 today; Tropicana Field

TV/radio: Sun Sports; 620-AM, 680-AM (Spanish)

Tickets: $17-$275, available at Tropicana Field box office, Ticketmaster, raysbaseball.com, team Tampa store; $3 surcharge within five hours of game time.

Promotion: Zim Bear to first 10,000 fans (gates open at 11:40 a.m.)

Probable pitchers

Rays: RH James Shields (12-8, 3.91)

YANKEES: LH CC Sabathia (13-4, 3.40)

On Shields: Hard-luck loser at Texas on Tuesday, allowing one run in seven innings; 4-1, 2.01 over past six starts. Is 6-13, 4.58 in 24 starts vs. Yankees, including 4-1, 2.94 over his past seven at the Trop.

On Sabathia: Is 1-1, 1.88 in two starts since latest DL stint. Has won only three of 16 starts vs. Rays since joining Yankees in 2009 (3-7, 3.56). Was 7-1, 2.44 in 11 starts vs. Rays as an Indian.

Key matchups

Rays VS. SABATHIA

Jeff Keppinger 9-for-21

Evan Longoria 13-for-33, 5 HRs

B.J. Upton 14-for-51, 2 HRs

yankees vs. shields

Robinson Cano 29-for-68, 4 HRs

Derek Jeter 24-for-79, HR

Nick Swisher 8-for-41, 3 HRs

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

Stat of the day

8

Majors-leading assists from centerfield by B.J. Upton

Oh, Canada

Two sections of the Rogers Centre were filled with Expos fans — part of a group called ExposNation, which hopes to bring baseball back to Montreal — and they showed not only their colors but their feelings, cheering for two of their alumni, Rays coaches Tom Foley and Dave Martinez. "It was nice to see them out there," Martinez said.

Oh, my

New OF Ben Francisco introduced himself pretty well with a home run and a double Sunday. But he might not have gotten such a warm welcome if his hard foul ball in the fourth had done more than clip Evan Longoria's foot. Longoria, showing no limits from his hamstring injury, jumped nimbly out of the way. "I'm thankful it didn't hit me too hard," he said.

AL East

Team W L Pct. GB

New York 76 57 .571—

Baltimore 74 59 .556 2

Tampa Bay 73 61 .545 31/2

Boston 62 73 .459 15

Toronto 60 73 .451 16

AL race for wild cards

Team W L Pct. GB

Oakland 76 57 .571—

Baltimore 74 59 .556—

Tampa Bay 73 61 .545 11/2

Detroit 72 61 .541 2

Chicago 72 61 .541 2

Top two wild cards make postseason; GB is games behind second wild card

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — As quarterback Greg McElroy conducted an interview after the Jets' exhibition finale Thursday, Mark Sanchez plotted the prank.

Sanchez motioned to the teammate standing between them to pass an orange wedge. He crept behind McElroy and shoved the fruit down the back of his shirt. As McElroy squirmed, Sanchez fist-bumped his co-conspirator, Tim Tebow.

That snapshot of Sanchez and Tebow — pulling a practical joke, laughing, enjoying each other's company — should be remembered later in the season. It will be a predictor of their bonhomie in handling a delicate predicament, or proof that such camaraderie once existed.

The Jets acquired Tebow from Denver on March 21, placing him in a situation that, generally speaking, neither quarterback probably preferred. For Tebow, who two months earlier guided the Broncos to a division title and a first-round playoff win, the trade was a demotion. For Sanchez, who two weeks earlier agreed to a five-year contract, it was a threat to his primacy.

The Jets' intention for Tebow remains a secret. "There's going to be some version of something," offensive coordinator Tony Sparano said. But Sparano intends to eliminate guessing, and perhaps minimize anxiety, by communicating to Sanchez and Tebow their roles leading up to every game, starting with Sunday's opener against Buffalo.

How the quarterbacks handle those responsibilities, and the scrutiny that is certain to intensify, could decide the Jets' season.

Sanchez and Tebow have spent the past five months building a friendship — in meeting rooms, on the practice field, over meals. Guard Brandon Moore, like many players, said he wondered how the dynamic between the two alpha personalities would evolve. He thought they were getting along rather well, "probably more so than people thought."

"We have definitely gotten closer through this process," Tebow said, smiling.

Tebow said he set out to earn his teammates' respect by always working as hard as he could. Even when McElroy tried to play a joke on Tebow during a film session, cueing video of McElroy's Crimson Tide defeating Tebow's Gators for the 2009 SEC championship, Tebow proceeded to watch the rest of the game, giving a detailed critique of his and his teammates' performance.

"You can't lead anyone unless you know where you're going," Tebow said, "and you can't lead anyone unless you've earned their respect. If they don't respect you, they're not going to follow you."

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

NORTON, Mass. — Louis Oosthuizen knows what it's like to hit every shot right where he's aiming and to stand over every putt believing it will go in. He once shot 57 on his home course at Mossel Bay in South Africa; he wears the number on the left sleeve of his shirt.

For about two hours Sunday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, he had that feeling.

Oosthuizen ran off seven straight birdies, a streak that began after he nearly three-putted from 5 feet. He shot 29 on the front nine of TPC Boston. He didn't miss a green until the 17th hole. That's all it took to race by Rory McIlroy and seize control going into today's finish.

Oosthuizen had 8-under 63, establishing tournament records for consecutive birdies, low front nine and a 54-hole score of 19-under 194.

"Probably the start anyone would dream of on that front nine," Oosthuizen said. "I made everything, so you get those days where you just look at a putt and you hole it. That was my first nine holes."

McIlroy, trying to match Tiger Woods with his third PGA Tour win this year, did well just to stay three shots behind.

"You think going out with a one-shot lead and shooting 67 that you … might still be in the lead going into the last day," McIlroy said. "But Louis put on a display out there for a few holes, reeling off seven birdies in a row. It was great to watch."

Woods (68) was tied with Dustin Johnson (65) in third at 13 under in the FedEx Cup playoff event.

TWITTER BLUNDER: Luke Donald apologized for criticizing TPC Boston course architect Gil Hanse on Twitter in a posting that was meant to be private. Donald on Saturday made bogey on the par-5 18th hole, where Hanse reconfigured the green to make it smaller and feature severe slopes off the edges. Donald thought he was sending a direct message after the round, but the tweet went public. Within minutes, Donald realized his mistake and deleted the tweet. He also apologized.

PGA EUROPE: Richie Ramsay shot 5-under 66 to win the European Masters in Crans-Sur-Sierre, Switzerland, by four strokes at 16-under 267. Four tied for second.

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 2, 2012

TAMPA — Bucs receiver Sammie Stroughter caught the ball and turned up the field, needing 12 yards for a first down, and he appeared to gain exactly that many.

But wait: A dispute about the spot of the ball prompted the replay assistant to call for a review. Referee Jim Core trudged to the booth to take a gander and decided the mark was correct, sort of.

After announcing as much and allowing the Bucs and Redskins to prepare for the next snap, Core blew his whistle and said: "We'll look at it one more time."

At what? And why? The call ultimately stood.

That scenario in Wednesday's preseason finale at Washington was comical and put a brighter spotlight on the NFL's labor dispute with its locked-out game officials. Through the preseason, replacements from varying backgrounds with varying levels of experience have been used. And when negotiations between the league and the officials union Friday and Saturday failed to result in a resolution, it became a near certainty that replacements will remain for Week 1 of the regular season, which begins with Wednesday's opener between the Cowboys and Giants.

Typically, officials are the part of the game fans most take for granted. The less they are noticed, the more satisfactory their performances likely are.

To the men most affected by the dispute, the issues are secondary. All they know is they're paying much too much attention to officials lately.

"Oh, you notice," Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said. "That (replay issue) is something I've never seen. Some of them seem a little nervous, tentative. Most of them are college (officials). Some of them are retired guys. They are out of practice, I think.

"It's not like they're incompetent. But they're just not used to officiating on this level, which is very different."

Guard Carl Nicks was appalled by Wednesday's scenario.

"Come on, man!" he said. "You can't mess up on little things, like resetting the clock and things like that."

The league and the officials union continue to jostle over issues including pension plans, which the union says the league wants to terminate. The league wants to implement what it says is a fair 401(k) plan instead. Salary is an issue, too, as is a proposal by the league to add officials. The latter will result in less work for current officials, who are paid per game, the union says.

Mike Arnold, lead negotiator for the NFL Referees Association, said talks broke down Saturday and no new ones are scheduled. He said he expects replacements to be on the field this week.

Among the challenges the replacements will continue to face is adjusting to the pro game. Most come from the college ranks — generally, not major college football — and that concerns players.

"The rules about getting (a receiver's) feet down, ball (possession), all those kinds of things are different," Barber said.

Bucs backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky said: "You definitely have to be concerned about the experience level. … It's just the speed with which things happen in the NFL. I think the officials that normally do our games do a pretty good job. It's kind of like in basketball; they let guys play. … And they really understand situations."

The league's recent emphasis on player safety, and the many complicated rules employed to ensure it, are going to be a problem for replacements, too.

"We do feel we are an integral part of (player safety)," Arnold told the Associated Press. "We think it is unfortunate, and we really don't understand why the league is willing to risk player safety and the integrity of the game by utilizing amateur officials."

The scrutiny of the replacements will heighten with the regular season beginning. Games generally are decided by slim margins, and officials often are called upon to make game-changing calls.

"A big penalty that has a big swing in yards, like a pass-interference call — one that should have gotten called or shouldn't have been called — stuff like that is crucial when you're talking about the end of a game," Nicks said. "I just hope they get it worked out."

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@tampabay.com. Follow him on Twitter at @HolderStephen. The Times' Bucs Beat blog is at tampabay.com/blogs/bucs.

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

JACKSONVILLE — Maurice Jones-Drew remains as passionate as ever about his value.

So when the Jaguars running back ended his 38-day holdout Sunday without a new contract, he had no apologies, no regrets and no concerns about his standing with the franchise.

"I'm in a good place," he said. "I did something I felt was right. … I'm not going to feel wrong for what I did at all. And that's why I can come back and not have a negative attitude. I think if you regret things, you're going to come back salty, be a distraction, things like that."

Jones-Drew arrived at the team facility, chatted with teammates and then had a talk with coach Mike Mularkey. Jones-Drew, who missed the preseason, considered missing games and paychecks.

"It really wasn't about budging," said Jones-Drew, who later took a conditioning test. "For me, it got to the point where I wasn't going to be traded. Obviously, they weren't going to pay me."

Mularkey can fine Jones-Drew up to $30,000 a day for the time missed, plus $60,000 for a three-day mandatory minicamp in June, meaning the total tab could be $1.2 million. Jones-Drew declined to say what was discussed regarding a fine.

Jones-Drew is scheduled to make $4.45 million this year and $4.95 million next year. He wanted to renegotiate the final two years of a five-year, $31 million deal that paid him nearly $22 million the past three seasons. Owner Shad Khan and GM Gene Smith refused, not wanting to set a precedent of paying players in the middle of lucrative deals.

Seahawks release Winslow: Ex-Buc Kellen Winslow was let go after he declined to take a pay cut from the $3.3 million he was scheduled to earn, the Seattle Times reported.

Patriots stash Demps: Former Gator and Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps, who signed with New England over Tampa Bay, was put on injured reserve and will not play this season even though an MRI exam showed his leg injury is not serious, the Boston Herald reported. Coach Bill Belichick said Demps will not get the short-term IR label that allows teams to bring one player back during the season.

Cowboys: Tight end Jason Witten will have a CT scan to determine if his cut spleen is healed and won't know until Tuesday if he will be cleared to play Wednesday against the Giants in the league's season opener.

Giants: Receiver Hakeem Nicks was sore and did not practice, but he expects to play against the Cowboys on Wednesday.

Panthers: Receiver Steve Smith (foot infection) and linebacker Jon Beason (hamstring) practiced and could play against the Bucs in their opener Sunday. Running back Jonathan Stewart (sprained ankle) is limited to pool workouts for now.

Saints: Former USF cornerback Jerome Murphy, released by the Rams, was picked up by the Saints, Profootballtalk.com reported.

By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, September 2, 2012

tom jones' two cents

Tampa Bay Times staff writer Tom Jones looks back at the best and worst from a weekend of televised sports.

Toughest coverage

CBS's Sunday coverage of the U.S. Open mostly featured Andy Roddick and his victory over Fabio Fognini. But it emphasized what a weird spot CBS is in with Roddick announcing last week that he is planning to retire after the Open. Roddick is one of the game's most popular players over the past 15 years, and CBS has to find the balance of covering his matches but somehow giving viewers a retrospective of his career.

It's highly unlikely Roddick will win the tournament. In fact, every victory from here on out is an accomplishment for Roddick. Any match could be his last, but sometimes the outcome won't be obvious until minutes before it's over.

CBS was thrown a curve because Roddick's announcement was so sudden and unexpected, but he has stuck around the Open long enough now that CBS should have a proper goodbye ready when he is eliminated.

Three things that popped into my head

1. Can someone explain to me why Southern Cal quarterback Matt Barkley was still in the game with a 32-point lead in the fourth quarter against Hawaii and why the Trojans went for it on fourth-and-3 and threw a touchdown pass on the play? Oh, wait, never mind. I have the explanation, and it has nothing to do with Barkley's Heisman hopes or national title plans. Coach Lane Kiffin never has had, and never will have, any class.

2. The real reason Urban Meyer wanted to leave Florida? Maybe it has something to do with coach Nick Saban and Alabama. That program is so good that anybody would run as far away from that guy as they could.

3. Saddest news of the weekend: The passing of lyricist Hal David, who co-wrote dozens of classic hits, including Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By and a song called What's New Pussycat made famous by the other Tom Jones.

Coolest story

Nice work by Sun Sports' Todd Kalas for his short in-game piece Sunday on Montreal baseball fans who traveled to Toronto to watch the Rays take on the Blue Jays. The fans still honor the old Montreal Expos, who moved to Washington to become the Nationals in 2005.

What made the feature so good was that Sun Sports aired taped interviews with Rays coaches Tom Foley and Dave Martinez, both of whom played for the Expos.

The piece made you wish the Expos still existed.

Best feature

The top feature of the weekend goes to ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski for his profile of new Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer. Wojciechowski had insightful interviews with Meyer and his family, including his wife and daughter.

Wojciechowski did a splendid job telling the story of Meyer's decision to quit as coach of the Gators and an emotional family dinner during which his daughter confronted him for being disconnected from them.

We also learned how Meyer to this day regrets leaving Florida and how he returned to Ohio State only after signing a contract with his family about being a better husband and father while coaching.

Smartest comment

Everyone knew Penn State was going to have an emotional day Saturday, but few knew how the emotions would affect the players in their game against Ohio.

Count ESPN College GameDay analyst Lee Corso as one of those who had a pretty good clue.

"I think that strain will make Ohio University look like Ohio State," Corso said.

Corso was right. Ohio beat Penn State 24-14.

Most ignored

Fox's big college football package kicked off Saturday night, and I have one question: Did anyone see it? Fox's national game featured the No. 1 team in the country, Southern Cal. But the Trojans' ho-hum game against Hawaii started a half-hour before the biggest game of the weekend, No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 8 Michigan on ABC.

And this is the problem Fox is going to run into most Saturdays: The game it shows is not going to be as intriguing as ABC's Saturday night game. Fox's best hope is that the ABC game turns into a blowout early and folks flip over to a much closer game on Fox.

Meantime, you have to wonder if Erin Andrews, the host of Fox's studio show, made the right call to leave ESPN. Surely a lot of factors were involved in her decision to leave ESPN, but if her goal was to get more exposure on Fox, I don't see that happening, particularly if she is banking on Fox's college football programming to provide it .

The problem with Fox's pregame show is that it airs in the early evening when a slew of games are being televised. For example, when Fox's studio show went on the air around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, more than a half-dozen games were on. Why watch a pregame show about a game that hasn't started when you can watch an actual game?

Best coverage

For all the criticism — some of it fair, some of it not — ESPN takes for being a self-promoting network more interested in the bottom line than doing a proper job, there are times the network's work is so solid that it deserves the highest of praise. There are times when ESPN truly is TV's "World Wide Leader of Sports," a self-proclaimed title that the rest of us must acknowledge as true.

Such a time came this weekend.

After doing mediocre work when the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal broke in November, ESPN has since set out to own the story, and it did so as the Nittany Lions returned to the field Saturday.

Reporter Tom Rinaldi showed that substance really does mean more than style. He proved that he has put in long hours gaining the trust of not only Penn State's new football leaders, such as coach Bill O'Brien, but Penn State's old leaders, such as Joe Paterno's son, Jay, an assistant on his late father's staff.

Rinaldi was able to get riveting on-air interviews with O'Brien and several players, but he did his finest work by spending time with the Paterno family during halftime of the Penn State-Ohio game. Although Jay Paterno was not interviewed on the air, Rinaldi relayed some of the things Paterno told Rinaldi on a day unlike any other in Penn State or college football history.

In the end, ESPN — starting early last week on SportsCenter to Saturday morning's College GameDay to Saturday afternoon's game coverage to the evening's postgame — fully captured the emotional, controversial and incredibly captivating day, and it did so with respect, humanity and, most of all, professionalism.

Most ignored

Fox's big college football package kicked off Saturday night, and I have one question: Did anyone see it? Fox's national game featured the No. 1 team in the country, Southern Cal. But the Trojans' ho-hum game against Hawaii started a half-hour before the biggest game of the weekend, No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 8 Michigan on ABC.

And this is the problem Fox is going to run into most Saturdays: The game it shows is not going to be as intriguing as ABC's Saturday night game. Fox's best hope is that the ABC game turns into a blowout early and folks flip over to a much closer game on Fox.

Meantime, you have to wonder if Erin Andrews, above, the host of Fox's studio show, made the right call to leave ESPN. Surely a lot of factors were involved in her decision to leave ESPN, but if her goal was to get more exposure on Fox, I don't see that happening, particularly if she is banking on Fox's college football programming to provide it.

The problem with Fox's pregame show is that it airs in the early evening when a slew of games are being televised. For example, when Fox's studio show went on the air around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, more than a half-dozen games were on. Why watch a pregame show about a game that hasn't started when you can watch an actual game?

Times wires
Sunday, September 2, 2012

Braves 8, Phillies 7

ATLANTA — Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer off Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the ninth inning, capping Atlanta's five-run rally. Philadelphia led 7-3 entering the ninth and seemed set to complete a three-game sweep. Instead, the Braves boosted their wild-card position.