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Wings bounce P

Pens remain upbeat,

BY SEAN DEVENEY [email protected]

They won a league-best 66games, they set a franchiserecord with a 39-2 homemark and they posted con-secutive sweeps in the firsttwo rounds of the playoffs.But despite that, for the Cav-aliers, 2008-09 ended in bit-ter disappointment with aloss to Orlando, which closedout Cleveland in six gamesafter a 103-90 win Saturday.

As power forward Joe Smithtold SN Today just before thestart of the conference finals,This is all about a champi-onship. Anything short of that, its a failure for us.

It certainly wasnt sup-posed to be a failure. Formuch of the second half of the season, Cleveland seemeddestined for the Finals. Now,

as LeBron James stands justone year away from freeagency in the summer of 2010and speculation in theNew York papers is onceagain heating upgeneralmanager Danny Ferry and

his front office team will beunder pressure to ensure thatthis disappointment does notrepeat itself.

There will be plenty of time to reflect for us, and totalk about the future, coachMike Brown said after Satur-days loss. Those talks willneed to address the deficien-cies that become clear over

the course of the Magicseries and it may take dras-tic measures to patch them.

When the Cavaliers topperimeter shooters went coldfrom the outside vs. Orlando,Cleveland was doubly hurt because it has no interiorscorers. The solution might be radicalrevive trade talkswith Phoenix for center Sha-quille ONeal.

The Cavs did a nice jobgathering shooters around James. But only James can get

to the rim, which means whenshots arent falling, Jamesrepeatedly drives the painthimself. That wore him out.The Cavs could throw themidlevel exception to a youngscoring guard (MilwaukeesRamon Sessions, for example).

Reserves Daniel Gibson,Wally Szczerbiak, SashaPavlovicthey had decent

regular seasons, but MikeBrown did not know whomto trust in playoff situations.Economy-minded teams will

be selling off draft picks thisyear. To build its bench,Cleveland should buy up apick or two.

NBA PLAYOFFS

Vital offseason begins for CavsPlayoff failure raises big issues

JOHNRAOUX/AP

Dwight Howard (12) proved to be too much for LeBron James and the Cavs.

Look out, Lakers After a breakout series

against the Cavs, DwightHoward sets his sights onL.A. and a title. Page 5

N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5

TONYDEJAK/AP

CC Sabathia carried a no-hitter intothe 5th inning in his first start inCleveland since last Julys trade.Page 15

Drive for 25

Texas beats Boston Collegein 25 innings in NCAA

baseball regionals Page 31

SUNDAYMAY 31, 2009

SEE A DIFFERENT GAMEVOLUME 1 ISSUE 313

Scoreboard

NHLStanley Cup finalsDetroit 3, Pittsburgh 1(Detroit leads series 1-0)

NBAEastern Conference finalsOrlando 103, Cleveland 90(Orlando wins series 4-2)

BaseballAmerican LeagueToronto 5, Boston 3Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 2Detroit 6, Baltimore 3N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City 3Texas 14, Oakland 1Seattle 4, L.A. Angels 3, 10 innings

National LeagueFlorida 7, N.Y. Mets 3Arizona 3, Atlanta 2, 11 inningsChicago Cubs 7, L.A. Dodgers 0Milwaukee 9, Cincinnati 5Pittsburgh 7, Houston 4Philadelphia 9, Washington 6Colorado 8, San Diego 7St. Louis 6, San Francisco 2

MLB>12 NFL>25 NBA >5 NHL>9 NASCAR>23 COLLEGE FOOTBALL>27 COLLEGE BASKETBALL>27 RECRUITING>4QUICK LINKS:

F

Johan Franzen, left, had tgo-ahead goal for Detroit

DETROITLike last year, beat Pittsburgh in Game 1 oStanley Cup finals, althoughvictory hardly had last yearRed Wings dominance. Debiggest weapons were the li

end boards, which producedbounces that led to two goalHere are the

other three starsof Game 1:

Chris Osgood,G, Red Wings: Osgood made aseries of crucialsaves duringa second period in which thePenguins outplayed the Redbut never took the lead. His Evgeni Malkins breakawayturning point in the game.

Justin Abdelkader, F, Abdelkader scored his first NHL goal in the third periodwas a back-breaker. So wherthis goal rank for him? I thright up there, he said.

Henrik Zetterberg, F, ReZetterberg was constantly on against Sidney Crosby and hehold the Pittsburgh star to two

C

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Red Wings 3, Pengui

GAPittsat D8 toTV:
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Tune In TodayA quick look at the best sports on TV

all times Eastern

OFF THE FIELD

BASEBALL

Dodgers at Cubs8 p.m., ESPN

Anyone else surprised how well the Dodgershave continued to play in the absence of MannyRamirez? Especially impressive is the way Joe Torres team has played on the roadwinningseries against the Phillies, Marlins and Rockieswithout their star left fielder. The Dodgers canonly hope for a split with the Cubs by winningtonight at Wrigley Field. Los Angeles Eric Miltonfaces Chicagos Sean Marshall in a battle of lefties.

NASCAR

Autism Speaks 4001:30 p.m., FOX

The big question heading into todays raceis how Dale Earnhardt Jr. will do with a newcrew chief. While interim chief Lance McGrewwont be in that role until next weekend atPocono, well see if Brian Whitesell helps Juniorscause any. Earnhardt Jr. is 203 points behindthe final Chase-eligible position currently heldby teammate Mark Martin, and there are sixdrivers between he and Martin to navigate, too.Battling for a Chase spot will be an extremeuphill race.

GOLF

Crowne PlazaInvitational

3 p.m., CBS Tim Clark has six second-place finishes on

the PGA Tour, but he doesnt have a victory. Hisfirst could come today at Colonial, where he hasa two-shot lead over three other competitorsheading into todays final round. His playingpartner will be Steve Marino, who shot an8-under 62 to vault into contention. SteveStricker and Jason Day are the other two golferstwo shots back, while Vijay Singh is alone infifth.

Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE

AUTO RACING

1:30 p.m.FOX NASCAR,Sprint Cup,Autism Speaks400, at Dover,Del.3:30 p.m.ABC IRL, AJFoyt 225, atMilwaukee

4 p.m.ESPN2 NHRA,SummerNationals, finaleliminations,at Topeka, Kan.(same-day tape)

COLLEGE

SOFTBALL

1 p.m.ESPN NCAADivision I, WorldSeries, Games11 & 12 atOklahoma City7 p.m.ESPN2 NCAA

Division I, WorldSeries, Games13 & 14, atOklahoma City(if necessary)

GOLF

10 a.m.TGCEuropean PGA Tour, EuropeanOpen, finalround, at Kent,England3 p.m.CBS PGA Tour, CrownePlazaInvitational,final round,at Fort Worth, Texas7 p.m.TGCChampions Tour, PrincipalCharity Classic,final round,at West DesMoines, Iowa(same-day tape)

MAJOR LEAGUE

BASEBALL

12:30 p.m.TBS N.Y.Yankees atCleveland2 p.m.WGN ChicagoWhite Sox atKansas City8 p.m.

ESPN L.A.Dodgers atChicago Cubs

MOTORSPORTS

3 p.m.SPEEDMotoGP 250,Italian GrandPrix, at Mugello,Italy (same-daytape)4 p.m.SPEEDMotoGP WorldChampionship,Italian GrandPrix, at Mugello,Italy (same-daytape)5 p.m.SPEED FIMWorldSuperbike, atSalt Lake City(same-day tape)

NHL

8 p.m.NBC Playoffs,Stanley Cupfinals, Game 2,Pittsburgh atDetroit

TENNIS

3 p.m.NBC FrenchOpen, earlyround, at Paris(same-day tape)

Union wants support of retired NFL playersThe NFL Players Association wants

the support of various groups of retiredplayers in its upcoming contract talkswith the league.

I dont represent active players. I dontrepresent retired players. I represent allNFL players. We are one team, DeMauriceSmith, the unions new executive director,said Saturday at a meeting of the NFLPARetired Players Organization.

Smith is trying to get the retiree groups

behind the union in negotiations toextend the contract that expires after the2010 season. Talks start Wednesday,although both sides concede little will bedone then.

Groups of retired playerssuch asNFL Alumni, Gridiron Greats andFourth and Goalwere critical of for-mer union chief Gene Upshawand oftenclashed with him over benefits and othermatters.

Quick hitsThe Spirit of Detroit statue in down-

town Detroit has been decked out in anoversized Red Wings jersey.

A crew put the jersey on the 26-foot-tall bronze statue Saturday ahead of Game 1of the Stanley Cup finals. The statue inthe past has been draped in oversized jer-seys of the Detroit Tigers, Pistons andRed Wings in honor of the teams cham-pionship runs.

The Newark Bears decided to replace Jim Leyritzwith former Yankee outfielderRoy Whiteas part of their Legends Sundaypromotion, The Star-Ledger reported. Theteam originally had planned to have Ley-ritz sign autographs as part of the weeklyevent to attract fans. Leyritz is facing DUImanslaughter charges in Florida stem-ming from a Dec. 2007 accident.

Compiled by Benson Taylor, with wire reports

CARLOSOSORIO/APThe Spirit of Detroit statue is donning a Red Wings jersey for the first time since 2002.

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009 2See a Different Game

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009My Profile

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Garry Petersis trying his best not to let it get out that hehas Alabama as a solid favorite. Good luck.

You see, Peters is a native of Conyers, Ga., smack in

the middle of Georgias recruiting turf. Of course, theBulldogs havent offered a scholar-ship yet, but they have been check-ing out the 6-foot, 175-pounddefensive back.

Peters said he hasnt been brag-ging about his infatuation withAlabama, at least not locally. How-ever, word managed to leak.

In fact, an opposing collegescoach, who the player didnt want

to reveal, even playfully referred to Peters as GarrySaban recentlyobviously pointed at Alabama coachNick Saban, who Peters likes.

I havent made a decision yet, but I have a top school

right nowAlabama, Peters told Sporting News Today .I just feel like thats a place where its close to home,has good academics, and I feel like thats the bestchance to win the national championship one day.Thats the ultimate goal.

Peters, who is on the Sporting News Top 100 list forthe class of 2010, said hell definitely take all of hisofficial visits before making a decision. He told SN thattaking visits is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Alabama will get an official visit, and he said helllikely visit Clemson, too. He said Georgia is so close,and hes been there so many times, he may not take anofficial visit to see the Bulldogs. Auburn, Florida State,North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Okla-homa State also have offered scholarships.

Peters said he was thrilled to be named part of theinaugural SN100.(Alabama QB commitment and fellow SN100 mem-

ber) Phillip Simstold me first, and I didnt believe him,Peters told SN Today . I got the e-mail and I went crazy.I was thinking, This isnt just for Georgia or the South-east, this is the entire USA. I showed it to all my family,and my girlfriend. Its a blessing. Its ridiculous.

Union (Tulsa, Okla.) WR James Robersonhas com-mitted to Tulsa, Rivals.com reported. The 6-3,

185-pounder also had received interest from Arkan-sas, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, but

Tulsa was his lone scholarship offer.Due to injuries, Roberson only played two games asa junior.

(Tulsa was) the best place for me, Roberson toldRivals.com. With all my injuries this year, theyvestuck by me and let me know I still have a spot there ...It wasnt easy for me to accept the fact that I lost myentire junior year to injuries, which scared off a lot of colleges, but (Tulsa coaches) know what I can do, because theyve seen it before.

Brian McLaughlin

RECRUITING DISH

Ga. native leaning toward Tide

BUTCHDILL/ AP

Nick Saban could nab a top recruit right out from under Georgias nose.

Garry Peters
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NBA

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Lakers, beware: Dwight Howards comingORLANDOA moment of silence, please,

for Andrew Bynum.Someone has to guard Dwight How-

ard, and next in line is Bynum. Letshope he has more luck than everyoneelse.

Howards meteoric rise in the NBAplayoffs hit anotherimprobable high Sat-urday night in Game 6of the Eastern Confer-ence finals. A leaguethat has gone awayfrom dominant bigmen this decade nowfinds itself smack inthe middle of oldschool.

If (Howard) continues to shoot the ball the way he has in the playoffs, saysMagic coach Stan Van Gundy, Itsgoing to be a long next decade for all of us.

And a long NBA Finals for theLakers.

June was supposed to bring us Kobevs. LeBron, settling the best-in-the-world argument and giving Nike itsmarketing lovefest. Now after Orlandos103-90 victory over Cleveland, we sud-denly have Kobe vs. Big D. Or whateveryou want to call it.

After watching Howard score 40

points in the biggest game of his youngcareer, he doesnt need some cheesymarketing campaign. He needs fourmore wins.

Im happy we won, but its over with,its done, Howard said. We have tomove on.

Here is where we return to Mr.Bynum, who despite what youve seenand heard and know about Kobe Bry-ant, is the key to the series for the

Lakers. Ask Cleveland, which had theNBAs best record and best defense, if having a superstar supersedeseverything.

The Sixers tried guarding Howardwith Samuel Dalembert in the firstround. The Celtics tried Kendrick

Perkins in the second round. The Cavs,meanwhile, tried a combination of threeplayers who didnt have a prayer. Andnow we have Bynum. Or Pau Gasol. OrLamar Odom.

Think about this for a moment: LeB-ron James had one of the best runs in

playoff history in this series, and theMagic still couldve won in four games.Theres a reason Lakers coach Phil

Jackson said earlier this season thathed take Howard if he were starting ateam today. Game 6and really, theentire serieswas a microcosm of whatleague teams face for the foreseeablefuture.

Defend Howard one-on-one, and hescores or gets fouled. Or both. Collapsethe defense in the paint, and he findssomeone on the perimeterhis passinghas grown by leaps this seasonwhowill knock down a 3. And right now,everyone on the Magic other Howardand backup center Marcin Gortat willhurt you beyond the arc.

The Cavs began the game with theidea of extending on the perimeter andforcing Howard to make shots (and freethrows) for Orlando to advance to theirfirst Finals since 1995. Howard hit 8-of-12 field goals and had 21 points in thehalf.

In the second half, the Cavs collapsedon Howard, and the Magic hit five 3s (12in the game), and Howard had 19 pointsand four assists.

We were put in a situation, saidCavs guard Mo Williams, where wewere hoping they missed shots.

Howard woke the day before Game 6

and texted every one of his teammates,saying it was time to dominate. Thereality is, he has been doing it all alongin these playoffs.

If we run, defend and rebound, wecan beat anyone, Howard said. At theend of the Finals, we should have a ring.We should have a trophy.

The only thing standing in the way isAndrew Bynum.

[email protected]

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has said Dwight Howard is the first player he would pick to build a team around.STEPHENM.DOWELL/AP

NOTEBOOK

Speculation will swirl around James

LeBron James fled Amway Arena without speakto the media after yet another season passed with mdisappointment.

Cleveland led the league in wins in the regular son, and swept Detroit and Atlanta to begin the pl

offs. But the Cavs had no answers for matchup problepresented by Orlando in losing the Eastern Conferenfinals. And now the big question: Will the continfailure in Cleveland convince James to opt out ocontract after next season?

Much speculation has centered on James opting ouhe feels Cleveland cant surround him with players wcan help him win a championship. The Cavs starstruggled to play with consistency in a support role, athe bench added zero help.

We were confident we were going to win it all, Cleveland guard Mo Williams. Obviously youre goto be disappointed and hurt inside. This is mottion, drive for him. Im 110 percent sure hell bright.

A brief previewBecause the Magic and Lakers play in separate

ferences, they played only twice in the regular seasThe Magic won both games, and like the Cavs inEastern Conference finals, the Lakers had no answfor Howard.

Howard had 43 points and 32 rebounds in two gamincluding 25 points and 20 rebounds in the game at Angeles. The Finals start Thursday in Los Angeles.

Were not at our best yet, Howard said. Buthappy with our progress.

The big moveLost in the Magics second half push was the

acquisition of point guard Rafer Alston after JamNelson was lost for the season with a shoulder injuWhile Alston and backup Anthony Johnson dont hathe scoring ability of Nelson, theyre perfect players.

Alston had three big offensive games in the finals, including 13 points (three 3-pointers) in Gam

He didnt try to be Jameer, Howard said. It push the pace, take shots when hes open and facilitour offense. He fit in with our team very well.

Orlando 103, Cleveland 90

Matt HayesPRO BASKETBALL

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009
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INSIDE DISH Playoff glanceCONFERENCE FINALS(Best-of-7), all times ET

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Cleveland vs. Orlando(Orlando wins series 4-2)May 20: Orlando 107, ClevelanMay 22: Cleveland 96, OrlandoMay 24: Orlando 99, ClevelanMay 26: Orlando 116,Cleveland 114, OTMay 28: Cleveland 112, OrlandSaturday: Orlando 103, Cleve

WESTERN CONFERENCE

L.A. Lakers vs. Denver(L.A. Lakers win series 4-2)May 19: L.A. Lakers 105, DenvMay 21: Denver 106, L.A. LakMay 23: L.A. Lakers 103, DenMay 25: Denver 120, L.A. LakMay 27: L.A. Lakers 103,Denver 94Friday: L.A. L akers 119, Denve

FinalsOrlando vs. L.A. LakersThursday: Orlando at L.A. La9 p.m., ABC June 7: Orlando at L.A. Laker8 p.m., ABC June 9: L.A. Lakers at Orlando9 p.m., ABC June 11: L.A. Lakers at Orland9 p.m., ABC June 14: Orlando at L.A. Lake

8 p.m., if necessary, ABC June 16: L.A. Lakers at Orlandnecessary, ABC June 18: Orlando at L.A. Lake9 p.m., if necessary, ABC

NBA

NBA rookie of the year DerrickRose, the hometown kid whom theBulls tabbed as the face of the fran-chise when selecting him No. 1

overall last summer, has comeunder a cloud cast by an NCAAinvestigation of major violations atMemphis during the only season heplayed there.

Marc Ganis, president of Chicago- based consulting company SportsCorp. Ltd., estimates the allega-tionswhich center around hisSAT and high school transcriptwill cost him about $500,000 inthe short term and millions inendorsements if trouble continuesto follow him. If he avoids it, though,this will be little more than a simple

stumble.He will not have very many ben-efits of the doubt in the future,Ganis told The Associated Press.Hes got to be very clean, but hecan come back from this. Hes verytalented, hes young.

Rose has endorsement deals withadidas and Chicagos Wilson Sport-ing Goods. He has kept quiet sincethe allegations surfaced, with hisattorney stating that Rose cooper-ated in an investigation by Mem-phis that uncovered no wrongdoingon his part.

Timberwolves owner Glen Tay-lor wants Kevin McHaleto return ascoach, but preferably on a one-year deal, ESPN.com reported.McHale is said to be seeking amultiyear contract. A resolutionon McHales future could comelater this week.

The Grizzlies, who have the

No. 2 pick, have plenty of options inthe upcoming draft. According tothe Memphis Commercial Appeal , theteam has been exploring everything

from trying to trade up to No. 1 tomoving down and acquiring anestablished player.

We dont want to exclude any-thing. Were going to give everythinga fair shot at being evaluated so wecan do whats best for us on draftnight, general manager Chris Wallace said. I dont want to get locked intoa particular transaction.

Among the rumors currentlyfloating about: The Knicks haveexpressed interest in acquiring CDarko Milicicin a deal that could pos-sibly include G/F Quentin Richardson.

Also, Oklahoma City and Sacra-mento are said to be interested inmoving up from the third andfourth slots, respectively, to obtainthe Grizzlies pick.

It appears the G Jeff Teagueisleaning toward staying in the draft.Teague told ESPN.com that the onlyway he would return to Wake For-est for his junior season is if a G.M.told me Im not ready and Im in thesecond round. Teague currently isprojected to go in the high teens inthe first round.

PG Jonny Flynn has been draw-ing interest from several teamsleading up to the draft. Still, he wassurprised when he learned theBulls wanted to bring him in for aworkout, considering Chicago hasDerrick Rose. But they said there aretimes they wish to move Derrick off the ball. When they said that to me,it fell into place.

Flynn might not be aroundwhen the Bulls pick at No. 16.According to The Journal Times of Racine, Wis., there is growing sen-timent among some NBA officials

that the Bucks, who pick 10th, arehigh on Flynn.

The Bucks interviewed Flynn atthe predraft combine, and Flynn saidhe connected with Bucks coach Scott

Skiles. He said he liked my toughness.Scott Skiles on the basketball courtwas tough, too, tough as nails. He saidhe sees a lot of that in me.

Raptors C Andrea Bargnani, whosin Italy training in the offseason,says hes encouraged the team made Jay Trianocoach and wasnt disap-pointed to see Sam Mitchellgo. As acoach, everyone in the team likeshim, unlike Mitchell, and he earnedthe respect of all the players rightfrom Day 1, Bargnani told LaGazetta dello Sport , according to The Globe and Mail of Toronto. Thatswhy we asked (Raptors presidentBryan Colangelo) to confirm him. Andhe agreed, because hes the right

man to start over with. The Heat will monitor C Jer-

maine ONealsworkouts closely thisoffseason, according to The Miami Herald . ONeal has recovered fromthe concussion symptoms that side-lined him for the final games of theHeats first-round playoff series,and he has been cleared to resumeworkouts. ONeal also had kneeproblems last seasonhis knee wasdrained three times in the final twomonths of the season.

Despite a first-round exit fromthe playoffs, the Hornets have had80 percent of their season-ticketholders renew for next season, teamofficials said. The teams encourag-ing numbers are despite a recessionthat has caused some NBA teams toexperience a decline in renewalsand trim staff. The team said it hasno plans to lay off workers, as theHeat did recently.

Allegations could prove costly to Bulls Rose

Endorsements could be tougher to get for Derrick Rose following the recent controversy.WINSLOWTOWNSON/AP

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009NHL

GAME 1: DETROIT 3 PITTSBURGH 1STANLEY CUP FINALS

Penguins lose game, but not confidenceDETROITThe result was the

same as last year: Detroit wonGame 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.But the mental state of the Pen-guins after this opening-gameloss is completely different.

If there was any doubt Pitts- burgh could play with the

d e f e n d i n gc h a m p i o n s ,its gone.

The Pen-guins lost, buttheyre readyto go back at ittonight. Unlike

last year, thisgroup is confi-dent it can

compete with the bestevencoming off a 3-1 loss to the RedWings.

Yeah, definitely, Pitts- burghs Sidney Crosby said.We made a few mistakestonight, and so did they. Theygot a few bounces, thats what itcame down to. This is tighthockey. We didnt expect tocome in here and have it be easy.We knew we were in for a tough

series. But we believe in ourgame.Crosby is a superstitious

player. Last year, he refused totouch the Prince of Wales Tro-phy after the Penguins clinchedthe Eastern Conference title.This year, he grabbed it out of the hands of NHL deputy com-missioner Bill Daly and skatedfor picturesanything to change

the luck of last year s disappoint-

ing final.Well, whatever pregame ritualCrosby had for Game 1, he needsto scrap it. It didnt work.

Detroits first goal came on afluky bounce off the end boardsafter a shot from defensemanBrad Stuart.

In the second period, the Pen-guins outshot Detroit 13-11 andfinished the game as one of thefew visiting playoff teams toenter Joe Louis Arena and out-shoot the Red Wings. They alsohad more quality scoring

chances.But the bounces that wentDetroits way never evened out.At least they havent yet.

You do get bouncessomenights you do get them, somenights you dont, Pittsburghforward Bill Guerin said. Theydid get a few tonight, thats partof it. You have to accept that.

Before blaming it all on badluck, give Detroit credit. HenrikZetterberg matched up withCrosby and did an outstanding job holding him to two shots on

goal.Chris Osgood deserves creditfor making big saves when theywere needed most.

But even Osgood was aided bya little good fortune when a pucklanded on his back after he wassprawled in the crease. Zetter- berg covered it with his glove, amove Crosby thought shouldhave been called a penalty.

After the game, Osgood couldlaugh about it.

I think it hit my arm and bounced up in the air on top of my back, he said. I knew it wasthere, Im not that flexible.

Detroit also dominated onfaceoffs, winning 71 percentan

important stat since both teamsrely on puck possession and itshard to possess the puck if yourelosing faceoffs.

But even that number, Detroitcoach Mike Babcock said, wasslightly skewed. It was just agood night for Detroit centers,

not something he thinks histeam will exploit the entireseries.

Just a night. I think it goeslike that, Babcock said. Somenights it goes your way, othernights it doesnt.

[email protected]

Detroits Chris Osgood, left, made some key saves, but he also had some luck as in the time when the puck landed on his back.FRANKGUNN/AP

NOTEBOOK

Bettman: Balsillie issueabout rules, not personal

On Saturday afternoon, NHL commissiGary Bettman met with the media for his ann

state-of-the-union address.Bettmans meeting came at a time when theice product is thriving with an attractive matchin the Stanley Cup finals between Pittsburgh Detroit. But off-ice issues, including the situatioPhoenix and drug testing, quickly became the foof the press conference.

Earlier this week, a man was arrested for deaanabolic steroids and mentioned the WashingCapitals as one of the pro teams to which he solddrugs.

Its a topic Bettman says the league seriously.

We are investigating, he said. We dont belthere is a performance-enhancing drug problem

this league. But I acknowledge that our testing pgram could be more comprehensive.The case of the Coyotes turned into multiple qu

tions about Jim Balsillie, the Canadian businman who is trying to purchase the team and movto Hamilton.

That question and the other one seem to imthat somehow this is personal. Its not, at leastme, Bettman said while answering questabout Balsillie. Its about league rules and its abdoing the right thing.

A Lemieux sighting, tooPittsburgh owner and former Penguins

Mario Lemieux held a rare press conference be

the game as well, and it was just slightlycontentious.Lemieux continues to be impressed with

growth and maturity of Sidney Crosby and Crosby is further along at age 21 than he was.

Hes a lot more mature than I was, Lemsaid. Hes a special kid. Hes a better player thwas at the same age, for sure. Some of the studoes on the icehis strength, skating abilityincredible.

C

Craig CustanceHOCKEY
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GAME 1: DETROIT 3 PITTSBURGH 1STANLEY CUP FINALS Stanley Cup finalsDetroit vs. Pittsburgh(Best-of-7), All times ET(Detroit leads series 1-0)Saturday: Detroit 3,PittsburghToday: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8p.m., NBCTuesday: Detroit at Pittsburghp.m., Versus

Thursday: Detroit at Pittsburgp.m., VersusSaturday, June 6: Pittsburgh Detroit, 8 p.m., if necessary, NBTuesday, June 9: Detroit atPittsburgh, 8 p.m., if necessary,NBCFriday, June 12: Pittsburgh atDetroit, 8 p.m., if necessary, NB

Betting lineFAVORITE..........LINE UNDERDatDetroit................-160 Pittsburgh..

Odds to win seriesDetroit....................-150 Pittsbu

NHL calendar June 18 NHL awards sho

Las Vegas. June 26-27 NHL draft,

Montreal. July 1 Free agency signin

period begins. July 5 Deadline for playe

elected salary arbitration. July 6 Deadline for club-

elected salary arbitration. July 10 Deadline for

eligible players to elect Group 5free agency.

July 20-Aug. 4 Salary ation hearings held.

Aug. 6 Deadline for sal-ary arbitration decisions to berendered.

Wings fortunate bounces fluster FleuryDETROITThe Detroit Red Wings

gave Marc-Andre Fleuryflashbacks.And, they werent good. Johan Franzen scored the go-

ahead goal late in the second periodand Chris Osgood made 31 saves,helping the defending champions beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1Saturday night in Game 1 of theStanley Cup finals.

Franzen and Brad Stuart hadgoals that bounced off Fleury, whosat on a shot that trickled in forDetroits series-clinching goal lastyear.

Replays of that moment had tohaunt Fleury in the series opener.Stuart simply dumped the puck

behind Fleury and was rewardedwith a fortunate carom that sent thepuck off Fleurys right skate andacross the goal line in the firstperiod.

Its kind of tough, Fleury said.Guy shoots and it misses the net,and it comes back pretty quick.

Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby didnthave such luck when his third-period shot went off Osgood, a postand landed in the middle of the

goalies back as lay on the ice.I knew it was there, but Im notthat flexible, Osgood said. I waskind of hoping for the best.

Crosby was dumbfounded.Ive never seen that before, he

said.The Stanley Cup finals opener

was full of reminders about lastyear.

Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were

slowed down and Detroit scored

some fortunate goals.I dont think there are going to be a whole lot of skill plays, RedWings coach Mike Babcock said.

Detroit rookie Justin Abdelkaderdid come up with an impressiveplay.

He scored his first playoff goal byleaping to grab his own rebound,putting the puck on the ice and flip-ping it past Fleury.

That was huge for us to get thatinsurance goal, Lidstrom said.

Game 2 is tonight in Detroit.Its good, Pittsburghs Maxime

Talbot said. We dont have to thinklong about it.The NHL and its TV partners

likely were happy with the firstStanley Cup finals rematch sincethe Edmonton Oilers and New YorkIslanders met again in 1984.

The action, especially in the firstperiod, matched the hype.

When youve been here before,you know what to expect so youreready to start on time, Babcocksaid.

End-to-end action, big hits suchas Crosbys left shoulder sending

Henrik Zetterberg to the ice, scor-ing opportunities and a 1-1 scorehad to hold nontraditional viewersgiving hockey a chance.

The Penguins didnt need goodfortune to tie it.

Malkin baited Stuart into tryingto clear a puck off the boards andtook advantage of the turnover witha slap shot that Osgood couldntcontrol, leading to Ruslan Fedoten-

kos backhander off the rebound.Pittsburgh had a breakaway and

two power plays in the first half of the second period, and had nothingto show for it.

Osgood got part of his glove on

Malkins wrist shot on the break-away, and Detroits penalty killerslimited the Penguins to two shotson their first power play and noneon their second.

The goalie is the most important

player every night, Babcock said.

Its hockey.Osgood had to make a pair of saves two-thirds of the way throughthe second, denying Miroslav Satanon a shot just outside of the creaseafter Malkin set him up beautifullyand turning away Crosbys back-hander after a spectacular spinmove.

Crosby and Malkin are runningaway with the postseason scoringtitle with 28 points each, but theyknow Detroit is different than anyteam they played in the EasternConference playoffs.

Franzens goal was his team-lead-ing 11th goal of the playoffs and 24thin the postseason since the start of last years Stanley Cup run.

The Red Wings are shooting to bethe first to repeat since they won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 98, but their opposing coach saystheyve got work to do.

This is a race to four, Pittsburghcoach Dan Bylsma said. Theyvegot one on us.

The Associated Press

The go-ahead goal by Johan Franzen, top, was one of two that bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury.PAULSANCYA/AP

Pittsburgh 1 0 0 1

Detroit 1 1 1 3FirstPeriod:1,Detroit,Stuart2,13:38.2, Pittsburgh,Fedotenko7(Malkin),18:37.Penalties:None.SecondPeriod:3,Detroit,Franzen11(Rafalski,Zetterberg),19:02.Penalties:Lebda, Det(slashing),4:38;Samuelsson, Det(holding),7:05;Adams, Pit(hooking), 13:44.Third Period:4, Detroit, Abdelkader1 (Leino), 2:46.Penalties: None.Shotson Goal:Pittsburgh7-13-12:32.Detroit11-11-8:30.Power-playopportunities:Pittsburgh0of2;Detroit0of1.Goalies:Pittsburgh, Fleury 12-6-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Detroit,Osgood13-4-0 (32-31).A:20,066(20,066).T:2:25.Referees:PaulDevorski, Dennis LaRue.Linesmen:DerekAmell,PierreRacicot.
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GAME 1: DETROIT 3 PITTSBURGH 1STANLEY CUP FINALS

INSIDE DISH

Burke: Maple Leafs will spend for talentToronto general manager Brian

Burke conceded to the Toronto Star that an opportunity to trade up in thedraft might not materialize, but headded that the Maple Leafs willspend this summer to upgrade theteam.

We intend to be pushing the capevery year, Burke told the newspaper.We want to spend the money intelli-gently. Were Big Blue, were going tospend to the cap.

One source has indicated that Burkeis not as interested in signing Vancou-ver free-agent Fs Daniel Sedinand HenrikSedinas reported, but added that Flor-

ida D Jay Bouwmeesteris high on hisradar. The Maple Leafs reportedlywere about $7 million under the caplast year and have enough money toattract high-priced free agents.

Burke talked to the Star at a break inthe NHL Draft Combine, which washeld this week in Toronto. He said anytrade tied to the draft probably would be made closer to the June 26-27event.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports thatthe Blackhawks arent wasting anytime in resuming contract talks with

Allan Walsh, the agent for potential free-agent F Martin Havlat.The team would like to keep its lead-

ing scorer, and Havlat told the newspa-per, Id love to stay here.

The Blackhawks have the month of June to get Havlat signed before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.G.M. Dale Tallonsays, We want Marty back. Well keep working to get itdone.

Well see how it goes, Havlat toldthe paper. We didnt talk during theplayoffs. That wouldnt have been the

right thing to do. Were got a month toagree to everything, so hopefully itsgoing to work out.

Tom Hicks, the majority owner of

both the Dallas Stars and Texas Rang-ers, told The Dallas Morning News he hasdecided to try to sell a majority stake inthe baseball team, but will maintainmajority ownership of the Stars. Hicks,whose sports holdings have been strug-gling financially, said that lack of suc-cess in trying to sell a minority piece of the Rangers has prompted him to broaden the pool of investors by offer-ing to sell majority control of the team.

Hicks also said the jury still is out onhow the Stars will approach the NHLssalary cap. Teams wont act like thatcap is a magnet anymore, Hicks told

the paper. That just doesnt work.Look for the Stars to be closer to thecaps basement than ceiling.

The Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Stan-dard reports that Mike Danton, the formerNHL player who was imprisoned in amurder-for-hire plot targeting hisOntario-based agent, has been trans-ferred to minimum-security PittsburghInstitution in Kingstona significantstep toward gaining his freedom.

The newspaper said Danton wasmoved to Pittsburgh after his case wasreviewed at the federal assessment

unit.Danton was transferred to Canada onMarch 19 to complete his sentence afterhe had served a little more than fouryears in prison in the United States.

Danton, a member of the St. LouisBlues at the time, pleaded guilty tooffering a hitman $10,000 to kill DavidFrost, his former junior coach, mentorand agent, in November 2004. He wassentenced to 7 years in prison.

With their extra cap room, the Maple Leafs may go after Panthers D Jay Bouwmeester, right.WILFREDOLEE/AP

DETROITGordie Howe and Mario Lemieux werein the building when the Stanley Cup finals opchanged in a way it couldnt have during their HaFame careers.

With Detroit and Pittsburgh tied 1-1 late in the seperiod, the visiting Penguins cleared the puck down

ice for a routine icing call. Only now, in this post-locNHL, icing can be devastating.Not only does the faceoff come back in the offe

teams end, but that club must keep its playerswhooften tiredon the ice. The rule, put into play to coffense, is only four years old. And it worked justwas supposed to.

The Penguins were caught with a drained top lintheir own zone, unable to clear the puck and eventukeep it out of their net. That goal put Detroit bafront and sent them on the way to a 3-1 victory.

We had an opportunity to get it out a couple of tat that point, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby We didnt, and they got a bounce. Thats what it down to.

Sensing the game was on the line, even with than a period left, rookie Penguins coach Dan Bytried to help out the tired forward trio of Crosby,Guerin and Chris Kunitz and defensemen Hal GilRob Scuderi. He used his lone timeout.

We were out for a long shift, Bylsma said. Wnot only our forwards, but our D especially. Were tin that situation. At times you need that timeout to your guys an extra breathyou know, 20 secondsseconds to regather themselves and get ready. And get fresh guys on the ice, as well, so you have towith that situation.

It was a timeout I felt we needed to take, and wit again.

Just 16 seconds later, those exhausted Penguins

still on the ice when Johan Franzen banked in a goagoalie Marc-Andre Fleury, restoring Detroits lead.He did the right thing, Crosby said of Bylsma

eout. Our set of forwards was probably not out tquite as long as our D. Those two guys were out for a long time. I think the breather was somethinneeded.

But Detroit still scored, the crowd roared and momtum shifted. The Red Wings were on their wavictory.

The Ass

Icing calls shape Game 1

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009Baseball

Joe Torreis enjoying life with theLos Angeles Dodgers. That doesntmean he plans to manage much lon-ger. The 68-year-old manager is in

the second season of a three-yearcontract with the Dodgers.Ive got another year, but beyond

that Im not sure, Torre told TheAssociated Press. Well, next yearis always in question. You hope youstill continue to feel as energized asyou do now.

After several rounds of audi-tions, Lou Piniellahas settled on 3BMike Fontenotas the Cubs short-termreplacement for Aramis Ramirez. TheCubs have tried out Fontenot, BobbyScalesand Ryan Freelat the hot corner

since losing Ramirez to a dislocatedleft shoulder on May 8.Fontenot, who came up as a second

baseman, hadnt played any thirduntil this year. Fontenot is honestlyour best option there, Piniella toldthe Chicago Sun-Times . When we getAaron Milesback (from the disabled list)it will help the situation too. But wefeel very comfortable with Fontenotat third, and we can use Scales and(Andres)Blancoat second.

The Cubs dont expect Ramirez back until the All-Star break butthe prognosis is better for P Rich

Harden. Piniella said Harden will be back in the rotation on the teamsnext road trip, which begins Tues-day in Atlanta.

Yankees P Andy Pettittesstrained lower back likely wontcost him a start, manager Joe Girardi said Saturday. Pettitte, who wastaken out of Fridays game againstCleveland in the sixth inning, is still

a go for his next start, Wednesdayagainst Texas. Hes still on target,Girardi told The Associated Press.The progress he made overnight

makes me feel good.If Pettittes condition worsens,Girardi said theres a chance P Chien-Ming Wangwould get the nod. Wangwas taken out of the rotationandput on the D.L.after going 0-3 witha 34.50 ERA in his first three starts.

So much for Oliver Perezbeing back in the Mets rotation anytimesoon. An MRI on Saturday showedpatellar tendinitis in his right knee,causing the teams high-priced off-season acquisition to miss his sched-uled start today in Class AAA

Buffalo. Instead, after just one rehabstart, Perez is headed to Port St.Lucie, Fla., for more rehab.

Hes not shut down, but that beingsaid, we have to make sure that theknee is all OK to the satisfaction of the doctors, Mets G.M. Omar Minaya told The New York Times . Perez, whohas been on the D.L. since May 7,was 0-2 with a 9.97 ERA in fivestarts with the Mets.

Stress-related issues willsideline the N.L.s second-leadinghitter for at least two weeks. Thats

all the details the Reds would pro-vide about Saturdays announce-ment that 1B Joey Vottowas headedto the 15-day disabled list. Hesdealing with a personal issue,manager Dusty Bakertold MLB.com.He wants us to respect his privacyabout that.

Struggling Dodgers SS RafaelFurcal is beginning to feel more

comfortable at the plate, thanks tosome one-on-one time with Don Mat-

tingly. The former Yankees star,L.A.s hitting coach, told The Los Angeles Times he is trying to slowdown Furcals approach at theplate.

Everything he does is hightempo, Mattingly told the Times. Idont want to take anything fromhim because hes a high-energy guy.But when youre moving fast, youdont see the ball too well.

The Royals could get theircloser back as soon as today after

Joakim Sorias second encouragingthrowing session. A right rotatorcuff strain has kept Soria out of major league action since May 7, butRoyals manager Trey Hillmangot apositive review of Sorias workoutSaturday in Surprise, Ariz.

Good report, Hillman told MLB.com. He had 23 pitches, commandedand controlled the ball. No pain. Sevenouts. Velocity was 88 to 91 (mph).

THE LAUNCHING PAD

What to expect in the major leagues today

Lester is laggingLast May, Jon Lester threw a no-hitter against the Royals and used th

amazing outing to build a seasons worth of momentum. The lefthander wa16-6 in 2008 and reached near-ace status. This season, things just havenbeen the same. Lester (3-5, 6.07 ERA) has allowed at least five earned rin six of his 10 starts, after doing so only four times all of last season. Gnews: He will face the slumping Blue Jays tonight, and he shut them dowover 6 1/3 strong innings a little over a week ago. Bad news: This game is Toronto, and Lester has a 7.04 ERA on the road.

Farewell, fishIf it seems like the Mets and Marlins always are playing each other, tha

because ... well, they have played each other eight times already. After theninth meeting today, New York and Florida wont meet again until lAugust (when they will play each other nine more times in a one-monspan). The resilient Mets, who continue to battle injuries, will hit the rofor seven games after this series finale and will play 13 of their next 16 awfrom Citi Field.

Pavano powerAt 5-4, Indians righthander Carl Pavano has been a huge surprise, especia

considering his disastrous first start this season (nine earned runs allowed ione inning). With a win today against New York, Pavano would have six win the month of May. In his entire Yankees career (2005-08), Pavano won ni

games. Making matters worse, New York paid him $39.95 million for thnine wins, while Cleveland signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million deal befothis season. When he faced the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in April, Pavanallowed just one earned run in six innings in a no-decision.

C

INSIDE DISH

Torre not sure how much longer he wants to manage

Despite leaving Fridays game with a stiff back, Andy Pettitte is likely to make his next start.KATHYWILLENS/AP

Jon Lester has allowed at least five earned runs in six of his 10 startCHARLE
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Q&A with ... Nationals RF Adam Dunn

Signed to a two-year, $20 million dealthis past offseason, Dunn is paying imme-diate dividends for Washington. Hittingbehind third baseman Ryan Zimmermanin the cleanup spot, Dunn already has

more home runs than any Nationals playerhad in 2008 and once again is on pacefor 100-plus RBIs. One of Major LeagueBaseballs most prolific (and sometimesoverlooked) sluggers, Dunns power num-bers in the past six seasons rank amongthe best in the majors. But he is almost aswell known for his patience at the plate,which annually places him among MLBswalk and strikeout leaders. Sporting NewsToday s Bill Eichenberger recently caughtup with Dunn to chat about his patience,his outlook for the Nationals and hisdurability.

Q: After your abbreviatedstay in Arizona at theend of last seasonfollowingthe trade from Cincinnatiareyou satisfied that your careerwith the Nationals is off to agood start?

A: I usually dont start off very well. So especially being on a new team, you want tocome in and start off well. Andfortunately Ive been able to dothat.

Q: What has it been likehitting behind RyanZimmerman? Do you marvel

at his consistency?A: Hes on base every game,so thats a plus. Our guys atthe top of the lineup, we have guyson base all the t ime anyway. Thisis a very deep lineup. Its a funlineup to be in.

Q: You are among themajor league leaders inwalks again this season. That

has been a common threadthroughout your career. Haveyou always had great patienceat the plate?

A: Ive always walked a lotand seen a lot of pitches.Its just a part of my game.Q: What about thestrikeouts, the otherpart of your game that has been maddeningly consistentas well? Is there anythingabout your approach at theplate that makes youparticularly vulnerable tostriking out?

A: I think sometimes I am toopatient at the plate. Ivetried to change it and I cant. So itskind of what I am.

Q: So youre saying that apitch has to be whereyou want it before youllswing?

A: No, not exactly. I have anidea how a team or apitcher is going to pitch me. And Ilike to not be overly aggressiveand swing at a pitch that I nor-mally wouldnt swing at early inthe count. And sometimes thatputs me in a hole.

Q: Consistency is clearlyyour strength, whetherit is being the only majorleaguer to hit at least 40 homeruns in each of the past fiveseasons, or just beingavailable to play every day.You missed a total of 19 gamesfrom 2004-08. Is thatsomething you emphasize?

A: I enjoy playing. And been fortunate enoug be healthy enough to do it. I gpaid to play. Thats what I lik

do.

Q: Has it been hard to kyour morale up as thteam has struggled so much twin games?

A: Thats very tough. Yoalways think you canmore to help the team win. Athats what we have to, then twhat we have to do. Individustats are great, but they dont ballgames. And thats the goa

Q: Is there a light at the

end of tunnel for thisteam and franchise?

A: I think so absolutely, percent. I think if youanybody around in baseball, will tell you the same thing. Ithink we are few players awafrom not just being mediocreskip that, and go straight to bvery good. I really believe thaare a couple players away frothat.

Q: Do the fans of theNationals share youroptimism about the directionthis franchise is headed?

A: Theyve been good, btough again because not playing as well as we nee be playing. Its kind of tough,would imagine, for the fans trally around us right now. Buagain, there is light at the endthe tunnel, and were going tolot better really quick.

I think sometimes I am too patient at the plate

PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS/ AP

Adam Dunn (44), who has hit 40 or more home runs in a season five times, is on pace for a career-high 54 this season with the Nationals.


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American League StandingsEast W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str New York 29 20 . 592 7-3 W-3 Boston 28 2 2 .560 1 4-6 L-2 Toronto 29 23 . 558 1 2-8 W-2 Tampa Bay 25 27 . 481 5 4 5-5 W-2 Bal timore 23 2 7 .460 6 5 7-3 L-1

Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Detroit 27 2 1 .563 5-5 W-1 Chicago 23 2 5 .479 4 4 7-3 W-2 Minnesota 24 27 . 471 4 4 6-4 L-3 Kansas City 23 26 . 469 4 4 2-8 L-3 Cleveland 21 30 . 412 7 7 6-4 L-2

West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Texas 30 1 9 .612 7-3 W-3 Los Angel es 24 24 . 500 5 3 4-6 L-2 Seattle 24 2 6 .480 6 4 6-4 W-3 Oakland 18 2 9 .383 11 8 3-7 L-4

National League StandingsEast W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Phi ladelphia 27 20 .574 6-4 W-2 New York 27 2 1 .563 1 6-4 L-1 Atlanta 24 25 .490 4 5 4-6 L-1 Florida 23 27 . 460 5 6 4-6 W-1 Washing ton 13 35 .271 14 15 2-8 L-5

Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Milwaukee 29 20 . 592 4-6 W-2 St. Louis 29 20 . 592 7-3 W-1 Cinc inna ti 26 22 .542 2 2 6-4 L-2 Chicago 25 2 3 .521 3 3 4-6 W-2 Pittsburgh 22 27 . 449 7 7 4-6 W-1 Houston 19 28 .404 9 9 2-8 L-1

West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Los Angeles 34 17 . 667 6-4 L-2 SanFranci sco 24 24 .500 8 4 5-5 L-1 San Diego 24 25 .490 9 5 7-3 L-2 Arizona 22 28 . 440 11 7 6-4 W-1 Colorado 20 28 . 417 1 2 8 5-5 W-2 z-firstgamewasa win

Pitching MatchupsTodaysGames(AlltimesEastern)American League The LineN.Y.Yankees(Hughes3-2)atCleveland(Pavano5-4),12:40p.m.Boston(Lester3-5)atToronto(Romero2-1),1:07p.m.Detroit(E.Jackson4-3)atBaltimore(Berken1-0),1:35p.m.Minnesota(Blackburn4-2)atTampaBay(Garza4-3),1:38p.m.ChicagoWhiteSox(Danks4-3)at KansasCity(Greinke8-1),2:10p.Oakland(Braden4-5)atTexas(Millwood4-4),3:05p.m.

Seattle(Olson0-1)atL.A.Angels(E.Santana0-2),3:35p.m.

National League The LineFlorida(Volstad4-3)atN.Y.Mets(Maine4-3),1:10p.m.Houston(Hampton2-4)atPittsburgh(Maholm3-1),1:35p.m.Washington(Lannan2-4)atPhiladelphia(Moyer3-5),1:35p.m.Cincinnati(Owings3-5)atMilwaukee(Gallardo4-2),2:05p.m.SanDiego(Gaudin1-3)atColorado(DeLaRosa0-5),3:10p.m.St.Louis(Wainwright5-2)at SanFrancisco(J.Sanchez2-4),4:05p.mAtlanta(Medlen0-2)atArizona(Scherzer2-3),4:10p.m.L.A.Dodgers(Milton1-0)atChicagoCubs(Marshall3-3),8:05p.m

MORE COVERAGE For more great fantasy advice, v isit:

sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball

Fantasy FocusPitcher Rankings

Tigers SPs Rick Porcello (5-0,1.50/1.07) and Armando Galar-raga (0-5, 8.49/1.82) have beenpolar opposites this May. Andthats why theyre two of the big-gest movers in our pitcher rank-ings this week.Risers

SP Rick Porcello, Tigers.Porcellogets two chances this week tocontinue his hot streak (vs. BOS,vs. LAA).

SP Josh Outman, As.Outmansperformance in May shouldnt beignored, either: 2.45/1.04, 7.1 K/9ratio.

RP Huston Street, Rockies.Streethasnt allowed a run since April24, and hes converted his lastseven save chances.Fallers

Tim Wakefield, Red Sox.Theknuckler isnt knuckling forWakefield lately (16 hits, eightwalks, 11 runs in last two starts).

SP Armando Galarraga, Tigers. Horrible May has made owners

forget about stellar April(1.85/1.23). RP Matt Lindstrom, Marlins.Lind-

strom has allowed at least three baserunners in four of his pastfive appearances.

Matt Lutovsky

LEAGUE LEADERSBatting Average

Runs

RBIs

HIts

Doubles

Home Runs

Stolen Bases

Pitching (5 decisions)

Strikeouts

Saves

A.L.

Player TeamAHill Toronto 77Crawford Tampa Bay 69VMartinez Cleveland 69Morneau Minnesota 66MiCabrera Detroit 65Cano NewYork 65

Longoria Tampa Bay 65

N.L.

Player TeamHudson Los Angeles 69Tejada Houston 67Zimmerman Washington 66FSanchez P it tsburgh 64Beltran New York 62Ibanez Phi ladelph ia 61

Victorino Philadelphia 60

A.L.

Player TeamVerlander Detroit 90Greinke Kansas City 81FHernandez Sea ttl e 72Halladay Toronto 68Lester Boston 62Garza Tampa Bay 60

Beckett Boston 59

N.L.

Player TeamJVazquez Atlanta 86JSantana New York 86Peavy San Diego 84Lincecum SanFrancisco 84Billingsley LosAngeles 76Haren Arizona 71

JoJohnson Florida 64

A.L.

Player TeamPapelbon Boston 13Fuentes Los Angeles 13FFrancisco Texas 11Jenks Chicago 11MaRivera New York 10Sherrill Bal timore 10Rodney Detroit 9

N.L.

Player TeamBell SanDiego 14Cordero Cincinnati 13FrRodriguez NewYork 13Qualls Arizona 12Franklin St. Louis 12Hoffman Mi lwaukee 12Threetied 11

A.L.

Player TeamLongoria Tampa Bay 55Bay Boston 48Morneau Minnesota 46TorHunter LosAngeles 40Markak is Bal timore 40CPena Tampa Bay 40Teixeira New York 40

N.L.

Player TeamFielder Milwaukee 48Ibanez Phi lade lphia 46Dunn Washington 42Pujols St. Louis 42Hawpe Colorado 39Howard Phi lade lphia 39Twotied 37

A.L.

Player TeamBRobert s Ba lt imore 43Scutaro Toronto 42Crawford Tampa Bay 40AdJones Baltimore 40Morneau Minnesota 40Fivetied 38

N.L.

Player TeamPujols St. Louis 41Ibanez Phi ladelph ia 39Zimmerman Washington 39Hudson Los Angeles 37AdGonzalez SanDiego 36ASoriano Chicago 36Threetied 34

A.L.

Player TeamBar tl et t TampaBay .373MiCabrera Detroit .355VMartinez Cleveland .350AdJones Bal timore .350Morneau Minnesota .344ISuzuki Seattle .342AHill Toronto .338

N.L.

Player TeamBeltran New York .352Tejada Houston .347Pence Houston .343NJohnson Washington .337Hudson LosAngeles .335DWright New York .335Twotied .333

A.L.

Player TeamCPena Tampa Bay 16Teixeira New York 15Bay Boston 14NCruz Texas 14Morneau Minnesota 14Three tied 13

N.L.

Player TeamAdGonzalez SanDiego 19Ibanez Phi ladelphia 17Dunn Washington 16Pujols St. Louis 16Bruce Cincinnati 14Howard Phi ladelphia 14Reynolds Arizona 13

A.L.

Player TeamCrawford Tampa Bay 30Ellsbury Boston 21Figgins Los Angeles 19Abreu Los Angeles 15BUpton Tampa Bay 15Bartlett Tampa Bay 14Twotied 11

N.L.

Player TeamBourn Houston 16Taveras Cincinnati 12Burr iss SanFranc isco 11Fowler Colorado 11Kemp Los Angeles 11JosReyes New York 11DWright New York 11

A.L.

Player TeamPalmer LosAngeles 5-0 1.000Halladay Toronto 8 -1 .889Greinke KansasCity 8-1 .889Slowey Minnesota 7-1 .875Buehr le Chicago 6-1 .857Penny Boston 5-1 .833Pet ti tt e NewYork 5-1 .833

N.L.

Player TeamBroxton LosAngeles 5-0 1.000Cain SanFrancisco 6-1 .857Martis Washington 5-1 .833Lincecum SanFrancisco 4-1 .800Pel frey NewYork 4-1 .800LiHernandez NewYork 4-1 .800JoJohnson Florida 4-1 .800

A.L.

Player TeamLongoria Tampa Bay 20MYoung Texas 19Byrd Texas 17Cal laspo KansasCi ty 17Lind Toronto 16Markakis Ba lt imore 16BRobert s Ba lt imore 16

N.L.

Player TeamTejada Houston 19FSanchez P it tsburgh 18Hudson Los Angeles 16Kotchman Atl anta 16Beltran New York 15FLopez Arizona 15HaRamirez Fl orida 15

Tim Wakefields knuckler hasnt worked lately.MARKAVERY/AP
http://www.sportingnews.com/http://sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseballhttp://sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseballhttp://sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseballhttp://sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseballhttp://www.sportingnews.com/

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 3Boston AB R HEllsburycf 4 0 0Pedroia b 0Youkilis b 4 0 0Baylf 0 0Lowell b 4 0D.Ortizdh 4 0 0Varitekc 0BaldellirfJ.Drewrf 0 0N.Greenss 0Totals 30 3 4 3

Toronto AB R HScutaross 5A.Hill b 5Riosrf 4 4V.Wellscf 4 0LinddhBautista b 4 0 0Overbay b 4 0R.Chavezc 0

-Jo.McDonald pr 0 0Barajasc 0 0Inglett lf 4 0Totals 37 5 14 5

Boston 120 000 00Toronto 101 001 20

-ran forR.Chavez in theE:Boston5,Toronto9.2B:N.Green( 4),Overbay( ).HR:Baldelli(offPenny.RBIs:Lowell( 4),BV.Wells( 4),Lind ( 8).SB:Ped(4),Scutaro( ).Runners leftinBoston (D.Ortiz,YoukiliV.Wells,Overbay).

Boston IP H RPenny 6 0R.Ramirez L, 4- 23Okajima 0Delcarmen 13 0Toronto IP H RTalletW, - 7LeagueH, 0DownsS,7-8

Inheritedrunners-scored:Oka-0.IBB:offR.Ramirez(LindHBP

WP:R.Ramirez.Umpires:Home,AndyFletcher;Second,Sco

:5 .A: 5,484(49,5 9).

N.Y. Yankees 10, Cleveland 5 Toronto 5, Boston 3

Sox struggling away from FenwaSabathia makes triumphant return to ClevelandTORONTOWhen theres no

Green Monster to aim at, theBoston Red Sox dont seem tohave the same offensive punch.

Alex Rios had four hits anddrove in the go-ahead run inthe seventh inning, leadingBrian Tallet and the TorontoBlue Jays to a 5-3 victory overthe slumping Red Sox.

Boston has dropped four of five, all away from home, andscored just 13 runs during thatspan.

The Red Sox are 17-6 at Fen-way Park, where they average6.3 runs per game. On the road,however, Boston is 11-16 andaverages 4.2 runs.

The players we have, noteverybody but a lot of them, aresuited for Fenway, managerTerry Francona said. Theresguys on our club who knowthey can reach out and hooksomething and hit it off thatwall. Some of these road games,you can go out and hook it andfly out. Theres a difference. Its been something weve been try-ing to figure out for a while. Ourhome and road, theres a lot of disparity. I would like, hope-fully, to figure it out by (today).

Batting sixth for the fifthstraight game, David Ortiz went0-for-4 and struck out twice,dropping his average to .185.

Toronto won its secondstraight after a nine-game los-ing streak and has now won sixconsecutive games at home,where it is 18-6 overall.


CLEVELANDCC Sabathia knew he hada no-hitter going in his return to Cleve-landat least for a little while.

Sabathia didnt allow a hit until thefifth inning, and the surging New YorkYankees got homers from Jorge Posadaand Nick Swisher in a 10-5 victory overthe Indians on Saturday night.

The big lefty worked seven stronginnings to beat his former team for thefirst time since signing a $161 million,seven-year contract with New York as afree agent in December.

Early on, you got the feeling thiscould be a special night for CC in hisreturn, Yankees manager Joe Girardisaid. He had good stuff and was throw-ing strikes.

Sabathia, who is 4-0 with a 2 .08 ERAin his last five starts, knew thesituation.

Any pitcher who tells you they dontknow is lying, Sabathia said. But Idont know what no-hit stuff feels like. I just know I felt comfortable being backon the mound here. I wasnt nervous.

Sabathia (5-3) allowed three runs, fivehits and three walks, striking out eight.And he wasnt surprised by the fansreaction to his effort. He was neitherloudly jeered nor cheeredunlikeThursday night at the Cleveland Cava-liers playoff game when basketball fans booed him soundly.

These are baseball fans here and theyknow how much I cared for their team,Sabathia said. They know how I triedto play for them. There were a lot of Yan-kees fans here, too.

Robinson Cano drove in three runs,while Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon hadtwo RBIs apiece as the Yankees opened a1-game lead in the A.L. East over Bos-

ton with their 14th win in 17 games.It starts with pitching, Yankees

third baseman Alex Rodriguez said.CC had phenomenal stuff. His velocitywas up to 98 (mph) with a good chan-geup. But everybody is contributing.Were 25 men deep.

New York also played its 16th straighterrorless game, one short of the major

league record set by the Red Sox in June2006, according to the Elias SportsBureau.

Its great to have defense like that behind you, Sabathia said. Even afterI left, A-Rod made a play on a ball that Ithought was foul and turned it into anout.


TONYDEJAK/AP

CC Sabathia didnt hear many boos or cheers from his former home crowd.

Yankees 10, Indians 5NewYork AB R H BI BB SO Avg.Jeterss 5 0 0 . 0

Damonlf 5 0 0 . 96Teixeira b 5 0 0 0 . 76A.Rodriguez b 0 0 0 . 60R.Pena b 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 46Cano b 5 0 . 0Posadac 5 0 0 . 8H.Matsuidh 5 0 0 . 6

-Berroapr-dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 67Swisherrf 4 . 7Gardnercf 0 0 . 7Totals 40 10 13 10 4 5

Cleveland AB R H B I BB S O Avg.A.Cabrerass 5 0 0 0 0 . 5Sizemoredh 4 0 .V.Martinezc 0 0 0 0 0 . 50Shoppachc 0 0 0 0 .Jh.Peralta b 0 0 0 . 57Choorf 0 . 99DeRosalf 0 0 0 . 68Garko b 0 0 . 6B.Franciscocf 4 0 0 0 . 67J.Carroll b 0 . 90Totals 32 5 7 5 3 10

New York 020 501 002 10 1 3 0Cleveland 000 021 002 5 7 2

-ran for H.Matsui in the9th.E:Choo (4), Garko( ).LOB:NewYork 7,Cleveland 5.2B:Teixeira( ),H.Matsui ( ),B.Francisco( ).HR:Posada(6), off Carmona;Swisher( 0), offCarmona;Sizemore(9),off Sabathia;Choo(7),offVeras.RBIs:Jeter ( 5),Damon

( ),Cano ( ),Posada( ),H.Matsui( 9),Swisher( 9),Sizemore ( ),Choo( 0), Garko( ),B.Francisco( 0),J.Carroll( ).Runnersleft inscoringposition:New York (Cano, A.Rodriguez,Swisher); Cleveland

(A.Cabrera ).DP:NewYork (A.Rodriguez, Cano,Teixeira),(Cano,Jeter,Teixeira).

New York IP H R ER BB SO N P ERASabathia W, 5- 7 5 8 .46D.Robertson 0 0 0 0 4 .45Veras 0 6.97Cleveland IP H R ER B B SO NP ERA

CarmonaL, -5 4 8 7 4 8 6.60Ohka 5 5 74 5.40

HBP:by Sabathia (Garko), by Veras(DeRosa).WP:Sabathia.Umpires:Home, BobDavidson;First, Jeff Nelson;Second,MarkCarlson;Third,TimTschida.T: : 6.A: 4, 96(45, 99).

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rays 5, Twins 2Minnesota AB R HSpanlf 5Mauerc 0Morneau b 4 0Cuddyer rf 4 0 0Crede b 0 0Tolbert ss 0 0B.Harris ss- bDelm.Youngdh 4 0Gomezcf 4 0A.Casilla b 4 0Totals 34 2 6 2

Tampa Bay AB R HB.Uptoncf 4Crawfordlf 4Longoria b 4C.Pena b 0 0W.Aybar b 0Zobristss 0Dillondh 4Kaplerrf 0 0M.HernandezcTotals 29 5 9 5

Minnesota 001 000 00

TampaBay 004 000 10E:Price( ).LOB:Minnesota8,T(7),B.Harris(7).HR:Dillon( ),ooffDickey.RBIs:Morneau(46)( 5),Longoria(55),Zobri( ).Runnersleft in scoringp(A.Casilla ,Crede,Cuddy(Dillon ).DP:Minnesota (Cr(A.Casilla, Tolbert, MorMorneau).

Minnesota IP H RLirianoL, -7 4 7Dickey 4Tampa Bay IP H RPrice W, -0 5 23 5BalfourH, 5 23ChoateS, - 23 0

Inheritedrunners-scored:BalfWP:Liriano .Umpires:HomeJamesHoye;Second,Mike

:54.A: 6,05 ( 6,97 ).

Tigers 6, Orioles 3Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Avg.Thomas rf 5 0 . 88Polanco b 5 0 0 0 0 0 . 55Ordonezdh 5 0 0 0 . 85Mi.Cabrera b 4 0 0 0 . 55Grandersoncf 5 0 0 . 58Inge b 4 0 0 . 68Raburn lf 4 0 0 . 67Everettss 0 0 0 0 0 . 8Sardinhac 0 0 0 0 .08a-Lairdph-c 0 0 0 . 0Totals 38 6 12 6 1 10

Baltimore AB R H B I BB SO Avg.B.Roberts b 4 0 0 0 . 05Ad.Jonescf 5 0 0 0 0 0 . 50Markakis rf 5 0 0 0 . 99A.Huff b 4 0 0 0 . 7Mora b 0 . 79Scottdh 4 0 .Wietersc 4 0 0 . 50Reimoldlf 4 0 0 0 . 67C.Izturisss 4 0 0 0 . 6Totals 37 3 11 3 2 7

Detroit 011 100 120 6 12 0Baltimore 000 012 000 3 11 1

a-reachedonerrorforSardinhainthe8th.E:C.Izturis(5).LOB:Detroit8,Baltimore9.2B:Thomas (4),Ordonez(7),Inge (6),Markakis ( 6),Wieters( ).3B:Wieters( ).HR:Granderson( ), offGuthrie;Thomas( ), off Guthrie;Thomas( ),offAlbers;Scott( ),offVerlander.RBIs:Thomas ( ),Granderson( 9), Raburn( ),Laird( 4),Scott ( 9), Reimold ( ).CS:Raburn( ).S:Everett.Runnersleftinscoringposition:Detroit4(Thomas , Inge,Polanco);Baltimore8(Wieters,Scott,Markakis , C.Izturis,Mora ).DP:Detroit (Verlander,Sardinha,Mi.Cabrera).

Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAVerlander W, 6- 6 9 5 .6PerryH,5 13 0 0 0 0 9 .66SeayH, 0 13 0 0 0 0 4 5.5ZumayaH, 13 0 0 0 0 .8RodneyS,9-9 0 0 0 0 . 5Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAGuthrie 6 7 0 4.86Albers L, 0- 13 4 0 0 5.6Walker 13 0 0 0 0 5 .97Bass 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.05

Inherited runners-scored:Seay -0, Zumaya -0,

Walker - , Bass -0.HBP:by Guthrie (Everett).WP:Verlander .Umpires:Home,DanIassogna;First,SamHolbrook;Second, AdrianJohnson; Third,Larry Vanover.T: :55.A: 4,567(48, 90).

Tampa Bay 5, Minnesota 2Detroit 6, Baltimore 3

Price shines in first victorThomas pulls off rare feat, tops ScottST. PETERSBURG, FLA.Even before

he earned his first regular-sea-son win, David Price knew whatit was like to get a standingovation.

That doesnt mean he didntenjoy this one, too.

Price struck out 11 for his firstcareer victory and Evan Longo-ria got his 5 5th RBI of the seasonto help the Tampa Bay Rays beatthe Minnesota Twins 5-2 onSaturday.

It was fun out there, saidPrice, who tipped his cap to thecheering crowd of 36,052 whenhe left the game. Any win youvegot to look at all the positives. Itsfun to be here. Its fun to pitchhere.

Price (1-0), who started theseason at Triple-A Durham andwas recalled Monday, gave upone run, five hits and two walksover 5 2/3 innings in his firststart at Tropicana Field.

The No. 1 overall pick in the2007 amateur draft was the win-ner out of the bullpen in Game 2and picked up the Game 7 save inlast years A.L. championshipseries against Boston, makingthe rookie an immediate fanfavorite.

David again, great stuff,Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddonsaid. His stuff was dominant.

Longoria had an RBI singleduring a four-run third for theRays, who have won two in a rowafter a season-high five-gameskid and Carl Crawford had twoRBIs, including a solo homer.


BALTIMOREOn a night in which Balti-mores Luke Scott extended his home-run hitting streak to four games, theDetroit Tigers benefited from an unex-pected power surge of their own.

Clete Thomas hit two solo home runs,and Detroit provided Justin Verlanderwith his sixth straight win by pullingaway to a 6-3 victory Saturday night.

Thomas, who came in with two hom-ers in 191 career at-bats, connected in thethird and seventh innings. The seconddrive, off Matt Albers (0-2), put Detroitup 4-3.

Selected by the Tigers in the sixthround of the 2005 amateur draft,Thomas played three seasons in theminor leagues before jockeying betweenTriple-A Toledo and Detroit last season.He couldnt remember ever hitting twohomers in one game.

I dont think Ive ever done it in pro-fessional ball, he said. Its there. Its just a matter of getting it to show up. Itshowed up tonight.

Thomas added an RBI double in theeighth. Curtis Granderson also homeredfor the Tigers, and Magglio Ordonez hadthree hits.

The defeat ended Baltimores five-game winning streak. The Oriolestrailed 3-1 in the sixth before Scott hit hissixth home run in four games, a two-rundrive that traveled an estimated 420feet. The shot came on a 3-2 pitch fromVerlander after he fouled off severaltough pitches.

The pitch I hit was a fastball, rightdown the middle, Scott said. It wasprobably the only mistake pitch I had allnight.

But Thomas quickly put Detroit backin front with his third homer of theseason.

Luke Scott is amazing, Thomas said.He ties it up and I end up hitting anotherone to give Justin the win. That made iteven more special.

Said Verlander: I just gave him a bighard high five. Obviously that was thepivotal point in the game.

Since returning from the disabled listWednesday, Scott has gone 8-for-15 with14 RBIs. He has five homers in his lastthree games, all against Detroit.

I wont be pitching to him with anopen base (today), Tigers manager Jim

Leyland said. Hes really in a groove.Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters had a

triple and a double after going 0-for-4 inhis much-anticipated major league debutFriday. He also scored his first run.

Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie gaveup three runs and seven hits in sixinnings. The righthander matched hiscareer high with 10 strikeouts, becom-ing the first Oriole to reach double fig-ures since Erik Bedard against Texas onAug. 21, 2007.


GAILBURTON/AP

Detroits Clete Thomas, right, is congratulated by third base coach Gene Lamont after hitting his second homer.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

White Sox 5, Royals 3Chicago AB R HPodsedniklf 5Al.Ramirezss 5 0Dyerf

Thomedh 0 0Konerko bPierzynskic 0Bri.Andersoncf 0b-Wiseph-cf 0 0Getz bFields bTotals 31 5 10 4

Kansas City AB R HBloomquist rf 4Maiercf 4 0Butler b 4 0J.Guillendh 4 0 0Teahen b 4 0Callaspo b 0 0c-Jacobsph 0 0DeJesuslf 0 0J.Buckc 0 0 0a-Olivoph-cLu.Hernandez ss 0Totals 33 3 8 3

Chicago 000 100 11KansasCity 101 000 0

a-poppedoutfor J.Buckin tAndersoninthe9th.c-strucE:J.Buck(5).LOB:Chicago6, K(5).3B:Dye( ),BloomquistoffBuehrle.RBIs:Podsednik(7Maier (5),Olivo( 4).SB:Getz(5SF:Thome, Getz.Runnersleft iChicago 5 (Al.Ramirez, P

);KansasCity (Butler)DP:ChiKonerko), (Fields, Getz,Klaspo, Lu.Hernandez, ButlButler).

Chicago IP H RBuehrle 713 7LinebrinkW, - 23 0JenksS, -Kansas City IP H RMeche 7 5

BaleJ.CruzL, -

IBB:offBale(Konerko).WP:MechChadFairchild;First,PaulNThird,Ed Rapuano.T: : 9.A: 7,89

Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City 3Texas 14, Oakland 1

White Sox on the right tracMcCarthy avoids some early troubleKANSAS CITYThe Chicago

White Sox and Kansas City Roy-als are heading off in oppositedirections. Its no mystery why.

The White Sox are executingwell and doing the little thingsright. Jim Thome drove in tworuns and Scott Podsednik andAlexei Ramirez delivered RBIsingles in the ninth, leading Chi-cago past the staggering Royals5-3 Saturday night. It was theeighth win in 11 games for Chi-cago, following a five-game los-ing skid.

For the Royals, it was the 15thsetback in 20 games following asix-game winning streak.

Were doing a lot of goodthings, said Chicago managerOzzie Guillen. We ran the baseshard, going first to third. Thatsthe baseball youve been watch-ing the last couple of weeks.Were pushing every time we geton base, we try to get somethingdone.

The Royals in their three-week skid have been doing mostof the little things wrong.

We should have won thegame, said Trey Hillman, theRoyals disgusted manager.

Mark Buehrle went 7 1/3innings and gave up three runsand seven hits. He struck out sixand did not issue a walk for thethird straight start. The victorywent to Scott Linebrink (2-2),who relieved Buehrle one outafter Miguel Olivo had hit hisfirst pitch of the eighth for ahome run that tied it 3-all.


ARLINGTON, TEXASThe Oakland Athlet-ics had Brandon McCarthy on the ropesin the first inning before the Texas Rang-ers righthander executed a great escape.

McCarthy went on to pitch six stronginnings, Hank Blalock and Marlon Byrdhit back-to-back homers, and the Rang-ers routed the As 14-1 on Saturdaynight.

McCarthy (5-2) was coming off hisfirst major league shutout on May 24against Houston, but he walked thegames first two batters before Matt Hol-liday grounded into a double play on a2-0 pitch.

After walking Jason Giambi, McCa-rthy gave up an RBI double to KurtSuzuki, then retired Ryan Sweeney tolimit the damage.

We had our chances to bust it open,As manager Bob Geren said.

McCarthy settled down to retire 12 ina row before giving up a fifth-inningsingle. He allowed one run and three hitsin six innings with two strikeouts andthree walks as he matched his careerhigh for victories.

I was all over the place in the first,said McCarthy, in his second season as afull-time starter. I couldnt find what Iwanted to do. I was a little out of sorts.But we figured it out. In the second I had better command and went from there. Acouple years ago, I dont know if I get outof that jam.

By working out of trouble, McCarthyearned the confidence of his teammates.

That was big, said Michael Young.He settled back down. Thats whatpitchers do when they get experience,make the right adjustment. Its a creditto him that he stayed with it and pitcheda real good game.

Texas went in front with a three-run

third on Youngs run-scoring double and Josh Hamiltons two-run single.

Blalock and Byrd led off the fourthagainst rookie starter Brett Anderson(2-5) with homers and Young added anRBI double later in the inning to stretchthe lead to 6-1.

Nelson Cruzs 445-foot solo blast in afour-run fifth was his seventh homer inhis last 11 games, helping the Rangersextend their edge to 10-1.

Ian Kinsler had four RBIs, including atwo-run double highlighting a three-runseventh to make it 13-1.

Byrd, Young and rookie Elvis Andrus

each had three hits for Texas.The Rangers have been winning with

pitching and defense, but on Saturdaynight they got a lift from their 17-hitattack.

Our approach has been a little off, soweve made it a point to have better at bats, Young said.

Texas (30-19) has won seven of nine toequal the 1996 team for the second-beststart in club history. In 1998, Texasopened at 31-18 for its best start.

The Rangers are 20-8 in May, settinga club record for wins in that month.


TONYGUTIERREZ/ AP

The Rangers have won seven of their last nine games and sport the second-best start in club history.

Rangers 14, Athletics 1Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.O.Cabrerass 0 0 0 . 6Kennedy b 0 0 0 0 . 77Holliday lf 0 0 0 0 0 . 64b-R.Davis ph-cf 0 0 0 0 . 46Giambidh 0 0 0 . 9K.Suzukic 0 0 0 . 86Powellc 0 0 0 0 . 86R.Sweeneycf-rf 4 0 0 0 0 . 50Cunningham rf-lf 4 0 0 0 0 .059Crosby b 0 0 0 0 0 . 04G.Petit b 0 0 0 . 6Totals 30 1 5 1 4 4

Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.Kinsler b 4 0 . 8M.Young b 4 0 0 .a-Vizquelph- b 0 0 0 0 0 .Hamiltondh 5 0 0 . 4An.Jones lf 5 0 0 0 0 . 84N.Cruz rf 5 0 . 99Blalock b 4 . 5Byrdcf 4 0 . 99Saltalamacchia c . 56Andrusss 5 0 0 . 89Totals 39 14 17 14 5 7

Oakland 100 000 000 1 5 0Texas 003 340 31x 14 17 0

a-fouledoutforM.Younginthe7th.b-struckoutforHol-

lidayinthe 8th.LOB:Oakland6, Texas7.2B:K.Suzuki( 5),Kinsler( ),M.Young ( 9),Byrd( 7).HR:Bla-lock( ),off Bre.Anderson;Byrd (4),off Bre.Anderson;N.Cruz( 4),offK.Cameron.RBIs:K.Suzuki( 7),Kinsler4( 9),M.Young ( ),Hamilton ( 4),N.Cruz( 6),Blalock ( 7),Byrd ( ),Saltalamacchia ( ),Andrus

( ).SF:Saltalamacchia.Runners leftin scoringposition:Oakland (R.Sweeney ,Cunningham);Texas

(Hamilton,An.Jones ).GIDP:Holliday,Cunningham,Hamilton.DP:Oakland (Crosby, O.Cabrera); Texas(Kinsler,Andrus, Blalock),(Andrus, Kinsler,Blalock).

Oakland IP H R ER BB SO N P ERABre.Anderson L, -5 4 8 6 6 8 5.70K.Cameron 4 4 4 5 .57Springer 45 6.98A.Bailey 0 0 . 5Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAMcCarthy W, 5- 6 87 4. 5Guardado 0 0 0 0 0 4 4. 8Madrigal 0 0 0 7 7.7Moscoso 0 0 0 0.00

Umpires:Home,MikeEveritt;First,GerryDavis;Second,BrianGorman;Third,C.B. Bucknor.T: : 8.A:45, 5(49, 70).

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Mariners 4, Angels 3, 10 inningsSeattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg.I.Suzuki rf 4 0 0 0 . 4Y.Betancourtss 0 0 0 . 55Beltre b 4 0 0 0 . 7GriffeyJr.dh 5 0 0 0 0 0 . 05Branyan b 4 0 0 0 .Jo.Lopez b 4 0 . 9Ro.Johnsonc 4 0 0 0 0 . 9En.Chavez lf 0 0 0 0 . 85a-Balentien ph-lf 0 0 0 . 40F.Gutierrezcf 0 0 0 0 0 . 67Totals 35 4 9 4 1 5

Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.Figgins b 4 0 0 0 . 9Abreurf 5 0 0 0 0 0 . 9Guerrerodh 5 0 0 . 6

-Kendrickpr 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 9Tor.Huntercf 4 0 0 . 4K.Morales b 4 0 0 . 79M.Izturis b 4 0 0 . 60MatthewsJr. lf 4 0 0 . 69E.Aybarss 4 0 0 0 . 86Mathisc 0 0 0 .Totals 37 3 11 3 2 6

Seattle 000 000 003 1 4 9 2Los Angeles 000 000 120 0 3 11 0

a-groundedoutforEn.Chavezinthe8th. -ranforGuer-rero inthe 0th.E:Branyan (5),F.Gutierrez( ).LOB:Seattle6, LosAngeles 8.2B:Balentien (9), E.Aybar(8).HR:Jo.Lopez(5), off Fuentes.RBIs:Y.Betancourt( 6),Jo.Lopez ( 5),M.Izturis ( ),MatthewsJr. ( 5),E.Aybar ( ).S: Y.Betancourt, F.Gutierrez, Mathis.SF:Y.Betancourt.Runners left in scoring posi-tion:Seattle (GriffeyJr. );Los Angeles 5(Abreu ,M.Izturis,K.Morales,Figgins).DP:Seattle 4 (Jo.Lopez,Y.Betancourt, Branyan), (Y.Betancourt, Branyan),(Branyan, Y.Betancourt, F.Hernandez), (Aardsma,Jo.Lopez,Branyan);Los Angeles (K.Morales,E.Aybar,K.Morales).

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAF.Hernandez 6 23 6 0 6 .4M.Lowe 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.68Morrow 0 7.6BatistaW, - 0 0 0 0 0 .60AardsmaS,8-8 0 0 0 0 9 .09Los Angeles IP H R E R BB S O N P ERAPalmer 7 4 0 0 0 5 4.06OliverH,4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .99Fuentes BS, - 6 0 0 6 5. 0Arredondo L, - 0 9 5.

Inherited runners-scored:M.Lowe -0.IBB:off Morrow(K.Morales), off Arredondo (I.Suzuki).HBP:by F.Hernandez (Tor.Hunter), by Palmer (Beltre).WP:F.Hernandez, Palmer.PB: Ro.Johnson.Umpires:Home,PaulEmmel;First,BillMiller;Second,BillHohn;Third,BruceDreckman.T: : .A: 9, 9(45, 57).

Seattle 4, L.A. Angels 3, 10 innings

Lopezs homer helps spark late-game rally

Disabled List Through May 28

AMERICAN LEAGUEBaltimoreOF Luis Montanez, May 23RHP Dennis Sarfate, May 2RHP Alfredo Simon, April 15RHP Koji Uehara, May 24

BostonRHP Miguel Gonzalez-x, March27OF Mark Kotsay, March 27SS Jed Lowrie, April 12RHP John Smoltz, March 27

ChicagoNone

Cleveland1B Travis Hafner, April 29LHP Aaron Laffey, May 23LHP Scott Lewis-x, April 11RHP Anthony Reyes-x, May 23RHP Joe Smith, April 29RHP Jake Westbrook-x, March 26

DetroitRHP Jeremy Bonderman, March30SS Carlos Guillen, May 5OF Marcus Thames, April 19C Matt Treanor-x, April 24

KansasCitySS Mike Aviles, May 243B Alex Gordon, April 16SS Tony Pena, May 3RHP Joakim Soria, May 8RHP Robinson Tejeda, May 21RHP Doug Waechter, April 18

LosAngelesRHP Kelvim Escobar-x, April 4RHP Shane Loux, May 17RHP Dustin Moseley, April 18C Robert Shields, May 27

MinnesotaRHP Boof Bonser, March 27RHP Pat Neshek-x, Feb. 21LHP Glen Perkins, May 19

NewYorkRHP Brian Bruney, May 20

LHP Damaso Marte, April 26C Jose Molina, May 8OF Xavier Nady, April 15C Jorge Posada, May 5SS Bryan Ransom-x, April 25

Oakland3B Eric Chavez-x, April 25RHP Joey Devine-x, April 4RHP Justin Duchscherer-x, March272B Mark Ellis-x, April 29SS Nomar Garciaparra, May 24RHP Dan Giese, May 16

SeattleRHP Roy Corcoran, April 29LHP Ryan Feierabend-x, March15LHP Cesar Jimenez-x, March 29C Kenji Johjima, May 26RHP Shawn Kelly, May 6LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, April11RHP Carlos Silva, May 7

TampaBaySS Jason Bartlett, May 25RHP Chad Bradford, March 27OF Pat Burrell, May 11INF Akinori Iwamura-x, May 25LHP Scott Kazmir, May 21RHP Troy Percival, May 22CF Fernando Perez-x, March 27C Shawn Riggans, April 10LHP Brian Shouse, May 25

TexasRHP Joaquin Benoit-x, April 5RHP William Eyre, April 23

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