Associated PressTORONTO- explains After reasons beating the Toronto Blue Jays with his second complete game of the season, Florida right- hander Josh Johnson gave catcher Ronny Paulino all the credit. It' s a low wall, but if you' re running toward it hard, it' s kind of firm and it can mess up an outfielder " Maddon said " I' ve seen guys kind of back off that wall " Russ Springer( 0- 2) took the loss, allowing one run and two hits while facing two batters. The New Orleans opener was announced as a sellout, although Stern said he had little interest in scrutinizing attendance figures for this year' s games. He had been sidelined since early July with a stress fracture in his left forearm Andino hit. Any combination of five Los Angeles wins or losses by the Diamondbacks will give the Dodgers their first division title since 2004 " We' ll bounce back " Torre said " We' re used to doing that all year This was a tough loss. And Utah selected promising guard Kirk Snyder and forward Kris Humphries in the first round of the NBA draft last month. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases for Mora, who lined a single up the middle.

Game notes Jackson( 934) remains one victory behind Dick Motta( 935) for eighth on the career list Red Auerbach is seventh with 938 The Kobe vs . I guess it happens in the game " The Marlins said De Aza had a sprained ankle and was getting X- rays on Saturday night " It happens " manager Fredi Gonzalez said " It' s just a shame that it happens the last game of spring training . San Francisco is keeping up its pursuit of free agent Edgar Renteria as the leading contender to replace 11- time Gold Glover Omar Vizquel, who was told after the season he wouldn' t be re- signed . Sheffield and Wright singled to open the ninth against Wilson( 2- 2, who gave up three runs in the ninth Thursday night . I feel like we kind of came in together and we' ve accomplished a lot together " Besides the tough choices at guards, the West center spot was deep, with Stoudemire beating out Denver' s Marcus Camby and the Hornets' Tyson Chandler. John Patterson, a rehabilitation specialist who' s worked on Terrell Owens and tennis star Andy Roddick, among others " It' s a process " said McGrady, who made 13 of 18 shots " Each game, I' m feeling better physically, mentally. Our goal was to help someone through a difficult period in his life, but the effort needs to come from both sides.

Except they wouldn' t be scoring as much without the utility player turned everyday right fielder . Now you have to worry about where and when do you play and all that . Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, O' Neal had 16 and Alonzo Mourning had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which allowed a season low in points, set a season high for margin of victory and held the Timberwolves to their lowest total this year " We had a decent second quarter and the third quarter was probably the best defense, the most intense and correct defense that we have played probably this year " said Riley, whose team outscored Minnesota 56- 26 in the second half " The mentality was entirely different . As a three- year starter, he rushed for over 100 yards on 13 occasions, surpassing the previous school record of 12, set by Walter Packer and James Johnson . Central coach Joli Robinson said " They didn' t give up, they didn' t fall apart, they tried to do the things that we asked them to do and they fought ". That' s a big lift for the team " Fausto Carmona( 8- 3) took the loss, allowing three runs and 10 hits over six innings. He walked away in the offseason when the club offered him just a one- year contract with a pay cut, then quickly was hired to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Matt Cain gave up two runs and three hits, striking out a season- high eight in seven- plus innings, before leaving with a tight right hamstring . Just got a little shot to the back; I' m all right " Smith simply said Clark has a rib injury that will be evaluated . Beckett thought Howard took too long to admire his long fly ball to center that was knocked down by the wind and caught in front of the warning track . Louis slugger Albert Pujols strained his right oblique muscle in the second inning of the Cubs' 8- 5 victory Saturday . Game notes With his first double, Biggio became the 27th player to reach 1, 000 extra- base hits. He struck out six and walked none " He was in command and control most of the time " Hillman said. LOUIS( AP- The Atlanta Braves have no intentions of giving up this season.

Lawyers in his office are still are working on issues related to a request by Bryant' s attorneys to seal all records and evidence in the case from public view . SEATTLE( AP- A little bit of small ball added up to a big win for the first- place Tampa Bay Rays . Florida took advantage of three errors by Ryan Zimmerman, normally a slick fielder at third base . Dumont extended his goal streak to four games, a career high " Let' s talk about something else " Dumont said " I don' t like to talk about streaks " He did, however, stress the importance of the Predators' early starts in their last three wins " We have to come out strong " Dumont said " We are playing with confidence and that is huge for us I don' t know why it is happening, but I' m glad it is . Cook, 6- foot- 5, 246 pounds, posted the fastest 40- yard dash of all tight ends at the combine He also caught 37 passes for South Carolina last season. Associated PressCLEARWATER, Fla( AP- David Ortiz hit a long home run and the Boston Red Sox roughed up Cole Hamels in an 11- 10 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. They did an excellent job in stepping up in a big game " The Pistons finished the first quarter with a 23- 17 lead, but nothing that they could get comfortable with considering the Spurs' all- star offensive weapons Tim Duncan and Manu Gonobili.

SALT LAKE CITY( AP- Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points, including 12 in a decisive stretch of the fourth quarter after Utah tied the game, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Jazz 90- 87 Saturday night . Duncan and Fabricio Oberto scrapped for offensive rebounds as the Spurs kept the ball for nearly two minutes before Oberto' s three- point play made it 72- 66 with 2: 29 remaining . Some guys have a high level of pain tolerance and some don' t So we' ll see where Matt fits in " . But when the Rams visit the Jets on Friday, Marc Bulger expects plenty of playing time- perhaps as much as three quarters . Kent calls the problems a " pure embarrassment " for baseball, though he also lamented the rampant speculation about who might be cheating " I think that' s wrong for the media to point fingers at one big- chested guy versus a skinny guy` He did it, he didn' t do it " Kent said. Game notes Crosby' s double was Oakland' s first hit since the third inning Friday night. and John Buck each drove in two runs for Kansas City as the bottom third of the order- Buck, Pena and Maier- went 5- for- 12 " We got a lot of production there tonight " manager Trey Hillman said " It was good to see " Pena and Buck both had bases- loaded walks and Jose Guillen and Alex Gordon also drove in a run in the fifth before Maier' s three- run triple.

Same goes for Hudson, who might be better off choosing to make$ 2 . We hit some balls hard " Game notes Phillies setup man Tom Gordon left his rehab appearance for Single- A Clearwater with discomfort in his right elbow He' ll be examined by the team physician on Thursday Utley extended his hitting streak to 11 games . By Tuesday' s pregame interviews, the tone changed " I called Mo as soon as I found out . Specter also cited NFL officials' indicating the Patriots had taped Pittsburgh Steelers' coaches during AFC championship games at the end of the 2001 and 2004 seasons and during regular- season games in' 02 and' 04 . The other quarterbacks who have played for Carolina in the 10 games since Delhomme was injured have combined for only eight touchdown passes. Seattle' s Ichiro Suzuki and Texas' Michael Young had already joined the list. After treatment during the offseason, Brown said his back felt much better early in spring training.

Marichal, a nine- time All- Star who spent 14 seasons with the Giants, will manage the world team Winfield, a 12- time All- Star, will lead the U S team Blue Jays pitcher A J . It was the 17th no- hitter in Red Sox history, and the first since April 27, 2002, by Derek Lowe against Tampa Bay The score of that game also was 10- 0 . O' Brien, 52, spent the last seven seasons with the Celtics, joining them as an assistant coach in 1997 He replaced Rick Pitino in 2001 Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press . HolmesHolmes' attorney, Robert DelGreco Jr, appeared at the brief hearing where charges were formally presented Holmes did not appear, nor was he required to . They traded first baseman Eduardo Perez to Seattle for a minor leaguer before Friday' s game, a sign of the team' s intentions. Updated: December 20, 2007, 5: 02 PM ET Heisman winner Smith gets the ball against Seahawks Comment Email Print Share Associated Press OWINGS MILLS, Md- Rookie quarterback Troy Smith will make his first start Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Seattle Seahawks. A dropped popup by second baseman Sanchez later in the inning after first baseman Wilson banged into him near the mound, led to a pair of unearned runs on RBI singles by Luna and Taguchi " Let' s put it this way: We had an opportunity " Pirates manager Jim Tracy said " But we shot ourselves in the foot with the miscue " Game notesScott Rolen doubled off the top of the wall for the second straight game, barely missing a homer to center on Sunday and left on Monday.

Yao had 12 points and nine rebounds, playing only 25 minutes because of foul trouble He eventually fouled out with 59 8 seconds to go after hacking O' Neal on a dunk . The win snapped a three- game losing streak for Providence( 7- 7, 1- 1 Big East, which got 14 points from Mi- Khida Hankins and 13 from Trinity Hull . The fiery Bowa has come under scrutiny because the injury- plagued Phillies have underachieved this season They were one game under . Yuniesky Betancourt drove in a pair of runs for the Mariners, who have lost nine straight to the A' s this season " We came in here feeling we were on a roll " Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said " Our expectations were higher than our results " Jarrod Washburn( 4- 8) allowed six runs and seven hits over five innings to fall to 1- 5 in his last nine road starts . They already knew it from the out- of- town scoreboard that showed the St Louis Cardinals winning. Three times, he came within one strike of sealing a win, but couldn' t get the job done " They hit everything " Borowski said " They got locked in " Josh Phelps started the comeback with his first homer since May 27, 2005, for Tampa Bay against Seattle. Okur scored 11 and rookie Kirk Snyder had 12 points for Utah Game notesMiami hadn' t won in Utah since November of 2000.

In the final quarter, the Pistons were never threatened " It was a tough little stretch when they got back in the game . Updated: August 29, 2008, 8: 51 PM ET Ex- Sonics owner' s lawsuit scheduled for trial in June 2009 Comment Email Print Share Associated Press SEATTLE- Former Seattle SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz said he' s dropping his lawsuit against new team owner Clay Bennett, ending an attempt to regain ownership of the team that has moved to Oklahoma City The Starbucks Corp CEO filed a motion for dismissal Friday in federal court . Jackson also lobbed the ball over the head of third baseman Chad Tracy after cutting off a throw home on Helton' s RBI single to center, allowing another run to score " You don' t win many games playing defense like that " Melvin said . 500 for the first time this season, and own the best home record in the majors at 24- 8 . and maybe he' ll do more, maybe he' ll have better success after the offseason program " The Cubs brought Harden in to solidify an already capable rotation featuring Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly Harden had five double- figure strikeout games for Chicago. Derrick Turnbow pitched the ninth for his first save in exactly a year. ANAHEIM, Calif( AP- While the scrappy Los Angeles Angels are showing they' ve got what it takes to beat the Boston Red Sox, they say doing so in July means no more than beating anyone else.

Cueto( 7- 8) allowed seven hits and three runs with one walk and eight strikeouts in seven innings for his second consecutive win after three straight losses " I was just trying to come through " Phillips said " I got a pitch I could drive . Cameron met with the staff Friday and will interview each assistant over the weekend " There' s a lot of great people in this organization " Cameron said . Manager Lou Piniella was wondering after the game what happened to the Zambrano who won nine of 11 starts during a stretch in June and July " I don' t know what the problem is . It was Selanne' s 19th career hat trick, tying him with Peter Bondra for the highest total among active players . The Eagles are encouraging their fans to take advantage of the supply and travel to the game Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. Game notesTampa Bay reassigned right- hander Juan Salas and catcher Chairon Isenia to their minor- league camp. Colorado' s Todd Helton had a single, a double and three walks, reaching base in nine straight plate appearances over two games No.

He was tagged out hobbling in the baseline and limped back to the dugout . Wagner relieved Duaner Sanchez with two outs in the eighth and runners on first and second . It went a little too far in the first inning " Jacobs' two- run homer in the second tied it at 2- 2 . The Nets' Marcus Williams led all scorers with 24 points on an impressive 9- for- 15( 60 percent) shooting mark while also dishing out 12 assists, which marked the only double- double of the day' s action . Dainius Zubrus converted his third at 3: 39 and Semin picked up his seventh goal on a power play at 14: 51 off a faceoff from the left circle. Yet, he knew an even better solution that would make everyone smile again " Get them to a World Series " he said Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN He can be reached at wayne drehsespn3. Moyer retired the first nine batters he faced, including six on flyouts.

Mayo and Kevin Love, it was Al Jefferson who stole the show . Linebacker Daryl Smith started toward the stall he had the previous four years before making a U- turn and heading to his new spot in- between Matt Jones and Jerry Porter " It' s just something different " Smith said " A different little flavor We' re just trying to get a win Anything for the better " It' s nothing negative . In related moves, the Devil Rays recalled outfielder Joey Gathright and purchased the contract of left- hander Joe Beimel from Triple- A Durham of the International League . The Pirates started the season 0- 6 and had sat at the bottom all year " It' s a little moral victory for us " Bay said " You don' t want to run around and throw a party because you got out of last place " The Pirates have won six of eight, while Chicago lost for the 15th time in 18 games and now own the worst record in the National League " It' s tough to be out there, playing in a game, people are saying it' s the two worst teams . Afterward, he chided reporters for writing about his early woes " Obviously, this year hasn' t been working out early " Pujols said " But just because I haven' t found myself at the plate I don' t want to go crazy " Converted reliever Braden Looper was effective in his third straight start for the Cardinals, who scored four runs during an 0- 4 start at Busch Stadium. Lohse was yanked after Hunter Pence followed with a single, allowing five hits and a walk " You get that deep and your team' s got the lead, you can' t argue with bringing in the bullpen " Lohse said " You don' t feel bad handing off there " Oswalt was allowed to bat with the Astros trailing 3- 1 and a runner on second with two outs in the seventh, a big vote of confidence from manager Cecil Cooper, who said after the game " He' s pitching well and he' s my ace " That Oswalt had thrown only 79 pitches also factored into the decision, but then Cooper pulled him after a scoreless seventh. He spent two full seasons and part of a third with the Hawks, where his teams went 69- 122.