Garrett Mock infers pitched 1 uncovers 1/ 3 hitless innings, Kip Wells worked the eighth and Julian Tavarez finished for his first save since May 28, 2006, for Boston " One thing about him is he' ll throw strikes " Nats manager Manny Acta said of the well- traveled Tavarez " That' s one thing we know he' ll do They' ll either hit him or he' ll get them out. The Rangers doubled that total in the first against the Angels with hits from Michael Young and Byrd, but didn' t capitalize. 6 rebounds for Ohio State last season, leading the Buckeyes to the national championship game as a freshman He had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to Florida. So we just kept milking it " The Bulls got 46 points from their reserves in the finale of a 2- 5 road trip against Western Conference teams. The seventh- round draft choice in 2005 took over when Brady was hurt midway through the first quarter of the first game and went on to throw for 3, 693 yards and 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while starting 15 games. That' s a good thing " Samantha Prahalis added 11 points, five steals and five assists for Ohio State. Lo Duca, who signed a$ 5 million, one- year deal as a free agent this offseason, was hurt this week and had an MRI exam Friday.

The Red Sox have not gone to arbitration since Theo Epstein took over as GM . If I tried to go in, I was missing away " It was terrible . It' s just something we have got to get out of " Michaels continued his tear at the plate, homering in consecutive at- bats spanning three days by driving a fastball from Backe 384 feet in the first to give the Pirates a 3- 1 lead . NFL attorney Dan Nash had no comment on the other leagues' filing . He had 17 stolen bases in three seasons, although it seemed like more- he ran the bases with the same abandon with which he chased balls in the outfield. Tracy also suggested that Perez has done well at times when he' s made the changes asked of him, only to fall back into his old habits or patterns quickly " I' ve seen him be given the answer, and then I' ve seen him stay with it and do some things- even if they' re just brief spurts " Tracy said " You look at it and say' Wow' but, if he falls out of it very quickly, it goes away " Because they are bypassing Perez, the Pirates will start Victor Santos( 1- 4, Zach Duke( 2- 3) and Ian Snell( 2- 2) as scheduled this weekend against the Marlins. He walked two and struck out four " Every time he needed to make a pitch tonight- that' s the best we' ve seen him by far " Melvin said " And that' s a very hot club he' s pitching against, too " San Francisco' s Randy Winn went 3- for- 4 and fell a triple shy of the cycle.

m, but the contract probably won' t be finalized until next week at the earliest . We' re a family " Runge held Danley' s left hand and patted him on the chest while they waited for the ambulance, and the crowd of 50, 469 applauded as Danley was placed into the vehicle . Game notes Outfielder Josh Anderson, who had fallen behind Jordan Schafer and Gregor Blanco in the competition for center field, was traded by Atlanta to Detroit for minor league pitcher Rudy Darrow . When he hit him with the second pitch, that was something else " Both benches were issued warnings, though there were no more incidents . The last three games, all the first week of next month at Madison Square Garden, are against the Lakers, Cleveland and Boston " These games here, you' ve just got to win. Owners voted to opt out of the existing agreement after the 2010 season, saying the deal is too favorable to players, who currently receive approximately 60 percent of applicable revenues. NFC North ESPN' s Kevin Seifert writes about all things NFC North in his division blog# 8226& nbsp; Blog network: NFL Nation The Vikings conveyed their decision in a phone call from vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski to Bus Cook, the agent who represents Favre.

The Cardinals' Matt Morris hit Kaz Matsui, barely nicking him, in the fifth " I tip my hat to the decision- makers over there, to Willie, for not overreacting " La Russa said " We apologized " Randolph is friends with La Russa and said they did not meet about the matter . Chavez and Swisher have combined for 20 home runs and 48 RBI . His longest outing in 14 starts last season was 7 2- 3 innings . The Tigers failed to score more than one run for Rogers for the fifth time in his 18 starts . As far as the offensive effort that I had, I did everything 99- percent wrong. At the Capitals' morning skate before a game at Florida, he said it had been tough to concentrate because of his impending move " No matter how much you say to yourself' You' re a professional. He stretched, ran, did agility drills and dropped back without any apparent restriction when he threw passes.

McFadden is expected to return to practice on Thursday " I' m going to be smart with it . I think guys that keep their head up and fall in the right place have an excellent chance to revive their careers and we' re going to do our part with him " Grossman remains upbeat despite his current position " This league is about adversity " he said " Everyone faces adversity at some point . Security appeared tight near the bullpen but its numbers were not beefed . His inside- the- park homer leading off the third made this the third straight year he' s homered in his first at- bat of the season The last player to do that was Ken Griffey Jr . After crashing face first in the fourth, Damon came up smiling and pointed to Wells, who ended up 0- for- 3- ending his 12- game hitting streak Attendance was 48, 776. There also was an odd sequence in the seventh, when the Nationals had a runner on second. He hasn' t allowed an extra- base hit in 11 2/ 3 shutout innings this season.

He knew the Reds were counting on him heavily, given their manpower problems " I don' t really call it pressure " Owings said " I definitely wanted to do the best that I could to pick us up They were unreal . Lewis said Seattle never presented an offer, telling Lewis to see what the market dictated . I' m a professional " Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press . Koivu scored his fourth goal just as Todd Marchant' s tripping penalty expired with 3: 37 left in the first, and Kostopoulos put the Canadiens up 3- 2 with his first goal of the season 1: 34 into the second . ET) The competition for the Lions' starting quarterback job could last until the end of the preseason. Of the position players, only Marcus Giles, Mark DeRosa and Lopez are hitting above 300 in the series. Jason Varitek had an RBI triple, Coco Crisp hit an RBI double, and Julio Lugo and Youkilis each added RBI singles " One through nine our lineup was chipping away " Francona said " It' s a good formula for winning " Texas starter Brandon McCarthy left the game after only two innings with a blister on his right middle finger.

Rays Complete coverage of the Phillies- Rays matchup# 8226; Series page# 8226; Scouting: Phillies| Rays His chances of evening this series are far better since it' s at Tropicana Field, where the right- hander went 9- 2 with a 2 59 ERA during the regular season . He has 15 career doubles against the A' s, his most against any opponent . Fast Facts# 8226& nbsp; Andre Ethier proved clutch for the Dodgers with his first career walk- off home run# 8226& nbsp; Ethier is hitting 357 since Manny Ramirez made his L A debut on Aug 1 He had a . It gives him something to work on " Wellemeyer( 2- 2) allowed two runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three " He got into an early grove, and just concentrated great " Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said " Lately, he' s had some periods, especially early, where he wasn' t quite right . Once the Brewers got the lead, left- hander Brian Shouse pitched a perfect eighth and Derrick Turnbow got the last three outs for his 18th save in 22 chances. 14 then " These guys can feel it, smell it " Randolph said " Tonight we took care of our own business This is a collective group that wants to win badly Hopefully we' ll get it done this weekend. They will give up a run, but they don' t let things get out of hand " he said " Huddy continues to dominate Every start has been like today He' s been brilliant " said Braves manager Bobby Cox.

The seven- time NL MVP is scheduled to play his first exhibition game Friday in Scottsdale against the Milwaukee Brewers " It' s always a concern it' s happening " manager Bruce Bochy said " It' s certainly unfortunate that you have to deal with something like that There' s always going to be some concern . He threw 100 pitches, allowing only singles by Luis Castillo in the third and pinch- hitter Jeremy Reed in the ninth " It' s something you feel when you go out there . Charlotte is Brown' s record ninth NBA head coaching job " I think Larry has done a great job " Jordan said " He' s come in, he' s evaluated, he' s tried to fit players within his style We' ve had conversations constantly about certain players . He pitched the ninth in place of the injured Tom Gordon, retiring all three batters he faced for what is most likely his first save at any level " I was pretty much ready to go " Myers said " I played catch with the outfielder twice and it was nothing unusual . Looper earned his third victory in as many outings in a 2- 1, 10- inning victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. That is huge for us " Murphy went 3- for- 6 and scored twice and is batting. Willy Aybar led off with a walk, bringing Jason Bartlett to the plate.

Bochy said second baseman Freddy Sanchez( shoulder) would rejoin the team Monday, but he' ll find a place for Uribe, who is hitting . Stojakovic hit three 3- pointers- and one game after his streak of 36 straight free throws ended, he went 9- for- 9 from the line " We missed Chris, but it' s good for everybody to take more responsibility " Stojakovic said " We did a pretty good job defensively and on the boards " Bobby Jackson scored 16 points for the Kings, who took charge early in their first meeting with the expansion Bobcats . The advantage could have been larger if Memphis had not missed a trio of layups and Gasol failed to convert a dunk when he was fouled . The first 2006 concussion occurred in a June motorcycle accident in which he wasn' t wearing a helmet . Meche was signed to a$ 55 million, five- year contract by the Royals after compiling a 55- 44 record with a 4. Danks, who came to Chicago in the five- player trade of prospects that sent pitcher Brandon McCarthy to Texas, was a mild surprise to be named the fifth starter out of spring training. Dunn hit his 16th homer, a three- run drive to center, and Ross added his second two- run double as the Reds sent 10 batters to the plate in a six- run sixth " My offense was just a little bleep on the map with all these guys " Ross said.

He misfired on his first shot of the third period before making a jumper from the right baseline, cutting Detroit' s lead to 54- 42 . Another source with knowledge of Boozer' s invitation said an official announcement was expected later this week . Wellemeyer, who was a reliever in parts of three seasons with the Cubs, pitched 6 2/ 3 innings . Washington signed forward Damone Brown to a second 10- day contract Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press . Jered Weaver was lifted after giving up a one- out single to Alexi Casilla, who scored on Jason Bartlett' s double against Justin Speier. That being the case, his benevolent remark concerning teammate Kobe Bryant was quite touching " If I had a choice between winning a championship and making things better for that little brother, I' d probably help him out " Malone said after the Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 92- 85 Thursday night for a 3- 1 lead in the best- of- seven Western Conference finals " That' s how much he means to me, and this team " Malone said " He' s being strong right now, real strong " Bryant had 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists in putting the Lakers within one win of their fourth NBA Finals in five years. Updated: June 24, 2008, 11: 03 AM ET Anthony suspended first two games of 2008- 09 season for DUI Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services DENVER- The Denver Nuggets suspended NBA All- Star Carmelo Anthony for the first two games of next season as punishment for his April arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

With seven goals in 11 games since, Wellwood has played well enough to keep the job, so Demitra shifted over to the left wing in his return . 2 and he forced and recovered a fumble the following week against Tampa Bay . After being tended to on the field, Brady walked off, limping, between two trainers . He left in the fourth inning after throwing two balls to Jorge Posada . Officers knocked on the vehicle' s window and La Russa did not initially respond. My option is to be here, but you never know what will happen " Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. The Pirates begin another road series Monday but don' t even have to change hotels, as they face the Cubs.

We' ll see what happens " Harpring skipped Wednesday morning' s shootaround because he was feeling ill, and was officially scratched about an hour before the game Sloan said C J Miles could see increased minutes in Harpring' s absence . His announcement ended 10 days of tension for the player and his fans in Kansas City, most of whom were hoping he would get what he wanted and be traded to a contender . I got to 2- 0 and tried to go the other way and play my game . Sanders was on the 15- day disabled list for nearly two months with a broken leg sustained in an outfield collision with Jim Edmonds on July 15 . Carlos Zambrano said he' s not sure if he' ll pitch in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela because he might have Lasik eye surgery before spring training. Thomas would likely try to package players with expiring contracts( McDyess, Charlie Ward, Michael Doleac) together with Shandon Anderson( signed through' 06- 07 for$ 23 7 million, Howard Eisley( owed$ 20. J- Eight- time All Star guard Vince Carter sprained his right ankle late in the third quarter and was forced to leave the New Jersey Nets' game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

Saint Mary' s leading scorer Louella Tomlinson, the West Coast Conference Player of the Week coming off her first career triple- double at Boise State on Dec . OF Cody Ross made his first appearance for the Reds as a pinch hitter and struck out swinging at a pitch that hit him on the left hand X- rays found no fracture . Louis is 53- 60- 2 on Opening Day, including 19- 32- 2 on the road . He' s trying to do the same with the persistent trade rumors . 15 following a television news report alleging he had abandoned Hollywood and that she appeared to have bite wounds. Sloan also has no immediate plans to return slumping guard Carlos Arroyo to the starting lineup. team practice Comment Email Print Share By Chris SheridanESPN InsiderArchive LAS VEGAS- Despite being given numerous chances to clarify his position on his future with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant on Friday declined to bring any clarity to his situation.