The Chicago explains Cubs optioned states OF Matt Murton to Triple- A Iowa on Wednesday to get him more at- bats and recalled left- handed reliever Clay Rapada. The Rays' lead grew to 8- 2 in the fourth when Wigginton led off with a homer to left Tampa Bay starter J P. He also walked a season- high four batters " We didn' t have our best game " Melvin said " Yet we accomplished what we set out to get. 74 ERA in seven starts at home in the Coliseum this year but seemed poised to break out of that against struggling Baltimore. Atlanta chased Wolf with a five- run sixth inning that featured five singles, and tacked on three more runs in the ninth Wolf gave up six runs and six hits in five innings. One bright spot for Washington was the bat of newcomer Adam Dunn, who drove in four runs with a double and a homer " I was pretty confident I was going to hit one this year " he said with a laugh.

Nash agreed to a five- year$ 65 million contract, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn' t match it . Miller, who went 0- for- 6 from the floor in the first quarter, had 11 points in the second for the 76ers . Updated: January 7, 2008, 12: 38 AM ET Chargers TE Gates leaves game with injured toe vs . After Wilkerson' s leadoff single and stolen base in the fourth, Webb struck out the side . Esteban German drove in both runs for the Royals, who have lost seven of nine. The three daughters protested Murphy receiving the benefits this year, days after he called the system asking what he needed to do to receive the money, according to court documents subpoenaed by Murphy' s attorney " My wife has been dead since 1996 " Murphy said according to a record of the call " Phyllis' parents have not wanted me to have these funds We have never gotten along.

He worked the kinks out of his delivery in the minors and didn' t allow a run in his first two starts back . Phillies C Carlos Ruiz missed his second straight start after spraining his left wrist Friday night . The Titans want to use Britt, free agent signee Nate Washington and rookie tight end Jared Cook to add some help to an offense that ranked 27th in the NFL in yards passing in 2008 The receiver isn' t expected to start this season . Bates signed a three- year contract extension with the Broncos before Mike Shanahan was fired and new coach Josh McDaniels, who will run the offense in Denver, likely would grant Bates his release . Bob DuPuy, baseball' s chief operating officer, joined Manfred on a telephone conference call and said commissioner Bud Selig wants to strengthen the drug- testing plan agreed to in August 2002 " The world has changed dramatically over the last 18 months " DuPuy said " and the commissioner is attempting to change or react to those changes and get to a zero- tolerance policy, much like we have in the minor leagues, as soon as possible " A federal grand jury in California has indicted four men on charges of illegally distributing steroids, including the personal trainer of Barry Bonds. The report, citing anonymous sources, said the Yankees planned an announcement about the proposed new stadium in the next two weeks- although the team said that was not true " There is no date scheduled for any announcement " team president Randy Levine said Thursday " When we conclude consulting with the mayor, the governor, the Bronx borough president and other elected and community officials- and when our plans are finalized- we will have something to say " The team will likely seek to finance the facility by issuing tax- exempt Industrial Development Authority bonds, with revenue from the new stadium easily paying off the bonds, according to Crain' s.

Brian Sikorski( 1- 0) worked the final 1 1- 3 innings for the win . The prized prospect hit 99 mph as he struck out two and retired the side in order in his first home game since he was called up last Tuesday " I started getting ahead of myself " Chamberlain said " I didn' t even realize who I was facing " Guthrie lasted just 4 2/ 3 innings, allowing six runs and nine hits . Will Clemens tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the interview? Story Emery said a decision whether to sue won' t be made until after the 60 Minutes interview is broadcast " It really depends on what a reasonable person would take away from the entire interview as to whether he' s going to damage Brian . Bryant, coach of the Las Vegas Rattlers of the American Basketball Association, spoke to the television station before a game against the Long Beach Jam . Baker missed two months and the playoffs last season after he checked into a rehab center to treat alcoholism. I dedicate this season to them " But the 34- year- old Mourning doesn' t know how much playing time he has left. He finished 11- for- 12 from the line and made 10 of 20 field goals.

The Red Sox and Devil Rays have traded beanballs and been involved in several brawls in recent years, and Saturday was no exception . He has played in 135 or more games in six seasons, hit more than 20 homers six times, and driven in 100 or more runs four times " I' m not here looking to achieve what I did[ in Boston " he said " The biggest thing I can achieve is being part of a World Series team That' s what I want to achieve here I' ve never set personal goals for myself It doesn' t matter whether you hit 370 or 250 or . Drew' s two homers weren' t enough to prevent the Dodgers' third straight loss . 92 ERA " I think that each hitter in their lineup is very skilled " Matsuzaka said through a translator . But the wind picked up during the game and the ball was carrying. So it just fits, the idea that right now our whole team is pretty much coming back.

But the Padres stranded 11 runners, including twice leaving the bases loaded " We' ve done a great job over the last six weeks of situational baseball on the offensive side " San Diego manager Bud Black said " We didn' t execute like we have been " Arizona left 13 runners on base . The Hornets went 8- 9 without Paul, including a three- game winning streak to start their current five- game homestand . Updated: August 10, 2006, 8: 15 PM ET Parcells' Good chance' QB Romo will start opener Email Print Share Associated Press OXNARD, Calif- Bill Parcells says " there would be a pretty good chance " that Tony Romo will start at quarterback in the preseason opener against Seattle . He spent Sunday night at another club, Body English at the Hard Rock hotel- casino, before leaving about 3: 30 a m Monday, according to casino spokeswoman Dorian Cantrell NFL Video Javon Walker 72- yard rush for touchdown . I am so impressed with their program " Johnston wasn' t disappointed at his team' s play but that this loss- only the team' s third this season- was the hardest. The ball rolled right in front of Williams while he was flat on the ground in the scrum " I' m looking around, all of a sudden I see this white thing flying through the sky " said Williams, who plans to sell the ball " It' s not going to eBay. But I don' t " Washburn left after two hard drives in the seventh.

The Dodgers have yet to ask for formal permission to interview Little, who is currently working as a roving catching instructor in the Chicago Cubs' system, the sources said . 364 with four RBIs and three doubles against the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series as St . I feel I threw the ball very well but Oswalt did the same " Willis said " I felt strong and I was executing my pitches where I wanted to but a couple plays got through so you have to tip your hat . Prosecutors passed all the records on to Bryant' s lawyers as part of the normal exchange of evidence The details of the records have not been made public . Reyes slid over from shortstop but booted the ball behind second, loading the bases " Nothing went wrong there I just missed the ball E- 6 " Reyes said. Fast Facts# 8226& nbsp; The Rays have now lost 11 straight games, which ties for the third longest such streak in franchise history.

O' Neal " I haven' t done anything in a month and a half " O' Neal said " I' m in great human shape I' m in OK basketball shape . 77 seconds, but that will be wiped off the books once his doping penalty becomes official . It' s a good compromise for everyone involved " A four- year veteran, Briggs has chafed much of the offseason at being designated as the Bears' franchise player . The Bills attract an average of 15, 000 Canadian fans to their home games, but have had little success establishing marketing deals and selling luxury suites with companies north of the border . Police say jail officials later found a small bag believed to contain cocaine in Williams' back pocket. also was told he would be placed on the 40- man roster, club spokesman Gregg Elkin said.

Oliver Perez gave up only five hits in seven strong innings and Reyes was 3- for- 6 with two triples and four RBIs to help the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 11- 1 Friday night . The left- hander, who had reconstructive surgery on his elbow last September, hadn' t pitched in the majors since Aug 19 . The Pirates had every reason to expect to lose to the Cubs after management effectively told them they' re not ready yet to win . Sebastian Telfair threw in 17 points and dished out six assists . 8 hitter Olivo lined the first pitch 417 feet into the seats in left " I thought they were going to walk me, but when I saw the catcher sitting, I said' OK " Olivo said. Burnett dominated the struggling Yankees and outclassed their prized prospect on the mound, sending last- place New York to its sixth straight loss by pitching the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6- 0 victory Thursday night " He' s got the capability of doing that every time he goes out there.

His two- run single broke a 1- 1 tie in the fourth, and he added another single in the eighth " I' ve always been a part of this team " he said " They' ve always included me in everything, even when I was off getting myself right " Tigers manager Jim Leyland still wants to see more from the designated hitter, but he was pleased with the comeback' s opening act " I' m happy for him- that' s a great way to be welcomed back to the team " he said " But I wouldn' t have been down if he had gone 0- for- 4, and I' m not going to be excited about two hits " Detroit, which owns the best record in baseball( 65- 31, has won three straight and is 6- 2 on its current homestand Oakland dropped to 5- 3 since the All- Star break . Arizona general manager Josh Byrnes said left fielder Eric Byrnes, on the disabled list since May 27 with two strained hamstrings, had a " good day of running " and could return within the next week " There' s light at the end of the tunnel " Josh Byrnes said . Updated: July 3, 2005, 11: 34 AM ET If healthy, coach wants to return to Pistons Email Print Share ESPN news services Larry Brown' s agent, Joe Glass, and Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars plan to speak Tuesday about the coach' s future with the team, ESPN' s Marc Stein has confirmed . But Florida committed three errors and stranded 16 runners, both season highs " We got a lot of hits " Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said " We just couldn' t touch that home plate " Humberto Quintero hit a solo homer, and Lance Berkman, Jeff Keppinger and Miguel Tejada drove in runs for the Astros . Burish entered Friday averaging 12 minutes, 23 seconds of ice time, Slater 8: 55 and Hollweg 8: 31. 330 with 39 home runs and 132 RBI for the Braves and finished third in MVP voting.

Memorabilia experts told ESPN prior to the auction that they anticipated the ball would garner bids in the$ 10, 000 range " It was one of those pieces that we weren' t quite sure how it would perform " said Mark Theotikos, vice president of auction operations for MastroNet, an Illinois- based sports auction house that sold more than$ 5 million dollars worth of sports memorabilia in the auction " This one had legs, and as long as the Cubs keep on losing this ball will be like the Billy Goat " The original owner of the ball, who would identify himself only as Jim, signed an affidavit along with the three men sitting nearby stating his claim that this was indeed the so- called cursed ball . Philadelphia walked 14 and beat San Francisco 9- 8 in 10 innings on April 26, 1993 " That' s the game of baseball- amazing things happen " Rivera said . He joins a rotation that is anchored by Webb and includes veterans Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis " We are ecstatic to bring Randy Johnson back home to Arizona " general manager Josh Byrnes said . Game notes Bloomquist started at third for Adrian Beltre, who left Tuesday' s game after his sprained left thumb acted up . Bobby Abreu led off with a double and remained at second when Alex Rodriguez reached on an infield single. The statement gave no timetable for Unseld' s possible return to the team, or even whether he will return. Bruce' s homer extended his hitting streak to a season- high eight games Taveras' homer was his first since June 13.

Portis was driving a Dodge Magnum registered to Randolph when the two were pulled over about 3: 15 a m . Associated PressEAST RUTHERFORD, N . Meanwhile, it seems likely Carter will make his third consecutive start at strong safety in place of Troy Polamalu( knee, who did not practice Thursday . Jones, WR Sam Aiken, DL Le Kevin Smith, QB Kevin O' Connell( 3rd quarterback Seahawks vs . And the Marlins had won their sixth game in a row, this time in front of 37, 735- the largest home crowd the team had played in front of in more than a year' s time " When the game was over, people were chanting' Let' s Go Marlins " Samson said " The hair was standing up on the back of my neck " To fully understand Samson' s feelings, consider the context. White Sox DH Jim Thome, 0- for- 11 with seven strikeouts in his career against Sabathia, delivered a pinch- hit single with two outs in the ninth. Burgos blew his eighth save in 21 opportunities " I' m disappointed to play like we did " Royals manager Buddy Bell said " We gave them about five outs, which you can' t do.