Sports Quote of the Day:
"Nobody ever remembers who finished second at anything." ~ Jack Nicklaus, Legendary Professional Golfer
Masters Articles, info and Updates.
Adam Scott wins the Masters with amazing 18th, dramatic playoff!!!
By Jay Busbee
Adam Scott. (Getty Images)
The gray, rainy afternoon was one of the ugliest in years at Augusta, but for Adam Scott, it’s one of the most beautiful of his life.
With the rain steadily falling, Scott and Angel Cabrera back-to-backed two of the finest pressure shots in recent memory at Augusta. Scott stood on the 18th green, his ball 30 feet from the hole, his telephone-pole-sized belly putter in his hand.
Behind him, Cabrera stood in the middle of the fairway, waiting. The two were tied at 8-under after 71 holes. Only one remained.
Scott found the putting stroke that had eluded him during the final holes of his British Open collapse last season, draining a putt that toured all the way around the cup before dropping in. But before Scott could even reach the white bricks of the scorer’s building, Cabrera’s approach dropped to within four feet of the cup. One birdie later, and the Masters was headed to extra frames.
On the first playoff hole, No. 18, the players matched each other virtually stroke for stroke, and their drives off 10 were nearly identical as well. But it was Scott who won with a long birdie putt, celebrating for himself and for Australia, which had never produced a Masters winner until now.
A Masters dominated by talk of rules throughout the first three days began Sunday with – let’s be honest here – a pretty dull opening few hours. Nobody made a move, with the exception of Thorbjorn Olesen, who posted a 4-under round to vault himself into the top 10, and Bubba Watson, who carded a horrific 10 on the 12th hole. Your cast of characters was a mix of young and old, popular and unknown: Scott, only a few months removed from the British Open debacle; Cabrera, who hadn’t won since taking the 2009 Masters; Brandt Snedeker, the FedEx Cup champion who seemed ready to win his first major; Jason Day, the charismatic Australian who'd been within shouting distance of the lead at so many majors of late; Mark Leishman, who … is named Mark Leishman.
For most of the afternoon, Cabrera appeared in control. He’d checked in from wherever he goes during the years-long stretches when he’s not winning majors, and he was calmly hacking away at the course. He’d played the front nine in minus-2. But then The Duck’s dynasty came to a sudden end. First there was the bogey on 10, when he couldn’t pull off a Bubba-esque miracle. Then came Amen Corner, where Rae’s Creek decided to liven up the afternoon a bit.
First, Snedeker’s approach to the green rolled into the creek. Then, incredibly, Cabrera tried the same shot. Snedeker was able to save par, Cabrera was not. But Snedeker was effectively done for the day, while Cabrera was able to fight his way back into the hunt with a hammer-down birdie on 16.
And then there was Tiger Woods, the man who’s always the story even when he’s not the story. After spending most of the last few months convincing us that he was, if not “back,” at least ready to compete in the year’s most important major, Woods slipped back into his old bad habits of recent years: poor putting and poor shot execution. As is his custom, he did enough to keep everyone interested. He had a short putt on 16 that would have brought him to within two of the lead, but wasn’t able to convert. He finished the day at 5-under.
Day, meanwhile, suffered perhaps the cruelest twist of all. He started the day at 5-under and a birdie-eagle run to start the day put him at minus-8. He gave two strokes back, and on 12 his scorecard began resembling a bell curve: birdie-birdie-birdie-bogey-bogey.
And then came the 18th, where his putt that would have likely forced a playoff skirted by the hole. Shortly afterward, Scott and Cabrera began their game of anything-you-can-do, and Day became a footnote.
Masters Sunday recap: Adam Scott outlasts Angel Cabrera to win his first ever major championship.
By Shane Bacon
Adam Scott — Getty Images
• Adam Scott became the first Australian to ever win the Masters with two incredibly clutch putts on the final hole of regulation and the second playoff hole. Scott battled all day long, and when it came down to it, he rolled in two putts that seemed destined to go in. This is Scott's first ever major win and comes just nine months after he had the lead on Sunday at the British Open and let it slip away.
• We knew Tiger Woods would have to get off to a hot start if he wanted to make a run at a fifth green jacket, but his front nine 37 was just about too much to overcome. Woods made four birdies over his last 10 holes, but his round of 2-under 70 means Tiger has now gone two full years without a sub-70 round at Augusta National.
• Kevin Na wasn't playing particularly horrible on Sunday at the Masters until he got to the 12th tee. The famed par-3 is a tricky one, and Na dumped three balls in the water before finally getting one on land, eventually making a 10 there. That score helped Na post a final round 81 and drop 21 spots on the leaderboard.
• Defending champion Bubba Watson followed up what Na did on the 12th with his own 10. Watson finished Sunday with a 77 thanks to that disaster on the short par-3.
• Brandt Snedeker looked like the guy that was going to win this thing before the final round started, and after a birdie on the first it really looked like he was locked in. It appeared like the moment got to him, and his final round 75 dropped him into a T-6.
"If you’re not going to win you have to get in the record books somehow – double digits on a par 3." -- Bubba Watson, on his 10 he made on the par-3 12th hole.
Adam Scott — Getty Images
Par-4 18th, Holly
Is this really a question? The final hole at Augusta National was the site of not just the best putt of the week but the best shot, and it gave us some of the highest drama of any Masters ever.
Photos show Tiger Woods may not have deserved a two-stroke penalty.
By Dan Wetzel
(Photo courtesy of Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle)AUGUSTA, Ga.
Tiger Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty and received a mountain of criticism after taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday's Masters that sent the venerable tournament in chaos.
While the photos may not be conclusive evidence and they will no doubt be picked apart, Tiger does appear to be standing within inches of where he took his first shot, not the two yards that he himself thought he had moved.
Holahan maintained his location for both shots, offering a clear comparison. Television replays, on the other hand, came from different locations as an ESPN cameraman on the course set up in slightly different locations.
Masters scoring officials were not immediately available for comment. Tiger's agent, Mark Steinberg, was shown a copy of the picture while watching Tiger on the back nine Sunday and declined comment.
"They made a ruling and we've moved on," Steinberg said.
The Masters said that scoring officials were alerted of the possible rule violation by a television viewer. Their initial review of the film concluded that nothing untoward occurred.
When Tiger finished his round he was asked about the drop by the media.
"I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards further back and I took, tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit," Tiger said. "And that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that that was going to be the right decision to take off four right there. And I did. It worked out perfectly."
That admission that he purposely moved the ball two yards back caused the Masters to reopen the investigation and call Woods to the course on Saturday morning. He was retroactively assessed a two-stroke penalty, yet avoided disqualification, which was also an option.
Many golf traditionalists, broadcasters and columnists assailed the decision. They also called on Tiger to step down from competition under a strict interpretation of golf's rules and traditions.
He instead played on. He was also asked for an explanation of his thought process in making the mistake.
"You know, I wasn't even really thinking," Tiger said. "I was still a little ticked at what happened, and I was just trying to figure, okay, I need to take some yardage off this shot, and that's all I was thinking about was trying to make sure I took some yardage off of it, and evidently, it was pretty obvious, I didn't drop in the right spot."
Was Tiger so ticked and not thinking that he believed he dropped in a spot that wasn't where he actually dropped?
Or did he intend to go two yards back, only to actually shoot from the proper location. That would put golf's already arcane rules into the ultimate quandary – can you be penalized for intending to violate a rule even if you didn't actually violate it?
The new photos – perhaps convincing to some, perhaps easy to dismiss by others – just adds a new chapter to what was already one of the strangest controversies in the tournament's illustrious history.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks end Elliott streak, beat Blues. Let's go Hawks!!!
By
Time to start thinking about golfing in Chicago; a true hidden gem of diverse courses.
Chicago Sports & Travel/AllsportsAmerica wants you. Golf season is upon us and for you diehard golfers that want to try something different, come golf in Chicago. Our group at CS&T/AA, Golf Options Illinois Forever, is ready to accommodate you with some of the most diverse golf courses in one location. Regardless of your golfing ability, we have a group of courses for you to play. We arrange your transportation, lodging, tee times and any miscellaneous request that you might have. There is so much to see and do when you’re not on the golf course. Chicago has wonderful architecture, excellent museums, very good ethnic food, a great night life, remarkable professional sports teams, a diverse population with unlimited potential that has earned it several nicknames such as, “The city that works”, The city of big shoulders”, “The windy city”, “The second city” and “A true world class city.” It all works for us and we want to share it with you. Come golf in Chicago. Email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and let us see what we can do for you. We guarantee you that all of our packages are very rare but priced super fair. Try us, we’re sure you’ll like us. We sincerely look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, “Have a great sports day!!!!!"
By Jay Busbee
Adam Scott. (Getty Images)
The gray, rainy afternoon was one of the ugliest in years at Augusta, but for Adam Scott, it’s one of the most beautiful of his life.
With the rain steadily falling, Scott and Angel Cabrera back-to-backed two of the finest pressure shots in recent memory at Augusta. Scott stood on the 18th green, his ball 30 feet from the hole, his telephone-pole-sized belly putter in his hand.
Behind him, Cabrera stood in the middle of the fairway, waiting. The two were tied at 8-under after 71 holes. Only one remained.
Scott found the putting stroke that had eluded him during the final holes of his British Open collapse last season, draining a putt that toured all the way around the cup before dropping in. But before Scott could even reach the white bricks of the scorer’s building, Cabrera’s approach dropped to within four feet of the cup. One birdie later, and the Masters was headed to extra frames.
On the first playoff hole, No. 18, the players matched each other virtually stroke for stroke, and their drives off 10 were nearly identical as well. But it was Scott who won with a long birdie putt, celebrating for himself and for Australia, which had never produced a Masters winner until now.
A Masters dominated by talk of rules throughout the first three days began Sunday with – let’s be honest here – a pretty dull opening few hours. Nobody made a move, with the exception of Thorbjorn Olesen, who posted a 4-under round to vault himself into the top 10, and Bubba Watson, who carded a horrific 10 on the 12th hole. Your cast of characters was a mix of young and old, popular and unknown: Scott, only a few months removed from the British Open debacle; Cabrera, who hadn’t won since taking the 2009 Masters; Brandt Snedeker, the FedEx Cup champion who seemed ready to win his first major; Jason Day, the charismatic Australian who'd been within shouting distance of the lead at so many majors of late; Mark Leishman, who … is named Mark Leishman.
First, Snedeker’s approach to the green rolled into the creek. Then, incredibly, Cabrera tried the same shot. Snedeker was able to save par, Cabrera was not. But Snedeker was effectively done for the day, while Cabrera was able to fight his way back into the hunt with a hammer-down birdie on 16.
And then there was Tiger Woods, the man who’s always the story even when he’s not the story. After spending most of the last few months convincing us that he was, if not “back,” at least ready to compete in the year’s most important major, Woods slipped back into his old bad habits of recent years: poor putting and poor shot execution. As is his custom, he did enough to keep everyone interested. He had a short putt on 16 that would have brought him to within two of the lead, but wasn’t able to convert. He finished the day at 5-under.
Day, meanwhile, suffered perhaps the cruelest twist of all. He started the day at 5-under and a birdie-eagle run to start the day put him at minus-8. He gave two strokes back, and on 12 his scorecard began resembling a bell curve: birdie-birdie-birdie-bogey-bogey.
And then came the 18th, where his putt that would have likely forced a playoff skirted by the hole. Shortly afterward, Scott and Cabrera began their game of anything-you-can-do, and Day became a footnote.
Masters Sunday recap: Adam Scott outlasts Angel Cabrera to win his first ever major championship.
By Shane Bacon
Adam Scott — Getty Images
• Adam Scott became the first Australian to ever win the Masters with two incredibly clutch putts on the final hole of regulation and the second playoff hole. Scott battled all day long, and when it came down to it, he rolled in two putts that seemed destined to go in. This is Scott's first ever major win and comes just nine months after he had the lead on Sunday at the British Open and let it slip away.
• We knew Tiger Woods would have to get off to a hot start if he wanted to make a run at a fifth green jacket, but his front nine 37 was just about too much to overcome. Woods made four birdies over his last 10 holes, but his round of 2-under 70 means Tiger has now gone two full years without a sub-70 round at Augusta National.
• Kevin Na wasn't playing particularly horrible on Sunday at the Masters until he got to the 12th tee. The famed par-3 is a tricky one, and Na dumped three balls in the water before finally getting one on land, eventually making a 10 there. That score helped Na post a final round 81 and drop 21 spots on the leaderboard.
• Defending champion Bubba Watson followed up what Na did on the 12th with his own 10. Watson finished Sunday with a 77 thanks to that disaster on the short par-3.
• Brandt Snedeker looked like the guy that was going to win this thing before the final round started, and after a birdie on the first it really looked like he was locked in. It appeared like the moment got to him, and his final round 75 dropped him into a T-6.
"If you’re not going to win you have to get in the record books somehow – double digits on a par 3." -- Bubba Watson, on his 10 he made on the par-3 12th hole.
Adam Scott — Getty Images
Par-4 18th, Holly
Is this really a question? The final hole at Augusta National was the site of not just the best putt of the week but the best shot, and it gave us some of the highest drama of any Masters ever.
Photos show Tiger Woods may not have deserved a two-stroke penalty.
By Dan Wetzel
(Photo courtesy of Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle)AUGUSTA, Ga.
Tiger Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty and received a mountain of criticism after taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday's Masters that sent the venerable tournament in chaos.
The question now, however, is whether he actually committed a violation at all, or instead was the victim of a false confession.
The Augusta Chronicle on Sunday printed two photos by staffer Michael Holahan of Woods' two chip shots from the 15th fairway. The first hit the flagstick and rolled into the water, forcing Woods to take a one-stroke penalty and then drop his ball "as nearly as possible" to his original location.
The Chronicle circled various divots in the 15th fairway to show Woods' second shot was in almost the exact same location as the first. While the photos may not be conclusive evidence and they will no doubt be picked apart, Tiger does appear to be standing within inches of where he took his first shot, not the two yards that he himself thought he had moved.
Holahan maintained his location for both shots, offering a clear comparison. Television replays, on the other hand, came from different locations as an ESPN cameraman on the course set up in slightly different locations.
"They made a ruling and we've moved on," Steinberg said.
The Masters said that scoring officials were alerted of the possible rule violation by a television viewer. Their initial review of the film concluded that nothing untoward occurred.
When Tiger finished his round he was asked about the drop by the media.
"I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards further back and I took, tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit," Tiger said. "And that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that that was going to be the right decision to take off four right there. And I did. It worked out perfectly."
That admission that he purposely moved the ball two yards back caused the Masters to reopen the investigation and call Woods to the course on Saturday morning. He was retroactively assessed a two-stroke penalty, yet avoided disqualification, which was also an option.
Many golf traditionalists, broadcasters and columnists assailed the decision. They also called on Tiger to step down from competition under a strict interpretation of golf's rules and traditions.
He instead played on. He was also asked for an explanation of his thought process in making the mistake.
"You know, I wasn't even really thinking," Tiger said. "I was still a little ticked at what happened, and I was just trying to figure, okay, I need to take some yardage off this shot, and that's all I was thinking about was trying to make sure I took some yardage off of it, and evidently, it was pretty obvious, I didn't drop in the right spot."
Was Tiger so ticked and not thinking that he believed he dropped in a spot that wasn't where he actually dropped?
Or did he intend to go two yards back, only to actually shoot from the proper location. That would put golf's already arcane rules into the ultimate quandary – can you be penalized for intending to violate a rule even if you didn't actually violate it?
The new photos – perhaps convincing to some, perhaps easy to dismiss by others – just adds a new chapter to what was already one of the strangest controversies in the tournament's illustrious history.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks end Elliott streak, beat Blues. Let's go Hawks!!!
By
Time to start thinking about golfing in Chicago; a true hidden gem of diverse courses.
Chicago Sports & Travel/AllsportsAmerica wants you. Golf season is upon us and for you diehard golfers that want to try something different, come golf in Chicago. Our group at CS&T/AA, Golf Options Illinois Forever, is ready to accommodate you with some of the most diverse golf courses in one location. Regardless of your golfing ability, we have a group of courses for you to play. We arrange your transportation, lodging, tee times and any miscellaneous request that you might have. There is so much to see and do when you’re not on the golf course. Chicago has wonderful architecture, excellent museums, very good ethnic food, a great night life, remarkable professional sports teams, a diverse population with unlimited potential that has earned it several nicknames such as, “The city that works”, The city of big shoulders”, “The windy city”, “The second city” and “A true world class city.” It all works for us and we want to share it with you. Come golf in Chicago. Email us at chicagosportsandtravel@yahoo.com and let us see what we can do for you. We guarantee you that all of our packages are very rare but priced super fair. Try us, we’re sure you’ll like us. We sincerely look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, “Have a great sports day!!!!!"
Baseball-Highlights of Sunday's MLB games.
Reuters
Highlights of games in Major League Baseball on Sunday:
White Sox 3, Indians 1
Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer and Jake Peavy struck out 11 in seven innings as visiting Chicago ended a five-game losing streak.
Peavy (2-1) allowed one run and five hits and didn't walk a batter as the White Sox salvaged the finale of the three-game series and won for the first time away from home. Matt Thornton worked the eighth and Addison Reed pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Michael Bourn went 3-for-4 and hit Peavy's first pitch of the afternoon over the right-field fence for Cleveland's lone run.
- - - -
Mariners 4, Rangers 3
Raul Ibanez homered and rookie Brandon Maurer tossed six solid innings for his first major-league win as host Seattle edged Texas in the series finale.
Maurer (1-2) allowed three runs (two earned) after giving up 12 over 6 2/3 innings in his first two starts while Tom Wilhelmsen worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Ibanez put Seattle ahead 2-1 with a solo homer in the fourth off Texas starter Nick Tepesch (1-1), who gave up four runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. Tepesch escaped further damage when the Mariners stranded runners on the corners on Dustin Ackley's groundout to second.
Texas, which scored first on Mitch Moreland's run-scoring double in the second, took back the lead in the fifth when Elvis Andrus scored on Lance Berkman's RBI single and Chris Gentry scored on a passed ball.
Seattle evened the series at two games apiece after pulling ahead in the sixth when Kyle Seager sparked a one-out rally with a double off Tepesch. Jesus Montero and Ackley followed with back-to-back RBI singles, helping the Mariners improve to 2-3 in one-run games.
- - - -
Phillies 2, Marlins 1
Laynce Nix delivered a tiebreaking, pinch-hit solo home run in the ninth inning and Roy Halladay collected his 200th career win as visiting Philadelphia took two of three from Miami.
Nix, who replaced Halladay at the plate with one out, crushed a fastball from Jon Rauch (0-2) into the second deck of the right-field stands to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead. Halladay (1-2) needed only 87 pitches to get through eight innings, allowing a run on five hits in his longest outing in 12 starts.
- - - -
Tigers 10, Athletics 1
Austin Jackson homered and drove in three runs as visiting Detroit routed Oakland in the series finale.
Jackson had four hits and Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 for Detroit, which tagged Athletics starter Jarrod Parker (0-2) for eight runs over 3 1/3 innings. Anibal Sanchez (2-0) gave up one run with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
The Tigers scored two runs in the first and extended their lead in the second on Jackson's two-run homer. Detroit added four more runs in the fourth, when Miguel Cabrera sparked the rally with a two-run single off Parker.
- - - -
Rockies 2, Padres 1
Todd Helton snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh, lifting visiting Colorado to a sweep of struggling San Diego.
Helton came off the bench and connected for his first homer of the season off reliever Dale Thayer (0-1), scoring Chris Nelson. Jorge De La Rosa (1-1) gave up two hits with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings. Rafael Betancourt pitched around a pair of walks and Jedd Gyorko's sacrifice fly in the ninth for his fifth save.
Clayton Richard held the Rockies to no runs on two hits in six innings, but it wasn't enough to keep San Diego from losing its fifth in a row and eighth of its past nine.
- - - -
Diamondbacks 1, Dodgers 0
Paul Goldschmidt delivered a walk-off RBI grounder past diving second baseman Mark Ellis, allowing host Arizona to take two of three from Los Angeles.
Josh Beckett (0-2) retired 12 straight Diamondbacks after yielding Cliff Pennington's one-out double in the fifth, but A.J. Pollock ended the drought with a one-out double to left-center.
Los Angeles failed to convert its best scoring opportunity in the eighth when Nick Punto singled to open the inning. He advanced to third following a sacrifice from Beckett and a groundout by Carl Crawford, but Ellis grounded out to third to end the threat.
- - - -
Angels 4, Astros 1
Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton homered to lift host Los Angeles to its second straight victory.
Hamilton had three hits and three RBIs and Trout had two hits and scored three runs for the Angels, who have won two in a row for the first time this season. Angels starter C.J. Wilson (1-0) pitched six innings, allowing one run and five hits to lower his ERA to 4.00.
- - - -
Giants 10, Cubs 7 (10)
Hector Sanchez scored the go-ahead run on a balk in the 10th inning as visiting San Francisco outlasted Chicago.
Hunter Pence hit a solo home run in the ninth to force extra innings and Nick Noonan capped a four-run rally in the sixth with a two-run single for the Giants, who took three of four in the series. George Kontos (1-1) pitched the ninth for the win and Sergio Romo worked around a leadoff double to earn his seventh save.
- - - -
Pirates 10, Reds 7
Starling Marte hit a two-run homer to snap an eighth-inning tie as host Pittsburgh rallied from a 5-0 deficit to sweep Cincinnati.
Michael McKenry homered twice, including a two-run shot to left off Jonathan Broxton (0-1) in the eighth to tie the game at 6. Marte connected off Broxton later in the inning, his shot to left pushing the Pirates ahead 8-6.
Jared Hughes (1-0) gave up a run in the eighth but earned the victory. Broxton was rocked for six runs on three hits with three walks in two-thirds of an inning as the Reds lost their fifth in a row.
- - - -
Brewers 4, Cardinals 3 (10)
Jonathan Lucroy hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning as visiting Milwaukee rallied to end St. Louis' four-game winning streak.
The Brewers trailed for most of the day, but snapped St. Louis' consecutive scoreless inning streak at 39 on Ryan Braun's two-run homer to right in the eighth. Yuniesky Betancourt tied the game in the ninth with an RBI double to right-center and Lucroy connected off Fernando Salas (0-2) with one out in the 10th.
Brandon Kintzler (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory. Burke Badenhop got the final out in the 10th for his first save.
- - - -
Braves 9, Nationals 0
Andrelton Simmons hit a three-run homer and Paul Maholm tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings as visiting Atlanta completed a three-game sweep of Washington to stretch its winning streak to nine.
Chris Johnson went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Justin Upton hit his major league-leading seventh homer as the Braves improved to 11-1, the franchise's best start since winning 13 of 14 games to begin the 1994 season.
- - - -
Royals 3, Blue Jays 2
Alex Gordon delivered a walk-off single with one out in the ninth to lift host Kansas City to the victory in the series finale.
Chris Getz started the rally with a one-out double to right-center off Blue Jays reliever Darren Oliver (0-1). Gordon then stepped up and rolled a single into right field, easily scoring Getz with the winning run.
Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson had two hits each for the Royals. Kansas City starter Ervin Santana worked eight innings and allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) before Kelvin Herrera (1-0) worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Edwin Encarnacion homered to deep center off Santana with one out in the sixth to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. The Royals answered in their half of the sixth when Billy Butler came home on a two-out single to center by Cain.
- - - -
Red Sox 5, Rays 0
Clay Buchholz pitched eight shutout innings, allowing no hits through the first seven, and struck out a career-high 11 as Boston blanked visiting Tampa Bay.
Kelly Johnson's broken-bat single to lead off the eighth inning ended the no-hit bid for Buchholz (3-0), who walked four and also allowed a double to Desmond Jennings. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and Mike Napoli delivered a two-run double in a four-run third inning for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.
Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb (1-1) allowed seven hits and four runs - three earned - over 6 2/3 innings. The Rays have dropped five of six, scoring eight runs combined.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out in the third and Napoli belted a Cobb pitch to the deepest part of center field for a 2-0 lead. Two more runs came home on shortstop Yunel Escobar's throwing error to first base on a potential double play that would have ended the inning.
- - - -
Mets at Twins, ppd.
Mets at Twins, ppd.: The final game of a three-game set at Target Field was postponed because of snow and cold weather. (Editing by Simon Evans)
LeBron calls Kobe's season-ending injury 'sad'.
By
Reuters
Highlights of games in Major League Baseball on Sunday:
White Sox 3, Indians 1
Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer and Jake Peavy struck out 11 in seven innings as visiting Chicago ended a five-game losing streak.
Peavy (2-1) allowed one run and five hits and didn't walk a batter as the White Sox salvaged the finale of the three-game series and won for the first time away from home. Matt Thornton worked the eighth and Addison Reed pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Michael Bourn went 3-for-4 and hit Peavy's first pitch of the afternoon over the right-field fence for Cleveland's lone run.
- - - -
Mariners 4, Rangers 3
Raul Ibanez homered and rookie Brandon Maurer tossed six solid innings for his first major-league win as host Seattle edged Texas in the series finale.
Maurer (1-2) allowed three runs (two earned) after giving up 12 over 6 2/3 innings in his first two starts while Tom Wilhelmsen worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Ibanez put Seattle ahead 2-1 with a solo homer in the fourth off Texas starter Nick Tepesch (1-1), who gave up four runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. Tepesch escaped further damage when the Mariners stranded runners on the corners on Dustin Ackley's groundout to second.
Texas, which scored first on Mitch Moreland's run-scoring double in the second, took back the lead in the fifth when Elvis Andrus scored on Lance Berkman's RBI single and Chris Gentry scored on a passed ball.
Seattle evened the series at two games apiece after pulling ahead in the sixth when Kyle Seager sparked a one-out rally with a double off Tepesch. Jesus Montero and Ackley followed with back-to-back RBI singles, helping the Mariners improve to 2-3 in one-run games.
- - - -
Phillies 2, Marlins 1
Laynce Nix delivered a tiebreaking, pinch-hit solo home run in the ninth inning and Roy Halladay collected his 200th career win as visiting Philadelphia took two of three from Miami.
Nix, who replaced Halladay at the plate with one out, crushed a fastball from Jon Rauch (0-2) into the second deck of the right-field stands to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead. Halladay (1-2) needed only 87 pitches to get through eight innings, allowing a run on five hits in his longest outing in 12 starts.
- - - -
Tigers 10, Athletics 1
Austin Jackson homered and drove in three runs as visiting Detroit routed Oakland in the series finale.
Jackson had four hits and Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 for Detroit, which tagged Athletics starter Jarrod Parker (0-2) for eight runs over 3 1/3 innings. Anibal Sanchez (2-0) gave up one run with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
The Tigers scored two runs in the first and extended their lead in the second on Jackson's two-run homer. Detroit added four more runs in the fourth, when Miguel Cabrera sparked the rally with a two-run single off Parker.
- - - -
Rockies 2, Padres 1
Todd Helton snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh, lifting visiting Colorado to a sweep of struggling San Diego.
Helton came off the bench and connected for his first homer of the season off reliever Dale Thayer (0-1), scoring Chris Nelson. Jorge De La Rosa (1-1) gave up two hits with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings. Rafael Betancourt pitched around a pair of walks and Jedd Gyorko's sacrifice fly in the ninth for his fifth save.
Clayton Richard held the Rockies to no runs on two hits in six innings, but it wasn't enough to keep San Diego from losing its fifth in a row and eighth of its past nine.
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Diamondbacks 1, Dodgers 0
Paul Goldschmidt delivered a walk-off RBI grounder past diving second baseman Mark Ellis, allowing host Arizona to take two of three from Los Angeles.
Josh Beckett (0-2) retired 12 straight Diamondbacks after yielding Cliff Pennington's one-out double in the fifth, but A.J. Pollock ended the drought with a one-out double to left-center.
Los Angeles failed to convert its best scoring opportunity in the eighth when Nick Punto singled to open the inning. He advanced to third following a sacrifice from Beckett and a groundout by Carl Crawford, but Ellis grounded out to third to end the threat.
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Angels 4, Astros 1
Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton homered to lift host Los Angeles to its second straight victory.
Hamilton had three hits and three RBIs and Trout had two hits and scored three runs for the Angels, who have won two in a row for the first time this season. Angels starter C.J. Wilson (1-0) pitched six innings, allowing one run and five hits to lower his ERA to 4.00.
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Giants 10, Cubs 7 (10)
Hector Sanchez scored the go-ahead run on a balk in the 10th inning as visiting San Francisco outlasted Chicago.
Hunter Pence hit a solo home run in the ninth to force extra innings and Nick Noonan capped a four-run rally in the sixth with a two-run single for the Giants, who took three of four in the series. George Kontos (1-1) pitched the ninth for the win and Sergio Romo worked around a leadoff double to earn his seventh save.
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Pirates 10, Reds 7
Starling Marte hit a two-run homer to snap an eighth-inning tie as host Pittsburgh rallied from a 5-0 deficit to sweep Cincinnati.
Michael McKenry homered twice, including a two-run shot to left off Jonathan Broxton (0-1) in the eighth to tie the game at 6. Marte connected off Broxton later in the inning, his shot to left pushing the Pirates ahead 8-6.
Jared Hughes (1-0) gave up a run in the eighth but earned the victory. Broxton was rocked for six runs on three hits with three walks in two-thirds of an inning as the Reds lost their fifth in a row.
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Brewers 4, Cardinals 3 (10)
Jonathan Lucroy hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning as visiting Milwaukee rallied to end St. Louis' four-game winning streak.
The Brewers trailed for most of the day, but snapped St. Louis' consecutive scoreless inning streak at 39 on Ryan Braun's two-run homer to right in the eighth. Yuniesky Betancourt tied the game in the ninth with an RBI double to right-center and Lucroy connected off Fernando Salas (0-2) with one out in the 10th.
Brandon Kintzler (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory. Burke Badenhop got the final out in the 10th for his first save.
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Braves 9, Nationals 0
Andrelton Simmons hit a three-run homer and Paul Maholm tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings as visiting Atlanta completed a three-game sweep of Washington to stretch its winning streak to nine.
Chris Johnson went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Justin Upton hit his major league-leading seventh homer as the Braves improved to 11-1, the franchise's best start since winning 13 of 14 games to begin the 1994 season.
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Royals 3, Blue Jays 2
Alex Gordon delivered a walk-off single with one out in the ninth to lift host Kansas City to the victory in the series finale.
Chris Getz started the rally with a one-out double to right-center off Blue Jays reliever Darren Oliver (0-1). Gordon then stepped up and rolled a single into right field, easily scoring Getz with the winning run.
Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson had two hits each for the Royals. Kansas City starter Ervin Santana worked eight innings and allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) before Kelvin Herrera (1-0) worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Edwin Encarnacion homered to deep center off Santana with one out in the sixth to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. The Royals answered in their half of the sixth when Billy Butler came home on a two-out single to center by Cain.
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Red Sox 5, Rays 0
Clay Buchholz pitched eight shutout innings, allowing no hits through the first seven, and struck out a career-high 11 as Boston blanked visiting Tampa Bay.
Kelly Johnson's broken-bat single to lead off the eighth inning ended the no-hit bid for Buchholz (3-0), who walked four and also allowed a double to Desmond Jennings. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and Mike Napoli delivered a two-run double in a four-run third inning for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.
Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb (1-1) allowed seven hits and four runs - three earned - over 6 2/3 innings. The Rays have dropped five of six, scoring eight runs combined.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out in the third and Napoli belted a Cobb pitch to the deepest part of center field for a 2-0 lead. Two more runs came home on shortstop Yunel Escobar's throwing error to first base on a potential double play that would have ended the inning.
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Mets at Twins, ppd.
Mets at Twins, ppd.: The final game of a three-game set at Target Field was postponed because of snow and cold weather. (Editing by Simon Evans)
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