Sports Quote of the Day:
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." ~ John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach
Woods keeps it dry and wins Players Championship.
By
A weekend filled with sharp words between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia came down to one last showdown Sunday in The Players Championship, this one staged across the water in a tiny, terrifying section of the TPC Sawgrass.
Tied for the lead with two holes to play, Woods kept his shots on land and made two pars.
Garcia hit three balls into the water for a quadruple bogey-double bogey finish.
If there was special satisfaction in beating Garcia again, Woods kept that to himself.
What mattered was having a chance to win, closing it out like he does so often, and capturing the richest prize on the PGA Tour for the first time in a dozen years.
''We just go out there and play,'' Woods said. ''I had an opportunity to win the golf tournament when I was tied for the lead today, and I thought I handled the situation well and really played well today when I really needed to. And that's something I'm excited about it.''
Woods allowed the final hour to turn into a tense duel by hooking his tee shot into the water on the 14th hole for double bogey. But his short game bailed him out to save par on the 15th and make a critical birdie on the 16th, and he was solid on the final two holes for a 2-under 70.
If only it were that simple for the Spaniard.
Garcia was standing on the 17th tee shot, staring across to the island green to watch Woods make his par. He took aim at the flag with his wedge and hung his head when he saw the ball splashed down short of the green. Then, Garcia hit another one in the water on his way to a quadruple-bogey 7. The meltdown was complete when Garcia hit his tee shot into the water on the 18th.
''It's always nice to have a chance at beating the No. 1 player in the world, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to this week,'' Garcia said.
Woods was in the scoring trailer when he watched on TV as Swedish rookie David Lingmerth missed a long birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. It raced by the cup, and Lingmerth three-putted for bogey. ''How about that?'' Woods said to his caddie, Joe LaCava as he gave him a hug.
Woods finished on 13-under 275.
He won The Players for the first time since 2001 and became the fifth multiple winner at Sawgrass since The Players moved to this former swamp in 1982. It was his 78th career win on the PGA Tour, four short of the record held by Sam Snead. And it was his first time winning with his girlfriend, Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, at the tournament.
Lingmerth closed with a 72 and finished two shots behind along with Kevin Streelman (67) and Jeff Maggert, who also was tied for the lead until finding the water on the 17th to make double bogey. The 49-year-old Maggert birdied the 18th for a 70.
Garcia took 13 shots to cover the final two holes - 6-over par - and tumbled into a tie for eighth.
There was a four-way tie for the lead after Woods made his double bogey, and the infamous 17th green took out Maggert and Garcia. After Garcia went into the water twice, Lingmerth missed an 8-foot birdie putt that would have tied him for the lead. Given their public sniping at each other over the weekend, it was only fitting that Garcia had the best chance to beat Woods.
Their dispute started Saturday when Garcia complained in a TV interview that his shot from the par-5 second fairway was disrupted by cheers from the crowd around Woods, who was some 50 yards away in the trees and fired them up by taking a fairway metal out of his bag. He said Woods should have been paying attention, and it became a war of the words the next two days.
''Not real surprising that he's complaining about something,'' Woods said.
''At least I'm true to myself,'' Garcia retorted. ''I know what I'm doing, and he can do whatever he wants.''
When they finished the storm-delayed third round Sunday morning, Garcia kept at it, saying that Woods is ''not the nicest guy on tour.''
Woods had the last laugh. He had the trophy.
Garcia, when asked if he would have changed anything about the flap with Woods, replied, ''It sounds like I was the bad guy here. I was the victim. I don't have any regrets of anything.''
The real villain was the infamous 17th hole.
''When you've got water in front of the green, that's not a good time to be short of the green. You know, it was close,'' Maggert said. ''What can I say? A wrong shot at the wrong time and you get penalized on this golf course.''
It was at the 17th hole five years ago where Garcia won The Players Championship, when Paul Goydos hit into the water in a sudden-death playoff. This time, the island green got its revenge on him. Garcia hit a wedge and felt he caught it just a little bit thin, which is usually all it takes.
''That hole has been good to me for the most part,'' Garcia said. ''Today, it wasn't. That's the way it is. That's the kind of hole it is. You've got to love it for what it is.''
Woods earned $1.71 million, pushing his season total to over $5.8 million in just seven tournaments. This is the 12th season he has won at least four times - that used to be the standard of a great year before he joined the PGA Tour in 1996 - and this was the quickest he has reached four wins in a year.
It was the second time has won on Mother's Day.
''Sorry, Mom,'' he said into the camera. ''I think she might have had a heart attack. I was in control of the tournament, and I just hit the worst shot I could possibly hit.''
Typical of Woods these days, there were questions about where he took the drop - some 255 yards from the hole. NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller suggested it was a ''borderline'' where he took the drop. But Mark Russell, vice president of competition for the PGA Tour, said there was nothing wrong with the drop. Woods conferred with Casey Wittenberg, who said there was ''no doubt'' that Woods took the drop in the right spot.
''He asked me exactly where it crossed,'' Wittenberg said. ''I told him I thought it crossed on the corner of the bunker, right where he took his drop. And it's all good.'' Woods wound up with a double bogey, and he nearly fell out of the lead on the 15th until he saved par with an 8-foot putt.
''The shot that turned the tide was the putt on 15,'' Woods said. ''To go double bogey-bogey would have been huge. But to save a putt there and get some momentum going to the next three holes was big.''
Woods and Garcia played four tension-free holes Sunday morning to complete the third round, and they shook hands without words when they finished - Woods with a 71, Garcia with a 72 to share the 54-hole lead with Lingmerth.
With a three-way tie, Garcia wound up in the final group because he was first to play at the start of the third round.
Garcia, however, continued to fuel the bad feelings between them. He told Sky Sports, ''I'm not going to lie, he's not my favorite guy to play with. He's not the nicest guy on tour.'' And then he told Golf Channel, ''We don't enjoy each other's company. You don't need to be a rocket engineer to figure that out.''
Woods downplayed the episode and said it didn't matter who joined him on the tee.
''I'm tied for the lead, so I'm right there.''
And that's where he usually wins. Woods now is 53-4 in his PGA Tour career when he has at least a share of the lead going into the final round.
Woods keeps it dry and wins Players Championship.
Tiger Woods holds the trophy after winning The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Sunday, May 12, 2013, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A weekend filled with sharp words between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia came down to one last showdown Sunday in The Players Championship, this one staged across the water in a tiny, terrifying section of the TPC Sawgrass.
Tied for the lead with two holes to play, Woods kept his shots on land and made two pars.
Garcia hit three balls into the water for a quadruple bogey-double bogey finish.
If there was special satisfaction in beating Garcia again, Woods kept that to himself.
What mattered was having a chance to win, closing it out like he does so often, and capturing the richest prize on the PGA Tour for the first time in a dozen years.
''We just go out there and play,'' Woods said. ''I had an opportunity to win the golf tournament when I was tied for the lead today, and I thought I handled the situation well and really played well today when I really needed to. And that's something I'm excited about it.''
Woods allowed the final hour to turn into a tense duel by hooking his tee shot into the water on the 14th hole for double bogey. But his short game bailed him out to save par on the 15th and make a critical birdie on the 16th, and he was solid on the final two holes for a 2-under 70.
If only it were that simple for the Spaniard.
Garcia was standing on the 17th tee shot, staring across to the island green to watch Woods make his par. He took aim at the flag with his wedge and hung his head when he saw the ball splashed down short of the green. Then, Garcia hit another one in the water on his way to a quadruple-bogey 7. The meltdown was complete when Garcia hit his tee shot into the water on the 18th.
''It's always nice to have a chance at beating the No. 1 player in the world, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to this week,'' Garcia said.
Woods was in the scoring trailer when he watched on TV as Swedish rookie David Lingmerth missed a long birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. It raced by the cup, and Lingmerth three-putted for bogey. ''How about that?'' Woods said to his caddie, Joe LaCava as he gave him a hug.
Woods finished on 13-under 275.
He won The Players for the first time since 2001 and became the fifth multiple winner at Sawgrass since The Players moved to this former swamp in 1982. It was his 78th career win on the PGA Tour, four short of the record held by Sam Snead. And it was his first time winning with his girlfriend, Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, at the tournament.
Lingmerth closed with a 72 and finished two shots behind along with Kevin Streelman (67) and Jeff Maggert, who also was tied for the lead until finding the water on the 17th to make double bogey. The 49-year-old Maggert birdied the 18th for a 70.
Garcia took 13 shots to cover the final two holes - 6-over par - and tumbled into a tie for eighth.
There was a four-way tie for the lead after Woods made his double bogey, and the infamous 17th green took out Maggert and Garcia. After Garcia went into the water twice, Lingmerth missed an 8-foot birdie putt that would have tied him for the lead. Given their public sniping at each other over the weekend, it was only fitting that Garcia had the best chance to beat Woods.
Their dispute started Saturday when Garcia complained in a TV interview that his shot from the par-5 second fairway was disrupted by cheers from the crowd around Woods, who was some 50 yards away in the trees and fired them up by taking a fairway metal out of his bag. He said Woods should have been paying attention, and it became a war of the words the next two days.
''Not real surprising that he's complaining about something,'' Woods said.
''At least I'm true to myself,'' Garcia retorted. ''I know what I'm doing, and he can do whatever he wants.''
When they finished the storm-delayed third round Sunday morning, Garcia kept at it, saying that Woods is ''not the nicest guy on tour.''
Woods had the last laugh. He had the trophy.
Garcia, when asked if he would have changed anything about the flap with Woods, replied, ''It sounds like I was the bad guy here. I was the victim. I don't have any regrets of anything.''
The real villain was the infamous 17th hole.
''When you've got water in front of the green, that's not a good time to be short of the green. You know, it was close,'' Maggert said. ''What can I say? A wrong shot at the wrong time and you get penalized on this golf course.''
It was at the 17th hole five years ago where Garcia won The Players Championship, when Paul Goydos hit into the water in a sudden-death playoff. This time, the island green got its revenge on him. Garcia hit a wedge and felt he caught it just a little bit thin, which is usually all it takes.
''That hole has been good to me for the most part,'' Garcia said. ''Today, it wasn't. That's the way it is. That's the kind of hole it is. You've got to love it for what it is.''
Woods earned $1.71 million, pushing his season total to over $5.8 million in just seven tournaments. This is the 12th season he has won at least four times - that used to be the standard of a great year before he joined the PGA Tour in 1996 - and this was the quickest he has reached four wins in a year.
It was the second time has won on Mother's Day.
''Sorry, Mom,'' he said into the camera. ''I think she might have had a heart attack. I was in control of the tournament, and I just hit the worst shot I could possibly hit.''
Typical of Woods these days, there were questions about where he took the drop - some 255 yards from the hole. NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller suggested it was a ''borderline'' where he took the drop. But Mark Russell, vice president of competition for the PGA Tour, said there was nothing wrong with the drop. Woods conferred with Casey Wittenberg, who said there was ''no doubt'' that Woods took the drop in the right spot.
''He asked me exactly where it crossed,'' Wittenberg said. ''I told him I thought it crossed on the corner of the bunker, right where he took his drop. And it's all good.'' Woods wound up with a double bogey, and he nearly fell out of the lead on the 15th until he saved par with an 8-foot putt.
''The shot that turned the tide was the putt on 15,'' Woods said. ''To go double bogey-bogey would have been huge. But to save a putt there and get some momentum going to the next three holes was big.''
Woods and Garcia played four tension-free holes Sunday morning to complete the third round, and they shook hands without words when they finished - Woods with a 71, Garcia with a 72 to share the 54-hole lead with Lingmerth.
With a three-way tie, Garcia wound up in the final group because he was first to play at the start of the third round.
Garcia, however, continued to fuel the bad feelings between them. He told Sky Sports, ''I'm not going to lie, he's not my favorite guy to play with. He's not the nicest guy on tour.'' And then he told Golf Channel, ''We don't enjoy each other's company. You don't need to be a rocket engineer to figure that out.''
Woods downplayed the episode and said it didn't matter who joined him on the tee.
''I'm tied for the lead, so I'm right there.''
And that's where he usually wins. Woods now is 53-4 in his PGA Tour career when he has at least a share of the lead going into the final round.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Red Wings eliminate Ducks in Game 7; draw Blackhawks in Round 2.
By Greg Wyshynski
They’re still the Detroit Red Wings.
Goals by Henrik Zetterberg, Justin Abdelkader and Valtteri Filpula led to a 3-2 victory for Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, eliminating the No. 2-seeded Anaheim Ducks with two straight wins.
The Wings draw the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 2, in the final meeting between the teams as division rivals. The Blackhawks have won seven straight games over Detroit.
Credit this Detroit series win to three people ...
Henrik Zetterberg, the first-year captain, who had a goal and an assist in Game 7 (along with a regrettable puck over the glass penalty in the third). That’s three goals and five assists for the series, and a game-winning overtime goal in Game 6.
Jimmy Howard, the goaltender, who wasn’t perfect but was really strong when they needed him. He faced over 30 shots in five of the seven games. He faced 70 shots and stopped 65 of them in the final two games of the series. He had to be good behind a young defense. He had to be composed with Corey Perry trying to piss him off for seven games. He did it all.
Mike Babcock, the coach, who shuffled his lines and defense like the best dealer in Vegas. Watching Game 7, the controlled and constricting Wings system kept the Ducks from setting up shot in the offensive zone, with Babcock at the reins. Another brilliant bit of coaching by a coach that never gets enough credit for that brilliance.
For the Ducks … well, the best that can be said is that no one expected them to be a No. 2 seed. Full marks to Bruce Boudreau for that. But once again, a Boudreau team disappoints in the playoffs, and loses a Game 7 on home ice. He went into this series saying he didn’t want postseason disappointment to be his legacy. This didn’t help.
Corey Perry was stymied by Howard all series, but went seven games without a goal.
If David Steckel has more goals in a seven-game series than Corey Perry, chances are the Ducks didn’t win that series.
Finally … Teemu. Hopefully this isn’t the end. Hopefully with Getzlaf and Perry back next season, he gives it another shot. Hopefully.
How 'bout them Chicago Bulls? Heat-Bulls Preview.
By
The suggestion that he's a flopper drew a grin as wide as his wingspan from LeBron James.
Miami's superstar shot down the accusations from the Chicago Bulls, saying they reminded him of the days when some claimed he was overrated and questioned his ability to lead a team to a championship.
''It's kind of the same (as when) I heard people say I was overrated,'' he said Sunday. ''It's kind of like the same response.''
The Heat are trying to repeat as champions after a dominant regular season, and if they keep this up, they won't have to worry about Chicago much longer. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals is Monday, and Miami has a chance to take a 3-1 lead in a series with no shortage of hard fouls, technicals, ejections and fines. One thing in short supply is healthy bodies for the Bulls, with Luol Deng still recovering from a spinal tap and Kirk Hinrich from a bruised left calf. The odds that either would play seemed slim at best on Sunday.
Meanwhile, coach Tom Thibodeau's wallet is a little lighter after the league smacked him with a $35,000 fine on Sunday.
That hit came after he accused James of flopping on that shove to the floor and questioned the officiating after the Heat took Game 3, saying the Bulls weren't going to get the benefit of the calls. Thibodeau had already addressed the media by the time the punishment was announced and declined comment through a team spokesman. Yet there was still plenty of talk about that incident between James and Mohammed.
''None of this is new to us,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''Nobody can hide from the fact that the games will be decided between those four lines. And our guys understand that.''
The Bulls' Taj Gibson expects more of the same.
''Both teams are tough and aggressive,'' he said. ''It's playoff basketball. We're both rivals. They acknowledged it. We acknowledged it. It's just guys going after it playing like they don't like each other. But it's just playoff basketball.''
In Game 3, Joakim Noah had already shoved Miami's Chris Andersen after he landed on a driving Nate Robinson late in the first quarter, and things nearly boiled over early in the second.
With James dribbling near midcourt, Mohammed reached in to take a foul and stop a potential break. Their arms got tangled. Mohammed fell, and when he got up, he gave James a hard shove to the court.
Both players picked up technicals. Mohammed got tossed, making him the third Bulls player to get ejected in the series along with Noah and Taj Gibson.
''I don't need to flop,'' James said. ''I play an aggressive game. I don't flop. I've never been one of those guys.''
It's probably worth noting that James accused the Bulls of crossing the line a few times back in late March, when they beat Miami at the United Center to snap Miami's 27-game win streak.
''What I said is what I said, but I don't want to get involved too much with what everybody else says about us, about me,'' he said. ''It's nothing I haven't heard before in my career. It's nothing. ... I'm here to play basketball and do whatever it takes for our team to win. So what a coach and players say to me and about me, I don't really care.''
Both teams have concerns that stretch beyond the officiating. For the Bulls, it remains their health. Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Derrick Rose's surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and the only suiting up he's done for a game since then has involved a jacket and tie.
Just about every other key player has missed time at some point, and that's continued into the postseason.
Deng has missed five straight games, Hinrich has sat out six in a row, and both looked like longshots at best to play in Game 4 with Thibodeau saying they're day to day.
Hinrich did little other than some shooting and ride a bike, and Deng couldn't do much, either.
''My body, my system, is not reacting well to anything I'm doing right now,'' Deng said.
He said he's feeling a little better and has regained two of the 15 pounds he lost because of the illness, but when he tries to exert himself, well, he really can't. Deng said he tried to work out individually on Saturday and wound up vomiting. He attempted to practice on Sunday and became ill during warmups, forcing him to stop.
''I spoke to coach a little bit, If I could give 5 or 10 minutes, give these guys a little bit of a break but I can't even get through a regular warmup,'' Deng said.
The Heat, meanwhile, continue to face questions about Dwyane Wade and his sore right knee. He took just seven shots and scored 10 points in Game 3, but he insisted that had more to do with the flow of the game and the Bulls packing the lane than his health.
''A lot of my opportunities were not in the flow of the offense,'' he said. ''If I would have shot a lot, it would have been forced. When I had the ball, I tried to make the best play. Sometimes, it's to get two guys on me and pass it.''
Kenseth passes Busch for 1st Darlington victory.
By
Matt Kenseth is quickly showing how well he fits in at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Kenseth passed JGR teammate Kyle Busch 13 laps from the end to win the Southern 500 on Saturday night, his third victory in his debut season after a successful stint with Roush Fenway Racing.
JGR president J.D. Gibbs knew he was getting a champion in Kenseth. Still, even he's been surprised with how fast the new driver has come up to speed alongside teammates Denny Hamlin and Busch.
''He's a good leader,'' J.D. Gibbs said. ''Denny and Kyle really like having him there and hearing what he has to say. And on the track, he's got a gift.''
He proved that again at Darlington, where Kenseth patiently sat behind Busch much of the race before the right adjustments to the car clicked. It didn't hurt that Busch, who led 265 of 367 laps, cut a right rear tire down the stretch that cost him.
Once Kenseth cleared his teammate, he had clear sailing toward his 27th career Sprint Cup victory.
''I've got the good job and I've got the easy job,'' Kenseth said. ''When they give me cars this fast, it's a lot of fun.''
Hamlin completed his first full race since suffering a compression fracture in a vertebra in his lower back on March 24 and finished right behind Kenseth. Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th straight career start. Points leader Jimmie Johnson was fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth.
Kenseth's victory came without crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who was suspended for the No. 20 Toyota having an illegal part in a win at Kansas.
Carl Edwards finished seventh, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.
''This is a dream come true,'' Kenseth shouted on his radio. ''Thank you guys very much.''
Hamlin might've thought the same thing after his second-place finish. The driver missed four races because of the injury and ran just 23 laps at Talladega last weekend handing the car off to replacement driver Brian Vickers.
Hamlin's finish was just what the team needed as it tries to move up from 31st place when the week began into 20th, where it'd be eligible for a wild card entry into NASCAR's championship chase.
As Hamlin neared the end of the grueling 500 miles, crew chief Darian Grubb radioed his appreciation of the effort Hamlin put forth in his first full race back.
''I am extremely proud of you there, buddy. Just an awesome job hanging with it all day,'' crew chief Darian Grubb radioed as they closed in on the finish.
''Thank you so much. I appreciate it,'' Hamlin replied.
Hamlin wasn't sore, just worn out after leaving the car. ''This is a tough, grueling race,'' he said. ''Nothing to hang our heads about coming up second for second year in a row.''
Kenseth had won three times here in the Nationwide Series, but had never come closer than third in Sprint Cup. ''I don't know that I've had a win that feels bigger than this,'' said Kenseth, who counts the 2003 series championship and two Daytona 500s among his achievements.
No one matched Busch for most of the race. He had powered to victory in the Nationwide event here Friday night- leading 107 of 147 laps - and was running strong again after taking the lead from older brother and pole-sitter Kurt Busch 74 laps in.
Kyle Busch stayed on top through several stretches of green-flag racing and through the first four restarts. But his machine couldn't keep up after Kenseth went by.
Crew chief Dave Rogers said Busch had a cut right rear tire and only 12 pounds of pressure left when he went into the garage. It's the 11th time Busch has led at least 200 laps in a Sprint Cup race, yet he's only won four of those.
Busch left the track without comment. Hamlin, though, was pretty certain about his teammate's mindset. ''Yeah, he definitely won't be happy, that's for sure,'' Hamlin said. ''But it's tough when you have a car that was as dominant as his, then the last run, whatever happens happens.''
Kenseth's win came with Wally Brown calling the shots as crew chief. Ratcliff is expected back for the next race after JGR had penalties imposed by NASCAR reduced on appeal.
The best chance to defeat Busch appeared to come from Kasey Kahne, who pressured his JGR rival on the restart after the fourth caution period. Kahne looked like he had cleared Busch but the car got loose and the back end slammed the wall.
Kahne was not happy with Busch's maneuver.
''Three times this year me and Kyle had contact and I had a chance, capable-winning cars, it's disappointing on the points side and not winning some of these races,'' Kahne said. ''Whether he hit me or just blew the air off, whatever it was, he blew his entry. I'm not sure what he was thinking on that.''
Kurt Busch had hoped to go from an upside-down finish when his car went airborne late and crash-landed on Ryan Newman at Talladega last week to his first Sprint Cup victory in two years at Darlington. He set a qualifying record to win the pole Friday and led 69 of the first 73 laps before getting passed by brother Kyle.
Kurt Busch struggled to stay close during the unexpected long stretches of green-flag racing. He was sent a lap down by Kyle on lap 279 and was part of a three-car dustup about 20 laps later that also involved defending series champion Brad Keselowski and Casey Mears.
There would be no joyous moment for Kurt Busch here on the 10-year anniversary of his side-by-side final lap dual with Ricky Craven as he finished 14th. Busch ended up in second, .002 seconds behind in Sprint Cup's closest finish since it went to electronic timing in 1993.
The late accident at Talladega opened the door for the duo from Front Row Racing, David Ragan and David Gilliland to finish 1-2 in last week's race. The pair couldn't capitalize on that success at Darlington. Gilliland was 29th and Ragan 39th.
Danica Patrick improved on her placing in her second Sprint Cup race at Darlington, finishing 28th three spots better than in 2012.
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Baseball-Highlights of Sunday's MLB games, 05/12/2013.
Reuters, (Editing by Gene Cherry/Peter Rutherford)
Pirates 3, Mets 2
Pedro Alvarez's RBI single in the eighth broke open a tie game as visiting Pittsburgh took three of four from New York.
Clint Barmes homered and joined Alvarez and Travis Snider with two hits for the Pirates, who won their first road series against the Mets since 2004.
Justin Wilson (3-0) allowed the game-tying run in the seventh to make it 2-2, but struck out four of the other five batters he faced for the win.
The Mets' Matt Harvey settled for his fourth straight no-decision, allowing two runs and five hits over seven innings. The 24-year-old, who struck out a season-low four, has yet to allow more than three runs in nine career home starts.
- - -
Yankees 4, Royals 2
Robinson Cano homered and Vernon Wells went deep for the second straight game as visiting New York completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City.
Hiroki Kuroda (5-2) allowed only a sacrifice fly by the Royals' Alex Gordon and an RBI groundout by Alcides Esocbar over 7 2/3 innings.
- - -
Indians 4, Tigers 3 (10 innings)
Mark Reynolds delivered a two-out, pinch-hit single in the 10th inning to give Cleveland a dramatic victory over host Detroit.
Carlos Santana scored from second on Reynolds' grounder to left off Darin Downs (0-1).
The victory moved the Indians into a first-place tie with the Tigers in the American League Central.
Cleveland staved off defeat in the ninth when Michael Brantley hit a game-tying, two-out single to left off closer Jose Valverde.
- - -
Rockies 8, Cardinals 2
Jorge De La Rosa turned the tables on St. Louis with seven dominant innings as visiting Colorado avoided a three-game sweep.
The Rockies had been shut out in the first two games of the series, but Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run homer and Charlie Blackmon added a two-run shot to spark the offense. De Le Rosa went the first 6 2/3 without yielding a hit en route to seven scoreless innings.
- - -
Orioles 6, Twins 0
Chris Davis belted his 11th homer and knocked in three runs while Chen Wei-yin pitched five shutout innings before leaving with an injury as visiting Baltimore rolled over Minnesota.
Chen (3-3) suffered a right oblique strain to end his day during an otherwise spotless game for the Orioles.
- - -
Rangers 12, Astros 7
Adrian Beltre went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs as visiting Texas completed a three-game sweep of Houston.
David Murphy and Leonys Martin also homered and Leury Garcia scored four times as the Rangers improved to 19-4 in their last 23 games against the Astros.
- - -
Blue Jays 12, Red Sox 4
Emilio Bonifacio broke out of a prolonged slump with three hits, including a homer, and Jose Bautista went deep twice as visiting Toronto trounced Boston.
Bonifacio, who came into the game mired in a 3-for-37 funk, came within a triple of hitting for the cycle as the Blue Jays belted five home runs en route to their second series victory of the season.
- - -
Rays 4, Padres 2
Yunel Escobar knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and James Loney homered for the second straight day as host Tampa Bay finished a three-game sweep.
Loney had a pair of hits to raise his average to .376, including an eighth-inning solo blast as the Rays won their season-high fifth straight contest.
- - -
Cubs 2, Nationals 1
Kurt Suzuki's throwing error in the ninth inning allowed the go-ahead run to score as visiting Chicago claimed the rubber match of the three-game series.
Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez did not allow a baserunner until an infield single in the sixth, but the Cubs rallied against Washington's bullpen with Starlin Castro's tying RBI single in the eighth.
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Reds 5, Brewers 1
Bronson Arroyo allowed five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings and rookie Donald Lutz hit his first career homer as Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep of visiting Milwaukee.
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White Sox 3, Angels 0
Chris Sale carried a perfect game into the seventh and Alexei Ramirez broke up a scoreless deadlock with a two-run single as hosts Chicago avoided a three-game sweep.
Sale (4-2) went the distance in winning his third straight decision, allowing one hit while striking out seven and not walking a batter as the White Sox snapped Los Angeles' three-game winning streak.
Mike Trout ended Sale's bid to throw the 24th game in major-league history with a clean single to center with one out in the seventh.
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Philles 4, Diamondbacks 2 (10 innings)
Domonic Brown delivered a game-tying RBI single in the top of the ninth inning and Ryan Howard had a two-run single in the 10th as visiting Philadelphia rallied to spoil an outstanding effort by Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy.
McCarthy scattered seven singles over eight scoreless innings, striking out five and walking none, before closer Heath Bell blew the Diamondbacks' 2-0 lead in the ninth.
Chase Utley and Delmon Young had doubles to slice the Phillies' deficit in half before Brown forced extra innings with a base hit to left-center.
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Giants 5, Braves 1
Brandon Belt, Pablo Sandoval and Marco Scutaro homered and Tim Lincecum tossed seven shutout innings as San Francisco blanked visiting Atlanta.
Lincecum (3-2) allowed two hits while striking out seven and snapped a four-start losing streak against the Braves. After dropping the series opener, San Francisco won the next three games by a combined score of 23-4.
- - -
Dodgers 5, Marlins 3
Scott Van Slyke had two hits, including his third career home run, and drove in two runs as host Los Angeles won the rubber match of the three-game series.
Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp also had two hits apiece for the Dodgers, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since April 25-26.
- - -
Mariners 6, Athletics 1
Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer and Joe Saunders continued his home pitching success as Seattle beat Oakland for the second time in the three-game series. Jason Bay also homered, Jesus Montero had a run-scoring single and Kyle Seager contributed a sacrifice fly as the Mariners won for the ninth time in 13 games.
Americans Abroad Recap: Jozy Altidore lifts Dutch Cup.
By Greg Wyshynski
They’re still the Detroit Red Wings.
Goals by Henrik Zetterberg, Justin Abdelkader and Valtteri Filpula led to a 3-2 victory for Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, eliminating the No. 2-seeded Anaheim Ducks with two straight wins.
The Wings draw the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 2, in the final meeting between the teams as division rivals. The Blackhawks have won seven straight games over Detroit.
Credit this Detroit series win to three people ...
Henrik Zetterberg, the first-year captain, who had a goal and an assist in Game 7 (along with a regrettable puck over the glass penalty in the third). That’s three goals and five assists for the series, and a game-winning overtime goal in Game 6.
Jimmy Howard, the goaltender, who wasn’t perfect but was really strong when they needed him. He faced over 30 shots in five of the seven games. He faced 70 shots and stopped 65 of them in the final two games of the series. He had to be good behind a young defense. He had to be composed with Corey Perry trying to piss him off for seven games. He did it all.
Mike Babcock, the coach, who shuffled his lines and defense like the best dealer in Vegas. Watching Game 7, the controlled and constricting Wings system kept the Ducks from setting up shot in the offensive zone, with Babcock at the reins. Another brilliant bit of coaching by a coach that never gets enough credit for that brilliance.
For the Ducks … well, the best that can be said is that no one expected them to be a No. 2 seed. Full marks to Bruce Boudreau for that. But once again, a Boudreau team disappoints in the playoffs, and loses a Game 7 on home ice. He went into this series saying he didn’t want postseason disappointment to be his legacy. This didn’t help.
Corey Perry was stymied by Howard all series, but went seven games without a goal.
If David Steckel has more goals in a seven-game series than Corey Perry, chances are the Ducks didn’t win that series.
Finally … Teemu. Hopefully this isn’t the end. Hopefully with Getzlaf and Perry back next season, he gives it another shot. Hopefully.
How 'bout them Chicago Bulls? Heat-Bulls Preview.
By
The suggestion that he's a flopper drew a grin as wide as his wingspan from LeBron James.
Miami's superstar shot down the accusations from the Chicago Bulls, saying they reminded him of the days when some claimed he was overrated and questioned his ability to lead a team to a championship.
''It's kind of the same (as when) I heard people say I was overrated,'' he said Sunday. ''It's kind of like the same response.''
The Heat are trying to repeat as champions after a dominant regular season, and if they keep this up, they won't have to worry about Chicago much longer. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals is Monday, and Miami has a chance to take a 3-1 lead in a series with no shortage of hard fouls, technicals, ejections and fines. One thing in short supply is healthy bodies for the Bulls, with Luol Deng still recovering from a spinal tap and Kirk Hinrich from a bruised left calf. The odds that either would play seemed slim at best on Sunday.
Meanwhile, coach Tom Thibodeau's wallet is a little lighter after the league smacked him with a $35,000 fine on Sunday.
That hit came after he accused James of flopping on that shove to the floor and questioned the officiating after the Heat took Game 3, saying the Bulls weren't going to get the benefit of the calls. Thibodeau had already addressed the media by the time the punishment was announced and declined comment through a team spokesman. Yet there was still plenty of talk about that incident between James and Mohammed.
''None of this is new to us,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''Nobody can hide from the fact that the games will be decided between those four lines. And our guys understand that.''
The Bulls' Taj Gibson expects more of the same.
''Both teams are tough and aggressive,'' he said. ''It's playoff basketball. We're both rivals. They acknowledged it. We acknowledged it. It's just guys going after it playing like they don't like each other. But it's just playoff basketball.''
In Game 3, Joakim Noah had already shoved Miami's Chris Andersen after he landed on a driving Nate Robinson late in the first quarter, and things nearly boiled over early in the second.
With James dribbling near midcourt, Mohammed reached in to take a foul and stop a potential break. Their arms got tangled. Mohammed fell, and when he got up, he gave James a hard shove to the court.
Both players picked up technicals. Mohammed got tossed, making him the third Bulls player to get ejected in the series along with Noah and Taj Gibson.
''I don't need to flop,'' James said. ''I play an aggressive game. I don't flop. I've never been one of those guys.''
It's probably worth noting that James accused the Bulls of crossing the line a few times back in late March, when they beat Miami at the United Center to snap Miami's 27-game win streak.
''What I said is what I said, but I don't want to get involved too much with what everybody else says about us, about me,'' he said. ''It's nothing I haven't heard before in my career. It's nothing. ... I'm here to play basketball and do whatever it takes for our team to win. So what a coach and players say to me and about me, I don't really care.''
Both teams have concerns that stretch beyond the officiating. For the Bulls, it remains their health. Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Derrick Rose's surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and the only suiting up he's done for a game since then has involved a jacket and tie.
Just about every other key player has missed time at some point, and that's continued into the postseason.
Deng has missed five straight games, Hinrich has sat out six in a row, and both looked like longshots at best to play in Game 4 with Thibodeau saying they're day to day.
Hinrich did little other than some shooting and ride a bike, and Deng couldn't do much, either.
''My body, my system, is not reacting well to anything I'm doing right now,'' Deng said.
He said he's feeling a little better and has regained two of the 15 pounds he lost because of the illness, but when he tries to exert himself, well, he really can't. Deng said he tried to work out individually on Saturday and wound up vomiting. He attempted to practice on Sunday and became ill during warmups, forcing him to stop.
''I spoke to coach a little bit, If I could give 5 or 10 minutes, give these guys a little bit of a break but I can't even get through a regular warmup,'' Deng said.
The Heat, meanwhile, continue to face questions about Dwyane Wade and his sore right knee. He took just seven shots and scored 10 points in Game 3, but he insisted that had more to do with the flow of the game and the Bulls packing the lane than his health.
''A lot of my opportunities were not in the flow of the offense,'' he said. ''If I would have shot a lot, it would have been forced. When I had the ball, I tried to make the best play. Sometimes, it's to get two guys on me and pass it.''
Kenseth passes Busch for 1st Darlington victory.
By
Matt Kenseth is quickly showing how well he fits in at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Kenseth passed JGR teammate Kyle Busch 13 laps from the end to win the Southern 500 on Saturday night, his third victory in his debut season after a successful stint with Roush Fenway Racing.
JGR president J.D. Gibbs knew he was getting a champion in Kenseth. Still, even he's been surprised with how fast the new driver has come up to speed alongside teammates Denny Hamlin and Busch.
''He's a good leader,'' J.D. Gibbs said. ''Denny and Kyle really like having him there and hearing what he has to say. And on the track, he's got a gift.''
He proved that again at Darlington, where Kenseth patiently sat behind Busch much of the race before the right adjustments to the car clicked. It didn't hurt that Busch, who led 265 of 367 laps, cut a right rear tire down the stretch that cost him.
Once Kenseth cleared his teammate, he had clear sailing toward his 27th career Sprint Cup victory.
''I've got the good job and I've got the easy job,'' Kenseth said. ''When they give me cars this fast, it's a lot of fun.''
Hamlin completed his first full race since suffering a compression fracture in a vertebra in his lower back on March 24 and finished right behind Kenseth. Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th straight career start. Points leader Jimmie Johnson was fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth.
Kenseth's victory came without crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who was suspended for the No. 20 Toyota having an illegal part in a win at Kansas.
Carl Edwards finished seventh, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.
''This is a dream come true,'' Kenseth shouted on his radio. ''Thank you guys very much.''
Hamlin might've thought the same thing after his second-place finish. The driver missed four races because of the injury and ran just 23 laps at Talladega last weekend handing the car off to replacement driver Brian Vickers.
Hamlin's finish was just what the team needed as it tries to move up from 31st place when the week began into 20th, where it'd be eligible for a wild card entry into NASCAR's championship chase.
As Hamlin neared the end of the grueling 500 miles, crew chief Darian Grubb radioed his appreciation of the effort Hamlin put forth in his first full race back.
''I am extremely proud of you there, buddy. Just an awesome job hanging with it all day,'' crew chief Darian Grubb radioed as they closed in on the finish.
''Thank you so much. I appreciate it,'' Hamlin replied.
Hamlin wasn't sore, just worn out after leaving the car. ''This is a tough, grueling race,'' he said. ''Nothing to hang our heads about coming up second for second year in a row.''
Kenseth had won three times here in the Nationwide Series, but had never come closer than third in Sprint Cup. ''I don't know that I've had a win that feels bigger than this,'' said Kenseth, who counts the 2003 series championship and two Daytona 500s among his achievements.
No one matched Busch for most of the race. He had powered to victory in the Nationwide event here Friday night- leading 107 of 147 laps - and was running strong again after taking the lead from older brother and pole-sitter Kurt Busch 74 laps in.
Kyle Busch stayed on top through several stretches of green-flag racing and through the first four restarts. But his machine couldn't keep up after Kenseth went by.
Crew chief Dave Rogers said Busch had a cut right rear tire and only 12 pounds of pressure left when he went into the garage. It's the 11th time Busch has led at least 200 laps in a Sprint Cup race, yet he's only won four of those.
Busch left the track without comment. Hamlin, though, was pretty certain about his teammate's mindset. ''Yeah, he definitely won't be happy, that's for sure,'' Hamlin said. ''But it's tough when you have a car that was as dominant as his, then the last run, whatever happens happens.''
Kenseth's win came with Wally Brown calling the shots as crew chief. Ratcliff is expected back for the next race after JGR had penalties imposed by NASCAR reduced on appeal.
The best chance to defeat Busch appeared to come from Kasey Kahne, who pressured his JGR rival on the restart after the fourth caution period. Kahne looked like he had cleared Busch but the car got loose and the back end slammed the wall.
Kahne was not happy with Busch's maneuver.
''Three times this year me and Kyle had contact and I had a chance, capable-winning cars, it's disappointing on the points side and not winning some of these races,'' Kahne said. ''Whether he hit me or just blew the air off, whatever it was, he blew his entry. I'm not sure what he was thinking on that.''
Kurt Busch had hoped to go from an upside-down finish when his car went airborne late and crash-landed on Ryan Newman at Talladega last week to his first Sprint Cup victory in two years at Darlington. He set a qualifying record to win the pole Friday and led 69 of the first 73 laps before getting passed by brother Kyle.
Kurt Busch struggled to stay close during the unexpected long stretches of green-flag racing. He was sent a lap down by Kyle on lap 279 and was part of a three-car dustup about 20 laps later that also involved defending series champion Brad Keselowski and Casey Mears.
There would be no joyous moment for Kurt Busch here on the 10-year anniversary of his side-by-side final lap dual with Ricky Craven as he finished 14th. Busch ended up in second, .002 seconds behind in Sprint Cup's closest finish since it went to electronic timing in 1993.
The late accident at Talladega opened the door for the duo from Front Row Racing, David Ragan and David Gilliland to finish 1-2 in last week's race. The pair couldn't capitalize on that success at Darlington. Gilliland was 29th and Ragan 39th.
Danica Patrick improved on her placing in her second Sprint Cup race at Darlington, finishing 28th three spots better than in 2012.
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Baseball-Highlights of Sunday's MLB games, 05/12/2013.
Reuters, (Editing by Gene Cherry/Peter Rutherford)
Pirates 3, Mets 2
Pedro Alvarez's RBI single in the eighth broke open a tie game as visiting Pittsburgh took three of four from New York.
Clint Barmes homered and joined Alvarez and Travis Snider with two hits for the Pirates, who won their first road series against the Mets since 2004.
Justin Wilson (3-0) allowed the game-tying run in the seventh to make it 2-2, but struck out four of the other five batters he faced for the win.
The Mets' Matt Harvey settled for his fourth straight no-decision, allowing two runs and five hits over seven innings. The 24-year-old, who struck out a season-low four, has yet to allow more than three runs in nine career home starts.
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Yankees 4, Royals 2
Robinson Cano homered and Vernon Wells went deep for the second straight game as visiting New York completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City.
Hiroki Kuroda (5-2) allowed only a sacrifice fly by the Royals' Alex Gordon and an RBI groundout by Alcides Esocbar over 7 2/3 innings.
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Indians 4, Tigers 3 (10 innings)
Mark Reynolds delivered a two-out, pinch-hit single in the 10th inning to give Cleveland a dramatic victory over host Detroit.
Carlos Santana scored from second on Reynolds' grounder to left off Darin Downs (0-1).
The victory moved the Indians into a first-place tie with the Tigers in the American League Central.
Cleveland staved off defeat in the ninth when Michael Brantley hit a game-tying, two-out single to left off closer Jose Valverde.
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Rockies 8, Cardinals 2
Jorge De La Rosa turned the tables on St. Louis with seven dominant innings as visiting Colorado avoided a three-game sweep.
The Rockies had been shut out in the first two games of the series, but Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run homer and Charlie Blackmon added a two-run shot to spark the offense. De Le Rosa went the first 6 2/3 without yielding a hit en route to seven scoreless innings.
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Orioles 6, Twins 0
Chris Davis belted his 11th homer and knocked in three runs while Chen Wei-yin pitched five shutout innings before leaving with an injury as visiting Baltimore rolled over Minnesota.
Chen (3-3) suffered a right oblique strain to end his day during an otherwise spotless game for the Orioles.
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Rangers 12, Astros 7
Adrian Beltre went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs as visiting Texas completed a three-game sweep of Houston.
David Murphy and Leonys Martin also homered and Leury Garcia scored four times as the Rangers improved to 19-4 in their last 23 games against the Astros.
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Blue Jays 12, Red Sox 4
Emilio Bonifacio broke out of a prolonged slump with three hits, including a homer, and Jose Bautista went deep twice as visiting Toronto trounced Boston.
Bonifacio, who came into the game mired in a 3-for-37 funk, came within a triple of hitting for the cycle as the Blue Jays belted five home runs en route to their second series victory of the season.
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Rays 4, Padres 2
Yunel Escobar knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and James Loney homered for the second straight day as host Tampa Bay finished a three-game sweep.
Loney had a pair of hits to raise his average to .376, including an eighth-inning solo blast as the Rays won their season-high fifth straight contest.
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Cubs 2, Nationals 1
Kurt Suzuki's throwing error in the ninth inning allowed the go-ahead run to score as visiting Chicago claimed the rubber match of the three-game series.
Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez did not allow a baserunner until an infield single in the sixth, but the Cubs rallied against Washington's bullpen with Starlin Castro's tying RBI single in the eighth.
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Reds 5, Brewers 1
Bronson Arroyo allowed five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings and rookie Donald Lutz hit his first career homer as Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep of visiting Milwaukee.
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White Sox 3, Angels 0
Chris Sale carried a perfect game into the seventh and Alexei Ramirez broke up a scoreless deadlock with a two-run single as hosts Chicago avoided a three-game sweep.
Sale (4-2) went the distance in winning his third straight decision, allowing one hit while striking out seven and not walking a batter as the White Sox snapped Los Angeles' three-game winning streak.
Mike Trout ended Sale's bid to throw the 24th game in major-league history with a clean single to center with one out in the seventh.
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Philles 4, Diamondbacks 2 (10 innings)
Domonic Brown delivered a game-tying RBI single in the top of the ninth inning and Ryan Howard had a two-run single in the 10th as visiting Philadelphia rallied to spoil an outstanding effort by Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy.
McCarthy scattered seven singles over eight scoreless innings, striking out five and walking none, before closer Heath Bell blew the Diamondbacks' 2-0 lead in the ninth.
Chase Utley and Delmon Young had doubles to slice the Phillies' deficit in half before Brown forced extra innings with a base hit to left-center.
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Giants 5, Braves 1
Brandon Belt, Pablo Sandoval and Marco Scutaro homered and Tim Lincecum tossed seven shutout innings as San Francisco blanked visiting Atlanta.
Lincecum (3-2) allowed two hits while striking out seven and snapped a four-start losing streak against the Braves. After dropping the series opener, San Francisco won the next three games by a combined score of 23-4.
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Dodgers 5, Marlins 3
Scott Van Slyke had two hits, including his third career home run, and drove in two runs as host Los Angeles won the rubber match of the three-game series.
Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp also had two hits apiece for the Dodgers, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since April 25-26.
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Mariners 6, Athletics 1
Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer and Joe Saunders continued his home pitching success as Seattle beat Oakland for the second time in the three-game series. Jason Bay also homered, Jesus Montero had a run-scoring single and Kyle Seager contributed a sacrifice fly as the Mariners won for the ninth time in 13 games.
Americans Abroad Recap: Jozy Altidore lifts Dutch Cup.
By Matthew Braine | Goal.com
Jozy Altidore continued his brilliant season on Thursday night at De Kuip Stadium, scoring in the 14th minute against PSV Eindhoven. Teammate Adam Maher opened the scoring in the 12th and Altidore followed suit just two minute later, chipping a ball past the keeper to give his club a 2-0 lead. It was his tournament-leading eighth goal of the competition. PSV responded in the 31st minute but, ultimately, Altidore and his teammates lifted the cup for the first time since 1982.
On Sunday, Altidore played 73 minute before being removed as AZ Alkmaar lost to cellar dwellers Willem II Tilburg 2-0.
Howard banks another clean sheet
Tim Howard made two saves and Kevin Mirallas notched a brace as Everton gave David Moyes a fitting send off from Goodison Park, dispatching West Ham 2-0. It was Howard’s 10th clean sheet of the season and third in a row. The Merseyside outfit is locked into a sixth-place finish.
Clint Dempsey keeps Spurs' CL hopes alive
The tenacious Texan was the difference maker on Sunday, playing a key role as Spurs bested Stoke 2-1, keeping its Champions League hopes alive. After Stoke shocked Tottenham in the third minute, Dempsey equalized, smashing a ball in from 30 yards out to knot the score at 1-1. The midfielder was clutch late, providing a low cross to Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored the winner in the 87th minute.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Clint Dempsey came on for the final 20 minutes as Spurs nabbed an impressive draw at Stamford Bridge. The U.S. international tested the keeper once and played aggressively as Tottenham’s Gylfi Sigurdsson scored an equalizer late to settle the score at 2-2.
Cherundolo sets record in blowout loss
American defender Steve Cherundolo set a club record on Saturday as he made his 299th Bundesliga appearance, breaking Jurgen Bandura’s mark which had stood for nearly 40 years. Unfortunately, a win was not in the cards as Hannover 96’s European hopes took a hit. It lost to Bayer Leverkusen 3-1. Cherundolo started and played the full 90 but Hannover struggled defending and were down 3-0 midway through the second half.
Villa duo stumbles late against Chelsea
Brad Guzan made five saves on Saturday but he would have needed seven. Frank Lampard scored twice, breaking the all-time Chelsea goal-scoring record and the hearts of the Villa Park faithful in the process. The Villains went up 1-0 early but Lampard’s second-half brace sunk the hosts. Eric Lichaj started and played alright, although he did look overmatched late. Aston Villa has just one game left and, though the club is five points clear of the drop zone, its safety isn’t secure just yet.
Earlier in the week, Guzan was honored as Aston Villa’s Player of the Season at the annual awards dinner. Guzan has six clean sheets this season and has made a number of clutch saves for the Villains.
Bradley has average week for underwhelming Roma
Michael Bradley came on for the final 13 minutes on Tuesday as Roma squandered an opportunity to move up in the Serie A table, losing at home 1-0 to Chievo Verona. Roma dominated possession and looked to push for the winning strike late but Chievo’s counterattack sunk the hosts in the 90th minute.
On Sunday, Bradley started and played the entire contest as Roma and AC Milan played to a 0-0 draw. The capital club can no longer qualify for the Europa League through its league position, though the Coppa Italia final against Lazio provides one final path to European soccer next season.
Jones aggressive but Schalke falls
Jermaine Jones started on Saturday and played tenaciously as he was involved in quite a few tackles. He tested the goalkeeper once but Schalke stumbled, losing 2-1 at Stuttgart. With the loss, Schalke is pretty much out of the running for an automatic Champions League place, although the club can still book fourth place which is for preliminary qualifying.
Johnson subs on during lopsided defeat
Fabian Johnson came on at the start of the second half but wasn’t too effective as TSG lost to Hamburg 4-1. TSG has been on the fringe of relegation all season and remains stuck near the bottom as the season winds down.
Stoke sputters
Stoke failed to register a win last week, picking up just one point out of a possible six. First, on Monday, the club drew 1-1 with Sunderland. Geoff Cameron came on to start the second half and looked shaky at times, nearly giving the ball away on a few occasions. On Sunday, Cameron came on for the final 15 minutes as 10-man Stoke lost to Spurs 2-1. Both sides were knotted at 1-1 until the last few minutes when Stoke’s disadvantage finally proved to be the difference. Brek Shea was not involved in either contest.
Kljestan starts in win
Sacha Kljestan started and played the full 90 on Sunday as Anderlecht inched closer to another title, beating Racing Genk 2-1.
On Sunday, Altidore played 73 minute before being removed as AZ Alkmaar lost to cellar dwellers Willem II Tilburg 2-0.
Howard banks another clean sheet
Tim Howard made two saves and Kevin Mirallas notched a brace as Everton gave David Moyes a fitting send off from Goodison Park, dispatching West Ham 2-0. It was Howard’s 10th clean sheet of the season and third in a row. The Merseyside outfit is locked into a sixth-place finish.
Clint Dempsey keeps Spurs' CL hopes alive
The tenacious Texan was the difference maker on Sunday, playing a key role as Spurs bested Stoke 2-1, keeping its Champions League hopes alive. After Stoke shocked Tottenham in the third minute, Dempsey equalized, smashing a ball in from 30 yards out to knot the score at 1-1. The midfielder was clutch late, providing a low cross to Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored the winner in the 87th minute.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Clint Dempsey came on for the final 20 minutes as Spurs nabbed an impressive draw at Stamford Bridge. The U.S. international tested the keeper once and played aggressively as Tottenham’s Gylfi Sigurdsson scored an equalizer late to settle the score at 2-2.
Cherundolo sets record in blowout loss
American defender Steve Cherundolo set a club record on Saturday as he made his 299th Bundesliga appearance, breaking Jurgen Bandura’s mark which had stood for nearly 40 years. Unfortunately, a win was not in the cards as Hannover 96’s European hopes took a hit. It lost to Bayer Leverkusen 3-1. Cherundolo started and played the full 90 but Hannover struggled defending and were down 3-0 midway through the second half.
Villa duo stumbles late against Chelsea
Brad Guzan made five saves on Saturday but he would have needed seven. Frank Lampard scored twice, breaking the all-time Chelsea goal-scoring record and the hearts of the Villa Park faithful in the process. The Villains went up 1-0 early but Lampard’s second-half brace sunk the hosts. Eric Lichaj started and played alright, although he did look overmatched late. Aston Villa has just one game left and, though the club is five points clear of the drop zone, its safety isn’t secure just yet.
Earlier in the week, Guzan was honored as Aston Villa’s Player of the Season at the annual awards dinner. Guzan has six clean sheets this season and has made a number of clutch saves for the Villains.
Bradley has average week for underwhelming Roma
Michael Bradley came on for the final 13 minutes on Tuesday as Roma squandered an opportunity to move up in the Serie A table, losing at home 1-0 to Chievo Verona. Roma dominated possession and looked to push for the winning strike late but Chievo’s counterattack sunk the hosts in the 90th minute.
On Sunday, Bradley started and played the entire contest as Roma and AC Milan played to a 0-0 draw. The capital club can no longer qualify for the Europa League through its league position, though the Coppa Italia final against Lazio provides one final path to European soccer next season.
Jones aggressive but Schalke falls
Jermaine Jones started on Saturday and played tenaciously as he was involved in quite a few tackles. He tested the goalkeeper once but Schalke stumbled, losing 2-1 at Stuttgart. With the loss, Schalke is pretty much out of the running for an automatic Champions League place, although the club can still book fourth place which is for preliminary qualifying.
Johnson subs on during lopsided defeat
Fabian Johnson came on at the start of the second half but wasn’t too effective as TSG lost to Hamburg 4-1. TSG has been on the fringe of relegation all season and remains stuck near the bottom as the season winds down.
Stoke sputters
Stoke failed to register a win last week, picking up just one point out of a possible six. First, on Monday, the club drew 1-1 with Sunderland. Geoff Cameron came on to start the second half and looked shaky at times, nearly giving the ball away on a few occasions. On Sunday, Cameron came on for the final 15 minutes as 10-man Stoke lost to Spurs 2-1. Both sides were knotted at 1-1 until the last few minutes when Stoke’s disadvantage finally proved to be the difference. Brek Shea was not involved in either contest.
Kljestan starts in win
Sacha Kljestan started and played the full 90 on Sunday as Anderlecht inched closer to another title, beating Racing Genk 2-1.
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