With their South Pacific Wharton Center - Cobb Great Hall playoff hopes flickering the

With their gleans playoff hopes investigates flickering, the defending World Series champions won for the third time in 10 games. was right behind him, and I thought, one' s going to be out and one' s going to be safe " Drew was left in no- man' s land, trapped about halfway between third and home. The Marlins and Philadelphia are tied for the major- league lead in homers with 62 " Having Jake back makes that lineup a little more balanced " manager Fredi Gonzalez said. The union contends that Baker' s substance- abuse problems are irrelevant to the question of whether he is physically capable to perform for the Celtics. The Royals took a 1- 0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly by Jose Guillen.

The Grizzlies move into their new arena this month, and Gasol said he didn' t want to leave what he called a great environment " It' s a great situation for a player to be here, and I' m looking for it to be a better situation to win and go deeper in the playoffs " he said . They gave us extra outs, but unfortunately we couldn' t get the big hit " Ziegler pitched a scoreless eighth and Andrew Bailey got three outs for his sixth save . Early Tuesday morning, Snyder underwent a two- hour surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital for a depressed fracture in his skull, the team said Heatley was in stable condition . Porter, who declined to talk to reporters afterward, received a warm ovation from the sellout crowd after the catch and high- fived a couple of teammates before running to the sideline . Tom Brady, whose best games often come in the biggest settings, was typically more composed, joking about a future in Hollywood. Thome, who missed three games over the weekend with a strained groin, homered for the first time since hitting two on May 29. It also was Seattle' s 18th loss in a row to AL West opponents, a league record Detroit lost 17 straight from 1996- 97.

Pitching in the same ballpark five months later, he had to regain his focus to get win No 16 . Jorge Cantu hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, putting a 3- for- 23 road trip behind him to help the Devil Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 14- 7 on Friday night to end the longest skid to open the second half of a season in the AL since Detroit lost its first eight following the All- Star break in 1995 . Associated PressSCOTTSDALE, Ariz( AP- Barry Zito' s first inning seemed so familiar: bases- loaded jam, a couple of walks, a grand slam Such a deep hole so quickly- again . I was unfair to Allen and some of the other guys " Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press . Kapler drove in Joe Dillon with a triple and Braun followed with a drive to center off Jack Cassel to make it 7- 1. All seven of his home runs this season have come off a first- time victim " What he means to this team, to this city, that was so special " Johnson said. That' s how it got done " Combined with the recent signing of cornerback Nathan Vasher for$ 28 million for five years, the Bears have resolved the two major questions in their secondary.

He also forced Adrian Peterson to fumbleing in on offense in goal line situations, he also caught a pair of one- yard touchdown passes He was named a starter on the Pro Bowl Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press . Before the game, the Giants activated Worrell from the 15- day disabled list and optioned right- hander Brian Wilson to Triple- A Fresno . Besides being a little sore, it feels fine now " Craig Monroe had a two- run single during a five- run second inning that put the Tigers ahead 5- 2 Guillen made it 6- 2 with his 13th homer one inning later . He wound up having to leave the left- handed hitting Fahey in against Guardado, a left- hander, with one out in the bottom of the ninth . 1, 493, while Shields had three one- hitters in the 2, 000 simulations.

Outfielder Kevin Mench also signed a one- year$ 2 million contract with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan two weeks ago Jerry Crasnick covers Major League Baseball for ESPN . It was the second straight start the Padres failed to score while Peavy was in the game . It was Philadelphia' s third straight game without Webber( back) and center Steven Hunter( right knee sprain Williams, averaging 22 . He' s our starting quarterback going into the playoffs, and I anticipate he' s going to play good " Huard said he' s not expecting to play against the Colts " I' m just going to prepare the same as I always prepare every week " he said " You' ve always got to be ready to play on a second' s notice You never know, just like last Sunday I had to go in there when Trent got nicked up . He said that after Tuesday' s media day the team can focus " on the task at hand " This isn' t the first time the Cardinals have spent a week in the East. Earlier this month, a federal jury in San Francisco ordered the NFLPA to pay$ 28.

But Pujols doesn' t have a hole, and unlike the dangerous but wildly aggressive Alfonso Soriano, he doesn' t create any holes for himself, either 2 The Cardinals' pitching staff is terrible . It also includes a$ 13 million option for 2007 that could become guaranteed if Schilling meets specified performance levels, the source said The new deal does not have a no- trade clause Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press . Takia Starks and Tanisha Smith scored 18 points each in the win that put them in a tie with the Bears for second place in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma " I hope the best stretch is in front of us " coach Gary Blair said " We' re playing well We' re believing in ourselves Everything we' re doing is up . The awards are given by Hillerich& Bradsby Co, the maker of Louisville Slugger bats Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press . The club' s new logo, as well as the home and road uniforms for next season, feature the word " Rays " in navy blue lettering with a light blue shadow.

Seattle loaded the bases in the sixth with one out after Morse' s hit, but reliever Wes Littleton got Willie Bloomquist to ground into a double play . That gets old " Litsch( 10- 8) walked two and struck out three and is 2- 1 with a 0 . He said he didn' t have any answers in anticipation of their questions, much like the Twins at the plate against Halladay . He was voted to start for the Western Conference each of the last eight seasons, but that streak would have been in jeopardy if he was a center " It' s great . Game notes After Boozer' s final foul, Dampier left his first free throw about 2 feet short of the rim He nailed the follow- up.

Bensinger: I know you' re thrilled to be back and able to play, but it has been a long road . He did, however, make a diving stop of Lamb' s grounder in the first to save a run or more . The Pistons followed his tailspin, averaging 107 points before he hurt his ankle and 82 points a game after he did . I am going to wait until I find out all the facts before I make any kind of judgment " Crennel said " You don' t anticipate something like that happening from him, so when something like that occurs with an easygoing guy, there may be more to it than just the easygoing guy going off the deep end " According to police, Bodden was spotted driving his sports utility vehicle in reverse inside a passenger- arrivals area . He was struggling with the Texas Rangers in the early 1990s when he first met Koufax, and their lengthy conversation prompted Brown to alter his pitching motion.

Reyes, who snapped an 0- for- 12 stretch with three hits Wednesday night, had three more hits . Though not ruled an error, a double play on that would' ve likely allowed Reyes to make it through the inning unscathed " I turned around a little too quick " Reyes said " I didn' t see where they were; I just threw it, thinking they would be there " Miles, more of a second baseman by trade, was playing short because of an injury to starter Cesar Izturis " It looked like when he picked me up he stuck with me " Kennedy said " We still got an out We could have got out of it . 38 ERA in his past six starts since beating Boston on May 12 " I missed so many pitches " Hernandez said " I made too many mistakes It was ridiculous " I' m trying If someone is mad I' m not doing my job, I' m sorry I know it will get better " he said . The Miami Heat threw a public celebration for O' Neal, and titled it " Shaq in Black " O' Neal made a grand entrance Tuesday at a rally welcoming him to Miami . Fast Facts# 8226& nbsp; The Phillies have scored 39 runs in their last five games( 7.

Kansas City is one game behind first- place Chicago in the AL Central " He' s had some success against the clubs we' re going to be playing " Royals general manager Allard Baird said " He has playoff experience and World Series experience " Baird said the trade was not a reaction Sunday' s game, in which right- hander Kevin Appier left his start against Minnesota with tightness in his elbow " We tried to make this deal prior to the trade deadline, but it just did not work out " Baird said . General manager John Hart said the Rangers envision Young as an outfielder and a backup at second base and shortstop " I realized that eventually it was going to come to that situation " said Young, who will turn 37 next season " If I' m able to use my versatility, I think my career would be prolonged " Young played in 125 games last season for Milwaukee and San Francisco, and hit a combined . The family, looking tired but otherwise seemingly in good health, was processed and interviewed by immigration agents, then examined by Miami- Dade County medical officials before being released into Torres' custody around 6: 40 p m . They are 17- 47, and would have to go 46- 52 the rest of the way to avoid their fourth 100- loss season in five years- and Buddy Bell' s second as a major league manager . Kazmir has not pitched since July 23 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Brandon Inge led off by reaching on an error when his grounder squirted through Bartlett' s legs.

And I knew he was going to be trying to throw more for strikes today " He' s going to be a good pitcher again . He has moved around well the last few days, but said he " felt something very uncomfortable " during the sequence on Friday night " I just felt something pop for a quick second " Jackson said " But after I walked to the sideline it was pretty much OK . Gagne replaced Tomko in the sixth inning, throwing change- ups and fastballs to strike out two batters and walk a third . CHICAGO( AP- From the start, Eric Milton didn' t feel right He was tired, his velocity wasn' t there . Fields, who also doubled in a run in the second, went 2- for- 4 with three RBIs.