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Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:31 AM
Updated: Sep 2, 2010 2:31 AM
Matsui's homer key in Angels 4-2 win
SEATTLE (AP) Hideki Matsui (hih-DEK'-ee mat-SOO'-ee) hit a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning, barely eluding the glove of Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki (EE'-cheer-oh soo-ZOO'-kee), and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 4-2 win over the Mariners on Wednesday night.
Held to just two hits entering the seventh by Seattle starter Jason Vargas, the Angels got started with Mike Napoli's leadoff double. Two outs later, Matsui jumped on an 0-1 fastball and got just enough for his 18th homer of the season. Suzuki climbed the right field fence, but couldn't pull back Matsui's drive.
It was Matsui's third career hit off Vargas, all homers.
Trevor Bell (2-4) picked up his first win of 2010 as a starter, throwing six innings and giving up nine hits but just two runs against the Mariners punchless offense.
,Angels activate Bulger, Stokes from disabled list
SEATTLE (AP) The Los Angeles Angels have added depth to their bullpen by activating right-handers Jason Bulger and Brian Stokes from the 15-day disabled list.
The Angels made the moves Wednesday before closing out a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.
Bulger had been on the DL since June 12 with a right shoulder strain and missed 69 games. Before getting injured, he had a 3.74 ERA in 22 appearances.
Stokes went on the disabled list May 11 with fatigue in his right shoulder and missed 100 games.
In the first month of the season, he had a 7.31 ERA in 15 appearances.
,Twins send 7-footer to LA to finish Fuentes deal
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Twins have sent 7-foot-1 pitcher Loek (luke) Van Mil to the Los Angeles Angels to complete last week's trade for left-hander Brian Fuentes.
The Twins announced the move before Wednesday's game.
Van Mil is a right-hander from the Netherlands who turns 26 later this month. He was designated for assignment to make room for Fuentes when the deal was made last Friday.
Van Mil had a 6.37 ERA in 23 relief appearances for Double-A New Britain this season.
Injuries have hindered his progress since he was signed by the Twins in 2006.
,Burnett bounces back, Yankees win 4-3
NEW YORK (AP) A.J. Burnett bounced back from an awful August by pitching six effective innings and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 4-3 Wednesday night for their fifth win in a row.
The Yankees held their one-game lead over Tampa Bay in the American League East. They'll go for a four-game sweep Thursday with CC Sabathia on the mound.
Kevin Kouzmanoff (KOOZ'-mah-nahf) hit a two-run homer for Oakland and Brett Anderson only allowed one earned run, but the A's fell to 1-8 against New York this season.
Burnett (10-12) went 0-4 in five starts since his last win, July 28 at Cleveland.
He came off a particularly rough outing in which he lasted 3-and-a-third innings and tied a season high with eight earned runs, leaving him with a 7.80 ERA in August.
,Oakland calls up two right-handers
NEW YORK (AP) The Oakland Athletics have recalled pitcher Ross Wolf and purchased the contract of pitcher Justin James from Triple-A Sacramento.
Wolf was with Oakland during July and August, but went three weeks without playing before he was sent down Aug. 21.
James has yet to make his major league debut. He was drafted by Toronto in 2003 and played in the Reds organization, too.
Oakland signed him to a minor league deal after he played in the independent Northern League, where he had six saves and an ERA of 1.69 in 11 games.
The Athletics also sent left-hander Cedrick Bowers outright to Sacramento.
,Brandon Allen's slam helps Diamondbacks top Padres 5-2
PHOENIX (AP) Brandon Allen had an impressive 2010 debut with Arizona, hitting a grand slam and making several rangy catches in left field to help the Diamondbacks send the San Diego Padres to their seventh loss in a row, 5-2 on Wednesday.
Allen was called up from the minors before the game, then made a running, leaping catch against the fence on Chase Headley's slicing fly to the corner in the fourth inning and had an in-the-gap grab in the fifth to back Barry Enright (6-2).
Allen punctuated his return to the majors in the seventh, hitting his first career grand slam to right off Luke Gregerson (3-7).
San Diego's Miguel Tejada (tay-HAH'-dah) broke a 4-for-26 slump with a solo homer in the fourth inning, but had an error on a potential double-play ball to set up Allen's grand slam.
,Luebke, 3 others called up by San Diego
PHOENIX (AP) The San Diego Padres selected the contract of left-hander Cory Luebke from Triple-A Portland and designated former first-round draft pick Cesar Carrillo for assignment.
San Diego also recalled right-hander Ryan Webb, selected catcher Chris Stewart's contract and reinstated outfielder Oscar Salazar from the disabled list on Wednesday.
Leubke was a combined 10-1 with a 2.68 ERA between Portland and Double-A San Antonio this season.
Carrillo, a right-hander, went 1-2 in three starts last season with San Diego and was 5-14 with a 5.60 ERA at Portland this year.
Salazar hit .237 with 18 RBIs in 71 games this season before going on the DL with a strained right Achilles' tendon on July 30.
,Tim Lincecum finally wins again for Giants, 2-1 over Rockies
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Pinch-runner Darren Ford scored the go-ahead run from second base on a wild pitch and throwing error in the eighth inning, helping Tim Lincecum (LINZ'-ih-kuhm) end a career-worst five-start skid in the San Francisco Giants' 2-1 victory over Colorado on Wednesday night.
Ubaldo Jimenez (oo-BAHL'-doh hih-MEHN'-ehz) (17-6) was denied in his fifth attempt at a franchise-record 18th win. He lost his third start in a row and fourth consecutive decision dating to an Aug. 4 win over the Giants.
The Giants gained another game on the first-place Padres, pulling within three games in the National League West race after San Diego lost its seventh in a row.
Lincecum (12-9) won for the first time since July 30.
,Rockies reinstate right-hander Taylor Buchholz from disabled list
DENVER (AP) The Colorado Rockies have activated reliever Taylor Buchholz (BUHK'-ohlts) from the 15-day disabled list and recalled infielder Chris Nelson from Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Both players are expected to be available for the game Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Buchholz has been out since mid-August with lower back stiffness. He has pitched 10 innings this season, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA.
The right-hander started the season on the 60-day disabled list as he recovered from a strained elbow. Buchholz missed all of 2009 after having Tommy John surgery.
This will be Nelson's third appearance on the roster this season. He's 2 for 5 with two runs scored.
He was hitting .313 with 12 homers in 85 games for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox this season.
,Giants activate SS Renteria, LHP Runzler
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Shortstop Edgar Renteria (ren-tuh-REE'-uh) and lefty reliever Dan Runzler have come off the disabled list for the San Francisco Giants.
Renteria just completed his third stint on the DL this season. He wasn't in the starting lineup for the series finale with the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night, and manager Bruce Bochy (BOH'-chee) said Juan Uribe (yoo-REE'-bay) would get most of the work at that spot the rest of the way.
Renteria missed 19 games with a left biceps strain during his most recent stint. Runzler had been sidelined since July 9 with a dislocated patella tendon in his left knee.
Also Wednesday, the Giants recalled outfielder Darren Ford from Double-A Richmond.
Other September callups likely will happen after the Triple-A Fresno team's regular season is over this week.
,Roy Oswalt pitches Phillies past Dodgers 5-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) Roy Oswalt pitched one-hit ball into the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies used leadoff homers by Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino in the first two innings to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Wednesday.
The Dodgers managed only three hits in support of Clayton Kershaw and didn't put up much of a struggle against Oswalt (10-13), who has been a valuable pennant-drive pickup for Philadelphia.
The right-hander, who turned 33 on Sunday, held Los Angeles hitless until Casey Blake lined a clean single to right field with two outs in the sixth after Oswalt issued the fifth of his six walks.
Two nights earlier, Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda (hih-ROH'-kee kuh-ROH'-duh) no-hit the Phillies until Victorino got a one-out single in the eighth.
,McCourt says plan was to cut players' salaries
LOS ANGELES (AP) Frank McCourt says his plans to turn the fortunes of Los Angeles Dodgers around included reducing players' salaries.
A business plan created for McCourt called for cutting payroll by 11 percent and 21 percent in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The plan shown at his divorce trial sought to have the budget at about $85 million.
McCourt bought the Dodgers in early 2004 from Fox Corp. for about $430 million.
The previous owner was bleeding money -- as much as $55 million in 2003 -- before McCourt took over.
,McCourt resumes testimony in Dodger divorce trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) Frank McCourt has testified that a mistake was caught in a postnuptial agreement that would have given his now estranged wife ownership rights to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 57-year-old executive said Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom that he couldn't remember if he or the family attorney noticed the purported error a day before the couple signed the agreement in 2004.
McCourt and his wife, Jamie -- the Dodgers' former CEO -- are locked in a divorce dispute that could decide who owns the team.
Six copies of the marital agreement were signed six years ago by the couple. Three of them list the Dodgers as his separate property and three don't.
Frank McCourt's attorney has attributed the difference to a typographical error.
,Judge blocks alcohol evidence in Nick Adenhart case
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) The attorney for a man accused of killing Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others in a drunken driving crash cannot introduce evidence that the driver of Adenhart's car may also have been drinking.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey ruled Wednesday that the evidence is irrelevant in 23-year-old Andrew Gallo's triple murder trial.
Defense attorney Jacqueline Goodman had argued that the woman driving with the 22-year-old Adenhart was also negligent because she had an elevated blood-alcohol level and may have run the red light instead of Gallo.
Testing showed 20-year-old Courtney Stewart had a blood-alcohol content of .06. The legal limit for drivers under 21 is .05.
Stewart, Adenhart and another passenger, 25-year-old Henry Pearson, were killed April 9, 2009.
,49ers' Davis, Crabtree in altercation
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Mike Singletary had to separate tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree after the players got into a heated discussion at practice Wednesday.
Singletary says the issue was non-football related and is closed. He met with both players.
Neither Crabtree nor Davis has played this preseason because of injuries and Singletary ruled out Davis for Thursday night's preseason finale against San Diego.
Crabtree's status is uncertain. The second-year receiver is nursing a neck injury and hasn't addressed it or spoken formally since the start of camp Aug. 1, declining multiple media requests.
But the 49ers' website posted a lengthy story quoting him Tuesday afternoon.
,Oakland Raiders deny interest in Matt Leinart
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) The Oakland Raiders have plenty of roster moves they need to make before the start of the season.
Apparently trading for Matt Leinart (LY'-nurt) isn't one of them. The Raiders are denying an ESPN report saying the team has had discussions about trading for Leinart.
The Raiders say in a statement they have never discussed acquiring Leinart in a trade from Arizona and that they are "very happy" about their quarterback situation.
Jason Campbell will enter the season as Oakland's starter. He sustained a stinger and an injured right wrist last week in an exhibition game but is expected to be ready for the season opener Sept. 12 in Tennessee.
Bruce Gradkowski and Kyle Boller are expected to serve as the backups.
,No. 14 USC faces Hawaii in 1st post-sanctions game
HONOLULU (AP) Fourteenth-ranked USC will open as a big favorite at Hawaii in the Trojans' first game since the NCAA imposed sanctions on the program and under new coach Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin, who succeeds Pete Carroll, rejoined the program after a year with Tennessee and 20 games with the Oakland Raiders. Before that, he served as a USC assistant for several seasons.
The game was put in question when the NCAA hit USC with penalties that included a two-year bowl ban and four years of probation. The NCAA also banned USC from playing a 13th game this and next season, but later delayed the penalty to avoid forcing Hawaii to cancel this game.
The Trojans also opened their season in Honolulu in 1999 and 2005, winning by a combined score of 125-24.
,SDSU eager for fast start in 2nd year under Hoke
SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego State Aztecs hope their second year under coach Brady Hoke begins better than the first year ended.
The Aztecs are eager to show progress when they host Nicholls State on Saturday night. SDSU will try to win consecutive openers for the first time since 2003-04.
The Aztecs were a hit early last year, and then faded at the finish line. After winning four of their first eight games, it appeared SDSU would become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1998.
But the Aztecs lost their last four games, twice squandering double-digit leads in the fourth quarter.
The Aztecs will lean on an offense which features three-year starting quarterback Ryan Lindley.
,Shoemate gets chance to play tailback at UConn
(Stations: Note California interest.)
STORRS, Conn. (AP) Connecticut tailback D.J. Shoemate still wears his 2009 Rose Bowl championship ring.
The junior, who transferred to UConn from Southern California in July, says he's not trying to show off to any of his new teammates, but wears the ring as a reminder of what it takes to become a champion.
He says he believes UConn has what it takes, and hopes to replace the ring in February with one from another BCS bowl.
The team's depth chart, released yesterday, has Shoemate backing up Jordan Todman, who rushed for almost 1,200 yards a year ago for the Huskies.
Coach Randy Edsall says Todman, Shoemate and junior Robby Frey all will play against Michigan.
Shoemate, who played fullback at USC, is expected to be the Huskies short-yardage back.
,Sharks CEO Jamison steps down from job
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison is stepping down from his job running the day-to-day operations of the club.
The team announced Wednesday that Jamison's last day as CEO will be Oct. 1. A search for a replacement will begin soon. Jamison will remain part of the ownership and will be the team's representative on the NHL's Board of Governors.
The 60-year-old Jamison took over as president of the team in 1996. In 13 seasons, the team has made the playoffs 11 times, made it to the Western Conference final twice and won the Presidents' Trophy in 2009 for the best record in the regular season.
Jamison also hired Doug Wilson as general manager.
Wilson has put together a perennial contender, including last year's team that lost to Chicago in the Western Conference final.
,Sounders advance to U.S. Open Cup final with 3-1 win
TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) Nate Jaqua (zhah-KWAH') scored twice, Fredy Montero added a goal and the defending U.S. Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders advanced to the title game with a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA on Wednesday night.
Jaqua scored in the 10th minute and again in second-half stoppage time, and Montero connected in the 58th minute. Jaqua has five goals in Seattle's three Open Cup games.
Steve Zakuani (zak-WAHN'-ee) set up the first two goals with perfectly placed crosses from the left side into goalkeeper Zach Thornton's 6-yard box.
Jesus Padilla (HAY'-soos puh-DEE'-uh) scored for Chivas USA in the 68th minute.
The Sounders will face the Columbus Crew in the championship game Oct. 5 at Qwest Field. Columbus beat D.C. United 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Last year in the final, the Sounders beat United 2-1.
,Wife of former Armstrong teammate speaks to feds
LOS ANGELES (AP) The wife of one of Lance Armstrong's former teammates says she has spoken to a federal agent investigating the seven-time Tour de France winner and other cyclists.
Betsy Andreu (an-DRAY'-oo) is the wife of former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu. She says she spoke with Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky about Armstrong, but declined to discuss details.
Betsy Andreu has claimed that Armstrong admitted using performance-enhancing drugs in a hospital room in 1996 while battling cancer. The allegations have surfaced before, including in a lawsuit involving Tour winner and Armstrong critic Greg LeMond, who has said he turned over 70,000 pages of records in the case to investigators.
A phone message left for Armstrong's attorney was not immediately returned to The Associated Press.
,Hi Ho Yodeler wins at Del Mar
DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) Hi Ho Yodeler beat Lucky Sis by three lengths in the $100,000 Generous Portion for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar on Wednesday.
Patrick Valenzuela rode Hi Ho Yodeler, who ran six furlongs in 1:11.51 and paid $32, $15.40 and $10.20.
Lucky Sis returned $40.40 and $15, and Miles Rules paid $4.60.
,Marquez accepts deal to fight Katsidis
LOS ANGELES (AP) Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez has agreed to fight Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on Nov. 27.
The CEO of Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer, says Marquez has accepted the terms of a deal to defend his WBO belt against mandatory challenger Katsidis, the all-action Australian slugger.
Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) generally is considered Mexico's top boxer. He decisively won a rematch with Juan Diaz on July 31 in his first fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year.
After failing to interest Manny Pacquiao in a third fight, Marquez agreed to fight Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs), who has revitalized his career with four wins in a row following back-to-back losses to Joel Casamayor and Diaz.
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