NFL's Goodell mentions more playoff teams, replay

NFL comissioner Roger Goodell looks at artificial snow falls on stage as he speaks at a news conference Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

NEW YORK — If Commissioner Roger Goodell gets his way, change could be coming to the NFL.

Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying.

Short on details or precise timetables, and acknowledging he'll need approval from team owners for action, Goodell painted the picture of an ever-evolving league during his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference, held Friday in a theater in midtown Manhattan.

Goodell said "there's a lot of benefits" to increasing the postseason field from 12 to 14 clubs.

"We think we can make the league more competitive. We think we can make the matchups more competitive toward the end of the season. There will be more excitement, more memorable moments for our fans. And that's something that attracts us," Goodell said. "We think we can do it properly from a competitive standpoint. So this will continue to get very serious consideration by the competition committee."

That sort of proposal would require "Yes" votes from 24 of the 32 owners.

At least one who attended Goodell's speech, Jeffrey Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles, sounded in favor of the idea, with a couple of caveats: He wouldn't want to let too many teams into the postseason, and he'd like to hear more about scheduling.

"We don't want to become like some other sports, where it's too easy to make the playoffs," Lurie said. "Adding one team would not put us in a counterproductive situation. But when you would play the games, I think, is very important, so that the following games, you have virtually an equal time to prepare."

Making a not-so-subtle reference to mistakes by game officials this season, Goodell said that committee also will make recommendations to the 32 owners about having replays from all games overseen by the league office.

Major League Baseball recently joined the NHL as sports that have centralized replay systems.

"We think there's plenty of room for us to improve the game of football, and officiating in particular. What we all want is consistency and fairness in our officiating," Goodell said.

"I do believe there is a possibility that some version of that will occur — where our office can at least be involved with the decision. It may not make the decision," he added, "but at least can provide some input that would be helpful to the officials on the field to make sure they're seeing every angle."

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said he needs more information before deciding whether he'd be in favor.

"Our situation is different than hockey. But I think we should look at everything," Rooney said. "Maybe we want to expand the number of incidents that you look at. A lot of times they'll say, 'That's not reviewable.' Look into that, for example."

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft likes the suggestion.

"Games should be standardized and have the same people making the calls," Kraft said. "I don't want to ever lose a game based on poor interpretation of rules by (different) officials."

Another focal point, according to Goodell, will be preventing the kind of alleged bullying that rocked the Miami Dolphins this season.

"I've already begun discussions with outside parties. I've discussed it with the union, I've also met with several groups of players, individually and collectively, to talk about the circumstances. What needs to be done?" Goodell said. "Some of it will be education. Some of it possibly could be policy change."

Speaking two days before the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks play in East Rutherford, N.J., Goodell did not respond directly to questions whether other cold-weather cities with outdoor stadiums could host NFL championship games.

During his opening remarks, Goodell said: "One unique aspect about the focus for this year's Super Bowl has been on the weather. Of course, we cannot control the weather. I told you we were going to embrace the weather. Here we go."

And with that, flakes of fake snow fell from the ceiling above the stage, drawing laughter.

Among other topics addressed by Goodell:

—The NFL is working to convince a federal judge in Philadelphia that the tentative $765 million settlement reached with former players who sued the league about concussions "can provide the kind of benefits that we intended, and we're confident that we'll get there";

—The difficulty in selling out wild-card playoff games resulted from "mistakes that were made by us, the NFL, and our clubs," and not fans' fault, and that improving stadium safety "is a critical component";

—The NFL is "not actively considering" allowing players to use marijuana for medical reasons, but "that's something we would never take off the table, if it can benefit our players";

—Selling out all three of next season's games in London is "just another indication that the more we give fans in the U.K. of NFL football, the more they want" and that the possibility of placing a franchise in that country is closer to reality than a year ago;

—He deflected a question about whether he'd call a Native American a "Redskin" face-to-face, saying, "Let's not forget this is the name of a football team."

___

AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Rachel Cohen, Tim Booth and Tom Canavan contributed to this report.

Copyright : bostonherald.com

60 Minutes' A-Rod piece incites MLB, union fight

Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

MLB COO Rob Manfred talks with 60 Minutes reporter Steve Pelley in a sequence that aired Sunday.

Major League Baseball and the players association, which previously had maintained a tone of respect and cooperation through the messy Alex Rodriguez ordeal, appear ready to get down into the muck with him

Both organizations issued critical statements about each other today regarding an appearance by MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred and by Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch in the news program "60 Minutes.''

In the show, Bosch details the extent of A-Rod's involvement with performance-enhancing drugs and says he shot the New York Yankees third baseman with steroids and instructed him on how to avoid detection.

In a statement released after the arbitrator's ruling was announced, Rodriguez called the evidence against him "false and unreliable.''

Manfred appears on "60 Minutes'' defending the steps MLB took to punish Rodriguez for his involvement with Biogenesis, the since-shuttered clinic accused of dispensing PEDs to players. Those steps included buying Biogenesis documents.

NIGHTENGALE: A-Rod's spotlight has dimmed for good

On Saturday, arbitrator Fredric Horowitz upheld most of MLB's suspension of Rodriguez, reducing it from 211 games to 162, meaning he'll be banned for the 2014 season and postseason. Rodriguez has vowed to take his case to federal court.

The players union, which on Saturday said it disagreed with Horowitz's decision but recognized it as final and binding, was incensed that Manfred and Bosch would take their case to the news media. Other juicy bits to come out in the two-part "60 Minutes'' segment include Manfred's belief that Rodriguez's camp threatened Bosch, and Bosch saying A-Rod would take testosterone lozenges just before games.

"It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator's decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez,'' the MLBPA statement said. "It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed Panel Arbitrator will himself be appearing in the "60 Minutes" segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB's principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB's blessing.

"MLB's post-decision rush to the media is inconsistent with our collectively-bargained arbitration process, in general, as well as the confidentiality and credibility of the Joint Drug Agreement, in particular. After learning of tonight's "60 Minutes" segment, Players have expressed anger over, among other things, MLB's inability to let the result of yesterday's decision speak for itself. As a result, the Players Association is considering all legal options available to remedy any breaches committed by MLB.''

A little over an hour later, MLB fired off its own PR shot.

"We have notified the Major League Baseball Players Association on numerous occasions that we intended to respond to all of the attacks on the integrity of our Joint Drug Program,'' baseball's statement said. "Those attacks continued yet again yesterday with Mr. Rodriguez's statement. Out of respect to the grievance process and at the request of the MLBPA, we waited until a decision was rendered to make our response.

"It is ironic that the MLBPA is complaining about MLB's participation in this program given that Mr. Rodriguez's lawyer is also participating in the show.

"As to Mr. Bosch's appearance, he is not controlled by us and is entitled to speak however he chooses about his interactions with Mr. Rodriguez."

In one of the more compelling exchanges, Manfred tells reporter Steve Pelley that Bosch feared for his life because of threats made by an associate of Rodriguez's.

"The individual that was of greatest concern to Mr. Bosch,' Manfred said, "was a known associate of Mr. Rodriguez. ... I don't know what Mr. Rodriguez knew. I know that the individual involved has been an associate of Mr. Rodriguez for some time."

Bosch described a scene in which he drew vials of blood from Rodriguez in the bathroom stall of a Miami nightclub after Rodriguez missed an appointment to have his blood tested before going on Bosch's doping plan.

He also cited text messages Rodriguez sent before games asking which substances to take, both for maximum performance and also to avert detection should he be faced with a postgame drug test.

Rodriguez declined to appear on the show, though he was represented by one of his attorneys, Joseph Tacopina.

The jousting both on air and via press release runs counter to the current air of cooperation between MLB and its players' association.

It once was a strained relationship led to eight work stoppages between the early 1970s and mid-1990s, including the 1994 strike that forced the cancellation of the World Series.

But the parties established a much better rapport in recent years, especially after Michael Weiner succeeded Donald Fehr as executive director late in 2009. Weiner died of brain cancer in November and was replaced by former player Tony Clark.

The union's new leadership is now facing its first big challenge with the Rodriguez case, and it has the potential to become a wedge between the players and MLB. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, 2016.

Alex Rodriguez suspended for 2014 season

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will be suspended for the entire 2014 season, as an independent arbitrator upheld the majority of a 211-game suspension Major League Baseball assessed him in August.

The Satruday ruling by Fredric Horowitz will cost Rodriguez $25 million in salary, and cast considerable doubt over the All-Star's career. Rodriguez will turn 40 during the 2015 season.

Rodriguez, who struck a defiant tone during the year-long saga of the Biogenesis scandal, was upset in a statement released Saturday morning, and indicated he will pursue appealing the ruling in federal court.

"The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one," he said. "This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable. This injustice is MLB's first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review.

"I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court. I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension. No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players' contracts and rights are protected through the next round of bargaining, and that the MLB investigation and arbitration process cannot be used against others in the future the way it is currently being used to unjustly punish me.

"I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal."

Horowitz's ruling came after he presided over a dozen sessions involving MLB, Rodriguez and the slugger's legal team. The ruling concludes a saga that lasted a calendar year, beginning in January 2012 when Rodriguez's name emerged with a dozen others in a Miami New Times report on Biogenesis, at that point an obscure wellness clinic in a Coral Gables, Fla. strip mall.

In all, the Biogenesis scandal netted 13 suspensions, the most notable being Rodriguez's year-long ban and the 65-game, season-ending suspension accepted by Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun, like Rodriguez a former MVP.

A dozen

Rodriguez denied any involvement with the clinic or its director, Anthony Bosch, releasing a statement that claimed "Rodriguez was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him. The purported documents referenced in the story — at least as they relate to Alex Rodriguez — are not legitimate."

But as documents connected to the clinic continued to surface in news media - one tying 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun to Bosch - Major League Baseball made it increasingly clear that its investigation of implicated players would be thorough.

So began a saga in which MLB's investigative team and Rodriguez - with the financial might of a $275 million contract - engaged in cloak-and-dagger tactics to glean information on the other and, perhaps most important, obtain potentially incriminating documents.

In October, Rodriguez and his legal team filed suit against Selig and baseball, alleging "tortious interference" and claiming that its lead investigator, Dan Mullin, paid witnesses $150,000 for documents and "engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a witness whom he himself interviewed about the Biogenesis matter."

By then, Rodriguez's 2012 season was over; that he played at all was testament to his willingness to fight, wielding the legal might that a player of his stature has at his disposal.

Hip surgery in January - two weeks before the first Miami New Times Biogenesis report - sidelined Rodriguez through the All-Star break. A quadriceps injury he suffered during a late-July rehab assignment ensured that his game readiness would coincide just as MLB was ready to levy penalties against the 13 players who remained in the Biogenesis crosshairs.

In July, Braun accepted a 65-game, season-ending suspension, an act that seemed to lend credibility to Bosch and the documents MLB obtained. Finally, on Aug. 5, baseball suspended 13 more players - 12 for 50 games, and Rodriguez for 211 games.

In imposing an unprecedented penalty on A-Rod, MLB cited his alleged "use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years...for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation."

As anticipated, Rodriguez appealed the suspension and began his 2013 season. It was an unremarkable campaign - Rodriguez hit .244 with seven home runs in 44 games - that was more notable for Rodriguez's camp sniping at the Yankees and Major League Baseball for their apparent zeal in ensuring he go down.

Eventually, the rancor subsided, and Rodriguez's arbitration hearing was little more than background noise while baseball's October playoff drama unfolded without the Yankees.

Testimony before Horowitz finally concluded Nov. 22, one day after Rodriguez stormed out when the arbitrator ruled Selig did not have to testify.

Rodriguez later called the process "a farce." It finally lurched to a conclusion.

Contributing: Gabe Lacques

Red Sox down Cubs

Sports Network

Chicago, IL —

Fighting back to the majors for the first time since 2010 after a lengthy absence due to shoulder and neck surgeries, 24- year-old Ryan Kalish finally got his opportunity just hours before Boston's interleague series finale against the Cubs.

Fresh off his promotion, Kalish came through with a go-ahead RBI single, which highlighted a three-run top of the seventh inning, as the Red Sox downed Chicago, 7-4, on Sunday.
Kalish was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket prior the contest for Ryan Sweeney, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left big toe inflammation.

"That's what baseball's been for years," Kalish said. "People getting hurt and people stepping up."

Making his first start in over two years -- a spot start in place of Josh Beckett -- Franklin Morales fanned nine and surrendered two runs on four hits in five innings. Beckett was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with right shoulder inflammation.

Matt Albers (2-0) picked up the win after allowing a run in the sixth.

David Ortiz smacked two hits, including a solo homer, registered two RBI and a pair of runs scored for the Red Sox, who have won four of their last five games.

Starlin Castro collected three hits and two RBI for the Cubs, who have dropped four of their last five contests.

They fell to 3-15 against left-handed starters.

"Coming into the season, I thought that one of our strong points would be when left-handed pitchers faced our team," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "It's not that they're doing horrible, we're just not getting the slugging percentage at all against left-handed pitching, which is holding us back from scoring multiple runs in an inning."

The game was tied 3-3 after six frames, but Boston surged ahead with its three-run seventh.

Darnell McDonald doubled and Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- pinch-hitting for Kelly Shoppach -- singled to put runners on the corners with no outs against Shawn Camp (2-4).

James Russell took over for Camp and was welcomed by Kalish, who lined an RBI single to center. Will Middlebrooks lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Daniel Nava's suicide squeeze gave the Red Sox a 6-3 advantage.

Saltalamacchia's RBI groundout made it 7-3 after eight while David DeJesus's sacrifice fly in the ninth concluded the scoring.

Earlier, an RBI double by Dustin Pedroia and a run-scoring base hit by Ortiz gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the opening frame before Castro's RBI triple in the home half and run-scoring double in the third knotted the game at 2-2.

Boston reclaimed the lead in the fourth when Ortiz belted a solo shot to center, but Chicago, aided by a pair of errors, battled back and squared the contest at 3-3 in the sixth.

Darwin Barney led off and reached base on a fielding error by Kevin Youkilis at third. Later, Barney scampered home from third when Albers' throw to second on a Jeff Baker comebacker to the mound was dropped by shortstop Mike Aviles.

Game Notes

Morales made his last start with Colorado on Apr. 21, 2009 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. All of his 15 career starts prior to tonight's also came with the Rockies. He made 145 straight regular-season appearances out of the bullpen prior to Sunday's game...Boston was 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position while Chicago finished 2-for-12 with RISP.

Copyright © 2012, Sports Network

Braves, Cardinals all even

Associated Press 

Dan Uggla drop-kicked his bat after striking out on three pitches. Chipper Jones slammed his bat into the dirt after popping up. Derek Lowe just trudged off the mound to another round of boos from the home crowd, wondering how it all went wrong.

The Braves are mad and frustrated heading to the 162d game.

Their season is on the brink after a potentially historic collapse.

“It’s like living out a bad dream,’’ Jones said.

Lowe (9-17) had another miserable outing, surrendering five runs in four-plus innings, and the Braves took another step toward giving away a playoff berth that seemed certain just a few weeks ago with an ugly 7-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last night in Atlanta.

St. Louis pulled even with the Braves, rallying from an early 5-0 deficit to beat the Houston Astros, 13-6.

Chase Utley, Hunter Pence, and Jimmy Rollins homered to back a three-hit outing by Roy Oswalt (9-10), who tuned up for the playoffs with a strong performance in a largely disappointing season.

Talk about disappointing. Look what has happened to the Braves.

They lost their fourth in a row and eighth in 11 games, sending them to the final day of the regular season tied with the Cardinals. Atlanta had an 8 1/2-game lead just three weeks ago.

“We’ve got one game to play in the month of September, then October comes around and it’s a new month,’’ Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “There’s not a person in that locker room who I wouldn’t want to be on my team to play that game.’’

Sixteen-game winner Tim Hudson will try to wrap up the wild card or at least force a one-game playoff against Cardinals, which would be tomorrow night in St. Louis.

“It is what it is,’’ Gonzalez said. “We’ve played 161 games and it comes down to one. We’ve done it to ourselves. No excuses there. We’ve got to go get it tomorrow.’’

Cardinals 13, Astros 6 - Visiting St. Louis got a tiebreaking two-run triple from Ryan Theriot in the seventh inning to beat Houston and pull even with Atlanta in the NL wild-card race. The Cardinals trailed, 5-0, early and appeared to be headed for a second straight loss to the Astros. But St. Louis scored five times in the fourth and erased a 6-5 deficit with a four-run seventh.

In other games - Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli, and Nelson Cruz hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning, and the surging Rangers stayed on track for homefield advantage in the AL division series with a 10-3 victory over the host Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers (95-66) have won five straight and nine of 10 while holding off Detroit (94-67) for the AL’s second-best record. If Texas wins today’s season finale or if the Tigers lose to the Indians, the Rangers will host the AL’s wild-card winner Friday . . . Prince Fielder homered three times in a game for the first time in his career, including a two-run shot in the seventh inning that lifted host Milwaukee to a 6-4 victory over Pittsburgh . . . Wilson Betemit hit a 423-foot home run in his first game back from left knee soreness, and host Detroit beat Cleveland, 9-6 . . . Bryan Petersen homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Javier Vazquez (13-11) pitched a five-hitter as the host Marlins beat the Nationals, 3-2 . . . Rene Tosoni hit a grand slam, the first by a Twins player at Target Field in the two-year history of the park, to lift host Minnesota to a 7-4 victory over Kansas City . . . Mark Buehrle (13-9) pitched seven shutout innings to lead the host White Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays . . . Jose Reyes hit two solo home runs, putting pop into his bid for the NL batting title, but visiting Cincinnati the Mets, 5-4, on Drew Stubbs’s squeeze bunt in the 13th inning. Reyes went 3 for 6 and raised his average to .336, finishing the evening one point ahead of Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who went 1 for 2 against Pittsburgh . . . Trevor Cahill and two relievers held Seattle to just four hits to lift visiting Oakland to a 7-0 win over the Mariners.

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

MAVERICKS 110, WARRIORS 101

Mavericks forward Josh Howard (5) defends as Warriors guard Monta Ellis (8) drives to the basket in the first half.

Photo: Tony Gutierrez / AP

Ellis' career best not enough

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

With 8.5 seconds remaining in Wednesday's game, Monta Ellis stripped the medical tape from his fingers and tossed it on the floor.

At that point, there was nothing else the guard could have left on the American Airlines Center court.
Ellis scored a career-high 46 points on 17-of-23 shooting, but the one-man show wasn't enough as the Warriors allowed Dallas to sneak away with a 110-101 victory in front of its 340th consecutive sellout crowd.
"That was a remarkable performance by Monta," coach Don Nelson said. "He didn't have a great supporting cast, but he fought to keep us in the game and gave us a chance to win."
His layup with 5:11 remaining cut a one-time 18-point deficit to 95-92, but the Warriors again failed to execute in the waning minutes. After Ellis hit his career-high fourth three-pointer, he got only three touches in the final 3:08 while C.J. Watson committed two turnovers and Ronny Turiaf missed a long jumper.
One of Ellis' late touches came after his teammates fumbled around for most of the shot clock, making him force an errant three-point try. Another came when he rebounded and put back Turiaf's miss. The last was a 22-footer with 2.8 seconds left and the game already decided.
"Whatever comes, comes," Ellis said of his lack of late touches. "We run our offense, try to execute and just keep playing."
The Warriors (13-35) have lost seven straight and 11 of their past 13, partly because they don't know how to go to their best player in the clutch. The Mavericks (31-18) snapped a three-game skid, partly because they do.
After the Warriors closed to 95-92, Dallas pounded it to Dirk Nowitzki. He made a pair of free throws, a 16-foot fadeaway and a 17-foot jumper to push the lead to 101-95 in a two-minute span. Nowitzki had 20 points and seven rebounds on a quiet night that didn't include a second-half field goal until that stretch.
Devean George showed Nowitzki a variety of defensive looks, and the Mavericks tried the same thing against Ellis. Nothing worked. Ellis shot over Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois and drove around Shawn Marion.
"He does it to everybody, and that's why I'm not discouraged," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He has just turned into a great offensive player."
About the only things that slowed Ellis were offensive fouls. He was whistled for four fouls, including three charging calls during a 6 1/2-minute span in the third quarter.
"Three of those, come on. Give me a break," Nelson said. "I'm not saying he doesn't charge once in a while, but three in row? That's impossible for a star player, and he's a star player."
Ellis batted down an opportunity to complain about the calls. He also avoided self-hyping his performance.
"It doesn't mean anything to me that it was my career game," Ellis said. "I just want to win, and we've lost seven straight. I'm not even looking at my career high.
"I'm looking at what we can do to turn it around."
Maybe, feed him the ball when the game is on the line.

Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd, left, strips the ball from Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, on a drive to the basket in the first half of Wednesday's game in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Photo: Tony Gutierrez / AP

Up next

Who: vs. Thunder (28-21)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: CSNBA/680
Of note: Oklahoma City has defeated the Warriors by an average of 12 points in two meetings, and Kevin Durant averaged 36.5 points per game.

Ellis not seeing stars

Looks like Warriors guard Monta Ellis can keep his All-Star break fishing plans, after all.
NBA Commissioner David Stern on Wednesday chose Denver's Chauncey Billups to replace injured Chris Paul for the Western Conference squad. Ellis leads Billups in nearly every statistical category, but Denver is second in the conference while the Warriors are third from last in the league.
"There are some great guards out there, and, yes, Monta Ellis has had a special season," Denver coach George Karl told the Denver Post. "But we have the second-best record, and (Billups), in the last six weeks, has played better than the guys actually on the All-Star team. In my mind, I think it's somewhat of a no-brainer."

Opening tip

After being peppered with a series of trade rumors circling the league, Warriors coach Don Nelson said, "People start all kinds of rumors at this time every year." Asked if he wanted to start one, Nelson played along, joking, "I heard that the Warriors were looking to trade me for Del Harris."

E-mail Rusty Simmons at rsimmons@sfchronicle.com.

Gutsy Beckett leads Sox to 90th win

Six-run fifth seals the deal for ace's 16th victory of season

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Just like Josh Beckett never sees any reason for enthusiasm when he turns in a dominant performance and loses, he probably won't apologize for nearly equaling his career high for hits allowed and still leading the Red Sox to a 9-2 victory over the Royals on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Beckett's sole mission when he takes the ball for the Red Sox (90-61) is to win, and he navigated through some heavy traffic jams to do just that in this one, improving his record to 16-6 on the season.

It went in the books as a quality start for Beckett -- his 20th of the season. The ace scattered 12 hits, but he allowed two runs over six innings. He walked one and struck out seven, stranding 10 baserunners in the process. The only time Beckett allowed more hits in a game was Aug. 29, 2007, when the Yankees had 13 against him.

Paired with catcher Victor Martinez for just the second time, Beckett was hardly dominant. But he made pitches when he needed to, helping the Red Sox bounce back after losing the first two games of this four-game set.

Boston's magic number for clinching a postseason berth is down to five, and it could shrink to four by the end of the night pending the outcome of the Rangers-Athletics game in Oakland.

Trailing, 2-0, the Red Sox turned the game around for good by erupting for a six-spot against Luke Hochevar in the top of the fifth inning. With two on and one out, Jacoby Ellsbury belted a two-run triple to left to tie the game. Dustin Pedroia put the Red Sox ahead for good, ripping an RBI single up the middle.

Martinez extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 games with a single, tying Ellsbury for the longest streak by a Boston hitter this season. Kevin Youkilis walked to load the bases, and Jason Bay looped in a two-run single. David Ortiz capped the scoring in the six-run inning with an RBI single, giving Beckett a 6-2 lead.

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the fourth, when the Royals rallied against Beckett. Yuniesky Betancourt struck a triple into the gap in left-center to make it a 1-0 game. David DeJesus drilled an RBI single up the middle, putting the Red Sox in a two-run hole. Beckett gave up 10 hits over the first four innings.

Cubs vs. Brewers

TIME: 02:20 P.M. EST
VENUE: Wrigley Field

The Milwaukee Brewers have already secured their first winning road trip in four months. Now, they'll try to accomplish something else that's eluded them for some time.

The Brewers look to win two in a row at Wrigley Field for the first time in more than a year while trying to split their four-game set with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Rookie shortstop Alcides Escobar went 4 for 5 with three RBIs in Milwaukee's 9-5 victory over Chicago on Wednesday.

Hoping to salvage something positive at the end of a disappointing season, the Brewers (70-75) are 4-2 on this seven-game road trip that started with a sweep at Arizona. It's Milwaukee's first winning road swing since going 5-4 at St. Louis, Houston and Minnesota from May 16-24.

Milwaukee is 2-5 at Wrigley in 2009, and hasn't won two in a row at Chicago since opening the 2008 season with consecutive victories.

The Brewers pounded out 13 hits Wednesday and were paced by Escobar, who set career highs for hits and RBIs. He's 8 for 16 on the road trip, and batting .312 with 11 RBIs in 25 games since being called up from Triple-A Nashville.

"I'm getting better and better every day," said Escobar, who doesn't turn 23 until December. "I'm trying to work on my offense every day, trying to put the ball in play and make some contact. I'm looking for line drives in every at-bat."

After Braden Looper recorded his career-high 13th win Wednesday, Milwaukee hopes Dave Bush (4-7, 5.85 ERA) can build off his first victory in almost four months when he takes the ball in this contest.

Bush allowed one run and struck out a season-high 11 in a 9-2 win at Arizona for his first victory since beating Houston on May 19.

"It was mostly throwing strikes and being unpredictable. That's what I have to do," said Bush, who went 0-7 with a 9.21 ERA in nine starts between victories and also spent more than two months on the disabled list due to arm fatigue.

The right-hander is 1-7 with a 4.78 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cubs, and has a 3.38 ERA with no record in two outings versus Chicago this season.

Three of Aramis Ramirez's eight hits against Bush have been home runs. The veteran third baseman hit a two-run homer Wednesday for the Cubs (75-69), who lost for the second time in nine games.

Chicago's playoff chances are remote, as it's 8 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis in the NL Central and 6 1/2 behind wild-card leader Colorado.

"Right now, we're still trying to win as many games and finish as strong as we can," manager Lou Piniella told the Cubs' official Web site.

Ramirez is batting .419 with nine RBIs in his last eight contests.

Randy Wells (10-8, 2.96) takes the ball for the Cubs. The right-hander allowed three earned runs in 3 2-3 innings Saturday, but didn't receive a decision in a 7-5 loss to Cincinnati.

The right-hander's first career start - and season debut - came against the Brewers on May 8, when he allowed five hits over five scoreless innings of a 3-2 loss at Milwaukee.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Mariners vs. White Sox

TIME: 06:40 P.M. EST
VENUE: Safeco Field

A lack of consistency has made it extremely hard for the Chicago White Sox to be considered a legitimate threat in the AL Central. Poor hitting with runners in scoring position has made it even more difficult.

Chicago closes a series with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday at Safeco Field, trying to win two of three.

After a 6-3 victory on Tuesday, the White Sox (72-74) continued their trend of trading wins and losses with a 4-1 defeat to the Mariners (75-71) on Wednesday.

Chicago has alternated decisions in its last 10 games, failing to take advantage of a 4-6 stretch by first-place Detroit, which leads the third-place White Sox by 6 1/2 games in the Central. Minnesota is two games ahead of Chicago.

On Wednesday, the White Sox couldn't get their offense going against Ryan Rowland-Smith, who pitched eight solid innings. The Mariners, who have won three of five after losing five straight, scored two runs in the first off Gavin Floyd, who left after three innings because of a sore hip. Mike Carp hit his first major league home run in the fourth to make it 4-0.

"I grew up as a kid wanting to hit a home run in a big league ballpark," Carp said. "Finally got it out of the way."

Seattle shut out the White Sox until the eighth when rookie Gordon Beckham hit his 12th home run. Chicago went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, however, and is batting .133 with 13 strikeouts in the last 10 games.

The White Sox did get some production from Alex Rios, who had two hits to snap a 3 for 44 slump.

Having again taxed its bullpen, which has pitched 31 1-3 innings the last seven games, Chicago will hand the ball to John Danks (12-9, 3.71 ERA) Thursday, hoping he can provide some rest for the relievers.

Danks has recorded seven consecutive quality starts, going 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA during that stretch. He pitched six scoreless innings against Los Angeles on Saturday, allowing six hits in a 4-3, 10-inning win.

The left-hander is 1-4 with a 6.11 ERA against the Mariners, splitting two starts this season. He allowed one run in eight innings of a 3-1 victory at Safeco Field on Aug. 11.

Jose Lopez, who had two hits Wednesday, is 7 for 13 against Danks.

Brandon Morrow (1-4, 5.29) takes the mound for Seattle after winning his first start in more than two months against Texas on Saturday.

Morrow, who started the season in the bullpen, gave up three runs and five hits in five innings of an 8-3 win over the Rangers. It was his first appearance since July 10.

The right-hander has pitched 4 1-3 innings of relief against the White Sox in his career, allowing two hits while striking out nine over five appearances.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Phillies vs. Nationals

TIME: 07:05 P.M. EST
VENUE: Citizens Bank Park

The Philadelphia Phillies have allowed one run in their last three games, the kind of pitching that has them on the cusp of their third consecutive NL East title.

They've also found some renewed confidence in the starter most responsible for helping them win their last two division crowns.

Cole Hamels has looked excellent in three of his last four starts, and he'll look to keep rolling Thursday night as the Phillies seek a fifth straight win and a three-game sweep of the visiting Washington Nationals.

Hamels (9-9, 4.21 ERA) was the World Series MVP last fall, but hasn't looked like a dominant pitcher for much of 2009 after experiencing minor elbow and shoulder issues during the early part of the season.

His ERA was at 4.78 heading into an Aug. 26 start at Pittsburgh, but he's been brilliant in three of his last four trips to the mound. He didn't allow a run over 17 innings between that outing against the Pirates and a Sept. 1 win against San Francisco, then gave up a run and seven hits over 6 2-3 innings Friday in a 4-2 win over the New York Mets.

"I've got four more games. I'm trying to redeem my season more than anything," Hamels told the Phillies' official Web site. "Any time you can finish strong and finish the way that you planned on starting the year, I think that's all I can really ask for."

Hamels was 3-1 with a 0.39 ERA in his past seven starts against Washington (50-95) coming into a May 30 outing, but he didn't have his best stuff that day. The left-hander came away with a win, but gave up six runs and eight hits in six innings.

The Nationals haven't had any luck at the plate so far in this series. The Phillies hadn't allowed a run in 26 innings before Tyler Walker gave one up in the ninth inning of a 6-1 win Wednesday, with Jayson Werth's seventh-inning grand slam providing all the offense Philadelphia would need.

"Hitting is contagious, but pitching is contagious, too," said Joe Blanton, who increased the Phillies' starters shutout streak to 23 innings.

Philadelphia reduced its magic number to clinch the East to 11.

Werth, meanwhile, is dominating the Nationals over the past week. He's hitting .450 with three homers and seven RBIs in five games against Washington since Philadelphia took two of three in the nation's capital last week.

"I knew he could produce from an offensive standpoint and I knew he had power, but I didn't know how consistent he'd be," manager Charlie Manuel said of Werth, whose 34 homers trail only Ryan Howard's 38.

Werth is 1 for 2 against Ross Detwiler (0-5, 6.17), who will make his first start since before the All-Star break. The rookie left-hander was sent to the minors after struggling in 10 starts from May 18-July 8, including a loss at Philadelphia on May 29 when he allowed five runs and 10 hits over four innings.

Detwiler pitched two scoreless innings of relief in Washington's 11-3 loss at Florida on Saturday.

"They gave me another opportunity to start, so I want to get the ball rolling, go into spring training and compete for a job," Detwiler told the Nationals' official Web site.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Rangers fall to A's as skid hits four

Offensive drought extends to one run in past 37 innings

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- When it was over, Chris Davis stood at the railing in front of the Rangers dugout and just stared out onto the field.

The Athletics were shaking hands, another light rain was starting to fall and the Rangers had just finished playing 37 innings over four days while managing to score only one lousy run.

"Obviously we're not playing the way we want to play," said Davis, one of several Rangers who were groping for answers after a 4-0 loss on Wednesday night at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Despite the setback, the Rangers are still six games back in the American League West behind the Angels, who also lost in Boston as the Red Sox extended their Wild Card lead to 6 1/2 games.

"We're not scoring runs, and that's always been one thing we can count on," Davis said. "We've always been able to score runs. We can't point fingers at anybody but ourselves. You want to get motivated and light a fire, but you end up putting pressure on yourself. That's what's happening to us."

Something is happening, and the Rangers appear baffled in figuring out how to stop it. Rookie pitcher Trevor Cahill held the Rangers to one hit and two walks in seven innings. Reliever Michael Wuertz set the side down in order in the eighth, and closer Andrew Bailey did the same in the ninth.

Only Marlon Byrd's second-inning bloop single that fell between shortstop Cliff Pennington and left fielder Eric Patterson was all that prevented a no-hitter. Instead, the Rangers were shut out for the third time in four games for only the second time in club history.

The last time that has happened was in 1992 against the Blue Jays, who won the World Series that year, and the Twins, who had won it the previous year. The Rangers are now 1-5 on the homestand and hitting .195 in those six games.

"Cahill has a great idea for a young guy," Byrd offered. "He has gotten a lot better. He's not the same pitcher we saw before, and we're struggling offensively."

But second baseman Ian Kinsler had a more succinct reason why Cahill was successful against the Rangers.

"He threw strikes," Kinsler said. "That's all you needed to do against us tonight is throw strikes."

All-Star right-hander Felix Hernandez started this whammy against the Rangers' offense on Sunday night, but the Athletics' three starters for this series were Brett Tomko, Edgar Gonzalez and Cahill.

Even Oakland manager Bob Geren rated the odds of his pitching staff being able to do something like this over three games in Texas were pretty high.

"The odds would be the same as if someone told me I'd be wearing a jacket tonight," Geren said, "which I was."

But cool weather in September around here is much more common than what's happened to the Rangers. This is reminiscent of those infamous playoff series against the Yankees in 1998 and '99 when Texas scored just one run in each series. That was the lowest point ever in club offensive history, but this is getting up there, considering the timing of it all.

"I don't have an explanation," manager Ron Washington said. "We're just not getting it done. You figure somebody in the lineup will get it done even if we go cold. But not the whole lineup."

The Rangers had one chance. They were down, 1-0, in the bottom of the second when Byrd led off with a single. Kinsler then drew a walk.

That brought up Nelson Cruz. He tried to bunt -- clearly trying to do so for a hit -- but he bunted the ball hard straight back to Cahill, who was able to throw to third for the force on Byrd.

"I certainly didn't give him the bunt sign," Washington bristled. "Not with runners at first and second and Nelson Cruz up there with 32 bombs."

Cahill then struck out Davis and Taylor Teagarden to end the inning. The bottom three spots in the order were 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts. Those were also the Rangers' only three at-bats with runners in scoring position and they are now 2-for-31 in those situations on the homestand.

"There is no explanation," Kinsler said. "How can you explain that, getting shutout three times in four games? It doesn't matter who you are playing. There's no way to put a finger on it. We just need to relax and get ready for the next game."

That would be against the Angels, who open a three-game series in Arlington on Friday. They are struggling almost as much as the Rangers. They have lost three in a row.

"We have to win," Byrd said. "We made it tough on ourselves, now we've got to come out and see what we can do. See if we can put a string of wins together. See if we can get a miracle."

Right now, a few runs would seem miraculous.

Yanks rally, walk off with win over Jays

Matsui's homer in eighth ties it, Cervelli's hit in ninth wins it

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- A.J. Burnett could have started mixing his whipped cream cocktail the moment Hideki Matsui's game-tying home run cleared the fence, and he certainly should have been ready to pounce as soon as Brett Gardner stole second base.

When it comes down to the late innings at home, the Yankees seem to have this formula down pat. New York celebrated its 14th walk-off victory of the season on Wednesday, as Francisco Cervelli drove in the winning run, the final touch on a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

"I think there's that feeling that you can always do it, because we've done it so many times," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "When guys have confidence, they're different players. There's no doubt about it. When you have success in situations, guys learn how to relax. The more success you have, the more you relax. That's what allows guys to do that."

It was Matsui's two-run homer in the eighth inning off Jays reliever Scott Downs that tied the game, waking up a slumbering Yankees offense that had gone dormant after a two-run spurt in the first inning.

Continually one of the club's top clutch performers, Matsui put some life back into the lineup with his 25th blast, a rocket into the right-field seats that made him the fourth Yankees player to reach the 25-homer plateau in 2009, tying a franchise record set in 1938.

"It's putting a good swing on the ball and hitting it right on the barrel," said Matsui, who also equaled Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena with his American League-leading 12th home run off a left-handed pitcher as a left-handed batter.

"I don't know how many curveball home runs Matsui's got to hit off of us before we change our mind on what we're going to throw him," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "He seems to kill us as far as hitting a big home run off us. He's done it a few times already."

Mariano Rivera held the Blue Jays scoreless in the ninth, and Gardner started the bottom half by lacing a full-count offering from Jason Frasor into center field for a single, then moving into scoring position with his 22nd stolen base of the campaign.

"It makes you feel good," Gardner said. "For me, I just need to continue doing what I've been doing and give the team ways to win."

Once New York's Opening Day center fielder, Gardner said that he is fine with his reduced role as the Yankees push forward through September. For Girardi, it was another reminder why Gardner could be so valuable in the postseason as a pinch-runner or late-inning substitution off the bench.

"It almost takes a perfect throw to get him a lot of times," Girardi said. "That's the element that we love having."

A Derek Jeter groundout put Gardner 90 feet away with one out, and with the crowd of 46,046 standing in anticipation, the rookie catcher Cervelli shot the game-winning hit through the left side of the infield as Gardner raced home without a throw.

Fearing the slapping and belting he would soon get from Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, Cervelli touched first base and evaded a mob of Yankees by running into shallow right field, where he thoroughly celebrated before being hit with Burnett's T-shirt full of whipped cream.

"I was waiting a long time for that pie," said Cervelli, who told Edwar Ramirez in the bullpen earlier that he would get his first career game-winning hit. "It tasted good."

The Yankees got the benefit of an effective spot start from Chad Gaudin, who was filling in for Andy Pettitte, as the rotation stalwart was skipped a start to rest his fatigued left shoulder.

Though he wasn't as sharp as he has been in some of his other outings, Gaudin found his slider late and limited the Blue Jays to three runs on seven hits through 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out two, earning Girardi's praise as having given the Yankees a "great" start.

"It means a lot," Gaudin said. "It's always good to go out there and give your team a chance to win. That's what I'm here to do, and it's what I'm asked to do."

Jose Bautista opened the scoring for Toronto with a long solo homer in the third inning, his seventh, that struck a post adjacent to Monument Park in center field.

After Gaudin made a nifty stop behind his back on an Aaron Hill grounder up the middle, saving a run, Adam Lind notched a run-scoring groundout in the frame to bring home Travis Snider. But Gaudin said he left feeling confident that a comeback should be in the works.

"Honestly, no matter what, we'll always have a chance," Gaudin said. "That's how great our team is. The concentration and focus is there, so the score doesn't really matter."

Rod Barajas gave Toronto the lead with a sixth-inning grounder, and Lind added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to create a 4-2 advantage. The first two New York runs came off starter Brian Tallet, as Mark Teixeira doubled home Jeter and Matsui singled home the second run.

Tallet left after two innings with a right foot contusion, courtesy of a Cano grounder, and the Yankees' bats then rang hollow against the Toronto bullpen until Matsui's dinger.

One day after the Blue Jays and Yankees engaged in a pair of benches-clearing incidents that led to suspensions for three players, no warnings were issued and there were no signs of leftover ill will.

The only residual from previous nights was the Yankees' ability to keep pushing back late, their Major League-leading 48th come-from-behind win of the season.

The 14 walk-offs are the Bombers' most since they set a franchise record with 17 in 1943, and with one homestand left on the slate, there's little reason to bet against the idea that the mark might just be equaled by season's end.

"I think it's really possible if we keep playing like this," Matsui said. "As long as our pitching keeps the runs down like they have been, it's always going to give us a good chance to win."

De La Rosa shines as Rockies pad lead

Two homers help push Wild Card advantage to 3 1/2 games

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa refused to let AT&T Park be remembered as the site of futility for the Rockies.

In one of the biggest pitching innings of the season, De La Rosa faced Giants runners at second and third in the sixth inning but struck out three straight batters -- including Pablo Sandoval to conclude an eight-pitch royal rumble.

De La Rosa gave up three hits and fanned eight in eight innings as the Rockies won, 4-3, to avoid suffering a three-game series sweep and extend their lead over the Giants in the National League Wild Card race to 3 1/2 games. The Rockies had lost six straight at AT&T Park.

De La Rosa (15-9) showed why he is baseball's winningest pitcher since the start of June at 15-3. After Nate Schierholtz walked and Rich Aurilia singled in the sixth, De La Rosa and catcher Yorvit Torrealba mixed pitches to strike out Andres Torres on a changeup, Freddy Sanchez on a 1-2 slider, and Sandoval on a 96 mph fastball.

Troy Tulowitzki, who knocked three hits, led off the Rockies' two-run fourth with his team-high 27th home run of the season, off Matt Cain (13-6), who gave up five hits in six innings. Tulowitzki also had the game's big defensive play when he started a double play in the fourth by tagging Torres, who had strayed from second on Sandoval's grounder.

Ian Stewart followed a Torrealba single with his 24th homer of the season, to right-center off Cain, for a 4-0 lead in the sixth. The long ball proved important when Colorado's bullpen surrendered three runs in the ninth, but the Rockies held on and ended their losing streak at four games.

Washburn's sore knee not getting better

Tigers left-hander removed by staff after one inning

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Tigers left-hander Jarrod Washburn has tried. It's just not working out.

The gimpy left knee that he has pitched through for much of the season, with stellar results in Seattle, is finally having its revenge. It knocked him out of his start Tuesday against Kansas City after one miserable inning, and it might well leave him out of the Tigers' rotation for what remains of this season.

"Right now, it doesn't appear he's pitchable," manager Jim Leyland said after Tuesday's 11-1 loss.

Leyland and head athletic trainer Kevin Rand made the call to pull Washburn after the first inning Tuesday, having watched him limp around on his way to a four-run, three-hit inning that included two walks and a three-run homer from Alberto Callaspo. Even before Willie Bloomquist's slide home on a passed ball toppled Washburn at the plate, it was evident the knee wasn't right.

"He's a battler," Rand said. "But to me, his knee was sore, and I don't think it was allowing him to pitch the way he wanted to be able to pitch. Obviously, the fear from my end is I've got a guy whose knee is bothering him to the extent that I don't feel that he can throw his normal delivery and have a chance at success.

"From my standpoint, you're taking a risk with his arm, and I'm not willing to do that. That's how I felt."

The decision was out of Washburn's control, but he didn't argue. Realistically, he couldn't. He didn't say anything, but the knee bothered him soon after he started warming up in the bullpen prior to the game.

"It's just as bad, or maybe a little worse, than it's been," Washburn said. "The pain has been pretty bad, but it's never swelled up. And today after just one inning, it swelled up pretty bad. I don't know if something else got hurt in there or what.

"It's definitely not getting better. I've tried to pitch through it, and I'm not helping the team at all."

Both Washburn and Rand said the issue is instability on the medial, or inside, part of the knee. Rand said there's a pocket of inflammation around his the medial collateral ligament. An MRI exam taken last week showed no ligament or cartilage damage, and was much the same as another MRI that Mariners doctors conducted on the knee in May.

Washburn said he has been told the problem stems from an old injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. Nobody knows when he hurt that, Washburn included, but the long-term effect has put more pressure on the MCL.

Washburn dealt with it well for most of the season in Seattle, with the exception of a start in May that was pushed back a few days. Since coming over to the Tigers in a July 31 trade, however, it hasn't worked out, and nothing doctors or trainers have done has helped. That includes a skipped start a few weeks ago and a cortisone injection last week.

Asked what the next step is, Washburn didn't know.

"We'll talk it over tomorrow, figure out a course of action and see what we can do," Washburn said. "We've tried everything. I don't know if there's anything more that we can try from a treatment standpoint or medication or shots or things like that. We've tried everything we can to try to get the pain out of there and put it at a tolerable level. Just nothing's worked right now."

Said Rand: "If you feel like he's not able to deliver the ball and he's not able to perform at the level he's accustomed to performing at, then I would worry about his career long-term. And I don't want him to hurt his arm. That's just where we're at."

Where the Tigers are in the rotation is just about as uncertain. Washburn's spot comes up again Sunday at Minnesota, so the Tigers can't simply skip him. Eddie Bonine is scheduled to start Wednesday in place of injured rihty Armando Galarraga, who was supposed to start in place of injured lefty Nate Robertson, who returned to the rotation after Galarraga was scratched due to injury late last month.

"I don't have answers on who we're going to pitch," Leyland said. "I have no idea right now. I don't have any answers for you. I wish I did. I don't have any answers for me."

Galarraga is available out of the bullpen now, but the inflammation in his right elbow won't allow him enough pitches to start. Robertson, who's battling pelvic inflammation, said he's slated to throw a side session Wednesday and hopes to be available in the bullpen from there. However, the Tigers might have to consider him for Sunday.

Then there's Zach Miner, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief in Washburn's place. However, Leyland doesn't want to move him back into a starting role.

"Zach will stay in the bullpen," Leyland said.

Rookies provide lift as Rays halt skid

Price settles in, goes seven; Brignac 4-for-4, hits first HR

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- Everything came together for the Rays on Monday night, thanks largely to the performances of two rookies, as the Rays took an 8-4 win over the Orioles with a crowd of 10,628 watching at Camden Yards.

By winning, the Rays snapped an 11-game losing streak which dated back to an 8-5 win over the Red Sox at Tropicana Field on Sept. 2. In addition, the Rays gained ground in the Wild Card race over idle Boston, pulling back to within 12 games with 18 games remaining on the schedule.

"Sleep is more tranquil, food tastes better, and I like my dog a whole lot more," said Rays manager Joe Maddon when asked about the losing streak reaching its end. "We lost a lot of really difficult games.

"However, every day I thought we would come back and play, we would come back and play with the intent of winning the next day and not having that previous day impact us. We finally broke through."

Rookie left-hander David Price started for the Rays and survived a four-run first, in which he was dealt a ration of hard luck, to give the Rays a quality start by allowing three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings worked to pick up his eighth win of the season.

"I was just trying to keep us where we were at, and the offense did a great job tonight and fought back," Price said. "They got one for me early then I gave up four and they got three in the second. Kind of gives me a re-do and that's part of it, and it was very appreciated by me, obviously."

Meanwhile, fellow rookie Reid Brignac got a rare chance to start at shortstop with everyday shortstop Jason Bartlett serving as the designated hitter. Brignac took advantage of the opportunity with a 4-for-4 night that included his first Major League home run, a single, two doubles and three RBIs. Brignac also made a stellar play in the sixth when he went in the hole to rob Melvin Mora of a base hit.

"I'm very excited," Brignac said. "I'm more excited that we got the win that got us back on the right path of where we were. We've been struggling of late. It's just good to come in and get that win in the first game here. [Let's] see if we can continue on with that."

Brignac ripped his second double down the right-field line to where it initially appeared he had a chance for a triple, which would have earned him the distinction as the first Rays player in team history to hit for the cycle.

"At first [I thought I had the cycle], but once I rounded first [and saw where it was], I just shut it down and took a double instead of running into an out," Brignac said.

The Rays got busy early when Ben Zobrist's first-inning sacrifice fly gave them a 1-0 lead. But the Orioles answered in the bottom half of the inning against Price, who allowed four runs on four hits and a walk. A throwing error by Evan Longoria allowed a run to score.

Price didn't let the outcome of the first affect him. Orioles manager Dave Trembley credited Price for picking up the tempo of the game in his favor.

"His command improved," Trembley said. "And he probably felt the momentum change greatly to go on their side. Once we scored four and they go back out and score three, he's got to say to himself, 'Hey, I've got to go out there and shut them out because the game's swinging back in our favor.' And he did exactly what he had to do."

Unlike recent days when the Rays' offense managed just 23 runs during the team's 11-game losing streak, the bats never went silent Monday. The Rays' Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, Bartlett and Carl Crawford, and the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, B.J. Upton and Brignac, went 11-for-19 in the game with four doubles, two home runs, five runs scored and five RBIs.

Brignac hit a two-run homer in the second off O's starter David Hernandez. Crawford added an RBI double to tie the score at 4.

In the fourth, Upton hit his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot off Hernandez that gave the Rays the lead. They added three more in the fifth on an RBI single by Akinori Iwamura, an RBI double by Brignac, and a two-error play by the Orioles' defense that allowed another run to score to push the lead to 8-4.