Bucs outlast Cards in 19…Houston loses first under interim skipper…Rays complete sweep

UNDATED (AP) – St. Louis Cardinals hurler Jaime Garcia allowed a pair of unearned runs and five hits over eight innings after being sidelined 64 days with a strained pitching shoulder. Redbirds outfielder Carlos Beltran took over the National League RBI lead with a two-run double.

But the rest of the Cards’ day was long and fruitless as Pittsburgh earned a 6-3, 19-inning victory that took more than six hours to complete. The Pirates blew a lead in the 17th inning before scoring three times in the 19th to beat the Cardinals. Pedro Alvarez snapped a 3-3 tie with a solo homer in the 19th before Andrew McCutchen’s two-run single gave the Bucs some breathing room.

McCutchen went 2-for-8 with three RBIs as the Pirates stayed 6 1/2 games behind the Central Division-leading Reds and moved a game ahead of San Francisco for the final wild-card berth.

The Cards and 8 1/2 games behind Cincinnati and two games in back of Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati also won in its final at-bat as pinch-hitter Xavier Paul tripled and scored on Ryan Hanigan’s single to lift the Reds past the Chicago Cubs 5-4. Hanigan had two hits and two RBIs.

Also in the NL:

– Chad Billingsley won his sixth straight start by combining with two relievers on a three-hitter in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-0 shutout of Atlanta. Mark Ellis put the game out of reach with a three-run double in the ninth and finished with four RBIs.

– The Dodgers lead the NL West by a half-game over San Francisco after Clayton Richard allowed an unearned run and five hits over eight innings of San Diego’s 7-1 win over the Giants. Cameron Maybin had three RBIs as the Padres halted a five-game skid.

– Washington leads the East by five games over the Braves after Gio Gonzalez allowed a run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to pitch the Nationals past the New York Mets 5-2. Homers by Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa helped Gonzalez become the league’s second 16-game winner.

– Houston got beat 8-1 by visiting Arizona in its first game under interim manager Tony DeFrancesco. He’s replacing Brad Mills, who became the first skipper to be fired this season after Saturday’s night’s loss to the Diamondbacks. Aaron Hill went deep twice for the winners.

– Kyle Kendrick pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and Dominic Brown drove in four runs to lead Philadelphia past Milwaukee 8-zip. There was a rare rain delay at Miller Park. The game was held up for a short time in the bottom of the first while they closed the retractable roof.

Over to the American League, where Tampa Bay completed a four-game sweep of the Angels as Ryan Roberts hit a two-run homer in the Rays’ 8-3 rout of Los Angeles. Matt Joyce and Carlos Pena drove in two runs apiece to support Matt Moore, who won his fourth straight decision despite surrendering home runs by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols (POO’-hohlz).

The Rays remain 4 1/2 games behind the East-leading Yankees.

The Angels have dropped 13 of 18 and are 4 1/2 games behind Baltimore in the battle for the final AL wild-card berth.

The Yankees were 4-1 winners over the Red Sox as Hiroki Kuroda (hih-ROH’-kee kuh-ROH’-dah) took a shutout into the seventh and allowed just a run and four hits in eight innings. Ichiro Suzuki hit a pair of solo homers and Derek Jeter went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

In other AL action:

– Salvador Perez drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 to complete a three-game series sweep of the AL Central leaders. Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie was working on a no-hitter before Paul Konerko (kuh-NER’-koh) reached on an infield single with two out in the seventh.

– Michael Young belted a three-run homer and had a two-run double while AL West leader Texas was pounding out an 11-2 decision over the Blue Jays. The Rangers, who have baseball’s highest scoring offense, had been limited to four runs while splitting the first two games of the series in Toronto.

– The Orioles bounced back from a 5-0 first-inning deficit to pin a 7-5 loss on the Tigers. Nate McLouth hit a go-ahead, two-run triple in a three-run fourth inning and the O’s went on to record their fifth win in seven games. Baltimore leads Detroit by two games in the race for the second wild card berth in the AL.

– Coco Crisp homered and drove in five runs as Oakland crushed Cleveland 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep. Jarrod Parker gave up six hits in eight innings and retired 16 of his final 18 batters.

– Seattle picked up its fifth consecutive win as Michael Saunders launched a two-run homer in a 5-1 win against Minnesota. The Seattle bullpen tossed 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief after Blake Beaven allowed seven hits in 5 1/3 frames.

Thanks for the help

NEW YORK (AP) – An associate of San Francisco Giants All-Star Melky Cabrera purchased a website and attempted to create evidence to support a claim that the outfielder inadvertently took the substance that caused his positive drug test, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

Baseball officials uncovered the scheme as Cabrera prepared his case to challenge the test. Cabrera dropped his grievance and Major League Baseball announced a 50-game suspension Wednesday.

Biffle rides to Victory Lane

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) – Greg Biffle won NASCAR’s Pure Michigan 400. He held off Brad Keselowski by about a-half second after a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Biffle got to the front when leader Jimmie Johnson developed an engine problem with six laps left and was forced to take his car off the track. Biffle took over the points lead, while Johnson dropped from first to fourth.

Kasey Kahne finished third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose.

Hornets extend coach

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Hornets coach Monty Williams has agreed to what he confirms to The Associated Press is a four-year contract extension that ties him to the club through 2016.

The 40-year-old Williams is heading into the final year of the contract he signed when he took his first NBA head coaching job in New Orleans in 2010.

Williams took the Hornets to the playoffs his first season with a 46-36 record. The team slumped to 21-45 last season after trading star guard Chris Paul to the L.A. Clippers.

The Hornets then won the NBA’s draft lottery and selected Kentucky star Anthony Davis first overall and added Duke’s Austin Rivers with the 10th pick.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 7, Detroit 5
Texas 11, Toronto 2
Kansas City 5, Chicago White Sox 2
Tampa Bay 8, L.A. Angels 3
Oakland 7, Cleveland 0
Seattle 5, Minnesota 1
N.Y. Yankees 4, Boston 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 5, Chicago Cubs 4
L.A. Dodgers 5, Atlanta 0
Washington 5, N.Y. Mets 2
Arizona 8, Houston 1
Philadelphia 8, Milwaukee 0
Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 3, 19 innings
Colorado 3, Miami 2
San Diego 7, San Francisco 1

The Colorado Rockies capped off one of the best homestands of their season with a rare Sunday victory. Jordan Pacheco’s go-ahead two run homer in the fourth inning held up in a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins at Coors Field. The Rockies fell behind early 2-0 but did all their scoring in the fourth frame. Dexter Fowler doubled, scoring Josh Rutledge, and was on third with two outs when Pacheco connected for just his second big fly of the season and his first since May 17. The Rockies wrap up their seven-game homestand with a 5-2 record, their best homestand since going 6-1 from May 28 to June 3. Tonight the Rockies embark on a seven-game road trip with the first of four games in New York against the Mets. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action from Citifield, with the pregame show at 5:30 and the first pitch at 6:10.

Nebraska will open the football season ranked 17th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. That ranking is one spot lower than the one the Huskers were given in the USA Today Coaches poll. It is the 36th consecutive version of the AP poll the Huskers have appeared in dating back to November 29, 2009. That is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation and the longest among Big Ten schools. The Huskers scrimmaged in Lincoln on Saturday as their season opener draws closer. After the scrimmage, head coach Bo Pelini announced that five walk-on players had earned scholarships: kicker Brett Maher, guards Seung-Hoon Choi and Spencer Long; center Justin Jackson, and defensive back Justin Blatchford. The Huskers could wind up with an interior offensive line comprised entirely of walk-ons. Choi and Long have secured starting spots, and Jackson could beat out Cole Pensick for the center spot.

Lincoln, Neb.- The fourth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team held its annual Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday in front of 3,551 fans at the NU Coliseum as the Red team took the match 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-12). The Huskers, who have been participating in preseason practices, were able to compete in a game-like atmosphere at the NU Coliseum for the first time this season.

Gina Mancuso led all hitters on the night with 18 kills and 35 attacks, hitting .400. Hannah Werth tallied 16 kills and 39 attacks, while Morgan Broekhuis had 12 kills and Kelsey FIen recorded 11 kills. Lauren Cook notched 50 assists and 10 digs, while Lara Dykstra led both teams defensively with 18 digs. The White team out-blocked the Red 10-4. Former Huskers Kayla Banwarth and Nancy Metcalf also competed in the scrimmage. Metcalf had 13 kills, while Banwarth had 17 digs.

The Huskers open the 2012 season next Friday, Aug. 24 7 p.m. as the Saint Louis Billikens come to the NU Coliseum. Nebraska will take on UCLA on Saturday, Aug. 25 and will travel to Omaha to face Notre Dame at the CenturyLink Center on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 1:30 p.m.

– Hilary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information

The Husker soccer team got their 2012 campaign off to a rough start over the weekend. On Friday, they lost their season opener at Oklahoma, 2-1. Sophomore Mayme Conroy had the lone goal in the defeat. Saturday the Huskers saw their home opener spoiled by Drake in a 1-0 defeat. The Huskers outshot the visitors 13-8 but could not find the back of the net. Nebraska hosts the Husker classic this weekend. They’ll play Virginia Tech on Friday and New Mexico on Sunday.

DENVER (AP) — Peyton Manning led two scoring drives but threw two more interceptions in his home debut for the Denver Broncos in a 30-10 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.

The Broncos turned the ball over on half of their six first-half possessions with Manning under center, including an interception in the red zone for the second straight week.

Their 2-minute drive stalled when Jacob Tamme dropped a wide-open touchdown toss with 6 seconds left in the first half.

The biggest positive for the four-time MVP who’s returning from a neck injury that sidelined him all of 2011 is that he took his first big hit in 19 months and bounced right up.

Manning shook off defensive end Bruce Irvin’s hard hit and completed a 22-yard pass on the next play.

Saturday

BASEBALL
American League
Texas at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
Boston at N.Y. Yankees, 3:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Detroit, 6:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 6:10 p.m.
Cleveland at Oakland, 8:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels, 8:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle, 8:10 p.m.
National League
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m., 1st game
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 3:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Washington, 6:05 p.m.
Arizona at Houston, 6:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m., 2nd game
L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m.
Miami at Colorado, 7:10 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego, 7:35 p.m.

NFL PRESEASON
N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 6 p.m.
San Francisco at Houston, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Washington at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Dallas at San Diego, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Denver, 8 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)

MOTORSPORTS
NASCAR Camping World Trucks Qualifying, VFW 200, Brooklyn, Mich., 8:35 a.m.
NASCAR Camping World Trucks, VFW 200, Brooklyn, Mich., 11:30 p.m.
NHRA, Lucas Oil Nationals Qualifying, Brainerd, Minn., 11:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide, NAPA Auto Parts 200, Montreal, 1:30 p.m.

Sunday

BASEBALL
American League
Baltimore at Detroit, 12:05 p.m.
Texas at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 1:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels, 2:35 p.m.
Cleveland at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle, 3:10 p.m.
Boston at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.  (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
National League
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta, 12:35 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Washington, 12:35 p.m.
Arizona at Houston, 1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.
Miami at Colorado, 2:10 p.m.  (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
San Francisco at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

NFL PRESEASON
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS
NHRA, Lucas Oil Nationals, Brainerd, Minn., 11 a.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Pure Michigan 400, Brooklyn, Mich., 12 p.m.

OTHER EVENTS
Tennis
ATP World Tour/WTA, Western & Southern Open, Mason, Ohio
ATP World Tour, Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, N.C.
WTA, Texas Open, Dallas
Golf
PGA Tour, Wyndham Championship, Greensboro, N.C.
LPGA Tour, Safeway Classic, North Plains, Ore.
Champions Tour, Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Endicott, N.Y.
Web.com Tour, Midwest Classic, Overland Park, Kan.
USGA, U.S. Amateur, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

UNDATED (AP) – The race for the two wild card spots in the AL playoffs is a close one. Baltimore and Tampa Bay are tied for the lead. Detroit is just a game off the pace, while Oakland is 1 1/2 games back and L.A. is 2 1/2 out. The Orioles host the Tigers, the Rays are at the Angels and the Athletics are home to Cleveland.

Also in the AL this evening, Central leader Chicago brings a three-game winning streak into its outing at Kansas City, league leader New York opens a home series against rival Boston, Toronto hosts West-leading Texas and Minnesota plays at Seattle.

The Washington Nationals bring baseball’s best record into tonight’s home game against New York. The Nationals have won eight of 10 to improve to 73-45.

Elsewhere around the NL, Central leader Cincinnati is home to Chicago, L.A. brings a one-half game lead over San Francisco in the West race into its contest in Atlanta, the Giants are at San Diego, Houston is home to Arizona, Pittsburgh plays at St. Louis, Philadelphia is at Milwaukee and Colorado entertains Miami.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Michigan defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins has been hospitalized for precautionary reasons and evaluation after injuring his neck.

Wolverines coach Brady Hoke released a statement Friday morning saying Pipkins had movement in all of his extremities.

The 6-foot-3, 340-pound Pipkins is a highly touted freshman from Kansas City, Mo.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester United has signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal on a four-year deal, one day before the start of the Premier League season.

The Netherlands striker agreed to personal terms and passed a medical examination Friday to complete a transfer that is believed to have cost United about 24 million pounds ($38 million).

Van Persie was the division’s top scorer last season with 30 goals, helping Arsenal finish third and qualify for the Champions League despite the team’s dreadful start.

His departure means Arsenal has lost its captain to a major European rival for the second straight preseason, after Cesc Fabregas left for Barcelona in 2011.

Van Persie should make his debut for United in Monday’s match at Everton.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Boston at N-Y Yankees 6:05 p.m.
Texas at Toronto 6:07 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
Cleveland at Oakland 9:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels 9:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
N-Y Mets at Washington 6:05 p.m.
Chi Cubs at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta 6:35 p.m.
Arizona at Houston 7:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee 7:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at St. Louis 7:15 p.m.
Miami at Colorado 7:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
San Francisco at San Diego 9:05 p.m.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Tennessee at Tampa Bay 6:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
Detroit at Baltimore 7:00 p.m.
Jacksonville at New Orleans 7:00 p.m.
Miami at Carolina 7:00 p.m.
Oakland at Arizona 9:00 p.m.

Sweet 16 for Price…Feeling Chipper…White Sox go deep five times

UNDATED (AP) – David Price pitched three-hit ball over seven innings for his AL-leading 16th victory and Tampa Bay blanked the L.A. Angels 7-zip under the lights in Anaheim. It’s the Rays’ third straight shutout against the Halos.

Price is 7-0 with a 2.21 ERA in his last nine road starts. And he’s 8-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his last 11 starts overall since a 9-1 home loss to the New York Mets on June 13.

The Rays got home runs from Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist, helping them move into a tie for the AL wild card lead with Baltimore.

In the rest of the AL:

– Boston avoided a three-game sweep by Baltimore by beating the Orioles 6-3. Clay Buchholz (BUHK’-ohlts) shook off a rocky start to earn his 11th win. Dustin Pedroia singled in the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning.

– Alex Rios hit a three-run homer against his former team and Francisco Liriano (leer-ee-AH’-noh) earned his first victory with the Chicago White Sox, 7-2, over the Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox hit a season-high five home runs to give them 27 in their last 13 games.

– Craig Gentry and Adrian Beltre each had three RBIs and the Texas Rangers avoided a four-game sweep in a matchup of AL division leaders, rallying past the New York Yankees 10-6. Texas had lost eight straight at Yankee Stadium. Josh Hamilton doubled twice and scored three times.

– Oakland blanked Kansas City 3-0. Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes homered. Dan Straily picked up his first major league victory.

Over in the NL:

Chipper Jones is trying to go out in style. The 40-year-old Atlanta third baseman homered twice and the Braves won their 15th consecutive game with Kris Medlen as a starter by blanking the San Diego Padres 6-0. Jones, who is retiring after the season, hit a two-run homer in the first, then added a towering solo shot over the wall in center in the fifth. It was his first multihomer game in more than three years and raised his team-leading average to .314. He came out of the dugout for a curtain call after both drives, the second of which was his 2,700th career hit.

– Garrett Jones had a career day with a pair of three-run homers to help A.J. Burnett become the first Pirates pitcher with 15 wins in 13 years as Pittsburgh avoided a four-game sweep with a 10-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jones had a career-high six RBIs. The loss trims the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to a half-game over idle San Francisco.

– The New York Mets halted Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak, 8-4. Ike Davis hit his 21st homer. Jason Bay also went deep for the Mets. Rookie pitcher Matt Harvey drove in two runs with his bat and only allowed one run on four hits in seven and two-thirds innings pitched.

– Corey Hart hit an eighth-inning grand slam and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past Philadelphia 7-4. It was Hart’s 23rd homer.

– Arizona rallied with two in the ninth on solo home runs by Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Young off Cards closer Jason Motte (maht) and beat St. Louis 2-1.

Report says Mathieu in rehab

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A New Orleans television station is reporting that former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu (TY’-ran MATH’-yoo) has entered a drug rehabilitation program in Houston. He was dismissed from the Tigers’ program last week.

Fox 8 is reporting that Mathieu’s adoptive father says the 20-year-old star cornerback and punt returner known as the “Honey Badger” has been at the Right Step recovery center and is being counseled by former NBA player John Lucas.

Tyrone Mathieu says his son is committed to restoring his health and won’t play football until he is confident that his rehab is complete.

NFL provides court with bounty documents

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The NFL has provided a federal judge with what it says is evidence Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) did not improperly pre-judge players in the bounty investigation.

The evidence includes a copy of a letter the NFL Players Association sent the league on March 7 asking Goodell to delay punishment of players implicated in the bounty probe. It also includes a sworn declaration from Goodell in which he states he was prepared to hand down player discipline at the same time he announced suspensions for coaches and executives on March 21. Goodell’s declaration states he held off after verbally agreeing to do so in a phone conversation with union head DeMaurice Smith.

Attorneys for four suspended players have argued Goodell showed improper bias with comments he made before announcing player discipline.

Texans and Brown agree

UNDATED (AP) – The Texans have agreed to a new contract with left tackle Duane Brown. The six-year contract is worth $53.4 million, with $22.08 million guaranteed. He’s a durable anchor on the line to protect QB Matt Schaub and open holes for running back Arian Foster.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman has started all but four games since Houston drafted him with the 26th overall pick in 2008. Brown earned Associated Press All-Pro second team honors in 2011 after helping the Texans set a franchise record for yards rushing with 2,448.

In other NFL news:

– The NFL says San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Garrett Brown has been suspended without pay for the team’s first four regular-season games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

– Seattle coach Pete Carroll says Terrell Owens will make his debut for Seattle on Saturday night at Denver. The veteran wide receiver signed with Seattle on Aug. 6 and had just a couple of days of practice before the preseason opener against Tennessee. Carroll says it wouldn’t have been fair to run Owens out there that quickly.

It will be the first NFL game action for Owens since Week 15 of the 2010 season with Cincinnati.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas 10, N.Y. Yankees 6
Boston 6, Baltimore 3
Chicago White Sox 7, Toronto 2
Oakland 3, Kansas City 0
Tampa Bay 7, L.A. Angels 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 10, L.A. Dodgers 6
N.Y. Mets 8, Cincinnati 4
Atlanta 6, San Diego 0
Milwaukee 7, Philadelphia 4
Arizona 2, St. Louis 1
Colorado 5, Miami 3

The Colorado Rockies are on an honest-to-goodness winning streak. The long ball and some small ball led the Rockies to a 5-3 victory over the Miami Marlins at Coors Field last night. It’s the fourth win in a row for the Rockies, all coming at home. The Rockies clawed their way back from a 3-1 deficit to take the lead late. Michael Cuddyer celebrated his first game back off the disabled list by hitting a tying two-run homer in the sixth inning. Two more runs came in the seventh. Rookie Josh Rutledge delivered a pinch-hit triple and then scored on a squeeze bunt by Eric Young Jr. The Rockies stellar bullpen duo of Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt took care of things from there, with Betancourt earning his 22^nd save. The Rockies and Marlins are back at it tonight. ESPN radio 1410 has the action, with pregame coverage at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.