Chavez leads Diamondbacks over Braves

Phoenix, AZ –  Eric Chavez went 2-for-3 and recorded two of his three RBI during a four-run fifth inning that paved the way for the Arizona Diamondbacks' 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the finale of a three-game set.

Didi Gregorius and Cody Ross each drove in a run during the rally, which made a winner out of Ian Kennedy (2-3), who had given up two runs in his fifth and final inning.

He struck out seven and allowed three runs in all on five hits. It's Kennedy's first victory since defeating the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day.

Heath Bell worked around a one-out double in the ninth to notch his sixth save and give the D'backs the series victory. Arizona has won seven of its last 10 games.

Tim Hudson (4-3) couldn't stop the bleeding for Atlanta, which is just 10-17 since its 12-1 start to the season. The righty was tagged for all five runs on eight hits over five frames.

"Just losing two out of three, you feel like we won a couple of those games because of the way we hit the ball," said Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4 and plated all three runs for the Braves.

The Diamondbacks had just five hits in their last 56 tries with runners in scoring position coming into the contest, but matched that hit total during Wednesday's performance on eight chances.

"We just try and get good at-bats, for some reason we're not pushing a lot of runs across the board right now," said Chavez. "But that's going to change, just keep swinging the bats, have good approaches and put some runs on the board."

After putting Arizona in a two-run hole in the fifth, Kennedy was pinch-hit for in the bottom half by Jason Kubel, whose one-out walk sparked a four-run inning.

Gerardo Parra followed with a single and Gregorius pounded one up the middle to plate a run. Two batters later, Chavez ripped a double to center to put the D'backs back in front before Ross made it 5-3 with an RBI single into right.

Paul Goldschmidt ripped his first of three doubles on the day in the first inning and Chavez gave the D'backs a 1-0 lead when he grounded a base hit past the diving reach of shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

Kennedy was cruising along until he surrendered a pair of two out singles in the third and then threw eight straight balls in walking Justin Upton and Freeman to force in a run.

Freeman came to bat again in the fifth, and with runners on first and second, sent a double in the gap in center field to clear the bags and stake Atlanta to a 3-1 edge.

Hudson, though, couldn't hold the lead. He gave it right back in the bottom half as eight Diamondbacks came to plate before getting out of the frame behind by two runs.

Game Notes

Hudson suffered his career defeat to the Diamondbacks. He was 7-0 in nine career outings coming in ... The Braves have lost five of their last six games ... Atlanta was just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position ... Arizona had 10 hits and scored more than three runs for the first time in five games.

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Castro shoots 63, leads by 3 at Players

Published May 09, 2013

Sports Network

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL –  Roberto Castro tied the course record with a sizzling 9-under 63 on Thursday to grab the lead after the first round of the Players Championship.

Castro, who is making his Players debut, equaled the mark set by Fred Couples (1992) and Greg Norman (1994).

Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson share second place as each fired a 6-under 66 in their opening round at TPC Sawgrass.

The world No. 2 McIlroy has failed to make the cut in three previous appearances at this event.

"It was benign out there," McIlroy said about the weather. "There wasn't much wind. It was perfect conditions for scoring and I was able to take advantage of those."

World No. 1 and 2001 champion Tiger Woods bogeyed his final hole to fall into a group of players tied for fourth place at 5-under.

Woods is joined by Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan, Webb Simpson, Casey Wittenberg and Ryan Palmer.

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Carpenter leads Cards past Giants

San Francisco, CA –  Matt Carpenter led a balanced St. Louis offensive attack with three hits, three RBI and three scored runs, as the Cardinals thumped the San Francisco Giants, 14-3, on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game set.

On a day that San Francisco was supposed to enjoy and cherish after the organization honored its team prior to the contest with their 2012 World Series championship rings, it was the visiting Cardinals who quickly ended the celebration.

Matt Adams had three hits and two RBI, Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran each had two RBI and Jon Jay scored three times and also drove in two runs for the Cardinals, who erupted for a nine-run fourth inning before cruising to the win.

Starter Adam Wainwright (1-1) bounced back from a 6-2 Opening Day loss versus Arizona on Monday to toss seven innings of two-run, seven-hit ball while striking out six in the victory.

Angel Pagan had a double and triple to go along with an RBI and Pablo Sandoval had two hits and one RBI for the Giants, who saw starter Matt Cain (0-1) last just 3 2/3 innings and give up nine runs on seven hits -- all in the brutal fourth inning.

The last time the righty faced St. Louis was in Game 7 of the 2012 NLCS, in which he tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 9-0 victory.

Cain was perfect through three innings, but the fourth proved to be vastly different as the visitors took control for good.

Trailing, 2-0, Jay opened up the inning with a single to center and moved to second on an error from Pagan. Following another single, Craig hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Jay.

Cain walked Beltran and gave up a single to Yadier Molina. Adams drove the ball to deep right field for a ground-rule double, plating two runs. The inning wasn't nearly done as Ty Wigginton singled to score another run, and Pete Kozma hit a soft liner to right field, scoring Adams to make it 5-2.

After an out and a walk, Carpenter, who would be Cain's last batter faced, singled to right for more two runs. Jose Mijares relieved Cain, but hit the first batter he faced and then gave up a two-run single to Beltran to make it 9-2.

In the eighth, Carpenter hit a shallow fly to center. Pagan dove but missed the ball, allowing Jay to score all the way from first. Craig kept the frame going with a single to left to make it 11-2.

The Cardinals added three runs in the ninth with Kozma's sacrifice fly and Jay's two-run triple. San Francisco scored in the ninth with a pinch-hit single from Guillermo Quiroz.

Pagan doubled to right field in the third to plate Brandon Crawford, who doubled to start the inning. Sandoval then lined one up the middle to bring home Pagan for a 2-0 lead.

Game Notes

Wainwright has allowed three runs over 14 innings in each of his last three starts spanning the regular season and playoffs against the Giants. He is 3-2 in his last six starts overall versus San Francisco ... The Giants sported gold colored numbers on their jerseys and had gold embroidered on the symbol of their hats in honor of the championship ring ceremony.

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Horschel leads by 2 in Texas

Published April 05, 2013

Sports Network

San Antonio, TX –  Billy Horschel carded a 4-under 68 on Friday to grab a 2-stroke lead at the Valero Texas Open.

Horschel, who is seeking his first career win on the PGA Tour, finished 36 holes at TPC San Antonio at 8-under-par 136.

Charley Hoffman fired a 5-under 67 during his second round to move into a share of second place. He is joined by Daniel Summerhays (69) and Steven Bowditch (69) at 6-under.

Two-time major champion Rory McIlroy carded a 5-under 67 to move into a group of seven players tied for fifth place at 5-under-par 139, which also includes 16-time PGA champion Jim Furyk (70).

"I definitely feel like I made the right decision to come here, and even if I hadn't been in this position and have been a few shots back, I'd still feel the same way," said McIlroy, who added this event to his schedule at the last minute to better prepare for The Masters next week. "I haven't really been in contention this year, so it will be nice to get into the mix."

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Harris leads Magic past Wizards

Published March 29, 2013

Sports Network

Orlando, FL –  Most of the time, a good way to end a lengthy losing streak is to play a team which you've had success against on your home court.

That's just what Orlando needed and got on Friday, as the team downed Washington, 97-92, ending an eight-game losing skid en route to picking up its seventh straight victory over the Wizards at home.

Tobias Harris scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds and Maurice Harkless added 18 points and grabbed nine boards for the Magic, who picked up a victory for the first time since March 10.

E'Twaun Moore and Andrew Nicholson scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, in the much-needed win.

John Wall led all scorers with 35 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Martell Webster chipped in 19 points for the Wizards, who have lost two straight.

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Thomas scores 31 points, leads Kings past Warriors 105-98 to take season series 3-1

Published March 28, 2013

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. –  Isaiah Thomas had 31 points and seven assists, DeMarcus Cousins added 14 points and the Sacramento Kings put another dent in Golden State's playoff chase by beating the Warriors 105-98 on Wednesday night.

Marcus Thornton scored 13 points off the bench and helped harass Stephen Curry to send Sacramento to its first road win against a team with a winning record all season. The Kings entered the game an NBA-worst 6-30 on the road.

Sacramento won the season series 3-1.

David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Curry finished with 17 points and 12 assists on a difficult shooting night for the Warriors point guard. Golden State (41-32) missed an opportunity to build its lead on seventh-place Houston (39-32), which remains a game back after losing 100-91 to Indiana.

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Green's 26 points leads Colorado State past Missouri 84-72 in NCAA tourney

LEXINGTON, Ky. –  Of all the things Missouri could have done wrong in Thursday night's 84-72 loss to Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers didn't think rebounding would be one of them.

The Tigers were dominated 42-19 on the boards by a Colorado State team that entered the game leading the nation in rebounding margin at plus-12.1.

The Tigers were third at plus-9.6, but it was hard to tell considering how little resistance they put up against the Rams.

To put it another way, Colorado State center Colton Iverson had more rebounds than Missouri through 27 minutes and finished with just six fewer boards than the Tigers.

"I really don't think anything was different," said Missouri senior forward Alex Oriakhi, who finished with 16 points but just two rebounds. "Little bit of a lack of focus. I definitely feel on my part that we could have done a better job on blocking out.

"That's how basketball is sometimes. I think it was a lack of focus, and they were quicker to the ball."

Colorado State was also pretty good shooting it against Missouri (23-11). The Rams finished 49 percent from the field (25 of 51), including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.

Missouri hit just 24 of 57 (42 percent) and 7 of 23 on 3-pointers. The result was a game controlled by Colorado State other than a few Tiger runs that made it interesting.

Phil Pressey's 20 points led the Tigers. Jabari Brown added 14 and Earnest Ross 11 for Missouri.

"I thought they were the more aggressive team," Tigers coach Frank Haith said of the Rams. "They really went after us and I thought they were rebounding the ball, which is what they do. They really dominated that part of the game and dominated the 50-50 balls.

"They were the aggressors. In this time of the year in tournament play, that's usually the team that wins the game."

The lopsided outcome was surprising considering the teams' similarities that made this an intriguing matchup.

Besides balanced offenses with at least four starters averaging in double figures, Colorado State and Missouri also have thrived on the glass.

Iverson averaged 14.7 points per game to key Colorado State's return to the tournament along with Eustachy, who led Southern Mississippi here last year. The 6-foot-10 senior has been helped by Wes Eikmeier (12.7 points) and Dorian Green (12.8 points) and Smith (11.1).

Missouri, meanwhile, featured one of the field's most balanced offenses, with Laurence Bowers (14.4 points) leading five starters averaging at least 11 points per game. Pressey has been one of the Tigers' most interesting stories, a talented guard who has tended to make mistakes in key moments.

That made for an entertaining first half that Colorado State led 47-38 by setting the offensive pace before falling into an end-to-end game more to Missouri's liking.

The Rams shot 15 of 26 (58 percent) in the first half and seemed primed to run away from the Tigers. Green was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.

Missouri was 15 of 30 in the first 20 minutes with four 3-pointers.

Missouri closed to 49-45 early in the second half, but the Rams responded with a 17-4 surge for their biggest lead at 66-49.

Green scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half and hit 11 of 12 free throws for Colorado State, which advances to face top-seeded Louisville in Saturday's third round Midwest Regional game. The Cardinals drubbed North Carolina A&T 79-48 in the preceding game.

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Rose leads by 2 in Orlando

Orlando, FL –  Justin Rose carded a 7-under 65 on Thursday to grab a 2-stroke lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Rose, who most recently finished in a tie for eighth place at the WGC - Cadillac Championship two weeks ago, has finished inside the top 20 of all five events he has started this year, including three top-10 finishes.

"I'm surprised by that number," Rose said about his 65. "If you had said I would shoot a 65 on the range this morning, I would have probably said how many holes have I played?"

John Huh finished his first round at Bay Hill Club & Lodge with a 5-under 67 to sit alone in second place, while John Rollins and Brad Fritsch share third place at minus-4.

Defending champion Tiger Woods was a shot behind Rose following an eagle at the 16th, but then closed his round with back-to-back bogeys to fall into a group of 10 players tied for fifth place at 3-under.

"I didn't drive it well, didn't hit my irons well and didn't control my distances or trajectory well," Woods said about his disappointing finish.

Also among that group is Bill Haas, who like Woods was within a stroke of the lead following a birdie at the 12th, but bogeyed three of his last five holes to fall four shots off the pace.

Rose opened his day with three straight pars before starting a streak of four consecutive birdies with a 9-foot putt at the fourth.

He followed that by hitting his second shot at the par-4 fifth to about 10 feet and converted the birdie effort, and then rolled in a 6-foot birdie putt at the sixth.

Rose capped the run with a 13-foot birdie putt at the seventh.

After parring the next three holes, he stumbled to a bogey at the 11th after hitting his drive into a bunker, but he got back to 4-under by rolling in a 13-foot birdie putt at the 13th.

He then moved further away from the pack with a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th and a 19-foot birdie effort at the 17th before parring the last to head into the clubhouse with the lead.

"Obviously, any time you go low at Bay Hill it's a bonus I think," said Rose. "It was definitely a golf course today that you had to go out and play well. You could not fake a round. Not everything was perfect, I have to say, but the putter was really, really, really hot, and those are very fun days when that happens."

Huh, meanwhile, opened a stellar front nine by chipping in from 13 yards out at the 10th for a birdie.

He followed that with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 12th, and then hit the turn at 5-under following three straight birdies starting at the 16th, which included a pair of lengthy putts from beyond 25 feet.

He cooled off with four consecutive pars before chipping in again from 19 yards at the fifth to get within a stroke of the lead.

But he would get no closer and closed his round by 2-putting for bogey at the last to fall back to 5-under for the day.

NOTES: Woods is seeking his record-tying eighth victory at this event. Sam Snead is the only other player to win a single event eight times, having won the Greater Greensboro Open on eight separate occasions from 1936-65 ... Woods can take the world No. 1 ranking for the first time since October 2010 with a win this week ... Huh has missed four cuts in eight starts this season and has finished a tournament no better than 18th place.

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Brandon Crawford has 3 hits, leads Giants to a 6-4 win over Padres

Published March 20, 2013

Associated Press

PEORIA, Ariz. –  Brandon Crawford had three hits and an RBI, leading a San Francisco Giants split squad to a 6-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

The Padres hoped starter Andrew Cashner would get into the fourth inning with less that 40 pitches, but he didn't make it through the third — he threw 31 pitches in the first. But Cashner only gave up one run on three hits. He struck out four in his second start of spring training.

Giants starter Chad Gaudin pitched three innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. He had two strike outs.

Left fielder Gregor Blanco had two hits, including a perfectly placed bunt single. Padres catcher John Baker also had two hits.

The Giants other squad played a 0-0, 10-inning ties against Milwaukee.

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Kim leads by 1 in Chile

Santiago, Chile –  Whee Kim fired a course-record-tying, 8- under 64 Thursday to grab a 1-stroke lead after the first round of the Chile Classic.

Kim tied for 11th place last week in Colombia in just his second career start on the Web.com Tour.

Edward Loar and Scott Harrington share second place at minus-7 at Prince of Wales Country Club.

Brendan Pappas posted a 6-under 66 and was joined in fourth place by Josh Broadaway, Felipe Aguilar, Brice Garnett and Philip Pettitt, Jr.

Former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee and brothers Michael and Andrew Putnam are among 13 players tied for ninth at 5-under 67.

Kim, 21, flew out of the gate by holing a wedge shot for eagle on the par-4 10th.

"My caddie and I talked and we said to carry it about 84 yards," Kim stated. "It bounced maybe one or two yards with backspin. It was lucky, but I played well on other holes."

He followed with a birdie on No. 11. Kim parred his next two before converting three birdies in a 4-hole span from the 14th to jump to 6-under through eight holes.

The Korean parred three in a row around the turn. He moved to 7-under with a birdie at the par-5 third, but gave that stroke back when he bogeyed the sixth.

Kim, who led after the second and third round at PGA Tour Q School last year, closed his round in style as he birdied the final two holes.

"I had a good start. I played very comfortable today. It was pretty easy. I had good tee shots and good iron shots and I putted good," Kim said. "Everything was good. Today was my day."

Loar, who won in Panama last year, ran off three birdies in a 4-hole span from the third. He made eagle at the par-5 ninth to make the turn at 5-under.

The 35-year-old tripped to a bogey at No. 10. Loar rebounded with four consecutive birdies from the 11th to jump to 8-under. He faltered to bogeys at 15 and 16, but birdied the 17th to grab a share of second place.

"A lot of my friends and family call me ROY-G-BIV for the colors of the rainbow. There was a lot of fun going on. I got a little aggressive on a couple holes and made some bogeys, but I also made a lot of birdies," said Loar, who didn't make a par in a 9-hole span from the ninth to 17th.

Harrington's round was much calmer by comparison. He birdied three of his first four holes from the first. After six straight pars, the 32-year-old again carded three birdies in a 4-hole stretch from the 11th. Harrington closed with a birdie at the last to end one back.

NOTES: Last year's winner Paul Haley II, Joseph Bramlett and Alex Coe each shot 64s in 2012 ... Haley is not in the field this week ... Bio Kim, no relation to the leader, eagled the ninth and 10th, making him the first player this year on the Web.com Tour with back-to-back eagles.

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Parsons' hot shooting leads Rockets over Mavs

Houston, TX –  The Houston Rockets caught fire in the third quarter and never looked back.

Chandler Parsons netted 11 of his 32 points in the third and the Rockets routed the Dallas Mavericks, 136-103, on Sunday.

Houston outscored Dallas 44-17 in the third. The Rockets shot 70 percent (14- of-20) from the floor and nailed six of their 10 3-point attempts. Parsons and Harden, who had 14 of his 21 points in the third, hit three triples apiece in the frame.

Parsons made his first 11 shots from the field. He was 12-of-13 overall and finished 6-of-7 from beyond the arc for Houston, which has won four of its last six games.

"Our spacing and our ball movement opened up the floor so much for me, and I just knocked down shots. When you get in a zone like that, it's one of the best feelings in the world for a basketball player," Parsons said.

O.J. Mayo tallied 18 points to lead the Mavericks, who have dropped four of their last five contests on the heels of a three-game winning streak.

"This is one of those situations where you have to step up to the challenge, and we just didn't do it," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said of the third quarter.

The Mavs led 33-31 after a quarter of play, but the Rockets outscored Dallas 33-28 in the second to take a 64-61 edge into the break.

The Rockets then came out of the locker room and pulled away quickly, beginning the third on a 22-4 run to seize control.

Parsons had eight points and drained two of his treys during the burst, which was capped on a Jeremy Lin bank shot for an 86-65 Houston spread midway through the third.

The Rockets took a 108-78 cushion into the fourth and the margin reached its apex at 37 in the final frame.

Game Notes

The Rockets' 44 points in the third matched the third-highest quarter total in the NBA this season. The Clippers netted 46 against Houston on Feb. 13, and the New York Knicks put up 45 in the fourth against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 21.

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