EVANSTON—Northwestern escaped Minneapolis with a one point win over Minnesota last week despite a less than decent effort. This time their mistakes and special teams failures bit them in the butt and the undefeated record was marked with a defeat that was well deserved against an inferior opponent.Dan Dierking scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard run and redshirt quarterback Rob Henry rushed for 132 yards in his first career start as Purdue rallied to beat Northwestern 20-17 on Saturday night.Purdue (3-2, 1-0) opened Big Ten play with a victory despite Henry’s struggles in the passing game. He was 6-of-18 for 47 yards.Northwestern (5-1, 1-1) had a chance to match its best start in 48 years, but was doomed by poor special teams.Purdue trailed 17-13 in the fourth quarter when Boilermakers defensive tackle Kawann Short blocked Stefan Demos’ 41-yard field-goal attempt. Purdue then drove 68 yards for the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard run by Dierking, who went in untouched on a fourth-and-1 play with 3:54 left in the game.The struggling Demos also missed a 45-yard attempt with 1:01 to play.NU quarterback Dan Persa was 30-of-41 with 305 yards. On the drive before Demos’ final miss, the Wildcats’ Jacob Schmidt ran 22 yards to the Purdue 4-yard line, but the play was negated by a holding penalty.Henry was the Boilermakers’ No. 3 quarterback when preseason practice began. Caleb TerBush was declared academically ineligible before the season started and Robert Marve suffered a left knee injury in Purdue’s 31-20 loss to Toledo two weeks ago.The score was 10-10 at halftime. Schmidt caught a screen pass for 17 yards to set up Persa’s 5-yard TD run to give the Wildcats a 17-10 lead. The drive was kept alive when Purdue’s Charlton Williams was called for holding on a play when Max Charlot intercepted Persa’s pass in the end zone.Purdue wide receiver O.J. Ross’ block helped spring Keith Carlos for a 51-yard run. The Boilermakers settled for Carson Wiggs’ 40-yard field goal, making the score 17-13.On Northwestern’s third possession, Persa found Jeremy Ebert across the middle for a 38-yard reception to highlight a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Schmidt finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.Henry answered on the last play of the first quarter when he broke off a 67-yard run through the middle of the NU defense. He was caught from behind at the 9-yard line, but later scored on a 1-yard run.Later in the second quarter, Northwestern punt returner Hunter Bates fumbled and Albert Evans recovered, setting up Wiggs’ 36-yard field goal to give Purdue a 10-7 lead.On fourth-and-4 at the Purdue 40, Persa eluded Short and flipped a pass to Sidney Stewart for a 16-yard gain, which led to Demos’ 46-yard field goal with 41 seconds remaining in the half. orthwestern last started a season 6-0 in 1962, when Ara Parseghian was the Wildcats’ coach.

NEW YORK—Mariano Rivera got the last out, sealing yet another October triumph. Jorge Posada trotted out to mound, and the Yankees came out of the dugout in a businesslike manner to shake each other hands.No crazy celebration, at least not yet. Postseason step No. 1 accomplished. Two more to go before the New York Yankees’ big party can start.And yet another quick October exit for the Minnesota Twins. Phil Hughes pitched seven shutout innings, Marcus Thames and Nick Swisher hit home runs and the Yankees beat the Twins 6-1 on Saturday night to complete yet another three-game sweep of Minnesota and return to the AL Championship Series.Even newcomers sense only part of the mission is complete.For starters, though, the Yankees sped past the Twins with ease. It’s not just a pair of playoff victories for New York against Minnesota, but four in the past decade — all in the first round.New York will begin the ALCS on Friday at Texas or Tampa Bay. With the short first-round series, the defending World Series champions put ace CC Sabathia in position to start the opener.A banged-up veteran team appears to have benefited from days off in October. The wild-card Yankees rebounded from a late-season fade in which they lost 17 of their final 26.Chicagoan Robinson Cano got New York started when he tripled off Brian Duensing in the second inning and scored on Posada’s single. Mark Teixeira added an RBI single in the third, and Thames made it 4-0 with his first career postseason home run, a two-run drive over the right-field scoreboard.Brett Gardner hit a sacrifice fly off Matthew Guerrier later in the fourth, and Swisher added a solo home run in the seventh against Scott Baker.The AL Central champion Twins lost their 12th consecutive postseason game dating to 2004, one shy of the record set by the Boston Red Sox from 1986-95. Minnesota’s past nine losses have been against the Yankees.In addition to this year, the Yankees knocked out the Twins in the first round in 2003, 2004 and last season. New York outscored Minnesota 17-7 in this series and scorched the Twins 69-36 in the four playoff triumphs.With Minnesota badly missing Justin Morneau, sidelined since midseason because of a concussion, the heart of the Twins’ order Saturday — AL MVP Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel — combined to go 3 for 20 (.150) with no RBI in the series.After leading the major leagues during the regular season with a .285 average with runners in scoring position, the Twins couldn’t get a single clutch hit in the playoffs. With runners in scoring position, they went an almost impossibly bad 0 for 14 before Denard Span’s too-little, too-late single in the eighth off Kerry Wood.Orlando Hudson followed with an RBI single, and a Mauer walk loaded the bases. Boone Logan threw one pitch, retiring Kubel on an infield pop, and David Robertson got Delmon Young on an inning-ending flyout. Minnesota finished the series 2 for 18 (.222) RISP with one RBI.In the first postseason game at new Yankee Stadium following the death of George Steinbrenner in July, the late owner’s four children all looked on, hoping to see a repeat of the run that brought the pinstripes their record 27th World Series title last year, which christened the $1.5 billion ballpark.Hughes gave up four hits, struck out six and walked one, leaving to chants of “Hughes!” from the new Yankee Stadium record crowd of 50,840 following his first scoreless start since May 12. He was perfect his first time through the order, then allowed Span’s single to right leading off the fourth. Hughes didn’t allow a runner past second.Four relievers followed, with Rivera closing it out 1-2-3 in a non-save situation. Fans didn’t stick around long, knowing they’ll be back.Come October, the killer instinct in the Yankees comes out.

SOUTH BEND—Brian Kelly’s baby, his spread offense, was clicking for a half. Notre Dame’s no-huddle was snapping off plays so rapidly that Pitt’s defense was hurrying to get organized. The speed early on was almost dizzying.But the 17-3 lead the Irish forged by halftime – thanks also to Pitt’s struggles to score from inside the 20 – didn’t end in a comfortable win for Notre Dame. Not that style points mean anything to Kelly.The Irish held on to beat the Panthers 23-17 Saturday.Quarterback Dayne Crist passed for a TD and ran for another in the first half, completing 12 straight passes at one point. And the Irish got three field goals from David Ruffer, who stayed perfect in his career (16-for-16) while setting a school record for consecutive makes.Still, the Panthers climbed back into it. Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri hit Jon Baldwin on a 56-yard TD to bring the Panthers within 23-17 with 7:23 left. Pitt (2-3) got the ball back twice thereafter – at its own 10 with 4:45 to go and again at its 7 with 1:37 remaining. But on its final series, Gary Gray broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Baldwin and Notre Dame (3-3) ran out the clock for its second straight win following a three-game losing streak.Pitt moved inside the Notre Dame 20-yard line three times in the first half – reaching the 9, the 10 and the 19 – but managed only three points. Dan Hutchins kicked one field goal, missed another and then never got off an attempt in the closing seconds of the half when holder Andrew Janocko fumbled the snap.Sunseri, who completed 27 of 39 passes for 272 yards and also ran for a second-half TD, agreed that not cashing in on earlier opportunities cost Pitt a chance at victory.Special teams hurt the Panthers again in the second half. Pitt faked a punt on its first possession of the third quarter and Hutchins was stopped short of the first down at the Pitt 34. Ruffer followed by setting the school record with his 15th straight field goal – and 10th in a row this year – by hitting a 50-yarder. Nick Tausch set the record with 14 in a row last season.Pitt gambled again late in the third and this time it worked.On a fourth-and-1 from the Pitt 32, Dion Lewis broke off a 30-yard run. After a 21-yard pass to Devin Street, Sunseri carried five yards on third down to get the first down and then skirted left end for a 4-yard TD, cutting Notre Dame’s lead to 20-10 with 3:12 left in the period.Crist engineered a rapid, 13-play, 77-yard drive in the first quarter as the Irish’s no-huddle spread took off. He completed a 14-yard pass to Theo Riddick, Armando Allen had a 10-yard run, Michael Floyd made a 14-yard reception and then a pass interference call took the ball to the 1 before Crist hooked up with Floyd for the score.

ARLINGTON—Tampa Bay’s hitters woke up just in time, and the Rays get to play another day.John Jaso lined a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning after Carlos Pena delivered a rare clutch playoff hit for Tampa Bay, and the Rays avoided elimination in the AL Division Series with a 6-3 victory against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.The Rays, the AL’s best team in the regular season, cut their deficit in the best-of-5 series to 2-1. Game 4 will be Sunday.Limited to a total of one run while losing the first two games at home, Tampa Bay broke loose in the late innings.With the record crowd of 51,746 still buzzing from Ian Kinsler’s leadoff home run in the seventh that put the Rangers up and appeared to set the stage for a series-clinching victory 50 seasons in the making, Dan Johnson doubled off the wall with one out in the Rays eighth. Pena followed with an RBI single that made it 2-2.After B.J. Upton struck out for the fifth time in the series, reliever Darren O’Day was pulled after facing only one batter. Rangers manager Ron Washington made a curious move bringing in All-Star closer Neftali Feliz. The hard-throwing righty set a major league rookie record with 40 saves in the regular season.Feliz walked Jason Bartlett, the No. 9 hitter in Tampa Bay’s order, before Jaso’s liner to center gave the Rays their first lead in the series.Carl Crawford led off the ninth with a homer to chase Feliz, and Pena added a two-run shot off reliever Dustin Nippert.While Texas is still the only current major league franchise that has never won a postseason series, the Rays are trying to do what’s only been done once before.Of the 16 teams before this year to lose the first two games of a division series at home, only the 2001 New York Yankees have swept the next three games to advance. They did it against Oakland.The AL West champion Rangers, in their 39th season in Texas after 11 seasons as the Washington Senators, still have never won a home playoff game (0-5). They won at Yankee Stadium in their first-ever playoff game in 1996, then lost three straight games in that series before being swept in 1998 and 1999.Right-hander Wade Davis makes his playoff debut for Tampa Bay as the starter Sunday. The Rangers counter Tommy Hunter, who was 13-4 in the regular season, after they decided before the series even began that Cliff Lee wouldn’t pitch Game 4 on three days’ rest — something the ace left-hander has never done.Tampa Bay hit only .247 for the season, lowest of any playoff team since the 1972 Oakland A’s. But that was stellar compared to the .125 mark for the first two games of the series, when the Rays totaled only eight hits.Until Upton’s RBI single in the sixth, the Rays hadn’t scored in 16 innings and had gone 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position since Evan Longoria’s single in the first of the series opener.The way the Rays had been hitting, it seemed as if the Rangers might have enough when Kinsler pulled a 386-foot shot down the left-field line off Matt Garza.As soon as Kinsler hit the ball, the crowd was on its feet and waving its white rally towels while cheering. In the front row near the Rangers dugout, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan — the team president who this summer added the title part-owner — stood and applauded with a wide smile on his face.Garza was done after allowing one earned run and five hits, but the 2008 ALCS MVP was bailed out by three relievers and the surprising bats.Randy Choate got the only batter he faced before Joaquin Benoit worked 1 2/3 perfect innings for the victory. The only hiccup by the relievers was Rafael Soriano giving up a solo homer to Nelson Cruz in the ninth.

STATE COLLEGE—Mikel Leshoure ran for 119 yards, Nate Bussey had a 16-yard interception return for a score and Illinois pounded injury-depleted Penn State in a 33-13 win on Saturday to spoil the Nittany Lions’ homecoming in Happy Valley.Derek Dimke added four field goals and the Illini overcame three fumbles on special teams by return man Jack Ramsey by pounding away at a short-handed defense. The bruising 6-foot Leshoure and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase softened the Nittany Lions on the run, and Scheelhaase took advantage of soft coverage over the middle with an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to A.J. Jenkins.By the time halfback Jason Ford hit Evan Wilson with a 4-yard TD pass on a trick play for a 14-point lead with 8:30 in the third quarter, the Illini (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) were well on their way to their first victory in seven tries in Happy Valley.It was another confidence-building performance for Illinois after a closer-than-expected 24-13 loss last week to Ohio State. They face another tough road trip next week at No. 17 Michigan State.On offense, Penn State’s season-long troubles in the red zone continued after settling for field goals off two Ramsey punt-return fumbles inside the 30 in the first half. Illinois’ rejuvenated defense held the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2) to season-lows of 235 yards and seven first downs in freshman quarterback Rob Bolden’s choppiest game of his young career.They were lucky to be trailing just 20-13 at halftime following a first half in which they managed just three first downs.The second half wasn’t much better.Coach Joe Paterno’s crew opened with a three-and-out drive. Illinois, the Big Ten’s best team in the red zone, then gave its opponents an offensive lesson with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that sapped the enthusiasm out of Beaver Stadium.Troy Pollard had a 20-yard run up the middle. Scheelhaase scrambled for 16 yards, then hit Jenkins for a 14-yard gain to the 9.Against a defense littered with inexperienced backups, Illinois coach Ron Zook went to a trick play when Scheelhaase pitched back to Ford, who found Wilson in the end zone from four yards out for a 27-13 lead.Scheelhaase finished 15 of 19 passing for 151 yards, and ran for 61 yards on eight carries.The Illini defense frustrated Bolden and the struggling Penn State offense – with the Nittany Lions’ only bright spots coming on the young quarterback’s 80-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye.It followed one of Bolden’s biggest mistakes – a telegraphed attempted swing pass to Devon Smith that was tipped in the air and recovered by Bussey, who ran untouched into the end zone for a 14-3 lead at 9:39 of the second quarter.Bolden finished 8 of 21 for 142 yards, while tailback Evan Royster had another subpar outing with 35 yards on 11 carries.Illinois held the ball for 38 minutes, and limited Penn State to just 2 of 14 on third-down conversions.

SAN FRANCISCO—Rick Ankiel has a postseason memory he can celebrate. His clutch hit gave the Atlanta Braves yet another comeback victory in a season full of them.Ankiel splashed a home run into McCovey Cove in the 11th inning for his first postseason clout and Atlanta rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 on Friday night, tying their NL division series at one game apiece.The Braves pulled this one out with manager Bobby Cox watching the final nine innings from the clubhouse after his third career postseason ejection. The skipper told his team a victory in Game 2 would swing the momentum to the Braves as they headed home to Turner Field.Kyle Farnsworth pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings for the victory, relieving in the 10th after closer Billy Wagner got hurt. Farnsworth escaped a bases-loaded jam when Buster Posey grounded into an inning-ending double play that was started by third baseman Troy Glaus.Before his home run, Ankiel had been best known in the playoffs for his meltdown against Atlanta in 2000 while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals.That year, Ankiel started Game 1 of the NL division series but had major control problems and wound up walking six with five wild pitches in 2 2/3 innings. In Game 2 of the NLCS, he didn’t even make it out of the first inning, walking three and throwing two more wild pitches while retiring only two batters.The issues with his command eventually persuaded the once-promising lefty to switch positions and become an outfielder. He struck out in his only two postseason at-bats last year for St. Louis.Farnsworth and Ankiel came to the Braves at the trade deadline from Kansas City.Atlanta earned 46 come-from-behind victories this season and did it again when it mattered most. This is the only first-round playoff series that is even after two games.Alex Gonzalez hit a tying, two-run double in the eighth against Giants closer Brian Wilson, who led the majors with 48 saves this season.Ankiel’s drive on a 2-2 pitch from Ramon Ramirez was just the second splash homer in the postseason at 11-year-old AT&T Park. Fake Home run king Barry Bonds hit the other one on Oct. 10, 2002, in Game 2 of the NL championship series against St. Louis.Posey grounded into 5-4-3 double play in the 10th, keeping the score tied at 4.Wagner, who plans to retire after the season, first grabbed at his left side after chasing pinch-hitter Edgar Renteria’s bunt single to start the inning. The left-hander then fielded Andres Torres’ sacrifice bunt back to the mound, threw to first for the out and immediately grabbed at the area near his left hip before crumbling to his knees.The 39-year-old Wagner walked slowly off the field with a trainer and was replaced by Farnsworth, who was given all the time he needed to warm up. Farnsworth hit Freddy Sanchez in the right hand on his third pitch. Sanchez went down writhing in pain and was quickly examined, but went to first base. Wilson entered with runners at the corners and none out in the eighth after Sergio Romo gave up back-to-back singles to Derrek Lee and Brian McCann. Melky Cabrera hit a slow roller toward third that scored Atlanta’s second run. Pablo Sandoval’s throw to first pulled Aubrey Huff off the bag for an error, but Cabrera looked as though he would have beaten the throw anyway.Gonzalez tied it two batters later with a double to left-center.Wilson was trying for his first career six-out save. He pitched two innings twice during the regular season.Atlanta’s rally spoiled a strong postseason debut by Giants starter Matt Cain a day after Tim Lincecum’s 14-strikeout, two-hit gem in a 1-0 victory. Pat Burrell hit a three-run homer in the first inning to stake San Francisco to a quick cushion.Burrell connected on the first pitch from Tommy Hanson with two outs in the first, sending the pompom-waving sellout crowd of 44,046 into a frenzy of orange. The attendance was the largest in the history of AT&T Park, topping the total from the 2007 All-Star game.But Ankiel’s shot silenced the ballpark, and he was pelted with a celebratory cream pie after the game.The Braves, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2005, had a major league-leading 25 wins in their final at-bat this year.The teams have Saturday off for travel. Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez goes in Game 3 for the Giants against righty Tim Hudson. Both pitched their teams to victory and playoff berths on the final day of the regular season.McCann’s RBI single in the sixth snapped a 24-inning postseason scoreless stretch by the Braves dating to their last trip to the playoffs.The Giants hadn’t allowed a run in 28 innings since the fourth inning of their game last Saturday against San Diego.Cox got tossed by umpire Paul Emmel in the second after Gonzalez was called out at first on a close play. Emmel was the umpire at second base in Game 1 who called Posey safe on a stolen base when replays showed he was out. Posey later scored the only run of the game.The 69-year-old Cox, who is retiring after the season, did not argue in the opener – but he did this time. He was ejected by Emmel immediately after throwing his hat to the ground.

NOTES—Cain went 11-0 in 18 starts when receiving three runs of support this season…..Cox has been ejected from a record 158 regular-season games…..Ankiel’s shot was the 18th go-ahead homer of his career.

PHILADELPHIA—From no hits to no defense.Reds right fielder Jay Bruce missed a seventh-inning line drive after losing the ball in the lights, allowing two runs to score, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of Cincinnati’s shoddy fielding to earn a 7-4 win Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 NL division series.After Roy Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in Philadelphia’s 4-0 victory Wednesday, the Reds were determined to show their resilience.Brandon Phillips hit a leadoff homer on Roy Oswalt’s fourth pitch and the Reds built a 4-0 lead before their defense and bullpen unraveled.The Phillies rallied against hard-throwing rookie Aroldis Chapman and his triple-digit fastball after soft-tossing starter Bronson Arroyo kept Philadelphia’s hitters off balance.The two-time defending NL champions can close out the series in Game 3 on Sunday night in Cincinnati. Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, pitches for the Phillies. Johnny Cueto is on the mound for the Reds. Leading 4-3, the Reds turned to Chapman to protect the slim margin in the seventh. The 22-year-old Cuban came in firing, but he hit Chase Utley with a 101 mph fastball leading off. It wasn’t clear whether the ball grazed Utley’s right forearm, but he didn’t seem shaken. “I’m not sure,” Utley said when asked if the ball hit him. “At first, I thought it was going to hit me in the head. He throws fast. I felt like it hit me, so I put my head down and ran to first.” After Ryan Howard struck out, Jayson Werth hit a bouncer to third baseman Scott Rolen. Utley beat the throw to second on a close call. Phillips threw his arms up and Reds manager Dusty Baker came out to argue briefly.Jimmy Rollins then hit a liner to right that Bruce turned into a two-base error. The lights were the culprit, Bruce said, not the sea of white-and-red “Fightin’ Phils” rally towels.The ball rolled past Bruce, and Utley scored the tying run. Werth scored without a play when Phillips dropped the relay throw for another error, and the Phillies took a 5-4 lead. “It’s embarrassing,” Bruce said. “I take great pride in my defense, but there was nothing I can do about it.” Raul Ibanez followed with a single and Carlos Ruiz hit an RBI grounder for a 6-4 lead.Werth hit an RBI single off Nick Masset in the eighth to cap the scoring.Jose Contreras tossed a perfect seventh to earn the win. Ryan Madson worked the eighth and Brad Lidge pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth for the save. Third baseman Placido Polanco made a diving, backhanded stab on Chris Heisey’s hard grounder and threw to first to end it.The Reds finished second in the NL with a club-record .988 fielding percentage, but four errors led to five unearned runs. Their relievers hit three batters, who all ended up scoring. Philadelphia had eight hits, all singles.Before they fell apart, the Reds made this Roy look ordinary.Oswalt allowed four runs — three earned — and five hits in five innings. Oswalt used to dominate the Reds, but lost to them twice this season. He won his first 15 decisions against Cincinnati and was 23-1 coming into the year.Phillips, who made the final out against Halladay, drove a hanging slider into the left-field seats to snap Cincinnati’s 30-inning scoreless drought against Philadelphia. The All-Star second baseman flipped his bat and sauntered around the bases, pumping his fist on the way to the dugout.Arroyo allowed two unearned runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. The shaggy-haired right-hander, a 17-game winner, used an assortment of slow curves and other off-speed pitches to baffle the Phillies. He reached 90 mph on the radar gun just once, on his 38th pitch.Two defensive gaffes by two of Cincinnati’s best fielders allowed the Phillies to get back in it in the fifth. Then wildness from the Reds’ relievers made it even closer an inning later.Arthur Rhodes plunked Ruiz on the left knee with a two-out pitch to put two runners on in the sixth. Logan Ondrusek came in and hit pinch-hitter Ben Francisco on the bill of his helmet to load the bases. Francisco’s helmet spun off, but he was fine.Shane Victorino then walked to force in a run and get the Phillies within 4-3. Polanco grounded out to end the threat.Phillips, who led NL second baseman in fielding percentage, booted Victorino’s two-out grounder to put two runners on in the fifth. Then Rolen, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, bobbled Polanco’s grounder to load the bases.Utley followed with a two-run single to cut it to 4-2. The stoic Utley slapped his hands together at first base in an uncharacteristic display of emotion while the sellout crowd roared. But Arroyo fanned Howard to end the inning.A pair of throwing errors by Utley gave the Reds a run in the second. Laynce Nix reached safely leading off after Utley’s throw pulled Howard off first. With runners at first and second and one out, Ryan Hanigan hit a one-hopper to shortstop Rollins that should’ve been an inning-ending double play. But Utley’s relay to first skipped past Howard and allowed Nix to score.Utley had just 11 errors this season, but he’s had Steve Sax-like problems before in the postseason. The five-time All-Star made a pair of costly throwing errors in the first two games of the NLCS last year against Los Angeles.Bruce led off the fourth with a towering shot into the second deck in right to make it 3-0. Bruce was the only runner to reach against Halladay in Game 1 when he walked with two outs in the fifth.Phillips doubled to start the fifth, advanced to third on pinch-hitter Paul Janish’s sacrifice and scored on Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.Acquired from Houston on July 29, Oswalt went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 13 games with the Phillies. Oswalt — not Halladay or Hamels — was Philadelphia’s best pitcher down the stretch. The three-time All-Star was 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his last 10 starts.But Oswalt never seemed to find his groove. He appeared out of sync with catcher Ruiz, shaking off a lot of pitches and stepping off the mound quite a bit.The Reds led the NL in batting average (.278), homers (188) and runs (790), but they were shut out three straight games against Philadelphia. The Phillies won consecutive 1-0 games to complete a four-game sweep before the All-Star break and Halladay opened this series with his gem.

NOTES—Polanco returned to the lineup after missing the opener with a sore back. … Phillips had never hit a leadoff homer. … The Phillies have sold out 133 straight games, including the playoffs. … Rollins batted sixth and Victorino led off. It was the first time in 34 career playoff games that Rollins didn’t bat first. … Reds SS Orlando Cabrera left after four innings. He aggravated his left side turning a double play.

Derrick Rose bested rookie John Wall in a meeting of young point guards, and the Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 107-96 on Friday night.Rose had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes, while Wall had 11 points and six assists in 29 minutes.It was the first professional matchup between Rose and Wall, who both played their college ball under John Calipari. Calipari attended the game and watched his former pupils from a courtside seat behind one of the baskets during the first half, seated next to Indiana coach Tom Crean. Calipari watched the second half with Rose’s family.Kirk Hinrich played his first game in the United Center since being traded from the Bulls to the Wizards before last June’s NBA Draft. Hinrich, who averaged 13.4 points over seven seasons for the Bulls, scored four points in 28 minutes. He received a warm ovation during pregame introductions. Kyle Korver added 17 points, and Joakim Noah had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 16 points.Rose was the top pick of the 2008 NBA Draft after playing one year under Calipari at Memphis. Wall was the No. 1 overall pick in June following a season under Calipari at Kentucky.Wall and Rose were relatively quiet in the first half. Wall scored four points and had four assists, while Rose scored six points on 3-of-10 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists.The action picked up a bit to start the second half, as Wall and Rose went at each other during several different sequences.While the focus was on the point guards, the game was decided on the boards. The Wizards, who have been starting a three-guard lineup, were outrebounded 48-32. Korver was 6 of 9 from the field for 14 points in the first half, helping the Bulls take a 10-point lead. The Bulls shot 55 percent from the field in the opening half.The Bulls played their starters through the third quarter while building their 20-point lead. Tom Thibodeau earned his first victory as Bulls coach after they lost their first two preseason games.

on October 8, 2010 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER—Paul Stastny scored two goals, including the game-winner 3:40 into overtime, to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Thursday night.Chris Stewart and Matt Duchene also scored after the Avalanche honored their 1996 Cup-winning team in a pregame ceremony.Stastny’s winning goal from in front was set up by a pass out of the corner by Duchene. Blackhawks goalie Marty Turco got a piece of the puck, but it trickled into the net.Patrick Sharp tied the game midway through the third period. Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa also scored for the Blackhawks, who have dropped five of their last six season openers.Duchene deflected a pass from Adam Foote into the net in the second period while his boyhood heroes watched from the stands.The young scorer grew up in Canada an ardent Colorado fan, posters of Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy and Peter Forsberg adorning his bedroom walls.The Blackhawks have a decidedly different look this season after severing ties with playoff standout Dustin Byfuglien and Cup-winning goalie Antti Niemi as part of moves to get under the salary cap.Still, their youthful and skillful core remains in tact, making the team strong title contenders again. Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, three of those tenacious 20-somethings, each had an assist.To replace Niemi, the Hawks brought in veteran goalie Turco. He was shaky in the second period, giving up two goals, including a power-play tally by Stastny that trickled through his pads.But he came up big in the third, especially in the closing seconds. Turco landed on a loose puck as Colorado players collapsed, smothering it with his back while his legs were in the net. Turco stopped 37 shots.Former Hawk Craig Anderson was solid for the Avalanche, stopping a flurry of shots late in regulation and finishing with 35 saves. The team relied heavily on him last season as he set franchise marks in games played, minutes, shots faced and saves.Bickell scored the first goal of the Hawks season early in the opening period on a wrist shot over the glove the shoulder of Anderson. Hossa set up the power-play goal with a pass across the ice.Later in the period, the Avalanche took advantage of a turnover to tie the game. Nick Leddy let the puck bounce away from him in the Colorado end, leading to a goal by Stewart.Stewart led Colorado with 28 goals last season. While the Blackhawks launched their title defense Thursday, the Avalanche looked back. There were 24 players and coaches in attendance for the reunion, including Sakic, Roy and Forsberg.The Avalanche swept the Florida Panthers in the Finals that year, giving the state of Colorado its first major pro sports title in the team’s first season in the Mile High City after relocating from Quebec.The ’96 squad gathered on the ice, shaking hands as they made their way along the red carpet.Foote skated out to meet his former teammates and posed for a few photos. Then, he glided over to his current crew, donning that model of the Avalanche sweater on top of his ’96 uniform.Entering his 19th season, Foote is the lone player from that squad still playing for Colorado.The Avalanche crew had a chance to mingle and reflect at a celebratory dinner on Wednesday. Joel Quenneville, who was an Avalanche assistant coach back then, was in attendance.

NOTES—Quenneville coached his 1,000th NHL game Thursday. … Avalanche F Peter Mueller (concussion) is out indefinitely.