SEATTLE—Before he could really turn around, Brendan Ryan was being lifted off the ground to get a good view of the scrum that was about to take place.To no one’s surprise, it was Felix Hernandez hoisting Ryan in the air.Ryan made a winner out of Hernandez with a two-out RBI single up the middle in the ninth inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the last place White Sox 3-2 on Friday night.Always showing his emotions on the mound, Hernandez was furious with himself after giving up a tying home run to Carlos Quentin leading off the seventh. He smacked his glove in excitement after striking out Alex Rios to end the ninth, then was in the middle of the celebration after Ryan’s single.Hernandez (4-2) tossed his second complete game of the season and the 15th of his career, striking out six and giving up five hits. He was brilliant early, retiring the first nine in order on just 30 pitches, then overcame his own mistakes to give Seattle’s bats a chance at the end. Seattle squandered plenty of chances before the ninth inning arrived, having left runners in scoring position in the third, sixth and eighth innings.Jack Cust started the rally with a one-out single off Matt Thornton (0-3) and Jack Wilson followed with another hit just over the glove of leaping second baseman Gordon Beckham. Adam Kennedy came on as a pinch runner for Cust and Michael Saunders hit a flyball deep enough to move Kennedy to third.Ryan, who snapped an 0-for-21 skid on Thursday night, then lined a 1-0 pitch past Beckham’s diving attempt to score the winning run. Seattle has won eight of 10 and is back within a game of .500.Ryan also came through on the defensive side when Hernandez faced a jam in the eighth. Beckham led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner and was at third with one out. Alexei Ramirez hit a two-hopper to Ryan at shortstop and immediately turned to third where Beckham was caught too far off the bag. He was eventually tagged out in a rundown.Hernandez didn’t make it easy walking Adam Dunn, but got Paul Konerko to tap back to the mound to end the inning, then retired the side in order in the ninth.Milton Bradley and Justin Smoak both had RBI doubles in the sixth inning to give Seattle the lead. Bradley sliced a pitch from Phil Humber just inside the left-field line and Smoak continued his hot bat with a long ground-rule double to deep left-center.Bradley was later ejected in the eighth arguing with home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski, and was pulled away by Wedge after a heated few moments.Humber was equal to the reigning AL Cy Young winner. The White Sox’s promising right-hander gave up just three hits — all doubles — and two runs in seven strong innings. NOTES—The Sox went 9-1 against Seattle last season….Olivo started his 11th straight game at catcher, his longest streak of consecutive starts behind the plate in six seasons….Seattle CF Franklin Gutierrez was supposed to play seven innings in center field on rehab at Triple-A Tacoma on Friday night but was moved to DH after rain delayed the start of the game.

ATLANTA—Finally, the real Bulls showed up in the playoffs.Naturally, Derrick Rose led the way.Looking every bit like an MVP, Rose sliced up Atlanta for a career-high 44 points as the Bulls seized control of the Eastern Conference semifinals with their best performance of the postseason, romping to a 99-82 victory over the Hawks in Game 3 Friday night.The Bulls lead the series 2-1, putting Atlanta in must-win position heading into Game 4 Sunday night.Rose was dominant from the opening tip, slashing into the lane for a basket that prompted Atlanta to call a timeout before game was a minute old. He finished off the Hawks midway through the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, hopping down the court, serenaded by chants of “MVP! MVP” from a hefty contingent of Bulls fans.The Hawks’ fans began heading for home. Jeff Teague was about the only highlight for Atlanta, scoring 21 points. That wasn’t nearly enough against the D-Rose onslaught. He made 16 of 27 shots from the field, including four 3s. He dished out seven assists, grabbed five rebounds, came up with a steal – heck, he even blocked a shot.MVP, indeed.After struggling to put away Indiana in the opening round and losing at home in the opener of this series, the Bulls looked every bit like the team that won 62 games during the regular season. While everyone will point to Rose’s performance, the Bulls bench played a key role in a decisive second-quarter spurt. And everyone chipped in on the boards, leading the Bulls to a 47-34 edge that included 18 offensive rebounds.The Hawks hadn’t played a home playoff game of this magnitude since 1997, when this same scenario presented itself after Atlanta split the first two games in the United Center against the Michael Jordan-led Bulls in the East semifinals.That one didn’t work out too well for the Hawks, who promptly lost both games at the old Omni and were finished off in Game 5 back in ChiTown. Judging by the way things went Friday night, this series could be headed toward a similar result.

Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer, Brandon Phillips made some key defensive plays at second base and the Cincinnati Reds won their third straight game Friday, beating the Cubs 5-4.Edinson Volquez (3-1) got the win, laboring through numerous jams in five-plus innings. He allowed six hits and four runs, walked four and threw a pair of wild pitches.Matt Garza (1-4), the Cubs’ biggest offseason acquisition, still has one win in his first seven starts and none in four outings at Wrigley Field. He gave up six hits and five runs in six innings on a day of missed offensive opportunities for the Cubs, who left eight on base.

A day after joining Michael Jordan as the only Bulls player to win the MVP award, Derrick Rose puts on a gutsy performance against the Hawks in Game 2 — scoring a game-high 25 points in a 86-73 win to tie the series.

Newly crowned MVP Derrick Rose scored 25 points, Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 86-73 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night to tie the series.The top-seeded Bulls shook off a dismal performance in the opener and looked more like the team with a league-leading 62 wins, building a 14-point lead and ending the game on a 9-2 run after the Hawks got within six. Now, the series shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 Friday and Sunday, with the Bulls at least in better shape after a 103-95 loss in Game 1.The night started with Commissioner David Stern presenting Rose the MVP trophy, and the superstar point guard showed just why he became the youngest player to win the award.

LOS ANGELES—All Carlos Zambrano could do was leave Dodger Stadium and wonder whether he could have stopped Andre Ethier’s 29-game hitting streak.The Cubs’ excitable right-hander never got the chance, because Ethier missed his first game of the season with an inflamed left elbow. As a result, Zambrano dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers for eight innings in a 5-1 victory Wednesday.The Cubs scored all of its runs on homers by Geovany Soto, Carlos Pena and Marlon Byrd.Ethier, who has seven hits in 16 career at-bats against Zambrano including a home run, remained two games shy of the longest streak in Dodgers history that was set by Willie Davis in 1969.Zambrano (4-1) outpitched former teammate Ted Lilly, allowing a run and five hits while striking out four and walking one.The only run against him came on a sacrifice fly in the sixth by Ethier’s replacement, Jay Gibbons. It was a dose of payback for Zambrano after his 7-3 loss to the Cubs on April 24 at Wrigley Field.Lilly (2-3) was rocked for five runs and eight hits in six innings. It was the first time the two-time All-Star surrendered three or more home runs since July 4, 2001, with the Cubs, when Cincinnati hit four off him in a 14-3 rout at Wrigley.Zambrano and Lilly were teammates on the north side from 2007 until last summer. Lilly was then traded to the Dodgers and won his first five starts for them. Since then, he is 4-7 with a 4.91 ERA in 14 starts and had allowed 14 home runs in 80 2/3 innings.The Cubs, who were guilty of baserunning blunders throughout this three-game series, ran themselves into outs in the third and fifth innings. Alfonso Soriano tagged up and tried to make second after a flyball by Pena, but left fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. threw to second baseman Aaron Miles for the slap-tag.Jeff Baker tried to stretch a bloop hit near the right-field line into a double and was out on Gibbons’ quick peg. Soto came up next, driving a 2-2 pitch into the pavilion seats in left-center for his third homer.Pena, who hit his first home run in a Cubs uniform during Tuesday night’s 4-1 victory, led off the four-run sixth with a drive into the lower seats in the right field corner. Zambrano and Darwin Barney singled before Byrd sent Lilly’s next pitch over the left-field fence for his first homer.

NOTES—Gibbons, in his second game back from the disabled list after missing the first 30 because of vision problems, batted third in Ethier’s place and was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. It was his first start in right field since last Aug. 15 in Atlanta, when he lost a flyball in the sun that was hit by Troy Glaus and a run scored. Jonathan Broxton, the Dodgers’ 6-foot-4, 300-pound closer, won’t pitch until after an MRI exam of his aching right elbow. He walked consecutive batters on four pitches each and was charged with two runs in the ninth inning of a 4-1 loss Tuesday night…..The Dodgers are scheduled to face Mets starters Jonathon Niese, Chris Young and R.A. Dickey in a series that begins Friday night at New York. Ethier is 12 for 29 against Young with six homers, 10 RBI and five walks; and 1 for 2 against Dickey. He has never faced Niese, who pitches the series opener…..The switch-hitting Zambrano, whose 20 career homers are a Cubs record for pitchers, sent Gwynn to the warning track with a first-pitch drive in the third inning.

Minnesota’s Nick Blackburn had one Wednesday, getting on the mound about 15 hours after teammate Francisco Liriano tossed a no-hitter against the White Sox.Turns out Blackburn wasn’t unhittable, but he wasn’t bad, either. After not winning in a month, he pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning and watched Jason Kubel drive in a pair of runs as the Twins beat the reeling White Sox 3-2.That’s all you need against the White Sox, who lost for the 17th time in 21 games.Blackburn (2-4) got his first win since his first start April 3, while John Danks — a 15-game winner last season — dropped to 0-5. He gave up eight hits and three runs in eight innings.The Sox lefty didn’t get much run support and was hurt by a rare mental error by 11-time Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel, who played second base and failed to cover first on a bunt in Minnesota’s two-run sixth.The White Sox are simply playing like the last-place team they have become.Minnesota forged ahead with two runs in the sixth inning.Denard Span singled and Matt Tolbert reached on a bunt single when Vizquel didn’t cover first after third baseman Mark Teahen fielded the ball. Span moved to third on a fly ball and scored on Kubel’s sacrifice fly, and after Michael Cuddyer was walked intentionally, Rene Tosoni delivered an RBI single to make it 3-1.The Sox got an unearned run in the eighth when Alexei Ramirez hit a one-out double off Glen Perkins and moved to third on a passed ball before Adam Dunn walked. Matt Capps relieved and gave up Paul Konerko’s sacrifice fly before retiring Carlos Quentin on a pop.Capps gave up a single and hit a batter in the ninth before retiring Juan Pierre on a fly ball to end the game and get his fifth save in six chances.The Twins struck with a first-inning run when Span walked, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and Kubel hit a two-out RBI single.Kubel, who homered Tuesday night, always hits well against the White Sox and drove in three of the four Minnesota runs in the brief series.The Twins’ modest two-game winning streak comes on the heels of a six-game skid. Now it’s off to Boston for a four-game series.Blackburn opened with a win in his first start of the season April 3 and was winless in four starts since. In his last outing, he gave up eight hits and five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.The Twins could sense the carryover from Liriano’s gem.

NOTES—Kubel, who homered Tuesday night for the only run, has 69 RBI in 72 games against the White Sox…..Drew Butera’s fifth-inning hit snapped an 0-for-22 skid….Rios had three hits for the SWox, who are 1-9 in their last 10 home games……The game time was 2 hours, 30 minutes, or 21 minutes longer than Tuesday night.

LOS ANGELES—Geovany Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the ninth inning, and the Cubs beat the Dodgers 4-1 on Tuesday night after Los Angeles’ Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.After getting an out, Jonathan Broxton (1-2) walked Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena on four pitches each.Manager Don Mattingly replaced his struggling closer with Blake Hawksworth, who got an out then gave up Soto’s two-out hit to right-center on a 1-2 pitch. Former Dodger Blake DeWitt followed with a pinch-hit RBI single.Kerry Wood (1-1) pitched a perfect eighth for his first victory with the Cubs since Sept. 18, 2008, and Carlos Marmol got three outs for his eighth save in 10 attempts.

Francisco Liriano has pitched the major league’s first no-hitter of the season, throwing his first career complete game in the Minnesota Twins’ 1-0 victory against the White Sox on Tuesday night.Liriano (2-4) walked six and struck out two, throwing 123 pitches in the 95th major-league start for the 27-year-old left-hander.He survived a rocky ninth inning that began when Brent Morel grounded to shortstop and Matt Tolbert made a one-hop throw that first baseman Justin Morneau scooped. Juan Pierre walked and Alexei Ramirez popped to shortstop.Liriano fell behind Adam Dunn 3-0 in the count, then got a pair of strikes. After a foul ball, Dunn lined out to Tolbert as Liriano and his Twins teammates celebrated at the mound.

Joe Johnson scored 34 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat Derrick Rose and the top-seeded Bulls 103-95 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.As if the loss itself wasn’t bad enough, the Bulls got a major scare when Rose came up limping at the end of the game. Their MVP candidate stepped on Jamal Crawford’s foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer.The Hawks went on a 15-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to turn a 69-65 deficit into an 80-71 lead with 10:27 remaining.Johnson hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points during that stretch, and the Hawks hung on.Game 2 is Wednesday night at the United Center.Johnson was brilliant, hitting 12-of-18 shots and all five 3-point attempts. Crawford scored 22 points and Jeff Teague added 10 while starting at the point for the injured Kirk Hinrich. The Hawks shot 51.3 percent against one of the league’s stingiest defenses.As alarming as that was, though, the sight of Rose limping off sent a real shiver through United Center. The Bulls simply can’t afford to lose him if they’re going to keep this run going, even though it wasn’t his best night.He scored 24 points after a slow start but was just 11-of-27 from the field.Luol Deng scored 21 points while Carlos Boozer added 14 points and eight rebounds despite a turf toe injury on his right foot. But it was a rough night overall for the Bulls.Pushed by Indiana in a tough five-game opening series, they fought through a brutal first quarter to pull within one point at halftime and led by as many as six in the third quarter before this one slipped away.Johnson started the go-ahead run with two free throws with just under a minute left in the third, and Zaza Pachulia hit two more with less than a second left in the quarter to put the Hawks ahead for good, 72-71.Johnson then hit a 3 off a turnover by Deng to start the fourth. Teague added a floater and Crawford nailed a 3 to make it 80-71.The night started with a strong rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Jim Cornelison, fans erupting as he belted out “land of the free and the home of the brave” in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing. They also cheered loudly when Tom Thibodeau was presented the Coach of the Year trophy before the opening tip, but a slow start by the Bulls quickly killed the good vibe. A team that catapulted to a league-best 62 wins watched as Atlanta hit 13-of-22 shots in the first quarter while grabbing a 28-18 lead. The Bulls, meanwhile, missed their first nine shots and were 6-of-21 in the quarter, with Rose missing all seven shots.He finally connected right after he checked back into the game midway through the second, when he scooped in a left-handed layup in transition, making it 39-34.He also hit a 3 later in the quarter, and the Bulls walked into the locker room trailing 51-50 at the half.The Hawks scored the first nine points and took an 11-2 lead before the Bulls hit their first shot. Deng, who had converted two free throws, stopped that drought when he drove across the lane with 6:45 left and added a tip-in midway through the quarter.

NOTES—Boozer had strong praise for Thibodeau. “So proud of him, well-deserved. Incredible coach. I told you guys all year long I was really impressed by his approach to the game, his preparation, the way he’s been able to use us all together — different guys from different teams, different talents – and put this team together the way he has, to make us be successful in this system.” …..Besides having Teague start for Hinrich, the Hawks went with Marvin Williams at small forward after he came off the bench in the opening round.