CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo was responsible for two of Chicagos 17 strikeouts Sunday.
[b]Martin Perez Jersey[/b] . He also had the biggest hit of the game for the Cubs. Rizzo hit a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, and the Cubs beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 to avoid a three-game sweep. Last-place Chicago struck out 44 times in the weekend series, setting a team record for three consecutive games, but Rizzo and touted rookie Javier Baez had two hits apiece to key a 13-hit attack in the finale. Carlos Villanueva (5-6) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the victory. "We ran into three good pitchers, and their bullpen is very good, too," Rizzo said. "Obviously, we dont see them very often, so that makes it even tougher. Strikeouts are part of the game now. They happen." Baez struck out in the 12th, but reached on a wild pitch that moved Ryan Sweeney to third. Baez moved to second on another wild pitch by Cesar Ramos (2-4) before Rizzo lined a single over a five-man infield and into right-centre field. "It didnt bother me," Rizzo said of the crowded infield. "Im not a ground-ball hitter." The Rays lost for only the fifth time in their last 23 road games. They trail Kansas City by 6 1/2 games in the race for the second AL wild card. Tampa Bay grabbed a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer got it started with a leadoff single against Neil Ramirez, who returned from the disabled list before the game. Guyer stole second and moved to third on a groundout before Desmond Jennings drove him in with a double. The Cubs responded with a two-out rally in the bottom half against Grant Balfour. Sweeney doubled and scored on Chris Coghlans triple. Rays right-hander Alex Cobb pitched six innings of one-run ball. He allowed six hits, struck out six and walked none. "Spectacular," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of his teams pitching in the series. Travis Wood matched Cobb with a strong performance for the Cubs. The left-hander allowed an unearned run and four hits in six innings, but remains winless in his last 10 starts. Wood, one of the best hitting pitchers in the majors, also helped himself with a one-out single in the fifth. He moved up on a groundout and scored on Baezs single to centre. Baezs run-scoring hit atoned for an error in the top half that allowed a run to score. Curt Casali started the inning with a double for the Rays second hit of the game. Logan Forsythe walked with one out before Jennings hit a slow roller to second base. The charging Baez retrieved the ball in time to make the play, only to have his off-balance throw sail wide of first base. SO FAR Baez, who was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, hit .276 with three homers and five RBIs in his first five major league games. The 21-year-old Baez also was charged with two errors in the field. "We want him to trust his skill set," manager Rick Renteria said. "We also dont him to feel that he has to carry the team." NO RELIEF IN SIGHT Renteria conceded that bullpen management has been his greatest challenge as a first-year manager, a task made even greater by a slew of close games. Cubs relievers began the day with the third-most innings in the majors this season. "Thats one of the reasons why we carry eight relievers," Renteria said. "It has kind of worked out for the most part, but it is challenging, and well continue to do the best we can." ON DECK Rays left-hander Drew Smyly (6-10) is scheduled to open a four-game series at Texas on Monday night. Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (6-3) will take the mound for the start of a four-game set versus the Brewers on Monday.
[b]Frank Viola Jersey[/b] .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night.
[b]Tom Brunansky Twins Jersey[/b] . The New York State Supreme Court only partially dismissed the lawsuit, meaning the case could be headed for trial. The tour announced a year ago that Singh would be suspended for saying in a Sports Illustrated story that he took deer antler spray, which was believed to contain the banned substance IGF-1.Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Dallas received goals from six different players and Kari Lehtonen made 32 saves in the Stars 6-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Lehtonen recorded his third shutout of the season as Dallas won for the seventh time in eight games. In his NHL debut, Brett Ritchie scored his first career goal at the 7:22 mark of the second period. Just 63 seconds later, Colton Sceviour followed him up with another goal and the rout was on. Jamie Benn, Cody Eakin, Ales Hemsky and Ryan Garbutt added third period tallies for the Stars. We are learning how to play a full 60 minutes and are managing the puck better, Benn said. It was a lot of fun tonight. We definitely fed off the crowd. Devan Dubnyk allowed all six goals on 31 shots faced as the Coyotes had their three-game winning streak come to an end. In the end, we didnt compete hard enough in coverage and gave up too many chances, Arizona head coach Dave Tippett said. Weve got to regroup. After 27 scoreless minutes to open the game, Dallas fourth line recorded the first goal. Ritchies hit in the corner kept the cycle alive, and he skated to the slot to receive Travis Moens sliding pass which he deposited in the net. A minute later, the Stars added a goal in transition.
[b]Paul Molitor Twins Jersey[/b]. Tyler Seguin occupied the defense driving to the net, opening a lane for Benn to find Sceviour, who wristed the puck by Dubnyk. Benn scored himself just over a minute into the final period. On the power play, his shot from a tight angle along the goal line deflected off Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphys skate into the net. A pair of slapshots beat Dubnyk short-side later in the third. Eakins shot from the faceoff dot to Dubnyks left found the back of the net, and Hemsky ripped a shot from a similar location seven minutes later for the same result. With less than a minute left, Garbutt created a turnover in the neutral zone and skated through the defense before wristing one by Dubnyk. Game Notes Wednesday afternoon, the NHL Board of Governors approved IceArizonas 51 percent sale of the Coyotes to hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway ... Dallas swept the season series. The Stars franchise had not swept the Coyotes franchise since 1991-92 when the Stars played in Minnesota and the Coyotes played in Winnipeg ... The Coyotes fall to 0-14-0 when trailing after two periods. ' ' '
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