NATIONAL LEAGUE
Derek Lowe outlasted fellow ace pitcher Johan Santana as the Atlanta Braves beat New York 8-3 on Monday, ending the Mets’ seven-game winning streak in the National League.
Shortstop Jose Reyes’ two-out error in the seventh inning led to four runs, saddling Santana (4-2) with his second loss this season when he did not allow an earned run.
Matt Diaz’s two-run single off Pedro Feliciano snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh, and Casey Kotchman followed with another two-run single that made it 5-1.
GIANTS 11, NATIONALS 7
At San Francisco, Randy Johnson struck out nine in his 298th career victory, and Randy Winn had three hits and scored three runs in San Francisco’s 11-7 win over Washington.
Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 29 games and went four for five with two homers for the Nationals, including a three-run shot in the ninth.
Zimmerman hit a solo shot in the sixth off the 208cm Johnson (3-3), who yielded eight hits and four runs while outdueling 206cm Daniel Cabrera in the tallest pitching matchup in baseball history.
Travis Ishikawa had three hits and drove in two runs for the Giants.
Cabrera (0-4) gave up eight hits and six walks in his 12th straight start without a victory.
Zimmerman extended the longest hitting streak in the Nationals’ brief history and the longest by a third baseman in a quarter-century with the first-inning single. With his ninth-inning homer, Zimmerman improved to 48 for 126 (.381) since the streak began.
REDS 13, DIAMONDBACKS 5
At Phoenix, Arizona, Willy Taveras matched a career high with five hits and Adam Rosales had a homer and two doubles as Cincinnati trounced Arizona.
Taveras, who had four singles and a double, scored four runs and drove in two.
Bronson Arroyo (5-2) allowed five runs and 10 hits in seven innings, striking out five.
The Reds jumped on Arizona starter Jon Garland (3-2) early, scoring one run in the first, three in the third and three in the fourth.
Justin Upton’s two-run homer brought Arizona within 4-2, but hitter Laynce Nix led off the fourth with a homer and three pitches later, Rosales made it 6-2.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Carl Pavano won his third straight start as the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-4 on Monday to snap a four-game losing streak in the American League.
Pavano (3-3) allowed four runs and 10 hits over six-and-a-third innings in his first appearance against the White Sox in nearly five years. The right-hander didn’t issue a walk and struck out three.
Choo Shin-soo and Johnny Peralta drove in three runs apiece for Cleveland, which totaled 13 hits and scored three more runs than it did during its four-game slide.
Choo had an RBI single and Mark DeRosa an RBI double in Cleveland’s two-run first inning.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38