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The defending champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic beat her countrywoman Klara Zakopalova, 6-0, 6-1, on Friday to reach the final of the New Haven Open. Kvitova will face Simona Halep, who beat Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 7-5.
■ Gaël Monfils beat Alexandr Dolgopolov, 7-6 (11), 6-3, in the semifinals of the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina. Monfils will face Jürgen Melzer, who beat Sam Querrey, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Ian Kinsler raced around the bases for a bizarre inside-the-park homer, and Adam Rosales had a conventional two-run shot, helping the Texas Rangers beat the White Sox, 11-5, in Chicago on Friday night.
The Rangers, leading the American League West, had five homers in all while winning for the 19th time in 23 games and moving to a season-high 22 games over .500 (75-53). Jeff Baker and pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland each had two-run shots, and Adrian Beltre hit a solo drive.
The White Sox were unable to overcome a shaky outing by the ace Chris Sale, ending a season-high six-game winning streak. Sale (9-12) allowed eight runs and eight hits in seven innings.
In the third inning, Kinsler hit a line drive that rolled into a drainage track under the left-field wall. By the time Dayan Viciedo found the ball, Kinsler was on his way to the plate for a 5-3 Rangers lead.
Manager Robin Ventura disputed the play and was ejected.
ORIOLES 9, ATHLETICS 7 Brian Roberts hit a grand slam, and Adam Jones homered and drove in three runs for host Baltimore against Oakland.
TWINS 5, INDIANS 1 Samuel Deduno (8-7) pitched six solid innings, and Josh Willingham broke out of a slump with a two-run double in the seventh for Minnesota in Cleveland.
ASTROS 12, BLUE JAYS 4 The rookie Robbie Grossman homered and drove in four runs for host Houston.
CARDINALS 3, BRAVES 1 Adam Wainwright (15-7) earned his National League-leading 15th win with his fifth complete game and had a key sacrifice fly for St. Louis at home against Atlanta. Matt Holliday's 432-foot home run off Kris Medlen (10-12) broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth.
BREWERS 6, REDS 4 Khris Davis hit two-run homers in consecutive at-bats, powering Milwaukee in Cincinnati.
PHILLIES 4, D'BACKS 3 Chase Utley walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting host Philadelphia over Arizona.
ROCKIES 3, MARLINS 2 Ryan Wheeler's run-scoring double broke a 2-2 in the eighth inning, lifting Colorado in Miami.
A'S REACQUIRE SUZUKI The Oakland Athletics obtained their former catcher Kurt Suzuki from the Washington Nationals, addressing a depletion at the position. John Jaso has a concussion, and Derek Norris is on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left big toe.
Suzuki played six seasons in Oakland, then was traded to Washington last August. He was batting .222 with 3 homers and 25 runs batted in through 79 games.
DODGERS' SCULLY TO STAY Vin Scully, one of the game's beloved broadcasters, will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a record 65th season in 2014. Scully, 85, began his professional baseball broadcasting career in 1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
SUPPORT FOR BRAUN Milwaukee Brewers players said they were glad that their teammate Ryan Braun had acknowledged taking the performance-enhancing substances that resulted in his 65-game suspension by Major League Baseball. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy called Braun's admission "a good first step on the road to redemption."
WEDGE RETURNS TO MARINERS Manager Eric Wedge rejoined the Seattle Mariners after a mild stroke before a game on July 22. Wedge said he intended to manage the rest of the season.
BRAVES ADD GARCIA The Atlanta Braves, seeking pitching depth as they cruise toward an N.L. East title, acquired the 36-year-old right-hander Freddy Garcia from the Baltimore Orioles and assigned him to Class AAA Gwinnett. The Braves also put starter Brandon Beachy on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation.
AROUND THE MAJORS The St. Louis Cardinals placed starter Jake Westbrook on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. ... The San Francisco Giants put Matt Cain on the disabled list a day after he was hit in the pitching arm by a line drive, though X-rays were negative. ... Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, on the seven-day concussion disabled list, was given permission by a concussion specialist to begin a light exercise program.
The last time Terry Collins saw Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch in person — a first-round matchup of the 2009 World Baseball Classic — Collins was China's manager and considered the Japanese ace to be one of the best pitchers in the world.
Matsuzaka was a sensation: a recent World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox, a former W.B.C. most valuable player and the highest-paid Japanese player in history.
But as the Detroit Tigers' sluggers crushed most of Matsuzaka's pitches in the first two innings of his Mets debut Friday, it was obvious that the 32-year-old Matsuzaka, who allowed five runs in five innings in the 6-1 loss, was not that man anymore.
This was a different Matsuzaka that the Mets had signed Thursday: aged, arm-weary and playing for the league minimum.
Collins said he was mostly pleased with what he saw Friday, despite the scoreline. Matsuzaka, who retired the final 10 batters he faced, believed it had been an important first step toward a long-term return to the majors.
"I was a little bit more nervous than I expected to be," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. "The home runs and hits that came in those first two innings woke me up. From the third inning on, I was able to settle down and go back to what I worked on in the minor leagues and convinced me that I can get major league batters out."
Matsuzaka's first pitch, a four-seam fastball, landed in catcher Travis d'Arnaud's mitt at 88 miles per hour, a portend of bad things to come. Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera each hit towering home runs on pitches that were 90 and 91 m.p.h. None of Matsuzaka's pitches were harder than 91 m.p.h., and most ranged in the 87 to 90 range.
"His off-speed wasn't that different," Hunter said. "It broke hard. He threw a harder slider and then a slower curveball. He can still mix it up. He didn't have the velo of 95-96, of course. But we all get older. I used to run fast once. But he still has the explosiveness and keeps you off balance."
At his best, Matsuzaka threw fastballs in the mid-90s and even managed to make people believe that he had a mystical gyroball that dipped in several different directions on its way home. It did not seem that Matsuzaka's pitches did much dipping Friday.
"When I used to catch him in Boston, he had a little more on it," Matsuzaka's former teammate Victor Martinez said. "Today his ball was pretty straight. He left a few balls up, and the big guys didn't miss."
After arm troubles hampered his 2012 season — Matsuzaka had a dreadful 8.28 E.R.A. in 452/3 innings for the Red Sox — he found few free-agent offers. He signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians, but he failed to get a call-up this season after posting a 3.92 E.R.A. for Class AAA Columbus.
Sensing he would not get an opportunity to pitch in the majors, Matsuzaka was released this week at his request, becoming a free agent, and the Mets signed him.
With recent injuries to Jenrry Mejia and Jeremy Hefner, and with the front office not wanting to increase the innings load on some of their young pitchers in the minors, the Mets had few better options than Matsuzaka. The Mets needed Matsuzaka, who reportedly had no other major league offers after his release, almost as much as Matsuzaka needed the Mets.
"He had pitched well in his recent outings," General Manager Sandy Alderson said. "And he fit nicely, with a little bit of a nudge since he's pitching on three days' rest this time, into our rotation. We're happy to have him, and it fills a need for us from now until the end of the season."
Curiously, Matsuzaka was given Dwight Gooden's No. 16 jersey, something that might have seemed more appropriate more than six years ago during Matsuzaka's heralded arrival in the United States.
The Boston Red Sox paid a $51 million posting fee merely to negotiate with Matsuzaka's representative, Scott Boras. By the time the contract had been signed (six years, $52 million), Boston had invested more than $100 million. It was the most money ever paid for a Japanese pitcher until the Texas Rangers invested more than $112 million to sign Yu Darvish in 2012.
Asked what he remembered about Matsuzaka when he was being shopped around to teams in 2006, Alderson said: "Besides his price tag? It's hard to remember anything else."
As he struggled with his command and velocity Friday, it was hard to remember that Matsuzaka was once considered one of the best pitchers in the world.
INSIDE PITCH
Mets third baseman David Wright, on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, took grounders on the field for the first time since sustaining the injury Aug. 2. Terry Collins said Wright, who has also begun to run inside a pool, could possibly be ready as soon as Monday to head to Port St. Lucie, Fla., to continue his rehabilitation at the team's spring training facility.
J. Meric/Getty Images
The Rays' Matt Joyce celebrating his home run in the third inning. It was one of four home runs that Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda allowed over six innings.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After a week spent beating up the worst team in the American League East, the Yankees were flush with confidence and energized to find themselves back in a playoff race most people thought had passed them by. But once they flew south to face off against one of the best teams in the division, things did not go quite as smoothly.
The Yankees were battered, 7-2, in a sobering loss Friday that could serve as a warning to anyone convinced that their playoff aspirations are real. Chris Archer, the hard-throwing Rays right-hander with the stripped-down throwing motion, held the Yankees to two runs and four hits over seven strong innings, and Tampa Bay's offense sent a message that the Rays are not the Blue Jays.
It was only one loss, but it was disconcerting for the Yankees because it came at the expense of Hiroki Kuroda, their best starter this season. In his second consecutive poor outing, Kuroda gave up seven runs and matched a career high by allowing four home runs.
"Obviously, the team was on a roll," Kuroda said through an interpreter. "I wasn't able to contribute today, so yes, it's disappointing."
The home runs were the first that Kuroda had allowed since he gave up three at Baltimore on June 30, ending a streak of eight straight starts in which he had not allowed a homer. Before Friday, he had allowed only 12 home runs this season, and it had taken opponents 244 at-bats to hit the last four homers off him. On Friday, the Rays hit four in 13 at-bats.
"It's disappointing," center fielder Brett Gardner said. "I think everybody probably wondered what was going on when you saw him give up a homer and then another one and then another one and then maybe even another one. I'm not sure how many it was. But he's been so good all year. He's not perfect."
Kuroda fell behind after Jose Lobaton hit a three-run homer in the second inning, and he never really recovered. Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce hit back-to-back homers in the third inning, and Ben Zobrist went deep in the fifth as the Rays piled on runs. Kuroda gave up nine hits in his six innings.
For much of the season Kuroda has pitched as well as anyone in the A.L., carrying a 2.33 earned run average into his Aug. 17 start at Boston. But he surrendered a season-high 11 hits in that game, and after Friday's uncharacteristic outing, he is 0-2 in his last two starts and has given up 20 hits and 12 runs (10 earned) in 112/3 innings.
Manager Joe Girardi said there was no connection between the two starts, observing that Kuroda just did not have good stuff Friday, when he struggled with his changeup and his slider.
Kuroda, 38, has pitched 1661/3 innings, but he said he was not fatigued and added that he had thrown at least 200 innings the past two seasons.
The Yankees had won five straight games and 10 of 12 entering Friday. That included four straight against the Blue Jays, which allowed the Yankees to creep to within three and a half games of the second A.L. wild-card spot.
On Saturday, as they try to right themselves, the Yankees will send C. C. Sabathia to start against David Price. In his last six starts, Sabathia is 2-2 with a 7.86 E.R.A., and opponents have hit .317 against him in that span.
He is 4-11 with a 4.47 E.R.A. against the Rays since joining the Yankees in 2009.
Sabathia, known for his good control, has seen his command go slightly adrift recently, with 11 walks in his last two outings.
"He is a command guy, and when he doesn't have it, it is a little confusing for all of us," Girardi said. Girardi also issued a challenge of sorts, saying of Sabathia: "We need him to step up tomorrow. That's what we need him to do."
The Yankees won four straight series before coming to Florida, and to keep the streak going, they must win here Saturday and Sunday. If they do not, there is still an opportunity to make up ground. After leaving here, they head to Toronto to face the hapless Blue Jays for three games.
"I still like our chances," Gardner said. "We're in a lot better place than we were two weeks ago."
INSIDE PITCH
Derek Jeter went 0 for 3 with a walk while playing shortstop in his minor league rehabilitation game at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Joe Girardi said it was possible that Jeter, who has yet to play alongside Alex Rodriguez this season, will play there again Saturday and join the team in Toronto on Monday. Jeter is recovering from a strained right calf. ... Brett Gardner was hit on the right hand with a 95 mile-per-hour fastball by Chris Archer but stayed in the game. ... The Rays commissioned a sand statue of Mariano Rivera, which they unveiled in the rotunda of the main entrance at Tropicana Field.
Santonio Holmes was removed from the physically unable to perform list and added to the active roster Friday, a sign that he could be available for the Sept. 8 season opener. If Holmes is able to return then — or soon after — he will provide a lift to an unproven receiving corps, as well as to the quarterback, whoever wins that job.
Holmes, recovering from two operations after sustaining a serious foot injury Sept. 30, has been coy, if not evasive, all training camp when discussing his status. When told on Wednesday that he looked sharp while running routes before last Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, he said, "Looks can be deceiving."
He added, "I'm not able to be at Santonio Holmes's level of competition."
It will take some time for Holmes to get into playing shape, but it is possible that he will reach that level in time to appear in the Jets' first game, against Tampa Bay.
PITTSBURGH TRADES FOR RUNNING BACK The Pittsburgh Steelers bolstered their injury-plagued backfield, acquiring running back Felix Jones from the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Adrian Robinson. Jones was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys as the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 draft. Robinson made the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent last season. (AP)
SUSPENSION UPHELD Houston Coach Gary Kubiak said the N.F.L. had upheld Texans defensive end Antonio Smith's three-game suspension. Smith was suspended Wednesday for the last two preseason games and Houston's season opener for hitting Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito with Incognito's helmet in a preseason game. (AP) SEAHAWKS WIN The rookie Christine Michael ran for 97 yards in the visiting Seattle Seahawks' 17-10 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers. (AP)
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Two seasons ago, Chris Paul joined the Los Angeles Clippers and brought instant credibility to a woebegone franchise. Now he will try to do the same for the debilitated N.B.A. players union.
Paul was elected president of the players association Wednesday after making a belated decision to run for office. He defeated Roger Mason Jr., who was elected first vice president at the union's summer meeting in Las Vegas.
Paul's candidacy was a surprise, even to many union leaders. But his election indicated a recognition by the players that their most influential voices are needed in the most prominent roles. Paul, 28, is the first superstar to hold the president's title since Patrick Ewing in 2001. He replaced Derek Fisher, whose term expired.
"Moving forward with our union, it's not about me," Paul said in a conference call. "It's not about the president or the first vice president or any one person. It's about the players as a whole, as a body, and that's what we got out of the past two days in our meetings, is what we can do going forward to grow the game and build the game."
The union is trying to regain its footing after nearly two years of controversy and infighting, and a damning audit that charged Billy Hunter, the executive director, with nepotism and mismanagement of resources. Hunter was fired in February.
The union is just beginning the search to replace Hunter, with the goal of hiring his successor by February. Representatives from Reilly Partners, a search firm, gave a presentation to union members in Las Vegas. No firm has been retained to lead the search yet.
"There's no rush," Paul said. "Obviously, we would love to get someone in that seat. But I think for us, we basically want to try to make sure our house is in order, make sure we have everything in the right places, so that that executive director can come right in and hit the ground running."
Mason, a four-year veteran of the executive committee, was elected first vice president after Jerry Stackhouse resigned that post after just six months. Stackhouse plans to work for the union in some capacity, an indication that his playing career may be over.
