SAN FRANCISCO - Pablo Sandoval singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 2-1 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night and into first place in the NL West. The struggling Sandoval came through after reliever J.P. Howell (1-1) intentionally walked Hunter Pence with two outs. Sandoval, who entered the game batting just .164, grounded into centre field to score Joaquin Arias from second. Jean Machi (3-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam earlier in the seventh for the win. Buster Posey broke an 0-for-13 skid with an RBI single in the third to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Dee Gordons tying triple in the sixth accounted for the Dodgers lone run. Los Angeles at least dodged worse news. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez left in the seventh after getting hit by a pitch from Ryan Vogelsong on the top of his left hand. The team said X-rays on Ramirezs hand were negative. Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save, striking out Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp to end the game. Vogelsong allowed the one run and four hits in six-plus innings to help the Giants win their third straight game. He struck out two and walked two to match Paul Maholm most of the way. Maholm gave up one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked three to rebound from a loss in his only other start this season on April 5, when he allowed five runs in 4 1-3 innings to the Giants. San Francisco improved to 4-1 against the Dodgers this season in a race that could remain tight through the summer. Both teams began the day with a 9-5 record. The starting pitchers kept the game moving at a far brisker pace than the nearly 5-hour contest Tuesday night that ended when Hector Sanchez singled home the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning to give the Giants the win. The biggest blemish came when Vogelsong hit the top of Ramirezs left hand to open the seventh. Ramirez slammed his helmet to the ground and hopped around in pain before being replaced by Justin Turner. After the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out, Machi fielded a hard comebacker from Juan Uribe to start a home-to-first double play. The biggest hold up came from baseballs new replay system after Vogelsong pick of Kemp at first base in the second inning. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly challenge the play, which umpires upheld after a 4:25 video review that drew light boos from some fans during the wait. NOTES: Dodgers ace and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who is on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his back, threw breaking balls off flat ground. He is scheduled to throw off a mound Thursday. ... An MRI on Dodgers RHP Chad Billingsley showed no ligament damage in his elbow, Mattingly said. Billingsley has some tendinitis that will delay his recovery. ... Giants SS Brandon Crawford sat out with tightness in his right hamstring but said he expects to play Thursday. ... The Giants activated lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt (sprained right knee) from the 15-day disabled list and optioned OF Juan Perez to Triple-A Fresno. ... Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig entered in the seventh and grounded out in the eighth. ... Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (2-0, 3.31 ERA) takes the mound opposite Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-1, 2.57 ERA) in Thursdays series finale. .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley.
http://www.airmaxschweiz.ch/. Blown save in the ninth inning? No problem. . -- Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale searched more than three quarters for five guys who would play well together. .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks take aim at their longest winning streak of the season on Sunday when they host the Calgary Flames in a battle at the United Center.CAMPBELLVILLE, Ont. -- Tellitlikeitis heads into the $1-million Pepsi North America Cup on Saturday as the horse to beat. Tellitlikeitis was installed as the 3-1 early favourite for the worlds richest pacing event at Tuesdays draw. The son of 09 Cup winner Well Said will start from the third post in the 10-horse field at Mohawk Racetrack. Tellitlikeitis, bred and owned by Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ont., won his elimination race in a career best 1:48.4, passing heavily-favoured Hes Watching for the 1 1/4-length win in just his second start of the year. Tellitlikeitis also won his season opener, a Pennsylvania Sires Stake, at Pocono Downs last month. Lothlorien has shared ownership of three previous Cup winners -- Well Said (2009), Rocknroll Hanover (2005) and Red River Hanover (2002). Trainer Jim Takter has only started two previous Cup entrants, both in 2012, and finished second with Time To Roll. Brett Miller has two previous Cup drives, finishing second in 2010 with We Will See. "He has wicked speed and hell take you to where you want to go in the mile," said Miller. "I definitely wanted to sit in with him this week (in the elim) and it worked out very well that the two horses I wanted to follow were in front of me." The three Cup elimination races were held Saturday to determine the field for the final. Takter will have to Cup entrants, the other being Lyonssomewhere, the 4-1 third choice who also was an elimination race winner. Lyonssomewhere, owned by Geoffrey LLyons Mound of Burford, Ont.dddddddddddd, will start from the No. 4 position and is undefeated in five starts. The son of 08 Cup winner and horse of the year Somebeachsomewhere took his elim comfortably in 1:50.1 by one and three-quarter lengths in his first stakes appearance. Hell be driven by Corey Callahan, making only his second Cup drive after finishing fourth with Mr Wiggles in 2009. "I like just about everything about him," said Takter. "Hes handy and hes the real deal. "Its a long year and I wanted to have him fresh for this event and not too many starts." Other elim winner, Mcwicked, selected the No. 2 post. Mcwicked, the American-owned son of 02 third-place Cup finisher Mcardle, posted the fastest elimination race victory, winning by two lengths in 1:48.3. Mcwicked is trained by Casie Campbell and is a five-time winner in 14 outings with career earnings of $248,457. "He was absolutely awesome (in his elim)," Coleman said. "It was the fourth time Ive raced him and every time he keeps getting better and better. "It looks like theres a lot of speed in the race. My horse can race either way. Id prefer him coming off a helmet but hes very versatile." The remainder of the field includes: Beat The Drum (post one, 20-1 odds); Lets Drink On It (post five, 6-1); Cowboy (post six, 15-1); Hes Watching (post seven, 5-1); Luck Be Withyou (post eight, 12-1); JK Endofanera (post nine, 10-1); and Sometimes Said (post 10, 20-1). ' ' '
