NHL-STANLEY CUP FINALS
Kings beat Rangers in OT again
LOS ANGELES (AP) β The Los Angeles Kings have found their recipe for success.
Dustin Brown scored on a tip-in at 10:26 of the second overtime to give the Kings a 5-4 victory and a two-games-to-none lead over the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals. It was the Kings’ third straight overtime win, and the third consecutive time they’ve stormed back from a 2-0 deficit.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the first period, just as they did in the series opener. Ryan McDonagh netted the game’s first goal before setting up Mats Zuccarello’s tally later in the period.
The Kings twice cut their deficit in half on second-period goals by Jarret Stoll and Willie Mitchell, but the Rangers restored their two-goal advantage each time and headed into the second intermission with a 4-2 lead.
Dwight King started the Kings’ comeback 1:58 into the third, less than six minutes before Marian Gaborik (GAB’-uh-rihk) beat Henrik Lundqvist. Brown won it with his fifth goal of the playoffs, putting the Kings within two victories of their second Stanley Cup in three years.
Mitchell and King each had a goal and an assist, while Justin Williams set up three scores. Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots and was perfect over the final 55 Β½ minutes.
Game 3 is Monday at Madison Square Garden. The Kings are 7-5 on the road in the postseason, while the Rangers are 6-4 on home ice.
HORSE RACING-BELMONT
Tonalist wins as California Chrome fades
NEW YORK (AP) β California Chrome looked pretty good for about a mile and a-quarter Saturday afternoon. Too bad the Belmont Stakes is a mile and a-half race.
Affirmed remains the last Triple-Crown winner after California Chrome faded and finished in a tie for fourth at Belmont Park. Tonalist kicked strongly in the final strides and edged Commissioner by a head to finish in 2:28:52.
California Chrome was trying to become the first Triple-Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. He broke quickly but was pressed immediately by Commissioner and General a Rod before jockey Victor Espinoza eased California Chrome back into third along the rail. California Chrome was maneuvered to the outside and remained there as he approached the final turn. Espinoza went to the whip but got no response from California Chrome, who finished tied for fourth.
Tonalist went off at 9-1 and paid $20.40, $9.60 and $7. Commissioner returned $23.20 and $13.20. Medal Count paid $13.20 as the show horse.
California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn complained that some of the horses sat out some races and were entered just to knock out his horse, calling it “the coward’s way out.”
California Chrome sustained a bloody gash to his right front foot during the race, an injury that may have hurt his chances. Photos taken while the horse was walking back to the barn after his loss in the third leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday show the injured hoof.
It isn’t clear when the injury happened, but the colt’s camp says it’s not serious.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Miller outduels Buehrle
TORONTO (AP) β The St. Louis Cardinals managed to end a pair of six-game winning streaks.
Mark Buehrle (BUR’-lee) and the Toronto Blue Jays had won six straight before Shelby Miller tossed a three-hitter in a 5-0 shutout in Toronto. Miller was working on a no-hitter until Jose Reyes hit a two-out single in the sixth inning and moved to third on Melky Cabrera’s double. Miller got out of the jam by striking out Jose Bautista.
Miller had lost three straight before notching his seventh win.
Buehrle lowered his ERA to 2.04 but fell to 10-2, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings of his first loss since April 25 against Boston.
Randall Grichuk (GRIH’-chuhk) hit his first major league home run and had two RBIs as the Redbirds dealt the Jays just their third loss in 18 games.
Elsewhere in the majors:
β The Angels erupted for six runs in the bottom of the eighth to turn a 5-0 deficit into a 6-5 thriller against the Chicago White Sox in Anaheim. Mike Trout knotted the scoring with a grand slam before Erick Aybar (EYE’-bahr) hit a two-out, RBI single.
β Mike Lough hit a two-run homer and Adam Jones added a solo blast and two RBIs in Baltimore’s 6-3 triumph against Oakland. Kevin Gausman limited the A’s to a run and four hits in seven innings.
β Eugenio Suarez hit his first homer in three major league at-bats as Detroit outscored Boston 8-6. Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-nohs) also went deep for the Tigers, who dealt the Red Sox their fifth straight loss and improved to 5-0 versus Boston this season.
β Salvador Perez launched a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning as Kansas City whipped the New York Yankees 8-4. Lorenzo Cain had three hits, one RBI and two-runs scored for the Royals, who also got a solo homer from Eric Hosmer.
β Danny Santana was 4-for-5 with five RBIs in Minnesota’s 8-0 rout of Houston. Kyle Gibson limited the Marlins to three hits in seven innings to even his record at 5-5.
β Yan Gomes (yahn gohmz) smacked a three-run homer and Carlos Santana added a two-run blast in Cleveland’s 8-3 pounding of Texas. Josh Tomlin gave up three runs and seven hits in eight-plus innings, his longest out of the year.
β Dustin Ackley laced a three-run double while Seattle was scoring four times in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead in a 7-4 win at Tampa Bay. Roenis Elias (roh-EN’-ehs ehl-EE’-uhs) allowed just four hits over 7 2/3 innings before Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer, ending his outing.
β San Francisco picked up its fourth straight win by rallying from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Mets 5-4. Hunter Pence doubled home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth before scoring on Michael Morse’s single.
β Arizona erased one-run deficits in the ninth and 10th innings before beating Atlanta 4-3 on Gerardo Parro’s RBI single in the 11th. Miguel Montero’s homer tied it in the 10th after Aaron Hill’s run-scoring double forced extra innings.
β Washington’s four-game winning streak is over after Cameron Maybin hit an RBI single in the 11th to push the Padres past the Nationals 4-3. The Nats were one out from a 3-2 win until Yonder Alonso belted a solo homer in the ninth.
β The Chicago Cubs have a five-game winning streak after Junior Lake hit two solo homers and Emilio Bonafacio (boh-nah-FAH’-see-oh) added a two-run blast in a 5-2 triumph against Miami. Jeff Samardzija (sah-MAHR’-juh) struck out eight and allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings.
β Lyle Overbay hit a tiebreaking, two-run single and Ryan Braun added a two-run double as Milwaukee ripped Pittsburgh 9-3. Matt Garza won his second straight start despite allowing six hits and a season-high five walks in six innings.
β Jay Bruce broke out of his slump with a home run and three RBIs in Cincinnati’s 6-5 win over Philadelphia, ending the Reds’ three-game skid. Bruce had been hitting .178 with 20 strikeouts in 12 games since coming off the disabled list before helping Alfredo Simon get his eighth win.
β Colorado blew a 3-0 lead before Brandon Barnes hit a walkoff triple in the 10th to complete the Rockies’ 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Corey Dickerson tied the game for the Rockies with an RBI single in the seventh, a half inning after Tim Fedorowicz belted a three-run homer.
TENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Sharapova takes another major title
PARIS (AP) β Maria Sharapova has won the French Open for the second time in three years with a rugged and tireless performance against fourth seed Simona Halep (HAL’-ehp).
The seventh-seeded Sharapova claimed her fifth major title by taking down Halep 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 in a match that took more than three hours to complete. Sharapova overcame 12 double faults and seven service breaks in preventing Halep from winning her first Grand Slam title.
Sharapova took the long road to the title, needing three sets to win each of her last four matches. This was the first of the four in which she didn’t drop the first set. She was two points from a straight-sets victory in this one, leading 5-3 in the second-set tiebreak before dropping the next four points and the set.
There were five service breaks in the third set alone. At one point, the pair went on a run of six straight breaks, starting with the final four games of the second set.
Sharapova also won the French Open in 2012, knocking out Sara Errani (ehr-RAH’-nee) before falling to Serena Williams in last year’s final.
Halep had never been beyond the Grand Slam quarterfinals until this tournament and was ranked 57th just 12 months again. She was trying to become Romania’s second Grand slam titlist, joining 1978 French Open Virginia Ruzici (roo-ZEECH’).
NBA-JAZZ/SNYDER
Jazz introduce Snyder
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) β Quin Snyder has been introduced as the eighth head coach in Utah Jazz history. Snyder just completed his first season as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks after a successful run at the University of Missouri. Snyder inherits a team that went 112-146 in 3 1/2 years under Tyrone Corbin, including 25-57 last season.
GOLF-ST. JUDE CLASSIC
Crane leads backed-up field
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) β Ben Crane was the leader on the course when the third round of the PGA’s St. Jude’s Classic was suspended by lightning.
Crane was 13-under with 12 holes left in his third round, four strokes ahead of Troy Merritt and five better than Peter Malnati. Merritt and Malnati completed seven holes.
LPGA-MANULIFE FINANCIAL LPGA CLASSIC
Feng surges ahead
WATERLOO, Ontario (AP) β Shanshan Feng is the leader through three rounds of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Ontario, two strokes ahead of Inbee Park and Michelle Wie (wee).
Feng fired a 4-under-par 67 for a 15-under total. Park closed the gap with a 6-under 65.
CHAMPIONS TOUR-LEGENDS OF GOLF
Haas-Jacobsen lead
RIDGEDALE, Mo. (AP) β Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen took the second-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Legends of Golf, teaming for a 6-under 48 on the par-3 Top of the Rock course.
Haas and Jacobsen are 15-under, one stroke ahead of Jeff Sluman (SLOO’-mihn) and Fred Funk.
In Legends Division for players 65 and older, the teams of Jim Colbert-Jim Thorpe and Bruce Fleisher-Larry Nelson shared the lead at 7-under 118.
AUTO RACING-F1
Rosberg takes Canadian pole
MONTREAL (AP) β Nico Rosberg has earned the pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
The Formula One points leader had the fastest lap in qualifying, completing the 2.71-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1 minute, 14.874 seconds. Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was second, just 0.079 seconds slower.
Rosberg and Hamilton have won all six races so far this year, and taken the pole position in all six events. Rosberg holds a four-point lead in the championship standings over Hamilton.
