The Tampa Bay Rays (29-21) could not fend off a steady drizzle of singles from the Chicago White Sox (28-22), as the Rays fell 7-2 in LF Hideki Matsui's first game of the season.

The 10th-year slugger Matsui managed to make his Rays debut a memorable one, cracking a first-pitch homer to put the Rays up 2-0 in the fourth inning. Matsui unfortunately offered the only Rays offense on a night when they needed much more.

SP James Shields pitched well through the first five innings -- and even managed to finish the day with 8 strikeouts and just 1 walk -- but a flurry of singles in the sixth inning allowed the White Sox to tack five runs on the board, leading to an eventual 7-2 victory.

Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.

SP James Shields did struggle much through the first five innings, but the Chicago White Sox managed to string together 1 walk, 4 singles and 1 double -- which was more of a single that SS Alexei Ramirez stretched into a double -- to put 5 runs on the board in the sixth inning.

Shields ends his day striking out 8 batters, walking only 1, but incredulously allowing 6 runs despite the effort. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays offense has gone silent against SP Philip Humber. After LF Hideki Matsui clobbered a 2-run homer in the 4th, the Rays have managed only two singles.

The Rays currently trail 6-2 into the top of the 7th inning.

Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.

The Tampa Bay Rays did not have to wait too long for LF Hideki Matsui to find his rhythm with the bat. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Matsui -- in only his second MLB plate appearance of 2012 -- redirected a 91 mph slider from SP Philip Humber, blasting it deep into right field for a 2-run home run and a 2-1 Rays lead over the Chicago White Sox.

Here's a look at the home run swing:

Matsui home run swing #Rays twitter.com/SRHINC/status/…

— Sports Roadhouse(@SRHINC) May 30, 2012

The Rays called up Matsui, who signed April 30 to a minor league contract, despite Matsui still looking for his first homer with the Triple-A Durham team.

Meanwhile, SP James Shields has kept the White Sox lineup generally quiet. Through 4.0 innings, he has 5 strikeouts and no walks with only 1 run allowed.

Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.

The Tampa Bay Rays (29-20) have one of the greatest home run hitters in professional baseball history in their lineup on Tuesday. LF Hideki Matsui is hitting sixth against the Chicago White Sox (27-22), and the 10-year MLB veteran and 10-year NPB veteran (Japan's premier baseball league) made his Rays hitting debut in the bottom of the second inning, facing SP Phillip Humber with 1 out.

Working the count to 1-1, Matsui hit a skyscraper fly ball to left field off a slider from Humber, but the ball landed in LF Dayan Viciedo's glove before reaching the warning track.

Matsui owns 173 career MLB home runs and 901 homers in Japan. The 38-year-old outfielder did not hit particularly well in Triple-A Durham over the last month, but the Rays liked his approach and felt his numbers would improve with time.

Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.

The Chicago White Sox will have a storm of extra media at the Tampa Bay Rays game on Tuesday night, as veteran slugger and Japanese superstar LF Hideki Matsui makes his firsts appearance of the 2012 season.

Even hours before the first pitch, the media had begun stir:

With Matsui taking left field, he begins what will be his attempt at a late-career resurgence. He did not hit well in his few Triple-A games, but there is reason to suspect the 38-year-old slugger still has a season or two left in him.

While the injury-plagued Rays send out their 45th lineup of the season, the White Sox will stick with their 28th as they send out the same order as Monday's opener:

White Sox Lineup (courtesy of @whitesox)

Rays Lineup (courtesy of @JB_Long)

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. For more from around Major League Baseball, head over to Baseball Nation.

The Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will have to navigate an extra abundance of media personnel on Tuesday night. According to the Rays' official Twitter account, the team has called up DH/OF Hideki Matsui from Triple-A Durham. The Rays manager Joe Maddon said he wants to speak with Matsui first before posting the team's lineup.

Matsui played in 12 minor league games before getting the call, and though he only hit .178/.208/.222, he did managed to make some solid contact on more than one occasion. Whether the Rays elect to play Matsui from the bench or as a proper starter somewhere remains to be seen.

The affectionately named "Godzilla" did not play well in the first half of 2011, but managed to ultimately cobble together 12 home runs and a .251/.321/.375 slash while playing in the pitcher-friendly O.co Coliseum. He signed a minor league contract with the Rays on April 30.

UPDATE: Indeed Maddon will give Matsui a baptism via flame, batting him No. 6 against the White Sox on Tuesday night.

Continue reading this post »

Serena Williams, ranked the No. 5 seed entering the 2012 French Open, has been eliminated in the first round by little-known No. 115 seed, Virginie Razzano:

After leading by a set and 5-1 in the 2nd set breaker, No. 5 seed Serena loses in 3 to Virginia Razzano at the #FrenchOpen

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 29, 2012

Despite having having and impressive 500+ wins and only 100+ losses in her professional career, Williams could not overcome an energetic Razzano, who managed to pluck victory in three sets.

According to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times, not only was the loss from Williams surprising, the win for Razzano was redeeming:

This is not all about Serena, however. Razzano, who lost her fiance before last year's #FrenchOpen, is playing with tremendous pluck #RG12

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) May 29, 2012

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more comprehensive coverage of the 2012 French Open, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For lots more on all things tennis, keep checking SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub. Follow the bracket with this French Open scoreboard.

The latest news out of the 2012 French Open sent shockwaves through the international tennis community:

After leading by a set and 5-1 in the 2nd set breaker, No. 5 seed Serena loses in 3 to Virginia Razzano at the #FrenchOpen

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 29, 2012

Tennis star Serena Williams has won over 500 matches while losing only a few more than 100 in her professional career. She has won 15 different Grand Slam events, including the French Open in 2002. She entered the 2012 French Open as the No. 5 female competitor in the singles category.

The match was not entirely about Williams being defeated by a relatively unknown player. The win also held a particular significance for the victor, Virginie Razzano:

This is not all about Serena, however. Razzano, who lost her fiance before last year's #FrenchOpen, is playing with tremendous pluck #RG12

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) May 29, 2012

For more updates on the 2012 French Open, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For lots more on all things tennis, keep checking SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post took to his blog on Tuesday, suggesting the Colorado Rockies should turn off the Coors Field humidor and allow Carlos Gonzalez win the Triple Crown:

If the Rockies unplugged the humidor in their home ballpark, Gonzalez could be the first National League player to win the triple crown since Joe Medwick did it for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937.

So why not sell the humidor at a garage sale, or haul it to the junkyard in the dead of night? C'mon, nothing is going to help this sorry excuse for a Colorado pitching staff. Let visiting teams complain about four-hour tests of patience. Let Gonzalez mash.

Undeniably, Carlos Gonzalez hits well at Coors Field. At home, he has a 1.000 OPS; while visiting other parks, he sports a .753 OPS. If the Rockies officially decided to return to pre-2002 Coors Field, the team could very easy grab two Triple Crowns -- one for CarGo and one for their obliterated pitching staff, which would allow approximately ∞ runs.

Continue reading this post »

With LB Brian Urlacher sidelined while he recovers from knee surgery, second-year Chicago Bears linebacker Dom DeCicco has been taking reps with the starting defense. And the experience, he says, has been priceless:

"It’s really invaluable just being out there with the [veteran] guys," DeCicco said. "It makes you want to know your stuff even more because you don’t want to let anybody down. Playing alongside Lance [Briggs] and Nick [Roach], I’ve learned a lot and they’ve been nothing but help."

And the Bears coaches have noticed the effect. DeCicco entered the NFL in 2011, when a lockout abbreviated the NFL offseason, but he has been able to make up for the lost time in 2012:

"Losing all of the offseason workouts last year, I think he lost out on some basic fundamentals," said linebackers coach Bob Babich. "We did move him to middle linebacker part way into training camp. He was playing outside linebacker. So I think this has been really good for him. These reps are quality reps that are just going to help make him better."

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears, be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. And drop by SB Nation's NFL news hub for more updates and commentary from around the league.

The latest economic reports from the St. Louis area may have a significant impact on the continuing debate over the Edward Jones Dome renovation process. St. Louis Rams and NFL analyst Ryan Van Bibber reports that the St. Louis county and city is losing some of its wealthiest tax payers:

Between 2001 and 2010, more people left the city and county than moved into them. Those leaving earned an average of $8,000 more than those arriving. All told, it meant $3.41 billion in lost income in the county and $760 million in the city. Reflecting back to civics 101, that means less tax revenue.

The Rams are hoping to give the stadium a significant renovation in the near future, but the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission has actively opposed the effort, which would require large amounts of tax payers' funds.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Continue reading this post »

According to CBS Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawks have come to terms with 30-year-old D Johnny Oduya, retaining Oduya for another three seasons. The journeyman defender started the season with the Winnipeg Jets before coming to Chicago in a late February trade.

In his 18 games with the Blackhawks in the 2011-12 season, Oduya played strong defense and earned a playoff roster spot. He finished the season with a defensive point share total of 2.4, and with the 'Hawks, he averaged 3.41 defensive point shares per 1500 minutes -- good for the third best defensive numbers on the team.

Here is a look at Oduya's stats from the 2011-12 NHL Season:

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey. And for more news and notes from around hockey, visit SB Nation's NHL news hub.

While the Chicago White Sox are in the market for acquiring talent of any kind in the upcoming 2012 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs will have a particular focus on the pitching side of talent:

#Cubs Hoyer on draft: "Pitching is a target. As an organization, our pitching depth is one of our bigger concerns."

— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) May 28, 2012

The 2012 Rule 4 Draft in June will make the first draft conducted by GM Jed Hoyer and President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein since taking over the club in the recent offseason. The duo worked with the Red Sox for nearly a decade, drafting -- among others -- CL Jonathan Papelbon, 2B Dustin Pedroia and CF Jacoby Ellsbury.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Chicago Cubs, check out the Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball.

In a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune, the GM of the Chicago White Sox, Kenny Williams, made it clear that the team would be looking for the best players available in the upcoming draft first, not the players that best fit in the organization:

"What I’ve conveyed to him, first and foremost, is focus on the best player available at that time, the most impactful player at the spot we’re picking," said general manager Ken Williams ... "Sometimes if it’s an even kind of report where both players are just as impactful and there’s not one we sway toward one or another, he’ll ask me what’s our greatest need. So that’s how it works."

The White Sox currently have a farm system ranked among the worst in the MLB and will look to upgrade their system during the June draft.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Chicago White Sox, head over to the White Sox blog South Side Sox. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. For more general baseball news, check out Baseball Nation.

The Chicago White Sox may have an impressive 9 strikeouts from SP Chris Sale, but the 23-year-old lefty is playing with a deficit after the Tampa Bay Rays took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning.

The Rays lineup -- currently without four of its regular starters -- has struggled making any contact against Sale. Tampa Bay has only three hits, but two of those hits -- singles from RF Ben Zobrist (who also stole second) and DH Jose Lobaton -- came back-to-back in the fourth, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the White Sox hitters have mounted several threats, but have ultimately failed to break through SP Matt Moore. Moore has allowed 2 singles and 1 walk while striking out 6 White Sox batters.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. For more from around Major League Baseball, head over to Baseball Nation.

The Chicago Cubs (15-32) currently sport the worst record in the MLB and are mired in a 12-game losing streak. After a fourth inning outburst from the middle of the lineup, the Cubs were in a position to get their first win since May 14, but the San Diego Padres offense has come marching back to tie the game at 6-6.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the Cubs trailing 4-3, 1B Bryan LaHair doubled and then scored as LF Alfonso Soriano clapped a double. Then 3B Ian Stewart brought Soriano home on a dinger to center field to put the Cubs up 6-4.

Unfortunately, SP Travis Wood could not hold the lead as 3B Chase Headley launched a first-pitch home run to left field, a two run homer that tied the game 6-6. The Cubs enter the top of the seventh, looking to hold back the Padres lineup.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and Padres blog Gaslamp Ball. For more from around Major League Baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

With the conclusion of conference play, the NCAA Baseball Tournament officials have announced the schedule for the 2012 NCAA Regionals.

Here is a look at the schedule as it affects the LSU Tigers and Colorado native SP Kevin Gausman:

Thursday, May 31

Practice Sessions (Open to Public), Times TBD

Friday, June 1

Game 1 - #3 Belmont vs. #2 Oregon St., 2 p.m.

Game 2 - #4 UL-Monroe vs. #1 LSU, 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 2

Game 3 - 2 p.m. - Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser

Game 4 - 7 p.m. - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner

Sunday, June 3

Game 5 - 1:30 p.m. - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser

Game 6 - 6:30 p.m. - Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner

Monday, June 4

Game 7 - 6:30 p.m. - Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary)

LSU finished the season with a 43-16 record with Gausman sporting a 2.95 ERA and an 8-1 record.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For a complete bracket, visit NCAA.com.

The Chicago White Sox (26-22) hope to have their starting third baseman, Brent Morel back with the team and healthy. According to Chicago Sun-Times writer Daryl Van Schouwen, the 25-year-old is nearing the next stage of his rehabilitation from his nagging back injury:

Morel, 'feeling better than I have all year,' taking bp for first time since DL'd. Off to Charlotte tues for rehab.

— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) May 28, 2012

And Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune passed on this photo of Morel taking grounders at Tropicana Field ahead of the team's game against the Tampa Bay Rays:

Morel's workout: twitter.com/MDGonzales/sta…

— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) May 28, 2012

Morel was hitting only .177/.225/.195 through the early part of the season while playing through his back pain.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit White Sox blog South Side Sox. For more from around Major League Baseball, head over to Baseball Nation.

Continue reading this post »

The Chicago Cubs' top prospect, 1B Anthony Rizzo left his most recent Triple-A game in the sixth inning with wrist soreness. The hot-hitting first base prospect is now day-to-day, but his sudden absence from the game had Cubs fans on Twitter speculating that the Cubs front office had called up the 22-year-old.

On Monday, GM Jed Hoyer put those speculations to rest:

#Cubs Hoyer says Rizzo won't be brought up to be a "changer of fortune."

— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) May 28, 2012

The Chicago Cubs are currently mired in a 12-game losing streak and have fallen to a 15-23 record, good for worst in the MLB, tied only with the Minnesota Twin who are also at 15-23.

For more on the Chicago Cubs, check out the Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

The results from the elite-level Bolder Boulder race are beginning to filter in, and it appears Mamitu Daska has won her third Bolder Boulder competition:

Ethiopia's Mamitu Daska wins her third #BolderBoulder pro women's race.

— Ryan Thorburn (@RyanThorburn) May 28, 2012

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Allan Kiprono grabs his first Bolder Boulder win:

Kenya's Allan Kiprono wins the #Bolder Boulder pro men's race.

— Ryan Thorburn (@RyanThorburn) May 28, 2012

Kiprono is ranked the No. 28 top make road runner according to All-Athletics.com's rankings. Daska, meanwhile, ranks as the No. 22 marathon runner in the world, according to All-Athletics. The 29-year-old also won a silver medal in the All-Africa games, as well as another pair of silver medals in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

The 2012 results mark the seventh straight year that both winners hailed from the African continent.

For updates stay tuned to SB Nation Denver, and be sure to check out SB Nation's running community and news blog, Stride Nation

Early in the 2012 NFL Offseason, the Chicago Bears acquired QB Jay Cutler's former Denver target, trading for WR Brandon Marshall. The former Miami Dolphins wide receiver came to the Bears with a history of off-field problems, but the Bears GM, Phil Emery, thinks Marshall can move on from his history:

"He's an intelligent guy, and he's accepted his faults, and he's working toward improving them," Emery said. "I thought about it a lot. Isn't that what we'd want out of our children? They might stumble, but when they do, they seriously try to improve their lives. We felt if there was a place Brandon would fit, it was here."

Shortly after being acquired, Marshall became embroiled in a nightclub controversy for which he has since been cleared of all charges.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears, be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. And drop by SB Nation's NFL news hub for more updates and commentary from around the league.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting the Chicago Bulls may be looking for a new practice facility, potentially closer to downtown Chicago and their home stadium, the United Center. President and COO Michael Reinsdorf spoke with Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson on the matter, saying the move from the suburbs could help the players who must commute from the northern suburbs facility to the United Center for game days:

"We're intrigued by the idea," Reinsdorf said. "We're happy at the Berto Center, but it's something we're going to take a look at for our players. Eliminating their commute could be a good thing."

The Bulls have been practicing at the Berto Center in Deerfield, IL, for 20 years, but a move closer downtown would help both the players and the team save on expenses related to the long commute.

For more, stick with SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull. Additional news, notes and analysis from around the NBA, visit SB Nation's NBA news hub.

The Colorado Rapids (6-6-1, 19 pts) and the Montreal Impact (3-7-3, 12 pts) scored four goals in the first 48 minutes, but the final goal -- the deciding goal -- did not come until the 83rd minute, when a controversial goal gave the Rapids a 3-2 win.

Colorado took a 2-1 lead in the first half when Jeff Larentowicz and Drew Moor first erased and moved ahead of the opening goal from Patrice Bernier. But just minutes into the second half, Andrew Wenger tied the game at 2-2 after Bernier cut through the Rapids defense to feed Wenger the easy shot.

The game-decider, however, did not come without scandal. After an initial header attempt from the Rapids sent the ball dancing along the top railing, a whistle -- presumably from one of the officials -- blew, but the Rapids played on as Castrillon knocked the ball in for a 3-2 advantage:

The Rapids ultimately took the game as G Matt Pickens collected 4 saves on the night and the Rapids reached 19 points for a fourth place standing in the Western Conference. Colorado will be back in action on Tuesday when the club travels to Tampa to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL.

For more on the game, stick with SB Nation Denver. For more on the Rapids, visit Burgundy Wave and for more on the Impact, visit Mount Royal Soccer. Head over to SB Nation's soccer news hub for all things footy.

The Chicago Fire (5-4-3, 18 pts) could not overcome two first-half goals from the Columbus Crew (5-4-3, 18 pts), as the Fire drop to 5th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

At just 9 minutes, M Eddie Gaven blasted a shot from outside the box that careened just beyond the diving G Sean Johnson. The Crew then added to their 1-0 lead with a quick turnaround goal from F Emilio Renteria to give Columbus a 2-0 lead.

Late in the second half, M Daniel Paladini managed to recoup from near-missed header to send a second shot across the box, a shot that D Austin Berry managed to knock in for 2-1 game:

Ultimately, though, G Andy Gruenebaum (6 SV, 1 GA) proved too dominant on the night, giving the Crew a 2-1 win.

For more on this game, stick with SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Fire visit Hot Time in Old Town and for more on the Crew, be sure to check out Massive Report. For more news and notes around MLS, check out SB Nation's soccer news hub.

Continue reading this post »

The Colorado Rockies (17-28) added their 7th loss out of their last 9 games as they dropped Saturday night's game, 10-3, to the Cincinnati Reds (26-20).

SP Jeremy Guthrie lasted only 5 innings, but did manage to strike out 5 hitters while walking only 1. Unfortunately for the Rockies, though, a key first inning throwing error from 3B Jordan Pacheco allowed the Reds to score 4 runs with two outs. All told, Guthrie allowed 10 hits and 2 home runs to put Colorado in a 6-3 deficit by the bottom of the fourth inning.

Pacheco (3 for 4 with a double), 2B Marco Scutaro (2 for 5 with a double) and OF Tyler Colvin (2 for 4 with 1 BB) all performed well at the plate, but could not outdo the Reds impressive lineup.

Colorado and Cincinatti will wrap up their series on Sunday at 11:10 a.m. MDT.

For more on these teams, visit Rockies blog Purple Row and Reds blog Red Reporter. Head over to Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish for more news and notes around the majors.

The Chicago Cubs (15-31) kept the game close, but could not overcome the Pittsburgh Pirates (22-24) to snap their ever-growing losing streak.

Since Tuesday, May 15, the Cubs have averaged 2.6 runs, while allowing 5.4 runs per game. The net result has been an 11-game losing streak. On Saturday night, SP Paul Maholm got the start and pitched only 5 frames, but held the Pirates to 2 runs on 4 hits, 5 walks and 2 strikeouts. The Cubs bullpen then added three scoreless frames from RP Casey Coleman (1.0 IP, 2 K) and RP Shawn Camp (2.0 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 H).

But in the bottom of the ninth inning, CL Rafael Dolis (L, 2-4) allowed 1 hit and 2 walks, and eventually worked a 2-2 count against 1B Matt Hague. But Dolis's 96 mph fastball got away from him, pegging Hague with the bases loaded for a game-ending hit-by-pitch. RP Joel Hanrahan (W, 2-0) gets the win after a silent top of the ninth.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and Pirates blog Bucs Dugout. For more from around Major League Baseball, visit Baseball Nation.