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Manny Ramirez hit a two-run double in the sixth inning to give the Red Sox the lead, and Josh Beckett yielded only one questionable hit in the first five innings and five hits in all in 6 2/3 innings. The game was delayed 2 hours 11 minutes with Yankees on first and second and two out in the eighth. When play resumed, Jonathan Papelbon struck out Alex Rodriguez. Papelbon struck out two more in a perfect ninth for his fourth save in four tries.

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Give Brandon Webb a run or two, and he’s tough to beat. Hit three two-run homers behind him, and it’s an Arizona breeze. Eric Byrnes, Orlando Hudson and Justin Upton did just that Friday night, and the Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to seven games by beating the Colorado Rockies 8-2. Hudson said that there undoubtedly will be tough times ahead, “but I say ride the wave while it’s high.” Webb (3-0) gave up two runs on four hits in eight innings. The Arizona ace struck out six and walked one to beat the Rockies for the second time this season. In the past, Webb has struggled against Colorado. Not this year. “That’s the best I’ve felt in a long time,” he said. “I had almost all my pitches going. When I needed them, they were there.”

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Baseball players and owners agreed Friday to amend their drug agreement, a decision that allows for more frequent testing and eliminates 15-day suspensions assessed in December against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons. The deal, reached after months of negotiations, strengthens the authority the independent administrator has over the drug program, giving him an initial three-year term and specifying he can be removed only if an arbitrator finds cause. But baseball did not heed advice from the World Anti-Doping Agency and turn drug testing over to an outside agency. In addition, the decision over whether a player can be subjected to reasonable cause testing will remain with management and the union, with any disagreement decided by the sport's regular arbitrator. Also, a joint management-union body called the Treatment Board will supervise the part of the program relating to drugs of abuse such as cocaine.

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Two nights in a row the New York Mets proved they can beat Philadelphia — at least when Jimmy Rollins is on the bench. Jose Reyes scored the winning run with a slick slide at the plate on Angel Pagan’s 12th-inning single, and New York outlasted the Phillies 4-3 Thursday night. With last year’s NL East champions missing their MVP shortstop, the Mets won the final two of a three-game series after losing nine straight to Philadelphia — including the final eight meetings in 2007.

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Four times champion Arnold Palmer hit the ceremonial first shot at the par-four opening hole before lingering fog delayed the start of the 72nd Masters by an hour at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday. The 78-year-old American, a crowd favorite at Augusta since his debut in 1955, struck his drive straight down the middle before his ball disappeared in the fog. "I've hit it out of sight," the seven times major winner said with a smile. Palmer had been formally introduced on the first tee by Augusta National chairman Billy Payne. "It is my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce to you this morning a man who is synonymous with the game of golf and the Masters," Payne said. "Ladies and gentlemen, on the tee a man respected around the world, Mister Arnold Palmer." One hour later, after the fog was burned off by early morning sunshine, American Ben Curtis struck the tournament's first competitive shot by teeing off at the first. Curtis was followed by his compatriot and playing partner Shaun Micheel.

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Who cares about beauty? The Mets' nine-game losing streak against the reigning NL East champs is history. The Phillies committed four errors, two by injured Jimmy Rollins' replacement at shortstop, and starter Kyle Kendrick walked six to hand the Mets six unearned runs over the first three innings. And with an imperfect 100-pitch effort over five innings from Mike Pelfrey in his 2008 debut, coupled with scoreless contributions from Jorge Sosa, Pedro Feliciano and Carlos Muniz out of the maligned bullpen, the Mets beat Philadelphia, 8-2, on Wednesday night at Shea.

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Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points and five other Phoenix players scored in double digits in the Suns' 96-79 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. The Suns won their second game in a row on the second night of a back-to-back and remained in sixth place in the Western Conference. Shaquille O'Neal had eight of his 16 points in the decisive fourth quarter and grabbed nine rebounds for Phoenix. Steve Nash scored 12 points -- including eight in the fourth quarter -- and had 10 assists. Tim Duncan scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs, and Tony Parker added 20 points.

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All signs point to Randy Johnson making his first start of 2008 for the D-backs on Monday in San Francisco. The Big Unit allowed three runs over six innings of work in his second rehab start for Triple-A Tucson on Thursday. Johnson, who is coming off his second back surgery in as many years, threw 85 pitches and hit 92 mph on the radar gun. "I would think everything's a go," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said. "Based on what I heard and the results, it was encouraging going forward."

Source: Los Angeles Times -- Read Full Story

The ball looked like it had a chance, and when Andre Ethier saw it caught at the warning track as he was rounding first base, he stopped, kicked dirt and slammed his helmet to the ground. What nearly was a score-tying three-run home run in the seventh inning went down as a simple F-9. So it went for the Dodgers, the swing that could change the game never coming Tuesday night in their 10-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their flailing offense was shut down on this night by Doug Davis, who was two days away from surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid gland. The loss was the third in the last four games for the Dodgers, who got their only meaningful runs on a two-run double by Jeff Kent in the sixth that reduced their deficit to 5-2.

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For one glorious afternoon, everything seemed brighter, happier and more hopeful in this passionate baseball city because everything was right with the Red Sox. Remembering the beloved Red Sox’ second championship in the last 90 years can have that soothing an impact. The Red Sox celebrated their 2007 World Series title by doling out 2.33-carat rings to their players and club officials. They then silenced the terrible — so far, at least — Detroit Tigers, 5-0, in their home opener at Fenway Park, and they even watched Manny Ramírez display more zest than anyone else. Yes, as the hustling Ramírez showed, it was a good day to be in the Red Sox family. The team was home again, finally back in Boston after a 19-day, 16,000-mile trip that included games in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Oakland and Toronto. To the wobbly Red Sox, the Green Monster never looked so lovely.