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2B Daily News – Friday, July 29, 2011 A’s lose lead, fall to Rays OAKLAND (AP) — Desmond Jennings hit his first career home run and later added a two-run double in a seven-run seventh inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from five runs down to stun the Oakland Athletics 10- 8 Thursday. B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria also homered, helping make a winner out of right-hander Wade Davis (8-7), who struggled early before settling down to retire 17 straight batters. Upton, the subject of ongoing trade rumors, hit his team-leading 16th home run after sit- ting out one game. Conor Jackson had a two-run home run in the first inning when the A’s hit for the cycle with four consecutive bat- ters, but Oakland’s bullpen imploded and wasted a solid outing by starter Rich Harden. A day after tagging James Shields for 10 runs as part of a 13-6 blowout, the A’s jumped on Davis for five runs in the first inning and appeared on their way to a second straight rout before the Rays stormed back. Every Tampa Bay starter had at least one hit or scored in the seventh. Jennings, who hit a two-run homer off Harden in the sixth, had a two-run sin- gle in the inning before Longoria capped the outburst with his 14th home run of the season. In all, Tampa Bay had five hits and three walks in its highest-scoring inning of the season. All three batters who walked scored. It’s the first time the Rays have over- come a five-run deficit to win since June 1, 2010, when they rallied to win at Toronto 7-6. Davis was the biggest benefactor, earning his first win since June 25. The Rays’ right-hander gave up five runs and six hits in the first inning but didn’t allow another runner after that and fin- ished with six strikeouts in his second start since coming back off the disabled list. Joel Peralta, Jake McGee and Kyle Farnsworth finished off the A’s over the final three innings to help Tampa Bay win for only the second time in its last seven games. Farnsworth earned his 20th save in 24 tries. The A’s jumped on Davis early MCT photo Oakland A’s center fielder Ryan Sweeney robs the Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton of a hit in the second inning Thursday in Oakland. when they batted around in the first inning and hit for the cycle as a team with four straight batters. Cliff Pennington’s one-out single preceded the Oakland cycle. Hideki Matsui also singled, Josh Willingham hit an RBI double and David DeJesus followed with a two-run triple before Jackson’s home run made it 5-0. It’s the first time in their Oakland history that the A’s have hit for the cycle with four consecutive batters. It also marked the eighth consecutive game in which they’ve scored at least four runs, the team’s longest such streak since 2007. Oakland made it close. Kurt Suzuki homered in the sev- enth, DeJesus added on RBI on a fielder’s choice grounder in the eighth and the A’s added another run in the ninth before Farnsworth struck out Pennington with a runner at second to end it. Giants hope Beltran can spark offense PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carlos Beltran landed a huge contract after one memorable October. He’s hoping another big postsea- son will get him a ring. Beltran joined the San Francisco Giants on Thurs- day after the defending World Series champions completed a trade to acquire the All-Star out- fielder and cash from the New York Mets. He was in the starting lineup, batting third and playing right field in the series finale against the major league-leading Phillies. ‘‘These guys have been there before, and everyone knows their role,’’ Beltran said. ‘‘They did a great job last year. They did every- thing right to win the World Series. They pitched well, they played good defense, they contributed offensive- ly when they needed it most. I’m just coming here to be a part of what they already have and am look- ing forward to that.’’ Adding Beltran upgrades San Francisco’s inconsistent offense, and could help the Giants make another championship run. Beltran first had to approve the deal to the NL West leaders, who parted with top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. Beltran had an incredi- ble postseason with Hous- ton in 2004, batting .435 (20 for 46) with eight homers and 14 RBIs. The Astros lost to St. Louis in seven games in the NLCS. Beltran’s reward was a $119 million, seven-year deal with the Mets. ‘‘I’m not thinking about GIANTS Continued from page 1B Manuel said. ‘‘I know we can. They’re not in our head.’’ A crowd of 45,646 on Fireworks Night was the ’04. I already got paid for ’04,’’ Beltran said. ‘‘I’m thinking about 2011, and I feel this year I’m healthy, and I’m just looking for a way to be a contributor to the lineup that they already have. I’m just looking for- ward to jumping in and doing the best I can to help this team continue to win ballgames offensively and defensively.’’ Beltran only made it back to the playoffs once with New York, which lost to St. Louis in the 2006 NLCS. He struck out look- ing with the bases loaded and the Mets down 3-1 to end Game 7 against the Cardinals. The Giants are counting on him to bolster a sagging offense hurt by injuries to Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez. San Francisco was batting .241 with 66 homers and 373 runs, all numbers that ranked toward the bottom of the NL. No player on the roster had more than nine homers. Aubrey Huff was leading the team with 47 RBIs. The 34-year-old Bel- tran, who can become a free agent after the season, leads the National League with 30 doubles and is bat- ting .289 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs. ‘‘We lost two really good hitters in the heart of our order, and to have one of the elite players in the game, it just makes sense for us,’’ manager Bruce Bochy said. ‘‘It’s a great fit.’’ New York’s prize in return is Wheeler, who is 7- 5 with a 3.99 ERA in 16 starts for San Francisco’s high Class-A affiliate in San Jose. The Giants selected the right-hander 192nd straight sellout, including postseason play, at Citizens Bank Park. They gave Beltran an earful of boos when he batted in the first. Notes: Roy Oswalt (back) is expected to make another rehab start with the No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft. ‘‘We were looking for big upside,’’ Mets GM Sandy Alderson said. ‘‘We could have gotten a pack- age of three players from a number of clubs, but the overall potential of those players would not have equaled Zack’s potential.’’ To make room for Bel- tran, the Giants sent utility- man Emmanuel Burriss to Triple-A Fresno. Beltran will wear No. 15, which belonged to Bochy. The skipper switched to No. 16. ‘‘I made a joke with him, saying if he wants a watch with diamonds or without diamonds,’’ Bel- tran said. ‘‘I’m still waiting for him at this point. He hasn’t responded yet.’’ Giants general manager Brian Sabean made a hand- ful of risky moves last sum- mer and late in the 2010 season that paid off in a big way. This is another huge splash for baseball’s longest-tenured GM. ‘‘When you’re defend- ing world champions, you do have to try to defend that title any way you can,’’ Sabean said. ‘‘We’re in first place. Hopefully we show we mean business. ... Sim- ply put, we’re thrilled with bringing Carlos on board. We really felt the organiza- tion needed a shot in the arm and more so our line- up.’’ Last year, the Giants won their first NL West title since 2003, ended a six-year playoff drought and went on to capture an improbable championship — the franchise’s first since moving West in 1958. ‘‘We’re at an interesting place in time. We’re trying to get back to the playoffs by winning the division, before possibly rejoining Philadelphia’s rotation. ... All-Star 3B Placido Polanco is moving closer toward returning to the Phillies. He’s scheduled to play nine innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. ... Rollins and much like last year tak- ing our chances,’’ Sabean said. ‘‘It’s timely. Our fans deserve this as well as the team.’’ Beltran was plagued by knee injuries the past two seasons, but has been healthy this year and is enjoying a strong come- back season. Once the teams agreed to terms, Beltran had 24 hours to decide whether to waive his no-trade clause. Shortly before New York’s 8-2 win at Cincinnati on Wednesday night, he arrived in the clubhouse and told his teammates he was on his way to Philadel- phia to join the Giants. While parting with Wheeler was a tough call, Sabean and his staff weighed dealing a pitch- er or a top position play- er. Wheeler wasn’t going to be in the mix at the major league level for a while. ‘‘Carlos is the player that we coveted all along,’’ Sabean said. ‘‘As we knew what the price of doing business was there, it became apparent no matter where we turned we were going to take a hit on our prospect list.’’ That worked out for New York, which has over- come some key injuries to hover around .500 for weeks. But the Mets, who began the day 7 1/2 games out in the NL wild-card race, are looking toward the future. ‘‘Zack was the guy that we focused on,’’ Alderson said. ‘‘This is the kind of deal that we had hoped to be able to make at the out- set, and when it material- ized we didn’t have any problem pulling the trig- ger.’’ snapped an 0-for-19 slump with his double. ... The Giants designated INF Bill Hall for assign- ment and optioned UTL Emmanuel Burriss to Triple-A Fresno. ... San Francisco is 8-1 in rub- ber games of series. 49ers release Nate Clements SANTA CLARA (AP) — Four years ago, the San Fran- cisco 49ers landed the most coveted free agent cornerback on the market. Now they’ve cut that player in hopes of lur- ing another. The 49ers released top cornerback Nate Clements on Thursday, clearing salary cap space while also leaving the secondary even more short-handed in the interim. The 10-year veteran started every game for the Niners during a disappointing 6-10 campaign last season. He returned in 2010 after missing the final nine games in 2009, when he broke his right shoulder blade in San Francisco’s 18-14 loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 1 that year. Parting ways with Clements gives San Francisco flexibil- ity to sign another high-priced free agent. The player sure to get the most attention from fans in the Bay Area is Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who spent his first eight seasons across the bay with the Oakland Raiders. Asomugha signed a $43.5 million, three-year deal with the Raiders following the 2008 season but the deal void- ed itself out because he didn’t reach certain performance tar- gets. The 49ers, New York Jets and Houston Texans have nat- urally been mentioned among potential suitors because of the salary cap space and the need for another cornerback. Asomugha is one of the most sought-after free agents on the market, a tag that was once reserved for Clements. San Francisco was eager to see more big plays from Clements last season after giving him an $80 million, eight- year contract in March 2007. The former first-round pick by Buffalo was among the most prized players available in free agency that year and often matched up with top opposing receivers. Clements finished with 82 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles and three interceptions last season. He also had a major gaffe that led to San Francisco’s fourth straight loss to start the year, fumbling after making a key interception late in a 16-14 loss to Atlanta. Calls to Clements and his agent were not immediately returned. After being released from the 49ers ahead of Fri- day’s first training camp practice, Clements thanked the fran- chise in a tweet ‘‘for giving me the opportunity to play for a team with history and tradition.’’ 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) hours the lockout was lifted in April despite being a free agent. He also organized two separate four-day minicamps some dubbed ‘‘Camp Alex,’’ where the 2005 No. 1 overall pick taught classroom ses- sions and ran plays on the field. All he can do once he signs his one-year deal with the 49ers on Friday is partic- ipate in meetings and other non-physical activities. How much of a head start that gives Kaepernick won’t be known until the preseason. ‘‘I don’t know about lev- eling the playing field,’’ Kaepernick said. ‘‘Alex has about six years on me, so he definitely has a greater knowledge of some of the defenses and schemes and stuff. But, at the same time, I American League At A Glance By The Associated Press East Division WL Pct GB Boston 64 39 .621 — New York 61 41 .598 2 1/2 Tampa Bay 54 50 .51910 1/2 Toronto 53 52 .505 12 Baltimore 41 60 .406 22 Central Division WL Pct GB Detroit 55 50 .524 — Cleveland 52 50 .510 1 1/2 Chicago 51 52 .495 3 Minnesota 49 56 .467 6 Kansas City44 61 .419 11 West Division Texas WL Pct GB 60 46 .566 — Los Angeles58 48 .547 2 A’s 47 58 .44812 1/2 Seattle 44 60 .423 15 ——— Thursday’s Games L.A. Angels 12, Detroit 7 Kansas City 4, Boston 3 Tampa Bay 10, Oakland 8 Toronto 8, Baltimore 5 Texas 4, Minnesota 1 Friday’s Games Baltimore (Guthrie 4-14) at N.Y. Yankees (A.J.Burnett 8-8), 4:05 p.m. Kansas City (Francis 3-11) at Cleveland (C.Carrasco 8-8), 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (Chatwood 6-6) at Detroit (Porcello 10-6), 4:05 p.m. Texas (Ogando 10-4) at Toronto (Cecil 3- 4), 4:07 p.m. Boston (Wakefield 6-3) at Chicago White Sox (Floyd 8-9), 5:10 p.m. Minnesota (Liriano 6-8) at Oakland (G.Gonzalez 9-7), 7:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (Niemann 4-4) at Seattle (Bedard 4-6), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s Games Baltimore at N.Y.Yankees, 10:05 a.m., 1st game Texas at Toronto, 10:07 a.m. L.A. Angels at Detroit, 1:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Seattle, 1:10 p.m. Baltimore at N.Y.Yankees, 4:05 p.m., 2nd game Kansas City at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Boston at Chicago White Sox, 4:10 p.m. Minnesota at Oakland, 5:05 p.m. National League At A Glance By The Associated Press East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia65 39 .625 — Atlanta 61 45 .575 5 New York 54 51 .51411 1/2 Florida 52 53 .49513 1/2 Washington 49 55 .471 16 Central Division WL Pct GB Milwaukee 57 49 .538 — Pittsburgh 54 49 .524 1 1/2 St. Louis 55 50 .524 1 1/2 Cincinnati 50 55 .476 6 1/2 Chicago 42 63 .40014 1/2 Houston 35 70 .33321 1/2 West Division WL Pct GB Giants 61 44 .581 — Arizona 57 48 .543 4 Colorado 49 56 .467 12 think getting those extra reps will help me develop a lot.’’ Kaepernick was quick to credit Smith for his guidance in what was an unusual off- season. He spent the last two days in meetings with Harbaugh and other coaches, and already the rookie believes the time with Smith helped smooth the transition. The two worked out for most of the last two months and split time with Carr during the informal offensive workouts. The competition at quar- terback figures to be a little less friendly in camp, at least on the field. ‘‘When you come into a situation, you want to be the starting quarterback,’’ Kaepernick said. ‘‘I don’t feel like I got drafted here to be a spectator. I want to come in, I want to compete and get on the field as soon as possible.’’ SCOREBOARD Los Angeles47 57 .45213 1/2 San Diego 46 60 .43415 1/2 ——— Thursday’s Games Florida 5, Washington 2 N.Y. Mets 10, Cincinnati 9 Milwaukee 4, Chicago Cubs 2 San Diego 4, Arizona 3 San Francisco 4, Philadelphia 1 Pittsburgh 5, Atlanta 2 Houston 5, St. Louis 3 Friday’s Games N.Y. Mets (Gee 9-3) at Washington (Wang 0-0), 4:05 p.m. Pittsburgh (Morton 8-5) at Philadelphia (Halladay 12-4), 4:05 p.m. San Francisco (Vogelsong 8-1) at Cincin- nati (Willis 0-1), 4:10 p.m. Florida (Hensley 1-2) at Atlanta (Beachy 3-2), 4:35 p.m. Houston (Lyles 0-5) at Milwaukee (Wolf 6- 8), 5:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Garza 4-7) at St. Louis (E.Jackson 0-0), 5:15 p.m. Colorado (Hammel 5-10) at San Diego (Stauffer 6-7), 7:05 p.m. Arizona (Collmenter 6-5) at L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 6-10), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s Games Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, 1:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. Florida at Atlanta, 4:10 p.m. Houston at Milwaukee, 4:10 p.m. San Francisco at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. Colorado at San Diego, 5:35 p.m. Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. Moves `Thursday’s Sports Transactions By The Associated Press FOOTBALL National Football League CHICAGO BEARS—Traded TE Greg Olsen to the Carolina Panthers for an undisclosed 2012 draft pick. CLEVELAND BROWNS — Terminated the contracts of QB Jake Delhomme and LB Eric Alexander. Waived TE Tyson DeVree. DETROIT LIONS—Signed DL Nick Fair- ley to a four-year contract. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS—Signed QB Blaine Gabbert to a four-year contract. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed TE Ed Barham and RB Alexander Robinson. Released WR Freddie Brown, DT Jimmy Kennedy and S Madieu Williams. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS—Agreed to terms with RB Stevan Ridley and CB Mal- colm Williams. OAKLAND RAIDERS—Signed C Stefen Wisniewski, DB DeMarcus Van Dyke, DB Chimdi Chekwa, WR Denarius Moore, TE Richard Gordon, WR David Ausberry, WR Steve Goulet, WR Derrick Jones, WR Edward McGee, QB Jordan La Secla, DB Sterling Moore, FB James McCluskey, DB Zac Etheridge, LB Chris Francis, LB Bani Gbadyu, OL Lou Eliades, OL Ben Lamaak, OL Alan Pelc, DT Jamie Cumbie and DL Mason Brodine. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Signed LB Aldon Smith, QB Colin Kaepernick, CB Chris Culliver, RB Kendall Hunter, WR Ronald Johnson, S Colin Jones, G Mike Person and CB Curtis Holcomb to four- year contracts and LB Monte Simmons. team San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay 10 Athletics 8 San Francisco Giants