LOS ANGELES -- Once he put Paul Goldschmidts first-inning homer behind him, Dan Haren found his bearings and his rhythm. From then on, it was another professional job for the three-time All-Star. Haren pitched into the seventh inning and hit a tiebreaking three-run double, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night. "I was scuffling out of the gate, and its been the same way for a long time now," Haren said. "I havent been coming out that crisp out of the bullpen, but I felt really good today and my stuff was there." Dee Gordon hit a rare home run for the Dodgers, who are 10-3 against the Diamondbacks and 27-30 against everyone else. With six games left between the NL West rivals, this is the earliest the Dodgers have ever clinched a season series with Arizona. They began the year by sweeping a two-game set in Sydney, Australia. "We thought wed be doing a lot better against everybody, not just these guys," Arizona catcher Miguel Montero said. "Unfortunately, were not doing good against anybody. So weve just got to pick it up and be a better team the rest of the way." Haren (7-4) allowed three runs and eight hits, including a one-out single in the seventh by pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco that chased the former Diamondbacks right-hander. Haren, coming off a 6-2 victory last Monday at Cincinnati, has won back-to-back starts first the first time since beating Arizona by identical 8-6 scores in a span of seven days in April. Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 19th save despite giving up a leadoff homer in the ninth by Martin Prado -- his third hit of the game and 1,000th of his career. Arizona right-hander Josh Collmenter (4-4) gave up six runs and eight hits through six innings. He is winless in three starts since his three-hit shutout against the Reds on May 29. Prado gave the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead with an RBI single in the fourth, but the Dodgers responded with four runs in the bottom half. Matt Kemp singled in a run and Haren drove a 1-0 pitch to right-centre field, clearing the bases as teammate Clayton Kershaw jumped for joy in the dugout. "Collmenter did good, except that one inning. But he went out and gave us six innings and just battled and competed," Montero said. "I know that Haren can hit. He can swing the bat. Hes not like normal pitchers. I dont know if it was a bad pitch or not." Haren, a 12-year veteran with 71 hits and a .209 career batting average, had one RBI in 26 at-bats over his 13 previous starts this season. "I got into a good count and was looking to go the other way, and I got a pitch that I could handle," Haren said. "I used to be a really good hitter, and Im not as good now as I once was. But I put a good swing on that one and the bullpen made it hold up." The damage could have been worse for Collmenter had Goldschmidt not robbed Andre Ethier of at least a double three batters earlier with a diving stop toward the first-base line and toss to Collmenter for the out. Goldschmidts 14th homer came after a leadoff double by Didi Gregorius. Haren has allowed at least one homer in seven consecutive starts. His longest such streak was 10 starts in 2012 with the Angels. "I just got burned with a cutter on Gregorius, and I hung the cutter again to Goldschmidt and made a really bad pitch," Haren said. "But after that, I settled in and got some ground balls." The Dodgers tied it in the fourth on a two-run shot by Gordon, who turned on an 0-1 pitch and drove it into the first row of seats in the right-field corner. It was the second homer this season for the second baseman, and just his fourth in 874 big league at-bats to that point. NOTES: Arizona LHP Joe Thatcher pitched a scoreless eighth, extending his streak against the Dodgers without allowing an earned run to 36 innings and 21 2-3 innings. The only reliever in history with a longer streak against one team without giving up an earned run was Troy Percival, who had 39 in a row against Minnesota spanning 40 innings. ... The Dodgers placed utilityman Chone Figgins on the 15-day disabled list because of a left quad strain and recalled INF Carlos Triunfel from Triple-A Albuquerque. ... The Dodgers were well-represented at Saturdays memorial service for Bob Welch in Scottsdale, Arizona. Among the mourners were Tommy Lasorda, former teammates Steve Yeager, Dusty Baker, Dave Stewart, Rick Honeycutt and Ken Howell, along with longtime visiting clubhouse manager Jerry Turner. Also on hand was ex-Oakland As teammate and current Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire. Welch, who died Tuesday at age 57, was the Diamondbacks pitching coach when they won the World Series in 2001.
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Vans Old Skool Wholesale . With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup.
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Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue . - Aroldis Chapman, with two black eyes, has returned to the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse four days after being hit in the face by a line drive.CLEVELAND -- Once Michael Sam is drafted in the NFL, the Missouri defensive end will be judged strictly on whether he can play and whether he can help his team win. Everything else -- even that hes gay -- will be trivial. As the first openly homosexual player to enter the draft, Sam could face scrutiny unlike any player before him. But many of the greatest players and coaches in football history dont believe hell be subjected to any hatred, harassment, discrimination or bullying by teammates. "I dont think hell have any problem in the locker room. I dont think hell have any problems on the field," said Hall of Fame offensive tackle Art Shell. "The one thing about football players, theyre inclusive. They will take you for who you are, not what people try to portray you as. "Its who you are: Youre a football player, then you can play with us. I dont see that as being a problem in the National Football League." Shells stance was shared by several other Hall of Famers, including Lions running back Barry Sanders, Buffalo coach Marv Levy, and Giants linebacker Harry Carson, who appeared along with nearly 100 other inductees at a two-day "Fan Fest," the largest gathering ever of football legends outside Canton, Ohio. Sanders, who retired at the peak of his career following the 1998 season with 15,269 career yards rushing, believes theres an unwritten code among football players to ignore anything other than a persons skills and talents. "From the time youre a kid and you start playing, youre almost programmed for Can a guy play or not?" he said. "By the time you get to the NFL, thats well ingrained. Im pretty sure every guy in this league has been around gay individuals before, and so I dont think it will be much different." Sams courageous decision to reveal his sexual orientation was an important personal milestone. It was also an historic moment for the NFL and all major sports as it provides a deeper reflection of societys openness and willingness to accept his individuality. Sams revelation may not have been met with such overwhelming approval just a few years ago. In the macho arena that is pro football, Sam may have been an outcast in previous generations. "Hes a very bold guy to come out," said cornerback Michael Haynes, a nine-time Pro Bowler elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. "The timing is good. If hed done that in the 60s or 70s, maybe not so good because everybody was really struggling with how to understand differences like that in people.dddddddddddd "Diversity has become a critical topic, people are talking about it all the time and I think the world is different. Remember Magic Johnson with AIDS? It starts with education. Hell be judged on football." Carson, who retired in 1988 after 13 seasons in New York, said he was "proud" of Sam for choosing to be open about his sexuality. Carson recalled that one of his Giants teammates, offensive lineman Roy Simmons, was suspected as being gay and was never ostracized. "It never really swayed anyones opinion of him," Carson said. "But its something he lived with and he didnt have to by himself because he had teammates, and the teammates he had were guys who supported him. Even though he never said anything, were a team and guys on the team who are unselfish are going to support their teammates regardless of how they choose to live their lives." Simmons, the first player to acknowledge he was HIV positive, died early this year. He was 57. Its possible there will be some awkwardness for Sam in the locker room, where he could be subjected to jokes and playful ribbing. Sanders believes those days are long gone. "Guys are more forward thinking than you think," he said. "It helps that hes a big guy. No one will mess with him." The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Sam has been projected to be drafted from the third round on. Sam didnt perform well on the field at the scouting combine, where he calmly handled tough questions about his decision to "come out." Levy, who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, said his criteria before deciding to draft Sam would be pretty simple. "Is he the best guy at his position when were on the board, and do we need a guy at that position?" the 89-year-old Levy said. "If so, Ill take him. Id like to know his character qualities and other things, but that would not factor into my decision." If he were coaching a team that selected Sam, Levy said he would not feel any need to address his players. That may not have been the case 10 or 20 years ago. "I wouldnt make an issue of it," Levy said. "I think society has adjusted to the point where its an acceptable thing and why make an issue of it? That would be my approach. Things change, plus Ive got to worry about how to pick up the blitz." ' ' '
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