FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2005
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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3B
MLB
White Sox defeat Kansas City yesterday, 2-1
jeff Roberson/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jeff Robertson/THE ASSOCIATED PRE-Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke, fields a sacrifice bunt by the Chicago White Sox's Aaron Rowand, advancing teammate Pablo Ozuna to second during the eighth inning yesterday in Chicago. Ozuna later tied the game when Juan Uribe walked with the bases loaded. The White Sox won 2-1.
CHICAGO — Even with just a little offense, Jose Contreras and the Chicago White Sox found a way to win again.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Like I said in the past, we are doing whatever it takes to score runs. The story up until now is pitching," Scott Podsidnik said. "Those guys are pitching their tails off, keeping us in ball games. It's matter of us, as an offensive unit, to get things cranked up and start putting some runs on the board."
Contreras pitched four-hit ball for eight innings, and the streaking White Sox scored twice in the eighth without a hit to defeat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 vesteday.
Contreras (1-0) outpitched Royals starter Zack Greinke, leading the White Sox to their fifth-straight win. They have the best record in the major leagues at 21-7, mostly because of solid pitching.
- With Contreras' strong start, Chicago's team ERA dipped to 2.94.
Greinke, who had never pitched more than seven innings in his career, gave up a leadoff walk to Paul Konerko in the eighth. Pablo Ozuna pinchran and moved to second on Aaron Rowand's sacrifice bunt.
Graffanino homered in the seventh, but Kansas City couldn't hold the 1-0 lead and lost for the 15th time in 18 games.
Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitch, and Royals manager Tony Pena pulled Greinke for left-hander Andrew Sisco. Pinch-hitter Jamie Burke grounded out, advancing the runners to second and third. Sisco then walked Joe Crede and Juan Uribe, forcing in the twing run.
Greinke (0-3) allowed two hits in 7 1-3 innings and Tony
After Sico's first pitch to Podsednik was called a ball, Pena called in Ambiorix Burgos. But he threw three straight balls to Podsednik, walking in another run and giving the White Sox a 2-1 lead.
"Both of those guys had problems throwing strikes, so it was a matter of us letting them come out of their zone to put guys on. I wasn't looking to swing, I was going to make them throw
strikes before I went in trying to hit." Podsednik said.
Contreras retired 17 of his first 19 hitters. He struck out six and walked one in his longest outing of the season. Shingo Takatsu walked two in the ninth but earned his eighth save in nine opportunities.
Normally a slow worker, Contreas pitched at a brisk pace — the game lasted just 2 hours, 10 minutes. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was impressed with the way Contreas attacked the strike zone.
"Contreras threw the ball really well, the best I've ever seen him throwing the ball, and he deserved to win," Guillen said. "He threw more strikes. Usually he throws behind the count or 3-2. Today he came out, challenged hitters, threw balls over the plate and made guys hit the ball."
Greinke faced the minimum 21 batters through seven innings. A.J. Pierzynski singled in the third, then was doubled off first base when Uribe lined out. Podsednik singled in the fourth, but was caught stealing.
KENTUCKY DERBY
Horse trainer still in Derby despite drug controversy
BY BETH HARRIS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jeff Mullins would like to forget his winter of discontent, and not just because record rainfall in Southern California made for countless dreary, soggy days at the ractrack.
He was punished when one of his horses had a positive drug test in January, and he ticked off bettors by calling them idiots in March.
Now he's back at his fourth consecutive Kentucky Derby with long shot Buzzards Bay.
The 42-year-old trainer wasn't talking yesterday, except to say his attorney had advised
silence because of pending legal issues.
"He's had a rough winter," said Bob Baffert, a three-time Derby winner who has been supportive of Mullins. "He asked me for advice, and I told him, 'You just need to shut the hell up. Your only defense is you got to keep winning."
Mullins has done just that.
He finished second in the trainers' standings at Santa Anita's winter meeting, where Buzzards Bay gave him a third consecutive victory in the Santa Anita Derby. That punched the colt's ticket to Kentucky, where he jogged a mile over the Churchill Downs track for the first time yesterday.
Mullins didn't lose clients because of the positive drug test; in fact, Buzzards Bay's coowner Bill Bianco is a member of the California Horse Racing Board.
The board filed a complaint against Mullins for conduct detrimental to racing after he insulted the wagering public while talking to a newspaper columnist, but it was later dismissed.
"He didn't shoot himself in the foot. He blew his foot plum off," trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. "He'd like to take that month out of his life, I know. He learned a lot from that."
Even after Mullins apologized in a television interview,
"There's no question that it didn't shine a very good light on a lot of the trainers and it definitely wasn't beneficial," said Ron Ellis, who trains in California and has Don't Get Mad in the Derby.
bad feelings lingered among taunting fans, angry industry officials and some of his fellow trainers.
The year got off to a rocky start when one of Mullins' horses tested positive for an excessive amount of sodium bicarbonate. The milkshake-like mixture is suspected of masking other drugs in a horse's system and keeps the animal from tiring as quickly.
For 30 days, Mullins' horses had to appear in a detention barn for 24-hour observation before they ran. He was winning at a 28 percent clip before the positive test. During detention, he dropped to 13 percent before finishing the meeting at 22 percent.
All the Kentucky Derby horses will undergo pre-race blood tests for milkshakes.
"He's got a ton of horses, so it obviously hasn't hurt him much." Ellis said. "He dug himself a pretty deep hole. If he wins the Derby, they won't remember."
Mullins has worked his way up from racing's minor leagues in Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming to the ultra-competitive Southern California circuit.
The Murray, Utah, native won his first training title at Hollywood Park in 2003; last year, he earned $6.9 million in purses and won at a rate of 26 percent. He's the first trainer to win the Santa Anita Derby three years in a row.
"Jeff's an exceptional trainer," said trainer Roger Stein, who finished second to Mullins in this year's Santa Anita Derby. "I know he's been involved in controversy and I've told him he's a much better trainer than he is a speaker."
Lukas offered his endorsement, too, saying, "He's a good horseman. He knows what he's doing. He's got a great future."