Fussball » center of defense, and City took advantage in the 6

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo was responsible for two of Chicagos 17 strikeouts Sunday. He also had the biggest hit of the game for the Cubs. Rizzo hit a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, and the Cubs beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 to avoid a three-game sweep. Last-place Chicago struck out 44 times in the weekend series, setting a team record for three consecutive games, but Rizzo and touted rookie Javier Baez had two hits apiece to key a 13-hit attack in the finale. Carlos Villanueva (5-6) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the victory. "We ran into three good pitchers, and their bullpen is very good, too," Rizzo said. "Obviously, we dont see them very often, so that makes it even tougher. Strikeouts are part of the game now. They happen." Baez struck out in the 12th, but reached on a wild pitch that moved Ryan Sweeney to third. Baez moved to second on another wild pitch by Cesar Ramos (2-4) before Rizzo lined a single over a five-man infield and into right-centre field. "It didnt bother me," Rizzo said of the crowded infield. "Im not a ground-ball hitter." The Rays lost for only the fifth time in their last 23 road games. They trail Kansas City by 6 1/2 games in the race for the second AL wild card. Tampa Bay grabbed a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer got it started with a leadoff single against Neil Ramirez, who returned from the disabled list before the game. Guyer stole second and moved to third on a groundout before Desmond Jennings drove him in with a double. The Cubs responded with a two-out rally in the bottom half against Grant Balfour. Sweeney doubled and scored on Chris Coghlans triple. Rays right-hander Alex Cobb pitched six innings of one-run ball. He allowed six hits, struck out six and walked none. "Spectacular," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of his teams pitching in the series. Travis Wood matched Cobb with a strong performance for the Cubs. The left-hander allowed an unearned run and four hits in six innings, but remains winless in his last 10 starts. Wood, one of the best hitting pitchers in the majors, also helped himself with a one-out single in the fifth. He moved up on a groundout and scored on Baezs single to centre. Baezs run-scoring hit atoned for an error in the top half that allowed a run to score. Curt Casali started the inning with a double for the Rays second hit of the game. Logan Forsythe walked with one out before Jennings hit a slow roller to second base. The charging Baez retrieved the ball in time to make the play, only to have his off-balance throw sail wide of first base. SO FAR Baez, who was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, hit .276 with three homers and five RBIs in his first five major league games. The 21-year-old Baez also was charged with two errors in the field. "We want him to trust his skill set," manager Rick Renteria said. "We also dont him to feel that he has to carry the team." NO RELIEF IN SIGHT Renteria conceded that bullpen management has been his greatest challenge as a first-year manager, a task made even greater by a slew of close games. Cubs relievers began the day with the third-most innings in the majors this season. "Thats one of the reasons why we carry eight relievers," Renteria said. "It has kind of worked out for the most part, but it is challenging, and well continue to do the best we can." ON DECK Rays left-hander Drew Smyly (6-10) is scheduled to open a four-game series at Texas on Monday night. Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (6-3) will take the mound for the start of a four-game set versus the Brewers on Monday. Asics Wholesale Uk .com) - Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with just 12. Cheap Asics Shoes Wholesale .com) - Markus Granlund scored the game-winning goal as the Calgary Flames used an early offensive flurry to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, on Monday. http://www.asicsuksale.com/ .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Asics Shoes Uk Sale . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cheap Asics Shoes Uk .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons.Manchester, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Sergio Agueros 63rd-minute goal was enough to lift Manchester City to a 1-0 win over 10-man Manchester United on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. A fairly even contest between the two rivals was turned on its head in the 39th minute when United defender Chris Smalling picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Citys James Milner. Aguero then provided the one moment of magic to separate the sides in the second half, keeping City in third place and within six points of leaders Chelsea. Smalling picked up his first booking on the half-hour mark when he blocked an attempted clearance from City goalkeeper Joe Hart as the netminder tried to punt the ball upfield. And just nine minutes later, Smalling was off after he came in late on Milner on the left wing with the City man trying to get into the penalty area. The home side piled on the pressure after the break, and things got even worse for United when defender Marcos Rojo had to be taken off the field on a stretcher after attempting a sliding challenge and injuring his shoulder. This left United with Michael Carrick and 19-year-old Paddy McNair in the center of defense, and City took advantage in the 63rd as Gael Clichy got into the area on the left and pulled the ball back for Aguero to turn home from 10 yards with a first-time shot.dddddddddddd United didnt go quietly as Robin van Persie had a close-range effort kept out from a tight angle by the leg of Hart, who produced an even better save on Angel Di Maria a few minutes later. But City was able to see out the rest of the game to claim their fourth straight derby victory over United, the first time that has happened for 44 years. Sundays other match saw Tottenham rally for a 2-1 win at Aston Villa as Spurs scored twice in the final six minutes. Andreas Weimann fired Villa ahead in the 16th minute, but the home side was reduced to 10 men in the 65th when Christian Benteke received a straight red card. Nacer Chadli finally equalized in the 84th for Tottenham when he arrived at the back post to score on a corner kick, while Harry Kane netted the winner in the 90th minute as his free kick took a wicked deflection and found its way past goalkeeper Brad Guzan. ' ' '