Midday Recap: Mets, Blackhawks and More

Mets Coverage: Mets build, maintain in win over Cardinals
Stanley Cup Coverage: Blackhawks survive penalties, close calls, to take 1-0 series lead

HOMER-LESS YANKS
The New York Yankees have gone five games without a homer and Phil Hughes loses his 5th of the season as the Yankees lose to the Oakland Athletics 5-2.

Hughes lasted 4 1/3rd innings as the A's scored three runs on four hits against him, and earned five walks against the Yankees pitcher.  Ichiro Suzuki was the only Yankee to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 for the game.

The two teams meet in the final game of the series this afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 3:35PM.

NAVA-GATE

Chris O'Meara | Associated Press via Boston Globe

Daniel Nava helped navigate the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.  His 9th of the year, and first since June 1st against the Yankees, gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning as Alfredo Aceves wins his third win of the season.

Evan Longoria plated the lone run for the Rays with his 13th of the season.  Longoria takes a three game homer streak with him into tonight's opener of a four game series against the Kansas City Royals, having hit a homer in all three games against the Red Sox.  Longoria has 6 homers against the Royals in 31 career games.

BULL--
Armed with a 4-3 lead in the 7th inning, Chris Withrow gives up three straight singles as the Diamondbacks tied their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, one night after the two teams made headlines for their bench-clearing brawl.

After four scoreless innings, the Diamondbacks caused trouble in the top 12th as Ronald Belisario gave up a double and a single to set up Martin Prado's ground-rule double that brought Cody Ross home.  Three more runs later, the Dodgers were faced with a 8-4 hole entering the bottom of the 12th.

Depsite Ramon Hernandez and Mark Ellis's efforts, the Dodgers were only able to cover half of the runs needed as the bullpen costs the Dodgers another game, losing 8-6.  The bullpen has now accounted for 15 losses, which ties them with the Houston Astros for most bullpen losses this season.

NO MORE RIDES
Ramon Dominguez announced today via press release that he will no longer ride again.  The Saratoga Race Course regular sustained career-ending injuries in an accident at Aqueduct back in January.

Dominguez earned two racing titles at Saratoga Race Course during his career.  Although Dominguez never won a Triple Crown race, he did win three Breeder's Cup races, including last year when he rode Little Mike to victory in the Breeder's Cup Turf.

JASON LEFFLER (1975-2013)
Sad day in auto racing as Jason Leffler died an accident at a dirt track in New Jersey Wednesday night.  Leffler.  The two-time Nationwide Series race winner was racing in a higher-profile sprint car race at Bridgeport Speedway, south of Philadelphia.

New Jersey State Police are investigating the deadly crash.