Midday Recap: Shell Shocked

Yasiel Puig is back in the headlines. We survive our first trip to the Spa.  A Hoosier wins the Brickyard 400. The Mets get whalloped in D.C., and Derek Jeter makes his triumphant return to the Yankees for the 2nd time.

Nathan Denette | The Canadian Press

But the big story this weekend is the decision of Hunter Mahan.  This story is making headlines everywhere as Mahan drops out of the Canadian Open to be by his wife's side as she goes into labor.  As the golfer was on the driving tee getting ready to make his third round, he received the phone call that his wife was in labor. He immediately withdrew from the tournament, and was on the first flight to Dallas.

There's a unique twist to this story - Mahan was the tournament leader at the time he got the phone call.  His withdrawal allowed Brandt Snedeker to become the tournament winner, who announced during his press conference that baby Zoey will be getting a special gift.

ONE WAY TO BREAK A TIE
It was a pitcher's duel in Los Angeles on Sunday, ending with Yasiel Puig's show to left field that cleared the wall in the bottom of the 11th inning for the 1-0 win.  Tony Cingrani kept the Dodgers off the bases, except for one walk and a hit by opposing pitcher Chris Capuano.  Capuano gave up all three hits the Reds were able to get on Sunday.

The homer was Puig's 10th of the season and gives the Dodgers a 2 1/2 game lead in the National League West.

SHELL SHOCKED
Entering Friday's night game, the Mets had the opportunity to pull 1/2 game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for 2nd in the NL East.  But Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off homer gave the Nationals momentum, which in turn deflated the Mets, who now have lost three straight after the Nationals rocked Carlos Torres for 8 runs in 3 innings on the way to a 14-1 loss.

After yesterday, the Mets are now 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies and are 4 games back of 2nd place Washington.  It doesn't get any easier for the Mets as they travel to Miami to face the Marlins, a team who the Mets are 3-8 against this season, including losing their last five against the fish.

The Mets send Jeremy Hefner on the mound.  Hefner is trying to return to his pre-break form after pitching two duds.  Unfortunately, Hefner is 0-2 against the Marlins this season, but those two losses were fine pitching performances that became losses due to lack of run support.  The Marlins send Jacob Turner, who debuted against the Mets on May 31st, going 7 innings without allowing a run.

Pregame Coverage: 6:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio

WELCOME HOME
It didn't take long for Derek Jeter to get the crowd excited on Sunday.  In his first plate appearance after returning from his latest stint on the DL, Jeter homered to give the Yankees the lead.  After a three-run first, Tampa Bay answered with 1 in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd for the 4-3 lead.  Alfonso Soriano would put the Yankees back on top with his 18th homer of the year.  But Wil Myers would even things up in the top of the 5th.

The score would remain tied until the bottom of the 9th, when with two men on, Soriano singled home Brett Gardiner for the walk-off victory.

The Yankees win prevents the Tampa Bay Rays from sweeping the series, and coupled with the Boston Red Sox win against the Orioles, moved the Rays back to 2nd place in the AL East.

HITTING THE GAS
Ryan Newman wins the race in his own backyard, winning the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.  Newman, who won the pole in record time on Saturday, took advantage of a fast final pit in order to keep Jimmie Johnson at bay.  Johnson was vying to join Michael Schumacher as the only five-time winners at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Newman's win ends a 49-race drought.

HITTING THE BRAKES

Horses hit the top of the stretch in the 7th race
at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday | @WMML1230 Twitter

Macaroon secured the lead and ran off in the backstretch in the 2nd race at Saratoga Race Course, but found herself running out of gas as the field made their way around the far turn.  As she hit the brakes, it forced Illapa to do the same with nowhere to go.

Miss Frost emerged as the winner, upsetting the field at 13-1.

Miss Lamour in the 3rd race hit the gas, running away from the field to lead by 10 lengths at the half-mile pole, but kept some in reserve as she held to win.

That was just a couple of the highlights on a day which 49,000+ braved the intermittent rain showers to grab their free T-Shirts and enjoy a day at the Spa.  Two upsets, with Meeker Avenue in the 7th and Dissension in the 8th, fuels a $330,000 carryover into today's races.

Forty Tales likely cements his place on the Travers day card with a win the Amsterdam.  Forty Tales held back, then started passing horses left and right in the stretch, catching Mico Margarita just steps before the finish line.  Joel Rosario was on board the winner, winning for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Forty Tales should be making his next appearance in the 7 furlong Grade I Kings Bishop, part of the Travers card on Saturday, August 24th.

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