Sports Injury Law

Kotooshu exits basho with injury

As Bulgarian Kotooshu became the latest ozeki injury casualty to pull out of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, Harumafuji stood tall for sumo's second rank Friday, delivering another convincing win to stay unbeaten on the sixth day of action in Tokyo.

Back on the yokozuna promotion trail following his 15-0 championship win in Nagoya in July, the tricky Mongolian paved the way for victory by knocking back Homasho (4-2) with a hard opening charge, and then picked his moment to draw in the third-ranked maegashira and haul him to the dirt to retain his share of a five-way lead.

Yokozuna Hakuho, ozeki Kisenosato, evergreen maegashira Kyokutenho and rank-and-filer Takayasu are also at 6-0.

The ozeki rank was cut to three wrestlers earlier in the day when Kotooshu (2-4) withdrew with a right shoulder injury he sustained when he was sentenced to a third straight defeat against Toyonoshima on Thursday. He lost Friday's scheduled bout against Brazilian-born grappler Kaisei (3-3) by default.

A losing record here for Kotooshu would force him to wrestle with his ozeki rank on the line for a fifth time at the Kyushu meet in November. Estonian ozeki Baruto (toe) and Kotoshogiku (knee) both withdrew through injury on Wednesday.

It is the first time three ozeki have pulled out during a meet since Kaio, Chiyotaikai and Miyabiyama at the 2001 Autumn Basho.

Hakuho, meanwhile, kept his sights on a 23rd Emperor's Cup with a routine "sukuinage" beltless arm throw win over maegashira Gagamaru (2-4).

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Barca's Iniesta out with leg injury

BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for 10 to 15 days with a leg injury, ruling him out of the Champions League opener against Russian side Spartak Moscow next Wednesday.

Barcelona said on Wednesday that Iniesta, recently named UEFA's Best Player in Europe, pulled a muscle in his right leg during Spain's 1-0 win in Georgia on Tuesday.

Iniesta will also miss Saturday's Spanish League game at Getafe.

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Sakaguchi injury latest blow for underperforming Buffaloes

Buff luck: Tomotaka Sakaguchi's injury against the Giants last Thursday was typical of the Orix Buffaloes' bad fortune this season. KYODO

Tomotaka Sakaguchi separated his shoulder making a catch, and the run still scored.

It's one of the cruelest ironies of a play that could impact what's already been a tough season for the Orix Buffaloes.

Had the speedy four-time Golden Glove-winning center fielder's momentum not taken him forward so forcefully after an impressive catch on the move — with a Yomiuri Giants runner on third — he wouldn't have hit the ground so awkwardly or been carried off on a stretcher after a few painful minutes of writhing on the Tokyo Dome surface. He would've simply made the out and (probably) prevented the run from scoring. Had he gotten to the ball late, the run would've scored, but Sakaguchi would presumably still be in good health.

It's partially because he's a such a good fielder that things unfolded the way they did. That's just the way the season has been for the Buffaloes. Even when something goes right, the end result is inexorably flawed.

Sakaguchi's injury on Thursday (he may miss several weeks) was just the latest blow. The Buffaloes took a pair of games from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows over the weekend, but have lost six of their last nine and are bringing up the rear in the Pacific League. To be fair, Orix wasn't doing so hot with Sakaguchi, but losing one of your top players isn't going to help get things on track.

What's frustrating for Buffaloes fans, and probably the team itself, is Orix should be better. This is a team with some talented pitchers and a few good position players that should be playing better.

Adding insult to injury, Orix (which finished fourth in 2011) is seeing last season's cellar-dwellers, the Chiba Lotte Marines, sitting pretty in first place, and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (fifth last year) staying afloat in third — even without ace Masahiro Tanaka.

Injuries have played a big role in Orix's slow start, as has just plain old bad luck, but the current state of affairs is hardly new.

The Buffaloes have finished outside the top three each year since their formation in 2005, the exception being 2008's partially spite-fueled run to second place under Daijiro Oishi after manager Terry Collins quit midseason.

There have been misses on draft days, in free agency, on the farm, and not a good enough performance in the manager's chair. Even when the roster was flush with talent (2009, 2011 particularly), Orix finished in the B-Class.

The franchise needs to figure out how to get out of its own way long enough to foster the type of success the Marines are currently enjoying.

It's only May and too early to start abandoning ship, but nothing in the team's recent history inspires much confidence.

There were no smiles and little small talk as the players filed out of Tokyo Dome after losing to the Giants Thursday. Frustration was evident on their faces as they quietly trudged through the hallway, the funk of another loss hanging thick in the air.

A run scoring on Sakaguchi's injury is emblematic of the Buffaloes' trouble taking a step forward without first taking two steps back.

A two-game sweep of the Swallows over the weekend was a good start, but the Buffaloes have to build upon it and figure out how to put their best foot forward during the remainder of the year.

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Igawa pulled after injury in Buffaloes debut

KOBE — Left-hander Kei Igawa made his first start back in Japan in six years, but the New York Yankee throwaway left early with an injury in the Orix Buffaloes' 1-0 defeat to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on Wednesday.

He's back: Kei Igawa's debut with the Orix Buffaloes was cut short by an injury. KYODO

Softbank starter Kenji Otonari (3-2) threw 6? scoreless innings before the game was handed over to the bullpen. He struck out eight and walked one. Brain Falkenborg fanned three in the ninth for his 13th save.

Igawa (0-1) yielded one run in 3? innings while striking out three and walking one at Hotto Motto Field Kobe.

It was Igawa's first time back pitching for a Japanese team since Oct. 16, 2006, when he pitched for the Hanshin Tigers in a game against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium

Kenji Akaishi poked a grounder off Igawa between third and shortstop with runners at the corners to score the sole run with one out in the third.

"I had a chance, and I tried to be aggressive," said Akaishi, who has hit in seven consecutive games. "The ball went in a perfect location."

In December, 2006, the Yankees signed Igawa to a five-year, $20 million contract after winning the exclusive negotiating rights with a $26 million bid under the posting system.

But he ended up winning just two games (with four losses) and spent most of his time in the minor leagues, turning out to be a major bust on the Yankee's payroll before his contract expired last year.

Marines 4, Fighters 1

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Shunsuke Watanabe gave up one run over five innings despite scattering seven hits, and Chiba Lotte beat Hokkaido Nippon Ham in a game that was called in the bottom of the fifth due to rain.

Tadahito Iguchi sparked a three-run first against Brain Wolfe (2-3) with a one-out, run-scoring single, and Kazuya Fukuura added an RBI single in the third. Micah Hoffpauir homered in the fifth for Nippon Ham.

Eagles 1, Lions 0

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Takashi Kawai (1-0) went 6? scoreless innings, Asahisa Makida hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Tohoku Rakuten edged Seibu to snap a three-game skid.

Koji Aoyama escaped a two-on jam in the ninth for his first save this season. Takayuki Kishi (3-3) limited the damage to one run in eight innings but took the loss.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 8, BayStars 5

At Tokyo Dome, D.J. Houlton tossed two-run ball over seven innings, Yoshitomo Tani hit a three-run homer, and Yoshinobu Takahashi went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as Yomiuri ended Yokohama's unbeaten streak at five games.

Shuichi Murata had a game-tying single and Takahashi gave Yomiuri the lead with a single of his own in the third. Tani went deep off Giancarlo Alvarado (1-4) to make it 6-2 in the fifth.

Dragons 8, Swallows 3

Tigers 6, Carp 2

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Canales out again with leg injury

VALENCIA, Spain — Sergio Canales has re-injured a ligament in his right leg and will be sidelined for another six months, Valencia has announced

Canales tore a knee ligament in Thursday's second leg of the Europa League semifinals that saw his team eliminated by Atletico Madrid.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder suffered the same injury in October and had only recently returned to action.

Valencia is in third place in the Spanish League with four games to go.

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Iniesta sidelined with thigh injury

Barcelona Spain — Barcelona announced midfielder Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for three weeks with a muscle tear in his left thigh.

Iniesta was injured in the first half of Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday. Barcelona advanced 4-3 on aggregate score.

Barcelona also lost forward Alexis Sanchez during the game with a shoulder injury that will keep him out for one-to-two weeks.

Both players will miss Saturday's Spanish League match at Villarreal and the first leg of the Cope del Rey semifinals next week against either Valencia or Levante.

Barcelona is already without striker David Villa, midfielder Ibrahim Afellay and defender Andreu Fontas because of long-term injuries.

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Clijsters shrugs off injury, comes back from brink to beat Li

MELBOURNE, Australia — Down four match points and hobbling on an ankle injury, defending champion Kim Clijsters somehow rallied for a dramatic 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win over Li Na at the Australian Open on Sunday.

Clijsters was in pain from the left ankle she twisted in the seventh game. Li was just a bundle of nerves. The French Open champion failed to serve out the fourth-round match at 5-4 in the second set, but then led 6-2 in the tiebreaker. Again Clijsters refused to yield.

"I said in my mind, keep fighting," Clijsters said. "You never know what happens on the other side of the court."

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer stayed on course for a semifinal meeting in matches either side of Clijsters' win at Rod Laver Arena. Federer ended the run of Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, while Nadal won in straight sets too, beating fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki ended the day's play with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Jelena Jankovic and will next play Clijsters, the most unlikely winner of the day.

Li's best chance to clinch victory — and gain revenge for her three-set loss to Clijsters in last year's final — came on her fourth match point.

Clijsters played a poor drop shot, giving her opponent the chance to put the ball into the open court. Instead, Li tentatively hit the ball almost straight back to Clijsters, who sent up a perfect lob that dropped just inside the baseline.

"Of course I was nervous," Li said. "If you're nervous, you could not think too much, right?"

Clijsters won six straight points to take the tiebreaker and the first four games of the deciding set.

"I'm not saying that that forehand drop shot was a good choice, but you make decisions. Luckily, that one turned out OK," Clijsters said. "I think she was a little bit lost or maybe a little bit confused at that time."

Clijsters then overcame a wobble of her own, losing her serve at 5-2 in the third set, before finally closing out the fourth-round match on her second match point.

Li broke down in tears at the end of her post-match news conference.

"Maybe 6-2 up in the tiebreak I was a little bit shocking," she said.

Clijsters was hurt in the first set while serving at 3-all and 30-all. As she hit a forehand, her left foot got stuck on the surface and the ankle twisted awkwardly.

She got up to finish the point but then immediately called for the trainer and had the injury strapped.

Clijsters' movement was clearly slowed when she resumed but, playing in her last Australian Open before quitting tennis at the end of the season, she said she didn't want to bow out in Melbourne with a retirement.

"I knew if I could just try to let the medication sink in or if I could get through the first 20 minutes, half hour, I think the pain would go away a little bit and then maybe with the adrenaline I could just fly through it."

Federer hasn't lost to a teenager since 2006 and that run continued Sunday as he disappointed the home crowd with a comprehensive win over the 19-year-old Tomic.

Tomic had beaten seeded players Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov in earlier rounds, but Federer was a step up in class. The 16-time Grand Slam champion broke six times as he set up a quarterfinal against 11th-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.

"I thought I played a really good match," said Federer, through to his 31st straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. "I knew I had to. Anything else wouldn't have done the job tonight."

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Jeter's drive for 3,000 hits may be slowed by leg injury

NEW YORK — Derek Jeter limped off the field with a sore right calf four innings after getting his 2,994th hit, and Carlos Carrasco escaped early trouble to pitch the Cleveland Indians past the New York Yankees 1-0 Monday night.

Six to go: New York's Derek Jeter runs to first base while flying out to right field in the fifth inning against Cleveland on Monday night. Jeter hurt his right calf on the play and left the game. The Indians beat the Yankees 1-0. AP

Jeter went to the hospital for an MRI exam. There was no immediate word on the severity of his injury.

"I'm worried about him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Just keep our fingers crossed and hopefully it's not too serious."

Jeter was noticeably hurt as he jogged toward first base on a flyout in the fifth and left the game, stalling his pursuit to become the 28th big leaguer to reach 3,000 career hits.

"He just walked off the field and you could tell he was done," Girardi said.

Girardi said he expected to get the MRI results within an hour or so. No matter, he said he didn't think Jeter would be able to play Tuesday night against Texas.

Teammates, fans and even Jeter himself had said it would be nice to achieve the milestone at Yankee Stadium. New York has three games left against Texas on this homestand, then goes on a six-game road trip to Wrigley Field in Chicago, and Cincinnati.

Jeter hit a leadoff single in the first and the Yankees quickly loaded the bases with no outs against Carrasco (6-3). But Jeter hesitated on Alex Rodriguez's medium-depth fly and stayed at third base — center fielder Michael Brantley appeared ready to concede the run — and Carrasco got out of the jam without allowing a run.

Cleveland manager Manny Acta shuffled his batting order, putting Carlos Santana, Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera into lineup spots where they'd never hit before. The Indians had totaled only 21 runs while losing nine of 10, and managed to scratch out just enough to win.

Angels 6, Mariners 3

In Seattle, Vernon Wells hit Los Angeles' first homer in a week with a solo shot in the third inning, then hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh.

The slumping Angels, having dropped seven of eight, started their longest road trip of the season with a comeback victory capped by a power surge.

The Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored.

Tigers 2, Rays 1 (10)

In Detroit, Ramon Santiago's RBI triple in the bottom of the 10th kept the Tigers in a virtual tie for first place on the eve of their big series against Cleveland.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Reds 6, Dodgers 4

In Los Angeles, Bronson Arroyo outpitched Hiroki Kuroda for the second time in 11 days and singled home the go-ahead run to lead Cincinnati over the Dodgers.

Joey Votto hit a three-run homer and Chris Heisey also connected for the Reds.

Arroyo (5-6) allowed four runs and seven hits over 7? innings with no walks in a rematch of his June 3 duel with Kuroda, which Cincinnati won 2-1. The Reds' right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA in his last four starts against the Dodgers, after going 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA in his other nine starts against them.

Kuroda (5-8) was charged with four runs — two earned — and seven hits over 6? innings. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 4.39 ERA in his last five starts, but his teammates have totaled just nine runs during that stretch.

Pirates 3, Mets 1

In Pittsburgh, Paul Maholm pitched seven shutout innings, Brandon Wood homered and the Pirates beat New York to split their four-game series.

Diamondbacks 12, Marlins 9

In Miami, Miguel Montero hit three doubles and drove in four runs, and pitcher Zach Duke hit a two-run homer for Arizona.

Juan Miranda had three RBIs and Justin Upton knocked in a pair for the Diamondbacks, who have won four of five.

Astros 8, Braves 3

In Houston, Hunter Pence homered and drove in four runs, pushing his hitting streak to 23 games after a day off due to back trouble, and the Astros beat Atlanta to snap a four-game skid.

Cubs 1, Brewers 0

In Chicago, Darwin Barney scored on a fielder's choice in the eighth inning for the only run as the Cubs beat Milwaukee.

Aramis Ramirez grounded to Brewers shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt with one out, but the throw to catcher Jonathan Lucroy wasn't in time to tag Barney, who dived over home plate.

Padres 3, Rockies 1

In Denver, Anthony Bass pitched five efficient innings to win his major league debut, Ryan Ludwick drove in two runs and San Diego snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Colorado in a game delayed 83 minutes by a thunderstorm.

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