SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2015 SPORTS Stakes high for Nadal in Monaco LONDON: Rafa Nadal posted a photo of sion from 2005, will offer a barometer of himself hosing down the court after prac- where his game is as he eyes a record- tising at home in Mallorca this week before extending 10th French Open crown. heading to Monte Carlo for the first of three “It’s a claycourt season where perhaps Masters 1000 claycourt events en route to I’m arriving in the worst form of my career,” the French Open. Nadal, who has 46 clay titles, told Spanish The Spaniard will enjoy pouring cold media on Friday. “My ranking is based on water too on the notion his reign as king of these next six, seven, eight weeks and if I the claycourts is in peril. It is not the first don’t manage to get better results then my time Nadal has begun the gruelling ranking will suffer quite a lot.” European swing with questions about his Top-ranked Novak Djokovic appears form. Invariably his answer is emphatic, primed to end Nadal’s Parisian dominance sweeping through to Roland Garros where and complete his own career grand slam. he grinds his rivals into the dirt. Nadal’s “(Djokovic) believes he should win. I think year has so far been on the back-burner. he can and deserves to but he doesn’t Most felt his run to the Australian Open deserve it if Rafa gets himself right and quarter-finals exceeded expectations after shows up again like he has,” former French nearly half a year recovering from wrist Open winner Andre Agassi told Reuters problems and appendicitis. recently. What has followed, however, has given “I’ll be as excited as anybody to see if ammunition to the critics who say the 28- Rafa really is going to be vulnerable. It year-old 14-times grand slam champion seems that way now but it’s seemed like has lost his mojo. Beaten by Italian Fabio that before.” Fognini on clay in Rio, he rebounded to win Following Monte Carlo, where Stanislas the Buenos Aires title but looked out of Wawrinka beat fellow Swiss Roger Federer sorts on the hardcourts of Indian Wells and in last year’s final, there are stops in Miami-losing to Milos Raonic and Fernando Barcelona, Munich and Estoril before the Verdasco. stakes rise at the Madrid and Rome Nadal may have slipped to five in the Masters in May. Nadal won in Madrid last world but his form in Monte Carlo next year and lost to Djokovic in the Rome week, where he won eight years in succes- final. —Reuters Spieth threatens ATLANTA: Braves’ Andrelton Simmons collides with New York Mets catcher Travis díArnaud at home plate in the second inning of a baseball Masters record game. —AP AUGUSTA: Jordan Spieth threatened to might miss the cut when he went out in Red Sox outlast Yankees turn the year’s first major into a runaway as four-over 40 to stand three-over. he fired a six-under-par 66 for a five-shot But the 25-year-old Northern Irishman lead and a Masters record for lowest 36- posted 31 on the back nine for 71 to join NEW YORK: In one of the classic games of their Norris (0-1) allowed eight runs and seven hits in Giancarlo Stanton also had three RBIs and hole total at Augusta National on Friday. Woods on 142. Two-time champion Ben long and illustrious rivalry, the Boston Red Sox three-plus innings. Michael Morse drove in two for the Marlins, who Playing with a steely focus and pinpoint Crenshaw shot 85 for 32-over 176 in what finally outlasted the New York Yankees 6-5 in 19 led 8-1 before the Rays scored seven runs in the precision, the 21-year-old Spieth reached was his last round at the Masters. He was innings early Saturday when the game-ending PHILLIES 4, NATIONALS 1 seventh to tie it. Dee Gordon doubled down the the halfway mark on 14-under-par 130 to given an emotional send-off at the 18th by double play was turned at 2:13 a.m. Cesar Hernandez had a go-ahead, two-run sin- right-field line with one out against Brad Boxberger surpass the 131 posted by Raymond Floyd fans, family and friends. The cut was set at In the first meeting of the year between the gle in a wild four-run seventh and Freddy Galvis (0-1) before Yelich drove a ground ball through the on his way to winning the 1976 Masters. two-over-par 146 with 55 advancing to teams, Boston at last went ahead for good on a sac- had three hits and an RBI, leading the Phillies to a left side, scoring Gordon without a throw home. “It’s cool. Any time you can set a record weekend play. US Open champion Martin rifice fly by Mookie Betts of Esmil Rogers (0-1). victory over the Nationals. Bryan Morris (1-0) pitched one inning to earn the here is pretty awesome,” said Spieth. “I’m Kaymer (151), former world number one Xander Bogaerts scored the decisive run after Michael Taylor homered for the Nationals, the victory. very excited about today and the way I Luke Donald (147), three-times major win- reaching on his fourth hit in extra innings. preseason favorites in the NL East who have lost struck the ball.” ner Padraig Harrington of Ireland (149) and Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira hit tying home three of four to open the year while scoring just PIRATES 6, BREWERS 2 Spieth, with 15 birdies and one bogey in twice Masters winner Tom Watson, who runs for the Yankees in an early-season epic inter- seven runs. Jonathon Papelbon, two days after say- Pedro Alvarez homered and drove in two runs, his two rounds, also equalled the lowest shot 81 on Friday, all missed the cut. rupted by a power outage for 16 minutes in the ing he doesn’t “feel much like a Phillie,” pitched a 1- Neil Walker had three hits and the Pirates avoided 36-hole total for any major championship. 12th. That’s why the official time of game was 6 2-3 ninth for his second save in as many chances. their first 0-4 start in nine years with a win over the Spieth led by five over compatriot Charley MASTERS FIT hours, 49 minutes - even though it took more than Luis Garcia (1-0) pitched a scoreless seventh. Brewers. Jeff Locke (1-0) allowed seven hits and Hoffman, who registered five birdies but Spieth, not among the game’s longest 7 hours to complete. Washington’s Gio Gonzalez (0-1) gave up three runs two runs in six solid innings for Pittsburgh, which bogeyed the last for a 68 and nine-under hitters, served notice last year that his David Ortiz hit a solo homer for Boston to break on five hits in 6 1-3 innings with four strikeouts and rebounded after getting swept in three games in 135 on a hot, humid day amid the Georgia game was fit for competing at Augusta a 3-all deadlock in the 16th. But then Teixeira led four walks. Cincinnati to open the season. The Pirates roughed pines. National as he finished tied for second. off the bottom half with a no-doubt drive to left up Mike Fiers (0-1) for five runs and seven hits in Dustin Johnson set another Masters “What I learned was patience,” he said field off knuckleballer Steven Wright (1-0). ASTROS 5, RANGERS 1 five innings. mark as he flew up the leaderboard with a about his 2014 showing. “I’m not going to Pablo Sandoval put the Red Sox back in front Jed Lowrie and Colby Rasmus each homered for record three eagles on the par-fives to get ahead of myself, I’m going to stay in the with an RBI single in the 18th only to see Brian the Astros, who beat the injury-plagued Rangers to BRAVES 5, METS 3 record a 67 for seven-under 137. Former US moment.” The young American began the McCann and Carlos Beltran hit doubles in the bot- spoil the home debut of new Texas manager Jeff Phil Gosselin had a tiebreaking two-run single Open winner Justin Rose (70) and fellow day with a three-shot lead after a sizzling tom half to tie it again at 5. Banister. Rangers starter Derek Holland (0-1) left in the eighth inning, Cameron Maybin homered Englishman Paul Casey (68) were also on first-round 64. after only one inning because of tightness in left and the Braves won their home opener with a vic- 137. One shot farther back was three-times On Friday, he made three birdies in a REDS 5, CARDINALS 4 shoulder. The left-hander will be out at least six tory over the sloppy Mets. Atlanta recovered after winner Phil Mickelson, who made four bogey-free front nine and matched that on Joey Votto hit a pair of two-run homers - the weeks, and maybe more, after being diagnosed as starting pitcher Eric Stults blew a three-run lead in birdies on the back nine for a four-under 68 the homeward half as he equalled the strongest indication yet that he’s fully back in form a strained subscapularis muscle. a game delayed more than an hour by rain at the and a 138 total. widest 36-hole lead at the Masters.