Off Topic » throwing a career-high 118

NANCY, France -- Matteo Trentin of Italy won Fridays seventh stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish, after two top American hopefuls went down in the latest spills of a crash-marred edition this year. Fellow Italian Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall leaders yellow jersey. U.S. rider Tejay van Van Garderen, who crashed within the last 17 kilometres, was the big loser on the day -- with his fall costing him more than a minute in the title chase. The sun finally broke through clouds that had dumped rain over riders in recent days for the 234.5 kilometre (146 mile) ride from Epernay, the capital of Champagne country, to the eastern city of Nancy. It was the second-longest stage of the three-week race this year. Trentin, a cheery 24-year-old who won a stage in the Tour of Switzerland earlier this year, beat Slovakias Peter Sagan by what looked like no more than a centimetre or two on the finish-line photo of the final sprint. The finish was so close that the Tours Web site initially declared Sagan the winner. Trentin patted Sagan on the back after crossing the line. The Cannondale star, who took home the green jersey given to the Tours best overall sprinter for the last two years, has finished in the top-5 of every stage this year -- and second three times -- but has yet to win. Frances Tony Gallopin was third. "Honestly I didnt know that I won. I told Peter that he had beaten me on the line. Cycling is nice because anything can happen," said Trentin, who won a stage in Lyon in his first Tour last year. "Its a good thing that I won two times." Trentin dedicated the victory to his Omega Pharma Quick Step team and its star sprinter Mark Cavendish, who crashed out in Stage 1. BMC leader van Garderen was not the only American to have a bad day. Andrew Talansky fell in the final sprint, rolling over and scuffing up his left arm and ripping his jersey on his shoulder after getting bumped by Australias Simon Gerrans. But under course rules, Talansky, the Garmin-Sharp team leader, didnt lose time in the title chase because his crash happened within the last three kilometres. He yelled in frustration after crossing the line. "Hes ok ... its not something thats going to affect him much," Garmin-Sharp team Jonathan Vaughters said of Talansky on French TV. "I dont know if it was Gerrans fault, but hes angry. Thats 100-per cent sure." Overall, Nibali has a two-second lead over Astana teammate Jakob Fuglsang and is two minutes, 37 seconds clear of two-time Tour winner Alberto Contador -- his main rival. Talansky is seventh, 2 minutes, 5 seconds back. With about 16 kilometres left, a Movistar team rider bumped the back wheel of van Garderen as he moved to the right in the pack. They tumbled to the asphalt. Van Garderen got rolled over by another riders bike. The BMC leader got up and back to the race, but lost time to Nibali, even after several of his teammates pedaled furiously in front of him to keep him out of the wind, trying to help him catch up. He shrugged off the damage, putting it into the long-term perspective of a three-week race that ends in Paris on July 27. "Its a tough blow, but the Tour is long, the race changes," van Garderen said of the time loss, calling the crash "nothing major. So Ill definitely be fine to start tomorrow." More significant for the BMC leader in the long-term, however, may be the withdrawal of Colombias John Darwin Atapuma, a good climber whom the team was grooming to help van Garderen. The race medical report said Atapuma was taken to a hospital for treatment of a broken femur just above the knee. "This is definitely not a good day for the team," said van Garderen. "To lose him ... I really just hope hes ok, I hear he banged his knee pretty hard." Overall van Garderen trails 3 minutes, 14 behind Nibali, in 18th place, after starting the stage only 2:11 adrift. "There have really been a lot of crashes this year, in the final sprints," Nibali said. "We all knew that Sagan wanted a win today ... The end of the stage was very hard." The biggest crash casualty this year was defending champion Chris Froome, who dropped out of the race with an injured wrist in Stage 5. Also falling in the finish-line crash, Swiss rider Mathias Frank, the leader of the IAM Cycling team, was undergoing a medical scan at hospital for a severely injured hip, the race medical report said. In an earlier crash, Dutch rider Stef Clement dropped out of the race and was taken to hospital after a blow to the head. In a possible preview of race action to come, Contador led a small attack along a low-grade climb with about 6-kilometres left, but he couldnt shake Nibali. The Italian says he expects the Spanish two-time champ to attack in the mountains ahead starting this weekend, culminating with a tough uphill finish on Monday. A shakeout among title contenders could be ahead in Saturdays eighth stage, which winds through medium-height mountains along a 161-kilometre (100-mile) run from Tomblaine to Gerardmer-La Mauselaine ski resort. Thurman Munson Jersey . Chris Heisey followed with a two-run triple and Billy Hamilton added an RBI double, all but sealing Cincinnatis fourth straight victory and seventh in eight games. Brandon Phillips, celebrating his 33rd birthday, hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth for the Reds before pinch-hitter Buster Posey tied it with an RBI double off hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half. Babe Ruth Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. https://www.cheapyankees.com/2301g-jonat...ey-yankees.html. - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. Fake Yankees Jerseys . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. Kyle Higashioka Yankees Jersey . Patton told The Baltimore Sun that he took an Adderall pill four days before the season finished, trying to improve his short-term focus. "I took one because I was stupid," Patton told The Sun. NEW YORK -- Daniel Murphy stood in the batters box, twisting his body as if he were directing the flight of his soaring drive down the right field line. The way the New York Mets were hitting balls all over Yankee Stadium the past two nights, it was hard to blame him for thinking he still had some control over where that one might end up. With a full moon hanging over the right field stands, Murphys shot struck high off the foul pole for a three-run homer Tuesday that highlighted the Mets 12-7 victory over fill-in starter Vidal Nuno and the Yankees. "Man, I didnt know if it was going to stay or not. I wasnt trying to pimp it. I was giving it some body English," Murphy said. "Its always nice to get rewarded for a good swing." Curtis Granderson also hit a three-run shot, connecting for the second consecutive night in his old ballpark, and the Mets won both Subway Series games in the Bronx. He helped his new team jump out to a quick lead after the Mets used four homers to rally for a 9-7 victory the night before. In all, the Mets hit six homers in the two games -- they had 13 in their first 19 games at Citi Field -- and were excited to see how their resurgent bats will do at their spacious home several miles away. "Its nice to come here and feel good about yourself offensively, scoring some runs, hitting some homers," captain David Wright said. "Hopefully that translates and gives us some momentum going back home." Wright had three hits and two RBIs, and Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-0) pitched 3 2-3 innings in relief of a wild Zack Wheeler as the Mets earned their sixth straight win their crosstown rivals, including a 4-0 mark last year. Eric Young Jr. scored three runs without a hit, and the Mets won their third in a row overall to return to .500 after losing eight of nine. The banged-up Yankees learned right fielder Carlos Beltran has a bone spur in his right elbow that might require surgery, then lost their fourth in a row to drop to .500 for the first time since April 12. Both teams are 19-19. "Weve got to start playing better and pitching better and doing everything more consistently. Weve got to go out and win a game tomorrow," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "A lot of times that changes the mood." The Subway Series shifts to Queens for the final two games, and Mets fans have several reasons to be excited.dddddddddddd Pitching prospect Rafael Montero will make his big league debut Wednesday night against high-priced Yankees rookie Masahiro Tanaka. This one lacked the frothy back and forth of the large crowd in the opener, and perhaps the biggest cheer of the night from the 45,958 in attendance came when the final score of the New York Rangers Game 7 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins was flashed on the scoreboard before the bottom of the sixth. By then, the Mets had taken an 11-5 lead and both starters were long gone in a game that eventually lasted 3 hours, 58 minutes. A frustrated Girardi followed soon after, ejected for arguing a third-strike call on Kelly Johnson that ended the fifth. The Mets took advantage of a sloppy Nuno (1-1) at the start. Young was hit by a pitch, Murphy walked on 10 pitches, Wright had an RBI single and, one out later, Granderson hit his fourth homer in 11 games. He had one in his first 26 games with the Mets. "The guys are just having a good time out there," Young said. Brian McCann hit a two-run homer in the bottom half as the Yankees pulled to 4-3, but the Mets soon pulled away for good. Third baseman Yangervis Solartes errant throw to second while trying to start a double play led to two unearned runs in the fourth. Nuno was chased after Murphys sacrifice fly. Wright greeted Alfredo Aceves with an RBI single to make it 7-3. Wheeler lasted 4 1-3 innings for the Mets, throwing a career-high 118 pitches and matching a career worst with six walks. "He just didnt have any consistent release point, and feel for where the ball is going," Mets manager Terry Collins said. Making his fifth start in place of Ivan Nova, out for the season following Tommy John surgery, Nuno gave up seven runs -- five earned -- on four hits, four walks and a hit batter. NOTES: Babe Ruths Hall of Fame plaque was displayed behind home plate during batting practice. It was the plaques first time being displayed outside of Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. ... Girardi said RHP Chase Whitley will be called up from the minors to start Thursday in place of injured CC Sabathia (knee) ... McCann ended Wheelers streak of 28 1-3 innings without allowing a long ball. ' ' '