The Phoenix Coyotes sent rookie right wing Alex Bourret.

The Phoenix Coyotes sent rookie right wing Alex Bourret. To their AHL affiliate in San Antonio on Wednesday and waived rookie defenseman Ryan Lannon and veteran center Mike Zigomanis.

The moves left 27 players on the Coyotes’ training camp roster heading into Friday night’s preseason game at Anaheim.

Zigomanis had 14 goals and nine assists in 75 games for Phoenix in 2006-07, but had just two goals and one assist in 33 games for the Coyotes last season.

Bourret, who played at Harvard from 2001-05 and was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL last season, scored his first goal of the preseason in Phoenix’s 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose on Tuesday night.

Lannon has played the past two seasons in the AHL for Hartford and Chicago.

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Sabres claim Ellis off waivers.

The Buffalo Sabres have claimed left wing Matt Ellis off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today.

Ellis, 27, started last season with the Red Wings but was claimed off waivers by the Kings on Feb. 21. He picked up eight points (3+5) in 54 games between the teams. He has played 70 career NHL games.

Ellis played with Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids from 2003 to ‘07, collecting 153 points (69+84) in 282 games.

The 6-foot, 207-pound native of Welland, Ont., played four years of junior hockey with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League. Ellis signed as an undrafted free agent with Detroit in May 2002.

The Sabres also announced they will be holding a “Party in the Plaza” prior to the season opener Oct. 10. Game time against the Montreal Canadiens is 7:30 p.m.

The pre-game festivities will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. outside HSBC Arena in the Plaza area located near Perry and Illinois streets. Strictly Hip will perform and there will also be special guest appearances throughout the night.

Noah Welch says he never wavered with his response to the strange request.

Noah Welch says he never wavered with his response to the strange request.
The heady Panthers defenseman, who graduated from Harvard three years ago, was already an organ donor. His brain? Sure, he told fellow Harvard alum Chris Nowinski, he’d be willing to donate that, too, after he died.

“I really didn’t give it much thought,” Welch said. “It was something that could help out research. When I’m gone, I’m gone, so it can help someone.”

Welch is one of 12 athletes - half are NFL players; he’s the only one in the NHL - who have agreed to give their brains to the Sports Legacy Institute and Boston University School of Medicine for examination after their deaths. Most have a history of concussions.

All will be examined periodically until their deaths so their concussion histories and any related cognitive decline will be documented. Welch said he has suffered only one concussion.

“It’s more the fact I play a contact sport as opposed to I’ve had a concussion,” Welch said. “Even if I didn’t have a concussion, they would still want my brain because I play a contact sport. You get blows to the head, and they want to see how much even a small blow damages the mind.”

SLI founder Nowinski, who played football at Harvard in the late 1990s, became a professional wrestler and retired in 2003 because of multiple concussions, said that of the six dead former NFL players’ brains examined so far, five have been found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy. All died between the ages of 36 and 50.

The 26-year-old Welch agreed to be a brain donor this summer after Nowinski approached him during a charity event in Boston. Welch said he was troubled by the suicides of former NFL players Andre Waters and Terry Long, whose brains were among the six studied.

“I’ve actually seen pictures of guys’ brains who have passed away,” Welch said. “Half of it is black with all dead brain cells. It’s crazy.”

While Welch is the only hockey player so far willing to donate, Nowinski said Oilers forward Geoff Sanderson and former NHLers Pat LaFontaine and Jeff Serowick recently joined the advisory board Welch is part of. Welch said once the regular season starts, he will encourage other NHL players to donate their brains.

“Hopefully more people will end up coming forward,” Welch said. “It can help the research and keep guys safe - make sure that after they stop playing their lives are better.”

MacIntyre claimed

The Oilers claimed defenseman Steve MacIntyre, one of 23 players in the Panthers’ organization reassigned to AHL Rochester on Sunday, off waivers. If the Oilers choose to send down MacIntyre rather than keep him on their NHL roster, the Panthers would have first rights of any team to grab him.

Lee Stempniak had two goals and an assist.

Lee Stempniak had two goals and an assist. And the St Louis Blues chased Curtis Joseph with six goals on their first 12 shots in a 7-3 preseason victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

I know what Ive got to do, I know where Ive got to go, the 41-year-old Joseph said. Just a bruised ego, thats all. I can get over that.

Andy McDonald of the Blues had a goal and two assists in the first period, giving him 11 points in four preseason games. Brad Boyes scored his fourth goal of the preseason and added an assist, and Chris Mason made 21 saves in a game plagued by skirmishes in the final period.

The McDonald-Stempniak-Boyes line has totaled 29 points in four preseason games for St. Louis, which concludes the preseason on Saturday at Atlanta. The Blues (3-2-1) open the regular season Oct. 10 at home against the Nashville Predators.

I dont know if were amazed, Boyes said. Weve got good chemistry.

Joseph returned to the Maple Leafs with a one-year, free agent contract this summer and made his first start against the Blues. Anton Stralman scored his third goal of the preseason and added an assist for the Maple Leafs (2-3-1), who beat the Blues 4-3 in overtime in Toronto on Monday night.

Normally, you wouldnt in an exhibition game take the goalie out, coach Ron Wilson said. But a lot of shots were going in and I didnt want Cujo to have to suffer through a night if he didnt have it, and he didnt.

Hell recover, hes been through this stuff before.

Yan Stastny got his first goal of the preseason just 11 seconds into the game. Goals by Boyes, Stempniak and rookie T.J. Oshie made it 4-0 before the period was 10 minutes old.

Stempniaks second goal at 2:56 of the second made it 6-1 and that was it for Joseph, Torontos backup behind Vesa Toskala. Rookie Justin Pogge shut out the Blues until David Perron scored his fifth goal of the preseason with 30 seconds to go.

The lopsided loss ended a string of four straight one-goal games for Toronto.

Wednesday National Hockey League Capsules.

Wednesday National Hockey League Capsules.
VANCOUVER 6, CALGARY 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia Roberto Luongo got more than enough support in his first game as the teams captain.

Jannik Hansen scored two goals and Luongo was strong in goal as the Vancouver Canucks used an offensive outburst to top the Calgary Flames, 6-1, in a preseason game.

Looking to fill a void created in the offseason when Markus Naslund departed for the New York Rangers, the Canucks turned to Luongo to serve as captain, making him the first NHL goaltender to receive the honor in 61 years.

The Montreal native performed well in his first game with the new role, turning away 35 shots. He received all the help he needed in the early going.

After defenseman Alexander Edler opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the game, Hansen beat netminder Miikka Kiprusoff with a wrist shot 4:16 later for a 2-0 lead.

Defenseman Robyn Regehr halved the deficit nearly five minutes into the second period, but Pavol Demitra responded with a power-play goal at 9:15 and blue-liner Lawrence Nycholat tallied with 4:24 left in the session to give Vancouver a 4-1 bulge.

Hansen netted his second of the night at 4:58 of the third, and Mason Raymond capped the scoring less than five minutes later.

Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows each recorded three assists for the Canucks, who were outshot, 36-23.

Kiprusoff, who went 39-26-10 with a 2.69 goals against average in 78 games last season, stopped 17 shots.

MONTREAL 3, BOSTON 1

MONTREAL The Montreal Canadiens scored power-play goals on their first two shots of the second period en route to a 3-1 preseason victory over the Boston Bruins.

Defenseman Patrice Brisebois scored a goal and set up another as the Canadiens improved to 6-2-0 this preseason.

Montreal carried a 5-on-3 advantage into the second period, and Alexei Kovalev wasted little time capitalizing, driving a 38-foot slap shot past goaltender Manny Fernandez just 26 seconds into the session to snap a scoreless tie.

Brisebois assisted on Kovalevs goal and added his own 42 seconds later, burying a wrist shot for a two-goal cushion. Guillaume Latendresse netted a man-advantage tally with 8:35 to go in the period to make it 3-0.

The Canadiens finished 3-for-6 on the power play.

Montreals Jaroslav Halak, entering his second NHL season after being selected in the ninth round of the 2003 draft, stopped 33 of 34 shots. Fernandez posted 25 saves for Boston.

The Bruins finally got on the board 8:29 into the third period, as defenseman Zdeno Chara scored on a wrister from close range. The 6-9 captain was making his preseason debut.

ST. LOUIS 7, TORONTO 3

ST. LOUIS Lee Stempniak scored two goals as the St. Louis Blues got off to a fast start and never looked back in a 7-3 preseason victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Stempniak scored his first goal with just under nine minutes left in the first period to give the Blues a 3-0 lead. He added his second tally 1:56 into the middle session to extend the advantage to 6-1.

Stempniaks first tally was a hustle goal, as he caused a turnover that led to a shot on goal by Andy McDonald. Stempniak went hard to the goal and knocked in the rebound.

Yan Stastny got the onslaught started 11 seconds into the game, and by the time the first period was over, five different players had scored to give St. Louis a 5-1 bulge.

Brad Boyes, T.J. Oshie and McDonald added first-period tallies for St. Louis. David Perron added the only power-play goal of the game with 30 seconds remaining in the third.

Stempniak, Boyes and Perron now have five goals this preseason, while McDonald added two assists to raise his points total to 11 in four games.

Mikhail Grabovski, defenseman Anton Stralman and Niklas Hagman scored for Toronto.

It was a rough night for veteran goaltender Curtis Joseph, who faced 12 shots but turned aside only six in 22 minutes. Justin Pogge came on and made 13 saves, allowing only Perrons late tally.

Chris Mason stopped 21 shots for the Blues.

PHILADELPHIA 2, WASHINGTON 1

PHILADELPHIA Joffrey Lupul had a goal and an assist and Martin Biron won for the fourth time in as many preseason games as the Philadelphia Flyers recorded a 2-1 triumph over the Washington Capitals in a rematch of last seasons Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.

Glen Metropolit also tallied and Biron finished with 19 saves for Philadelphia, which improved to 4-2-0 in the preseason.

Nicklas Backstrom scored his first goal of the preseason and Brent Johnson made 22 saves for Washington, which fell to 4-1-0.

Signed in the offseason to a two-year contract, Metropolit opened the scoring 6:48 into the second period, when he accepted a centering feed from Lupul and wristed a shot past Johnson.

The Flyers doubled their advantage just 2:19 into the third period on the power play.

Defenseman Braydon Coburn fired a cross-ice pass to Steve Eminger, and the former Capitals blue-liner faked a shot before dishing to Lupul in the right faceoff circle. The 25-year-old Lupul quickly wristed a shot past Johnson for his third goal of the preseason.

Backstrom halved the deficit with 5:41 remaining as his sharp-angle shot caromed off Birons pads and into the net.

NEW JERSEY 3, NY ISLANDERS 0

UNIONDALE, New York Patrik Elias scored a goal and set up another, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders in preseason action.

Zach Parise and defenseman Anssi Salmela also scored and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur stopped all 17 shots he faced for New Jersey.

Parise opened the scoring with 5:36 left in the first, when he collected a loose puck and skated past defenseman Jack Hillen before backhanding a shot past Joey MacDonald for his fourth goal of the preseason. MacDonald was starting for Rick DiPietro, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Elias doubled the lead 5:21 into the second period with a slap shot from the left faceoff circle that beat MacDonald to the stick side. Salmela capped the scoring with 5:57 left, when he took a feed from Elias and blasted a slap shot past the netminder from the high slot.

MacDonald stopped 19 shots for New York, which was outshot, 10-4, in the first period.

DETROIT 4, ATLANTA 1

ATLANTA Mikael Samuelsson scored twice with the man advantage and 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg added a goal and two assists to lead the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers in a preseason matchup.

Captain Nicklas Lidstrom returned to the ice for the first time since breaking his nose in the preseason opener against the Montreal Canadiens and dished out two assists for Detroit, which improved to 3-1-2 in the preseason.

The Red Wings, who finished third in the league last season on the power play, wasted no time capitalizing with the man advantage in this one as Samuelsson blasted a slap shot from the right faceoff circle past goaltender Kari Lehtonen just 1:45 into the first period.

The 31-year-old right wing also converted on the power play at 8:10 of the second period, blasting a shot from above the right circle over the shoulder of Lehtonen to give Detroit a 3-1 lead.

Zetterberg netted the Red Wings second goal, snapping a 1-1 tie by stealing Lehtonens pass from behind the net and burying it with 5:19 remaining in the first. Johan Franzen added an empty-net goal with 70 seconds left in the third.

Chris Osgood turned aside 25 shots for Detroit, which has three games remaining on its preseason slate. Former Thrasher Marian Hossa did not make the trip to Atlanta.

Erik Christensen scored the Thrashers lone goal, beating Osgood with a deke before depositing the puck in the net on the backhand at 9:59 of the first.

Lehtonen stopped 32 shots for Atlanta, which failed to record a victory in new coach John Andersons debut at Philips Arena.

MINNESOTA 3, BUFFALO 2

ST. PAUL, Minnesota Antti Miettinen, Owen Nolan and defenseman Brent Burns scored first-period goals to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 preseason triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.

Miettinens even-strength goal 5:23 into the first got the Wild on the scoreboard, while Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Eric Belanger set up Nolans power-play tally 7:11 later. Burns scored a shorthanded goal less than two minutes afterward to help Minnesota improve to 4-1-0 in preseason action.

Goaltender Josh Harding evened his preseason record at 1-1-0 but left the game at 7:38 of the third period after teammate Martin Skoula hit him in the face with his stick while fighting for a puck in front of the net. Harding exited the game after stopping 25 of 26 shots.

Buffalos Daniel Paille scored 5:36 into the second and defenseman Andrej Sekera notched a power-play goal against Niklas Backstrom with one second left in the game.

The Wilds scoring balance was a welcome sign for a club trying to replace Pavol Demitra, Brian Rolston and Mark Parrish, who were three of their top five goal-scorers in 2007-08.

Burns and Bouchard both returned from injuries to play for the first time this preseason.

Ryan Miller, who started a career-high 75 games for the Sabres last season, turned away 21 shots.

COLORADO 3, DALLAS 1

DENVER Ryan Smyth recorded his team-leading fourth goal of the preseason and Peter Budaj finished with 29 saves to give the Colorado Avalanche their third consecutive victory with a 3-1 triumph over the Dallas Stars.

T.J. Hensick had a goal and an assist and David Jones also tallied for Colorado, which defeated Dallas for the second time in six days and improved to 3-0-1 in the preseason.

Smyths power-play goal snapped a scoreless tie with 82 seconds remaining in the second period after a give-and-go with teammate Paul Stastny. Smyth fed Stastny, who was just to the right goaltender Matt Climie. Stastny put the puck perfectly back on Smyths stick, and he one-timed it into the open net for a 1-0 lead.

The Avalanche doubled their advantage 2:39 into the third period after Jones skated into the offensive zone and backhanded the puck past Climie for his first goal of the preseason.

Steve Ott halved the deficit for the Stars just 4:56 into the third period, but Hensick regained the two-goal advantage for the Avalanche after cleaning up a rebound and slipping it past Climie.

Defenseman Matt Niskanen and Brad Richards set up the lone goal for Dallas, which fell to 1-4 in the preseason.

ANAHEIM 3, LOS ANGELES 2 (OT)

ANAHEIM, California Defenseman Chris Pronger recorded his second goal of the game 3:04 into overtime to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 preseason triumph over the Los Angeles Kings.

Chris Kunitz also scored and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 26 saves for Anaheim, which improved to 4-1-1 in the preseason.

Michal Handzus and Brian Boyle each netted power-play goals in the second period and Erik Ersberg turned aside 28 shots for the Kings, whose last three games have gone beyond regulation and ended in defeat.

After Los Angeles turned over the puck in the offensive zone, Pronger accepted a feed from Teemu Selanne and backhanded a shot past Ersberg for the game-winner.

Both teams relied on their power play in the second period.

Handzus scored after a scramble in front of the net 7:31 into the session, and Boyle gave the Kings a 2-1 lead just 2:20 later by redirecting defenseman Tom Preissings shot past Giguere.

The Ducks have struggled while shorthanded, allowing nine power-play goals in 32 opportunities this preseason.

Kunitz leveled the contest with 6:20 remaining in the second period, accepting a feed from Brendan Morrison and slipping the puck past Ersberg.

Morrison, who spent eight seasons with Vancouver, made his debut with Anaheim. He missed the last half of the 2007-08 season with wrist and knee injuries.

NY RANGERS 4, MAGNITOGORSK 3

BERN, Switzerland The New York Rangers rallied for a 4-3 victory over Metallburg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League in their preseason finale.

Dan Fritsche, Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan scored in the third period for the Rangers, who erased a 3-0 deficit late in the second. Callahan tallied the game-winner with 20 seconds remaining.

The Rangers, who concluded their exhibition slate with a 3-5 record, open the regular season this weekend with a pair of games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague.

The game marked the first time an NHL team faced a Russian club outside of North America.

Ryan Callahan scored with 20 seconds left to give the New York Rangers a 4-3 comeback victory.

Ryan Callahan scored with 20 seconds left to give the New York Rangers a 4-3 comeback victory. Over European champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Wednesday night in the first game between NHL and Russian teams in 17 years.

Down 3-0 late in the second period before rallying to take the $1 million prize in the inaugural Victoria Cup, the Rangers will open the NHL regular season this weekend in Prague, Czech Republic, with a two-game series against Tampa Bay.

“It certainly has a galvanizing effect on how we go into Prague,” Rangers coach Tom Renney said. “You have to think this has certainly served as a foundation for some confidence. … We had our hands full tonight. We were down three-nothing and it did not look good at all.”

Chris Drury cut it to 3-1 with a two-man advantage late in the second period and Dan Fritsche made it a one-goal game at 5:45 of the third. Drury tied it with a little under 10 minutes left.

“Any comeback is important for your team,” Renney said. “It is an important step early and we like that.”

Denis Platonov, drafted by Nashville in 2001, gave the Continental Hockey League team the lead 1:28 into the first period and Vladimir Malenkikh beat Henrik Lundqvist on a power play with 1:53 left in the period to make it 2-0. Metallurg took a 3-0 lead midway through the second on Nikolai Zavarukhin’s power-play goal.

The Victoria Cup was created by the International Ice Hockey Federation in its centenary year. Named for the rink where the first organized game was played in 1875 in Montreal, the event will annually pair an NHL team with the current European champion.

The Rangers’ two Russian players, defenseman Dmitri Kalinin and forward Nikolai Zherdev, accepted the trophy.

“It was a nice touch by our guys,” Renney said. “It recognized two good teammates who care deeply about playing for the Rangers, and our leaders wanted them to know that.”

Boosted by the big deal for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

Boosted by the big deal for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. The Detroit Tigers started the season as a popular pick to contend for a championship.

The Tigers finished the year competing only for the dubious distinction of being baseball’s biggest bust. A loss against the Chicago White Sox dropped Detroit (74-88) to a last-place finish in the AL Central.

Team owner Mike Ilitch approved a payroll of about $139 million, getting outspent by only the New York Yankees, trying to get back to the postseason after missing it in 2007.

Instead of repeating their run to the World Series from two years ago, the Tigers limped home in the AL Central.

“We’re embarrassed. I’m embarrassed,” manager Jim Leyland said. “Mr. Ilitch stepped to the plate. When you get paid big, you’re supposed to play big and manage big. That’s just the way it is. When it doesn’t happen, people have the right to call you on the carpet.”

Leyland will be back for at least another season, but pitching and bullpen coaches - Chuck Hernandez and Jeff Jones - were fired. The team has decided not to exercise its option to bring back shortstop Edgar Renteria, choosing to give him $3 million instead of $11 million to return.

That move adds shortstop to the list of needs that includes finding a catcher or two and pitching help, particularly in the bullpen.

Leyland said Brandon Inge will be the regular third baseman next season after starting this year as a utility player and Carlos Guillen will be shifted from third to left field.

“We’ve got a big job in front of us,” Ilitch said. “I know in a year, year and a half, I’ll be OK. But I’m just concerned about this next year, making sure that we make the right decisions to go forward with who we have, and then we’ll go from there.”

Ilitch recently said he’s not afraid to spend money, but this might not be the offseason to throw millions around like he did last winter.

“I don’t know if this year is the year to go after people,” Ilitch said.

The Tigers know they have some position players to build around.

They gave Cabrera a $152-plus million contract after acquiring him last winter and the 25-year-old first baseman. He hit an AL-high 37 homers, finished third in the league with 127 RBI and hit nearly .300 while playing almost every game.

“We have one of the most dynamic young players I’ve ever seen,” Leyland said.

Curtis Granderson, a 27-year-old outfielder, became the first Tiger to lead the league in triples since Ty Cobb did it nine decades ago. He hit an AL-high 13 triples and scored 112 runs, trailing only Boston’s Dustin Pedroia in the league.

Outfielder Magglio Ordonez followed up his AL batting title with a .317 batting average, finishing fourth in the league. Second baseman Placido Polanco hit .307 and was solid in the field.

Rookie right-hander Armando Galarraga came out of nowhere to be the team’s best starter, going 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA.

“There have been some good things,” Leyland said. “But not enough.”

The bad outweighed the good, no doubt, for the Tigers.

Ace Justin Verlander was 11-17 with a 4.84 ERA after becoming the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter, start a World Series game, be a Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in his first two full seasons.

Willis, acquired along with Cabrera, was 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA and spent much of the season away from the team trying to figure out how to throw strikes.

Pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney had their seasons stunted by injuries. Nate Robertson, Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones simply didn’t pitch as well as they had previously for the Tigers.

The Tigers ranked among baseball’s best offensively, but among the worst on the mound and in the field.

“If you summed everything up, pitching and defense is the name of the game and we haven’t been good at either one,” Leyland said.

Tampa Bay pitcher Troy Percival, a former Tiger, said what happened in the Motor City proved baseball games can’t be won with dollars and cents.

“You can buy a talented team, but you can’t guarantee anything beyond that,” Percival said.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist and Texas Rangers first baseman Hank Blalock.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist and Texas Rangers first baseman Hank Blalock. Were named the American League co-Players of the Week on Monday.

Last week, Zobrist hit .455 (10-for-22) with four home runs and seven RBI as the Rays clinched their first AL East Division title in franchise history.

The Illinois native finished the season hitting .253 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI for the Rays.

Blalock hit .400 (10-22) with four home runs and nine RBI last week. The 27-year-old homered in five straight games and went 7-for-12 with three homers and seven RBI during a three-game series at Oakland.

The San Diego native finished the season batting .287 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games.

Other nominees considered were Bostons Kevin Youkilis, Torontos Vernon Wells and Minnesotas Scott Baker.

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Indians C Shoppach has knee surgery.

Cleveland Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach on Monday underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the team announced.

The 30-minute operation, performed by team medical director Dr. Mark Schickendantz, cleaned out cartilage in Shoppachs knee.

Shoppach replaced an injured Victor Martinez as Clevelands starting catcher and hit .261 with 21 home runs and 55 RBI in 112 games.

Martinez went down with an elbow injury in June that required surgery and caused him to miss nearly three months.

A look at the best-of-five National League division series.

A look at the best-of-five National League division series. Between the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Schedule (All times EDT): Game 1, Wednesday, at Philadelphia (3:07 p.m.); Game 2, Thursday, at Philadelphia (6:07 p.m.); Game 3, Saturday, at Milwaukee (6:37 p.m.); x-Game 4, Sunday, at Milwaukee (TBA); x-Game 5, Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Philadelphia (TBA). (All games on TBS).

x-if necessary.

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Season Series: Philadelphia won 5-1.

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Projected Lineups

Brewers: CF Mike Cameron (.243, 25 HRs, 70 RBIs), 3B Bill Hall (.225, 15, 55), LF Ryan Braun (.285, 37, 106), 1B Prince Fielder (.276, 34, 102, 84 BB), SS J.J. Hardy (.283, 24, 74), RF Corey Hart (.268, 20, 91), 2B Rickie Weeks (.234, 14, 46), C Jason Kendall (.246, 2, 49).

Phillies: SS Jimmy Rollins (.277, 11, 59, 76 runs, 47 SB), RF Jayson Werth (.273, 24, 67, 20 SB), 2B Chase Utley (.293, 33, 104, 113 runs), 1B Ryan Howard (.251, 48, 146, 104 runs, 199 strikeouts), LF Pat Burrell (.250, 33, 86), CF Shane Victorino (.293, 14, 58, 36 SB, 102 runs), 3B Pedro Feliz (.249, 14, 58), C Carlos Ruiz (.219, 4, 34) or Chris Coste (.263, 9, 36).

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Projected Rotations

Brewers: RH Yovani Gallardo (0-0, 1.88), LH CC Sabathia (11-2, 1.65, 7 complete games in 17 starts with Milwaukee after July 7 trade from Cleveland; 17-10, 2.70, 5 shutouts and 10 CGs overall), RH Jeff Suppan (10-10, 4.96 ERA), RH Dave Bush (9-10, 4.18).

Phillies: LH Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09, 196 strikeouts), RH Brett Myers (10-13, 4.55), LH Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71), RH Joe Blanton (4-0, 4.20 with Phillies after July 17 trade from Oakland; 9-12, 4.69 overall).

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Relievers

Brewers: RH Salomon Torres (7-5, 3.49, 28/35 saves), RH Eric Gagne (4-3, 5.44, 10 saves), RH Guillermo Mota (5-6, 4.11), RH Seth McClung (6-6, 4.02), LH Brian Shouse (5-1, 2.81), LH Manny Parra (10-8, 4.39).

Phillies: RH Brad Lidge (2-0, 1.95, 41/41 saves), RH Ryan Madson (4-2, 3.05), LH J.C. Romero (4-4, 2.75), RH Chad Durbin (5-4, 2.87), RH Clay Condrey (3-4, 3.26), LH Scott Eyre (5-0, 4.21 with Phillies and Cubs; 3-0, 1.88 with Phillies).

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Matchups

Philadelphia’s four-game sweep of the visiting Brewers in mid-September ended Ned Yost’s tenure as Milwaukee manager. Yost was fired Sept. 15 and replaced by his former third base coach, Dale Sveum. … The teams split a two-game set at Miller Park in April. … Sabathia pitched three games on three days’ rest to end the season. He hasn’t faced the Phillies. The big lefty won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award with Cleveland, but was 1-2 with an 8.80 ERA in three playoff starts after pitching 241 innings during the regular season. This year, he totaled a major league-high 253 innings. Will he be worn out in October? He figures to start Game 2 against Philadelphia on three days’ rest again, which would line him up for a potential Game 5 on full rest, for a change. … There’s a good chance the Brewers will be without oft-injured ace Ben Sheets, who tried to come back from elbow soreness last week but couldn’t get through the third inning Saturday. Milwaukee might still have an ace up its sleeve, though. Gallardo made his first start Friday since tearing a knee ligament May 1 and gave up a run and three hits in four innings. In a start against Philadelphia in August 2007, Gallardo allowed one run and four hits in 6 2-3 innings. … In stark contrast to the Phillies’ stellar bullpen, the Brewers cringe just about every time they turn to their relievers. Torres took over the closer’s job in midseason after Gagne faltered, but appears to be out of gas (1-2, 8.53 ERA, 2 saves in September). Gagne actually is throwing the ball as well as he has all season heading into the playoffs, but can the Brewers really trust him in games of this magnitude? … The Brewers batted only .206 against the Phillies this season, but hit eight homers in six games. Fielder was 7-for-20 with four homers in those games, and twice connected off Lidge. … Rollins hit .538 against Milwaukee. Victorino batted .500, Utley .476 and Werth .292. … Phillies pitchers had a 2.72 ERA against the Brewers, their lowest vs. any team. … Philadelphia led the NL with 214 HRs. The pitching staff’s 3.88 ERA was fourth best in the league. It posted a 3.65 ERA at home in a hitter-friendly ballpark. … Phillies had the best stolen-base percentage (84.5) in the majors. They were 136-for-161.

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Big Picture

Brewers: Their first playoff appearance since 1982 didn’t come easy, and it certainly wouldn’t have come without the deal for Sabathia. The Brewers were 44-38 and in third place in the NL Central at the end of June, but began July on a winning streak that convinced general manager Doug Melvin the team was one major addition from being a playoff contender. So Melvin made the splash of the season by acquiring Sabathia for four prospects - and did it ever pay off. He pitched Milwaukee (90-72) into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season by throwing a four-hitter for a 3-1 victory over the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs. … The Brewers went 20-7 in August and held a 5 1/2-game advantage in the wild-card race going into September, but began the month 3-11. After a four-game sweep by the Phillies, the Brewers took the extraordinary step of firing Yost with 12 games left in the season. Milwaukee lost four of the next five under Sveum, then won six of its last seven to take the wild card. Getting into the playoffs helped make up for last year’s late collapse. … Sveum wants to see the Brewers break out of their homer-or-bust offensive tendency, but his efforts to get the team to manufacture runs have met with mixed results so far. Even in winning six of their last seven, the Brewers didn’t score consistently, needing big home runs to win games. … Braun hurt his rib cage muscles in August and struggled through most of September. But he hit two huge home runs in the final week of the season.

Phillies: With 16 games left, manager Charlie Manuel’s team trailed the Mets by 3 1/2 games in the NL East and were four games behind wild card-leading Milwaukee. For the second year in a row, they played their best down the stretch. A four-game sweep over the Brewers got the Phillies going and they won 12 of 15 to clinch their second straight division title on the next-to-last day. … After being swept out of the first round by Colorado last year, the Phillies (92-70) won’t be satisfied with simply reaching the postseason this time. Every player and coach emphasized during a slightly less subdued celebration following the division clincher that the only goal is to win it all. … Philadelphia is seeking to win a postseason game for the first time since losing the ‘93 World Series. … This is the Phillies’ 11th postseason appearance in their 126-year history. They’ve won one World Series title (1980) and lost more games than any franchise in professional sports. … The 92 wins were the team’s most since ‘93. … A strong pitching staff carried the Phillies while a star-studded offense was often inconsistent. Lidge was 41-for-41 in save opportunities, making him worthy of MVP consideration. The rest of the bullpen also was solid and the top three in the rotation match up well with most. Hamels was an ace and Myers was dominant in the second half after a brief demotion to the minors in July. But the biggest surprise was the 45-year-old Moyer. His 16 wins tied Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil Niekro for most by a pitcher that age. … Howard led the majors in home runs and RBIs. He had another big September, making him a strong candidate to win the MVP award for the second time in three years. Utley tailed off considerably after an excellent April, hitting just 12 of his career-best 33 homers in the last 103 games. Rollins didn’t come close to matching his MVP numbers from a year ago. … Defensively, the Phillies are strong up the middle, particularly with Rollins and Victorino.

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Watch For

- CC and the No-Name Band. The Brewers almost always win when Sabathia pitches, and they stand a decent chance of losing when he doesn’t. Milwaukee must find another reliable starter in the playoffs. Suppan has a strong track record: 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in nine postseason starts, including two Game 7 gems and the 2006 NLCS MVP for St. Louis. The wild card is Gallardo, a highly regarded young righty who just returned from a serious knee injury.

- Lights Out Lidge. That mammoth homer Lidge allowed to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS is a distant memory. Lidge was perfect in his first season in Philadelphia, helping the Phillies go 79-0 when leading after eight innings. He had a 1.10 ERA in save situations and a 0.61 ERA in his last 15 appearances. While Howard is the fans’ choice for MVP, Lidge was chosen the Phillies’ most valuable player by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

- Boom or Bust. The Brewers were 74-46 when hitting a home run and 16-26 when they didn’t. Sveum has tried to emphasize manufacturing runs, but it’s not realistic to expect a team to change its offensive identity in the space of two weeks. So if the Brewers can play long ball in the playoffs, they might stand a chance. If not, they probably don’t.

- The Flyin’ Hawaiian. The underrated Victorino gets overlooked in a lineup filled with big names. But he’s a spark plug who can turn a game around with his bat, glove or speed. The switch-hitting center fielder is excellent defensively and has one of the strongest arms in the majors. He batted second most of the season, but was moved to sixth to provide much-needed balance.

The Texas Rangers made several decisions regarding.

The Texas Rangers made several decisions regarding. Their coaching staff for the 2009 season on Monday, electing to bring back hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and first base coach Gary Pettis while parting ways with two others.

The Rangers, who finished second in the American League West Division with a 79-83 record this season, announced bench coach Art Howe and third base coach Matt Walbeck would not be offered contracts for 2009. Additionally, bullpen coach Jim Colborn will return to his former role of director of Pacific Rim operations, while pitching coach Andy Hawkins will be a candidate to return to Texas but would be offered the job of pitching coach for Class AAA Oklahoma if he does not secure a spot with the Rangers.

Jaramillo will be returning for his 15th season as Texas hitting coach, tying him for the fourth-longest tenure as a coach with one major league team. This season, the Rangers led the majors in batting average (.283), runs (901) and extra-base hits (605) under Jaramillo while setting an MLB record with 376 doubles.

Also the teams outfield and baserunning instructor, Pettis will be back for his third season with Texas. The Rangers were third-best in the AL with a 76.4 percent success rate in stolen bases in 2008.

Bud Black is coming back as manager of the San Diego Padres despite the club worst finish in 15 seasons.

Bud Black is coming back as manager of the San Diego Padres despite the club worst finish in 15 seasons.
The Padres announced late Monday afternoon that Black and most of his staff will return in 2008. The Padres finished 63-99, 21 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Padres say they won’t renew the contract of bench coach Craig Colbert. Last week, hitting coach Wally Joyner resigned with six games left due to philosophical differences with the front office, which favors statistical analysis.

“We have the confidence and trust in Buddy to lead the club back to our winning ways,” general manager Kevin Towers said in a statement. “When we hired him before the 2007 season, the most important element to us was to bring in a manager who would continue to grow with the Padres organization.”

Towers didn’t return calls seeking further comment.

Black, who has one year left on his contract, didn’t return a phone message.