Comeback complete, Europe wins Ryder Cup

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- Europe buried the memory of that American comeback at Brookline in 1999 with one that was even better. Medinah was filled with sheer madness Sunday, the matches so close for so much of the day that even when Martin Kaymer stood over a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to clinch it, the Ryder Cup was up in air. The putt was pure and the celebration was on. ''It will go down in the history books of the Ryder Cup,'' said European captain Jose Maria Olazabal. The size of the comeback was equal to what the Americans pulled off at The Country Club, but at least they had help from endless cheers of the home crowd. Not many gave Europe much of a chance until Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia turned what looked to be certain losses into improbable wins, filling the scoreboard with European blue. ''What you did out there today was outstanding,'' Olazabal told his team at the closing ceremony. ''You believed and you delivered. And I'm very proud that you have kept Europe's hands on this Ryder Cup. All men die, but not all men live. And you made me feel alive again this week.'' Then, Olazabal bowed his head and closed his eyes as they filled with tears, and the European fans sensed what was coming next. He didn't have to say a word. They said it for him. ''Seve, Seve, Seve,'' they began to chant. Seve Ballesteros. Olazabal walked down the row and hugged every player until he saved the longest embrace for Lee Westwood, the only player who was on that 1997 team when Ballesteros was the captain, the last visible role he played at the Ryder Cup. He died in May 2011 at age 54 of a brain tumor. Westwood, Garcia and Paul Lawrie were the only players on the '99 team that blew a 10-6 lead, and all of them won matches. ''We wanted to see how they would react, and see if they could hold it,'' Garcia said of the Americans. ''And it was a combination of playing great, and maybe then that little bit of pressure getting to them.'' The Americans were simply stunned. Three times they came to the 17th hole with a chance to win a match, only for Europe to deliver the key shots that win the Ryder Cup. Ian Poulter won the last two holes, and so did Rose, a birdie-birdie finish to beat Phil Mickelson. Garcia won the last two holes with pars to beat Jim Furyk. Furyk had beaten Garcia at Brookline in a pivotal match. ''That was fun,'' Furyk said. ''This was pretty miserable.'' If Kaymer had missed the putt and halved his match with Steve Stricker, the Americans would have been one point away from winning - with Tiger Woods in the fairway and 1 up over Francesco Molinari. Woods wound up missing a 3 1/2-foot par putt and conceded a par to the Italian from the same distance to halve their match. That extra half-point made it a clear-cut win for Europe, 14 1/2-13 1/2. Woods and Stricker, the anchors in the lineup, didn't win a single match at Medinah. ''This one is for all of Europe,'' Olazabal said. ''Seve will always be present with this team. He was a big factor for this event for the European side, and last night when we were having that meeting, I think the boys understood that believing was the most important thing. And I think they did.'' Poulter was the first to embrace Olazabal, which was only fitting. It was Poulter who gave Europe hope Saturday evening when he made five straight birdies to turn a loss into a win and swing momentum in Europe's favor. Poulter was up to his fist-pumping, eye-bulging tricks again on the final day, winning the last two holes in his match against U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson. And he had plenty of help. Europe's top five players in the lineup all won, including Rory McIlroy, who was lucky to be playing. McIlroy thought his match was at 12:25 p.m. - it was listed in Eastern time, not Central - and needed a police escort to get to the course with 10 minutes to spare. Then, he came up with key birdies to hand Keegan Bradley his first loss of the week. The biggest match might have belonged to Rose. He was on the verge of losing to Mickelson when Rose holed a 12-foot par putt to halve the 16th, made a 35-foot birdie putt from the back of the 17th green to win the hole, and then closed out Mickelson with a 12-foot birdie on the last hole. Six of the 12 matches went to the 18th hole on Sunday. The Americans won only one of them. ''Today was certainly not what we expect,'' U.S. captain Davis Love III said. Love became the first U.S. captain to sit every player at least once before Sunday, wanting them to be fresh for the decisive day. Instead, the Americans faltered at the end - especially Furyk and Stricker, two of his captain's picks. The only U.S. points came from Dustin Johnson, who went 3-0 in this Ryder Cup, Zach Johnson and unheralded Jason Dufner. ''We're all kind of stunned,'' Love said. ''We know what it feels like now from the '99 Ryder Cup. It's a little bit shocking. We were playing so well, we figured it didn't matter how we sent them out there. We got a couple of matches flipped there in the middle that cost us.'' Love thought all along the Ryder Cup would be decided in the ninth match by Dufner. It was most appropriate that Europe won the cup thanks to Kaymer. Kaymer gave German golf some redemption from Kiawah Island in 1991, when countryman Bernhard Langer missed a par putt from about the same length that allowed the Americans to win. ''I did think about him, especially when I walked around the hole and read the putt from the other side,'' Kaymer said. ''So I thought, 'OK, it's not going to happen again, it's not going to happen again.' And to be honest with you, I didn't really think about missing. There was only one choice you have. You have to make it.'' It was a collapse the Americans won't soon forget. Just 24 hours earlier, they had a 10-4 lead with two team matches still on the course - they were ahead in one of them, while Woods and Stricker were closing in on the other. It's hard to believe they would only win 3 1/2 points the rest of the way. Europe came out fast, and for McIlroy, that started at his hotel. He was leisurely heading out of the hotel - thinking that his tee time was an hour later than it was - when he got a frantic call to tell him his match was in 25 minutes. McIlroy was lucky to run into the police, who helped him get to Medinah with enough time to change his shoes, take a few putts and head to the tee box. He never trailed in his match, making two straight birdies late to knock off Bradley. ''It's my own fault,'' McIlroy said. ''If I let down these 11 other boys and vice captains and captains this week, I would never forgive myself. I'm just obviously happy to get the point and help the cause out a little bit today.'' Everyone pitched in. Luke Donald, who makes Chicago his home and had a small share of gallery support, overwhelmed Bubba Watson despite being some 50 yards behind him off the tee. Paul Lawrie, returning to the Ryder Cup after a 13-year absence, had the shortest match of the day against FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker. Poulter outlasted Simpson when the U.S. Open champion hit into a bunker on the 17th and made bogey, and then hit well long on the 18th when he needed a birdie to halve the match. Jack Nicklaus first suggested in 1977 that all of Europe be included in the Ryder Cup, which brought the great Ballesteros into the matches. He was determined to prove that Europeans were equal to the Americans, and they have shown to be every bit of that over the last three decades.

Bryant field goal leads Falcons past Panthers 30-28

ATLANTA (AP) -- Matt Ryan took an awful beating. Another win for the Atlanta Falcons will make the pain a lot easier to take. Shaking off a career-high seven sacks, Ryan completed a 59-yard pass to Roddy White with about a minute remaining, setting up Matt Bryant's 40-yard field goal that kept the Falcons perfect on the season with a wild 30-28 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. After squandering a 24-14 lead in the second half, the Falcons needed a crucial fumble by Cam Newton to even have a chance - and they still faced long odds when the Panthers downed a punt at the Atlanta 1 with 1:09 remaining. Ryan had no timeouts and surely some doubt about how much time his beleaguered offensive line would give him. But he dropped back about as far as he could, threw it about as far as he could, and relied on White to go up and make the catch. He did, between two defenders. Bryant's kick won it with 5 seconds remaining. ''We made the plays when we needed to,'' said Ryan, who passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns. ''That's what you need to do week to week in this league.'' The Falcons (4-0) are off to their best start since 2004, when they reached the NFC championship game. This was their stiffest challenge yet. ''That was exciting. Whew!'' said coach Mike Smith, finally able to exhale. ''Every time it looked bleak, every time it looked like we didn't have a chance, we were able to overcome it.'' Newton threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. But he let the ball slip away when it looked as though he had clinched the victory for the Panthers (1-3). ''You have to protect the football,'' Newton said. ''That was a key focus going into this game, and I fumbled. There's a lot of guys that are trusting the ball carrier, and I was the ball carrier that particular play to get the job done. And I dropped the ball.'' On third-and-2 at the Atlanta 46, Newton took the snap and bulled his way over the left side, his body surging across the spot needed for the first down. On the sideline, several of the Panthers broke into a celebration. But John Abraham knocked it loose, the ball squirting backward. Fullback Mike Tolbert covered it for Carolina at the 45 - 1 yard shy of a first down. After attempting unsuccessfully to draw the Falcons offside, the Panthers punted it away. Ryan and White took advantage of another chance. ''I threw it high and far to the spot we talk about,'' Ryan said. ''Roddy went up and made a great catch. When you're in that situation late in the game, that's what you have to do.'' White was sandwiched between cornerback Josh Norman and safety Haruki Nakamura, but managed to leap over both of them to bring down the pass at the Carolina 40. A pass interference call and two short completions made things easier for Bryant, who had already connected from 41 and 33 yards to improve to 8 for 8 on the season. Make it 9 for 9. The kick was straight down the middle. With Julio Jones hindered by an injured right hand, White came up with a huge game for the Falcons. He had eight catches for 169 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. But his biggest catch was the final one. ''Matt told me he was going to throw it up there. Just make a play,'' White said. ''Not for one second did we think we were going to lose the game.'' Ryan credited his offensive line on the final drive, even though they struggled most of the day to keep him upright against Charles Johnson and the rest of the Panthers defense. Johnson spent so much time in the backfield he should've worn an Atlanta jersey, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks. Ryan was hit 12 times after throwing and hurried on at least a half-dozen other attempts. ''The offensive line did a great job,'' Ryan said, all evidence to the contrary. ''If you're going to throw the football that far down the field, you need some time. The guys did a great job of pass protection, giving us time to throw it down there.'' Newton's fumble ruined what had been a stellar performance. He threw for 215 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown to Greg Olsen early in the game, then a 36-yard scoring play to Kealoha Pilares that put the Panthers ahead 28-24 with 7:55 remaining. Newton also ran for 86 yards on nine carries, bulling his way into the end zone from 4 yards out late in the third quarter. The Panthers played much better than they did in their previous outing, a 36-7 home loss to the New York Giants, but it wasn't enough to prevent them from sliding a daunting three games behind Atlanta in the NFC South. ''I want to apologize to my teammates and the fans that were watching out there,'' Newton said. ''Everybody was doing their job. I clearly had the first down, but I've just got to hold onto the football.'' Ryan also connected on a 60-yard touchdown with Michael Turner, who took a screen pass right about the line of scrimmage and zigzagged down the field for the first scoring reception of his nine-year career. DeAngelo Williams scored Carolina's other TD on a 13-yard run. Notes: The Falcons failed to score a TD on their opening possession for the first time this season, going three-and-out. Also, it was the first time the Panthers did not allow a touchdown on their opponent's opening drive. ... Nakamura had an early interception, but it was largely a day to forget for the Carolina free safety. He was beaten on both of White's touchdown receptions, missed a tackle on Turner's scoring play and had the ball snatched away by White on the long pass that set up the winning field goal. ... Atlanta's only other 4-0 start came in 1986.

Rodgers throws late TD, Packers beat Saints 28-27

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- As if bearing the brunt of the call that ultimately led to the end of the NFL's replacement officials wasn't enough, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers nearly had a big comeback win undone by a blunder from the regular refs. Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter, and the Packers shook off a week's worth of controversy with a rally to beat the New Orleans Saints 28-27 on Sunday. With Lambeau Field fans howling about what appeared to be yet another bad call - this time by the regular officials, not the replacements - Garrett Hartley missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just under three minutes remaining that cost the Saints a shot at the lead. ''We've probably had to deal with more adversity than most of the teams I've played with, especially early on we've had some interesting games already,'' Rodgers said. ''We're four games in. So, I think the character of this team is very strong. Winning games like this says a lot about the kind of men that we have.'' Rodgers threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and an interception for the Packers (2-2). ''I'm very proud of our football team, especially the week we've endured,'' Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. ''We talk a lot about integrity and character, and I thought today's game had plenty of those types of situations where it showed up big.'' Drew Brees threw for 446 yards with three touchdowns for the winless Saints (0-4). ''It's going to hurt when you lose a game like this,'' Saints interim coach Aaron Kromer said. ''But I will not let them get down. We are too close.'' Brees now has thrown at least one touchdown in 47 straight regular-season games, tying the NFL's all-time mark set by Johnny Unitas. ''Yeah, it's disappointing,'' Brees said of the loss. ''It stinks. But despite where we're at, right now I think this team's going to do something.'' With the win, the Packers were able to put Monday night's controversial replacement official-driven loss at Seattle behind them. But even with the regular refs back this week, the Packers and their fans still nearly were dealt a crushing blow on a blown call. After Rodgers' touchdown to Nelson, Darren Sproles appeared to fumble the ensuing kickoff but officials ruled that he was down by contact. Replays showed that the ball clearly came out but the Packers were out of replay challenges, leaving Packers fans screaming at the officials for the second week in a row. ''You guys were all happy that the officials were back, and we tried to tell you that they'd still get booed,'' Nelson said with a laugh. Brees then led the Saints into field goal range, and Hartley hit a 43-yard attempt - but the Saints were called for holding, forcing Hartley to line up a 53-yarder. The Packers then were called for encroachment, leaving Hartley to try a 48-yarder and he missed it wide left. It was a sigh of relief for the Packers, who spent most of the week in the middle of a nationwide firestorm after a last-second decision by replacement officials cost them a game at Seattle on Monday night. It was a burden for the Packers to bear, but likely played a significant role in the NFL agreeing to a deal with its regular officials during the week. Referee Jeff Triplette struck a triumphant tone during the pregame coin toss Sunday, announcing that ''it's great to be back, gentlemen!'' A handful of Packers fans came to the game dressed as officials, and some brought signs showing support for the regular refs. The honeymoon didn't last long. Fans howled for an offensive pass interference call after Brees threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston late in the first quarter, but no flag was forthcoming. With the Packers leading 21-14 in the third quarter, fans - and McCarthy - were on the officials again when McCarthy challenged a catch by Jimmy Graham but it wasn't overturned. A 20-yard field goal by Hartley cut the lead to 21-17 with 9:41 left in the third quarter. Rodgers responded with a drive but needed attention from the team's training staff after getting poked in the eye on a face mask by New Orleans' Malcolm Jenkins. ''I wanted to stay in the game - obviously, I don't like coming out for anything,'' Rodgers said. ''Just didn't have any depth perception immediately thereafter and so I figured we were a yard away and we could punch that thing in there. Unfortunately, didn't happen.'' Rodgers came out of the game for one play and backup quarterback Graham Harrell came in - then tripped and fumbled as he tried to hand it off, allowing the Saints to get the ball. Brees then found Joseph Morgan wide open behind the defense for an 80-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead. Rodgers then threw an interception to Patrick Robinson and the Saints drove for a 27-yard field goal by Hartley to take a 27-21 lead with 13:04 remaining. With the Packers trailing by 6, Rodgers threw an 11-yard strike to Nelson as the Saints' Corey White tried to wrap his arms around the ball - briefly re-creating a scene eerily similar to the controversial game-ender in Seattle on Monday. This time, though, Nelson clearly came away with the ball and spiked it emphatically. NOTES: Packers S M.D. Jennings, who played a key role in the controversial play at Seattle, left the game with a shoulder injury. ... Packers WR Greg Jennings caught a touchdown in the second quarter but later came out of the game. Jennings has been struggling to stay healthy with a groin injury.

Eagles beat Giants 19-17

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Lawrence Tynes' kick sailed wide left and a sellout crowd broke into a wild celebration that quickly halted when they realized it didn't count. Lucky for the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, Tynes missed again. Tynes was short on a 54-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds left and Philadelphia held on for a 19-17 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night. ''When you're surrounding by 66,000 people that probably wanna rip your head off, yeah,'' Eagles coach Andy Reid said when asked if he regretted calling a timeout to ice Tynes on his first try. With LeSean McCoy leading the way on the ground, Michael Vick guided Philadelphia (3-1) to their third comeback win. The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to have each of their first three wins by two points or less according to information provided to the Eagles by the Elias Sports Bureau. Alex Henery kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:49 left and the Eagles overcame two pass interference penalties on New York's final drive. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants (2-2) have struggled against Philadelphia, losing eight of the last nine meetings. ''We knew it was going to be a game that was going to come down to the fourth quarter,'' Eli Manning said. ''We knew we were going to have to earn every yard. They're a good defense, they're a good team. We had opportunities, we were close.'' McCoy had 121 of his 123 yards rushing in the second half. The All-Pro had six carries for 2 yards at halftime. ''It's just the Giants and Eagles, this is what it comes down to,'' McCoy said. ''Eventually our running game would crack it and that's what we did.'' Vick threw TD passes in the final two minutes in consecutive 1-point wins over Cleveland and Baltimore the first two weeks before a 26-7 loss at Arizona. After Manning tossed a go-ahead 6-yard TD pass Bear Pascoe, Vick drove the Eagles to the Giants 2 before Osi Umenyiora sacked him for a 6-yard loss on third down. Henery then hit his fourth field goal to put Philadelphia ahead to stay. Henery also connected from 48, 35 and 20 yards. A pass interference penalty on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie kept the Giants' last drive alive and put the ball at the Eagles 35 after Manning threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1. Another pass interference call on Nnamdi Asomugha on third-and-10 moved it to the Eagles 27. Then Ramses Barden got called for offensive pass interference to move it back to the 36. ''I thought it was on him,'' Barden said of Asomugha. ''But I know he's a competitor, and he came to play tonight. We were both fighting for position and it's just one of those things.'' After an incomplete pass, the Giants sent out Tynes to try for the winning kick on third-and-18 because they didn't have any timeouts remaining. ''I don't believe in icing the kicker,'' Vick said. ''You let him kick it and if it's in, it's in. You can't play games. I don't know where that started. We got to end that tradition.'' Vick was 19 of 30 for 241 yards and the turnover-prone Eagles protected the ball. The Eagles led the NFL with 12 turnovers through three games, but didn't commit any. Manning completed 24 of 42 passes for 309 yards, two TDs and one crucial interception. He threw a pick in the end zone after a 30-yard pass to Victor Cruz on fourth-and-1 got the Giants to Philadelphia's 10 on the final play of the third quarter. Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted Manning's underthrown pass into triple-coverage and returned it 14 yards to the Eagles 9. The Eagles slowly moved the ball on the ground to set up Henery's 35-yarder that made it 16-10. Manning redeemed himself on New York's next possession. He completed passes of 31 yards to Barden and 41 yards to Domenik Hixon. He then found Pascoe wide open over the middle for a 17-16 lead with 6:45 left. McCoy finally broke loose by running for 56 yards on consecutive carries in the third. He was stopped at the 1 on a 22-yard gain, and then couldn't get in on three straight carries. The Eagles settled for a 20-yard field goal by Henery that made it 10-3. ''The O-line found themselves as the game wore on,'' Reid said. ''They were able to block well enough to where McCoy had big yards.'' The Giants answered after David Wilson ran the kickoff back 45 yards to the 43. Mixing run and pass effectively, the Giants moved to the 14. On third-and-3, Manning threw a TD pass to Cruz, who celebrated with his trademark salsa dance in the stadium where it all started. Cruz burst on the scene with a breakout performance in a 29-16 win at Philadelphia last September. Vick threw a 27-yard pass to Brent Celek and then scrambled 18 yards to set up Henery's 48-yard field goal late in the third that made it 13-10. Hoping to establish the run early, the Eagles had no success giving the ball to McCoy in the first half. But Philadelphia used a no-huddle offense to drive 70 yards on 11 plays for the only TD. The Eagles converted three third downs on the series, including Vick's 19-yard TD pass to DeSean Jackson on third-and-9. Before the game, the Eagles retired the No. 20 worn by Brian Dawkins for 13 seasons from 1996-2008. The hard-hitting safety went to eight Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro in 16 years with Philadelphia and Denver. Dawkins, one of the most revered athletes to play in this sports-crazed city, sent the sellout crowd at the Linc into a frenzy when he ran out of the tunnel during pregame introductions. Wearing his green No. 20 Eagles jersey, Dawkins did his unique, crawling, gyrating entrance. He then joined the captains at midfield for the coin toss. Dawkins changed back into his navy blue pinstriped suit and led the crowd in signing ''Fly! Eagles! Fly!'' at halftime. Notes: The officials got a standing ovation when they walked onto the field an hour before kickoff. ... McCoy has four 100-yard games vs. the Giants. ... Manning wasn't sacked. ---

Orioles beat Red Sox 6-3, clinch playoff berth

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The champagne was on ice, plastic shields were in place above the cubicles in the Baltimore clubhouse and couches were removed to accommodate a celebration 15 years in the making. The party never happened - at least not at the ballpark after the Orioles beat Boston 6-3 Sunday. Baltimore ultimately clinched its first playoff berth since 1997, but not until late Sunday when the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-7 in the finale of a day-night doubleheader. The Orioles are assured a wild-card berth, but they're looking to get into the postseason as AL East champions. Upon arriving in Tampa area, where the Orioles open a season-ending series at the Rays on Monday night, manager Buck Showalter said, ''I think everybody knows where the finish line is, and we're not there.'' He added, ''There are steps to it. One is assuring yourself of getting a chair at the dance. And then we'd like to figure out a way to play some games at our park in front of our fans. It's in our court.'' The Orioles remained tied atop the division standings with the New York Yankees, who rallied to beat Toronto 9-6 and also clinched no worse than a wild-card berth. Both contenders have three games left. New York begins a season-ending series against visiting Boston on Monday night, and the Orioles face the Rays. ''We'll see where the next three games take us,'' Showalter said. After the final out of their win over the Red Sox, around two dozen players and coaches took scoreboard watching to a new level by staying on the field at Camden Yards and rooting for the Rangers to win the opener, Orioles players exchanged high-fives and fist-bumps following their fourth straight victory, then gathered along the first-base line to watch the scoreboard telecast of the ninth inning, which began with Texas winning 4-3. Many in the crowd of 41,257 stood and watched, too. But a two-out, two-run double by Torii Hunter put the Angels in front and ruined the fun. As the Orioles walked off the field, Showalter waved to the crowd and offered a fist-pump of encouragement. Sitting in front of his locker with a beer in his hand, first baseman Mark Reynolds said, ''It would have definitely been cool to celebrate with our fans. They've been supporting us all year. To be able to celebrate out there with them and take in the moment, it would have been pretty neat.'' Baltimore held out hope of cracking open a few cases of champagne in Florida. ''I take particular enjoyment in ruining someone else's clubhouse,'' reliever Darren O'Day said. Shortstop J.J. Hardy added, ''I'm not going to say there's no disappointment, but we all understand we need to keep playing good baseball to get where we want to be. We'll just worry about ourselves and win the next three games.'' Who'd have thought the Orioles would be talking about division titles, playoff berths and champagne after 14 consecutive losing seasons and four straight last-place finishes? The Orioles (92-67) already have 23 more wins than a year ago. ''Our goal now is try to figure out a way to play some more baseball games here at Camden,'' Showalter said. ''Hopefully, it's see you later.'' Hardy, Nate McLouth and Chris Davis hit solo homers, and Jim Thome drove in two runs for Baltimore. The Orioles completed a sweep and went 13-5 against Boston, their most wins in a single season versus the Red Sox since 1970 (13-5). Joe Saunders (3-3) allowed three runs, eight hits and no walks in 7 1-3 innings for Baltimore. Obtained in a late-August trade with Arizona, Saunders has yielded a total of 12 earned runs in his last six starts. Jim Johnson worked the ninth for his 50th save. Cody Ross and Daniel Nava homered for the last-place Red Sox, who have dropped five straight and 16 of 22. Boston (69-90) last lost 90 games in 1966. ''We haven't had a good season,'' manager Bobby Valentine acknowledged. Zach Stewart (0-2) gave up five runs and seven hits, including two homers, in 2 2-3 innings. In three starts this season he's surrendered eight home runs. After being beaten and bashed by the Orioles, who hit seven homers in the three-game series, the Red Sox now head to Yankee Stadium. A sunny, breezy fall afternoon couldn't have started much better for the Orioles. After the video board showed the Yankees and Angels losing early, McLouth hit the fourth pitch from Stewart over the left-field wall. ''After that just trying to do damage control,'' Stewart said. ''Try to keep it at that score. Obviously I didn't do that.'' Hardy and Davis followed with singles before Stewart hit Jones with a pitch to load the bases. After Matt Wieters bounced into a run-scoring 4-6-3 double play, Thome followed with grounder up the middle that beat the shift and rolled into the outfield, scoring Davis for a 3-0 lead. Boston wasted doubles in the second and third innings before Hardy led off the bottom of the third with his 22nd home run. Jones singled with one out, and Thome chased Stewart with an RBI single. Ross homered in the fourth to get the Red Sox to 5-1. Davis connected off Clayton Mortensen in the fifth, his 31st homer of the season and fourth in four games. Nava homered in the seventh with a man on. NOTES: Jones was chosen Orioles MVP in a vote among media covering the team, the second straight year he's won the award. ''It is given to me, but I think the whole team deserves it,'' he said. ... Boston hit three doubles and now has a major-league leading 214 for the season. ... Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, who's 2-4 with a 5.84 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, starts Monday night against CC Sabathia. Rookie Wei-Yin Chen (12-10) starts for Baltimore in Tampa Bay against Alex Cobb (10-9). ... The top three players in the Baltimore lineup - McLouth, Hardy and Davis - combined to go 6 for 10 with three HRs and five runs.

Brady leads Pats to 52-28 rout of Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- There's nothing wrong with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots that a game against their familiar AFC East patsies - the Buffalo Bills - can't fix. Not even after Brady and Co. spotted them a 14-point, third-quarter lead. Brady responded by directing six straight touchdown drives in the second half on Sunday en route to a 52-28 blowout. It was a game in which the Patriots (2-2) produced 580 total yards, forced six turnovers and avoided their first three-game losing streak in 10 years. ''Down 21-7 and on the road, backs against the wall, and I thought we showed a lot of heart,'' Brady said. ''That's what this team is made of. And we're going to battle until the end, I know that.'' Brady finished 22 of 36 for 340 yards and three touchdowns, plus one rushing. The 580 yards was the fourth-most in team history. Cornerback Devin McCourty had two interceptions in keying a defense that forced six turnovers and had three sacks. Running back Stevan Ridley scored twice. Wes Welker had nine catches for 129 yards, and tight end Rob Gronkowski had five for 104 yards and a touchdown as both players bounced back from first-half fumbles. ''You can't panic,'' Gronkowski said. ''When you panic, nothing good happens from there. We just stuck to the game plan.'' The comeback began immediately after Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Donald Jones for a 68-yard touchdown pass on the Bills first possession of the second half. Brady responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive by hitting Danny Woodhead for a 17-yard touchdown. After tying the game with a 4-yard run, Brady capped a five-play 63-yard drive by hitting Gronkowski with a 28-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots scored 35 points in a span of 12:41 in building a 42-21 lead on Brandon Bolden's 7-yard run. ''We just played and executed better,'' coach Bill Belichick said. ''It's no magic.'' Magic no. Familiar, yes. New England improved to 17-1 in its past 18 meetings against Buffalo, and 22-2 dating to the 2000 season. The Patriots lost their last trip to Orchard Park, 34-31 after blowing a 21-0 lead. This time it was the Bills turn to unravel. After Jones' scored, nothing else went right. Buffalo combined for two first downs and 31 yards on its next four drives, two of which ended with turnovers. Bills coach Chan Gailey was embarrassed. ''I don't like to play like that, and I don't like to think that's who we are,'' Gailey said. ''But that's who we were today. You can't sugarcoat it.'' The news gets even worse as Buffalo enters a stretch in which it will play four of its next five on the road. Starting left tackle Cordy Glenn and starting right guard Kraig Urbik both hurt their right ankles and did not return. Gailey said both could miss games. The Bills offense sagged despite the return of its two top running backs. Fred Jackson had 29 yards rushing and 50 receiving in his first game back since spraining his right knee in a season-opening loss. Spiller had 33 yards rushing and 5 receiving after hurting his left shoulder in at Cleveland last weekend. Both also fumbled, with Spiller's coming on a goal-line plunge late in the first quarter. It was a dreadful outing for Mario Williams - who signed a six-year, $100 million contract in March - and the Bills high-priced defensive line. Buffalo managed one sack. Otherwise, the defense gave up the second most yards in franchise history, and most points since a 56-10 loss to New England on Nov. 18, 2007. ''A loss is a loss. I don't label it anything,'' Williams said, when asked if it was embarrassing. He placed the blame on the Bills inability to stop the run. Bolden had 137 yards rushing and Ridley 106. ''When you have two guys rushing for 100 yards, something's up,'' Williams said. ''We have to have a reality check and see what's going on.'' Fitzpatrick finished 22 of 39 for 350 yards and four scores - including two to Scott Chandler. The game had additional significance to the Patriots, as it featured the return of the NFL's regular officials after they reached a new eight-year agreement on Thursday. It came after Belichick was fined $50,000 by the NFL for grabbing an official's arm to question whether Justin Tucker's 27-yard field goal would be reviewed following a 31-30 loss at Baltimore last weekend. Patriots owner Robert Kraft made sure to welcome back John Parry and his crew, by waiting in the tunnel following the game and attempting to shake each of the officials' hands as they made their way off the field. Kraft then waited for Brady's arrival, and shook the quarterback's hand, as well. The two then smiled and chatted in making their way to the locker room. NOTES: Brady improved to 19-2 against the Bills, a stretch in which he has 49 touchdowns and seven 300-yard games. .... Buffalo's 4-22 in its last 26 games against division opponents. ... The win was the 194th of Belichick's career, moving him into eighth place on the NFL list, one ahead of Chuck Knox.

Cespedes hits go-ahead homer as A's beat Mariners

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Another dramatic win in hand, the Oakland Athletics gathered around the big screen clubhouse TV and began feasting on Mexican food while watching the Angels and Rangers play the second game of their Texas doubleheader. The upstart A's are still chasing an AL West title with three games to go. And that's about as ideal a scenario as anyone around here could have envisioned in a season full of injuries, sweeping changes and even a drug suspension for key starting pitcher Bartolo Colon. ''Oh, we're pumped,'' third baseman Josh Donaldson said. Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning to move Oakland a win closer to the club's first playoff berth in six years, and the A's beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 on Sunday to stay right on the heels of Texas in the AL West race. Cespedes also hit an RBI triple and Brandon Moss had a sacrifice fly in the first inning for the A's (91-68), who are two games behind Texas (93-66). The two-time reigning AL champion Rangers come to the Coliseum for the final three games starting Monday with the division crown still up for grabs. ''It's our choice,'' closer Grant Balfour said. ''If we go out there and win, good things are going to happen. The way we're playing right now I feel like we've got some good momentum going. We want to keep it rolling all the way through October.'' Oakland leads the Los Angeles Angels (88-71) by three games for the second AL wild card. Cespedes sent a 1-2 pitch from Shawn Kelley (2-4) towering into the left-field seats for his 23rd homer. He keyed another dramatic victory for the A's a day after Moss hit a three-run drive in the 10th inning of Oakland's 14th walkoff win. Josh Reddick connected with a two-run shot for his team-leading 32nd homer two batters later as the A's made it a sweep. Surprising Oakland, with its energetic roster of rookies, has hit 20 home runs in its last nine games and has a majors-best 110 since the All-Star break. But the A's will have to wait at least one more day to secure a playoff berth. The Angels kept their hopes alive by rallying in the ninth to win the opener of the doubleheader at Texas. Oakland dropped its magic number to one for clinching the club's first playoff berth since 2006. The A's were swept that year by the Tigers in four games of the AL championship series. ''We're just going to try to win tomorrow,'' manager Bob Melvin said. ''I think we're best suited to just do that and not worry about all the different variables. We're in the dugout today and all of a sudden the Angels score went up and it's so emotional this time of year. Your thoughts can go back and forth based on one scoreboard change. It is exciting, it is fun. It's a bit of a rollercoaster at times.'' Sean Doolittle (2-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the win, and Balfour finished for his 22nd save. Kyle Seager and Justin Smoak each hit RBI singles in the third as Seattle tied it. The Mariners were 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position this series before Carlos Triunfel's second-inning single. But Smoak was thrown out at home as the A's saved a run. Milone gave way to Pat Neshek with two outs in the fifth and Casper Wells on third with a triple. But Neshek was done after walking Jesus Montero on four pitches. Jerry Blevins relieved and retired Smoak on a grounder in which Donaldson made a lunging, run-saving stop. All-Star Ryan Cook allowed Trayvon Robinson's leadoff single in the seventh, then struck out the side. The tough losses keep piling up for the Mariners. ''It's definitely been pretty crazy. I've never seen anything like it,'' Kelley said. ''You don't like to lose but to keep losing in this fashion is not fun.'' A's starter Tommy Milone allowed a leadoff double to Franklin Gutierrez to start the game but got out of it unscathed. The left-hander, whose 13 wins are already an Oakland rookie record, allowed two runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. He struck out three and didn't surrender a walk. ''We feel like we can win every game,'' Milone said. ''That's how we're playing right now.'' Gutierrez, the Seattle center fielder, left the game before the bottom of the third with tightness in his left groin after batting in the top half. Gutierrez, who missed Friday's series opener after crashing into the wall a day earlier at Anaheim, hit a pair of doubles and scored a run following an 0-for-5 day Saturday. He is day to day. When Coco Crisp drew a leadoff walk in the third, it ended a 16-inning streak without a free pass for Ramirez. The right-hander walked four to double his total in eight major league starts. NOTES: Cespedes hit his fifth homer vs. the Mariners in the seventh inning or later. And Oakland won the season series 12-7. ... Mariners manager Eric Wedge rested 2B Dustin Ackley for most of the day and got a second straight look at Triunfel, who played SS on Saturday. ... RHP Jarrod Parker (12-8) pitches for the A's in Monday night's series opener against LHP Martin Perez (1-3) and the Rangers. Melvin said struggling LHP Travis Blackley - with two wins in his last seven starts - is still down to start Tuesday night against Texas. ''I don't know that we have any other options, to tell you the truth,'' Melvin said. ... LHP Brett Anderson, who is nursing a strained right oblique but could return to pitch a one-game wild card playoff, played light catch and is set to throw off a mound Monday.