WPPA / T-102 SPORTS / Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Brian Boucher stopped 25 shots to help the
Philadelphia Flyers advance in the NHL playoffs with a 5-2 Game 7
win over the Buffalo Sabres last night. The Flyers raced to a quick
4-0 lead and chased Sabres goalie Ryan Miller in the third. The
Flyers now wait to find out who they'll face in the Eastern
Conference semifinals.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins may have the edge in
playoff experience but Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher says the
Lightning have already played two Game 7s. He says they'll have the
same attitude as the teams face off tonight, with the winner
advancing in the NHL playoffs.

MIAMI (AP) - The Philadelphia 76ers are in Miami try to keep
their season alive as they take on the Heat in Miami in Game 5 of
their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series. The Sixers foiled the
Heat's quest for a sweep of the series Sunday and the Heat's Dwyane
Wade says he expects the Sixers to be loose -- just like they've
been, he says, throughout the series.

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have put an end to Roy
Oswalt's string of 10 consecutive winning decisions, with a 7-5 win
over the Phillies last night. Oswalt lasted just three innings,
allowing five runs. The D-backs beat the Phillies and Cliff Lee in
the series opener on Monday.

PHOENIX (AP) - The Phillies say closer Jose Contreras will be
out 3-to-4 weeks with a grade one strain in his right elbow. GM
Ruben Amaro Jr. says an MRI yesterday showed the extent of the
injury. Contreras had been the closer because of Brad Lidge's
injury. Ryan Madson has now taken over the closer's role.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Darren Ford scored on a fielder's choice in
the 10th inning to help the San Francisco Giants snap a four-game
losing skid with a 3-2 win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh last
night. Charlie Morton pitched a strong game despite the loss,
allowing a run on four hits.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pirates have claimed outfielder Xavier
Paul off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, just days after
acquiring infielder Brandon Wood from the Angels, after he had been
designated for assignment. Paul has hit .233 over three seasons
with the Dodgers.

NEW YORK (AP) - Flyers forward Ian Laperriere is one of the
three finalists for the Masterton Trophy, which honors
"perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
Laperriere blocked a shot with his face in the playoffs last year
but was able to come back from a concussion and fractured orbital
bone.


AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tuesday's Games
Baltimore 4, Boston 1
Chicago White Sox 3, N.Y. Yankees 2
Cleveland 9, Kansas City 4
Seattle 7, Detroit 3
Toronto 10, Texas 3
Tampa Bay at Minnesota, ppd., rain
L.A. Angels 8, Oakland 3
Wednesday's Games
Boston (Beckett 2-1) at Baltimore (Guthrie 1-3), 7:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 1-2) at N.Y. Yankees (Colon 1-1),
7:05 p.m.
Kansas City (Francis 0-2) at Cleveland (Tomlin 3-0), 7:05 p.m.
Oakland (T.Ross 1-2) at L.A. Angels (Haren 4-1), 7:05 p.m.
Seattle (Bedard 0-4) at Detroit (Verlander 2-2), 7:05 p.m.
Toronto (Jo-.Reyes 0-2) at Texas (Holland 3-1), 8:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay (W.Davis 2-2) at Minnesota (Liriano 1-3), 8:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Tuesday's Games
N.Y. Mets 6, Washington 4
San Francisco 3, Pittsburgh 2, 10 innings
Florida 4, L.A. Dodgers 2
Colorado 4, Chicago Cubs 3
Houston 6, St. Louis 5
Milwaukee 3, Cincinnati 2
Arizona 7, Philadelphia 5
Atlanta 8, San Diego 2
Wednesday's Games
L.A. Dodgers (Billingsley 2-1) at Florida (Ani.Sanchez 1-1),
12:10 p.m.
Cincinnati (LeCure 0-1) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 2-1), 1:10 p.m.
Colorado (Chacin 3-1) at Chicago Cubs (C.Coleman 1-1), 2:20 p.m.
Atlanta (Hanson 2-3) at San Diego (Latos 0-3), 3:35 p.m.
Philadelphia (Hamels 2-1) at Arizona (J.Saunders 0-2), 3:40 p.m.
N.Y. Mets (Dickey 1-3) at Washington (Gorzelanny 0-2), 7:05 p.m.
San Francisco (Bumgarner 0-3) at Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 0-2),
7:05 p.m.
St. Louis (Lohse 3-1) at Houston (Happ 1-3), 8:05 p.m.

NBA PLAYOFFS
Tuesday, April 26
Orlando 101, Atlanta 76, Atlanta leads series 3-2
Chicago 116, Indiana 89, Chicago wins series 4-1
L.A. Lakers 106, New Orleans 90, L.A. Lakers leads series 3-2
Wednesday, April 27
Philadelphia at Miami, 7 p.m.
Memphis at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Denver at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.

NHL PLAYOFFS
Tuesday, April 26
Montreal 2, Boston 1, series tied 3-3
Philadelphia 5, Buffalo 2, Philadelphia wins series 4-3
Vancouver 2, Chicago 1, OT, Vancouver wins series 4-3
Wednesday, April 27
Montreal at Boston, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m.