Martínez better second time around

Baseball

Saying he was "more in command," Mets righthander Pedro Martínez pitched three perfect innings yesterday in his second rehabilitation start before allowing three runs in the fourth. Martínez, who has been working his way back from right shoulder surgery in October, threw 60 pitches for the Mets' Gulf Coast League team in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and then threw another 20 fastballs in the bullpen. "Overall it was a jump ahead. It was a great improvement," Martínez said in relation to his three-inning start Aug. 8, during which he gave up five runs . . . A three-run homer by Bobby Scales carried visiting Pawtucket to a 5-3 win over Ottawa ..... A throwing error Portland shortstop Iggy Suarez in the bottom of the 10th enabled Trenton to beat the Sea Dogs, 4-3.

The Dodgers placed third baseman Nomar Garciaparra on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left calf muscle, an injury that has plagued him for more than a week. The Dodgers summoned lefthander Eric Hull from Triple A Las Vegas . . . The Rockies activated All-Star Brian Fuentes (back) from the DL, but he won't return as the closer after being out since July 4 . . . Cardinals second baseman Adam Kennedy had arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee and will miss a minimum of six weeks . . . Lowell Spinners righthander Felix Ventura earned the win with a scoreless top of the eighth, and teammate Yamaico Navarro had a leadoff single and scored in the bottom of the inning as the AL organization All-Stars rallied to beat their NL counterparts, 5-4, in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. . . . A three-run homer by Bobby Scales carried visiting Pawtucket to a 5-3 win over Ottawa . . . A throwing error Portland shortstop Iggy Suarez in the bottom of the 10th enabled Trenton to beat the Sea Dogs, 4-3.

Basketball

With the Celtics spending almost two weeks in Europe for games in Rome (Oct. 6 vs. Toronto) and London (Oct. 10 vs. Minnesota), the NBA kept their six remaining preseason contests close to home. After returning from London, the Celtics play the Knicks at TD Banknorth Garden Oct. 17. Boston then hosts the Nets Oct. 19 at the DCU Center in Worcester and the 76ers the next night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Celtics play back-to-back road games against the Knicks (Oct. 22) and the Nets (Oct. 23) before the preseason ends Oct. 26 at the Garden against the Cavaliers . . . The Los Angeles Clippers added frontcourt depth by signing forward Josh Powell . . . Florida A&M fired coach Mike Gillespie, less than three months after he was charged with misdemeanor stalking of a former girlfriend.

Golf

Daniel Falcucci is on pace to improve on last year's runner-up finish in the Massachusetts Public Links Championship. The Northborough resident opened with a 2-under-par 69 at New England Country Club in Bellingham to take a two-shot lead over Dan Mastrototaro, David Holmes, and defending champ Bill Drohen into today's final round . . . Tiger Woods made it official -- he's planning to design his first American course in the mountains of North Carolina. The Cliffs at High Carolina will be located near Asheville and allow only walkers. No timetable was announced . . . Defending champion Davis Love withdrew from this week's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., after his doctor recommended removing kidney stones that had been bothering him for several weeks . . . Defending champion Stephen Ames and Masters winner Zach Johnson were added to the field for the 25th Skins Game Thanksgiving weekend, joining Fred Couples and Brett Wetterich.

Tennis

The doubles team of junior Sasha Ermakov and senior Ashwin Kumar earned Harvard's first Intercollegiate Tennis Association title by winning two matches on the final day of the ITA National Summer Championships in Bloomington, Ind. In the final, Ermakov and Kumar, the No. 2 seeds, beat the top-seeded team of Dominic Inglot and Houston Barrick from Virginia, 8-4. Earlier, the Crimson advanced by defeating Marius Adamski (Wake Forest) and Ted Kelly (Stanford), 9-8 (7-5) . . . Andy Roddick served 13 aces -- including one clocked at 146 miles per hour -- during his 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory over Fernando Verdasco in his first match as defending champion at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio . . . Canadian Stephanie Dubois, ranked 115th, upset Ai Sugiyama, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5, in the first round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto . . . As part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Althea Gibson's historic US Open title, the USTA will celebrate the achievement on the tournament's opening night with Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Aretha Franklin, Carol Moseley Braun, and other pioneering African-American women gathering to honor the late trailblazer.

Soccer

David Beckham practiced for the first time since joining the Los Angeles Galaxy a month ago, and said he'll play tonight when the Galaxy host D.C. United in the SuperLiga tournament semifinals. Beckham said his nagging left ankle injury isn't completely healed, pronouncing himself ''about 78 percent'' ready to go . . . American teenager Freddy Adu made his European debut when he entered as a first-half substitute for Benfica of Portugal during its 2-1 Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen in Lisbon . . . Former Revolution star Clint Dempsey will be part of a relatively full-strength US roster for next week's exhibition match at Sweden. Sixteen of the 19 players on the roster are based in Europe . . . Former US national team goalkeeper and 2006 Major League Soccer MVP Tony Meola, 38, agreed to a contract with the expansion New Jersey Ironmen of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Colleges

UMass ranked third in The Sports Network preseason national football poll for the championship subdivision (formerly Division 1-AA). Seventh-ranked New Hampshire received the only first-place vote not given to No. 1 Appalachian State or No. 2 Montana. Yale checked in at No. 24 . . . Florida receiver Percy Harvin, a versatile weapon in coach Urban Meyer's offense, has been limited in practice because of Achilles' tendinitis. Meyer said Harvin, a sophomore, "should be able to heal that thing up" before for the Sept. 1 season opener against Western Kentucky . . . Tyler Lorenzen, a junior lefthander who starred last season at Palomar (Calif.) Community College, as named UConn's starting quarterback . . . Indiana wide receiver James Hardy is expected to miss two weeks after breaking a finger on his left hand at practice . . . The University of Arkansas appeared before the NCAA infractions committee last weekend to answer allegations levied against its powerhouse track and field program after former assistant coach Lance Brauman was convicted of embezzlement last year. In a written statement, university Chancellor John White stressed the infractions did not "contain any alleged violations of NCAA rules specifically against head coach John McDonnell" or other members of his staff.

Miscellany

Failed drug tests shook another global sports event - the World University Games in Bangkok. The head of the doping commission told the Associated Press there have been positive tests, but he would not identify the athletes or say how many were involved. News of the positive tests follows a Monday night brawl at a soccer game between Thailand and Mexico that involved spectators. The International University Sports Federation announced match bans on six players - three on each team - and a Thai team official . . . NASCAR driver Kyle Busch signed with Joe Gibbs Racing, ending a busy 10-week negotiating period that began when Hendrick Motorsports cast him aside to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Busch will replace J.J. Yeley in the No. 18 car next season . . . Center Mike Ricci, 35, announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons . . . Defenseman Joe DiPenta signed a one-year contract to remain with the Anaheim Ducks . . . Kelly Connors had the only RBI for Waterford, Conn., which lost to Morristown, Tenn., 10-1, in the Little League Softball World Series semifinals in Portland, Ore. . . . Cyclist David Lopez Garcia of Spain won the toughest climb in the Tour of Germany and Jens Voigt took a major step toward winning his home race for the second straight year by finishing second in the fifth stage that stretched 98 miles and ended in Soelden, Austria. American Levi Leipheimer was seventh in the stage to drop to fifth overall . . . A preliminary autopsy on pro wrestler Brian "Crush" Adams failed to show a specific cause of death. Tissue and toxicology tests will be used to determine what killed the 44-year-old Monday in Tampa.