Chamberlain iffy after hurting thumb

May 10, 2009

New York Yankees righthander Joba Chamberlain broke a blood vessel in his thumb during batting practice yesterday, leaving in doubt his status for today's scheduled start against the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a three-game series. Chamberlain was throwing a ball underhanded back to the infield when he felt something pop in his right thumb. "He popped a blood vessel and he got some treatment during the game," said manager Joe Girardi. "We don't think it will be an issue, but we have to protect ourselves." If Chamberlain is unable to go, Girardi said Alfredo Aceves will make his first start of the season . . . New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for making contact with an umpire during an argument in the Mets' 7-5 victory over the Phillies Thursday. Manuel was banned from the Mets' 10-1 romp over the Pirates in New York yesterday. Bench coach Sandy Alomar Sr. ran the team.

The NBA downgraded a flagrant foul called against Houston forward Ron Artest, determining that the play was not severe enough to warrant an ejection. Artest was whistled for a flagrant foul-2, an automatic ejection, for his hard foul on Pau Gasol late in the Lakers' victory Friday. League spokesman Tim Frank confirmed the foul was downgraded to flagrant-1 and Artest will not face a suspension for today's Game 4 . . . The Phoenix Suns are sticking with coach Alvin Gentry, general manager Steve Kerr announced. Gentry took over the club Feb. 16 after Terry Porter was fired just four months into his first season with the Suns.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland says forward Tomas Kopecky might need surgery after fighting in the Western Conference semifinals Friday. Holland said that initial indications on Kopecky's condition were "not good," but the team is waiting for a final report. Kopecky sustained facial injuries during a fight with Anaheim defenseman Francois Beauchemin.

Helio Castroneves took the pole for the Indianapolis 500 for the third time. The two-time Indy winner voided an earlier qualifying effort that was third on the grid and made the decision pay off with a four-lap average of 224.864 miles per hour that knocked Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe's 224.131 off the top spot for the May 24 race.

Top-ranked Dinara Safina won her first title of the season by defeating fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 6-2, in the final of the Italian Open in Rome . . . In the men's semifinals at the Estoril Open in Oerias, Portugal, the match between James Blake and Nikolay Davydenko was suspended because of darkness. Davydenko won the first set, 7-6 (7-3), but trailed, 4-2, in the second. The match will resume today, with the winner to later face Albert Montanes, who beat Paul Capdeville, 6-3, 6-4.

The top-seeded University of Massachusetts softball team shut out No. 5 seed Saint Joseph's, 11-0, at Fordham University in New York to win its fifth straight Atlantic 10 championship. UMass ace Brandice Balschmiter pitched a one-hitter . . . Chad Dawson successfully defended his IBF and IBO light heavyweight titles in Las Vegas, unanimously outpointing Antonio Tarver in a rematch of their October fight . . . The Worcester Sharks made an early goal by Tom Cavanagh stand up to edge the visiting Providence Bruins, 1-0, and tie the AHL Atlantic Division finals at 2-2 . . . In MLS play, Emmanuel Ekpo, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, and Eddie Gaven scored as the host Columbus Crew earned their first victory of the season, beating the Kansas City Wizards, 3-2 . . . Jaime Moreno put a penalty kick past goalkeeper Stefan Frei in injury time to help D.C. United earn a 3-3 tie with visiting Toronto FC . . . Kei Kamera scored in the 58th minute and the host Houston Dynamo beat FC Dallas, 1-0 . . . Zach Thornton made three saves and Paulo Nagamura scored as Chivas USA defeated Real Salt Lake, 1-0, in Carson, Calif.