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Sports Log

Report: Top Cuban prospect defects

July 3, 2009
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BASEBALL
Aroldis Chapman, a Cuban considered by many scouts to be the best lefthanded pitching prospect in the world, has defected from the national team, several sources confirmed to ESPN The Magazine. Chapman, 21, walked out of his hotel in Rotterdam, where Cuba was participating in a tournament, and never returned, according to the Spanish-language website cubaencuentro.com . . . The Texas Rangers borrowed millions from Major League Baseball within the last week, according to a Yahoo report. Baseball will continue to offer financial assistance to owner Tom Hicks until he is able to sell the team, the website reported, citing a major league source with direct knowledge of the situation. A Rangers spokesman had no comment and the commissioner’s office said baseball does not comment on team finances. . . . The Indians acquired righthander Winton Abreu from the Rays for minor league righthander John Meloan.

Pirates sign 3 Chinese teenagers
The Pirates have signed three teenage Taiwan high school players, outfielder Ping-Hung Chi, righthander Sheng-Cin Hong, and first baseman Chih-Wei Hsu, on the first day of the international free agent signing period . . . The Cardinals have agreed to terms with 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, considered among the top amateur free agents from Latin America . . . Lefthander Neal Cotts, who pitched in 19 games this season for the Cubs before being sent to the minors May 27, underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery . . . Former Yankee pitcher Jim Leyritz was arrested at his home in Davie, Fla., on charges of domestic battery against his ex-wife, just two months before his trial on a DUI manslaughter charge is set to begin.

WNBA
Fever running high, win 7th straight
Tammy Sutton-Brown had 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the host Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun, 67-53, for a franchise-record seventh win in a row. Lindsay Whalen scored 11 points and Asjha Jones added 10 for the Sun, whose winning streak ended at three . . . Shameka Christon scored 25 points to help the host New York Liberty cruise to an 80-64 victory over the defending champion Detroit Shock. Loree Moore had 15 points, Cathrine Kraayeveld added 13, and Essence Carson 12 to help the Liberty snap a three-game losing streak . . . Rebekkah Brunson scored the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left and blocked a key shot moments later, helping the visiting Sacramento Monarchs snap a six-game losing streak with a 74-68 victory over the Minnesota Lynx . . . Candace Parker has returned to practice with the Los Angeles Sparks 1 1/2 months after giving birth to her first child.

COLLEGES
Strasburg is baseball player of year
Former San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Nationals last month, won the Dick Howser Trophy as college baseball player of the year. Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA and led the nation with 195 strikeouts while taking the Aztecs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 . . . Former Acton-Boxboro player and Yale linebacker Bobby Abare has been named linebacker coach at Wagner.

SWIMMING
Faber sets 100-meter backstroke mark
Spain’s Aschwin Wildeboer Faber set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke with a 52.38-second leg in the 4 x 100 medley relay final at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy. Faber’s time beat American Aaron Peirsol’s 52.54 mark set in the Beijing Olympics . . . Michael Phelps will appear in TV ads for the Subway sandwich chain as the US National Swimming Championships begin Tuesday.

MISCELLANY
Lobsters victorious in WTT opener
The Boston Lobsters opened their World TeamTennis season with a 25-16 victory over the Aces at St. Louis. Jan-Michael Gambill and Raquel Kops-Jones won in singles for the Lobsters, who face the Buzz at New York Sunday at 4:30 p.m. . . . David Beckham has come under attack from LA Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan just as Beckham prepares to return to the MLS team. In a book, The Beckham Experiment, due out this month, Donovan claims Beckham has demonstrated little commitment to the Galaxy and has been a negative influence on the team since the ousting of former coach Ruud Gullit . . . Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. wrecked during practice for tomorrow night’s NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway. Neither was injured . . . Floyd Mayweather Jr. has said rumblings about his financial troubles are rumors, but public records show the boxer nicknamed “Money’’ owes about $6.4 million to the IRS and others.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.