AP - Jose Lopez lined a single past diving third baseman Mike Lowell to score Wladimir Balentien with the game-winning run and the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday night to end a season-high seven-game losing streak.

AFP - The Los Angeles Lakers handed the defending champion San Antonio Spurs their first home defeat of the playoffs Tuesday to take a stranglehold on their National Basketball Association semi-final series.

AP - Amelie Mauresmo took what amounted to a three-hour lunch break during her match at the French Open.

AP - Pedro Martinez is likely to rejoin the New York Mets' rotation early next week in San Francisco. He is scheduled to make a minor league rehab start for Class-A St. Lucie tomorrow and would probably make his major league return against the Giants.

AP - Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka left his start against Seattle on Tuesday night before the bottom of the fifth inning with what the team later said was a tired shoulder.

AP - Tiger Woods entered the room with a slight limp and unwavering determination to play the U.S. Open. "The knee's doing better," said Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15. "The rehab is boring. It gets really old riding that bike, man. But everything's on schedule. Just been training and trying to get this thing organized for the Open, and it's right on schedule for that."

AP - Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from returning to the NBA finals. Bryant had 28 points and 10 rebounds and the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 93-91 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

AFP - Torrential rain brought chaos to the French Open on Tuesday with six hours of play lost and title favourites Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal amongst the victims of the deluge.

AP - With first-period goals from Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom and another lockdown defensive effort, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

AFP - Second-half goals from striker Vitali Bulyga gave minnows Belarus a shock 2-2 draw on Tuesday against Germany - one of the favourites for next month's Euro 2008.

AP - Big Brown was back on the track a day earlier than expected, and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said the unbeaten colt looks as good as ever — maybe even better.

AP - Amelie Mauresmo held her nerve and her serve when it counted Tuesday, reaching the second round of the French Open by beating Olga Savchuk 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in a match disrupted by rain.