This Hour: Latest California sports

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SHARKS-KINGS

Sharks building momentum against Quick's LA Kings

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - Kings goalie Jonathan Quick sometimes seems to be the only obstacle between San Jose and the conference finals while the Sharks dominate much of their 2-2 series with the defending champions.

And if Quick needed any extra motivation to stop the Sharks again in the pivotal Game 5 on Thursday night, T.J. Galiardi provided it.

Galiardi accused the Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie of embellishing contact with opposing players Wednesday, claiming Quick attempts to draw undeserved penalties.

Quick has allowed just seven goals in four games, stopping 122 of 129 shots in the frequently one-sided series.

Quick's teammates haven't backed him up with consistent goal-scoring, managing just two even-strength goals in the last three games. Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter is contemplating line switches to coax more offense from his top players.

SPARKS PREVIEW

Parker resumes chase for her 1st WNBA title

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Candace Parker is ready to resume her pursuit of the only major title to elude the basketball star in her career.

She wants a WNBA championship to add to her two Olympic gold medals and two NCAA championships at Tennessee. She even won a title with her Russian pro team during the offseason.

Parker thought the Los Angeles Sparks had the makings of a title team last year, but they came up short, getting swept in the Western Conference finals by Minnesota.

Parker begins her sixth season with the Sparks on Sunday when they host Seattle in the season opener.

ATHLETICS-RANGERS

Rangers top A's 3-1 in Wolf's 1st big league start

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - David Murphy and Adrian Beltre homered in a three-run first inning, Ross Wolf was strong in his first major league start and the Texas Rangers avoided a sweep with a 3-1 victory against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old Wolf was making his first big league appearance since Oct. 1, 2010, as a reliever with Oakland. He retired the first nine hitters and gave up one run with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

Neal Cotts preserved Wolf's lead by striking out the side with no outs and two runners on in the sixth. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth for this 14th save.

Jarrod Parker (2-6) was down 3-0 just four batters into the game, but went seven innings.

CARDINALS-PADRES

Lyons leads Cardinals past Padres 5-3

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tyler Lyons pitched seven solid innings in his major league debut on the same day St. Louis lost Jaime Garcia for the season, and the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Lyons, who was promoted from AAA Memphis after Garcia went on the disabled list, allowed one run and four hits. The 25-year-old left-hander was a ninth-round draft pick in 2010 out of Oklahoma State.

The Cardinals announced before that game that Garcia will have season-ending shoulder surgery this week. The lefty went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in nine starts this year, helping St. Louis bolt to the majors' best record at 30-16.

DODGERS-BREWERS

After Mattingly criticism, Dodgers top Brewers 9-2

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Dodgers manager Don Mattingly criticized his team and benched All-Star right fielder Andre Ethier, then watched Los Angeles beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-2 Wednesday.

Mattingly, in the third and final year of his contract, discussed his club's lack of mental toughness and said he wanted a balanced team that has grit and fight. He benched Ethier for the third time in six games and said he was "putting out my lineup that I feel is going to be the most competitive and going to compete the hardest."

Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke drove in two runs each and Ramon Hernandez hit his first home run with the Dodgers.

Rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-2), given a 7-0 lead, allowed two runs and six hits in a season-high 7 1-3 innings. Ryu has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 7 of his 10 appearances.

Los Angeles is last in the NL West at 19-26.

MARINERS-ANGELS

Wilson, Angels beat Mariners 7-1

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - C.J. Wilson struck out 10 in eight innings, Josh Hamilton had a two-run single and the Los Angeles Angels beat Seattle 7-1 on Wednesday to hand the Mariners their season-worst sixth straight loss.

Wilson (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in his longest outing since June 8, 2012, when he also went eight innings in a 7-2 interleague victory at Colorado. The left-hander won for the first time since May 1 at Oakland after losing his previous three starts, including back-to-back 3-0 decisions against Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.

Brandon Maurer (2-6) gave up seven runs and 11 hits in three innings for Seattle.

NATIONALS-GIANTS

Desmond lifts Nationals over Giants in 10 innings

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Ian Desmond singled in Bryce Harper in the 10th inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Wednesday to avoid a 3-game series sweep.

Harper sparked the winning rally with a one-out double. Ryan Zimmerman was walked intentionally before Desmond came up with his big hit against Jeremy Affeldt (1-1).

Tyler Clippard (3-1) pitched a perfect 10th for the win and Rafael Soriano got three outs for his 14th save. He failed to convert each of his last two chances, including Tuesday night's 4-2 loss.

Buster Posey hit a tying RBI single for San Francisco in the eighth.

RANGERS MOVES

Rangers option RHP Burns for Wolf's spot start

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers have optioned right-handed reliever Cory Burns to AAA Round Rock to make room for Ross Wolf for a spot start Wednesday against Oakland.

Wolf will be the second pitcher in three days to make his first major league start for the Rangers after previous stints with other teams as a reliever. Josh Lindblom lost to the A's on Monday.

The 30-year-old Wolf last pitched in the majors with Oakland in 2010. The right-hander has 25 career relief appearances. He was 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts for Round Rock.

Burns had no record and a 4.91 ERA in three appearances after being called up to Texas last week.

BRYANT-PROLIFIC SEASON

Bryant's 30-HR season with composite bat is epic

SAN DIEGO (AP) - With every prodigious drive over the fences, star third baseman Kris Bryant of the University of San Diego is adding to what could be considered the most prolific home-run hitting performance in NCAA history.

Bryant leads the nation with 30 home runs in 54 games, tied for the 11th-highest total in NCAA history.

Through Sunday, Bryant had outhomered 227 of 296 teams in Division I.

A USD graduate crunched numbers that suggest Bryant could have hit 49 home runs had he been using an aluminum bat rather than the toned-down composite bats introduced in 2011, his freshman season.

That would have been one more than Pete Incaviglia's record of 48 homers in 75 games in 1985 at Oklahoma State.

Further, the numbers suggest that if Bryant played 75 games, he could have hit a staggering 68 homers.

FBN-49ERS-CRABTREE

WR Crabtree tears right Achilles tendon

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - San Francisco 49ers leading wide receiver Michael Crabtree has had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon.

Crabtree was operated on Wednesday, one day after suffering the injury during an organized team activity.

Coach Jim Harbaugh would not speculate when Crabtree might return to play, but the injury is not necessarily season ending.

The 25-year-old Crabtree, the team's 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Texas Tech, had career highs last season with 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns for the NFC champion Niners, who lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl.

USA Today first reported that Crabtree was hurt during Tuesday's OTA, citing an unidentified source.

GLF-NCAA-WOMEN

Southern Cal takes 12-shot lead in NCAA golf

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Annie Park shot a 5-under 67 and Southern California had a record-setting 12-under total Wednesday to open a 12-stroke lead during the second round of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships.

Southern California had a 16-under 560 total on the University of Georgia Golf Course. Defending champion Alabama was second after a 4-under round.

Alabama's Stephanie Meadow topped the individual leaderboard at 8 under after a 67. Park was a stroke back.

A handful of threesomes were on the course when play was suspended at 8 p.m.

The tournament was held up late in the afternoon by a weather delay of 2 hour, 5 minutes.

IRELAND-KEANE

Galaxy release Keane for Ireland games

The Football Association of Ireland says Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy have agreed to let forward Robbie Keane play in exhibition games against England and Georgia that are not on FIFA fixture dates.

Ireland faces England at Wembley on May 29 and Georgia on June 2 in Dublin.

Keane, Ireland's captain, was quoted by the FAI on Wednesday as saying he was thanking the Galaxy "for reconsidering their decision after further conversations between us, which really means a lot to me."

He will miss Los Angeles' U.S. Open Cup match at the Carolina RailHawks on May 29 and an MLS game at New England on June 2.

Ireland hosts the Faeroe Islands in a World Cup qualifier at Dublin on June 7, then plays Spain four days later in an exhibition game at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Those are both on FIFA fixture dates, when clubs are required to release players to national teams.

AMERICA'S CUP-CAPSIZED BOAT

Safety recommendations released for America's Cup

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A group of sailing experts has released 37 recommendations they say will increase safety in the America's Cup, which is set to take place on the wind-raked San Francisco Bay this summer.

Led by regatta director Iain Murray, the group unveiled the proposals Wednesday evening, nearly two weeks after a practice run on the bay turned deadly.

Among those recommendations are equipping crews with body armor, hands-free breathing apparatus and high visibility helmets. The group also suggests a flexible start time for the race, based on wind and projected tidal flows, wind limits and a safe buffer zones around course boundaries and obstructions.

The list of recommendations comes after a member of the Artemis Racing crew died when the catamaran he was on capsized during a training run on May 9.

This Hour: Latest California sports - Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

This Hour: Latest California sports