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Tour of California 2012 Standings: Peter Sagan Wins Stage 3 For 3rd Win On Tour

2012-05-16T03:42:14Z

Peter Sagan won Stage 3 for his third win of the 2012 Tour of California in as many tries. Heinrich Haussler once again came in second place. The 114-mile stage featured a brutal nearly 11-mile climb up Mount Diablo midway through to test riders vying for the King of the Mountain title. The finish was all downhill, however. Haussler tried to get a jump on Sagan by breaking first with 100 meters to go. Sagan responded immediately to edge out Haussler and take the win and the associated time bonus.

The pair of Pennsylvanians racing in Tour still have yet to make much of an impact near the front of the pack. West Chester's Scott Zwizanksi came in at 4:58:34 on Day 3, nearly eight minutes off the winning time. Pittsburgh's Mark Friedman finished over four minutes behind Zwizanski. Optum Pro Cycling is still in last place among the 16 teams competing. Collectively, they are 25:52 behind the 10 teams tied for the lead.

Here are the Top 10 riders atop the standings after Tuesday. You can check out the full results at the official site of the 2012 Tour of California.

1) Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 14:34:54

2) Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin - Barracuda -:12

3) Jeffry Louder (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team -:24

4) Fred Rodriguez (USA) Team Exergy -:26

5) Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Bissell Cycling -:26

6) Marc De Maar (Aho) UnitedHealthcare -:27

7) Markel Irizar Arranburu (Esp) RadioShack-Nissan -:29

8) Josh Atkins (USA) Bontrager-Livestrong -:29

9) Greg Van (Bel) Avermaet BMC Racing -:30

10) Lawson (USA) Craddock Bontrager-Livestrong -:30

For more on the Tour of California, please be sure to check out our StoryStream right here on SB Nation Philly.

Vance Worley Injury: Phillies Pitcher Scratched From Wednesday Start With Elbow Soreness

2012-05-15T21:38:35Z

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vance Worley has been scratched from Wednesday's series opener with the Chicago Cubs with elbow soreness (via Philly.com).

Worley (3-2, 3.07 ERA) was expected to start against Matt Garza on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. The Phillies have not yet decided if Worley will need to go on the disabled list. However, it appears Philadelphia anticipated that Worley might need a DL stint as Joe Savery will be on the two-game road trip with the team to Chicago. Savery has appeared in eight games for the Phillies in 2012 and has a 4.50 ERA in eight innings of work.

The bad news comes after Tuesday's 4-3 10-inning win over the Houston Astros and the Phillies' first three-game win streak of the 2012 season.

For more on the Phillies, please be sure to check out our blog The Good Phight and SB Nation Philly for all the latest news and updates.

Happy Birthday Kid

2012-05-15T20:42:49Z

The kid asked, Pence delivered...

Hunter Pence Walkoff HR Lifts Phillies Over Astros In Extra Innings

2012-05-15T20:35:24Z

Hunter Pence giveth and he taketh away. Pence’s fielding error in the bottom of the 9th blew what would have been Cliff Lee first win of the season, but his walk off home run in the 9th gave the Phillies their first three game winning streak this year. It was Pence’s second homer of the game and 10th of the season.

Pence, of course, came to the Phillies from the Astros in a near deadline last season and just to add to the irony of the situation, the man who served up Pence’s walk off today? Former Phillie Brett Myers.

As great as the end was, this was really yet another frustrating game for the Phils complete with another bullpen meltdown. Cliff Lee got the start and was, as usual, brilliant allowing just 1 run over 8 innings and striking out 10. He handed a 3-1 lead to the bullpen heading into the 9th, but an awful outing by Chad Qualls combined with the Pence error meant that Lee is still yet to record a victory on the season.

In his 5 starts this year, Lee has went at least 7 innings, has a 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, .190 BAA. He even pitched 10 shutout innings in a game and yet he has no wins to show for it.

Today marked the debut of 25 year old lefty RP Jake Deikman, who looked very impressive in a 1.1 innings of work, striking out three of the 4 batters he faced. Any sign of life in this bullpen is welcome and as Deikman was hitting 96 on the gun, he probably earned himself an extended stay in the majors.

The win completes a two game sweep of the Astros. The Phillies improve to 18-19 and now sit just 4.5 games back of the NL East lead.

Amile Jefferson Picks Duke, He Announces

2012-05-15T20:24:59Z

McDonald's All-American power forward (ranked No. 3 by Scout.com) Amile Jefferson (Wynnewood, PA/Friends' Central) picked Duke University on Tuesday during a live press conference.

Jefferson (6-7, 190) had offers from Duke, N.C. State, Kentucky, Ohio State and Villanova. He said his mind was made up about Duke "a couple of days ago." N.C. State was his runner-up (via Adam Zagoria's Twitter).

Jefferson was confident he could fill a role for the Blue Devils that no one else on their current roster can. "Right now I don't think they have a player at my position. I don't think they have a guy like me." Jefferson also said that Duke provided a good combination of academics and athletics.

Jefferson's high school coach said that Jefferson possesses an all-around skill at the forward position and doesn't need to solely be placed in the low block area.

"He's more comfortable with his back to the basket but he has the ability to take the ball to the high post or go to the perimeter and play the '3,' " Friends' Central coach Jason Polykoff said. (via News Observer)

The five-star forward averaged 20.2 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 2.7 blocks per game in high school.

VCU Joins Atlantic 10 Conference After Leaving Colonial Athletic Association

2012-05-15T18:35:33Z

The Atlantic 10 Conference has found a replacement for the Temple Owls.

VCU president Michael Roa revealed Tuesday that the Rams are leaving the Colonial Athletic Association for all sports in favor of the Atlantic 10, and will make the move in time for the 2012-13 academic calendar.

"Accepting VCU's application makes sense on two important levels -- its emphasis on the quality of the student experience of its student-athletes, especially in the classroom, and its commitment to the highest levels of competition. Both ideals square perfectly with the identity of the A-10 and all of its member institutions," said Xavier University president Father Michael J. Graham, the chairman of the conference's council of presidents.

VCU's basketball program, led by rising star coach Shaka Smart, advanced to the Final Four in 2011 and again reached the NCAA Tournament last season despite losing almost every contributor from the 2011 team. The Rams' basketball team should be a big addition to the Atlantic 10, which now has 15 member schools.

2012 NBA Playoffs, 76ers Vs. Celtics: Sixers 'Becoming Men,' Says Doug Collins

2012-05-15T16:46:50Z

The Boston Celtics made their fourth-quarter surge as expected. Kevin Garnett had 11 points in the frame, Avery Bradley and Ray Allen hit timely threes on consecutive possessions, and the Celtics fought back from eight points behind to take two leads in the final three minutes.

But the Philadelphia 76ers hit each of their last five field goal attempts to hang on for a series-evening 82-81 win.

As Doug Collins explained, "Our young guys just keep growing and they’re really becoming men. I’m so proud of them. Doc Rivers is arguably the best coach in the NBA, and for our guys to just scrap through a game tonight -- we just found a way. All season long we couldn’t win these games and now our guys are believing they can do it, and it is pretty special to watch."

For more on the 76ers, please be sure to visit our blog Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly for all the latest news and updates.

Phillies Vs. Astros, Game 2: Cliff Lee Tries For First Win Of Season Against Visiting Houston

2012-05-15T15:13:19Z

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cliff Lee will try to collect his first victory of the season Tuesday, when the Phils' host the Houston Astros in the finale of a small two-game series at Citizen Bank Park. The first pitch is schedule for 1:05 p.m. ET, however, the weather forecast, which calls for isolated thunderstorms all day, could cause issues.

If the game goes off without a hitch, here's the starting lineup for the Phillies:

Jimmy Rollins SS
Juan Pierre LF
Shane Victorino CF
Hunter Pence RF
Placido Polanco 3B
John Mayberry 1B
Freddy Galvis 2B
Brian Scneider C
Joe Blanton P

Currently, the Astros starting pitcher is unknown. However, Zack Meisel of MLB.com is hinting it could be Triple-A call-up Jordan Lyles.

On Monday, the Phillies defeated the Astros 5-1, with help from Polanco's 2,000th hit which was a home run in the eighth inning.

For more on the Phillies, please be sure to check out our blog The Good Phight and SB Nation Philly for all the latest news and updates.