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2012 Tour of California, Stage 4: Will Peter Sagan's Winning Streak Continue?

2012-05-16T12:55:03Z

Liquigas-Cannondale's Peter Sagan has had his way with the 2012 Tour of California, winning all three stages up to this point. Will that continue in Wednesday's Stage 4, which is the longest of the race?

Tuesday's stage, which covers 130 miles, will take the riders from Sonora to Clovis.

As the riders head south towards Mariposa and Oakhurst (both Sprint cities), they will enjoy the incredible beauty and challenge of historic Highway 49. As they skirt Yosemite, they will encounter everything from numerous KOMs, twisty and technical descents, and raging rivers, but very few sections of flat roadway. Once through Mariposa, Highway 49 widens a bit, but two more KOMs will await the cyclists as they head to the final Sprint in Oakhurst. The riders will no doubt be fearless as they attack the final 40 miles into the return to Clovis, perhaps recalling the snow and ice along this same route in 2009.

Live television coverage of the race begins at 3:00 p.m. MT on the NBC Sports Network. Additional Stage 4 information, including a map of the route, can be found here.

Stick with this Tour of California StoryStream, cycling blog Podium Cafe and the Tour of California's official site for more race coverage as it happens.

2012 MLB Mock Draft: Keith Law Predicts Kevin Gausman To Orioles At No. 4 Overall

2012-05-16T12:30:05Z

Kevin Gausman (RHP, LSU) is a draft-eligible sophomore this year, making him one of the top available overall players in the 2012 MLB Draft. He's so highly thought of that he is likely to be selected within the first 10 picks and possibly within the first five. ESPN Insider Keith Law has released his first mock draft just three weeks before the event and projects the Baltimore Orioles to take the Colorado native:

Baltimore is looking for the best player available; that could be Gausman, who I currently have ranked as the top pitcher in the draft, or Correa or any of the players named above, although the Orioles are not really linked to Giolito.

In Law's first scenario, only one college pitcher goes ahead of Gausman and that is projected No. 1 overall picks Mark Appel to the Houston Astros. The other selections are high school outfielder Byron Buxton and high school pitcher Lucas Giolito.

The Orioles drafted high school pitcher Dylan Bundy with the No. 4 overall pick in 2011. He has allowed two runs (zero earned) in seven starts (25 innings). He has struck out 36 batters while walking only two. Add Gausman to an emerging young pitching corps and the Orioles' success so far this season, Baltimore would certainly continue to rise.

Gausman was a sixth-round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

For more on the Colorado Rockies, check out the Rockies blog Purple Row. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

Rapids Vs. DC United: Colorado Head To Nations Capital For Midweek Match

2012-05-16T12:15:04Z

DC United have had an injury spat in the past few weeks, which does not bode well for the Black and Red as they face the Colorado Rapids and their multi-tiered offense on Wednesday. Specifically, Conor Casey could be getting his first start for the Rapids since last season, and in his few appearances so far since returning from his Achilles tear he has looked incredibly hungry for a goal.

Ethan White, Dejan Jakovic, Emiliano Dudar and Perry Kitchen among others are injured for DC, though on Tuesday it was confirmed that Kitchen's knee injury wasn't serious and he could get minutes against the Rapids. Either way, the powerful Rapids offense featuring Casey could take advantage of a weakened defense the same way they did last season when the Rapids beat United 4-1 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Of course, the Rapids have injuries of their own with their leading scorer Omar Cummings knocked out along with Marvell Wynne, a big cog in the middle of their defense. Casey can take over for Cummings, but with Tyrone Marshall taking over for Wynne that leaves a bit of a hole in the middle there. This one could be a shootout with two big offenses facing off against slightly injured defenses.

The Rapids have momentum as well, with a 10 day rest following a 2-0 win over FC Dallas while DC are coming off a midweek 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo.

The game will be at RFK Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET.

For more on the Colorado Rapids, head to Burgundy Wave. More on DC United can be found over at Black And Red United. More on the world of soccer can be found at SB Nation's Soccer hub.

2012 MLB Mock Draft: Keith Law Projects HS 3B Courtney Hawkins For Rockies

2012-05-16T12:00:50Z

The 2012 MLB Draft is just three weeks away, which means mock draft season for this event will start to pick up speed soon enough. ESPN Insider Keith Law has released his first mock draft, and for the Colorado Rockies at No. 10 overall the choice is high school third baseman Courtney Hawkins:

Hawkins might have the quickest bat of anyone in this draft, though he sometimes struggles to make contact. I'm also hearing Ty Hensley and David Dahl here. I would have to think they'd re-evaluate if someone such as Fried fell this far.

The Rockies last took a high school position player in the first round during the 2004 draft when the team selected shortstop Chris Nelson. Nelson is currently with the big league team, but it took him until 2010 to make his debut and he is far from a productive player. And the year before that, the Rockies took third baseman Ian Stewart, who was traded this past offseason.

Still, with the Rockies' poor track record of drafting pitchers in the first round over the last few years, the team does appear to be looking at changing directions this year. Hawkins, 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds, would certainly qualify as a change-of-direction pick. While he is an aggressive hitter (causing high strikeout numbers), Hawkins' power will certainly offset that for whichever team drafts him.

For more on the Colorado Rockies, check out the Rockies blog Purple Row. And to learn more about the latest MLB prospect news and ratings, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels.

Giro d'Italia 2012 Stage 11: Joaquim Rodriguez Tries To Extend Lead

2012-05-16T09:00:01Z

The 2012 Giro d'Italia resumes on Wednesday with the 11th stage of the race, which will take the cyclists from Assisi to Montecatini Terme. Designated as a flat stage, it will test the cyclists' endurance, as it is the longest in the entire race (255 kilometers).

Joaquim Rodriguez won Stage 10 and also claimed the overall lead; he has a 17-second edge on Garmin-Barracuda's Ryder Hesjedal.

Here is a look at the top five heading into Wednesday:

1) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha Team 40:27:34
2) Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:17
3) Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:32
4) Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team 0:00:52
5) Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:52

Steephill.tv has some video streaming options for Stage 11.

For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.

Rockies Vs. Giants Final Score: Marco Scutaro's Homer Gives Colorado 5-4 Victory

2012-05-16T06:13:05Z

Marco Scutaro entered Tuesday night's game with zero home runs on the season. After he launched a ball into left field in the top of the ninth, he finally had his first home run with the Rockies. And it gave Colorado a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants, ending a four-game losing streak.

Now, the Rockies likely shouldn't have ever reached the point where they needed a hit of that magnitude, but the bullpen faltered once again. With a 4-1 cushion, Josh Outman began the seventh inning by walking the first two batters he faced. After striking out Brandon Belt, Melky Cabrera unleashed a double into right field to score the two runners. Matt Belisle relieved him and picked up the second out on a Buster Posey grounder. However, Angel Pagan struck for an RBI single to tie the game.

The Rockies did get to Tim Lincecum (ND, 5.77 ERA) for four runs. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez each hit RBI singles while Jordan Pacheco had a sacrifice fly. Michael Cuddyer double in the other run.

Rockies starter Jeremy Guthrie (ND, 4.85 ERA) did well by allowing an unearned in 5.1 innings, but he did wind up with four of the team's 10 walks.

The Rockies (14-21, 6-11 away) are back on Coors Field on Wednesday to start a two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on these teams, visit Rockies blog Purple Row and Giants blog McCovey Chronicles. Check out Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish for more news and notes around the league.

Giro d'Italia Standings 2012: Joaquim Rodriguez Overtakes Ryder Hesjedal For GC Lead

2012-05-16T01:41:28Z

Ryder Hesjedal's time wearing the maglia rosa (pink jersey), as well as his place atop the leaderboard, came to an end following Stage 10's conclusion. Joaquim Rodriguez won the stage by two seconds and by six seconds ahead of then-ledder Hesjedal. Due to the awarded time bonus, Rodriguez came out ahead of Hesjedal by 17 seconds, creating that much of a gap between the lead and second place.

Hesjedal has a 15-second lead ahead of current third-place occupier Paolo Tiralongo. In a tie for fourth place, Roman Kreuziger and Benat Intxausti Elorriaga are 52 second behind. Ivan Basso at +0:57 is the only other race within one minute of Rodriguez.

Among Hesjedal's teammates on Garmin-Barracuda, Peter Stetina is in 20th place with a 2:03 gap ahead of him. Christian Vande Velde has fallen a bit behind and is now 2:11 behind the leader. No one else is as close, with Jack Bauer the closest at 55:36 among the pack.

Here is how the top 10 has played out so far (full leaderboard):

Pos.	Name	Country	Team	Time	d
1	Joaquim Rodriguez	ESP	KAT	40:27:34	0:00
2	Ryder Hesjedal	CAN	GRM	40:27:51	0:17
3	Paolo Tiralongo	ITA	AST	40:28:06	0:32
4	Roman Kreuziger	CZE	AST	40:28:26	0:52
5	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga	ESP	MOV	40:28:26	0:52
6	Ivan Basso	ITA	LIQ	40:28:31	0:57
7	Damiano Caruso	ITA	LIQ	40:28:36	1:02
8	Dario Cataldo	ITA	OPQ	40:28:37	1:03
9	Eros Capecchi	ITA	LIQ	40:28:43	1:09
10	Rigoberto Uran Uran	COL	SKY	40:28:44	1:10

For more on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, stick with SB Nation Denver and visit cycling blog Podium Cafe.

Rockies Vs. Giants Lineups: Troy Tulowitzki Will Start

2012-05-15T23:44:18Z

Things appeared to go from bad to worse for the Colorado Rockies on Monday when shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was hit in the leg by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout. He was able to make his next plate appearance but was clearly hobbled and eventually had to be taken out of the game.

X-rays later proved negative, fortunately, and after testing out his bruised fibula, he's going to start in his usual place on Tuesday.

The Rockies' lineup:

1. Tyler Colvin (CF)
2. Jonathan Herrera (2B)
3. Carlos Gonzalez (LF)
4. Troy Tulowitzki (SS)
5. Todd Helton (1B)
6. Michael Cuddyer (RF)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Jordan Pacheco (3B)
9. Jeremy Guthrie (SP)