Briefly

Dodgers boost bullpen by acquiring Baez, Carter from Tampa Bay

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired All-Star relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter from Tampa Bay for two pitching prospects Saturday, strengthening their bullpen as Eric Gagne waits to return from elbow surgery.

The Dodgers sent right-hander Edwin Jackson and minor league lefty Chuck Tiffany to the Devil Rays. Los Angeles also gets a minor league player to be named.

Baez went 5-4 with a career-best 41 saves last season, earning a spot on the American League All-Star team. He has 96 saves over the past three seasons.

Gagne, one of baseball’s best closers, underwent season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow in June. He is expected back sometime this year, but now the Dodgers have a proven closer to call on until he returns.

Carter was an A.L. All-Star in 2003, when he had a career-high 26 saves in 62 appearances. Last season, he appeared in 39 games, going 1-2 with a 4.89 ERA in 57 innings.

•Pittsburgh outfielder-first baseman Craig Wilson chose not to go to salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year contract worth about $3.3 million. Wilson, who had a team-high 29 homers in 2004, hit .264 with five homers and 22 RBIs last season.

•Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay (Gonzaga University/North Idaho College), Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and Milwaukee’s Corey Koskie were among 23 players named to Canada’s 30-man roster for the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

•The Los Angeles Angels agreed to multiyear contracts with Chone Figgins and Juan Rivera.

Figgins got a $10.5 million, three-year deal. Rivera agreed to a two-year contract that will include about $1.3 million in 2006.

Winter sports

Rahlves surprises downhill field

While Bode Miller griped about too much media coverage this week, American teammate Daron Rahlves was inspired by a lack of recognition.

Rahlves, feeling snubbed by Swiss papers leading up to the downhill, responded by becoming the first American in more than a decade to win on the Lauberhorn course at Wengen, Switzerland.

Rahlves finished in 2 minutes, 30.54 seconds. Michael Walchhofer, the reigning World Cup downhill champion, was .40 seconds behind. His Austrian teammate, Olympic downhill champion Fritz Strobl, was third.

Miller, who spent part of this week apologizing for comments he made about skiing “wasted,” finished 11th – 2.41 seconds back – after a couple of mistakes.

•Janica Kostelic, who won three golds and a silver at the 2002 Olympics, now is also a medal contender in the downhill as the Turin Games approach.

At Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Kostelic won her first World Cup downhill, building her lead in the overall standings and proving her strength in the only Alpine event in which she did not compete at the Salt Lake City Games four years ago.

Lindsey Kildow of the United States finished 18th and lost the lead in the World Cup downhill standings to Michaela Dorfmeister, who was third. The Austrian has 312 points to Kildow’s 287.

•Jason Smith of the United States beat Switzerland’s Marco Hauser and American teammate Jayson Hale to win a World Cup snowboard cross race at Plan de Corones, Italy.

Nate Holland of Sandpoint placed 12th and stands fourth in the overall standings with 2,970 points after eight events. The U.S. Olympic team will be named Saturday.

Sandra Frei of Switzerland took the women’s cross event.

•At Igls, Austria, Armin Zoeggeler of Italy clinched his fifth overall World Cup luge title after winning his fourth race of the season.

•At Koenigsee, Germany, Pierre Lueders of Canada claimed his first World Cup victory of the season, holding off Matthias Hoepfner in a two-man bobsled race.

•At Predazzo, Italy, Hannu Manninen of Finland edged Anssi Koivuranta to clinch his sixth victory of the season in a Nordic combined World Cup event.

Horse racing

Brother Derek rules at San Rafael

Brother Derek took the early lead and upset Stevie Wonderboy in the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Arcadia, Calif., muddling the early Kentucky Derby picture.

Brother Derek won by 1 1/2 lengths in what was essentially a match race between him and Stevie Wonderboy, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion making his 3-year-old debut.

Owned by hotel and television magnate Merv Griffin, Stevie Wonderboy made his first start since the Breeders’ Cup 11 weeks ago.

Brother Derek covered one mile in 1:36.11 and paid $4.60 and $2.10 as the 13-10 second choice in the field of four. He finished fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths, to Stevie Wonderboy in the BC Juvenile. Stevie Wonderboy had his three-race winning streak snapped.

Miscellany

Stewart flips car, injures arm

Reigning NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart injured his right arm after he flipped his car during a qualifying race for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Stewart, a two-time Cup champion, complained of pain in his arm after Friday night’s race at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Raceway.

He was examined and treated at a local hospital. A spokesman for Stewart said X-rays and a CT scan were both negative, but Stewart was fitted with a cast until a more extensive evaluation can be made.

•Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler retained his WBA super middleweight boxing title when Canadian Eric Lucas quit in the 10th round at Copenhagen, Denmark.