you need a flyball,

[ldh2013]

ENSTONE, England -- Lotus has hired Pastor Maldonado to replace Kimi Raikkonen at the Formula One team for the 2014 championship. . The Venezuelan driver leaves Williams after three years and will partner Romain Grosjean, who stays on at the English-based team for a third season. Maldonado, who won just one point this season for Williams, says on Friday "its no secret that I have wanted a change of scene to help push on with my Formula One career and Lotus F1 Team offered the very best opportunity for me to be competitive next season." Lotus finished fourth in the constructors championship, helped by Grosjeans four podium finishes in five grands prix before a blowout in the season-ending race in Brazil. Raikkonen has joined Ferrari for next season. . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. .5 million buyout. The left-hander will be 35 next season and becomes a free agent. The decision Friday completes a $137.5 million, six-year contract that was agreed to before the 2008 season. . Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4, while Federer defeated Del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Friday. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal also moved into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Richard Gasquet of France and will next play either defending champion David Ferrer or Tomas Berdych.NEW YORK -- Marlon Byrd was having a difficult night at the plate, along with just about everyone else. Still, when he came up in the 11th inning against his former teammates, he had an idea what he wanted to do. When the Mets switched their approach, he adjusted and came through. Byrd reached low and away to slice an RBI double just inside the right field line in the 11th, leading the Philadelphia Phillies over New York 3-2 Friday night in a game of many squandered opportunities. "Hes got a great mentality for that. Hes always on the positive side and hes always up there," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Hell grind it out. Hell grind out a game and thats what he demonstrates." Chase Utley had three hits and scored all the Phillies runs, two on singles by Domonic Brown, to help Philadelphia end a four-game skid and beat the Mets for the first time in six meetings. Carlos Torres (2-2), the seventh Mets pitcher, gave up a one-out double to Utley and intentionally walked Ryan Howard. Byrd, who played for the Mets last season, was able to go with the pitch for the opposite-field hit. "Had some tough at-bats early," Byrd said after striking out three times and walking twice before getting his big hit. "The good thing is I know the guys over there, know what theyre trying to do. They changed it up on me a little bit with Carlos. It was just one of those things." The Phillies left the bases loaded in the inning, only fitting as the teams combined to strand 32 runners on a damp night in a game that took 4 hours, 39 minutes. Jonathan Papelbon earned his 10th save. Mario Hollands (1-1) got his first big league win. The Mets returned home after a 2-6 road trip that ended with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins and a 23-inning scoreless streak. They quickly ended the drought on Curtis Grandersons RBI double in the first but then reverted to their struggling ways until the eighth, when David Wright doubled in the tying run off Antonio Bastardo. New York loaded the bases in each of the first two innings against Roberto Hernandez. The Mets also put two runners on in three other innings, including the fifth when they had second and third with no outs after shortsstop Jimmy Rollins throwing error on a potential double-play ball. . Still, they mostly came up empty. New York left 15 on base, a season high, and went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. "You need a groundball up the middle, you need a flyball, you need to put the ball in play someplace to add on runs, to score the big runs, and everybody works at it every day," Mets manager Terry Collins said. While the Mets wasted opportunity after opportunity, the Phillies were hardly better in their first game since Toronto swept four from them in a home-and-home interleague series. Philadelphia stranded 17 at Citi Field and couldnt capitalize on 11 walks -- three intentional. Brown and Utley teamed in the third and fifth against Jenrry Mejia to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Utley led off the third with a double and advanced to third on Howards fly to left. After a walk to Byrd, Brown fisted a soft liner the opposite way to left to tie it 1-all. Brown drove in Utley in the fifth with another hit dunked into left field. Mejia gave up two runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings. He walked three, hit a batter with a pitch and struck out four. Hernandez laboured through five innings, giving up a run while stranding 10. "Hernandez battled from a second and third no outs, which was big at the time," Sandberg said. Mets fans got excited in the third when Mejias weak fly to left looked as though it had a chance of dropping. Instead, a charging Brown made the catch to leave New York pitchers 0 for 59 this season. NOTES: Mets 1B Lucas Duda was out with a stomach flu. ... Called up before the game to provide a spark for one of baseballs worst offences, SS Wilmer Flores went 2 for 5 for the Mets. ... The Phillies selected the contract of infielder Reid Brignac from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He took INF Freddy Galvis spot. Galvis was sent to Lehigh after a 2-for-42 (.048) start. ... New York Jets QB Geno Smith spoke with 150 students as part of the Mets Citi Kids program, then threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... LSU coach Les Miles talked football with Wright before the game. ... Up next: Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 3.58 ERA) vs. Mets RHP Dillon Gee (3-1, 2.51) on Saturday night. ' ' '