Giants get Pence in trade with Phillies
SAN FRANCISCO, July 31 (UPI) -- The San Francisco Giants Tuesday acquired all-star outfielder Hunter Pence from Philadelphia in exchange for outfielder Nate Schierholtz and two other players.
The deal came only minutes after the San Francisco's NL West rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, acquired outfielder Shane Victorino from the Phillies.
Pence, who has 17 homers and 15 doubles this season, will likely start in right field for the Giants, who are tied with the Dodgers for first in the division, 3 1/2 games ahead of Arizona.
Pence, 29, is eligible for arbitration in the off-season after making around $10 million this season. He has clubbed 131 homers and 172 doubles over 835 career games -- 680 of them with Houston.
Schierholtz, who has spent his entire six-year career with the Giants, has a .257 batting average with five homers in 77 games this year. The outfielder sports a .270 average with 23 homers in 503 career games.
Also going to Philadelphia were catching prospect Tommy Joseph, minor league pitcher Seth Rosin and cash.
Cubs send Dempster to Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas, July 31 (UPI) -- The Texas Rangers obtained two-time all-star pitcher Ryan Dempster from Chicago Cubs for a pair of minor-leaguers in a non-waiver trade-deadline deal.
Dempster, who boasts the second-best ERA in the National League at 2.25, went to the AL West-leading Rangers in exchange for Class A third-baseman Christian Villaneuva and pitcher Kyle Hendricks.
Dempster, 35, originally drafted by the Rangers in 1995, has compiled a 5-5 record over 16 starts for the last-place Cubs.
He reportedly had demanded a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers and was unwilling to waive his right to refuse a trade to anyone else, but ultimately agreed to join the defending AL Champion Rangers.
The right-hander, who was on the disabled list for three weeks with a strained lat muscle in June and July, has a 117-121 record with a 4.31 career ERA over a 15-year career with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Cubs.
Team USA blows out Tunisia at Olympics
LONDON, July 31 (UPI) -- Carmelo Anthony ignited a third-quarter onslaught with 9 points Tuesday in sending the U.S. basketball team to a 110-63 Olympic rout of Tunisia.
The Americans outscored Tunisia in the third period 39-14 with 10 different players scoring in the quarter. Anthony had nine of his 16 points in that period as the United States coasted to the predictable blowout.
After two games in the preliminary phase of the tournament, the United States is the only unbeaten team in Group A. Argentina, France, Lithuania and Nigeria are all 1-1.
Lithuania defeated Nigeria Tuesday 72-53 and France fought off Argentina 71-64.
In Group B, Spain, Russia and Brazil are all unbeaten and all are headed to the quarterfinals. The fourth and final spot in the quarterfinals from Group B will be battled for among winless Australia, China and Britain.
Russia downed China in a Group B game Tuesday 73-54 while Spain defeated Australia 82-70 and Brazil posted a tougher-than-expected 67-62 decision over Britain.
Kevin Love added 16 points in the Americans' win over Tunisia and Kevin Durant had 13.
Rangers' Feliz to have elbow surgery
ARLINGTON, Texas, July 31 (UPI) -- Texas Rangers pitcher Neftali Feliz will miss the rest of the season after undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery, the team said Tuesday.
Feliz, 24, won the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year award as the Rangers' closer and was moved into the starting rotation at the beginning of the season.
But after going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in eight games with 37 strikeouts and 23 walks, he was placed on the disabled list May 21 with elbow soreness.
A minor-league rehab start scheduled for the weekend was canceled and a subsequent examination revealed a torn ligament in the right-hander's throwing elbow.
He will undergo "Tommy John" surgery performed by Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister, General Manager Jon Daniels said.
"It's a blow for him and for the club," he told ESPN. "Doctors feel he should be a perfect candidate to have a 100 percent recovery and be back at some point next summer assuming all goes well."
