and had pitched 20 consecutive innings when he was recalled

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Ed Carpenter, Carlos Munoz and Helio Castroneves were pushed to the edge Saturday, each remained calm and came up with their best-qualifying runs of the day. Now they have to do it again one more time Sunday. The American, Colombian and Brazilian who have celebrated some of their biggest career moments at Indianapolis each made daring runs over the final 80 minutes Saturday to take the top three seeds heading into Sundays Indianapolis 500 shootout. Carpenter finished first with a four-lap qualifying average of 230.661 mph. Munoz was second at 230.460. "I wasnt sure we were going to go 230 in our first run, so I was relieved when we did," Carpenter said. "But to be honest, I didnt think going into qualifying I was going to exceed 230." Others drivers thought Carpenter would, and it only took one practice lap and one qualifying lap to assuage any doubts. Carpenter, the fifth car on the track, averaged 230.114 then sat around all day as other drivers tried to knock him off the top rung. Nobody caught him until a rain delay ended at 4:18 p.m. Then in a flurry of speed, Andretti Autosport driver James Hinchcliffe knocked Carpenter off the pole, Munoz knocked Hinchcliffe, his teammate, off the pole, and Carpenter retook the pole. He finished the day waiting 65 minutes to see if it would stand. Normally, the reward for surviving such tension would be celebrating a pole win. Instead, under the new qualifying format, all Saturday did was assure Carpenter and the other eight top cars of a top-nine starting spot on Indys traditional 33-car starting grid. Each of the top nine will have one qualifying run Sunday with the fastest claiming the coveted No. 1 starting spot for the May 25 race. The success of Carpenter, Munoz and Castroneves was hardly a surprise. Carpenter, last years pole winner, had one of the fastest cars in practice Thursday and Friday. If he wins the pole again Sunday on the track his stepfather, Tony George, once ran, Carpenter would be the second driver since 1990 to earn consecutive poles at Indy. Castroneves also did it in 2009 and 2010. Munoz, meanwhile, drives for Michael Andretti, whose team has consistently put four or five drivers in the top 10 all week. In 2013, Munoz made his IndyCar debut here and responded by qualifying second, finishing second and walking away as the 500 rookie of the year. "I was questioning myself, the team, everything before, but as soon as I hit the track I forgot everything," Munoz said. "The car was really fast, and its a shame we wasted that second outing. I think were looking strong, and well see what happens tomorrow." Castroneves owns three 500 wins and three pole wins at Indy -- all for team owner Roger Penske. But there was plenty of intrigue, too. Kurt Busch, the fourth driver to attempt "the double" by racing in Indy and Charlotte on the same day, May 25, nearly made it into the pole shootout, too. He was bumped with 39 minutes left in qualifying when 2000 Indy winner Juan Pablo Montoya surpassed Buschs speed of 229.960. Busch could have bumped his way back into the fast nine had he not already left for NASCARs All-Star race in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was scheduled to be back in Indy for Day 2 when the top 30 starting spots will be determined. Two other Andretti drivers, Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti, overcame unusual circumstances to reach the shootout. Hinchcliffe was fourth (230.407) despite spending most of this week recovering from a concussion. Andretti actually withdrew his original qualifying time to move into a shorter line, then waved off on another attempt before making it back to No. 6. Frances Simon Pagenaud, who won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis last weekend, was seventh. Carpenters teammate, JR Hildebrand, and Sarah Fishers driver, Josef Newgarden, also made the shootout, though Chip Ganassis four drivers were shut out. "I think we need to find a little more speed," Charlie Kimball said. "As a team, the fact that we arent in the top nine would prove that. We all work toward that goal, having four of our cars in the top nine. It was a lofty goal, but that was the expectation within the team." This time, theyll all be watching Carpenter and the rest of the gang. "We came in with a good car and a good package from last year," Carpenter said. "Like I said, with the second car here, weve been able to try some more things than what we did last year." Wholesale Air Max 1 Cheap . -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are tightening the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 . Jovanovski, the 2012 champ seeded fifth, will meet surprise Japanese qualifier Misa Eguchi on Friday. Eguchi, ranked 183rd, qualified for her first WTA main draw this week, then beat No. http://www.wholesaleairmax1.com/ . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate). Air Max 1 Sale Cheap . Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage. Air Max 1 Outlet Sale . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0. CLEVELAND -- Josh Tomlin couldnt recall the last time he won in the major leagues. Hes sure to remember his victory Tuesday night. Clevelands right-hander earned his first win since 2012 after he pitched into the seventh in the Indians 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. "This one, thats what I remember," he said after allowing one run and four hits in 6 2-3 innings. Tomlin hadnt won since July 5, 2012, when he defeated Tampa Bay. He had Tommy John surgery the following month and missed most of last year while recovering. Called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, he admitted to feeling some nerves as he took the mound. "I definitely had some anxiety going before the game, but a good anxiety," Tomlin said. "It was the same anxiety Ive gotten in years past." Tomlin (1-0) struck out four and walked one. The right-hander took a two-hit shutout into the seventh before Chris Colabello homered. Tomlin left after a single and a foul out, and received an ovation from the crowd of 9,621. Tomlin threw 93 pitches. Tomlin learned to take nothing for granted as he went through the yearlong process following surgery. "Theres been a couple of guys around the league who had to have a second one before they got back out there," he said. "Thats always in the back of your mind. To be able to not have any reservations about the elbow was pretty special." Indians manager Terry Francona had some simple advice for Tomlin before the game. "I said, Hey man, enjoy the hell out of this," Francona said. Bryan Shaw pitched the ninth for his first save. Eduardo Escobars two-out double cut the lead to two, but pinch-hitter Josmil Pinto popped out. Samuel Deduno (0-2) allowed four runs in five innings in his first start of the season. Deduno replaced Mike Pelfrey in the Twins rotation. Pelfrey was ineffective in five starts beforre going on the disabled list with a groin injury.dddddddddddd Deduno had shoulder surgery in September and made seven relief appearances to begin this season. The Indians scored twice in the first on an RBI single by Michael Brantley and a fielding error by Colabello at first base. Yan Gomes RBI double and Nick Swishers run-scoring single in the second made it 4-0. Tomlin pitched with a sore right elbow for most of the 2012 season. His last start in the majors came on July 27, when he allowed eight runs in four innings in an 11-0 loss to the Twins. He made one relief appearance with the Indians last year, pitching two scoreless innings in September. Tomlin pitched well in spring training, but was sent to Columbus in the teams final cuts. He was 2-1 in five starts and had pitched 20 consecutive innings when he was recalled. Tomlin was called up after Carlos Carrasco went 0-3 in four starts. "Their guy was real good," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Give credit to him." Twins star Joe Mauer missed his second straight game because of lower back spasms. The six-time All-Star said following the game that he wont play Wednesday, but hopes to resume light baseball activities. Indians centre fielder and leadoff hitter Michael Bourn was out of the lineup for the third straight game with a tight left hamstring, but is optimistic hell be able to play again in a couple of days. NOTES: Indians closer John Axford, who allowed game-winning home runs Sunday and Monday, was given the night off after pitching three straight days. Francona still has confidence in the right-hander. "Hes our closer," Francona said. "When you start running from guys as opposed to trying to get them back to where they need to be, that can be unsettling for a team." ... Mauer is a career .342 hitter with nine homers and 60 RBIs against Cleveland. ' ' '