NAM Y. HUH / Associated Press Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff walks away after being called out on strikes in the fourth inning against the Cubs. Padres hitters struck out 15 times in the game. They are third in the majors in strikeouts, behind only the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers.

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CHICAGO – “Frustrating” is a word that breaks sharply off Jake Peavy's lips these days. And if he's not “frustrated,” the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner digs deeper into his repertoire for “disappointing” and “embarrassing.” Last night, all three came into play after Peavy experienced his shortest outing of the season in a game the Padres ultimately lost 8-5 to the Cubs.

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LOS ANGELES – Just when it appeared the Los Angeles Lakers needed Kobe Bryant the most, he provided the least. The strategy, planned or otherwise, worked to perfection. Bryant scored 26 points despite not attempting a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers extended the stunning home success by NBA teams in the second round of the playoffs by beating the Utah Jazz 111-104 last night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown drew the No. 7 post in a field of 13 yesterday and was made the 1-2 opening-line favorite for Saturday's 133rd Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. The luck of the draw precluded Big Brown from facing the challenge of winning from a far outside post for a third straight time.

• Preakness Stakes field

Much as we've wearied of the whole sordid Spygate saga, you can't get closure by decree. Just because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is ready to move on does not mean the matter is closed, no more than proclaiming “Mission Accomplished” means a mission has actually been accomplished.

She was not the plain Jane of women's tennis, she was the plain Justine, a woman who refused to adorn herself through her costumes or cosmetics. The game was all that mattered to Justine Henin. “I'm here because I'm playing tennis,” Henin would say to those who would question why she did not make an effort to market herself.