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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The day after the Detroit Tigers traded for Texas Rangers closer Joakim Soria, Joe Nathan made a point of showing why he is still manager Brad Ausmus No. 1 option in the ninth inning. Nathan struck out the side on 12 pitches to secure Max Scherzers 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between two of the top three teams in the majors. The six-time All-Star posted his 21st save in 26 chances after Joba Chamberlain gave up a run on Josh Hamiltons sacrifice fly in the eighth. "Honestly, I just thought of tonight as just another game," Nathan said. "I didnt look at it as anything more important than going out and trying to get a W for us. "Its not about individuals. Its about this team winning. So there was really no concern on my part about going out there and making sure I got it done so that I could stay where Im at. Its up to Brad to make decisions like that, so Im just going to go out and compete when they allow me to." Nick Castellanos drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double in the sixth inning against Garrett Richards and Scherzer won his fourth straight decision. Scherzer (12-3) tied teammate Rick Porcello and New Yorks Masahiro Tanaka for the league lead in wins. He allowed three runs and six hits over seven innings and struck out 11. It was the fourth time this season and 22nd in his career that the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner had double digits in strikeouts. "Richards is a great pitcher and hes been having an awesome year, so you know you have to bring your A game," Scherzer said. "I felt good with everything tonight and had all four pitches going. I hadnt been getting the swings and misses I had been searching for with that pitch, so I made a little adjustment with my grip. Tonight I felt like I had a lot more consistency with it and a lot more downward action." Scherzer, the winning pitcher in the All-Star game, is 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA in six starts since giving up 10 runs over four innings in an 11-4 home loss to Kansas City on June 17. That came just five days after the seven-year veteran posted his first complete game and shutout in the major leagues with a three-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Richards (11-3) allowed four runs and seven hits over six innings with five strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander was 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA over his previous nine starts following a 9-5 loss at Oakland on May 30. "His command was a little bit off early, although his velocity was good and his movement was terrific," manager Mike Scioscia said. "His slider was there, but he just got some pitches in some zones where those guys caught up to it." Scherzer made 30 of his 103 pitches during a three-run fifth that put the Angels ahead 3-1. C.J. Cron beat out a broken-bat single in the hole to shortstop Eugenio Suarez to drive in Howie Kendrick, and Kole Calhoun hit a broken-bat single to right field to score David Freese and Cron. "It was a real challenge facing them in the fifth," Scherzer said. "They put together some really good at-bats against me. They grinded it out, kept fouling pitches off and they were able to capitalize on a couple of mistakes. They kept finding ways to put the ball in play and keep that inning going." The Tigers responded with three runs in the sixth. Richards gave up hits to the first four batters, including Torii Hunters RBI double to left-centre and Castellanos two-run double to the same spot. "I cannot say he was hittable. It was not fun," Hunter said. "I mean, he made some mistakes with his curveball, and we live off mistakes. We dont live off pitchers pitches. Garrett is filthy, and its not fun facing him at all. So hopefully, I hope I dont face him every again." Ian Kinsler increased Detroits margin to 5-3 in the sixth with an RBI double against Jason Grilli, and Austin Jackson added an RBI single in the eighth off Fernando Salas. The Tigers scratched out a run in the third on a groundout by Kinsler after Suarez drew a leadoff walk, Rajai Davis singled and both runners advanced on a wild pitch that bounced off Congers chest protector. NOTES: Among the crowd of 40,146 was reality TVs Vicki Gunvalson, one of the original "Real Housewives of Orange County." ... Soria met his new teammates before the game. Hunter remembered the two-time All-Star as a tough adversary. "It was a battle, man," Hunter said. "Before the surgery he had a 93 mile-an-hour fastball that looked like it was 97 or a hundred and was pretty sneaky. He was good at hitting the outside corner, his curveball was pretty good, and he wasnt afraid to throw it at any count. He throw strikes and he works fast. So to have him over here, Im going to love it." ... Scherzer is 10 strikeouts from becoming the 16th pitcher to get at least 1,000 in a Tigers uniform. Chuma Edoga Youth Jersey . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D. LaDainian Tomlinson Youth Jersey . -- Derek Jeter spoke for 25 minutes, 44 seconds and answered 26 questions about his decision to retire at the end of this season. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Keyshawn-Johnson-Jersey/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., who trains out of San Diego, will fight bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey on July 5 in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Sam Darnold Youth Jersey .A. Happ capped a challenging season with one of his best efforts of the year. Dennis Byrd Jersey . It was the start of one nice night for the goalie and the Minnesota Wild. Backstrom made 33 saves in his first win of the season and the Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Saturday in a rematch of their first-round playoff series. MINNEAPOLIS -- With the Memphis Grizzlies front office in turmoil, the Minnesota Timberwolves are considering trying to lure coach Dave Joerger away to coach the team in his home state. The Timberwolves have received permission to interview Joerger for their head coaching vacancy, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people requested anonymity because the Timberwolves are not commenting publicly on their coaching candidates. Joerger, who is from Staples, Minnesota, and went to college at Division-II Minnesota State, Moorhead, went 50-32 in his first season as Grizzlies coach last year. After a rough start while the team transitioned from coaching veteran Lionel Hollins to the first-timer Joerger, the Grizzlies pulled together, overcame several injuries to key players and surged to the seventh seed in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. But after losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, owner Robert Pera made the surprising decision to overhaul the front office. He fired CEO Jason Levien and director of player personnel Stu Lash, two moves that immediately called into question Joergers job security. Joerger goes way back with Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders. As a young coach trying to make his way up the ladder, Joerger came to watch Saunders, who coached the Timberwolves from 1995-2005, run practices. The two formed a mutual respect which lasts to this day. Saunders, who coached in the CBA before breaking into the NBA, has long had an affinity for coaches who had to grind it out in the minor leagues, believing they learn not only how to coach, but to run an organization. Joerger won championships in the NBDL, the Internattional Basketball Association and the CBA before joining the Grizzlies as an assistant to Lionel Hollins.dddddddddddd Joergers experience as a head coach last year with the Grizzlies helps him fit the profile Saunders is looking for in a replacement for Rick Adelman, who retired last month. Saunders has said he wants a proven coach who knows the demands of running an NBA team, including handling questions from the media. The latter qualification is of particular concern for the Wolves right now with star forward Kevin Love set to opt out of his contract after next season. The Wolves are considering all their options with Love, including potentially trading him this summer. If the Wolves do not trade Love, they will head into the season with one of the major storylines in the league, one sure to draw attention from media all across the country. Thats part of the reason Saunders is reluctant to turn over the keys to a first-time head coach. The Wolves interest in Joerger was first reported by the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. The Timberwolves opening has also been linked to Hollins and college coaching stars such as Michigan States Tom Izzo, Floridas Billy Donovan and Iowa States Fred Hoiberg. Saunders has yet to offer the job to anyone, but it is believed that the uncertainty surrounding Love has caused some of the more high profile names on Saunders list to give tepid responses to inquiries. The situation with Love in Minnesota pales in comparison to the upheaval in Memphis, and the opportunity to bring his family back to his home state could be enough to convince Joerger to make the move if an offer comes his way. The two sides were working Wednesday to set up a meeting, which could come as soon as Thursday. ' ' '