OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (Reuters) - Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek handed the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead over 2008 runners-up Argentina in their Davis Cup quarter-final tie on Saturday.

After Friday's opening singles ended 1-1, the Czechs revised their doubles nominations and opted for Berdych to team up with Stepanek in place of doubles expert Lukas Dlouhy.

The gamble paid off as they beat Jose Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer 6-1 6-4 6-3 and the hosts now need to win only one of Sunday's two reverse singles to book a semi-final place against Croatia or the United States.

Mets, Braves make a deal

The slumping Mets have traded OF Ryan Church to the Braves for OF Jeff Francoeur. The injury-ravaged Mets are trying to avoid falling further back in the NL East race. Church is hitting .280 with two home runs and 22 RBIs. Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers and 35 RBIs.

C Geovany Soto, the 2008 NL rookie of the year, is going on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle. Manager Lou Piniella said Soto could be out for a month.

CF Jacoby Ellsbury was ejected from Boston's game with Kansas City after bouncing his helmet hard when he was called out at home plate.

Brandon Inge says he's going to participate in the home run derby on Monday night during All-Star week.

He will join Joe Mauer on the AL squad. The rest of the lineup has not been announced. ... OF Carlos Guillen (shoulder) could start a rehab assignment as early as this weekend.

Owners of the best record in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers seek a fifth win in six games tonight, as they continue a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

The Dodgers were in danger of dropping the opener of this set on Friday, but Mark Loretta forced extra innings with a run-scoring single off of Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning before Los Angeles exploded for six runs in the 10th frame for a 12-8 victory.

ARCALIS, Andorra - Alberto Contador didn't win the Tour de France on this wonderfully untrammeled ski slope in the high Pyrenees on Friday, nor did Lance Armstrong lose it. Although the first mountain stage went decisively to Contador, the story of the 96th Tour hasn't been written quite yet.

Nor will it likely be today or Sunday, as the hard climbing continues with the fabled race returning to France.

Veteran lefty Mike Hampton aims for his 10th career defeat of the Washington Nationals franchise tonight when the Houston Astros host the skidding National League East Division cellar-dwellars in the third of a four- game series at Minute Maid Park.

Hampton, who reached the majors with Seattle back in 1993, is 9-3 in 18 career appearances against the Nationals/Montreal Expos, posting a 3.24 earned run average in 91 2/3 innings.

Mark Webber says that he now has the perfect opportunity to claim his first Formula One victory after securing pole position for the German Grand Prix.

The Australian stormed to the first pole position of his career in Saturday's qualifying session, fending off the challenge of Brawn GP team-mates Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button.

The 32-year-old has long been considered capable of winning a race, but has often had to compete in cars too slow to run at the front.

Mark Webber from Red Bull Racing held off Brawn GP drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button as well as teammate Sebastian Vettel in the closing seconds of Saturday's qualifying to take the pole position for the German Grand Prix.

Webber, 32, lapped the 3.2-mile, 16 turn Nurburgring in one minute, 32.230 seconds for his first Formula One pole in his 132nd grand prix start. The Australian also overcame changeable weather conditions as rain fell during the second 15-minute qualifying session but cleared up in time for the final 10- minute stint.

SAINT-GIRONS, France (AP) -- Former champion Oscar Pereiro of Spain has quit the Tour de France during the eighth stage because of fatigue.

Pereiro finished second in 2006 but inherited the title after American Floyd Landis was stripped of his victory in a doping scandal.

Pereiro withdrew near the feed zone in Saturday's stage, a 110-mile ride along three big climbs from the tiny Pyrenean principality of Andorra to Saint-Girons, France.

NUERBURGRING, Germany (Reuters) - Australian Mark Webber set his sights on a breakthrough first Formula One victory in Germany on Sunday after finally securing pole position at the 130th attempt.

The Red Bull driver made the most of Saturday's qualifying, with rain and shine producing tricky conditions, to keep the championship-leading Brawns and German team mate Sebastian Vettel behind him.

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, in a Brawn, will start alongside 32-year-old Webber on the front row with team mate and overall leader Jenson Button behind with Red Bull's German Sebastian Vettel.

England found themselves 20-2 at tea in the second innings of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff after Australia took the early wickets of both Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara.

The only consolation for the hosts was that rain began to fall as the players walked off the pitch and forecasts suggest more is on the way.

It took England until nearly 3pm to take their first wicket of the day just before Ricky Ponting declared Australia's first innings on 674-6 - their highest score against England since 1934.

On a night when Jonathan Sanchez was nearly perfect, his father chose the perfect time to show up in San Francisco and cheer him. The Giants' left-hander threw the majors' first no-hitter of the season Friday night and came within a whisper of a perfect game. The only runner to reach against him in an 8-0 victory over the San Diego Padres came on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe with one out in the eighth.

CHICAGO - A sliver of season grew into a slice, and a slice has grown into a wedge.

While the two-time defending division champions played as if they couldn't wait for the All-Star break, the Cardinals showed the urgency of a team still hungry after devouring a chunk of difficult-to-digest season.

With an 8-3 win in front of an audibly dissatisfied crowd of 40,687, the Cardinals (48-40) assured themselves of leading the Cubs at the break. They improved to 5-2 on their three-city, 10-game intradivisional trip, which concludes perhaps the league's most demanding first-half schedule.

ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra – The eighth stage of the Tour de France is underway with a new leader, and Lance Armstrong in third after losing a spot to teammate Alberto Contador.

Riders are leaving the tiny Pyrenean principality of Andorra and heading to France with Saturday's 110-mile route along three big climbs to Saint-Girons.

Rinaldo Nocentini became the first Italian rider in nine years to capture the yellow jersey after Friday's uphill finish in the Andorran ski station of Arcalis.

NUERBURGRING, Germany (AP) — Red Bull's Mark Webber has taken pole position for Formula One's German Grand Prix ahead of Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello.

Webber earned his first career pole position Saturday with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 32.230 seconds around a slippery Nuerburgring circuit.

Overall F1 leader Jenson Button, who has won six of eight races this season, will start third ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who is the only other driver with victories this year.