ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb was taken off the field on a stretcher after he was hit on the right ear by a liner off the bat of Kansas City's Eric Hosmer in the fifth inning of Saturday's game.

Cobb put a hand on his head after being struck. Trainers from both teams and other medical staff immediately ran onto the field.

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have released veteran all-star defensive back Jonathan Hefney.

Hefney was in his fifth season with the Bombers and was the focus of attention after he was charged with marijuana possession May 31 at home in South Carolina.

General manager Joe Mack didn't seem overly bothered by that and said it was more important how Hefney performed on the field.

But the Bomber veterans on the secondary didn't impress coach Tim Burke in Wednesday's 24-6 exhibition loss to the Toronto Argonauts, and the axe fell Saturday.

CHICAGO - Jonathan Toews had games for the Chicago Blackhawks that his numbers "jumped off the charts." That's how coach Joel Quenneville describes it, and it doesn't have to do with producing goals and assists.

The Sacramento Kings hired Denver executive Pete D'Alessandro as their new general manager on Saturday.

D'Alessandro will replace the departing Geoff Petrie, a team official confirmed on condition of anonymity because there has not been a formal announcement yet. The move was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers have confirmed that prospect Kristians Pelss has died. He was 20.

The Oilers released a statement on Saturday saying the team was deeply saddened by the loss of Pelss, who went missing Tuesday and was feared drowned in a river near his home in Riga, Latvia.

Local media had reported that Pelss jumped off a bridge and into the fast-flowing Daugava River.

CHICAGO - Boston Bruins right-winger Nathan Horton will play in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.

"I feel good. I'm going to be ready. I think I'm in and I'm ready to go," Horton said after taking part in Saturday's morning skate at United Center. He did rushes with linemates Milan Lucic and David Krejci.

Coach Claude Julien confirmed Horton would be in the lineup.

"There's absolutely no reason he shouldn't play tonight," Julien said.

Horton left Game 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper-body injury but was not worried about it keeping him out of Game 2.

ATLANTA - Madison Bumgarner allowed two hits in seven innings and combined with Sandy Rosario for a three-hit shutout in the San Francisco Giants' 6-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

Bumgarner (6-4) was dominant in earning his second straight win. The left-hander did not allow a baserunner for 4 2-3 innings before losing his bid for a perfect game in the fifth and shot at a no-hitter in the sixth.

Bumgarner matched his season high with 10 strikeouts while walking one.

BALTIMORE - Chris Tillman took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, Chris Davis hit his major league-leading 22nd home run and the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Boston Red Sox 2-0 Friday night in a duel between the top two teams in the AL East.

Manny Machado had three hits for the Orioles, who have won five of six — including the first two in this four-game series. Baltimore moved within 1 1/2 games of the division-leading Red Sox, the closest the Orioles have been to first place since May 13.

EDMONTON - The Edmonton Eskimos lost the game, and possibly a big part of their offence on Friday night.

Craig Newman's 57-yard interception return for a touchdown with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter capped a late rally as the Saskatchewan Roughriders scored a 31-24 come-from-behind victory over Edmonton in CFL pre-season play.

CALGARY - Hugh O'Neill passed a big test in his latest audition with the B.C. Lions.

The 23-year-old booted five field goals, including the game-clinching kick late in the fourth quarter, as B.C. defeated the Calgary Stampeders 29-27 in a soggy CFL pre-season game on Friday.

O'Neill's winning field goal from 47 yards out with 1:13 left on the clock bounced off the crossbar and over for the victory in a driving rain at McMahon Stadium.