Lima Agrees to Contract With Kansas City Royals

Right-hander Jose Lima rejoined the Kansas City Royals when he agreed to a one-year contract Saturday, hoping to provide stability and leadership to a rotation that had the American League’s worst earned-run average at 5.15.

Lima, who pitched for the Royals in 2003, was 13-5 with a 4.07 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He shut out the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League division series.

In 12 major league seasons, Lima is 84-82 with a 5.00 ERA. His best stretch came in 1998 and 1999, when he was 16-8 and 21-10 for the Houston Astros.

“He’s a proven guy that can give you innings and wants the ball in big situations, so we’re glad to have him,” General Manager Allard Baird said.

Lima, who was not offered arbitration by the Dodgers, agreed to a deal with the Royals worth $2.5 million.

Two years ago, Kansas City plucked Lima from the roster of the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League at midseason. His 8-3 record with a 4.91 ERA in 14 starts helped the Royals to their first winning record in a non-strike year since 1993.

But in 2004, the Royals -- plagued by injuries that kept their pitching staff unsettled throughout the season -- lost a team-record 104 games.

The pitching staff had only three shutouts. Late in the season, left-hander Darrell May blamed his league-high 19 losses and 5.61 ERA on poor run support and ineffective relievers.

May was traded to San Diego last month, opening up a spot in a rotation that includes Jimmy Gobble, Runelvys Hernandez, Brian Anderson and Zack Greinke.

“From a pitching standpoint, we’re going young,” Baird said. “We really needed an innings guy to add to our rotation -- not only to add stability, but to protect our bullpen.”

Miscellany

UCLA senior attacker Brett Ormsby has been selected the Division I men’s player of the year by the American Water Polo Coaches Assn.

UCLA’s Adam Krikorian was selected coach of the year after guiding the team to a 25-3 record and the national title.

Ormsby finished his college career with 241 goals.

John Phillips resigned as men’s basketball coach at Tulsa, and assistant Alvin Williamson was selected interim coach.

Phillips led the Golden Hurricane to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons, but the team finished 9-20 last season and is 2-5 this season.

Former Oakland Raider center Barret Robbins has been released from jail after his arrest for allegedly hitting a nightclub security guard.

The former All-Pro player was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of battery and drunk and disorderly conduct after trying to enter a bar that was closed, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department said.

He was released from jail late Friday night or early Saturday, said a woman who answered the telephone at the sheriff’s department. She would not give her name.

Robbins is best remembered for disappearing on the eve of the Super Bowl in San Diego in January 2003. The Raiders lost to Tampa Bay, 48-21.

He spent Super Bowl Sunday in a hospital and later said that he had stopped taking medicine for depression and bipolar disorder.

The Raiders released Robbins in July, a week after he and two other players were fined three game paychecks for testing positive for the steroid THG.

Dan Fritsche scored twice -- including a tiebreaking short-handed goal -- to lead the defending champion United States team to a 5-4 victory over Russia in the opening round of the World Junior Hockey Championship at Grand Forks, N.D.

In other games, Patrice Bergeron and Sidney Crosby combined for seven points to help Canada beat Slovakia, 7-3, and Petr Vrana scored three goals to lift the Czech Republic over Belarus, 7-2.

T.J. Simers has the day off.