Suppan goes from Series to Brewers

Jeff Suppan, the National League Championship Series most valuable player, reached a preliminary agreement Sunday on a $42-million, four-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Suppan must pass a physical for the deal to be final, the Brewers said. His contract includes a team option for 2011 with a $2-million buyout.

“He gives us a big-game pitcher. He’s shown that last year,” Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin said during a conference call.

A 31-year-old right-hander, Suppan went 12-7 with a 4.12 earned-run average for St. Louis this year -- including a 6-2 mark with a 2.39 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break. He was 1-1 in four postseason starts, including a win in Game 3 and seven solid innings in Game 7 of the NLCS against the New York Mets. He is 44-26 with a 3.95 ERA over the last three regular seasons, tied for ninth in the major leagues in wins.

Suppan met Tuesday with Brewers officials, and the team made an offer the next day, when Suppan met with New York Mets executives.

Melvin said Suppan’s durability was an attraction for the Brewers, who struggled last season when Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka got hurt.

Suppan has made 31 or more starts in eight straight seasons, throwing 180 or more innings each time.

“This obviously will be the largest improvement, adding a pitcher of this stature,” Melvin said.

Milwaukee needed a durable starting pitcher after trading Doug Davis to Arizona for Claudio Vargas, catcher Johnny Estrada and pitcher Greg Aquino.

Suppan has pitched for Boston (1995-97, 2003), Arizona (1998), Kansas City (1998 to 2002), Pittsburgh (2003) and St. Louis (2004 to 2006). He has reached double figures in wins seven times, and has a career record of 106-101 with a 4.60 ERA.

Milwaukee, coming off a 75-87 record and fourth-place finish in the NL Central, has a projected rotation that includes left-hander Chris Capuano and right-handers Sheets, Dave Bush, Vargas and Suppan.

In the NLCS, Suppan pitched eight shutout innings for the victory in Game 3, then allowed one run over seven innings in Game 7, which the Cardinals went on to win, 3-1, on Yadier Molina’s two-run homer in the ninth. St. Louis then went on to beat Detroit in five games for the World Series title.

RUNNING

Russian steeplechase champ given doping ban

Russian steeplechase champion Lyubov Ivanova was banned for two years by her country’s track and field federation after testing positive for an unspecified steroid.

Ivanova won the European 3,000-meter steeplechase title in 2003. She tested positive after finishing fourth at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany, in September.

Her ban took effect Friday and must be ratified by the International Assn. of Athletics Federations. The ban was confirmed Sunday by Rostislav Orlov, spokesman for the Russian Athletics Federation.

Nine Russian athletes had failed tests this season, less than half the total from 2005 when 23 were banned, Valentin Balakhnichev, president of the federation, told the news agency All Sport.

SOCCER

Pardew becomes third coach for Charlton

Alan Pardew became Charlton’s third coach this season after Les Reed left the Premier League club on Sunday.

Pardew, who was fired on Dec. 11 as West Ham coach, signed a 3 1/2 -year contract with Charlton.

“Les Reed has left his position as Charlton’s head coach by mutual consent,” the club said in a statement on its website. “The club is making no further comment at this time, but will be holding a press conference on Boxing Day,” which is Tuesday.

Reed took over on Nov. 13 when Iain Dowie was fired after only 15 games in charge with the Addicks last in the standings. Dowie had been appointed before the season to replace Alan Curbishly, who is now coach of West Ham.

Charlton won only once in Reed’s eight games in charge and was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the League Cup by League Two club Wycombe last week. Charlton is 19th in the standings, seven points behind 17th-place Blackburn and one in front of last-place Watford, which has a game in hand.

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Veteran Brazil defender Antonio Carlos reached a deal to rejoin two-time Brazilian champion Santos in 2007.

Antonio Carlos, who helped Brazil win the 1999 Copa America, was playing for first-division club Juventude. Details on the transfer were not disclosed.

He will be reunited with former Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. The 37-year-old defender and Luxemburgo won Brazilian league titles with Palmeiras in 1993 and 1994.