the opener of a 10-game trip

Newcastles survival hopes suffered a major setback after they were held to a goalless draw by already relegated Aston Villa on Saturday. Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . Jack Colback and Aleksandar Mitrovic each squandered second-half opportunities to break the deadlock at Villa Park as Rafa Benitezs side failed to break down the Premier Leagues worst defence.The draw, combined with Sunderlands victory over Chelsea, means Newcastle drop into the relegation zone and they will be relegated if Sunderland beat Everton in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Wednesday. Aston Villa will play in the Championship next season Villa, in their final Premier League home game before relegation, failed to register a shot on target but did prevent a club-record 12th consecutive league defeat as they picked up their first point since February.Rafa Benitez named an unchanged team from Newcastles victory over Crystal Palace, but they struggled for fluency in a tepid first half.Kevin Toner, handed his second league start by interim Villa boss Eric Black, was tasked with keeping tabs on Andros Townsend, and the in-form Newcastle winger was largely kept in check. Charlie Nicholas gives his reaction to the Aston Villa and Newcastle Utd stalemate. The visitors best chance of the first 45 minutes fell to Papiss Cisse, who snatched at his shot after Vurnon Anitas measured through-ball.The same combination ended in a similar result 10 minutes before half-time as an unmarked Cisse miscued his volley into the arms of Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bunn.Having impressed in the second half against Liverpool and Palace in their previous two matches, Newcastle came out after the break at a higher tempo and missed two golden opportunities inside the first 15 minutes.First, Colback blazed over from 10 yards before Mitrovic, who replaced the ineffective Cisse after 52 minutes, lobbed over with only Bunn to beat. Aston Villa fans protested during the game by throwing beach balls on to the pitch Benitez sacrificed his defensive midfield to throw on Ayoze Perez and Siem De Jong, but the visitors toiled as the game progressed and they failed to create any clearer chances.Bunn beat clear a firm strike from Georginio Wijnaldum and Mitrovic nodded wide from Colbacks delivery, but Villas defence was rarely stretched.News of Sunderlands dramatic fightback against Chelsea filtered through the ground as Newcastle surged forward in six minutes of added time, but Ciaran Clarks brave block from Wijnaldums volley was as close as Benitezs side got to a late winner. Aleksandar Mitrovic says Newcastle must move on following their disappointing 0-0 draw at rock-bottom Aston Villa. They host Tottenham on the final day of the season but may be already relegated by then. They have 34 points, one fewer than Sunderland, who have their game in hand against Everton at the Stadium of Light. As for Villa, they conclude their season at the Emirates against Arsenal before turning their attention to the Championship.  Pick your team Aguero? Ozil? De Bruyne? Pick your Fantasy Six-a-Side team for the chance to win ￡10,000 Soccer Saturday verdict - Charlie Nicholas This was a game I was rather disappointed with. In the first 45 minutes, Aston Villa didnt really put many passes together. It was so flat, it was a crazy first 45 minutes that lacked true ambition. The second-half changed a little bit. In the end Villa threatened just a couple of times but Newcastle ran out of ideas.Now Newcastle really have it all to do. Theyve got to try and hope Sunderland dont get anything, its out of their control and they didnt deserve to win for me today. They might have created more chances but a goalless draw at this stage of the season is not helpful. Player ratingsAston Villa: Bunn (7), Clark (7), Lescott (6), Toner (6), Hutton (7), Westwood (7), Sanchez (7), Gana (6), Bacuna (6), Ayew (6), Sinclair (6) Subs used: Hepburn-Murphy (6)Newcastle: Darlow (6), Anita (6), Mbemba (6), Lascelles (6), Dummett (5), Tiote (6), Colback (5), Townsend (6), Sissoko (6), Wijnaldum (6), Cisse (5)Subs used: Perez (5), Mitrovic (6), De Jong (6)Man of the match: Ciaran Clark Chris Owings Jersey . The Nuggets leading scorer, Lawson is characterized as day to day by the team. Hes averaging 17.9 points and 8.9 assists. Lawson suffered the injury late in Denvers win Sunday at Sacramento. Taijuan Walker Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Scott Baker has found quite a niche with the Texas Rangers, and is winning again after Tommy John surgery. Baker went five innings in a spot start to win as a starter for the first time in more than three years, helping Texas beat the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep. "Its still special because of the road that Ive had to endure as far as injuries," said Baker, who earned a win in relief in his previous appearance on Aug. 12. "Its fun, regardless of whether youre a starter or a reliever. And its a good team win." With Yu Darvish still on the disabled list and Miles Mikolas pushed back a day, Baker (2-3) threw 51 of his 71 pitches for strikes in difficult conditions with the temperature near 100 degrees. The only run on his line was Billy Butlers leadoff homer in the fourth. "He certainly went beyond the call of duty to have not been out there in 11 days, and to go out there and throw the strikes the way he threw them," manager Ron Washington said. Adrian Beltre put Texas ahead to stay with an RBI double in the first. Beltre had his fifth straight mulithit game, including all three games against Kansas City to extend his hitting streak against the Royals to 17 games. Baker hadnt pitched since that relief win against Tampa Bay. That was his first victory since a start for Minnesota against Detroit on July 23, 2011, and ended a string of 26 consecutive appearances in losses. "Its never been an issue, having that many days off from pitching, throwing the ball over," he said. "Ive always been able to do that." The 32-year-old right-hander missed all of 2012 after elbow surgery. He made three starts for the Chicago Cubs at the end of last season and has started five of his 22 games since joining the Rangers in June. He had made six relief appearances since his last start July 13. Neftali Feliz worked the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances since reassuming the closer role a month ago after Joakim Soria was traded to Detroit. Kansas Citys Jason Vargas (10-6) allowed 11 hits and walked four in his six inniings, but allowed only three runs. Daniel Descalso Jersey. The left-hander had walked only one in 25 1-3 innings previously this month. Texas had five doubles off Vargas, including a run-scoring hit for Adam Rosales in the second. Alex Rios had a leadoff double in the third, and scored on a single by Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos started after catcher Geovany Soto was a late scratch. The Rangers announced during the game that Soto was traded to Oakland for cash. GOOD TRIP Kansas City went 6-3 on its road trip, winning two series and splitting a two-game set. The Royals are 39-29 away from home, matching Baltimore for the ALs best road record. "Keep winning series, and were going to be OK," manager Ned Yost said. POP -- GOES THE BASEBALL Baker induced five popups for outs in his first three innings, and one of the hits he gave up was a bloop single. "We mishit some balls," Butler said. "Thats what he thrives on, basically came right at us with fastball, slider. Induced a lot of popups." TRAINERS ROOM Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer missed his 22nd game because of the stress fracture in his right hand after getting hit by a pitch July 20. He is scheduled for another X-ray Monday when the Royals get home, and that could clear him to start swinging a bat again. Rangers: LHP Derek Holland, scratched from his scheduled rehab start Sunday because of a muscle spasm in his back, said he was feeling better. Holland hasnt pitched in the majors since left knee surgery during the off-season. He will throw Monday and is set for another start at Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, the last day of his 30-day rehab window. UP NEXT Royals: Kansas City starts a 10-game homestand on what originally was a scheduled day off Monday. James Shields (12-6) pitches for the Royals against the New York Yankees in the makeup of a game postponed June 9 because of rain. They then have three-game series against Minnesota, Cleveland and Texas. Rangers: Texas plays Monday night at Seattle in the opener of a 10-game trip before the Rangers play 17 of their last 23 games at home. Mikolas (1-5) starts the opener against the Mariners. ' ' '