MLB
The Milwaukee Brewers won a matchup of division leaders on Thursday to move 1 ½ games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
Hernan Perez was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Brewers whipped the Braves, 7-2. Jhoulys Chacin and Dan Jennings combined for a three-hitter and blanked Atlanta after the first inning. Chacin gave up the three hits over seven frames and improved to 7-3.
Braves starter and loser Max Fried lasted just three innings, yielding four runs on four hits and three walks.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI triple for the Braves, whose third straight loss cuts their lead in the NL East to one game over the Phillies.
Checking out Thursday's other MLB action:
The Astros blew a 2-0 lead before George Springer and Yuli Gurriel provided RBI singles in the bottom of the ninth to give Houston a 4-3 win over the White Sox. Jose Altuve launched a two-run homer in the fifth, but Omar Narvaez and Leury Garcia belted solo shots while Chicago was taking a 3-2 lead. Justin Verlander struck out 10 over seven innings of the Astros' third straight win.
Marco Gonzales picked up his ninth win and the Mariners stayed 1 ½ games behind the AL West-leading Astros by downing the Angels, 4-1. Gonzales struck out seven over six innings before three relievers completed a six-hitter. Chris Hermann's solo shot in the seventh gave Seattle breathing room before Jean Segura added an RBI single later in the inning.
The Diamondbacks' 6-3 loss to San Diego leaves Arizona in a virtual first-place tie with the Dodgers in the NL West. Austin Hedges homered for the first time since April 10, Wil Myers drove in a pair and Carlos Asuaje reached base four times in the Padres' fourth win in 17 games. Eric Lauer limited the DBacks to one run over five innings.
Mired in a five-game skid and losers in 17 of their last 22, the Nationals stormed back from a 9-0 deficit to beat the Marlins, 14-12 in Washington. Trea Turner went 3-for-5 with a go-ahead grand slam, a solo homer and a career-high eight RBIs in the biggest comeback in Nationals history. Matt Adams was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, and Juan Soto had three RBIs for the Nats.
The Cardinals hammered the Giants 11-2 as Jedd Gyorko had three hits, including a home run and five RBIs. Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader also went deep while Yadier Molina singled three times as part of the Redbirds' season-high, 18-hit attack. Luke Weaver retired his first 16 hitters and left the game after allowing two hits over eight innings.
Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman hit two-run homers while the Rangers built a 7-0 lead before holding off the Tigers, 7-5. Yovani Gallardo picked up the win despite allowing four runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. Keone Kela gave up a ninth-inning run and had two on with nobody out before notching his 21st save.
Aaron Slegers picked up his first big league win by allowing a run and three this over six innings of the Twins' 5-2 decision over the Orioles. Slegers took a shutout into the fifth before Jonathan Schoop hit the first of his two home runs. Logan Morrison belted a solo shot and Jake Cave was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored as Minnesota ended a six-game losing streak.
The Yankees had the night off, they go against Toronto Friday 7:07 p.m.
Boston also had the night off as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Royals Friday at 8:15 p.m.
The Mets head home Froday to take on the Rays Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Also in the majors:
Johnny Cueto is expected to be reinstated from the disabled list and pitch when the Giants open a four-game series at home against the Cardinals. Cueto was placed on the disabled list May 1 with inflammation in his right elbow. He is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA in five starts this season.
Mariners pitcher Wade LeBlanc is guaranteed $2.75 million under a new contract covering 2019. The deal includes with three options that would be worth $31.3 million over four years if he pitches 180 innings or more each season. LeBlanc is 4-0 with a 3.19 ERA in 12 starts and five relief appearances this season.
The Twins have signed first-round draft pick Trevor Larnach to a minor league contract that includes a $2.55 million signing bonus. The 20th overall selection hit .327 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs for Oregon State this season, helping the outfielder send the Beavers to the College World Series title.
TENNIS
Day 4 at Wimbledon was a disaster for the No. 3 singles seeds. Defending women's champion Garbine Muguruza and 2017 men's finalist Marin Cilic were ousted in the second round, further reducing the number of top-10 seeds still alive in either bracket.
Muguruza was stunned 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 by 47th-ranked Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium. Van Uytvanck had been just 1-4 in the grasscourt tournament before dominating the last two sets.
The surprise means only two of the top eight seeded women are still in the field after only four days of action at the All England Club.
Cilic blew a two-sets-to-none lead in a 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 loss to Argentina's Guido Pella. Cilic was cruising when the match was suspended by rain in the third set on Wednesday. His departure leaves No. 8 Kevin Anderson as the highest-seeded player left in Roger Federer's side of the draw,
Women's top seed Simona Halep advanced to the third round with a 7-5, 6-0 rout of Saisai Zheng.
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal advanced with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan.
No. 12 Novak Djokovic overcame an apparent thigh problem to beat Horacio Zeballos 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the third round.
Other winners on the men's side were fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, eighth seed Kevin Anderson, No. 9 John Isner and No. 15 Nick Kyrgios. Women's No. 11 Angelique Kerber and No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko also reached Round 3.
PGA
Webb Simpson is off to a great start at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
He shot a 9-under 61 in the PGA event for a one-stroke lead over Whee Kim. Simpson posted his career-best score after shaking off a two-hour weather delay with six holes left in his round.
Kim had back-to-back bogeys on the front nine on the Old White TPC, and then ran off five birdies over a seven-hole stretch.
Teenager Joaquin Niemann of Chile was another stroke back at 7-under 63 and Kelly Kraft was at 64.
Phil Mickelson shot 66 in his first tournament since the U.S. Open, when he intentionally violated golf rules by hitting a moving ball on the 13th green in the third round.
NBA
Nemanja Bjelica is moving from Minnesota to Philadelphia.
A person familiar with the negotiations says Bjelica has agreed to a one-year contract with the 76ers worth nearly $4.5 million.
Bjelica gives Philadelphia more shooting depth, needed in an offseason where the 76ers lost Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli.
Bjelica shot 42 percent from 3-point range last season, his best clip in his three NBA years.
In other NBA news:
The Trail Blazers have announced the signing of Nik Stauskas to a one-year, $1.6 million contract. Portland will be Stauskas' fourth team in his five NBA seasons. He's a career 35 percent 3-point shooter.
The Boston Celtics have signed first-round draft pick Robert Williams, who was selected 12th overall in the NBA draft last month. Williams' signing comes days after the Texas A&M product received a lecture from the team about accountability following a pair of off-the-court incidents.
NHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets have worked out a contract with restricted free agent Boone Jenner.
A person with direct knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press that the forward will receive $15 million over the next four seasons.
Jenner had 13 goals and tied his career high with 19 assists for the Jackets last season. The former second-round pick has 86 goals and 161 points in 342 NHL games.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
The Canadiens say defenseman Shea Weber will be out five to six months after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. It's the second surgery this year for Weber, who had a torn tendon in his left foot repaired in March.
The Hurricanes and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk have agreed to a two-year contract worth $4.6 million. Van Riemsdyk led the team with a plus-minus rating of plus-9 last season and had a career-best 13 assists.
Head coach Barry Trotz has added former Capitals assistant Lane Lambert to his Islanders coaching staff. Lambert will serve as the Isles' associate coach.
The lawyer representing Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Randy Lee says he will enter a not guilty plea and file a motion to dismiss harassment charges during his client's appearance Friday in Buffalo city court. Lee is accused of making lewd comments and rubbing the shoulders of a 19-year-old male shuttle driver in May. A spokesman for the Erie County district attorney's office says prosecutors will oppose the motion to have the charges dismissed.
SOCCER
The World Cup picks up again Friday as Uruguay goes against France at 10:00 a.m. ET and Brazil takes on Belgium at 2:00 p.m. ET
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Jeff Long will take over as the Kansas athletic director on Aug. 1. The longtime Arkansas AD signed a five-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $1.5 million annually. Private funding will cover $1.3 million, with the remaining $200,000 paid by the university. Long takes over for Sheahon Zenger, who led the department for seven years. Zenger was fired May 21 for what Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod called "a lack of progress" within the department.
North Dakota's Geno Crandall is moving to Gonzaga as a graduate transfer and will be eligible to play this season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.3 points and 4 assists for North Dakota in his career, shooting 48 percent from the floor. Crandell poured in 28 points against the Bulldogs last December, pushing North Dakota to overtime in an eventual overtime loss.
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