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WAMC Sports Report 5/27/24: Rangers top Panthers 5-4 to take lead in East finals

New York Rangers players celebrate after the beat the Florida Panthers 5-4, in an overtime period of Game 3 during the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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AP
New York Rangers players celebrate after the beat the Florida Panthers 5-4, in an overtime period of Game 3 during the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

NHL    

Alex Wennberg deflected home a goal 5:35 into overtime, and the New York Rangers reclaimed home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference finals with a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 3 on Sunday. Ryan Lindgren took a shot from the left point and Wennberg — in front of the Florida net — redirected it past Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the series. Igor Shesterkin made 33 stops, while Alexis Lafrenière scored two goals and Barclay Goodrow continued his surprising playoff barrage with two more scores for the Rangers. Sam Reinhart had two power-play goals, while Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling also scored for the Panthers.

Game 4 is Tuesday night at 8 in Florida. The Rangers lead the series two games to one.

NBA

The Boston Celtics will face the Indiana Pacers tonight at 8 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston leads the series 3-0. 

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored 33 points apiece and the Dallas Mavericks made all the big plays late again, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 for a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. The Mavericks went on a 14-3 run to finish the game, winning their fifth consecutive playoff game. No team in NBA playoff history has rallied from 3-0 down. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas. Anthony Edwards had 26 points for the Wolves, but just four after scoring eight consecutive Minnesota points to get the Wolves even in the third quarter.

MLB

Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. had consecutive RBI singles in the four-run sixth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the New York Yankees 5-2 to avoid being swept in consecutive home series. The Padres trailed 1-0 entering the sixth and scored four runs on three singles, an error and two walks. It was their first lead at home since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on May 12. They never had the lead in being swept by the NL-worst Colorado Rockies on May 13-15 before losing 8-0 to the Yankees on Friday night and 4-1 on Saturday night.

Omar Narváez capped a three-run, ninth-inning rally with his first hit of the year at Citi Field after an 0-for-27 start, lifting the New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants 4-3 to stop a five-game losing streak. New York had blown leads from the sixth inning on in its previous three games and had scored three runs in 18 innings before overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the ninth against Tyler Rogers (0-1). Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez opened with singles and scored on Harrison Bader’s one-out double. Brett Baty was intentionally walked and Narváez singled on an 0-1 pitch.

Jarren Duran had a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 to salvage a series finale. Rafael Devers had a sacrifice fly for Boston, which completed just its second series against the Brewers at Fenway Park since 2015. The Red Sox improved to 9-0 on Sundays. William Contreras’ RBI single drove in the Brewers’ run. Ceddanne Rafaela led off the eighth with a double into the left-field corner against Elvis Peguero and scored on Durran’s single.

Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. had consecutive RBI singles in the four-run sixth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the New York Yankees 5-2 to avoid being swept in consecutive home series. The Padres trailed 1-0 entering the sixth and scored four runs on three singles, an error and two walks. It was their first lead at home since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on May 12. They never had the lead in being swept by the NL-worst Colorado Rockies on May 13-15 before losing 8-0 to the Yankees on Friday night and 4-1 on Saturday night.

Ronald Acuña Jr. left Atlanta’s 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates after he tore his left ACL, and the Braves won behind Chris Sale. Acuña opened the game with a double to right-center field against Martín Pérez. With Marcell Ozuna at the plate, Acuña started toward third on a stolen base attempt and his left knee gave way. The reigning NL MVP remained down for several minutes while being treated, pointing at his left leg before walking off under his own power. The Braves’ initial diagnosis was left knee soreness. But the team announced later that an MRI showed a complete ACL tear that will require season-ending surgery.

Julio Rodríguez homered and drove in four runs, and the Seattle Mariners snapped a four-game losing streak with a 9-5 win against the Washington Nationals. Ty France hit a two-run homer and singled home the go-ahead run for Seattle, which finished 4-6 on an East Coast trip. With Seattle trailing 5-4, J.P. Crawford doubled leading off the eighth against Dylan Floro. Crawford took third on a wild pitch and scored on a one-out single by Rodríguez, snapping Floro’s 22-inning scoreless streak. Rodríguez stole second and scored when France grounded a single to right. Rodríguez also capped Seattle’s three-run ninth with a two-run single.

Matt Vierling homered twice, including a tiebreaking, three-run drive off Jordan Romano in the ninth inning that gave Detroit a wild 14-11 win over the Toronto Blue Jays after the Tigers wasted a five-run lead and recovered from a two-run deficit. Vierling had four hits and tied career highs with two homers and four RBIs. Carson Kelly hit a three-run homer and Spencer Torkelson hit a solo shot for Detroit, which led 5-0 after three innings, 8-3 after five and 9-5 after six.

Brandon Lowe drove in three runs with a pinch-hit triple during Tampa Bay’s four-run seventh inning, and the Rays stopped Kansas City’s eight-game win streak with a 4-1 victory over the Royals. The Rays had lost a season-high six straight. Kansas City’s Michael Wacha lost his perfect-game bid in the sixth, and was pulled after Harold Ramírez singled and Isaac Paredes had a double to start the seventh. John Schreiber then hit Randy Arozarena and permitted a fielder’s choice grounder before Lowe delivered on the first pitch he saw. Garrett Cleavinger got three outs for the win, and Pete Fairbanks handled the ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

Kyle Bradish struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 for a sweep of their four-game series. Bradish, who missed the start of the season because of a right elbow injury, walked four in his fifth start this season. He threw 103 pitches, 63 for strikes. Danny Coulombe was inserted for the eighth, and Danny Mendick led off with a pinch-hit drive to left for Chicago’s only hit of the game. Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser homered for Baltimore, which closed out a 4-3 trip.

Corey Seager homered twice and Nathaniel Lowe had two hits and two RBIs, helping the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2. Josh Smith and Leody Tavares had two hits apiece for the World Series champions, who had lost six straight and 12 of 14 overall. The Rangers scored more than four runs for the first time since a 12-11 victory at Oakland on May 8. Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI for the Twins, who had won four in a row. Max Kepler had a run-scoring double.

Ronel Blanco held Oakland in check for seven innings in his return from a suspension and Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics. Jose Altuve added a two-run single to help the Astros win the series. Blanco looked sharp in his return from a 10-game suspension for having a foreign substance in his glove during a start against Oakland last week. He struck out five of the first eight batters he faced and allowed only one run and four hits. Max Schuemann and Shea Langeliers homered for Oakland.

Ben Lively pitched seven innings of two-run ball, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 for their ninth consecutive win. It’s the longest win streak for Cleveland since it won an AL-record 22 in a row from Aug, 24 to Sept. 14, 2017. It matched the franchise’s best 53-game start at 36-17, also accomplished in 1920, 1954 and 1995. The team reached the World Series in all three of those seasons, winning in 1920. Lively allowed four hits, struck out five and walked two. Emmanuel Clase got three outs for his 17th save.

Jonathan India and Nick Martini each drove in two runs, and the Cincinnati Reds held off the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 4-1 victory that extended LA’s longest losing streak since 2019 to five. Brent Suter, Nick Martinez, Carson Spiers and Alexis Díaz combined for a five-hitter. Martinez pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball on a bullpen day for Cincinnati, and Díaz got two outs for his 10th save. It’s the longest slide for Los Angeles since it dropped six in a row from April 8-13, 2019. Freddie Freeman hit an RBI double in the ninth for the Dodgers.

Ryan Weathers threw six dominant innings, Jake Burger hit a two-run single with two outs in the seventh and the Miami Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1. The surging Marlins took two of three from the Diamondbacks for their fourth consecutive series win. Miami has won nine of 13 after starting the season 10-31. Weathers continued his breakout season with another stellar performance Sunday. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out seven. The 24-year-old left-hander has given up just one earned run in his last 21 innings.

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the rest of the season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during an 8-1 victory at Pittsburgh. The reigning NL MVP led off the game with a double to right-center field off Martín Pérez. With Marcell Ozuna at the plate, Acuña started toward third on a stolen base attempt and his left knee gave way. Acuña remained down for several minutes while being treated, pointing at his left leg before walking off under his own power. The Braves’ initial diagnosis was left knee soreness. But the team announced later that an MRI showed a complete ACL tear that will require season-ending surgery.

WNBA

Kelly McBride didn’t miss a shot until the fourth quarter and scored 31 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 92-79 win over the Atlanta Dream. McBride made her first nine shots and finished 10 of 12 overall and 6 of 7 from 3-point range, including three in the third quarter when the Lynx stretched a three-point halftime lead to 77-59 behind her 11 points. Napheesa Collier had 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks for the Lynx. Rhyne Howard had 23 points with five rebounds and five assists for the Dream.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 points, Monique Billings had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds and the Dallas Wings edged the Los Angeles Sparks 84-83. Ogunbowale shot just 7 of 30 and missed all eight of her 3-pointers, but hit several key baskets against the Sparks. Billings had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas and Maddie Siegrist had 15. Cameron Brink, the second overall draft pick this year, had a career-high 24 points for the Sparks.

PGA TOUR

Grayson Murray’s parents say their 30-year-old son took his own life. Murray died on Saturday, one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event at Colonial. Eric and Terry Murray are asking for privacy and that people honor Murray by being kind to one another. His death comes at a time when Murray appeared to be on track with his life and his golf. He has been open about his struggles with mental health and alcoholism. He said when he won the Sony Open in January that he had been sober for the last eight months.

Davis Riley shot even-par 70 while playing in the final group with Scottie Scheffler, and still won Colonial by five strokes over the world’s No. 1 player and Keegan Bradley. It is Riley's first individual victory on the PGA Tour. Riley finished at 14-under 266. Bradley had a closing 67 Sunday, and Scheffler shot 71. Riley began the day with a four-stroke lead, and gave up one stroke with a bogey on the second hole. But that was the closest Scheffler or anybody else would get all day. The 27-year-old Riley’s only other PGA Tour win came with Nick Hardy to win the Zurich Classic team event in New Orleans last year.

NASCAR

Josef Newgarden put his cheating scandal behind him to become (is) the first back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500 since Helio Castroneves 22 years ago and give Roger Penske a record-extending 20th win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The Tennessean passed Pato O’Ward on the final lap of Sunday’s rain-delayed race to become the first driver to win consecutive 500s since Castroneves did it for Penske in 2001 and 2002. And just like last year, Newgarden stopped his Chevrolet-powered car on the track and climbed through a hole in the fence to celebrate with fans in the grandstands. O’Ward slumped his head over his steering wheel in bitter disappointment. He was trying to become the first Mexican in 108 runnings to win the Indy 500.

Christopher Bell won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the race was called with 151 laps remaining in a race that was halted for more than two hours because of rain. Bell led a race-high 90 laps to win his eighth career Cup Series race, and his first Coca-Cola 600. Brad Keselowski finished second, William Byron was third, Tyler Reddick was fourth and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. The race was red-flagged just as Kyle Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the Indianapolis 500 to take over driving the Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet.

Kyle Larson completed every lap of the Indianapolis 500, finishing 18th in the NASCAR star’s debut in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” despite a pair of rookie mistakes that cost him a chance to be in the mix at the end. Then he hopped into an SUV, headed to a waiting helicopter and was off to the Cup Series race in Charlotte. Once there, he climbed into the No. 5 car to finish the Cup Series race, even though rain deprived him of the opportunity to run all 1,100 miles in a single day. Justin Allgaier started the race in Charlotte in his place. Larson eventually made it to Charlotte to run the Coca-Cola 600 but the race was called early because of rain.

TENNIS

The French tennis federation has decided to put off holding a ceremony to celebrate Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros this year. He has said this might not necessarily be his final appearance at the tournament he has won a record 14 times. Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo said on Sunday at the clay-court Grand Slam event that Nadal let officials know he didn’t want to close the door on a return before he told the world that at a pre-tournament news conference. Mauresmo said it is up to Nadal when he wants to have a ceremony. The unseeded Nadal will face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in the first round on Monday.

Stan Wawrinka repeatedly used his trademark one-handed backhand to get the better of Andy Murray at the French Open once again. Wawrinka won 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday night in what might have been Murray’s last singles match at Roland Garros. Wawrinka, at 39, is just the third man of at least that age to win a match at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament since 1980, joining his Swiss countryman and pal Roger Federer, who did it in 2021, and Ivo Karlovic, who did it two years earlier. Murray just turned 37, and this first-rounder was the second-oldest combined age for two men in Paris since 2000.

© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

A 2022 Siena College graduate, Alexander began his journalism career as a sports writer for Siena College's student paper The Promethean, and as a host for Siena's school radio station, WVCR-FM "The Saint." A Cubs fan, Alexander hosts the morning Sports Report in addition to producing Morning Edition. You can hear the sports reports over-the-air at 6:19 and 7:19 AM, and online on WAMC.org. He also speaks Spanish as a second language. To reach him, email ababbie@wamc.org, or call (518)-465-5233 x 190. You can also find him on Twitter/X: @ABabbieWAMC.