Ian Anderson took a shutout into the seventh inning, Austin Riley homered and the Atlanta Braves scraped by with just four hits to beat the punchless New York Yankees 4-1. Corey Kluber kept New York in it with his best start yet in pinstripes, but the Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games due to a star-studded lineup that has almost entirely spaced out.
Anderson limited the Yankees to four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, striking out four against the club he also beat in his major league debut last season. The 22-year-old right-hander from Clifton Park, New York had family in the stands, including his grandmother, who hadn't seen him pitch in person since high school. He threw 97 pitches as temperatures dipped into the low 40s in the late innings.
“I felt right at home out there in the cold,” he said.
New York loaded the bases against Anderson with two outs in the seventh, but reliever A.J. Minter got DJ LeMahieu to hit an inning-ending grounder to third. Will Smith allowed a run in the ninth but closed out the five-hitter. At 6-11, New York is off to its worst start since 1991. Its 58 runs are fewest in the AL and its .334 slugging percentage is the lowest in the major leagues.
Elsewhere in baseball:
Javier Báez hit a grand slam and the Chicago Cubs took advantage of a season-high four errors by the New York Mets in a 16-4 romp on a chilly night at Wrigley Field. Báez scored three runs and hit his sixth career slam off reliever Trevor Hildenberger in the sixth inning. The Cubs posted their most runs since they scored 16 against Pittsburgh on Sept. 15, 2019. Francisco Lindor hit his first homer for the Mets, and Pete Alonso added a mammoth drive that sailed out of the ballpark.
Looking to spark a scuffling offense, Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo shook up his lineup and the Blue Jays responded in a 6-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single in the first inning and the Blue Jays scored three more runs in the second against Garrett Richards. Toronto finished with 10 hits to split a two-game set with its AL East rival at Fenway Park.
Andrew Knapp hit the winning single in the ninth inning, Bryce Harper hit a tying solo homer in the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5. Hector Neris struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the win. Mickey Moniak hit his first career home run for the Phillies five years after they made him the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Max Scherzer struck out nine in six scoreless innings to move up to No. 21 on the career Ks leaderboard, and Alex Avila drove in the game's lone run with one of his two doubles, helping the Washington Nationals edge the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. Scherzer retired 12 of his last 13 batters and got his first win of this season. He gave up four hits and lowered his ERA to 1.80.
The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit to beat the Twins 13-12 when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano's grounder for Minnesota's second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankenhorn, who allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Arraez then sailed his throw over first baseman Willians Astudillo.
Omar Narvaez hit a two-run homer and and Jace Peterson added a solo shot for the Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet left his season debut after two scoreless innings due to right forearm tightness.
Tyler Anderson's five strong innings helped Pittsburgh move to 8-9 with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, but Detroit rallied for a 5-2 win in the nightcap. Pittsburgh has won five of its last eight games after a 1-6 start.
Rookie Trevor Rogers didn't allow a runner past second base while pitching a career-high seven innings, and the Miami Marlins earned a split of their two-game series against Baltimore by winning 3-0. Jesús Aguilar broke a 0-0 tie with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth. Rogers allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.64 as he earned his third career win.
Austin Gomber got his first victory for the Colorado Rockies, allowing two hits over six innings to beat the Astros 6-3 on a wintry afternoon and send Houston to its ninth loss in 10 games.
Josh VanMeter hit a tying three-run homer in the ninth inning against his former team, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 in 10 innings for their second win of the day. In the conclusion of Tuesday's night's suspended game, Arizona held on for a 5-4 victory. Stefan Crichton pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save. The Diamondbacks trailed 3-0 heading to the ninth in the regularly scheduled contest. But Amir Garrett issued two walks before VanMeter drove a 2-2 pitch deep to right for his first homer of the season. Arizona then broke it open with five runs in the 10th.
Salvador Perez hit a game-ending RBI single, and the Kansas City Royals avoided a sweep by topping the Tampa Bay Rays 9-8. Jorge Soler, Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana homered for Kansas City, which trailed 6-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. Scott Barlow allowed Joey Wendle's tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth, but got the win when the Royals rallied.
Adolis García hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Texas Rangers rallied from a late two-run deficit for a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Nate Lowe homered immediately after García's blast for the Rangers. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Upton and José Iglesias hit solo homers for the Angels, who have lost four of six after their bullpen had a meltdown evoking memories of last season's terrible relief group.
The Cleveland Indians postponed Wednesday night's game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow and cold weather. The AL Central teams will make up the postponement on Chicago's next visit to Cleveland by playing a traditional doubleheader on May 31.
In MLB news:
Former major league player and coach Tom Robson has died. He was 75. New York Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz says Robson died of natural causes on Tuesday at Memory Care Facility in Chandler, Arizona. Taken by the Mets on the 50th round of the 1967 amateur draft, Robson played two seasons in the major leagues, with the Texas Rangers. He batted .208 with four RBIs over 23 games and 54 plate appearances in 1974 and ’75, playing first base and designated hitter. Robson coached for the Rangers, Mets and Chiba Lotte Marines under Bobby Valentine and also with Cincinnati.
Catcher Martín Maldonado and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $5.5 million, one-year contract for 2022. The deal includes a $5 million salary for 2022 and a $4 million team option for 2023 with a $500,000 buyout. A Gold Glove winner in 2017, Maldonado is 3 for 34 with no RBIs in 37 plate appearances this season. He has a .216 career average with 69 homers and 244 RBIs.
Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander has gone on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks. The Orioles recalled outfielder Ryan McKenna from the alternate training site at Double-A Bowie.
Infielder JT Riddle has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list by the Minnesota Twins. The Twins selected the contract of catcher Tomás Telis from the taxi squad to replace Riddle on the 26-man roster.
Former All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and been assigned to the alternate training site in Appleton, Wisconsin. Strange-Gordon had gone to spring training camp with the Cincinnati Reds as a non-roster invitee but was released on March 26.
NBA
Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Randle's driving layup with eight seconds left in regulation gave New York a 122-119 lead, but Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to send the game into overtime. The Knicks won their NBA-best eighth straight game.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Pascal Siakam had 27 points and nine rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors ran away from the Brooklyn Nets in the third quarter, winning their fourth straight game 114-103. Kyrie Irving had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, and Bruce Brown had 21 points and 14 rebounds. Toronto made 13 of 24 shots (54%) and outscored the Nets 36-23 in third quarter.
Chris Paul scored 28 points, Devin Booker had 19 and Mikal Bridges 18 to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 116-113 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, improving to the NBA-best road record 19-7. Joel Embiid had 38 points and 17 rebounds. He heaved a fullcourt shot at the horn that rattled around the rim and put the All-Center center on his back in disbelief over the near-make. The Sixers again played without starters Ben Simmons because of an unspecified illness and Tobias Harris with a sore right knee. But, the Sixers are secure enough in a playoff spot to the point they don't have to rush either one back. Seth Curry also missed the game with a left hip flexor.
Stephen Curry had his first rough night in a month, and Bradley Beal rallied Washington in the fourth quarter for its season-best sixth straight victory, 118-114 over the Golden State Warriors. The Wizards hosted fans for the first time in more than a year. Wizards rookie Deni Avdija suffered a serious-looking injury to his lower right leg and was taken from the court in a wheelchair during the second quarter. Avdija landed awkwardly after missing a layup. He lay on the floor for several minutes and teammate Jordan Bell came off the bench to cover his lower leg with a jersey, and staff helped him off the court.
Buddy Hield scored 29 points and made a clutch 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds remaining, lifting the Sacramento Kings to a 128-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Moments after Minnesota's D'Angelo Russell missed from above the arc, Hield came back the other way and hit his seventh 3 of the game to help Sacramento avoid being swept in the three-game season series with the Timberwolves.
Luke Kennard scored a season-high 28 points and the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers recovered from an 18-point, first-quarter deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-105. Marcus Morris added 25 points and Terance Mann had 19 points in helping the Clippers win their third in a row and 10th in 11 games despite being without starters Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Reggie Jackson. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 22 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 points in his season debut after being out since August because of knee surgery.
Nikola Jokic scored 25 points and made three key free throws down the stretch to give the Denver Nuggets a 106-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Michael Porter Jr. scored 17 points, all in the opening quarter, for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight. Damian Lillard scored 22 point for Portland, which has struggled against Western Conference teams that sit higher in the standings. The Trail Blazers lost their third straight.
Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points, Joe Ingles had 21 and the NBA-leading Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 112-89. The Jazz have won four of their last five games. The 23-point margin was Utah's most-lopsided victory over Houston since a 118-91 blowout Dec. 6, 2018.
Bam Adebayo scored 23 points while Jimmy Butler had 18 points and 11 assists to help the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-87 for their third straight victory. Tyler Herro added 22 points for Miami, which has won nine of 13. Dejounte Murray had 11 and no other player scored in double figures for the Spurs, who have lost five straight at home.
Luka Doncic had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and seven boards and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 127-117 to stop a four-game home losing streak.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 29 points and Caris LeVert added 28 to help the severely short-handed Indiana Pacers snap a three-game losing streak with a 122-116 victory over the reeling Oklahoma City Thunder. LeVert broke open the game by scoring five straight points midway through the fourth quarter after Oklahoma City pulled to 105-104. Brogdon sealed it at the free-throw line in the final seconds.
Collin Sexton scored 30 points and Darius Garland added 25 as the Cleveland Cavaliers never trailed in a 121-105 win over the Chicago Bulls, snapping a five-game home losing streak. Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not at the game for personal reasons, but is expected to return to the bench Friday. Assistant coach Greg Buckner filled in for his longtime friend and colleague. Lauri Markkanen scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Thaddeus Young had 14 points and eight rebounds for Chicago.
In NBA news:
Lakers big man Anthony Davis intends to play Thursday night when Los Angeles opens a four-game road trip at Dallas. He hasn't suited up since Feb. 14, missing Los Angeles' last 30 games in the longest injury absence of his career. The Lakers have managed to stay in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference standings despite playing without Davis for nine weeks and without LeBron James since March 20. The Lakers went 14-16 without Davis, and they're 7-9 since both Davis and James went down.
The NBA has suspended Indiana Pacers forward JaKarr Sampson for one game for headbutting San Antonio guard Patty Mills during Monday's loss to the Spurs. The league fined Mills $25,000 while Gay was fined $20,000. Sampson sat out Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City.
Cavaliers swingman Dylan Windler underwent surgery on his left knee and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Rockets guard Sterling Brown is back in Houston recovering from injuries sustained when he was assaulted outside a strip club in Miami early Monday morning.
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff was out for Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls due to personal reasons. The team said in a statement that Bickerstaff will be replaced on the sideline by assistant coach Greg Buckner.
NHL
Kirill Kripizov scored a dazzling goal to break Minnesota's rookie record, Cam Talbot stopped 39 shots and the Wild stretched their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night. The Wild withstood a big initial flurry by Arizona and an early goal by Christian Dvorak in a tight-checking game. Kevin Fiala and Marcus Foligno each scored to put the Wild up, then Kiprizov deked goalie Darcy Kuemper out of the crease and scored on a wraparound. It was Kiprizov's 19th goal, breaking Marian Gaborik's rookie record.
Josh Anderson had two goals and the Montreal Canadiens withstood a late push by Edmonton, beating the Oilers 4-3 Wednesday night to split a two-game series. Tyler Toffoli and Artturi Lehkonen also scored for Montreal (20-15-9). Jake Allen made 22 saves as the Canadiens picked up just their third win in nine games. Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatar each had two assists. Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi added goals for Edmonton (27-16-2). Mike Smith made 27 saves.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-2 for their eighth straight win. Vegas, which leads the NHL with 33 wins and 68 points, became the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff berth. The Golden Knights improved to 15-1-3 all-time against the Sharks in regular-season meetings - including a perfect 7-0-0 this season. Vegas also improved to 18-4-2 at home this season.
Brandon Hagel scored 3:00 into overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied to beat the Nashville Predators 5-4. Hagel also had two assists as Chicago beat Nashville for the first time in seven games this season. Pius Suter and Vinnie Hinostroza (hih-noh-STROH'-zah) each had a goal and an assist, and Malcolm Subban made 35 saves. The Blackhawks trailed 4-1 after Luke Kunin scored 58 seconds into the third. But Hagel capped their impressive comeback when he beat Juuse Saros for his seventh of the season.
INDY 500
The Indianapolis 500 plans to host 135,000 spectators next month, which would make it the largest sporting event in the world since the pandemic. The number was determined after Indianapolis held the NCAA men's tournament without a significant spike in COVID-19 cases in the city.
OLYMPICS
Tokyo Olympics organizers say a policeman tested positive for COVID-19 a day after his assignment last week at the Olympic torch relay. It is the first positive test connected to the relay since it began March 25 from northeastern Fukushima prefecture. Organizers say the 30-year-old policeman was assigned to control traffic on the April 17 leg in southwestern Kagawa prefecture. They said the policeman developed symptoms and tested positive the next day. Local health authorities are investigating. They say the policeman was wearing a mask and taking social distancing measures.
NFL
NFL owners approved eliminating overtime in preseason games and expanded selection of jersey numbers for receivers, running backs and defensive backs. The league also will allow on-field officials to get certain "objective information" from the replay official and designated members of the officiating department "when clear and obvious video evidence is present." The NFL is also exploring changes to the annual NFL scouting combine to improve the professional and medical experience for draft prospects. The combine in Indianapolis was canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so prospects displayed their talents for scouts, coaches and general managers at their college pro days instead. Teams interviewed players virtually and most medical and psychological testing was done by video. About 150 draft prospects did in-person medical evaluations in Indianapolis earlier this month.
In other NFL news:
Former star safety T.J. Ward officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday. Ward played eight seasons in the NFL, including three in Denver with the famed 'No-Fly Zone' secondary. He joined the Broncos in 2014 and helped them win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
Cornerback Darious Williams has signed his restricted free agent tender to return to the Los Angeles Rams. Williams will make $4.766 million in 2021 after his breakout season with the Rams.
The San Francisco 49ers have signed free agent running back Wayne Gallman Jr. to a one-year deal. The addition of Gallman gives the 49ers another option in the backfield behind Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. before next week's draft.
Aldon Smith has turned himself in to authorities in Louisiana after an arrest warrant was issued for the Seattle Seahawks defensive end. Smith was booked on a second-degree battery charge Tuesday night and released on $25,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on July 14.
NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has settled a civil lawsuit by former trainer Britney Taylor who accused Brown of sexually assaulting her. Taylor filed the lawsuit in 2019 and lawyers for her and Brown countersued Taylor, claiming defamation. Brown is currently a free agent after winning the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February. He remains subject to discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
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