Inspired by Kevin Pillar's return to the dugout, the New York Mets got homers from Jonathan Villar and Tomás Nido and strong performances by a string of relievers to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3. Villar hit a two-run shot in the third inning. Nido won it for the Mets in the ninth with a tiebreaking drive into the left-field seats off struggling Braves closer Will Smith.With his face swollen and badly bruised, Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar carried the team’s lineup card to home plate before the game, a gesture that brought a huge sigh of relief to both teams. Pillar took a 95-miles-per-hour pitch to the nose in New York’s win over the Braves on Monday. A trip to the hospital found Pillar suffered multiple nasal fractures. He’ll meet with a facial specialist in Atlanta to determine his next steps, and will likely be out for an extended period.
In other MLB action:
DJ LeMahieu had a season-high three RBIs for the New York Yankees as they beat the Texas Rangers 7-4. LeMehieu's tiebreaking, two-run double capped a five-run fourth for the Yankees and was his first multi-RBI hit this season. Rouged Odor had two hits against his former team in his return to the Yankees lineup after missing 12 games because of a sprained left knee.
Hyun Jin Ryu pitched seven masterful innings, light-hitting Danny Jansen played a key offensive role and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 8-0. Ryu scattered four hits and struck out seven. Jansen had a second-inning RBI single and drew a pivotal walk during a three-run fourth as Toronto won for the ninth time in 12 games and improved to a season-high six games over .500.
Pinch-hitter Ronald Torreyes delivered a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 8-3. The Marlins took a 3-1 lead when Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a two-run homer off a 100-mph fastball from Jose Alvarado in the top of the eighth. But the Phillies answered in the bottom half.
Spencer Turnbull pitched the fifth no-hitter in the majors already this season, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Turnbull, who led the big leagues with 17 losses two years ago, had never gone more than seven innings in any of his previous 49 starts over three seasons. But his fastball and biting slider kept Seattle batters guessing and added to a growing list of gems on the mound in 2021. The five no-hitters through May 18 match the 1917 season for the most in baseball history by that date. Turnbull's no-hitter was the eighth in Tigers history and their first since Justin Verlander's in Toronto on May 7, 2011.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-1 for their sixth victory in seven games. Gavin Lux hit his first career grand slam and Julio Urías pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks have lost six of seven after dropping two to LA.
Anthony DeSclafani gave up one run over seven good innings, Alex Dickerson hit a three-run homer and the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2. DeSclafani, who signed with the Giants after five seasons in Cincinnati, was outstanding in his first appearance back at Great American Ball Park, scattering six hits and striking out seven. He improved to 4-1.
Josh Naylor hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and the Cleveland Indians snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The Indians jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first but saw the Angels steadily rally and tie it in the seventh.
Ramón Laureano hit two home runs, then lofted a game-ending sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to send the Oakland Athletics over Houston 6-5, ending the Astros' six-game winning streak.
Miguel Sanó homered three times, Jorge Polanco hit a game-ending RBI single and the Minnesota Twins beat Yermín Mercedes and the Chicago White Sox 5-4. Twins reliever Tyler Duffey was ejected for throwing behind Mercedes in the seventh, and that seemed to spark the slumping Twins.
Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer, his fourth in four games, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. Tommy Edman added three singles and drove in two runs for St. Louis. The Cardinals returned home after dropping three straight at San Diego to win their fourth consecutive game this season against Pittsburgh.
Mike Zunino hit two home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays connected five times in all, hammering the Baltimore Orioles 13-6 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win. Brett Phillips and Austin Meadows hit three-run homers in the second inning and Ji-Man Choi hit a late drive as the Rays matched their longest winning streak of the year.
Andrew Benintendi drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth inning to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Benintendi's go-ahead single came off reliever Devin Williams, and Kansas City added another run on shortstop Luis Urias' error. Royals starter Kris Bubic pitched six innings of one-hit ball.
In MLB news:
Shortstop Gleyber Torres could be back in the New York Yankees' lineup a week after testing positive for COVID-19. Manager Aaron Boone says the fully vaccinated Torres had been cleared by MLB's joint committee and was en route to Texas to rejoin the team. The shortstop could potentially be activated Wednesday. Asymptomatic vaccinated people can be cleared to return if they test negative twice. Torres is the only player among nine total positives in the Yankees' traveling party since last week. Boone said the shortstop is the only person in that group cleared to return.
Second baseman Rougned Odor is back in the lineup for the New York Yankees. Odor was activated from the injured list before Tuesday's game against his former team, the Texas Rangers. He missed 12 games with a left knee sprain after a collision at home plate against the Astros on May 4. Odor says he feels great and is ready to go for the game in Texas. He also says it's a weird feeling facing his former team. He played each of his first seven big league seasons with the Rangers.
Former Pittsburgh Pirate second baseman Rennie Stennett has died following a bout with cancer. He was 72. Stennett spent nine of his 11 big league seasons with the Pirates, helping the team win the 1979 World Series. Stennett hit .274 over the course of his career and twice received votes for the National League's Most Valuable Player award. Stennett started at second base on Sept. 1, 1971 when the Pirates fielded the first all-Black starting lineup in MLB history. Stennett is also the only player in the modern era to go 7 for 7 at the plate in a nine-inning game.
NHL
Tristan Jarry stopped 39 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins evened their first-round series with the New York Islanders with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night. Jarry struggled in a 4-3 loss in Game 1 but bounced back to pick up the first postseason victory of his career. Bryan Rust and Jeff Carter scored in the first period for the Penguins. Josh Bailey drew New York within a goal late in the second period, but the Islanders couldn't draw even. The series shifts to New York for Game 3.
Elsewhere on the ice:
Thatcher Demko had 38 saves and the Vancouver Canucks withstood a late barrage and held on for a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Tyler Myers, Travis Hamonic and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks. Rookie Nils Hoglander rounded out the scoring for Vancouver with a goal in the closing minute of the first period. The Flames and Canucks will wrap up their seasons Wednesday with a matinee in Calgary.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots, Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat had first-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Central Division first-round playoff series. It's the seventh time that the Lightning have won the first two games a series. They will look to put Florida on the brink of elimination when the series shifts to Tampa on Thursday night.
NBA
Jayson Tatum scored 32 of his 50 points in the second half, and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Washington Wizards 118-100 in the play-in round. Kemba Walker added 29 points for Boston, which secured the seventh seed for the playoffs and a first-round matchup with second-seeded Brooklyn. That series opens on Saturday. Washington will host Indiana for the eighth seed on Thursday. The Pacers rolled over the Hornets in Tuesday's other game, 144-117. Thursday's winner will face Philadelphia, the top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
In NBA news:
Milwaukee Bucks reserve forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo will miss the start of the playoffs after fracturing his right patella tendon in his team's regular-season finale. Bucks officials say the 28-year-old will be out for at least two weeks. He's the older brother of Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and open a first-round series with the Miami Heat on Saturday.
Upon further review, Indiana's Myles Turner is the NBA's blocked-shot champion for this season. The NBA said Tuesday that Turner will be recognized as the winner in that category, even though he did not play in the required 70% of games that are typically needed for someone to qualify as a statistical leader. Turner averaged 3.4 blocks per game in 47 games.
Charles Barkley has given $1,000 apiece to the more than 200 employees of a city school system in his native Alabama. The former Auburn and NBA basketball star graduated from Leeds High School in 1981. Now, AL.com reports he is giving money to each Leeds City School system worker. The announcement was made Tuesday on Facebook. According to the post, Barkley has provided more than $3 million in scholarships to Leeds graduates over the past 30 years.
WNBA
Sabrina Ionescu had the first triple-double of her WNBA career to lead New York to an 86-75 win over the Minnesota Lynx, giving the Liberty their first 3-0 start in 14 years. Ionescu, who had an NCAA record 26 triple-doubles in college, had the first one in franchise history with 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. The No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft has now had a game-winning buzzer beater in her first home game Friday and a triple-double in her second game at Barclays Center to help the Liberty to their best start since 2007, when they won their first five games.
NFL
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded cornerback Josiah Scott to the Philadelphia Eagles for cornerback Jameson Houston and a sixth-round draft pick in 2023. Scott, a fourth-round selection in 2020, became expendable after Jacksonville signed Shaquill Griffin in free agency and used a second-rounder on Tyson Campbell. Houston was considered a long shot to make the Eagles' opening day roster and likely will be in the same spot in Jacksonville.
In other moves:
The New York Giants have added another running back to the roster. They claimed Ryquell Armstead off waivers after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He joins newcomer Corey Clement as a contender to back up Saquon Barkley next season. Armstead spent all of last season on the COVID-19 list.
The Patriots have signed safety and 2021 sixth-round draft pick Joshuah Bledsoe and re-signed free agent quarterback Brian Hoyer. Bledsoe is the fourth member of the Patriots' 2021 draft class to sign. He joins fifth-round linebacker Cameron McGrone, sixth-round offensive lineman Will Sherman, along with receiver Tre' Nixon, who was taken in the seventh round. Hoyer continues his third stint in New England after spending last season as one of Cam Newton's backups. New England released offensive lineman Najee Toran.
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