David Price pitched six innings to win his fifth straight decision, Rafael Devers homered twice and matched his career-high with six RBI, and the Boston Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 10-6 on Tuesday night.
Christian Vázquez had a homer among his three hits and Mookie Betts reached base four times for the Red Sox, who were swept in a two-game series against the New York Yankees in London last weekend. Boston lost 8-7 to the White Sox in its final game before travelling to London.
Michael Conforto busted out of his slump in a big way, hitting a two-run double that snapped an eighth-inning tie and lifted the New York Mets over the Yankees 4-2 in their Subway Series opener at Citi Field. J.D. Davis homered and delivered a tying double to help the Mets rally from behind in the eighth for the second consecutive game. The Yankees did not hit a home run for the first time in 31 games, ending their record streak.
Aaron Nola pitched eight innings, Jay Bruce hit a two-run double and the Philadelphia Phillies spoiled Dallas Keuchel's home debut with Atlanta, beating the Braves 2-0 on Tuesday night. Nola allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked three in his second consecutive scoreless outing. The second-place Phillies, winners of six of eight, trimmed the Braves' NL East lead to 4½ games in front of the seventh sellout at SunTrust Park this season.
Patrick Corbin pitched seven strong innings on an emotional night, Trea Turner doubled home the winning run in the ninth and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 3-2. Yan Gomes reached on an error by third baseman Neil Walker with one out in the ninth.
In other major league action, Evan Longoria had two impressive home runs among his four hits and drove in five runs, and Kevin Pillar also had four hits for the San Francisco Giants, who beat the San Diego Padres 10-4 on Tuesday night. The Giants, last in the NL West, have scored in double digits in three straight games for the first time since 2010.
Tim Beckham hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Omar Narvaez also homered for the Mariners, who overcame early and late bullpen troubles and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Cardinals lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Cody Bellinger's bases-loaded walk — the fifth in a row given up by Arizona's bullpen with two outs — forced in the winning run in the ninth and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers edge the Diamondbacks 5-4. Greg Holland (1-1) appeared to lose total command after retiring his first two batters.
Chris Herrmann hit a grand slam in his first game for Oakland and the Athletics went on to beat the Minnesota Twins 8-6 for their fourth straight win. Herrmann was activated from the injured list before the game after being sidelined since spring training with a knee injury. He made an immediate impact in his debut when he connected off All-Star Jake Odorizzi to give the A's a 6-3 lead in the fourth inning.
Justin Bour delivered a two-run single on the first pitch he saw after replacing injured American League All-Star Tommy La Stella, and the grieving Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-4. The emotional win came a day after the death of 27-year-old pitcher Tyler Skaggs. He was found unresponsive in his room at the team's hotel before what was supposed to be the series opener Monday.
Christian Yelich hit his major league-leading 31st homer, but Yasiel Puig homered to start Cincinnati's comeback and scored the winning run in the 11th inning, rallying the Reds to a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds' comeback ended Milwaukee's streak of six straight wins at Great American Ball Park.
Yuli Gurriel homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Houston Astros over the Colorado Rockies 9-8. Jose Altuve had four hits and Gurriel and George Springer finished with three hits each to help the Astros win their fourth straight.
Jake Bauers had four hits and drove in three runs, and the Cleveland bullpen bailed Trevor Bauer out of a late jam, helping the Indians beat the Royals 9-5. Bauer earned the win after six shaky innings, and All-Star closer Brad Hand worked the ninth to wrap things up. Jakob Junis took the loss for Kansas City.
Adam Frazier is enjoying his return to the leadoff spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The second baseman hit a three-run home run off Chicago’s Mike Montgomery after a long rain delay to lead the Pirates to a 5-1 victory over the Cubs. One game after tying a major league record by clubbing four doubles, Frazier finished 4 for 4 and scored three runs as the Pirates won for the ninth time in 13 games.
Charlie Morton struck out six straight batters and a season-high 12 overall, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 for their fourth straight win. Morton pitched seven innings, giving up four hits and a walk two days after being named to the American League All-Star team. It was the 10th time in 18 starts that Morton has given up one run or fewer. Chris Davis' sixth home run accounted for the only run off Morton.
The game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers has been postponed by rain. It will be made up on Sept. 27 as part of a straight doubleheader.
In MLB news, a moment of silence was held before the Los Angeles Angels played at Texas, with the team lined up outside the dugout when Tyler Skaggs was remembered. Public address announcer Chuck Morgan said the Rangers offered their deepest sympathies and condolences to Skaggs' family, his teammates and the entire Angels organization. A photo of Skaggs was shown on the huge video boards over right and left field before those screens, and every other screen in the stadium, went dark momentarily. The entire Angels team and its staff remained on the field together for the playing of the national anthem. The introductions of the starting lineups by Morgan before that were uncharacteristically subdued with the Angels playing heavy-hearted the night after the 27-year-old Skaggs died in his Texas hotel room. And when the Rangers took the field for the start of the game, they ran out to their positions quietly without any music playing on the speakers.
Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has been put on the injured list after straining his abdomen against Boston in London last weekend. He is New York's 21st player to go on the injured list this season, one more than last year. He is the Yankees' 14th player currently on the list, which includes outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and pitchers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances.
Steven Matz is moving to the bullpen for now as the New York Mets again overhaul a major problem area with a flurry of roster moves. The team reinstated veteran relievers Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson and Luis Avilán from the injured list before Tuesday night's Subway Series opener against the New York Yankees at Citi Field.
Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will pitch out of the bullpen when he returns from injury, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before Tuesday's game at Toronto. Red Sox relievers allowed 21 runs over 12 1/3 innings in back-to-back losses to the New York Yankees in London last weekend. Boston entered play Tuesday at 44-40, 11 games behind New York in the AL East and two games out of a wild card spot.
Major League Baseball has upheld Manny Machado's one-game suspension for his confrontation with an umpire. He missed Tuesday night's game against the San Francisco Giants. Machado was suspended for "aggressively arguing and making contact" with plate umpire Bill Welke after being called out on strikes at Colorado on June 15.
The Baltimore Orioles have optioned right-hander Tom Eshelman to Triple-A Norfolk one day after he went five solid innings in his major league debut. Eshelman allowed two runs and six hits Monday night against Tampa Bay and was in line for a win until the Orioles bullpen gave up four runs in the final three innings of a 6-3 loss.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Alex Morgan celebrated her go-ahead goal with a cheeky tea-sipping motion and Alyssa Naeher stopped a late penalty kick to send the United States into the final at the Women's World Cup with a 2-1 victory over England on Tuesday night. The top-ranked United States will face the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between the Netherlands and Sweden in the Americans' third straight appearance in the World Cup title match. Christen Press — who started with Megan Rapinoe out with a hamstring injury — put the United States up early in the match but Ellen White's goal tied it before 20 minutes had passed. Morgan's sixth goal of the tournament came before the break and on her 30th birthday. She hadn't had a goal since she scored five in the team's 13-0 rout of Thailand to open the tournament.
WIMBLEDON
Playing his first match since winning his 12th French Open title, Rafael Nadal had little trouble in making the switch from clay back to grass. Nadal began his search for a third Wimbledon title by beating Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round. Also today, Roger Federer shrugged off an early deficit to beat Lloyd Harris of South Africa 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court as he began his search for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title.
Sam Querrey of the United States took the last nine games and upset No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem to make the French Open runner-up the third top-10 man already gone in Wimbledon's first round. And hard-serving American John Isner finished off his opening match at Wimbledon in straight sets, beating Casper Ruud of Norway.
In women’s action, Serena Williams opened her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title with a straight-set victory on Centre Court at Wimbledon. The seven-time champion at the All England Club beat Giulia Gatto-Monticone of Italy 6-2, 7-5.
NBA
A person with knowledge of the situation says the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are negotiating toward a $170 million, five-year extension for the All-Star point guard. The deal will begin in the 2020-21 season, said the person who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because neither the team nor Simmons has revealed details publicly. ESPN first reported the negotiations between Simmons and the 76ers. Simmons will make about $8.1 million this season, the last of his four-year rookie deal. Assuming the sides agree on what will be a full max, Simmons' salary for the following season would jump to about $29.3 million and eventually rise to nearly $39 million in 2024-25.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UConn's men's basketball program has been placed on probation for two years and Kevin Ollie has been sanctioned individually for violations of NCAA rules during his tenure as coach. The NCAA Committee on Infractions outlined numerous violations Tuesday, most occurring between 2013 and 2018. It cited Ollie for failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance. The NCAA agreed with penalties UConn self-imposed in January, including the loss of one scholarship for the 2019-20 season. UConn fired Ollie in March 2018. The school and Ollie are in arbitration regarding $10 million the school says he's not entitled to because the violations occurred under his watch.
NHL
The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Lawson Crouse to a three-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 22-year-old Crouse set career highs with 11 goals and 14 assists in 81 games with Arizona last season. He led the Coyotes and was second in the NHL with 288 hits.
The St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent Sammy Blais to an $850,000, one-year contract. Blais had a goal and two assists in 15 playoff games to help St. Louis win the Stanley Cup.
The Carolina Hurricanes are keeping star forward Sebastian Aho and say they will match the $42 million offer sheet the Montreal Canadiens tendered him. General manager Don Waddell announced the move less than 24 hours after the Canadiens extended their offer to the 21-year-old restricted free agent.
The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Dalton Prout and forward Jonny Brodzinski to one-year contracts. The Sharks also signed defensemen Artemi Kniazev and Nikolai Knyzhov; and forward Zachary Gallant to entry-level deals Tuesday.
NIKE
Nike is pulling a flag-themed tennis shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained to the shoemaker, according to the Wall Street Journal. The shoe's heel has a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle on it, known as the Betsy Ross flag. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the Journal said that Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, told the company he and others found the flag symbol offensive because of its connection to slavery. The Air Max 1 USA shoe had already been sent to retailers to go on sale this week for the July Fourth holiday, the Journal reports. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey lashed out at Nike over Twitter, saying that he is asking the state's Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentives for the company to locate there.
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