Rafael Devers was 4 for 5 with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs in the Red Sox’s 13-7 comeback win over the Orioles. The 22-year-old Devers joined Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Jim Rice as the only Red Sox players to have a 100-RBI season before turning 23.
J.D. Martinez added three hits and two RBIs for the Bosox, who trailed 6-0 before earning their fifth consecutive win.
Elsewhere, Mike Freeman supplied a three-run homer among his three extra-base hits as the Indians doubled up the Yankees, 8-4 to gain a split of their four-game series. Oscar Mercado homered and drove in three runs for Cleveland, and Francisco Lindor went deep. Mike Clevenger needed 104 pitches to get through five arduous innings, but he struck out 10 and scattered three hits to move to 8-2.
Pete Alonso belted his NL rookie-record 40th home run as the Mets earned an 11-5 victory in the rubber match of their series with the Royals. Michael Conforto hit a long homer in the first inning and collected four RBIs for New York, which trailed 4-3 before scoring six times in the seventh inning. Amed Rosario furnished the tiebreaking, two-run double before the Mets improved to 24-10 since the All-Star break.
Juan Soto and Brian Dozier each provided two of the Nationals’ team record-tying eight home runs in a 16-8 thrashing of the Brewers. Matt Adams and Victor Robles hit back-to-back homers in the first to give the Nationals a 4-0 lead, and Anthony Rendon and Soto did the same in the third as the advantage ballooned to 13-0. Erick Fedde won his third consecutive start, allowing four runs on ten hits over five innings as the Nationals stayed 5 ½ games behind the NL East-leading Braves.
Austin Hedges was 4-for-4 with a tiebreaking, solo homer in the seventh inning to carry the Padres to a 3-2 victory at Philadelphia. Luis Urías also went deep for the Padres, who had lost seven consecutive rubber games before taking two of three in Philadelphia. Joey Lucchesi gave up two runs and three hits over six innings to get the victory after going 0-3 with a 6.15 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break.
In MLB news, the Nationals have put struggling closer Sean Doolittle on the 10-day injured list with right knee tendinitis, a day after he surrendered three home runs in the ninth inning against Milwaukee. Doolittle has posted a career-worst 4.33 ERA with 28 saves. The NL wild-card leaders recalled righty Kyle McGowin from Double-A Harrisburg.
Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper left Sunday's game against the Padres after the fifth inning because of dehydration. Harper has played in 123 of 124 games this season.
Rockies right-hander Scott Oberg has been treated for a blood clot in his pitching arm for the second time in his career. Manager Bud Black said Oberg had a procedure to dissolve the clot at a hospital on Saturday and remained there overnight. The Rockies put Oberg on the 10-day injured list Sunday. Black said the 28-year-old Oberg started feeling heaviness in his arm on Saturday and alerted the training staff. Oberg replaced struggling Wade Davis as the team closer two weeks ago and picked up his sixth save Friday against Miami.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed from the Braves' game against the Dodgers Sunday after he stood at the plate admiring a long flyball that did not leave the park. The 21-year-old Acuña likely would have had an easy double if he had hustled from home plate. Manager Brian Snitker followed Acuña into the tunnel for an apparent conversation during the fourth inning.
Reds first baseman Joey Votto has landed on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness that caused him to miss their weekend series with the Cardinals. The six-time All Star is hitting .262 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 113 games this season. The Reds also recalled utility player Brian O'Grady from Triple-A Louisville.
NFL
Taysom Hill had 191 yards of offense and directed three second-half scoring drives to help the Saints rally for a 19-17 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rookie tight end Irv Smith Jr. and backup wide receiver Brandon Zylstra each had touchdown receptions, and the Vikings used a versatile offense to beat the Seahawks 25-19 in a preseason matchup.
In NFL news, Le'Veon Bell's debut with the New York Jets will come in the regular season after Adam Gase announced the star running back will be held out of the final two preseason games. Gase says he was leaning toward that decision, but a season-ending injury to linebacker Avery Williamson in the Jets' preseason loss at Atlanta on Thursday night sealed it. Bell has looked good in training camp after sitting out all last season in a contract dispute with Pittsburgh.
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate III has been placed in concussion protocol. Tate sustained the concussion Friday night in the Giants' 32-13 preseason victory over the Chicago Bears.
Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock told disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown it's time to decide whether he's "all in or all out" about playing this season after losing a fight with the NFL over his helmet. Brown also lost a grievance with the league to allow him to use a helmet that is no longer certified as safe. Mayock issued a statement expressing his frustration that Brown didn't participate in practice Sunday despite being healed from the frost-bitten feet that have sidelined him for most of training camp. Mayock says there are "89 guys busting their tails" and that he hopes Brown will join his teammates soon.
Eddy Pineiro has won the Bears’ kicking competition. The Bears have cut kicker Elliott Fry, who was competing with Pineiro and several others for the job. Pineiro came to Chicago from the Raiders for a late-round draft pick after spending all of last year on injured reserve.
Former NFL and University Texas running back Cedric Benson has died in a motorcycle accident at age 36. Benson won the Doak Walker award as the nation’s top college running back in 2004 and was drafted fourth overall by the Bears in 2005. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers.
WNBA
DeWanna Bonner scored 17 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter and had 10 rebounds to help the Phoenix Mercury beat New York 78-72, extending the Liberty's losing streak to eight games. Leilani Mitchell scored 17 points, and Yvonne Turner added 13 for Phoenix.
Courtney Williams scored 18 points and the Connecticut Sun beat the Dallas Wings 78-68 to clinch a playoff berth. Jonquel Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season, and Jasmine Thomas added 16 points and nine assists. Connecticut (19-8) has won three games in a row and eight of 10.
PGA
Justin Thomas has the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup finale after capturing the BMW Championship at Medinah. Thomas entered the final round with a six-shot lead, but he was only two strokes ahead until he carded three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. He closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot win over Patrick Cantlay, who fired a 65. The top 30 advance to the Tour Championship. Masters champion Tiger Woods will not be among them to defend his title at East Lake.
Doug Barron became the 13th Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour Champions event, holing two 15-foot birdie putts after a rain delay to beat Fred Couples by two strokes in the Dick's Sporting Goods Open. Making his second senior start after turning 50 last month, Barron closed with a 6-under 66 at En Joie Golf Club to finish the wire-to-wire victory at 17-under 199.
WHITAKER
Longtime television sports broadcaster Jack Whitaker has died at 95. Whitaker spent 22 years with CBS Sports, which announced that he died of natural causes in his sleep. His Hall of Fame broadcasting career ranged from the first Super Bowl to Secretariat's Triple Crown to short essays from major sporting events. Whitaker had been the only living play-by-play announcer from the first 21 Super Bowls.
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