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#SportsReport: Red Sox Take 6-Game Lead Over Yankees

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MLB

Add another game to the Boston Red Sox's lead in the American League East, thanks to some help from the Tampa Bay Rays. Rick Porcello pitched six shutout innings and Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run double as the Red Sox topped the Orioles, 5-3. Mitch Moreland put the Bosox ahead to stay with a solo homer in the second before Boston scored four times in the fifth. Jonathan Schoop smacked a two-run homer in the eighth to end the Red Sox's shutout bid.

The Red Sox's 15th win in 17 games leaves them six games ahead of the second-place Yankees. The Orioles are a major league-worst 28-73 following their fourth consecutive loss. The series continues Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. in Baltimore.

The Rays helped out the Red Sox by building a 7-3 lead in a 7-6 win over the Yankees. Jake Bauers put Tampa Bay ahead to stay with a three-run blast off Luis Severino in the fifth inning. Daniel Robertson went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, and Ji-Man Choi had three of the Rays' 13 hits.

Jose Alvarado got his first save when Gary Sanchez grounded out, a play in which Hicks beat the play at second but the Yankees catcher was thrown out at first after jogging most of the way there.

Severino was tagged for six earned runs and 11 hits over five innings to fall to 14-3. The series continues Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. in Florida.

Checking out Monday's other major league action:

The Pirates picked up their 10th straight win with a rain-abbreviated, 7-0 shutout of the Indians. Trevor Williams scattered four hits over six innings before the game was stopped in the top of the seventh. Josh Harrison slammed a three-run homer off Corey Kluber, who was rocked for seven runs - three earned - and nine hits in just four innings.

Freddie Freeman, and Dansby Swanson homered and Charlie Culberson went 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the Braves hammered the Marlins, 12-1. Ender Inciarte had three hits and drove in two runs for the Braves, who had five players with at least two ribbies. Sean Newcomb allowed one run and four hits over six innings to move to 9-5.

The Braves pulled into a first-place tie in the NL East with the Phillies' 7-6 loss to the Dodgers. Alex Verdugo scored the tiebreaking run in the ninth on a wild pitch by Seranthony Dominguez. Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor and Yasmani Grandal  homered for the Dodgers, who continue to lead the NL West by 1/2 games over Arizona.

Jeff Mathis doubled home a pair to cap the Diamondbacks' five-run first in a 7-1 romp over the Cubs. Paul Goldschmidt hit a solo homer and Patrick Corbin struck out nine while limiting Chicago to one run over seven innings. Luke Farrell surrendered six runs over 3 1/3 innings as the Cubs saw their lead in the NL Central shrink to 2 1/2 games over Milwaukee.

Christian Yelich laced a bases-loaded triple and Erik Kratz drove in two runs without a hit as the Brewers posted a 6-1 win over the Nationals. Jhoulys Chacin (joo-LEES' shah-SEEN') added an RBI single and held Washington to one run and two hits while fanning nine over 5 2/3 innings. The Nats didn't score following Daniel Murphy's second-inning homer.

The Athletics won for the 24th time in their last 31 games as Jonathan Lucroy hit a grand slam off his former batterymate in a 15-3 dismantling of the Rangers. Stephen Piscotty also went deep against Rangers starter Cole Hamels, a potential trade target for some contending teams even though he has struggled at home all season. Matt Chapman delivered a three-run homer and an RBI double, while Khris Davis belted his 24th home run.

Daniel Poncedeleon threw seven no-hit innings in his major league debut before the Reds rallied against the St. Louis bullpen in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals. Poncedeleon took the mound for the Redbirds 14 months after being hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. Dilson Herrera supplied a walk-off, RBI single in the ninth after Eugenio Suarez extended the game with a two-out homer.

Logan Morrison hit a solo homer and drove in three as the Twins whipped the Blue Jays, 8-3 to get within 8 ½ games of the AL Central-leading Indians. Max Kepler belted a two-run homer and Adalberto limited Toronto to one run over 5 1/3 innings. Lourdes Gurriel  homered for the Jays.

Jose Abreu smacked a solo homer and added an RBI single that sparked a three-run sixth in the White Sox's 5-3 victory over the Angels. Abreu's single tied the game before Leury Garcia hit a sacrifice fly that put Chicago ahead. Shohei Ohtani  homered for Los Angeles.

The Tigers rallied for three runs in the ninth to beat the Royals, 5-4. Jim Adduci tied it with a two-run double off Brandon Maurer and scored on James McCann's double. Lucas Duda drove in three for Kansas City.

Amed Rosario's throwing error at shortstop brought home the eventual deciding run as the Padres held off the Mets, 3-2. New York led 1-0 until Freddy Galvis hit an RBI single and scored on Manuel Margot's triple in the fifth inning. The Mets wasted another strong performance by Jacob deGrom, who struck out 10 while yielding two earned runs and five hits over eight innings. Game two is Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. in New York.

Elsewhere in the Majors:

The Tampa Bay Rays have put All-Star left-hander Blake Snell on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue.

The team is hoping their ace misses just one start after an MRI showed no structural issues.

The 25-year-old Snell is 12-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 20 starts this year.

In other baseball news:

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes had an MRI and was examined by a specialist in an effort to determine whether he needs surgery on both feet. The procedure would sideline him for 8-to-10 months. Cespedes homered in Friday night's victory at the Yankees in his return from the DL after missing two months with a strained right hip flexor.

Brewers left-handed starter Brent Suter will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season. Suter had an MRI on Monday, one day after feeling pain while throwing three innings of an eventual 11-2 loss to the Dodgers. The 28-year-old Suter was 8-7 with a 4.80 ERA in a career-high 101 1/3 innings this year, starting 18 of his 20 appearances.

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner has been placed on the 10-day disabled after straining a groin during Saturday's loss to Milwaukee. Turner is batting .259 with five homers and 20 RBIs since May 15, when he made his season debut after breaking his left wrist during spring training. The Dodgers recalled outfielder Alex Verdugo, who appeared in nine games for Los Angeles earlier this season and is batting .349 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Mets minor leaguer Tim Tebow is set for hand surgery Tuesday and likely done for the season, dashing his hopes of playing in the majors this year. The 30-year-old outfielder will have surgery in New York to remove his broken right hamate bone, with an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks. The former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner was hitting .273 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 84 games for Double-A Binghamton.

NBA

Dirk Nowitzki is officially signed for a record 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks initially declined a team option on Nowitzki's contract at the start of free agency to create salary cap space for DeAndre Jordan. His $5 million contract is the same amount he would have been guaranteed for 2018-19 under the old contract.

The 40-year-old Nowitzki is set to become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons with the same team. He's also one of six players to score more than 30,000 career points.

The Mavericks also acquired the rights to forward Maarty Leunen and cash from the Clippers for two-way forward Johnathan Motley and the rights to guard Renaldas Seibutis. Motley appeared in 11 games as a rookie last season, averaging 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds.

In other NBA news:

The Lakers have added another veteran to their roster by signing Michael Beasley to a one-year contract. Beasley averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last year in a productive season with the Knicks, the sixth franchise of his 10-year NBA career. He joins Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee in the Lakers' offseason signings around LeBron James, who left Cleveland in free agency.

Free agent guard Yogi Ferrell has signed with the Kings. Ferrell scored 20 or more points five times last season for the Mavericks and has averaged 10.2 points for his NBA career.

The Bulls have claimed guard Antonius Cleveland off waivers from the Hawks. Cleveland played in 13 games for the Mavericks last season and four for the Hawks. He played four years at Southeast Missouri State, averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds.

NFL

The San Francisco 49ers say they have signed first-round draft pick Mike McGlinchey to a four-year deal.

The 6-foot-8, 315-pound McGlinchey was the consensus top tackle available in the draft before the Niners took him with the ninth pick. He played both tackle positions at Notre Dame before settling in at left tackle as a junior.

McGlinchey will most likely play on the right side in the NFL since San Francisco already has six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley, who is the longest-tenured player on the 49ers.

Also around the NFL:

Browns receiver Josh Gordon said on Twitter that he won't be with the team for the start of camp as he continues to recover from addictions that have derailed his once-promising career. Gordon has missed two full years after being indefinitely suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell. He hasn't played a complete season since 2013, when he led the league in yards receiving and scored nine touchdown

The Patriots have signed the second of their first-round draft picks, Georgia running back Sony Michel. New England selected Michel 31st overall, eight spots after taking one of his college blocker, Isaiah Wynn. Michel was third on Georgia's all-time rushing list with 3,688 yards and had 1,227 yards on 156 carries last year for a 7.9-yard average.

A county medical examiner says Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano died of heart disease. Sparano died Sunday in Eden Prairie, a Minneapolis suburb. He had been the Vikings' offensive line coach since 2016.

NHL

The New York Islanders have re-signed forward Brock Nelson ahead of an arbitration hearing.

Nelson received a one-year, $4.25 million deal after scoring 19 goals and 35 points in 82 games last season. The 26-year-old has totaled 99 goals and 89 assists in 398 games over five seasons.

PGA

Troy Merritt shot a 5-under 67 to win the rain-delayed Barbasol Championship by one stroke over Billy Horschel, Richy Werenski and Tom Lovelady

Merritt's second career PGA Tour victory earns him a spot in next month's PGA Championship. Merritt led or shared the lead after each round. Consecutive birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 at the Champions Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club put him into the lead before he finished with a series of pars for a 23-under 265.

SWIMMING

Swimmer Ryan Lochte has been suspended until next July by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for getting an intravenous infusion, a method that broke anti-doping rules.

U.S. officials say the 12-time Olympic medalist was not using a banned substance. But under anti-doping rules, athletes typically cannot receive IVs unless related to a hospitalization or through an exemption.

Lochte posted a photo of himself getting the IV in May and that image prompted the investigation.

It's his second suspension since the Rio Olympics. He was banned for 10 months after claiming he and three other U.S. swimmers were robbed at gunpoint at those 2016 Games, a tale that quickly unraveled.

© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

David Guistina is the host of Capital Connection, Legislative Gazette, and Morning Edition and the producer of the Media Project on WAMC.