In Major League Baseball action, the Kansas City Royals have moved a half-game ahead of Detroit in the AL Central with a 3-2 win against Oakland as the Royals cut the Athletics' lead in the AL West to 3 ½ games over the Los Angeles Angels.
Meanwhile, in interleague play, the Tigers had more to worry about than their 11-6 loss in Pittsburgh. Detroit starter Justin Verlander surrendered five runs in the first inning before leaving with a sore right shoulder.
Elsewhere in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles crushed the New York Yankees 11-3 but lost Manny Machado in the process as the third baseman sprained his knee while swinging at a pitch in the third inning. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer and Jonathan Schoop added a three-run shot as the AL East-leading Orioles moved six games ahead of the second-place Blue Jays.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay shut out Texas 7-0, Minnesota doubled up Houston 4-2, Kansas City edged Oakland 3-2, and it was Seattle over Toronto 11-1. The Boston Red Sox got the day off yesterday before they open a two-game interleague series in Cincinnati tonight.
In the National League, Anthony Recker was in an 0-for-18 slump before smacking a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning of the Mets' 5-3 comeback win over the Phillies in Philadelphia. Elsewhere in the NL, the Dodgers tripled up Atlanta 6-2, Miami bested St. Louis 6-5, Milwaukee defeated the Cubs 3-1, and it was San Diego over Colorado 4-3.
New York Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda will come off the disabled list tomorrow and make his first start since his suspension for using pine tar on the mound. Pineda last pitched on April 23, when he was ejected from a game against Boston. He received a 10-game suspension from Major League Baseball for "possessing a foreign substance on his person." Pineda has been on the DL since May 6 with a right shoulder muscle injury.
NASCAR:
Kevin Ward Jr. died of blunt force trauma when he was hit by a car driven by NASCAR star Tony Stewart. Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero says the autopsy was completed Monday. The 20-year-old driver was competing at a dirt-track race in Canandaigua New York. Authorities questioned Stewart Saturday night and went to Watkins Glen to talk to him again Sunday. Povero said Monday there were no plans "at this time" to talk to him again. Povero says there is nothing in the inquiry that supports criminal conduct or probable cause. He says there was no camera in Stewart's car.
Update 8:07 A.M.: Funeral services have been set for Ward on Thursday morning in Turin, in Lewis County. Calling hours will be held tomorrow afternoon and evening at an Oneida County funeral home.
NFL:
A cousin of ex-New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez is expected to plead guilty to a criminal contempt charge in his 2013 murder case. Tanya Singleton of Bristol, Connecticut, is due in court today. She refused to testify before a grand jury that indicted Hernandez on a murder charge in the killing of Odin Lloyd. Prosecutors are recommending probation and home confinement for the 37-year-old Singleton.
NBA:
Pharrell is teaming up with the world's best-selling basketball video game franchise as a music curator.
2K Sports announced Tuesday that the Grammy-winning performer will choose 27 tracks for the soundtrack of the upcoming "NBA 2K15." He's the second music performer to select songs for the video game, following Jay Z who served as executive producer in 2012.
LeBron James picked out songs for last year's installment that sold 7 million copies.
Pharrell said in a statement to The Associated Press that he wanted to create an "eclectic mix" of songs. The soundtrack features three of his songs along with songs from Lauryn Hill, One Republic, Snoop Dogg, Lorde, A Tribe Called Quest and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The game is expected to go on sale Oct. 7.
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