MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, the Yankees slid past Minnesota 4-3, Boston trumped Cleveland 6-4, Houston edged Tampa Bay 3-2 in 13 innings, and it was the Angels over the White Sox 1-0.
In the National League, Pittsburgh beat Arizona 4-1, San Diego edged Atlanta 3-2, Milwaukee slid past Miami 8-7, St. Louis won against San Francisco 4-3, and it was Washington over Colorado 4-1.
In interleague play, Baltimore beat the Mets 5-4, Philadelphia topped Toronto 7-4, Oakland bested the Dodgers 5-2, Kansas City defeated Cincinnati 4-3, and it was Detroit over the Cubs 15-8.
New Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will spend the next six weeks trying to figure out what's worth keeping in the front office, on the field and in the minor leagues. Dombrowski was formally introduced at a news conference yesterday at Fenway Park. He says he plans to hire a general manager to replace Ben Cherington, who declined the offer to stay in a diminished role.
Dave Dombrowski says he will take to Red Sox manager John Farrell after he gets healthy again. Farrell was diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer last week. He began chemotherapy on Tuesday — the same day Dombrowski was hired to take over the rebuilding of the club that's headed for its third last-place finish in four years.
-Boston:
The Boston Red Sox have cut right-hander Justin Masterson. The Red Sox designated Masterson for assignment after Sunday's 7-2 win over Detroit. Masterson got out of a sixth-inning jam in relief of Henry Owens, but gave up a home run to Jefry Marte in the seventh.
Masterson is 4-2 with a 5.61 ERA in 18 appearances, including nine starts. Manager John Farrell said the Red Sox will use Masterson's roster spot to give innings to younger pitchers.
"It was consistent strike-throwing, when you boil it down to it," Farrell said. "He flashed some better arm strength at various points in time this season, but the overall consistency just wasn't there."
The Red Sox also got Triple-A third baseman Carlos Rivero from Seattle for cash. Rivero played four games for Boston last year, then signed a minor league free agent deal with the Mariners. Rivero was hitting .256 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs for Triple-A Tacoma. He will be assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
NFL:
The judge in the "Deflategate" affair is warning the NFL he has authority to overturn the league's four-game suspension of New England QB Tom Brady. Judge Richard Berman cited legal precedent for reversing arbitrators penalties like the one the NFL imposed on Brady, and is urging both sides to come to an out-of-court settlement.
The Massachusetts judge who oversaw former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez's murder trial is allowing his lawyer to question under oath an anonymous tipster who raised concerns about one of the jurors who convicted him. Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh approved the request from lawyer James Sultan this week over the objections of prosecutors.
Eli Manning didn't ask the New York Giants to make him the NFL's highest-paid quarterback. A perplexed and slightly miffed Manning shot down a report yesterday that he wants to be the league's top-paid quarterback, insisting that was not the goal in contract talks.
A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy will be ready to play in the team's regular-season opener after he hurt his left hamstring in practice Wednesday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not provided any updates on McCoy's status a day after he was hurt during a joint practice with Cleveland.
The New York Jets have signed veteran quarterback Matt Flynn to provide depth to the position as Geno Smith is sidelined six to 10 weeks with a broken jaw. The 30-year-old Flynn, who was dealing with a hamstring issue, was released by New England last week.
Softball:
North Carolina beat Rhode Island 4-2 last night to win the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon. Ellen Yang had an RBI single to kick off a four-run first inning for the North Carolina team, representing the Southeast in the annual event. Dyonna Rodas hit an RBI single in the third for the Rhode Island team, representing the East.
MLS:
New York City FC tied the Columbus Crew 2-2 last night. The game was delayed 1 hour, 14 minutes in the 77th minute because of a thunderstorm. New York City FC pulled into a sixth-place tie with Montreal and Orlando City in the Eastern Conference, while Columbus remained third.
WNBA:
In the WNBA, New York topped San Antonio 73-45 and it was Washington over Minnesota 79-61.
Boxing:
Former world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. of the U.S. has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russian citizenship. During a meeting in Crimea, which Russia annexed last year, Jones told the Russian leader that it would be easier for him to do business in Russia if he had a Russian passport. The boxer turned rapper is in Crimea for a show this weekend.
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