MLB:
There's been at change at the top of the American League East standings. Boston is on top, Baltimore drops a half-game behind and the New York Yankees are two games over .500 for the first time since April. To usher in the change, the Yankees blanked Baltimore 5-0, Seattle edged the White Sox 6-5 in 11 innings, the Angels won against Texas 7-4, Houston shut out Oakland 7-0, Cleveland beat Kansas City 11-4, and it was Minnesota over Detroit 4-1.
In the National League, the Cubs tripled up the Mets 6-2, Washington beat the Dodgers 8-1, Milwaukee topped Pittsburgh 9-5, Cincinnati doubled up Atlanta 6-3, and it was Philadelphia over Miami 4-1. In a double header, St. Louis slid past San Diego 3-2 and St. Louis doubled up San Diego 4-2.
In interleague, Boston defeated San Francisco 11-7, Toronto bested Arizona 10-4, and it was Tampa Bay over Colorado 11-3.
Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder is facing the prospect of season-ending neck surgery after an MRI revealed a herniated disk just above an area that was repaired two years ago. Fielder and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo were placed on the 15-day disabled list by the slumping AL West leaders.
New York state is teaming up with Major League Baseball and others including Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez to create a youth baseball and softball academy in the Bronx. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the $11.25 million initiative Wednesday. He says the academy at Roberto Clemente State Park will immediately begin serving 1,500 young ballplayers. The facility will be funded by $6.5 million from the state, $4 million from Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association and $750,000 from Rodriguez. The new field will be named Alex Rodriguez Field.
The Baseball Hall of Fame plaques of Ken Griffey Junior and Mike Piazza will be hitting the road for visits to Seattle and New York City just a few days after they're installed in Cooperstown. Hall of Fame officials say the bronze likenesses of the newest inductees will be installed after Sunday's induction ceremonies. The plaques will be temporarily removed for travel to events this summer at the ballparks of the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. Piazza's plaque will be removed July 29th and put on display at New York's Citi Field later that day through July 31st before being reinstalled at the Hall of Fame on August 1st. Griffey's plaque will be removed on the afternoon of August 3rd and displayed at Seattle's Safeco on August 5th through 6th before being returned to Cooperstown on August 8th.
In other baseball news:
— The Cubs added bullpen help by acquiring left-hander Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners for first baseman and designated hitter Dan Vogelbach. Chicago also obtained right-handed prospect Jordan Pries in the deal that sent right-hander Paul Blackburn to Seattle.
— Koji Uehara, who took over the closer's role for Boston when Craig Kimbrel was injured, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Red Sox with a right pectoral strain. Right-hander Noe Ramirez was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.
— Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Alex Wood underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow that will keep him out for about eight weeks. Wood hasn't pitched since May 30 because of the problem. He's been on the 60-day disabled list since an initial MRI found an elbow impingement.
Pitchers Angelo Almonte of Arizona, Jean Peralta of the New York Yankees and Jose Pinales of the Chicago White Sox have been suspended for 72 games under baseball's minor league drug program, and Baltimore pitcher Wally Vrolijk has been banned 50 games. Almonte, Peralta and Jose Pinales tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, the commissioner's office said Wednesday. Vrolijk tested positive for the banned stimulant Methylhexanamine. All four players are on the roster of Dominican Summer League teams.There have been 61 suspensions this year under the minor league drug program and 13 under the major league program.
WNBA:
In the WNBA, the Liberty beat Washington 88-81, Connecticut won against Dallas 89-78, Minnesota defeated Atlanta 83-65, and it was Seattle over San Antonio 83-69.
NFL:
Former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez is expected to appear in court with new lawyers to defend him in the 2012 slayings of two men outside a Boston nightclub. The former tight end is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.
The NFL will be hiring a chief medical officer to work with team medical staffs, the players' union and league committees. In a letter sent to the 32 team presidents and obtained by The Associated Press, Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL') said the chief medical officer also would work with the broader independent scientific and medical communities.
NHL:
Brad Richards is ending his 15-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cup championships. He was voted the 2004 Conn Smythe trophy winner as playoff MVP when he led Tampa Bay to the title. He also played on the 2015 Stanley Cup winner with Chicago. Richards was a 10-time 20-goal scorer and finished with 298 goals and 634 assists for 932 points in 1,126 games in a career that included stops with Dallas, the Rangers and Detroit.
In other hockey:
— The Washington Capitals and forward Marcus Johansson have avoided arbitration by signing a $13.75 million, three-year contract. Johansson had 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 74 games last season. In 419 regular-season NHL games, Johansson has 78 goals and 154 assists for 232 points and has added 22 points in the playoffs.
NASCAR:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss two more races with concussion-like symptoms and Jeff Gordon will come out of retirement to drive the No. 88 car for at least the next two weekends. Hendrick Motorsports made the announcement saying Earnhardt will not compete at this weekend's Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis and the next race, at Pocono, as he continues to recover from balance issues and nausea.
Gordon, a four-time series champ and the only five-time winner of the Brickyard 400, will make his season debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He has not competed since retiring after last year's season finale and has spent this season primarily as a commentator on Fox Sports' NASCAR coverage.
Olympics:
Russia has lost its appeal against the ban on its track and field athletes from competing in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal by 68 Russian track and field athletes seeking to overturn the ban imposed by the IAAF following allegations of state-sponsored doping and cover-ups. The ruling could influence whether the entire Russian Olympic team is banned from the games.
Former World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey says it should be a "clear-cut" decision: Russia should not be allowed to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, Russia's top Olympic official says he expects a final decision by Sunday on whether the entire Russian team will be banned from next month's Rio Games.
Tennis:
Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic head the direct entry lists for this year's U.S. Open. Williams will aim to break the record she currently shares with Steffi Graf for most Grand Slam titles in the Open era, while Djokovic will seek to reach his sixth final in the past seven years at Flushing Meadows.
The fields announced by the U.S. Tennis Association on Wednesday include the top 98 members of this week's ATP rankings, and 101 of the top 103 in the WTA rankings. The two women missing: 2006 U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova, who is serving a doping ban that she is appealing, and two-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka, who recently announced she is pregnant.
Saratoga Race Course:
The 148th season of thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs gets underway this week, kicking off nearly seven weeks of a summertime tradition dating to the Civil War. Opening day for Saratoga Race Course is Friday, with gates opening at 11 a.m. and the first race post time scheduled for 1 p.m. Racing with be held on 40 days through Labor Day, Sept. 5, with the track closed on Tuesdays.
The New York Racing Association, which runs Saratoga along with the Belmont and Aqueduct tracks, says fans will see a number of upgrades at the track, which opened in 1864. The improvements include the planting of more than 850 trees on the track grounds and adding 100 picnic tables, bringing the number available on a first-come, first-served basis to 950.
Tour de France:
Russia's Ilnur Zakarin has won the 17th stage of the Tour de Franc, which was the first Alpine stage. It was Zakarin's first stage win at cycling's biggest event. Defending champ Chris Froome increased his overall lead to 2 minutes, 27 seconds.
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