MLB:
The Boston Red Sox have taken over first place in the American League East, moving a half-game ahead of the slumping New York Yankees. Chris Sale struck out 10 while holding the Royals to three runs and just four hits over 8 1/3 innings of the Red Sox's 8-3 win at Kansas City. The Yankees suffered their seventh consecutive loss as Cameron Maybin and Luis Valbuena each homered and drove in two runs apiece to lead the Angels' 8-3 rout in the Bronx.
Cameron Maybin hit a tiebreaking home run off struggling reliever Tyler Clippard to spark a three-run seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat New York 8-3 to extend the Yankees' losing streak to seven games _ their longest in a single season since April 2007. Los Angeles had lost its nine previous games at Yankee Stadium and 18 of 21. In one of the season's quirkier stats, the Angels improved to 12-0 on Tuesdays.
Corey Seager hit three homers in a game for the second time in his young career and the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep five times in a 12-0 victory over the New York Mets. Cody Bellinger also had a two-run homer to help the Dodgers win their fifth straight. Seager has 12 home runs on the season. He hit a two-run homer in the first, a solo shot in the fourth and a three-run homer in the fifth. He flied out with the bases loaded in the sixth.
In other major league news:
— The Boston Red Sox have placed third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the disabled list optioned right-hander Austin Maddox to Triple-A Pawtucket. Sandoval is sidelined with a left ear infection after hitting .212 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 32 games this season. The Red Sox filled the two roster spots by recalling infielders Deven Marrero and Sam Travis from Triple-A Pawtucket.
— The struggling Philadelphia Phillies have pruned their roster by designating outfielder Michael Saunders and reliever Jeanmar Gomez for assignment. The 30-year-old Saunders struggled after signing a free-agent contract last winter, hitting .205 with six homers and 20 RBIs with 51 strikeouts in 61 games. Gomez has compiled a 7.25 ERA in 18 appearances this year after collecting 37 saves in 2016.
— Angels closer Bud Norris has landed on the 10-day disabled list because of right knee inflammation. Norris has been dealing with the injury on and off for about a month.
— Yankees manager Joe Girardi thinks the rule preventing runners from bowling over catchers has led to injuries like the one sustained by top New York prospect Gleyber Torres, who will miss the rest of the season because of a torn elbow ligament. Torres, a 20-year-old infielder, was hurt on a slide into home plate for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Buffalo.
— Major League Baseball and Northeastern are partnering to provide educational opportunities for big league players. Management and the players' association agreed to institute a continuing education program as part of the labor contract that started this season.
NFL:
The New York Jets have signed former Chicago Bears wide receiver Marquess Wilson. The team announced the move yesterday, adding depth to an inexperienced receiving corps. Wilson was a seventh-round draft pick of the Bears out of Washington State in 2013. He set the Cougars record with 3,207 yards receiving from 2000-12.
O.J. Simpson could become a free man this summer. A Nevada parole official says Simpson has a July 20 hearing that could have him released from prison after serving more than eight years of a nine-to-33 year sentence. The former Heisman Trophy winner and one-time NFL single-season rushing champion was found guilty in 2008 of armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges. The conviction stemmed from a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel room in 2007.
NHL:
If anyone needs the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft, it's the New Jersey Devils. After making the playoffs for 20 of 22 seasons, the Devils have missed the postseason for the last five seasons. They are coming off their worst season in nearly three decades. New Jersey has the top pick in the draft later this week.
The Vegas Golden Knights, the newest entry in the National Hockey League, could land their franchise goaltender, a few veterans and a lot of young talent in the expansion draft Wednesday night. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury figures to be their starter as GM George McPhee looks to build a team that can be competitive relatively quickly. The expansion draft is in Las Vegas and the new franchise will commence with its schedule in its first season later this year.
NBA:
Three people with knowledge of the deal say the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to trade point guard D'Angelo Russell and high-priced center Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for big man Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick in the NBA draft. The Lakers' new front office led by Magic Johnson has boldly decided to give up on Russell, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, after just two seasons. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists last year.
Sixty NBA hopefuls will hear their names called as members of the 2017 draft class this week. For many of the top picks it will mark the start of the transition from college underclassman to instant millionaire. It is a journey that continues to evolve for a crop of soon-to-be wealthy NBA newcomers that has trended younger during the one-and-done era.
The San Antonio Spurs are keeping Pau Gasol after all. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Gasol will not exercise the player option on his contract for next year, but intends to sign a new deal when free agency opens in July. Gasol declined the $16 million option on his contract on Tuesday. He averaged 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game last year to help the Spurs win the NBA's Southwest Division title and reach the Western Conference finals. Gasol's decision will give the Spurs more flexibility going into what is expected to be a hotly contested free agent market.
In other NBA news:
— Dwight Howard appears to be on the move again, this time to the Charlotte Hornets. A person familiar with the situation says the Charlotte Hornets have reached an agreement to acquire the center from the Hawks, along with the 31st overall pick in Thursday's draft for center Miles Plumlee, shooting guard Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick. Howard signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal with Atlanta last summer after three seasons with Houston.
— A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Dwyane Wade has told the Chicago Bulls that he is exercising his $23.8 million option for next season. Wade averaged 18.3 points on 43 percent shooting last season, his first with the Bulls after 13 years in Miami.
—A judge has denied a request to block some public funding for Little Caesars Arena and the Detroit Pistons' move from the suburbs. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith issued his decision late Monday, saying a requested injunction would cause "catastrophic damage" to Detroit. The lawsuit said Michigan law prohibits spending school property tax revenue on the projects because a tax voters approved in 2012 was to be used exclusively for Detroit's public schools.
— A $192.5 million renovation of the Atlanta Hawks' arena has begun a day after funding was approved by the Atlanta City Council. About $110 million for the renovation of Philips Arena will be generated from the car rental tax collected at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and other sites. An additional $32.5 million will come from the city's sale of Turner Field to Georgia State University. The Hawks will contribute $50 million.
World University Games – Winter:
New York's Lake Placid is vying to host the winter version of the World University Games. Representatives from the International University Sport Federation are visiting the Adirondack Mountain region this week to tour venues, lodging properties and other facilities in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Wilmington. The visit is a follow-up to a letter Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall sent in May seeking to have the village be considered as a host candidate for the 2023 winter games.
Olympics:
Former U.S. women's national team coach Tony DiCicco has died at 68. He coached the U.S. to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and to the 1999 Women's World Cup title. His son Anthony DiCicco says on Twitter that his father died at home. DiCicco became U.S. coach in 1994 and guided such stars as Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy.
PGA:
Fans in wheelchairs may find attending a golf tournament challenging. A vantage point overlooking the 18th green at this week's Travelers Championship may help. For the second year, a spot near the final hole is designed to accommodate patients from New Britain's Hospital for Special Care who have the degenerative condition known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The tournament will be held in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Tiger Woods has checked into a clinic to get help for dealing with pain medication. His agent wouldn't disclose the location of the in-patient facility, nor did he say how long Woods will be there. Woods said Monday night that he is receiving professional help to manage his medications and how he deals with pain and a sleep disorder. The treatment comes less than a month after his arrest in Jupiter, Florida, on a DUI charge that involved a combination of prescription medications. Woods says his arrest stemmed from a reaction to the medicine.
The PGA Tour is beefing up its anti-doping policy. The tour will add blood testing next season and bring its list of banned substances in line with the World Anti-Doping Association. Blood testing will allow the tour to detect any use of human growth hormone, which is on the list of banned substances but cannot be detected through urine. The revised policy takes effect in October, the start of next season.
NCAA:
Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire has announced on Instagram that he's going to Florida. According to a person familiar with Zaire's transfer, the left-hander has been accepted into graduate school at Florida and is expected to attend classes next week. He was a backup for the Irish last year after missing most of the 2015 season because of a broken ankle. Florida officials can't comment on prospective student-athletes until they enroll in school and attend class.
In other college football news:
— Lincoln Riley will make $3.1 million in his first year as head football coach at Oklahoma. Oklahoma's Board of Regents have approved a five-year deal that increases by $200,000 annually, with a national championship bonus of $425,000. Riley was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach this month after longtime coach Bob Stoops abruptly stepped down following an 18-year run.
— West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen has confirmed that the NCAA has cleared transfer quarterback Will Grier to play for the Mountaineers next season. Grier decided to transfer from Florida last year after the NCAA gave him a one-year suspension in October 2015 for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He started five of his six games his freshman year, completing 66 percent of his passes for over 1,200 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
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