MLB:
The New York Yankees ended a seven-game losing streak and took over first place in the AL East, a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. Didi Gregorius smacked a two-run homer and Austin Romine provided a two-run double as the Yankees doubled up the Los Angeles Angels, 8-4. The Red Sox held a 4-2 lead in the eighth until Salvador Perez unloaded a grand slam to give Kansas City a 6-4 victory over Boston.
The Boston Red Sox have signed first-round draft pick Tanner Houck and assigned the right-handed pitcher to a minor league affiliate in Lowell, Massachusetts. Houck is from the University of Missouri and was the 24th overall selection last week.
Yasiel Puig riled the struggling Mets with a long look at his three-run homer, Yasmani Grandal added two solo shots and the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers took over first place in the NL West by battering New York pitching again for an 8-2 victory Wednesday night. Rich Hill turned in his best five innings of the season for the Dodgers, who have won six straight and 12 of 13.
The New York Mets have put right-hander Zack Wheeler on the 10-day disabled list because of biceps tendinitis, the third member of their rotation to currently be out of action. The Mets made the move before playing at Dodger Stadium. Righty Tyler Pill was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas to start against Los Angeles.
Pete Flynn, a popular groundskeeper for the New York Mets who spent five decades manicuring baseball diamonds from the Polo Grounds to Citi Field, has died. He was 79. The team says Flynn died yesterday morning after a long illness. No other details were provided.
Max Scherzer took a no-hitter into the eighth before allowing a pair of unearned runs in Washington's 2-1 loss at Miami. A.J. Ellis broke up the no-hitter with an infield single and scored on a wild pitch by Scherzer before Giancarlo Stanton's single left the Nationals 9 ½ games ahead of second-place Atlanta in the NL East. Mike Fiers threw three-hit ball over six innings as the Houston Astros dumped Oakland, 5-1 to move 12 ½ games ahead of second-place Seattle in the AL West.
In other major league news:
— Braves star Freddie Freeman plans to move from first to third base to keep Matt Adams' bat in the Atlanta lineup. Freeman took grounders at third base before batting practice Wednesday and also made throws to first base as he recovers from an injury. He was leading the National League with 14 homers when his left wrist was broken by a pitch last month.
— The Indians and Twins are scheduled for a two-game series at San Juan next April. It will be Major League Baseball's first regular-season games in Puerto Rico since 2010.
— Addison Russell's wife has filed for divorce nearly two weeks after the Chicago Cubs shortstop was accused of hitting her. Melisa Reidy-Russell filed the divorce petition in Cook County last week, according to a filing provided by her attorney. Russell has denied the allegation.
NHL:
The Vegas Golden Knights now have 30 more players after making their selections in the expansion draft on Wednesday. The biggest name is former No. 1 pick Marc-Andre Fleury, who had won three Stanley Cups while spending his entire 13-year career with the Penguins. The Knights opened the draft by taking Florida forward Jonathan Marchessault, Dallas forward Cody Eakin and Los Angeles defenseman Brayden McNabb. Marchessault had 30 goals and 51 points for the Panthers last season. Other players taken included Predators forward James Neal, Blues forward David Perron, Wild forward Erik Haula and Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin.
Edmonton captain Connor McDavid won his first Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. He capped a breakthrough sophomore season for the 20-year-old center, who won the league scoring title and led the Oilers back to the Stanley Cup playoffs after an 11-year absence. The former No. 1 pick beat out fellow finalists Sergei Bobrovsky of Columbus and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.
Boston's Patrice Bergeron has captured the Selke Trophy for the fourth time in six years, an award that goes to the best defensive forward.
John Tortorella is the Jack Adams Award winner after leading the Blue Jackets to the best season in club history.
Nashville's David Poile is the General Manager of the Year.
Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson received the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Columbus forward Nick Foligno has come away with the Mark Messier Trophy for leadership and the King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian contribution to hockey.
Columbus netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. Bobrovsky also was a finalist for the Hart Trophy after leading the league with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.
The league's top defenseman is San Jose's Brent Burns, who accepted the Norris Trophy for the first time.
Toronto forward Auston Matthews is the Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's best rookie.
NBA:
Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball are expected to be the top two picks in the NBA draft. Then the intrigue starts. The Boston Celtics have the No. 3 pick after trading with Philadelphia and will have plenty of options in what's considered a strong draft. That's one of the things to watch from Barclays Center. The record for freshmen taken in the first round could also be broken.
The Philadelphia 76ers have placed their faith in The Process. The Sixers hope if they draft Washington's Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, they can start winning again. Fultz, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid could form a trio of stars that turn the Sixers into contenders.
NFL:
A person familiar with the situation says the New England Patriots have agreed to terms with former New York Jets linebacker David Harris. The new two-year pact could be worth as much as $6.75 million, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been announced.
New York Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin has been arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge. Police say a man reported that Mauldin struck him in the eye and jaw after he accidentally splashed champagne on him at the Highline Ballroom on April 2.
PGA:
Some of golf's biggest names are in Connecticut this week for the Travelers Championship. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson are among those playing at TPC River Highland instead of resting the week after the U.S. Open. Spieth and McIlroy are playing the Travelers for the first time. They are meeting a new requirement that players add one tournament they have not played in the last four years, provided they played fewer than 25 events last season.
More than one observer suggested the U.S. Open looked more like the Travelers Championship as the scores kept going lower and lower at Erin Hills. There is one big difference. The Travelers Championship might have more top-10 players on the weekend.
Fantasy Sports:
A federal judge has temporarily halted the planned merger between daily fantasy sports companies FanDuel and DraftKings. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has approved a temporary restraining order that was agreed upon by the two companies and the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC opposes the merger because it creates a company controlling more than 90 percent of the U.S. market.
Tennis:
Tennis star James Blake has agreed to drop his right to sue New York after he was mistakenly arrested and tackled by police. In exchange, a legal fellowship will be created in his name that will bolster the work of the city's police watchdog agency. Surveillance video showed an officer charging at Blake in September 2015 before grabbing him by the arm and taking him to the ground in a case of mistaken identity.
NCAA:
A woman who was raped while unconscious in a college dorm room has testified that her appearance at an ex-Vanderbilt football player's trial marks the first time she has seen the defendant face to face. The visibly-shaken woman at times cried while testifying in Brandon Banks' trial. She told prosecutors she had only seen Banks' image in the collection of evidence. Two other ex-players were convicted and sentenced to prison after jury trials. A fourth ex-player charged in the incident has testified against his teammates.
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