MLB
The Pittsburgh Pirates have run their winning streak to 11 games by clobbering the AL Central leaders for the second straight night.
Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte each hit two-run homers while the Bucs were building a 7-0 lead by the second inning of a 9-4 trouncing of the Indians in Cleveland. Polanco's blast chased Shane Bieber, who was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
Marte collected three RBIs, Josh Bell smacked a two-run homer and Corey Dickerson was 2-for-3 with a two-run triple. Marte has hit safely in his last 17 games.
Joe Musgrove allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings for his first win since Jun 29.
The Pirates are four games over .500 following their longest winning streak since September 1996.
The Indians dropped their third in a row despite homers by Edwin Encarnacion and Brandon Guyer.
Meanwhile, the Phillies won a marathon against the Dodgers to move one game ahead of Atlanta for the NL East lead. Trevor Plouffe belted a three-run, walk-off homer off Kike Hernandez in the 16th inning to send Philadelphia past Los Angeles, 7-4.
Yasmani Grandal homered twice while the Dodgers built a 4-1 lead. Maikel Franco started the Phils' comeback with an RBI double in the seventh before coming around to score on Jorge Alfaro's game-tying, two-run homer.
Checking out Tuesday's major league schedule:
J.T. Realmuto belted a two-run homer and had four RBIs as the Marlins crushed the Braves, 9-3. Starlin Castro added a three-run homer, and Brian Anderson had three hits while scoring three times. Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen got his first big league extra-base hit, scored his first career run and allowed three runs over six innings to pick up the victory.
Clay Buchholz returned from the disabled list and gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings to pitch the Diamondbacks past the Cubs, 5-1. Steven Souza Jr. had three hits and an RBI in helping Arizona win its third in a row. Souza, Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb each drove in a run during a three-run fifth before the Diamondbacks climbed within a half-game of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Tyler Saladino lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th to give the Brewers a 5-4 win over the Nationals, pushing Milwaukee within 1 ½ games of the NL Central-leading Cubs. Christian Yelich belted a two-run homer to help the Brew Crew storm back from a 4-0 deficit. Lorenzo Cain singled home the tying run in the seventh to help Milwaukee win its second straight since a 1-8 skid.
Boston's lead in the AL East is down to five games over the Yankees after Tim Beckham and Jonathan Schoop each homered and had three RBIs in the Orioles' 7-6 triumph over the Red Sox. Beckham hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth, one inning before his sacrifice fly sparked a three-run rally that put Baltimore ahead 7-3. J.D. Martinez belted his 30th and 31st home runs for the Red Sox, who also got round-trippers from Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart. The series wraps up Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.
Masahiro Tanaka struck out nine while going the distance on a three-hitter as the Yankees blanked the Rays, 4-0. Austin Romine drove in two runs without a hit to support Tanaka's third career shutout. Miguel Andujar had two hits and scored twice for New York. The series concludes Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.
The Astros erupted for six runs in the 10th inning to come away with an 8-2 win at Colorado. Tony Kemp singled home the tiebreaking run and Kyle Tucker added a two-run triple before scoring on George Springer's two-run homer. The outcome gives Houston a six-game lead over Seattle in the AL West and keeps the Rockies 2 ½ games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.
The Mariners suffered a 4-3 loss to the Giants on second baseman Dee Gordon's throwing error in the ninth inning. Hunter Pence hit a solo shot and Kelby Tomlinson went 2-for-3 with an RBI single as San Francisco moved 4 ½ games off the NL West lead. Guillermo Heredia homered for the Mariners.
The Athletics won for the 25th time in 32 games by rallying from a 10-2 deficit in a 13-10, 10-inning win over the Rangers. Khris Davis broke a 10-10 tie with a three-run blast in the 10th, one inning after Stephen Piscotty extended the game with a solo shot. Jed Lowrie and Mark Canha also went deep for the A's, who scored 11 times over the final four innings.
Jose Berrios was terrific in the Twins' 5-0 shutout of the Blue Jays, striking out nine and scattering four hits over seven innings. Eduardo Escobar was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a three-run homer that put the game out of reach. Robbie Grossman doubled home a run for the Twins, who are within 7 ½ games of the AL Central-leading Indians.
The Cardinals pulled out a 4-2 win over the Reds on Dexter Fowler's two-run homer in the 11th inning. Austin Gomber carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his first major league start, one night after Daniel Poncedeleon no-hit the Reds for seven innings in his big league debut. Eugenio Suarez hit a game-tying homer for the second straight game, a two-run blast in the seventh.
Carlos Rodon carried one-hit shutout into the eighth inning of the White Sox's 4-2 victory over the Angels. Rodon no-hit Los Angeles until Andrelton Simmons hit a two-out single in the sixth. Yoan Moncada smacked a solo homer for Chicago.
Michael Conforto slammed a two-run homer and Devin Mesoraco provided a three-run double as the Mets doubled up the Padres, 6-3. Zack Wheeler tossed four-hit ball over seven innings and blanked San Diego after Wil Myers hit a two-run single that brought the Padres within 3-2 in the third inning. The series wraps up Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.
Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez homered and drove in two runs apiece in the Royals' 5-4 win over the Tigers. Burch Smith allowed only a fourth-inning single by Niko Goodrum and left leading 5-0 with one out in the seventh before Victor Martinez blasted a three-run homer.
Also in The Majors:
The Yankees have added another lefty to their bullpen by getting Zach Britton from the Orioles for three prospects.
The 30-year-old Britton will serve as a setup man for closer Aroldis Chapman. He is 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA and four saves in 16 appearances since making his season debut on Jun 12. He began the season on the disabled list after tearing his right Achilles tendon in December.
Right-hander Dillon Tate is going to the Orioles along with left-hander Josh Rogers and right-hander Cody Carroll.
The Yanks also put catcher Gary Sanchez back on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right groin, one day after failing to hustle on a pair of key plays in a 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay Monday. Sanchez missed 20 games from June 25 to July 19 because of the groin injury. After Monday night's game, Sanchez said through a translator that the groin issues were "definitely behind me" and that "it's about doing a better job overall."
Elsewhere around the majors:
Mariners’ pitcher James Paxton had a setback in his recovery from a lower back injury and was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday. Rather than coming off the disabled list to face San Francisco, Paxton remained on the DL dealing with the stiffness in his lower back.
Cubs’ third baseman Kris Bryant wasn't in Tuesday's lineup against Arizona because of a recurrence of his left shoulder inflammation. Manager Joe Maddon said Bryant also could miss Wednesday's game.
Athletics opening day starter Kendall Graveman will have Tommy John surgery after a recent setback with his troublesome pitching elbow. Graveman was 0-5 with an 8.89 ERA in his six starts this season for the A's before getting sent down to Triple-A Nashville on April 26.
Rangers’ center fielder Delino DeShields has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after compiling an .065 average in 15 games this month, including a career-worst 0-for-28 skid he snapped Friday. Texas filled the roster spot by recalling left-hander Brandon Mann from Triple-A.
CAPITAL REGION SPORTS
Athletic Haven, a Capital District non-profit organization, has been awarded a 2018 Legislative Grant from the Albany County Legislature. In a press release Wednesday Athletic Haven Founder Scott McIntyre said
“We are incredibly grateful to those who believe in our mission,” said McIntyre. “As an entirely volunteer-based organization, funding like this provides a critical lifeline to our continued efforts. With each new offering of support, we can expand our services and reach more youth throughout our region.”
Athletic Haven provides free sports travel teams and open gyms as well as low-cost training opportunities for youth who may otherwise have given up on sports due to coaching or cost issues. It was launched in October 2016 in memory of McIntyre’s 6-year old son Tyler, who passed away in 2012.
The grant recipients were announced at a ceremony in late June.
NFL
Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has agreed to a lucrative four-year contract extension.
The Rams didn't announce the financial terms of the deal, but ESPN says the extension is worth $60 million through 2023.
The NFL's offensive player of the year was a league standout in his third NFL season while playing in first-year coach Sean McVay's explosive offense. He rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 64 passes for 788 yards and six more TDs.
In other NFL news:
The Cleveland Browns finally have quarterback Baker Mayfield under contract. The No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft finalized his four-year, $32 million deal that includes a $22 million signing bonus. Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy last season after passing for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns.
The Lions have put defensive end Ziggy Ansah on the physically unable to perform list. Ansah is back with the Lions on the franchise tag and has missed seven games in his five NFL seasons. The Lions also placed fullback Nick Badwen on injured reserve with a knee injury, signed linebacker Freddie Bishop and put wide receiver Andy Jones on the PUP list.
The Titans are releasing outside linebacker Kevin Dodd, an unceremonious finish for a former second-round pick who never came close to living up this draft position. This move comes two days after the Titans placed Dodd on the "did not report" list.
Bengals owner Mike Brown says President Donald Trump's numerous tweets attacking NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem have prolonged the issue, which he sees as one of the league's biggest distractions. Brown says Trump's tweets have worked against finding a resolution to the issue. He says the president has "stirred the pot" for political reasons, putting the league in an unfavorable light.
NBA
All-Star forward Kevin Love has signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are beginning anew following LeBron James' departure.
The 29-year-old just completed his fourth season with Cleveland, which was swept by Golden State in the NBA Finals. That loss was followed by James leaving in free agency to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Love now becomes the centerpiece of the franchise after being mentioned in trade speculation since arriving in Cleveland. He averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds last season when he made his fifth All-Star team.
In other NBA news:
The Lakers have re-signed forward Travis Wear to a two-way contract. Wear played 17 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
NHL
The Washington Capitals are bringing back Brooks Orpik, a leader on their Stanley Cup-winning team.
The 37-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, million-dollar contract with $500,000 in performance bonuses. The deal comes about a month after the Caps dealt him to Colorado to clear salary cap space. The Avalanche bought out the final year of his previous contract, making him a free agent.
Orpik scored no goals and finished with 10 points and a minus-9 in 81 games for Washington last season.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
Defenseman Brandon Montour has agreed to a two-year, $6.775 million contract to stay with the Anaheim Ducks. Montour had nine goals and 23 assists in 80 games last season, his first full NHL campaign.
Predators forward Austin Watson has pleaded no contest to domestic assault, one month after getting arrested. He can have the misdemeanor charge dismissed if he fulfills terms of his judicial diversion program.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
A University of Maine football player has collapsed and died during a preseason workout on campus.
University officials say 18-year-old Darius Minor collapsed Tuesday afternoon and could not be resuscitated by training staff and first responders.
Minor was in the third week of UMaine's Freshman Workout. Officials say he was one of 17 first-year student-athletes participating when he collapsed about 15 minutes into a supervised light workout.
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