The Red Sox have an 18-game home run streak after Xander Bogaerts went deep twice in a 7-4 win at Colorado. J.D. Martinez got things rolling with a two-run blast in the third and Rafael Devers homered in the ninth. Eduardo Rodriguez lasted five innings and allowed three runs in moving to 16-5.
James Paxton beat his former team and the Yankees banged out four more homers in a 7-3 win at Seattle. Paxton walked five over five innings but allowed only one hit: Kyle Seager’s two-run homer in the fourth. Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford went deep for the Yankees, who have hit 70 home runs this month and 250 already this season.
The Cubs homered three times while building a 10-1 lead off Noah Syndergaard by the third inning of a 10-7 win over the Mets. Ian Happ, Kyle Schwaber and Nicholas Castellanos each hit two-run blasts off Syndergaard, who endured the worst outing of his career. Schwarber finished with three RBIs and Addison Russell drove in a pair as the Cubs dealt the Mets their fifth straight loss since a five-game winning streak.
Max Scherzer has gone over the 200-strikeout mark for the eighth consecutive season by fanning eight more in the Nationals’ 8-4 romp against the Orioles. Scherzer allowed two runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings, his second start since missing a month with a strained back. Kurt Suzuki homered and drove in four runs in Washington’s sixth win in seven days, one night after the Nats were shut out by the Orioles.
J.T. Realmuto was 3-for-5 with a triple and a solo homer as the Phillies blew out the Pirates, 12-3. Cesar Hernandez also had three hits and drove in three for Philadelphia, and teammate Corey Dickerson added a solo blast. Vince Velasquez bounced back from a forgettable outing by going five innings and allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
In MLB news, Indians manager Terry Francona says the team plans to activate right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the 60-day injured list Sunday. The 32-year-old Carrasco has been out of major league action since late May, when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He has made three rehab appearances so far with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, permitting one run while striking out six hitters across 3 2/3 innings. Francona told the MLB Network Radio about the planned move Wednesday.
TENNIS
Serena Williams and Roger Federer each experienced a frustrating first set before advancing to the third round of the U.S. Open. Williams made key adjustments to her serve and straightened out her other strokes before completing a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 win against 17-year-old American Caty McNally. The eighth-seeded Williams avoided what would have been her earliest loss in 19 appearances at the U.S. Open. The 121st-ranked McNally had never won a match at any major tournament until Monday. Federer fell behind for the second time in three days before rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Damir Dzumhur. Federer also lost his opening set against a qualifier on Monday before advancing.
Top seed Novak Djokovic battled through shoulder pain while disposing of Juan Ignacio Londero, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1. Djokovic received treatment throughout the match before joining Federer in the third round. Men’s No. 7 Kei Nishikori needed four sets to get past American Bradley Klahn. No. 12 Borna Coric pulled out with a lower back strain, giving a second-round walkover to Grigor Dimitrov. That leaves just six of the top-12 men’s seeds still alive at Flushing Meadows.
Venus Williams was dispatched in the second round as fifth seed Elina Svitolina earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory. The 39-year-old Williams fought off five match points in a 22-point game to hold serve before Svitolina improved to 13-3 in Grand Slam matches this year.
Women’s second seed Ash Barty and No. 3 Karolina Pliskova each cruised to a straight-sets victory to reach Round 3. American and tenth seed Madison Keys was a 6-4, 6-1 winner against Lin Zhu.
Rain altered Wednesday’s schedule, forcing the postponement of all matches except those in the two main show courts with retractable roofs. Meanwhile, the ATP says it will look into a comment by Nick Kyrgios that the men's tour is "corrupt" to determine whether it fits under its rules governing a "major player offense." Asked after his first-round win at the U.S. Open whether his recent fine of $113,000 for various rule violations at a tournament earlier this month affected him mentally as play at Flushing Meadows approached, Kyrgios replied: "Not at all. ATP's pretty corrupt, anyway, so I'm not fussed about it at all."
NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA say they're investigating a claim that center DeMarcus Cousins threatened violence against a former girlfriend. TMZ released an audio recording Tuesday in which it says Cousins threatens to shoot Christy West, the mother of their 7-year-old child. The Lakers issued a statement saying they "take this claim seriously." The team and the NBA both say they're gathering information and looking into the allegations. Cousins got married to another woman last weekend in Atlanta.
NFL
The Bills have signed kicker Stephen Hauschka to a two-year contract extension through 2021. Hauschka was entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed in free agency in 2017. The 34-year-old has 11 seasons of NFL experience and has converted 86.4 percent of his field goal attempts, which currently places him seventh on the NFL list.
The Colts have agreed to send cornerback Nate Hairston to the Jets for a sixth-round pick, a deal that is pending a physical.
Suspended Browns running back Kareem Hunt won’t be permitted inside the team's facility while serving his eight-game ban for physical altercations. A league spokesman said Hunt can’t be at the facility starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the deadline for teams to submit their 53-man rosters. Hunt was suspended for two off-field incidents, one in which he shoved and kicked a woman. The team had asked the NFL to allow Hunt to be around teammates, arguing he could use the extra support. Hunt signed with Cleveland in March after being released by Kansas City in December.
San Francisco running back Jerick McKinnon has had another setback in his return from a knee injury. General manager John Lynch told flagship radio station KNBR on Wednesday that McKinnon's return to practice the previous day was "not encouraging." McKinnon tore his right ACL a week before the start of last season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Boise State and Florida State expect to make a decision Thursday about their season opener, which could be affected by Hurricane Dorian. The neutral-site game is scheduled to be played Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida. Dorian gained hurricane strength earlier Wednesday and is forecast to become a powerful storm in the next few days. Officials could consider starting the game earlier Saturday or canceling it altogether.
NHL
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick is expected to miss this season due to a neck condition that bothered the 12-year veteran for much of last season. General manager Jason Botterill based Hunwick's prognosis on offseason medical evaluations in making the announcement about two weeks before the Sabres report to training camp.
Goalie Cam Ward has signed a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes so he can retire as a member of the team he helped lead to a Stanley Cup. General manager Don Waddell called Ward "a cornerstone for this organization for more than a decade." The 35-year-old Ward won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2006 playoffs and holds numerous club records for goalies, including 318 victories, 668 regular-season games played, a .557 winning percentage and 27 shutouts.
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