Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alek Manoah scattered six hits in six scoreless innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 7-0. Alejandro Kirk had four hits and scored a run for Toronto, and Bo Bichette reached base five times — including three walks. The Blue Jays have won back-to-back shutouts for the first time since last July. Manoah worked around a bases-loaded jam in the sixth after putting two of the runners on with two-out walks. Brad Keller (1-7) allowed three runs and seven hits in six-plus innings for Kansas City. He walked two and struck out four, and induced three inning-ending double plays. The Royals have been shut out in consecutive games for the first time since May 2021.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Taylor Walls hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2. Walls sent a 2-2 pitch from Drew VerHagen into the right field seats. St. Louis loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th against Colin Poche but scored just once for a 2-1 lead on Lars Nootbaar's sacrifice fly. Paul Goldschmidt was thrown out by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier attempting to score on Harrison Bader's two-out single.
Update on the latest sports
NHL-PLAYOFFS
Lightning beat Rangers 4-1 in Game 4 to even East final
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored on a breakaway and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 33 saves, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning shut down the New York Rangers 4-1 and evening the NHL's Eastern Conference final at two games apiece.
Kucherov took a pass from Ondrej Palat in the middle of the ice and skated in on goaltender Igor Shesterkin to give the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions a two-goal lead just over 13 minutes into the second period. Palat, Pat Maroon and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Lightning, who have rebounded from losing the first two games of the series on the road to keep their bid to become the first team in nearly 40 years to win three consecutive Stanley Cup titles alive. Game 5 is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Orioles hit 5 home runs, cruise past Cubs 9-3
UNDATED (AP) —Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini hit successive homers, sparking a power surge that carried the Baltimore Orioles past the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on a rainy. Jorge Mateo, Austin Hays and Ramón Urías also connected for the Orioles, who beat the Cubs for the first time in seven tries since 2008. Reliever Bryan Baker earned the win after allowing one run and one hit over 1 1/3 innings.
In other Tuesday action:
—The Los Angeles Angels matched a franchise record with their 13th straight defeat hours after firing manager Joe Maddon, falling 6-5 to the streaking Boston Red Sox on Christian Vázquez's go-ahead single in the 10th inning. Interim boss Phil Nevin lost his managerial debut and Angels star Mike Trout exited with left groin tightness as Los Angeles tied the franchise mark for its longest skid set in 1988-89. Boston won its sixth straight with a 15-hit effort, including two from Vázquez. Bobby Dalbec had two RBIs.
—Alek Manoah scattered six hits in six scoreless innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 7-0. Alejandro Kirk had four hits and scored a run for Toronto, and Bo Bichette reached base five times — including three walks. The Blue Jays have won back-to-back shutouts for the first time since last July.
—Justin Verlander struck out a season-high 12 in seven sparkling innings, Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 4-1. There was no trouble between the teams one night after beanballs led to a bench-clearing scuffle. Houston bench coach Joe Espada filled in for manager Dusty Baker, who served a one-game suspension after he and reliever Héctor Neris were ejected from Monday's game. Baker was also fined an undisclosed amount.
—Tarik Skubal pitched seven steady innings to win his fourth straight decision and Harold Castro hit a two-run single to lead the Detroit Tigers to a rain-delayed 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the start was pushed back more than two hours, Skubal gave up three runs and six hits while striking out nine and walking one. The left-hander has worked a career-high seven innings in three consecutive outings and is 4-0 with a 1.60 ERA in his last seven starts. Castro's hit, a liner up the middle, capped a three-run fourth that put the Tigers in front 4-1. Rookie Spencer Torkelson drove in the first run with a double.
—Yu Darvish held the Mets hitless until the sixth inning and Jurickson Profar launched a leadoff home run for the San Diego Padres, who beat New York 7-0 in a matchup between two of the NL's best teams. Darvish allowed only two hits in seven innings while striking out six and walking none on 100 pitches. He hit three of the Mets' first five batters with pitches, including Brandon Nimmo to open the game. Darvish plunked Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil to start the second and then retired 14 straight until Mark Canha singled for the Mets' first hit with two outs in the sixth.
—Connor Joe homered leading off the game, pinch-hitter Charlie Blackmon connected for a three-run shot and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3. Germán Márquez shook off a shaky start and struck out seven in six innings for his first road win this season. Yonathan Daza and Randal Grichuk each had two hits to help the Rockies end a four-game losing streak. Wilmer Flores hit a two-run homer for the Giants. San Francisco has lost four of six.
—The New York Yankees brushed off a rare bad start by Jameson Taillon to beat the Minnesota Twins 10-4 for their seventh straight victory. Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to crack open a close game. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton got the visitors going with first-inning homers. This was the 23rd time they've gone deep in the same game in five seasons together.
—Guillermo Heredia gave Atlanta the lead with a home run to lead off the seventh, Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two homers and the streaking Braves beat the reeling Oakland Athletics 3-2. Kyle Wright recovered from a rough first inning to allow two runs in eight innings as the Braves extended their season-best winning streak to six games.
—Alec Bohm and Matt Vierling homered off Josh Hader in the ninth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 for their fifth straight win. Milwaukee held a 2-1 lead in the ninth with its All-Star closer on the mound. Hader hadn't blown a save or allowed a run in 19 previous appearances this year. Bohm belted a lead-off homer off Hader, snapping his streak of 40 straight scoreless appearances dating to last season.
—Graham Ashcraft pitched six shutout innings to extend his impressive debut run, Joey Votto led an early homer barrage and the Cincinnati Reds beat the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks 14-8. Votto hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Brandon Drury and Matt Reynolds added two-run drives within the first three innings for a 9-0 lead. The advantage stayed there until the game was delayed 63 minutes by rain after seven innings.
—Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice, including a grand slam, and had a career-high six RBIs as the Miami Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 12-2. Nick Fortes and Jorge Soler also went deep while Avisaíl García had three hits for the Marlins. Rookie right-hander Edward Cabrera allowed one run in six innings in his second start since being promoted from Triple-A last week.
—Taylor Walls hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2. Walls sent a 2-2 pitch from Drew VerHagen into the right field seats. St. Louis loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th against Colin Poche but scored just once for a 2-1 lead on Lars Nootbaar's sacrifice fly. Paul Goldschmidt was thrown out by center fielder Kevin Kiermaier attempting to score on Harrison Bader's two-out single.
—Marcus Semien homered twice and tied a Texas franchise record for hits in a doubleheader as the Rangers hit four homers in a 6-3 win over Cleveland Guardians to earn a split. Behind starter Cal Quantrill, Cleveland won the opener 6-3 to briefly reach .500 for the first time since May 14. Semien homered three times in the two games and finished 7-for-8, raising his average from .196 to .221.
MLB-NEWS
Angels fire manager Joe Maddon amid 12-game losing streak
UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Joe Maddon with the team mired in a 12-game losing streak.
Third base coach Phil Nevin will be the Angels' interim manager when they host Boston on Tuesday night. Maddon went 130-148 with the Angels, who hired him before the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. After finishing with losing records in Maddon's first two seasons, the Angels were off to a strong 27-17 start to this season before their current losing streak began. They are one loss shy of tying the longest skid in franchise history.
Elsewhere in the MLB:
—Astros pitcher Héctor Neris was suspended four games and Houston manager Dusty Baker was banned one game by Major League Baseball after both were ejected from a game against Seattle in which Neris plunked one hitter and nearly hit another in the head. Neris and Baker were also fined undisclosed amounts, MLB Senior Vice President for On-field Operations Michael Hill announced Tuesday. Astros coaches Joe Espada, Omar López and Troy Snitker were also fined, as was Mariners manager Scott Servais. Neris is appealing his suspension and remained active for Houston's game against Seattle on Tuesday night. Baker planned to serve his suspension, with Espada managing Tuesday's game.
—Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to make his season debut against the Miami Marlins on Thursday. The 33-year-old Strasburg has been sidelined for most of the past two seasons. He underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer and has not pitched since June 1, 2021. Nationals manager Dave Martinez says there will be "no limitations" on Strasburg. The 2019 World Series MVP, Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million contract to remain with the Nationals after their championship season. He has made seven starts since, going 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA in those games.
— The Atlanta Braves have acquired right-hander Jacob Webb from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The 28-year-old Webb is returning to the Braves, where he pitched from 2019-21. Webb is expected to be available in the bullpen for Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics.
—The Texas Rangers placed reliever Brett Martin on the COVID-19 list before the first game of a doubleheader against the Guardians. Bench coach Donnie Ecker was also placed in health and safety protocols by the team. Rangers manager Chris Woodward would not say if either Martin or Ecker tested positive or were experiencing any symptoms. Woodward said the team is taking the necessary steps to avoid an outbreak of the virus.
—Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson has become the fourth member of the World Series champion Braves to go to salary arbitration. He is asking a three-person panel for $10 million while the Braves argued for $9.2 million. The 28-year-old Swanson hit .248 last year, when he set career highs with 27 homers and 88 RBIs.
NHL NEWS
Stars sign Gurianov to $2.9M contract for 2022-23 season
UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Stars have signed restricted free agent Denis Gurianov to a $2.9 million contract for the 2022-23 season.
General manager Jim Nill announced the signing on Gurianov's 25th birthday. The forward was the team's first-round choice and the 12th pick overall in the 2015 NHL draft. Gurianov had 11 goals and a career-high 20 assists in 73 regular-season games this season.
NFL-NEWS
Walmart heir Rob Walton agrees to buy Broncos in record deal
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have entered into a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner ownership group. The buyers are led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner.
Although terms of the sale weren't disclosed late Tuesday night, the winning bid was reportedly for $4.65 billion. That's by far the most expensive deal for a sports franchise anywhere in the world. It surpasses the $3.1 billion sale last month of European soccer club Chelsea to an American-led consortium.
Walton says Black businesswoman Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, has agreed to join the ownership group.
In other NFL news:
—Back surgery will keep Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard out of this week's mandatory minicamp and at least part of training camp. Coach Frank Reich says the three-time All-Pro was scheduled to have a procedure Tuesday as Indy opened its three-day practice session. Leonard played through a bad ankle last season and had surgery earlier this offseason. Reich said the back injury also bothered Leonard and he opted for surgery when it didn't get any better.
—All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel ended his offseason holdout by reporting for the first day of mandatory minicamp for the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel had skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason after telling ESPN in April that he wanted to be traded but showed up for the first day of a three-day minicamp. Skipping the camp could have led to a fine of nearly $100,000.
—Titans cornerback Caleb Farley is one of 26 Titans who wound up on injured reserve for the 2021 season. He's wearing a yellow jersey this offseason warning against contact along with wide receivers Robert Woods and Racey McMath and fellow cornerback Kristian Fulton. Farley is the Titans' first-round draft pick last year.
GOLF-US OPEN-WOODS
Woods will skip US Open
UNDATED (AP) — Tiger Woods has pulled out of the U.S. Open and says his body "needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf." He said he hopes to be ready to play in a charity pro-am event in Ireland ahead of the British Open at St. Andrews in July. The U.S. Open is next week at The Country Club at Brookline outside of Boston.
Woods made a surprise return to golf at the Masters just 14 months after he broke bones in his right leg and ankle in a car crash. He later played the PGA Championship at Southern Hills but withdrew after the third round. Woods has won the U.S. Open three times, most recently in 2008.
GOLF-SAUDI LEAGUE-US OPEN
US Open to accept Mickelson and all eligible players
UNDATED (AP) — Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and other players competing in the Saudi-funded rival golf league are free to play the U.S. Open next week. That was always expected but confirmed Tuesday by the USGA.
The USGA says the question is, if a player earned his way into the the U.S. Open, should that be taken away because he is playing a different league? It felt the answer was no.
CEO Mike Whan says more than 9,000 people signed up for the U.S. Open and the USGA is not in the business of policing what they stand for.
GOLF-SAUDI LEAGUE-HUMAN RIGHTS
Golfers put aside 'reprehensible' Saudi moves to join series
ST. ALBANS, England (AP) — The stars of the new Saudi-funded golf league have tried to fend off concerns about human rights abuses and signing up to accept hundreds of millions of dollars despite the risk of being banned from long-standing events.
After announcing he quit the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf series, Dustin Johnson evaded questioning about the source of the $25 million prize fund for each event flowing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
Graeme McDowell says he accepts it is "incredibly polarizing" to join the tour. He even offered a reason why, citing the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Human rights groups describe Saudi Arabia's efforts as "sportswashing" its image.
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