KANSAS CITY, Mo, (AP) — Andrew Vaughn’s two-run homer in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Lucas Giolito picked up the win in a game that started two hours late because of rain. He allowed two runs on five hits over six innings. Kendall Graveman worked the ninth for his first save. Jordan Lyles threw a complete game, the first by a Royals pitcher in more than two years, allowing four runs on six hits with no walks. Lyles fell to 0-6 on the season.
CHICAGO (AP) — Paul DeJong, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-4 for their third consecutive win. DeJong put St. Louis in front when he opened the ninth inning with a drive to left-center off Javier Assad for his third homer this season. Dylan Carlson then tripled and scored on Andrew Knizner’s bloop double into shallow right field. Chris Stratton got four outs for the win, and Giovanny Gallegos worked the ninth for his second save. The Cardinals had dropped eight in a row and 15 of 18 overall before their win streak.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jurickson Profar had his first multihomer game in four years, Connor Seabold got his first major league win and the Colorado Rockies routed Pittsburgh 10-1 Tuesday night, sending the Pirates to their eighth loss in nine games. Profar hit a go-ahead solo homer on a slider from Luis Ortiz (0-1) in the second and followed Ryan McMahon’s two-run triple with a two-run drive off Duane Underwood Jr. that capped a five-run seventh and built a nine-run lead. Profar had his third career multihomer game and first since July 17, 2019, for Oakland against Seattle.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Automatic balls and strikes could soon be coming to the major leagues. Much like the players themselves, the robo-umps are working their way up through the minors with the goal being promoted to the show. The goal is to eliminate the individual and sometimes inconsistent strike zones that vary from umpire to umpire, and with it the possibility that a game can turn on a bad ball/strike call. Disappearing with that are the complaints that an umpire’s strike zone was too wide or a pitcher was getting squeezed, followed by the helmet-slamming, dirt-kicking dustups that are practically as old as the sport itself.
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had a triple-double after making up with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. sank five 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead. Joker had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a center in NBA history. Game 6 is Thursday night in Phoenix. The home team has won every game in the series. If that holds true again, the decisive winner-take-all clash will come Sunday back in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets own the NBA’s best home record at 39-7, including 5-0 in the playoffs.
BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 33 points and the Philadelphia 76ers easily took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the Boston Celtics 115-103. It was the third straight game 30-point game of the series for Embiid, who also had seven rebounds and four blocks. Philadelphia will have chance to close out the series and advance to the conference finals when they host Game 6 on Thursday. Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and six 3s. James Harden finished with 17 points and 10 assists and eight rebounds. The 76ers led by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 36 points but was just 11 of 27 from the field. Jaylen Brown finished with 24 points.
SEATTLE (AP) — Joe Pavelski scored his sixth goal of the series as part of a four-goal second period for Dallas, and the Stars routed the Seattle Kraken 6-3 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to even the Western Conference semifinal series. After a pair of tight games in Dallas to open the series, Games 3 and 4 in Seattle were blowouts. The Kraken rolled to a 7-2 win in Game 3 and the Stars responded with their best performance of the series in a dominant Game 4 victory. Game 5 is Thursday night in Dallas. Pavelski scored four goals in the series opener, added a fifth in Game 2 and gave the Stars a 4-0 lead midway through the second period of Game 4.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jordan Martinook had a goal and two assists and the Carolina Hurricanes scored five times in the second period to beat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 on Tuesday night for a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal. Martin Necas scored twice and Brett Pesce, Jesper Fast and Brent Burns added goals as the Hurricanes routed the young Devils for the third time in four games. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in a relatively easy game after giving up an early goal to Jack Hughes. The Hurricanes have outscored New Jersey 17-3 in their three wins. The five goals in the second period were the most the Devils have given up in a period this season.
UNDATED (AP) — Sports wagering experts say it was a matter of time before college gambling scandals surfaced. Last week, the Alabama baseball coach was fired after suspicious wagering activity was detected on a game involving the Crimson Tide. This week, both Iowa and Iowa State announced gambling investigations involving some of their athletes. Keith Whyte is executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. He expects investigations at other schools to follow. East Carolina assistant professor Michelle L. Malkin says sports betting has become part of college culture. NCAA rules prohibit athletes, coaches and staff from betting on most sports.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s national championship football team is declining an invitation to visit the White House. According to a statement released by the Georgia athletic association, the Bulldogs will not be able to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House described by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as “College Athlete Day.” Georgia says it received the invitation on Wednesday. It said the date “is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year.” The statement said Georgia was appreciative of the invitation and looks forward to other opportunities to visit the White House.
TUESDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 8 Toronto 4
Final Atlanta 9 Boston 3
Final San Diego 6 Minnesota 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 2 Detroit 0
Final Baltimore 4 Tampa Bay 2
Final Chicago White Sox 4 Kansas City 2
Final N.Y. Yankees 10 Oakland 5
Final Houston 3 L.A. Angels 1
Final Seattle 5 Texas 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Colorado 10 Pittsburgh 1
Final Cincinnati 7 N.Y. Mets 6
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 Milwaukee 2
Final St. Louis 6 Chicago Cubs 4
Final San Francisco 4 Washington 1
Final Miami 6 Arizona 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 115 Boston 103
Final Denver 118 Phoenix 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Carolina 6 New Jersey 1
Final Dallas 6 Seattle 3
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