KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Christian Walker had three hits and his RBI double led to a three-run eighth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-3. Zach Davies allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings, including Bobby Witt Jr.’s 17th homer. Joe Mantiply got the relief victory. Three Royals relievers allowed seven runs over the final four innings. Josh Staumont allowed four runs to take the loss. The Diamondbacks snapped a three-game losing streak. The Royals were outhit 13-5 and have gone a franchise-record eight consecutive games without more than six hits while losing seven of nine.
CHICAGO (AP) — Nolan Arenado and Tyler O’Neill homered in a five-run fourth inning, Corey Dickerson had four hits and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Chicago Cubs 13-3 to split a doubleheader. The Cubs blanked the Cardinals 2-0 in the opener, ending St. Louis’ season-best eight-game winning streak. Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter. The NL Central-leading Cardinals got back on track in the nightcap with 16 hits. Tommy Edman had a solo homer, a double and three RBIs.
DENVER (AP) — C.J. Cron hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning and Elias Díaz also had a three-run homer as the Colorado Rockies edged the Texas Rangers 7-6 on Tuesday night. The Rockies overcame two three-run deficits. Cron’s two-out homer came after a fielding error by shortstop Corey Seager. Charlie Blackmon beat out an infield single with two outs before Cron hit his 24th homer of the season off Brock Burke (6-3). Cron, hitting .171 with two homers since the All-Star break, had not played since Friday.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. apologized privately to his San Diego Padres teammates for testing positive for a performance enhancing-drug, then publicly expressed remorse for the 80-game suspension that will keep him off the field well into next season. The star shortstop says he's “really sorry for mistakes” and that his dreams have turned into his worst nightmares. He said there's no one to blame other than himself. He was suspended on Aug. 12 after MLB said he tested positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill and reloaded with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and a bevy of draft picks on offense. But once again, their quest for a seventh consecutive AFC West title revolves around the play of Patrick Mahomes, who will be operating behind one of the league's best offensive lines. If their revamped defense can put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, the Chiefs could be in the mix down the stretch and into the playoffs, and perhaps find themselves hosting an unprecedented fifth straight conference championship game.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Blake Bell has had surgery to repair what coach Andy Reid has termed an “unusual” hip flexor injury. That leaves them without their primary backup to Travis Kelce for at least the start of the regular season. Bell hurt the hip on a touchdown catch during the Chiefs’ preseason opener. He tried to play through it but ultimately left the game, and the veteran tight end hasn't played or practiced since. In other news, Reid declined to say whether the starters will play in Thursday night's preseason finale against Green Bay. They have been sharp in limited reps during their first two preseason games, with Patrick Mahomes throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA women’s basketball title game will be broadcast on ABC this season for the first time. The championship game usually airs in prime time but will be played at 3 p.m. Eastern on April 2. ESPN said it would look at moving the game back to prime time in the future but currently has commitments to entertainment shows that night. Last season’s championship game, in which South Carolina beat UConn, was the most viewed women’s title game in nearly two decades, drawing 4.85 million viewers. The national semifinals averaged 2.7 million viewers, up 21% year over year, and was the most viewed semifinals in a decade. The full tournament averaged 634,000 viewers, up 16% from the previous year’s coverage.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban is getting a new eight-year contract worth at least $93.6 million, eclipsing the recent megadeal of Southeastern Conference rival Kirby Smart. The University of Alabama trustees compensation committee approved a one-year extension through Feb. 28, 2030 for the 70-year old Saban, who has led the Crimson Tide to six national titles. Saban’s deal averages out to $11.7 million per year, topping Smart’s $11.25 million pay at defending national champion Georgia. The announcement comes a month after Smart agreed to a 10-year deal worth more than $110 million. The Bulldogs beat Alabama in the national championship game.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets plan to stay together after all. The All-Star forward asked to be traded earlier this summer. The Nets said Tuesday that the team’s leadership met a day earlier with Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles and “agreed to move forward with our partnership,” according to general manager Sean Marks. Marks added that the goal remains to bring a championship to Brooklyn. That is certainly more likely by keeping Durant, who remains one of the best scorers in the NBA. He is set to begin a four-year extension he signed last summer.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise. Moreno purchased the Angels in 2003, a year after they won the World Series. He has spent aggressively on aging free agent stars like Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but the club hasn’t been back to the Fall Classic since he became owner. Los Angeles is set to miss the postseason for the eighth straight year despite featuring AL MVPs Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Moreno’s announcement comes at a critical moment for the franchise, with Ohtani set to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
TUESDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final San Francisco 3 Detroit 1
Final N.Y. Yankees 4 N.Y. Mets 2
Final Colorado 7 Texas 6
Final Arizona 7 Kansas City 3
Final Miami 5 Oakland 3
Final Seattle 4 Washington 2
Final Cleveland 3 San Diego 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 11 L.A. Angels 1
Final Toronto 9 Boston 3
Final Baltimore 5 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Houston 4 Minnesota 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 2 St. Louis 0
Final Atlanta 6 Pittsburgh 1
Final Philadelphia 7 Cincinnati 6
Final St. Louis 13 Chicago Cubs 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 10 Milwaukee 1