Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Dakota Hudson threw seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Nick Wittgren earned his first save by getting the last out of the game when he retired pinch-hitter Robinson Canó on a fly ball with the bases loaded. The Cardinals have won five of six games. The Padres have lost four of five. Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 23 games and reached safely for a career-best 37th consecutive game. Goldschmidt went 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Konnor Pilkington struck out eight in five innings for his first major league win and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 to complete a three-game sweep. Pilkington, making his third career start and sixth appearance, worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth. The left-hander is taking the rotation spot of injured Aaron Civale. José Ramírez had a run-scoring groundout in the fifth for his major league leading 52nd RBI. Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez and Richie Palacios also drove in runs for Cleveland. Kansas City has dropped 11 of 13 and has the worst record in the majors at 16-33.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger has received a contract extension and $500,000 raise after leading the Cyclones to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the third-best turnaround in major college basketball history. Otzelberger's contract was extended one year through June 2027 and his compensation package increases from $1.5 million to $2 million annually. The Cyclones went 22-13 in Otzelberger's first season following a two-win season in 2020-21 under Steve Prohm.
Update on the latest sports
NHL-EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Rangers beat Lightning 6-2
NEW YORK (AP) — Filip Chytil (FIH-lihp HEE'-tul) scored twice in the second period and the New York Rangers routed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Mika Zibanejad (MEE'-kah zih-BAN'-ih-jad) , Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH'-mee pah-NAH'-rihn) and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist, Chris Kreider also scored and Alexis Lafrenière (ah-LEHK'-see lah-frehn-YEHR') and Adam Fox each had two assists to help New York win its franchise-record seventh straight home playoff game. Igor Shesterkin (shehs-TUR'-kihn) stopped 37 shots.
Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist, and Ondrej Palat (AHN'-dray pah-LAHT') also scored for Tampa Bay, which had won six straight and was playing for the first time since completing its second-round sweep of Florida on May 23.
Tempers flared with less than two minutes remaining as several skirmishes broke out in one corner. Ten players received penalties — including two on the Rangers' Barclay Goodrow — to put Tampa Bay on a power play to finish the game.
Game 2 is Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Mets blank Nationals again 5-0 to finish perfect homestand
UNDATED (AP) — Pitching for the first time in the majors with his father in the stands, Carlos Carrasco wanted to come through.
Carrasco combined with three relievers on New York's second consecutive shutout.
Tomás Nido went 4 for 4 with three RBIs at the bottom of the batting order and the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 Wednesday to polish off a perfect homestand.
Francisco Lindor extended his RBI streak to 10 games, matching Hall of Famer Mike Piazza for the second-longest in franchise history.
New York is 18 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 2015 regular season 90-72 on the way to its last World Series appearance.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Ji-Man Choi hit an RBI double in the 11th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Texas 4-3 Wednesday night. That kept the Rangers from having a winning record for the first time this season. Both teams scored in the 10th, but the Rangers left the bases loaded. Jon Gray struck out a season-high 12 batters over seven innings and exited with a 2-1 lead for Texas. Sam Huff and Nathaniel Lowe hit solo homers for the Rangers. Randy Arozarena went deep for the Rays, and Harold Ramirez had a tying pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth.
— Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4. The Pirates completed their first sweep at Dodger Stadium in nearly 22 years. Rodolfo Castro went 2 for 2 with four RBI in three innings and the Pirates' defense turned four double plays. The NL West-leading Dodgers lost their third in a row for the first time since dropping four straight from May 11-14 against the Pirates and Phillies. They were swept for the first time this season.
— Rookie Christopher Morel drove in Jason Heyward with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3. Heyward started on second base and moved up on a groundout by Nick Madrigal. Morel then drove him in with a fly to left against Hoby Milner (2-1) and got mobbed by his teammates in the infield after the winning run scored. Morel extended his club record by reaching base in his first 15 major league games, when he walked and scored in the first. Willson Contreras singled twice, drove in a run and scored one after hitting home runs in his previous two games.
— Rookie Edward Cabrera took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out nine in earning his first big league win, Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered and drove in four, and the Miami Marlins collected 21 hits in routing the Colorado Rockies 14-1 in the first game of a doubleheader. Cabrera, a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic, used a fastball topping out at 99 mph along with a slider and changeup to baffle Colorado's lineup. He allowed one hit over six innings, overcoming four walks and two hit batters in the Marlins' second win in seven games.
— Rookie Konnor Pilkington struck out eight in five innings for his first major league win and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 to complete a three-game sweep. Pilkington, making his third career start and sixth appearance, worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth. The left-hander is taking the rotation spot of injured Aaron Civale (sih-VA'-lee). José Ramírez had a run-scoring groundout in the fifth for his major league leading 52nd RBI. Kansas City has dropped 11 of 13 and has the worst record in the majors at 16-33.
— Vladimir Guerrero (guh-REHR'-oh) Jr. hit a two run home run, Danny Jansen added a three-run blast, and the Toronto Blue Jays extended their winning streak to seven games by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-3. It's Toronto's longest winning streak since an eight-game run last Sept. 1-9. Santiago Espinal added a solo shot as the Blue Jays won for the 11th time in 14 games. Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu left after four innings because of tightness in his forearm. Ryu missed 24 games in April and May because of soreness in his forearm.
— Austin Riley hit a three-run homer, William Contreras had three hits — including two of Atlanta's five doubles — and Kyle Wright threw six scoreless innings for Atlanta who blanked the Diamondbacks 6-0.
— Kyle Schwarber and Nick Maton homered to help the Philadelphia Phillies snap a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Phillies star Bryce Harper was a late scratch from the lineup due to right forearm soreness, and second baseman Jean Segura was ruled out for up to three months with a fractured right index finger. Maton, Segura's replacement at second base, also had an RBI bunt single as Philadelphia avoided a three-game sweep and won for just the fifth time in 17 games while likely cooling calls for manager Joe Girardi's job — at least for now.
— Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías hit two of the Orioles' four homers with back-to-back shots in the sixth inning, and Baltimore cruised past the Seattle Mariners 9-2. Rougned Odor and Trey Mancini also connected for the Orioles, who bounced back from a 10-0 defeat the prior night. Austin Hays went 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Reliever Cionel Perez picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Baltimore pulled away with five runs in the sixth. Mountcastle and Urías gave the Orioles a cushion with back-to-back home runs.
— Tarik Skubal allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings in Detroit Tigers' 5-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Jonathan Schoop drove in two of Detroit's runs and is hitting .438 with a home run and six RBIs in the five-game series against his former team. The Tigers have won three of four in the series that concludes Thursday. Skubal walked one and struck out six to improve to 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA in his last six starts. Minnesota's Bailey Ober allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings. The Twins haven't scored in 20 innings.
— Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Dakota Hudson threw seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Nick Wittgren earned his first save by getting the last out of the game when he retired pinch-hitter Robinson Canó (kah-NOH') on a fly ball with the bases loaded.
— Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Yordan Álvarez cleared the bases with a go-ahead double in the ninth and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 to complete a three-game sweep. Verlander finished with six strikeouts in seven innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits for a no-decision. Reliever Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Ryan Pressly closed for his 10th save.
— Tarik Skubal allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings in Detroit Tigers' 5-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Jonathan Schoop drove in two of Detroit's runs and his is hitting .438 with a home run and six RBIs in the five-game series against his former team. The Tigers have won three of four in the series that concludes Thursday. Skubal walked one and struck out six to improve to 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA in his last six starts. Minnesota's Bailey Ober allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings. The Twins haven't scored in 20 innings.
— Garrett Whitlock pitched six strong innings and Jackie Bradley Jr. drove in four runs to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1. Whitlock allowed five hits and one unearned run before two relievers completed the seven-hitter. Boston got to Hunter Greene in the fourth inning. Greene struck out seven batters in the first three innings before the Red Sox broke through.
— The game between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees has been rained out. The teams will make up the game with a day-night doubleheader Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Angels star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to pitch the first game starting at 1:05 p.m. The second game is supposed to start at 7:05 p.m. More rain is in the forecast, however. Reid Detmers will pitch the second game for the Angels, who have lost six in a row. Nestor Cortes will start the first game for the Yankees and Jameson Taillon will pitch the second game.
MLB-NEWS-INJURIES
Marlins' Wendle back to IL; Anderson sidelined
UNDATED (AP) — Miami Marlins infielder Joey Wendle has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.
Outfielder Brian Anderson landed on the IL with lower back spasms for the struggling Marlins.
Miami recalled right-hander Edward Cabrera and third baseman Luke Williams from Triple-A Jacksonville.
The Chicago Cubs placed left-hander Drew Smyly on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right oblique. Outfielder Jason Heyward was activated from the injured list and right-hander Michael Rucker from the 15-day IL. Outfielder Nelson Velázquez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, and right-hander Manuel Rodriguez was recalled from Iowa and placed on the 60-day injured list because of a strained right elbow.
Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu exited his start against the Chicago White Sox after four innings because of tightness in his pitching forearm. Ryu is 2-0 with a 5.33 ERA in six starts. He missed 24 games in April and May because of soreness in his forearm, but he had gone 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his past three starts since returning May 14 at Tampa Bay.
NFL-NEWS
Browns sign TE Njoku to 4-year contract extension
UNDATED (AP) — David Njoku has gone from wanting out of the Cleveland Browns to locking in with them. Cleveland announced Njoku's four-year, $56.75 million contract extension on Wednesday, a deal that could take the tight end through the 2027 season.
A first-round draft pick in 2017, Njoku will be among the NFL's highest-paid tight ends without putting up elite statistics. He caught 36 passes for 475 yards and a team-high four touchdowns last season. But the Browns believe the 25-year-old Njoku is just reaching his prime and could be on the verge of a breakout, which is why they invested in him.
In other NFL news:
— The Carolina Panthers' proposed $800 million practice facility project in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is officially dead after team owner David Tepper's real estate company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Wednesday night. Tepper, who made billions in hedge funds, is the NFL's wealthiest owner. The filing will not affect the NFL's Panthers or Major League Soccer's Charlotte FC in any way. It's unclear at this point what will happen to the half-built practice facility. Tepper has invested more than $175 million into the facility, which is located about 25 miles south of the team's current downtown stadium and headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
— Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray returned to the practice field today after a couple of months of off-the-field drama. The quarterback has been in a passive-aggressive contract spat with Arizona management and even wiped his social media accounts of any Cardinals references at one point. Murray is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract and wants a new long-term deal.
— The Minnesota Vikings have signed eight-year veteran wide receiver Albert Wilson. He provides an experienced option for more depth at the position. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Wilson spent the past four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Wilson had a career-high 554 yards with three scores in 13 games in 2017. Wilson was undrafted out of Georgia State.
— Veteran defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 32-year-old Hicks is likely to become a replacement for Ndamukong Suh ((ehn-DAHM'-uh-kehn soo), who is a free agent after spending the past three seasons on one-year deals with Tampa Bay. Hicks played the past six years with the Chicago Bears, starting all 77 games he appeared in and had 31 sacks.
— Stephon Tuitt's NFL career is over. The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman has retired from the NFL at age 29. Tuitt had 34 1/2 sacks in eight seasons with the Steelers. He did not play last season after his brother Richard Bartlett III was killed in a hit and run in Georgia.
— The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform has invited NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder to appear at a hearing later this month. Committee members say they sent letters to the league and team requesting Goodell and Snyder appear June 22. Congress launched an investigation into the organization's workplace culture last year after the league declined to release a report about an independent review it oversaw that led to a $10 million fine.
— The Atlanta Falcons are bringing back their red helmets for their throwback uniforms this season. The Falcons have announced they will bring back the red helmets with black jerseys for the first time since 2012. The team will wear the combination, which pays tribute to their first uniform in 1966, when they play the San Francisco 49ers in a home game on Oct. 16. The Falcons wore this version of the red helmet from 1966 to 1969 before removing the gold trim. The Falcons brought back the combination in 2009 and wore the uniform twice each season until 2013.
— The Dallas Cowboys say former running back Marion Barber III has died. He was 38. Barber scored plenty of touchdowns without recording a 1,000-yard season. He played a final season with Chicago in 2011 after spending his first six years with the Cowboys. He had issues with mental health after his career. Police in the Dallas suburb of Frisco say they made a welfare check at an apartment "believed to be leased" to Barber and were investigating an unattended death there.
TENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Swiatek wins 33rd match in a row
PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek (EE'-gah shvee-AHN'-tehk) has won her 33rd match in a row with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 11th-seeded Jessica Pegula (peh-GOO'-luh) to advance to the semifinals of the French Open.
The 21-year-old Swiatek has gone unbeaten since February for the WTA's longest such stretch since Serena Williams compiled a 34-match run in 2013.
Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open, will next face Daria Kasatkina of Russia for a spot at the final. The 20th-seeded Kasatkina advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 win over No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova, also of Russia.
Marin Cilic (CHIHL'-ihch) dominated a fifth-set tiebreaker against seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev to advance to his first French Open semifinal. The 2014 U.S. Open champion won 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in a match that lasted more than four hours. The 33-year-old Cilic will next face No. 8 Casper Ruud.
Casper Ruud has become the first man from Norway to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament. He made it that far at the French Open by beating 19-year-old Holger Rune of Denmark 6-1, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.
Ruud leads the ATP with 65 wins in clay-court matches since the start of the 2020 season.
GOLF-SAUDI LEAGUE
Rahm ready to start over and get another chance at Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — The first Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational has Dustin Johnson and 12 other PGA Tour members as part of its 48-man field next week outside London. The next move falls to the PGA Tour, which must decide whether to allow them to come back and, whether the PGA Tour allows the players to return to the tour at any time.
The Royal Bank of Canada already has said it is dropping Johnson and Graeme McDowell as sponsors. Both are playing the new event being held at the same time as the RBC Canadian Open.
GOLFER-FATAL ACCIDENT
Pro golfer Bart Bryant killed in vehicle accident in Florida
POLK CITY, Fla. (AP) — Professional golfer Bart Bryant was killed and his wife was injured when a truck slammed into their SUV while they were stopped on a central Florida roadway for a construction crew.
Bryant, 59, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, was unresponsive when emergency responders in Polk City found him Tuesday afternoon.
According to the sheriff's office, the Bryants' SUV was stopped at the construction site near an intersection. A truck traveling in the same direction failed to see their stopped SUV and slammed into it.
EAST ASIA BASKETBALL-GREEN
Rockets guard Jalen Green partners with new Asian league
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green is partnering with the East Asia Super League as an ambassador to promote basketball in the region. The eight-team pan-regional league will launch in October with the leading clubs from Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and a Manila-based team representing greater China.
Green was the highest-drafted Asian American player in the NBA when he was picked second overall. He's the third player of Filipino descent to make it to the NBA.
The 20-year-old Green made the NBA's All-Rookie first team in 2021-22 and says "I want to be an inspiration for the next generation of hoopers in Asia and elevate the game in the region."
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app. CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.