Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chris Bassitt pitched six strong innings, and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 for their franchise-best sixth straight series win to start a season. Bassitt struck out six batters and allowed two hits and two walks. Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Hicks allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in two innings before being pulled in the top of the third inning after being struck on the right wrist. His X-rays were negative. The Mets have been plunked a major-league leading 18 times after it happened three times. Bassitt said the baseballs are bad and the league doesn't care.
DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored one of Colorado's three goals in the second period and the Avalanche held on late to match the franchise record for points in a season with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. Erik Johnson and Josh Manson also scored in the second. Artturi Lehkonen added a goal just nine seconds into the third period to make it 4-1. St. Louis rallied late, but Nazem Kadri ended the threat by scoring an empty-net goal with 46.2 seconds left. The Avalanche have amassed 118 points to tie the team mark set by the 2000-01 squad. Ryan O'Reilly scored twice and Brandon Saad added another for the Blues.
CHICAGO (AP) — Daniel Lynch pitched six crisp innings and the Kansas City Royals handed the Chicago White Sox their eighth straight loss with a 6-0 victory. Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits and Carlos Santana drove in two runs, helping Kansas City stop a four-game slide. The Royals were outscored 22-12 in a sweep at Seattle over the weekend. Lynch allowed two hits, struck out seven and walked two. The White Sox issued 11 walks and committed two more errors, running their major league-leading total to 20. It's the longest losing streak for Chicago since it also dropped eight in a row in June 2018.
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 has a trio of new head football coaches and a few new starting quarterbacks. Only Oklahoma has both. More than 75,000 fans showed up over the weekend for Oklahoma's spring game after the departures of coach Lincoln Riley and two quarterbacks. New Sooners coach Brent Venables already has a proven starter in Dillon Gabriel. The redshirt junior transfer threw for 8,037 yards at future Big 12 school UCF. New TCU coach Sonny Dykes and Texas Tech's Joey McGuire wrapped up their first spring drills without naming a starter.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State sophomore Hunter Dekkers is in line to take over for Brock Purdy, the winningest quarterback in school history. He is one of the several new starting quarterbacks in the 10-team league, and among the players expected to have a big impact for his team in the 2022 season. Defending Big 12 champion Baylor replaces the departed Big 12 defensive player of the year at their STAR position with former four-star recruit Lorando Johnson. Oklahoma's Marvin Mims and TCU's Quentin Johnston are receivers expected to be among the league's top playmakers. Texas returns running back Bijan Robinson.
UNDATED (AP) — Quarterback Jaxson Dart didn't know exactly where he wanted to go upon deciding to leave USC, just that the Southeastern Conference was a preferred destination. Dart wound up landing at Mississippi and in the SEC, along with a number of other top players in the transfer portal. In some cases, such as Alabama, the rich got richer. Other teams may have picked up a new starting quarterback, runner, pass rusher or receiver.
UNDATED (AP) — Alabama returns likely the biggest stars in college football next season, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson. But there are several other Southeastern Conference players who appear poised to have breakout seasons or newcomers figuring to have big impacts. The group includes quarterback transfers such as Mississippi's Jaxson Dart and South Carolina's Spence Rattler. New tailbacks who have impressed include the Rebels' Zach Evans and Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs. Transfer portal pickups figure to impact most of the teams.
Update on the latest sports
NBA PLAYOFFS
Heat advance, Grizzlies go ahead
UNDATED (AP) — Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries. Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
In more playoff action:
— Mikal Bridges scored 31 points, Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-97 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series. The Suns never trailed but also never totally pulled away against the feisty Pelicans. Phoenix improved to 50-0 this season when leading after three quarters. Bridges closed the Suns' scoring with two emphatic dunks in the final minute. Brandon Ingram scored 22 points to lead the Pelicans.
— Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series. The NBA's most improved player scored 18 in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 and had 13 rebounds and nine assists. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points.
NBA-NEWS
Jrue Holiday named teammate of the year
UNDATED (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has been named the NBA's teammate of the year for the second time in three seasons.
A panel of league executives selected 12 finalists for the honor, which is officially named the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. More than 300 current NBA players voted on the winner from that list of 12 finalists. Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic finished second in the voting and Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan was third.
In other NBA news:
— Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans. Williams was upset by the disparity in foul shots — 42-15.
— The Chicago Bulls might have to get by without Zach LaVine when they try to avoid playoff elimination by the Milwaukee Bucks. The two-time All-Star is in the NBA's health and safety protocols. He tested positive for the coronavirus last April and again in December.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Braves pick up much-needed victory
UNDATED (AP) — Travis Demeritte hit his first big league homer in nearly three years and made a sliding catch to back another strong outing by Max Fried. That gave the Atlanta Braves a much-needed 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The reigning World Series champions won for only the third time in their last eight games. The Cubs have now lost six of seven.
In other MLB Tuesday action:
— David Peralta hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and also started one of Arizona's five double plays as the Diamondbacks put on a defensive clinic to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3. Arizona, which began the game with a majors-worst .189 batting average, had more double plays than hits. Peralta's two-run drive was its fourth and final hit. The Diamondbacks also picked a runner off first base. Arizona won for just the fourth time in its last 21 games against the Dodgers.
— Carlos Rodón had nine strikeouts in six sharp innings, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Oakland Athletics 8-2 on Tuesday night. Wilmer Flores homered and drove in four runs. Austin Slater also connected as the Giants won their first game back at Oracle Park following an 8-3 road trip. Rodón (3-0) allowed three hits and one run, which raised his ERA from 1.06 to 1.17. The left-hander walked two and broke Tim Lincecum's franchise record for most strikeouts through a pitcher's first four starts with the team with 38. Lincecum had 35 Ks in 2009.
— Mike Trout homered and drove in three runs, and Patrick Sandoval pitched seven innings of two-hit ball as the surging Los Angeles Angels defeated the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 for their third straight victory. Trout drove a slider from Triston McKenzie into the bullpens in left field for a two-run shot in the third inning to give the Angels a 3-0 lead. He was inches from a second home run in the fifth, but the ball hit the wall in the left-field corner for an RBI double to score Shohei Ohtani. The three-time AL MVP has a nine-game hitting streak. Sandoval, who struck out nine, has not allowed an earned run in three starts this season.
— Miami outfielders Jesús Sánchez and Avisaíl García each threw out a runner at the plate in the fourth inning, and Joey Wendle hit a three-run shot that helped the Marlins beat the reeling Washington Nationals 5-2.
— Odubel Herrera homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Zach Eflin pitched six strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies again took advantage of some shaky Colorado defense in a 10-3 rout of the Rockies.
— Daniel Lynch pitched six crisp innings and the Kansas City Royals handed the Chicago White Sox their eighth straight loss with a 6-0 victory. It's the longest losing streak for Chicago since it also dropped eight in a row in June 2018.
— Jake Odorizzi allowed one hit over six innings to end a long winless drought, and a rejuvenated Kyle Tucker homered and drove in three runs to power the Houston Astros past the Texas Rangers 5-1. Odorizzi permitted just two baserunners and won for the first time in 10 starts since last August.
— Anthony Rizzo homered three times to take over the major league lead, Aaron Judge connected on his birthday and Joey Gallo ended the longest home-run drought of his career as the New York Yankees outslugged the Baltimore Orioles 12-8. Gallo connected for the first time in 23 games.
— Willy Adames homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-8. Adames hit a two-run blast in the first inning and a three-run drive during a six-run sixth for the NL Central-leading Brewers.
— Eric Hosmer hit his first homer of the season and Jake Cronenworth added a bases-loaded triple during an eight-run fourth inning that sent the San Diego Padres past the struggling Cincinnati Reds 9-6. The Padres have won 10 of 11 against Cincinnati since the start of last season.
— Chris Bassitt pitched six strong innings, and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 for their franchise-best sixth straight series win in a chippy game. The Cardinals have lost three straight for the first time this season.
MLB-NEWS
Yankees were fined $100,000 for improper use of dugout phone
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Yankees were fined $100,000 by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred for using their dugout phone to relay information about opposing teams' signs during the 2015 season and part of 2016.
The fine was disclosed in a Sept. 14, 2017, letter from Manfred to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman that is set to be unsealed in U.S. District Court in New York this week as part of a dismissed lawsuit by a fan.
In other MLB news:
— Major League Baseball and the players' association are allowing teams to have an additional pitcher for most of May. MLB and the union says teams may carry as many as 14 pitchers from May 2 through May 29, a change the league said was "for player health purposes."
— The Atlanta Braves have placed slumping outfielder Eddie Rosario on the 10-day injured list with blurred vision and swelling in his right eye. He is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Leafs clinch home-ice advantage
UNDATED (AP) — Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 59th and 60th goals of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 to clinch home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 24-year-old, who snapped a five-game goal drought, is the first player to score 60 times in a campaign since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Miro Heiskanen made the only shot in a seven-round shootout and the Dallas Stars moved closer to clinching a playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas and Nashville are tied atop the Western Conference wild-card standings with 95 points with two games left. The top two teams advance.
— Jake DeBrusk snapped a 2-2 tie in the second period, Linus Ullmark made 19 saves and the Boston Bruins beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 to clinch the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. Florida lost for the second straight game after rattling off 13 wins.
— Matthew Tkachuk forced overtime by scoring with a second left in the third and Elias Lindholm's OT goal secured the Calgary Flames' 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. Nashville would have clinched its eighth consecutive playoff berth with a regulation win.
— Vincent Trochek had a goal and an assist, rookie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 31 shots and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-3 Tuesday night to clinch the Metropolitan Division title. The Hurricanes set franchise records with 53 wins and 114 points, topping marks set in 2005-06.
— Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to outduel Sidney Crosby, and the surging Edmonton Oilers rolled past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1. McDavid pushed his season point total to an NHL-best 122.
— The Washington Capitals missed an opportunity to move up in the standings by losing to the New York Islanders 4-1. Washington failed to pass rival Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division after the Penguins lost at home to Edmonton. New York snapped a five-game skid.
NHL-NEWS
Ovechkin injury clouds Capitals outlook week from playoffs
UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Capitals are listing Alex Ovechkin as day to day with an upper-body injury. But there's legitimate concern about the longtime captain's health moving forward. Ovechkin slammed into the boards left shoulder first in the Capitals game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night and did not return. The 36-year-old Russian winger did not take part in Washington's morning skate before facing the New York Islanders.
Also happening in the NHL:
— U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized 10 counterfeit Stanley Cup rings for the 1936 Detroit Red Wings championship team due to trademark violations. Customs officers at the Port of Champlain facility in New York found the rings valued at $15,000 earlier this month after examining a shipment. CBP said the shipment violated the intellectual property rights of the Red Wings' trademark. The 1936 Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Cup Final.
NFL-NEWS
Jets Bilal Powell retiring
UNDATED (AP) — Running back Bilal Powell has signed a one-day contract with the New York Jets to retire as a member of the only NFL franchise he played for. The 33-year-old Powell was a fourth-round draft pick out of Louisville in 2011 and ranks eighth in Jets history with 3,675 yards rushing. His last season was 2019 when he came back a year after suffering a career-threatening neck injury.
In other NFL news:
— The Buffalo Bills have picked up the fifth-year option of Ed Oliver's rookie contract in a decision which locks up the defensive tackle through the 2023 season. Olive is playing under a four-year, $19.6 million contract. He's now guaranteed to make $10.7 million next year, though the two sides can negotiate a longer-term contract.
NCAA-EMMERT
NCAA head departing
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert is stepping down after 12 years on the job. NCAA Board of Governors Chairman John DeGioia announced the move Tuesday and said it was by mutual agreement. Emmert will continue to serve in his role until a new president is selected and in place or until June 30, 2023. Emmert, a former university president, was appointed to the job in April 2010.