AMERICAN LEAGUE
New York’s Andruw Jones hit two of the Yankees four homers as the visitors won 6-1 in the opening game of a double-header against their archrivals, the Boston Red Sox, on Saturday.
Nick Swisher belted a three-run shot in the first, while Jayson Nix added a solo drive in the fourth as the Yankees improved to 4-0 against the Red Sox this season. Swisher snapped an 0-for-17 slide with his homer.
New York starter Freddy Garcia (3-2) gave up one run over 6-2/3 innings.
Franklin Morales (1-2) lasted just 3-1/3 innings, yielding six runs, including all four homers.
The Red Sox had lost five in a row, but in the late game they hit back to beat the Yankees 9-5.
ANGELS 3, ORIOLES 0
In Anaheim, California, Jered Weaver pitched eight scoreless innings in his final start before his third straight All-Star game, as Los Angeles beat Baltimore.
Weaver (10-1) won his fourth straight outing since coming off the disabled list, striking out five and walking one while lowering his ERA to 1.96. He joined Sandy Koufax (1963-64) as the only pitchers since 1950 with consecutive seasons of double-digit wins and an ERA under 2.00 before the All-Star break.
Orioles starter Jason Hammel (8-5) gave up three runs over 6-2/3 innings.
WHITE SOX 2, BLUE JAYS 0
In Chicago, Gavin Floyd pitched 7-2/3 scoreless innings to lead Chicago past Toronto.
Floyd (7-8) improved to 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA in his past four starts.
Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer for the White Sox, who have won five straight to move a season-high 10 games over .500. The American League Central leaders also have won a season-high seven straight at home.
Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero (8-4) allowed two runs in six innings.
INDIANS 7, RAYS 3
In Cleveland, Ohio, Ubaldo Jimenez struck out eight over six innings as Cleveland beat Tampa Bay.
Jimenez (8-7) allowed a two-run homer in the fourth, but otherwise was in command, walking only one.
Shelley Duncan hit a two-run homer for the Indians, who got three doubles in the second inning off rookie Matt Moore (5-6) as they jumped to a 3-0 lead.
The win kept the second-place Indians three games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
RANGERS 4, TWINS 3, 10 INNINGS
In Arlington, Texas, Nelson Cruz hit an RBI double in the 10th inning to lead Texas over Minnesota, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Texas’ Josh Hamilton had a home run, walk and a run scored, playing as designated hitter one night after suffering back spasms.
Cruz finished 3 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Joe Nathan (1-2) pitched scoreless ninth and 10th innings for the Rangers, his longest outing in almost three years after ligament replacement surgery.
Minnesota’s Kyle Waldrop (0-1) failed to get an out in the 10th and took the loss.
In other AL play, it was:
‧ Tigers 8, Royals 7
‧ Mariners 7, Athletics 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania
James McDonald scattered four hits over seven innings, while Mike McKenry homered as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Saturday.
Neil Walker doubled twice and drove in a run while extending his hitting streak to 11 games and Joel Hanrahan worked the ninth to pick up his 23rd save.
McDonald (9-3) struck out 10 and walked none, winning his fourth straight start and lowering his sparkling ERA to 2.37.
The Pirates have won nine of 11 and are guaranteed at least a share of the NL Central lead through the All-Star break.
NATIONALS 4, ROCKIES 1
In Washington, Gio Gonzalez pitched six innings of three-hit ball to earn his 12th win as Ian Desmond homered to power Washington to the victory.
Gonzalez (12-3) won his fourth straight start to move into a tie with R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets for the major league lead in wins. Gonzalez allowed one run, walked three and struck out six.
It was the fifth victory in six games for the Nationals, who own the best record in the NL.
Colorado finished with four errors, tying a season high. Dexter Fowler had three hits for the Rockies, who have lost six of eight and totaled 14 runs in their last seven games.
The Nationals announced during the game that Desmond will miss Tuesday’s All-Star game with a left oblique strain.
In other NL play, it was:
‧ Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 3
‧ Cardinals 3, Marlins 2
‧ Braves 6, Phillies 3
‧ Reds 6, Padres 5
‧ Mets 3, Cubs 1
‧ Astros 6, Brewers 3
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later