MAJOR LEAGUES
Chris Archer allowed just two hits for his second shutout in three starts, outpitching Ivan Nova and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Kelly Johnson had an RBI single off Nova (4-4) in the sixth to help the American League East-leading Rays improve to 24-5 since June 23, when they were in last place.
In the National League, Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and Denard Span all homered, powering the Washington Nationals to a 4-1 win over the New York Mets.
Dan Haren (5-11) pitched seven innings for his first win since May 9, allowing one run and three hits.
Desmond and Span hit back-to-back homers against Dillon Gee (7-8) in the second inning and Harper followed with a two-run drive in the third.
In the AL, Chris Carter hit a three-run home run, and Justin Maxwell and Matt Dominguez added solo shots as the Houston Astros downed the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6 to end a three-game slump.
Dallas Keuchel (5-5) pitched a season-high 7-1/3 innings to end a six-start winless skid. He allowed six runs and 10 hits, walked one and struck out six for his first victory since June 16.
Oakland’s Derek Norris had a pinch-hit two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the Athletics past the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 for their second straight win and fifth in the last seven.
In Seattle, Washington, Brian Dozier and Justin Morneau homered for Minnesota, and Samuel Deduno pitched seven scoreless innings as the Twins beat the Mariners 4-0.
Michael Bourn homered to lead off the first inning for the only run of the game as the Cleveland Indians blanked the Texas Rangers 1-0, while the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
The Boston Red Sox trounced the Baltimore Orioles 7-3, and the Detroit Tigers humiliated the Philadelphia Phillies 10-0 in interleague play.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Andrelton Simmons hit a two-run double in the eighth inning as the Braves beat the St Louis Cardinals 2-0 in a matchup of NL division leaders.
Julio Teheran allowed two hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.
In other NL games, Michael McKenry had a career-best four hits and drove in two runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins 7-4, the San Diego Padres dominated the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-3, the Chicago Cubs shut out the San Francisco Giants 1-0, the Los Angeles Dodgers downed the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5.
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
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
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two