Tyler Lyons had a solid outing and Mark Reynolds hit the go-ahead homer in the fifth inning for the St Louis Cardinals, who beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Saturday.
Matt Carpenter and Jason Heyward each added an RBI for St Louis, who were the major league’s best at 41-21 overall and 24-7 at home. The Cardinals used five relievers over the final four innings to hold a one-run lead, with Trevor Rosenthal getting the last four outs for his league-leading 21st save in 22 chances.
The Royals’ eighth did not lack for dramatics. Heyward battled the sun to snare Kendrys Morales’ liner while falling on his backside, while Rosenthal rallied from a 3-0 count to get Gordon on an infield popup with two on for the third out.
Lyons (1-0) allowed two runs and three hits in his call-up to replace the injured Lance Lynn.
Alex Gordon’s eighth homer gave the Royals the lead in the second, while Salvador Perez tied it at 2-2 with a homer in the fourth.
The Cardinals scored two runs on five hits in the third, a rally that began with Kolten Wong’s leadoff triple. Reynolds’ homer, in the fifth off Jeremy Guthrie (4-4), broke a 2-all tie.
Russell Martin delivered the go-ahead hit for the second straight day, a leadoff home run in the 11th inning that sent the Toronto Blue Jays to their 10th straight win, 5-4 over the Boston Red Sox.
Martin drove a 2-0 pitch from Matt Barnes (2-2) deep into the left-center field stands for his 10th homer of the season.
Brett Cecil pitched a perfect 11th for his fourth save to preserve the win for Aaron Loup (2-3).
Manny Machado homered and had four RBIs, while Nolan Reimold hit a two-run drive as the Baltimore Orioles overcame a milestone by Alex Rodriguez in a 9-4 victory over the New York Yankees.
David Lough added a solo shot for the Orioles.
Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to join Hank Aaron as the only members of the exclusive 2,000-RBI club. The sixth-inning drive off Bud Norris lifted A-Rod’s career RBI total to 2,001. Hank Aaron ranks first on the career list with 2,297.
It was the 666th career home run for Rodriguez, fourth on baseball’s all-time list behind Babe Ruth, Aaron and Barry Bonds.
Baltimore went up 7-4 in the bottom half against Chris Martin (0-2) with an uprising fueled by three wild pitches. After J.J. Hardy delivered an RBI single, Machado poked an opposite-field, two-run single to right.
In other games, it was:
‧ Padres 2, Dodgers 1
‧ Mariners 8, Astros 1
‧ Braves 5, Mets 3
‧ Nationals 7, Brewers 2
‧ Rays 5, White Sox 4
‧ Diamondbacks 4, Giants 2
‧ Twins7, Rangers11
‧ Phillies 3, Pirates 4
‧ Indians 5, Tigers 4
‧ Rockies 1, Marlins 4
‧ Reds 3, Cubs 4
‧ Athletics 0, Angels 1
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely