NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, WASHINGTON
Rafael Furcal hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning on Thursday as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Washington 7-6 to hand the Nationals their 100th loss of the season.
Furcal’s drive off Ron Villone (4-6) was his fourth hit of the game. Ramon Troncoso (5-4) pitched 1-1/3 innings to get the win and Jonathan Broxton finished for his 36th save.
The win reduced the Dodgers’ magic number to one for clinching a National League playoff berth.
The Nationals, who were 59-102 last season, are the first NL franchise to lose 100 games in consecutive seasons since the San Diego Padres, who dropped 102 in both 1973 and 1974.
CUBS 3, GIANTS 2
At San Francisco, Jeff Baker hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning as Chicago staved off elimination in the NL Central for a day by handing San Francisco a blow to their postseason hopes.
Had the Cubs lost, the St Louis Cardinals would have clinched the Central. The Cardinals yesterday began a three-game series against the NL wild card-leading Rockies, who lead the Braves by 3.5 games with San Francisco and Florida four behind. The Cubs trail Colorado by 6.5 games with 10 to play.
Brian Wilson (5-6) walked Derrek Lee to open the inning but got Micah Hoffpauir and Mike Fontenot on infield popups before Baker hit his fourth home run.
PADRES 5, ROCKIES 4
At Denver, Nick Hundley homered to start the comeback and drove in the tiebreaking run with an eighth-inning single off Rafael Betancourt as San Diego dealt the NL wild card-leading Colorado a disheartening loss.
Also on Thursday, it was:
• Phillies 9, Brewers 4
• Reds 4, Pirates 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Justin Verlander pitched the Detroit Tigers closer to a division title and pushed the Cleveland Indians within one loss of matching a franchise record for futility with a 6-5 win on Thursday.
Verlander (17-9) struck out 11 in seven innings and Carlos Guillen had three hits and an RBI as the Tigers handed Cleveland their 11th straight loss. The Indians haven’t dropped 11 in a row since setting a club record with 12 consecutive losses in 1931.
Detroit moved three games ahead of the idle Minnesota Twins in the AL’s Central Division.
RED SOX 10, ROYALS 3
At Kansas City, Missouri, David Ortiz homered and drove in three runs, and Clay Buchholz took a shutout into the seventh inning to help Boston trounce Kansas City and move closer to the postseason.
Jacoby Ellsbury had four hits and two RBIs, Victor Martinez extended his hitting streak to 23 games and Dustin Pedroia pushed his to 16 games, lowering Boston’s magic number for clinching the AL wild card to three.
Also on Thursday, it was:
• Athletics 12, Rangers 3
• Mariners 5, Blue Jays 4
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
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