Local Sports

Clinton, Monticello Football Schedules Released

The 2019 high school football schedules have been released.

 

The Clinton Maroons will play only eight games this season with a week 2 bye following their opener at South Fork.

 

Weeks 3 through 9 will be all conference tilts, opening the Central Illinois Conference slate at Shelbyville (Sept. 13) and home games against Meridian (Sept. 20), Decatur St. Teresa (Oct. 4), and Sullivan (Oct. 18).

 

The Maroons are at Tuscola Sept. 27, Central A&M on Oct. 11 and at Warrensburg-Latham on Oct. 25.

 

The Monticello Sages will begin the defense of their Class 3A state title with a game at Olympia and then an away game at Illinois Valley Central. 

 

The Sages open their home slate hosting Champaign St. Thomas More Sept. 13. The Sages alternate home and away the rest of the season with matchups at Unity Oct. 4, hosting Pontiact Oct. 11 and their senior night matchup with rival St. Joe-Ogden Oct. 25. 

 

Other matchups of note in central Illinois, Maroa-Forsyth plays at Williamsville Sept. 20, Cerro-Gordo Bement travels to Shelbyville Sept. 6 with Argenta-Oreana at home on Sept. 20 and at Blue Ridge Oct. 11. 

 

Blue Ridge will host Martinsville to begin their campaign Aug. 30 followed by two road matchups at Oblongand Oakland. The Knights round out their season with a matchup at home opposite Toledo-Cumberland (Sept. 20), at ALAH (Sept. 27), hosting consecutive games with Decatur LSA (Oct. 4) and Cerro-Gordo Bement (Oct. 11) and then a matchup at Arcola in week 8 and home for senior night with Argenta-Oreana on Oct. 25. 

Kimbrel closes out debut with Rizzo's help, Cubs beat Braves

Craig Kimbrel dodged trouble for a save in his season debut when new teammate Anthony Rizzo dived into first base for the final out, and the Chicago Cubs rallied from five runs down to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-7 on Thursday.

 

Called up from Triple-A earlier in the day, Kimbrel struck out Brian McCann looking and induced a groundout from Johan Camargo to start the ninth inning. Ronald Acuna Jr. then hit a ground-rule double into Wrigley Field's ivy, and Dansby Swanson walked on four pitches.

 

Freddie Freeman grounded sharply down the first base line, and Rizzo fielded and had to dive for the bag to beat Freeman after Kimbrel failed to cover first.

 

Victor Caratini's two-run homer capped the Cubs' four-run fifth inning that put them ahead for good. Kyle Schwarber also went deep for the Chicago, which got three RBIs from Jason Heyward on a warm day at Wrigley Field with steady wind blowing out to left.

 

Freeman hit his 22nd homer, a two-run shot, and Ozzie Albies continued to feast on Cubs pitching with a solo drive and single for two RBIs. Swanson drove in three in the final regular season game between the NL Central and NL East leaders.

 

Chicago starter Tyler Chatwood (4-1) escaped with the win despite allowing six runs, six hits and four walks through five innings. Josh Tomlin (1-1) took the loss after Atlanta starter Bryse Wilson allowed six runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings after being called up from Triple-A.

 

Chatwood made his third start this season and second in a week as the Cubs juggled their rotation with Kyle Hendricks still sidelined.

 

Schwarber lined his fifth career leadoff homer to right in the first to put Chicago ahead 1-0. Albies' RBI single in the second tied it.

 

The Braves jumped ahead 4-1 in the third.

 

Swanson's double to the left-center gap drove in Acuna from first. Freeman followed with a two-run, opposite-field shot to the front row of the left field bleachers.

 

Swanson drove in two more with a single to center to extend Atlanta's lead to 6-1.

 

Chicago came back with three runs the bottom half. Two scored on Heyward's single and a third on a Wilson's wild pitch.

 

The Cubs scored four times in the fifth on a rally capped by Caratini's line shot to right of Tomlin to take an 8-6 lead.

 

Albies homered off Steve Cishek in the sixth, but Daniel Descalso came home on Tomlin's wild pitch in the bottom half.

Legendary High School Basketball Coach Dies

The winningest boys basketball coach in Illinois history who gained national attention when he appeared in the 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams” has died.

 

Ronald Hoover, principal at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, says Gene Pingatore died Wednesday at his home. He was 83.

 

At the time of his death, Pingatore was preparing for his 51st season coaching at the suburban Chicago school.

 

Pingatore’s teams won two state championships, advanced to the state finals six times and won 13 sectional titles. In 2017 he became the 15th boys basketball coach in the country to reach the 1,000-win mark, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

 

Pingatore coached three McDonald’s All-Americans: Daryl Thomas, Deryl Cunningham and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas.

White Sox Down Red Sox; Cubs, Cardinals Lose Wednesday

>>White Sox Outlast Red Sox

 

Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the ninth inning - his third hit of the game - and Chicago recovered after blowing the lead in the eighth to beat Boston 8-7. Abreu had four RBIs, and Leury Garcia also had three hits for Chicago.

 

James McCann had an RBI single and added a solo home run against Chris Sale as Chicago pounced on the Boston starter for five runs in the first three innings. In all, Sale allowed six hits and a walk, hitting two batters and striking out 10 against his former team.

 

Chicago had leads of 3-0, 5-2 and 6-4 before the Red Sox scored three in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead and hand White Sox closer Alex Colome (3-1) his first blown save in 17 opportunities. But Matt Barnes (3-3) gave up three straight hits in the top of the ninth - Garcia was caught stealing - including Abreu's 19th homer of the season.

 

Sale, who allowed six of the first seven batters to reach safely, retired the last 10 he faced, striking out the side in the sixth. He avoided the loss when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning to make it 7-6 - Boston's only lead of the game.

 

Rafael Devers, who went 4-for-4 on Tuesday night, had three more hits and scored three times for Boston. J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer and also had an RBI double for the Red Sox.

 

After blowing the save in the eighth, Colome walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to lead off the ninth and then retired the next three batters to end it.

 

Leading 6-4 in the eighth, Evan Marshall gave up a one-out single to Eduardo Nunez and a double to pinch-hitter Brock Holt. Colome got Mookie Betts to hit a hard grounder and third baseman Jose Rondon came home with it.

 

Nunez slid in safely head-first. Devers grounded out to the pitcher, but Bogaerts bounced a single up the middle to give Boston a 7-6 lead.

 

The White Sox open a nine-game homestand on Friday night. Martin Perez (7-3) pitches the opener against the Minnesota Twins.

 

>>A's Blank Cardinals

 

Daniel Mengden pitched six scoreless innings and Beau Taylor and Matt Chapman homered to lead the Athletics to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Mengden (2-1) gave up four hits and struck out five for his first win since May 18 at Detroit.

Yusmeiro Petit pitched the seventh, Joakim Soria the eighth and Liam Hendriks got the last three outs for his second save in four chances. Hendriks has not allowed a run in 23 of his last 25 appearances.

 

Oakland got its fifth shutout of the season - first on the road - and first since May 7 against Cincinnati.

 

Adam Wainwright (5-7) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

The Cardinals have not announced a starting pitcher as they face the San Diego Padres and LHP Eric Lauer (5-7, 4.32) Friday night to open a nine-game road trip.

 

>>Braves Down Cubs

 

Dallas Keuchel earned his first win for his new team and Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer Wednesday in a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Brian McCann also connected for the Braves, who won a matchup of NL division leaders for the second straight night.

 

Keuchel (1-1) allowed three runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in his second start with Atlanta. He remained in the game following a 48-minute rain delay in the fourth.

 

Keuchel induced the Cubs to hit into double plays in each of the first three innings.

 

Four relievers combined to get the final 10 outs and hold the Cubs scoreless. A.J. Minter went 1 1/3 innings for his fourth save. Minter came on with the potential tying runs on base in the eighth and struck out pinch-hitter Victor Caratini.

 

Willson Contreras homered and tripled, and Kris Bryant also connected for the Cubs.

 

Chicago starter Yu Darvish (2-4) had his string of 10 straight no-decisions snapped with the loss. He allowed five runs on five hits in five innings, walking two and striking out eight. He retired the last eight batters he faced after giving up Markakis' three-run drive with one out in the third.

 

The Braves will recall RHP Bryse Wilson (0-0, 8.31 ERA) from Triple-A Gwinnett to start against Cubs RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-1, 3.69) on Thursday. The 21-year-old Wilson lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his last start in the majors at Philadelphia on March 30, giving up four runs and five hits. Chatwood allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in four innings against the Mets last Thursday.

Vandy Wins College World Series

The Vanderbilt Commodores are college baseball national champions for 2019 after a 8-2 win over Michigan in the decisive Game 3 of the College World Series in Omaha. It's the Commodores' second national title -- the first came in 2014. Vanderbilt also becomes the fourth team in the last five years to win the College World Series after losing Game 1 of the best-of-three finals. 

 

Michigan opened the game with three straight singles and a 1-0 lead, which led to bullpen activity for Vanderbilt before the first out of the game had been recorded. Vandy starter Mason Hickman, though, settled down nicely after some early command-and-control issues. Michigan had been 39-6 when scoring first in 2019 and 4-0 when scoring first during this year's College World Series. 

 

Vandy center fielder Pat DeMarco tied the score in the second, as he hit the Commodores' 100th home run of the season to make it 1-1. 

 

Vanderbilt took the lead for good in the third when Michigan starter Karl Kauffmann issued a bases-loaded walk with two outs. A Stephen Scott single then gave the Commodores a 4-1 lead. One can certainly argue that Kauffmann, laboring badly in the inning, should not have been left in to face the lefty-hitting Scott. 

Central Illinois Revolution Game Tonight on WHOW

Tonight, the Central Illinois Revolution take on LeRoy at 6 pm.

 

Hear tonight's game on The Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox Lose Tuesday

>>A's Down Cardinals

 

Chad Pinder and Marcus Semien homered in a six-run fifth inning, and the Oakland Athletics rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 Tuesday night.

 

Pinder had three hits Sunday to end a 3-for-23 slump, and kept it going against the Cardinals.

Matt Olson also went deep to help Oakland win for the sixth time in eight games.

 

The A's, who had totaled nine runs over their last three games, overcame a 3-1 deficit with the big fifth inning to knock out Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty (4-5).

 

Flaherty gave up a season-high seven runs and nine hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up three homers to raise his total to nine allowed in five winless June starts. Overall, Flaherty has given up 18 homers in 16 starts this season.

 

Flaherty has given up five leads of two or more runs this season.

 

J.B. Wendelken (1-1) picked up his first MLB victory after spending time with Oakland in parts of three seasons. He got the final two outs of the fourth inning and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth.

 

The Cardinals went ahead with a three-run second. Matt Carpenter tripled with two outs, driving in Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong. He hit a deep fly to center and Ramon Laureano fell down after turning the wrong way on the ball. It landed just in front of the wall and Laureano for Carpenter's second triple this season. He scored on a double by Paul DeJong for a 3-1 lead.

 

Oakland's Chris Bassitt was lifted for a reliever after 3 1/3 innings. It was his shortest stint in his 12 starts this season. He allowed three runs and four hits with four walks.

 

Daniel Mengden (1-1, 5.09) is being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas for his second stint with the A's this season.

 

Adam Wainwright (5-6, 4.50) will be making his third career start against Oakland. He won the previous two, going eight innings or more in each game.

 

>>Braves Down Cubs

 

Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. homered, Max Fried tossed six innings of two-hit ball and the Atlanta Braves edged the Cubs 3-2 Tuesday night.

Batting right-handed, Albies lofted a towering two-run shot to right-center field off left-hander Mike Montgomery (1-2) in the seventh for his 12th homer to put Atlanta ahead.

 

The Braves held on to win the second of a four-game series between the NL division leaders.

Albies is hitting .550 (11 for 20) against the Cubs this season, with two homers. In his third season, the 22-year-old from Curacao is clicking at .483 (29 for 60) with four homers and 11 RBIs against Chicago in his career.

 

Fried (9-3) got the win despite a season-high five walks. He struck out eight and allowed two runs in winning his second straight start - and improving to 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs.

 

The 21-year-old Acuna crushed the first pitch of the game from Cubs rookie Adbert Alzolay to the back of the left-field bleachers for his 19th homer.

 

Relievers Sean Newcomb, Anthony Swarzak and Luke Jackson, who threw a perfect ninth for his 12th save, combined to nail down a four-hitter. Newcomb pitched one-plus inning in his first game since being hit in the head by a line drive 10 days ago.

 

Willson Contreras had two RBIs and fellow Venezuelan Alzolay tossed one-run, one-hit ball through 4 2/3 innings in his first major league start.

 

After Acuna launched Alzolay's fastball just short of the left-field video board for a quick 1-0 Atlanta lead, the 24-year-old right-hander retired 12 of the next 13 Braves batters. He was replaced by Montgomery after walking the bases loaded in the fifth and the Cubs leading 2-1.

 

Fried walked three in the second to load the bases with one out, but dodgy Cubs baserunning led to a rally-killing double play.

 

Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 5.40) makes his second start for the Braves and faces Chicago RHP Yu Darvish (2-3, 4.75) on Wednesday night. Keuchel, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract with Atlanta on June 7, labored through five innings and lost in his Braves debut at Washington last Friday. Darvish has no-decisions in his last 10 starts and has yet to win at Wrigley Field as a Cub.

 

>>Red Sox Double Up White Sox

 

David Price struck out nine over six innings Tuesday as the Red Sox and White Sox endured steady rain that surged into a downpour at times, but it was Boston outlasting Chicago 6-3.

Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer in the fifth and Rafael Devers went 4-for-4 for Boston, which improved to 44-37 with a victory in their 81st game.

 

The start of the game was delayed 24 minutes because of rain, which continued to fall through the first five innings. Just after the rain temporarily let up, Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson sprained his right ankle on a fielding play.

 

Anderson was carried off the field on the shoulders of manager Rick Renteria and a trainer.

 

The White Sox said the ankle was sprained and X-rays were negative.

 

The rain's effects were apparent throughout the night, leading to funny hops skipping off the wet field and a bat flying into the stands after it slipped out of Boston catcher Christian Vazquez. A fan caught the bat and was not injured. Anderson was clearly hurt, although the White Sox would say later that X-rays were negative and Anderson was out with a sprain.

 

Price (5-2) worked through the conditions for six innings, holding Chicago to three runs on eight hits. Brandon Workman pitched the ninth for his third save.

 

Jose Ruiz (0-1) took the loss after allowing Bogaerts' two-run shot in the fifth, breaking a 3-all tie.

Rafael Devers was 4-for-4 with an RBI for Boston. He led off the fifth with his second double of the game and Bogaerts followed with a drive out to center.

 

Vazquez extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run single in the third, tying it at 3-all.

 

Eduardo Nunez drove in a run for Boston with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

 

Carson Fulmer was Chicago's ''opener,'' getting his first start of the season and pitching two innings. Fulmer allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk, striking out three.

 

White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (4-7, 6.23 ERA) faces Boston lefty Chris Sale (3-7). The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start Wednesday.

Vandy Forces Game 3 In College World Series

Freshman Kumar Rocker helped the Vanderbilt Commodores win by a score of 4-1 over Michigan and thus force a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday night to determine the national championship for 2019. 

 

Rocker went 6 1/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball while striking out 11 and walking two thanks to his outstanding fastball-breaking ball combo. He also became just the ninth pitcher in finals history to strike out 10 or more batters in a game. Rocker escaped jams in the fourth -- Michigan stole three bases in the inning but failed to score a run -- and sixth before giving way to relief ace Tyler Brown in the seventh. Despite allowing an inherited runner to score, Brown closed it out with 2 2/3 strong frames

Vandy plated a pair of runs in the fifth on wild pitches, and then catcher Philip Clarke notched the first and only home run of the game.

 

Jordan Nwogu was removed from the game and while exiting the field was unable to put weight on his right leg. Nwogu batted a productive .339/.459/.593 with 14 stolen bases and 23 extra-base hits for the Wolverines this season. Needless to say, he'd be a critical loss if he's unable to play in Game 3. 

 

The decisive Game 3 can be seen on ESPN Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Cubs Win; White Sox Lose

>>Cubs Down Braves

 

Willson Contreras homered and had three RBIs, Jon Lester pitched five-hit ball through six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3 Monday in a chippy matchup of NL division leaders.

 

Jason Heyward added a solo homer for Chicago, which moved one game ahead of Milwaukee in the NL Central. Lester (7-5) allowed two unearned runs and struck out seven.

 

The Cubs strung together five straight hits in a five-run fifth inning to break the game open. Kyle Schwarber doubled into the ivy to score Carlos Gonzalez. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Contreras followed with RBIs.

 

Tempers flared in the second inning when Contreras homered to right, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Contreras turned to Braves catcher Tyler Flowers after the ball left his bat, and while rounding first base, gestured toward Atlanta's dugout and thumped his chest.

 

Julio Teheran (5-6) was roughed up for the second consecutive start. He allowed six runs in four innings last Tuesday against the Mets.

 

Nick Markakis drove in two runs with a single in the sixth inning. Swanson hit a towering solo homer in the seventh.

 

Atlanta lost for the sixth time in 20 games.

 

Max Fried (8-3, 4.03 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday. Fried allowed one hit in six shutout innings against the Cubs on April 4.

 

Adbert Alzolay (1-0, 2.25 ERA) makes his first big-league start Tuesday. He tossed four innings in relief Thursday against the Mets.

 

>>Red Sox Walk Off White Sox

 

Marco Hernandez beat out an infield single with the bases loaded in the ninth and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 on Monday night.

Andrew Benintendi led off the ninth with a double. J.D. Martinez struck out and Rafael Devers grounded out to first to move Benintendi to third. Fry then intentionally walked Xander Bogaerts, bringing up Bradley Jr. Bogaerts stole second uncontested, prompting Chicago to intentionally walk Bradley to load the bases for Hernandez. He grounded the ball to the hole and beat shortstop Tim Anderson's throw.

 

It was the second straight walk-off victory at home for Boston, which has won nine of 12.

 

Brandon Workman (7-1) got one out in the eighth, to pick up the victory. Jace Fry (1-3) took the loss for Chicago, which has lost six out of eight.

 

Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez gave up five runs off six hits, including two home runs over 6 1/3 innings.

 

Chicago's Lucas Giolito, who is looking to become the first White Sox All-Star pitcher since Chris Sale and Jose Quintana in 2016, allowed three runs off six hits, struck out seven and walked four over 5 2/3 innings.

 

Yoan Moncada had a two-run home run and Jose Abreu added a two-out, solo home run for the White Sox.

 

Carson Fulmer (1-1, 6.35 ERA) was named the starter Tuesday.

 

David Price will make his fifth start of the month. Since returning from the injured list on May 20 he is 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA.

Michigan Blows By Vandy in College World Series Game 1

The College World Series championship round began Monday night, with the Michigan Wolverines knocking off the favorite Vanderbilt Commodores, 7-4. The Wolverines lead the best-of-3 series 1-0, with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday night.

 

Michigan received a strong performance from junior southpaw Tommy Henry, who held the Commodores to four runs on seven hits and a walk across 8 1/3 innings. Henry generated 16 swinging strikes on 110 pitches, resulting in eight strikeouts. Henry did yield a home run to J.J. Bleday, which represented the 27th of the year for the Division I home-run leader:

 

Sophomore right-hander Jeff Criswell, whose three saves entering Monday all came during the NCAA tournament, later closed out the game. 

 

While Henry and Criswell kept Vanderbilt's lineup in check, his teammates jumped on the Commodores. Michigan scored two runs in each of the first two innings against Drake Fellows. Every Wolverine starter reached base at least once, with six of the nine getting on board at least twice. 

 

Michigan will look to clinch their first national title since 1962 tonight.

Giannis MVP, Doncic Rookie of the Year

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo took home MVP besting the Houston Rockets star and defending champion James Harden, as well as Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Paul George. 

 

Dallas Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic is the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, beating out Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young and Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton. 

 

Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and six assists during his rookie campaign, was a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team. Along the way, he won multiple Rookie of the Month awards, became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double and joined Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tyreke Evans as the only rookies in NBA history to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. 

 

Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks was the Coach of the Year.

 

Budenholzer, whose Bucks finished with the league's best overall record in his first season in Milwaukee, was followed by Doc Rivers, who led the Clippers to a playoff spot with a roster short on top-tier talent, and Michael Malone, who took the Nuggets from outside of the playoff picture to the second seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. 

Cubs Win; Cardinals, Sox Lose Sunday

>>Cubs Rally Past Mets

 

Javier Baez cracked the 100th homer of his career, a three-run drive in the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs overcame another home run by Alonso to beat the New York Mets 5-3 on Sunday.

 

Alonso hit his 27th home run in the fourth, breaking the Mets record for most by a rookie in an entire season set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983.

 

With the Mets clinging to a one-run lead, Baez launched his 19th homer of the season with Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo on base and one out. Baez sent an 0-2 pitch from Seth Lugo (3-1) halfway up the right field bleachers.

 

Steve Cishek (2-4) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win in relief of Cole Hamels. Pedro Strop tossed a perfect ninth for his ninth save.

 

Mets starter Jacob deGrom allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings. The NL Cy Young Award winner struck out nine and walked none.

 

DeGrom also drove in a run with a single.

 

Alonso connected in his 77th game while Strawberry hit 26 in 133 games in 1983. The Mets' record for homers in a season is 41, shared by Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley.

 

Alonso is nearing Mark McGwire's major league record for homers by a rookie before the All-Star break, 33 set in 1987.

 

Tomas Nido also homered for the Mets.

 

Mets manager Mickey Callaway cursed at Newsday reporter Tim Healey, and pitcher Jason Vargas had to be restrained from charging him during a confrontation in the team's clubhouse after the game.

 

Reporters asked repeatedly after the game about Callaway's decision to stick with Lugo instead of going to closer Edwin Diaz. After the press conference, Callaway walked past Healey in the clubhouse. Healey told Callaway he would ''see you tomorrow,'' and Callaway responded by calling Healey an obscenity. Callaway walked away and then returned, cursing at Healey again and telling him to leave the clubhouse.

 

Vargas then stared down Healey and eventually tried to charge him. Players stepped in to restrain the veteran left-hander.

 

No punches were thrown, and Healey left the clubhouse moments later.

 

Jon Lester (6-5, 4.13) takes the mound on Monday against Atlanta RHP Julio Teheran (5-5, 3.40) as Chicago opens a four-game series against the NL East-leading Braves.

 

>>Rangers Down White Sox

 

Shawn Kelley knew the Rangers bullpen was a little short-handed, so he volunteered for some extra work and shut down a late White Sox rally with his first four-out save in three years, and Texas beat Chicago 7-4 Sunday.

Kelley struck out Tim Anderson to strand runners at second and third in the eighth after the White Sox had scored three runs to pull to 5-4. He pitched a scoreless ninth for his 10th save, preserving the win for rookie Adrian Sampson (6-4).

 

Tim Federowicz and Danny Santana hit two-out, two-run homers in the second inning to help the Rangers win for the third time in four games. They took two of three from the White Sox and have either won or split eight straight series.

 

Sampson, who earned his first major league win on May 17, allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one. He gave up the run on three straight singles to begin the fifth inning, Eloy Jimenez scoring on an opposite-field hit by Anderson. Sampson retired the next three batters without allowing the ball out of the infield.

 

Ivan Nova (3-6) gave up three earned runs in six innings for Chicago. Nova is 0-2 in his last six starts.

 

Lucas Giolito (10-2, 2.74) will open the three-game series against the Red Sox on Monday. Giolito shares the American League lead in wins but allowed a season-high six earned runs in a 7-3 loss to the Cubs last Wednesday, his first loss in 12 starts.

 

>>Cardinals Rally Falls Short Against Angels

 

Albert Pujols capped off a stirring three-day return to St. Louis by exchanging jerseys with long-time friend and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina following the Angels' 6-4 win on Sunday.

Pujols met with Molina, his long-time friend, after the game. The two autographed and then exchanged jerseys on the field.

 

The 39-year-old Pujols was 4 for 11 over the three-game set, including a home run during a 4-2 loss Saturday. He spent 11 years in St. Louis and won three MVP awards and two World Series (2006, 2011) with the Cardinals.

 

Tommy La Stella and David Fletcher drove in two runs apiece, and Tyler Skaggs tossed five shutout innings for the Angels. Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak and finished a long road trip with a 6-5 mark.

 

The Cardinals rallied for four runs with two outs in the ninth, sparked by Jose Martinez's solo homer. Angels closer Hansel Robles came on to get the final out in a non-save situation.

 

La Stella had run-scoring hits in the second and sixth innings to back a strong effort from Skaggs and five other relievers.

 

Skaggs (7-6) allowed four hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

 

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas (5-8) gave up one run and seven hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked two.

 

The Cardinals struggled with runners in scoring position over the first eight innings before coming up big in the ninth.

 

Jack Flaherty (4-4, 4.24) will take on Oakland RHP Chris Bassitt (4-3, 3.64) in the first of a two-game set on Tuesday.

Alzolay's strong debut, 6-run 3rd lead Cubs over Mets 7-4

Adbert Alzolay, the Cubs' top pitching prospect, tossed four innings of dazzling relief in his debut and the offense broke through with a six-run third as Chicago quickly rallied for a 7-4 victory over the New York Mets.

 

Javier Baez homered and tripled, and Anthony Rizzo had a two-run double as the NL Central leaders improved to 26-12 at Wrigley Field.

 

Rookie slugger Pete Alonso hit his 25th homer and Todd Frazier connected for the 200th of his career, but the Mets dropped to 15-26 on the road. Before the game, they fired pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez.

 

Alonso tied Dodgers star Cody Bellinger (2017) for most homers by an NL rookie before the All-Star break. Alonso also is one shy of the Mets' rookie mark set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983.

 

Alzolay (1-0) replaced starter Tyler Chatwood to begin the fifth. The right-hander struck out five and didn't allow a hit until Frazier's leadoff homer in the ninth. Alzolay was replaced after walking the next batter.

 

He was recalled before the game from Triple-A Iowa, where he went 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in six starts this season. Alzolay had 46 strikeouts in 32 innings with a WHIP of 0.94.

 

Steve Cishek got three outs for his seventh save.

 

New York spot starter Walker Lockett (0-1) retired his first six batters and had a 3-0 lead when he took the mound in the third following Alonso's two-run shot. But things quickly fell apart for the 25-year-old right-hander, who made his Mets debut in place of injured Noah Syndergaard.

 

Carlos Gonzalez led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Chatwood. Daniel Descalso followed with an RBI single. Kyle Schwarber walked and Kris Bryant hit a bloop to right that fell in for a run-scoring single. With runners on the corners, Rizzo doubled down the right field line to score both and give Chicago a 4-2 lead.

 

The Cubs weren't done. Baez tripled to center to score Rizzo. After Lockett was yanked, Baez scored on a wild pitch by Brooks Pounders to make it 6-3.

 

Baez hit his 18th homer in the seventh.

Riddle's homer in 11th lifts Marlins over Cardinals, 7-6

JT Riddle hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, Zac Gallen was effective in his major league debut and Miami beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 on Thursday night.

 

Brian Anderson also went deep and drove in two runs for the Marlins, who earned a split of the four-game series.

 

Riddle connected off Andrew Miller (3-3) with one out for a 7-5 lead.

 

Rookie infielder Tommy Edman homered for the Cardinals, who rallied from 4-1 and 5-3 deficits to tie it.

 

On deck, Albert Pujols returns Friday for his first game in St. Louis since leaving to sign a $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season.

 

The slugger won three NL MVP awards and made nine All-Star teams with the Cardinals, leading them to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. He is sixth on the career list with 645 home runs.

 

Jarlin Garcia (1-0) got the win with two innings of relief, and Sergio Romo closed for his 13th save in 14 chances. He gave up a two-out RBI double to Yadier Molina, but ended the game by picking off pitcher Jack Flaherty at second base.

 

Flaherty was pinch-running for Molina.

 

Edman tied it 5-all with a two-run homer off Tayron Guerrero in the eighth. It was Edman's first career round-tripper and it came in his 10th at-bat.

 

Gallen gave up one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two.

 

St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright allowed three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings in his return from the injured list. The veteran right-hander, who strained his left hamstring running the bases June 9, struck out six and walked one.

 

Anderson hit a solo homer off John Brebbia in the eighth to push Miami's lead to 5-3. It was his ninth of the season. Anderson also broke a 1-all tie with an RBI double off the glove of third baseman Matt Carpenter in the sixth.

 

Miguel Rojas gave the Marlins a 4-1 advantage when he knocked in a run with an infield single in the seventh.

 

St. Louis trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom half when Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI double and scored on Marcell Ozuna's single.
 

Cubs Beat White Sox; Cardinals Walk Off Marlins

>>Contreras Powers Cubs Past White Sox

 

Willson Contreras homered twice and drove in five runs, and the Chicago Cubs handed Lucas Giolito his first loss since April by downing the Chicago White Sox 7-3 on Wednesday night.

 

David Bote also connected to help the Cubs bounce back from a tough loss to their crosstown rivals in their first meeting of the season. Jon Lester (6-5) allowed two more homers, but worked into the sixth inning to improve to 3-1 in June.

 

Contreras had his sixth career multihomer game on the third anniversary of his first plate appearance in the majors, a pinch-hit drive for a two-run shot against Pittsburgh. He also cut down speedy Tim Anderson trying to steal third after he led off the fifth with a double.

 

Trying for his ninth win in a row, Giolito (10-2) showed flashes of the dominant stuff that put him in the mix to start next month's All-Star Game in Cleveland. He struck out Kris Bryant three times and fanned Kyle Schwarber twice on a rainy, windy and unseasonably cold night at Wrigley Field.

But Giolito had all sorts of trouble against Contreras.

 

The Cubs loaded the bases in the first on Schwarber's leadoff double and a pair of walks, and Contreras drove a 1-2 changeup into the basket in left field for his third career grand slam . The fiery Contreras yelled and motioned to the crowd as he rounded the bases after his 14th homer.

 

Contreras batted again with two outs in the third and sent a solo shot into the bleachers in left, giving the Cubs a 5-1 lead. He walked in the fifth.

 

Giolito allowed six runs and seven hits, struck out nine and walked three in his first loss since April 6 against Seattle. The 6-foot-6 right-hander went 9-0 with a 1.67 ERA in his previous 11 starts.

 

Leury Garcia homered on Lester's first pitch, and James McCann also went deep for the White Sox.

Yoan Moncada's RBI double trimmed the Cubs' lead to 5-3 in the fourth. The White Sox had a chance for more with runners on second and third, but Lester struck out Giolito and retired Garcia to end the inning.

 

Lester allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked one in 5 2/3 innings. He has given up seven homers in his last three starts.

 

Top pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay will join the team Thursday in case it needs innings behind Tyler Chatwood, who is making his second start of the season.

 

White Sox catcher Zack Collins made his major league debut in the ninth. He walked as a pinch-hitter.

 

Following an off day, Reynaldo Lopez (4-7, 6.31 ERA) starts Friday night at Texas. Lopez is 1-3 with an 8.88 ERA in his last five outings. RHP Ariel Jurado (4-3, 4.23 ERA) pitches for the Rangers in the opener of the weekend set.

 

Chatwood (3-1, 3.60 ERA) gets the ball Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series against the New York Mets. He is stepping in for Kyle Hendricks, who is on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. RHP Walker Lockett pitches for New York in his Mets debut.

 

>>Goldschmidt Sends Cardinals Over Marlins

 

Paul Goldschmidt hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Dexter Fowler had an RBI single in the sixth for the Cardinals, who won for the seventh time in 11 games. Miguel Rojas tied it with a single in the eighth off reliever Carlos Martinez.

 

After beginning the game on the bench, Goldschmidt entered at first base in the ninth. Two innings later, he launched a 453-foot drive on a changeup from Adam Conley (1-7) for his fifth career walk-off home run.

 

St. Louis loaded the bases with none out in the 10th, but Sergio Romo escaped for Miami. He struck out Harrison Bader and got Marcell Ozuna to ground into an 8-4-3 double play started by center fielder JT Riddle as part of a five-man infield.

 

Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de Leon gave up two hits over six shutout innings and was in line to earn his first major league win before Rojas' single tied it.

 

Ponce de Leon struck out six and walked one in the longest of his three starts this season. It was the first time the right-hander did not allow a run in nine career starts.

 

John Gant (7-0) got the win with a perfect inning.

 

Miami has lost three of four.

 

Rangel Ravelo started in Goldschmidt's spot at first base and got his first major league hit in the sixth.

 

Zac Gallen makes his major league debut Thursday night in St. Louis against his former organization. The 23-year-old righty was 9-1 with a 1.77 ERA at Triple-A, striking out 112 in 91 1/3 innings. He was traded by the Cardinals to Miami in the deal for Ozuna after the 2017 season.

 

The Cardinals plan to reinstate veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright (5-6, 4.46 ERA) from the injured list in the finale of a four-game series. Wainwright strained his left hamstring running the bases June 9. He has two shutouts in 11 career starts against Miami.

Tampa's Kucherov Wins NHL MVP; Blues' Binnington Rookie of the Year Runner-Up

The NHL's award show was held in Las Vegas with a large collection of the game's top players past and present on hand for the festivities.

 

The big winner at this year's event was Nikita Kucherov, who took home three awards (the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award and the Art Ross Trophy) after a spectacular season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

Elias Pettersson took home the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. The Vancouver Canucks winger was nearly a slam dunk to take home the award, leading all rookies with 28 goals and 66 points despite playing in 71 games. He only scored two goals in the final two months of the season but he was electric enough in the first half to essentially lock up the honor before the All-Star break.

 

Pettersson beat out Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin for ROY honors.

 

Aleksander Barkov took home the Lady Byng, which is awarded to "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." The Panthers captain led the club with a franchise-record 96 points (35-61-96) while only picking up eight penalty minutes over 82 games.

 

Barkov edged out Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan and St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly for the award.

 

O'Reilly did secure his first Frank J. Selke as the league's best defensive forward. He led all Blues forwards in goal share (59 percent), plus-minus (+22) and average ice time per game (20:46). He also led the NHL in faceoff wins (1,086) for the second straight season, joining Boston's Patrice Bergeron as the only player to win more than 1,000 faceoffs in four straight seasons since the stat was introduced in 1997.

 

The New York Islanders goalie took home the Masterton Trophy as the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey." It was almost a no-brainer.

 

After signing a one-year deal with the New York Islanders last offseason, Lehner revealed an intense battle with substance abuse and bipolar disorder that almost derailed his life and career. He got help, opened up about his fight, and then all he did was submit the best season of his career, winning 25 games with a .930 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average. It was enough to earn him a Vezina nomination as well.

 

Barry Trotz earns the Jack Adams as the league's top coach in his first season with the Islanders. Trotz led a stunning turnaround on Long Island that saw the Islanders make a 23-point improvement from last season, going from the league's worst defensive team to the best in terms of goals allowed. 

 

The award also comes a year after Trotz led the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

 

Vezina Vasilevskiy secures his first Vezina as the league's top goaltender following the best season of his three-year run as starter in Tampa. The 24-year-old Russian netminder won 39 games with the Bolts, posting a save percentage of .925 with a goals-against average of 2.40. The win comes after Vasilevskiy finished third in Vezina voting last season.

 

Nashville Predators forward Wayne Simmonds received the Messier Award, which is presented "to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey."

Cardinals Blank Marlins

>>Cardinals Blank Marlins

 

Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter homered to back a strong outing by Miles Mikolas and lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night.

 

Mikolas (5-7) snapped a career-high losing streak of five straight decisions. He had not won a game since May 6 against Philadelphia. In making his team-leading 15th start and second straight against the Marlins, Mikolas went six innings. He scattered six hits and struck out four.

 

It was the 13th time the Marlins have been shut out in their 45 losses this season.

 

Miami's Elieser Hernandez (0-2) was making his second start of the season, both against St. Louis. He gave up five hits while striking out six in six innings to take the loss.

 

St. Louis has won four of its last five games and six of its last eight. Miami has lost nine of its last 11 games.

 

Carpenter, who went 3-for-4, hit his 10th home run with one out in the third for a 1-0 St. Louis lead.

In the fifth with two outs, Carpenter beat the shift by laying down a sharp bunt toward third. Hernandez ambled after it and a hustling Carpenter turned it into a double.

 

Fowler hit a three-run homer in the eighth with two outs. The home run, his third in the last four games, scored Carpenter and DeJong. Fowler's homer gave him one against each team in the National League in his career.

 

Jordan Yamamoto (1-0, 0.00) will be making his second career start. In his MLB debut June 12 in Miami against St. Louis, he allowed just three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. The Marlins won 9-0. He had never appeared above Double-A before his recall.

 

Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.28) set a career high with six runs allowed in his only career appearance against Miami on June 6, 2018. In his last outing, Flaherty came away with a no-decision in the Cardinals' come-from-behind rain suspended 5-4 win in 10 innings over the Mets.

 

>>Mike Trout Passes Joe DiMaggio on All-Time HR List

 

The Angels were in Toronto on Monday night to face the Blue Jays and Mike Trout cranked his 20th home run of the 2019 season.

 

Those 20 homers have come in just 69 games this season. The Angels' superstar is now batting .293/.459/.634. He entered this one with an MLB-leading OBP and an AL-leading OPS+, and that's of course in addition to running the bases well and being a plus fielder in center.

 

As for that 20th home run, it ties him with Tim Salmon for the most 20-homer seasons in Angels franchise history (eight). 

 

Trout has now tied Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Alex Rodriguez, and Giancarlo Stanton for the most 20-homer season before age 28 in MLB history.

 

Trout added a 2-run double Monday and now has 546 career extra base hits. That passes Joe Dimaggio for the 5th most by a player in American League history before turning 28.

 

Only 4 to have had more by this criteria: Jimmie Foxx (638 between 1925-35), Alex Rodriguez (617 from 1994-2003), Ken Griffey Jr. (579 from 1989-97) & Lou Gehrig (553 from 1923-31). 

Monticello's Alek Bundy Shriners Football Game Defensive MVP

Monticello's Alek Bundy's 102-yard pick six highlighted a 36-26 East win in the annual Illinois Coaches Association Shrine Football Game on Saturday at Tucci Stadium at Illinois Wesleyan University.

 

Bundy's pick-six put the East ahead 21-20. 

 

Monticello's Braden Snyder also scored a touchdown on a 20-yard run. 

 

Bundy's pick-six was enough to lock up the defensive player of the game. 

 

Cardinals Win Sunday; Cubs, White Sox Lose

>>Cardinals Down Mets

 

Paul DeJong tagged the Mets for a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning Sunday, sending St. Louis Cardinals over New York 4-3.

 

The young shortstop is 30 for 83 (.361) with nine homers and 10 doubles over 20 career games against the Mets. He has connected for five homers in his last five games at Citi Field. 

 

Paul Goldschmidt hit a prodigious home run off the facade of the second deck and scored twice for St. Louis, which went 5-5 on its season-long 10-game road trip.

 

Robinson Cano returned from the injured list and doubled and scored a run, and Dominic Smith had two hits in his first career start in the leadoff spot for New York, which is 5-5 over its last 10 games.

 

Mets starter Jason Vargas exited in the fourth inning with a cramp in his left calf. He fouled a ball off his foot and was pulled during the at-bat. He allowed three runs over four innings, matching the number of runs he'd allowed over his previous 22 innings.

 

Andrew Miller (3-2) pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the victory and Carlos Martinez went two innings for his second save.

 

Pinch-hitter Todd Frazier reached far over the plate and, with one hand, blooped an opposite-field single to right with one out in the Mets ninth. Frazier shared a quick laugh at first base with Martinez, who then got pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos to ground into a game-ending double play.

 

Dakota Hudson struggled early, falling behind eight of the first 12 batters, but rebounded to keep St. Louis in the game, allowing three runs over six innings. The Cardinals have won each of his last six starts.

 

Miles Mikolas (4-7, 4.83 ERA) opposes Miami's RHP Elieser Hernandez (0-1, 5.87 ERA) to open a four-game series at home. Mikolas is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts vs. NL East opponents, but 1-5 with a 6.15 ERA in nine starts against all other divisions.

 

>>Yankees Pound White Sox

 

James Paxton pitched six effective innings, Brett Gardner and Austin Romine each had four RBIs and New York cruised past the Chicago White Sox 10-3 on Sunday.

Gardner and Romine, the backup catcher behind Gary Sanchez, each drove in two runs with singles in New York's five-run third. Cameron Maybin added a solo shot in the seventh as the Yankees homered for the 19th straight game, and pulled away to win their second straight and gain a split of the four-game series.

 

Paxton (4-3) allowed eight hits and allowed two runs for his first win since April 26. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one after being roughed up by the Mets for six runs in 2 2/3 innings last Tuesday.

 

Jose Abreu lined a solo shot among three hits and James McCann homered and had two RBIs as the White Sox slipped two games under .500.

 

Chicago's Odrisamer Despaigne (0-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in his second career start.

 

Yoan Moncada returned to the lineup at third base after missing four games with upper back tightness, but the condition flared up and he was replaced by Jose Rondon in the fifth.

 

Ivan Nova (3-5, 6.28) faces Cubs LHP Cole Hamels (6-2, 2.98) on Tuesday night in the first of a two-game crosstown series at Wrigley Field. Hamels has not allowed an earned run over 22 innings in his past three starts.

 

>>Dodgers Hold Off Cubs

 

Kenley Jensen earned his 21st save the hard way, and Los Angeles rallied to beat Chicago 3-2 Sunday night.

Jansen allowed Anthony Rizzo's two-run homer on Saturday that gave the Cubs a 2-1 victory.

Jansen gave up a leadoff single to Albert Almora Jr. and walked Jason Heyward to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Pinch-hitter Kyle Schwarber grounded out, moving Almora to third and Heyward to second.

 

Pinch-hitter Victor Caratini bounced a short grounder to the right side, and Jansen fielded and fired home to get Almora at the plate for the second out.

 

With Heyward at third, Javier Baez flied out to center and Verdugo made a running catch to preserve the win, diving onto his stomach shortly after the ball fell into his glove.

 

Russell Martin singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Alex Verdugo made a game-saving catch for the final out to help the NL West-leading Dodgers take three of four.

 

The series featured 13 home runs and 18 of 24 runs scored on homers. Cody Bellinger hit his 23rd homer in front of his parents on Father's Day.

 

Ross Stripling (3-2) got the victory with one inning of relief.

 

The Cubs led 2-1 in the sixth on Contreras' RBI single and David Bote's sacrifice fly.

 

Chicago fell to 3-10 in its last 13 road games.

 

Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed two unearned runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out eight without allowing a walk.

 

Chicago starter Jose Quintana gave up two runs and six hits in five innings. The left-hander struck out three and walked three.

 

The Cubs are off Monday, their first such break since May 30. LHP Cole Hamels (6-2, 2.98 ERA) starts Tuesday against the White Sox.

Gary Woodland Holds Off Brooks Koepka for First Major Win at US Open

Gary Woodland held off charges from former champions Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka and fired a tremendous final-round 69 to win the 119th U.S. Open. The victory is Woodland's first major championship and comes after he held both the 36-hole and 54-hole leads in the tournament. 

 

Those looking for drama on Sunday afternoon didn't get it as Woodland not only avoided bogeys on his final six holes but carded two birdies, including a 30-foot putt on 18 that was the perfect capstone to his tournament and moved him to 13-under par, one stroke better than Tiger Woods' score of 12-under from 2000. Woodland's four bogeys over the course of this year's U.S. Open tie for the fewest at the event in the last 50 years.

 

Prior to Sunday's win at Pebble Beach, Woodland -- a three-time winner on the PGA Tour -- was actually 0 for 7 attempting to convert 54-hole leads into wins. He also held the 36-hole lead at the PGA Championship in 2018 at Bellerive en route to Koepka's win and played his final round that year with Tiger Woods as he thrilled the crowd with a 64 on Sunday. Those experiences allowed Woodland to grow more familiar with championship-level golf in pressure situations, and it no doubt helped him deliver when it was needed on Sunday at Pebble Beach. 

 

Two shots down the stretch defined Woodland's calm under pressure. The first came at the par-5 14th as Woodland took aim at the pin from 265 yards out on his second shot to set up a birdie that would extend the lead. 

 

The next came after a miss from the tee at the par-3 17th. Woodland had to chip the ball from just off the green to a tight spot on the other side of the hourglass green complex. He delivered with a perfect shot to save par and keep his championship effort alive. 

 

The next came after a miss from the tee at the par-3 17th. Woodland had to chip the ball from just off the green to a tight spot on the other side of the hourglass green complex. He delivered with a perfect shot to save par and keep his championship effort alive. 

 

Three birdies in his first four holes set Koepka up to chase down Woodland and claim a third-straight U.S. Open title. But opportunities were presented and missed by Koepka throughout the round with multiple birdie looks coming up short during his final nine holes.

 

Rory McIlroy had an overall disappointing final round where he wasn't able to capitalize on one of his best U.S. Open starts, but his birdie at 18 put him in the top-10 for the 11th time in 2019. 

 

Woods needed a flurry of birdies late in his round to shoot a 2-under 69 and finish the championship under par. Despite the horrendous start with four bogeys on his first six holes, Woods still shot his best round of the championship and lowest on a Sunday at the U.S. Open since 2009. Now he'll take some time off and may not see him again until Royal Portrush for The Open Championship in July. 

Sox Win; Cubs Lose; Cardinals Game Suspended

>>Dodgers Power Past Cubs

 

Cody Bellinger hit a pair of home runs, Max Muncy and David Freese each added a two-run shot and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.

 

The leading vote-getter in All-Star balloting, Bellinger is batting .358 with 22 homers and 57 RBIs.

The slugger ended his skid at the plate in a loss at the Angels earlier this week. Now he's back home, where Bellinger has 14 homers and has hit safely in 28 of 32 games.

 

The NL West-leading Dodgers rallied from a 3-0 deficit after Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant hit leadoff homers against Clayton Kershaw in the early innings.

 

The Cubs arrived in Los Angeles having just ended a five-game road skid, but they've lost eight of 10 away from home. The loss dropped them a game behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who were idle.

 

Jon Lester, a three-time World Series champion, gave up three homers. Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed two.

 

Kershaw (6-1) yielded three runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

Julio Urias earned his third save with three scoreless innings of relief.

 

Lester (5-5) gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Kyle Hendricks (7-4, 3.00 ERA) has been strong over his last three starts. He has a 2.05 ERA with 20 strikeouts and two walks in that span.

 

Rich Hill (3-1, 2.40) has averaged 10.80 strikeouts per nine innings and held Cubs batters to a .167 average in two career games. He has no record or ERA in those games.

 

>>White Sox Hold Off Yankees

 

Leury Garcia hit a tiebreaking solo homer off Adam Ottavino in the seventh inning, lifting Chicago to a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees.

Garcia looked at two called strikes from Ottavino before battling back and sending the 11th pitch he saw over the wall in right-center for his fourth homer.

 

Tim Anderson also connected during Chicago's fourth win in five games, and four relievers combined for 3 1/3 innings of three-hit ball. Batting in the top two slots in the lineup, Garcia and Anderson combined for four hits and five RBIs.

 

Evan Marshall (2-0) got three outs for the win, and Aaron Bummer worked the ninth for his first career save after regular closer Alex Colome threw a season-high 39 pitches in Tuesday's 7-5 victory over Washington. Marshall hasn't allowed an earned run in 16 appearances this year.

 

Brett Gardner homered for the Yankees, who have dropped seven of 10. Clint Frazier finished with three hits.

 

Yoan Moncada was held out for the second straight game after leaving Monday's loss to Washington because of upper back tightness. He said he might be able to return this weekend.

 

White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (9-1, 2.28 ERA) goes for his eighth straight win when he faces Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia (3-3, 3.96 ERA) on Friday night. Giolito is 8-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 10 starts since his only loss of the season April 6 against Seattle. Sabathia has dropped his last two starts, but is 19-7 with a 3.67 ERA versus Chicago for his career.

 

>>Mets, Cardinals Suspended in Ninth Inning

 

The series opener between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets was suspended because of showers Thursday night, moments after Harrison Bader hit an RBI double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning that made it 4-all.

Play will resume Friday at 6:10 p.m. beginning in the bottom of the ninth, with Carlos Martinez set to pitch for the Cardinals. That will be followed by the regularly scheduled game between the teams.

 

St. Louis scored twice in the ninth off All-Star closer Edwin Diaz to tie it, capping a strange sequence that saw umpires reverse their call and order the tarp off the field right after it had been rolled out.

 

Kolten Wong hit an RBI single off the left field wall with two outs against Diaz, then scored when Bader doubled into the corner. Wong managed to keep his footing on the soaked dirt as he rounded third, helped when shortstop Amed Rosario had trouble handling the wet ball on a weak relay.

Bader was thrown out after he slipped and fell between second and third.

 

The field was covered after that, and the suspension was announced 50 minutes later.

 

DeGrom pitched seven efficient innings. 

 

Bader doubled in the St. Louis third, stole third and scored with two outs when Matt Carpenter hit an easy grounder to an empty spot on the left side of the infield.

 

Michael Conforto connected for a two-run homer off Jack Flaherty, the Mets' team-record 17th straight home game with a long ball. Paul DeJong went deep for St. Louis.

 

In the regularly scheduled game, RHP Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-0, 1.80 ERA) starts in place of injured Adam Wainwright (hamstring).

 

Steven Matz (5-4, 3.88) is 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in three career starts vs. St. Louis.

Rose Atop Leader Board, Fowler Close Behind at US Open

After a week of predicting tough play and high scores, Pebble Beach was about as friendly as anyone could expect for a U.S. Open. Anyone who wasn't able to reach red numbers is going to feel a sense of urgency going into Friday's second round, as the leaderboard is packed with 39 golfers under par and five at 5-under or better.  

 

Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Louis Oosthuizen all dropped 66's in the morning wave, setting the pace and letting everyone know that it was a day for scoring. The greens were soft and receptive, and the wind never reached a speed that penalizing or terribly impactful, contributing to a record-setting 17 eagles in the round. 

 

But that score was bested during the final hour of play as Justin Rose finished off a round of 65 that tied Tiger Woods' record for low score at a Pebble Beach-hosted U.S. Open. Woods' 65 contributed to his record-setting 15-stroke win in 2000 where no one else finished under par. Based on the way things went on Thursday, it's highly unlikely that Rose will be the only one under par at the of Sunday's final round.

Raptors Beat Depleted Warriors for NBA Title

Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors captured the country's first major title in 26 years with their most remarkable road win yet in the franchise's NBA Finals debut, outlasting the battered and depleted two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors 114-110 on Thursday night in a Game 6 for the ages.

 

Stephen Curry missed a contested 3-pointer in the waning moments before Golden State called a timeout it didn't have, giving Leonard a technical free throw with 0.9 seconds left to seal it. Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP for a second time, then got behind Andre Iguodala for a layup as the buzzer sounded, but it went to review and the basket was called off before Leonard's two free throws. That only delayed the celebration for a moment.

 

Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and departed with 30 points.

 

Fred VanVleet rescued the Raptors down the stretch with his dazzling shooting from deep to score 22 points with five 3s off the bench, while Leonard wound up with 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored the game's first eight points and finished with 26 in all to go with 10 assists and seven rebounds.

 

Golden State already was down two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who had surgery Wednesday for a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Then, the Warriors lost Thompson - and they couldn't overcome just one more heartbreaking injury.

 

This thrilling back-and-forth game featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and neither team going ahead by more than nine points.

 

Curry scored 21 points but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on 3s. Iguodala added 22 for his biggest game this postseason as the Warriors did everything until the very last moment to leave a lasting legacy at Oracle.

 

Thompson provided his own dramatic memory. He injured his knee when fouled by Danny Green on a drive at the 2:22 mark of the third, was helped off the court and walked partially down a tunnel toward the locker room, then - shockingly - re-emerged to shoot his free throws before going out again at 2:19. He didn't return and left the arena on crutches, and the Warriors announced that an MRI had confirmed the torn ACL.

 

Leonard scored 732 points this postseason and on Thursday passed Allen Iverson (723) for fourth place and Hakeem Olajuwon (725) for third on the NBA's single-postseason scoring list. 

Blues Win Stanley Cup

Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O'Reilly scored for the fourth straight game Wednesday night to lead the Blues to a 4-1 victory over Boston in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and their first NHL championship.

 

O'Reilly added an assist, Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league in early January but won 30 of their final 49 regular-season games.

 

Behind Binnington, the Blues eliminated the Jets in six games, the Stars in seven and then knocked out the Sharks in six to reach the final for the first time since 1970. 

 

In a physical series that left Bruins captain Zdeno Chara with a broken jaw and saw two Blues suspended for head hits, the teams took turns winning the first three games, with Binnington getting pulled from a 7-2 loss in Game 3. St. Louis won the next two to move one win from the title, but Boston erupted for five goals in Game 6 on Sunday to force the series to the limit.

 

Boston had home-ice advantage, along with a huge edge in Stanley Cup and Game 7 experience: Five Bruins remained from the team that beat Vancouver in seven to win the franchise's sixth title in 2011, then returned to the final two years later.

 

But it was the rookie Binnington - not the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask - who took a shutout into the final minutes Wednesday. The Blues were never really in danger after scoring twice in the final few minutes of the first period.

 

The Blues went ahead at the end of the first period on goals from O'Reilly and Pietrangelo about three minutes apart. The second period was scoreless, then Schenn made it 3-0 with 8:35 to play and Sanford put it out of reach before the Bruins spoiled Binnington's bid for a shutout.

Cubs Win, Cardinals Lose Thursday

>>Cubs Rout Rockies

 

Hamels struck out nine in seven scoreless innings, singled twice and drove in two runs to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Colorado Rockies 10-1 in a testy game on Wednesday.

 

It was the third straight start Hamels went at least seven innings and didn't allow an earned run, but his performance was overshadowed by tensions between the teams that likely contributed to four batters getting hit by pitches.

 

Nolan Arenado departed in the fifth inning with a left forearm contusion after Hamels (6-2) plunked him in the third, and three more batters - including Hamels - were hit by pitches later in the game.

Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber homered for Chicago, which snapped a five-game road losing streak. Colorado's 10-game home winning streak ended.

 

Arenado looked toward the mound after he was hit by Hamels' pitch, and he said something to the Chicago dugout before walking to first base. He was later forced out at second and played the field in the fourth, throwing out Addison Russell to start the inning. Ryan McMahon replaced him in the top of the fifth.

 

X-rays on his arm were negative.

 

Chicago scored five times in the second off Antonio Sentenzela (5-5). Jason Heyward had a two-run single and Schwarber hit a three-run homer to the second deck in right-center, his 14th. Sentenzela lasted to the fifth inning when he gave up three more runs, two on a single by Hamels.

 

Hamels got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and breezed from there, allowing six hits. David Dahl had three of Colorado's hits.

 

Jon Lester (5-4, 3.56 ERA) will face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the opener of a four-game series at Los Angeles on Thursday night.

 

>>Marlins Blank Cardinals

 

Jordan Yamamoto did it all Wednesday, earning an RBI and pitching seven innings to win his major league debut, and the Marlins broke a six-game losing streak by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0.

Garrett Cooper hit a grand slam and finished a double shy of the cycle. That was more than enough support for Yamamoto, acquired last year in the Christian Yelich trade.

 

The 23-year-old Hawaiian right-hander limited St. Louis to three hits and two walks.

 

Cooper also tripled and scored in the first inning, and singled in the fifth. He struck out in the seventh and eighth.

 

Yamamoto's bunt in the sixth made it 6-0, and Curtis Granderson hit a three-run homer in the eighth. 

 

Miles Mikolas gave up five runs in five innings and lost his fifth decision in a row. He went 18-4 last season.

 

Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.08) is scheduled to start Thursday to begin a four-game series at the New York Mets.

US Open Tees Off Today

When the U.S. Open week began on Monday, it was buddies Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka tied at the top as the co-favorites to take the victory at Pebble Beach this weekend. 

 

With the annual major set to actually kick off with Round 1 on Thursday, oddsmakers have now given the slight edge to Johnson (7-1) to come away with the prize over Koepka (8-1), who's fresh off the fourth major championship of his career last month at the PGA Championship. 

 

Right behind Johnson and Kopeka, the latter of whom is looking to win his unfathomable third straight U.S. Open, is Tiger Woods, the man everyone will be paying attention to as he looks to claim major victory No. 16 of his career. Woods is tied at 10-1 odds with another notable name in Rory McIlroy, while Jordan Spieth is next in line in the field at 16-1. 

Blues, Bruins - Game 7 Tonight

The city of Boston has celebrated more than its fair share of sports championships in recent years, but never before has it played host to Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final.

 

That will change after Wednesday, when the Bruins take on the St. Louis Blues in the winner-take-all showdown. The matchup marks the 17th time the finals have gone seven games, with the home team winning 12 of the previous instances.

 

The Bruins are looking to capture their seventh NHL championship, having last hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2011. The Blues seek their first after entering the series 0-12 between three previous trips to the finals.

 

St. Louis had a chance to close things out at home in Game 6 on Sunday, but Boston, invigorated by a pregame speech from Bergeron, dominated the contest from the start, ultimately winning 5-1.

 

Bergeron's top line also got going in the game, with wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak each registering a goal and an assist. The trio was off to a slow start early in the series, paving the way for players such as Charlie Coyle (three goals in the finals) and Sean Kuraly (five points) to carry the offense.

 

The Blues, conversely, are still looking for more from some of their biggest offensive threats. Jaden Schwartz, the team's leading goal-scorer in the playoffs with 12, has yet to find net this series, while Vladimir Tarasenko has gone without a point the last two games.

 

On the power play is where the Blues could use the biggest boost. While Boston is 7 of 21 with the man advantage in the finals, St. Louis is 1 of 18, its only marker coming in Game 3.

 

Coming back from last place in the NHL as recently as Jan. 2, the Blues continue to hitch their wagon to rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. The 25-year-old allowed four goals on 31 shots in Game 6 but is 7-2 following a loss this postseason.

 

On the other side, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask appears to be the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Rask stopped 28 of 29 shots Sunday and has a 1.93 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage this postseason.

 

The Blues will get forward Ivan Barbashev back after he was suspended for Game 6 following an illegal check in Game 5. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (concussion) practiced in a non-contact jersey Tuesday and is likely to be a game-time decision Wednesday night.

 

A Game 7 victory for Boston would be the city's 13th championship across the four major North American sports since 2000. Both the MLB's Boston Red Sox and NFL's New England Patriots have won in the past year.

Cardinals, White Sox Win Tuesday; Cubs Lose

>>Cardinals Shut Down Marlins

 

Dakota Hudson (5-3) allowed four hits and one run, struck out six and retired 10 in a row during one stretch for the Cardinals, who handed the Miami Marlins their sixth consecutive defeat, 7-1, and have won Hudson's past five starts.

 

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina returned after missing 11 games because of a strained right thumb and went 2 for 5 with a single and double.

 

Left fielder Marcell Ozuna made a fine catch with two on in the fourth, and punctuated the victory with a ninth-inning homer , his 18th. He has a career average of .452 (14 for 31) against his former team.

 

The Marlins totaled five hits, all singles.

 

Elieser Hernandez (0-1), recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to make his first start of the year, allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings.

 

Kolten Wong had two of the Cardinals' 13 hits and reached base four times, and teammate Harrison Bader drove in two runs with a triple and a bases-loaded walk. Dexter Fowler had an RBI single in the seventh and then scored from first on Jose Martinez's pinch-hit two-run single.

 

Miles Mikolas (4-6, 4.54) is scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday when the Cardinals try for a sweep. He started twice against the Marlins last year and won both games.

 

Jordan Yamamoto, acquired in the Christian Yelich trade in January 2018, is expected to be recalled from Double-A Jacksonville to make his major league debut as Urena's replacement. Yamamoto is 3-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts for Jacksonville.

 

>>White Sox Outlast Nationals

 

Welington Castillo hit a grand slam and Jimenez homered at home for the first time, powering the Chicago White Sox to a 7-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Castillo got his second career slam, with the other coming June 14, 2017, in the same ballpark when he played for the Baltimore Orioles.

 

Jimenez went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs. He drove a 1-1 pitch from Washington starter Patrick Corbin (5-5) over the batter's eye in center and onto the concourse for an estimated distance of 462 feet. The 22-year-old came into the game hitting .266 with no homers and three RBIs in 18 home games and .205 with eight homers and 14 RBIs in 23 road games.

 

Jimenez also made a nice sliding catch on a liner to left in the eighth to help thwart a Nationals comeback attempt.

 

Anthony Rendon homered twice for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game winning streak.

Corbin allowed seven runs on six hits in five innings in losing his third straight start.

 

Alex Colome got the final five outs - working out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth - for his 14th save in 14 chances.

 

Ivan Nova (3-5, 6.28 ERA) takes the mound Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against the Yankees. LHP J.A. Happ (6-3, 4.48) pitches for New York.

 

>>Rockies Slam Cubs

 

Peter Lambert went five strong innings to lock up Chicago for a second time in five days as the Colorado Rockies won their 10th straight at home by beating the Cubs 10-3 on Tuesday night.

Lambert (2-0) allowed one run and three hits in his Coors Field debut. The right-hander made his first major league start last Thursday at Wrigley Field and earned his first win when he pitched seven innings of one-run ball.

 

Daniel Murphy led the Rockies offense with three hits, including a two-run double in the first. Charlie Blackmon added a three-run homer as part of a five-run sixth to break open the game.

 

Chicago lefty Jose Quintana (4-6) allowed four runs, three earned, over 4 2/3 innings. He also took the loss in Lambert's debut.

 

The Cubs have now dropped five straight on the road. They're now 13-18 away from home.

Cubs lefty Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.24 ERA) will start the series finale Wednesday. The Rockies will throw right-hander Antonio Senzatela (5-4, 4.95).

Cardinals Win Monday; Cubs, Sox Lose

>>Cardinals Drop Marlins

 

Michael Wacha pitched six scoreless innings in his return to the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation Monday, and they broke a three-game losing streak by beating Miami 4-1.

 

Wacha (4-2), who was briefly demoted to the bullpen, benefited from three double plays and a pickoff in his first start since May 22. The former All-Star allowed five hits, struck out four and lowered his ERA to 5.63.

 

Jorge Alfaro was also picked off second , and his error provided the cushion the Cardinals needed. John Gant followed Wacha and allowed one run in two innings. Jordan Hicks worked around a leadoff single in the ninth and struck out two for his 13th save.

 

The Marlins, saddled with the National League's worst record, have scored nine runs while losing five games in a row. 

 

Sandy Alcantara (3-6), facing his former team for the first time, struggled through five-plus innings and allowed four runs, but only one was earned.

 

After the Cardinals' first two batters reached in the sixth, Kolten Wong laid down a bunt, and both runners scored when Alfaro threw the ball down the right-field line.

 

Harrison Bader followed with a sacrifice fly.

 

The Cardinals scored the first run in the fourth on doubles by Marcell Ozuna and Yairo Munoz.

Dakota Hudson (4-3, 3.94) is scheduled to start Tuesday. He has an ERA of 2.19 over his past four outings, and the Cardinals have won each game.

 

>>Nationals Crush White Sox

 

Trea Turner homered in the second straight game, Anibal Sanchez pitched into the seventh and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago White Sox 12-1 on Monday night.

Turner tripled and scored in the third, went deep against Odrisamer Despaigne leading off the fifth and added an RBI double in the seventh. 

 

Sanchez (2-6) gave up one run and four hits. He left after James McCann singled leading off the seventh.

 

Adam Eaton had three hits, including an RBI single, in his first game at Guaranteed Rate Field since Chicago traded him to Washington at the 2016 winter meetings. Kurt Suzuki added a grand slam during a six-run ninth and had five RBIs to help the Nationals win for the 12th time in 16 games.

 

Leury Garcia hit a solo homer for Chicago in the sixth inning. Yoan Moncada left the game in the seventh with upper back tightness.

 

Patrick Corbin (5-4, 3.59 ERA) tries to bounce back after getting pounded in back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and San Diego. He allowed a combined 13 runs - nine earned - in 7 2/3 innings.

 

Manny Banuelos (3-4, 7.36 ERA) makes his first start since beating Cleveland on May 30. He lost his previous four outings.

 

>>Rockies Edge Cubs

 

Colorado scored its first five runs on homers - including Ian Desmond's 486-foot rocket - but Ryan McMahon delivered the go-ahead run with a single in the eighth inning, and Colorado rallied to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 on Monday night.

Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon also went deep for the Rockies, who have won nine straight at home, but Desmond's shot onto the concourse got everyone's attention.

 

Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and David Bote homered for the Cubs. Bote, who grew up in Longmont, Colo., outside of Denver and made his major league debut at Coors Field in 2018, hit his first homer in Colorado.

 

The game was tied 5-all when Murphy doubled and stole third with one out in the eighth. McMahon drove him in with a single to right-center off of Steve Cishek (1-3).

 

Wade Davis got the final three outs for his eighth save and first since coming off the 10-day injured list on Friday.

 

Yu Darvish and Rockies starter German Marquez each allowed four runs in six innings.

 

Colorado rookie right-hander Peter Lambert (1-0, 1.29 ERA) makes his Coors Field debut on Tuesday night, five days after winning his first major league start when he beat the Cubs. Chicago left-hander Jose Quintana (4-5, 3.77) took the loss in that game and is on the mound for his fourth career start at Colorado.

Warriors Overcome KD Injury to Take NBA Finals Back to Golden State

Steph Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson added 26 and they led a season-saving surge long after Kevin Durant was injured again to give the Warriors a 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

 

Devastated by the loss of Durant, the All-Stars that the Warriors had left made sure there was celebration along with their sadness, pulling out what Green thought had to be the greatest win during their run to five straight NBA Finals.

 

Curry and Thompson combined for three straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes after Toronto had taken a six-point lead with under 3 1/2 minutes remaining in front of a raucous, red-shirted crowd.

 

The Warriors lost Durant barely a quarter after getting him back but got the win, cutting Toronto's lead to 3-2 and sending the series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 on Thursday.

 

Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points for the Raptors but couldn't get the final shot, which went to Kyle Lowry and was blocked by Green.

 

DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points for the Warriors and Green finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

 

Golden State hosts Game 6 on Thursday night.

Bruins Blast Blues, Force Game 7

Tuuka Rask made 28 saves, Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist, and the Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday night to even the bruising, physical final at three games apiece.

 

David Pastrnak had one of Boston's four goals in the third period and an assist, helping the Bruins force the 17th Game 7 in Stanley Cup history. Brandon Carlo, Karson Kuhlman and Zdeno Chara also scored.

 

Ryan O'Reilly scored in the third period for St. Louis, which is looking for the franchise's first Stanley Cup title in its 51st season. Rookie Jordan Binnington finished with 27 stops.

 

Rask was at his best while Boston killed off four power plays, dropping St. Louis to 1 for 18 with the man advantage for the series. He smothered a big Colton Parayko slap shot with Chara in the box near the end of the first period, and made a fancy glove stop on an even-strength try for Brayden Schenn 7:42 in the second.

 

He got some help after Marchand was whistled for tripping Alex Pietrangelo midway through the second. With the Blues applying heavy pressure in search of the tying goal, Pietrangelo had a backhand go off the left post and Rask's back before McAvoy knocked the puck out of the way out of midair.

 

While St. Louis came up empty on the power play, Boston used a 5-on-3 advantage to jump in front in the first. With Schenn and O'Reilly in the box, Marchand beat Binnington with a sharp-angled shot from the right circle at 8:40.

 

It was Marchand's first goal since he got an empty-netter in Boston's 4-2 victory in Game 1. The Bruins improved to 25-1 when the pesky veteran scores in the postseason.

Cubs Sweep Cardinals; Sox Use Big Home Run To Drop Royals

Kyle Hendricks tossed one-run ball over seven innings to continue his dominance over St. Louis, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 5-1 win.

 

Carlos Gonzalez hit his first homer with the Cubs and Kyle Schwarber went 2 for 3 with two RBIs as Chicago completed a three-game sweep of its NL Central rivals and a 6-1 homestand.

 

All nine games between the Cardinals and Cubs this season have been won by the home team. The Cardinals swept the Cubs in St. Louis last weekend, and Chicago had another three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last month.

 

Hendricks (7-4) scattered eight hits to win his sixth straight decision. Steve Cishek worked a scoreless eighth, Carl Edwards got two outs in the ninth and Pedro Strop got the final out for his seventh save.

 

Paul Goldschmidt had two hits and Kolten Wong added an RBI double for St. Louis, which dropped to 31-32.

 

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (5-6) left in the bottom of the fifth inning with hamstring tightness after doubling in the top half of the inning.

 

Michael Wacha (3-2, 6.30 ERA) starts Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Miami. RHP Sandy Alcantara (3-5, 3.80) pitches for the Marlins.

 

Yu Darvish (2-3, 4.88 ERA) takes the mound Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Colorado. RHP German Marquez (6-3, 4.07) goes for the Rockies.

 

>>Sox Down Royals

 

Following three consecutive poor outings,  Reynaldo Lopez pitched six effective innings against Kansas City on Sunday. And backed by a 471-foot homer from Eloy Jimenez, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Royals 5-2.

A day after Lucas Giolito shut down the Royals in a 2-0 victory, Lopez (4-6) allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out eight.

 

Lopez had been struggling recently, giving up 19 earned runs in his last 13 1/3 innings over his previous three starts.

 

Yoan Moncada had four hits and an RBI for the White Sox, who lost the series opener but had back-to-back solid pitching performances to take the last two games.

 

Glenn Sparkman (1-2) gave up two earned runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.

 

Jimenez led off the second with the longest home run at Kauffman Stadium since Brandon Moss hit a 474-foot drive for the Royals against the Twins July 1, 2017. The White Sox added an unearned run later in the inning on Charlie Tilson's double.

 

Jorge Soler hit a 445-foot shot homer in the fourth, snapping Kansas City's 13-inning scoreless drought.

 

The White Sox got a run in each of the last three innings, on Moncada's single that scored Tilson in the seventh, an eighth-inning double by Tim Anderson and an unearned run in the ninth.

 

The White Sox open a six-game, seven-day homestand Monday against the Washington Nationals. Rick Renteria said the White Sox would make the decision on their starter Monday after talking to the players who may be affected by any roster moves. The Nationals swept a two-game series from Chicago on June 4-5, including winning on a walk-off home run by Trea Turner in the second game.

McIlroy Runs Away with Canadian Open Title

Of the 61 strokes Rory McIlroy took on Sunday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in a seven-stroke win at the 2019 Canadian Open, he gained ground on the field on 45 of them.

 

The 61 backed up a 67-66-64 start, putting McIlroy at 22 under for the week, a touchdown better than both Webb Simpson and Shane Lowry.

 

PGA Champion, Brooks Koepka led the week by saying he didn't really care about this week and was instead focused on the U.S. Open next week at Pebble Beach, but only breaking par one time in four rounds is not exactly inspiring stuff for the field favorite in the third major of the year. Koepka made more bogeys and double bogeys on the weekend than he made birdies and didn't look very solid other than a 66 in Round 2.

2019 CIC Softball All-Conference Teams; Three Lady Maroons Honored

Three Clinton Lady Maroons have earned All-Conference Team honors in the 2019 Central Illinois Conference softball season.

 

Senior Mackenzie Armstrong and Sophomore Savannah Clifton were both named to the CIC All-Conference Second Team.  Senior Zoie Polen also earned Honorable Mention.

 

Three area players earned unanimous selection to the CIC All-Conference First Team.  they were: Allie Dunn of Central A&M, Zoie Bowman of Meridian, and Natalie Bates of Tuscola.  

 

The rest of the CIC Softball First Team are: Mikayla Denton of Central A&M, Kaelee Stockton of Meridian, Jesse Damery of Meridian, Peyton Latham of Meridian, Joselyn Lewis of Shelbyville, Kaitlyn Reifstick of Tuscola, Jessie Martin of Tuscola, and Jada Wilson of Warrensburg-Latham.

 

You can view the entire rundown of the 2019 CIC All-Conference Softball Team on DeWittDailyNews.com.


First Team

Allie Dunn        SR    CAM***               
Zoie Bowman       JR    Meridian***          
Natalie Bates     SR    Tuscola***           
MiKayla Denton    JR    CAM                  
Kaelee Stockton   SR    Meridian             
Jesse Damery      JR    Meridian                 
Peyton Latham     JR    Meridian            
Joselyn Lewis     JR    Shelbyville          
Kaitlyn Reifsteck SO    Tuscola              
Jessie Martin     SO    Tuscola              
Jada Wilson       SR    W-Latham

 

Second Team

Mackenzie Armstrong   SR  Clinton
Savanah Clifton       SO  Clinton
Anna Enlow            SO  Meridian
Ali McCarter          SO  Shelbyville
Claire Peters         SR  St Teresa 
Irie Dulin            SR  Sullivan
Addison Darush        SR  Sullivan
Jackie Watson         SR  Tuscola
Carli Klein           JR  W-Latham
Jaycie Edwards        JR  W-Latham

 

Honorable Mention            

Channing Reed     JR    CAM                
Reeanna Guy       JR    CAM    
McKenna Denton    JR    CAM                
Zoie Polen        SR    Clinton            
Audrey Wise       JR    Meridian            
Allison Schuricht JR    Shelbyville            
Claire Ring       SR    Tuscola            
Kendyl Ring       SO    Tuscola            
Ashton Smith      SR    Tuscola
Taylor Musgrave   FR    Tuscola

 
*** Denotes unanimous selection.

2019 CIC Baseball All-Conference Teams; Three Maroons Honored

Three Clinton Maroons have been named to the Central Illinois Conference All-Conference Baseball team.

 

Senior Logan Peterson was named to the First Team, while Juniors Braden Cross and Michael Oswald both earned Second Team honors.  

 

Three players from the area earned Unanimous First Team CIC selections.  They were: Spencer Johnson of Sullivan, Cade Kresin of Tuscola, and Brendan Taylor of Warrensburg-Latham.  

 

The rest of the First Team honorees were: Seth Gillespy of St. Teresa, Malcolm Miller of Shelbville, Colten Reed of Shelbyville, Brayden VonLanken of Tuscola, Logan Tabeling of Tuscola, and Lucas Kresin of Tuscola.

 

You can view the entire list of 2019 CIC Baseball All-Conference awards at DeWittDailyNews.com.

 

2019 CIC Baseball All-Conference

 

First Team
Spencer Johnson (Sr.)        Sullivan                         *** Unanimous Selection
Cade Kresin (Sr.)            Tuscola                             *** Unanimous Selection
Brendan Taylor (Jr.)         Warrensburg-Latham       *** Unanimous Selection
Logan Petersen (Sr.)         Clinton
Seth Gillespey (Sr.)         Decatur St. Teresa
Malcolm Miller (Sr.)         Shelbyville
Colten Reed (Jr.)            Shelbyville
Brayden VonLanken (Sr.)      Tuscola
Logan Tabeling (Jr.)         Tuscola
Lucas Kresin (Jr.)           Tuscola

 

Second Team
Braden Cross (Jr.)           Clinton
Michael Oswald (Jr.)         Clinton
Trevor Wingard (Jr.)         Meridian
Cole Boehm (Jr.)             Meridian
Kolby Osborne (Sr.)          Decatur St. Teresa         
AJ Stokes (Jr.)              Shelbyville                
Ethan Clark (Fr.)            Shelbyville                
Rece Pullen (Jr.)            Shelbyville                
Dalton Rogers (Sr.)          Sullivan                
Will Little (Sr.)                  Tuscola                
                                    
Honorable Mention                        
Logan Whitney (Sr.)          Central A&M        
Sayne Schultz (Sr.)          Central A&M
Payton Bryant (Jr.)          Shelbyville
Kanin Elder (So.)            Sullivan
Jalen Quinn (Fr.)            Tuscola
Cameron Ochs (Sr.)           Tuscola
Max Wyninger (Jr.)           Tuscola
Ryan Bartley (Jr.)           Tuscola
Garhett Allen (Jr.)          Warrensburg-Latham

Binnington, Blues beat Bruins 2-1, lead Stanley Cup 3-2

Jordan Binnington stopped 38 shots, and the Blues withstood the emotional rush of Zdeno Chara's return to beat the Bruins 2-1 on Thursday night and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven final. They can win the championship at home in Game 6 on Sunday night.

 

Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron scored for St. Louis, which has won two straight since a 7-2 loss at home in Game 3. It was the first time in the series a team has won two in a row.

 

Tuukka Rask stopped 19 shots and Jake DeBrusk scored for Boston.

 

O'Reilly scored in the opening minute of the second period, backhanding in a rebound for his third goal in his last five periods. It was still 1-0 midway through the third when the referees disregarded a leg sweep by Tyler Bozak that knocked Acciari out of the game. But he was still on the ice when Perron followed with a shot that banked off Rask's pad and into the net. 

 

Boston cut the deficit to one goal on a delayed penalty with about 6 1/2 minutes left. Torey Krug took a high stick to the face at the blue line but he played on, straightened his helmet and dished the puck to DeBrusk for a one-timer past Binnington.

 

Boston pulled Rask with a little more than a minute left and earned several chances, but couldn't get the puck past Binnington.

Lambert sparkles to win debut, Rockies top Cubs 3-1

Peter Lambert allowed four hits over seven innings and struck out nine, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday.

 

Lambert retired 11 straight batters during a stretch before Kris Bryant doubled with one out in the sixth. Bryant scored on Javier Baez's two-out single.

 

Lambert (1-0) walked one and threw 63 of 95 pitches for strikes, ending his outing by striking out the side in the seventh. He set a Rockies record for strikeouts by a pitcher in his debut.

 

He also singled on his first pitch as a big league batter, using a two-tone bat to loop a fastball from Jose Quintana (4-5) to right-center field.

 

Jairo Diaz pitched a one-hit eighth and Scott Oberg threw a perfect ninth for this third save, completing a five-hitter.

 

Colorado rebounded after losing the first two games of the series. Chicago's NL Central lead was cut to a percentage point over second-place Milwaukee.

 

Quintana dropped to 0-4 in his last six starts, giving up three runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He has not won since beating St. Louis on May 5.

 

Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the third when David Dahl hit an RBI single and scored on the first of Ian Desmond's two doubles. Chris Iannetta hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh after Desmond doubled and Bryant lost Mark Reynolds' fly in the sun, allowing the ball to drop for a double.

DeJong's homer, Cards 4 steals help beat Reds 3-1

Paul DeJong homered and St. Louis tied its season high with four stolen bases in a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday that completed a 4-1 homestand.

 

DeJong hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Michael Lorenzen (0-1) in the seventh inning, DeJong's ninth home run this season and first since May 18. He had been in a 3-for-43 slide with no extra-base hits.

 

Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong, Marcell Ozuna and Dexter Fowler swiped bases for the Cardinals, who are tied with Milwaukee for the NL lead with 37. Wong became the only player in the major leagues who has 10 steals without being caught.

 

St. Louis stole three bases off DeSclafani after not registering a theft in two previous games against him.

 

John Gant (5-0) pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings in his ninth relief appearance of four outs or more this season. He is tied with Adam Wainwright for the team lead in wins.

 

Jordan Hicks threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances.

 

Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson allowed one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings, which matched his high in 12 starts this season.

 

Anthony DeSclafani gave up one run and six hits in five innings.

 

Harrison Bader singled leading off the third, Hudson sacrificed and Bader realized third base was uncovered and kept on running, sliding in head first. Carpenter singled through the drawn-in infield.

Tucker Barnhart hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Three Illinois State Players Taken Wednesday in MLB Draft

A trio of Illinois State baseball's best were selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, as Matt Walker (Detroit Tigers), Joe Aeilts (Colorado Rockies) and Jeff Lindgren (Miami Marlins) each heard their names called on the third day and final day of the 2019 draft on Wednesday. 

 

Aeilts, the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Joe Carter Player of the Year, heard his name called by the Rockies in the 14th round (429 overall). In conference play this season, Aeilts slashed .349/.404/.570 with seven doubles, four home runs, 19 RBI, and 18 runs scored. 

 

Lindgren, a senior right-hander from Champaign, Illinois, was drafted in Round 24 by the Marlins (711 overall). In 19 appearances in 2019, he posted a 5-5 record with a 5.96 ERA with 14 starts on the mound.

 

Walker was selected by the Tigers in the 13th round (382 overall). The junior left-handed starter from Morris, Illinois, finished the season with a 5-8 record and a 4.75 ERA in 16 starts on the mound for the Redbirds in 2019.

 

They join teammates John Rave (5th round – Kansas City Royals) and Brent Headrick (9th round – Minnesota Twins) as Redbird draftees in 2019. The five total selections are the most for ISU since 2014, when six Redbirds had their names called during the draft including major leaguers Paul DeJong and Brock Stewart.

 

Aeilts and Walker have until July 15 to sign contracts with their drafted clubs. 

Six More Illini Drafted Wednesday in MLB Draft

The Illinois baseball team had four student-athletes drafted Wednesday on Day 3 of the 2019 MLB Draft. Michael Massey (Round 4, Kansas City) and Jack Yalowitz (Round 10, Colorado) were both selected during Day 2, giving Illinois six total draft picks.

 

Junior infielder Ben Troike went in the 11th round, 338 overall to Tampa Bay. Junior right-hander Cyrillo Watson went in the 23rd round, 701 overall to the LA Dodgers. Senior right-hander Quinten Sefcik went in the 24th round, 714 overall, to the Cincinnati Reds. And senior outfield Zac Taylor went in the 25th round, 762 overall, to the Chicago Cubs. 

 

Additionally, Illinois commit Antoine Mistico, a juco sophomore outfielder, was taken in the 12th round, 366 overall, by the Seattle Mariners. 

 

The six picks were tied for the second-most in a single draft in Illinois history with 1985. The Illinois record of nine picks was set after the Illini's 50-win season in 2015.

 

All picks with college eligibility remaining have until July 15 to sign contracts with their drafted clubs. 

Cubs Win, Sox Lose, Cards Washed Out Wednesday

David Bote drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-8 win over the Colorado Rockies.

 

The Cubs second-baseman had four hits, including a three-run homer and bases-clearing double as the Cubs handed the Rockies a second straight loss after ending their season-high eight-game winning streak Tuesday.

 

In his last 12 games, Bote is batting .451 with three homers and 13 RBIs. And against Colorado, he did all the damage batting eighth.

 

Bote keyed a five-run rally in the sixth with his double to the left field corner that put Chicago up 8-3. He singled in a needed insurance run with two outs in the eighth to make it 9-7 after Colorado had trimmed the Cubs' lead to a run.

 

Nolan Arenado drove in a run with a single in sixth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in Colorado's four-run seventh. David Dahl had three RBIs and three hits, including a triple and double.

 

Brandon Kintzler (2-0), the second of six Chicago relievers, got the final two outs of the sixth for the win. Steve Cishek allowed a run in the ninth before earning his sixth save in eight chances as the Rockies kept coming back, but fell just short.

 

German Marquez (6-3) retired 12 of the Cubs first 14 batters, but yielded eight runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

 

Darvish set down 10 of the Rockies first 11 batters and didn't allow a hit until Daniel Murphy grounded a single to left with two outs in the fourth. He ended up allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 innings in his seventh straight no decision.

 

Peter Lambert will face Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (4-4, 3.78) on Thursday. Quintana has lost his last three decisions over five starts and has a 4.33 ERA over that span.

 

>>Nats Down Sox

 

Trea Turner homered with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Nationals beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 Wednesday to extend a winning streak to four for the first time since early September.

 

Washington led 4-1 in the eighth before another mess created by a bullpen that has a 6.68 ERA. No other team is above 6.00.

Leury Garcia singled with one out in the eighth off Kyle Barraclough, and Yoan Moncada hit a drive that Juan Soto caught with a leap at the left-field wall.

 

Jose Abreu followed with his 16th homer, Wander Suero relieved and Welington Castillo homered on his first pitch. Washington's 12th blown save tied Pittsburgh for second-most behind the New York Mets' 14.

 

Washington's bullpen had pitched 10 scoreless innings over the three prior games.

 

Alex Colome (2-1) entered with two outs and none on in the ninth and walked Brian Dozier on four pitches. He fell behind Turner 2-0, and Turner drove a high full-count fastball into the left-field bullpen for his third game-ending home run, his second this season.

 

Sean Doolittle (4-1) pitched out of two-on, one-out trouble in the ninth, striking out Garcia and Moncada.

 

Washington starter Anibal Sanchez struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits that included Moncada's sixth-inning homer. Chicago's Dylan Covey gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings.

 

Kurt Suzuki had an RBI single in the second and hit into a run-scoring forceout in the fourth. Victor Robles had a sacrifice fly in the sixth off Evan Marshall, and another run scored when shortstop Tim Anderson dropped Gerardo Parra's popup in short center field for an error.

 

Anthony Rendon walked in the fifth to extend his on-base streak to 21 games. The third baseman caught Yolmer Sanchez's one-out liner with the bases loaded in the third, then stepped on the base for an inning-ending double play.

 

Ivan Nova (3-5, 6.24) is scheduled to start Friday at Kansas City. He is 2-1 in five starts against the Royals.

 

>>Reds, Cardinals Washed Out

 

The scheduled game between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals was postponed because of rain Wednesday night.

It will be made up Aug. 31 as part of a day-night doubleheader.

 

The game was called after an 83-minute delay. Rain started right around when play was supposed to begin and didn't let up. The forecast called for showers deep into the night.

 

Anthony DeSclafani (2-3, 4.97 ERA) had been slated to pitch for the Reds against Dakota Hudson (4-3, 3.94). Both were simply pushed back a day to start Thursday afternoon.

 

The Cardinals have had five of their last eight games either delayed or postponed by rain. The total delay time is just under nine hours.

Raptors Take Game 3 of NBA Finals, 2-1 Series Lead

Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points on a night Curry went off for a playoff-best 47, and the Raptors beat the banged-up Golden State Warriors 123-109 on Wednesday for a 2-1 series lead.

 

Curry also had eight rebounds and seven assists but couldn't do it all for the two-time defending champions, down starters Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and key backup big man Kevon Looney because of injuries.

 

Splash Brother Thompson missed his first career playoff game after straining his left hamstring late in Game 2, while Looney is out the rest of the series after a cartilage fracture on his right side near the collarbone that also happened Sunday. Durant, a two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP, has been sidelined nearly a month because of a strained right calf.

 

Kyle Lowry contributed 23 with five 3-pointers and Danny Green had 18 points with six 3s after Pascal Siakam got the Raptors rolling early. Toronto shot 52.4% and made 17 from deep.

 

Curry shot 14 for 31 including 6 of 14 on 3s while making 13 of 14 free throws in his sixth career 40-point playoff performance.

 

All five Toronto starters scored in double digits and Fred VanVleet added 11 off the bench.

 

Game 4 is Friday at Oracle Arena, where Warriors fans will be rooting for the returns of Durant and Thompson.

Illinois State's Rave, Headrick Picked in Day 2 of MLB Draft

Illinois State baseball's John Rave and Brent Headrick have been selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. Rave was a fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Royals, while Headrick was a 9th-round selection of the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

 

Rave, a 2019 All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team selection, was the 139th pick overall. He is the third Redbird position player to be drafted in the top five rounds over the past five years, joining Paul DeJong who was selected in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, and Owen Miller who was picked in the third round last year by the San Diego Padres.

 

The Bloomington, Illinois, native leapt onto the national scene when he was named an all-star in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League last summer. He followed that stellar performance in summer baseball with a strong junior campaign, as he started every game in centerfield and manned the leadoff spot in the order for the Redbirds in 2019.

 

The junior slashed .297/.377/.502 during the season and led the team in conference play with 97 at-bats, 22 runs scored, eight home runs, 22 RBI, and 58 total bases. It was not the first time Rave had heard his named called in the draft, however, as he was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 35th round of the 2016 MLB Draft before coming to play collegiately at Illinois State.

 

Headrick, the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, was selected 269th overall by the Twins. The junior left-handed starter posted a 9-3 record and 3.47 ERA in 2019, and significantly upped his stock by striking out 14 batters in six innings of work last Friday at the NCAA Regional in a win over the nationally-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

Illinois' Massey, Yalowitz Taken in Day 2 of MLB Draft

Illinois junior second baseman Michael Massey was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the MLB Draft. The slot value of the pick is $533,000.

 

Massey is the highest drafted infielder in Illinois history at No. 109 overall, one round ahead of shortstop Brandon Wikoff (Overall No. 161) in 2009.

 

Massey has been one of the best middle infielders in Illinois history, ranking in the top 50 in career batting average and becoming the first Illini ever to win the prestigious Gold Glove Award. Massey hit .324 with 43 doubles, five triples, 17 homers and 110 RBIs in 159 career games and made only one error in his last 93 games.

 

Massey has one year of eligibility remaining. He has until July 15 to sign with the Royals.

 

Illinois senior outfielder Jack Yalowitz was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 10th round of the MLB Draft.

 

Yalowitz had an exceptional four-year career in Champaign, hitting .272 with 22 homers and 127 RBIs in 199 starts. He had a huge sophomore season in 2017 with 12 homers and a .335 average to earn first team All-Big Ten honors and again was selected All-Big Ten in 2019, to the third team, after hitting .295 with five homers this season.

Cubs Win; Cardinals, Sox Lose Tuesday

Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez homered, Kyle Hendricks was solid again through seven innings and the Cubs beat Colorado 6-3 on Tuesday night to end the Rockies' season-high eight-game winning streak.

 

Carlos Gonzalez had two RBIs - on a double and sacrifice fly - as he started in right field for a second straight game after signing a minor league contract with Chicago on Saturday.

 

Schwarber's solo shot to the back of the right-center bleachers in the fifth was his 11th homer and put Chicago up 3-2. Baez hit a two-run shot to the batter's eye the next inning for a three-run lead. It was his 15th this season.

 

Hendricks (6-4) allowed three runs and six hits while striking out 10 - including five in a row over the second and third innings.

 

Steve Cishek followed with a perfect eighth. Pedro Strop, activated off the injured list before the game, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save in seven chances.

 

Daniel Murphy hit a solo shot and drove in another run with a single. Nolan Arenado extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single and Tony Wolters had an RBI, but the Rockies came up short in a rematch of last year's NL Wild Card game - Colorado beat Chicago 2-1 in 13 innings to advance.

 

Colorado's Jeff Hoffman (1-2) gave up five runs and six hits through six innings in this third start since being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 24.

 

Rockies RHP German Marquez (6-2, 3.48) faces Cubs RHP Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.02) on Wednesday night. Marquez was 3-0 with a 4.12 ERA in six starts in May and is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA on the road this season. Darvish hasn't won since April 27 but is coming off a solid start at St. Louis last Friday when he allowed one run on three hits in six innings.

 

>>Nationals Jump Sox

 

Stephen Strasburg earned his 100th victory, Anthony Rendon homered and drove in five runs and Washington rallied past the Chicago White Sox 9-5 for its eighth victory in 10 games.

Strasburg (6-3) gave up four runs in a 39-pitch first inning and spotted Chicago a 5-0 lead. But he hung around long enough to complete five innings and become the first National to reach the 100-win plateau since the franchise moved from Montreal.

 

The White Sox couldn't manage anything else after Yoan Moncada homered in the second.

 

Rendon belted a two-run double in the third, then smacked a three-run homer in the fifth to chase former teammate Reynaldo Lopez (3-6) and give the Nationals a 6-5 lead.

 

Reliever Josh Osich surrendered back-to-back doubles before Victor Robles belted a two-run homer to make it 9-5. Washington's six runs in the fifth were its most in any inning this season.

 

Sean Doolittle recorded the final two outs for his 13th save in 15 opportunities.

 

Strasburg struck out six as he improved to 100-55.

 

Dylan Covey (1-4, 4.73 ERA) faces Washington for the first time in his career as the two-game series concludes on Wednesday.

 

Anibal Sanchez (1-6, 4.47) will look to win back-to-back starts for the first time since last June 9-14, when he pitched for Atlanta.

 

>>Reds Cool Off Cardinals

 

Luis Castillo pitched one-run ball over six innings, Yasiel Puig homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 Tuesday night following a rain delay of 1 hour, 20 minutes.

The loss snapped the Cardinals' four-game winning streak after sweeping the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

 

Castillo (6-1) gave up two hits and struck out eight with 111 pitches. He dropped his ERA to 2.38 and hasn't taken a loss since April 3 - a 1-0 defeat to Milwaukee.

 

Castillo did not allow a hit after the first inning. He retired his final 12 batters following a walk in the third.

 

Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances.

 

St. Louis struck out 14 times against four pitchers.

 

St. Louis starter Genesis Cabrera (0-2) pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, with eight hits and two walks. It was the second start of Cabrera's career. He did not record a strikeout.

 

Puig drove a one-out home run to center in the fifth, snapping a 0-for-13 skid with his 11th shot of the season.

 

Matt Carpenter hit his 24th leadoff homer in the first.

 

Anthony DeSclafani (2-3, 4.97) will be making his 12th start of the season. It will be his third this year against St. Louis. In his first start against the Cardinals on April 14 in Mexico, DeSclafani allowed four runs but did not figure in the decision. He earned the win in a 12-1 victory over St. Louis on April 26.

 

Dakota Hudson (4-3, 3.94) has allowed just eight earned runs in his last four outings, all quality starts. Hudson has given up just one homer dating back to April 27.

Louisville Withstands Late Illinois State Rally For Walk-Off Regional Championship

Illinois State rallied in the top of the ninth inning with two runs to tie the game against No. 7 national seed Louisville at 3-3, but the Cardinals (47-16) pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Redbirds (36-26) and win the Louisville Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium Monday afternoon..

 

ISU rallied in the top of the ninth inning to knot the game at 3-3. Jordan Libman scored on a Joe Aeilts fly ball that was misplayed in center that allowed Aeilts to move to third and he later scored on an RBI single to right field by Butler to tie it up headed to the bottom of the inning.

 

The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth and Alex Binelas laced a single up the middle to give Louisville the walk-off winner and the regional title.

 

The Redbirds won multiple games in the postseason for the first time in program history and advanced to their first Regional final.

 

Starting pitcher Matt Walker and first baseman Jack Butler were named to the All-Louisville Regional Team after strong performances.

 

Derek Parola finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and Butler was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. 

Colton Johnson struck out a career-high eight over a career-high 7 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs, two earned on six hits and walked three.

 

The Major League Baseball draft is underway and several Redbirds are likely to hear their names called in the next few days. 

Cubs Pound Angels

Jon Lester returned to form, allowing one run in seven innings, and the Cubs' offense came alive in an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

 

Coming off three straight losses at St. Louis in which they scored six total runs, the Cubs broke loose with a five-run sixth inning. Javier Baez began the onslaught with a run-scoring double, one of his three RBIs, as Chicago picked up its second win in its past eight games.

 

The Cubs did their damage in the sixth against Trevor Cahill and two other relievers. After Baez doubled to drive in Kris Bryant, Jason Heyward had a two-run double, Addison Russell had a sacrifice fly and Kyle Schwarber singled to drive in a run. It was Chicago's biggest inning since May 17, when it scored five times in the eighth during a 14-6 win over Washington.

 

Baez and Willson Contreras homered off Luis Garcia in the seventh.

 

The game was a makeup of a contest scheduled for April 14 that was postponed because of inclement weather. Monday was an open date for both clubs.

 

Kyle Hendricks (5-4, 3.09) will take a personal four-game win streak into the series opener against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

 

>>Sox Select Cal 1B Third Overall in MLB Draft

 

After losing 115 games in 2018, the Baltimore Orioles held the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. It is the second time the O's held the No. 1 pick and took Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman.

 

Rutschman is the first catcher selected first overall since Joe Mauer in 2001.

 

High school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Sr., went to the Royals with the No. 2 pick. The White Sox used the No. 3 pick on Cal masher Andrew Vaughn.

 

Rutschman, Witt, and Vaughn is the strongest top three we've seen in the last several drafts.

 

Vaughn is an outstanding pure hitter with an excellent approach and big power potential. While he is solid enough defensively at first base, Vaughn is close to a bat-only player.

 

The New York Mets took Texas prep third baseman Brett Baty. Baty has perhaps the most projectable left-handed power of the entire draft class. He's also a well-rounded hitter thanks to excellent bat speed and plate discipline. While the arm is definitely strong enough for the hot corner, his range and instincts in the field are both question marks. 

 

With the 19th pick, the St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson from Kentucky. Injuries have held Thompson back in recent years. He had shoulder trouble in high school and failed a pre-signing physical with the Rays when they made him their 11th round pick in 2016. Thompson also missed two months with an elbow issue last spring. When healthy though, the 6-foot-3 southpaw has a good four-pitch mix (low-90s fastball, slider, curveball, changeup) and strike-throwing ability. With no injury concerns, Thompson would've been drafted much higher.

 

And with the 27th pick, the Chicago Cubs took Fresno State right-hander Ryan Jensen. Thanks to his premium arm strength, Jensen routinely touches 98-99 mph and has one of the best fastballs in the draft. His slider is inconsistent but promising, and his changeup is a work in progress. Given his size (6-foot-0) and lack of refined secondary pitches, there is some thought Jensen could wind up in the bullpen. If he does, he'll move quickly through the minors.

 

In the second round, the Sox selected right-handed pitcher Matthew Thompson from the Texas prep ranks. The Cardinals selected prep right-hander Trejyn Fletcher from Maine with the 58th pick and the Cubs selected UCLA second basemen Chas Strumpf with the 64th pick. 

Blues Double Up Bruins, Tie Series at-2

Ryan O'Reilly scored the opening goal 43 seconds in and the winner with 9:22 left, and he and the Blues beat the Blues thrived in a chaotic Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night to beat the Bruins 4-2 and tie this bruising series at two games apiece.

 

This one was a back-and-forth thriller, with Boston's Tuukka Rask and St. Louis' Jordan Binnington each giving up tons of rebounds for frantic scoring chances and scrums.

 

Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 11th goal of the playoffs, and Binnington made 21 saves to improve to 7-2 in the postseason after a loss. Even more impressive was the rookie's bounce-back from being pulled in Game 3 for the first time in his NHL career. Rask allowed three goals on 37 shots and was on the receiving end of several Blues onslaughts.

 

Charlie Coyle scored for the third consecutive game, and Brandon Carlo had a short-handed goal for Boston, but their stars were quiet again and a big problem may be brewing: Boston captain Zdeno Chara was knocked out of the game by a puck to the mouth. Chara was allowed to sit on the bench, but it's uncertain if he'll be able to play in Game 5 when the Bruins could be without two of their top six defensemen.

 

O'Reilly ended an eight-game goal drought by cashing in two rebounds off Rask for his first multi-goal game since November. After losing 15 of his 23 faceoffs in a tough Game 3, O'Reilly was dominant all over the ice.

 

Another rebound off Rask paved the way for O'Reilly's go-ahead goal. With St. Louis leading, fans could happily sing John Denver's ''Country Roads'' at the under 6-minute timeout, and Brayden Schenn sealed it with an empty-net goal with 1:29 left.

 

Game 5 is Thursday night in Boston.

Illinois State Falls To Louisville, Regional Title Game Today

No. 7 seed and host Louisville (46-16) jumped out to an early lead, and Illinois State (36-25) was limited to just three hits and two runs in the contest Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium, as the Cardinals forced a deciding game on Monday with the Redbirds to decide the Louisville Regional title after an 11-2 win over the Redbirds.

 

Joe Aeilts tripled and scored and Joe Butler finished 1-for-4. 

 

The Redbirds and the Cardinals will face off for the third time in as many days on Monday in the winner-take-all game to decide the regional championship. First pitch is scheduled for Noon CT.

Cardinals Edge Cubs For Series Sweep; Sox Beat Indians

37-year-old Adam Wainwright overcame a career-high seven walks to pitch eight shutout innings, leading his team to a three-game sweep of its NL Central rival.

 

Wainwright walked two of the game's first three batters before wriggling out of the jam by getting Javier Baez to ground into an inning-ending double play, one of three for the Cardinals.

 

The Cardinals got just four hits in their fourth straight win.

 

Chicago was limited to three hits, and lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Wainwright (5-5) didn't allow a hit until Kris Bryant singled with one out in the sixth. He gave up two hits and struck out eight while throwing 126 pitches.

 

Chicago starter Cole Hamels (4-2) gave up one unearned run on two hits over seven innings. He struck out four and walked two.

 

The Cubs, who swept a three-game series from the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in early May, put runners at the corners with one out in the ninth against Jordan Hicks.

 

John Gant relieved, retired Addison Russell on an RBI grounder and got David Bote to ground out for his third save in four chances.

 

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead when Jedd Gyorko walked with one out in the fifth, stole second and went to third on an errant throw by catcher Willson Contreras. Kolten Wong, who had two hits, had a sacrifice fly.

 

Wong, playing second base, made a nice, over-the-shoulder catch of Anthony Rizzo's looper with two on to end the eighth.

 

Pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter added a two-out, RBI single off Mike Montgomery in the Cardinals eighth.

 

Jon Lester (3-4, 3.59) will face Los Angeles Angels RHP Trevor Cahill (2-5, 6.92) on Monday afternoon in Chicago. The game is the makeup of a contest that was postponed by snow on April 14. Lester allowed a season-high seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 9-6 loss to Houston on Tuesday. Lester is 0-3 with a 10.29 ERA over his last three starts.

 

Genesis Cabrera (0-1, 7.36) will face RHP Luis Castillo (5-1, 2.45) in the first of a three-game set against Cincinnati on Tuesday. Cabrera gave up three earned runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut on Wednesday.

 

>>Sox Blank Indians

 

Lucas Giolito pitched five-hit ball into the eighth inning and Tim Anderson homered, lifting the Chicago White Sox to a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.

 

Giolito (8-1) struck out nine and walked none while improving to 6-0 with a 1.03 ERA in his last six starts. He hasn't lost in almost two months.

Aaron Bummer got two outs in the eighth and Alex Colome finished for his 12th save in 12 chances.

Anderson led off the fourth with a drive to left-center for his ninth homer. He also doubled in Yolmer Sanchez with two out in the eighth, helping Chicago close out a 6-1 homestand.

 

Francisco Lindor had three of Cleveland's six hits. He led off the ninth with a double to left, but Colome retired the next three batters.

 

The Indians wasted a strong performance by Zach Plesac (0-1), who allowed four hits in seven innings in his second start in the majors.

 

The right-hander is the nephew of former major league reliever Dan Plesac, who pitched for six teams in 18 seasons.

 

The closest thing the Indians had to a rally came in the fifth when Greg Allen doubled down the right-field line with one out. Roberto Perez then lifted a drive to right-center in a bid for another extra-base hit, but Leury Garcia made a nice running catch on the warning track.

 

Giolito exited after Perez singled with one out in the eighth. Bummer came on and induced pinch hitter Jordan Luplow to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

 

Yoan Moncada was held out of the lineup to give him two days of rest with Monday's day off.

 

Reynaldo Lopez (3-5, 6.20 ERA) faces his former team Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game series at Washington. RHP Stephen Strasburg (5-3, 3.19 ERA) pitches for the Nationals.

Blues, Bruins Resume Stanley Cup Series Tonight

Throughout the Stanley Cup Final, the St. Louis Blues have spoken repeatedly of playing a disciplined game and staying out of the penalty box. Yet when the Boston Bruins appear on the ice, St. Louis struggles to play physically without taking penalties.

 

It killed the Blues on Saturday night, when Boston went 4-for-4 on the power play in a 7-2 Game 3 win to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. If St. Louis wants to win Game 4 at home Monday and tie the series, it can't afford to give the Bruins four or five more chances.

 

Not only was Boston perfect with the man advantage, it needed only four shots to score four goals. Its four power plays lasted a total of 2:06. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Torey Krug and Marcus Johansson each potted man-advantage markers as the Bruins won faceoffs, moved the puck and buried their chances.

 

The Blues' identity is that of a physical team which, over the course of a game or series, wears an opponent down. The difference between this series and the first three playoff rounds is that they have taken 14 minors in three games, compared to an average of just under three per game en route to the Western Conference title.

 

The Blues need rookie goalie Jordan Binnington to return to the form that made them a championship contender. Binnington ceded five goals on 19 shots before getting the hook for Jake Allen after Krug's goal. Only one of those tallies could be blamed entirely on Binnington, who got little help from his defense.

Warriors Take Game 2 of NBA Finals

Klay Thompson scored 25 points before leaving with a hamstring injury, Stephen Curry had 23 and the Warriors ran off the first 18 points of the second half on the way to a 109-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night that tied the NBA Finals at one game apiece.

 

Andre Iguodala, himself slow to get up after a hard fall in the first half, made the clinching 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left after the Raptors scored 10 straight points to cut it to 106-104.

 

Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors. They had won five straight since falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

 

Curry appeared to be laboring as well in the first half, returning to the locker room in the midst of six straight misses to start the game.

 

But the Warriors cobbled together a good enough finish to the second quarter to keep it close, then stormed out of the locker room with one of their vintage third-quarter charges that have been so frequent during their run to five straight NBA Finals.

 

DeMarcus Cousins was inserted into the starting lineup and delivered 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Draymond Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists - missing by one assist a fourth straight triple-double.

 

Fred VanVleet scored 17 points for the Raptors.

 

The series moves to their Oracle Arena for Games 3 and 4, with the first NBA Finals to be played outside the U.S. assured of returning to Canada for Game 5.

Illinois Ends Season at Oxford Regional

Illinois led 4-0 in the seventh, but Jacksonville State scored seven runs in its last two innings to come back and win. JSU hit two homers in the seventh to tie it 4-4 before Kellen Sarver gave Illinois another lead with a solo homer in the eighth. Jacksonville State answered with three runs in the bottom half on a two-out, two-strike double.

 

Jeff Korte led Illinois with two RBIs and two runs, Grant Van Scoy scored twice and Michael Michalak had two hits. Illinois led 2-0 early with a sac fly from Branden Comia and an RBI single by Michael Massey in the second inning. 

 

It was the final game for 14 seniors and potentially some juniors depending on next week's MLB Draft.

Walker, Gaines Lead Redbirds To 4-2 Win Over Louisville

A stellar complete-game effort on the mound by starter Matt Walker and a two-out, pinch-hit two-run double off the bat of Jeremy Gaines resulted in a thrilling 4-2 victory for Illinois State (36-24) over No. 7 national seed Louisville (44-16) Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium.

 

After three scoreless innings for both teams to start the game, the Redbirds finally broke out in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Joe Aeilts that scored Jordan Libman from first base. 

 

The Cardinals finally got to Walker in the top of the sixth inning, scratching across two runs on three hits to take a 2-1 lead.

 

Aeilts came up big again for the Redbirds in the bottom of the sixth, as he beat out a would-be double play that allowed John Rave to score the tying run and make it 2-2 pinch hitter Jeremy Gaines then broke the inning open with a two-run double to give the Redbirds the lead back at 4-2 after six innings of play.

 

Walker shut the door on Louisville the rest of the way, not allowing a hit over the final three innings to pick up his fifth victory of the season.

Clemson doubles up Illinois 8-4 in NCAA Tournament

Kyle Wilkie and Grayson Byrd both drove in three runs, Davis Sharpe pitched 6 2/3 innings in relief and Clemson beat Illinois 8-4 on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

Clemson (35-24) jumped ahead 4-2 in the third inning and never trailed again. Michael Green and Byrd both homered during the decisive rally. The Tigers broke the game open with three more runs in the seventh, including crucial hits by Wilkie and Byrd.

 

Clemson starter Jacob Hennessy lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs. Sharpe (7-4) was excellent, giving up just three hits and one unearned run.

 

Illinois (36-20) used seven pitchers to try and slow Clemson’s offense. Ty Weber (4-3) took the loss after giving up four earned runs over four innings. Branden Comia, Cam McDonald and Grant Van Scoy all had two hits for the Fighting Illini.

Illinois State Stuns Indiana 8-7 in NCAA Tournament

Joe Aeilts hit a go-ahead, RBI double in the top of the eighth inning, and Illinois State recovered from blowing a five-run lead to beat Indiana 8-7 on Friday in the opener of the Louisville regional.

 

Aeilts delivered the last of three doubles for the hard-hitting Redbirds (35-24), who collected 18 hits and led 7-2 after six innings. Second-seeded Indiana (36-22) tied it with a five-run seventh in which it scored twice on bases-loaded walks and another run on a hit batsman. Derek Parola, who had two RBIs, singled to lead off the eighth for No. 3 ISU before Aeilts doubled to left off Connor Manous (1-1).

 

Dalton Harvey (1-0) pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief for the victory as five Redbird pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts. ISU faces the Illinois Chicago-Louisville winner on Saturday. Indiana (36-22) aims to avoid elimination against the loser of that contest.

 

The Hoosiers had seven hits and led 2-0 on Elijah Dunham’s two-run homer to right center in the first.

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