AP National Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a pair of solo home runs and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 8-2 for their fourth straight win, moving them into a first-place tie in the NL East with the New York Mets. Orlando Arcia also homered and Michael Harris II had a two-run triple for

By BRIAN HALL Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Wallner hit a two-run homer, Bailey Ober had a career-high 10 strikeouts and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Wednesday night. Ober (2-3) threw a career-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits. Wallner, the rookie outfielder from nearby Forest Lake, hit

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Andrew Knizner hit a two-run homer, Miles Mikolas pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central title with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Paul Goldschmidt added two RBIs as St. Louis sealed its first division crown since 2019 and

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Harold Ramírez’s two-run double with two outs in the 11th inning gave Tampa Bay a 6-5 win over Cleveland, helping the Rays move up in the AL wild-card race. Tampa Bay closed within 1 1/2 games of Toronto atop the AL wild-card chase. The AL Central

By JERRY BEACH Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Carrasco had another short start, lasting just three innings as the New York Mets fell into a first-place tie in the NL East with a 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. The Marlins closed out the Mets not long after the Atlanta Braves completed an

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge walked four times and stayed at 60 home runs, one shy of Roger Maris’ American League record, as the New York Yankees clinched the AL East title by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2. The Yankees won the division for the first time since 2019.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired veteran forward Maurice Harkless in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder also received a 2029 second-round pick and another draft consideration from the Hawks in exchange for Vít Krejci. The 6-foot-9 Harkless averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 47 games with Sacramento

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge walked four times and stayed at 60 home runs, one shy of Roger Maris’ American League record, as the New York Yankees clinched the AL East title by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2. The Yankees celebrated their 20th division championship, tied for second-most with

By MARK GONZALES Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Marcus Stroman pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, and Yan Gomes hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a National League playoff berth is stalled at eight after

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have released defensive back Daryl Worley. The Ravens also announced they have signed guard Zack Johnson and linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu to the practice squad and released wide receiver Makai Polk and cornerback T.J. Carrie from the practice squad. Worley played for the Ravens in Week 2 against

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored two goals and was twice accosted by fans running on the field as Argentina extended its unbeaten streak to 35 matches over three years by beating Jamaica 3-0 in its next-to-last World Cup warmup match. Julián Álvarez put Argentina ahead in the

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez left the Astros’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning with left ankle discomfort. Alvarez, who is tied for second in the American League with 37 home runs, rolled his ankle running out of the box on a single in the first inning but didn’t leave

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Harold Castro singled in the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning after tying it with a two-run single in the eighth in the Detroit Tigers’ 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Tucker Barnhart bunted pinch-runner Ryan Kreidler to third and

By JOHN PERROTTO Associated Press PITTSBURGH (AP) — Miguel Andújar hit a tiebreaking three-run double in the seventh inning, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Andújar’s hit snapped a 1-all tie and came in his second game with the Pirates. The designated hitter was claimed off waivers from the

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers placed wide receiver Jalen Guyton on injured reserve and claimed outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka off waivers on Tuesday. Tuszka made his first NFL start for the Tennessee Titans in last week’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, getting two tackles. Tuszka was a seventh-round pick by

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett suffered a sprained shoulder, strained biceps and minor cuts when he flipped his Porsche in a frightening single-car accident on Monday. Garrett, who spent several hours being treated at a hospital, rolled his car on a rural road following

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida, South Carolina and South Florida are taking steps to salvage home football games as Hurricane Ian approaches. The Gators moved their game against Eastern Washington from Saturday to Sunday just before a slate of NFL games begin. The Gamecocks will host South Carolina State

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier intends to transfer with the Broncos off to a disappointing 2-2 start. A spokesman for Boise State confirmed Bachmeier has filed paperwork to initiate the process of transferring. Bachmeier told ESPN that he wants to find a situation that will allow him to win games and

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball says he can’t run at full speed or jump and still experiences pain in his left knee walking up stairs. Ball spoke ahead of his scheduled surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The team said last week he would undergo