SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 13-5 in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday, hours after obtaining superstar Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals in one of the biggest trades in baseball history.
The trade was announced a few minutes before first pitch. The crowd of 23,828 at Petco Park applauded loudly when an image of Soto and Josh Bell, who also came from the Nats, was shown on the video board early in the game.
The Padres fell behind 3-0 early, but bounced back. Jurickson Profar had a career-high five hits and drove in two runs, Kim Ha-seong had a career-high four hits and two RBIs, and Jake Cronenworth added a two-run homer.
Yu Darvish (10-4) allowed a two-run home run by Randal Grichuk with no outs in the second and a solo shot by Brendan Rodgers leading off the fourth.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and eight hits. Jake Bird (1-3) took the loss.
NATIONALS 5, METS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jacob deGrom dazzled in his first major league start in more than a year, allowing one run on three hits and striking out six in five innings before a bullpen meltdown cost New York against Washington.
Sidelined for the second half of last season by an elbow injury and shut down late in spring training because of a stress reaction in his right scapula, deGrom delivered a 99 mph fastball on his first meaningful pitch since July 7, 2021. He threw 46 of 59 for strikes before coming out of the game.
Francisco Lindor homered for the NL East leaders in the sixth.
Mets reliever Stephen Nogosek (0-1) took the loss after allowing a two-run homer to Luis Garcia and a solo shot to Yadiel Hernandez in the sixth. Yoan López also gave up a homer in the seventh.
Victor Arano (1-0) got the win in relief.
MARINERS 8, YANKEES 6
NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Sam Haggerty opened the seventh inning with a go-ahead homer, Andrés Muñoz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and Seattle hung on for a victory over New York after blowing a four-run lead.
The switch-hitting Haggerty batted for left-handed hitting Jarred Kelenic against left-hander Lucas Luetge (3-4) and broke a 6-6 tie by lifting a 1-0 cutter into the left-field seats.
Haggerty connected after Josh Donaldson hit a tying two-run homer in the sixth off Logan Gilbert.
Seattle is 5-8 since entering the All-Star break with 14 straight wins.
Eugenio Suárez and Cal Raleigh hit early homers off Jameson Taillon, who allowed four walks. Taillon gave up six runs — five earned — in 4 2/3 innings.
Carlos Santana drove in three runs. He hit a sacrifice fly to give Seattle a 4-0 lead in the third and added two-run double in the fifth.
Adam Frazier hit an RBI single in the ninth off Albert Abreu.
Penn Murfee (2-0) allowed a double to Trevino and an infield single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa before getting Aaron Hicks on a double play to the end the sixth.
CARDINALS 6, CUBS 0
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright pitched seven spotless innings with longtime catcher Yadier Molina back behind the plate, and St. Louis beat Chicago.
Paul Goldschmidt homered and drove in three runs to lead the St. Louis offense. Dylan Carlson hit a two-run shot and made a nice catch in center field. Nolan Arenado also went deep.
Wainwright (8-8) allowed six hits and struck out four without a walk.
Wainwright and Molina made their 317th career start as batterymates, passing the Boston/Milwaukee Braves duo of Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for sole possession of second place in major league history since 1901. The only pair in front is Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan (324) of the Detroit Tigers (1963-75).
Cubs starter Keegan Thompson (8-5) gave up five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
RED SOX 2, ASTROS 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered with two RBIs in his return from the injured list to lead Boston over Houston, hours after they acquired veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer in a trade with San Diego.
Devers didn’t show any signs of rust in his return after sitting out since July 23 with inflammation in his right hamstring. He hit an RBI double in the fourth inning before hitting a tiebreaking solo homer with two outs in the sixth inning to help Boston to its third straight victory.
Tommy Pham singled and scored on the double by Devers in his debut with the Red Sox after a trade from Cincinnati on Monday.
The trade for Hosmer comes a day after they sent catcher Christian Vázquez to the Astros, a move that had some players worried the team was giving up on the season.
Hosmer was part of the deal with Washington for Juan Soto before he refused the trade and the Padres instead shipped him to Boston along with two minor leaguers and cash in exchange for minor league left-hander Jay Groome.
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford (3-3) yielded seven hits and a run in six strong innings for his first win since July 4.
Houston’s Cristian Javier (6-7) gave up four hits and two runs with seven strikeouts in six innings to lose his fourth straight decision after winning the previous three.
ANGELS 3, ATHLETICS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — David Fletcher hit a leadoff homer, José Suarez didn’t allow an earned run in his second consecutive start and Los Angeles defeated Oakland.
Elvis Andrus had three hits and Sean Murphy reached base three times along with driving in a run for the Athletics, who have dropped three straight following a four-game winning streak.
Fletcher — who missed 69 games due to a left hip strain — drove a fastball from Cole Irvin (6-8) over the left-field wall in the first inning.
Suarez (3-4) was the planned last-minute starter after Noah Syndergaard was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the game. Suarez went five innings and gave up an unearned run on five hits. He struck out five. Jose Quijada picked up his second save.
BLUE JAYS 3, RAYS 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Gausman allowed one hit and struck out 10 over eight innings and Toronto opened a nine-game trip with a win over Tampa Bay.
The Blue Jays have won 11 of 13 and increased their lead over Tampa Bay to four games for the top AL wild-card spot.
Gausman (8-8) threw 75 of 103 pitches for strikes. Jordan Romano worked the ninth to get his AL-best 25th save despite allowing Taylor Walls leadoff homer in the ninth.
The Blue Jays were busy before the trade deadline an hour before first pitch. They acquired two-time AL All-Star utilityman Whit Merrifield from Kansas City, and got relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from Miami.
Drew Rasmussen (6-4) gave up one run and six hits over six innings. Tampa Bay is 3-8 since the All-Star break.
BRAVES 13, PHILLIES 1
ATLANTA (AP) — Spencer Strider struck out a career-high 13 in six-plus innings, Eddie Rosario tied a career high with five RBIs and Atlanta beat Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.
The defending World Series champions moved within 2 1/2 games of the NL East-leading New York Mets.
Strider (6-3) allowed one run and three hits. He won consecutive starts against Phillies after beating them 6-3 last Tuesday at Philadelphia. Only two of his last 18 batters reached, a walk to Kyle Schwarber in the third and a single by Darick Hall that ended Strider’s night.
Atlanta scored six runs in the fifth, five off Corey Knebel. Orlando Arcia hit his sixth homer, a two-run shot, for an 8-1 lead.
Philadelphia used a bullpen game that featured six pitchers. Opener Nick Nelson (3-2) gave up two runs and two hits in two-plus innings.
TIGERS 5, TWINS 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Riley Greene had two hits and two RBIs as Detroit snapped a three-game skid and spoiled Minnesota’s big trade deadline day.
Minnesota made big moves to bolster its hopes for a division title by acquiring starter Tyler Mahle and right-handed relievers Jorge López and Michael Fulmer before the deadline. Fulmer made the short walk from one clubhouse to the other after the trade from Detroit was announced.
But it was the last-place Tigers who earned a win. Greene, Akil Baddoo and Javier Báez had RBI singles in a three-run seventh inning.
Jason Foley (1-0) earned his first career win with a scoreless inning in relief of starter Matt Manning. Gregory Soto earned his 20th save.
Griffin Jax (5-3) retired just one batter and allowed three runs on three hits in the seventh for Minnesota. Mark Contreras hit his first career homer for the Twins, who have lost five of seven.
WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Eloy Jiménez had three hits and four RBIs, José Abreu homered and Chicago pounded Kansas City.
The White Sox made no major moves prior to the trade deadline and will bank on improvement from within as they try to overtake Minnesota and Cleveland to win their second straight AL Central championship.
Jiménez singled and scored in a three-run first inning and smacked a two-run double in the fourth to bump Chicago’s lead to 5-2. He added a long sacrifice fly in the sixth before Abreu chased Royals starter Brad Keller (5-12) with a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole, making it 8-2.
Gavin Sheets hit a solo homer in the seventh, helping Chicago move back above .500 at 52-51. The White Sox are 24-29 at home.
Lucas Giolito (7-6) went five innings, allowing two runs and five hits, in his first win at Guaranteed Rate Field since beating Boston on May 25. The right-hander struck out seven and walked three after posting a 6.75 ERA in his previous nine outings.
PIRATES 5, BREWERS 3
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rookie Oneil Cruz hit a three-run homer to spark a five-run sixth inning as Pittsburgh rallied past NL Central-leading Milwaukee, snapping a seven-game skid.
Cruz hit a blast to dead center field off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, pulling the Pirates into a 3-all tie. Pittsburgh then added two runs to win for the first time since July 23.
The Brewers had their four-game winning streak snapped, one day after trading All-Star closer Josh Hader to San Diego. Milwaukee had also won seven of eight.
Pittsburgh managed just four hits, but Burnes (8-5) walked five in 5 1/3 innings as his five-game winning streak ended. Burnes was charged with four runs and struck out six to raise his NL-leading total to 166.
Colin Holderman (5-0) pitched one scoreless inning for the win. Wil Crowe pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.
REDS 2, MARLINS 1
MIAMI (AP) — Graham Ashcraft allowed one unearned run in a career high 8 1/3 innings and Cincinnati beat Miami to extend its winning streak to four games.
The 24-year-old Ashcraft (5-2) scattered five hits and struck out three. He was lifted after Jesús Aguilar’s one-out double in the ninth. Alexis Díaz relieved and retired the next two batters for his fourth save.
The Reds had only three hits against four Marlins pitchers, but Aristides Aquino’s two-run single in the first was enough.
Braxton Garrett (2-5) settled down after the first inning, and matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander allowed three hits, walked two and hit a batter.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, GUARDIANS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) — Christian Walker hit a three-run homer, Alek Thomas had a two-run double and Arizona beat Cleveland to stop a four-game losing streak.
Carson Kelly hit a solo homer, had three hits and scored two runs for Arizona, which never trailed in winning at Progressive Field for the first time since Aug. 13, 2014.
Zac Gallen (6-2) allowed three runs. six hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five. Ian Kennedy picked up his fifth save.
Right-hander Triston McKenzie (7-8) surrendered Walker’s three-run drive in the first and lost his second straight start. He struck out seven over six innings and gave up five runs, four earned.
ORIOLES 8, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jorge Mateo homered twice and drove in five runs to help Baltimore beat Texas.
Batting ninth in the lineup, Mateo set his single-game highs for home runs and RBIs. He has 10 homers and 32 RBIs this season.
Texas starter Spencer Howard (2-3) retired the first six Baltimore batters. He hit Ramon Urias with a pitch leading off the third inning and walked rookie Terrin Vavra before giving up Mateo’s first homer. Adley Rutschman singled home a fourth run, and the lead grew to 5-0 on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Mountcastle.
Winning pitcher Jordan Lyles (8-8) allowed one run and scattered seven hits over 6 1/3 innings against his former team.
Viloria scored both Texas runs. He hit his second homer this season leading off the ninth against left-hander Nick Vespi.
CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenceman Ilya Solovyov and centre Cole Schwindt, the NHL club announced Wednesday.
Solovyov signed a two-year deal which is a two-way contract in year one and a one-way deal in year two and carries an average annual value of US$775,000 at the NHL level.
Schwindt signed a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $800,000 at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old Solovyov, from Mogilev, Belarus, made his NHL debut last season and had three assists in 10 games for the Flames. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 51 games with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and added one goal in six Calder Cup playoff games.
Schwindt, from Kitchener, Ont., made his Flames debut last season and appeared in four games with the club.
The 23-year-old also had 14 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Wranglers and added a team-leading four goals, including one game-winning goal, in the playoffs.
Schwindt was selected by Florida in the third round, 81st overall, at the 2019 NHL draft. He came to Calgary in July 2022 along with forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade that sent star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
KING CITY, Ont. – Oman scored 10 runs in the final over to edge Nepal by one wicket with just one ball remaining in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 play Wednesday.
Kaleemullah, the No. 11 batsman who goes by one name, hit a four with the penultimate ball as Oman finished at 223 for nine. Nepal had scored 220 for nine in its 50 overs.
Kaleemullah and No. 9 batsman Shakeel Ahmed each scored five in the final over off Sompal Kami. They finished with six and 17 runs, respectively.
Opener Latinder Singh led Oman with 41 runs.
Nepal’s Gulsan Jha was named man of the match after scoring 53 runs and recording a career-best five-wicket haul. The 18-year-old slammed five sixes and three-fours in his 35-ball knock, scoring 23 runs in the 46th over alone when he hit six, six, four, two, four and one off Aqib Ilyas.
Captain Rohit Paudel led Nepal with 60 runs.
The 19th-ranked Canadians, who opened the triangular series Monday with a 103-run win over No. 17 Nepal, face No. 16 Oman on Friday, Nepal on Sunday and Oman again on Sept. 26. All the games are at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.
The eight World League 2 teams each play 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026. The top four sides will go through to a World Cup qualifier that will decide the last four berths in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Canada (5-4) stands second in the World League 2 table. The 14th-ranked Dutch top the table at 6-2.
Oman (2-2 with one no-result) stands sixth, ahead of Nepal (1-5).
Canada won all four matches in its opening tri-series in February-March, sweeping No. 11 Scotland and the 20th-ranked host Emirates. But the Canadians lost four in a row to the 18th-ranked U.S. and host Netherlands in August.
Canada which debuted in the T20 World Cup this summer in the U.S. and West Indies, is looking to get back to the showcase 50-over Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2011 after failing to qualify for the last three editions. The Canadian men also played in the 1979, 2003 and 2007 tournaments, exiting after the group stage in all four tournament appearances.
The Canadian men regained their one-day international status for the first time in almost a decade by finishing in the top four of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff in April 2023 in Bermuda.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024
PENTICTON, B.C. – Rick Tocchet has already warned his Vancouver Canucks players — the looming NHL season won’t be easy.
The team made strides last year, the head coach said Wednesday ahead of training camp. The bar has been raised for this year’s campaign.
“To get to the next plateau, there are higher expectations and it’s going to be hard. We know that,” Tocchet said in Penticton, B.C., where the team will open its camp on Thursday.
“So that’s the next level. It starts day one (on Thursday). My thing is don’t waste a rep out there.”
The Canucks finished atop the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record last season, then ousted the Nashville Predators from the playoffs in a gritty, six-game first-round series. Vancouver then fell to the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game second-round set.
Last fall, Jim Rutherford, the Canucks president of hockey operations, said everything would have to go right for the team to make a playoff push. That doesn’t change this season, he said, despite last year’s success.
“The challenges will be greater, certainly. But I believe the team that we started with last year, we have just as good a team to start the season this year and probably better,” he said.
“As long as the team builds off what they did last year, stick to what the coaches tell them, stick to the system, stick together in good times and bad times, this team has a chance to do pretty well.”
Some key players will be missing as Vancouver’s training camp begins, however.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Wednesday that star goalie Thatcher Demko will not be on the ice when the team begins it’s pre-season preparation.
Allvin did not disclose the reason for Demko’s absence, but said the 28-year-old American has been making progress.
“He’s been in working extremely hard and he seems to be in a great mindset,” the GM said.
Demko missed several weeks of the regular season and much of Vancouver’s playoff run last spring with a knee injury.
The six-foot-four, 192-pound goalie has a career 213-116-81 regular-season record with a .912 save percentage, a 2.79 goals-against average and eight shutouts across seven seasons with the Canucks.
Allvin also announced that veteran centre Teddy Blueger and defensive prospect Cole McWard will also miss the start of training camp after each had “minor lower-body surgery.”
Vancouver previously announced winger Dakota Joshua won’t be present for the start of camp as he recovers from surgery for testicular cancer.
Tocchet said he’ll have no problem filling the holes, and plans to switch his lines up a lot in Penticton.
“Nothing’s set in stone,” he said. “I think it’s important that you have different puzzles at different times.”
The coach added that he expects standout centre Elias Pettersson to begin on a line with Canucks newcomer Jake DeBrusk.
Vancouver inked DeBrusk, a former Boston Bruins forward, to a seven-year, US$38.5 million deal when the NHL’s free agent market opened on July 1.
The glare on Pettersson is expected to be bright once again as he enters the first year of a new eight-year, $92.8 million contract. The 25-year-old Swede struggled at times last season and put 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games.
Rutherford said he was impressed with how Pettersson looked when he returned to Vancouver ahead of camp.
“He seems to be a guy that’s more relaxed and more comfortable. And for obvious reasons,” said the president of hockey ops. “This is a guy that I believe has worked really hard this summer. He’s done everything he can to play as a top-line player. … The expectation for him is to be one of the top players on our team.”
A number of Canucks hit milestones last season, including Quinn Hughes, who led all NHL defencemen in scoring with 92 points and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top blue liner.
Several players could once again have career-best years for Vancouver, Tocchet said, but they’ll need to be consistent and not allow frustration to creep in when things go wrong.
“You’ve just got to drive yourself every day when you have a great year,” the coach said. “You’ve got to keep creating that environment where they can achieve those goals, whatever they are. And the main goal is winning. That’s really what it comes down to.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
