The Baltimore Orioles have placed reliever Darren O’Day and outfielder Craig Gentry on the 10-day disabled list.

O’Day hurt his left hamstring while fielding a bunt on Tuesday night and Gentry sustained a left rib fracture when hit by a pitch in Atlanta on Friday.

It’s the second trip to the DL this season for O’Day [url=http://www.officialhockeyrangersshop.com/authentic-adidas-pavel-buchnevich-jersey]Womens Pavel Buchnevich Jersey[/url] , who missed a month with a hyperextended elbow.

This injury could also result in a lengthy absence. Manager Buck Showalter said, ”Not sure we can put a timeframe on it. It’s pretty sore.”

The sidearmer is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA.

Gentry is batting .244 with a team-high 10 steals.

Baltimore recalled utility man Steve Wilkerson and right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A Norfolk. Wilkerson made his major league debut last week [url=http://www.officialhockeyrangersshop.com/authentic-adidas-vladislav-namestnikov-jersey]Vladislav Namestnikov Jersey[/url] , and Yacabonis is expected to start Thursday against Seattle in place of Dylan Bundy, who went on the disabled list Tuesday.

—

The Chicago White Sox have placed right-hander Nate Jones on the 10-day disabled list with a muscle strain in his forearm.

Manager Rick Renteria says Jones told the team about the issue after he faced three batters during Tuesday night’s 5-1 victory over Cleveland [url=http://www.officialsenators.com/authentic-adidas-bobby-ryan-jersey]Bobby Ryan Jersey[/url] , allowing a hit, a walk and recording one out. The veteran reliever got an MRI [url=http://www.officialsenators.com/authentic-adidas-chris-wideman-jersey]Chris Wideman Jersey[/url] , and Renteria says the injury is ”very mild.”

Jones is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA and four saves in 27 appearances this year. Renteria says he will stop throwing for six days and then be re-evaluated.

Chicago also recalled right-hander Juan Minaya from Triple-A Charlotte before Wednesday night’s game against the Indians. Minaya has no record and a 10.80 ERA in five appearances with the White Sox this year.

—

Rookie Jake Bauers and the Tampa Bay Rays made it a lost weekend for the New York Yankees. An injury to Gary Sanchez turned the trip into an even bigger loss.

Bauers led off the 12th inning with a home run and Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees with a 7-6 victory Sunday.

”It’s a crazy feeling [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/jameis-winston-jersey]Womens Jameis Winston Jersey[/url] ,” Bauers said.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez hurt his right groin/hip abductor trying to beat out a double-play grounder in the 10th and ”it’s probably going to be a DL situation.”

”What can I say?” Sanchez said through a translator. ”That’s the way baseball is sometimes. Now I’m just hoping it’s not a long time.”

Sanchez will undergo an MRI exam Monday.

Giancarlo Stanton doubled twice and homered while going 5 for 5 for New York. The Yankees had been the only team in the majors that hadn’t lost three in a row this year – this was the latest into any season they had gone without losing three straight since August 1954.

”Just a frustration weekend, but you just turn the page from it,” Boone said.

Bauers, who tripled earlier, homered on the first pitch from Chasen Shreve (2-2). Five previous New York relievers held Tampa Bay hitless for eight innings.

Brett Gardner opened the 12th with a bunt single that saw Rays reliever Jonny Venters strain his right hamstring and depart the game.

Venters hadn’t pitched in the majors since the 2012 NL wild-card game with Atlanta until joining Tampa Bay this season. The lefty had three Tommy John surgeries (2005, 2013, 2014) and another other major procedure in 2016.

Venters will be going on the disabled list

”Hopefully, it’s a mild strain,” Venters said. ”It’s disappointing, but injuries are part of the game.”

Ryan Yarbrough (7-3) replaced Venters and worked out of a first-and-third jam by getting a two-out grounder from Austin Romine, who replaced Sanchez.

Stanton hit a solo homer in the eighth off Vidal Nuno that made it 6-all. He reached on an infield single in the 10th before Sanchez hurt himself.

Nuno allowed one run over four innings.

Yankees pinch hitter Clint Frazier lofted a towering fly in the ninth that struck a speaker hanging from an overhead catwalk and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, as allowed by the ground rules at Tropicana Field, caught the carom for an out in shallow left.

Hechavarria missed time earlier this season with bruise near his eye when a ball took a strange bounce on the turf after striking a catwalk.

”As the play was happening, once it hit up there, I thought about that last play [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/desean-jackson-jersey]Authentic DeSean Jackson Jersey[/url] ,” Hechavarria said through a translator. ”That’s not going to happen again.”

Tampa Bay tied it in the second on Hechavarria’s solo homer, and went up 6-3 when Carlos Gomez had an RBI single and Jesus Sucre drove in two with a double off Domingo German during the third.

”It always nice to beat the Yankees,” Hechavarria said. ”And it’s good that they’re leaving here a little frustrated about getting swept by us.”

It’s the second time – also the Chicago Cubs in June 2008 – that Tampa Bay has a swept a series of three or more games against a team that entered a series with the best record in the majors.

Didi Gregorius and Stanton had consecutive run-scoring doubles in the fifth to make it 6-5. Miguel Andujar put the Yankees ahead 3-2 with a three-run homer in the second.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka, on the 10-day disabled list since June 9 with strained left and right hamstrings, threw 26 pitches in his first bullpen session. He will get on the mound again Tuesday.

Rays: Gomez started after missing Saturday’s game with a sore left wrist. He was hit by a pitch from CC Sabathia on Friday.

FIRST START

Yankees RHP Luis Cessa (0-0) will make his first start this season Wednesday night at Philadelphia. The move allows Sabathia to get a couple extra days of rest and start the opener Friday night of a three-game series with Boston at Yankee Stadium.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0) makes his third major league start Monday night against Philadelphia RHP Vince Velasquez (5-7).

Rays: LHP Blake Snell (9-4), with an extra day of rest, faces Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-4) on Monday night.

Mark Reynolds homered twice and drove in a career-high 10 runs, Max Scherzer won for the first time since June 5, and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 18-4 on Saturday night.

Washington has won three straight and scored a combined 35 runs since calling a players-only meeting on Wednesday after falling under .500 for the first time since May 2.

Reynolds (5 for 5) tied his career high for hits and equaled the Nationals’ RBI record.

Scherzer (11-5), who was 0-4 in his previous five starts, pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on four hits – three of which were home runs. The Nationals had been shut out in three of Scherzer’s previous five starts.

Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen (2-6) lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits.

DODGERS 3, ANGELS 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Ross Stripling pitched another gem and Justin Turner drove in two runs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a win over the Angels.

Stripling (7-2) is making a strong case to make the NL All-Star team with another terrific outing. He allowed just one run and three hits – all by Mike Trout – in six innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked none [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/desean-jackson-jersey]Womens DeSean Jackson Jersey[/url] , and lowered his ERA to 2.14.

After blowing a save opportunity on Friday night, Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 24th save.

Turner hit a two-out single in the fifth inning off Taylor Cole (0-1) to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

RED SOX 15, ROYALS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Andrew Benintendi homered, doubled, walked a career-high four times and scored four runs, and Boston routed Kansas City.

Mookie Betts had four hits, raising his American League-leading average to .343. Ten Red Sox players had RBIs as they scored a season high in runs. They scored 11 runs after the sixth inning.

Xander Bogaerts had three RBIs for the Red Sox, who have won five straight and 12 of their past 15.

Heath Hembree (4-1) worked 1 1/3 hitless innings to pick up the victory. Jason Adam (0-2), the third of seven KC pitchers, took the loss. Catcher Drew Butera got the final out in his sixth career relief appearance and his first since 2016.

TWINS 5, ORIOLES 4

MINNEAPOLIS – Kyle Gibson recovered from a rough start to throw seven innings, and Max Kepler homered in his second straight game to lead Minnesota past Baltimore.

Bobby Wilson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Twins, who won their third in a row.

Gibson (3-6) allowed three runs in the first inning – including a two-run homer by Chris Davis – but only gave up two hits after that while striking out nine. It was Gibson’s highest strikeout total since fanning 10 batters on April 26 against the New York Yankees.

Kepler’s solo shot off Kevin Gausman sparked a three-run fifth that tied it. Wilson’s two-run double off Miguel Castro (2-5) in the sixth gave Minnesota the lead for good.

The team with baseball’s worst record, meanwhile [url=http://www.officialhockeyrangersshop.com/authentic-adidas-kevin-shattenkirk-jersey]Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey[/url] , lost its fifth in the row.

Trevor Hildenberger worked a scoreless eighth for the Twins. Jace Peterson’s RBI double off Fernando Rodney pulled the Orioles to 5-4, but Rodney got Tim Beckham on a grounder to short to convert his 19th save in 24 chances.

CUBS 8, REDS 7

CHICAGO – Javier Baez homered and had four hits – including a game-tying infield single in the eighth – and Chicago rallied from a five-run deficit.

Anthony Rizzo’s RBI groundout capped a four-run eighth inning for Chicago, which has come from behind in each of its last eight wins.

Eugenio Suarez homered and Billy Hamilton added three hits and three stolen bases for Cincinnati, which had its five-game winning streak against the Cubs snapped.

Randy Rosario (4-0) allowed two hits in 2 1/3 innings to get the win. Brandon Marrow worked the ninth for his 20th save.

Jared Hughes (2-3) took the loss, part of three Reds relievers who allowed five runs in 2 1/3 innings.

PHILLIES 3, PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH – Nick Williams, Scott Kingery and Jorge Alfaro drove in runs on consecutive at-bats in the seventh inning to help first-place Philadelphia win its sixth straight.

Jake Arrieta (6-6) worked around six hits with the help of eight strikeouts to hold the Pirates to two runs over seven innings.

Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (5-7) was charged with all three runs. He had allowed just two singles coming into the seventh. He struck out eight and walked none.

Starling Marte singled and scored in the first and homered in the second as part of a three-hit afternoon to stake the Pirates to an early lead.

Victor Arano worked around a leadoff double in the ninth for his second save.

CARDINALS 3, GIANTS 2

SAN FRANCISCO – Carlos Martinez pitched seven effective innings for his third consecutive win and St. Louis beat San Francisco.

Martinez (6-4) allowed one run on six hits with three strikeouts and did not walk a batter for the third time this season. The right-hander also drove in the Cardinals’ first run with an RBI double in the third.

Jordan Hicks allowed a run in the eighth and Bud Norris retired three batters for his 17th save.

Brandon Belt had three hits and drove in both runs for the Giants. San Francisco has been held to two runs or fewer in five of its last six games.

Jeff Samardzija had an uneven outing in his first start since May 29. Activated off the disabled list before the game, Samardzija (1-5) gave up three runs in five innings and repeatedly pitched with runners on base.

BRAVES 5, BREWERS 1

MILWAUKEE – Anibal Sanchez pitched effectively into the seventh and Freddie Freeman added three hits, lifting slumping Atlanta over Milwa

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (15-4)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: CBs Malcolm Butler and Johnson Bademosi; WRs Danny Amendola and Matt Slater; RBs Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead; OTs Nate Solder [url=http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/saquon-barkley-jersey]Womens Saquon Barkley Jersey[/url] , Cam Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle; DTs Alan Branch and Ricky Jean Francois; LBs James Harrison and Marquis Flowers; DE Geno Grissom; FS Nate Ebner.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: FS Brandon King; G Ted Karras.

NEEDS: Butler’s comments following his Super Bowl benching point to exit for him and opening at cornerback. New England likes Burkhead and got big production in 2017 from Lewis. Both are just 27 years old, but Patriots likely won’t stand pat after disappointing season by 2017 free agency pickup Mike Gillislee. Linebacking core needs some help with Harrison unlikely to be re-signed at age 39 and starter Dont’a Hightower coming off shoulder surgery. Getting another player to pair with Trey Flowers at defensive end will be another priority.

AVAILABLE SALARY CAP SPACE (approximately): $14.7 million

—

Nick Foles threw a deep pass into the wind on the first play from scrimmage against the Falcons, LeGarrette Blount scored the only touchdown on fourth down and wide receiver Nelson Agholor ran 21 yards on a new play.

The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) are aggressive no matter what.

They’ll need that approach when they face the Minnesota Vikings (14-3) and their top-ranked defense in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

”You’d probably call me unorthodox with some of the decisions I’ve made on fourth downs and going for it, 2-point conversions, things like that,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday.

”Sometimes you just don’t do the norm [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/mike-evans-jersey]Authentic Mike Evans Jersey[/url] , you just don’t do what everybody expects you to do and sometimes that can help you. I’m calculated by it, but at the same time, I’m going to make sure that I’m putting our guys in a good position.”

Foles underthrew the long pass to Torrey Smith to start the divisional playoff game, but a pass interference call gave the Eagles a 42-yard gain to the Falcons 25.

Jay Ajayi fumbled on the next play or perhaps the game wouldn’t have come down to a defensive stand at the end to preserve Philadelphia’s 15-10 win.

”Take a shot,” Pederson said explaining his decision to throw long into a stiff wind.

On the touchdown drive early in the second quarter, Philadelphia faced third-and-3 from the Falcons 24. Foles faked a pitch to running back Corey Clement and handed off to Agholor on an inside counter with Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson pulling out and leading the way. Agholor took it to the Falcons 3. It was the first time Pederson called the play this season.

”Coach has just had a knack of seemingly calling those at the right time [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/mike-evans-jersey]Womens Mike Evans Jersey[/url] ,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said.

”It comes up different every week. We really work well as a staff together in game planning. Sometimes we think we like something and we go out on the practice field and it doesn’t quite look like it’s ready. So, we have to keep it in the crock pot for another week or start over with a new recipe.”

Three plays later, tight end Trey Burton lined up at fullback and Blount followed his block into the end zone for a 1-yard TD run. Pederson didn’t think twice about going for it instead of kicking a game-tying field goal.

”The ball was just inside the 1-yard line, and we had confidence to go for it in that situation,” Pederson said. ”We were real close and the guys did a great job.”

During the regular season, only Green Bay (28) went for it on fourth down more than Philadelphia (26). The Eagles converted 17 times for 65.4 percent [url=http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/jameis-winston-jersey]Authentic Jameis Winston Jersey[/url] , third-best behind New Orleans (80 percent on 12 for 15) and Jacksonville (76.9 percent on 10 for 13). Minnesota is 1 for 7 on fourth down, fewest attempts in the league.

”You always want to be aggressive,” Foles said. ”I love Coach’s calls.”

—

AP NFL website:

Drew Brees will lead the New Orleans offense onto the field at Minnesota and commence the 13th postseason game of his stellar career [url=http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/cameron-jordan-jersey]Authentic Cameron Jordan Jersey[/url] , already armed with seven such victories and one Super Bowl ring for the Saints.

”I prepare for every game as if it’s that magnitude,” Brees said.

”When you’re in games of that magnitude, it’s as if you’ve been there and done it many times before, even if it was just in your mind.”

For Case Keenum, it’s truly all in his mind.

His first start in the NFL playoffs will come when the Vikings kick off their divisional round game on Sunday.

”I’m going to play like I know how to play. I don’t have to be anybody but myself. Not more conservative or less conservative. Either way, I’m going to be me,” said Keenum, whose successful takeover for the injured Sam Bradford helped lead the Vikings (13-3) to their best record in 19 years. ”That’s all I have to be. I’ve got a great squad in this room.”

Solely measuring quarterback experience and accomplishment, the Saints have a clear advantage over the Vikings in this divisional round game to help determine the matchup in the NFC championship game. Keenum, though, has been overcoming the odds all season, let alone his career .

”I always root for guys like that. Kind of the undersized guy that is coming out and nobody wants to give him any credit and always plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Brees said.

Though he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round in 2001 out of Purdue, with Keenum going undrafted out of Houston and needing the Texans practice squad to get his career going in 2012, Brees can relate. He’s shorter than the NFL standard for their position, too. Oh, and they’re both from Texas.

Brees added another highlight last week, with 376 passing yards to help the Saints (12-5) advance with a 31-26 victory over Carolina while the Vikings had a bye.

”Just a guy that I really admire in how he moves the ball down the field and how he operates, what kind of leader he is,” Keenum said.

”I read his book a long time ago. I think he’s someone to learn from. I try to watch all of the really good quarterbacks in the offseason and take little things to try to work on my game.”

Here are some other angles to follow with the game:

SLOWED UP: The Pro Bowl pair of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara had the least productive combined performance for the Saints against Carolina, with just 68 total yards from scrimmage. They each had more than 1,500 total yards in 2017.

The Panthers brought one safety closer to the line of the scrimmage to spy on the running back, and it worked.

”This league is a copy-cat league so I wouldn’t be surprised if Minnesota did it,” Kamara said [url=http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/cameron-jordan-jersey]Womens Cameron Jordan Jersey[/url] , expressing no concern about the strategy by pointing to Brees, whose passing yardage total against the Panthers was his second-highest of the season.

The Vikings, led by the speed of linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, have held several pass-catching running backs to minimal production this season.

LINE ITEM: The Saints will be without starting left guard Andrus Peat, a versatile former first-round draft choice who also filled in for Terron Armstead at left tackle this season when he was injured. Peat broke his fibula against the Panthers.

Senio Kelemete, who has filled in at both guard spots and right tackle this season, is slated to start for Peat. Armstead, meanwhile, said he’s never been close to 100 percent healthy this season.

”But it doesn’t matter,” Armstead said. ”I’m willing and able to put my body on the line for an opportunity to play again next week.”

ZONED OUT: New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen called for a relatively zone-heavy scheme in the opener, and rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore recalled feeling ”confused about everything” in his NFL debut other than the man-to-man coverage the Saints have been more inclined to let Lattimore play on top opposing receivers. He had five interceptions and was picked for the Pro Bowl.

”That was something that we felt like in that game was going to give us a chance to win the game, and obviously we didn’t play as well as we needed to,” Allen said of Minnesota’s 29-19 victory fueled by a career-best 143.0 passer rating for Bradford . ”Obviously, we’ve looked at that game and how we’ve changed and how we’ve evolved as a defense.”

SUPER BOWL ENVY: New Orleans’ bid for the Super Bowl this season and was considered a favorite given the city is celebrating its 300th anniversary and has long been a popular host for the NFL’s marquee event. But Minnesota’s bid, combining its new stadium and winter carnival approach to related festivities, won out.

Now the Vikings have an opportunity to become the first team to play a Super Bowl on home turf, a feat the Saints would be happy to deny.

”If we want to add a little underlying story to us trying to win this game, it would be nice to be able to do that,” Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said.

”We’ve always talked about, `We want to start the season at Minnesota. We want to end the season in Minnesota,’ and for us that means playing in the Super Bowl.”

SITE MAP: The Saints are 1-6 in their history in the playoffs on the road, including 1-4 under coach Sean Payton. Their first and only such win came after the 2013 season, when they edged the Eagles in a wild-card round game in Philadelphia before losing the following week At heart, Ernie Barnes the professional football player was always Ernie Barnes the artist.

His teammates on the San Diego Chargers nicknamed him ”Big Rembrandt” because he was always scribbling on pieces of paper.

He ended up painting vivid and highly acclaimed images from the playing field and from African-American life. He’s most famous for ”Sugar Shack [url=http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/odell-beckham-jr-jersey]Authentic Odell Beckham Jr Jersey[/url] ,” which shows African-Americans dancing at the Durham Armory. Marvin Gaye used a version of it for an album cover, and a print of it appeared in the closing credits of the sitcom ”Good Times.”

Now, an exhibit has opened in his home state titled “The North Carolina Roots of Artist Ernie Barnes.” The exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History includes 38 paintings by Barnes, many unseen by the public until now, along with several pieces of memorabilia.

It’s the first exhibit of Barnes’ artwork in 11 years, and the first since he died at age 70 in 2009 in Los Angeles. It continues through March 3.

Barnes never considered football his true calling. From his childhood, he was drawn to art. In his 1995 autobiography, ”From Pads to Palette,” he wrote, ”Throughout my five seasons in the arena of professional football, I remained at the deepest level of my being an artist.”

But he played professionally from 1960 to 1964, signing first with the Baltimore Colts and then with the Titans of New York, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. His sports connections led to his first exhibit through the support of New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin. And Barnes credited football with helping him develop the elongation technique for which he’s known.

An art instructor told him ”to pay attention to what my body felt like in movement,” Barnes once said. ”And when I did that, it was an elongated feeling. … I hate to think, had I not played sports, what my work would look like.”

He also spoke of how the ”dehumanization” of professional football played out in his art. ”I painted until I exhausted the hate,” he said, according to comments provided by his estate.

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vice president of operations, is probably the largest collector of Barnes’ art and someone in whom Barnes confided about his love-hate relationship with football. Vincent estimates that he owns just shy of 30 Barnes’ paintings, most of them commissioned and never seen by the public.

In a phone interview, Vincent said that he and his wife ”didn’t classify it as black art. He happens to be African-American, but it’s not black art. It’s art.”

At the time of Barnes’ death [url=http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/odell-beckham-jr-jersey]Womens Odell Beckham Jr Jersey[/url] , Paul Von Blum, an art history and African American studies professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, called him one of the premier figurative artists of his era.

Barnes, who was born in 1938 in Durham during the Jim Crow era, graduated from what’s now North Carolina Central University. His painting, ”Homecoming,” shows a marching band in Durham with U.S. 15-501 signs in the background.

”Ernie said when he was growing up, the high school band used to come down from the segregated area and make the turn into the black community, and the band would kick it up right there,” Luz Rodriguez, his longtime assistant and estate trustee said last week in Raleigh before the exhibit opened. ”So that’s what he painted.”

”Sugar Shack” came from Barnes’ memories growing up in Durham, Rodriguez said. His mother had told the 13-year-old Barnes that ”they don’t do Christian things there” so of course he had to sneak in to find out what was happening, she said.

Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy owns the painting now, exhibit curator Katie Edwards said. A second version that Barnes painted is part of the North Carolina museum exhibit.

Barnes could bring to life ”the hopes and dreams of what could be – families together, strong men, strong women, the true representation of the godly family,” Vincent said. Barnes was able to ”share our dark past yet articulate in color what the future could be – the proudness of our history, the proudness of our future. Ernie encapsulated all of that.”

—

WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper made some strides at the plate Thursday night just as the Washington Nationals prepare to welcome the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies to town for a weekend series.

Moved back to the leadoff spot by manager Dave Martinez [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/brent-urban-jersey-cheap]Brent Urban Jersey[/url] , Harper walked twice and had a sacrifice fly and a double in four plate appearances during a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Harper doubled in the eighth inning of a tie game and came in on Juan Soto’s two-run double and the Nationals took two of three from the Orioles.

“I was able to see a lot of pitches tonight,” Harper told the Washington Times after the Nationals (40-33) improved to 9-1 with him in the leadoff spot.

Harper began the night hitting .133 (8-for-60) in June, with five walks and 23 strikeouts.

“My swing has felt great,” Harper told mlb.com. “I’ve felt great the past month and a half or so, just chasing pitches. Tonight, I tried to do the best I could to get a ball over the middle (of the plate), and I was able to do that.”

The 19-year-old Soto just continues to hit. Thursday night he went 1-for-3 with a walk in the cleanup spot and enters the weekend hitting .326 with six homers and 16 RBIs over 92 major-league at-bats.

“I think we’re all amazed every single day,” Washington starter Max Scherzer told mlb.com. “He’s a great young player. He’s just enjoying himself. He’s the bat we kind of need in our lineup right now, that’s hot. And teams are going to have to figure out how to get him out, because it’s tough right now.”

Friday night that task falls to Philadelphia right-hander Zach Eflin (4-2, 3.43 ERA). He has won three straight starts, allowing four runs over 18 2/3 innings while striking out 17 batters and walking just three after pitching five effective innings Saturday in Milwaukee.

Elfin will be making his first career start against Washington, which counters with right-hander Tanner Roark (3-7, 3.87).

Roark gave up four runs on eight hits over four innings of in an 8-6 loss at Toronto on Sunday.

On May 5 he lost to the Phillies in Washington when he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings. For his career, he is 6-7 with a 3.98 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) versus the Phillies.

The Phillies (39-33) trail the second-place Nationals by one-half game in the NL East and trail the Braves by 3 1/3 games. Philadelphia has won seven of its last 10 games and has taken three straight series — against Colorado, at Milwaukee and against St. Louis — as it begins a 10-game stretch against the Nationals and Yankees.

“I think coming off this series [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/c.j.-mosley-jersey-cheap]C.J. Mosley Jersey[/url] , we anticipate a highly-competitive series against a good ballclub on the road, and it seems like we’re ready for that challenge,” Philadelphia right-hander Jake Arrieta told mlb.com.

Off on Thursday, the Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Wednesday.

Odubel Herrera hit what proved to be the game-winning home run in the seventh inning to go along with a single and a double.

“It was one of those ‘Wow’ moments,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told the Courier Post. “He’s so hot, but he’s such an incredible athlete. It’s really elite barrel accuracy. I don’t know how to describe it. He just knows how to find the barrel, find the sweet spot.”

Herrera is hitting .419 (13-for-31) with two doubles, five home runs, eight RBIs in the past seven games. He is 13-for-31 (.419) versus Roark.

Andrew Heaney was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for a few hours early in his major league career.

Heaney is still hoping to convince their front office they should have given him a longer look five years ago. He’ll get another opportunity Sunday evening when he takes the mound for the Los Angeles Angels in the series finale against the Dodgers at Angel Stadium.

The Dodgers (48-40) gave up two runs in the ninth inning and lost the series opener 3-2 on Friday night, then held on for a 3-1 win against the Angels (45-45) on Saturday.

Heaney was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Dodgers at the winter meetings Dec. 12, 2014, but a few hours later the Dodgers dealt him to the Angels for popular second baseman Howie Kendrick.

Heaney had two chances to beat the Dodgers during the 2015 season, but lost both games. He gave up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 3-1 loss at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 1 of that season. Five weeks later at Angel Stadium, he gave up five runs and six hits in five innings of a 6-4 loss.

Heaney had Tommy John surgery in June 2016 and made only six starts over the next two seasons.

Heaney (4-6, 3.94) had a solid month of May this season, posting a 2-3 record and 2.41 ERA in six starts. He had a winning mark of 2-1 in June [url=http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/todd-gurley-jersey]Womens Todd Gurley Jersey[/url] , but his ERA dipped to 4.45 for the month. In his only start in July, he gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings at the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, taking the loss in the 4-1 defeat.

“It’s sort of been the same old story for a little while, just sort of the big innings where I let it kind of build,” Heaney told reporters after his latest outing. “It’s something where I need to come out and establish earlier, kind of get ahead, and all the other same stuff we always talk about.”

Heaney will be opposed by Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood, who will be aiming to win his fifth straight start. Wood also won all five appearances in May of last season on his way to an 11-0 start.

Wood (5-5, 3.84) probably didn’t expect to have a chance to go over .500 by early July after dropping to 0-4 on May 15.

“Winning is just nice,” Wood told Sportsnet after his latest start, a 17-1 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. “Four in a row is nice, especially where I was after that three-start stretch. So I feel good, just trying to keep moving forward and looking towards the future. Hopefully, we’ll keep swinging the bats well and play well going into the All-Star break.”

The Angels are the only American League West team Wood has not faced in his major league career.

He struggled in his only interleague start this season, giving up seven runs and seven hits over 3 2/3 innings in a 16-6 loss to the visiting Oakland A’s on April 11.

With the usual cadre of teams aggressively arranging interviews for head coach vacancies in this first week after the regular season’s conclusion [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/robert-griffin-iii-jersey-cheap]Robert Griffin III Jersey[/url] , Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has become a person of high interest.

The vast improvement by the Vikings during Shurmur’s first full year in charge of the offense has made it easy to see why.

”He has absolutely zero ego,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said. ”He comes in here as a tight end coach when we already have a system in place. He gets moved up to offensive coordinator halfway through the year and could have very easily run his system that he’s run his whole life. He adapted his offense to fit us.”

Head coach Mike Zimmer said he’ll grant permission to teams seeking to take advantage of the first-round bye the Vikings have for the playoffs and speak with Shurmur in Minnesota this week. The NFL permits such an interview window to keep candidates whose clubs advance deep into the postseason from being passed over. The Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and New York Giants have reached out, according to multiple reports, among the six teams with openings.

”I think he’s done a great job, and I think he deserves another opportunity,” Zimmer said.

That’s another strength that Shurmur will present, having spent two years as coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2011-12. He went 9-23, which is better than his three successors have done with the league’s most woebegone franchise.

”He’s a good guy to work with. He’s smart. He’s respectful,” Zimmer said. ”And he’s tough on the players when he needs to be.”

After finishing last in the NFL in rushing yards in 2016, the Vikings ranked seventh in 2017. They rose from 18th to 11th in passing yards. They jumped from 28th to ninth in touchdowns on possessions inside the 20-yard line. They went from 19th to third in third-down conversion rate. They climbed from 23rd to 10th in scoring.

These gains in moving the ball and getting it across the goal line came despite the loss of both the starting quarterback and running back during the first quarter of the season. Injuries forced seven different starting combinations across the five offensive line spots, too [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/mark-andrews-jersey-cheap]Mark Andrews Jersey[/url] , with the original lineup getting only six starts together.

”Most places looking for head coaches probably are ones looking for somebody to work with the quarterback and be able to develop a quarterback,” Zimmer said. ”He’s had the opportunity to work with a few here. So I think that’s part of what’s probably making him be an attractive candidate.”

Yes, quarterback Case Keenum is the right place to start for other teams examining Shurmur’s updated resume.

Sam Bradford was Shurmur’s guy, a relationship built through previous stints together with two other teams. After the resignation of Norv Turner halfway through the 2016 schedule that triggered Shurmur’s promotion, Bradford had his offensive coordinator in place again. He thrived in the opening win over New Orleans this year, only to be sidelined by knee trouble. Rookie running back Dalvin Cook went down with a season-ending knee injury three games later.

But Keenum has kept thriving, with Shurmur finding an effective run-pass balance in his playbook while blending several types of offenses he’s been a part of in the past. Keenum posted a passer rating above 100 in eight of 15 games, after doing so just five times in 26 career games prior to joining the Vikings.

”I still think we have some room to grow,” Keenum said. ”Pat does a great job calling the games. The more time we spend in meeting rooms watching film, talking through defenses, we’re getting more and more on the same page and seeing things through the same set of eyes.”

Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have been able to line up in any of the wide receiver spots and run a variety of routes, and Shurmur has seized on their versatility.

”He knows that to be a really good offense, we need to spread the ball around and keep getting guys involved [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/eric-weddle-jersey-cheap]Eric Weddle Jersey[/url] ,” said Thielen, who finished fifth in the NFL with 1,276 receiving yards. ”He just lets us do what we do well and do it a lot.”

—

NEW YORK — Last season, New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino credited things such as getting tips from Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as a reason why everything came together after a difficult experience in 2016.

This year, Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton is joining Severino among the elite pitchers in the American League, and he credits improved conditioning to go along with an aggressive mindset in attacking hitters.

Paxton and Severino will oppose each other Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium when the Mariners and Yankees conclude their three-game series.

The Yankees are in position to get the sweep after rallying from five runs down and recording a 7-5 win on Wednesday on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer in the ninth inning off Ryan Cook. The Yankees are 16-4 in their last 20 games and are going for their first home sweep of Seattle since May 23-25, 2008.

Seattle is on its second three-game losing streak after blowing its first five-run lead this season. Despite their worst collapse of the season, the Mariners are 13-6 in their last 19 games and 32-17 in their last 49 games.

Paxton heads into his first career start against the Yankees with a 6-1 record and a 3.44 ERA. After going 18-15 in his first 50 starts since making his debut in 2013, Paxton is 18-7 in his last 39, a stretch that includes a 99-pitch no-hitter last month in Toronto and six of his eight career double-digit strikeout games.

Last season, Paxton was 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA but only made 24 starts due to two stints on the disabled list with a strained left forearm and a strained left pectoral muscle. After five DL stints within the first five years of his career, Paxton refined his conditioning with a program to keep everything working. He described the program in detail while referring to the muscle activation technique.

“You need everything to be firing together at the right time and have all your muscles working together in order for them to be optimal strength and stamina,” Paxton said. “So [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/jonathan-ogden-jersey-cheap]Jonathan Ogden Jersey[/url] , that’s what I did this offseason and I continue to work with those guys during the season to allow myself to stay healthy.”

Paxton enters his 90th career start with 115 strikeouts this year, 39 away from his total last season and sixth in the American League.

Paxton said the strikeouts are coming more often because of aggressiveness — resulting in numbers such as a .216 opposing batting average with runners on base, a .194 average with runners in scoring position and a .178 mark when getting ahead of a hitter 0-1.

“I think I’ve gotten more aggressive in the zone and stuff,” he said. I’m not picking around the corners as much. I tried to be a little too perfect I think in the past, got myself in bad counts, allowing guys to cheat on fastballs. I think when I get ahead of guys, it gives me more options, makes them think about more pitches I can throw and gets them off my stuff a little bit.”

Since the no-hitter on May 8 in Toronto, Paxton is 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA in his last seven starts, a number inflated due to his last start.

Paxton is coming off his shortest start of the season when he allowed five earned runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings Friday against the Boston Red Sox in an eventual 7-6 win.

“He’s matured a ton,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He knows how important he is for our team and how important it is for him to stay healthy.

“He’s changed a lot of his offseason workouts, his work in between starts, understanding to be able to take the ball every fifth day means so much to our team. He’s really put a priority on that [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/brandon-williams-jersey-cheap]Brandon Williams Jersey[/url] , probably more so than actual pitch sequencing or pitch development.”

As for Severino, he can join Cleveland’s Corey Kluber as the second 11-game winner in the majors with a victory Thursday.

He is 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA after allowing three hits in eight scoreless innings in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the fourth time he pitched into the eighth inning and fourth scoreless start.

“Obviously anytime he goes, I feel great about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s clearly establishing himself as one of the best in the game.”

Severino was 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA last season after Martinez suggested some mechanical tweaks and encouraged him to include his changeup more frequently. Martinez’s advice took place after Severino finished 3-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 22 appearances in a 2016 campaign that featured a triceps injury and a demotion to the minors.

It has resulted in Severino being able to maintain velocity throughout games, such as Saturday when 23 of his 102 pitches were clocked at 99 mph or higher.

“I’ve played with him all the way through the minor leagues,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “This is what I expect out of Sevy. Go out there and just dominate.”

The right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two career starts against Seattle. He pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-1 win at Seattle on July 20, 2017, and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-1 home loss on April 15, 2016.

New York left fielder Brett Gardner missed his third straight game Wednesday with a swollen right knee and is day-to-day. If Gardner does not play, Aaron Hicks will likely bat leadoff.

Lorenzo Cain and Travis Shaw helped Milwaukee’s offense break through against the Chicago Cubs [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/michael-crabtree-jersey-cheap]Michael Crabtree Jersey[/url] , and Chase Anderson did the rest.

Anderson pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to capitalize on a heads-up rundown escape by Cain and a pair of two-run doubles by Shaw, and the Brewers two-hit the Cubs 4-0 on Tuesday night to take back first place in the NL Central.

Shaw had already put Chicago up 2-0 when Cain used his head and legs to escape a sticky spot in the third inning. With Christian Yelich at second, Cain hit a ball up the middle that was fielded by second baseman Javier Baez. Yelich got hung up between second and third but stayed alive through three throws before sprinting back to second base.

Cain, meanwhile, rounded first hard and fooled the Cubs into thinking he was committing to second. If both Yelich and Cain had touched second base, Cain could have been tagged out, and so pitcher Tyler Chatwood chased Yelich back to second, thinking Cain was about to end up there.

But Cain stopped a few feet short of second and ran back to first, where no Chicago players were around to field a throw from Chatwood. Yelich returned safely to second, and both players scored moments later on Shaw’s double to right.

Cain said he practiced the play when he was with the Kansas City Royals.

”I actually want to credit that play to Rusty Kuntz,” Cain said of the former first-base coach for the Royals. ”It never actually happened, but for it to happen tonight was huge. It was a nice play.”

Cain said Yelich had to keep hustling or the play would not have worked. Cain said he peeked back and saw that Anthony Rizzo was not covering first base.

”That baserunning play by Cain was flat-out brilliant,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ”I’ve never seen anything like that. I had no idea what he was planning on doing but it was amazing. That’s seeing the field and understanding what’s happening.”

The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Shaw’s shot that evaded diving first baseman Rizzo and rolled into the right-field corner. Milwaukee ended a seven-game skid to Chicago.

Anderson (5-5) threw a Brewers’ season-high 107 pitches. Chicago’s only hit against him was an infield chopper by Willson Contreras in the second. Anderson retired his final 17 hitters.

”We just could not mount an attack [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/john-brown-jersey-cheap]John Brown Jersey[/url] ,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”Anderson has been difficult against us in the past and he was again tonight. There was not a whole lot going on. Two doubles beat us.”

Anderson had lost his three previous decisions against the Cubs as the Brewers had been shut out in each game. Taylor Williams and Jacob Barnes finished up for Milwaukee with an inning each.

”My command was kind of spotty,” Anderson said. ”I had a good fastball early. As I kept going the curveball came into play and the cutter a little bit. The changeup was good. I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes.”

Cubs right-hander Tyler Chatwood (3-5), who entered the game leading the major leagues in walks, showed better control while allowing four runs (three earned) and walking two batters in five innings.

”My last outing wasn’t pretty, but I felt like I worked on some stuff and took it into this outing,” Chatwood said.

TRAINERS ROOM

Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, and Maddon was encouraged by what he saw. ”Outstanding. He threw really well,” Maddon said. ”Easy gas. Great location. Good spin on his breaking ball. Very impressed.” Darvish was put on the disabled list May 23 with right triceps tendinitis. Maddon said if there’s a chance for Darvish to return before the All-Star break, ”I’m into it. Whatever the doctors think.”

Brewers: RHP Matt Albers was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury and RHP Jorge Lopez was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Albers allowed five runs and three hits in the 11th inning Monday night and took the loss in Milwaukee’s 7-2 defeat. ”He got to the point it was affecting him out there on the field and it’s just time to take a break,” Counsell said.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (2-1, 3.56 ERA) will make his fourth start since replacing Darvish in the rotation. Montgomery is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in his three starts, including a victory over Pittsburgh last week.

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin has emerged as the team’s ace this season (5-1, 3.58 ERA). The Brewers are 11-3 In his starts and opponents are batting .231 against him.

—

The Tampa Bay Rays finished the second-best homestand in their history [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/brandon-carr-jersey-cheap]Brandon Carr Jersey[/url] , with a much easier path between now and the All-Star Game as they try to claw their way back into wild-card contention.

Tampa Bay (41-40) went 8-1 at Tropicana Field, finishing a grueling stretch of 16 games against the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals and going 10-6 in those games to rise back above .500.

Now the Rays have a stretch of 16 straight games against teams with losing records, including a three-game series at the Miami Marlins (34-51) starting Monday.

The Rays have dominated with their patchwork pitching staff, allowing a total of seven runs in their last six games, with five wins and a 1-0 loss. They took three of four from Houston to close out the homestand and hope to continue the success to take some positive momentum into the All-Star break.

“The fact that we have been winning and everyone has been coming together at clutch moments has been great,” said outfielder Mallex Smith, who had a late solo home run in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Houston. “We’ve been jelling as a team. We’ve been feeding off one another. It seems like someone new coming through at the right time every day.”

Next for Tampa Bay is Nathan Eovaldi (2-3, 4.08 ERA), who played for the Marlins from 2012 to 2014 and will almost certainly fare better than his only career appearance against his former team. In June 2015, he played there with the Yankees and gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in less than an inning, leaving after two outs with a 108.00 ERA to show for it.

Eovaldi has shown promise since returning from Tommy John surgery — his last start against Washington lasted six innings and he gave up no runs, one and and two walks with nine strikeouts.

The Marlins will answer with Wei-Yin Chen [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/tavon-young-jersey-cheap]Tavon Young Jersey[/url] , who knows the Rays from his days with the Baltimore Orioles. He has started 21 career games against Tampa Bay, more than any other opponent, and posted a 5-6 record with a 3.72 ERA.

That’s considerably better than his overall numbers this year — he’s 2-5 with a 6.14 ERA, though his last start was solid. He limited Arizona to one run and five hits in six innings last week. Against Tampa Bay last year, he pitched well, holding the Rays to two runs and two hits in six innings.

The in-state rivals will meet again right after the All-Star break for three more games, but the extended run against lesser opponents is something the Rays must dominate if they want to get back into wild-card contention.

Even after winning eight of nine games, Tampa Bay is still 11 games behind Seattle for the second AL wild card. Still, being 42-41 after opening the season 1-8 isn’t bad, especially considering the injuries they’ve dealt with and the talent traded away since the end of last season.

Facing a run of starting pitching that included two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/orlando-brown-jr.-jersey-cheap]Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey[/url] , Carlos Carrasco, Chris Sale and David Price, the Minnesota Twins could have seen their fledgling playoff hopes fade toward another long summer.

Instead, Minnesota’s been rejuvenated by beating some of the best pitching in the American League.

Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler homered to back an effective start by Lance Lynn as the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Grossman led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run and Kepler added a two-run shot off Boston starter David Price (8-5). Brian Dozier added a pair of doubles to help Minnesota win for the fourth time in five games.

The Twins beat Kluber and Carrasco in taking two of three games at Cleveland before returning home and winning the first two games against the Red Sox with Sale and Price starting.

”Yeah, after the game when you acknowledge who’s on the mound,” Kepler said when asked if Minnesota can take something away from beating the recent competition. ”I feel like we go into games and we’re kind of blind to who’s on the mound and we grind together, which is awesome about this team.”

Lynn (5-5) again struggled with command, issuing five walks, but he surrendered just one unearned run and three hits in five innings.

Four relievers combined for four scoreless innings, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters, with Fernando Rodney securing his 16th save in 19 chances.

”If you can find a way to battle every at-bat, wait for something to break, try to build pitch-count when you can [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/kenny-young-jersey-cheap]Kenny Young Jersey[/url] , and if you’re holding them down as our starting pitching has been doing, you know you’ve got a chance late,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

The Red Sox were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and are 2 for 22 in the first two games of the series. They’ve stranded 18 baserunners in the two games and lost for the fourth time in five games.

”Pitching-wise, we’ve been great,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. ”I’ll take that. If we keep throwing the ball the way we’ve been throwing we’re going to win a lot of ballgames. We know the offense, you know how it is.”

Lynn has had an uncharacteristic wild season in his first year with the Twins. He walked at least five batters for the fifth time in 14 starts. But the veteran right-hander has limited the damage and allowed less than three runs in five of his last six starts.

”Command was really not there,” Lynn said. ”But I was able to make pitches with runners in scoring position and not give up a bunch of runs. With this offense we have, you keep them to one run, we’re going to win the games more times than not.”

Boston’s lone run scored in the second as Lynn couldn’t catch first baseman Logan Morrison’s high throw to first for the final out of the inning, allowing Mitch Moreland to score from second base on an error charged to Morrison.

”We’ve been through stuff like this in the past, even this year early on,” Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said of the offense. ”The pitching has been doing great. It’s up to us now to come through.”

PAYING THE PRICE

Price was hurt by the home run but allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk. He had given up just one home run in his previous five starts and seven total in 14 starts this season coming into Wednesday.

”Not so much that he could hit it like he did, but to keep it fair [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/jaleel-scott-jersey-cheap]Jaleel Scott Jersey[/url] , that’s pretty impressive,” Price said of Kepler’s home run.

SHOWING SIGNS

Dozier had just one extra-base hit in his previous 13 games while hitting .068. His double off the left-field wall in the eighth plated Eddie Rosario.

Kepler hit his first home run in 22 games and the fifth of his eight this season against left-handed pitching. Kepler was hitting .158 over his previous 21 games with just four RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz is getting closer to having his first throwing session since he went on the 10-day disabled list on June 5 for left biceps tendonitis. Cora said Pomeranz was dealing with soreness in his neck but has recovered.

Twins: Molitor said OF Byron Buxton’s first rehab game in Triple-A on Tuesday went well and that his left foot with the broken toe is ”in a good place and we haven’t said that for about seven weeks or so.” There is no timetable for Buxton’s return.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (8-3, 3.70 ERA) will start the series and road trip finale on Thursday afternoon. Porcello pitched six innings and gave up four runs in a no-decision at Seattle in his last start.

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.27) counters for Minnesota. Gibson has allowed five total runs over his last four starts, spanning 26 2/3 innings.

The Austrian minister of sports has apologized to Henrik Kristoffersen, a day after the Norwegian skier had snowballs thrown at him during a race in Schladming.

Heinz-Christian Strache called the incident ”deeply unfair behavior, which harms the image of Austria.”

Kristoffersen was competing with favorite Marcel Hirscher for victory in the night slalom when spectators, who had lined up alongside the course, threw snowballs during the Norwegian’s final run. The projectiles didn’t hit him but Kristoffersen said he was distracted.

Strache said in a statement: ”To Henrik Kristofferson (sic) I apologize on behalf of all Austrians, who care about fairness in sports.”

Hirscher won the race by 0.39 seconds, but Kristoffersen said the incident had not affected the result because the Austrian would have beaten him anyway.

Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and Los Angeles beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood’s effective pitching.

”Yeah [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/marshal-yanda-jersey-cheap]Marshal Yanda Jersey[/url] , it felt good,” said Bellinger, who began the night batting .231. ”I was just honestly trying to hit the ball any way I could and luckily I connected.”

Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs – a first in Dodgers history against any opponent, according to STATS.

Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win consecutive starts for the first time since last August.

”With the last two, I feel I’ve made some steps forward, for sure. You’ve just got to keep building on it,” Wood said.

The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one as the resurgent Dodgers (39-35) improved to 23-9 since May 17 – the best mark in the majors during that stretch.

”I thought he threw the ball really well. So he’s back, for me,” manager Dave Roberts said . ”He seems very confident now.”

Jose Bautista hit his first homer for the Mets, a two-run shot in the sixth.

”It’s nice to get on the board,” he said. ”Hopefully a couple more coming.”

An error by second baseman Max Muncy gave New York a chance in the eighth, but with runners at the corners Scott Alexander got Bautista to ground into an inning-ending double play on the next pitch.

Muncy made the turn after a smooth play by shortstop Enrique Hernandez.

”It’ll help him sleep a lot better tonight,” Roberts said.

Alexander tossed two shutout innings, and Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.

New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run. After opening 11-1, the Mets (31-42) have lost four in a row and 21 of 27 to fall a season-worst 11 games under .500. They are 1-11 in their past 12 home games and have gone 14 straight at Citi Field without eclipsing four runs.

”No real reason to explain it,” rookie manager Mickey Callaway said. ”I wish we were playing better for our home fans and giving them more wins. They deserve more wins.”

Wheeler (2-6) walked the first two batters in the sixth – though his full-count pitch to leadoff man Joc Pederson certainly appeared to be in the strike zone. One out later [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/anthony-averett-jersey-cheap]Anthony Averett Jersey[/url] , Matt Kemp blooped a single to right field to load the bases.

Bellinger connected on an 0-2 delivery, launching a 96 mph fastball into the second deck in right for his second career slam. Last season’s NL Rookie of the Year entered the day hitting .179 with runners in scoring position.

”He was kind of blowing it by me all day. But then again, he’s got three other pitches so you can’t sell out 100 percent. Like I said, I just tried to have a short swing,” Bellinger said.

SOMETHING TO GROW ON

In the opener of a three-game series, Wheeler went seven innings but dropped to 0-5 in 10 starts since his last win April 29 at San Diego. He threw 114 pitches, his most since returning to the mound last year after missing two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. ”Walked them and ended up paying for it,” Wheeler said. ”Thought I threw well tonight. In essence, just that one pitch.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: SS Chris Taylor sat out because of a tight left hamstring. He was available off the bench – probably just to hit, according to Roberts. … Reserve infielder Chase Utley was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list after missing 19 games with a sprained left thumb. … Rookie RHP Walker Buehler (right rib microfracture) is scheduled to throw 20-30 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday. He could return to the rotation without a minor league rehab assignment, Roberts said. Buehler is 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in nine big league starts.

Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (strained ligament in right index finger) was scheduled to play catch. … OFs Yoenis Cespedes (tightness in upper right quad) and Jay Bruce (strained right hip) will not resume baseball activities until they are free of symptoms. … 3B David Wright (shoulder, back surgery) planned to hit in the indoor batting cage and go through other baseball activities on the field.

UP NEXT

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (1-4, 2.76 ERA) is set to make a surprise return from the disabled list Saturday night, starting against Jacob deGrom (5-2, major league-low 1.51 ERA) in a marquee matchup – weather permitting. Kershaw has been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain. He originally was scheduled for a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but heavy rain in the forecast caused the team to change plans. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP, who also missed nearly all of May with left biceps tendinitis, will be limited against the Mets, with 21-year-old rookie LHP Caleb Ferguson (0-1 [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/alex-collins-jersey-cheap]Alex Collins Jersey[/url] , 7.59 ERA) ready in reserve.

—

The Washington Nationals are far from finished. Not after briefly slipping below .500 this week. And, certainly not after spotting the Miami Marlins the first nine runs on Thursday night.

Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help Washington rally past Miami 14-12 in a wild slugfest to end a five-game losing streak.

”Not to get ahead of ourselves, put together wins, try to win a series,” first baseman Matt Adams said. ”I think that’s what we’re going to focus on from here on out, win two out of three, win three out of four. If that’s the case, then the wins will start stacking on top of each other and we’ll just get rolling the way we’re capable of.”

The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22, have won 12 consecutive games against Miami dating to last season – their longest winning streak against any team since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005.

It was also the largest comeback victory since the team left Montreal. The Nationals rallied from eight runs down to defeat Atlanta 13-12 on April 28, 2015.

The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2.

But things didn’t start smoothly.

Miami scored an unearned run in the first, and capped a six-run second on Martin Prado’s three-run homer off the left-field foul pole. The Marlins made it 9-0 on Justin Bour’s two-run homer in the fourth off Jeremy Hellickson.

Despite the huge deficit, Washington was far from out of it.

Turner led off the fourth with a solo shot off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez, who surrendered four more runs in the fifth – including two on Juan Soto’s double. Adam Conley (2-1) then allowed four of the first five hitters he faced to reach in the sixth before Turner smacked a two-out fastball with the bases loaded into Miami’s bullpen to give the Nationals a stunning 10-9 lead. It was Turner’s third career multi-homer game.

”Command was an issue today, so I wasn’t able to get the ball where I wanted,” Conley said. ”My hat’s off to him. I thought the ball was coming out pretty good today, so for him to get ahold of it [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/patrick-onwuasor-jersey-cheap]Patrick Onwuasor Jersey[/url] , that’s the way the game goes. If the game were easy, everybody would play it.”

Turner added a two-run single in Washington’s four-run seventh. His eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter, according to STATS LLC.

”When we were down 7-0, I feel like we still for sure had a shot – 9-0, it hurts a little bit more, but we did it,” Turner said. ”I think once we got the first run on the board, it kind of just got the momentum back on our side and we continued to push. I think that’s what we’re capable of.”

Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.

Adams had four hits for Washington in his first game since a stint on the disabled list for a broken left index finger.

”Good win, but we still got stuff to do,” manager Dave Martinez said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Prado was activated from the disabled list after missing 37 games with a left hamstring strain. … Miami recalled RHP Ben Meyer from Triple-A New Orleans, placed RHP Tayron Guerrero (left lumbar strain) on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday and designated OF JB Shuck for assignment. … SS JT Riddle (hip) was scratched from the lineup. … RHP Sandy Alcantara (right axillary infection) is expected to be re-evaluated and begin a throwing progression Monday. … OF Lewis Brinson (right hip) will be re-evaluated Monday.

Nationals: Martinez said the team is optimistic RHP Stephen Strasburg (shoulder inflammation) will be ready to return right after the All-Star break. … 1B Ryan Zimmerman (right oblique strain) will start running the bases Friday or Saturday and could begin a rehabilitation assignment as early as Sunday. … Washington recalled RHP Jefry Rodriguez from Triple-A Syracuse and placed RHP Erick Fedde on the 10-day disabled list. Fedde, who is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA, left his start Wednesday in the second inning with right shoulder inflammation.

WALK IN THE PARK

Five Nationals who walked eventually scored. Another Washington runner scored after reaching base on a forceout of a player who walked.

”We walked eight guys,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. ”You can’t walk eight guys with that club over there. We let them back in the game.”

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (3-4, 4.70 ERA) has held NL East batters to a .202 average in five starts this season, though none of those outings have come against Washington.

Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 3.77) is winless in his last six starts, but is 10-3 with a 1.85 ERA lifetime against Miami.

—

Bradley replaces Carnell Lake, who stepped down after seven seasons Wednesday, citing an urge to spend time with his youngest son as he finishes his high school career in California. Dunbar will take over for John Mitchell, who will move into a role as assistant head coach.

Dunbar spent the last two seasons as defensive line coach at Alabama. He previously spent 11 seasons as a defensive line coach in the NFL, with stops in Chicago, Minnesota [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/sam-koch-jersey-cheap]Sam Koch Jersey[/url] , Buffalo and the New York Jets.

Bradley worked the last four seasons as defensive coordinator at UCLA. Prior to that he worked for over three decades at Penn State as an assistant under Joe Paterno.

—

Former Major League Baseball all-star David Nilsson has been named manager of Team Australia as it aims to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Baseball Australia said Wednesday that the former Milwaukee Brewers catcher would lead the team in games at the 2019 Premier 12 tournament, which doubles as the first chance for 2020 Olympic qualification. He could also manage Australia at the 2021 World Baseball Classic.

Nilsson returned to the national team staff as an assistant coach for the 2018 Japan Series after winning three consecutive Australian Baseball League titles with the Brisbane Bandits, who went 86-48 while winning ABL titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The 48-year-old Nilsson says: ”It was really special to get back to international competition, I love the environment and I really missed it.”

Regarded as Australia’s best-ever MLB player, Nilsson finished his MLB career with a .284 batting average [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/nick-boyle-jersey-cheap]Nick Boyle Jersey[/url] , 105 home runs and 470 runs batted in.

He created history in 1999 when he became the first Australian to be named an MLB All-Star after finishing with a .309 batting average in 115 games for the Brewers.

He remains the only position player ever named from Australia for an All-Star Game. Grant Balfour, while with the Oakland A’s, was named as a replacement pitcher for teammate Bartolo Colon in 2013 and is the only other player from Down Under to appear in an All-Star Game.

Nilsson also played for Australia’s Olympic team in 2000 and 2004, when it won silver at the Athens Games.

Nationals right-hander Erick Fedde left in the second inning of his start against the Boston Red Sox after throwing just 25 pitches.

Training staff and manager Dave Martinez went to check on Fedde after he allowed a single to Rafael Devers to lead off the second on Wednesday. After a long conversation [url=http://www.eaglescheapshops.com]Eagles Cheap Jerseys[/url] , Fedde walked off the field and was replaced by lefty Matt Grace.

The 25-year-old was coming off his first major league victory last weekend in Philadelphia.

Fedde entered the game 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA in five starts this season. His 2017 season ended in early September with a right forearm flexor strain.

Washington’s 2014 first-round pick had Tommy John surgery after being drafted. He’s 1-4 with a 7.23 ERA in eight starts during his career with the Nationals.

—

At a time when the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ rotation is in flux, left-hander Patrick Corbin could do well to give them a good start Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Arizona expects several injured starters to return soon, and roster decisions are coming. Corbin’s spot would not seem to be in jeopardy, but he is coming off some inconsistent performances.

In early May, he was 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA. He goes into Friday’s start with a 6-3 record and a 3.48 ERA and is expected to be matched against Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova (4-5, 4.42).

Corbin has given up at least five runs in three of his past four starts [url=http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/customized]Customized New York Jets Jerseys[/url] , including five against the Pirates at home on June 11.

In his most recent outing, a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, he gave up all five runs on eight hits in six innings.

“Just a couple mistakes there,” Corbin said of the game against the Mets. “If I locate better, different outcome.”

Corbin, who is 1-2 with a 5.90 ERA in five career starts against Pittsburgh [url=http://www.ramsfootballauthentics.com/john-franklin-myers-jersey-authentic]Youth John Franklin-Myers Jersey[/url] , hasn’t been completely off lately. He has 19 strikeouts in his past 16 2/3 innings.

But against the Mets he could not pinpoint his curveball or his fastball.

“I just thought the pitch sequencing was a little bit off, and I thought there were a lot of fastball mistakes out over the plate that were hit, and they were handled by the Mets,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “Didn’t really get to the secondary stuff the way he typically does, and I think it’s more a product of the game plan and sequencing.”

Lovullo hasn’t lost confidence in Corbin.

“Worrisome? No. Not an issue for me whatsoever. We know that the season is going to have good and bad moments,” he said.

The Diamondbacks (41-33) cruised to a 9-3 win in the series opener Thursday as the Pirates (36-38) lost for the third time in four games.

Pittsburgh dropped two of three last week at Arizona.

Nova was initially scheduled to start Thursday [url=http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/customized]Customized Oakland Raiders Jerseys[/url] , but the Pirates opted to move everyone back a day when Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee was rained out, rather than do any shuffling with his rotation.

“This group right here has shown the ability to be flexible, to be resilient and also shown some benefits from an extra day (of rest) every now and then,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

It didn’t pan out that way. Chad Kuhl, who started the opener against Arizona after warming up several times Wednesday when there was false hope that the game against Milwaukee would be played, got rocked by the Diamondbacks for eight runs in two-plus innings.

Nova is coming off two good starts [url=http://www.philadelphiaeaglesteamonlines.com/customized]Customized Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys[/url] , going 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA since he was removed from the disabled list (sprained finger).

On Saturday, he struggled with his curveball, but it didn’t stop him from allowing just one run and five hits in six innings of a 6-2 win over Cincinnati.

“Even though I walked a couple guys, the fastball command is better than what it was before I hit the DL,” Nova said. “I think I’ve been able to control it a bit better. I think that’s been the key.”

Nova is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts against the Diamondbacks.

Indians starting first baseman Yonder Alonso will miss at least three games after being placed on the family-medical-emergency list.

Cleveland made the move Friday before opening a three-game series against Minnesota. The AL Central-leading Indians also activated center fielder Tyler Naquin from the disabled list. He had been sidelined with a hamstring injury since May 11.

Erik Gonzalez started the opener at first in place of Alonso [url=http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/customized]Customized New York Giants Jerseys[/url] , who is in his first season with Cleveland.

By major league rules, Alonso will have to miss a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven.

Alonso is batting .248 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs in 65 games.

Naquin was hurt running the bases in Kansas City last month. He’s batting .333 (25 of 75) with two homers and 11 RBIs in 30 games. He recently appeared in six games on a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.

Aaron Altherr got his first lucky break in a while.

Left fielder Marcell Ozuna dived for and missed Altherr’s two-run double with two outs in the 10th inning, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to rally for a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Altherr had been hitless in his last 12 at-bats and 1 for 20 before the hit.

”The way things have been going, I thought he was going to catch it,” Altherr said. ”Thankfully he dove for it and it got by.”

Tommy Pham hit a solo homer in the top of the 10th, one inning after a wild pitch on a strikeout kept the game going. But the Phillies rallied.

Rhys Hoskins hit a bloop single to start the bottom of the 10th off Matt Bowman (0-2). Odubel Herrera dived headfirst into first to seemingly beat out an infield single, but the play was overturned by a video review. After Carlos Santana was intentionally walked [url=http://www.giantscheapshops.com]Giants Cheap Jerseys[/url] , Bowman struck out Jesmuel Valentin.

Altherr then hit a sinking liner that appeared to skip off Ozuna’s glove before bouncing to the wall.

”It was so nice to see a ball bounce in his direction,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Altherr.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny tried to explain the unusual strategy to put the winning run on base.

”Wanted to avoid their best hitter,” he said of Santana, who is batting .226.

On a day former closer Hector Neris was sent to the minors, Kapler’s aggressive use of the bullpen nearly cost him. Seranthony Dominguez – the team’s best reliever – wasn’t available after pitching 2 1/3 innings in the previous two games. So Kapler turned to Victor Arano and Adam Morgan in the ninth to protect a 4-2 lead. Neither pitcher has ever earned a save.

Yadier Molina hit a one-out single in the ninth off Arano, and Jedd Gyorko followed with a double. Arano struck out Harrison Bader and fanned Yairo Munoz, but Munoz reached when catcher Andrew Knapp failed to block the wild pitch and a run scored.

”I have to make that play. I have to block it [url=http://www.jetscheapshops.com]Jets Cheap Jerseys[/url] ,” Knapp said.

Morgan came in and allowed a tying single to Kolten Wong.

Pham hit a deep drive off Jake Thompson (1-1) for his 11th homer.

Matt Carpenter and Molina also hit solo homers for St. Louis. Molina caught his 1,757th game with the Cardinals, passing the Cubs’ Gabby Hartnett for the most games caught with one team.

Herrera hit a three-run homer for Philadelphia.

The Phillies’ bullpen wasted a strong start from Nick Pivetta. He had a career-high 13 strikeouts, allowing two runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings in his best outing since May 21. Pivetta lost his previous four starts, posting a 7.11 ERA in those games.

Pivetta left after Carpenter hit a double high off the fence in right to put runners at second and third. Right fielder Nick Williams exited with a bloody face after the ball hit him on the carom.

Edubray Ramos entered and struck out Pham and Jose Martinez swinging at sliders.

The Phillies have won six of eight games while the Cardinals have lost six of eight.

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas gave up four runs and six hits in five innings.

EXTRA WORK

The Phillies are 5-1 in extra innings while the Cardinals are 5-6.

ROSTER MOVE

Neris was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and lefty Austin Davis was recalled. Neris had a 6.00 ERA in 30 appearances, going 1-3 with 10 saves in 13 chances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

CARDINALS: 1B Martinez returned to the lineup after missing three games on paternity leave. 1B Luke Voit was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

PHILLIES: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (right hand) is set to throw a bullpen session Tuesday. … Righty reliever Pat Neshek is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday in the minors.

UP NEXT

RHP Luke Weaver (3-6 [url=http://www.raiderscheapshops.com]Raiders Cheap Jerseys[/url] , 4.52 ERA) starts for the Cardinals and RHP Vince Velasquez (5-7, 4.74) goes for the Phillies on Tuesday night. Weaver has lost both of his career starts vs. Philadelphia. Velasquez is 1-1 vs. St. Louis, including a victory earlier this season.

—

It’s important to consider the opposing bullpen when selecting hitters in daily fantasy leagues [url=http://www.redskinsfootballauthentics.com/geron-christian-jersey-authentic]Youth Geron Christian Jersey[/url] , both the quality of the team’s bullpen as a whole and the differences in quality between its individual pitchers.

The best bullpens in the league, like the Astros, have very little drop off in quality from their best relievers to their worst. That means whether a game is competitive or not, Houston’s opponents are facing high-end relief pitching. The Astros have five relievers with expected fielding independent pitching (xFIP) below 3.00, a measurement similar to ERA that strips away defense and some luck.

This isn’t the case with the bullpens in the middle of the league’s rankings. Some are top heavy while others are balanced. In daily fantasy baseball, top-heavy bullpens are the ones to take advantage of when they are large underdogs. The hope is that if your offense plays from ahead, you will avoid the elite relievers in a top-heavy bullpen. A balanced opposing bullpen won’t have as much of a difference in quality of reliever based on the game situation.

Take for example the Reds bullpen, which diminishes quickly. The Reds bullpen xFIP is 4.16 but when they play from ahead opponents will often see some combination of Amir Garrett (3.10 xFIP), Jared Hughes (3.41 xFIP), and Raisel Iglesias (3.30 xFIP). However, if they get behind the bottom of the bullpen contains Wandy Peralta (5.83 xFIP) and Michael Lorenzen (4.34 xFIP).

On the other hand, the Angels have a team bullpen xFIP of 4.15 but maintain a much more balanced bullpen. Their top six relievers all have xFIPs between 3.42 and 4.22. That makes it less important to identify game situations against the Angels.

Let that difference play to your advantage when top-heavy bullpens are underdogs – that improves your odds of facing the weakest relievers.

GOLF

TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm is this year’s host for the Quicken Loans Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods. TPC Potomac also hosted the 2017 version of this event, while previous years it was held at the nearby Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Because of the limited sample size, fantasy players shouldn’t put much weight in course history this week.

Last year, the Quicken Loans Invitational played as the fourth most difficult event on tour and played harder than the U.S. Open and Players Championship, so birdies will be hard to come by. When courses feature few birdies, the finishing position makes up more of the fantasy scoring and paying up for the tournament favorites can be a profitable strategy. Last year, strokes gained tee-to-green was the biggest differentiator between players as 22.5 percent of strokes were gained off the tee and 36.6 percent of strokes were gained on approach compared to tour baselines of 15 percent and 34.8 percent, respectively.

While Woods headlines the field for public rooting interest, Rickie Fowler is the class of the field with a 42 percent chance to finish inside of the top 10 this week. Fowler is ranked first in the field in strokes gained total, 10th in strokes gained tee-to-green and first in DraftKings scoring. On a week where capturing the top end of the leaderboard will prove critical, Fowler will anchor many winning DraftKings lineups.

In order to have the salary cap space to pay for Fowler, finding a cheap complementary player is required. Adam Hadwin is our favorite value selection this week on DraftKings and his $7 [url=http://www.redskinsfootballauthentics.com/troy-apke-jersey-authentic]Youth Troy Apke Jersey[/url] ,300 price lets you comfortably roster Fowler. There are 40 golfers priced more expensive than Hadwin, whose 75 percent odds to make the cut are inside of the top 20 made cut probabilities. While Hadwin is ranked outside of the top 50 in strokes gained off the tee, he rates inside of the top 20 in strokes gained approach and 10th in total strokes gained over the last 50 rounds.

—

This column was provided to The Associated Press by DailyRoto, After a slow start, Giancarlo Stanton has been on a roll for the Yankees.

But he also said there’s another gear he can kick into, too.

Stanton hit a three-run homer, CC Sabathia pitched six effective innings, and the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 6-2 on Wednesday.

Rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres left the game in the top of the fifth inning because of tightness in his right hip and afterward was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip strain.

”We’re hoping it’s a short stint. But we think we’ve got to deal with it this time because there is a small strain there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said outside the home clubhouse after the game.

”Hopefully it won’t be something that it’s too long. Probably take us up to the All-Star break.”

After struggling in his first two months of his debut season in the Bronx, including three games at the end of March, Stanton managed just 11 homers and hit .245.

He settled in and improved in June with eight homers and a .298 average.

”Yeah I can always get better. So yeah, I got to put it together but there’s some balls that I’ve hit hard that could have been in the air, been better,” said Stanton, who’s 6 for 18 (.333) with two home runs and five RBIs through the first four games of July.

”But that’s talking millimeters of (a) difference here. But in terms of in the box, I feel very close.”

Aaron Judge added his 24th homer of the season in the seventh inning. He’s now homered in three of his past four games.

Catcher Kyle Higashioka also homered for the Yankees, becoming the ninth player since 1920 whose first three hits were home runs. Colorado’s Trevor Story homered for his first four big league hits on April 4-6, 2016.

The 28-year-old, who’s spent most of his first 10 professional seasons in the minors, except for a nine-game hitless stint last season, was surprised at what he’s been able to accomplish since his promotion June 25.

”I wouldn’t have thought that my first three hits in the major leagues would be homers, but the most important thing here is winning,” Higashioka said.

Sabathia (6-3) followed his impressive showing last Friday against Boston, the team with the best record in baseball, working out of a couple of jams for the Yankees [url=http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/customized]Customized Carolina Panthers Jerseys[/url] , who have won six of their past eight after getting swept in three games at Tampa.

National League East-leading Atlanta loaded the bases with two outs in the first, but the 37-year-old struck out 20-year-old phenom Ronald Acuna Jr. on an 88 mph cutter.

”That’s a good lineup. They have a very good team, some good hitters,” Sabathia said. ”Even when I felt I was in control I still had to make pitches. They made me work today.”

The Braves have lost their past two games.

New York took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Greg Bird’s RBI single off Atlanta starter Julio Teheran (6-6), who lasted just five innings, allowing five hits and five runs. He walked four and struck out 10.

The Yankees got to Teheran again in the third.

With a runner on first and two outs, Aaron Hicks walked. Stanton then fell behind 0-2 before hitting a line drive to the right field bleachers for his 21st homer of the season to make it 4-0.

After retiring the first two batters in the fourth, Teheran fell behind 2-0 against Higashioka before the rookie connected to the left field stands, extending the lead to 5-0.

”You can’t make mistakes to this team,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. ”The way that ball flies around in right center and over, it’s just dangerous. That’s why they are who they are. In spurts, he threw the ball really well.”

The Braves cut the deficit to 5-1 on an RBI grounder from Danny Santana with one out in the fifth. Johan Camargo hit his ninth home run of the season with two outs in the sixth that made it 5-2. But Sabathia limited the damage by retiring Dansby Swanson on a grounder to second with a runner aboard.

Atlanta failed to take advantage in the seventh inning against reliever Chad Green when its first two batters reached on a pair of singles. Green then got three fly outs to end the threat.

PUT ME IN COACH

With New York set to play 11 games in 10 days, beginning Friday at Toronto, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he wanted to be ”greedy” with Thursday being their only day off, and held Austin Romine out of the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive day. Higashioka started for the fourth straight time behind the plate.

The Yankees have been short-handed at catcher since Romine left the game on June 29 against Boston in the seventh inning because of a tight left hamstring. Gary Sanchez has been on the 10-day disabled list since June 25 because of a strained right groin.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: 1B Freddie Freeman, who was hit by a pitch in the third inning, left the game after the fourth because of a contusion in his right upper arm. He expects to be back in the lineup Thursday in Milwaukee.

”I tried to go down in the cage and swing and pretty much topped the ball off the tee,” Freeman said. ”I couldn’t really extend the arm going through the zone. I had no strength. It just kind of swelled up and it looks like a baseball on my tricep right now.”

WELCOME BACK

LHP Luiz Gohara, the No. 3 prospect in the Atlanta organization, arrived about 90 minutes before the first pitch after he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett for the second time this season. RHP Evan Phillips, who threw 2 1/3 innings Tuesday night, was sent down to Trip

LOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Pirates headed north by bus Sunday evening to see if the roller-coaster ride will continue.

Fresh off a series victory at San Diego [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/alex-mcgough-jersey-authentic]Youth Alex McGough Jersey[/url] , capped by a 7-5 victory Sunday, the Pirates are now in Los Angeles for the first of three games Monday, having won four of their last six games.

That winning run came after a five-game losing streak. The five games before that? The Pirates won four of them.

The Dodgers have been a bit steadier of late, going 17-9 in June to keep pace with the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. But the end of June was a bit of a struggle as the Dodgers lost four of their last five before the calendar flipped. They opened July with a 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Not only did the Dodgers’ offense take off in June, to the tune of 55 home runs to set a franchise record for a month, the pitching staff got healthy again … literally.

Alex Wood (4-5, 4.00 ERA) will take the mound Monday, looking and feeling much better after nagging leg cramps early in the year.

Wood went seven innings against the Chicago Cubs in his last outing Wednesday, his longest start since his season debut on March 30 when he worked eight innings against the San Francisco Giants.

An All-Star for the first time last season, Wood is once again starting to look like the pitcher who can rise to the occasion on a nightly basis.

“I’m still looking for consistency out of my sinker [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/sebastian-janikowski-jersey-authentic]Youth Sebastian Janikowski Jersey[/url] , but the breaking ball was a lot better,” Wood told reporters after his most recent start. “Overall, it was pretty good.”

The Dodgers also have Clayton Kershaw back recently from a lower back injury and Rich Hill returned from a blister on his left middle finger. Both left-handers will face the Pirates this week.

Pittsburgh announced Sunday that Nick Kingham (2-3, 3.82) will start the series opener at Dodger Stadium. He will take the spot of Chad Kuhl, who is on the DL with a forearm strain.

The Pirates (40-43) know that getting some length on their current winning ways can get them to .500 soon, possibly by the All-Star break that starts in two weeks.

“We’re starting to show a little bit of resiliency here the last week or so,” Pirates infielder Josh Harrison said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “A team that (is) not making any excuses, which is refreshing because at the end of the day we know what we have to do and that’s come to show up every day.

“It’s been some ups and downs, but every team goes through ups and downs [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/byron-maxwell-jersey-authentic]Youth Byron Maxwell Jersey[/url] , and a lot of guys here are riding that wave of knowing that any day can be that day that we turn it around.”

Wood is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Pirates. He has not faced Pittsburgh since last season. Kingham, a rookie, has not pitched against the Dodgers in any of his first six appearances.

Yovani Gallardo is back with the Texas Rangers for the first time in three years.

The right-hander who grew up in nearby Fort Worth was selected from the Triple-A Round Rock roster. He was set to start Sunday at home against the Colorado Rockies.

The 32-year-old Gallardo went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for Texas in 2015, and signed a free-agent contract with Baltimore in 2016.

Cincinnati released him this April after three appearances with a 30.86 ERA. Texas then signed Gallardo to a minor league contract, and he went 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A.

Manager Jeff Banister said Gallardo could remain in the rotation.

”He’s one of five starters for us now, but we’ll let him get through today first,” he said.

The Rangers optioned left-hander Brandon Mann to Round Rock. They opened a spot on the 40-man roster by placing right-hander Doug Fister, who’s out with a strained right knee, on the 60-day disabled list.

Donovan McNabb and Eric Davis have been dismissed from ESPN following an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct while employed at NFL Network.

ESPN says in a statement Saturday ”they are no longer working for us.” The pair worked for ESPN Radio and were taken off the air Dec. 12 [url=http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/customized]Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys[/url] , pending an internal investigation.

McNabb and Davis, both former NFL players, were among seven men named in a lawsuit against NFL Enterprises filed in December by former NFL Network wardrobe stylist Jami Cantor.

According to the lawsuit, McNabb allegedly sent Cantor sexually explicit messages during his time at NFL Network. Davis is accused of making lewd comments.

Cantor worked at NFL Network for a decade until she was fired in October 2016. In the suit, she alleges age and sex discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and defamation.

TORONTO — Jose Bautista will return to the scene of some of his biggest moments in baseball Tuesday night when the New York Mets visit the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mets and Blue Jays will play a two-game interleague series at the Rogers Centre, where Bautista starred for the better part of nine years.

The Mets will start right-hander Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.47 ERA) against Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada (4-7 [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/rasheem-green-jersey-authentic]Youth Rasheem Green Jersey[/url] , 4.53) in the series opener.

While the Blue Jays (39-45) were losing 3-2 in 10 innings on Monday afternoon to the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre, the Mets (33-48) had the day off. It gave Bautista a chance to renew acquaintances in Toronto.

“I have some stuff scheduled, to meet up with people who were part of my life when I was there and visit some of the usual spots,” Bautista told reporters in Miami, where the Mets played last weekend. “It’s definitely a place that I hold dear and close to my heart. It’s going to be a fun time.”

Bautista twice led the American League in home runs with the Blue Jays, hitting 54 in 2010 and 43 in 2011. His most famous home run came in 2015 at the Rogers Centre, a three-run blast with an iconic bat flip that won the American League Division Series in the fifth and deciding game against the Texas Rangers.

He played 1,235 regular-season games for the Blue Jays from 2008 to 2017, hitting 288 homers (second only to Carlos Delgado’s 336) with 776 RBIs (third on the team’s career list).

Bautista also had an influence on his teammates.

“He was a huge help in my development [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/will-dissly-jersey-authentic]Youth Will Dissly Jersey[/url] ,” Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar said. “There was a time in my first full year when I went from left to center and I was making some plays and I kind of earned his respect and he metaphorically gave me the keys (to the outfield) and told me to go get anything I could. And my voice became the voice in the outfield. That was pretty special to me.”

When the Blue Jays did not pick up the option on his contract for this season, he became a free agent. He did not have a team until the Atlanta Braves signed him on April 18. After a minor-league stint, he struggled with the Braves for 12 games and was released May 20. The Mets signed him May 22.

In 36 games with the Mets, the 37-year-old is batting .250/.418/476 with three homers and 13 RBIs. In his past 14 games, he is hitting .300/.462/.650 with three homers and 10 RBIs.

“I’m not surprised by what he’s doing,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “He probably just needed some at-bats to get going and now we’re seeing the byproduct of him being ready. I’ve always known he’s a really good hitter. He keeps himself in really good shape. He’s probably in the best shape of anybody on our team and is (the oldest player on the team). Great approach, great patience, still has bat speed.”

“Not having a spring training, wanting to swing the bat and some other things might’ve played into me not (reaching base) as much in Atlanta [url=http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/michael-dickson-jersey-authentic]Youth Michael Dickson Jersey[/url] ,” Bautista said.

Bautista always has been a versatile player. He played mostly right field with the Blue Jays but also manned third base and occasionally first base. He has played 12 games in left field for the Mets, 10 in right field, two at third base and one at second base.

This will be the second series between the teams. They split two games on May 15-16 at Citi Field.

Wheeler was the losing pitcher on May 16, a 12-1 Blue Jays victory, in his only career outing against Toronto. He allowed six runs, seven hits and three walks and struck out seven in four innings.

Estrada is 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in seven career games (two starts) against the Mets. He struggled earlier in the season but is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in his past five starts.