ap Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Raptors hope to tighten hold on playoff spot with sweep of Heat
The Toronto Raptors aim to tighten their hold on a playoff spot Thursday night when they go for a sweep of the season series against the visiting Miami Heat.,Toronto earned a 121-95 home victory Tuesday in the first of back-to-back games with the Heat.,That left the Raptors (44-35) in the sixth play...

Rafael Devers' 3-run bomb delivers Giants win over Phillies
Tyler Mahle combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, Rafael Devers broke a sixth-inning tie with a three-run home run and the San Francisco Giants made it two of three from the visiting Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-0 victory Wednesday afternoon.,Making his third start as a Giant, Mahle match...

Blue Jays rally to edge Dodgers in World Series rematch
The Toronto Blue Jays scored the go-ahead in the eighth inning on an error Wednesday afternoon and went on to defeat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3.,The Blue Jays salvaged the finale of the three-game series, a rematch of the 2025 World Series won by Los Angeles, to end a six-game losing strea...

Rockies earn rare series sweep of Astros in Denver
Hunter Goodman homered, Ezequiel Tovar, Troy Johnston and Edouard Julien had two hits apiece, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros 9-1 in Denver on Wednesday.,Michael Lorenzen bounced back from his last start to get his first win with Colorado. Lorenzen (1-1) allowed one run on seven hit...

Mirra Andreeva cruises past Sloane Stephens in Linz
Top-seeded Mirra Andreeva won 75.8% of her first-serve points (25 of 33) and needed just 81 minutes to post a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Sloane Stephens on Wednesday in the second round of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria.,Andreeva, who received a first-round bye, overcame 33 unforced error...

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot stuns Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo 2nd round
Valentin Vacherot became the first competitor from Monaco to reach the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters since 2006 with a stunning 7-6 (6), 7-5 upset of fourth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday.,Vacherot is the first Monegasque player to do so since his coach and half-brother, Benjam...

Taylor Ward's 3 doubles enough for Orioles to complete sweep of White Sox
Taylor Ward went 4-for-5 with three doubles and two RBIs as the visiting Baltimore Orioles defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Wednesday to earn a three-game series sweep.,Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso also doubled for the Orioles, who had seven hits.,Ward delivered the last of the club's six t...

Rangers ride 3-run inning to shutout win over Mariners
A three-run inning was all the Rangers needed to defeat the Mariners 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon in Arlington, Texas, giving Texas a three-game series sweep over slumping Seattle.,A bases-loaded throwing error by Mariners first baseman Connor Joe allowed two runs to score, and Texas added another in ...

Sonny Gray helps Red Sox blank Brewers
Sonny Gray tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Trevor Story drove in two runs to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Wednesday., ,Gray (2-0) limited Milwaukee to three hits, walked two and struck out two. Ten of the 19 outs he recorded came on ground balls., ,The vict...

Guardians pour it on late in rubber match vs. Royals
Angel Martinez had four hits, including a grand slam, and the Cleveland Guardians rolled to a 10-2 win against the visiting Kansas City Royals in the rubber game of their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon.,Rhys Hoskins had three doubles, an RBI and run scored, and Jose Ramirez and Juan Brito ...

Jake Cronenworth homers to lead Padres past Pirates
Nick Castellanos drove in two runs and Jake Cronenworth hit his first homer of the season to lead the San Diego Padres to a 8-2 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.,The Padres bounced back from Tuesday's loss and secured their fourth win in their past five games.,It was m...

Alex Ovechkin: Decision on future will come in offseason
Washington Capitals superstar captain Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leader in goals, said he will wait until the offseason to decide if he'll continue his playing career.,Ovechkin, 40, is playing in his 21st NHL season. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion and three-time Hart Trophy recipient is playin...

Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans set scoring marks in rout of Jazz
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored a career-high 40 points and Jordan Poole added 22 of his 34 points in a decisive third quarter as the New Orleans Pelicans closed out their home schedule with a 156-137 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.,Rookie Micah Peavy scored a career-high 20 points, Jordan Hawki...

Rockets escape 21-point hole, down Suns to tie for 4th in West
Kevin Durant had 24 points and five 3-pointers in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets overcame a 21-point deficit for their largest comeback of the season, producing a 119-105 victory over the host Suns on Tuesday.,Amen Thompson logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Jabari Sm...

Timberwolves end skid with win over Pacers, clinch playoff berth
Ayo Dosunmu scored 24 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 124-104 win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday in Indianapolis.,Julius Randle and Bones Hyland added 19 apiece and Naz Reid contributed 17 for Minnesota (47-32), which strengthened its hold on sixth ...

After benches-clearing fight, Braves emerge with win over Angels
Ozzie Albies homered and Eli White doubled and drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly, as the Atlanta Braves earned a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in a contest that featured a benches-emptying brawl on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif.,Matt Olson doubled and scored twic...

Predators blank Ducks to move into playoff position
Goaltender Justus Annunen posted his first shutout of the season and Erik Haula netted one goal and one assist to pace the visiting Nashville Predators to a 5-0 victory over the slumping Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.,Annunen made 43 saves for his third career shutout as the Predators jumped into a playo...

Clippers squander big early lead but hold off Mavs
Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and Darius Garland added 22 as the Los Angeles Clippers improved their play-in tournament seeding with a 116-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at Inglewood, Calif., ,John Collins scored 12 points and Derrick Jones Jr. added 11 points with 10 rebounds as ...

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder manhandle short-handed Lakers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points in 28 minutes as the Oklahoma City Thunder demolished the Lakers for the second time in five days, prevailing 123-87 on Tuesday in Los Angeles.,The Thunder (63-16), by earning their sixth consecutive win and their 18th in 19 games, moved within one win or one...

Predators move into playoff position with shut-out win over Ducks
Goaltender Justus Annunen posted his first shutout of the season and Erik Haula netted one goal and one assist to pace the visiting Nashville Predators to a 5-0 victory over the slumping Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.,Annunen made 43 saves for his third career shutout as the Predators jumped into a playo...