WAMC Sports Report 8/14/24: Yankees slugger Juan Soto hits 3 ...

MLB

Juan Soto had his first career three-homer game, Nestor Cortes tossed seven shutout innings and the New York Yankees held off the Chicago White Sox 4-1 to take sole possession of the AL East lead. Soto tagged starter Jonathan Cannon for a two-run shot to left field in the third inning and went the other way again on a leadoff homer in the fifth. The four-time All-Star added his 33rd of the season in the seventh off left-handed reliever Fraser Ellard, pulling a drive to right that made it 4-0. With a chance to match the major league record of four home runs in a game, Soto walked in the ninth.

New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. appears headed to the injured list with a left elbow injury, manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. The 26-year-old Chisholm has a probable ulnar collateral ligament injury and Boone said he will “likely” end up on the IL. He said more physicians are evaluating the elbow and that the club should have enough information to make a decision by Wednesday. Chisholm was hurt on a headfirst dive scoring in the fifth. He left during the seventh inning of Monday’s 12-2 loss to the White Sox but downplayed the injury after the game.

Shea Langeliers hit a three-run homer off former batterymate Paul Blackburn and went 4 for 4 again, powering the Oakland Athletics to a 9-4 win over the skidding New York Mets. Langeliers had two doubles and missed the cycle by a triple. It was the second consecutive four-hit game for the catcher, who was 4 for 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Seth Brown opened the scoring with a three-run double against Blackburn in the first inning before Langeliers capped a four-run third with a 406-foot homer. Miguel Andujar and Langeliers each had a run-scoring hit off José Buttó in the sixth.

New York Mets slugger J.D. Martinez has exited Tuesday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics with a bruised left elbow after getting hit by a 99.6 mph fastball from rookie Joe Boyle in the second inning. The 36-year-old designated hitter hopped in pain toward the Oakland dugout but initially remained in the game following a visit from an athletic trainer. Martinez scored New York’s first run on Jose Iglesias’ one-out single before being lifted for pinch-hitter Mark Vientos with two on and two outs in the third. Signed to a $12 million, one-year contract on March 24, Martinez is batting .257 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs in his first season with the Mets.

Kutter Crawford carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and Connor Wong highlighted a 12-hit attack with a three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox beat the slumping Texas Rangers 9-4. Rob Refsnyder and Nick Sogard each drove in a pair of runs as the Red Sox dealt Texas its third straight loss and its sixth setback in seven games. The defending World Series champion Rangers also dropped a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 55-65. Texas manager Bruce Bochy was ejected in the middle of the sixth after arguing a called third strike that ended a four-run rally as the Rangers got back into the game. Boston won for just the second time in six games despite some shaky relief after Crawford was lifted in the sixth.

Jake Burger homered in the fourth straight game, Valente Bellozo tossed seven shutout innings and the 75-loss Miami Marlins kept the Philadelphia Phillies in a summer swoon that has cost them the best record in baseball with a 5-0 win on Tuesday night. Taijuan Walker allowed three runs and walked three over four innings in his first start for the Phillies since June 21. Bellozo struck out four and walked one. Burger hit his 23rd homer of the season and 13th since the All-Star break in the third inning.

Jhonkensy Noel hit a solo homer in the sixth inning, providing the go-ahead run for the Cleveland Guardians in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Noel’s drive onto the left field porch was his ninth home run in 32 games since making his major league debut on June 26. The Guardians took sole possession of the best record in baseball at 71-49 with their fourth straight victory. Pedro Avila retired two batters for the win, while Emmanuel Clase earned his fourth save in four days to tie St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley for the major league lead with 37. Guardians starter Matthew Boyd pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run in his first MLB game since June 26, 2023.

Andrés Chaparro doubled three times in his big league debut, almost overshadowing another four-hit game by rookie James Wood as the Washington Nationals beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-3. Chaparro became the fourth player in major league history with at least three doubles in his debut — the first since Nick Evans of the New York Mets hit three at Colorado on May 24, 2008. Anthony Santander hit his 36th home run of the year for the Orioles.

Matt Carpenter homered twice in his return from a back injury, Jake Rogers drove in seven runs and pitcher Tarik Skubal earned his MLB-leading 14th victory as the Detroit Tigers routed the Seattle Mariners 15-1. Rogers drove in two runs with a double in the third inning, added a slam in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the sixth to become the first Tigers players with seven RBIs in a game since Ryan Raburn accomplished the feat against the Chicago White Sox on July 25, 2007. The Tigers scored a season-high in runs and banged out a season-best 21 hits in their second straight victory and fourth win in seven games. Skubal struck out nine, raising his season total to a majors-best 180.

Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña homered, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros won their seventh consecutive game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2. Yusel Kikuchi (6-9) allowed one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings to go 2-0 in three starts with the Astros since being acquired from Toronto on July 29. Josh Hader got three out to get his 26th save in 27 chances. Junior Caminero, MLB’s No. 2 prospect, was recalled from Triple-A Durham by the Rays and had an infield single in four at-bats. Tampa Bay dropped under .500, at 59-60, after losing for the sixth time in eight games.

Zebby Matthews threw five crisp innings to win his major league debut for the Minnesota Twins, who hit Seth Lugo hard to hand the All-Star right-hander his worst start this season and beat the Kansas City Royals 13-3. Matthews allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts in the latest and most meaningful feat for the 24-year-old righty who started the season in Class A. The Twins had three homers and eight extra-base hits among 15 hits. Jose Miranda had three hits and two RBIs and Matt Wallner had three runs plus two hits and a walk.

Hunter Greene allowed one run through seven innings, Jeimer Candelario hit a two-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 to secure a win of the series between the NL Central rivals. The hard-throwing Greene (9-4) allowed four hits while striking out eight and walking one in notching his third straight win. Spencer Steer had a two-out, RBI single in the first inning. Ty France led off the second with a homer off the roof of the Cardinals bullpen in right, his 11th of the season. Candelario smashed his 19th homer with two outs in the sixth.

Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 37th home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished with four homers in a 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers that extended their winning streak to five games. Gavin Lux and Andy Pages each hit a two-run home run during a five-run fourth inning that gave the Dodgers a 7-1 lead. Will Smith also homered as the NL West-leading Dodgers improved to 71-49 and matched the Cleveland Guardians for the best record in the majors. The Dodgers’ Gavin Stone (10-5) allowed one run on three hits in five innings, striking out six with no walks. William Contreras homered for the Brewers.

Michael King pitched six sharp innings, Manny Machado drove in two runs and David Peralta homered as the San Diego Padres beat Pittsburgh 3-0 to hand the Pirates their ninth straight loss. The Padres won for the 18th time in 21 games since July 20 and claimed their eighth straight series. Conversely, the Pirates lost for the 11th time in 12 games. King struck out 10, allowed seven hits and didn’t issue a walk, throwing 70 of his 93 pitches for strikes. The 29-year-old right-hander won for the fifth time in six decisions since June 29. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz gave up two runs, one earned, and three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

Jake McCarthy hit a two-out, two-run single down the left-field line in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. The Diamondbacks continued their hot streak, winning five in a row and 17 of 20. Arizona started its ninth-inning rally with a one-out triple from Corbin Carroll. Victor Vodnik recovered to strike out Kevin Newman before Adrian Del Castillo and Geraldo Perdomo walked to load the bases. That brought up McCarthy, who is among the hottest hitters in baseball. The left-handed batter smacked a two-strike fastball down the third-base line, and the ball easily got past Ryan McMahon.

Travis d’Arnaud homered early and hit an RBI single in the 10th inning that sent the Atlanta Braves past the San Francisco Giants 4-3. Ramón Laureano also went deep and Austin Riley singled twice to lead Atlanta to its second consecutive win over San Francisco in extra innings. The Braves beat the Giants 1-0 in 10 innings on d’Arnaud’s sacrifice fly in the series opener Monday. Dylan Lee retired three batters for the win and Raisel Iglesias pitched the 10th for his 25th save. The Braves increased their lead to two games over the New York Mets for the final National League wild card. The Giants are 3 1/2 back. Tyler Fitzgerald homered for San Francisco, which lost its third consecutive game after winning eight of 10.

Kevin Gausman tossed seven shutout innings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 10th home run since the All-Star break and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-1 on Tuesday night. Will Wagner continued his strong start in the majors with two hits, including a two-run double in the first inning. Wagner, the son of former All-Star closer Billy Wagner, has five hits in eight at-bats in his first two games, including three doubles and three RBIs. Willie Calhoun prevented the Angels from being shut out with a homer to right-center in the ninth inning.

NFL

Aaron Rodgers has the perfect place in mind for Haason Reddick to end up after the star edge rusher requested a trade from the New York Jets. The star quarterback said Tuesday that he won't judge Reddick for trying to do what's best for him, but added that it would be best for him to be with the Jets “because this is going to be a fun ride.” Reddick’s holdout reached 22 days as he seeks a new contract without a resolution in sight. He asked the Jets on Monday to trade him. New York general manager Joe Douglas issued a statement through the team saying the Jets wouldn’t be trading him.

New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy was carted off the field on Tuesday after injuring his right ankle on a special teams play. The fifth-round pick out of Purdue seemed to take a bad step after mishandling a kickoff and immediately went down in pain. He was taken to The Hospital for Special Surgery for tests and evaluation. The Giants said he had an ankle injury.

Two weeks after getting diagnosed with blood clots, Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore was a spectator for Tuesday’s joint practice between New England and the Philadelphia Eagles. It was an encouraging sign for the 25-year-old, who was evaluated and treated at a Massachusetts hospital. Patriots center David Andrews can relate to what Barmore has been dealing with. Andrews missed the entire 2019 season because of blood clots in his lungs. “It was good to see him. I remember going through all that stuff. I think it’s good for him to be around the guys. He’s probably missed it,” Andrews said.

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a torn meniscus in his right knee that will require surgery. He was hurt during his preseason debut when he went 11 for 17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Las Vegas. McCarthy reported persistent soreness to the team when players reconvened. The 10th overall pick in the draft was sent for further examination that revealed the injury. The rehabilitation for a full repair is much longer than if there’s just a partial tear and only a trim is needed. The severity won't be known until the procedure takes place.

Cleveland Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. has been arrested and charged with domestic violence after a fight with his fiancée. Police in Avon, Ohio, say Hall was booked and arraigned at Avon Lake Municipal Court and was released after posting bond. The Browns say they are aware of the incident involving the second-round pick from Ohio State. According to an incident report, the woman told police that Hall struck her with a baby bottle, dragged her along a porch and driveway and held a gun to her temple. Police say they seized two handguns.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore says he looks forward to the release of his text messages with Connor Stalions, the former low-level recruiting staffer who resigned amid a sign-stealing scandal. Moore spoke with reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the NCAA alleged he violated rules. The allegations were included in a confidential notice that the governing body sent to the school. Two people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said Moore has been accused of deleting text message exchanges with

We interrupt this optimistic time of year for some pessimism. The preseason AP Top 25 is out and college football fans all over the country can dream about how this year it all comes together for their team. Teams that begin the season ranked can be especially hopeful — but maybe temper your enthusiasm. On average, about 10 teams per season start ranked and end it unranked, including at least one top-10 team. Reality check kicks off the season pondering how things can go wrong for each team in the preseason Top 25 and assessing how the voters did.

GOLF

Golf has been part of the Olympics for the last three Summer Games and continues to deliver big stars to the podium and memorable outcomes. Some of that is because of the small fields of 60 players, about half of whom don't get a regular diet on the big stage. The latest was Scottie Scheffler's remarkable comeback at Le Golf National to add Olympic gold to an already great year. And there was Lydia Ko, with an even greater storybook finish. The New Zealander now has medaled in all three Olympics and her gold got her into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

SOCCER

Manchester United has signed Netherlands center back Matthijs de Ligt and Morocco full back Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. No transfer fees were announced but British media reported United was paying 60 million pounds ($77 million) for Mazraoui and De Ligt. United earlier sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Premier League rival West Ham for a reported fee of 15 million pounds ($19 million) to end a five-year spell at United. It completes a huge shake-up of United’s defense. The club has already bolstered its back line in this transfer window by signing 18-year-old center back Leny Yoro from Lille for 62 million euros ($68 million).

Kylian Mbappé appears ready to make his debut for Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says the France striker arrived in good shape following the European Championship and was adapting well to the team after a week of practice. Ancelotti says Mbappé “could play tomorrow" when speaking at a news conference at the National Stadium in Warsaw where the match will be played. The 25-year-old Mbappe is the biggest draw in the Polish capital after finally joining Madrid following a drawn-out saga with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain.

The Premier League rarely stands still. There are plenty of changes in the world's most popular soccer league heading into the 2024-25 season that starts on Friday. There are five newly hired managers including Arne Slot at Liverpool to begin the post-Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield. There are around $1.6 billion worth of new players (and counting) despite the market appearing slower than usual for Premier League teams. The first ever use of semi-automated technology in the Premier League should speed up offside decisions. There are also updated financial regulations being trialed and a tweak to the match schedule that sees the winter break disappear.

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