Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth inning
Quandre Diggs Jersey , J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez also went deep, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 11-4 on Tuesday.
Martinez drove in four and leads the majors with 26 homers and 71 RBIs. Boston has won 17 of its last 19 interleague games.
Washington has lost four straight and 16 of 21 to fall to 42-42, its first time at .500 since it was 17-17.
Red Sox starter Brian Johnson allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Brandon Workman (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh.
Nationals starter Tanner Roark (3-10) allowed a career-high nine runs in seven innings and is 1-8 with a 5.19 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) since May
5.
YANKEES 8, BRAVES 5
NEW YORK (AP) – Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Higashioka each homered and New York went ahead early and hung on to beat Atlanta.
Aaron Judge had two hits and a walk, and he stole two bases for the first time in his career. Hicks also walked twice as New York drew eight free
passes.
The Yankees improved to a major league-best 21-6 against left-handed starters and remain a game behind Boston for the majors’ best record.
Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte each hit two-run homers for Atlanta, which ended a four-game winning streak. Braves starter Sean Newcomb allowed five runs
in 2 2/3 innings in the shortest start of his career.
A.J. Cole (2-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief to earn the win.
DODGERS 8, PIRATES 3
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Clayton Kershaw earned his first win in 2 months, five Dodgers homered including Max Muncy with a pair, and Los Angeles beat
Pittsburgh.
Ivan Nova (4-6) became the first pitcher in Pirates history to give up five homers in a game. Pittsburgh has been outscored 25-4 in the first two games of
the series.
The Dodgers have 11 homers three days into July and 122 so far this season after slugging a major league-leading and franchise-record 55 in June.
Kershaw (2-4) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings of his third start since coming off the disabled list. The left-handed ace struck out two and
didn’t walk anyone to earn his first victory since April 15 at Arizona. He had
two losses and four straight no-decisions since then.
Kershaw had not gone as late as July 3 with just one win since his rookie year in 2008. That year he didn’t earn his second victory until Aug. 7.
MARINERS 4, ANGELS 1
SEATTLE (AP) – Wade LeBlanc allowed one run over seven innings and Seattle beat Los Angeles for its eighth straight victory.
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani was activated from the 10-day disabled list and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his return. He had been sidelined since June
8 with a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament sprain.
The Mariners announced they signed LeBlanc (4-0) to a contract extension before his start and the soft-tossing left-hander showed them they made a good
decision. LeBlanc allowed three hits, struck out four and retired his final 11
batters.
Andrew Heaney (4-6) tied a career high with 10 strikeouts
AJ McCarron Jersey , but was tagged with three runs in the first inning to fall behind and was handed the loss.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, CARDINALS 2
PHOENIX (AP) – Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer, Zack Greinke pitched effectively into the seventh inning and Arizona ended a four-game losing streak
by beating St. Louis.
Goldschmidt followed a four-hit night Monday with a three-run homer off Jack Flaherty (3-4) in the fifth inning. The NL player of the month for June,
Goldschmidt is hitting .413 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs his past 26 games.
Greinke (9-5) gave up two runs in the second inning to end his 13-inning scoreless streak but was otherwise sharp in winning his fourth straight game.
Yoshihisa Hirano needed one pitch to get a groundout with the bases loaded in
the seventh and extend his team record with a 26th straight scoreless
appearance.
Brad Boxberger worked around a walk in the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances.
INDIANS 6, ROYALS 4
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Yan Gomes hit a sixth-inning grand slam as Cleveland rallied to beat Kansas City.
The Indians lead the AL with eight grand slams. Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam Monday.
Edwin Encarnacion led off the sixth with a walk and Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch from Danny Duffy (4-8). Yonder Alonso’s infield single loaded the bases.
Gomes drove a 1-0 Duffy pitch into the left-field bullpen.
Chad Allen got the final four outs for his 17th save in 18 chances. He stranded two runners in the ninth after a single and a walk.
Shane Bieber (4-0) picked up the victory and remains undefeated in his first five big league starts.
PHILLIES 3, ORIOLES 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Zach Eflin pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight victory and Andrew Knapp had the winning hit for the second straight
game.
Rhys Hoskins had a two-run double for the Phillies, who have won 11 of 16.
Mark Trumbo homered for Baltimore, which has dropped eight of nine.
The game was delayed at the start 1 hour, 25 minutes due to rain and mostly played under a persistent drizzle.
Eflin (7-2) allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks to become the first Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2011 to record six
consecutive wins.
Orioles starter Alex Cobb (2-10) gave up three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings.
CUBS 5, TIGERS 3
CHICAGO (AP) – Anthony Rizzo drove in his second run of the game in the seventh inning to snap a tie, Kyle Schwarber followed with a solo homer in the
eighth and Chicago rebounded from an early three-run deficit to edge Detroit f
For the most part during his NFL career, the offseason has typically been a time
of relaxation and recuperation for Rob Gronkowski.
This year was marked by his deepest contemplations yet about whether he wanted to keep playing football.
In the aftermath of last season’s Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia
Terrell Owens Jersey , the 29-year-old Patriots tight end insinuated he was considering retirement. Those thoughts lingered throughout the winter until he
finally announced via Instagram in April that he would return for his ninth NFL
season.
Gronkowski and Tom Brady skipped voluntary workouts last month. Brady, who will turn 41 in August, reportedly opted to spend the time with his personal
trainer. Gronkowski was said to have joined his quarterback.
But both were on the field with the team Tuesday for the first time this Tuesday as New England opened its three-day, mandatory minicamp. Gronkowski said
after some ”long-hauling seasons” and back-to-back Super Bowl runs, retirement
”definitely was in the mind.”
”I had to do what I had to do, where I felt good enough to get my body prepared, to get my body right again, see where my body was at and see where my
mind was at,” he said. ”I’m glad to be back out here. I feel like I definitely
made the right decision coming back out.”
Gronk said his decision to skip OTAs was so that he could train ”on my own.”
”It went good,” he said. ”I think it was a good decision.”
Brady was not made available to the media following practice. Coach Bill Belichick said he wasn’t bothered by either player’s decision to miss OTAs,
saying, ”It’s a voluntary program. So that’s what it is.”
Both players seemed excited to be on the field
Troy Aikman Jersey , with Brady yelling at himself after failing to connect on a pass, and Gronkowski letting out several gleeful yelps following
catches.
That doesn’t mean is right in Gronk’s world. After leading the team last season in receptions (69), receiving yards (1,084) and receiving touchdowns
(eight), he clearly wants to see his value reflected in his contract.
He renegotiated his current six-year, $54 million deal prior to last season, reaping incentives that pushed his compensation over $10 million in 2017. Those
bonuses aren’t included for this upcoming season, in which he’ll make $8 million
in base salary.
Asked Tuesday if he was in the process of getting his contract redone, Gronk smiled before saying, ”I don’t know. I’m trying to.”
Would he like to see that happen before the start of the season?
”Who wouldn’t?” he said simply.
Those desires aside, Gronkowski insisted he remains on good terms with Belichick.
”Yeah. Yeah. For sure,” he said.
Belichick said he believes both Gronkowski and Brady remain dedicated to the team despite their earlier workout absences.
”They’ve always been that way ever since they’ve been on our team
Eric Ebron Jersey ,” Belichick said.
While he’s excited about 2018, how long Gronkowski wants to play beyond that remains an open question.
”No, I haven’t (thought about it),” he said. ”But I definitely know I want to keep going and play this year. Feeling good and just put all that rest behind me
… just focus on getting better.”
Gronk said overall he’s in a good place.
”I feel like I’m just going to do what’s best for myself and take care of myself, ” he said, ”because if I can’t take care of myself, I can’t take care of
anyone else and I can’t help out the team.”
NO BRACE FOR EDELMAN
Another key Patriots player back on the field is receiver Julian Edelman, who sat out last season after suffering a right knee injury a week before the final
exhibition game.
Edelman has no medical restrictions and participated fully in Tuesday’s workout. He wasn’t wearing a brace on his surgically repaired knee and said he
didn’t plan to wear one during the regular season.
”It was tough to watch it all on the sideline last year,” he said. ”To come out here and just to do little things, strap on the helmet, puts in perspective
how lucky you are to get to play the game.”
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