KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Wacha allowed one run on two hits over six innings, Salvador Perez drove in a pair of runs and the Royals held on to beat the Rays 4-2 on Wednesday night. James McArthur left runners on second and third to end the eighth inning, then came back for the ninth and watched Kyle Isbel make a great defensive play to pick up his 15th save. Wacha walked three and struck out eight, and the only run he allowed came on Isaac Paredes’ homer in the first. It was his eighth consecutive start allowing two earned runs or fewer. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino also drove in runs to push Kansas City to its AL-leading 31st home win. Ryan Pepiot allowed two runs on four his over four innings to take the loss for Tampa Bay.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz hit run-scoring singles on consecutive pitches in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4. Willson Contreras’ two-run homer in the eighth off Pittsburgh's Colin Holderman tied the score 3-3. Alec Burleson’ put St. Louis ahead with a 10th-inning sacrifice fly off Aroldis Chapman. Andrew McCutchen drew a one-out walk from Andrew Kittridge, and Reynolds and Cruz got hits off JoJo Romero.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Christian Walker hit a go-ahead homer in the fourth inning and a three-run blast in the ninth — his 16th and 17th career shots at Dodger Stadium — and the Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a rough start to rout Los Angeles 12-4. Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added two-run homers for Arizona, down 4-1 before Diamondbacks starter Cristian Mena retired a batter in his major league debut. Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández hit back-to-back homers in the first for the NL West-leading Dodgers. Walker went 4 for 5, falling a triple shy of the cycle, with four RBIs and three runs. He has 20 home runs this season. Arizona pounded out 16 hits.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has become the first player elected to start at designated hitter in four straight All-Star Games. He'll be joined by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge as the only holdovers from last year in the lineups for the July 16 game at Arlington, Texas. Philadelphia could have three of the four National League infielders after fans voted shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Alec Bohm to start alongside first baseman Bryce Harper, whose has a leg injury. Major League Baseball said this is the first time each league has had no more than one player repeat as an elected starter since fan balloting resumed in 1970.
UNDATED (AP) — LeBron James is coming back for a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, one in which the league’s all-time scoring leader could share the floor with his son Bronny as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. James has agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Lakers, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The second year of the deal is at James’ option and means he could become a free agent again next summer, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced publicly. The Lakers did announce that Bronny James already has signed his first NBA contract. It is a four-year deal.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are among 16 ex-men’s college basketball players have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences over the use of their names, images and likenesses in promoting and monetizing March Madness. Turner Sports Interactive, the Big East, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC also are defendants in the class-action lawsuit. The filing says March Madness generates close to $1 billion in annual revenue for the NCAA, but none has gone to the plaintiffs.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA remains embroiled in multiple legal cases. The organization represents more than 500,000 athletes at more than 1,100 schools. Court challenges have already upended college athletics and more changes could be on the way.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Messi’s leg injury was the only major obstacle that fell into Argentina’s path while it rolled through group play and into the Copa America quarterfinals. Bigger challenges await the defending champions, and they’re hoping Messi will be there to lead the way in perhaps his final international tournament. The 15-time Copa America champion Albiceleste top the list of eight teams still alive in the Americas’ biggest soccer tournament when quarterfinal play gets underway. With the host Americans and Mexico eliminated in group play, the spotlight shifts firmly to the South American powerhouses determined to raise the trophy.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappé is not just a clash of soccer icons but a clash of generations. They’ll go head to head when Portugal plays France in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Friday, and their heavyweight meeting just got a little bit bigger after Ronaldo said this would be his last European Championship. There’s now a definitive specter of finality to Ronaldo’s long, headline-grabbing Euros adventure that could be brought to an end by Mbappé. The France captain is the heir apparent to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after their long-time dominance of the sport. Mbappé grew up with pictures of Ronaldo on his bedroom wall.
PARIS (AP) — Just three weeks before the Olympics, the excitement that was building up in the host city is now mingled with anxiety about France’s political future. The far-right National Rally’s strong results in the first round of a rushed election has darkened the ambience in Paris, a left-wing stronghold that is one of the few places in France where the party failed to break through. Some Parisians say the Olympics have become a sideshow to the political developments, which could see France getting its first far-right government since World War II.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Boston 7 Miami 2
Final Cincinnati 3 N.Y. Yankees 2
Final San Diego 6 Texas 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Chicago White Sox 8 Cleveland 2
Final Houston 9 Toronto 2
Final Detroit 9 Minnesota 2
Final Kansas City 4 Tampa Bay 2
Final Oakland 5 L.A. Angels 0
Final Baltimore 4 Seattle 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 7 N.Y. Mets 5
Final Pittsburgh 5 St. Louis 4
Final Atlanta 3 San Francisco 1
Final Philadelphia 5 Chicago Cubs 3
Final Milwaukee 3 Colorado 0
Final Arizona 12 L.A. Dodgers 4