
KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Kansas City Royals take on the Tampa Bay Rays looking to stop their seven-game home skid. Kansas City has gone 19-19 at home and 38-40 overall. The Royals are 15-2 in games when they scored five or more runs. Tampa Bay has a 43-35 record overall and a 16-12 record on the road. The Rays have an 18-5 record in games when they did not allow a home run. The teams meet Tuesday for the fourth time this season.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan each hit two-run homers in the fifth inning, Matthew Liberatore pitched seven strong innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 on Monday night. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman also homered as the Cardinals hit a season-best four home runs for the first time since April 30 at Cincinnati. Liberatore allowed two runs on six hits and struck out five for the Cardinals, who have won six of their last seven games. Ben Brown allowed eight runs on nine hits in five innings for the Cubs, who have lost four of their last five.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Growing up, Chase Burns dreamed of playing for the New York Yankees. He's about to make his major league debut against them. The 22-year-old Burns will take the mound for the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, less than a year after being the second overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft. Burns will be the fifth first-round selection from last year’s draft to reach the majors, joining Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, Angels second baseman Christian Moore and Astros outfielder Cam Smith.
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican prosecutors have requested that suspended Tampa Bay Rays player Wander Franco be sentenced to five years in prison for his alleged crimes. Franco faces charges of sexual abuse involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time. The prosecutors said in court there is sufficient evidence to prove Franco had a relationship with the minor for four months and that he transferred large sums of money to the minor’s mother to consent to the illegal relationship. The prosecutors also requested the minor’s mother be sentenced to 10 years in prison, arguing she sexually trafficked her daughter.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — With mounds of dirt, construction vehicles and the exact location where home plate will be at the new Athletics ballpark serving as the backdrop, team owner John Fisher stood in front of a large gathering with one message: “We are Vegas’ team.” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, state and local government dignitaries, former Athletics greats such as Rollie Fingers and Dave Stewart, Little Leaguers and many others looked on Monday as the team celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.75 billion, 33,000-person capacity ballpark that is expected to be finished in time for the 2028 season.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is suing Big League Advance in an attempt to void the future earnings contract he signed as a 17-year-old minor leaguer that could cost him about $34 million. The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, accuses BLA of using predatory tactics to lure him into an “investment deal” that was actually an illegal loan. The suit alleges BLA misrepresented itself to Tatis, hiding its unlicensed status and pushing him into loan terms banned by California’s consumer protection laws. Attorney Robert Hertzberg said the suit also seeks public injunctive relief to protect young athletes from such deals.
UNDATED (AP) — There’s no Victor Wembanyama in the class headed to the NBA draft this week. There’s no Zaccharie Risacher, either. For the first time since 2022, the first pick in the draft won't be someone from France. Wembanyama had that title in 2023. Risacher had it last year. This year, Duke’s Cooper Flagg is almost certain to go No. 1. That doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be a ton of international representation in these 59 picks. Far from it.
UNDATED (AP) — Duke's Khaman Maluach and Maryland's Derik Queen are freshman headliners among big men in the NBA draft. Maluach was a rim-protecting presence for an elite defensive team that reached the Final Four. Queen was the focal point offensively as the Terrapins reached the NCAA Tournament's second weekend. Georgia's Asa Newell and Georgetown's Thomas Sorber are also freshmen bigs positioned to be first-round picks. The list of candidates to watch include St. Joseph's Rasheer Fleming, Michigan's Danny Wolf, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud and a developing center from China in Hansen Yang. The first round of the draft is Wednesday.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona has extended baseball coach Chip Hale’s contract four years through 2030 after he led the Wildcats back to the College World Series. Hale has led Arizona to the NCAA Tournament four straight times since returning to Tucson to coach his alma mater in 2021. The Wildcats returned to the College World Series this year for the first time since 2021. Hale, a former manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has led Arizona to consecutive conference tournament championships.
UNDATED (AP) — Duke's Cooper Flagg and Rutgers' Ace Bailey are the one-and-done headliners among the forwards in the upcoming draft. Flagg is the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick when the first round begins Wednesday. He led the Blue Devils to the Final Four and became only the fourth freshman named Associated Press men's national player of the year. Bailey was widely ranked as the No. 2 forward in that recruiting class before spending a losing season at Rutgers. Flagg's teammate Kon Knueppel at Duke and South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles are also lottery prospects at the position.
UNDATED (AP) — Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper is the headliner among the guards in the upcoming NBA draft. The son of former NBA guard Ron Harper is positioned to be the No. 2 overall pick behind Duke's Cooper Flagg. Harper is one of several one-and-done talents at the position in this draft. That include Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas' Tre Johnson, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears and Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis. They're all potential top-10 picks in the draft. Other notable players at the position include Michigan State's Jase Richardson, BYU's Egor Demin and international prospect Nolan Traore. The first round of the draft is Wednesday.
MONDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Cincinnati 6 N.Y. Yankees 1
Final Arizona 10 Chicago White Sox 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 6 Texas 0
Final Seattle 11 Minnesota 2
Final L.A. Angels 9 Boston 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 3 N.Y. Mets 2
Final St. Louis 8 Chicago Cubs 2
Final Pittsburgh 5 Milwaukee 4
Final Washington 10 San Diego 6