ARLINGTON, Texas — Jon Gray allowed two hits over five innings to rebound from his worst major league start and Wyatt Langford hit an eighth-inning grand slam that led the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on Saturday. Gray (3-3) gave up back-to-back third-inning singles while throwing 51 of 72 pitches for strikes. He gave nine earned runs and 11 hits in three innings-plus last Monday in a 14-2 loss to the New York Mets. Langford, a rookie who debuted on opening day, connected off Angel Zerpa for the Rangers' first grand slam this season. World Series champion Texas has won three straight following a five-game losing streak. Kansas City has lost 10 of 13, scoring 36 runs in those games.
DENVER (AP) — Ryan McMahon drew a bases-loaded walk on a full-count, pitch-clock violation by Kyle Finnegan, and the Colorado Rockies scored two runs in the ninth inning for an 8-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. Colorado had four straight singles to open the ninth off Nationals closer Finnegan (2-4) to bring up McMahon. Hunter Goodman and Jake Cave singled to open the inning, and Brenton Doyle singled to tie it after fouling off two bunt attempts. Ezequiel Tovar hit a line single to right to load the bases. Luis Garcia hit two-run homer to give Washington a 7-5 lead in the eighth inning and CJ Abrams had three his including his 12th home run. The Nationals had won 10 of 13.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gavin Grahovac homered to begin the game, Texas A&M broke it open with a five-run third inning and the Aggies moved within a win of their first national title in baseball with a 9-5 victory over Tennessee in the College World Series finals opener. Evan Aschenbeck pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief. Tennessee is trying to become the first No. 1 national seed since 1999 to win the championship. The Volunteers go into Sunday’s Game 2 having lost consecutive games just once this season and not since March 16-17 at Alabama.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s the greatest offer a team could get at the start of a season: Reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and as an added bonus, play host to it in your rink. One game. For everything. This is the reality for coach Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers. On one hand, they have blown a 3-0 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in this Stanley Cup Final. On the other, there’s still Game 7 Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. Before his team left Edmonton Saturday, Maurice insisted the Panthers will focus on the opportunity ahead, not those wasted.
UNDATED (AP) — France isn’t the only country producing top prospects for the NBA — it just sort of seems that is the case. There are other international prospects expected to be selected in the NBA draft this week beyond France's Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher. Other international prospects include Nikola Topic and Nikola Djurisic of Serbia, Bobi Klintman of Sweden, Juan Nunez of Spain, and Ulrich Chomche of Cameroon.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson earned her spot in the Paris Olympics, winning the 100-meter final in a season-best 10.71 seconds at U.S. track trials. Her win in the final came by a margin of .09 seconds over training partner Melissa Jefferson, the 2022 U.S. champion. Another training partner, Twanisha Terry, finished third and also earned a spot on the women’s 100-meter team. Richardson, whose win at the 2021 Olympic trials was erased because of a positive test for marijuana, is the early favorite against Jefferson and what’s expected to be a stacked field of Jamaicans beginning Aug. 2 in Paris.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caeleb Dressel has locked up his second individual race in Paris, giving him another chance to shine after his stellar performance at the last Olympics. The winner of five gold medals at the Tokyo Games, Dressel claimed a victory in the men’s 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis. Keep an eye on Kate Douglass, too. She could be the biggest American star at the pool. Douglass locked up her third individual event at the Olympics with a victory in the 200 individual medley. Katie Ledecky will be swimming a bunch of events, too. She notched her fourth victory of the trials with a dominating win in the 800 freestyle.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Cameron Young has shot the 13th round of 59 or lower on the PGA Tour. Young made a pair of eagles on par 4s. He finished with a par putt from just inside 10 feet for a 59 in the Travelers Championship. Young doesn't even have the course record at the TPC River Highlands. That belongs to Jim Furyk. He shot 58 at the Travelers Championship in 2016 for the PGA Tour record. Young had the first sub-60 round since Scottie Scheffler at the TPC Boston in 2020. It's the seventh sub-60 round this year on tours around the world.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Tom Kim has made just enough birdies to keep in front at the rain-softened Travelers Championship. But just barely. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was one shot behind. PGA champion Xander Schauffele was in the group another shot behind. Kim saved par on the final hole in the darkness for a 65. The third round was stopped for nearly three hours because of thunderstorms. The heavy rain drenched an already-soft TPC River Highlands. The tone was set early. Cameron Young shot 59 before the leaders teed off. Scheffler birdied his last four holes and was one back with Akshay Bhatia.
SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Amy Yang shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as she chases her first major victory. Yang was at 7-under 209 at Sahalee Country Club. The 34-year-old South Korean player has five LPGA Tour victories. Lauren Hartlage and Miyu Yamashita were tied for second. Hartlage shot her second straight 69 for the only bogey-free round of the day. Yamashita, from Japan, had her second 70 in a row. Sarah Schmelzel, the American who shared the second-round lead with Yang, shot a 74 to drop to 4 under. First-round leader Lexi Thompson had a 73 to drop into a tie for fifth at 3 under.