MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Ryan pitched seven smooth innings for the Minnesota Twins, who got a two-run homer by Jose Miranda and a three-run shot from Trevor Larnach and hung on to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 in the opener of a four-game series. Ryan allowed one run and four singles while lowering his team-leading ERA to 2.96. The right-hander struck out nine and walked none. Jhoan Duran got the final out of a four-run ninth by getting Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. to bounce back to the mound. The Twins are 5-1 after a seven-game losing streak.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Lodolo came off the injured list to pitch 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, Jeimer Candelario homered and the Cincinnati Reds won a season-high fourth straight game, 3-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Lodolo, who missed his last two starts while nursing a groin injury, allowed a first-inning home run to Paul Goldschmidt but otherwise stayed out of trouble against the hot-hitting Cardinals. The 26-year-old lefty allowed five hits, struck out three and did not issue a walk.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have placed outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the 10-day injured list after the reigning NL MVP tore his left ACL, ending his season. Acuña was hurt during the Braves’ 8-1 win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Braves announced Sunday night an MRI showed a complete ACL tear that will require surgery. Acuña tore his right ACL in July 2021. Acuña was voted the NL MVP last season after hitting .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 stolen bases.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell’s first game at American Family Field since the Chicago Cubs hired him away from Milwaukee included a warm scoreboard message and a couple hearty rounds of boos. A brief pregame video showcased some highlights from Counsell’s tenure as Milwaukee’s manager before displaying him wearing a Brewers cap alongside the message, “Thank You No. 30.” Brewers fans booed throughout the video, and then booed again when he was introduced as the Cubs’ manager.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament champion Tennessee is the No. 1 national seed for the NCAA baseball tournament. The 64-team event opens with 16 regionals Friday. Winners advance to eight best-of-three super regionals. Those winners move to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning June 14. The Volunteers haven’t lost consecutive games since mid-March and are the only team in the country to win 50 games three of the past four years. They will try to become the first No. 1 national seed to win the title since Miami in 1999, the year the NCAA went to the current tournament structure.
UNDATED (AP) — Bill Walton, who starred for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins before becoming a Hall of Fame center for his NBA career and one of the biggest stars of basketball broadcasting, has died. The league announced that Walton died Monday after a prolonged fight with cancer. He was 71. Walton was the NBA’s MVP in the 1977-78 season, a two-time champion and a member of both the NBA’s 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary teams. That followed a college career in which he was a two-time champion at UCLA and a three-time national player of the year.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Derrick White’s tiebreaking 3-pointer with 43 seconds left gave Boston the lead and the Celtics closed out a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers 105-102 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. White finished with 16 points and only two 3s in the game. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 29 points while Jayson Tatum added 26 points. Indiana, which again played without two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, lost its second straight at home — both in the final minute after giving up leads. Andrew Nembhard had 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds but missed a potentially tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Pacers never go the ball again.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been the closers for the Dallas Mavericks, who have a chance to sweep Minnesota in the Western Conference finals. The Dallas co-stars are coming off another big fourth quarter in a victory that gave the Mavs a 3-0 series lead. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas. The Mavs can reach the NBA Finals for the first time since winning their only title 13 years ago. Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves face some long odds. No team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. Fifteen of the 20 teams that have lost the first three games while starting the series at home have been swept.
NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime umpire Ángel Hernández, who unsuccessfully sued Major League Baseball for racial discrimination, is retiring immediately. During a career that lasted more than three decades, the 62-year-old Hernández was often scorned by players, managers and fans for missed calls and quick ejections — some in high-profile situations. Hernández issued a statement through MLB on Monday night saying he has decided he wants to spend more time with his family.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — As Roger Penske investigated the cheating incident that cost Josef Newgarden his IndyCar season-opening victory, never did Newgarden worry about his job security at Team Penske. One way to ensure a new contract is in your future is by winning the Indianapolis 500, which Newgarden did Sunday after a four-hour rain delay. His pass of Pato O’Ward two corners from the finish line gave Penske a record-extending 20th Indy 500 victory and made Newgarden the first back-to-back winner since Helio Castroneves did it for Penske in 2001 and 2002. O'Ward, meanwhile, was devastated by his near-miss.
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Larson spent a year preparing to run the double. Instead, he got to run only the single, leaving the NASCAR star beyond disappointed. Larson’s goal to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday and join Tony Stewart as only drivers to complete all 1,100 laps did not go nearly as planned. He finished 18th at Indianapolis after a pair of rookie mistakes. He arrived in Charlotte to run the NASCAR race but never got to turn a lap after the race was ended early because of rain.
MONDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Colorado 8 Cleveland 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 11 Boston 3
Final Minnesota 6 Kansas City 5
Final Toronto 5 Chicago White Sox 1
Final Seattle 3 Houston 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
L-A Dodgers at N-Y Mets 7:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Cincinnati 3 St. Louis 1
Final Milwaukee 5 Chicago Cubs 1
Final Washington 8 Atlanta 4
Final San Francisco 8 Philadelphia 4
Final San Diego 2 Miami 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Boston 105 Indiana 102
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS