NHL-WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Kings win Game 7 in OT
CHICAGO (AP) β There will be no repeat for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Alec Martinez scored on a tip-in 5:47 into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 5-4 triumph over the Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals at Chicago. The Kings fell behind three times in the game before advancing to the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in three years.
The Hawks appeared ready for a blowout win after Brandon Saad (sahd) and Jonathan Toews (tayvz) scored 3 Β½ minutes apart for a 2-0 lead just 8:36 into the first period. Patrick Sharp added two goals, each one putting Chicago back on top. But the Kings forced overtime on Marian Gaboriak’s (GAB’-uh-rihks) 12th goal of the postseason, beating Corey Crawford with 7:17 remaining in regulation.
Justin Williams and Tyler Toffoli each had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Jonathan Quick made five of his 37 saves in OT and blanked the Hawks after Sharp made it 4-3 late in the second period.
The Kings will host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday. The Rangers advanced with a six-game triumph over Montreal in the Eastern Conference finals.
This will be the first time the Kings and Rangers have met in the finals. The teams previously squared off in the 1979 and ’81 preliminary rounds, with the Rangers winning both times.
SOCCER-US/TURKEY
Americans win another World Cup tuneup
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) β Goals by Fabian Johnson and Clint Dempsey led the United States over Turkey 2-1, the Americans’ second straight win in their World Cup sendoff series.
Johnson scored in the 26th minute after failing to produce a goal in his 20 previous national team games.
Dempsey made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with his 37th international goal. Dempsey missed Tuesday’s win over Azerbaijan in San Francisco because of a sore groin.
Tim Howard made his 99th international appearance, and with his 54th victory surpassed Kasey Keller to set the American record for wins by a goalkeeper.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Buehrle gets No. 10
UNDATED (AP) β Mark Buehrle (BUR’-lee) and Edwin Encarnacion (en-kar-nah-see-OHN’) are two major reasons for the Toronto Blue Jays’ renaissance this season. Both contributed to a 4-0 shutout of Kansas City, which gives them a split of the four-game series.
Buehrle is the majors’ first 10-game winner of the season after allowing six hits in eight innings. He lowered his ERA to 2.10 and won his sixth straight decision to improve to 10-1. Only Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (mah-sah-HEE’-roh tah-NAH’-kah) has a better earned run average among all AL pitchers.
Encarnacion launched a two-run blast in the eighth inning, giving him 19 home runs for the season. Encarnacion, who matched Mickey Mantle’s AL record with 16 home runs in May.
The Jays have won 16 of their last 20 since May 11 and 34-24 this season, good for a 3 Β½-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East. It’s their largest division lead since 2009.
The Yankees did Toronto a favor by falling to Phil Hughes and Minnesota 7-2 in the rubber match of the three-game set. Hughes improved to 6-1 by holding his old team to three hits in eight innings.
The Twins trailed 2-1 in the ninth before scoring six times, starting with Josh Willingham’s solo homer. Brian Dozier followed with a tiebreaking, RBI double before former Yankee Eduardo Nunez laced a two-run double.
Also in the majors:
β Jon Lester pitched seven shutout innings and Brock Holt drove in two runs with one of his four doubles to lead the Red Sox to their seventh straight win, 4-0 over Tampa Bay. The winning streak follows a 10-game skid, allowing Boston to tie a major league record for consecutive wins after a double-digit losing streak.
β Baltimore’s Manny Machado hit his first career grand slam and David Lough homered and had three RBIs in a 9-4 rout of Houston. Orioles slugger Nelson Cruz left in the third inning with a bruised left hand after being hit by a pitch from Scott Feldman. Cruz who leads the majors with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs.
β Oakland finished up a three-game sweep as Jed Lowrie homered and had two RBIs in a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. The Athletics lead the AL West by 4 1/2 games over the Angels, their largest pre-All-Star break lead since being 5 1/2 up in 1990.
β Rookie Roenis Elias pitched a three-hitter for the first career complete game as Seattle blanked Detroit 4-0. Elias had never gone more than seven innings before he struck out eight and walked one in his 12th major league start.
β Cleveland completed a three-game sweep by beating Colorado 6-4 on Michael Bourn’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. Indians starter Josh Tomlin left with a 4-3 lead after matching a career high with eight strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings.
β The Chicago White Sox were 4-1 winners against San Diego behind Chris Sale’s two-hitter and Paul Konerko’s homer. Sale struck out nine and improved to 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA in seven starts.
β Yu Darvish was masterful in the Rangers’ 2-0 shutout of the Nationals in Washington, striking out and allowing five hits in eight innings. Leonys Martin (lee-OH’-nees mahr-TEEN’) broke a scoreless tie with a seventh-inning homer and Joakim Soria (WAH’-keem SOHR’-ee-uh) worked a perfect ninth to earn his 11th save and seal the Rangers major league-leading 11th shutout.
β Evan Gattis smacked a two-run homer in the ninth to give Atlanta a 4-2 victory and a three-game sweep of the Marlins in Miami. Shae Simmons earned his first career save in his second big league appearance when he retired Christian Yelich with two on for the final out.
β Tim Hudson is 6-2 after scaterring three hits over seven innings of San Francisco’s 8-0 romp at St. Louis. Joaquin Arias (WAH’-keen AR’-ee-uhs) hit a two-run single in the first and finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs after entering the game in an 0-for-14 slump.
β Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two doubles and three runs scored as Pittsburgh downed the Dodgers 5-3 in Los Angeles. Josh Harrison also homered and Pedro Alvarez had three RBIs in the Pirates’ eighth victory in 12 games.
β Kyle Lohse (lohsh) allowed only three hits and Ryan Braun had a two-run homer to lead the Brewers to a 9-0 rout of the Cubs. Milwaukee pounded Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija (suh-MAHR’-juh) for eight earned runs in three innings, raising his ERA from 1.68 to 2.54.
β Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer with two out in the 11th inning to send the New York Mets to their fifth win in six games, 4-3 over the Phillies in Philadelphia. The two teams have gone past the ninth in three straight games, playing a total of 12 extra innings.
β Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier and Ryan Ludwick hit base-empty homers before Chris Heisey (HY’-see) delivered the go-ahead solo shot in the fifth inning of Cincinnati’s 4-2 triumph at Arizona. Alfredo Simon is 7-3 after giving up three runs over 6 1/3 innings.
MLB-MARLINS
Busy day for the Marlins
UNDATED (AP) β Right-hander Bryan Morris has been traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Miami Marlins for the 39th overall pick in Thursday’s draft. Miami also placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (sahl-tah-lah-MAH’-kee-ah) on the seven-day concussion list, one day after he was hurt while taking a foul tip off his face mask.
In other major league player news:
β The Rays have placed right fielder Wil Myers on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained his right wrist. Myers was injured on the final play of a 3-2 loss Friday to the Boston Red Sox when his hand slapped the ground as he landed following a collision with center fielder Desmond Jennings.
β Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock will have surgery on his fractured right hand in the next few days. Pollock was hit in the hand by the Reds’ Johnny Cueto (KWAY’-toh) in the eighth inning of Saturday night’s 5-0 loss to Cincinnati.
NASCAR
Johnson gets the win
DOVER, Del. (AP) β Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag in the 400-lap Sprint Cup race in Dover, Del., finishing in front of pole-sitter Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth. Johnson now has nine wins at the Dover track. He followed last week’s victory in the Coca-Cola 600 with another sensational run in a race red-flagged for 22 minutes because of a pothole in the concrete track.
Johnson led 272 laps and won consecutive races for the 13th time.
INDYCAR
Long weekend of Motor City racing is over
DETROIT (AP) β Helio Castroneves (EHL’-ee-oh cas-troh-NEHV’-us) easily won the second Detroit Grand Prix race of the weekend, finishing almost 1.7 seconds ahead of Penske Racing teammate Will Power. It was Power who won the first race on Saturday.
Castroneves’ lead was so large that when he made his final pit stop on Lap 49 he still was ahead when he got back on the track.
PGA-MEMORIAL
Extra golf in Dublin
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) β Hideki Matsuyama (hih-DEK’-ee math-soo-YAH’-mah) earned his first PGA victory by taking the Memorial in a one-hole playoff with Kevin Na. Matsuyama closed with a 3-under 69 that left him at 13-under through regulation. Na forced a playoff with an 8-under 64 before he bogeyed the lone playoff hole.
LPGA-SHOPRITE CLASSIC
A great finish for U.S. players
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) β Stacy Lewis finished on top of the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic in New Jersey. She shot a final round 4-under-67 to finish 16-under, six shots in front of fellow American Christina Kim.
The win puts Lewis No. 1 in the world after Inbee Park held the top spot for 59 weeks.
CHAMPIONS TOUR-PRINCIPAL CHARITY
Pernice earns third Champions Tour win
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) β Tom Pernice (pur-NEES’) Jr. birdied the second playoff hole to beat Doug Garwood in the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic.
Pernice closed with a 3-under 69 to match Garwood at 12-under 204 at Wakonda Club in Des Moines. Garwood birdied the final two holes of regulation for a 71 before Pernice claimed his third Champions Tour victory.
