Toronto pounds Sale, Bosox to boost Yanks
CHRIS SALE matched a career worst by giving up four home runs in a playoff tuneup, including a pair to Josh Donaldson, and the Red Sox lost, 9-4, to the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Teoscar Hernandez hit one of his two homers off Sale, and Kendrys Morales had the other against Boston’s ace lefty. Sale (17-8) allowed five runs in five innings and surrendered multiple homers for the third time in five starts. Sale last allowed four homers in a game Aug. 23, 2013 against Texas.
Boston’s magic number over the Yankees in the AL East is three with five games remaining.
l Jake Thompson and four relievers combined to hold the Nationals in check, and the host Phillies spoiled Bryce Harper’s return with a 4-1 win Tuesday night.
LYNX KNOTS SERIES
Sylvia Fowles grabbed a WNBA Finalsrecord 17 rebounds and scored 13 points to lead the Lynx to a 70-68 victory over the visiting Sparks in Minneapolis, evening the series at one game apiece.
For the second straight game, the Sparks left the court just before “The Star Spangled Banner” started. The Sparks were booed heavily as they exited the court and again as they reappeared after the song was over.
RANGER PICKS STILL IN RUNNING
There’s plenty for the Rangers to consider when evaluating whether either or possibly both of their first-round picks, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, should make their NHL roster out of training camp. For all the talent they may already possess, the club must determine if the teenagers physically are ready for the toll of an 82-game NHL season, and whether the forwards are better served developing for another season.
Ultimately though, Alain Vigneault says, it will come down to current performance.
“I don't have an answer for you. Every player is different,” Vigneault said about the pair’s physical readiness for a full season before the Rangers’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers in their preseason finale in Philadelphia.
“You look at Jimmy (Vesey) last year. This is the NHL. It’s the best league in the world. There’s no doubt that I think we all believe that both those players have a tremendous amount of skill-set, but there’s also the mental aspect that comes into play. But we have to make our decision based on what we see on the ice at this present time, and both of them we feel have played well.”
— Justin Tasch.