Sox surging
...as Nationals fall below .500
As Boston Red Sox players donned red, white and blue outfits to celebrate a 3-0 victory on the 4th of July that completed a sweep, the Washington Nationals held a players-only meeting to discuss a fifth consecutive loss and the precarious spot they’re now in beyond the halfway point of the season.
Done in again by small mistakes that get magnified in a stretch such as this, the preseason NL East favorites lost for the 17th time in 22 games Wednesday to fall below .500 for the first time this late in the year since being 60-61 on Aug. 21, 2015.
This time, it was a throwing error by Adam Eaton on a sacrifice fly in foul territory and a wild pitch by Ryan Madson (2-4) in a disastrous seventh inning that dropped the Nationals to 42-43 and kept them from making up ground on the division-leading Atlanta Braves.
“We’re a good team and we’re going to go out there and compete with anybody,” said Bryce Harper, who went 0for-4 with two strikeouts.
FROOME ASKS FOR TOUR PEACE
Chris Froome has asked Tour de France fans to let him race in peace, even if they doubt the recent ruling that cleared him of doping allegations.
The British cyclist has been targeted by spectators in the past. During the 2015 Tour, he said a man threw a cup of urine at him while yelling “doper.”
With the latest edition beginning on Saturday, five days after the International Cycling Union finally ruled Froome had won last year’s Spanish Vuelta cleanly, the four-time Tour winner offered an alternative way for skeptical fans to show their distrust.
“Support the race in a positive way, don’t bring negativity,” he said on Wednesday in western France.
ANDRETTI MATRIARCH DEAD AT 76
Dee Ann Andretti, the wife of famed driver Mario Andretti and matriarch of one of the most prominent families in motorsports, has died. She was 76.
Andretti died Tuesday, a few weeks after suffering a heart attack. Grandson Marco Andretti announced her death on social media, posting: “RIP Grammy Andretti. You will be missed.” The IndyCar Series later confirmed her death.
Mario Andretti and Dee Ann Hoch were married in November 1961.