Career night for Blue Jays' Saunders...Big draw in Tampa Bay

UNDATED (AP) — Michael Saunders had quite a career night at Camden Yards.

Toronto Blue Jays v Baltimore Orioles
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Toronto's cleanup hitter set career highs with three home runs and also drove in a career-best eight runs in the Blue Jays' 13-3 laugher over the Orioles. The Jays have won four in a row.

Saunders homered with two on in the first inning, added another three-run homer in the fourth and hit a two-run shot in the sixth.

With a chance to tie the big league record of four home runs in a game, Saunders bounced into a double play in the eighth inning.

In other baseball:

— Jeff Samardzija threw a four-hitter and the San Francisco Giants won their sixth consecutive game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Pride Night, before the biggest regular-season crowd at Tropicana Field in a decade. The announced attendance of 40,135 was the first regular-season turnout over 40,000 at the Rays' ballpark since opening day in 2006.

— Daniel Murphy homered and drove in three in the Washington Nationals' 7-5 over San Diego. Ryan Zimmerman also went deep for the Nationals, who now lead the NL East by six games over the New York Mets.

— The L.A. Dodgers outlasted Milwaukee 3-2 in 10 innings. Justin Turner had three hits, including the game-winning RBI single in the 10th.

— Masahiro Tanaka pitched eight sparkling innings, Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer and the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 8-2. Tanaka is 4-2.

— Yordano Ventura kept the Tigers' big bats off balance and the Kansas City Royals routed Detroit 10-3. Ventura is 6-4. Salvador Perez homered to end losing pitcher Michael Fulmer's 33 and a-third scoreless innings streak

— Eugenio Suarez hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 11th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds held on for a 4-2 victory over Houston.

— Seattle doubled up Boston 8-4. Franklin Gutierrez homered in his first two at-bats and drove in a career-high six runs. Robinson Cano added a pair of RBIs, including his 19th homer.

— Adam Conley and four relievers combined on a one-hitter, and the Miami Marlins snapped Colorado's four-game winning streak, 5-1.

— Carlos Santana hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

— Rougned Odor homered and Cole Hamels pitched 7 2/3 innings in Texas' 1-0 victory over St. Louis. Hamels is 7-1. He allowed three hits while striking out six and walking three.

— John Gant, the rookie righty with the weird windup, earned his first big league win by beating the team that traded him away last summer, pitching the Atlanta Braves past the New York Mets 5-1

— Arizona routed Philadelphia 10-2. Peter O'Brien and Yasmany Tomas each hit two of Arizona's team-record six home runs. Paul Goldschmidt and Wellington Castillo also went deep.

— Jake Arrieta allowed two hits and struck out 11 in six innings to lead the Cubs to a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh. The Chicago ace upped his record to 11-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.74. Arrieta is tied the White Sox' Chris Sale for the major league lead in wins.

— Billy Burns singled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

GOLF-U.S. OPEN

Landry and DJ top the field

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Andrew Landry made just one stroke Friday and stands as the co-leader with Dustin Johnson entering weekend play at the rain-delayed US Open.

The 624th-ranked player in the world was left with a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole when play was suspended Thursday after three rain delays. He sank it yesterday to wrap up a 4-under 66. That's the lowest opening-round score in the first round of a major at Oakmont, bettering the 67s put up by Ben Hogan in the 1953 U.S. Open and Tom Watson in the 1978 PGA Championship.

After that final putt, Landry had the rest of the day off as officials tried to make up for the backlog due to Thursday's rains.

Landry's 4-under ties him with the long-hitter Johnson, who shot a second-round 69 to join Landry at 4-under for the tournament. Lee Westwood is also 3-under. Best round of the day belonged to Daniel Summerhays. He fired a 5-under 65 to go 1-under for his two rounds. He leads the field with nine birdies during his first 36 holes.

Landry and Westwood are among the 78 players — half the field — that will not begin their second rounds until early this morning. Those who make the cut will turn around and go back out in the afternoon for their third round.

USGA officials say they are still on track for a Sunday finish, barring a playoff.

None of the top three players in the world -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth (SPEETH) and Rory McIlroy -- start weekend play under par.

NBA FINALS

Kerr, Curry fined

UNDATED (AP) — Golden State coach Steve Kerr and star guard Stephen Curry have been fined $25,000 each by the NBA for conduct during and after Thursday's Game 6 loss to Cleveland.

Kerr was fined for publicly criticizing officiating after the game while Curry was fined for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands after fouling out.

The Cavaliers have forced the NBA Finals to the seventh and deciding game Sunday at Golden State. Cleveland is trying to become the first team in league history to rally from a 3-1 deficit in The Finals to win the NBA title.

OLYMPICS-RUSSIA

IOC supports ban on Russian track team

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it "welcomes and fully supports" the decision to ban Russia's track and field team from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because of widespread doping.

The IOC says it "fully respects" Friday's ruling by the IAAF to maintain its suspension of the Russians.

The IOC says "the eligibility of athletes in any international competition including the Olympic Games is a matter for the respective international federation."

The IOC says it will "initiate further far-reaching measures in order to ensure a level playing field" for all athletes competing in Rio.

The statement was issued after a teleconference meeting of the IOC executive board and came ahead of a summit of sports leaders in Lausanne on Tuesday.

The statement appeared to rule out any chance of the IOC seeking to amend the IAAF decision.

NFL-PANTHERS

Contract extension for Oher

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Offensive tackle Michael Oher (OR) has signed a three-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers. The 30-year-old is now under contract through the 2019 season. Oher, a seven-year NFL veteran, was the subject of the hit movie "The Blind Side."

Oher has started 107 games since being selected out of Mississippi in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft by Baltimore.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BAYLOR-BRILES

Briles reverses field

WACO, Texas (AP) — Fired Baylor coach Art Briles has withdrawn a demand for new lawyers in a federal civil rights lawsuit against him and the university amid reports he has settled a contract dispute with the school.

Briles' lawyers had told a federal court Thursday he wanted attorneys separate from Baylor and had no intention of settling the lawsuit filed by a woman who was raped by a Baylor football player. The filing suggested a bitter court fight was brewing between Baylor and the coach who claimed his May 26 firing was wrongful termination.

Baylor fired Briles after an investigation found the school mishandled sex assault allegations for years, including some made against football players.

SAINTS-PELICANS OWNERSHIP

Saints, Pelicans owner Benson settles with kin

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson has reached a settlement in a lawsuit involving his attempt to remove shares of his pro teams from trusts for his estranged daughter and her two children.

The teams say terms of the settlement will not be public, but that the NFL and NBA have been informed of "terms related to the framework" of the agreement. A federal trial over the matter, which would have made numerous private business documents public, including proprietary financial information that could be sensitive to the NFL and NBA, was slated to open Monday. The 88-year-old Benson also was expected to be compelled to testify at trial.

LPGA-MEIJER CLASSIC

Thompson holds lead

BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Lexi Thompson birdied the final two holes on the way to a 4-under 67 and the halfway lead at the Meijer (MY'-ur) LPGA Classic. She's 10-under par, good for a one-shot lead over a group of golfers including Canada's Alena Sharp who bogeyed her final hole on the way to a 67.

 

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