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He recovered to allow two hits over five innings Saturday in the Blue Jays' (cheap Toronto Blue Jays championship rings) 7-1 win over the Athletics. "When I came out last game, we kind of caught it at the right time so it was fine going into today," he said. "It just bothers me a little bit and I was only going five, but it will be all right." Sanchez (3-1) struck out four and walked four. He lowered his ERA to 2.32. Sam Gaviglio gave up two hits in three innings, and Daniel Hudson finished the four-hitter with a hitless ninth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts in his second big league game, while Brandon Drury had three hits a day after his winning ninth-inning home run. Randal Grichuk and three hits and two RBI for Toronto, 5-0 against the A's this season. Brett Anderson (3-2) allowed six runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, dropping to 0-3 in his career against Toronto. 

"My velocity was the best it has been all year," he said. "It was coming out of my hand good, I just wasn't able to command it like I usually am." Anderson became the first pitcher to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who was 1 for 5 against him. Guerrero was moved up a slot to cleanup and came to the plate with the bases loaded in the first. Teoscar Hernandez grounded to third baseman Matt Chapman, who threw to second for a forceout, but second baseman Jurickson Profar's throw to first trying for a double play was sailed to the home plate side of the base for an error that allowed a second run to score. Umpires originally called interference on Grichuk sliding into Profar, but the call was reversed on a video review. 



Toronto (mlb world series championship rings) doubled its lead in the second when Eric Sogard drove in Danny Jansen with a drag bunt and Grichuk hit an RBI single. "We have plenty of guys who can hit the long ball, but I think adding the small ball game into it is only going to make us better," Sogard said. Guerrero doubled leading off the ninth inning for his first hit, and Brandon Drury followed with a winning two-run homer with two outs in a 402 win over the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Friday night. "Just the way I dreamed it," Guerrero said. Guerrero was showered with beer and almond milk after the game in the clubhouse. On the field, he dumped a sports drink over Drury. 

"It was awesome," Blue Jays (cheap championship rings) manager Charlie Montoyo said. Guerrero, the 20-year-old son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, is considered the top prospect in the major leagues. He arrived at Rogers Centre in a replica Montreal Expos jersey to honor his father, who was on hand. He grounded out in the second, was robbed of an extra-base hit by left fielder Stephen Pinder's leaping catch in the fourth, then flied out to right in the sixth. "He's a great player," Drury said. "You can see by his at bats the game kind of comes easy to him. We're all super excited to have Vladdy in this lineup." Guerrero hit an opposite-field double down the right-field line on a 2-2 fastball from Yusmeiro Petit (0-1). Billy McKinney sacrificed pinch-runner Alen Hanson and, with the infield in, Teoscar Hernandez lined out to second baseman Jurickson Profar. 

Drury followed with a drive over the center-field wall to stop an 0-for-12 slide. Guerrero, arm raised, was the first Blue Jays player out of the dugout to celebrate. "It feels great," said Drury, who talked Montoyo out of giving him a day off. "I always feel like I'm one swing away from getting my bat going. I never want to take a day off, I want to be in there every day." Ken Giles (1-1) struck out two in a one-hit ninth. Eric Sogard's first-inning homer and Randal Grichuk's third-inning RBI single built a lead off Mike Fiers, but Robbie Grossman hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Joe Biagini. Guerrero missed the start of the season after an oblique injury in spring training. He played four rehab games at Class A Dunedin before moving up to Triple-A Buffalo, where he hit .367 with three homers and eight RBI in eight games. "People don't understand how good of a hitter this guy really is," Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman said. "He's way ahead of his years." 

Oakland (Oakland Athletics championship rings) manager Bob Melvin said he was impressed with Guerrero's performance at the plate. "He looks like he has a good swing, an aggressive swing," Melvin said, "Looks like there's some power behind it." By delaying Guerrero's debut until Friday, the Blue Jays ensured his maximum service time this year would be 157 days -- 15 days shy of being eligible for free agency after the 2024 season. The few hundred fans already inside the stadium clapped and cheered as Guerrero launched several long drives. A crowd of 28,688 rose for a standing ovation as Guerrero led off the bottom of the second. Guerrero worked the count to 2-2 as fans chanted "Let's go, Vladdy!" On the fifth pitch, he hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Kendrys Morales, who made the play unassisted. The exit velocity was 106.8 miles per hour. 



The 20-year-old batted fifth and played third base and wore No. 27, the number retired in honor of his father by the Los Angeles Angels. "Since I was a kid I was running around with my dad in the clubhouse in Montreal," Guerrero said in an afternoon news conference. "I just wanted to bring that back today." Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted the debut on Twitter with a message attached to a Tweet from the elder Guerrero. Guerrero's famous father watched as his son's batting practice was broadcast live on Sportsnet, the Canadian network operated by team owner Rogers Communications.

Tuukka Rask was impenetrable when it counted in Game 6, and the Boston Bruins (cheap Boston Bruins championship rings) are on their way to the Eastern Conference finals.

Rask made 39 saves and recorded his sixth career playoff shutout as Boston beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Monday to clinch their second-round series 4-2.

Rask was supported by great defensive play in front of the net by the Bruins, who were outshot 39-29 in a tight physical game that was the norm in this series.

Boston advances to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept the New York Islanders in four games. The Bruins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final.

"[Rask] was definitely our most consistent player throughout the whole series," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We had guys give us good performances from game to game. He was there every night."

Boston's (custom championship rings) top-liners were kept off the scoresheet again, but it didn't matter.

David Krejci scored in the first period, and Marcus Johansson and David Backes had third-period goals for the Bruins, who gave up four power plays to the Blue Jackets, but Rask stonewalled Columbus on a number of high-danger chances.

Columbus hit posts at least four times.

"We peppered him," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. "It wasn't through lack of trying or competing on anyone's part. I thought everyone brought it, and it's just disappointing."

Rask said he put up with increased pushing and shoving in the crease and kept Columbus from taking him out of his game.

"As the series went on, they kind of felt like they needed to do that," Rask said. "Trying to get in my head a little bit. It's funny when that happens because you know you got the better of them at that point."

Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had an outstanding postseason but allowed the two quick goals in the third period that sealed it for Boston. He finished with 26 saves.

The Bruins appeared to have a goal in the first period when Sean Kuraly put one in after an extended close-in attack on a power play, but it was overturned after a replay showed that Joakim Nordstrom had pushed Bobrovsky out of the crease.

After Jake DeBrusk hit a goal post, Krejci got the rebound off the boards and scored the first goal of the game with a slap shot from the top of the right circle with 7:47 left in the second.

"I was comfortable even with the one-goal lead just the way [Rask] was going," Cassidy said. "You're not sitting there nursing it by any means, but I wasn't worried about Tuukka. . He's been in a real good place, consistent, just solid and composed."

Near the end of the second, Boston's Charlie McAvoy nearly took off Josh Anderson's head with a hit, but the officials leveled only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check. The Blue Jackets had 1:41 of the power play remaining to start the third period but again couldn't capitalize.

Boston (nhl championship rings) got its second goal 8:58 into the third, when Bobrovsky allowed a shot by Johansson to bounce behind him after the initial stop. Backes got the third on a rush about two-and-a-half minutes later.

Columbus faces a daunting offseason. Bobrovsky and star forward Artemi Panarin are unrestricted free agents and have refused, so far, to re-sign with the Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, picked up in trades at the deadline, also will be unrestricted free agents.

"We just have to remember how tough it is in the playoffs," Columbus forward Cam Atkinson said. "Next year, who knows what's going to happen, who's going to be in this locker room, so this one stings."

After being humiliated by the Kansas City Royals (Kansas City Royals championship rings) a day earlier, the Detroit Tigers were focused on redemption Sunday. It came via one of the lesser-known members of the roster. Journeyman Brandon Dixon, only in the majors due to a series of injuries, hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Tigers over the Royals 5-2. "That's an unreal feeling," Dixon said after his first career walkoff homer. "After yesterday, it felt so good to come around third and see the whole team waiting for me at the plate." The victory came less than 24 hours after the Tigers allowed 15 runs on 19 hits and 10 walks in a 15-3 loss. "Obviously, that's a game that can linger in the mind," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I told our guys to let it sting overnight, but once they threw the first pitch today, it had to be gone." Nicholas Castellanos started the 10th with an infield single off Ian Kennedy (0-1), and after Miguel Cabrera popped out, Niko Goodrum reached on another infield hit. 



Ronny Rodriguez struck out, but Dixon hit a 1-2 curveball over the fence in right-center field. "Kennedy was throwing fastballs on the corner, so I was really trying to protect the outside corner," Dixon said. "But that curveball popped out of his hand, and I was able to get a good read on it." Kennedy wanted the ball in the dirt. "I felt like the only bad pitch was that last curveball," he said. "I meant to bounce it, but I didn't think he would hit it out. I can't remember the last time I gave up a homer on a curveball." Buck Farmer (2-2) got the win after retiring the last batter in the top of the 10th. The Tigers led 2-1 going into the eighth and Joe Jimenez struck out the first two Royals, but Hunter Dozier hit his eighth homer over the right field wall to tie it. 



Neither starter got a decision. Detroit's (Detroit Tigers championship rings) Spencer Turnbull gave up one run in seven innings on six hits and a walk. He struck out seven. "I felt really good with all my pitches today, and I felt like my slider was really good," he said. "The best part was getting through seven for the first time this season." Brad Keller allowed two runs, six hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings. 

The Royals (world series rings for sale) started the second inning with three straight hits, with Kelvin Gutierrez driving home Jorge Soler for a 1-0 lead. Turnbull escaped the inning without further damage. JaCoby Jones led off the third with a double, Jeimer Candelario walked and Castellanos tied it with a single off Gutierrez's glove at third. The Tigers still had runners on second and third with none out, but Keller struck out Cabrera and Goodrum before retiring Rodriguez to get out of the inning. "Keller was really effective up in the zone today," Yost said. "He was really, really good up there." Cabrera made it 2-1 with an RBI single in the fifth, and the Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Scott Barlow replaced Keller and struck out Jones and Candelario. 

Royals: 2B Chris Owings was out of the lineup for the second straight day. Owings is hitless in his last 13 at-bats and has gone 2 for 38 (.053) since a homer at Yankee Stadium on April 20. Tigers: LF Christin Stewart (right quad strain) was scheduled to play his third rehab game for Class A Lakeland on Sunday. Stewart is expected to return to the Tigers lineup later this week. 

The Tigers (custom nba championship rings) were able to keep innings alive and score runs because of Gutierrez's struggles at third base. He couldn't flag down Castellanos' RBI single in the third nor make clean plays on the two infield singles in the tenth. "Two things we stress in this locker room are to catch the ball and to take advantage when the other team doesn't," Gardenhire said. "Nick and Niko were running hard on those plays and they turned them into a rally." 

It's hard to blame Harden for not wanting to see any more of the Golden State Warriors (Golden State Warriors championship rings) , the dynasty that keeps dooming his Houston Rockets. Harden will have to wait at least one more year to chase his first championship after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs by the Warriors for the fourth time in five seasons. "Keep fighting, man," Harden said after the Warriors rallied for a 118-113 win to knock out the Rockets. "Obviously, they're a very, very good team. They're a great team. They've been in the Finals the last four or five years. We're not losing to some scrubs. We've got to find a way to keep getting better, keep growing, keep getting better and keep putting ourselves in position to keep playing them." 



The long-running quest to host an NBA championship (nba championship rings) parade in downtown Houston, as Hakeem Olajuwon and the Clutch City teams did in back-to-back summers a generation ago, is an all-hands-on-deck mission for the Rockets. But after bowing out in the Western Conference semifinals Friday, Harden's Rockets have taken a pronounced step back from a year ago, when they were one win away from going to the NBA Finals. "People say, 'I want to make it to the NBA,' and then your goals change. 'I want to be a really good player in this league,' and then it's like, 'All right, I want to be the best player in the league,'" Harden told ESPN recently. "I want to be one of the best that's ever touched a basketball. Obviously, I've got to get the other accolades and things like that, win a 'chip and all that good stuff. But why not? What am I playing for? Why not?" 

"I think he's already one of the best players to not have won one," Rockets (cheap championship rings) general manager Daryl Morey told ESPN earlier in the playoffs. "Let's hope we get him off that list very soon. . I think we're going to rectify that in not too long." At this point, though, Harden's postseason shortcomings are a smudge on his legacy, preventing him from being widely accepted as belonging on one of the premier tiers of all-time greats. His postseason accomplishments are overshadowed by his playoff failures. Harden has already had eight 40-point playoff games, a total exceeded by only 11 players in NBA history, but his most memorable postseason performances have been miserable exits -- a 10-point, six-turnover dud when the Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs ended the Rockets' 2017 run with a rout in Houston; a 2-of-11 shooting, 12-turnover nightmare in a 2015 elimination game against the Warriors; even a subpar showing in the 2012 NBA Finals as the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat. "I don't really pay attention," Harden said. "One of the best parts about being in the situation, I don't focus on it, I don't pay attention. People are always going to have something to say. Good and bad. Like I said, until you've been in this position, you won't understand it. No point in me trying to explain it to you." 



It forced Morey to admit that Carmelo Anthony, the Rockets' (Houston Rockets championship rings for sale) low-risk but big-name offseason addition, was an awful fit. It took all of 10 games for Houston to decide the Melo experiment was a disaster, resulting in an awkward divorce. It prompted owner Tilman Fertitta to personally recruit associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik out of his brief retirement, giving Mike D'Antoni's right-hand man a raise to return to the bench and help solve Houston's horrendous defensive problems. And digging out of that hole, without the help of injured teammates Chris Paul and Clint Capela for extended stretches, brought out the best in Harden. He responded with the greatest scoring spree of the modern era -- 32 consecutive 30-plus-point performances, the longest such stretch by anyone other than Wilt Chamberlain -- to drag the Rockets from next-to-last in the West standings to legitimate-contender status. Players of Harden's caliber are ultimately judged by playoff results, but this was unquestionably a legendary regular season. Harden, 29, dragged the injury-ravaged Rockets up from near the bottom of the West standings while putting together arguably the best individual offensive season of all time, considering points produced as a scorer and distributor and efficiency.

Stephen Curry had all kinds of room for a change and capitalized, finding his shooting touch in a hurry to get Golden State on a roll. Portland's defenders were too far back in the paint or a step behind all night. "Practice shots," Trail Blazers (Portland Trail Blazers championship rings for sale) star Damian Lillard said of Curry's wide-open chances. So far, the Warriors are showing they can keep winning until Kevin Durant gets healthy. Making it look easy again, Curry knocked down nine 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, leading the two-time defending champions past the Trail Blazers 116-94 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. "I know what I'm capable of on the floor. The situation calls for me to be a little bit more aggressive and hopefully that'll continue," said Curry, who came in shooting 37.1% on 3s this postseason. "Obviously it's nice to see the ball go in. I didn't shoot the ball well for 4 1/2 games the last series and got off to a good start tonight. I want to maintain that. Every game is different, you've got to re-establish yourself. That's my perspective no matter how I play." 



Curry shot 12 for 23 in his fourth 30-point performance this postseason, finding far more open looks than he had in the last round against Houston. The two-time NBA MVP outplayed the Portland duo of Lillard and CJ McCollum, who combined to go 11 for 31 against a strong Golden State defense. "It's good to see Steph have a game like that at a time that obviously we need him most," Draymond Green said. Klay Thompson had 26 points, including a late one-handed slam. Green established the energy on both ends early for the well-rested Warriors, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Lillard scored 19 points back home in Oakland, just miles away from where he grew up. He appreciated all the support but wants to stick to basketball. "That's part of what makes it special, I'm from here," Lillard said. "I could walk home from here if I wanted to, that tells you how close it is." McCollum had 17 and missed five of his six 3s as the cold-shooting Blazers went just 7 for 28 from long range. 

Game 2 is Thursday night, and the Warriors  are unlikely to have Durant back from a strained right calf. An update on Durant's status is expected that day once the two-time reigning NBA (cheap nba championship rings) Finals MVP is re-examined. "I think we played a terrible game and we still had a chance going into the fourth quarter," McCollum said, "so we need to tighten some things up and look forward to the game on Thursday." Curry came off screens with authority and matched his postseason career high for 3s, also accomplished in Game 1 of last year's finals against Cleveland. He found his groove far earlier than in the Game 6 clincher at Houston on Friday night, when he scored all 33 of his points in the second half. Little brother Seth struggled with three points for Portland, which shot 36.1% overall. 

"It's not one-and-done. We've got a series, it's one loss," Blazers (Golden State Warriors championship rings) coach Terry Stotts said. "We've got to play better, particularly at the offensive end, but we've got to be better at both ends." Lillard hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining in overtime Dec. 27 in his last regular-season game at Oracle Arena. He averaged 28.3 points and 6.5 assists in four regular-season games against Golden State this season. He arrived for Game 1 in a custom Oakland Athletics baseball jersey having averaged 30 points in his nine previous playoff matchups against the Warriors. Green has at least 10 rebounds in six straight playoff games, matching his postseason career-best streak of six also done last year. "This series is going to get tougher and tougher," Green said. 

FAMILY AFFAIR 
Between warmup shots, Seth Curry stole a glance to the other end as his big brother went through his own pregame routine. 
Back in the locker room, Stephen Curry said, "That was wild." Then, he joked, "Only me and Seth are going to score, the whole series." 
The Currys became the first brothers to ever face off in a conference final and the first in any round since Marc Gasol for the Grizzlies against Pau Gasol and the Spurs in the first round of the 2017 playoffs. 
"I caught myself a couple times looking up in the stands at my parents," Stephen Curry said. 



ON THE ROAD 
Coach Steve Kerr certainly thought the rest benefited the Warriors. 
"The schedule favored us but I thought we took advantage of the situation and got off to a good start," Kerr said. 
The Blazers traveled straight to the Bay Area from Denver after winning Game 7 on Sunday rather than return to Portland. 
"Denver seems like a week ago now," Stotts said. 

TIP-INS 
Trail Blazers: Portland committed four quick turnovers and finished with 21 for 31 Golden State points. . G Rodney Hood, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee Sunday against the Nuggets, scored 17 points. . Portland is 1-9 all-time against Golden State in the playoffs. 
Warriors (championship sports rings) : Damian Jones, who began the season as starting center, returned from a torn left pectoral muscle to play in his first game since Dec. 1. . Golden State is 18-1 in Game 1 of a playoff series dating to the 2015 title run, having won the last 12 postseason openers.

The $330 million slugger homered for the second straight day and pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto also went deep to help the Philadelphia Phillies (custom Philadelphia Phillies championship rings) complete a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 7-5 victory Sunday. Harper's tiebreaking, two-run shot in the sixth inning wasn't as prodigious as his 466-foot drive in Saturday's 2-1 victory, but this 404-footer had plenty of distance to clear the right-center wall for the NL East leaders. The 2015 NL MVP also had a first-inning single and an RBI groundout in the second. He is batting .417 with two homers and six RBI in his last three games after hitting .148 without an RBI while striking out 13 times during an eight-game stretch. "We all knew this moment was coming," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "When he's on, he's so captivating and charismatic."

Kapler resisted a daily growing buzz in Philadelphia to sit Harper during his recent slump, instead letting him play through it. While the results have changed, Harper's approach hasn't. "Each day I try to get better and stick with the same routine," Harper said. "Keep progressing whether you're 0 for 4 or 4 for 4. Same mindset." Ryan McMahon hit two homers, and Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story also went deep for the Rockies on a picturesque, 85-degree day with the wind blowing out to center. Colorado, which dropped 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West, has lost four straight.

Realmuto tied it at 5 in the sixth with his first career pinch-hit homer, a two-run shot to left off Bryan Shaw (2-1). Rockies manager Bud Black lifted Shaw for Mike Dunn with one on and two outs to face Harper, who launched a 3-1 slider into Philadelphia's (championship rings) bullpen. "Got a pitch over the plate I could handle," Harper said. That set off a wild celebration from the crowd of 38,603 -- many of them kids wearing an arm sleeve giveaway similar to Harper's. Earlier in the week, Harper was hearing boos. Now cheers. No offense taken. "Plain and simple, they (care)," Harper said. "The city has my back."

Edgar Garcia (1-0) got one out in the sixth for his first major league win. Pat Neshek pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. Despite starter Kyle Freeland's troubles, Colorado led 5-3 after McMahon went deep for the second time when he drove Jose Alvarez's 80 mph curve into the seats in right. In the fourth, McMahon cleared the wall in left. He has two career two-homer games -- both against the Phillies this season.

FOR STARTERS
Freeland continued to struggle. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting last season while setting a club record for the lowest ERA (2.85) by a lefty starter. But he exited after just 1 2/3 innings Sunday, giving up three runs and four hits. Freeland has an 8.03 ERA in his last five starts while allowing 28 hits -- nine homers -- over 24 2/3 innings with 14 walks.
"He was around the zone, but he just couldn't establish anything he could go to (for a strike)," Black said.
Phillies (world series rings for sale) starter Jerad Eickhoff was tagged for three home runs. He has served up five long balls in his last two games after not giving up a homer over 31 innings to start the season.

FOR OPENERS
Blackmon began the game with his 33rd leadoff homer, tying Paul Molitor for 12th on the career list.

TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: Activated INF-OF Scott Kingery (strained right hamstring) from the injured list and sent OF Nick Williams to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Kingery, starting in center field for the first time in his career, went 1 for 3.

The first NBA (nba championship rings for sale) Finals game outside the U.S. was a party 24 years in the making. Then Pascal Siakam and the Raptors really gave Toronto something to celebrate. Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Raptors made a smashing NBA Finals debut, beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night. The Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA's biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. "I think we did pretty good job at home," Siakam said. "The fans are amazing, man. I just want to say that. From coming out for warmup to the end of the game, it was just the support and then going crazy. I've never seen anything like that."

Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors, who weren't in awe of the setting or their opponents who had played 22 NBA Finals games in the last four years. "We know that they're human. They're a great basketball team, talented players, high basketball-IQ players," Leonard said. "You just got to go out there and compete, take the challenge." Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn't have home-court -- or home country -- advantage. "Our goal was to get one and it's still on the table for us," Thompson said. "So I know we'll respond like the champions we are."

Game 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995. The Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession. But they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime. Siakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up. "We didn't play very well tonight at all and we still had a chance the entire game," Draymond Green said. "And it was a great atmosphere. This is a team or a city, a country, that hasn't seen a finals ever here, so we expected it to be a great atmosphere and it was. But we can still play better and I know we will."

All four of the Warriors' (Golden State Warriors championship rings for sale) previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume. The native of Cameroon and nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field -- and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play. Fans began arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren't wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo. Rapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake sat in his courtside seat wearing a Curry No. 30 jersey. That's Dell Curry, Stephen's father who finished his career with the Raptors.

The Raptors introduced Dell Curry and some of their other former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh. But it wasn't until they got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals. He wasn't the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.

DeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors (custom championship rings) remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it's unclear if he'll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with Warriors coach Steve Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first. The Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.

Football, or something that looked like football, returned to our lives on Thursday night as the Denver Broncos topped the Atlanta Falcons, 14-10, in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Here's what we learned from the first game of the 2019 preseason:

1. The Broncos (Denver Broncos championship rings) got their first in-game look at their possible quarterback of the future in Drew Lock on Thursday night, and the second-round rookie's debut was a mixed bag at best.

The second Broncos QB to see action in Canton after Kevin Hogan, Lock looked like the "hard-throwing pitcher that doesn't know how to pitch yet" he's been characterized as. The Mizzou product overthrew receivers on two of his first three tosses and lacked anticipation in the pocket on two sacks on his second drive. Lock's best toss of the night, a 12-yarder to Nick Williams, came on a bootleg to his left side.

Of Lock's seven drives, five ended in a punt, including three three-and-outs, one concluded in a fumble and one ended on downs. He finished 7-of-12 for 34 yards with one rush for six yards.

"I was hoping for more, but not surprised," Broncos (authentic nfl super bowl rings for sale) coach Vic Fangio said of Lock after the game. "He's still got a lot of work to do. Thought his accuracy wasn't clean all the time, along with his reads. But you know, it's to be expected. We've got four more games. We've got to get him ready, more ready than he is right now. "

Now we're not going to read too much into a rookie's performance on the first day of August, but Lock did little in his national window to convince his detractors and/or Fangio that he is an "NFL-ready" quarterback. His status as Denver's No. 2 quarterback come September is anything but a Lock.

2. Speaking of Fangio, a hearty "bravo" is in order for the first-year skipper who battled through a bout with kidney stones so that he could make his coaching debut. Fangio was hospitalized in Cleveland earlier Thursday with a kidney stone but mustered up the strength to take the field in Canton thanks to, what he termed to NBC's Michele Tafoya, "wonder drugs."

Fangio (cheap championship rings) confirmed after the win that he had not passed the stone before the start of Thursday's game, telling reporters, "It'd done most of its traveling by the time I left the [hospital]."

It's safe to say Fangio won't forget his first.

3. Fangio made history in other ways on Thursday night, becoming the first coach to challenge a pass-interference call in an NFL (super bowl rings for sale) game, preseason or regular season. Called late in the second quarter, the penalty on Broncos cornerback Linden Stephens was upheld by referee Walt Anderson and his crew after a short booth review. It was the first time the new pass interference review rule had been used in-game since its institution this offseason. Expect more coaches to test out the rule, and their use of challenges, during the preseason, as they get used to this new reality.

4. Matt Schaub's been Matt Ryan's backup in Atlanta for what feels like forever, but Kurt Benkert (a fellow Hoo) could be coming for his job. The second-year player out of Virginia looked sharp and lively in his first career game action, completing 19 of 34 attempts for 185 yards and a score. Benkert, a UDFA, appeared far more comfortable in and out of the pocket in his eight drives than any other signal-caller on Thursday night. Unfortunately for him, his night ended early when he suffered an apparent toe injury in the fourth quarter, forcing Schaub back into the game for the final stretch.

5. There was no Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker or newly signed Theo Riddick in Denver's backfield on Thursday night. That freed up snaps for Broncos backs further down the depth chart, including Khalfani Muhammad, who stood out when given the opportunity. The speedy third-year pro out of Cal scored Denver's first touchdown and showed great burst on a 11-touch, 74-yard evening.

On the other sideline, third-year back Brian Hill got more run than Ito Smith and made the most for his carries, grinding out 57 yards on 11 rushes. Atlanta needs to settle on a backup to Devonta Freeman with Tevin Coleman in San Francisco, and Hill made an early case for more consideration.

6. As for the first-round rookies, Broncos tight end Noah Fant caught one pass on three targets for seven yards -- he dropped one as well -- while Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom made his presence felt early on.

The Cincinnati (cheap Cincinnati Reds championship rings) catcher hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and the Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Sunday. Barnhart improved to 4 for 5 in two games since returning on Friday after missing 22 games with a right oblique strain. He drove in Josh VanMeter from second base with a grounder up the middle off Jake McGee (0-2) and celebrated by clapping his hands twice as he rounded first base.

"Getting away helped me watch the game and learn," Barnhart said. "I want to keep this going. It feels really good to contribute after being away for a long time. I don't ever want to get injured, but I learned a lot by watching different hitters." Lucas Sims (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win. Amir Garrett and Michael Lorenzen each pitched an inning and Raisel Iglesias gave up a pair of two-out singles in the ninth before getting Ian Desmond to ground out for his second save in two days and 19th of the season.

The Reds (world series ring) bullpen pitched a combined 8 1/3 scoreless innings while Cincinnati was winning the last two games of the three-game series. The Rockies went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position on Sunday and a combined 1 for 20 in their last two games while finishing their season-high 10-game road trip with three wins. "We've got to get the big hits," manager Bud Black. "We're getting guys out there. We had a number of opportunities with two outs. We had guys in scoring position. We just couldn't get the big hit."

Yonder Alonso hit a two-run homer, his first for Colorado after being promoted on July 23 from Triple-A Albuquerque, to make it 2-all in the fifth. "These were hard-fought, grinding games where every pitch mattered," said Alonso, Cincinnati's 2008 No. 1 draft pick. "We just fell a little short."

Alonso was the last batter faced by left-hander Alex Wood, who lasted 4 2/3 innings in his first start for Cincinnati after spending the season on the injured list with lower back problems. Wood, acquired with outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig from the Dodgers in December, allowed seven hits and two runs with one walk and four strikeouts in an 80-pitch effort.

"I've been around these guys a lot and they all welcomed me, but there is a big difference being able to contribute," Wood said. "It was great to see him out there healthy," manager David Bell said. "He had reached his last batter, anyway. Alonso was going to be his last hitter. He wanted to stay in. I decided to stick with the decision because it was his first time back. The home run doesn't take away from what he did."

Consecutive one-out singles by Josh VanMeter, Scooter Gennett, Jose Iglesias and Barnhart off Peter Lambert added up to a 2-0 Reds (custom championship rings) lead in the second. The Reds had six hits and two runs with one walk and four strikeouts in Lambert's five innings.

With the bases loaded with no outs in a one-run game and Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Pirates championship rings) All-Star first baseman Josh Bell walking into the batter's box, St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux paid a visit to rookie Dakota Hudson and offered a reminder. Relax, Maddux told the 24-year-old. You're a groundball pitcher. Get a groundball and get on with it. "That was pretty much how it was," Hudson said. "I just went after him and tried to attack him the best I could."

Hudson was OK with giving up one run but not two. He needn't have worried. The way he's dealing for the streaking Cardinals, it might be time to raise the bar. Hudson struck out Bell on three pitches, then got Colin Moran to hit into an inning-ending double play to preserve the lead and help St. Louis hold on for a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night. "That was the key, the bases-loaded jam with nobody out," St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said. "It was a huge part of the game. It kind of reiterates the point of not making it bigger than it is, just bearing down and making pitches, knowing he's two pitches away with what he has. He did a fantastic job."

It was an exclamation point on an outing that began ominously for Hudson (10-4). He gave up three runs before recording an out -- all on Starling Marte's 17th home run -- but settled down quickly. He didn't allow a run the rest of the way, working 6 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and three walks to improve to 8-1 in his last 12 starts. Giovanny Gallegos and Andrew Miller retired the last eight Pittsburgh (world series rings) batters, with Miller throwing a perfect ninth for his third save.

Paul Goldschmidt, who hit a go-ahead grand slam in the 10th inning on Monday, delivered a two-run drive to the left-field seats in the third inning off Chris Archer (3-7). Jose Martinez put St. Louis in front with a solo shot leading off the fifth , and the pitching did the rest as St. Louis moved to 9-3 since the All-Star break to close ground on the first-place Chicago Cubs in the quickly widening NL Central. "I think we're going to be good," Martinez said. "Especially winning these games, these close games, I think that gets us pumped up."

PITTSBURGH PLUNGE
The Cardinals (custom championship rings) and Pirates were separated by a half-game at the break. The gap has expanded considerably over the last two weeks. Pittsburgh fell to 2-9 since over its last 11 games, with four of the losses to St. Louis. Pittsburgh is averaging just three runs during its slide. "I think obviously when you're not scoring runs it looks like you're pressing," Moran said. "Just kind of in one of those ruts right now. I think we can get out of it any day." Time is running out.

Archer couldn't take advantage of the early cushion and has now given up 24 home runs in 96 2/3 innings. Acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay last summer that sent future All-Star outfielder Austin Meadows and pitcher Tyler Glasnow to the Rays, Archer is 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA with the Pirates. Archer said he threw the ball right where he wanted on the Goldschmidt homer, but Goldschmidt turned on it anyway.

"Where we're at in the season, I'm not trying to give up anything," Archer said. "I'm not trying to tip my cap. I'm trying to get people out. And just unfortunate that those home runs were hit."

Goldschmidt's drive inside the foul pole in left with one on in the third gave him six home runs this month and 20 for the fifth straight season and seventh time in his nine-year big league career. Martinez, who preserved a 6-5, 10-inning win Monday by throwing out Kevin Newman at home, put the Cardinals (world series rings for sale) in front an inning later. Hudson didn't let the rally go to waste.

The San Francisco 49ers (49ers super bowl rings for sale) are a professional American football team located in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team currently plays its home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 45 miles (72 km) southeast of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley. Since 1988, the 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara.

The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues merged. The 49ers were the first major league professional sports franchise based in San Francisco. The name "49ers" comes from the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush.[4] The team is legally and corporately registered as the San Francisco Forty Niners. The team began play at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco before moving across town to Candlestick Park in 1970 and then to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara in 2014.

The 49ers (super bowl rings for sale) won five Super Bowl championships between 1981 and 1994, led by Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, and coach Bill Walsh. They have been division champions 19 times between 1970 and 2019, making them one of the most successful teams in NFL history. The 49ers have been in the league playoffs 50 times: 49 times in the NFL and one time in the AAFC.

The team has set numerous notable NFL (authentic super bowl rings for sale) records, including most consecutive road games won (18), most consecutive seasons leading league scoring (1992–95), most consecutive games scored (1979–2004), most field goals in a season (44), fewest turn-overs in a season (10), and most touchdowns in a Super Bowl. According to Forbes Magazine, the team is the 4th most-valuable team in the NFL, valued at $3 billion in July 2016. In 2016, the 49ers were ranked the 10th most valuable sports team in the world, behind basketball's Los Angeles Lakers and above soccer's Bayern Munich.

Josh Donaldson capped his strong first-half finish by hitting a two-run homer and Culberson's defensive play helped the Atlanta Braves (Atlanta Braves championship rings) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Sunday.

With no outs and the bases loaded, Culberson caught Neil Walker's fly ball in left field and threw out Jorge Alfaro at the plate .

"I got chill bumps," Culberson said of hearing the fans' reaction to the plate.

Culberson has hit .323 as a pinch-hitter this season and has hit eight pinch-hit homers since the start of 2018, tied for the most in the majors, to earn the "clutch" nickname.

"I like it," Culberson said. "I just hope people don't hold me to it every single day."

The Braves are 10-2 against the Marlins this season and 24-7 the past two seasons.

Atlanta led 4-0 before Garrett Cooper hit a three-run homer off Chad Sobotka in the eighth.

Miami (championship rings for sale) then loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth. Alfaro led off the inning with an infield hit off Braves closer Luke Jackson. Alfaro was called out at first base before the ruling was overturned after a review. Harold Ramirez singled up the middle before Yadiel Rivera popped up a bunt that landed behind Jackson for an infield hit, loading the bases.

Culberson, a late-inning defensive replacement, caught Walker's fly ball while running toward center field. His momentum caused him to fall after making the throw.

After making the tag, Braves catcher Brian McCann pumped his fist and pointed to Culberson.

The out call at the plate was upheld after a review. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he wanted a review because he thought McCann was blocking the plate.

"I don't know where the rule went or maybe I don't understand it because when we looked at the replay McCann is standing on home plate and then he goes directly to taking home plate completely away with nowhere to slide," Mattingly said, adding ". in that scenario Jorge should have cleaned his clock."

The replay showed McCann had his right foot in front of the plate and his left foot on the middle of the plate as he caught Culberson's throw.

Jackson walked Curtis Granderson, again loading the bases, before ending the game on Miguel Rojas' fly ball to center field. Jackson earned his 14th save.

Donaldson applauded Culberson's catch and throw and McCann's tag.

"He made a great throw," Donaldson said. "Great tag. Great all around. Great execution."

Freddie Freeman's bloop single off Trevor Richards in the third drove in Ronald Acuna Jr. for a 1-0 lead. Donaldson then hit a high fastball over the right-center field wall for his 200th career homer, his 18th this season.

Donaldson has hit 10 homers since June 11. He helped the Braves (world series rings) hit a franchise-record 143 homers before the All-Star break.

Dallas Keuchel (2-2) allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings. The left-hander was lifted after walking pinch-hitter Brian Anderson and giving up a single to Rojas with one out in the eighth. Sobotka struck out Cesar Puello before giving up Cooper's three-run homer.

Richards (3-10) allowed four runs and six hits and five walks, matching his season high, in five innings.

Nick Markakis had three hits, including a run-scoring single in the fifth. Acuna had a career-high three walks.

The start of the game was delayed 26 minutes by rain.

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees (custom New York Yankees championship rings) are on some kind of hot streak heading into the final weekend before the All-Star break.

Judge hit his second homer of the game leading off the 11th inning, Brett Gardner added a three-run shot and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 on Friday night.

"When it gets to be winning time with these guys, these guys know what to do," New York manager Aaron Boone said. "Just another really impressive performance. Judgy went up there real aggressive, went superhero on us."

Judge connected on the first pitch from Ryne Stanek (0-2) to give him nine career multihomer games.

"I know he can get his fastball up to 100 (mph) and a good splitter," Judge said. "So my biggest thing was to try to get ready early and stay on the heater but also have a chance at that splitter."

The big slugger also went deep in the first against two-way player Brendan McKay as New York extended its AL East lead over Tampa Bay to a season-high 8 1/2 games.

The Yankees (custom championship rings) have won 16 of 18 since June 15 and are 9-2 against the Rays this season.

"Look, they're a better team than us right now," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "There's no denying that. They have a better record for many of the right reasons and they perform better than us. In a game, in a head-to-head matchup, they make the most of those situations more than we have."

Aaron Hicks tied it in the eighth with a pinch-hit homer for the Yankees, who used a five-run 10th to beat the Rays 8-4 on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.

David Hale (2-0) left with two on and one out in the 11th. Aroldis Chapman, who blew a two-run lead in the ninth Thursday, walked Travis d'Arnaud with two outs but got a lineout from Tommy Pham to get his 24th save.

Masahiro Tanaka, who entered 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season, was charged with four runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

McKay allowed three runs and six hits over five innings in his second pitching start. The left-hander gave up one hit in six scoreless innings in his big league debut last Saturday, a win over Texas.

"I've faced two very quality lineups and got my feet wet to what it's like up here," McKay said.

Nate Lowe hit his first major league homer and Mike Zunino also went deep for the Rays (world series rings for sale).

After replacing Tanaka with runners on first and third, Nestor Cortes Jr. allowed Kevin Kiermaier's two-run single that gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead.

Hicks got the Yankees even in the eighth.

Judge, who faced McKay while on a rehab assignment for an oblique injury June 15 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Durham, hit a hard grounder that just missed the pitcher's leg in the fourth. He struck out swinging on a 93 mph fastball from McKay with two on to end the fifth.

In the minor league game, McKay got a grounder from Judge and struck him out.

Patrick Corbin wanted to pitch one day after the death of his close friend. In doing so he honored Tyler Skaggs and lifted his Washington Nationals (custom championship rings) teammates.

Corbin pitched seven strong innings on an emotional night, Trea Turner doubled home the winning run in the ninth and the Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Tuesday.

"Yea, it's been hard. I've just been thinking of Tyler, his wife Carli, his family. You can't believe he's gone," an emotional Corbin said after the game.

Corbin and Skaggs were both drafted in 2009 by the Angels, traded to Arizona together in 2010 and made their MLB debuts in 2012 with the Diamondbacks.

Skaggs was one of Corbin's groomsmen at his wedding in the offseason. Corbin wore Skaggs No. 45 rather than his own No. 46 and declined manager Dave Martinez's offer to push back his start.

"I think when you have a loss you want to keep things as normal as you can. You just try to go out there and do what you have to do," Corbin said. "I saw the Angels played today so, I don't know, I think it's best to go out there and play the game of baseball."

Corbin did that and allowed a run on six hits and struck out seven without a walk, even coming back after a 76-minute rain delay in the third inning and leaving with a 2-1 lead.

With the scored tied 2-2, catcher Yan Gomes reached on an error by third baseman Neil Walker with one out in the ninth. With two outs, Turner doubled to the gap in right center on a 3-2 pitch off Jose Quijada (0-2) and Gomes raced all the way home.

Sean Doolittle (5-2) pitched one inning for the win.

Juan Soto hit a two-run homer in the first and added a triple for the Nationals (mlb championship rings for sale), who have won six of seven.

Corbin gave up singles to the first three Marlins hitters but settled in, scattering three singles over his final six innings.

"Looked like early on we were going to be able to get to Corbin a little bit and then he kind of just slammed the door right there," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

It is the third straight game he has pitched seven innings and allowed one run with at least seven strikeouts.

"For me the first inning was going to be (his) toughest," manager Dave Martinez said of Corbin. "Knowing him, I could see it a little bit in his face. Once he got through that inning, I thought he was going to be okay."

The Marlins (cheap MLB Teams championship rings) tied it off Wander Suero in the eighth when Cesar Puello led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Miguel Rojas, who had three hits.

Miami starter Zac Gallon allowed two runs in two innings, leaving due to the rain delay.

RENDON'S REASONING

Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon said he may skip the All-Star Game to let some injuries and ailments heal before the second half begins. Rendon, named to his first All-Star Game, declined to be specific. "I've been dealing with it for a while definitely a few weeks now," he said. "I'm pretty sure if you go back and watch the games, I haven't been running out balls as much as I usually do." Martinez said it's the bumps and bruises of playing every day and believes Rendon will be in Cleveland.

STREAKING

The Nationals homered for the 16th consecutive game, extending the team record (2005-present) and tying the franchise mark set by the Montreal Expos in 1999.

Just over a month ago, Toronto Blue Jays (cheap Toronto Blue Jays championship rings) outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was toiling in Triple-A after being demoted in mid-April.

Since returning to Toronto on May 24, he's leading the major leagues in home runs.

Eric Sogard hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, Gurriel Jr. homered twice for his second straight multi-homer game and the Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Randal Grichuk added a two-run homer for Toronto, which won its second straight at home following a seven-game losing streak.

"I feel like the team is going through a very good moment offensively," Gurriel Jr. said through a translator.

No one more so than he. Gurriel Jr. has 14 homers in 125 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. He's batting .352 (44 for 125) in that span.

San Diego's Hunter Renfroe has hit 13 homers in the same time, doing so in 28 games to Gurriel's 32.

Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer off Danny Duffy in the sixth and added a solo shot off Wily Peralta in the eighth, the fourth multi-homer game of his career. Gurriel Jr. also homered twice in Wednesday's loss at Yankee Stadium.

He's the fourth player in Blue Jays' history with consecutive multi-homer games. The others were Josh Donaldson (2017), Edwin Encarnacion (2014), and Jesse Barfield (1983).

Duffy said Gurriel Jr. is "going to be a star" with the way he's hitting right now.

"He has an approach well beyond his years," Duffy said. "I heard he was demoted early on in the year and I just can't fathom it with the way he looks now. I'm really impressed with the kid and I think he's got a bright future. I need to make less mistakes to him."

Blue Jays (championship sports rings) manager Charlie Montoyo opened his post-game remarks by campaigning for Gurriel to get an All-Star selection.

"He's done great," Montoyo said. "It's been fun to watch."

Sogard broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out homer to right off Duffy (3-4). The homer was Sogard's ninth, extending his career-high. Sogard began the season with 11 homers in eight seasons, and had never hit more than three in a season before this year.

Grichuk capped the scoring with a two-out homer off Tim Hill in the eighth, his team-leading 15th.

Right-hander Daniel Hudson (4-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win.

Duffy allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He's winless in seven starts since beating the Los Angeles Angels on May 19.

"He made two mistakes and had to pay for both of them," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Six of the 10 homers hit off Duffy this season have come in his last three starts.

Kansas City (Kansas City Royals championship rings for sale) has lost five of seven.

Sean Reid-Foley made his first start for the Blue Jays since April 1. The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Kansas City's Martin Maldonado opened the scoring with a two-out homer off Reid-Foley in the fifth, his fourth. Maldonado went 3 for 4 with three extra-base hits.

David Phelps replaced Reid-Foley in the sixth after Nicky Lopez doubled and Alex Gordon followed with an RBI single.

Toronto tied it in the bottom half on Gurriel's first homer.

Kansas City (mlb championship rings for sale) loaded the bases against Joe Biagini in the seventh, but Hudson came on and got the Blue Jays out of the jam. First baseman Justin Smoak made a backhanded stop on Nicky Lopez's grounder, then won the race to the bag to end the inning.

Gordon hit a leadoff double against Hudson in the eighth, but Hudson struck out the next three batters.

"We had opportunities, we just couldn't capitalize on some of them," Yost said.

Boston (cheap Boston Red Sox championship rings) starter Chris Sale won't mind getting just about as far away from Fenway Park as he can.

The Red Sox left-hander had yet another rough start at home against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, and by the time he returns it will be an entire year since he last won a regular-season game in Boston.

"For some reason, I suck here," he said before the ballclub left for London for a two-game series against the New York Yankees. "I don't know what it is."

Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster in the ninth inning -- his third hit of the game -- and Chicago recovered after blowing the lead in the eighth to beat Boston 8-7. Abreu had four RBI, and Leury Garcia also had three hits for Chicago.

James McCann had an RBI single and added a solo home run against Sale as Chicago pounced on the Boston starter for five runs in the first three innings. In all, Sale allowed six hits and a walk, hitting two batters and striking out 10 against his former team.

"I've got to find a way to get out of the gate better," said Sale, whose most recent regular-season win at Fenway was July 11, 2018. "The last couple of times out, early in the game, I just put us in a hole. I've got to find a way to get out of that."

Chicago (custom championship rings) had leads of 3-0, 5-2 and 6-4 before the Red Sox scored three in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead and hand White Sox closer Alex Colome (3-1) his first blown save in 17 opportunities. But Matt Barnes (3-3) gave up three straight hits in the top of the ninth -- Garcia was caught stealing -- including Abreu's 19th homer of the season.

"When they took the lead, we didn't feel down," Abreu said through an interpreter. "We kept our head up and we kept fighting until the end."

Sale, who allowed six of the first seven batters to reach safely, retired the last 10 he faced, striking out the side in the sixth. He avoided the loss when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single in a three-run eighth inning to make it 7-6 -- Boston's only lead of the game.

Rafael Devers, who went 4-for-4 on Tuesday night, had three more hits and scored three times for Boston. J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer and also had an RBI double for the Red Sox.

After blowing the save in the eighth, Colome walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to lead off the ninth and then retired the next three batters to end it.

"He's not a guy that lets it bother him," Chicago (custom Chicago White Sox championship rings) manager Rick Renteria said.

RED SOX RALLY

Leading 6-4 in the eighth, Evan Marshall gave up a one-out single to Eduardo Nunez and a double to pinch-hitter Brock Holt. Colome got Mookie Betts to hit a hard grounder and third baseman Jose Rondon came home with it.

Nunez slid in safely head-first. Devers grounded out to the pitcher, but Bogaerts bounced a single up the middle to give Boston (mlb world series championship rings) a 7-6 lead.

BAD PLAYS

Both teams gave away runs on bad fielding plays.

Ryan Cordell beat out a slow roller to third base in the third inning. Jon Jay, who had been on second, rounded third and scored easily while Red Sox first baseman Michael Chavis was looking at the umpire, delaying the throw home.

Devers scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3 when pitcher Reynaldo Lopez failed to cover home.

OUCH AT HOME

Home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz needed attention from the Red Sox medical staff in the third inning after taking a foul ball off his right forearm. He had it wrapped but remained in the game.

McCann hit the next pitch into the Green Monster seats to make it 4-2.

When Elvis Andrus scored on a wild pitch after his RBI triple in the first inning, the Texas Rangers already were feeling pretty good because they had Mike Minor on the mound at home.

Minor limited the Cleveland Indians to one run and three singles over eight innings after they had scored 10 runs each of the last two nights, and Texas earned a series split with a 4-2 victory Thursday.

"That's desperately what we needed right there. Losing two in a row, got beat up a little bit," manager Chris Woodward said. "Just phenomenal, I don't know what else to say honestly. It's every time out, every time he takes the ball he just gives us a good outing."

The Rangers (championship sports rings) lefty improved to 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA overall. Minor has a 2.03 ERA in eight home starts, allowing only six runs in the last seven since the Chicago Cubs scored six runs against him on opening day back in March.

With the temperature reaching 95 degrees, and heat index at 110 and above, Minor threw 70 of his 110 pitches for strikes. It was the Rangers' 18th game in 17 days, and they have a three-game weekend series against the Chicago White Sox before an off day.

"I knew that it'd be nice to split with these guys," Minor said. "To split here and kind of salvage a little bit, a day game, a hot one and our regular guys still played, I felt good about it just because some of those guys could have easily taken a day off."

Woodward hadn't planned to send Minor back out for the eighth inning, but the pitcher told him he was doing fine.

"He didn't even have sweat on his face," Woodward said.

Shawn Kelley worked the ninth for his ninth save in 13 chances after giving up a leadoff homer to Carlos Santana.

Cleveland (custom Cleveland Indians championship rings), which scored 44 runs in the first six games of its 5-2 trip, got its run off Minor in the sixth on an RBI single by Jordan Luplow after a two-out single and walk.

Andrus also homered, hitting his first homer since May 12 at Houston right after Danny Santana had gone deep in the eighth to make it 4-1. It was the seventh homer for both players, the third for Santana in the four-game series.

Santana doubled and stole third in the first before Andrus tripled to right-center. Andrus scored on a wild pitch by Shane Bieber (6-3) that ricocheted off catcher Kevin Plawecki and went several feet in front of the plate.

"It was just kind of a funky inning . (Plawecki) made a nice block but it kind of sprung back out off his leg. That was just kind of an awkward play," said Bieber who didn't allow any more runs while striking out eight without a walk in six innings.

"I thought he battled his (behind) off. First inning, he's giving up some hard contact, a couple runs and then he just battled the rest of the way," manager Terry Francona said. "Matter of fact, if we tied that game we were going to let him go back out."

Rangers (world series rings) third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera was ejected in the sixth after disagreeing with a called third strike. While Woodward was out discussing the ejection with home plate umpire Doug Eddings, Cabrera tossed his batting gloves from the dugout toward the plate. Cabrera struck out all three at-bats.