
MLB roundup: A.J. Smith-Shawver stars as Braves blank Reds
May 6 - A.J. Smith-Shawver carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Monday in the opener of their three-game series.
Smith-Shawver (2-2) pitched a career-high eight innings and allowed no runs on one hit -- a leadoff single by Santiago Espinal in the eighth -- with four walks and five strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Matt Olson collected an inside-the-park home run on an unusual play in which Reds rookie left fielder Tyler Callihan stretched out for the catch, temporarily had the ball in his glove, but slammed into the side wall. Callihan broke his left forearm on the play as Olson came around to score.
Cincinnati's Brady Singer (4-2) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits.
Dodgers 7, Marlins 4
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman each drilled two-run homers as Los Angeles defeated host Miami in the opener of a three-game series.
Ohtani, who hit a National League-high 54 homers last year, has nine this season. Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-2 with his MLB-high 34th RBI of the season.
Miami, which has lost eight of its last nine, was led by rookie Agustin Ramirez, who blasted the longest drive of the night -- a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth that went 424 feet. Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in five innings.
Royals 3, White Sox 0
Cole Ragans struck out 11 over five solid innings and Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits with an RBI, as Kansas City continued its recent dominance over visiting Chicago.
Maikel Garcia and Drew Waters each had a run-scoring hit, while Garcia and Witt stole two bases apiece for the Royals, who won their third straight and 12th in the last 14 games. Kansas City has won seven in a row and 15 of the last 16 versus Chicago, which managed six hits and fanned 14 times while losing their eighth consecutive road contest against the Royals.
Ragans (2-1) scattered three hits, while White Sox rookie Shane Smith (1-2) also was solid but allowed two runs, five hits and three walks while striking out five.
Cubs 9, Giants 2
Dansby Swanson went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Ian Happ and Carson Kelly each homered, propelling Chicago over visiting San Francisco.
Happ drove in three runs and Seiya Suzuki drove in two as the Cubs won their fourth game in five tries. Matthew Boyd (3-2) threw six innings of five-hit, two-run ball, while striking out seven for Chicago.
Landen Roupp (2-3) surrendered five hits and four runs (two earned) across five innings and struck out four. Luis Matos' two-run homer accounted for all of the Giants' offense, and San Francisco's defense committed four errors. The Giants saw their three-game winning streak snapped.
Padres 4, Yankees 3
Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning as visiting San Diego rallied past New York.
The Padres won their sixth straight game by erasing a three-run deficit against Devin Williams and Luke Weaver (0-1). Williams loaded the bases in the eighth on a four-pitch walk to Luis Arraez. Weaver entered and Manny Machado lined a 1-1 fastball to left field for a two-run double to get San Diego within 3-2. On the next pitch, Bogaerts hit a cutter for a bloop single.
Trent Grisham hit a two-run homer for the Yankees in the third. Carlos Rodon limited the Padres to three singles in 6 2/3 innings.
Brewers 5, Astros 1
Christian Yelich had a two-run home run and Tobias Myers led a stellar pitching effort in Milwaukee's victory over visiting Houston in the opener of a three-game series.
Myers (1-0) allowed one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, bouncing back from his previous start when he lasted just two innings. The Brewers' bullpen preserved the lead as Nick Mears, Jared Koenig, Grant Anderson and Joel Payamps kept the Astros off the scoreboard.
Houston starter Ronel Blanco (2-3) allowed three runs, all in the third inning. He yielded seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings.
Cardinals 6, Pirates 3
Willson Contreras had two hits, including a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, to help host St. Louis come back to beat Pittsburgh.
Contreras' fifth home run of the season came off Pirates reliever Chase Shugart (1-2), who allowed all four of the Cardinals' runs in the sixth without recording an out. Jose Barrero finished with two hits and three RBIs and drove in the last two runs of that inning on a ground-rule double down the left field line with the bases loaded. Pedro Pages also had two hits.
The Cardinals picked up their third consecutive victory while the Pirates lost their fifth in a row -- their longest losing skid of this season. Bryan Reynolds pocketed his fifth home run, a two-run blast off Miles Mikolas to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead after only two at-bats to open the game.

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The Independent
an hour ago
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Missouri approves stadium aid for Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and disaster relief for St. Louis
Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars of financial aid to try to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to remain in the state and help the St. Louis area recover from a devastating tornado. House passage sends the legislative package to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, who called lawmakers into special session with a plea for urgent action. Kehoe is expected to sign the measures into law. Missouri's session paired two otherwise unrelated national trends — a movement for new taxpayer-funded sports stadiums and a reevaluation of states' roles in natural disasters as President Donald Trump 's administration reassess federal aid programs. The stadium subsidies already were a top concern in Missouri when a deadly tornado struck St. Louis on May 16, causing an estimated $1.6 billion of damage a day after lawmakers had wrapped up work in their annual regular session. The disaster relief had widespread support. Lawmakers listened attentively on Wednesday as Democratic state Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins described with a cracking voice how she witnessed the tornado rip the roof off her house and damage her St. Louis neighborhood. Collins said she has no home insurance, slept in her car for days and has accepted food from others. 'Homes are crumbled and leveled,' said Collins, adding: 'It hurts me to my core to see the families that have worked so hard, the businesses that have worked so hard, to see them ripped apart.' Lawmakers approved $100 million of open-ended aid for St. Louis and $25 million for emergency housing assistance in any areas covered under requests for presidential disaster declarations. They also authorized a $5,000 income tax credit to offset insurance policy deductibles for homeowners and renters hit by this year's storms — a provision that state budget director Dan Haug said could eventually cost up to $600 million. The Chiefs and Royals currently play football and baseball in side-by-side stadiums in Jackson County, Missouri, under leases that expire in January 2031. Jackson County voters last year defeated a sales tax extension that would have helped finance an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City. That prompted lawmakers in neighboring Kansas last year to authorize bonds for up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums in Kansas to lure the teams to their state. The Royals have bought a mortgage for property in Kansas, though the team also has continued to pursue other possible sites in Missouri. The Kansas offer is scheduled to expire June 30, creating urgency for Missouri to approve a counter-offer. Missouri's legislation authorizes bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments. If they choose to stay in Missouri, the Chiefs plan a $1.15 billion renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. Though they have no specific plans in the works, the St. Louis Cardinals also would be eligible for stadium aid if they undertake a project of at least $500 million. Many economists contend public funding for stadiums isn't worth it, because sports tend to divert discretionary spending away from other forms of entertainment rather than generate new income. But supporters said Missouri stands to lose millions of dollars of tax revenue if Kansas City's most prominent professional sports teams move to Kansas. They said Missouri's reputation also would take a hit, particularly if it loses the Chiefs, which have won three of the past six Super Bowls. 'We have the chance to maybe save what is the symbol of this state,' Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican from St. Louis County, said while illustrating cross-state support for the measure. The legislation faced some bipartisan pushback from those who described it as a subsidy for wealthy sports team owners. Others raised concerns that a property tax break for homeowners, which was added in the Senate to gain votes, violates the state constitution by providing different levels of tax relief in various counties while excluding others entirely. 'This bill is unconstitutional, it's fiscally reckless, it's morally wrong," said Republican state Rep. Bryant Wolfin.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Twins claim LHP Joey Wentz off waivers from Pirates
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6 hours ago
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Ker balances Wrexham AFC going for it and consolidation
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