Kershaw Leads Dodgers Past Second-Place Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was flirting with a no-hitter on Tuesday night, but the pitch count wasn't where he wanted it to be. The left-hander lost the no-hit bid on a one-out, infield single from Chris Owings in the seventh, as he was approaching 100 pitches on the night. The ace's outing helped Los Angeles hold off the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, on the Fourth of July. Kershaw finished with 11 strikeouts and 117 pitches, while becoming the majors' first 13-game winner this season. He ended up surrendering two hits in seven innings, and Kenley Jansen finished things off for his 18th save. That was after giving up a three-run long ball to Daniel Descalso to make things interesting late in the game. Despite the late rally, Arizona could not complete the comeback, as starter Patrick Corbin suffered his eighth loss after giving up three runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Kershaw has now gone without a loss in 12 starts since May 6th, going 9-0 in that span with a 1.98 ERA. Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal provided all the run support for Los Angeles, as they each drove in two runs. The series between the top two teams in the NL West continues on Wednesday night.
Benintendi, Price Keep Red Sox Hot in Texas
The Boston Red Sox have gotten hot at the perfect time with the New York Yankees struggling, and their torrid pace continued on America's birthday. Andrew Benintendi went 5-for-5 with two home runs, as the Red Sox won their sixth straight with an 11-4 rout of the Texas Rangers. Their win streak is the longest current run in the majors, as Benintendi became the first Red Sox rookie with two five-hit games in a season. His latest home run was a three-run shot that chased Rangers starter Yu Darvish, who suffered his seventh loss. Jackie Bradley Jr. also went deep for an 11th time this season, supporting David Price, who continued on the right track for Boston. The lefty went six-plus innings, striking out nine in his eighth start since returning from the disabled list. He improved his season record to 4-2 on an accurate night, which saw him throw 70 of 106 pitches for strikes. Mike Napoli and Delino DeShields both hit home runs in the loss for Texas, who also got three hits from Adrian Beltre, including his 600th career double. The same two teams will go at it again on Wednesday night.
Hayward Chooses Celtics in Free Agency
After going back and forth for much of the Fourth of July holiday, Gordon Hayward confirmed himself that he is joining the Boston Celtics. The decision comes after a weekend full of meetings, as he chose Bean-Town over the Utah Jazz and Miami Heat. Hayward had been with Utah since 2010, but will now reunite with his former college coach at Butler, Brad Stevens, which saw them reach one National Championship Game. The 27-year-old announced the news in an article in The Players' Tribune, which featured him apologizing to and thanking Salt Lake City. It had been announced earlier in the day that Hawyard was joining Boston, but his agent had to deny the news until the player confirmed it. The now former Utah Jazz admitted that he had not made his decision at the time, despite it eventually being true. The young guard is coming off his best season, which saw him average a career-high 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, while also adding 3.5 assists per game, making his first All-Star team, and leading his 51-31 Utah Jazz to their first playoff appearance since 2012. The Jazz will now have to move on without their leader on the floor, as the team reportedly has interest in Washington Wizards free agent Otto Porter Jr. Meanwhile, Boston still has to decide on their own free agents, including Jonas Jerebko, James Young, and Gerald Green. But for now, they can just welcome in one of the hottest free agents in the game with open arms.
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was flirting with a no-hitter on Tuesday night, but the pitch count wasn't where he wanted it to be. The left-hander lost the no-hit bid on a one-out, infield single from Chris Owings in the seventh, as he was approaching 100 pitches on the night. The ace's outing helped Los Angeles hold off the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3, on the Fourth of July. Kershaw finished with 11 strikeouts and 117 pitches, while becoming the majors' first 13-game winner this season. He ended up surrendering two hits in seven innings, and Kenley Jansen finished things off for his 18th save. That was after giving up a three-run long ball to Daniel Descalso to make things interesting late in the game. Despite the late rally, Arizona could not complete the comeback, as starter Patrick Corbin suffered his eighth loss after giving up three runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Kershaw has now gone without a loss in 12 starts since May 6th, going 9-0 in that span with a 1.98 ERA. Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal provided all the run support for Los Angeles, as they each drove in two runs. The series between the top two teams in the NL West continues on Wednesday night.
Benintendi, Price Keep Red Sox Hot in Texas
The Boston Red Sox have gotten hot at the perfect time with the New York Yankees struggling, and their torrid pace continued on America's birthday. Andrew Benintendi went 5-for-5 with two home runs, as the Red Sox won their sixth straight with an 11-4 rout of the Texas Rangers. Their win streak is the longest current run in the majors, as Benintendi became the first Red Sox rookie with two five-hit games in a season. His latest home run was a three-run shot that chased Rangers starter Yu Darvish, who suffered his seventh loss. Jackie Bradley Jr. also went deep for an 11th time this season, supporting David Price, who continued on the right track for Boston. The lefty went six-plus innings, striking out nine in his eighth start since returning from the disabled list. He improved his season record to 4-2 on an accurate night, which saw him throw 70 of 106 pitches for strikes. Mike Napoli and Delino DeShields both hit home runs in the loss for Texas, who also got three hits from Adrian Beltre, including his 600th career double. The same two teams will go at it again on Wednesday night.
Hayward Chooses Celtics in Free Agency
After going back and forth for much of the Fourth of July holiday, Gordon Hayward confirmed himself that he is joining the Boston Celtics. The decision comes after a weekend full of meetings, as he chose Bean-Town over the Utah Jazz and Miami Heat. Hayward had been with Utah since 2010, but will now reunite with his former college coach at Butler, Brad Stevens, which saw them reach one National Championship Game. The 27-year-old announced the news in an article in The Players' Tribune, which featured him apologizing to and thanking Salt Lake City. It had been announced earlier in the day that Hawyard was joining Boston, but his agent had to deny the news until the player confirmed it. The now former Utah Jazz admitted that he had not made his decision at the time, despite it eventually being true. The young guard is coming off his best season, which saw him average a career-high 21.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, while also adding 3.5 assists per game, making his first All-Star team, and leading his 51-31 Utah Jazz to their first playoff appearance since 2012. The Jazz will now have to move on without their leader on the floor, as the team reportedly has interest in Washington Wizards free agent Otto Porter Jr. Meanwhile, Boston still has to decide on their own free agents, including Jonas Jerebko, James Young, and Gerald Green. But for now, they can just welcome in one of the hottest free agents in the game with open arms.
