The Tampa Bay Rays just keep winning. The team with the best record in the American League scored seven unanswered runs Tuesday for an 8-4 triumph over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 

Down 4-1 after five innings thanks to home runs from Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe, the Rays tied it up on an RBI single from Wander Franco and a two-run double by Ji-Man Choi. 

Francisco Mejia then blew it open with a bases-loaded single in the ninth that brought home three with help from a Renfroe error. 

The Red Sox have now dropped six in a row against the Rays, whose 69-44 record is second only to the San Francisco Giants in MLB. 

Tampa Bay hold a five-game lead over Boston in the AL East. 

Dodgers stop Phillies' streak

Max Scherzer started things off in Philadelphia and the Los Angeles' Dodgers' bullpen and bats finished it as the World Series champions sealed a 5-0 victory that broke the Phillies' eight-game winning streak. Scherzer had six strikeouts in 3.1 scoreless innings before a rain delay of one hour, 44 minutes knocked him from the game at Citizens Bank Park.

Not to worry, as six Dodgers relievers finished the job by shutting the Phillies out the rest of the way with home runs by Corey Seager and Max Muncy boosting the Los Angeles offence and Trea Turner contributing one of the more impressive slides in memory.

Former Red Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer to tie the game and Stephen Vogt's bases-loaded walk provided the winning margin as the Atlanta Braves edged Cincinnati 3-2 to pull within a game of the Phillies in the NL East. 

The San Francisco Giants watched a five-run lead disappear in the sixth inning before fighting back twice to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7 as an error by Christian Walker allowed the winning run to score in the ninth. 

The Milwaukee Brewers made clear where the balance of power lies in the National League (NL) Central, sweeping a doubleheader from the Cubs at Wrigley Field 4-2 and 6-3 to expand their division lead to seven games over the Cincinnati Reds. 

Oakland starter Sean Manaea left after 1.2 innings but the Athletics rallied for a 4-3 win against the Cleveland Indians as Jed Lowrie sent the game to extra innings with an RBI groundout in the eighth, then won it in the 10th with a run-scoring double. 

Starters come up short

Relief pitchers took centre stage across baseball on Tuesday. According to Stats Perform, it was the first time in MLB history that every team was in action and no starter pitched more than six innings. 

Out of the Park in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates managed only one hit in a 4-1 loss to the St Louis Cardinals, but that hit was Hoy Park's first MLB home run. The Seoul native has been a sensation since coming over from the Yankees last month and is now nine for 28 (.321) with five extra-base hits for the PIrates. 

Tuesday's results 

Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 Chicago Cubs
St Louis Cardinals 4-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 Philadelphia Phillies
Oakland Athletics 4-3 Cleveland Indians
Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers 9-4 Baltimore Orioles
Atlanta Braves 3-2 Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros 5-0 Colorado Rockies
Minnesota Twins 4-3 Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals 8-4 New York Yankees
San Francisco Giants 8-7 Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers 5-4 Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres 6-5 Miami Marlins
Los Angeles Angels 6-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 Los Angeles Angels
Washington Nationals 3-1 New York Mets (suspended)

Dodgers at Phillies

The Los Angeles Dodgers (68-45) send another Cy Young Award winner to the mound as David Price starts against Kyle Gibson and the Philadelphia Phillies (59-54).

Crowd favourite Bianca Andreescu was made to work as she opened her defence of the National Bank Open title she won two years ago but the Canadian eventually prevailed in Montreal. 

Andreescu defeated Harriet Dart 6-1 3-6 6-3 in just over two hours in her first match since falling to Alize Cornet in the opening around at Wimbledon. 

That was the latest in a disappointing string of results for Andreescu, who also departed Roland Garros after one match, but the world number eight got back on track Tuesday. 

"Playing at home is so, so awesome," Andreescu said in her on-court interview. "You guys [the fans] show me so much love, especially tonight. I've never had this kind of support before, so I'm so, so grateful."

While Andreescu was able to navigate a challenging opener, three other seeded players were not as fortunate. 

Katerina Siniakova downed fifth seed Garbine Muguruza 6-2 0-6 6-3, while Camila Giorgi ousted ninth seed Elise Mertens 6-3 7-5 and Liudmila Samsonova defeated 12th seed Elena Rybakina 6-4 5-7 6-4.

Having a better time of it were seventh-seeded Petra Kvitova, the 2012 tournament champion, and number 10 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who won by identical 6-4 6-4 scorelines against Frenchwomen Fiona Ferro and Carolina Garcia, respectively. 

Eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka waited out a rain delay to cruise past 2013 finalist Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2 in the final match of the day. 

In other action, 15th seed Coco Gauff handled Anastasija Sevastova 6-1 6-4 while her countrywoman Danielle Collins continued rolling after her title in San Jose last week, rallying past Jil Teichmann 4-6 6-1 6-3 for her 11th consecutive match win. 

Two more Americans, Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula, prevailed in three sets as well. 

Johanna Konta returned to the court after missing Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus-related issues and advanced when Zhang Shuai was forced to retire up 6-4 2-5 with a leg injury. 

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas survived three-set scares at the National Bank Open on Tuesday, but five-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal departed Toronto without even taking the court. 

Top seed Medvedev, who won just three games against Nadal in the final in 2019, the last time the tournament was played, prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4 in his opener against Alexander Bublik.

The man Nadal beat to win the title the previous year, Tsitsipas, failed to convert on five match points in an epic second-set tiebreak but recovered to down Ugo Humbert 6-3 6-7 (13-15) 6-1.

Nadal pulled out ahead of a scheduled match against Lloyd Harris, who beat him last week in Washington as the 20-time grand slam winner struggled with a foot injury. 

Countryman Feliciano Lopez replaces Nadal in the draw and will face Harris on Wednesday. 

Elsewhere Tuesday, sixth seed Casper Ruud needed more than two hours to put away Marin Cilic 6-3 3-6 6-3, while 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov suffered a quick 6-3 6-4 exit against big-serving American Reilly Opelka.

A pair of unseeded veterans advanced, with 2016 finalist Kei Nishikori a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 winner over Miomir Kecmanovic and John Isner defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokini 6-4 6-1 in just over an hour.

Two days after appearing in his first ATP Tour final at the Citi Open, Mackenzie McDonald fell 6-3 6-4 to Benoit Paire in his Toronto opener. 

In other first-round matches, Karen Khachanov beat Cameron Norrie 6-4 5-7 6-4, Frances Tiafoe downed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4 6-3, Dusan Lajovic handled Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-3 6-3 and Nikoloz Basilashvili defeated Jenson Brooksby 2-6 6-0 6-4.

After 13 NBA seasons, Russell Westbrook finally made it home Tuesday. 

The nine-time All-Star fulfilled a childhood dream in joining the Los Angeles Lakers after a trade from the Washington Wizards. 

The 32-year-old was born in nearby Long Beach and grew up a fan of the team, but admitted he was not sure he would get the chance. 

“Being from LA, you always wish that you could play for your home team,” Westbrook said at his introductory news conference. 

“That’s definitely something that always circled around in my mind. Maybe one day? But I always would come back and be like, ‘Ah, that probably won’t happen.’ I just had to wait and see.

"But now that we’re here, I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

Considering who he will be playing alongside, there's every reason to believe he will. 

Westbrook joins LeBron James and Anthony Davis on a remade Lakers team that will also feature Carmelo Anthony – an impressive array of star power even for a franchise long associated with glamour. 

After averaging a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons, Westbrook knows he will not have to focus as much on scoring as he has in the past. 

Likewise, his arrival will take some of the ball-handling and distribution load from James, ideally freeing him up on the offensive end. 

"I'm coming to a championship-caliber team and my job is to make sure that I'm able to make his game easy for [James]," Westbrook said. "I'll find ways to do that throughout the game."

That philosophy does not stop with helping the already exalted James elevate his game, either. 

Westbrook is already excited to get in the gym with a group of incoming veterans including Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore.

“The roster is great,” Westbrook said. “A bunch of guys that I’ve already known previously, which is even better.

"As I come into the season, I’m always looking at the roster and figuring out how I can make other guys better, simple as that.

"I want to be able to leave an impact on people when they either play with me or come across me, and I’ll find ways to do that with our roster. I’m really looking forward to getting together with all the guys and figuring it out.”

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the National Bank Open ahead of his opening match due to a left foot injury.

The Spaniard made a return to action on the ATP Tour last week at the Citi Open, his first outing since suffering defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open in June.

His comeback was aimed at getting prepared for the US Open but, having lost in the last 16 in Washington to Lloyd Harris, he will not now be participating in Toronto.

"I really wanted to play here a lot, but now is the moment to make a decision, and this is unfortunately the decision that I have taken," Nadal told the media.

"I have had this issue for a couple of months, as people know.

"Of course, it is not a happy situation after all the success that I had here in Canada, not being able to play this year after missing a year. It's a tough one, but that's how it is today."

Nadal skipped Wimbledon citing the need to recover after the clay season, while the left-hander also opted out of representing his country at the Tokyo Olympics.

The five-time champion in Toronto was scheduled for a repeat meeting with Harris in the second round. Instead, his place in the draw goes to compatriot Feliciano Lopez.

Lionel Messi will help Paris Saint-Germain make history, according to club chairman and chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

PSG secured Messi's signature after the forward had failed to agree fresh terms with Barcelona, who are enduring financial difficulties amid complications with LaLiga.

The 34-year-old moves to the Parc des Princes having scored 672 times in 778 appearances for his former club and furthers PSG's already remarkable depth of attacking talent.

After confirming Messi's arrival on Tuesday, Al-Khelaifi said: "I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris.

"He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the very highest level and winning trophies, and naturally our ambition as a club is to do the same.

"The addition of Leo to our world class squad continues a very strategic and successful transfer window for the club. Led by our outstanding coach and his staff, I look forward to the team making history together for our fans all around the world."

Messi joins former colleague Neymar as he prepares to form a startling front three with the Brazil forward and France star Kylian Mbappe.

The signings of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum alongside Achraf Hakimi strengthened Mauricio Pochettino's men, but Messi's historic move could take PSG to a new level.

Having been pipped to the Ligue 1 crown by Lille last term, PSG started their quest to reclaim the title with a 2-1 win at Troyes on Saturday and will hope the addition of Messi can inspire them to a first Champions League success.

Messi has won four Champions League titles with Barcelona alongside 10 LaLiga triumphs.

The forward also guided Argentina to their first Copa America success since 1993, scoring four goals as he sealed his first senior international trophy in July.

Lionel Messi is determined to "build something special" at the Parc des Princes after signing for Paris Saint-Germain.

The former Barcelona star, who scored 672 times in 778 appearances for the Blaugrana, was expected to sign a new contract at Camp Nou but financial complications forced him out the door.

Mauricio Pochettino's men promptly swooped in to seal one of the most momentous signings in history, confirming the deal on Tuesday.

Upon completing his move to the French giants, Messi said: "I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain. Everything about the club matches my football ambitions.

"I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes."

One of the best teams in Europe just got better – Lionel Messi has signed for Paris Saint-Germain.

Following his shock exit from Barcelona as a free agent, Messi becomes the Ligue 1 giants' fifth signing of the transfer window, joining the superstars Mauricio Pochettino already had at his disposal.

After coming so close in recent seasons, PSG will hope this move can bring an end to their wait for a first Champions League triumph.

But how will all these players fit in the same XI? Stats Perform attempts to work that out...

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma

Keylor Navas has been one of Europe's outstanding goalkeepers in recent seasons, ranking third for goals prevented (8.1, using expected goals on target data) in the top five leagues in 2020-21. But Donnarumma – the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2020 – did not leave boyhood club Milan just to sit on the bench and, at 22, represents the long-term option.

RB: Achraf Hakimi

Alessandro Florenzi headed back to Roma at the end of his loan, but PSG identified just about the best replacement on the market. Over the previous two seasons, Robin Gosens (34) was the only defender with more goal involvements than Hakimi (30).

CB: Marquinhos

PSG won 72.5 per cent of the games Marquinhos played last season in all competitions, conceding 0.7 goals on average. Those numbers altered significantly in his absence, with a winning percentage of 52.9 while shipping 1.1 goals per game. Even with the club's superstar signings, their captain remains one of the key men.

CB: Sergio Ramos

Ramos, another freebie, may no longer be able to play every game – he appeared only 15 times in LaLiga for Real Madrid last term – but PSG better hope he is there for the big ones. Over the previous three seasons, Madrid won 10 of the 15 Champions League games Ramos featured in and only four of the 13 he missed.

LB: Abdou Diallo

This is perhaps the one position on the pitch where PSG lack a genuine world-class option. Even if Pochettino were to bring in Presnel Kimpembe as a third centre-back, there is no outstanding left-sided wing-back. Diallo, a defensive full-back in an attacking team, gets the nod by virtue of starting the season fit and ahead of Layvin Kurzawa in the pecking order.

CM: Marco Verratti

At the end of a season in which Verratti was restricted to only 16 Ligue 1 starts, Euro 2020 provided a reminder of his talents. The Italy midfielder created a tournament-leading 14 chances across just five games while still completing 93.1 per cent of his 417 passes. Now imagine those passes are being played to Messi...

CM: Leandro Paredes

Paredes, Messi's international colleague, also made just 16 league starts for PSG last term, but he was still trusted for the big occasions in the Champions League. That included a dominant display against a Barca midfield of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, as Paredes played the second most passes on the pitch (73) and assisted one of four PSG goals.

CM: Georginio Wijnaldum

Angel Di Maria is very unfortunate to miss out on this XI and undoubtedly still has a part to play, but Wijnaldum perhaps offers a better balance in a midfield three with the attacking talent ahead of him. Across his Liverpool Premier League career, Wijnaldum led all Reds midfielders in recoveries (951) and duels won (645) and ranked second in interceptions (115) and third in tackles (181).

RW: Lionel Messi

Of course, Messi can play across the front three, but starting from the right – with Hakimi in the Dani Alves role outside him – will bring back memories of Barca teams of old. It is the role he occupied in 2014-15, forming part of perhaps the Blaugrana's most exciting attacking trio.

CF: Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe has the Luis Suarez role, providing the direct runs in behind that create space in front of the defence for Messi and Co. Last season's 53 goal involvements did not quite match the forward's career high of 54 in 2018-19, but Mbappe can expect to break all sorts of records in this thrillingly creative line-up this term.

LW: Neymar

Still the world's most expensive player if no longer the biggest name in his own dressing room, Neymar was the third member of that 2014-15 front three. Having decided to step out of Messi's shadow, the Brazil superstar wanted his old friend back. During their four years together at Barca, Neymar assisted Messi 22 times, while the six-time Ballon d'Or winner returned the favour on 20 occasions.

Lionel Messi's imminent switch to Paris Saint-Germain has not had an impact on Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Juventus, according to team-mate Leonardo Bonucci.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi is expected to complete a move to PSG this week after bringing an end to his 21-year association with Barcelona.

French giants PSG have previously been linked with fellow superstar forward Ronaldo, who is now into the final 12 months of his contract with Juve.

With any path to the Parc des Princes now effectively being cut off by Messi's arrival, Ronaldo looks set to stay in Turin for at least the next year.

However, Bonucci insists the shock transfer involving Messi has had no bearing on where Ronaldo will play his football this coming season.

"I think that Cristiano would have stayed even if Messi had not gone to PSG," the Juve defender told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"For us, it's an added value and I'm sure that this year, more than in past years, he will help us reach all of our goals."

Since Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018, only Robert Lewandowski (103) has scored more goals in all competitions than the Portugal forward's 73 among players in Europe's top five leagues.

Ronaldo's 83 goal involvements over this period rank fourth behind Lewandowski (121), Messi (106) and Kylian Mbappe (97).

Despite Ronaldo enjoying another prolific season in front of goal, Juve finished fourth in Serie A in 2020-21.

And Bonucci, who played a starring role in Italy's Euro 2020 triumph, is aiming to win back the title from Inter when the new season begins in a little under two weeks' time.

"We want to bring the Scudetto back home, there is no point in hiding that," he said. 

"When you play for Juventus, that has to be the objective for the season, just like having a great Champions League campaign and fighting on all fronts.

"Personally, though, my goal is to continue my form from the Euros, where I played a major role, and do that again with Juventus."

Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza is set to miss the start of the 2021-22 LaLiga campaign due to an injury sustained on Olympics duty with Spain.

The 22-year-old featured three times for beaten finalists Spain in Tokyo, including in their quarter-final win against Ivory Coast when damaging his hamstring.

Mingueza underwent a scan at Barcelona's medical centre on Tuesday and it was confirmed he is set for a short spell on the sidelines.

Barcelona did not provide a timeframe for Mingueza's recovery, but reports from Spain suggest that he is facing around two weeks out.

The Barca academy product made 39 appearances at club level last season, 27 of those coming in LaLiga as the Catalan giants finished behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

Mingueza won more tackles per 90 minutes (1.56) than any Barcelona player in the league in 2020-21.

It is the latest blow for Ronald Koeman, who is having to deal with the unexpected departure of Lionel Messi and Monday's news that new striker Sergio Aguero will be out for 10 weeks with a calf injury.

Barcelona begin the post-Messi era with a home match against Real Sociedad on Sunday, before travelling to Athletic Bilbao the following weekend.

Real Madrid have announced legal action against LaLiga president Javier Tebas and CVC Capital Partners.

LaLiga last week secured a €2.7billion deal with CVC to boost Spanish clubs amid the coronavirus pandemic, with 90 per cent of the investment earmarked for their use.

However, CVC will have a 10 per cent stake in a new business, which is being formed with a focus on the league's commercial ventures.

It insisted the agreement does not cover league management or broadcast rights, but Madrid and rivals Barcelona both announced their opposition to the deal, claiming audiovisual rights would be affected and they had not been properly consulted.

Madrid are now going a step further, with a rumoured legal challenge confirmed in a club statement.

"The board of directors of Real Madrid, meeting today at 11:00 am, has unanimously agreed to carry out both civil and criminal legal actions against the president of LaLiga, Mr Javier Tebas Medrano, against Mr Javier de Jaime Guijarro, responsible for the CVC fund, and against the CVC Capital Partners fund itself," it said.

"Likewise, the board of directors has also decided to carry out the legal actions of all kinds that are understood to be appropriate to cancel and cancel the possible agreements adopted by the assembly of LaLiga, to be held on August 12, 2021, regarding the agreement between LaLiga and the CVC
fund."

Tebas was quick to respond on Twitter, taking aim at Madrid president Florentino Perez.

"The threatening methods that FP [Perez] has been using in private for years is now being transferred to the public," he wrote.

"Clubs and institutions have been supporting their threats for years.

"Since 2015 against the centralised sale, the constant challenges of agreements, the Super League…

"Real Madrid deserves more."

Playing behind closed doors last season, Madrid have been heavily impacted by the pandemic but have worked to limit the damage.

In their accounts last month, Madrid revealed they lost "close to €300million" in revenue, although Los Blancos reported a post-tax profit of €874,000 for 2020-21.

With "intense spending saving measures in all areas", Madrid did not make a single signing last term while moving a number of high earners off their books.

This year, they recruited David Alaba on a free transfer but saw Sergio Ramos depart and have agreed a deal to sell Raphael Varane to Manchester United.

Madrid and Barca have also continued to pursue a lucrative European Super League, as two of only three clubs – along with Juventus – still committed to the project that collapsed earlier this year.