Karl-Anthony Towns believes it is "championship or bust" for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Rudy Gobert will be a huge part of the team achieving their goals.

The Timberwolves acquired center Gobert from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs this year.

It was only the second time Minnesota had made the postseason since drafting Towns first overall in 2015.

The arrival of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert will see Towns spent a lot more time at the power forward position, but he feels the pair will complement each other well and hopes it can push the team into championship contention.

"I expect a lot of winning for sure. I wanna win. I'm not up here blowing smoke, I really wanna try to bring a championship run to Minnesota and Rudy adds a huge component to that," said Towns, who recently signed a four-year, $224million super max contract extension.

"He's gonna be a massive part of us being a championship team and my job is to help him as much as he's gonna help me.

"His strengths are my weaknesses and his weaknesses are my strengths, so we'll be able to play off of each other.

"It's go time. There's no more excuses. We've gotta get it done now. It's championship now or bust."

Last season saw the Timberwolves end a run of three straight years with a losing record, and it was the momentum Towns felt that had been built that convinced him to extend his deal in Minnesota.

"I wanted to keep this going. Last year, after me talking to a bunch of NBA players and front office people and us, the NBA is aware of who we are now," said Towns.

"We set out to go out there and make noise and show everyone this isn't the Timberwolves they're used to, and we've done that. Why not keep that momentum going and bring back a championship or that basketball that the fans and everyone here has been yearning for so much?

"Let's bring it back, and not for just one year. Let's do it for consecutive years and make a run."

Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Karen Khachanov to reach the semi-finals of the Hamburg European Open, while Matteo Berrettini will face Dominic Thiem in the last four at the Swiss Open.

Top seed Alcaraz only needed an hour and nine minutes to beat Russian Khachanov 6-0 6-2 in a clay-court masterclass on Friday.

The 19-year-old Spaniard moved a step closer to winning a fifth title this year with a dominant performance, breaking the Russian five times in a one-sided contest.

Alcaraz hit 21 winners as Khachanov was given a harsh lesson and the teenager will next face Alex Molcan, who was 2-0 up in the second set after winning the first on a tie-break when Borna Coric retired due to injury.

"I played unbelievable today, probably one of my best matches this year," Alcaraz said of his win against Khachanov. "I'm pretty happy with the performance that I'm playing in this tournament. Yesterday [a victory over Filip Krajinovic] was amazing as well.

"I'm training every day to be solid and at the same time to be aggressive. That is my game."

Francisco Cerundolo and Lorenzo Musetti will contest the other semi-final in Hamburg after beating Aslan Karatsev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina respectively.

A rejuvenated Thiem is enjoying another hugely encouraging week and will take on Berrettini in his first semi-final of the year following a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in Gstaad.

Austrian Thiem has not played in a final since winning his only grand slam at the 2020 US Open, but he claimed his first ATP-level victory for 14 months in Bastad last week and is through to his first semi-final since May 2021 after bossing the baseline battle with Varillas.

It was not all plain sailing for Berrettini, who roared back to beat Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 after the Spaniard was in command of a second-set tie-break at 5-1, but the second seed extended his winning run to 11 matches.

Top seed Casper Ruud got the better of Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4), booking a showdown with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came through a three-set battle with Nicolas Jarry.

Brooke Henderson produced a second successive 64 to surge into the lead at the Evian Championship.

The Canadian world number 10 had been one shot behind overnight leader Ayaka Furue going into the second round.

But Henderson, who won her first major at the Women's PGA Championship aged 18 in 2016, maintained her momentum with another seven-under-par effort.

She made the turn in 33 before going five under for the back nine, carding three consecutive birdies to close an outstanding round.

At 14 under par, Henderson went three strokes clear of world number three Nelly Korda, the American carding a 67 to improve to 11 under through 36 holes.

South Koreans Kim Sei-young and Ryu So-yeon sat tied fourth on nine under, while a group of six players were eight under par at the halfway stage.

Furue, meanwhile, slipped seven shots back after failing to build on her superb eight-under first round, the Japanese posting a one-over 72.

Defending champion Minjee Lee made it through to the weekend after a two-under 69 put her three shots inside the cut line.

After leading the NFL in touches during a strong rookie season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is ready for another heavy workload – even a historic one - if it leads to another trip to the playoffs.

"I can get 500," Harris said in an interview on The Rich Eisen Show. "If I get 500 carries, as long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter."

Harris accumulated 381 touches during the 2021 regular season, the most by a rookie since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson's 398 in 2001. The Pro Bowler said he's prepared to increase that total if again called upon to be the focal point of an offense that will be breaking in a new starting quarterback following the offseason retirement of franchise icon Ben Roethlisberger.

"The more carries you get, the better you are," Harris said. "You get more of a feel for the game, you get an understanding of how the defense is playing. Obviously, you wear them down."

Harris' quick transition to the NFL game indeed played a big part in the Steelers reaching the postseason for the sixth time in eight years. Pittsburgh went 6-0-1 when the former Alabama star had 20 or more rushing attempts in a game and was 3-7 when he was under that mark.

The 2021 first-round pick accounted for 29.8 per cent of the Steelers' yards from scrimmage. Only Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (35.4 per cent) and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (29.9 per cent) had a higher share of their team's scrimmage yards last season.

Harris takes great pride in being able to contribute on all three downs in an era where skill players are becoming more specialised, and disputed any notion his heavy usage made him less effective.

"I didn't have an issue with it, it was the media that had an issue with it," he told Eisen. "I told them every game, I was like, 'Man, if this is the way to winning, I can carry the load'. I train to carry loads. It's not something I hadn't done before. I did it in college, high school."

A further increase in responsibility would put Harris in some very select company, as only five players in NFL history have recorded 450 or more touches in a season. Tampa Bay's James Wilder holds the league record of 492, set for the Buccaneers in 1984, while the last to eclipse that threshold was Larry Johnson for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.

"This is our identity right here," Harris said of the Steelers' run-based approach. "So, let's keep this going on."

Christophe Laporte became the first Frenchman to win on this year's Tour de France after sprinting to victory on stage 19, while Jonas Vingegaard edged closer to general classification glory.

Laporte had largely played a supporting role for his excellent Jumbo-Visma team-mate Vingegaard, the yellow jersey holder and King of the Mountains victor.

But Laporte came to the fore on the 188.3-kilometre route from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors, overtaking Fred Wright to sprint to victory and secure Jumbo-Visma's fifth stage win of the Tour.

Wright headed the leading group, alongside Jasper Stuyven and Alexis Gougeard, with just under 30km to go, but Laporte produced a perfectly timed attack to leave the trio in his wake in Cahors.

Laporte was indebted to the work of his team-mates to support his late charge and revealed Wout van Aert's message of encouragement before the race had spurred him to glory.

"I am super happy. I find it hard to realise. Wout said to me, 'Today is for you'. The last time he said that to me was at Paris-Nice, so here it brings me luck," Laporte told broadcaster RMC after his victory.

"One and a half kilometres from the finish, I made the jump to catch up with those who were in front. I threw it from afar so that they wouldn't come back, and it worked.

"It's incredible. It's more than just a reward, it's huge!"

Vingegaard finished safely behind the leading riders in 13th, with his lead over defending champion Tadej Pogacar staying at three minutes and 26 seconds.

LAPORTE SPARES FRENCH BLUSHES

Laporte made the bold call to move away through the streets of Cohors and, helped by his Jumbo-Visma team-mates, was duly rewarded.

The 29-year-old ensured France will not end Le Tour without a stage winner, as they did in 1926 and 1999, while he secured his first stage win in his eighth appearance.

STAGE RESULTS

1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) 3:52:04
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:01
3. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) +0:01
4. Florian Senechal (Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl Team) +0:01
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:01

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 75:45:39
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:26
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +8:00

Points Classification

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 460
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 236
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 235

King of the Mountains

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 72
2. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 64
3. Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo) 61

A defiant Ian Foster has vowed to prove he is the right man to coach New Zealand after naming his squad for the Rugby Championship.

Foster knows he is under pressure after the All Blacks suffered a first home series defeat to Ireland last weekend.

The under-fire head coach was due to face the media last Sunday, but the press conference was cancelled at late notice and there had been no word from the New Zealand camp until Foster fronted up in Auckland on Friday.

The 57-year-old has retained Sam Cane as captain following reports he would be replaced, while prop Ethan de Groot and loose forward Shannon Frizell replace Karl Tu'inukuafe and Pita Gus Sowakula in a 36-man squad.

Foster says he will fight on as New Zealand prepare to start the Rugby Championship with a clash against world champions South Africa at Mbombela Stadium on August 6.

He said: "As a head coach, there have been a lot of questions the past couple of weeks. Let me tell you who I am, I'm strong, I'm resilient, I think I've proven that.

"I believe I've got a great feel and relationship with my players. I'm strategic and I'm also accountable and I take that on board.

"I promise you, I understand that and I'm really excited about the chance to show you what this team is made of, working alongside the players we've selected in this squad."

Foster revealed Joe Schmidt will not travel to South Africa but is helping him with "strategic areas" of the game and says he will make changes to his staff.

There have been calls for Scott Robertson to take over as All Blacks head coach, but Foster is confident he can turn things around ahead of the World Cup next year.

"There's no doubt about that I’m under pressure," he added. "But can I just say, I'm always under pressure?

"I've always felt that pressure and external people will try to intensify that pressure but it doesn't change the fact that as an All Blacks coach you live in that world all the time.

"Does it hurt? Yes it does. The key thing for me is making sure everything I do is about ensuring we have robust processes and make sure we have got the right people sitting in the right seats."

Foster says he can see why the decision to cancel a media conference the day after losing to Ireland did not go down well.

"I understand the frustration [about the cancelled news conference]," he said.

"All I want to say on that regard is that I as a head coach would never ever not communicate with my fanbase when it’s expected I communicate with them.

"I know my responsibility is to talk to the fanbase and if I knew I was supposed to do that, I would do that all the time.

"I love the passion of our fans and I love the opinions. That is what it is, but I guess all I can assure people is the person that I am and my role in this team.

"I'm not here for any other reason than to do the best I can for this team. Right now, I can understand frustrations that we've lost a series, but my job is to put perspective around that, to make sure we take the lessons and this All Blacks team comes out stronger, I want to be part of the solution.

"Will there be some changes? Yes there will, but like I said, I'll let you know shortly."

New Zealand Rugby Championship squad:

Forwards: Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukeiaho, Codie Taylor. Aidan Ross, George Bower, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Ethan de Groot, Angus Ta'avao, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane (captain),  Shannon Frizell, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu.
 

Backs: Finlay Christie, Folau Fakatava, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo'unga, Stephen Perofeta, Jack Goodhue, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece.
Replacement players travelling to South Africa: Josh Dickson, Braydon Ennor, Tyrel Lomax.

New Zealand coach Ian Foster labelled the confrontation between Akira Ioane and former All Black Justin Marshall as disappointing, but assured the issue has been cleared up.

The All Blacks suffered their first home series defeat in 28 years after Ireland triumphed 32-22 in Saturday's winner-takes-all-decider.

While Irish players took to the streets of Wellington to celebrate, flanker Ioane and Sky Sports commentator Marshall were caught on video footage confronting one another.

Marshall, who played 81 games for New Zealand, was ushered away by Caleb Clarke and George Bower as Ioane, surrounded by team-mates, attempted to move towards the 48-year-old.

The footage was drowned out by the celebrations around them and Foster expressed his disappointment with all those involved after the video circulated on social media.

"Look, the reality is it's disappointing. But two people were mouthing off a little bit at each other. I wish that hadn't happened," said Foster, whose job safety was confirmed on Friday despite defeat to Ireland.

"Yes, I've talked to both people involved, and I know they've had a conversation with each other, and there are no issues going forward."

New Zealand Rugby issued a statement after the incident, saying "behaving responsibly is one of the core values in our team environment" as Sky confirmed Marshall would remain part of their coverage for the All Blacks' upcoming tour of South Africa in August.

Though Foster questioned the actions of both Marshall and Ioane, the 57-year-old was not best pleased with the person taking the footage and then uploading it onto social media.

"I'm also not overly impressed that people think that they should film that stuff and spread it," he added.

"Because two people arguing in a pub, I don't think is as big of an issue as people make it out to be."

Ioane was still included in the 36-man All Blacks squad on Friday for the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Carlos Sainz will take a 10-place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix after changing an engine component at Le Castellet.

Sainz saw his hopes of a second-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out literally go up in flames as an engine failure denied him a seventh podium of the campaign.

And regardless of where he qualifies at Circuit Paul Ricard, Sainz will have a difficult challenge to get on the rostrum this weekend.

Ferrari gave Sainz's car a new control electronics element, incurring a penalty that ensures he will definitely start outside the top 10.

Sainz could yet receive further penalties if Ferrari decide to change further parts of the Spaniard's engine.

He ended Friday's first practice session in third place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc and championship leader Max Verstappen, FP1 hinting at another tight battle between Red Bull and Ferrari as under half a second separated the top three.

Cameron Smith may be swayed by the lucrative financial offer from the LIV Golf International Series, but must consider whether he will enjoy competing on the breakaway tour.

That is the message from former Ryder Cup captain Mark James, who acknowledged the financial benefits of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf but was unsure of the merits of a competition still in its infancy.

Smith secured his first major title at the historic 150th Open Championship last weekend, triumphing ahead of Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy on the picturesque Old Course at St Andrews.

While lauded for the blemish-free final round that ensured Open glory, speculation grew that Smith may become the next high-profile defector to LIV Golf, the tournament headed by Greg Norman.

Smith refused to comment on the matter as he celebrated at St Andrews, remaining non-committal on his future as he expressed his disappointment with the line of questioning following his Open victory.

Though James, a 32-time professional winner, appreciated the lucrative offers LIV Golf are making to secure the PGA Tour's prized assets, he warned Smith to think carefully about his future.

"I would imagine right now they're weighing up his contracts, weighing up what you'll get for playing the LIV Golf Tour and what you'll get for playing around the world and having all these contracts," James told Stats Perform.

"And I mean, yeah, they might pay him. They would have to pay him I would think 100 million to play LIV Golf Tour compared to winning the Open and having all those contracts, maybe more.

"I don't know, I'm a bit out of touch with the big money game these days. But that means you don't have to work the rest of your life, even at his age 100 million will go a long way.

"But he's going to be playing, is he going to be playing with his mind on the golf? Is he going to really enjoy it? I don't know.

"I think there's a lot of question marks over this tour. And it will be interesting to see what the outcome is."

Henrik Stenson relinquished his Ryder Cup captaincy after becoming the next big-name signing for LIV Golf, announced on Wednesday alongside Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III.

The breakaway league already has the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, with every defector banned from playing on the PGA Tour as retaliation to their move away.

And James, who had a long career on the European Tour and has played on the US-based Champions Tour in senior golf, does not envisage LIV Golf succeeding, likening the tournaments to "exhibition events". 

"They've gone in extremely heavy-handedly LIV Golf," he added. "But then I suppose if they're trying to take players away from the two major tours, they have to because the two majors are so protective of their product.

"But I agree with the two main tours, I think they have to be and I think the two main tours are brilliant for golf, because they have a pyramid system on both tours where anyone who's any good will make it to the top. It is that simple.

"Whereas, if LIV Golf were in charge, then that would not be the case. We'll see if they're still talking at the end of the year. Maybe something can be thrashed out and both tours can end a little sooner and have some big jamboree at the end of the year for six, eight weeks for anyone who wants to play.

"Certain events might be better suited but LIV Golf seems to want to take over the whole thing. And I think those tournaments are not good for golf right now. They're basically exhibition events.

"People are getting paid crazy amounts of money and there's a lot of animosity between current tour players and the LIV Golf players. So it's not a great situation. And I don't think LIV Golf have handled it well. 

"I'm not sure Norman is a particularly good spokesman because they've taken him out in the press to a large extent, because he wasn't really voicing what Saudi wants someone to say.

"But, equally, I think that the pros from the tours who signed up with LIV Golf have not exactly been eloquent in defence of LIV Golf. So the whole thing, I think, is a little shambolic.

"But as I say, if you want to take golf by the scruff of the neck and make an impression on the main tour players, then maybe this is the only way to try and do it."

Henrik Stenson cannot feel slighted by losing the Ryder Cup captaincy over his decision to join LIV Golf, according to Europe's 1999 skipper Mark James.

James, who was captain when Europe surrendered a 10-6 lead to suffer defeat at Brookline, said Stenson's move represented a major coup for LIV, but insisted most of the breakaway tour's players were "past their peak".

Stenson became the latest big name to sign up for the controversial Saudi-backed tour on Wednesday, a decision that saw him stripped of Europe's captaincy for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome.

The 2016 Open champion wrote on twitter that he disagreed with the decision to remove him from that role, but James feels here was no other alternative.

"I don't think it was so much Ryder Cup Europe making a decision. Henrik was unable to fulfil the obligations of his Ryder Cup captain's contract," James told Stats Perform. 

"If you can't fulfil the obligations, then the agreement is null and void. 

"It's virtually a mutual decision. He can say, 'well, I didn't agree with the captaincy being pulled'. If he can't fulfil his contract, I'm not too sure what he expects. 

"I don't know if Henrik needs the money. It's entirely possible. You hear rumours of a lot of tour players losing vast amounts of money with investments, I'd have no idea if he was one of those. 

"But he'll be getting an awful lot of money for being Ryder Cup captain and stuff associated with that. So for him to jump to the LIV Tour means they're offering him a very, very nice wheelbarrow load of cash."

The LIV series already counted experienced pros such as Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter among its ranks, and James believes the circuit has found it far easier to persuade older players to sign up.

James did, however, note the recruitment of a player set to be Ryder Cup captain represented a significant coup for the Greg Norman-led tour.

"Their strategy is to get people who will come and if you get people in their 40s, they are way more likely to come than people in their 20s," James continued.

"They're building up names on their tour and having a tour full of good, big names, even if they're slightly past their peak, which you could argue that Westwood, Poulter, Stenson and [Paul] Casey and others are, is giving them a star-studded field and it's an inducement to other players to then jump on board. 

"Certainly, [for] a Ryder Cup captain to sign up is a coup. Henrik knows what he's doing. He's not daft. And he's a really lovely guy. I like him a lot. 

"It's a great shame because he would have been a brilliant captain. And that ship now has sailed and it's a pity. It would have been a real jewel in a glittering career."

Attention will now turn to Ryder Cup Europe's efforts to replace Stenson, which 2021 skipper Padraig Harrington said on Wednesday will be "no issue".

James agreed with that assessment as he downplayed the importance of the captaincy, adding: "They [LIV] are taking a lot of possible captains away. So we'll find other people to be captain, captain is not all-important. 

"The captain's position is drummed up to be incredibly important. But I think it's overrated, I always have done. 

"Every captain we have, over the last, certainly 15 odd years, everyone thinks they're just going a little extra mile to do something else and everything's a little better. 

"When you get out there on the turf and start playing against Americans, there's only one thing filling your mind, how much you want to beat the Americans, because this is a massive event and it's a huge thrill to play in it and be involved in it."

A dream team of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be complemented by Novak Djokovic at the Laver Cup.

Nadal, Federer and Murray had already been confirmed for the 2022 edition of the tournament, to be held in London in September.

And Djokovic, who won his 21st grand slam title at Wimbledon earlier this month, has now joined his fellow greats to add to a formidable Team Europe line-up.

The Serb last competed in the Laver Cup in 2018, and while it is yet unclear if he will be able to feature at the upcoming US Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Djokovic is relishing the chance to play alongside the best players of the modern era.

He said: "It's the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you're normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it's going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport."

"I don't think I could have imagined having these four icons of the sport on one team together," said Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg.

"I know they, like I, appreciate the significance of this moment and will be truly up for it.

"Each year our goal is to win. With Rafa, Roger, Andy and Novak on the team, I like our chances."

The quartet have accounted for 66 of the last 76 grand slam titles won in men's tennis, while one of them held the number one spot every week between February 2004 and February 2022, when Daniil Medvedev ended that run.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman have been confirmed to be competing Team World - led by John McEnroe.

Six players will compete on each team, meaning Team Europe still have two more spots to fill, while Team World have three spare.

Yordan Alvarez was full of belief that the Houston Astros could beat the New York Yankees, even before they went out and swept a double-header.

Houston claimed two wins over the American League leaders on Thursday, triumphing 3-2 and 7-5 respectively at Minute Maid Park.

That puts the Astros to within two and a half games of the Yankees, with the best records in the American League having gone head-to-head.

The Astros have now moved to a 5-2 record for the season against the Yankees, who have now lost seven of their past 10 games.

Alvarez homered in the second game and, along with Alex Bregman, combined for five RBIs as Houston won for the 61st time this season.

"I'm not going to say it doesn't mean anything," Alvarez told reporters. 

"They're a really good team, but we also know we're a really good team as well.

"Beating them feels good, but we know that we’re capable of doing it."

The next time the teams face off could be in the postseason, with the Astros - thanks to their positive season series record - holding home-field advantage should that be the case.

"We were trying to chase a team and wanted to really win this first game, and that put us in a position that if we end up tied, we won the tiebreaker," said Astros coach Dusty Baker after the first game, having taken a risk by utilising his best pitchers in the early encounter.

"We really didn't want to take that into the second game. We went through our bullpen in the first game and that's why it was important for us to win it."

The Astros and Yankees faced off in the 2017 American League Championship Series, with the home team winning all seven games and Houston triumphing. Two years later, the Astros again succeeded, this time thanks to a walk-off home run from Jose Altuve in Game 6.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone understands the recent history of the rivalry, though his hope of claiming two victories failed to come to fruition.

"I'm aware of that, but it doesn't change the fact that we're going to try to win this game and win the night game," Boone said before the games.

"We're in the business of being the best team we can be right now and trying to win every time we are out there."

The Houston Astros started their second half of the MLB season in positive fashion, claiming a double-header sweep over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

The two best records in the American League (AL) faced off and the Astros bested the Yankees once again, moving to a 5-2 head-to-head record for the season with respective 3-2 and 7-5 wins at Minute Maid Park.

After splitting a four-game series in the Bronx in June, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman both homered and combined for five RBIs to hand the Astros the third win at home this season over the AL leaders.

In the earlier game, Bregman, Korey Lee and rookie JJ Matijevic combined for RBIs while Cristian Javier struck out three but only gave up two hits over 99 pitches in five innings.

With the sweep coming out of the All-Star Game, the Astros suddenly moved to within three games of the AL-leading Yankees, who have now lost seven of their past 10 games.

Gray gets Rangers rolling

Jon Gray led the way for the Texas Rangers as they commenced an 11-game road trip, shutting the Miami Marlins out for an 8-0 win.

Gray struck out five and conceded only four hits over 94 pitches in six innings, while Adolis Garcia homered and drove in three runs.

The Marlins slipped further away from the National League's wild card race with the defeat, now six games back with a fourth consecutive defeat and extending their scoreless streak to 34 innings.

Betts denies Giants comeback

Mookie Betts saved the day for the Los Angeles Dodgers after they almost squandered a big lead, eventually claiming a 9-6 win over their rivals in the San Francisco Giants.

Things were looking good early for the Dodgers, taking a 5-0 lead after the opening three innings off star Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon, with Freddie Freeman scoring a solo home run in the first inning with two out.

The Giants fought back in the seventh through Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf, though, with the two scoring home runs to set up a five-run inning.

A Trayce Thompson triple drove Gavin Lux home to tie after Thair Estrada was walked in the eighth, before a three-run shot from Betts off Jarlin Garcia gave the Dodgers the eventual win.

Betts confirmed the win with a great defensive play in the following inning, making a spectacular sliding catch deep in right-field to retire Joc Pederson.