Justin Verlander could be making his New York Mets debut sooner than later after an MRI revealed reduced inflammation in the right throwing shoulder of the prized free agent acquisition.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is cleared to continue throwing and the Mets said Wednesday that a timeline for him joining the starting rotation will be established as he progresses.
The Mets surprisingly placed Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade teres major strain on Opening Day last Thursday – two days before he was slated to make his New York debut.
Verlander helped the Houston Astros to the 2022 World Series title and agreed to two-year, $86million contract with New York in December.
Verlander turned 40 years old in February but is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.
Despite missing the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander was the unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award in 2022 after leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, while going 18-4 with 185 strikeouts to 29 walks in 28 starts.
A nine-time All-Star, Verlander captured his first Cy Young Award in 2011 – a season in which he also won the AL MVP. He also won the 2019 AL Cy Young Award, as well as the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year Award.
For his career, Verlander is 244-133 with 3,198 strike outs, ranking first in both wins and strikeouts among active pitchers.
He is historically fared well against NL East opponents, which bodes well for the Mets, as he is posted a 2.14 ERA against those teams in his career – his lowest ERA against any division. His career ERA is 3.24.
In four starts against NL East clubs last season, he went 4-0 without giving up a run over 25 innings, while striking out 26.
The Tampa Bay Rays improved to 6-0 with their second series sweep of the 2023 season, downing the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Wednesday.
The Rays' exceptional start has included winning all six games by four or more runs, outscoring their opponents by 31 runs (44-13) in the process.
Tampa Bay are the first team win their first six games by at least four runs since the St Louis Maroons in 1884, who managed 13 in a row.
It is Tampa Bay's best start in franchise history and the best start of any franchise in the majors since the Baltimore Orioles opened 7-0 in 2016.
It has been a spread of contributions for Tampa Bay as well, with starting pitcher Shane McClanahan having six strikeouts across six innings, with Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez hitting homers.
Franco's third-inning two-run shot opened up a 3-1 lead, with Ramirez's sixth-inning solo blast over center restoring their two-run lead at 4-2 with two outs.
The Rays added two further runs in the sixth, with Taylor Walls driving home Manuel Margot, before Jose Siri singled to right for Walls to score with Victor Robles losing the fly ball in the sun.
Walls along with Randy Arozarena both had two hits, while the latter took a fine leaping catch on Joey Meneses in the first.
Cole outpitches Nola as Phillies slump
Gerrit Cole piled more misery on the struggling Philadelphia Phillies with eight strikeouts in the New York Yankees' 4-2 win.
The Phillies had claimed their first win of the season against the Yankees on Tuesday but slumped to 1-5 with the defeat, where Jose Trevino's seventh-inning two-run shot opened up a 4-1 lead, with Gleyber Torres having three hits with two RBI singles.
Cole outpitched Phillies right-hander Austin Nola, who had seven Ks across six innings. The Yankees pitcher allowed one run with three hits and three walks across six-and-one-third innings.
The Phillies, who were NL champions last year, were held to two or less runs for the third time in four games with Kyle Schwarber hitting a ninth-inning consolation homer.
More Brewers blasts in walk-off win
Rookie Garrett Mitchell blasted a ninth-inning walk-off home run as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the New York Mets 7-6.
Leading off at the bottom of the ninth, Mitchell fell behind 1-2 in the count before unleashing his game-winning shot into the right-field stands, marking his third blast in his past two games.
The result means Milwaukee have won five games in a row, leading the NL Central division with a 5-1 record. The Brewers, who have homered seven times in two games, have scored 38 runs in their past 36 innings.
For the Mets, Pete Alonso hit a duo of two-run homers, the latter putting his side up 6-4 in the fifth.
Wednesday's play was rained out at the Houston Open with only one set completed, while third seed Brandon Nakashima withdrew from the event.
Persistent rain forced an early abandonment of action on the clay courts in Houston, with all eight second-round matches pushed back to Thursday.
Max Purcell's clash with Daniel Altmaier was the only match to get underway, with the Australian leading 6-4 before rain intervened.
Top seed Frances Tiafoe was due to open his campaign against Steve Johnson, with second seed Tommy Paul to face Yannick Hanfmann.
Nakashima's withdrawal for an undisclosed reason meant lucky loser Zizou Bergs will replace him and take on Cristian Garin.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says re-signing Kyrie Irving is the franchise's top offseason priority while he launched a stunning rebuke at Jalen Brunson's trade to the New York Knicks.
The Mavs are in danger of missing the play-in tournament altogether, heading into Wednesday's slate of games in 11th in the Western Conference with a 37-42 record.
Dallas traded in All-Star Irving to play alongside Luka Doncic in February but the side have gone 8-16 since that move, sliding out of contention. The Mavs are 4-11 when Irving and Doncic have played together on the backcourt.
Irving is eligible to leave in the offseason in free agency and Cuban is eager to ensure he stays with the Mavs, having traded away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a several of future Draft pick for him only months ago.
Cuban, however, would not be drawn on whether Irving was a max contract player.
"We want him to stay and I think we have a good shot," Cuban said. "I think he's happy here. He tells me he's happy here.
"I think he's a good guy. Everything I thought I knew about Kyrie because of everything I read was 100 per cent wrong."
The Mavs owner was also confident Doncic would stick with the franchise and spend his entire career in Dallas although he acknowledged "we have to earn that".
Doncic is averaging 28.4 points on 45.7 per cent shooting and a career-high 35.3 per cent from beyond the arc with 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists this season.
Cuban was also pressed on guard Brunson, who left the Mavs in July last year for the New York Knicks in a free agency move on a four-year, $104million deal. Doncic admitted earlier this week that the Mavs miss his presence "a lot".
Brunson has since played a key role as the Knicks have clinched a playoffs spot, with career-highs in 24.0 points on 41.6 per cent three-point shooting with 6.2 assists this season.
The Mavs owner blamed the involvement of Brunson's father Rick - who was hired as a Knicks assistant in June last year - in negotiations before Jalen left in a move that attracted an NBA investigation which determined the Knicks had violated tampering rules.
"Things went south when the parents got involved," Cuban said.
Cuban also took responsibility for the Mavs' slide but remained hopeful of a run into the playoffs.
"It's absolutely my fault for not recognising that," Cuban said when asked about their defensive issues. "[But] I haven't heard the fat lady sing yet."
The Denver Nuggets could have clinched the one seed in the Western Conference by the time they face a Phoenix Suns team already sure of the four seed.
Denver will secure the one seed on Wednesday if the two seed Memphis Grizzlies lose to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Should the Grizzlies stay in the hunt with a victory, however, then the Nuggets will go into their penultimate road game of the season knowing a win will see them finish top of the pile in the West. The Nuggets have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Grizzlies.
The outcome of the Grizzlies' game in New Orleans may therefore impact whether the Nuggets elect to play their stars, including MVP contender Nikola Jokic.
Phoenix, meanwhile, have little reason to risk the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.
The Suns are locked into the four seed in the West, but if they want to lay down a marker ahead of a postseason in which they may well face a first-round series with the defending champion Golden State Warriors, this could prove a compelling potential playoff preview.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns – Kevin Durant
The Nuggets recently received a reminder of the damage Durant can do. The former MVP and two-time Finals MVP tallied 30 points in the Suns' 100-93 win over Denver on March 31.
He followed that up with 35 points against Oklahoma City Thunder, having been booed by the home crowd, fans of the team where he first made his name. Though he cooled off and had only 18 in the win over the San Antonio Spurs last time out, Durant is in ominous form ahead of the playoffs, and a battle with the potential MVP could further whet his appetite for the postseason.
Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic
Even if the Nuggets already have the one seed wrapped up, perhaps Jokic might play in this high-profile encounter to improve his MVP odds.
Joel Embiid is the heavy favourite after his 52-point showing for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Boston Celtics.
But if Jokic can play a starring role against the Suns, could that be enough to tilt the race back in his favour?
KEY BATTLE – Can Suns foil the fast break?
The Nuggets rank fifth in the NBA in fast break points with 16.3 per game. Phoenix, meanwhile, have excelled at stopping teams scoring in that fashion, allowing an average of just 13 fast break points.
Regardless of the makeup of the two teams and the playoff scenarios at play, that area of the game will go a long way to deciding the victor.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Suns have won three of their last five against the Nuggets. They have won their last two as the home team, having lost their previous five as the hosts in this matchup.
Joe Joyce expressed confidence he could overcome Anthony Joshua and feels he can provide a route back into title contention.
Joshua returned to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena last weekend, albeit not with the most impressive performance.
The 33-year-old is rebuilding his career after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, which saw him cede his three heavyweight belts to the Ukrainian.
Joshua has taken on a new trainer in the United States and called out compatriot Tyson Fury following his unanimous decision win against Franklin.
Discussions for that bout have previously fallen through, however, and Joyce believes he possesses a route back into the title picture that should appeal to Joshua.
"I'd knock both of them out with their performance the other night. I'd definitely force a stoppage on Franklin and Joshua's ripe for the picking," he told Sky Sports.
"It wasn't great but [Joshua] got the job done. He went 12 rounds, I thought he would come with some more firepower and aim to push a stoppage but he wasn't really putting shots together.
"He was [using] single shots and boxed kind of like he did in the [Andy] Ruiz second fight. So, it was a little bit disappointing.
"He seems to have gone, in my opinion, a bit backwards. He hasn't progressed. I think he lacked the combinations, but I think Franklin was a tough guy.
"That would be his route back in. It would definitely be his way back in because I'm in front of him now, at last, high up the rankings and obviously got the WBO Interim.
"I was always trying to catch up with him but now I've overtaken him, so that's good. That's what I wanted. But I haven't caught up to him financially yet so I need to have those big fights."
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was not invited to this year's Masters to ensure the focus remained on the competition, according to the chairman of Augusta National.
Norman has been the CEO of the controversial Saudi-backed golf league since its inception and has been an outspoken critic of the PGA Tour on numerous occasions
The Australian finished runner-up at the tournament on three separate occasions, but Augusta National chief Fred Ridley confirmed that they did not invite him to this year's tournament to avoid distraction from the on-course spectacle.
"We did not extend an invitation to Mr Norman," Ridley said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"The primary issue is that I want the focus to be on The Masters competition and the great players that are participating – the greatest players in the world.
"Our decision in December ensured we honoured and were consistent with our invitation criteria for players.
"I would also add that in the last 10 years, Greg Norman has only been here twice and I believe one of those was as a commentator for Sirius Radio. It really was to keep the focus on the competition."
Earlier in the week, the Australian confirmed that he would not be on site for the first major of the year, in a move he described as "petty".
"As a major winner I was always invited before, but they only sent me a grounds pass last year and nothing, zilch, this time around," he told The Telegraph.
"I'm disappointed because it's so petty but of course I'll still be watching."
Despite the 68-year-old's absence, players from LIV Golf have still been invited to compete at this year's tournament, including current Open champion Cameron Smith and 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson.
Lewis Hamilton is embracing the challenge facing Mercedes this season despite their struggles to compete for race wins in Formula One.
A second-place finish in Australia for Hamilton marked his best performance of the season, in a campaign that looks to be another difficult one for the team.
Mercedes ceded their Constructors' Championship title to rivals Red Bull last year, while Hamilton finished the year without a race win for the first time in his career, and remains significantly off the pace again in 2023.
Those struggles have reignited questions about Hamilton's future, with his deal set to expire at the end of the year, though he has affirmed his commitment to the team.
Tied with Michael Schumacher for the most F1 title wins of all time, an eighth crown would hand Hamilton the record outright, and he is ready to clinch that honour.
However, for the time being, he is focused on pushing himself to achieve the best possible result despite Mercedes' issues.
"I don't like driving not great cars. I don't like driving a car that's not the car that we weren't meant to have, but I love that challenge of 'OK, what can I do with it?'," he told Fox Sports.
"Wins are not possible right, so what is the maximum we can get? Can we be a little cheeky and if fifth is the best we can get, can we get a fourth or a third?
"Just make sure we are consistent and fit and ready so when the car does all of a sudden switch on, and it is the car you dreamed of having, you're ready.
"I am ready to win a world championship. I have prepared the best way I can this year – the best I have ever prepared – and if the car comes correct tomorrow I will be ready to fight for the world championship, but unfortunately that's not the case.
"I am working with everyone here and back at the factory to get there."
Andrew Wiggins believes his court comeback is just a matter of time after he returned to the Golden State Warriors following a personal absence.
The small forward has missed 22 games for the Warriors since taking a temporary leave from the team in order to deal with a family illness.
Wiggins has declined to elaborate on the specifics, but was back with Steve Kerr's side for Tuesday's 136-125 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now, with his return to the fold, the 28-year-old has set his sights on playing once again, having last featured against the Washington Wizards in February.
"I don't think it will be too long before I am out there," he said. "I felt really good right before I left. I felt like I was in a rhythm, was making shots, moving well.
"Hopefully, I'll be right back where I left off. [But] when you're in a certain situation and your family needs you and requires your attention and love, that's my first priority.
"My career, everything, family is always first for me. When I felt like I was in a safe space to come back, we got everything settled in a safe place."
Coach Steve Kerr effectively ruled out a role for Wiggins in Friday's trip to the Sacramento Kings, noting they would assess him over the coming week.
"We'll have a better idea in the next couple of days," he added. "There's no way he's playing in the next few days, I can tell you that.
"But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea of when he might be able to play."
The Warriors follow their trip to Sacramento with their last regular season fixture, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
The Denver Nuggets are all but certain to be the number one seed in the West, but Michael Malone does not expect a deep playoff run if his team continue to play as they did on Tuesday.
The Nuggets had the opportunity to clinch the top seed with three games of the regular season remaining, yet instead they lost 124-103 at the Houston Rockets, who are last in the conference.
Denver had won the teams' past 10 meetings, including the previous four by at least 15 points, but struggled even with Nikola Jokic back in the lineup.
Although they are still on course to finish first, theirs is now on course to be the worst record by the number one seed in the West since the 1976-77 Los Angeles Lakers.
And this defeat did not do wonders for Malone's hopes of finally guiding the Nuggets to the NBA Finals.
No team across the United States' four major sports have made more playoff appearances without reaching the championship round. This will be their 29th postseason campaign.
"If that's how we're going to play, we'll be out in the first round," the coach said.
"When we don't do our jobs, there's accountability, and I speak the truth.
"I just called our team 'soft,' and I dared someone to challenge me. No one did, because we as a group were soft tonight.
"I'm not saying we are soft, but tonight, we were."
Indeed, the Nuggets were out-rebounded 55-47, although the Rockets lead the league in average rebound margin.
With the Memphis Grizzlies two games back, the Nuggets have three more opportunities to make sure of top spot, continuing their road trip against the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz before returning home to play the Sacramento Kings.
The Golden State Warriors might not like being where they are, but Steve Kerr is nevertheless enjoying the thrill of the chase.
Reigning NBA champions Golden State have endured a disappointing campaign, yet find themselves in the playoff places heading into their final two regular-season games.
The Warriors are fifth in the Western Conference after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 at home on Tuesday, although they will drop down to sixth after the Los Angeles Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State trailed by four heading into the final quarter against the Thunder, but Jordan Poole turned on the style to lead them to victory, while Stephen Curry top scored with 34 points and Draymond Green chipped in with 17.
It got the Warriors, who were without Klay Thompson, back to winning ways following a loss to the Denver Nuggets. They have now won six of their last eight games, and head coach Kerr is revelling in the excitement.
He told reporters: "It's fun, this is all what it's about.
"We love the competition and even though we'd prefer to be home free in the playoffs right now, this is where we are.
"I'm really proud of the guys what they've done here in recent weeks to put ourselves in this position but now we've got to go finish the deal and get into the top six."
Poole starred down the stretch, with 13 of his 30 points coming in the final quarter.
"They all matter. You try to lock in as much as possible and put us in a really good position to be successful," Poole said.
"He's obviously extremely talented," Curry said of Poole. "He can create off the dribble. He's fast in transition.
"We kind of read the gameplan from them, so we just gave JP space, let him go to work. Our biggest thing is just being decisive on offense. Any time we fall late is because we haven't been decisive in our intention or play calls.
"JP played amazing down the stretch, then our defense allowed us to connect the game."
Moses Moody added: "It definitely had that playoff feel to it being out here in these games, how much each game matters, how much each possession matters."
The Los Angeles Lakers needed LeBron James to drag them through against the Utah Jazz, but he might not be available to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
A 135-133 overtime win in Salt Lake City on Tuesday ensured the Lakers guaranteed their spot in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.
Yet with three games remaining of the regular season, the seventh-placed Lakers could still force their way into the playoffs without having to compete in the play-in round. They face the Clippers on Wednesday, with their city rivals sitting a place above them while holding an identical 41-38 record.
James was crucial against the Jazz, scoring 37 points and playing 38 minutes – the most he has managed since returning from a foot injury that kept him out for four weeks.
However, that strain might limit James' availability for Wednesday.
"The extra five minutes definitely didn't help. It definitely didn't help but we needed to get the win," James told reporters, before explaining his process of deeming whether or not he would be able to feature against the Clippers.
"How my foot feels when I wake up and I step out of bed," he added.
"That's been the most important since I've injured it five weeks ago. The next day after either rehab or training or treatment, whatever. It's always that."
Anthony Davis was unusually slack with his shooting, managing just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for 21 points, though he still contributed 14 rebounds and six assists.
Davis has not played in back-to-back games since returning from a right foot issue earlier in 2023, and like James, he was unsure on whether he would face the Clippers.
"I haven't played in a back-to-back in a long time," Davis said.
"So, I mean, we'll all get on a phone call or something tomorrow morning and go from there."
Coach Darvin Ham confirmed no decision had yet been taken.
"We have our short-term business that we need to take care of and our long-term business that we need to take care of," Ham said.
"We prioritise a player's health, first and foremost. Regardless of what the stakes are or the implications of with a win or a loss or all of that.
"We need our players to know that we care about their health, first and foremost.
"If we see that they won't have any issues, in terms of their health, and we're not putting them at risk, then we'll proceed.
"If there's any kind of question marks, we'll walk through them, talk through them, and go from there."
Joel Embiid's stellar showing against the Boston Celtics led Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers to declare the MVP race "over".
Embiid is a likely contender, alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the NBA's MVP award.
But with just five days of the regular season remaining, the Sixers star made an almighty push for the gong with a remarkable display against the Celtics.
Embiid scored 52 points, over half of Philadelphia's total in a 103-101 victory on Tuesday, while adding 13 rebounds and six assists.
The 29-year-old is the first player in the stop-clock era to score more than half of his team's points and shoot 80 per cent from the field.
Wilt Chamberlain, meanwhile, was the only other player to have previously shot 80 per cent from the field and record at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
For Rivers, it means job done in the MVP race.
"The man just scored half our points, in an NBA game," Rivers said.
"I'm biased, but the MVP race is over.
"We did so many things wrong, but what we did right was Joel Embiid."
Embiid's team-mate James Harden echoed Rivers' sentiment, adding: "Joel should win it.
"He's been in contention for it the last few years. He led the league in scoring last year. It looks like he's going to lead the league in scoring this year.
"We're the third seed in the East. He's been consistent all year."
When the comments of Rivers and Harden were put to him, Embiid quipped: "They're probably right, but we got bigger goals.
"We understand we got a chance, but it's not going to be easy. For me, it was kind of disappointing because we found so many ways to lose the game, and that's on all of us.
"I'm part of it. I could've been better. You know, I had a couple of dumb plays. I could've been better, and we could've been better as a team.
"Like I said, we got bigger goals in mind, but we got to be better than that."
As for how to stop Embiid, who is second in the NBA for points this season (2,162) and leads the way for points per game (33.3), Celtics guard Derrick White is non-plussed.
"I think the whole league's trying to figure that out right now," said White. "So, if you got any ideas, I think every other NBA team would like to know."
Philadelphia 76ers center and MVP hopeful Joel Embiid put together arguably his best game of the season on Tuesday to deliver a 103-101 home win against the Boston Celtics.
Embiid put up 52 points – over half of his team's total and the third-most in his career – while shooting a remarkable 20-of-25 from the field. He also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished six assists and blocked two shots in his 39 minutes.
The 29-year-old, who has finished as the runner-up in the past two MVP votes, had never scored more than 50 points in a game prior to this season, but he has done so three times this campaign, highlighted by a 59-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist, seven-block showing against the Utah Jazz in November.
Against the Celtics, Embiid was supported in style by James Harden as the 76ers' second star chipped in 20 points (seven-of-17 shooting) and 10 assists with no turnovers. It was only his second game this season without a turnover.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were left short-handed as All-Star Jaylen Brown was ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, and Jayson Tatum was disappointing in his highly anticipated showdown against Embiid, delivering just 19 points on seven-of-20 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Tatum had a plus/minus of minus 13 in his 38 minutes, meaning Boston were plus 11 in the 10 minutes he was on the bench.
LeBron lifts the Lakers in overtime
The Los Angeles Lakers have now won seven of their past eight fixtures after a 135-133 overtime victory on the road against the Utah Jazz.
It was a mediocre offensive showing from the red-hot Anthony Davis as he shot just seven-of-16 from the field and seven-of-12 from the free throw line for his 21 points, but he added 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.
Instead it was LeBron James coming through for the Lakers, producing his best game since the All-Star break with 37 points (14-of-27 shooting), six assists and five rebounds. Austin Reaves stepped up in D'Angelo Russell's absence, contributing 28 points (eight-of-13) and six assists in an equal team-high 42 minutes.
The win improved the Lakers' record to 41-38, leaving them tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth-best record in the West – with the Lakers and Clippers to face off on Wednesday.
Warriors stay out of the play-in
The Golden State Warriors were at risk of being leapfrogged by the Lakers and falling into the play-in tournament placings, before coming from behind to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125.
It was the Thunder leading 106-102 heading into the fourth quarter, but with Klay Thompson missing through injury, Jordan Poole stepped up as the Warriors' hero.
Poole scored 18 points in the fourth quarter while the Thunder scored 19 as a team, with the fourth-year guard finishing with 30 points (eight-of-19 shooting).
Stephen Curry was just as good, dropping a game-high 34 points (11-of-25), while Most Improved Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points (11-of-17) and seven assists for the Thunder.
The win means the Warriors have jumped the Clippers into the fifth seed with just two games remaining, while the Thunder's loss keeps the Dallas Mavericks alive, with just a half-game separating the 10th and 11th seeds.
The Tampa Bay Rays are the only unbeaten team remaining after improving their record to 5-0 with a come-from-behind 10-6 road victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay began their season with a three-game series sweep at home against the Detroit Tigers, and they have now won all five of their games by at least four runs.
But it was far from smooth sailing against the Nationals, despite the Rays jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Alex Call brought home two runners for Washington in the bottom of the first with a single, and after Jose Siri put Tampa ahead 4-2 with his solo home run in the second frame, the Nationals began to take over.
Lane Thomas tied the game up in the second with a two-RBI double, and Thomas then gave the Nats their first lead with his next at-bat in the fourth inning with an RBI single in an impressive three-hit, three-RBI showing from the right-fielder.
The Rays did not score from the third inning through the seventh, but Randy Arozarena injected some life back into the visitors with his second RBI double of the contest to cut the Nationals' lead to 6-5 going into the last.
Tampa Bay first baseman Luke Raley tied the contest with a solo home run from the very first pitch of the ninth inning, and just three pitches later the Rays had the lead after Josh Lowe followed suit with his own solo homer.
A single from Taylor Walls and a double from Siri put two more runners on base, setting up Yandy Diaz for the 414-foot, three-run bomb to seal the comeback win.
Alcantara shuts out the Twins
The Minnesota Twins came into Tuesday's action unbeaten, before running into a spectacular showing from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara in a 1-0 Miami Marlins triumph.
Alcantara, who had a shaky start in his season opener against the New York Mets, looked right back to his best against the Twins. He pitched the complete nine innings for only three hits and one walk, while striking out five in his 100 pitches.
The only run of the contest came from a solo home run in the second inning from Miami right-fielder Avisail Garcia, snapping a three-game Marlins losing streak.
Another Riley rocket lifts the Braves
Atlanta Braves slugger Austin Riley hit his second home run in as many days to help lift his side to a 4-1 road win against the St Louis Cardinals.
Despite the loss, all 10 Cardinals players to take an at-bat finished with exactly one hit each, but they could not match the power of the Braves.
Following his monstrous 473-foot blast in the opening inning of Monday's game, Riley again went deep in the first inning, this time taking Steven Matz 410 feet over the left-field wall. Orlando Arcia followed Riley's two-run shot with his own solo home run in the second inning.
In his very first start in the majors, 24-year-old Braves rookie Dylan Dodd collected the win as he made it through five innings while giving up six hits and no walks for one run, striking out three in his 73 pitches.
World number five Ons Jabeur is through to the third round of the Charleston Open after making a winning start in a 6-3 6-3 triumph over Lesia Tsurenko on Tuesday.
Jabeur, a finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open this past season, received a bye through to the second round thanks to her status as the second seed, and she had to save three break points in the opening game of the match against Tsurenko.
After repelling the early push, Jabeur rattled off the first five games to take a commanding lead, and she secured another break to begin the second frame.
Meanwhile, with half of the field still completing their first-round matchups, 12th seed Paula Badosa proved too strong for Egypt's Mayar Sherif in a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory.
Spain's Badosa will play Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the second round after the promising 20-year-old took just 72 minutes to dispatch Russia's Evgeniya Rodina 6-3 6-2.
Rodina was the only loss from the four Russians in action on Tuesday, with Anna Kalinskaya defeating Alize Cornet 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-2, 19-year-old Diana Shnaider eliminating Alycia Parks 6-4 6-3, and Varvara Gracheva prevailing 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 against Anna-Lena Friedsam.
Bernarda Pera advanced past Clare Liu 6-4 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 in one of the all-American showdowns, while ninth seed Madison Keys beat Emma Navarro 6-4 6-3 and Shelby Rogers took out Danielle Collins 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-1 in the others.
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, handled the challenge of Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-1, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka came back to defeat Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-3 6-2.
America's J.J. Wolf was the top seed in action on Tuesday at the Houston Open and he had no issue in his 6-3 6-2 first-round victory over Jordan Thompson.
Wolf, the fifth seed at the United States' only clay court event on the ATP Tour calendar, needed just 75 minutes to send the Australian home early on the back of a rock-solid serving performance.
Thompson was not able to produce a single break point opportunity in the match, and Wolf left an exclamation point on the contest by winning the final five games to run away with the win.
Meanwhile, seventh seed Marcos Giron gave the American crowd another win to cheer for in his 6-0 6-2 demolition of Ecuador's Emilio Gomez.
The chance for the double-bagel was there for Giron after winning the first 11 games to race out to a 6-0 5-0 lead, but he blew four match points as Gomez showed no quit and secured a break to at least take the match over the 60-minute mark.
Eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry prevailed 6-3 6-4 in his all-Argentine clash against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, taking a 3-2 lead in their overall head-to-head meetings after rising 21-year-old Cerundolo took the past two.
German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann booked a second-round matchup against second seed Tommy Paul after a hard-fought 6-4 3-6 6-2 triumph over Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, while Chile's Cristian Garin had little resistance in his 6-3 6-0 victory in a South American showdown against Bolivia's Hugo Dellien.
In the late window, Jack Sock failed to complete the United States clean sweep for the day as he fell 6-2 6-4 to the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac.
Luka Doncic accepted responsibility for a Dallas Mavericks defense this season that their Slovenian star believes "anybody can score on".
There was plenty of positivity coming into the season after a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, but things have failed to go according to plan.
But while the Mavericks sit 11th in the West with a 37-42 record – one game behind the 38-41 Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the final play-in tournament spot – they still own the sixth-best offense in the league this season.
Scoring at a rate of 116.0 points per 100 possessions, the Mavericks trail only the New York Knicks (116.8), Denver Nuggets (117.1), Philadelphia 76ers (117.1), Boston Celtics (117.3) and Sacramento Kings (119.0) for the league's best offensive units.
But they also sit 23rd in defense, giving up 115.9 points per 100 possessions, although their stellar offensive play had been enough to keep their head above water prior to the All-Star break.
Since the break – and the trade for Kyrie Irving, where they sent away key rotation pieces Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie – the Mavs have gone 6-13, and while their offense has actually gotten even more efficient (117.5 points per 100 possessions), their defense has cratered even further (118.0).
Doncic called it "a very disappointing season", and pointed to the current group's lack of chemistry – particularly on the defensive end – as one of the main reasons for their late-season collapse.
"I think you don't see that chemistry we had before – I mean, especially last year," he said. "I think that chemistry was at the top, everybody. But chemistry builds not just not right away. It's a long process.
"I don't think the offense is a problem, and I always said this. It's our defensive end. I think anybody can score on us. Whoever it is, anybody can score on us."
But the former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-NBA First Team selection was not looking to point fingers. Doncic highlighted his own packed schedule over the past three years as he spent his offseasons playing for Slovenia internationally, and admitted his defense has reflected his level of fatigue.
"I've been playing basketball for three straight years," he said. "Four weeks in between it was free.
"Sometimes it's really hard for me to play really hard on both ends. But obviously, the defensive end I gotta be way better. But that's not an excuse.
"I'm still young, age-wise, but it's a lot of basketball. But I've got to be way better. I'm the leader of this team – the one to blame is me."
Dominic Thiem claimed his first win since February with victory at the Estoril Open.
The former US Open champion and two-time Roland Garros finalist had gone his previous four ATP Tour-level events without a win.
But Thiem, once ranked as high as third in the world, ended the drought with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat of compatriot Sebastian Ofner.
He will next face American Ben Shelton, who defeated Constant Lestienne 7-5 7-5.
Meanwhile, there were three shocks at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh.
Roberto Carballes Baena came from a set down to beat fifth seed Maxime Cressy, Alexandre Muller overcame sixth seed Richard Gasquet, and qualifier Andrea Vavassori defeated eighth seed Nicolas Jarry.
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