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NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL season doesn't start for another six weeks and already job security is an issue for some coaches.

Yes, even in late July.

Every season, teams that entered with low expectations show significant improvement and make unexpected deep postseason runs. Last season, Jacksonville with coach Doug Marrone went to the AFC championship game and held a late lead at New England before Tom Brady rallied the Patriots. And, of course, the Eagles and coach Doug Pederson, despite losing Carson Wentz to a torn ACL, beat Brady and Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl.

There's always pressure on NFL coaches to win. And win now.

Here are a few who enter the 2018 season on the hot seat:

JASON GARRETT (67-53, 1-2 in playoffs)

There's always pressure on the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, especially with Jerry Jones as owner. The franchise that has won five Super Bowls has not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the 1995 season, the last year it won the NFL title. Garrett has 67 regular-season wins since taking over in the 2010 season. He has had only one losing season as head coach. However, he has reached the postseason only twice and won one game in the playoffs.

The Cowboys were 13-3 two seasons ago and will be expected to be in playoff contention with a full season of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. But the Super Bowl champion Eagles are in their way in the NFC East.

HUE JACKSON (9-39)

Jackson has one win — one — in two seasons in Cleveland; the other eight came as head coach of the Raiders in 2011. The Browns beat the then-San Diego Chargers in overtime in Week 16 of the 2016 season. Otherwise they'd be looking at consecutive 0-16 seasons.

The team also has to find a way to replace longtime star left tackle Joe Thomas.

The Browns hold the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons and fans don't really trust this process. Jackson, a highly regarded offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, is counting on top overall draft pick Baker Mayfield being the team's longtime answer at quarterback. The challenge for Jackson and the Browns is going against the rugged defenses and Super Bowl-winning QBs in Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the AFC North.

TODD BOWLES (22-29)

Life in the AFC East having to deal with the never-ending juggernaut in New England is almost unfair. Facing Brady and Belichick twice every season is not good for any opposing head coach's job security.

Bowles, who received a two-year extension after the 2017 season, is coming off consecutive 5-11 records and has yet to make the playoffs entering his fourth season. Overall, the Jets have failed to reach the postseason for the past seven years.

The Jets have to decide on their starting quarterback — Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater or first-round draft pick Sam Darnold — and need to show progress in 2018.

JAY GRUDEN (28-35-1, 0-1 playoffs)

Job security in DC is always an issue. But Gruden will set the record for the longest-serving coach (65 games) since Dan Snyder took over as owner in 1999 in Week 1 of the upcoming season against Arizona.

Gruden has made the playoffs once in his first four years and lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the wild-card game after the 2015 season.

Gruden's biggest challenge could be at quarterback after Kirk Cousins signed with Minnesota. The team traded for Alex Smith, and the comparisons at the position in the NFC East can be daunting: Dak Prescott, Eli Manning and Carson Wentz — not to mention Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. As with Garrett in Dallas, Gruden also has to contend with the champs in his division.

And there will be comparisons to Jay Gruden's Super Bowl-winning brother, Jon, who has returned to coaching with the Oakland Raiders.

DIRK KOETTER (14-18)

Koetter will enter his third season in Tampa Bay without starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who will miss the first three games while suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after a league investigation of an accusation that the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner groped a female Uber driver during a ride in Arizona in March 2016.

Koetter also is in a division with two teams with recent Super Bowl appearances (Carolina, Atlanta), and getting past them and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick making three starts for Tampa Bay, will be tough.

VANCE JOSEPH (5-11)

Only entering his second season, Joseph's Denver debut was a dud at 5-11 — an avalanche of disappointment by Broncos standards, especially so closely removed from a Super Bowl title.

In an attempt to stabilize the QB position that's been troublesome since Peyton Manning retired, the team signed Case Keenum, who led the Vikings to the NFC championship game last season. Joseph needs big production from Keenum and the rest of the offense to support an overworked defense.

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The trade deadline is right around the corner in Major League Baseball and with roster turnover comes opportunity in daily fantasy. Two things happen every trade deadline: The good teams get better and the bad teams get worse.

The most common deals are with relievers, where contending teams often scoop up the best late inning options from non-contenders, while the teams out of the playoff race turn over the back end of their roster to give minor leaguers an opportunity. Bullpens are already an area of opportunity for daily fantasy as they're often overlooked in traditional analysis. Those who don't account for the changes at the trade deadline will be at a disadvantage.

The first big reliever trade is a great example of how quickly a good bullpen can turn into a bad one. The Padres traded both Adam Cimber, 3.17 ERA, 2.33 fielding independent pitching (FIP) and 2.80 expected fielding independent pitching (xFIP), and Brad Hand (3.05 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 2.89 xFIP) to Cleveland and in their place recalled Kazuhisa Makita (7.09 ERA and 5.63 FIP) and Robert Stock (ZIPs projected 5.54 ERA, 5.52 FIP). The Padres are removing two of their best and most heavily used relievers in favor of two below average relievers. This takes their bullpen, which ranks fourth in xFIP and 11th in ERA, and makes it one of the weaker bullpens in the league.

This will happen repeatedly over the next week and makes it important as the season goes on to stack more frequently against the worst teams in all of baseball. As the bullpen balance skews across the league, the savvy daily fantasy baseball player will be ready to pick on the teams who just made themselves worse.

GOLF

Glen Abbey Golf Club hosts this week's RBC Canadian Open in what should be a welcome change for many in the field who played in last week's British Open, including headliner Dustin Johnson.

Glen Abbey will play as a 7,253 yard par 72 and was the ninth easiest on tour last year relative to par. There were 71 eagles recorded at last year's event, leading to a high scoring fantasy event where par 5 scoring will be important for DraftKings and Fanduel formats. Notable bombers Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson have exceptional history at this event and are also joined by Jhonattan Vegas who has won in back-to-back years. Beyond taking advantage of the par 5s, historical strokes gained data shows that strokes gained approach will make up a greater mix of shots this week, representing 42.3 percent of strokes gained at last year's event compared to a tour average of 34.8 percent. With so much fantasy scoring expected, it will be important to get all six golfers through the cut to the weekend where they can continue to make birdies and eagles, but finding the winner will still be necessary for tournaments.

Dustin Johnson is the class of the field and over the past 50 rounds rates first in total strokes gained, strokes gained off the tee, DraftKings scoring and is second in strokes gained approach and par 5 scoring. DJ averages an eagle every 75.3 holes and is a favorite to record at least one eagle this week at Glen Abbey. At face value, Johnson's $11,700 price tag on DraftKings is expensive, but that is missing the context that he was $11,300 in last week's British Open versus a much stronger field. Johnson is a heavier favorite in betting markets this week and makes for a stronger daily play, particularly in tournament formats. DailyRoto's fantasy golf projections rate Dustin Johnson as a plus-600 favorite and two times more likely to win this event than any other golfer.

If not paying up for Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau is our preferred anchor for fantasy rosters. Over the last 50 rounds, Finau is first in the field in strokes gained efficiency on par 5s and inside of the top 10 on tour in holes per eagle and par 5 birdie or better percentage. Fantasy formats on DraftKings and Fanduel reward this type of scoring, and Finau should find himself safely inside of the top 20 in DraftKings scoring this week. DailyRoto's fantasy golf projections give Finau better odds of finishing inside of the top 10 (27 percent) than they do to miss the cut (just 22 percent), making Finau the perfect play for tournaments and cash games.

Stewart Cink is DailyRoto's top fantasy value selection at a $7,100 price on DraftKings. Cink has now made four straight cuts, all of them finishing inside of the top 25, and is coming off a top 25 finish at the British Open. Cink has a 69 percent chance to make the cut, which rates inside of the top 15 in this field, yet his price is outside of the top 50, making him a strong option to pair with either Johnson or Finau. 

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IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Running back Todd Gurley agreed to a lucrative four-year contract extension through 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday.

Rams general manager Les Snead confirmed a new deal for the NFL's offensive player of the year, calling Gurley a cornerstone of a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

"He's a big part of who we are and where we're going," Snead said. "It's not only Todd, but a lot of guys we want to make Rams for a long time and be part of our core."

The Rams didn't announce the financial terms of the deal, but ESPN said the extension is worth $60 million, with a whopping $45 million guaranteed. That deal contains the NFL's largest annual average value for a running back contract, resetting the market for ball-carriers such as Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott and Arizona's David Johnson — and for Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell next year.

Gurley was a league standout in his third NFL season while playing in first-year coach Sean McVay's explosive offense. He finished second in the NFL with 1,305 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns while catching 64 passes for 788 yards and six more TDs.

The Georgia product was the offensive rookie of the year in 2015 for the St. Louis Rams, overcoming a torn knee ligament from his final season with the Bulldogs to rush for 1,106 yards.

Gurley struggled as part of the NFL's worst offense during the Rams' relocation season in 2016, with his yards-per-carry average dropping from 4.8 to 3.2.

That average shot right back up to 4.7 last season while he carried the ball for the NFC West champions behind a stout offensive line that had the same starters for 15 consecutive weeks. Gurley likely would have won the NFL rushing title if McVay hadn't rested him for the Rams' regular-season finale ahead of their playoff loss to Atlanta.

Gurley has also grown swiftly as a receiver in his three seasons, increasing his catches from 21 as a rookie to 43 and then 64 last season.

While Gurley's long-term future is secure, defensive tackle Aaron Donald still doesn't have a new contract two days before the first practice of training camp.

Donald, the NFL's defensive player of the year, and the Rams have been working on a long-term extension since early last year. Donald skipped all of training camp last year in a holdout, and he missed all of the Rams' offseason activities this spring.

Snead and McVay acknowledged that Donald might not report to training camp Wednesday, but they weren't sure about his plans.

"I do know we've still got time to get something done," Snead said.

Snead said the Rams are actively negotiating with Donald's representatives at CAA Sports, but the GM didn't disclose more details.

Donald is under contract for this season for nearly $6.9 million in the fifth year of his rookie contract.

"We're simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram a long time," Snead said. "That's the goal. Aaron is a big part of who we are, where we want to go, but the details and all that, we're going to continue the course of keeping them in-house."

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian soccer team competing at the World Cup is called the Socceroos. But a different kind of soccer-roo has dominated a pitch for half an hour in Canberra during a women's match.

The misguided marsupial made its first appearance on the stadium soccer field during the half time break on Sunday afternoon in a match between Canberra's two top teams — Canberra Football Club and Belconnen United, Canberra FC official Amber Harvey said on Monday.

The male eastern gray kangaroo bounded back during the second half, indifferent to efforts to drive him away and delaying play for 32 minutes, Harvey said.

"It was just a real menace," Harvey said.

"A few people came close to it to see if they could maybe get it to move on. It stood up pretty tall. I think it was just over 6 feet (183 centimeters), so they backed off pretty quickly. But I don't think anyone was alarmed too much by it," she added.

Players and officials tried to drive the unexpected pitch invader away by kicking balls at him with little impact. Video showed it apparently using his long hind legs and powerful tail to deflect balls from the goal area.

"It didn't react. It just kind of lay down," Harvey said.

A coach in a pickup truck eventually chased the roo from the stadium through a break in the fence into a car park from where it disappeared.

Although the match was played in the exclusive inner suburb of Deakin, kangaroos can be found almost anywhere in Canberra, the national capital.

The suburbs are set in large tracts of woods and grassland. Kangaroos usually doze among the trees by day and wander the streets at night to graze on watered lawns.

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MOSCOW (AP) — Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player in history, has had a miserable World Cup and must turn it around immediately to save Argentina from a humiliating early exit from the tournament.

Messi leads Argentina into a must-win Tuesday game against Nigeria at St. Petersburg Stadium, where the African team would advance out of Group D with a victory. The South Americans are winless at the World Cup, Messi has yet to score a goal, and a victory against Nigeria won't guarantee a spot in the round of 16. Argentina must win, and get help from Croatia, which has already advanced.

Croatia has no pressure in its match against Iceland, which must win its final Group D game in Rostov-on-Don to advance. If Iceland wins, Argentina is out and Messi's international career might be over.

Messi turned 31 two days before the match, and there's strong speculation he'll retire from the national team if Argentina loses.

"That will be our main goal, to make it Messi's last World Cup game," Nigeria defender Bryan Idowu said. "As much as we enjoy watching Messi play, it's against us. There's only one option for us, (which) is that he plays his last game in St. Petersburg."

Argentina fans have been livid over the performances of the national team in this tournament, with much of the wrath directed at Messi. Although Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is a fan of the five-time world player of the year, he has no sympathy for Messi's plight Tuesday.

"Everybody loves him," Rohr said. "But in football there is no mercy, there is no pity. Everyone wants to win and no one can make any gifts, even if we like him so much."

Messi, whose 64 career goals for Argentina, missed a penalty in Argentina's opening match, a 1-1 draw with Iceland. He also failed to score in a 3-0 loss to Croatia. It's part of a disappointing international run in which Messi's only medal with Argentina came 10 years ago at the Summer Olympics.

He didn't score in the 1-0 loss to Germany in the World Cup final four years ago, and was on the losing team in the Copa America finals in 2007, 2015 and 2016.

The match will be the fifth meeting between Argentina and Nigeria at the World Cup, and Argentina has won the last four. Messi scored twice when Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2 in the group stage four years ago.

Iceland, meanwhile, is the nation with the smallest population ever to qualify for a World Cup with 350,000 inhabitants. The entire nation has been following the squad, which is known at home as "Our Boys." The draw against Argentina was an upset, but Iceland then dropped the next game 2-0 to Nigeria.

Iceland beat Croatia in a World Cup qualifier, and now finds its rival in its path again.

"We know the scenario when we play Croatia, it's going to be a really tough game," coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said. "We've often said we're like a married couple. We're trying to get divorced, but we always meet up again."

Both games are at 9 p.m. (2 p.m. EDT, 1800 GMT).

Here's a look at Tuesday's other matches:

DENMARK VS. FRANCE

5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT, 1400 GMT)

France has already advanced and needs only a draw to win Group C. Denmark can move into the round of 16 by earning one point, or if Australia loses to Peru in a game played at the same time.

There's tension before the game being played at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Denmark coach Age Hareide criticized France before the World Cup when he told a Danish newspaper the squad was "nothing special." He even suggested Paul Pogba was too focused on his hairstyles.

That irked the French team, and coach Didier Deschamps said the comments were "not something particularly pleasant."

"My players can read, they can listen," Deschamps said. "They know, they recall very well what the coach said."

Denmark is trying to advance from the group stage for the fourth time in its fifth World Cup appearance, but is without two critical players. Yussuf Poulsen, who scored in a 1-0 opening win over Peru, is suspended for yellow cards. Midfielder William Kvist is back in Russia but had returned home briefly for treatment on cracked ribs and a punctured lung in the game against Peru.

"It's now only the fractures on the ribs that give him problems," Hareide said. "So we have to see if he's fit to train after the match against France."

AUSTRALIA VS. PERU

5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT, 1400 GMT)

Australia used a 1-1 draw against Denmark to remain in contention for a spot in the round of 16, and Peru has already been eliminated.

Australia needs to win and could use 38-year-old striker Tim Cahill, who has yet to play in Russia, because even with a victory over Peru the squad needs goals. An Australia victory, coupled with a France win over Denmark, would lead to goal difference determining which team advances with France.

If Cahill gets into the match and scores, he'd be the fifth player to score in four World Cups — joining Pele, Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Australia has struggled to score in the World Cup and its last three goals in the tournament have come from penalty kicks, including two from captain Mile Jedinak in Russia. Australia is only the second team in World Cup history to score three consecutive goals from the penalty spot. Ghana did it from 2006-2010.

Peru will likely be without striker Jefferson Farfan, who was hospitalized with a head injury from a hard collision with a teammate during training over the weekend.

This match will be the first between Australia and Peru.

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — UConn President Susan Herbst told Kevin Ollie she was upholding his firing because the former men's basketball coach had a pattern of breaking NCAA rules and committed serious violations, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The school released the June 19 letter from Herbst to Ollie on Monday in response to open records requests from the AP and other news organizations.

Ollie has asserted that the violations which led to his firing in March were minimal and isolated.

Herbst refutes that idea in the letter, writing that "eventually even a series of 'isolated' or 'de mimimis' violations can become a pattern of non-compliance, which is what occurred in the Men's Basketball program under your leadership."

She said the violations "are serious under any definition which may be applied and constitute just cause for your termination."

Ollie's attorney, Jacques Parenteau, said the minor issues cited by Herbst can't be called a pattern "just by lumping them together and claiming a pattern exists."

"The collective bargaining agreement requires 'serious misconduct' with each act to be viewed on its own merit in order to have just cause to terminate employment," he said. "President Herbst's letter claiming serious misconduct based on this alleged 'pattern of non-compliance' is just bootstrapping and nothing more than a desperate attempt to articulate a reason that sound legitimate in order to deny Coach Ollie the money he is owed by UConn."

Ollie has been appealing the decision to fire him with cause, which would allow the school to forgo paying him the more than $10 million left on his contract with the school.

Michael Bailey, the director of the UConn chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the employee union that represents Ollie has said the union plans to take the decision to arbitration.

The violations cited by Athletic Director David Benedict in firing Ollie and outlined in more than 1,300 pages of documents released last week include: Ollie shooting baskets with a recruit during an unofficial visit to the school last September; Ollie arranging a video call between a potential recruit and Ray Allen, the former NBA great who is now considered a school booster by the NCAA and Ollie arranging improper training sessions with a friend who is a personal trainer both on campus and during out of state trips that amounted to improper gifts.

Herbst said in her letter that Ollie's failure to report any inadvertent violations constitutes either a knowing disregard for his compliance obligations or a "gross inability to satisfy them."

Ollie was fired after a 14-18 season amid an NCAA investigation. He led UConn to a 127-79 record over six seasons, including the 2014 national title.

The NCAA has not released the results of its investigation.

The documents provided by UConn last week include transcripts of interviews by the school's compliance staff and NCAA officials about alleged violations. That includes secondhand information provided by former UConn assistant coach Glenn Miller, who was fired by Ollie after the 2016-17 season, about an alleged $30,000 payment by Ollie to the mother of a player.

That was not cited by Benedict as one of the issues leading to Ollie's firing and Parenteau has said it is untrue.

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Marvin Bagley III dominated at Duke, while fellow freshman Michael Porter Jr. barely saw action at Missouri due to injury. Yet they'll likely be the first forwards to hear their names called during Thursday's draft.

Bagley is a possible No. 1 overall pick and double-double machine with a long frame. But many considered Porter to be the top NBA prospect in last year's class as he works to prove he's past the back injury that required surgery and limited his college career to just three games.

Here's a look of the top forwards in the draft:

MARVIN BAGLEY III

Bagley lived up to all expectations, being named The Associated Press player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a first-team All-American .

STRENGTHS: The 6-foot-11 forward checks a lot of boxes: athleticism, inside-out ability, length. He averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. He has good touch around the rim, the ability to shoot over defenders and was a strong finisher.

CONCERNS: Bagley is still developing defensively, particularly when it comes with what is happening away from the ball. He also tends to be too left-hand reliant at times and needs to improve going the other way.

MICHAEL PORTER JR.

The injury creates plenty of uncertainty and makes the 6-10 forward a bit of a wild card, one who could return top-of-the-draft value for a mid-lottery price.

STRENGTHS: Porter was considered by many as last year's top recruitwith his scoring, playmaking ability and athleticism. He was a McDonald's All-American in high school after averaging 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game during his senior year.

CONCERNS: There's little to evaluate with Porter against college competition considering he was hurt minutes into the season opener. He didn't play again until the postseason. It's unclear if the injury will limit his ceiling in any way.

MILES BRIDGES

Michigan State's sophomore is a versatile lottery prospect in a pro-ready 6-7 body.

STRENGTHS: Bridges did a lot of things well last year while averaging 17.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He's strong enough to both tussle with bigger players and overpower perimeter forwards. And he was excellent at the foul line (.853) to cash in when drawing contact.

CONCERNS: Bridges needs to continue honing his perimeter skills. He shot nearly 39 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, but slid to 36 percent last year.

MIKAL BRIDGES

The 6-7 junior swingman developed into a potential top-10 pick for national champion Villanova.

STRENGTHS: Bridges offers the desired combination of 3-point shooting and defensive ability, a valuable package in today's NBA. Bridges shot nearly 44 percent from behind the arc. He also has the length to be a disruptive defender after leading the Wildcats with 61 steals.

CONCERNS: Bridges needs to add some more strength to a lean 209-pound frame. He also blended in offensively on a deep and efficient offense, so he didn't need to show a lot when it came to creating his own shot.

KEVIN KNOX

The 6-9 freshman out of Kentucky brings a stretch-4 skillset with good size and shooting range, making him a possible lottery pick.

STRENGTHS: Knox has NBA shooting range, fluid offensive moves and the ability to get out in transition. He showed his high ceiling with 34 points on 11-for-17 shooting with five 3-pointers in a win at West Virginia in January.

CONCERNS: He was a bit of a streaky shooter at times who hit just 34 percent of his 3-pointers. He also could be a tougher rebounder; he had only two double-figure rebounding outputs in 37 games compared to 13 games with four or fewer boards.

OTHERS TO WATCH

— KOSTAS ANTETOKOUNMPO: The long 6-10 forward from Dayton aims to join his All-Star brother Giannis in the NBA, though he's a project who needs time to develop and get stronger.

— KEITA BATES-DIOP: The Ohio State junior with a 7-3 wingspan made himself a possible first-rounder with a big season that included being named Big Ten player of the year.

— JUSTIN JACKSON: Maryland's 6-7 sophomore could potentially play at small forward or as an undersized power forward with a 7-3 wingspan, though the likely second-rounder missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.

— MOE WAGNER: The 6-11 junior helped Michigan reach the NCAA championship game with his inside-out versatility . He's a likely second-round prospect.

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MOSCOW (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal can send Morocco to an early World Cup exit on Wednesday.

A second straight defeat would ensure elimination for the North African side which has not let an opposing player score in this World Cup campaign since 2015.

An own goal by Morocco forward Aziz Bouhaddouz in stoppage-time was decisive in a 1-0 loss to Iran last Friday in a game it mostly dominated.

"Because they lost the first game, Morocco will give everything. They have no other choice," Portugal forward Andre Silva said.

Portugal's opening 3-3 draw with Spain in a World Cup classic means Morocco must take at least one point before the Spanish play Iran in Wednesday's late game in Kazan.

That will mean stopping Ronaldo on the main stage of Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow after his irresistible hat trick in Sochi, including a stunning late free kick.

The Morocco defense, however, is proven to be resilient. Anchored by Juventus center back Mehdi Benatia, the Atlas Lions kept six clean sheets in its African qualifying group. It was back in November 2015 that Morocco conceded a single goal to Equatorial Guinea in a two-leg qualifying round won 2-1 on aggregate.

"We're capable of winning the match," midfielder Faycal Fajr said, citing underdog Iceland's 1-1 draw against Argentina one day after Morocco's opener. "I always say, if there's a will, there's a way."

"Even after the defeat (to Iran) the atmosphere in the squad is still excellent," Fajr said.

Morocco will aim to convert any early pressure and scoring chances into goals this time, having wasted 13 attempts and 64-percent possession against Iran.

Forward Khalid Boutaib could get his chance to start after Ayoub El Kaabi was preferred by coach Herve Renard in St. Petersburg.

Noureddine Amrabat is a selection doubt after sustaining a head injury against Iran. Though he was reported to be taking a week-long break from training, the 31-year-old midfielder has been back in training working separately from the squad.

RECENT HISTORY

There was high drama in stoppage time the last time Ronaldo and Benatia faced each other, in a Champions League quarterfinal, second-leg match in April.

Then, Real Madrid and Juventus were heading to extra time with each winning 3-0 away from home.

Benatia then pushed Lucas Vazquez in the back as the Madrid and Spain player went to shoot. A penalty was awarded, and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was sent off for his furious reaction to the referee.

Ronaldo scored, inevitably, and Madrid advanced on its way to a record 13th European title.

OLDER HISTORY

Morocco and Portugal have been down this road before, in a 1986 World Cup group in Mexico.

Facing three European opponents, Morocco drew 0-0 with Poland and England, then beat Portugal 3-1 in Guadalajara.

Morocco topped that group to enter the Round of 16 and Portugal finished last.

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SOCHI, Russia (AP) — This is unfamiliar territory for five-time World Cup champion Brazil.

The last time it didn't win its first game in a World Cup, Pele had just retired from soccer. The "Selecao" had won every one of its opening matches since 1978, a year after "The King's" farewell.

Brazil drew Sweden 1-1 back then, the same score of its match against Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don on Sunday, when all the hype surrounding Neymar and his teammates turned into disappointment and concern.

The result that ended Brazil's nine-match winning streak in openers left the national team two points behind group leader Serbia, which defeated Costa Rica 1-0 earlier Sunday.

One of the main title favorites, Brazil suddenly sees itself having to come from behind to keep alive its hopes of winning the team's first world title since 2002. But although the result felt like a loss, there was no reason to panic just yet, as Brazil remains heavily favored to advance. Switzerland, No. 6 in the world, was considered Brazil's toughest opponent in Group E.

Another consolation was the fact that in 2010, Spain lost its opener against Switzerland but went on to win the title anyway. Also, Argentina and Germany also failed win in their openers in Russia, while Spain and Portugal drew when they played each other in their initial match.

"Nobody can win or lose the World Cup in the first match," Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus said. "We have two decisive matches ahead of us. Of course we didn't want to draw, but we also didn't lose. We are more alive than ever."

Brazil next faces Costa Rica on Friday in St. Petersburg and anything but victory will be a disaster. But three points would put Brazil right back in position to advance from the group. Its final game will be against Serbia on June 27 in Nizhny Novgorod.

"This is only the beginning," defender Miranda said. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We have to move on and keep going match by match. We'll try to win the three points in the next one."

Brazil now hasn't won in three straight World Cup matches, following the 2014 losses to Germany in the semifinals and to the Netherlands in the third-place match at the home tournament. It's a winless streak that hadn't happened since 1978, when it reached four World Cup games without a victory.

Brazil followed that 1978 draw against Sweden with a scoreless tie against Spain before defeating Austria 1-0 in the last group match to survive and advance to the second round. It eventually finished the tournament in third place.

Brazil has conceded goals in six straight World Cup matches, going back to a 0-0 draw against Mexico in the second match of the group stage in 2014.

The Brazilians complained of two key refereeing decisions that went against the five-time champions Sunday: A push on Miranda that aided Switzerland's goal, and a no-call they felt should have produced a penalty.

But coach Tite acknowledged his side could have played better. "This team can produce more," he said.

Brazil made too many mistakes with the ball, missing easy passes throughout the field and failing to capitalize on the chances it created, especially in the second half after conceding the equalizer.

Switzerland marked Neymar well and didn't let him play by making several fouls on the Paris Saint-Germain star. He was limping when he talked to reporters after the match but said it was nothing serious. Team doctors also dismissed any significant problem with Neymar, who was out for about three months earlier this year because of a foot injury.

Tite said Neymar might not be fully fit until the team's third match in Russia.

A fully fit Neymar will be needed if Brazil can't turn things around and arrive for the deciding match against Serbia on the brink of elimination.

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Veteran coach Barry Trotz is leaving the Washington Capitals less than two weeks after leading them to the Stanley Cup.

Trotz informed the team of his decision Monday, 11 days after Washington won the championship in five games over the Vegas Golden Knights. It was the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

"After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am officially announcing my resignation," Trotz said. "When I came to Washington four years ago we had one goal in mind and that was to bring the Stanley Cup to the nation's capital. We had an incredible run this season culminating with our players and staff achieving our goal and sharing the excitement with our fans."

The 55-year-old Trotz went into the season without any certainty about his future when ownership and general manager Brian MacLellan last summer opted not to give him a contract extension. Trotz's situation was a significant story line throughout the Capitals' playoff run, and MacLellan said the coach would be back if he wanted to.

Asked the day after the championship parade if he was confident of bringing Trotz back on a new contract, MacLellan responded: "I don't know. We'll find out."

In a statement, the team thanked Trotz for his efforts the past four years and said it was grateful for his leadership and accomplishments.

The Capitals went to the playoffs all four year under Trotz, including two Presidents' Trophy-winning seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Shaun Livingston and JaVale McGee have been giving the Golden State Warriors a huge lift in these NBA Finals by making every shot they take look easy.

Then again, they've all have been easy.

Livingston is a perfect 9 for 9 from the field in this championship series. McGee is 8 for 9 — and his lone miss came when he tried a dunk and stuffed the ball into the rim instead. The average distance of their made field goals is a staggeringly close 3 1/2 feet, which is basically gimme range in golf and darn close to gimme range in basketball as well — especially at this level.

For as spectacular as LeBron James has been in the first two games, his Cleveland Cavaliers are down 2-0 largely because the Warriors' supporting cast members like Livingston and McGee — journeymen of sorts — are soundly outplaying their Cavs' counterparts.

Stephen Curry is playing like an NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have been brilliant, and Draymond Green is quietly averaging a near triple-double. But the Warriors' motto is "strength in numbers," and Livingston and McGee are personifying that.

"It's just being aggressive, being in the right spot too," Livingston said. "It's nothing really magical about what I do or how I've been playing. I've been fortunate enough to, you know, shoot at a high clip. But a lot of those are dunks. Also, just being in the right spot on the court."

Livingston has taken three jumpers, all of them mid-rangers of about 13 feet, in this series. Everything else has been at the rim. McGee made one shot from about 6 feet; his other eight attempts from the floor have basically been dunks.

McGee was moved into the starting lineup for Game 2. He said Tuesday that he doesn't know if he'll stay there for Game 3 in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

"These are some of the greatest teams in the world, ever," McGee said. "It's a beautiful thing to be a part of it and to be a contributor in it."

It's a difficult enough spot for the Cavaliers to deal with Curry, particularly when he is coming off an NBA Finals-record nine 3-pointers in Game 2. It's daunting to deal with Durant, one of the few guys in the league who can post up against James, turn and face the four-time MVP and shoot over him with relative ease. It's maddening to chase Thompson around and have him get shots off using his super-quick release, even when he's fairly well covered.

Golden State opponents expect that.

Livingston and McGee shooting 17 for 18, that just doesn't seem fair.

"I think when you're locked in and you're trying to take away K.D., you're trying to take away Steph and Klay, Livingston, McGee, they're going to get some shots," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "We've just got to do a better job of taking away the easy dunks and layups around the basket. When you're focusing on those three guys, other guys are going to get shots. But we've got to do a good job of just taking away the easy ones."

McGee got the Warriors off and running in Game 2 with two easy dunks to open the game. Golden State never trailed.

Livingston said that wound up being a huge energy boost for Golden State, and he knows that the Cavaliers will aim to take the easy ones at the rim away in Game 3. As such, the Warriors might already have a counter in mind for whatever anticipated adjustment Cleveland makes.

"Coaches, I think they have a good game plan moving forward, seeing maybe what kind of adjustments Cleveland can make," Livingston said. "We just have to be ready. Steph, Kevin, Klay, our scorers, they take the majority of the load, right? So they get a lot of the attention and the pressure. I think we have to be ready, all us other guys, to relieve some of that pressure."

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A salary-cap squeeze threatened to slam the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup window shut. Instead, it busted it wide open.

When the dollars didn't add up to be able to keep a handful of key contributors to back-to-back Presidents' Trophy-winning teams, the Capitals went bargain hunting to sign bought-out winger Devante Smith-Pelly, who general manager Brian MacLellan termed a "project." Up against the cap at the trade deadline, they acquired lightly used defenseman Michal Kempny from Chicago.

"Some of the best acquisitions are ones that are under the radar, ones that fit almost seamlessly," coach Barry Trotz said. "Some of the best deals that we've made are those ones that, even myself I'm like, 'Hmm, that's a little bit of an upgrade, not a big one.' And they ended up being the biggest upgrades because they're not sexy names."

Kempny said "probably nobody knew my name when I came here or played in Chicago," and Smith-Pelly had his name on the back of three other NHL teams' jerseys before this season. Now they're key pieces for a team one win from the Stanley Cup after the Capitals hit on exactly the kind of moves every championship contender is looking to make.

All it cost was a one-year deal at the league minimum to sign Smith-Pelly after he was bought out by the Devils, and a third-round pick to get Kempny from the Blackhawks. Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby have led Washington to this point, up 3-1 on the Vegas Golden Knights with the chance to raise the Cup after Game 5 on Thursday night. But they wouldn't be here without the contributions of Smith-Pelly and Kempny.

After a seven-goal regular season, Smith-Pelly has six goals in the playoffs, including potential series daggers in Games 3 and 4 of the final. This isn't exactly where the 25-year-old thought he'd be just under a year ago when he found out a minute before the buyout deadline that the Devils were cutting him.

"You only get so many chances to stick," said Smith-Pelly, a 2010 second-round pick who bounced from Anaheim to Montreal to New Jersey, never putting up more than 17 points in a season. "I knew that this could be my last one, so I kind of took the buyout personally and listened to what the coaching staff had to say and what they wanted, and just went out there and did it."

Smith-Pelly wasn't even guaranteed a roster spot when he signed. He developed into a teammate on and off the ice that helped propel the Capitals to another division title despite losing forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik, and defensemen Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk last summer. He was the Capitals' Masterton Trophy nominee for perseverance and dedication to hockey after taking an incident of racist "basketball, basketball, basketball" taunts and turning it into a positive when he facilitated money be donated to Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington.

"What happened was obviously pretty negative," Smith-Pelly said. "But for the people of Chicago to feel that they needed to donate money and for me to give it to Fort Dupont I thought turned a pretty bad thing into something that could change many kids' lives in that area."

Smith-Pelly always seems to find the positive. He brushed off a puck to the face at the morning skate Monday and scored a back-breaking goal that night.

Kempny has done the same. Stepping on a puck during pregame warmups led to a spill and stitches across the bridge of his nose, but the 27-year-old missed no time. He then pumped in a Game 4 goal that helped put the Capitals on the verge of winning the Cup.

It's the latest impact Kempny has made on his new team after fitting in as a top-four defenseman alongside John Carlson.

"He played big minutes against top players, be it the (Evgeni) Malkins and the (Sidney) Crosbys, and he's done a really good job," Trotz said." He's just one of those players that is effective — efficient, effective, gets it done. You're not going to see a lot of offense. He's got some great looks, though. You talk about a guy who's developing maybe from more of a stay-at-home type of defenseman to a guy who recognizes opportunity."

This is the opportunity Kempny had been waiting for after being a third-pairing defenseman with the Blackhawks, and sometimes a healthy scratch. Coach Joel Quenneville wasn't a fan, so the Capitals made a deal arguably more meaningful than Evander Kane to San Jose, Paul Stastny to Winnipeg, or Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay.

"Adding Kempny helped a lot," MacLellan said. "I think we had him projected right. He's a good skater, a good puck mover. I know he was not always in the lineup in Chicago, but he was our No. 1 target going into the trade deadline."

Carlson watched video of Kempny's games to get an understanding of his new defense partner. Kempny had to regain his confidence after feeling like the "last warm body on the bench."

"When you are not playing, you can't be a better player. It's impossible," Kempny said. "I never played in Chicago against top lines. I didn't know if I could play against them or not. But I got a chance here, so I proved to myself that I can play against top lines."

The Capitals have shown they can play against and beat anyone, with Smith-Pelly and Kempny proving to be perfect pieces for a team eying a championship.

"Everything's worked out very well," Smith-Pelly said. "If we end up winning, that would be the cherry on top."

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry backpedaled in pure joy. He skipped, hollered and let the ball fly from everywhere with that feeling he gets when there's no way it will miss — unwavering even with a defender's hand in his face.

Curry dazzled in outdueling LeBron James as the two superstars traded big shots and celebratory moves, hitting an NBA Finals-record nine 3-pointers and scoring 33 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 122-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night for 2-0 lead.

"Pretty special night," Curry said, "and hopefully some more special things happen and we get two more wins."

Kevin Durant found his steady stroke to score 26 points to go with nine rebounds and seven assists while also handling a load of the defensive assignment against James. Klay Thompson added 20 points playing on a tender left leg to put the defending champions two wins from a repeat title they have talked about since the season began last fall.

James followed up his 51-point performance in Game 1 with 29 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in a far tamer finals sequel — and a much more lopsided one — minus the utter craziness of a drama-packed opener three days prior.

Game 3 is Wednesday night in Cleveland.

"We want to continue to be uncomfortable," James said. "Just because we're going home doesn't mean we can relax."

Kevin Love had 22 points and 10 boards for the cold-shooting Cavs, who will now try to gain some momentum back home.

Curry had the shot of the night with 7:54 to play, making an off-balance swish from several feet behind the 3-point arc over Love as the shot clock wound down, then scooted backward in delight. Curry fell into the first row of fans with a baseline 3 again over Love and four-point play at the 5:44 mark of the fourth.

"He's a big shot taker, big shot maker," Draymond Green said. "Tough shot taker, tough shot maker."

The long shot over Love stood out to Curry's Splash Brother, Thompson.

"About seven seconds on the clock he just kept going backward, I don't know why, but he just threw it up and I didn't think it had any chance of going in," Thompson said. "That was kind of like a dagger shot. It just gave us all the momentum back."

The two-time MVP made 11 of 26 shots and was 9 for 17 from deep.

James pointed with both hands after his 3 with 11:04 remaining got his team within seven, before Curry answered from deep the next two trips down the floor.

"Those moments when you can come down and answer and keep the momentum on our side, it's big," Curry said. "Keep the crowd into it."

Curry and James had a tense moment in the third, too.

James became irate at the officials for a no-call on Curry, who ran beneath the Cavs star and didn't let him land with 3:54 remaining in the quarter as James caught Love's long pass and went out of bounds. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue was hit with a technical, saying afterward he didn't say much but was on the court.

JaVale McGee scored 12 points, making all six of his shots in his first career NBA Finals start as Kerr made a lineup switch that proved spot on.

The typically efficient Durant connected on 10 of 14 shots after going just 8 for 22 — 1 of 7 on 3s — in the opener but still scoring 26 points.

Last year's NBA Finals MVP made his initial five field goals Sunday, driving right at James on offense and doing all he could to fluster him on defense.

James hit a 3 over Durant's outstretched arm midway through the third, then Tristan Thompson's basket the next possession pulled the Cavs within 72-66. But they couldn't contain Curry and the rest of the Warriors for extended stretches.

The Warriors vowed to make it harder for James to generate good looks after he shot 19 for 32 in the series opener, and James went 12:06 of game time between made baskets.

James went 10 for 20, showing few signs his shot was altered by a bloodshot left eye. He had been taking antibiotics and using drops after being poked in the eye by Green in the first half Thursday.

The Warriors earned a wacky 124-114 overtime win in Game 1 Thursday night — featuring J.R. Smith's blunder when he grabbed an offensive rebound in the waning moments of regulation and dribbled back toward halfcourt rather than shooting for the victory, and an overturned charge call against James.

Smith received rousing cheers from the home fans during pregame introductions and "M-V-P!" chants greeted him when he went to the foul line.

Thompson played after bruising his lower left leg when Smith slid into him in the first quarter Thursday. The Warriors All-Star has never missed a postseason game.

Kerr went with 7-foot big man McGee to start in place of Kevon Looney — McGee's 10th career start in the postseason.

McGee scored the first four points as Golden State made its initial seven shots and 10 of 11.

Another key role player, Shaun Livingston, made his five field-goal tries for 10 points to give Golden State a lift in the first half after making all four of his shots Thursday.

"They're a dangerous ballclub no matter what," James said. "It starts with those four guys, those four All-Stars. Everybody else just does their job and they don't miss a beat when they put someone in or they take someone out."

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: James' first-half line: 15 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals. His first points — the first for Cleveland — came on a goaltend by McGee. ... After holding a 19-4 edge on the offensive glass in Game 1, the Cavs were 15-7 on Sunday.

Warriors: Curry broke Ray Allen's mark of eight for most 3s in a finals game. ... Thompson played in his franchise-record 100th postseason game. He also became the sixth player to ever make 300 3s in the postseason, joining Curry as the Warriors to reach the feat. ... The Warriors were 13 of 15 from inside the arc in the opening quarter. They shot 59.5 percent in the first half despite going 6 of 19 on 3s. They finished 15 for 36 from long range.

IGUODALA STILL OUT

Warriors forward Andre Iguodala missed his sixth straight postseason game nursing a bone bruise in his left knee.

Kerr remains optimistic the 2015 NBA Finals MVP will play at some point in the series.

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LeBron James is friends with Draymond Green, has worked out with Kevin Durant, speaks with great reverence for Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr.

They all do like each other.

And, to those watching the NBA Finals, that might be easy to forget at times.

Turns out, when the same franchises meet for the fourth consecutive year to decide the NBA championship, familiarity indeed does breed contempt. Tensions have been high at times in the first two games of this series, emotions have started to boil over on a couple of occasions, and that trend will likely be continuing until someone hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

"Even with turnover from players, you have a continuity of management, continuity of culture in organizations," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "There's the institutional memory there of the wins and the losses. And so, I think it is very meaningful and when you have the same teams that are meeting for the fourth time, it's part of a larger storyline. It's not just a one-off game or a one-off series."

Translated: Everyone should have seen this coming.

There was the dustup at the end of Game 1 when Cleveland's Tristan Thompson was angered by the Warriors' Shaun Livingston trying a jumper with the outcome already decided. There was Klay Thompson angered by the recklessness of J.R. Smith crashing into his leg early in the series opener. There was Kendrick Perkins jawing at Stephen Curry after the third quarter of Game 2.

The Warriors and the Cavaliers are certainly not lacking for intensity in these finals.

"Much ado about nothing," Curry said Sunday night, likely not the most completely honest statement of his career since it couldn't have been just a coincidence that he made all five of his 3-pointers in the next 8:33 to turn the game into a blowout.

Game 3 is in Cleveland on Wednesday night, with the Warriors up 2-0. Emotions will simmer until then.

"It's just basketball," Tristan Thompson said. "It's just a competitive sport. Of course we're going to get irritated with each other, just because we're both competitors and we both want it all. But it never goes off the court. Maybe for some guys it does, but not for me."

Rivalries are what make the sport great.

There was the Celtics-Lakers hatred of eras gone past. Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons otherwise known as the Bad Boys. Pat Riley, back in the day, used to forbid his Knicks and Heat teams from helping up opponents when they knocked them over and discouraged fraternizing with the enemy — ever, including the offseason.

Times have changed. Guys vacation together now. It's a new era.

"We're not holding hands and singing songs as friends," Curry said. "We're enjoying the competitive environment. I think that's the consistent thing between our two teams. Obviously we see each other twice a year during the regular season and then you wait until June. ... It's just about winning a championship. You don't want to let anything distract us from that on the floor."

Sometimes, the ribbing goes off the court.

James raised eyebrows when he showed up with a suit jacket and matching shorts for Game 1, then arrived at Game 2 with a similar look. Never missing a chance to get under someone's collar, Green showed up at Game 2 also in the jacket-shorts mode.

"Fun," Green said.

There's basketball beefs, and then there's real-world beefs. Someone tried to get Green to draw a parallel between the Warriors-Cavs animus and the recent musical rivalry between Pusha T and Drake.

He didn't bite.

"This is nothing like that, nothing at all like that," Green said.

Everything is fun for the Warriors right now, since they've won the first two games. Understandably, not much seems like fun to the Cavaliers. But no matter how this series ends, whenever it ends, there will be hugs and handshakes.

Until then, it's just all part of the game.

That's why things, while often heated, never seem to get overheated.

"They're a championship team, we're a championship team, and we both have experience," the Warriors' Kevon Looney said. "So it's going to get a little chippy out there."

The commissioner is fine with that, provided things stay within reason.

"The game ends, they take their proverbial cold shower and then they put it behind them," Silver said. "Until the next game."

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BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly will receive ESPN's Jimmy V Award for the toughness and perseverance he's displayed during his ongoing battle with oral cancer.

ESPN officially announced the honor Monday, a few hours after Kelly first revealed the news while attending his charitable foundation's 32nd golf tournament outside of Buffalo. Kelly will be honored during the network's ESPY Awards on July 18.

The award is named for late North Carolina State men's basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, who gave an inspirational speech at the ESPYs in 1993 less than two months before he died of cancer. Valvano most notably led the Wolfpack on an improbable run to win the 1983 NCAA Tournament championship.

Kelly had surgery to have cancer removed from his jaw in Marchafter tests revealed a recurrence. The 58-year-old Kelly was initially diagnosed five years ago with skin cancer and had been cancer free since September 2014.

Kelly is still unable to eat solid foods. He is scheduled to have an operation on June 21, when doctors plan to add tissue to the upper portion of his mouth. He is then scheduled to have permanent dentures inserted during another procedure in September.

Kelly said he's honored to receive the award, before joking that "the only bad thing about it is you have to go through a lot to get it."

Difficult as it has been for him, Kelly leans on his faith and says he continues to battle to help inspire others who have cancer.

"The good Lord has put me in this situation to help not only the people out there who are suffering from cancer, but little kids, too, who are going through tough times to never give up, to keep fighting, because you never know," Kelly said.

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Steve Clifford was there the last time the Orlando Magic were a playoff contender.

He's being asked to make them one again.

Clifford was announced Wednesday as the new coach of the Magic, a team that has missed the playoffs in each of the last six years. Clifford — who spent the last five seasons as coach of the Charlotte Hornets — was an assistant coach on Stan Van Gundy's Magic staff during the team's most recent playoff run in 2012.

"We are very excited to welcome Steve back into the Magic family," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. "Steve is widely regarded throughout the NBA community as an elite coach and developer of players at all stages. His teams have always been disciplined and prepared, and have embraced the concept of playing for each other."

The team scheduled a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Clifford is replacing Frank Vogel, who was let go after two seasons. Clifford — who missed 21 games this past season while dealing with severe headaches brought on by sleep deprivation — was fired by Charlotte at the end of this season, after going 196-214.

Hiring Clifford is easily the biggest move made so far by Weltman. He took over the club a year ago after the team fired Rob Hennigan and ended his five-year run that never got on solid footing.

Weltman made the decision after this season to part with Vogel, who was a proven winner in Indiana but simply didn't have a playoff-caliber roster in Orlando.

Neither does Clifford, at this point anyway. It will take more than a coaching change to improve Orlando's fortunes.

Clifford was ousted in Charlotte after a front-office shakeup. Owner Michael Jordan fired general manager Rich Cho and eventually hired Mitch Kupchak to replace him in April. Kupchak fired Clifford not long afterward.

The Hornets went to the playoffs twice in Clifford's five seasons, never winning a playoff series.

"The NBA isn't about winning — the NBA is about winning in the playoffs," Clifford said at the end of Charlotte's season.

Clifford is coming to a franchise that has lost more games than any other NBA club over the past six years — 335. That's four more than Philadelphia, a franchise that was openly tanking for years before turning things around this season.

The Magic weren't tanking. They've just been bad.

Orlando hasn't had longer than a five-game winning streak at any time over the last six seasons. But over that same span, the Magic have had 23 losing streaks of at least five games. On their way to a 25-57 record that left them 18 games out of a playoff spot, the Magic had two seven-game slides and two other nine-game skids.

Since Van Gundy left, the Magic have gone through a series of resets.

There have been 62 players in uniform over the last six seasons — none of them an All-Star while in Orlando — and now five different coaches. Van Gundy was replaced by Jacque Vaughn, who was let go after 2 1/2 seasons and replaced on an interim basis by James Borrego. Scott Skiles then took over for one year, and Vogel ran things the last two seasons.

Clifford now gets his chance.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — After just one game, it's already clear this Stanley Cup Final is on thin ice. Thin, patchy, slushy, rut-riddled ice.

The Vegas Golden Knights have shocked the sporting world by playing for a championship in their inaugural season. But their incredible playoff run has taken them straight into summer in the Mojave Desert, where temperatures routinely soar past 100 degrees from May to October.

With sizzling heat outside and a frenzied sellout crowd inside, T-Mobile Arena's ice melted into an inconsistent playing surface for the Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals in the series opener.

Despite constant sprucing from attendants during timeouts, both teams chased the puck through dozens of weird bounces and unpredictable slides while Vegas rallied for a 6-4 victory.

"It was pretty bad," Washington forward Jay Beagle said. "It's so hot outside, so it's not like it's a surprise."

And it's about to get worse: The mercury on the Strip could hit triple digits Wednesday for Game 2, when the league is likely to see its hottest outdoor temperature ever recorded at a Final game.

But before any Canadians develop heatstroke at the prospect of their national game being played in a Nevada swimming pool, players on both teams were eager to make it clear the Vegas ice is absolutely playable.

"It's the same for both teams, which is why it doesn't matter," Vegas forward James Neal said. "It's still the same game for everybody. Of course, everybody would like to play on perfect ice, but that doesn't happen at this time of year."

Middling ice quality can be a fact of life year-round in NHL rinks, particularly for the Sun Belt teams from Anaheim to Miami, yet their players still thrive. It's common to see ice deterioration in rinks at various latitudes when temperatures rise while the NHL playoffs roll through spring.

The Capitals are well aware they won't skate onto a pristine Nordic pond when they return to Capital One Arena for Game 3 on Saturday — not with 85-degree temperatures and 70-percent humidity in the Washington forecast.

"It's probably the time of the year where it's pretty hard to keep the ice fresh," Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov said. "But both teams play on the same ice."

Both coaches used the Vegas ice quality to emphasize points in their game plan that would probably be important on any surface. Washington's Barry Trotz and Vegas' Gerard Gallant want a north-south approach with crisp passes, minimal puck-handling and no turnovers.

It's all easier said than done when the puck refuses to behave.

"The pucks were bouncing pretty good," Trotz said. "Unfortunately, the ice wasn't great. There was a lot of chaos."

Dan Craig, the NHL official responsible for masterminding and maintaining the temporary ice sheets at outdoor games across the continent, has been working on the Vegas ice with the in-house crew. The sheet only went down one day before the series opener because T-Mobile had a Pink concert booked Saturday night — again, something that happens in playoff rinks all the time.

Gallant hopes the ice will be more consistent after two more days to set up. Most of the Capitals reported better conditions during practice at T-Mobile on Tuesday — although the arena also wasn't filled with more than 18,575 screaming, sweating people.

"I don't know if it was the empty building or — just like everything — it needs to cure a bit, but I thought it was really good (at practice)," Trotz said. "So hopefully, that will help both teams."

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Michael Brantley largely lost his previous two seasons to injuries.

Cleveland's left fielder has returned and is one of the best hitters in baseball again.

Brantley extended his hitting streak to 18 games by going 3 for 4, including a solo homer, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 on Tuesday night.

"When you get a really good hitter, a really good player and he feels confident and take it to the fact that he's healthy, it's fun to watch," manager Terry Francona said.

Brantley played in only 11 games two years ago because of a shoulder injury. He batted .299 last season, but was limited by an ankle injury the final two months. Brantley had surgery in October and missed the first week of this season.

This year, he's batting .343 with nine home runs and a .953 OPS.

Right-hander Mike Clevinger, who allowed one run in 6 2 /3 innings Tuesday, knows what Brantley means to the Indians.

"I don't want to jinx anything," Clevinger said. "I want him on the field and I want him in the lineup. I don't think there was ever a doubt with him being on the DL that we didn't need him or want him here. We knew this is exactly the player you're gonna get, and he's only exceeding expectations."

Brantley is batting .367 (29 of 79) with five homers, 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored during the streak.

Jose Ramirez hit his team-leading 16th home run in the fifth and drove in a run with a first-inning double. Jason Kipnis homered in the eighth for Cleveland, which has won four straight and is 12-5 against the AL Central.

Clevinger (4-2) struck out seven and allowed four hits.

Chicago has lost five of six and has the worst record in the majors (16-36). Lucas Giolito (3-6) allowed five runs in six innings.

"Their guy pretty much kept us off the bases and they scored more than we did," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Tim Anderson had an RBI single in the second for Chicago. Daniel Palka doubled to lead off and scored on Anderson's one-out hit. Charlie Tilson drew a two-out walk, but Clevinger struck out Omar Narvaez.

Palka hit a leadoff homer in the ninth off Dan Otero.

Cleveland's shaky bullpen allowed two runs over the final 2 1/3 innings. Tyler Olson worked a scoreless inning and Otero got slugger Jose Abreu on a double play ball to end the eighth. Zach McAllister gave up Trayce Thompson's two-out RBI single, but Narvaez grounded out.

RAMIREZ RUMOR

The Indians felt pressured to respond to an unsubstantiated report from the Dominican Republic that Ramirez was on the verge of being suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.

Both manager Terry Francona and team president Chris Antonetti addressed the issue before the game. Antonetti said the club reached out to MLB for additional assurance that "there was nothing to the rumor." Ramirez had told the club he was not involved in any wrongdoing.

Ramirez also went on Twitter and posted, "FAKE NEWS."

Antonetti and Francona spoke with Ramirez on Tuesday afternoon.

"He said, 'I have no idea what they're talking about, I've worked really hard to try and become the player that I am, and there's nothing to it,'" Antonetti said. "We believed Jose when he told us that."

Ramirez spoke to reporters through a translator following the game and said his first reaction when he found out about the report Tuesday morning was to laugh.

"I'm really not worried about it," he said. "I do feel bad for any fan that maybe got a wrong impression of me, but that's bad information. I've never used anything like that."

Ramirez said he was happy to have a productive game after spending the day dealing with the rumors.

"My focus was to hit a home run," he said. "When it comes to baseball, I focus on what's going on in the field and let everything else go by."

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: C Kevan Smith (ankle) was activated off the disabled list at Triple-A Charlotte. Renteria indicated that Smith could return to the big leagues this weekend when Chicago hosts Milwaukee.

Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall (strained right calf), Bradley Zimmer (bruised left rib) and Brandon Guyer (strained neck) are close to being activated.

UP NEXT

White Sox RHP Reynaldo Lopez (1-3, 2.93 ERA) takes on Indians RHP Corey Kluber (7-2, 2.17 ERA) in the three-game series finale. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Kluber has allowed three or fewer runs in 23 consecutive starts, dating back to Aug. 3, 2017.

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ATLANTA (AP) — On another day of injuries in another season filled with them, the New York Mets were trying to put their finger on the latest problem.

A pair of finger injuries sent Noah Syndergaard to the disabled list and knocked Steven Matz out of his start against the Atlanta Braves after just three innings Tuesday.

Syndergaard was placed on the 10-day DL before the game with a sore right index finger, though the Mets are hopeful the right-hander will only miss one start.

Then, in an almost surreal development for the injury-plagued team, Matz exited with discomfort in the middle finger of his left hand. Leading 4-0, he went out to warm up for the fourth inning but suddenly stopped throwing and began looking at his pitching hand.

New York manager Mickey Callaway and a trainer popped out of the dugout to examine Matz. The pitcher flexed the finger a bit before heading slowly to the dugout, his night over after just 42 pitches. He allowed only one hit, walked two and struck out two.

Three New York players have gone on the DL since the team arrived in Atlanta. Relief pitcher AJ Ramos (right shoulder strain) and infielder Wilmer Flores (sore lower back) were sidelined before Monday's doubleheader.

In all, the Mets have 11 players on the DL, including reliever Anthony Swarzak and three projected regulars in slugger Yoenis Cespedes, third baseman Todd Frazier and catcher Travis d'Arnaud.

Swarzak and Frazier have reported to Triple-A Las Vegas to continue their rehabilitation. Swarzak struck out two in a scoreless inning Tuesday and got the win for the 51s.

X-rays on Matz's finger were negative, but the team had no further details on the discomfort and whether it might affect his next scheduled start. The left-hander is 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA.

Syndergaard's injury was another unexpected development.

After traveling with the team to Atlanta, he returned to New York on Tuesday to be examined at The Hospital for Special Surgery.

An MRI and examination confirmed a strained ligament.

Callaway said the injury is not considered serious. If all goes according to plan, Syndergaard would throw a bullpen this weekend and return to the rotation next week.

Syndergaard was scheduled to pitch Wednesday in the series finale against the Braves. Jason Vargas is moving up to make the start on just three days of rest after lasting only three innings in his last appearance at Milwaukee on Saturday.

Vargas is 1-3 with a 10.62 ERA in five starts this season. He has given up 34 hits, including six homers, and walked 10 in 20 1/3 innings.

Syndergaard is 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings as one of the Mets' aces, along with Jacob deGrom. Syndergaard last pitched Friday night in a loss at Milwaukee, receiving no decision after allowing three runs in six innings.

Right-hander Gerson Bautista, called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to serve as an extra player for the doubleheader, remained with the team in the bullpen Tuesday.

Syndergaard missed 4 1/2 months last season with a partial tear of his right lat muscle.

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BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn't think about his team's torrid start.

He wonders how much better it can be.

"We're good right now, don't get me wrong," Cora said after Boston beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Tuesday night for its major league-leading 38th victory. "But we feel there's room to improve. It's fun right now, but I can't wait."

Sandy Leon hit a home run and two doubles, Xander Bogaerts also homered and Rick Porcello took a three-hitter into the seventh inning, helping the Red Sox match the second-best start in franchise history.

J.D. Martinez also had two of Boston's six doubles as the Red Sox (38-17) won for the eighth time in 10 games. Only the 1946 Boston team that started 42-13 with Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr returning from World War II had a better start through 55 games.

Every batter in the Red Sox lineup had one hit by the sixth inning.

"That tells you right there everybody's contributing," said first baseman Mitch Moreland, who doubled in the first to make it 2-0. "It's always nice to scratch it and put up a crooked number early. It helps (the pitcher) settle down."

Porcello (7-2) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Toronto loaded the bases against Hector Velazquez in the ninth, but Craig Kimbrel got two outs for his 17th save.

Marco Estrada (2-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, dropping his fifth straight decision since April 26. Justin Smoak homered for Toronto, which has lost 12 of its last 16 games.

The Blue Jays cut a 5-1 deficit in half in the seventh on a rally that started when Russell Martin was hit by a pitch with one out. With the bases loaded, Porcello fanned Luke Maile for the second out.

Curtis Granderson hit a hard grounder past a diving Moreland, but second baseman Dustin Pedroia slid to field it in shallow right. He threw to Porcello covering first, but the ball went off his glove for an error and rolled off the fence in front of the Boston dugout, allowing Morales to score and make it 5-3.

"I've got to catch that ball," Porcello said. "Pedey made a hell of a play."

Joe Kelly relieved Porcello and struck out Kevin Pillar on three pitches to end the inning.

Bogaerts homered over the Green Monster in the seventh, a solo shot, and Leon hit a two-run shot in the eighth to make it 8-3.

"They've got a good offense. They keep coming at you," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We made a run late, had the bases loaded and they shut us down."

ON THE BOARD

Pedroia got his first hit of the season in the sixth inning, a single to right. First base coach Tom Goodwin gave him a pat on the batting helmet, his teammates applauded in the dugout and the Fenway Park crowd gave him a big cheer.

The 2008 AL MVP started the season on the disabled list while he recovered from October knee surgery. He made his 2018 debut on Saturday and was 0 for 7 with two walks and a run in his first two games.

BRUSHBACKS

Martin was hit in the shoulder one pitch after calling time late in Porcello's set with one out and nobody on in the seventh. The Blue Jays utility man stared menacingly at the mound, and home plate umpire Vic Carapazza and Leon moved between him and the pitcher, but Porcello just shrugged.

Martin took his base without further incident. But in the eighth, Kelly hit Teoscar Hernandez. And when Danny Barnes plunked Brock Holt to lead off the bottom half, there were warnings issued for both dugouts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson was out of the lineup one day after leaving the game with right calf soreness. Gibbons said he was hoping to have Donaldson back on Friday after Thursday's off day. ... SS Aledmys Diaz made a rehab appearance with Double-A New Hampshire as he tries to recover from the left ankle sprain that has kept him out since May 6.

Red Sox: OF Mookie Betts, who is leading the majors in batting average, OPS and runs, got a third straight day off with tightness in his left side. He is expected to take Wednesday off, too.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-0, 2.30 ERA) starts Wednesday's series finale against Boston.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 4.02 ERA) will face the Blue Jays in the 1:05 p.m. start.

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DETROIT (AP) — Ian Kinsler has been working tirelessly in the batting cage, trying to turn around what has been his worst season offensively.

For one game at least, it paid off.

Kinsler hit a three-run homer in the second inning as part of a 3-for-3 performance to help the Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 9-2 Tuesday night.

He entered the game on a 2-for-27 slump during the current road trip. After the victory, he raised his batting average to .195 with about one-third of the season finished.

"Long time coming," Kinsler said. "Yeah, it's definitely a relief."

Luis Valbuena homered twice and Martin Maldonado added a two-run homer in the eighth inning for Los Angeles.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he hopes the fence-clearing shots will help Kinsler and Valbuena — who is hitting .234 — gain confidence after both put in extra work to fix their swings.

"The process only keeps you going for a while," he said. "You have to start to see some results."

Nick Tropeano (3-3) made the most of Los Angeles' offensive display, allowing two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Tropeano said the early lead allowed him to relax and pitch to contact.

"This is one of the best lineups in the league," he said. "It's going to be scary once everything clicks."

Michael Fulmer (2-4) was tagged for five runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings with four walks.

"Everyone in here is doing their job right now, and I'm not," Fulmer said. "I'm kind of embarrassed because I've always been able to go out there and help the team win games, and I'm not doing that right now."

JaCoby Jones homered for the Tigers in the fifth, and Jeimer Candelario connected in the sixth.

Noe Ramirez, Jose Alvarez, Justin Anderson and Blake Parker combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Angels.

Los Angeles had lost two straight and nine of its previous 13 games. Detroit had won two in a row and four of five.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: RHP Blake Wood is scheduled to have season-ending elbow surgery Wednesday and RHP Matt Shoemaker had surgery on his forearm on Tuesday.

Tigers: Slugger Miguel Cabrera took batting practice a day after fielding grounders, moving closer to playing for the first time since going on the DL May 4 with a hamstring strain. Cabrera said he is days away from returning.

MANAGERIAL MILESTONE

Scioscia earned his 1,600th win. He snapped a tie with Tommy Lasorda for 20th on baseball's career list, surpassing the manager from his playing career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I certainly don't put myself in the same conversation with Tommy," Scioscia said. "He might be the most competitive person I've ever been around in my life."

ROSTER MOVES:

Tigers LHP Francisco Liriano (right hamstring strain) and LHP Daniel Stumpf (elbow) were put on the disabled list after the game. Detroit recalled RHP Johnny Barbato and LHP Ryan Carpenter from Triple-A Toledo.

"Liriano said his hamstring was sore after his last start, and it hasn't gotten any better," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's had a history of leg problems, but he is usually able to get through them. This time he couldn't. ... We're going through a tough stretch. We're finally getting some guys healthy, and then we lose two."

UP NEXT

Angels RHP Shohei Ohtani (4-1) and Tigers RHP Mike Fiers (4-3) are scheduled to start Wednesday night.

Ohtani, a 23-year-old rookie from Japan, has not pitched since May 20. He was on track to start at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, but the Angels changed that plan as part of a workload management for the majors' first two-way player in decades.

"This whole program won't have a report card until the season is over," Scioscia said.

So far, so good.

He has a 3.35 ERA in seven starts and is hitting .291 with six homers and 20 RBIs. Ohtani insisted he didn't enter the season with expectations about how productive he could be, humbly adding he simply wanted to stay healthy.

"Everything has been really tough so far," he said through a translator. "I still have a lot of hurdles to overcome."

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BALTIMORE (AP) — The season is barely two months old, and the Washington Nationals have already been asked to adjust to a new manager, overcome a rash of injuries and jump into bounce-back mode following a poor start.

With Bryce Harper leading the way, they've handled every obstacle while becoming the hottest team in the big leagues.

Harper hit his NL-leading 17th home run , Mark Reynolds added a solo shot and Washington beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 Tuesday night to extend its road winning streak to nine games.

The Nationals have lost veteran Howie Kendrick for the season, are without sluggers Adam Eaton and Ryan Zimmerman and are still waiting for three-time All-Star Daniel Murphy to make his season debut.

No matter.

Washington has won 20 of its past 26 games, including five in a row, since starting 11-16. The Nationals own the best road mark in the majors, and the nine-game run matches the team's longest since the move from Montreal in 2005.

"We've played some pretty good ballgames as well at home as well," rookie manager Dave Martinez said.

Short-handed or not.

"Everyone's been stepping up, next-man mentality," Harper said. "If we get our guys back and keep having fun, doing the things we need to, then we'll be OK."

Harper finished with three hits, Reynolds scored twice and 19-year-old rookie Juan Soto had his first three-hit game for the Nationals, who will seek to complete a three-game sweep of their neighboring interleague rival on Wednesday night.

Former Oriole Jeremy Hellickson (2-0) allowed two runs in five innings and Sean Doolittle worked the ninth for his 12th save in 13 tries.

Manny Machado homered for the Orioles, who have lost four in a row.

Coming off a 14-strikeout complete game against the White Sox, Baltimore's Dylan Bundy (3-7) toiled through six innings, allowing 11 hits.

"To get us through six innings and only give up three runs, that was impressive in a lot of ways," manager Buck Showalter said.

Bundy noted: "It seems like the whole night, I was kind of trying to minimize damage."

Harper put the Nationals in front with a solo shot in the first inning, and Machado answered with a bases-empty drive in the bottom half. Coincidentally, both players are expected to become high-priced free agents after this season.

Asked if Machado was trying to go tit-for-tat with Harper, Showalter said, "He likes to be in those moments as opposed to shirking away from them. That's why he's so good; he likes to be put on that stage."

Wilmer Difo singled in a run in the second and Reynolds' sixth home run made it 3-1 in the fourth.

With two on and two outs in the Baltimore fifth, Adam Jones doubled to left-center. One run scored, but Jace Peterson was easily thrown out at the plate to end the uprising with Machado waiting on deck.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: Martinez said reliever Ryan Madson (pectoral muscle) is "good to go" and will join the team in Atlanta on Thursday. ... Lefty reliever Mark Grace (groin) will likely make one more appearance for Double-A Harrisburg before being activated from the disabled list, Martinez said. ... Eaton (ankle) is "pushing the envelope" to return from the 60-day DL, Martinez said, adding: "We've waited this long, we're going to make sure that he's 100 percent." ... Murphy (knee) went 0 for 4 with Harrisburg.

Orioles: Closer Zach Britton is finally ready to test his surgically repaired Achilles tendon in a game situation. The lefty will begin a rehabilitation assignment Wednesday, either with Triple-A Norfolk or Class A Frederick, depending on the weather. "I feel normal, no hesitation," Britton said Tuesday. "The next step is just getting in a game, getting the adrenaline going." ... INF Danny Valencia was a late scratch so he could accompany his expecting wife to the hospital to give birth.

TAKE A SEAT

Slumping Trey Mancini was held out of the Orioles starting lineup following a 6-for-51 stretch that dropped his batting average from .275 to .235.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Unbeaten since April 4, Max Scherzer (8-1, 2.13 ERA) seeks to win his eighth straight decision in the series finale.

Orioles: Rookie RHP David Hess (2-1, 4.15) makes his fourth career start. He blanked Tampa Bay over 6 2/3 innings last Friday.

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Wacha is tweaking his delivery and getting results.

The St. Louis righty pitched two-hit ball for 6 2/3 innings and the Cardinals hit three home runs to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Harrison Bader, Matt Carpenter and Francisco Pena each hit solo drives to help St. Louis top the NL Central leaders.

Wacha (6-1) allowed just one run. He walked four and struck out three, and combined with two relievers to limit the Brewers to three hits.

"They've got a tough lineup over there. They've got a really good team," Wacha said of the Brewers, who had won 10 of their previous 12 games. "It's all about execution out there on the mound. Guys were playing great defense behind me."

Wacha improved to 6-0 over his last 10 starts with a 2.31 ERA in that span.

"He was in control all the way," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "He ran into a little bit of trouble late.

"He's not relying on just the fastball-changeup," he said. "He has altered his mechanics to be able to make the high pitch and to get right back to being in the bottom of the zone when he wants to. It's a lot harder than it sounds."

The Cardinals took control by scoring four times in the second inning off Zach Davies (2-5). Bader led off with a home run, Carpenter walked with the bases loaded and Jedd Gyorko wound with a two-run single when his slowly hit grounder escaped the reach of second baseman Hernan Perez.

Davies, making his second start since coming off the disabled list with a right rotator cuff injury, allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings.

"Everything hasn't felt great the last couple games starting back, but you're at the top level, you've got to find it some time," Davies said.

Perez got the Brewers' first hit with a soft single to center to lead off the fifth. The only other hit off Wacha was a sharp single by Eric Sogard in the seventh, the last batter the Cardinals pitcher faced.

"He had command of all his pitches tonight, hitting his spots well," Sogard said. "You've just got to try and get a mistake and make the most of it."

Milwaukee scored in the seventh on a pinch-hit double by Jonathan Villar off reliever Sam Tuivailala. Jordan Hicks finished with two perfect innings, striking out four.

STREAK STOPS

The Brewers' string of errorless games ended at eight and a strange play was the culprit. Catcher Manny Pina was called for catcher's interference, allowing Marcell Ozuna to reach base leading off the third inning. Milwaukee is 12-14 when it commits an error and 23-7 when it does not.

FEELING GOOD

Cardinals catcher Francisco Pena tied his career high with three hits, including a long home run off the center-field background off reliever Dan Jennings in the eighth. "It felt great," Pena said. "I'm just trying to swing at my pitch and not the pitcher's pitches, and when I do that I think I'll be real good."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler remained out of the lineup for a third straight game after being hit by a pitch on the right knee on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Fowler is hitting .157 in 43 games this season. ... RHP Carlos Martinez is scheduled for a Thursday start with Double-A Springfield and will be limited to 50-60 pitches. He was placed on the disabled list on May with a right upper back strain.

Brewers: SS Tyler Saladino sprained his left ankle on a play in the third inning and had to be helped off the field. Saladino jammed his ankle into the second-base bag as he took a throw from Perez on a force play. Saladino, who was hitting .324, is headed to the disabled list, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. He added that SS Orlando Arcia would be a candidate to return from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes returns after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. In four rehab starts in the St. Louis minor league system, Reyes has tossed 23 scoreless innings while striking out 44 of 82 batters faced.

Brewers: RHP Junior Guerra (3-3, 2.98 ERA) will make his 10th start of the season and second against the Cardinals.

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anthony Rizzo has no intention of easing up at home plate, even after Major League Baseball said he should have been called out for interference when he took out Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz and sparked a debate about what is — and what isn't — a legal slide.

Then again, if given the choice, the Chicago Cubs first baseman prefers to trot home instead. When he does, the Cubs are as dangerous as any team in baseball.

Rizzo shook off the boos and sparked a late rally with his ninth home run of the season as Chicago beat the reeling Pirates 8-6 on Tuesday night.

A day after his aggressive tack toward Diaz in an effort to break up a double play drew a review from MLB director of baseball operations Joe Torre , Rizzo doubled in the first inning and sent a solo shot off Edgar Santana (2-1) just over the railing of the Clemente Wall in right field to knot the game at 4 in the seventh.

"I feel more relaxed, that's the biggest key," Rizzo after extending his hit streak to 11 games. "The preparation is pretty much the same. I do the same drills beforehand, the same video work. Balls are falling now and I'm gripping the bat a little less tightly than a couple of weeks ago."

The Cubs then piled on against Pittsburgh's sagging bullpen to hand the Pirates their ninth loss in 11 games. Chicago scored five times against Pittsburgh relievers, including Ian Happ's go-ahead double two batters after Rizzo tied it and Kyle Schwarber's two-run homer off the right-field foul pole in the eighth.

Jon Lester (5-2) lacked his usual crispness, allowing four runs in six innings, but had the second multihit game of his 13-year career by going 2 for 3 with an RBI single in the sixth that drew the Cubs within a run. Jason Heyward went 3 for 5 with an RBI for Chicago and got a kick out of the response from fans at PNC Park every time Rizzo stepped into the batter's box.

"It makes it more fun to play," Heyward said. "The call didn't go their way and I'd be upset too if a call didn't go my way."

Brandon Morrow gave up a two-run single to Starling Marte in the ninth but got two outs for his 12th save.

Marte finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, Austin Meadows hit his fourth home run since being called up on May 18 and Diaz exacted a measure of revenge by taking Lester deep in the third, but Pittsburgh's bullpen couldn't keep the Cubs in check after rookie Nick Kingham worked 5 2/3 effective innings while making a spot start for injured Ivan Nova.

"I liked the fight at the end," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "However, the game wasn't complete. We didn't play well enough to win. At the end of the day it doesn't matter. We've got to get better."

The Cubs spotted the Pirates leads of 3-0 and 4-2 but kept coming. Rizzo led the way following an unusual 24 hours in which he found himself at the center of a ruckus.

Rizzo clipped Diaz's right leg at home plate while breaking up a double play Monday, and Diaz's throw to first sailed into right field, allowing two runs to score as the Cubs cruised to a 7-0 victory. The play was upheld on replay review Monday but Torre informed both teams Tuesday that Rizzo should have been called out for interference.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon mounted a vehement defense for his star, telling Torre he respectfully disagreed with his interpretation. Rizzo stressed he didn't attempt to injure Diaz and placed part of the blame on a rule that lacks clarity.

Rizzo shrugged when asked if he was worried about retaliation, and while the Pirates plunked catcher Willson Contreras twice, they didn't really take aim at Rizzo until reliever Michael Feliz went tight inside three times in the eighth.

By then, the game was already over.

Santana hadn't given up a run in 14 appearances since April 25 but came undone against the heart of Chicago's lineup. Rizzo's home run was caught by a fan wearing Cubs gear in the first row of seats above the 21-foot high Clemente Wall. Umpires took a look but the call was upheld after a 93-second review, and Santana fell apart.

COME TOGETHER?

The Pirates held a team meeting after the loss on Monday, a game that finished with third baseman David Freese and third base coach Joey Cora having to be separated following a heated exchange. Freese said Tuesday he and Cora are "good to go."

Veteran utility player Sean Rodriguez thinks the back-and-forth between Freese and Cora can end up being a good thing.

"Sometimes the best relationships are formed after some kind of altercation or incidence, whether it's words or physical," Rodriguez said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cubs: Happ started in center field and made a fabulous running catch at the wall in the sixth to rob Diaz of extra bases. Happ complained of soreness in his right shoulder after trying to make a diving catch against San Francisco on Saturday and did not start Sunday or Monday.

Pirates: Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vazquez (left forearm) pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance since complaining of left forearm tightness while blowing a save against St. Louis on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 3.16 ERA) makes his 12th career start against the Pirates in Wednesday's series finale.

Pirates: Joe Musgrove (1-0, 0.00) makes his second start for Pittsburgh since coming off the disabled list last week.

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ATLANTA (AP) — For both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, this felt so familiar.

Another stunning, walk-off win for the Braves.

Another excruciating day for a Mets team that seems downright cursed.

Johan Camargo homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night to give Atlanta a 7-6 win over the Mets, who squandered a pair of four-run leads and lost two more pitchers to injuries.

Camargo's liner off Gerson Bautista just cleared the right-field wall , the Braves' second walk-off homer in two days against their NL East rival.

"I knew who was pitching and how hard he throws," Camargo said through a translator. "As soon as I hit it, I thought it might have a chance."

Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice and Adrian Gonzalez also went deep for the Mets. But it wasn't enough for an injury-plagued squad that keeps losing key players.

Before the game, the Mets placed Noah Syndergaard on the 10-day disabled list with a strained ligament in his right index finger. Then, in an almost surreal development, fellow starter Steven Matz had to leave with discomfort in his left middle finger after throwing three scoreless innings while New York built a 4-0 lead .

Matz said he hurt his finger in the top of the fourth, when the bat flew out of his hand on a swing. He wound up doubling in that at-bat, but began to feel some pain in his finger while standing on second base. It didn't improve when he went back to the mound.

"It's real unfortunate," Matz said. "I know the bullpen has really been working their tails off, throwing a lot of innings. I was feeling really crisp out there. It's just frustrating. It really is. But there's nothing you can do."

X-rays were negative, but it's not known if the injury might affect Matz's next scheduled start.

The Mets were up 6-2 when the Braves rallied.

Nick Markakis had an RBI double in the seventh, and Atlanta put up three more runs in the eighth off Jacob Rhame. After pinch-hitter Preston Tucker hustled to beat out a potential double-play grounder with the bases loaded, bringing in a run, Ender Inciarte drove a two-run triple off the center-field fence to tie the game at 6 .

Bautista (0-1) got the first out in the ninth.

Camargo then brought the game to a sudden end.

Not that it was a surprise.

The first-place Braves have won eight games in their final at-bat — five in walk-off fashion. Their last three wins at SunTrust Park have all come on the final swing.

"A different guy again," Tyler Flowers said. "It was a tough game, but we just kept grinding. We gave ourselves a chance at the end of the game."

Dan Winkler (2-0) earned the win, working out of trouble after the first two hitters reached base in the ninth.

The first pitch was delayed 41 minutes by the threat of an approaching storm, the third straight game in the series to be delayed by inclement weather. The teams played a day-night doubleheader Monday that didn't end until around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

SANCHEZ RETURNS

Anibal Sanchez came off the DL to make his first start for the Braves since April 13.

His rustiness showed in a four-inning stint. The 34-year-old right-hander gave up five hits, four runs and two homers.

After Sanchez was lifted for a pinch-hitter, Matt Wisler chewed up some valuable innings for the Braves' bullpen. He went four more innings, allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: Syndergaard's return to New York to have his finger examined caught everyone off guard. An MRI confirmed the strained ligament, making him the third Mets player to go on the DL since the team arrived in Atlanta. In all, 11 New York players are sidelined with injuries. Now, the Mets have to worry about Matz as well.

Braves: RHP Mike Soroko is set to make a rehab start in the minors after getting through a bullpen session Tuesday with no issues. After making the first three starts of his big league career, the 20-year-old went on the DL with right shoulder discomfort.

UP NEXT

Mets: With Syndergaard out, struggling LHP Jason Vargas is moving up a day to start Wednesday's series finale. Vargas threw only 67 pitches in his last outing Saturday, so the Mets decided to give him another shot on just three days of rest. He is 1-3 with a 10.62 ERA in five starts, having allowed 34 hits, six homers and 10 walks in 20 1/3 innings.

Braves: RHP Julio Teheran (4-1, 4.17 ERA) has not permitted a run in two starts against New York this season. He pitched seven scoreless innings but didn't get a decision in a 4-3 win over the Mets on April 21. He faced New York again on May 3, putting up another seven innings in an 11-0 rout. In his career, Teheran is 9-5 with a 2.32 ERA against the Mets.

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