Update on the latest sports

PGA-US OPEN

Rahm makes early move…Another US Open disappointment for Mickelson

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jon Rahm made an early move as the final group has teed off at the U.S. Open.

Rahm opened the final round at Torrey Pines with consecutive birdies, hitting his approach to 3 feet on the par-4 second hole. That moved him to 4 under, one off the lead.

Mackenzie Hughes, Luis Oosthuizen (OOST’-hay-zehn) and Russell Henley held the overnight lead at 5 under. Henley bogeyed the opening hole to drop back.

It was another U.S. Open disappointment for Phil Mickelson, who has played in the U.S. Open 30 times and he only has silver medals to show for it. Six of them. His week at Torrey Pines ended with a 40 on the back nine for a closing 75, putting him at 11-over 295 for the week. Since the last of his six runner-up finishes at Merion in 2013, he has either missed the cut or finished over par in the U.S. Open.

At least he gets more chances. By winning the PGA Championship last month, the 51-year-old Mickelson is exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open through 2025.

NBA PLAYOFFS-HAWKS/76ERS

Home court may not be an advantage as 76ers host Hawks in Game 7

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Eastern Conference semifinal comes down to Game 7 Sunday in Philadelphia and there’s scant proof the home-court edge will matter much for the top-seeded 76ers.

The Atlanta Hawks have already won two games in Philadelphia. They rallied from 26 points down in Game 5 and beat the Sixers. But they lost at home in Game 6.

The Sixers are trying to make the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. The Hawks made it in 2015.

Both teams have concerns about key players. Atlanta may be without Bogdan Bogdanovic (bahg-DAH’-noh-vich), who left the Game 6 loss in the fourth quarter with right knee soreness and did not return. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) has been playing with a cartilage tear in his right knee.

The NBA has suspended Hawks forward Bruno Fernando for Sunday’s game for leaving the bench area during an on-court altercation in Game 6. And Embiid has been fined $35,000 for escalating the altercation, which started after he fell on top of John Collins. The NBA says Embiid also failed to comply with an NBA Security interview following the incident.

NHL PLAYOFFS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS/CANADIENS

Coach remains isolated with Montreal set to host Vegas in Game 4

MONTREAL (AP) — Interim coach Dominique Ducharme hopes to be back behind the Montreal bench soon after testing positive for COVID-19. But it’s not clear when that will be.

Ducharme spoke to reporters in a video call as the Canadiens prepared to host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 Sunday night. He says he is fully vaccinated and symptom-free, two days after his positive test forced him into isolation. He will clear the two-week waiting period following his second shot on Wednesday.

Montreal leads the series two games to one, with Game 5 at Vegas on Tuesday. If necessary, Game 6 will be in Montreal on Thursday and Game 7 at Vegas on Saturday.

Vegas has dropped two straight games and finds itself in the all too familiar position of facing adversity during a postseason run in which the team has now trailed in all three series.

Montreal’s confidence is riding high in having won nine of 10, leaning on the stellar play of goalie Carey Price.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Wainwright pitches 3-hitter, Cards top Braves 9-1 in opener

UNDATED (AP) — Adam Wainwright struck out 11 and pitched a three-hitter, sending the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves 9-1 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt homered for the Cardinals in the seven-inning game.

The 39-year-old Wainwright didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, when Freddie Freeman singled. It was Wainwright’s 26th career complete game, two of them this season. Wainwright reversed a trend in which he was 1-2 with an 8.20 in four road starts this year.

Elsewhere around the majors:

— The New York Yankees turned their third triple play of the season to strand the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, bailing out closer Aroldis Chapman in a shaky outing and closing down a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Gary Sánchez spoiled Sean Manaea’S (mah-NY’-ahz) gem with a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning, and Jonathan Loaisiga (loh-AY’-see-gah) and Lucas Luetge turned a 2-1 lead over to Chapman in the ninth. Chapman walked Jed Lowrie and Chad Pinder on nine pitches but got a hard grounder to third from Sean Murphy for the 5-4-3 triple play.

— Reese McGuire had three doubles during a four-hit performance, leading Hyun Jin Ryu (hee-UHN’ jihn ree-OO’) and the Toronto Blue Jays past the Baltimore Orioles 7-4. The Blue Jays won in a less stressful fashion than on Saturday, when they snapped a five-game skid by erasing a three-run deficit with two outs in the ninth inning on the way to a 10-7 victory. They claimed their first set since sweeping two games from Miami on June 1-2. Trey Mancini homered twice for Baltimore, which has dropped 10 of its last 11 and is an American League-worst 23-48.

— Kyle Schwarber homered three times and tied a major league record with five in a two-game span, leading the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets 5-2 to take three of four in the series. Schwarber set a Nationals/Montreal Expos record by homering nine times in a 10-game span, increasing his total to 18 this season with his first career three homer-game. Moved in the leadoff spot on June 12, Schwarber had four RBIs for the second straight game.

— Josh Naylor foiled Pittsburgh’s strategy with an RBI single in the seventh inning, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Pirates 2-1. Cleveland avoided a three-game sweep by the Pirates, who had lost 10 straight entering the series. The Indians have won seven of 10. The lefty-swinging Naylor sent the first pitch he saw from left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve to right, driving in Eddie Rosario to break a 1-all tie. The hit came after Pirates manager Derek Shelton pulled right-handed starter JT Brubaker with two out in the seventh. Brubaker threw just 76 pitches, gave up three hits and tied his career-high with nine strikeouts.

MLB-NEWS

Pitchers unsure on eve of sticky stuff crackdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beginning Monday, pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games if caught using foreign substances to doctor baseballs.

Such grip aids have long been illegal, but the ban has rarely been enforced. That changes this week. Major and minor league umpires will make regular checks of all pitchers, even if opposing managers don’t request inspections.

Pitchers and coaches are uncertain what the crackdown will look like, with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole saying he’s “in the same boat as everyone else, just waiting for this to play out.”

In other baseball news:

— The “Baby Shark” is back with the Washington Nationals. Washington selected the contract of outfielder Gerardo Parra from Triple-A Rochester, bringing back the player whose walkup music of the children’s song became a theme of the Nationals’ run to the 2019 World Series title. Parra, a two-time Gold Glove winner, signed with Washington in May 2019 and hit .250 with eight homers and 42 RBIs. He spent last season with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League. Parra is an 11-year major league veteran with a .276 average, 88 homers and 522 RBIs.

NASCAR-NASHVILLE

Traffic delays start of Nashville’s 1st Cup race in 37 years

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Traffic issues on the streets leading to Nashville Superspeedway have delayed the start of the city’s first NASCAR Cup series race in 37 years.

The Ally 400 was due to start Sundays afternoon at the track in Lebanon, about 20 miles east of downtown Nashville. But the main grandstand still had plenty of empty seats when the television broadcast began. The race was a sellout with 38,000 tickets sold. Noah Gragson, a driver in the Xfinity series, tweeted that he had “been in traffic for 2 hours. Brutal.”

Nashville opened in 2001 and hosted 21 Xfinity Series races and 13 Truck Series events before it closed in 2011 when it couldn’t get a coveted Cup date. Dover Motorsports owns the track and moved one of its weekends from its Delaware facility to Nashville to re-open the speedway and at last host a Cup race.

INDYCAR-ROAD AMERICA

Palou makes late surge to win IndyCar race at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Alex Palou sailed past Josef Newgarden with two laps remaining to win at Road America today and reclaim the IndyCar points lead. Team Penske lost its third consecutive race because of a late caution. Newgarden started from the pole and led 32 of the 55 laps until Palou passed him on the restart. Newgarden appeared to have a mechanical problem and plummeted to a 21st-place finish. He’s led 99 of 125 laps the last two races. Palou is the first Chip Ganassi Racing driver other than Scott Dixon to win multiple races in a season since Dario Franchitti (DA’-ree-oh fran-KEE’-tee) in 2011.

F1-FRENCH GP

F1 leader Verstappen wins French GP ahead of rival Hamilton

LE CASTELLET, France (AP) — Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap to win the French Grand Prix on Sunday and extend his lead over his title rival to 12 points.

Verstappen, who won by 2.9 seconds, has 131 points to Hamilton’s 119 after seven races.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez sneaked past a dejected Valtteri Bottas to take third place and strengthen Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ championship.