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MINNEAPOLIS — Dylan Cease didn’t need any extra motivation this week.The Chicago White Sox starter has pitched well enough to be an All-Star. He wasn’t on the roster when the pitchers were announced last Sunday. And then he went back to work with two more stellar outings before the break.AdvertisementHe was in top form Sunday, allowing one hit while striking out eight and walking two in seven innings in an 11-0 victory against the Minnesota Twins in front of 23,225 at Target Field.“I want to win,” Cease said. “I don’t need any extra motivation. It’s definitely not hard to find these days.”AdvertisementCease and relievers Joe Kelly and José Ruiz combined on the one-hitter, helping the Sox take three of four in an important division series.“Dylan, he was the horse we rode,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “He was doing it efficiently and could have pitched longer, but we stopped in the seventh. What he’s done all year. He’s picked us up at important times. This was an important one.”Yoán Moncada (two-run) and Andrew Vaughn hit back-to-back homers in the seventh and Josh Harrison had a three-run homer later in the inning as the Sox (46-46) gained ground in the American League Central. They trail the first-place Twins (50-44) by three games and the Cleveland Guardians (46-44) by one. “We’re chasing them in the standings right now,” Cease said. “It was important to make a statement and show that we’re still here. I think it’s going to be a good second half.”Throughout most of the four days at Target Field, the Sox looked like the team many expected to see this season. They outscored the Twins 32-10 in the series. They had 16 hits Sunday and 50 in the four games.“I know the team understands what we accomplished the last 18 games (going 11-7 in 17 days),” La Russa said. “Everybody — you include fans — can decide for themselves if it’s impressive or whatever. But I know they know how hard they had to work to get that record and get back to .500.“They need the days off and we’ll be ready Friday.”Cease set the tone, keeping the Twins hitless until Alex Kirilloff singled to left with one out in the fifth. He followed up 5⅔ scoreless innings in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader in Cleveland, which the Sox won 7-0.AdvertisementHe improved to 9-4 while lowering his ERA to 2.15. He’s third in the AL in ERA and leads the majors with 150 strikeouts. He has 501 career strikeouts, reaching 500 quicker (401⅔ innings) than any pitcher in Sox history, surpassing Chris Sale (472⅓), according to Elias.“He has been unbelievable for us,” Sox designated hitter José Abreu said through an interpreter. “Outstanding. All the emphasis and effort to get better with each outing. That has been beneficial to us.“I don’t know how he’s not in the All-Star Game. It’s crazy.”Shortstop Tim Anderson and closer Liam Hendriks will represent the team at the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Sox took the lead Sunday with a two-out rally in the fifth with Anderson playing a big role.Seby Zavala walked and Adam Engel singled to left. Both advanced a base when left fielder Nick Gordon didn’t field Engel’s hit cleanly, giving the Sox runners on second and third.Anderson drove them in with a single to right on a 1-2 pitch from Chris Archer. Moncada doubled and Vaughn followed with a two-run double against reliever Tyler Duffey, making it 4-0.AdvertisementThe Sox broke the game open with six runs in the seventh. Moncada’s two-run homer to center against Joe Smith went 437 feet. Vaughn followed with a homer to left.Harrison made it 10-0 with the three-run homer later in the inning.“If you can produce one through nine, which we can, it’s unstoppable,” said Vaughn, who was 3-for-4 with three RBIs on Sunday and 9-for-17 with nine RBIs in the series. “It’s a special feat and we have to keep going.”The Sox head into the All-Star break having won five of their last six games. They return Friday with four games in three days against the Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field.“We have to value the effort everyone has made to win games,” Abreu said. “As the stats say, we’re improving and that’s good. Coming into the All-Star break, everyone deserves a good break and then come back with some intensity.”

Reporters eagerly inspected the damaged Chicago Cubs bat rack Sunday morning at Wrigley Field, searching for clues like paleontologists digging for dinosaur bones.Pieces of metal either bent or ripped off, a broken hand sanitizer with a piece of masking tape holding it together and a splintered chunk of wood on the frame were telltale signs that someone — or perhaps multiple people — vented on the wooden structure holding the players’ bats and helmets.AdvertisementThe beaten-up bat rack served as a perfect metaphor for the 2022 Cubs season, which reached the end of the first half Sunday with a 3-2 comeback win over the New York Mets.Nico Hoerner’s run-scoring single in the two-run eighth handed the Cubs their first win at Wrigley since July 2 against the Boston Red Sox.Advertisement“When you lose a lot of games in a row, you almost forget what it feels like,” starting pitcher Adrian Sampson said. “When you win a lot of games … you just know how to win. This is a good reminder for guys that this game is hard. We’re in the major leagues, and wins are hard to come by.”The Cubs avoided their second 10-game losing streak and moved out of a last-place tie with the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central, improving to 18-32 at Wrigley. They’re on pace for 51 home losses, which would eclipse their all-time worst mark of 31-50 in 2013.Sampson’s pitching and some late-inning heroics sent the crowd of 34,424 home in a good mood. The Mets scored their two runs off Sampson on a steal of home by Starling Marte in the first after a botched pickoff play at first base and an RBI blooper by Pete Alonso in the fifth that first baseman Frank Schwindel misplayed in short right field.But Hoerner’s third single gave the Cubs the lead in the eighth, and David Robertson closed the door in the ninth.Cubs reliever David Robertson, left, celebrates with Nico Hoerner after the Cubs defeated the Mets on Sunday, July 17, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)After Saturday’s doubleheader loss to the Mets, manager David Ross lauded the team’s effort against “a first-place team with a $300 million payroll.” Actually it’s $259 million, but who’s counting?Nevertheless, Ross seemed to suggest the Cubs are the little engine that could instead of a big-market franchise valued by Forbes at $3.36 billion. The truth is Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts chose this route and could compete with the Mets’ payroll if he wanted to.But you can’t blame Ross for feeling as though he’s being asked to win battle after battle without enough weapons, even as he knew what he was getting into. The Cubs went 33-64 over their final 97 games in 2021 and are 35-57 at the break, giving them a .360 winning percentage (68-121) under Ross since June 13, 2021. His predecessor, Joe Maddon, posted a .581 winning percentage in five years on the North Side before being let go.Before Sunday’s game, Ross said he welcomed the challenge of bringing this organization back to respectability.Advertisement“I think we all know we’re not where we want to be,” Ross said. “But the difficult challenges we go through make us better every single day, myself included. The players, being in the environments we’re getting put in right now, we’re going to be able to handle those moments better in the long run, years to come. Playing good teams (and) competing deep into games, extra-inning games, those are all really good things. We’ve just got to figure out ways to win ballgames, and I think we will.”Whether most of the players learning from the first-half struggles will be here in “years to come” is doubtful. Some probably won’t be here after the Aug. 2 trade deadline, including All-Star catcher Willson Contreras, who was mired in a 1-for-36 slump before his eighth-inning single Sunday.Cubs President Jed Hoyer is expected to unload in the next couple of weeks, though “unload” might not be the proper terminology. Back in 1997, when the Cubs lost their first 14 games and came out of the All-Star break with a win-or-else decree from the front office, manager Jim Riggleman corrected a reporter who used the term.“This is not cattle here,” Riggleman said. “We don’t use words like ‘unload.’ It’s not a matter of unloading.”Similarly, the Cubs would prefer you not use the word “rebuild” 25 years later. It’s always something with this organization. Perhaps they should hand out a list of forbidden words in spring training.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.As bad as that ‘97 Cubs team was, it took a 37-50 record into the break in spite of the 0-14 start.Advertisement“You can’t get down and dislike each other because it can sure get nasty,” shortstop Shawon Dunston said then. “This is a good team. But when you win, everybody loves you. And when you lose, no one does. We have to like each other, whether we like it or not,”This year’s team gets along fine, and Hoerner said there’s a lot to look forward to in the second half.“Summer at Wrigley is always a positive to start with, so at least that’s guaranteed,” he said. “Take it for what it is, whatever is next. The Cubs have always done a really good job of putting quality people in the clubhouse, even with the turnover we’ve had in the last three, four years. That’s something I’ve always been very grateful for. … At the very minimum we have good people that are are going to be competing hard the rest of the season.”You never know what the future will bring. The ‘98 Cubs, one of the most exciting rides in franchise history, followed the ‘97 debacle. Still, it could be a long climb to get back to where this team needs to be, and all it starts Friday in Philadelphia.For now, take a deep breath and relax.The worst part is over, right?

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Cameron Smith has won the British Open for his first major title.The Australian shot 8-under 64 to overturn a four-shot deficit in the final round. Rory McIlroy started the final round tied for the lead with Viktor Hovland.AdvertisementSmith finished on 20-under 268, the lowest score at a British Open at St. Andrews.McIlroy needed to eagle No. 18 to force a playoff but his chip went past the hole.

MINNEAPOLIS — Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks has been added to the American League All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced Sunday.Hendriks is 1-2 with a 2.35 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 18 saves and a 0.95 WHIP in 30 relief appearances this season.AdvertisementHe’s an All-Star for the third time in his career, also making it in 2019 with the Oakland Athletics and last season with the Sox. He earned the save in last year’s All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Ranking all 30 MLB teams heading into the All-Star break. Where do the White Sox and Cubs stand? ]Hendriks is tied for fourth in the AL in saves. He missed nearly three weeks with a flexor strain in his right forearm.AdvertisementHendriks and Jordan Romano of the Toronto Blue Jays are replacing Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.Hendriks joins Tim Anderson as Sox representatives at the All-Star Game. Anderson was voted the AL starting shortstop.

LOS ANGELES — Shea Langeliers is headed to the Hall of Fame, even before his big league debut.A 24-year-old catching prospect, Langeliers was voted MVP of the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday after homering and throwing out a runner trying to steal third base in the American League’s 6-4 victory.AdvertisementHis Victus Pro Reserved DT29 maple bat, size 34-32, is headed to Cooperstown.“It’s crazy, I came into today just excited to be here,” Langeliers said.AdvertisementNew York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez and Minnesota’s Matt Wallner hit two-run homers in the third inning off San Francisco’s Kyle Harrison, who took the loss.Dominguez, at 19 the youngest AL prospect at the game, tied the score 3-3 with his 415-foot drive on a slider at the letters. Wallner homered three batters later on hanging sinker for a 5-3 lead, a 115.3 mph drive hit harder than any home run by the major league Twins this year.‘In an ideal world, that’s what I would have done,” Wallner said.Langeliers, the oldest player on either team, added a solo homer in the fourth on a hanging changeup from Atlanta’s Jared Shuster. Langeliers caught Shuster last year at Double-A Mississippi, before Oakland acquired Langeliers in the March trade that sent first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta.“I know how good he is,” Langeliers said. “He made my job really easy catching last year. It was cool being on the other side of it.”American League’s Shea Langeliers steps on home plate after a solo home run during the fourth inning of the MLB All-Star Futures game against the National League on July 16, 2022. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)He threw out Corbin Carroll, the No. 3 overall prospect, trying to steal third.What was more satisfying?“Throwing the runner out, for sure,” Langeliers said.AdvertisementThe Futures Game attracts top prospects. Julio Rodríguez played in last year’s game and is the youngest All-Star this year at 21, also picked for Monday night’s Home Run Derby.Jack Leiter, son of former major league pitcher Al Leiter, threw a 1-2-3 fourth, Selected second overall by Texas in last year’s draft, Leiter reached 97.5 mph.Darren Baker, son of Houston manager Dusty Baker, entered in the fifth and hit a liner that Chicago White Sox center fielder Oscar Colas grabbed with a tumbling catch.Toronto’s Yosver Zulueta faced one batter and got the win, retiring the Mets’ Francisco Álvarez on a grounder that ended the third.The teams played at Dodger Stadium, three days before the All-Star Game is held at the park.American League players high-five each other at the end of the MLB All-Star Futures game against the National League on July 16, 2022 (Jae C. Hong/AP)Milwaukee’s Joey Wiemer hit a ninth-inning sacrifice fly that Oakland’s Denzel Clark caught against the right-field wall. The Yankees’ Ken Waldichuk got the save by retiring the Brewers’ Jackson Chourio on a flyout.AdvertisementPlayers, excited to be in a big league ballpark, watched while hanging over the dugout railings. Agent Scott Boras and his staff filled the first row a section behind home plate.Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller struck out three in the first: Dominguez on a changeup, Anthony Volpe on a curveball and Wallner on a changeup.Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn made a 100.5 mph to first to throw out Houston’s Yainer Diaz in the second inning, faster than any throw in a big league game since Statcast started in 2015. The big league high is 97.8 mph by Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz on Thursday.Texas prospect Dustin Harris had an RBI single in the first off Miller, but the NL built a 3-1 lead in the second after the Dodgers’ Diego Cartaya hit a two-out fly to the center field warning track was dropped by Dominguez on the warning track for a two-run error. San Diego’s Robert Hassell III followed with an RBI single that chased Hunter Brown.Dominguez, who learned Thursday he is being promoted from Tampa to Hudson Valley, was relieved when he homered.“My mind said: Everybody forget this error,” he said.AdvertisementThe Cubs were represented by Pete Crow-Armstrong — the 19th overall pick in 2020 — while the White Sox had Oscar Colás — rated sixth in the Sox organization by Baseball America — in the All-Star Futures Game.Cleveland’s George Valera ran into deep left to rob Hassell of a run-scoring extra-base hit in the first.Tony, Olivier and Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston took a line drive to a shoulder off the bat of Grammy Award winner Anthony Ramos during batting practice before the celebrity softball game.“It’s definitely going to bruise,” Cranston said after recovering in his trailer. “I might be more of a cheerleader in this game.”Actor Simu Liu on his softball ability: “I’m all athleticism, zero technique.”Hunter Pence homered twice for Brooklyn, which beat Cranston’s Los Angeles team 15-13 in the softball. Pence, a former San Francisco Giant, was repeatedly booed.Advertisement___AP freelance writer Jolene Latimer contributed to this report.

Defender Rafael Czichos scored in the 23rd minute and Gaga Slonina made it stand as the Chicago Fire blanked the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday at Solder Field for their second straight victory.Federico Navarro notched an assist on Czichos’ second goal of the season for the Fire (6-10-5). Both scores have come in the last three matches.AdvertisementThe Sounders (8-10-2) have lost three straight, all by shutouts.Slonina finished with two saves for the clean sheet. Stefan Cleveland had four saves for the Sounders.AdvertisementThe Sounders outshot the Fire 15-9, but the Fire had a 5-2 edge in shots on goal.

ARLINGTON, Texas — All-Stars Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman scored 23 points each, and the Chicago Sky pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Wings 89-81 on Saturday despite missing Courtney Vandersloot.Copper and Meesseman picked up the slack for the defending champions and Vandersloot, who suffered a concussion Thursday in the Sky’s 80-68 win over the Los Angeles Sparks and is in the league’s concussion protocol.AdvertisementCopper grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the season as the Sky outscored the Wings 30-16 in the fourth quarter to wrap up their fourth straight win and improve to a league-best 19-6. Meesseman added eight rebounds and seven assists. Allie Quigley pitched in with 16 points and five assists. Candace Parker added 13 points and eight rebounds.Marina Mabrey scored 22 to lead the Wings (11-14), who fell to 5-8 at home. Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 but hit just 4 of 16 shots. Allisha Gray hit both of her 3-pointers and scored 14.AdvertisementThe Wings took a 65-59 lead into the final quarter.

Pete Alonso hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning after Adam Ottavino worked out of a tricky jam, helping the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Saturday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field.The Cubs lost their eighth in a row.AdvertisementAlonso, who also drove in the Mets’ first run in the fourth, came up with runners on the corners and no outs in the 11th. He lofted a medium flyball to right against Mychal Givens (5-1), and Luis Guillorme scored the go-ahead run.Mets seconds baseman Luis Guillorme slides home safely as the throw gets away from Cubs catcher Willson Contreras in the 11th inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday at Wrigley Field. It was the winning run in the Mets’ 2-1 win. (Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty Images)All-Star closer Edwin Díaz then got three outs for his 20th save for the NL East leaders.AdvertisementThe Cubs had five hits, one more than the Mets. The Cubs had a chance to close it out in the 10th, but Ottavino (4-2) retired three in a row after pinch runner Nelson Velázquez stole third.“A lot of it depends on where the balls are hit, so it’s not all up to you,” Ottavino said. “But you’ve got to try to attack and do your best with it, and I was lucky to get out of there.”Patrick Wisdom struck out swinging and P.J. Higgins looked at a called third strike. Rookie Christopher Morel then hit a grounder to third, and Eduardo Escobar made a scrambling stop and a one-hop throw that a stretching J.D. Davis backhanded at first.Mets first baseman J.D. Davis stretches for a throw as the Cubs’ Christopher Morel slides headfirst for the third out in the 10th inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday at Wrigley Field. The Mets won 2-1 in 11 innings. (Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty Images)Davis entered the game when Dominic Smith rolled his right ankle while scrambling back to second as the automatic runner in the 10th.“It was just one of those days where we didn’t score that many runs but played great defense and the pitching did their job,” Davis said.The Mets got another solid performance by Taijuan Walker, who pitched six innings of four-hit ball. The right-hander is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last seven starts.“I finally feel like I’ve been able to put everything together,” Walker said.Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman pitched 4 ⅓ innings of one-hit ball in his second start since coming off the injured list. He had been sidelined by right shoulder inflammation.AdvertisementStroman played for the Mets in 2019 and 2021 before signing with the Cubs in December. He brushed off the significance of facing his former team.“It’s the same mentality, mind frame for me going into each and every game,” he said.Cubs manager David Ross was ejected by umpire Ramon De Jesus after the second inning. Each side had issues with De Jesus’ strike zone at various points.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Ross also was ejected from the series opener. Friday afternoon’s game was postponed by rain, leading to the doubleheader.“There were two balls to Higgy that were balls, and I was just saying, ‘Hey, that should have been 2-0,’ ” Ross said. “He threw me out. I didn’t cuss or didn’t say anything derogatory. I don’t know if it was a carryover from the other day, getting ejected.”The Mets jumped in front on Alonso’s double in the fourth, a liner into the gap in right-center that drove in Francisco Lindor from first. Alonso’s 15th double this season gave him 75 RBIs, snapping a tie with David Wright for the franchise record before the All-Star break.AdvertisementThe Cubs got their only run in the bottom half. Nico Hoerner reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored when Frank Schwindel beat a shift with a bouncer into center for an RBI single.The Cubs brought up left-hander Steven Brault from Triple-A Iowa. Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. was sent down, and right-hander Matt Swarmer was designated for assignment.Brault, 30, signed a minor-league contract in March. He missed the first three months of the season with a left triceps strain.Right-hander Anderson Espinoza served as the 27th man for the Cubs for the doubleheader, and right-hander Yoan López was the 27th man for the Mets.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Cheers from every corner of the Old Course that belonged to Tiger Woods for two days at St. Andrews switched over to Rory McIlroy in the British Open, and he certainly did his part to give fans what they came to see Saturday.McIlroy holed a bunker shot for eagle on the 10th hole that he described as part skill and part luck, but it was pure magic. He showed discipline to know when to aim away from the flag and to take bogey when he was stuck between a wall and a road behind the 17th green.AdvertisementMcIlroy now shares the stage at the home of golf with Viktor Hovland, the emerging Norwegian star who was every bit as good in making birdies and avoiding the blunders that cost so many other potential contenders.Both made birdie on the final hole for a 6-under 66. No one else was closer than four shots. They have the same score at 16-under 200, though the support is one-sided.Advertisement“They’re chanting his name out there. I think he’s definitely a crowd favorite,” Masters champion Scottie Scheffler said. “How can you not root for Rory?”Rory McIlroy watches his shot from the fourth fairway during the third round of the British Open on Saturday in St. Andrews, Scotland. McIlroy shot a 6-under 66 and shares the lead with Viktor Hovland at 16 under. (Peter Morrison/AP)McIlroy is one round away from ending eight long years without a major. He wants to stay in his world without ignoring the support raining down on him.“I think it’s appreciating the moment as well and appreciating the fact that it’s unbelievably cool to have a chance to win the Open at St Andrews,” McIlroy said. “It’s what dreams are made of. And I’m going to try to make a dream come true tomorrow.”Hovland, with six victories worldwide in his four years since leaving Oklahoma State as a U.S. Amateur champion, could appreciate the support for McIlroy and all he has done. He played mistake-free and sounded as though he were up for the task.“I’m going against one of the best players in the world and I’m certainly not going to hold back, because he’s certainly not,” Hovland said.It wasn’t a two-man race, even if it felt that way as the Old Course emptied and bagpipes began to skirl at the end of the day.Cameron Smith, who started with a two-shot lead, took double bogey on the 13th hole when he tried a bold play with his feet in a pot bunker. Cameron Young went over the 16th green and then back down the other side for a double bogey on the 16th hole.They were four shots behind, still in the game. Two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, the best candidate from the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league to claim this major, putted across the green and into a bunker for one of three bogeys on the back nine. He fell six shots back.AdvertisementMcIlroy and Hovland had no such trouble.Viktor Hovland holds his golf ball after putting on the 16th green during the third round of the British Open on Saturday in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Peter Morrison/AP)Hovland holed a pair of 40-foot putts on his way to four straight birdies on the front nine to seize the lead. McIlroy finally caught him by holing out from a pot bunker some 80 feet away for eagle on the 10th hole, setting off a roar that could be heard all the way back at the Royal & Ancient clubhouse.McIlroy only a day earlier tipped his cap to Woods as he started his second round and Woods was on his way to missing the cut, crossing the Swilcan Bridge for what might have been last time. The R&A set the tee times that way so they would pass each other.Woods stands alone in driving the sport, though McIlroy is the most popular worldwide, and it sounded like that — on the first tee when McIlroy was introduced, for every birdie and when he took the lead for the first time with a birdie on the 14th.“I love that I’ve got so much support,” McIlroy said. “But at the same time, I need to keep in my own little world and try to play a good round of golf. Hopefully that’s enough.”His lone mistake was coming out of the left rough and over the 17th green, across the road and near the stone wall. He played a safe pitch onto the green and two-putted for bogey.AdvertisementHovland, bogey-free for the round, showed off some magic of his own on the 17th by putting off the dirt path just short of the road, up the hill to about 5 feet for a par.“I’ve never been in a bigger spot in my career,” Hovland said. He sounded up to the task, and the popular Norwegian also saw — and heard — what he will be up against Sunday.“I get a couple in there,” he said of the cheers so heavily slanted toward McIlroy. “I’m probably an underdog, but I don’t mind that at all. Hopefully, we can push ourselves tomorrow.”Smith missed a short birdie chance on the 18th and had a 73. His biggest mistake was not getting the ball back in play on the 13th, instead trying to advance the ball and getting into tough spots. He also three-putted from 30 feet to start his round and made just two birdies.Cameron Smith looks at his ball after putting on the 15th hole during the third round of the British Open on Saturday in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Gerald Herbert/AP)Young, the PGA Tour rookie who finished one shot out of a playoff at the PGA Championship two months ago, had a 71.Cameron Young plays out of the rough on the 15th fairway during the third round of the British Open on Saturday in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Gerald Herbert/AP)Scheffler was lurking after a 69. He missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 16th and then three-putted the 17th for a bogey. Scheffler, who finished one shot behind in the U.S. Open, had a 69 and was five back along with Si Woo Kim (67).AdvertisementJohnson also was within three shots until a bogey on the 13th and another on the par-5 14th, where his long eagle putt raced up a hill, across the green and into a pot bunker. Instead of birdie, he had to scramble for bogey. He dropped two more shots coming in for a 71 and was six behind.McIlroy last won a major in 2014 at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He would love nothing more than to win at the home of golf, on the Old Course where Jack Nicklaus once said a player’s career would not be complete without winning a claret jug at St. Andrews.“Every part of my game has felt good this week,” McIlroy said. “I just need to keep it going for one more day.”

WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto expressed irritation Saturday hours after a report he turned down a record contract with the rebuilding club.The Athletic, citing unidentified sources, reported Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract offer to remain with the Nationals that would have been the most lucrative in baseball history. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout signed a 12-year, $426.5 million deal in 2019.AdvertisementThe Nationals said last month that they would not trade the 23-year-old Soto. But speculation about Soto getting dealt was sure to swell after this report of him turning down a long-term deal.Soto is a two-time All-Star who finished second in National League Most Valuable Player voting last season. He will not be a free agent until after the 2024 season.Advertisement“It feels really bad to see stuff going out like that because I’m a guy who, my side, keeps everything quiet and try to keep it to them and me,” Soto said before the Nationals played Atlanta. “They just make the decision and do what they need to do.”Soto referred questions about his contract to his agent, Scott Boras.Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, left, looks on as manager Dave Martinez presents right fielder Juan Soto with the Silver Slugger trophy before opening day on April 7 in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)Soto was a key piece of Washington’s championship team in 2019 and turned 21 during the World Series. He won the NL batting title in 2020, led the league on on-base percentage in 2020 and 2021 en route to Silver Slugger awards in both seasons.He is hitting .249 with 19 homers and 42 RBIs this season and will play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Soto has reached base in a career-high 24 consecutive games entering Saturday.The last-place Nationals began the day at a major league-worst 30-62, a whopping 27 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets. Washington was 14 1/2 games back of the fourth-place Miami Marlins.“He’s young,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “I’m sure when things like that come out that are personal, it bothers people. I’m sure it bothers him a lot. But like I said, he’s got to understand that this is part of the game, right? We’ve all been through it at some point in time. But he’s got to go out there and remember why he’s here, and that’s to help us win games and I know he’ll do that.”Soto is the most high-profile player left on a team that embarked on a rebuild last year. The Lerner family, which owns the Nationals, is also exploring the possibility of selling the team.Since last year’s trade deadline, when Washington dealt Max Scherzer, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and others, the Nationals are 48-104.Advertisement“I get the taste of winning, so I want to win every year,” Soto said. “I don’t want to keep losing. I hate losing. It is what it is. At the end of the day, we just have to go through it, because as they told me, we all have to go through those moments to win a championship. For me, I think I’m going through mine. I’m just going to keep positive and keep seeing things forward.”Martinez, Soto’s manager since he reached the majors as a 19-year-old in 2018, said he planned to tell Soto to continue being himself.“He tells me all the time that he loves the game of baseball and that’s what he plays for,” Martinez said. “Go out there and just play and have fun and don’t worry about what’s going to happen. I mean, at the end of the day, you’re going to get what you deserve, we all know that. And for me, I hope it’s here.”