{allcanada} Springer homers, Blue Jays hold Yankees to three hits in shutout win for series split

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NEW YORK (AP) — George Springer homered, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base three times and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 2-0 on Thursday night to split a four-game series.

Springer hit his second homer of the series and gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning by sending a 2-2 slider from Camilo Doval into the left-field seats.

Toronto went with a bullpen game — highlighted by a career-best 4 1/3 innings from Spencer Miles — and held the Yankees to three hits, the fifth time New York finished with three or fewer. Aaron Judge went 0 for 4, was 1 for 15 in the series and has not homered or driven in a run in 10 games since May 10 at Milwaukee.

Judge’s streak without an RBI matches the worst of his career, done three times previously.

The Yankees lost for the ninth time in 13 games heading into Gerrit Cole’s return from reconstructive elbow surgery in the opener of a three-game series against Tampa Bay. New York dropped 4 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East.

Guerrero walked in his first two plate appearances and singled in the fifth. He stole second in the first and scored on Daulton Varsho’s 66.5 mph double off Carlos Rodón (0-2) that caromed off the third base bag.

Braydon Fisher and rookie Adam Macko (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings apiece ahead of Miles, a Rule 5 draft pick who allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one while throwing a career-high 63 pitches.

Tyler Rogers ended the eighth by getting Judge on a double-play grounder. Jeff Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save and first since April 20.

Rodón allowed one run and three hits in five innings.

Up next

Blue Jays: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-3, 3.45 ERA) opposes Pittsburgh RHP Bubba Chandler (1-5, 5.14) on Friday in Toronto.

Yankees: Cole makes his first start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series Friday night. RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51) pitches for the Rays.

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{allcanada} Canadiens pounce on Hurricanes early in 6-2 win to open Eastern Conference Final

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens pounced for four first-period goals on slow-starting Carolina — coming off the longest postseason break in more than a century — and handed the Hurricanes their first loss of the playoffs with a 6-2 victory Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Cole Caufield and Phillip Danault scored in the opening four minutes, Alexandre Texier followed four minutes later, and Ivan Demidov finished a breakaway for a shocking 4-1 lead midway through the opening period. That came against the Eastern Conference’s top seed, which hadn’t allowed more than two goals in an 8-0 playoff start.

Juraj Slafkovksy scored twice in the third period for Montreal, the second on a late empty-netter, while Jakub Dobes had 24 saves.

Game 2 is Saturday night.

The Hurricanes were the first team to sweep their first two playoff rounds since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987. But that led to a lengthy break of 11 days, the longest rest for any team before starting the next playoff run since at least 1920, while waiting on the Canadiens to battle their way past Tampa Bay and Buffalo.

That led to the rest-versus-rust discussion about the Hurricanes, along with how well the Canadiens would pivot from those to-the-limit wins.

And outside of Seth Jarvis beating Dobes just 33 seconds in, the Canadiens answered that question resoundingly in those opening minutes to extend Carolina’s misery in this round.

Much of Carolina’s success comes from pressuring opponents in the offensive zone and minimizing chances going the other way. But Montreal effectively moved the puck out of danger against Carolina’s aggressive pressure early, setting up clean breakouts and multiple breakaway chances at Frederik Andersen.

Danault’s goal was a full-speed breakaway right up the middle off a feed from Alexandre Carrier, while Demidov went forehand-backhand-forehand to beat Andersen for the 4-1 lead with 8:28 left in the first.

Andersen was leading the postseason in goals-against average (1.12) and save percentage (.950), but finished with just 16 saves.

Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, which is in the Eastern final for the third time in four years and fourth time in the current eight-season playoff run under Rod Brind’Amour. But the Hurricanes are now 1-13 in those games, including sweeps against Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023.

Carolina’s loss meant the two Stanley Cup favorites both lost the opener of the conference finals. Colorado lost at home to Vegas on Wednesday night.

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{allcanada} Canadian, Athletics OF Clarke out until at least July with left hamstring injury

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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke was returned from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas because of a “significant left hamstring strain” suffered during Tuesday night’s game and will be sidelined at least through the All-Star break, according to the team.

He has returned to Sacramento to continue his rehab after an MRI confirmed a high-grade strain. Clarke will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break in July.

Clarke was on a rehab assignment for a right foot bone bruise that forced him onto the 10-day injured list on April 22. The 26-year-old Canadian missed significant time last year as a rookie because of an adductor strain.

In 22 games for the Athletics this season, Clarke is hitting .170 with no homers, six RBIs, one double and two stolen bases.

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{allcanada} Canada's women's soccer squad to visit Costa Rica for friendly in June

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Canada’s women’s soccer team will face Costa Rica in a friendly game next month.

The ninth-ranked Canadians will head to San Jose, Costa Rica, for a training camp on May 31, then take on the host nation in Cartago on June 9.

Head coach Casey Stoney says in a release that the window will give the group an “opportunity to spend valuable time together on the pitch and continue building on the work we’ve done to date.”

The game will mark the 19th meeting between the national squads, and Canada holds an 18-0- 0 record across the previous matchups.

The two sides last faced off in Toronto back in June 2025 when the home country took a 4-1 victory in Stoney’s first game as head coach.

The Canadians are preparing for November’s CONCACAF W Championship, which will serve as a qualifier for both the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“Costa Rica is a quality opponent that will present a different type of test and allow us to continue developing as a team as we prepare for the competitions ahead,” Stoney said.

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