WEDNESDAY SPORTS PAGE: JAYS BOMBARDED

Anthony Santander hit his second career grand slam, Gunnar Henderson homered for the second straight game and the A-L-leading Baltimore Orioles crushed the host Toronto Blue Jays 13-3 on Tuesday. Santander went 3-for-4 with four R-B-Is. Jays catcher Danny Jansen hit a two-run homer and Brandon Belt added a solo shot. Pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu made his season debut for Toronto after having Tommy John surgery in June 2022 and allowed allowed four runs and nine hits in five-plus innings.

*Framber Valdez threw the 16th no-hitter in Houston Astros history Tuesday in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Hours after the Astros reacquired ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, Valdez allowed just one baserunner on a walk in the fifth inning, but still faced the minimum thanks to a double play in that frame. The 29-year-old left-hander from the Dominican Republic had pitched five complete games, including two complete game shutouts before Tuesday’s gem.

*Dansby Swanson homered twice and drove in five runs, and the Chicago Cubs pounded the Cincinnati Reds 20-9 on Tuesday. Mike Tauchman also went deep and finished with four R-B-Is as Chicago won for the ninth time in 11 games. The Cubs bashed seven homers while also setting season highs for runs and hits with 21. Chicago pulled within four games of N-L Central-leading Cincinnati. It also remains in the mix for a wild card.

NHL

The Edmonton Oilers and forward Ryan McLeod avoid arbitration by agreeing to terms on a two-year contract extension worth 2.1 million dollars (U-S) per season. The 23-year-old McLeod scored 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 games last season.

CEBL

The 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League’s (CEBL) fifth season is coming to a head as this year’s single elimination playoff format takes flight Friday, August 4 in a Play-In round doubleheader at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT.

The Eastern Conference Play-In game is a rematch of the 2022 CEBL Final as the defending champion Brampton Honey Badgers travel to Scarborough to take on the Shooting Stars at 7 p.m. at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Immediately following that game, the Western Conference Play-In game will tip off at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CDT) at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg when the Sea Bears host the two-time CEBL champion Edmonton Stingers.

The Ottawa BlackJacks and Calgary Surge will host their respective Conference Semifinal games on Sunday, August 6 against the winners of the Play-In games.

PGA

Tiger Woods has joined the PGA Tour policy board for the first time in his 27 years on Tour. He has given Commissioner Jay Monahan key support and the players a greater voice as the Tour tries to complete its business partnership with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Woods is joining as a sixth player director on the board. That’s the first time players have outnumbered independent directors on the board.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers is accused of gambling on Cyclones sports events, including a football game, and has been charged with tampering with records related to an Iowa Criminal Division investigation into sports gambling. Dekkers is accused of using a phony ID to place wagers. According to documents, Dekkers bet on an Iowa State football game against Oklahoma State in 2021 when he was a sophomore backup QB.

(Canadian Press, CEBL PR)