National Sports

TORONTO — Approaching the halfway mark of the MLS season, Toronto FC is 5-8-3 and five points out of the playoff picture with Italian star Lorenzo Insigne waiting in the wings.

TORONTO — B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke has been named the CFL's top performer of the week for the second time this season.

SEATTLE — After bouncing back from two consecutive losses, CF Montreal are heading west to take on one of the better Major League Soccer sides.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Sonny Gray pitched seven scoreless innings and Gary Sánchez had four RBIs to help the Minnesota Twins stretch their lead in the AL Central with an 11-1 blowout of the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler Wells pitched five nearly perfect innings, Adley Rutschman drove one of Baltimore's five home runs and the Orioles three-hit the Seattle Mariners in a 9-2 victory Monday night.

DENVER (AP) — Chad Kuhl crouched in a tunnel at Coors Field, sharing the moment with his parents on a FaceTime call as his phone kept buzzing with other messages of congratulations.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees lived up to expectations, even trailing by four runs. Unfortunately for Oakland, the Athletics also played to pattern.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals rookie Juan Yepez has made the most of having Albert Pujols as a teammate and a mentor.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Maikel Franco hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Monday night in the opener of a three-game series.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Sonny Gray turned an emotional, distracting day for the Twins into a dominant one.