OKLAHOMA CITY -- For the first time all series, it felt like the Memphis Grizzlies might make it competitive after they trimmed the Oklahoma City Thunder's lead to single digits midway through the third quarter of Tuesday night's Game 2.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's leading scorer, responded with buckets on the next two possessions, hitting a midrange jumper and then lofting a turnaround over 7-foot-4 Zach Edey's outstretched arm.

Memphis never managed to make a serious threat as the Thunder pulled away for a 118-99 win to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

That sequence has been the exception for Gilgeous-Alexander in the series. The Thunder have cruised to a couple of wins despite a pair of off shooting performances by the likely league MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 32.6% from the floor in the series after finishing with 27 points on 10-of-29 shooting Tuesday night.

"I feel like I'm getting looks I usually make and just missing them," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points per game on 51.7% shooting during the regular season. "That's part of basketball. It's ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we've won two games by a decent margin. They've had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon."

Oklahoma City, which broke the NBA record for the best point differential (plus-12.9 per game) this season, won the first two games of this series by a combined 70 points. According to ESPN Research, it's the second-highest point differential ever in the first two games of a playoff series, trailing only the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers beating the San Antonio Spurs by a combined 75 points in 1986.

The Thunder have dominated the Grizzlies with smothering defense -- they've allowed a speedy Memphis squad to score only eight fast-break points in two games -- and balanced offense.

Forward Jalen Williams (24 points) and power forward/center Chet Holmgren (20 points) starred offensively for the Thunder in Game 2. The Thunder had a 33-14 advantage in bench scoring, led by Alex Caruso's 13 points.

Oklahoma City had six scorers in double figures in Game 1, led by 10th man Aaron Wiggins' 21 points.

"It's nothing new," Gilgeous-Alexander said of Oklahoma City's outstanding depth. "We've seen it all year. It's why we have the record we have."

Gilgeous-Alexander contributed in other ways, as he has all season. He had 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

The Thunder have outscored the Grizzlies by 40 points with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor in the series.

"He does so much [more] through the complete course of the game than just scoring for our team, and I think that's showing up," Caruso said. "He might miss a couple shots that look routine that he might normally make. But if we're winning games how we're winning them and he's having average days, I think that bodes well for us forward."

CLEVELAND -- New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton took batting practice with teammates on Tuesday as he continues to recover from elbow issues.

Stanton took swings before the game at Progressive Field as the Yankees prepared for the middle game of their series against the Cleveland Guardians.

While Stanton has been working behind the scenes, this was the first time he has taken outdoor batting practice.

Following New York's 3-2 loss to Cleveland, manager Aaron Boone would not characterize the importance of Stanton's outdoor session.

"I don't know how significant because he's been doing a lot more than that (inside)," Boone said. "But certainly it's good to see him out there on the and in a (BP) group hitting. So I think all of us get a smile seeing that. But I don't know if it's a significant step because he's been doing a lot more than that."

Stanton has been dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, with the ailment known as "tennis elbow" shutting him down since spring training. The 35-year-old has said his elbows also bothered him last season and it's a matter of pain tolerance.

The team does not have a timetable for Stanton's return to their lineup. It's likely he'll have to go on a minor league rehab assignment before he's ready to play in major league games.

Stanton is in his eighth season with New York. Last season, he hit 27 homers and drove in 72 runs in 114 games, and in the postseason, he was among the club's top hitters. As the Yankees advanced to the World Series, he finished with 15 hits, including seven home runs, and 16 RBIs.

Stanton has 429 homers in 15 seasons with the Yankees and Miami Marlins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was removed from his start Tuesday night in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets because of left forearm soreness.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team isn't "expecting structural damage" in Sanchez's arm, but the team will know more Wednesday if further testing is necessary.

Sanchez said he isn't concerned about his arm after being evaluated by a doctor.

"I did some movement exercises," Sanchez said in comments translated from Spanish. "The doctor checked me, all of that. That's why I'm confident there's nothing to worry about."

Sanchez explained he felt uncomfortable from the outset, during his pregame work in the bullpen, but he said he didn't believe it was an arm issue until after the second inning.

"The pitches weren't falling," Sanchez said. "The arm, everything was good, but the pitches weren't falling and moving like they always move."

Sanchez exited with the Phillies trailing 2-1 after laboring through his two innings. He threw 33 of his 58 pitches for strikes, and his velocity was a tick down from his usual output. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two and throwing a wild pitch.

Thomson said he asked Sanchez if he felt fine following the second inning and decided to remove him from the game when he replied that his arm felt tight. Sanchez was replaced by right-hander Joe Ross to begin the third.

A critical member of Philadelphia's strong rotation, Sanchez, 28, entered Wednesday with a 2.96 ERA in four outings this season. He struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings in his previous start, a 6-4 win over San Francisco last Thursday.

Sanchez is signed to a $22.5 million, four-year contract through 2028 that includes club options for 2029 and 2030. He was an All-Star last season, when he finished 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 31 starts covering 181 innings, and was a trendy preseason pick to emerge as a National League Cy Young Award contender this season. He had never before reached 100 innings in a major league season.

ESPN's Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was pulled from his club's 8-5 win over the Athletics Tuesday night in the sixth inning due to right hamstring tightness.

Seager grounded out to end the top of the sixth inning and was lifted when the Rangers took the field for the bottom of the frame. He went 1-for-4 with two runs before leaving the contest. The veteran is batting .286 with four home runs and six RBIs through 21 games this season.

Meanwhile, Athletics reliever Jose Leclerc also left the game after seven pitches with right shoulder soreness. Leclerc, a 31-year-old right-hander who signed a $10 million, one-year contract as a free agent in January, struck out Adolis Garcia leading off the seventh inning and had a 3-1 count on Marcus Semien when he summoned catcher Shea Langeliers to the mound.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Leclerc would undergo testing Wednesday.

"I think more of a strain than just soreness," he said. "Obviously, he was in a little bit of pain coming off that mound. That's just, that's unfortunate for us."

Leclerc had Tommy John surgery in 2021. He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances for the A's after going 12-20 with a 3.27 ERA in 347 relief appearances and three starts for the Rangers from 2016-24.

Information from Field Level Media and the Associated Press was used in this story.

CHICAGO -- Catcher Miguel Amaya was confident he'd be jogging around the bases when he blasted a two-out, ninth-inning baseball high into the Wrigley Field sky with his Chicago Cubs trailing 10-9 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

He was right -- but just barely.

Amaya's 388-foot shot landed in the center field basket, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as Dodgers closer Tanner Scott blew the save. And one inning later, the Cubs won the game 11-10 on an Ian Happ run-scoring single off Noah Davis, capping yet another wild affair at Wrigley.

According to Statcast, Amaya's blast would have been a home run in exactly one park in the majors.

"As a baseball player, its something you dream of," Amaya said. "As soon as I hit, I felt it was out but then I saw the center fielder getting into position to catch it. Then it was, 'Oh my god, I have to run,' but it was enough to get out.

"I love those basket balls."

It was the second time in five days that both teams playing at Wrigley scored 10 or more runs; on Friday, the Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 13-11 thanks to a six-run eighth inning that was preceded by a 10-run frame by Arizona.

On Tuesday, the Cubs led 5-3 after the first inning, but the Dodgers took a 10-7 lead thanks to a five-run seventh aided by an error from third baseman Gage Workman. As has been the case all month, the Cubs kept fighting back. Right fielder Kyle Tucker brought them within one with an eighth-inning home run before Amaya tied it in the ninth.

"They've done some amazing things and some resilient things, most importantly," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the team's play on its homestand. "You win games like that early in the season and it's a great carry forward for the rest of the season."

The Cubs improved to 15-10 thanks to a high-powered offense that leads the league in scoring at just over six runs per game. They've tallied 10 or more runs in seven games already, their most through 25 games of a season since 1895, according to ESPN Research. No other team this season has done it more than 3 times.

Counsell credited his bullpen in shutting down the Dodgers in the final few innings.

The Cubs also did well facing Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. He went 0 for 4, lowering his batting average against them this year to .167. Against all other teams, he's hitting .302.

He also went 0-for-3 against Shota Imanaga and is now 0-for-10 against the Cubs starter.

"The next 10 at-bats he might get 10 hits," Imanaga said. "It's been a small miracle that it's happened 10 times in a row."

The Cubs keep on performing miracles at the plate both in the colder conditions this month and in the few games where the weather has been favorable for hitters. That included Tuesday, when it was 71 degrees with the wind blowing out at first pitch. It led to six home runs, none bigger than Amaya's.

"Basket hurt us a couple times last year," Counsell said with a smirk. "It was helpful tonight."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bay FC will play the Washington Spirit in a National Women's Soccer League match at Oracle Park, home of baseball's San Francisco Giants.

Bay FC hopes the Aug. 23 match will attract an NWSL record of 40,000-plus fans to the ballpark on the San Francisco Bay.

"We're eager for the opportunity to create league history alongside the Washington Spirit by being the first professional women's teams to play at Oracle Park and thankful to the San Francisco Giants for their support of our ambitions," Bay CEO Brady Stewart said in a statement Tuesday.

"Playing a match in San Francisco allows us to connect with our fans from around the Bay Area in an incredible setting."

Bay FC plays its home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose. The team played last year against the Chicago Stars at Wrigley Field, which drew a league-record 35,038 fans.

"Oracle Park has long been home to iconic events across sports and entertainment, and we're proud to host our first-ever women's professional soccer match this summer.

"The match represents a milestone not only for the ballpark, but for the entire Bay Area community," said Stephen Revetria, president of Giants Enterprises.

The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Barcelona's Dani Olmo scored inside the first minute of the second half to earn a hard-fought 1-0 home win against Mallorca on Tuesday, extending their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table to seven points with five games to go.

Barça dominated proceedings despite coach Hansi Flick deciding to rest several key starters ahead of Saturday's Copa del Rey final against bitter rivals Madrid, but Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman put on a show between the posts to keep them at bay.

The hosts finally managed to break the deadlock shortly after the break thanks to a fine piece of individual skill from Olmo, who took the ball in a tight space inside the box and quickly fired a left foot shot into the bottom corner before Mallorca's defenders could challenge him.

The win lifted Barça to 76 points at the top of the LaLiga standings with Madrid, who visit Getafe on Wednesday, seven points adrift with a game in hand.

United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino emphasized the importance of selecting players with a strong mentality heading into the Gold Cup this summer, stressing that talent alone may not be enough for a player to earn a spot in the squad.

The USMNT will face Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti during the group stage of the tournament in hopes of advancing to the knockout round.

"The right mindset must be there, because we need to compete for our flag, our country," Pochettino said in an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation released Tuesday.

"What we are trying to do as a staff is to optimize every single area of preparation, and the mentality of the players is really important.

"We need to be intelligent in the way that we are going to select the players and not just choose based on talent alone. We need to have the right characters to be really competitive."

The United States is coming off of a disappointing Nations League Finals last month, falling 1-0 to Panama in the semifinals before losing 2-1 to Canada in the match for third place. The Stars and Stripes failed to win the trophy for the first time after claiming victory in its first three editions.

Pochettino questioned the team's lack of effort and competitive mentality throughout the two-game international window, demanding the players to focus on intensity moving forward.

And he has continued to reinforce that message ahead of the Gold Cup.

"For sure to start we must compete hard," Pochettino said. "We must match the intensity of our opponents, because in these tournaments they are always motivated to play against the USA. Of course we must perform well to win and you don't always get a result, but for sure in order to win you have to compete.

"It's not just about showing up in your home country and trying to play nice soccer. No, you must be proud, you must fight for the people that would love to be in your position, for the millions of kids that are going to see us and dream to be one day where we are.

"This is the type of responsibility and commitment we need to show in a different way than we did in Los Angeles."

Pochettino previously spoke about the importance of mentality with ESPN, labeling the characteristic as the defining factor on the field.

"They [Argentina] go to war and to defend your badge, your flag, and that is what we need to create," he said.

Before the Gold Cup kicks off, the USMNT will return to the field when hosting Turkey and Switzerland in two international friendlies on June 7 and 10.

Manchester City's Matheus Nunes scored deep in injury time to salvage a crucial 2-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday in their breathless chase for a Champions League berth next season.

The teams appeared to be heading for a draw after Marcus Rashford's penalty cancelled out Bernardo Silva's goal in the first half, but Nunes fired home Jérémy Doku's cross in the 94th minute to lift City two places to third in the table on 61 points.

Pep Guardiola's men, however, have played one more game than the three teams directly behind them, while Villa, who have lost 15 successive games at the Etihad Stadium, remained seventh on 57 points in the crowded top of the table.

City went ahead in the seventh minute when Omar Marmoush raced by Villa right-back Matty Cash before cutting the ball back for an onrushing Silva. Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez got his gloves on the ball, but not enough to stop it from sailing into the back of the net.

Rashford, who had a shot clatter off the post 18 seconds into the game, pulled Villa level from the penalty spot in the 18th minute, after VAR determined Rúben Dias clipped Jacob Ramsey from behind with his right leg. Rashford calmly sent keeper Stefan Ortega the wrong way before slotting home.

City had 14 shots to Villa's seven before clinching a deserved victory when Doku drove down the left-hand side before squaring the ball as Nunes arrived at the back post.

"Very important," Nunes told Sky Sports. "This was a very tough game, very tough opponent, and we came with the mentality that we needed to win this game. And that's what happened. Perfect timing."

Nunes brought delirious City fans to their feet with his first league goal for the team with the last shot of the game. Guardiola vigorously shook two fists in celebration while Villa manager Unai Emery looked crestfallen.

"[Villa] are on the run with us to this top five and it was a special game to get the three points," City's Dias told Sky. "Four games to go and all of them will be massively important. Important today to get the three points.

"We know how tight it is and how tight it's going to be till the end. It is a massive step for us."

City dominated possession with 61.6% and had the better chances, with the best coming in the second half.

City skipper Kevin De Bruyne sent a sumptuous second-half pass to James McAtee, but he hit the ball just wide of the far corner. McAtee wasted another brilliant chance minutes later when Nico O'Reilly threaded a pinpoint cross to the midfielder but he missed the ball completely from close range.

Rashford caused problems for City several times including a second-half chance when the on-loan Manchester United striker drove forward with the ball from midfield, yet with Ortega out of his goal, he shot into the side netting.