PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul DeJong hit three home runs, one as part of a record-tying, nine-run second inning as the St. Louis Cardinals walloped Pittsburgh 14-8 to complete a three-game sweep of the Pirates. DeJong, Andrew Knizner and Paul Goldschmidt each hit two-run homers in the second inning as the Cardinals batted around. St. Louis also had five doubles in the frame for a total of eight extra-base hits, tying an MLB record.

ATLANTA (AP) — Brad Keller thrived in his Georgia homecoming, both on the mound and at the plate. Keller, from nearby Flowery Branch, allowed only four hits in seven innings while adding a second-inning single for his first career RBI as the Kansas City Royals beat Julio Teheran and the Atlanta Braves 2-0.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce missed the entire offseason after having surgery to solidify an ankle that had become loose over time. Kelce said he had felt discomfort in it the past couple years, mainly on Monday and Tuesday, when his entire body was still sore from a Sunday game. But he is back at practice, working out with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ rookies.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Onetime Kansas prospect Jayden Russell says he has been granted a release from his letter of intent and is “exploring different options.” The 6-foot-3, 190-pound defensive back made the announcement on Twitter. As a senior, Russell helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park to its first state football title.

National Headlines

UNDATED (AP) _ Didi Gregorius provided two of the New York Yankees’ nine extra-base hits and collected three RBIs in a 10-7 win over the Minnesota Twins. Aaron Hicks, Gleyber Torres and Edwin Encarnación each hit solo home runs against the Twins, whose lead in the AL Central is down to two games over Cleveland. Shane Bieber pitched a one-hitter and the Indians improved to a major league-best 30-12 since June 4 by shutting out the Blue Jays, 4-0.

HOUSTON (AP) _ Jose Altuve and George Springer each launched two-run homers as the Houston Astros downed the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 to expand their lead in the AL West to 7 ½ games over Oakland. Justin Verlander was sharp over six innings, striking out 11 and limiting the Athletics to a run and two hits. Houston won for the seventh time in eight games and improved to 9-2 versus Oakland this season.

UNDATED (AP) _ The Atlanta Braves’ lead in the NL East is down to four games following their loss to Kansas City and Washington’s doubleheader sweep of Colorado. Brad Keller led the Royals to a 2-0 win over the Braves, allowing four hits over seven innings and hitting an RBI single. Anthony Rendon’s solo homer in the seventh gave the Nationals a 3-2 win over the Rockies before Patrick Corbin tossed six innings of three-hit ball in the Nats’ 2-0 shutout in the nightcap.

UNDATED (AP) _ The Chicago Cubs were able to retain their half-game lead over St. Louis in the NL Central. Homers by Javier Báez, Kris Bryant and Albert Almora Jr. powered the Cubs to a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Paul DeJong led the Cardinals’ 14-8 pounding of the Pirates, going 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBIs in the Redbirds’ four straight win.

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer and an RBI double to help the Los Angeles Angels earn a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. Mike Trout’s sacrifice fly put the Angels ahead, 3-1, two innings after Justin Turner homered for the Dodgers. Jaime Barria gave up a run and three hits over five innings as the Angels swept the two-game set and picked up their fourth straight win.

Wednesday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 4 Detroit 0
Final Arizona 5 Baltimore 2
Final Kansas City 2 Atlanta 0
Final Miami 2 Chi White Sox 0
Final L-A Angels 3 L-A Dodgers 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 3 Boston 2
Final Houston 4 Oakland 2
Final Seattle 5 Texas 3
Final Cleveland 4 Toronto 0
Final N-Y Yankees 10 Minnesota 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 3 Colorado 2
Final Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati 4
Final Chi Cubs 4 San Francisco 1
Final St. Louis 14 Pittsburgh 8
Final Washington 2 Colorado 0
Final San Diego 7 N-Y Mets 2