Nearly a week after leading his side to their maiden World Cup title, England captain Eoin Morgan felt the result was not fair when there was so little to separate England and New Zealand in the final at Lord's. England were declared winners on the basis of a boundary count, after the match and the Super Over ended in ties. Taking note of the controversial finish to the World Cup final, the ICC has asked its Cricket Committee to review the tie-breaker rule.

"I don't think it's fair to have a result like that when there's very little between the sides," Morgan told the Times. "I don't think there was one moment that you could say: 'That actually cost the game there.' It was quite balanced.

"I'm black and white. I'm normally going: 'I know. I was there, that happened.' [But] I can't stick my finger on where the game was won and lost."

One big turning point, however, came in the final over of England's chase. When it was looking like New Zealand were the favourites, Martin Guptill's throw from the deep deflected off Ben Stokes' bat to give England four extra runs in overthrows, dragging the hosts ahead in the contest.

One would assume that finishing on the right side of the result after such a cliffhanger would have made it easier for Morgan to make sense of all the drama. But the man himself doesn't agree.

"I'm not sure winning it makes it any easier," he said. "A little bit [troubled], because there's no defining moment that you'd say: 'Yes, we thoroughly deserved it.' It's just been crazy."

"I spoke to Kane [Williamson] over the last couple of days on numerous occasions and none of us has come up with a rational explanation as to the various times we gave them the game and they gave it back to us. Like me, he can't get his head around everything."

At the end of the conversation, though, Morgan conceded: "It would be more difficult to lose, of course."

The morning after the World Cup final, Williamson said it would take a long time for him and New Zealand to come to terms with what had happened late afternoon on July 14, when Lord's was transformed into a riveting theatre and everyone - players and fans - was left gasping at the finish. "Make sense of it?" Williamson replied, when asked if he had managed to get his head around the game after some sleep. "I think that'll take quite a bit of time actually. Such a fine line. May be the worst part is there is so much you can't control in those situations and it still sort of eventuates the way it did. All in all it was a real shame that the tournament was decided in the way it was after two teams went at it. And two good teams were playing a cricket game, but it was still a tie."

Morgan had expressed similar feeling when he dropped in to the New Zealand dressing room after the final at Lord's. Williamson had said Morgan was "lost for words".

Morgan, who will be representing Dublin Chiefs in the inaugural Euro T20 Slam, didn't give a definitive answer on his future as England captain, stating the back injury he suffered during the game against West Indies in the World Cup as one of the reasons behind the uncertainty.

"It's a huge commitment to go for another four years or even next year, particularly with the injury I had coming through this tournament, he said. "You can't lead a team and commit to something if you're constantly worried about your back falling out. It will be a difficult decision."

ICC cricket committee to review tie-breaker rule

The issue came up for discussion during the ICC's annual conference, where the powerful Chief Executives Committee asked the Cricket Committee to consider the rules. The ICC Cricket Committee, which is headed by former India captain Anil Kumble, will consider the tie-breaker rule, and discuss if there are any better alternatives in case a similar situation arises in future.

Unified lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound king, can move a step closer to becoming the undisputed champion when he returns to the site of his second Olympic gold-medal victory.

Lomachenko, the owner of two 135-pound belts, will defend those titles and compete for the belt vacated by Mikey Garcia when he meets fellow Olympic champion Luke Campbell on Aug. 31 at the O2 Arena in London, Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing announced Saturday.

Lomachenko, who won the 2008 Olympic featherweight gold medal for Ukraine in Beijing, won the 2012 Olympic gold medal in London and will fight there once again when he meets Campbell, the 2012 Olympic bantamweight gold medalist for Great Britain.

The all-southpaw fight will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card (5 p.m. ET) in the United States and air on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in the United Kingdom. A news conference is scheduled for Monday in London.

The fight was headed to a purse bid until Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing reached an agreement a couple of weeks ago before getting everything signed.

"This is a fight for history because my goal is to unify all of the belts in the lightweight division," said Lomachenko, who has won world titles in three divisions. "Luke Campbell is the next challenge for me on that journey. He is an excellent fighter who I remember well from the 2012 Olympics. He has a difficult style, and I cannot afford to overlook him.

"It is very special for me to fight in London. I visited last year, and the response from the people was overwhelming. They respect my fighting style and are passionate about boxing. I can't wait to put on a great show for everyone."

The winner would need the fourth major title to become the undisputed champion, but it is within reach. If Lomachenko wins, his next bout would be in early 2020 for the undisputed title against the winner of the expected fall fight between titleholder Richard Commey and Teofimo Lopez Jr., who earned the mandatory title shot by virtue of his unanimous decision victory over Masayoshi Nakatani on Friday night in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

"Vasiliy Lomachenko is a unique talent who is going to take the United Kingdom by storm," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. "Luke Campbell is an excellent fighter, but Lomachenko is in a class of his own. The fans on that side of the pond have wanted Lomachenko to return ever since he turned pro. It's going to be a crazy, sold-out crowd at the O2 Arena, and I wouldn't be surprised if Lomachenko has the crowd's support."

Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs), 31, will be getting his second shot at a world title. He was the mandatory challenger when he traveled to Inglewood, California, and lost a split decision against then-titleholder Jorge Linares in September 2017. Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs), 31, later knocked Linares out to take his belt and then easily outpointed Jose Pedraza to unify two titles in December. In April, Lomachenko made his second defense by knocking out England's Anthony Crolla in the fourth round in Los Angeles.

Campbell said he is excited to test his skills against the best fighter in the world.

"The best fighting the best; this is going to make one hell of a fight," said Campbell, who has won three fights in a row since the loss to Linares. "I am in this sport to be the best, and I am this sport to become a world champion. This is what I train and work so hard for, to become a world champion and fulfill my potential.

"He is ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound on the planet, so for me to fight a guy like that only encourages me more to be the best that I can be, and it is exactly the level that I want to be at. I'm well aware of how good he is and what he is capable of doing, but I'm also well aware of what I can do and what I'm going to do. I think that I can knock out anyone that I hit right. I believe that I am one of the biggest punchers in the lightweight division. This is going to be the toughest fight of my life, and I'm preparing for it, physically and mentally. This is Luke Campbell's year. It's my time."

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, Campbell's promoter, has long been a Lomachenko fan and knows his fighter is the underdog but does not count him out.

"Loma is simply one of the finest boxers to ever lace them up, the best fighter on the planet today, and I'm honored to be promoting his first-ever pro fight in the U.K.," Hearn said, "but Luke is an elite world fighter too, and with his range, ability and heart, the Hull ace can shock the world and rip Loma's titles from him on another epic night of boxing in the [English] capital."

NEW YORK -- On the back of his custom Players Weekend jersey last summer, the then-Colorado Rockies second baseman settled on a simple two-letter nickname he has had for much of his life: "DJ."

Given David John LeMahieu's reticent nature, preferring to fly under the radar, he'll probably just pick it again next month.

But it's not like he doesn't have more creative options to ponder these days.

All season, his first with the New York Yankees, do-it-all infielder DJ LeMahieu has been Mr. Consistent at the plate and LeReliable in the field. He has been a steady, calming force in a lineup that has otherwise endured its share of change amid injury attrition. To his teammates, he has been "The Machine" in clutch at-bats, regularly swinging his "Boat Oar" and routinely delivering run-producing hits with runners in scoring position.

Without LeMahieu -- or whatever they want to call him -- the Yankees would not be where they are: far out in front of their division and holding the best record in baseball.

"He's been one of the MVPs of the league so far," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's obviously lived up to every expectation that we could have hoped for."

Signed in January to a two-year, $24 million free-agent deal, LeMahieu's arrival was initially met with external skepticism.

Could his right-handed stroke, one that earned him a batting title in notoriously artificially humidified and high-altitude Colorado, translate to near sea level in the Bronx? Putting aside his widely known defensive prowess, could his bat make him a steady contributor in a lineup that, entering the season, already had everyday second basemen, third basemen and first basemen?

Ahead of his first series against his old club this weekend, LeMahieu admitted his arrival was a little tough in the beginning. But that didn't last very long.

"I had been in a routine for seven years out in Colorado, so spring training was a bit of an adjustment," LeMahieu said. "But once baseball starts, baseball's baseball."

The Rockies visit Yankee Stadium for three games beginning Friday.

"It probably will be a little weird since I played with a lot of those guys for a number of years, and watched a lot of those guys' careers go from rookies to really, really good players in the league," LeMahieu said.

Whatever early concerns Yankees fans might have had about him -- including underestimating him -- the productive LeMahieu quickly assuaged them. His first half culminated in his third trip to the All-Star Game, and this week he was handed the Yankees' Heart and Hustle Award.

Last September, former ESPN baseball writer Jerry Crasnick spoke to Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado about LeMahieu. As Colorado was making a late-season playoff push amid LeMahieu's looming free agency, the impact the infielder had long had in that clubhouse was tangible.

"If fans knew how much we appreciate DJ and saw how much we care for him and how important he is to this team, they'd realize what a big factor he is," Arenado said. "He brings a calmness to our team. But when he gets fired up, you know it's something serious. It's something he really feels in his heart, and we feed off that.

"He sets the standard for us. We go where he goes, really."

Those words could very well apply now to the 2019 Yankees.

"When I noticed he was getting three or four hits every day like nothing, he kind of looked like a machine. They would move the shift one way, he would hit it the other way. They would move the shift the other way, and he would hit it another way. That's how [The Machine] came about."

Gary Sanchez

Entering Friday's series opener against Colorado, LeMahieu leads the American League with a .329 batting average. His 119 hits are just nine shy of the major league lead, and his 65 RBIs are just one shy of his previous career high.

One of the three most-used Yankees this season, LeMahieu has proved durable and dependable. But as his teammates are quick to say, none of that should come as a surprise to Yankees fans.

"I enjoyed watching him play for years when I was in the NL West, and it's the same thing," said Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin, who played in San Diego near the start of LeMahieu's tenure in Colorado. "It's just now he's getting to do it on the biggest stage there is, and I'm happy people can really see just how special and how good he is as he just saunters around as chill and cool as can be. It's fun to just watch him do his thing. It really is."

New York's big stage has certainly upped LeMahieu's profile -- and cemented his reputation.

"People in the offseason thought that he wasn't going to be able to hit outside of Colorado," Red Sox manager and American League All-Star skipper Alex Cora said last week in Cleveland. "Well, he hits outside of Colorado, and in Europe, too."

Cora saw the latter firsthand last month inside London Stadium, where the Yankees and Red Sox met in a two-game series.

During the high-scoring showcase, LeMahieu went 7-for-12 (.583) with three doubles, seven RBIs and four runs scored.

One of the doubles hugged the left-field line as it cleared the bases. On that particular extra-base hit, left fielder Andrew Benintendi had to travel from near the left-center field gap just to pick up the ball in the corner.

Credit, in part, such shift-beating savvy to helping give rise to LeMahieu's most recognized Yankees nickname.

"When I noticed he was getting three or four hits every day like nothing, he kind of looked like a machine," Yankees catcher and nickname creator Gary Sanchez said through a translator. "They would move the shift one way, he would hit it the other way. They would move the shift the other way, and he would hit it another way. That's how [The Machine] came about."

Sanchez, in fact, no longer refers to LeMahieu as anything other than "Machine."

"He calls me that like 20 times a day," LeMahieu said.

Other Yankees have followed suit, endearingly referencing their teammate by the Terminator-like description, which has made its way to the ballpark video board and the team's social media channels.

Even LeMahieu's equipment is earning nicknames. Some around the team have started calling the dark-stained Marucci Sports bat LeMahieu swings a "boat oar."

"He gets that boat oar going in the zone for a long time," Boone said.

LeMahieu touches so much of the strike zone with his bat when he swings it's as if he's swinging a massive paddle.

"He laughs when I mention this because he's so humble, but I'm like, 'When I'm going good, I just sit in bed and I just watch DJ highlights.'"

Cameron Maybin

Coors Field aside, much of what has made LeMahieu so valued as a hitter in recent seasons -- he has averaged .313 batting and an .814 OPS since 2015 -- has been his swing. It's one LeMahieu contends he has tweaked often over the years, but foundationally, it's the same as what he had even back in high school in Michigan and in college at LSU.

"He keeps his bat in the hitting zone for such a long time," Boone said. "And he does such a good job staying on his back side. So he allows the ball to get deep on him, and still gives himself plenty of room to get the barrel of the bat there.

"And it's led to, obviously, consistent, hard contact. Even when he's not getting hits, it seems like he's hitting a line drive somewhere, or hitting the ball hard somewhere."

On certain metrics, LeMahieu is actually performing even better now than he did in Colorado.

According to Statcast, LeMahieu has had the highest percentage of barreled balls of his career this season. His average 91.4 mph exit velocity also is the highest it has been since Statcast began tracking in 2015.

Maybin doesn't need numbers to convince him.

"He laughs when I mention this because he's so humble, but I'm like, 'When I'm going good, I just sit in bed and I just watch DJ highlights,'" Maybin said. "He just cracks up."

Similar in stature to the 6-foot-4 LeMahieu, Maybin watches a lot of clips of the infielder and other taller hitters to try to incorporate their strengths into his own swing. Even before they became teammates and close friends, Maybin always kept an eye on The Machine.

"He trusts his hands, he trusts his mechanics. He knows that nobody can beat him with a pitch," Maybin said. "He's never in a rush, he's never in a hurry. Very seldom you might see him out on his front foot, but it's very seldom. It's not very often you see him fooled, and it's because he trusts his mechanics. He's always inside the baseball.

"I love watching him hit balls inside to right field, and just kind of opening up and getting his hip through and his barrel through. It's really fun, man."

LeMahieu has MLB's second-highest batting average with runners in scoring position (.439), trailing only Miguel Cabrera (.444). Arenado and another of LeMahieu's former Rockies teammates, Charlie Blackmon, rank just behind them in third and fifth place.

Also, of LeMahieu's 65 RBIs, 52 of them have come with runners in scoring position. He had similar RBI numbers in those situations in past seasons, too, as evidenced by his career-high 54 runs driven in with runners in scoring position in 2016, a year he had 66 total RBIs.

"I never really thought about [hitting with runners in scoring position] until I got to college and pro ball," LeMahieu said. "I just hit. I just liked to hit. When you get to this level, you realize that with the pitching nowadays, runs are so important, and it's just that for me, I'm always trying to get on base. But when there are guys in scoring position or guys on base, it's kind of my chance to make a mark on the game."

LeMahieu credits the Yankees hitting around him.

"It just seems like I've had a lot of guys on base in front of me," LeMahieu said. "I just feel like it's a really good lineup, and I don't feel like the game is resting on my shoulders in that situation.

"Watching these guys day in and day out, and watching their compete level no matter the situation, I feel if I don't get the job done, the next guy will. If I can just get on base and have good at-bats, I feel like that sets up the inning well."

A consistent swing, trust in his teammates and a boat oar of a bat have this machine running smoothly in the Bronx.

CARSON, Calif. -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic took aim at those who compared him to Carlos Vela after the LA Galaxy star's hat trick settled El Trafico against his big rival on Friday.

Ibrahimovic claimed ahead of the match he was "by far" the better player between himself and Los Angeles FC's Vela.

And the 37-year-old backed up his words with actions by scoring the perfect hat trick -- right foot, left foot and a header -- to lead the Galaxy to a 3-2 win.

"Please do not offend me, I don't need to prove nothing, even if I don't score the goals today," Ibrahimovic told a postmatch news conference.

"I have a lot of respect for Vela, he's a good player, but you did one mistake, you compared him with me, that was your biggest mistake."

Vela opened the scoring early on before Ibrahimovic responded with three goals of his own. Vela's late strike took his tally to 21 for the season for MLS' leading scorer but it wasn't enough.

"I have my confidence and I believe in myself. People call it arrogant, I call it confidence. Ignorant people call it arrogant, intelligent people call it confidence," Ibrahimovic said.

"I have a bulletproof mind. When I go out there, I know what I'm able to prove -- and I do it good."

The victory cut LAFC's lead at the top of the Western Conference to nine points and Galaxy manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto was full of praise for his match-winner afterwards.

"He's wonderful. Not today, always," Schelotto said. "Today he was the best player on the field."

ESPN FC's Cesar Hernandez contributed to this report.

Brendon McCullum knows what it is to lose a World Cup final. In 2015, under McCullum's captaincy, New Zealand enjoyed a bumper run to the final, only to lose to Australia by seven wickets at the MCG. Four years later, New Zealand reached another World Cup final, this time at Lord's, and tied the game. The manic Super Over, the first in World Cups, ended in a tie as well, and England eventually won the title on boundary count.

McCullum's side had turned a rugby-mad country into a cricket-loving nation in 2015. Williamson's men have created similar impact now, and McCullum believes they will move on from the Lord's heartbreak.

"That's the thing and it's going to be so difficult for those guys," McCullum told stuff.co.nz. "I was lucky enough to have a beer with them in the changing room and they were pretty broken, that's for sure.

"They were also really proud of what they did and how well they played. Over the coming months and years, whilst it's still raw now, they'll understand just how magnificent that spectacle was. And for it to happen on the biggest of stages, to have played the hand that they played in that match is absolutely amazing."

McCullum looked back on the MCG final in 2015 and called it "a missed opportunity", but said he was pleased with the way how the team dealt with the result then and even now.

"Yes, it would've been lovely to have been a World Cup champion, but I've always said the game doesn't define you but it's the person and character you are," McCullum said. "I was so pleased with how our team handled that loss, also the success throughout that tournament. It's a bit different [but] I thought they've handled themselves magnificently in the aftermath of that result [at Lord's]."

A bizarre play in the last over of England's chase turned the final decisively. When Ben Stokes dived at the striker's end to complete a second run, he inadvertently deflected a throw from outfielder Martin Guptill to the third-man boundary. England were awarded six runs, and there were questions raised on the call made by the umpires at the time. McCullum, though, chose not to dwell on that play which had worked against New Zealand.

"I guess if you look at the rules, it may not have been the right call but it's just luck, that's how it works," he said. "There's nothing to say that if Ben Stokes was facing the last ball and he needed four off that rather than two, he wouldn't have struck that low full-toss out of the ground.

"I just don't think you can focus on those things. It's bitterly disappointing they didn't work out for us but we had our elements of luck throughout that World Cup too, which gave us a chance. Unfortunately on the day it didn't fall our way. I certainly don't blame anyone."

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Jordan Spieth was finishing up a call and heading for the cart that would whisk him away from the course when a young worker stepped in and asked him to pose for a picture. Spieth put his arm around the boy's waist and gently moved him out of harm's way -- another cart was approaching quickly from the rear -- and then handed the phone to his agent, Jay Danzi, who took the side-by-side photo of the player and this really lucky fan.

Moments later that fan's luck ran out when he was chastised by a tournament superior for ignoring prior instructions and bothering a competitor at The Open.

The world-famous golfer was more willing than the kid's boss to cut the kid a break. Of course, very few people who have come in contact with Jordan Alexander Spieth would be terribly surprised by that.

Though Spieth might have lost some of his innocence over time with his tee-to-green struggles and rants -- some directed at himself, some at his caddie -- he still stands among the most agreeable and thoughtful players on tour. He is not yet 26 and already gets it. You can be a nice guy while still raging against Leo Durocher's claim that nice guys are destined to finish last.

As a competitor, Spieth's determination and grit have honored that of the legend he was named after -- Michael Jordan. He had no problem ripping the heart out of friend Matt Kuchar's chest during that 13th-hole passion play at Royal Birkdale two years ago; if necessary, Jordan, the old North Carolina Tar Heel, would have run Dean Smith's four-corner offense on Kuchar, too. Spieth did what he had to do to take the Claret Jug from Kuchar and make it his own.

That's why he should be considered a lethal threat over the next 36 holes at The Open despite his two-year victory drought, his almost comical weekend failures and his admission Friday that he still isn't hitting the ball worth a spit. Spieth's fire, and Spieth's faith, are his best friends as he moved into second-round contention following his 4-under 67.

His fire was obvious in becoming the youngest man to ever win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, and in claiming his third major title four days before his 24th birthday; Tiger Woods was six months older when he won his third. His faith was evident Friday when asked if his Birkdale muscle memory would help him Saturday and Sunday, even though he isn't hitting the ball anywhere close to where he hit it in 2017.

"Yeah, I think it's something very important to draw back on," Spieth answered. "I think I need to be looking at the positives of the history of this tournament, and my history in major championships, versus focusing on anything else.

"If I can walk tall knowing that there's very few people who have been in this situation contending in the weekend in majors as many times as I have, that's certainly a confidence boost for myself. So that's going to be the mentality."

It's the right mentality to have when the top of the leaderboard at Royal Portrush is populated by men the likes of Shane Lowry, J.B. Holmes, Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood.

Men who have never won a major.

No question Spieth has serious hurdles to overcome if he's going to pull this off. The Texan who always put on a master class in putting on his way to the No. 1 world ranking for parts of 2015 and 2016 is now ranked 38th. Though Spieth is ranked 16th on tour in first-round scoring and second in second-round scoring, he has been stumbling across the weekend like a drunken sailor on shore leave. He is ranked 166th in third-round scoring (71.31) and 196th in fourth-round scoring (73.08). Spieth also walked into Royal Portrush ranked 189th in driving accuracy and 183rd in greens in regulation. Two rounds deep into this Open, he has hit only 39 percent of his fairways.

"At some point I hope to be playing off the short grass this week," Spieth said.

Asked what kind of progress he has made with his long game since missing the cut at the Travelers Championship last month, Spieth said, "Not much. I put in a lot of hours, but I think it's going to take maybe a couple of weeks to trust. I think I hit maybe two or three fairways [on Thursday]. I posted a score that was pretty incredible from where I played my second shots from."

Spieth somehow went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on a four-hole stretch on the front side Friday; he made a 25-footer from off the green for the eagle at the par-5 7th, and then a 20-footer for birdie on the next hole to punctuate the flurry.

"It was really the putter," Spieth said, "and just how I was attacking the holes."

It was also his firm belief in himself as a certified winner. Spieth has already built a Hall of Fame career before turning 26, shaped by 11 tour victories and a spirited run at the Grand Slam in 2015 that ended at St. Andrews, where he finished one shot out of a playoff.

"My game is in a different place than it was then," Spieth said. "And I'm working to get it back to where it was then. But anytime in an Open Championship that I'm in contention, I feel good about the potential of being able to make a run at it Saturday and Sunday."

He is a creative player who grew up shaping his ball in the Texas wind, threatening again in the major that requires more creativity and wind management than the other three. "I love links golf," Spieth said.

And links golf loves him back.

Does that mean Spieth will end his drought Sunday and reclaim his position among the two or three signature players of the post-Tiger generation?

No, not necessarily. But unlike the contenders ahead of him on the board, Spieth has proved he knows how to win this championship. If he doesn't have the game, especially off the tee, Spieth does have the faith and the fire.

That makes him a very dangerous man with two very dangerous clubs in his bag.

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks fell into an early hole against a team ahead of them in the National League wild-card standings.

Once they cycled through the third inning, the hits kept coming.

Christian Walker hit a two-run homer to cap the first natural cycle by consecutive batters in Arizona's history, lifting the Diamondbacks to a 10-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

"I was really pleased with the way we swung the bats tonight," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "We fell behind early and kept plowing away. We had the six-run inning and kept tacking on."

Milwaukee won the opener 5-1 after scoring three runs in the eighth inning Thursday night.

The Diamondbacks broke open the second game with six runs in the third inning against Jhoulys Chacin (3-10), punctuated by hitting a single, double, triple and home run in four straight at-bats.

Arizona's Eduardo Escobar homered and had a run-scoring triple, and All-Star Ketel Marte had two RBIs to reach a career-high 60.

Archie Bradley (3-4) gave up a hit in 1 1/3 innings, and Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

Arizona moved to within a game of the final NL wild-card spot after its seventh win in 10 games.

"We're feeling good, we're playing well," Marte said. "We feel like we have what it takes to make the playoffs."

Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer, his majors-leading 35th, and Lorenzo Cain hit a solo shot for the Brewers. Milwaukee led 3-1 early and scored three runs in the seventh inning to pull to within 10-7 but couldn't make up the deficit after the third.

"Offensively we did a nice job, put pressure on them," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It just wasn't enough."

Chacin was sharp his last start in a no-decision against San Francisco, giving up an earned run and four hits in five innings.

He was not so sharp against the Diamondbacks.

Nick Ahmed hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning before Arizona went up 7-3 in the third.

Marte followed Jarrod Dyson's one-out single with his second double to score Dyson. Escobar then lined a run-scoring triple and Walker followed with a two-run homer to left.

Arizona scored two more runs after Chacin was lifted and second baseman Keston Hiura botched a potential double play for an error.

Chacin gave up seven runs -- six earned -- and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings to remain winless in 11 straight starts since April 30.

"I haven't done anything to keep me in the rotation," Chacin said.

CLARKE'S NIGHT

Arizona's Taylor Clarke (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list to start against the Brewers.

The right-hander was hit hard early.

Hiura lined a two-run single in the second inning and Cain led off the third with his seventh homer to put Milwaukee up 3-1.

Clarke gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

"Just a few of those counts of falling behind and not really making a quality pitch," he said.

MARTE EJECTED

Marte was ejected in the seventh inning -- after swinging through a pitch on a strikeout.

Marte questioned a previous strike call by plate umpire Sam Holbrook, then slammed his bat and helmet to the ground after missing Burch Smith's third strike. Holbrook sent Marte off right after his helmet hit the dirt.

"I felt it was unfair because I didn't say anything to him," Marte said through an interpreter after his second career ejection. "Maybe the helmet landed a little too close to him, but I really didn't say anything to warrant what happened."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (elbow) is slated to make a rehab start for Class-A Wisconsin on Sunday.

Diamondbacks: Dyson was back in the lineup after missing Thursday's game because of a hamstring cramp. ... RHP Jon Duplantier (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Reno. INF Domingo Leyba also was sent to Reno.

UP NEXT

Brewers: LHP Gio Gonzalez is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list (left arm fatigue) to start against Arizona on Saturday. He made rehab starts with Class A Carolina and Triple-A San Antonio after going on the injured list May 29.

Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke needs six strikeouts against the Brewers on Saturday to tie Tim Keefe (2,555) for 31st and seven to tie Jerry Koosman (2,556) for 30th on the career strikeouts list.

European champion feels in shape to make an assault on her 3:55 British 1500m record in London

Laura Muir believes she’s not far from being in her best-ever shape, with an assault on her own British 1500m record a distinct possibility for this weekend’s Müller Anniversary Games in London.

The European champion ran an 800m PB of 1:58.42 in Monaco just over a week ago and her three 1500m races so far this season have produced times of 4:05.37 for a win in Stockholm, 3:59.47 for second in Stanford and 3:56.73 to place runner-up in Rome for her second fastest ever time.

Now she feels in the sort of form which could see that national record of 3:55.22 fall further.

“I feel like I’m probably in PB shape, I’m almost in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” she says. “I ran an 800m PB last week so I certainly feel like I’m in my PB shape of 3:55, it’s just whether all the boxes on the day can be ticked and that kind of time can come off.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out there. Hopefully we can run some fast times.”

“I feel like I’m almost in the best shape I’ve ever been in…”@lauramuiruns on how she’s feeling good ahead of tomorrow’s @London_DL 1500m. @scotathletics pic.twitter.com/1qjXXF8iky

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 19, 2019

In Saturday’s race, Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen could be a threat following her recent breakthrough over 3000m, while the field also features Morocco’s Shanghai Diamond League winner Rababe Arafi, Ethiopia’s Axumawit Embaye, Kenya’s Winny Chebet, Ireland’s Ciara Mageean and Muir’s training partners Gabriela DeBues-Stafford of Canada and double European under-23 champion Jemma Reekie, plus another fellow Brit, the in-form Sarah McDonald.

World and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon had also been due to race but was a late withdrawal due to an adductor injury.

“I just want to go out there and run a really good, hard, fast race,” says Muir. “Ultimately, I’d love to win and if I can do that, I’m sure a quick time will follow.”

Asked whether she feels like she is putting herself under pressure by saying that she is in top shape, she replies: “I don’t feel like I’m putting myself under pressure because I genuinely believe it’s true.

“My training these past couple of weeks has been very good. I’m very confident with where I’m at in terms of my fitness. I know I can go out there and run well.

“I never go into a race with just one plan – I’ll have plans A, B, C and D. Hopefully plan A will go ahead. But in the 1500m you’re not always entirely sure what’s going to happen so I’ll have a few ideas in my mind.”

British sprint record-holder hopes to translate her European success to world and Olympic level

Dina Asher-Smith says she has been embracing the expectation that comes with being a triple European champion and last summer’s world-leading sprinter, using people’s energy to help create confidence.

The 23-year-old improved her own British 100m and 200m records to 10.85 and 21.89 when winning her continental titles in Berlin last year, completing the treble with 4x100m gold.

Those times put her top of the global rankings during a season in which she also earned gold and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

Now her focus is on translating that to world and Olympic level, as she works toward the championships in Doha this autumn and the Tokyo Games.

Asked if she feels the expectations of others, she replies: “Yes, I do, but I don’t think I take it in a bad way. Some people would get really overwhelmed but for me, I think it’s nice in all honesty for them to think that I can go on to do great things.

“I’ve actually used some of their expectations to give me more confidence as well, because sometimes I do tell myself, ‘you can’t, you can’t’, when really I should be thinking, ‘I can’. So I have taken some of other people’s energy and put it into myself as well.”

She also has her own high standards.

“I think it’s been quite easy for me because I’m always quite realistic with myself,” she says. “Since the Europeans I’ve been saying, ‘It’s the Europeans, guys. Like it’s really good and I’m really happy with how I’m performing, but it is the Europeans’. Worlds, Olympics and Europeans are completely different competitions.

“At the same time, I want to do well. I have high standards for myself. Those are not necessarily unattainable. So I wouldn’t necessarily call it pressure. It’s more holding myself to high standards but at the same time being realistic and making sure that when I step on the track I can do my personal best.”

That’s again the aim this weekend, when she forms part of a top 100m line-up at the Müller Anniversary Games.

Among her rivals in the Diamond League event, which includes heats before the final on Sunday, are double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, world indoor champion Murielle Ahouré, double world medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou, world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and her fellow Brits Asha Philip, Daryll Neita, Rachel Miller, Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Kristal Awuah.

“Doing well against these talented women would always be fantastic but I never have the mentality of having to prove myself,” says Asher-Smith on whether it is important to put down a marker ahead of Doha.

“I just don’t go into races like that. I know that come the World Championships, hopefully I’ll be in fantastic shape and the work I’ve done will put me in good stead there. But I never really feel like at any given moment you have to prove something.

“Everybody’s at different stages with their preparation. It is a long season. I’ll be peaking for my trials at the end of August.”

At the trials, Asher-Smith intends to contest the 100m with the aim of doubling up in the 100m and 200m at the World Championships. With that in mind, the Europeans provided important experience.

“I’d never done it before (the 100m and 200m double) apart from maybe AAAs when I was under-17 or under-20,” she says. “It’s a change doing it internationally and I think last year was the first time I had done a senior 100m internationally as well so I’m always learning, I’m always pushing on to bigger things.”

She adds: “It’s all well and great doing well at Europeans but you have to be able to translate it to a world level. And the next year you have to translate things to an Olympic level.

“For me, it’s making sure that I’m improving myself, being the best athlete I can be and I’m leaving no stone unturned in time for the World Championships, so I can go there and put my best foot forward in earnest.”