NEW YORK -- Edwin Encarnacion went from last place in the American League West to first in the AL East.

Naturally, he was pretty excited about it.

The veteran slugger was hitless during his Yankees debut Monday night against Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series. But he received a warm ovation from the crowd of 39,042, and New York won 3-0 to move 1½ games ahead of the Rays.

"He could have picked somewhere else. I'd have been fine with it,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash joked before the game.

Batting fifth as the designated hitter, Encarnacion went 0-for-4 in pinstripes. He struck out swinging on the 10th pitch of his first at-bat in the second inning against Yonny Chirinos.

"I saw a lot of pitches. I feel good. I'm just missing a couple of pitches that I know I can hit,'' Encarnacion said. "It's part of the game. I'll get them tomorrow.''

Acquired from Seattle in a trade late Saturday night, Encarnacion joined the Yankees on Monday and began the day leading the American League with 21 home runs. He said he expected to be shipped off by the payroll-paring Mariners, but didn't think he'd wind up in New York.

When he got the news, he was surprised and happy to be sent to a first-place team.

"I play the game to win, and it's exciting to come to a team that's battling and doing so well right now,'' Encarnacion said through a translator.

The 36-year-old Encarnacion batted behind catcher Gary Sanchez, who ranked second in the AL with 20 homers. And with fellow sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge close to returning from the injured list, the Yankees are soon poised to field one of baseball's most powerful lineups.

"I can't wait to see that. It's going to be fun,'' Encarnacion said. "We're going to hit a lot of homers, and we're going to win a lot of games, too.''

General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged some might have been surprised to see the Yankees add another big bat when it's clear they're looking to upgrade an injury-depleted pitching rotation before the July 31 trade deadline. But he said the Encarnacion move won't preclude that.

"I've got more work to do,'' Cashman said. "We'll be aggressive. We're always aggressive. We just want to be smartly aggressive.''

Stanton is due to come off the injured list Tuesday, with Judge potentially to follow in a few days. When they get back, and with Encarnacion now in the fold at designated hitter, Stanton is expected to play left field a lot, making veteran Brett Gardner primarily a fourth outfielder with a part-time role on the bench.

"We have a great lineup, and with those two animals coming back, it will be even more powerful. An even better lineup,'' Sanchez said through a translator. "We just have to stay healthy and keep on playing baseball.''

Cashman pointed out the addition of Encarnacion will give manager Aaron Boone even more opportunities to rest top players and keep them fresh while mixing and matching, something the GM said Boone has done a "masterful job'' with despite all the injuries New York has endured this season.

"It gives us a lot of coverage in a lot of different ways,'' Cashman said.

Encarnacion switched from No. 10 with the Mariners to No. 30 with the Yankees, who retired No. 10 in honor of Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto.

"It's very exciting to wear the uniform,'' Encarnacion said through a translator.

The three-time All-Star has 401 career home runs, making him the third player with at least 400 before joining the Bronx Bombers. Jose Canseco had 440 when he arrived in 2000, and Andruw Jones had 407 when he was obtained in 2011.

"We've seen what he's done to us over the course of time,'' Cashman said about Encarnacion. "He's a very patient, powerful, impact bat. His makeup is off the chart, and he's very well-liked by his teammates.''

As a visitor at the new Yankee Stadium, Encarnacion had 18 homers in 69 games.

"When you play here, every game is packed. So that's maybe why,'' he said.

Encarnacion began the night hitting .241 and was among the league leaders with 49 RBIs and 48 runs. He has averaged 37 homers and 109 RBIs in his past seven seasons and tops the majors with 322 long balls this decade.

He moved from Cleveland to Seattle last December in a three-team trade that included Tampa Bay. Cashman said the Yankees knew the Mariners would make Encarnacion available again, so they stayed in touch.

Seattle will send $8,397,849 to the Yankees as part of the trade, leaving them to pay $8 million of the remaining $16,397,849 guaranteed to Encarnacion at the time of the trade -- $11,397,849 of his $20 million salary this year plus a $5 million buyout of a $25 million club option for 2020.

New York sent 19-year-old minor league pitcher Juan Then to the Mariners.

The way the deal is structured, Encarnacion counts only $3 million toward the Yankees' luxury tax payroll this year and $5 million toward 2020.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Dominican authorities on Monday identified the man they believe paid hit men to try to kill David Ortiz, adding that they were closing in on the mastermind and motive behind the shooting of the famous slugger who is recovering at a hospital in Boston.

The man was identified as Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota, whom authorities say is a fugitive. The announcement was made as a judge held a hearing closed to the public for another suspect nicknamed "Bone." Officials did not release details, but according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, the man, whose real name is Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino, is accused of being the liaison between the alleged hit men and the person who paid them.

The documents state that a man who is in prison for an unrelated case reached out to Perez for the alleged job a week before the June 9 shooting at a bar in Santo Domingo and sent him a picture of the target so he could share it with the hit men.

Perez allegedly shared the picture with the other suspects as they gathered at a nearby gas station just minutes before the shooting. Officials have not said whether the picture was of Ortiz.

The documents also state that Perez sold a gold-colored iPhone 6 used to plan the attack to a woman for $180 so he could get rid of the evidence a day after the shooting. Authorities claimed the phone was giving him problems and that's why he sold it.

"He did this upon finding out that police were looking for him," the document states.

An attorney for Perez did not comment upon leaving the courtroom after the hearing as police whisked away the suspect, who was wearing a red T-shirt, a flak jacket and a helmet. He did not speak to reporters.

The 24-year-old suspect is one of 10 that authorities have detained, and they are looking for at least two others mentioned in the court documents, including the man accused of paying the alleged hit men.

Ortiz's attorney, Jose Martinez Hoepelman, said he was satisfied with how the investigation was going.

"Trust the authorities," he said. "They have worked tirelessly to obtain the results that we have so far. We all want more information, but we have to wait."

Police have said the coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to orchestrate the shooting of Ortiz, known as Big Papi.

He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.

Ortiz lives in Boston but visits the Dominican Republic several times a year.

Doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston, where he remains in intensive care at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Atlanta Braves pounded out 16 hits and three home runs in a 12-3 victory over the New York Mets on Monday, running their current hot streak to 10 wins in 11 games, a stretch that includes five one-run victories plus blowout wins of 14 runs, nine runs and twice by seven runs. It's a beautiful thing when your baseball team plays like this for an extended period.

I think this stretch of games -- with the caveat that seven of those 11 games came against the Marlins and Pirates -- has finally convinced me that the Braves are the team to beat in the NL East. They've gone from two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies to three games ahead, but those standings may not be an accurate indicator of how far apart the teams actually are.

We can look at the run differential and see the Braves are plus-48 and the Phillies are merely plus-6. But consider the following arguments and the advantages the Braves have over the Phillies:

The Braves' best players are better than the Phillies' best players

Ronald Acuna Jr. led off the bottom of the first inning Monday with a home run off Zack Wheeler, his 17th, and set the game into motion. He had three hits and Freddie Freeman added two. The Braves' offense is built around those two -- much like the Phillies are built around Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper.

-- Freeman (.313/.404/.592) versus Hoskins (.271/.395/.522)

It's close, but Freeman clearly rates the edge based on this season, last season and what to expect the rest of the way.

-- Acuna (.301/.380/.519) versus Harper (.247/.356/.464)

Acuna's recent hot streak has pushed his numbers well beyond Harper's. Maybe Harper will eventually go on a big run, but in the meantime he's on pace for 27 home runs and 208 strikeouts.

The Braves' rotation is better

Mike Soroka had another solid outing, improving to 8-1 with a 2.12 ERA. He's a master of pitch efficiency as he threw just 68 pitches in six innings. Phillies ace Aaron Nola got off to a horrendous start, but has been better of late. The season rotation numbers are actually pretty close:

Braves: 4.31 ERA, .325 wOBA allowed, 20.6% SO rate
Phillies: 4.43 ERA, .344 wOBA allowed, 21.2% SO rate

Once you adjust for parks, you can argue the Phillies have been a little better, even as they've struggled to fill the back end of the rotation. That's because Kevin Gausman (6.21 ERA) and Mike Foltynewicz (5.53 ERA) have struggled for Atlanta. But the Braves will soon add Dallas Keuchel to the rotation and Sean Newcomb is back as well (although he may miss his next start after getting hit in the head by a line drive). If Gausman and Foltynewicz can rediscover some semblance of their 2019 form, the Braves will be seven deep in starting pitcher options. The Phillies, meanwhile, will probably have to be active on the trade market. I'll take the Braves moving forward.

Defense

This is closer than I would have guessed:

Braves: plus-12 defensive runs saved
Phillies: minus-7 DRS

Acuna has been the Braves' best defender and he has held his own in center field in place of Gold Glover Ender Inciarte (who is out with a back injury and unlikely to start much when he does return given Austin Riley's production at the plate). They don't really have any major weaknesses other than Brian McCann's inability to throw out runners, and DRS has dinged two of their pitchers (Luke Jackson and Gausman) a total of seven runs for their defense, so they'd be plus-19 otherwise.

The Phillies are much improved from their train-wreck defense of 2018. J.T. Realmuto has been credited with plus-11 DRS, but their second-best defender had been Andrew McCutchen, who is out for the season. They've also received a lot of credit for good pitcher defense (four different pitchers are at plus-2 DRS). That may be a real thing or just a statistical fluke. Anyway, clear edge here to the Braves.

Injuries/depth

The Braves have been mostly healthy while the Phillies are without McCutchen and David Robertson. (Fellow relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Adam Morgan are also on the IL, creating some depth issues in the Phillies bullpen at the moment.) Jay Bruce has been hot since coming over from the Mariners, but the Braves boast maybe the best bench in the NL this side of the Dodgers with McCann, Charlie Culberson, Johan Camargo and Matt Joyce.

I didn't mentions bullpens. That is not a strength for either team -- the Phillies are 15th in the majors in bullpen win probability added and the Braves are 18th. That could end up being the Braves' fatal flaw, I suppose, but the rest of the team looks strong enough to overcome even a mediocre bullpen.

Are the Blue Jays even trying? This will seem like criticism of Edwin Jackson, but it's not. It's criticism of the Blue Jays for continuing to pitch Jackson, who has had a fine and lengthy career and is trying his best, but really shouldn't be in the major leagues.

Jackson was the Toronto's "bulk" guy in a 10-5 loss to the Angels, replacing opener Derek Law. He got two outs in the second inning as the Angels scored seven runs. Cavan Biggio misplayed a fly ball into a Mike Trout double, which didn't help, but Jackson also served up three home runs in the inning.

Jackson has now pitched 25⅓ innings, starting five games and pitching in bulk relief -- or what was supposed to be bulk relief -- three other times. He has given up 41 runs, 46 hits, 12 home runs and has a 12.43 ERA. I mean ... I feel bad for Jackson, who is taking the punishment for a team that isn't trying to win.

So ...

-- Jackson's 12.43 ERA would be the second-worst since 1900 (minimum 25 innings) after Stu Flythe's 13.04 mark for the 1936 A's.

-- He has allowed a .390 average. That would be tied for ninth-worst (minimum 25 innings) since World War II. Denny Stark allowed a .427 average for 2004 Rockies.

-- His rate of 4.30 home runs per nine innings would be the highest since at least World War II (minimum 25 innings). Shawn Kelley allowed 4.15 homers per nine in 2017 (12 HR in 26 IP).

Do better, Blue Jays.

Anyway, Justin Upton made his 2019 debut and homered off Jackson to lead off that second inning. Here's a Trout home run (off Nick Kingham, not Jackson) because it's a Mike Trout home run and he went 4-for-5 to raise his season line to .296/.461/.635:

Mike didn't want to be the only outfielder in the lineup to not go yard today. pic.twitter.com/daa5gcqvSd

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 18, 2019

Bunt of the day: Matt Carpenter beats the shift with a bunt single, err ... bunt double:

Matt Carpenter just bunted for a double... yes, you read that correctly! pic.twitter.com/mtJUNpG4ji

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 18, 2019

Carpenter's bunt came with two outs, and he then scored on Starlin Castro's error. The Cardinals beat the Marlins 5-0.

Yes, we have some good pitching! After that ridiculous slugfest of a series in Colorado over the weekend, it was nice to see a few pitching gems on Monday. Two of those came in the AL East as Rick Porcello outdueled Jose Berrios in a 2-0 victory for the Red Sox and Masahiro Tanaka threw a complete game, two-hit shutout to beat the Rays 3-0. A few notes on those games:

-- The AL East became the first division with three 40-win teams.

-- Porcello has a 3.20 ERA over his past 10 starts after opening the season with a 5.52 ERA in his first six starts.

-- Berrios was nearly as brilliant for the Twins, allowing one run in eight innings with 10 K's, retiring 19 in a row at one point.

-- Tanaka became the first Yankee since Mike Mussina in 2002 to throw a shutout with two hits or fewer and 10 strikeouts. He has a 0.43 ERA in three starts against the Rays in 2019. Remember Tanaka's dominance against Tampa if the Yankees win the division by a game or two.

-- Tanaka's Game Score of 92 is tied for third-highest of 2019, behind German Marquez's 94 for the Rockies (a one-hit shutout with nine K's) and Chris Sale's 93 (three-hit shutout with 12 K's). Shane Bieber also had a 92.

The other gem came from Joey Lucchesi of the Padres, who allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Brewers. Lucchesi, no doubt, knew he owed the baseball gods a good game after being the lucky guy from San Diego who didn't have to pitch in Colorado.

Olympic marathon silver medallist tested positive for EPO

Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa has been banned for four years after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO), the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has announced.

The 35-year-old, who was born in Kenya but competes for Bahrain, claimed Olympic marathon silver behind Kenya’s Jemima Sumgong at the Rio 2016 Games.

Sumgong is currently serving an eight-year ban of her own.

Kirwa’s period of ineligibility began on May 7 and she has been provisionally suspended since last month.

According to the AIU decision document, Kirwa underwent an out-of-competition doping control in Kapsabet, Kenya, on April 1 and on May 7 the WADA accredited laboratory in Seibersdorf reported an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the presence of recombinant EPO in the sample.

“The athlete was requested to provide an explanation for the presence of EPO in the sample and was afforded the opportunity to request analysis of the B Sample,” adds the decision document in part.

“On 13 May 2019, the athlete provided her explanation for the AAF in which she stated that she did not dope intentionally. She could only assume that the EPO entered her body through contamination during a caudal epidural injection she received on 29 March 2019. The Athlete did not request analysis of the B sample.”

Kirwa can appeal her ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The full Athletics Integrity Unit decision document can be found here.

News of Kirwa’s ban comes the week after the AIU announced that her brother, Felix Kirwa, had been banned for nine months from February 14 after strychnine was found in a sample given by the athlete after the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

The AIU decision document for that case states that: “Following consultation with a scientific expert, the AIU is satisfied that the presence of strychnine in the sample is consistent with the athlete’s ingestion of the herbal medicine products ‘Arthritis Care’ and ‘Goodcare Arthplus’” which he was using to treat arthritis prior to the event.

The document adds: “The AIU is satisfied based on the athlete’s explanation and supporting medical evidence that the athlete used the herbal medicine products for therapeutic reasons.”

The full Athletics Integrity Unit decision document can be found here.

Felix Kirwa can also appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pilley and Cuskelly lead home charge
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

Hosts Australia made a perfect start to the WSF World Doubles Squash Championships at the Carrara Squash Centre on the Gold Coast, going through day one of the event undefeated.

Defending men’s doubles champions Cameron Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly from New South Wales, fresh from their exhibition tour around the east coast, were tested against South African pair Jean-Pierre Brits and Christo Potgieter. The Australian pair cruised through the opening game before a change of tactics from Brits and Potgieter saw them level the match. In the third, the Australian duo were too strong, winning 11-5.

Brothers Nicholas and Thomas Calvert, both making their Australian senior debut, defeated the Philippines pairing of Robert Garcia and David Pelino 11-9, 11-5. The Queenslanders won a marathon first game that took 27 minutes, before cruising through the second game to take the match.

In Pool B, Rex Hedrick and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Zac Alexander were too strong for Malaysia’s Darren Chan and Bryan Lim Tze Kang, with the Australian second seeds winning 11-7, 11-9.

The Colombian pairing of Andrés Herrera and Juan Camilo Vargas also are undefeated after day one, proving too strong for Sri Lanka’s top pair of Ravindu Laksiri and Shamil Wakeel 11-5, 11-7.

In the women’s event, Australian top seeds Donna Lobban and Christine Nunn (pictured above) cruised past Colombian sisters Laura and Maria Tovar 11-8, 11-5. It was a tougher test for the Australian second seeds, Sarah Cardwell and Jessica Turnbull, who were stretched by Jemyca Aribado and Aysah Dalida of the Philippines. The Australian pairing, with Turnbull making her national senior debut, took the match 11-8, 11-9.

Pilley and Lobban are again together in the mixed doubles competition, with the cousins from Yamba looking to add another gold medal to their mixed doubles success at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The top seeds didn’t have it all their own way in their opening match though, with Aribado and Garcia (Philippines) proving tough opponents. The Australians took the first game 11-5, before coming from behind to claim the second 11-9.

Colombia’s Catalina Pelaez and Matias Knudsen thrashed the Maltese sibling pairing of Colette and Kijan Sultana 11-1, 11-2. The 17-year-old South Australian Alex Haydon was also a first day winner, joining with Alexander (who backed up immediately after his men’s doubles match) to defeat Aysah Dalida and Reymark Begornia (all pictured below) of the Philippines 11-6, 11-9. 

WSF World Doubles Squash Championships, Gold Coast, Australia..

1st Pool round:
Men’s Pool A:
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [5] Jean-Pierre Brits & Christo Potgieter (RSA) 11-3, 7-11, 11-5
[4] Nicholas Calvert & Thomas Calvert (AUS) bt [9] Robert Garcia & David Pelino (PHI) 11-9, 11-5
Pool B:
[2] Zac Alexander & Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [6] Darren Chan & Bryan Lim Tze Kang (MAS) 11-7, 11-9
[3] Andrés Herrera & Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt [10] Ravindu Laksiri & Shamil Wakeel (SRI) 11-5, 11-7

Women’s Pool:
[1] Donna Lobban & Christine Nunn (AUS) bt [3] Laura Tovar & Maria Tovar (COL) 11-8, 11-5
[2] Sarah Cardwell & Jessica Turnbull (AUS) bt [5] Jemyca Aribado & Aysah Dalida (PHI) 11-8, 11-9

Mixed Pool A:
[1] Donna Lobban & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [5] Jemyca Aribado & Robert Garcia (PHI) 11-5, 11-9
Pool B:
[2] Catalina Pelaez & Matias Knudsen (COL) bt [6] Colette Sultana & Kijan Sultana (MLT) 11-1, 11-2
[3] Alex Haydon & Zac Alexander (AUS) bt [7] Aysah Dalida & Reymark Begornia (PHI) 11-6, 11-9 

Pictures courtesy of CRAIG STEWART (Brisbane Sports Photography)

Barcelona are seriously looking into bringing Neymar back to Camp Nou next season, with a high ranking source at the Catalan club telling ESPN FC a transfer "could be doable, but it won't be simple."

Barca, though, are aware that negotiating with Paris Saint-Germain is not like negotiating with other clubs, given the huge economic backing the Ligue 1 champions enjoy from their Qatari owners.

"If it wasn't for that, signing Neymar would be even simpler," the source said.

The source at the Spanish champions also stated that "there has been no direct contact with Neymar's people" but added that "once Neymar makes it known he wants to return to Barca, anything is possible."

Neymar joined PSG from Barca in the summer of 2017 for €222 million, making him the world's most expensive player.

One of the main reasons Barca are now contemplating re-signing him is because of key players in the team's desire to have him back in the dressing room, said the source.

The Brazil international remains good friends with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, in particular. Messi recently explained that the trio still speak regularly in a WhatsApp group called "The Three South Americans."

But relations between Barcelona and PSG have been non-existent for a while. The Blaugrana have unsuccessfully tried to sign Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti from them in the past and in January beat them to the signing of Frenkie de Jong when PSG thought they had the Dutch midfielder tied up.

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Therefore, Barca have to approach the situation cautiously and also must have Neymar on board to be able to bring him back.

France Football reported last week that PSG would be willing to listen to offers, while Globoesporte in Brazil indicated on Monday that Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has already contacted Neymar, his father and the intermediaries in charge of negotiating the player's future.

According to Globoesporte, Barca could even include players in any potential deal. Ivan Rakitic, Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti were all mentioned in the report. Rakitic came close to joining PSG last summer.

PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has hinted that Neymar could be allowed to leave in the current transfer window. He told France Football this week that the club will no longer tolerate superstar attitudes from their biggest players and warned Neymar he only wants players who are "willing to give everything for the shirt."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers are juggling their banged-up outfielders, with Hunter Pence the latest to go on the injured list.

Pence was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, a day after he sustained a right groin strain in a loss at Cincinnati.

While Pence joined slugging outfielder Joey Gallo on the injured list, the Rangers activated outfielder Willie Calhoun from the list. Calhoun played in the series opener against Cleveland for his first action since a left quad strain May 21.

Gallo has been out since June 2 with a left oblique strain. The Rangers home run leader, with 17, worked out in Texas after a scheduled flight to Arizona was cancelled. He is scheduled to the team's spring training complex in Arizona on Tuesday to continue his rehab.

Pence got hurt Sunday when playing right field in place of Nomar Mazara, who was out of the lineup for the second game in a row Monday because of right hamstring tightness.

The 36-year-old Pence has had quite a comeback season in his debut with his hometown Rangers, hitting .294 in 55 games. He has 15 homers and a team-leading 48 RBIs, including a two-run homer Sunday before getting hurt.

Both Pence and Mazara had MRIs on Monday.

Manager Chris Woodward said Mazara has a mild strain that he could play through, but the team wanted to give him another day to get treatment. Mazara is expected to be the designated hitter on Tuesday, though Woodward said there was also the possibility he could go back into the outfield.

Calhoun, who hit safely in five of his six games for Texas before getting hurt, played left field for the series opener against the Indians. Utility player Danny Santana made his 14th outfield start, only his second in right field.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount on Monday for arguing and making contact with an umpire over the weekend, Major League Baseball said in a statement.

Machado was ejected by umpire Bill Welke in the top of the fifth inning Saturday against the Colorado Rockies in Denver after a called third strike. MLB said the punishment was "for aggressively arguing and making contact."

"He didn't like the call on the last pitch, so he voiced it, and Bill felt like he needed to be ejected," Padres manager Andy Green said after Saturday's game.

MLB said Machado has elected to appeal the punishment, meaning he is eligible to play in Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.