LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers never wonder whether they can pull out a victory late in a game. Their only suspense is which player will be the next hero.

It was All-Star Cody Bellinger's turn for the second straight game.

He hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers a fifth consecutive walk-off victory at home, 5-4 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

"He's a one-man wrecking crew right now," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

The Dodgers are the fifth team in MLB history to win at least five straight home games via walk-off within a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

Bellinger drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth to force in the winning run in a 5-4 victory Tuesday.

"It's pretty crazy what we're doing," he said. "There's not many words to describe it. It's pretty special."

He hit a solo shot in the second inning Wednesday, and his 29 homers are the most in franchise history before the All-Star break. He broke a tie with Gil Hodges and Duke Snider, who each had 28.

"I was feeling positive and confident going into spring training, but I did not expect to do this," Bellinger said. "It's been a crazy first half overall, and I'm enjoying every second of it."

After Chris Taylor struck out to open the 10th, Bellinger crushed a high-arcing pitch from Yoan Lopez (1-2) into the right-field seats, triggering a raucous celebration and chants of "MVP! MVP!"

"It's tough to navigate our lineup when we're tough in the strike zone," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Pitchers know they have to be perfect, and it's hard to sustain that."

Arizona closer Greg Holland knows it only too well.

He issued four of Arizona's five walks with two outs in the ninth Tuesday.

"We had them beat two nights in a row and it was on me to get the job done and I didn't," Holland said. "I hate that because I want to help the guys win."

Enrique Hernandez opened the ninth inning with a double down the right-field line.

Matt Beaty's RBI single tied the score 4-4. He took second on Holland's wild pitch.

With the sellout crowd of 53,327 on its feet rhythmically clapping and chanting "Let's go, Dodgers!" pinch hitter Justin Turner struck out looking against Holland, who was replaced by Yoshihisa Hirano.

Pinch hitter Russell Martin and Joc Pederson drew consecutive walks to load the bases, but Alex Verdugo grounded into a weak double play to second to send it to the 10th.

"It speaks to our depth to put together innings like that late against high-leverage guys," Dodgers starter Walker Buehler said. "We trust our hitters one through nine."

Joe Kelly (3-3) got the win after retiring the side in the 10th.

The D-backs took a 4-3 lead in the ninth on Carson Kelly's homer off closer Kenley Jansen. They tied the score 3-3 on Ketel Marte's RBI single with two outs in the seventh.

A night after Arizona blew an early 3-0 lead, it was the Dodgers' turn.

They led 3-0 in the second on Bellinger's homer and a pair of RBI singles by Buehler and Pederson with two outs.

The D-backs closed to 3-2 on Christian Walker's two-run shot in the fourth.

Coming off his worst outing of the season, Buehler gave up three runs and nine hits in seven innings. The All-Star right-hander struck out nine and walked none.

Buehler gave up seven runs and 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings at Colorado last week. In seven of his previous eight outings, he'd given up two earned runs or fewer.

Arizona's Merrill Kelly gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out two and walked none in his first career appearance against the Dodgers.

TRAINER'S ROOM

D-backs: LF David Peralta left the game in the bottom of the third because of right shoulder soreness. He'll have an MRI on Thursday.

Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill (left forearm strain) was transferred to the 60-day IL. He's not allowed to pick up a baseball for four weeks and then will begin playing catch. ... Turner pinch-hit in the ninth and stayed in the game in the 10th. He didn't start for the second straight game because of residual soreness from being hit on the left elbow at Colorado. He's expected to start Thursday. ... INF David Freese (strained left hamstring) took some swings and will return Friday or Saturday.

HOLLAND'S FUTURE

Lovullo said he was in "an emotional state" regarding Holland.

"I am concerned," the manager said. "I know he's grinding and I know that he wants to get things done and do them the right way and continue on his journey and close games the way he has."

However, Lovullo said he's going to discuss Holland with his staff over the next day or so.

HOME RUN DERBY

Pederson will represent the Dodgers in the Home Run Derby on Monday during All-Star festivities in Cleveland. It'll be his second appearance after finishing second to Todd Frazier in the 2015 contest. Pederson, who has 20 homers through Wednesday, is matched up against Houston's Alex Bregman in the first round. Pederson said he wanted Johnny Washington to pitch to him, but "that did not go over well" with the San Diego Padres, for whom Washington is the hitting coach. Instead, he'll use either Jose Vizcaino, a special assistant in the Dodgers' front office, or third base coach Dino Ebel.

UP NEXT

D-backs: They're off on July 4 for the first time. RHP Zack Greinke (9-3, 2.90 ERA) starts Friday at home against Colorado.

Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-2, 1.83) starts Thursday against San Diego. The NL starter in next week's All-Star Game looks to bounce back after his second loss of the season at Colorado.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

TORONTO -- After his latest rough start, struggling Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale said he has never felt more "frustrated" by his performance.

Danny Jansen and Brandon Drury each hit two-run homers, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a solo shot, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Sale and the Red Sox 6-3 on Wednesday night.

All three homers came off Sale (3-8), who lost for the first time in six starts. It's the second time this season Sale has allowed three homers; he also did it in his Opening Day outing against the Seattle Mariners on March 28.

"I'm supposed to be a big part of this team, a big part of this pitching staff, and I've probably been the biggest crutch," Sale said. "I know who I am and who I'm supposed to be for this team, and I haven't been anything close. I'm 3-8; that's absolutely embarrassing. On a team like this, they need me to be better, and I haven't been there for them.

"I'm standing before you as frustrated as I've ever been."

Sale gave up five runs and a season-high nine hits in 5⅔ innings. He also allowed five runs in his previous start, June 26 against the Chicago White Sox.

"It wasn't good," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "Just a lot of pitches in the zone. I know he's disappointed."

Sale came in 5-1 with a 1.60 ERA in nine career games in Toronto, but he couldn't extend that streak of dominance. Instead, he allowed at least four earned runs for the third time in three meetings with the Blue Jays. He is 0-2 with a 7.98 ERA against Toronto this season and has allowed 23 hits to Blue Jays batters over 14⅔ innings.

"I'm not locating fastballs, my changeup is terrible, breaking ball is hit or miss," Sale said. "I just haven't been myself for a while and that's obviously frustrating. It's the same thing over and over."

Sale isn't expected to pitch again until after the All-Star break, meaning he'll get at least nine days off before facing the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park.

"Hopefully, when he comes back, we'll get him back on track," Cora said.

Drury went 3-for-4 and came within a triple of the cycle. He singled in the third and doubled in the eighth.

Blue Jays right-hander Jacob Waguespack (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits in five-plus innings for his first career win.

"That's the second time I've seen him pitch in the big leagues, and he's been really good," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said.

Waguespack was pressed into action after Wednesday's original scheduled starter, right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, pitched 3⅓ innings of no-hit relief in Tuesday's 10-6 loss. Instead, Toronto used right-hander David Phelps to open for Waguespack, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to make his second career appearance.

Rafael Devers hit a two-run single off Waguespack in the third, but Gurriel halved the deficit with a two-out homer, his 15th, in the bottom half.

Christian Vazquez restored the two-run lead with a solo homer in the fourth, his 13th and third in the past three games.

Jansen tied it with a second-deck drive in the bottom half, his sixth of the year and fourth in six games.

Drury ended Sale's night with a two-out homer in the sixth, his seventh and first since June 5.

Waguespack left after Vazquez singled to begin the seventh. Left-hander Tim Mayza followed and struck out Jackie Bradley Jr. before Chavis doubled. Right-hander Daniel Hudson came on to face pinch hitter Eduardo Nunez, who flied out. Hudson ended the threat by striking out Mookie Betts.

Hudson worked the eighth, and Ken Giles pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 13th save in 14 opportunities.

Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis went 3-for-3 with a walk, including a double on Sale's first pitch of the game. Galvis padded Toronto's lead with a sacrifice fly off Steven Wright in the eighth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (pectoral cramp) might need an extra day of rest before his next start or possibly a stint on the injured list. Stroman left Saturday's start against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning. He is listed as Toronto's starter for Thursday's series finale. ... OF Teoscar Hernandez (right shoulder) sat for the second straight day.

SCORING STREAK

Toronto has scored five or more in five straight games and in 13 of the past 14.

YOU'RE A STAR

Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts was one of three injury replacements named to the American League All-Star team on Wednesday. Bogaerts went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

NOT CROWDED

Attendance was 16,883, just 542 more than Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, drew for their 5-4 home win over Lehigh Valley.

ROSTER REPORT

Blue Jays: Reid-Foley was optioned to Buffalo to make room for Waguespack.

Red Sox: C Oscar Hernandez was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Hector Velazquez (1-3, 5.31) will make his eighth start of the season in Thursday's series finale. Velazquez also has made 13 relief appearances.

Blue Jays: If Stroman can't go Thursday, Toronto could promote LHP Thomas Pannone from Triple-A. Pannone has made 23 appearances for the Blue Jays this season, including two starts. He is 2-3 with a 5.91 ERA.

MLB home run leader Christian Yelich will be the top seed in the Home Run Derby on Monday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The reigning National League MVP received the No. 1 seed for the power-hitting contest by virtue of leading the majors in home runs with 31. He will face Toronto Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the No. 8 seed, in the opening round of the Derby, which will air at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso, who is tied for second in the majors with 28 home runs, is the No. 2 seed and will square off against seventh-seeded Carlos Santana of the hometown Indians.

Another slugger, No. 3 seed Josh Bell of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is paired with sixth-seeded Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves. No. 4 seed Alex Bregman from the Houston Astros is matched against Los Angeles Dodgers power hitter Joc Pederson, the fifth seed.

Bregman and Pederson were the final two hitters selected for Monday's showcase. Bregman lost in the opening round of last year's Home Run Derby but went on to win All-Star Game MVP. Pederson finished second to Todd Frazier in the 2015 showcase and hasn't competed since.

The winner will get $1 million of $2.5 million in prize money, the losing finalist will collect $500,000 and the six other participants will earn $150,000 apiece. The player with the longest home run will get an extra $100,000.

Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, who won last year's competition at Washington's Nationals Park, is not back to defend his title this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Highlighted by an MVP on a 50-plus-homer pace, a rookie with monster power and the youngest to ever make the field, the eight contestants who will try to join recent Home Run Derby winners such as Bryce Harper (2018), Aaron Judge (2017) and Giancarlo Stanton (2016) have been revealed. The stakes are even higher this summer, as the champion will be rewarded with $1 million for the first time in All-Star history.

Here's what you need to know about the sluggers who will be swinging for the fences as part of the 2019 All-Star festivities in Cleveland.

Watch the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby live from Progressive Field: Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The 2019 Home Run Derby bracket is set ⚾️

MLB HR leader Christian Yelich headlines the field of eight that will face off on Monday at 8PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/R2VhXcvnQ4

— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2019

No. 1: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

2019 home runs: 31 | Career total: 126 | Longest of '19: 462 feet

Why Yelich can win it: Well, he leads the major leagues in home runs, as he's the first National League player with 30 before the All-Star break since Albert Pujols in 2009. Also: He hits the ball hard, with only Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo owning a higher average exit velocity. That should translate well to the Home Run Derby, even if Yelich isn't a pure fly ball hitter like many other top sluggers.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Proving his 2018 MVP award was no fluke, Yelich has gotten even better, solidifying his status as one of the best players in the game, with a chance to be the first back-to-back MVP in the National League since Pujols in 2008 and 2009. He's also the first reigning MVP winner to participate in the Home Run Derby since Pujols in 2009.

Did you know? The 2018 National League MVP had 29 homers entering July, fourth most by a reigning MVP before July 1, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Yelich will be the 10th Brewers player to participate in the Derby, but he's looking to join Prince Fielder as the only winners. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 2: Pete Alonso, New York Mets

2019 home runs: 28 | Career total: 28 | Longest of '19: 458 feet

Why Alonso can win it: Uhh, hello? Have you seen how far he hits the ball? He leads the majors with 20 home runs of 400-plus feet, including six of 440-plus. His pop flies can still leave the park.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: We love rookies, we love big guys and we love rookies who play in New York and hit massive home runs. Like Judge in 2017, Alonso has the opportunity to win over fans across the country with a victory in the Derby.

Did you know? Alonso already has set the Mets rookie record for home runs in a season, surpassing Darryl Strawberry's 26 in 1983. Alonso will be chasing Strawberry again at the Home Run Derby. Strawberry is the only Mets player to win the event, doing so in 1986. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 3: Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 home runs: 26 | Career total: 67 | Longest of '19: 474 feet

Why Bell can win it: Uhh, hello? Have you seen how far he hits the ball? Bell's breakout season has been immortalized with a couple of home runs into the Allegheny River beyond the right-field stands at PNC Park -- he became just the fourth player in PNC history to reach the river on the fly. Those blasts registered 472 and 454 feet on the Statcast measuring stick, and he has hit three other home runs of 450-plus feet.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Bell might have even more raw power than Alonso and could be the guy most capable of reaching the 500-foot threshold during the event. He's also an affable personality who deserves a moment in the spotlight on the national stage.

Did you know? Bell is the sixth Pirates player to participate in the Home Run Derby, and the bar hasn't been set too high for him. Despite sending MVP-caliber players such as Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen previously, no Pirates player has ever hit more than six home runs in a single Derby appearance, much less ever won the Derby. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 4: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

2019 home runs: 23 | Career total: 81 | Longest of '19: 440 feet

Why Bregman can win it: Because you know he wants to win the Derby. He participated last year and hit 15 home runs, although he lost his matchup to Kyle Schwarber, who hit 16. His quick, pull-heavy swing is suited well for the Derby even if he doesn't have the raw power of some of the other guys in the field. As his 23 home runs indicate, however, he doesn't have any issues reaching the seats when it counts, either.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He's become one of the faces of the game, not just for his stellar play on the field (he was fifth in the MVP voting last season), but for his personality and enthusiasm. As Astros manager AJ Hinch likes to say, nobody loves to play the game as much as Bregman. He's good for the Astros and good for the game.

Did you know? Bregman has hit 54 home runs over the past two seasons -- he has pulled 41 of them, seven went to center and only six went to the opposite field. The best Derby performance by an Astros player was Lance Berkman's runner-up finish in 2004.

No. 5: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

2019 home runs: 20 | Career total: 107 | Longest of '19: 445 feet

Why Pederson can win it: He almost won as a rookie in 2015 in Cincinnati, beating Manny Machado and Albert Pujols before losing to Todd Frazier in the final, 15 to 14, in a controversial finish (Frazier's brother was clearly delivering pitches before the previous ball had landed, supposedly against the rules).

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: Well, let's be honest: We'd prefer to have Dodgers teammate Cody Bellinger here instead of Pederson. Not that Pederson can't blast the long ball: He has hit 20 home runs even though he's a platoon player (all 20 of his home runs have come against right-handed pitching).

Did you know? Over the past two seasons, Pederson is 10th in the majors in slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers (.564 entering Wednesday's game). In isolated power, he's fifth behind only Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy. Pederson's runner-up finish in the 2015 Derby was the best by a Dodgers player.

No. 6: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves

2019 home runs: 20 | Career total: 46 | Longest of '19: 466 feet

Why Acuña can win it: Did you see the 437-foot laser he hit off Noah Syndergaard ... to the opposite field? Acuña's all-fields power has helped him develop into an elite masher at just 21 years old -- 12 of his 20 home runs have gone to center field or the opposite field -- and maybe that trait will help him win in Cleveland.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He's a budding future MVP candidate, and his showmanship and enthusiasm make him one of the most exciting, dynamic players in the game. He's good and he knows it, and he's a good bet to put on a show.

Did you know? Acuña will try to do something no Braves player has ever done at the Home Run Derby: advance past the first round. Atlanta has sent a player to the Derby 11 times previously, and each one was eliminated in the first round. That's by far the most appearances without a player advancing, more than doubling up the Pirates and Padres (five each). -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 7: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

2019 home runs: 19 | Career total: 217 | Longest of '19: 447 feet

Why Santana can win it: He could ride the hometown support to the championship -- think Todd Frazier winning in Cincinnati in 2015 or Bryce Harper last year in Washington or even Justin Bour mashing 22 home runs at Marlins Park in 2017 (although he lost to Judge, who hit 23). The energy of the fans always seems to help with a little extra adrenaline.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: He has long been an underrated player because of on-base ability and he's having a terrific bounce-back season in his return to Cleveland, making his first All-Star Game. It's always fun to have a hometown rep for the fans to cheer on.

Did you know? Santana will become the first Indians player to participate in the Home Run Derby since Grady Sizemore in 2008, and he's looking to become the first Indians player to win it. -- ESPN Stats & Information

No. 8: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

2019 home runs: 8 | Career total: 8 | Longest of '19: 451 feet

Why Guerrero can win it: He hasn't come roaring out of the gate in his rookie season, but check out the distances on his home runs: 451, 438, 436, 434, 424, 407, 395, 382. The raw power is there, and his batting-practice sessions are legendary.

Why we can't wait to see him in Cleveland: The much-hyped rookie is already a household name, so this contest is made to promote a player like him. Plus, there isn't much reason to watch the Blue Jays this season, so this might be the only opportunity some fans will have to see him other than in highlights.

Did you know? Guerrero's eight home runs are the fewest career homers by any Home Run Derby participant since the event began in 1985. (Kris Bryant had 12 career HRs in 2015 when he participated, the current low.) Vlad Sr. won the event in 2007, and the Guerreros will join the Fielders (Cecil and Prince) as the only father-son duos to compete in the Derby. Vlad Jr. is also trying to bring home a title for Toronto. The Blue Jays have sent 15 participants to the Derby (second all time) but have never won. -- ESPN Stats & Information

British sprints talent Amy Hunt says her feet felt like they were burning as she sped to a world U18 200m record in Mannheim on Sunday

It is never good to skip school, but Amy Hunt had a pretty good excuse on Monday. The previous day she had set a world under-18 200m record in Germany and arrived home in Nottinghamshire exhausted at 2am.

So instead of going into her sixth form college in Grantham, where she is halfway through A-level studies in English literature, art and chemistry, she enjoyed a lie-in and attempted to come to terms with a performance that stunned the athletics world.

Her time of 22.42 at the Mannheim Junior Gala was a PB by three-quarters of a second. It beat Candace Hill’s world under-18 best of 22.43 and Dina Asher-Smith’s British under-20 record of 22.61. What’s more, it was precisely the same time Asher-Smith, the reigning European 100m and 200m champion, clocked on the same day at the Prefontaine Classic in America.

Hunt, who only turned 17 in May, told AW: “I was absolutely ecstatic after crossing the line. I was completely in shock and it’s been a whirlwind since with people telling me all these facts and figures. My phone has absolutely blown up.”

Hunt was merely hoping to dip inside the 23-second barrier and enjoy a good run in the build-up to the European Under-20 Championships in Sweden later this month.

“I was really excited prior to the race,” she says. “I knew it was a fast track. All the under-20s from last year told me I’d have a great race there.

“It was so hot – about 38-39 degrees – and we all had iced towels to keep us cool. I’d run two rounds of the relay with the girls and we’d got the baton around and run a season’s best and were really happy so I was just excited to run the 200m.

“I wanted to enjoy it, embrace the atmosphere, take everything in and just enjoy running. I had a really good start – one of the best I’ve ever had – and I was up on the two girls outside me really quickly and that’s when I knew I was running well. One of them, in lane five, was European youth champion for 100m last year (Guðbjörg Jóna Bjarnadóttir of Iceland) so I knew she was really fast and she was outside me which was very useful.

“I really attacked the bend and went for it and then my feet started to heat up because the track was so hot and I was giving it 100% and it just felt insanely good when I was running. I knew it was fast but I didn’t know it was that fast. Then when I crossed the line everyone was screaming and cheering and it was an incredible atmosphere.”

can’t believe this just happened pic.twitter.com/yH9ONVlyaP

— Amy Hunt (@AmyHunt02) June 30, 2019

Hunt’s main memory of the race, though, is the fact her feet were burning from the hot synthetic rubber under her spikes. “The track was so ridiculously hot!” she says. “We worked hard all weekend to make sure we stayed hydrated, used iced towels and electrolytes and I can’t even remember how much I drank – it was a ridiculous amount of water in total.”

The heat obviously did not faze her either. “I definitely enjoy it. I tend to race faster in the heat and I enjoy running in weather that’s as hot as possible but I just had to make the right decisions with hydration, wearing suncream and trying to stay out of the sun. I was indoors quite a lot in the physio room. Staying relaxed and calm.”

One of her relay races was only 80 minutes before her 200m. “I was on the second leg,” she explains, “and when I finished I walked around and went straight indoors, barely talked to anyone and lied down for a bit and put my music on and stayed in the zone with lots of visualisation and had to completely shift my focus on to the 200m.

“Then before my 200m because it was so hot I didn’t do too much more of a warm up. I just some drills and one or two more runs. But I didn’t know how my body was going to cope with running just over an hour later.”

She did more than just ‘cope’ but ran a spectacular time. Luckily her dad (pictured below) had travelled out to watch her too, although her coach, Joe McDonnell, was watching on the live stream at home.

Back in England she trains with McDonnell at Loughborough University. “I do a lot of travelling to train as I live in Newark and we cover a lot of road miles but it’s worth it to train in Loughborough and have access to such incredible facilities and be around elite athletes in the same facility,” she says.

Now she hopes to perform well at the European Under-20 Championships, which start in Boras on July 18. “British Athletics has cultivated a great mindset in the junior team. The team management were so helpful out in Mannheim. Everyone is chatty to each other and positive and it’s lovely to see and I think it’s reflecting in the performances because the whole team out in Mannheim did amazing performances with lots of PBs.”

She is not sure which event to race in Boras, though. “The timetable doesn’t lend itself to doubling up,” she says, adding that she now has a similar dilemma over whether to extend her season to try to make the team for the IAAF World Championships in Doha.

Such is her age, she can still race at the next European Under-20 Championships in Tallinn in 2021 too.

A Chicago Cubs minor league affiliate has apologized and deleted a tweet mocking former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

A day after Nike recalled a sneaker that featured an early American flag at Kaepernick's urging, the Double-A Tennessee Smokies drew the 13-star symbol on their infield Wednesday and tweeted images of it.

"Hey @Kaepernick7 after a lot of thought, we have decided it's best to just do it. #America," the tweet said.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Kaepernick aired concerns to Nike over the release of the Air Max 1 USAs and its use of the Betsy Ross flag, which he said recalls an era when African-Americans were enslaved and has been appropriated by white nationalist groups. Nike recalled the shoe before it was due to go on sale for the July Fourth holiday.

Connor Pearce, marketing and community relations manager for the Smokies, told the AP on Wednesday night that "it was just a light-hearted take on a current situation."

The team then deleted the tweet, saying "we did not mean to offend anyone by it. If it did, we certainly apologize."

Portland Trail Blazers restricted free-agent forward Jake Layman has agreed to a three-year, $11.5 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN.

The deal will be part of a sign-and-trade that the Blazers agreed upon to accommodate Layman's desire to join the Timberwolves. Minnesota had the ability to sign Layman to an offer sheet, and Portland's president of basketball operations allowed Layman the chance to join the Wolves without the aggravation of that process.

Layman's future with the Blazers had become uncertain given the franchise's trade for Kent Bazemore, re-signing of Rodney Hood and drafting of North Carolina's Nassir Little.

"We're extremely appreciative of how hard [Portland president of basketball operations) Neil Olshey worked with us to accommodate what we were trying to accomplish in sign and trade," Bartelstein told ESPN. "The deal couldn't have happened without the Blazers looking out for Jake's best interests."

In general these are accommodations that teams will make to validate their mantras that they're indeed 'player-first' organizations, especially for homegrown and well-regarded organizational players like Layman. Seven years ago, Olshey made a similar gesture with Indiana, which planned to match a four-year, $58 million offer sheet that Portland was preparing for restricted free agent Roy Hibbert.

Ultimately, Olshey let former Indiana GM Donnie Walsh simply re-sign Hibbert to spare the two teams the acrimony that comes with offer sheets.

Minnesota was able to absorb Layman into part of a trade exception created with the draft night deal that sent Dario Saric to the Phoenix Suns.

Under new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves have added Layman, No. 6 overall pick Jarrett Culver of Texas Tech, and free agent Noah Vonleh to the roster this offseason. Layman joins former Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, the new Timberwolves associate head coach, in Minnesota.

The Los Angeles Angels will honor Tyler Skaggs by wearing a patch with the pitcher's No. 45 on their uniforms for the rest of the season.

Skaggs, a much-loved member of the team, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas on Monday. A cause of death has not been determined, but police say they do not suspect suicide or foul play.

On Tuesday night, when the Angels returned to play after postponing Monday's game against the Texas Rangers, they wore a black, encircled patch with No. 45 above the heart on their uniforms. The No. 45 was painted on the back of the mound at Globe Life Park in Arlington, and Angels pitchers Andrew Heaney and Cam Bedrosian held up Skaggs' No. 45 jersey pregame, during a moment of silence for him.

The team tweeted out a photo on Wednesday of the patch that will be worn the rest of the season.

For the remainder of the season, we will wear this patch to honor Tyler Skaggs. pic.twitter.com/x3PAoVdUdJ

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 3, 2019

"We lost a teammate, we lost a friend, a brother," All-Star Mike Trout, a close friend, told reporters after Tuesday's game. "To lose somebody like him, it's tough. My first at-bat, I get up there, all I do is think about him.

"It's bigger than the game. The friendship and love I had for him and his family, it's more than that."

With the team out of town, fans went to Angel Stadium, where they left flowers, hats, baseballs, signs, photos and other memorabilia in a makeshift memorial mound.