ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Wieters hit 14 foul balls during a 19-pitch at-bat that ended with a flyout as the St. Louis Cardinals scratched out a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins to split a doubleheader. Josh Donaldson, Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sanó all homered to lead the Twins to a 7-3 victory over the Cardinals in the first game. The two-game series at Busch Stadium was condensed to one day so the Cardinals could have one more day off before the end of the season, with a backlog of makeup games this month.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Maikel Franco drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and had an RBI single in the ninth as Kansas City beat the Cleveland Indians 8-6 to snap a seven-game losing streak. Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer and Cam Gallagher had an RBI double for Kansas City, which had been outscored 51-18 and only held the lead after one inning in losing its first seven games in September. Adalberto Mondesí led off the eighth with a single off Adam Cimber and scored on Franco’s fly to center to put the Royals up 6-5. Carlos Santana, Sandy León and Francisco Lindor all homered for Cleveland.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Perhaps never before has the final full practice before an NFL game been more important than this season. With the coronavirus pandemic wiping out the offseason and eliminating all four preseason games, the Chiefs and Texans found themselves going through a final workout Tuesday with plenty of things to iron out — from the basics such as pregame stretch and warm-ups to the last-minute tweaks to formations, play calls and the game plan. After all, the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and the Texans, whom they beat in the divisional round of the playoffs, know that all eyes will be on them as they kick off the season with a Thursday night showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers enjoy a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals after beating the Houston Rockets for the second straight day. LeBron James scored 36 points and Rajon Rondo (RAH’-zhahn RAHN’-doh) sparked a fourth-quarter rally in the Lakers’ 112-102 win over the Rockets. Rondo scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter that put the Lakers ahead for good.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Heat are in the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals for the first time in six years following a 103-94 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, who overcame 22 turnovers and clinched their seventh trip to the conference finals since 2005. Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a sprained ankle, the Bucks raced out to a 28-15 lead but couldn’t sustain the momentum.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Logically, Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the NBA All-Defensive Team after being named Defensive Player of the year. The Bucks forward appeared on 97 of the first-team ballots out of 100 cast by a global panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Also named to the First Team are Lakers forward Anthony Davis, 76ers guard Ben Simmons, Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Celtics guard Marcus Smart.