Sports News Roundup: Astros' Baker concerned as criticism continues; Evans takes world championship lead and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB notebook: Astros' Baker concerned as criticism continues

New Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is concerned opposing pitchers will retaliate against his players by hitting them with pitches in the wake of the team's sign-stealing scandal. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling said Friday there will be a time and a place for retaliation from the mound. Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger previously declared Astros hitters won't have comfortable at-bats in the early part of the season.

Rallying: Evans takes world championship lead with win in Sweden

Elfyn Evans opened his account with Toyota by taking a dominant win in Rally Sweden on Sunday to lead the world championship for the first time. The Welshman, who led from the opening stage of a winter event shortened due to a lack of snow and unusually mild conditions, beat reigning world champion Ott Tanak by 12.7 seconds.

Park wins Australian Open, boosting Olympic hopes

South Korean Park In-bee boosted her chances of being eligible to defend her Olympic title when she notched a three-shot victory at the Women's Australian Open on Sunday. After starting the final round with a three-shot cushion, Park remained clear despite not exactly setting Royal Adelaide on fire in shooting one-over-par 74.

Bertens downs Rybakina to retain St Petersburg title

Kiki Bertens powered past Kazakh Elena Rybakina 6-1 6-3 in the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy final on Sunday to successfully defend her crown. The world number eight from the Netherlands converted four out of eight breakpoints and saved all five on her serve to seal a 10th WTA singles title in 74 minutes.

Norwegian Ruud claims first ATP Tour title with Argentina win

Casper Ruud put Portugal's Pedro Sousa on the defense early and became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open on Sunday. Ruud appeared on his way to an easy victory with his first-set domination but lucky loser Sousa made it a lot tougher in the second before falling 6-1 6-4.

Monfils fells Auger-Aliassime to defend Rotterdam Open crown

Gael Monfils won his second title in the space of seven days on Sunday as he swatted aside Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2 6-4 in a lopsided Rotterdam Open final to retain the trophy. The 33-year-old Frenchman, who came into the tournament on the back of a record-equalling third triumph in Montpellier the previous Sunday, converted four out of 11 break points as he denied his 19-year-old opponent a maiden ATP title.

NHL roundup: Lightning beat Flyers for 10th straight win

Nikita Kucherov notched a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Saturday to push the NHL's longest active winning streak to 10 straight. Brayden Point scored a third-period goal to stretch his point streak to 10 games (three goals, 11 assists). It was the 11th straight home win for the Lightning breaking the team record of 10 wins set in the 2014-15 campaign and improved them to 22-2-1 in their last 25 contests.

Edmund surges to victory in New York

Briton Kyle Edmund swept past Italy's Andreas Seppi with a strong second set to win the New York Open and a second ATP Tour career title on Long Island on Sunday. After breaking a 5-5 first-set deadlock, Edmund lost only one game in the second for a 7-5 6-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum.

Scott wins by two strokes at Riviera, and this time it is official

Fifteen years after his first victory at Riviera, Adam Scott won the Genesis Open in Los Angeles on Sunday, and this time his victory is official. The elegant Australian overcame an early double-bogey to shoot one-under-par 70 and triumph by two shots over South Korean Sung Kang and Americans Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown.

All-Star MVP Award named in honor of Kobe Bryant

The National Basketball Association All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, league Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday. Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. He was 41.