Update on the latest sports
MLB-SCHEDULE
Depleted Cubs quiet playoff-contending Reds again, win 7-1
UNDATED (AP) — Michael Hermosillo homered for the first time since 2018 and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1. The depleted Cubs took two of three from their playoff-contending NL Central rivals. Ian Happ and Sergio Alcántara also homered for Chicago, which has won two straight after a 12-game skid.
Adrian Sampson pitched in the majors for the first time since 2019 and held the Reds to one run in four innings. Four Chicago relievers blanked Cincinnati the rest of the way, allowing one hit between them.
In other MLB action:
— Jorge Polanco drove in the game-ending run for the third time in four games, lining a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning to give the Minnesota Twins an 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians. The Twins survived after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth and nearly won it in the 10th. Danny Coulombe, Minnesota’s eighth pitcher, got the win. Justin Garza took the loss for Cleveland.
MLB-NEWS
A’s say Bassitt has cheek fracture but no eye damage
UNDATED (AP) — Oakland Athletics right-hander Chris Bassitt has a broken bone in his cheek but no eye damage after being struck on the side of the head by a line drive.
Bassitt was taken to the hospital after being hit by a drive from Brian Goodwin in the second inning of Tuesday’s 9-0 loss to the White Sox in Chicago. He was released from Rush University Medical Center after receiving stitches for two cuts on his face and being diagnosed with a fracture in his right cheek that will require surgery. The A’s say an exam of his right eye was normal for vision and no other damage was found in the eye or the orbital bone.
In other MLB news:
— Anthony Rizzo is back in the Yankees’ lineup after a bout with COVID-19, and closer Aroldis Chapman also was activated before New York’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox. Rizzo, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on July 29, was set to start at first base and bat second. The three-time All-Star had been sidelined since Aug. 8 after testing positive. Chapman had been on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. Boone said the left-hander will move right back into the closer role. Rizzo becomes the latest key player to return from the COVID-19 injured list in recent days for the surging Yankees, following Gerrit Cole, Gary Sánchez and Jordan Montgomery.
— Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jack Morris has been suspended indefinitely for racist comments made about Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) during Tuesday’s game. When asked by play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to Ohtani in the sixth inning, Morris adopted an exaggerated East Asian accent while saying “be very, very careful.” When Ohtani came back up in the ninth, Morris issued a lengthy apology. Bally Sports Detroit announced the suspension Wednesday and said the 66-year-old Morris would undergo bias training.
NFL-NEWS
Attorney: FBI probing allegations tied to Texans quarterback
UNDATED (AP) — An attorney for 22 women who have filed lawsuits accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment says he and some of his clients have spoken to the FBI about the case. Tony Buzbee told The Associated Press that the FBI “reached out to me, and I responded.”
In a news conference Wednesday, Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lead attorney, said FBI agents approached him in April over allegations that one of the women who has sued Watson tried to extort $30,000 from him. Hardin said agents interviewed Watson.
In an email, Christina Garza, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Houston office, said she could neither confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
In other NFL news:
— New York Jets guard Alex Lewis is retiring from football. The 29-year-old Lewis last practiced on Aug. 5, when he came off the field with what coach Robert Saleh said was a head injury. Lewis was entering his third season with the Jets, who acquired him from Baltimore for a seventh-round draft pick in 2019.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEBRASKA-NCAA
NCAA investigating Nebraska’s storied football program
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska announced Wednesday that the NCAA is looking into its football program amid allegations Cornhuskers staff improperly used analysts and consultants with the knowledge of coach Scott Frost and even moved workouts off campus last year when such activities were banned during the pandemic.
Athletic director Trev Alberts confirmed the investigation first reported by The Action Network. Citing unidentified sources, The Action Network report said Nebraska has “significant video footage” confirming practice violations occurred in the presence of Frost and other assistants.
Frost said any workouts were approved by his superiors.
Alberts said the investigation started before his hiring was announced July 14 and that he found out about it after he started.
TENNIS-US OPEN
Defending champion Thiem pulls out…Venus Williams gets a wild card
NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Dominic Thiem (teem) has pulled out of the U.S. Open, saying he will miss the rest of the year because of a right wrist injury.
Thiem was hurt in June while playing in the Mallorca (mah-YOHR’-kah) Open and said the pain returned last week after he hit a ball during training. Doctors recommended he wear a wrist splint for another six weeks before resuming training.
Two-time champion Venus Williams will be back at the U.S. Open after being given a wild card into the Grand Slam tournament. The 41-year-old Williams has won seven major titles including victories at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001. But with her current WTA ranking of No. 112, she has fallen outside the top 104 who received direct entry into the women’s main draw. Williams hasn’t missed the U.S. Open since 2006, when she was sidelined by a wrist injury.
CoCo Vandeweghe (KOH’-koh VAN’-duh-way) also was awarded a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association.
TENNIS-CINCINNATI
Naomi Osaka tested by Gauff, wins 3-setter in tour return
MASON, Ohio (AP) — Second-ranked Naomi Osaka was tested in her first WTA Tour event since the French Open by 17-year-old Coco Gauff and won in three sets.
Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros and skipped Wimbledon, citing her discomfort with post-match news conferences. Her only action since was at the Tokyo Olympics in her native Japan, where she was eliminated in the round of 16.
In other matches at the Cincinnati tournament, top seeds Ash Barty and Daniil Medvedev advanced, while Angelique Kerber upset Elina Svitolina. Andy Murray was eliminated.
NYC MARATHON-SEIDEL
Olympic bronze medalist Seidel to run NYC Marathon
NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel is one of several standout American women planning to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7.
Fellow U.S. Olympians Aliphine Tuliamuk, Sally Kipyego and Emily Sisson also are in the women’s field. So is 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden. Four-time champion Mary Keitany of Kenya won’t participate for the first time since 2013.
The men’s professional field hasn’t been announced.
F1-JAPANESE GP CANCELED
Japanese GP canceled because of coronavirus pandemic
TOKYO (AP) — This year’s Japanese Grand Prix has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The race in Suzuka had been scheduled for Oct. 10.
The decision creates another dent in Formula One′s calendar of Asia-based races following the cancellation of the Australian and Singapore GPs and the indefinite postponement of the Chinese GP in Shanghai. Organizers say the Japanese government made the decision following discussions with the race promoter.
PARALYMPICS-WETHE15
‘WeThe15’ stresses rights of 1.2 billion with disabilities
TOKYO (AP) — The opening next week of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo is being used as a stage to launch a human-rights movement aimed at the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities.
The campaign is called “WeThe15”and gets its name from estimates that persons with disabilities represent 15 percent of the world’s population.
The campaign is being spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee, UN Human Rights, the International Disability Alliance, and others.
