Update on the latest sports

MLB-SCHEDULE

Rays top Twins

UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays bounced back nicely after dropping consecutive games to the Red Sox following a nine-game winning streak. So did Michael Wacha (SAH’-kah), who owned a 6.99 ERA over his previous eight starts.

Wacha allowed two runs and three hits while striking out seven over six innings of the Rays’ 5-3 victory over the Twins. The three hits included homers by Jorge Polanco and Ryan Jeffers.

Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI triple during a three-run second as Tampa Bay made the most of six hits. Austin Meadows picked up his 94th RBI with a single that put Tampa Bay ahead 5-1 in the third.

Also around the majors:

— Kyle Schwarber led off with a homer and hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh as the Red Sox beat the Indians, 8-5. Hunter Renfroe added a two-run homer in the seventh after Schwarber’s double. Kevin Plawecki and Jonathan Araúz also homered in Boston’s third straight win, which increases its lead over Oakland to three games for the second AL wild card.

— The Blue Jays pulled out an 11-10 win over the Athletics on Marcus Semien’s three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against his ex-team. Semien’s blast came after Loudes Gurriel (gur-ee-EHL’) Jr. hit a tying grand slam in the eighth. Trailing 8-2 in the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Jays tied with by scoring six runs off Lou Trivino and Yusmeiro Petit.

— The Phillies’ six-game winning streak is over after Miguel Rojas had two hits and three RBIs during a seven-run sixth that highlighted the Marlins’ 10-3 rout of Philadelphia. Jesús Sánchez smacked a three-run homer in the first inning for the Marlins. Losing pitcher Kyle Gibson was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

— Michael Hermosillo homered and drove in three runs as the Cubs held off the Pirates, 6-5. Frank Schwindel also connected, and Ian Happ had three more hits on a wet afternoon at Wrigley Field. Anthony Alford hit two long home runs for the Pirates after the Cubs built a 5-0 lead.

MLB-NEWS

Torres activated by Yankees

UNDATED (AP) — Yankees infielder Gleyber (GLAY’-bur) Torres has been activated from the injured list by the after missing almost a month with a sprained left thumb. Torres is batting .253 with six homers and 42 RBIs in 99 games.

He appeared to be heating up when he was injured while stealing second base against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 9. The 24-year-old shortstop hit .393 with five RBIs and four doubles in 28 at-bats in eight August games, a span in which the Yankees went 6-2.

Also around the majors:

Cubs manager David Ross and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer missed the Cubs’ game on Friday after they tested positive for COVID-19. A team spokesman said Ross and Hoyer are feeling fine and quarantining. Both are vaccinated.

— The Red Sox have placed outfielder Jarren Duran on the COVID-19-related injured list, bringing the team’s total to nine players added to the list in a span of a week. The club’s COVID list has been growing since Boston placed infielders Kiké (KEE’-kay) Hernández and Christian Arroyo on it Aug. 27.

T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL-VIRGINIA TECH/NORTH CAROLINA

Hokies beat Heels

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Tenth-ranked North Carolina has lost its season opener.

Braxton Burmeister ran for a touchdown and threw for another in leading unranked Virginia Tech to a 17-10 win over the Tar Heels. Burmeister scored on a 4-yard run and found James Mitchell for an 11-yard scoring strike as the Hokies built a 14-0 halftime lead.

Heels QB Sam Howell was sacked six times and intercepted three times.

TENNIS-US OPEN

Osaka, Tsitsipas beaten

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open continues without the defending women’s champion.

Naomi Osaka repeatedly smashed her racket to the court, smacked a ball into the crowd, hid under a towel and imploded over the final two sets in a 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 loss to 18-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the third round at the U.S Open.

Osaka threw her racket at least three times and was finally hit with a code violation in the third set when she hit the ball into the stands. She even draped a towel over her head as she took a break following her second-set loss.

Meanwhile, U.S. Open attendees won’t get another chance to boo Stefanos Tsitsipas (SEET’-see-pahs) and his lengthy bathroom breaks until next year.

Carlos Alcaraz upset the third-seeded Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 to advance to the fourth round. The 18-year-old from Spain used powerful groundstrokes in an entertaining match to knock off Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas faced an unfriendly crowd again in large part because of his lengthy breaks in the bathroom.

In Friday’s other tennis action:

— Men’s second seed Daniil Medvedev has continued an easy first week at the U.S. Open by routing Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-4, 6-3. The 2019 runner-up at Flushing Meadows has lost only 22 games in his three matches. He is 16-4 at the U.S. Open, his best winning percentage in a major.

— No. 11 Diego Schwartzman knocked out Alex Molcan in four sets. Daniel Evans needed five sets to dispatch Alexei Popyrin.

— Fifth seed Elina Svitolina (svih-toh-LEE’-nuh) got into the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-2.

— French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova (kreh-chih-KOH’-vh) is into the fourth round of her U.S. Open debut. The eighth-seeded Czech beat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-2 and will face Garbiñe Muguruza (gahr-BEEN’-yah moo-gah-ROO’-thah).

— Muguruza has matched her best in the tournament after knocking out three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Muguruza is seeking her first major hardcourt title, having won Wimbledon and the French Open.

— No. 12 Simona Halep (HA’-lehp) fought through a marathon first-set tiebreaker and eventually beat Elena Rybakina, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. Halep is in the fourth round for the first time in five years.

— Angelique Kerber won a matchup of previous U.S Open champions by defeating Sloane Stephens, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Kerber beat Stephens for only the second time in seven career matchups.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS-BIG 12 EXPANSION

Big 12 eyes expansion after losses of Sooners, Longhorns

UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference may not be dead in the water after all.

The conference is moving quickly on an expansion plan that could have the conference at 12 schools after Texas and Oklahoma leave, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston as the “most intriguing” candidates.

Three people familiar with the Big 12′s talks said Friday the eight schools being left behind by the Longhorns and Sooners are working to rebuild by adding four new members.

One person said invitations to new members could go out as soon as next week.

NBA-NETS

Aldridge back with Nets

NEW YORK (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge has rejoined the Brooklyn Nets, five months after having to retire because of an irregular heartbeat.

Aldridge retired in April after experiencing an irregular heartbeat in the last of the five games he played for the Nets.

The 36-year-old Aldridge is a seven-time All-Star who has averaged 19.4 points in a career that began when he was the No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft. He played for Portland and San Antonio before originally signing in Brooklyn in March.

PGA-TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Cantlay leads through 36

ATLANTA (AP) — Patrick Cantlay is the leader at the midway mark of the PGA’s Tour Championship.

Cantlay birdied his last two holes for a bogey-free 66 to keep one shot ahead of Jon Rahm, who fired a 65 for the second straight day. Cantlay started the Tour Championship at 10-under par because he was the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. Rahm began four shots back.

Bryson DeChambeau is a distant third at 11 under, six behind Cantlay.

NFL-NEWS

Steelers get DB help

UNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have bolstered their secondary depth by acquiring cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon from Seattle for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft.

Witherspoon spent the first four seasons of his career in San Francisco after being taken in the third round of the 2017 draft. He signed a one-year deal with Seattle in May.

Pittsburgh lost valuable slot cornerback Mike Hilton in free agency and cut veteran Steve Nelson in a salary-cap move while re-signing Cam Sutton.

Checking out other NFL news:

— Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder has been placed on the COVID-19 list, making his status for the opening game uncertain. It is uncertain whether Crowder is vaccinated, or when he tested positive

— The Jaguars have signed tight end Jacob Hollister, three days after Buffalo surprisingly released the fifth-year pro. Hollister has 74 receptions for 652 yards and six touchdowns in four NFL seasons with New England and Seattle.

— Former NFL receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion David Patten Jr. died in a motorcycle accident in South Carolina on Thursday. Patten played 12 seasons in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Giants in 1997. He caught Tom Brady’s first postseason touchdown pass to help the Patriots win their first title.

NHL-NEWS

NHL players to compete in Beijing Games

UNDATED (AP) — NHL players are going back to the Olympics after the league worked out an agreement to participate in the 2022 Games in Beijing.

The deal reached with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation allows the league or players are able to withdraw if coronavirus circumstances change for the worse or there’s an outbreak during the season.

The NHL didn’t allow its players to participate in the 2018 Winter Games.

In other NHL news:

— A person with knowledge of the new rules tells The Associated Press that teams will be able to suspend unvaccinated players without pay if they cannot participate in hockey activities as part of the protocols. Fully vaccinated players will have any COVID-19 positives treated as hockey injuries and still be paid. Coaches and other team staff who closely interact with players are required to be fully vaccinated.

— Senators forward Drake Batherson has agreed to a six-year, $29.85 million contract. The 23-year-old Batherson had 17 goals and 34 points in 56 games last season.

— The Red Wings have signed Filip Hronek (ROH’-nehk) to a three-year, $13.2 million package. Hronek has 16 goals and 80 points through his first 167 regular-season NHL games, with 23 points coming last season.