Update on the latest sports
MLB-SCHEDULE
Giants outlast Dodgers in 11
UNDATED (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have regained sole possession of first place in the National League West following an 11-inning victory over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brandon Belt scored on a throwing error by Trea Turner, completing the Giants’ 3-2 victory. The Dodgers challenged the call to no avail, allowing the Giants to move one game ahead of Los Angeles.
Chris Taylor’s RBI single in the ninth forced extra innings for the Dodgers, who went ahead on Turner’s sacrifice fly in the 10th. Brandon Crawford’s RBI single in the bottom half extended the game.
The Giants received a strong performance from Anthony DeSclafani, who limited the Dodgers to two hits over six scoreless innings.
Also around the majors:
— Antonio Senzatela overcame a leadoff home run by Ozzie Albies and pitched seven strong innings as the Rockies downed the Braves, 4-3. Charlie Blackmon homered for the second time in as many nights and C.J. Cron hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning. The Braves maintained a two-game lead in the NL East over Philadelphia, with the Mets pulling within four games.
— 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.
— The Mets earned their fifth consecutive win by scoring four times in the 10th inning to beat the Nationals, 6-2. Closer Edwin Diaz blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth before Pete Alonso supplied the tiebreaking single and scored on Kevin Pillar’s two-run double. New York almost wasted a strong performance by Rich Hill, who scattered three hits over six shutout innings.
— Nolan Arenado (ar-eh-NAH’-doh) homered twice in the first three innings of the Cardinals’ 15-4 blowout over the Brewers. Yadier (YAH’-dee-ehr) Molina hit a grand slam, Harrison Bader had a three-run homer, Tyler O’Neill provided a two-run blast and Edmundo Sosa added a solo shot. The Cardinals pulled within 1 1/2 games of Cincinnati for the second NL wild card.
— Michael Wacha (WAH’-kah) allowed two runs and three hits while striking out seven over six innings of the Rays’ 5-3 victory over the Twins. 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.
— The Rays still lead the AL East by 6 1/2 games following the Yankees’ 4-3, 11-inning win over the Orioles. Giancarlo Stanton ended it with an RBI single and also homered to help New York take an early 2-0 lead. DJ LeMahieu extended the game with a run-scoring single in the 10th, a half-inning after Ryan Mountcastle’s single put the Birds back on top.
— 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.
— Oakland is 5 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Astros following Houston’s 6-3 win over San Diego. Kyle Tucker hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the eighth inning. Carlos Correa’s three-run shot in the fourth ended a 22-inning scoreless streak for the Astros, who were blanked by the Mariners in their previous two games. Michael A. Taylor had three RBIs and Adalberto Mondesi drove in two more for Kansas City.
— Rookie Jarred Kelenic belted a two-run homer and provided a go-ahead single in the 10th inning of the Mariners’ 6-5 decision over the Diamondbacks. Seattle led 5-1 after six innings, mostly because of two-run homers by Mitch Haniger and Kelenic. Haniger’s 30th home run of the season helped Seattle stay four games out of a playoff berth.
— Dallas Keuchel (KY’-kul) had another rocky outing for the AL Central-leading White Sox, allowing six runs in three innings in a 7-2 loss to the Royals. Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, has a 7.26 ERA in his past 11 starts after giving up five earned runs, seven hits and two walks with one strikeout.
— Dustin Garneau hit a two-run homer and a solo shot for the Tigers in a 15-5 dismantling of the Reds. Robbie Grossman had a three-run blast that helped Detroit deal Cincinnati its fifth loss in six games. Jonathan India and Eugenio (ay-oo-HEH’-nee-oh) Suárez homered in the loss.
— The Angels topped the Rangers, 3-2 as Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) allowed two runs, struck out eight and threw a stateside career-high 117 pitches in seven innings. Ohtani’s only bad pitch came in the second inning, when Jason Martin drove a fastball over the wall in right-center on the first pitch of the at-bat for a tying two-run homer. Jo Adell scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth on a poor throw to first base.
— 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.
— American Frances Tiafoe (tee-AH’-foh) had a small, late-night crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium going wild on every point in an upset win that almost set a tournament record for latest finish. Tiafoe outlasted fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, reaching the fourth round for the second straight year in a victory that wasn’t completed until 2:14 a.m.
— 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.
