ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) β Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker has been slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. ESPN reported the violation had to do with amphetamines, and NFL Media reported Welker was notified Tuesday he had lost his appeal, which was heard two weeks ago. Welker caught 73 passes for 778 yards and a career-high 10 TDs despite missing the last 3 1/2 games of last season.
UNDATED (AP) β The Kansas City Royals continue to hold a half-game lead over the Detroit Tigers in the American League East after both teams won on Tuesday. Salvador Perez singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning to lift the Royals past Texas 2-1. The Tigers kept pace with a 4-2 victory at Cleveland, thanks to a three-run homer by J.D. Martinez in the ninth inning.
UNDATED (AP) β St. Louis tacked another game onto their NL Central lead, moving two games ahead of Milwaukee with a 6-4 triumph against Pittsburgh. Adam Wainwright became the year’s fourth 16-game winner and helped his own cause with a two-run single and three RBIs. The Brewers absorbed their seventh consecutive loss as Arismendy Alcantara (ar-his-MEHN’-dee al-KAHN’-tah-rah) hit a two-run homer and scored twice in the Chicago Cubs’ 7-1 romp over Milwaukee.
NEW YORK (AP) β The U.S. Open men’s quarterfinals are set following wins by second seed Roger Federer, sixth seed Thomas Berdych (BUR’-dihch), Frenchman Gael Monfils (GAH’-ehl mohn-FEES’) and Croatia’s Marin Cilic (CHEE’-lihch). Federer knocked off 17th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut (ah-GOO’) in straight sets to earn the right to play Monfils, who was a straight-sets winner over seventh seed Grigor Dmitrov. Berdych won in straight sets against Dominic Thiem to reach the quarters against Cilic, who needed five sets to dispatch Gilles Simon (see-MOHN’).
NEW YORK (AP) β China’s Peng Shuai (pehng shway) has reached the U.S. Open women’s semifinals by downing Belinda Bencic (BEHN’-chihch) 6-2, 6-1. This is the first time in 37 tries that Peng has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam event. She next faces 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki (wohz-nee-AK’-ee), who followed up her victory over Maria Sharapova with a 6-0, 6-1 rout of No. 13 Sara Errani.
