MLB-SCHEDULE
Streaking Orioles sweep Yanks…Giants closing…Tigers back in first
UNDATED (AP) β The Baltimore Orioles have become the first team since 2006 to sweep a doubleheader from New York. Pinch-hitter Jimmy Paredes had a two-run double in the 11th innings giving Baltimore a 2-1 win over the Yankees in the first game. Bud Norris went seven strong innings as the Orioles blanked the Yanks 5-0 in the nightcap. The AL East-leading Orioles have won six straight.
Since the start of the 2000 season, the Yankees have played 37 doubleheaders, including this one. The only other time they dropped both games was on Sept. 17, 2006, against Boston.
Orioles slugger Chris Davis began a 25-game suspension without pay for a positive test for an amphetamine. The suspension will cover the final 17 games of the regular season and run into the playoffs, or perhaps into 2015.
In other baseball:
β The San Francisco Giants have closed to within one game of the NL West lead. The Giants crushed the division-leading L.A. Dodgers 9-0 in the opener of a crucial three-game set by the Bay. Madison Bumgarner tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out nine. He’s 18-9. Brandon Crawford hit his first home run in 46 games, a two-run shot. Pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa (ish-ih-KAH’-wah) added a three-run shot for icing. Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (hee-YUHN’-jihn YOO) has been removed from his start against the San Francisco Giants after a four-run first inning because of irritation in his pitching shoulder.
β The L.A. Angels have opened a whopping 11-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. The Angels crushed Houston 11-3. David Freese (freez) hit his eighth homer.
β Robinson Cano (kan-OH’), Kendrys Morales and Logan Morrison homered, and the Seattle Mariners beat Oakland 4-2 to pull within a half-game of the Athletics for the top spot in the AL wild-card chase. Oakland has seen nearly all of its wild-card lead disappear, going 3-12 over its last 15 games. Kansas City and Seattle are tied.
β Adam Wainwright won his 18th game to tie for the major league lead, Matt Holliday hit a long three-run homer in the first inning and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-1 to halt a three-game losing streak. Wainwright, who is 18-9, allowed one run and six hits in eight innings with eight strikeouts.
β J.D. Martinez homered, tripled and drove in four runs, and David Price pitched into the eighth inning to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Martinez has 21 homers. The Tigers have taken over first place in the AL Central by a half-game over KC.
β Allen Webster pitched six solid innings and Jemile Weeks stroked a pair of doubles and scored two runs as the Boston Red Sox defeated the sputtering Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Friday night. Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games and fell out of first place in the AL Central for the first time since Aug. 10.
__ The Washington Nationals’ reign over Citi Field has ended. The Mets nipped the Nationals 4-3, ending Washington’s 12-game road winning streak against the Mets. Juan Lagares hit the go-ahead double for the Mets in the fifth inning.
β Robinson Chirinos hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, sending the Texas Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
β Pittsburgh beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3. Gerrit Cole improved to 9-5 as the Pirates strengthened their grip on the final wild card in the NL. NL batting leader Josh Harrison had three hits to raise his average to .318.
β Lyle Overbay hit a game-ending RBI single off Jumbo Diaz with one out in the ninth, lifting Milwaukee to a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that helped the Brewers keep pace in the NL wild card. They’re a game and a-half back of Pittsburgh.
β Cody Asche (AH’-shee) hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins.
β Nathan Karns got his first major league win in his Tampa Bay debut, Ryan Hanigan homered for the first time in almost three months and the Rays beat the Blue Jays 1-0 to stop Toronto’s four-game winning streak.
β Eric Stults snapped a string of three straight losses, Rene Rivera homered and the San Diego Padres beat Arizona 6-5. The D-Backs have lost seven straight.
β The Twins at the White Sox game has been postponed by rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader Saturday.
MLB-MARLINS
Stanton tweets an update
MIAMI (AP) β Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins has tweeted that he’s feeling “much better,” one day after sustaining facial fractures and other injuries when he was struck in the face by a fastball. A front-runner for the National League MVP award, Stanton’s season likely ended Thursday night when he was struck in the face by a pitch. Blood poured from Stanton’s mouth before he was taken to a hospital.
Stanton leads the NL with 37 home runs and 105 RBIs.
NFL-DRUG TESTING
Players’ unions reps OK HGH testing for ’14
NEW YORK (AP) β HGH testing is coming to the NFL this season.
Player representatives to the union voted Friday to implement testing for human growth hormone for the 2014 NFL season. HGH testing was originally agreed upon in 2011, but the players have balked at the science in the testing and the appeals process for positive tests.
They also approved a league proposal to significantly increase the threshold for positive marijuana tests. Some players have complained that the NFL threshold of 15 nanograms per milliliter is so low that anyone within the vicinity of people smoking marijuana could test positive. The threshold has been increased to 35 ng/ml.
NFL-DRUG TESTING/WELKER
Broncos star WR could play Sunday
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) β Wes Welker has passed concussion protocol and could be back on the field as soon as Sunday if the NFL signs off on a new drug policy approved by the players’ union.
Representatives of the NFL Players Association approved the comprehensive new policy Friday that includes implementation of testing for HGH and an increase in the threshold for testing positive for marijuana.
Welker was suspended four games for amphetamine use in the offseason. But punishment for that is being switched from the performance enhancers policy to the substance abuse program β except for in-season violations.
If the league approves the agreement, the Broncos’ slot receiver could be eligible to play when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Denver on Sunday.
NFL-VIKINGS-PETERSON INDICTED
Peterson wanted for child abuse, benched for Sunday’s game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) β Authorities in Texas issued an arrest warrant Friday for star Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after he was indicted on a charge of child abuse for using a branch to spank his son. He was swiftly benched by his team for this weekend’s game against New England.
Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said that the charge in Montgomery County, near Houston, accuses Peterson of using a switch to spank one of his sons. Hardin said Peterson didn’t mean to hurt the boy, whose injuries and age were not disclosed.
The allegations come during a week in which the NFL has been under heavy scrutiny for the way it handled a domestic violence case involving former Ravens running back Ray Rice and his then-fiancee.
NBA-HAWKS-FERRY
Ferry takes leave
ATLANTA (AP) β Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry has taken an indefinite leave of absence after coming under fire for making racially charged comments about a player.
Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has resisted calls for Ferry to be dismissed, but said the GM asked for the leave.
Ferry made inflammatory comments about Luol Deng (LOO’-ul dehng) during a conference call with the Hawks’ ownership group in June as the team was pursuing the free agent. The GM described Deng as someone who “has a little African in him.”
Ferry released a statement apologizing, saying “no words can adequately describe my remorse for the hurt that I have caused many people through the statements I repeated, most importantly Luol Deng.”
T25 FOOTBALL
No. 8 Baylor romps
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) β The eighth-ranked Baylor Bears built a 35-0 halftime lead in Buffalo, and coasted to a 63-21 rout of Buffalo. The Big 12 champion Bears improved to 3-0.
Bryce Petty threw four touchdown passes. Petty went 23 of 34 for 416 yards through three quarters, and Shock Linwood had 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Baylor. Hawthorne Lynx and Jay Lee each caught two touchdowns passes.
It was Petty’s first game since he cracked two small bones in his back during a season-opening 45-0 win against SMU.
WNBA
Mercury sweeps
CHICAGO (AP) β Diana Taurasi (tohr-AH’-see) and Candice Dupree scored 24 points each and the Phoenix Mercury, playing without star center Brittney Griner, beat the Chicago Sky 87-82 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA Finals for their third championship.
DeWanna Bonner added 12 points for the Mercury, who also won titles in 2007 and 2009. Griner sat out following surgery to correct a retinal issue after she was hit in the right eye in Game 2.
NASCAR-CHICAGO
Busch on pole for first Chase race this weekend
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) β Kyle Busch will start the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on the pole for Sunday’s opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. Busch got the top spot when rain washed out qualifying and the field was set by practice times from earlier in the day. Starting next to Busch on the front row will be Ryan Newman, with Carl Edwards right behind him.
PGA-TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Horschel moves in front
ATLANTA (AP) β Billy Horschel shot a second straight 4-under-66 in the Tour Championship in Atlanta to take a two shot lead after two rounds. Horschel tops Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Chris Kirk on the leaderboard. There are four players tied at minus-4.
This is the last of four FedEx playoff tournaments with the overall points leader at the end of play Sunday taking home the $10 million bonus.
Heading into the tournament, Kirk was ranked No. 1 and Horschel No. 2.
LPGA-EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Lincicome leads
EVIAN-LES-BAINES, France (AP) β Brittany Lincicome (LIHN’-sih-kohm) shot a 6-under 65 to take the lead after two rounds of the LPGA’s Evian (ay-vee-AWN’) Championship. Her 10-under total puts her a shot ahead of South Korean teenager Hyo Joo Kim.
Fellow South Korean Mi Jung Hur is in third at 7-under while Suzann Pettersen (PEHT’-ur-suhn) and Karrie (KAHR’-ee) Webb are tied at 6-under.
This is the final major of the year in women’s golf.
BASKETBALL-WORLD CUP
Serbia makes finals
MADRID (AP) β Milos Teodosic scored 24 points and Serbia reached the championship game of the Basketball World Cup by beating France 90-85 tonight. The Serbians will face the defending champion and unbeaten U.S. in the title game on Sunday.
TENNIS-DAVIS CUP
Isner, Querrey gives US 2-0 lead
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) β Sam Querrey (KWEER’-ee) gave the U.S. a commanding 2-0 lead last night in its Davis Cup World Group playoff against Slovakia with a 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 win over Martin Klizan. In the opening match of the night, American John Isner (IHZ’-nur) hit 29 aces in a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-2 win over Norbert Gombos.
The U.S. can ensure a trip to the 2015 World Group today by winning the doubles when it sends out U.S. Open champs Mike and Bob Bryan.
PISTORIUS-VERDICT
Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) β A South African judge has found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The judge ruled that the prosecution didn’t present enough evidence to convict the former Olympian of a premeditated murder charge. Prosecutors said they were disappointed by the ruling but would decide on whether to appeal only after sentencing.
The sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 13.
