MLB-SCHEDULE
Yankees reclaim division lead
UNDATED (AP) β The Toronto Blue Jays fell two innings short of their quest for a team record-setting 12th consecutive victory. They also dropped to second place in the American League East with Friday’s loss to the new division leaders.
The Jays enjoyed a 3-0 lead until the New York Yankees scored four times in the eighth to earn a 4-3 triumph over Toronto. Chase Headley ended David Price’s shutout bid with an RBI double before pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran launched a three-run homer off Aaron Sanchez.
The Blue Jays had the winning run on second with one out in the bottom of the ninth before Andrew Miller fanned Ben Revere and Troy Tulowitzki (too-loh-WITS’-kee), putting the Yankees a half-game ahead of Toronto in the AL East.
In other major league finals:
β Houston’s lead in the AL West is back up to 2 Β½ games over the Angels after Dallas Keuchel (KY’-kul) struck out eight while giving up just one run in seven innings of the Astros’ 5-1 victory over Detroit. Jed Lowrie hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the fifth, and Chris Carter doubled home a run in the eighth. Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) was 2-for-4 with an RBI single as the Astros won their second straight since a 1-7 skid.
β The Angels lost for the fourth time in five games as Danny Duffy combined with three relievers on a seven-hitter in Kansas City’s 4-1 triumph over Los Angeles. Duffy and the bullpen didn’t allow a run after the first inning, but the Royals trailed 1-0 in the sixth until Ben Zobrist scored on an error and Eric Hosmer belted a two-run homer. The outcome gives the AL Central-leading Royals a 12-game bulge over Minnesota.
β Jaime (HY’-may) Garcia came with two outs of a complete game and Matt Carpenter had two RBIs in the Cardinals’ 3-1 downing of Miami in St. Louis. Garcia gave up an unearned run and six hits in 8 Β½ innings before Trevor Rosenthal picked up his 36th save. Carpenter delivered an RBI single and an eighth-inning homer as the NL Central leaders kept their six-game lead over Pittsburgh.
β The Pirates scored twice in the 10th to hand the New York Mets just their third loss in 14 games, 3-2. Gregory Polanco singled home the tiebreaking run and Aramis (ah-RAH’-mihs) Ramirez added a sacrifice fly for the deciding margin. The Mets ended a four-game winning streak despite Yoenis Cespedes (SEHS’-peh-dehs), who hit a solo homer and fell a triple shy of the cycle.
β The Mets continue to pace the NL East by 4 Β½ games after the second-place Nationals dropped their fourth in a row, 8-5 at San Francisco. Matt Duffy was a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a solo homer and three RBIs. Hunter Pence added a solo blast, and the Giants’ bullpen came through with 4 1/3 shutout innings after Matt Cain gave away most of a 6-1 lead in the fifth.
β The Dodgers beat Cincinnati 5-3 to maintain their 2 Β½-game lead over the second-place Giants in the NL West. Justin Turner’s RBI single put the Dodgers ahead to stay, one batter before Adrian Gonzalez slammed a three-run homer. Turner finished with two RBIs and Enrique Hernandez supplied three of LA’s 11 hits.
β The Chicago Cubs made it eight straight wins as Chris Coghlan (KAHG’-lihn) homered twice and had four RBIs in a 6-5 triumph over the White Sox. Coghlan belted a three-run shot in the third, two innings before he and Anthony Rizzo hit back-to-back solo shots off former teammate Jeff Samardzija (sah-MAHR’-juh). The Cubs’ bullpen combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings against a White Sox club that was coming off a three-game sweep of the Angels.
β Solo homers by Josh Hamilton and Delino DeShields powered Texas past Tampa Bay 5-3. Hamilton had two RBIs after missing the Rangers’ previous two games with a sore left knee. The loss leaves the Rays two games behind the Angels for the final AL wild-card berth, and a half-game ahead of the Rangers.
β The Orioles are within 1 Β½ games of the second AL wild-card slot after Manny Machado unloaded a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th to give Baltimore an 8-6 triumph against Oakland. Adam Jones hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs before Chris Davis socked a two-run blast that put the Birds ahead 6-4 in the seventh.
β Corey Kluber went the distance on a 1-hitter as the Indians dumped the Twins 6-1 in Cleveland. Kluber didn’t allow a hit after Joe Mauer’s fourth-inning homer, one start after tossing a three-hitter against the Twins last Sunday. Giovanny Urshela (ur-SHEH’-lah) cracked a two-run homer and Mike Aviles had two RBIs to back Kluber’s fourth complete game of the season.
β Travis Shaw homered twice and had three RBIs in Boston’s 15-1 laugher against Seattle. Rusney Castillo added a two-run shot, while Pablo Sandoval and Brock Holt collected three ribbies apiece.
β The Brewers were 3-1 winners against Philadelphia behind Wily Peralta’s (WIH’-lee peh-RAHL’-tahz) seven scoreless innings. Peralta gave up six hits and Khris Davis smacked a solo homer for Milwaukee.
β Julio Teheran looked good in Atlanta’s 3-2 verdict over Arizona, limiting the Diamondbacks to a run and three hits while striking out seven in six innings. Jace (jays) Peterson and Cameron Maybin laced RBI triples in the third, two innings before Maybin’s single put the Braves ahead 3-0.
β Matt Kemp was 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and four RBIs as San Diego handed Colorado its fifth consecutive loss, 9-5. Jedd Gyorko (JUR’-koh) added a three-run homer and drove in four for the Padres.
MLB-RED SOX
Manager on leave for “very treatable” cancer
BOSTON (AP) β Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell says he has a “highly curable” form of cancer and has taken a medical leave for the rest of the season to deal with lymphoma. The 53-year-old Farrell said he plans to be back with the team for spring training, adding that bench coach Torey Lovullo will run the club in his absence. Farrell said the cancer was discovered when he had hernia surgery in Detroit earlier this week and has been completely removed.
MLB-GIANTS
Giants in Utley sweepstakes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) β The San Francisco Giants are showing serious interest in Chase Utley while fellow second baseman Joe Panik remains on the disabled list with inflammation in his back. General manager Bobby Evans made a trade offer to the Philadelphia Phillies after Utley cleared waivers this week. Manager Bruce Bochy (BOH’-chee) said Panik is unlikely to return from the DL when eligible Monday.
MLB-SUSPENSION
Former closer suspended
NEW YORK (AP) β Former major league closer Jose Valverde has been suspended 80 games following a positive drug test while in the minor leagues. The 37-year-old Valverde hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2014 with the New York Mets. He had 10 saves for Triple-A Syracuse this season before the Washington Nationals released him last month.
GOLF-PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Battle at the top
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) β David Lingmerth was the clubhouse leader at 7-under when the second round of the PGA Championship was suspended by rain. However, Lingmerth trailed three others when play was halted.
Lingmerth managed a 2-under 70 despite carding a double-bogey and a pair of bogeys in a three-hole stretch to end the front nine. He is one stroke ahead of reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth (speeth), who is in a second-place tie with Scott Piercy and Brendan Steele among those who have completed 36 holes.
Jason Day and Matt Jones will be at minus-9 when they resume their second rounds on Saturday. Day has completed 14 holes, two more than Jones.
Justin Rose stood at 8-under with one hole to play.
Japan Golf Tour veteran Hiroshi Iwata shot a 63, matching the lowest single-round score in a major. That got the 34-year old to 4-under.
Tiger Woods is 4-over with five holes left, two strokes below the projected cut line of 2-over.
John Daly carded an 82 that featured a meltdown on the par-3 seventh hole. He sailed three tee shots into Lake Michigan and heaved his 6-iron into the water after the fourth shot found the green. Daly needed six more strokes to find the hole, marking the 17th time in his career he’s made a 10 or more on a hole.
LPGA-CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC
Canadian teen leads LPGA event
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) β Canadian teen Brooke Henderson birdied three of her last four holes for a 5-under 67 and the second-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Cambia Portland Classic.
The 17-year-old Henderson is 11-under at the midway point a one-shot ahead of Caroline Masson. Henderson grabbed the outright lead with an 8-foot birdie putt on her final hole.
NASCAR-MICHIGAN
Kenseth takes Brooklyn pole
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) β Joe Gibbs racing has swept the top three spots in qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, with Matt Kenseth taking the pole with a lap of 197.488 mph. It’s the third Cup pole of the season for Kenseth and 16th of his career.
Teammates Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards finished second and third, while JGR driver Kyle Busch was sixth.
Austin Dillon and Tony Stewart round out the top five.
Kurt Busch won the rain-shortened race at the Michigan in June.
NFL-MARIOTA
Mariota stumbles at times in NFL preseason debut
ATLANTA (AP) β Tennessee rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah) had mixed success in his first NFL preseason game. The second player taken in this year’s NFL draft threw an interception and fumbled to end the Titans’ first two possessions before leading a touchdown drive in a 31-24 loss to Atlanta.
Mariota went 7 of 8 for 94 yards.
NFL-NO FIGHTING MEMO
NFL reminds players about fighting ban
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) β The NFL has sent a memo to all 32 teams warning them about fighting during games in the wake of inter and intra-team altercations that have broken out in training camps.
In one of them, Jets quarterback Geno Smith’s jaw was broken by a teammate.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent reminded players that prohibiting fights during games will be a point of emphasis for officials.
NHL-DUCKS-HAGELIN
Ducks sign Hagelin
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) β Anaheim has signed newly acquired forward Carl Hagelin to a four-year contract worth $16 million.
Hagelin was a restricted free agent after joining the Ducks in June in a trade with the New York Rangers.
Hagelin has 58 goals and 72 assists in 266 games with the Rangers, including all 82 games last season.
COLLEGE ATHLETICS-NORTH CAROLINA-ACADEMIC PROBE
More problems for Tar Heels athletics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) β North Carolina says it has uncovered possible additional violations in women’s basketball and men’s soccer. The discovery comes as part of a probe into the school’s long-running academic scandal.
It is unclear exactly when the new possible violations were discovered. The school says they were reported to the NCAA’s committee on infractions on Aug. 10.
The school says a response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations that was due next week will be delayed.
OLYMPICS-RIO 2016-FILTHY WATER
WHO backs viral testing of Rio waters
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) β The World Health Organization says it “never advised against viral testing” for Rio de Janeiro’s polluted waterways where about 1,400 athletes will compete in Olympic events next year.
WHO has told The Associated Press that monitoring for viruses “would be advisable.”
Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi previously said this week the International Olympic Committee ruled out viral testing after the WHO made it clear that bacterial testing was what “should be followed.”
