MLB-SCHEDULE
Nats capture eighth in row…Athletics end five-game slide
UNDATED (AP) β The hottest team in baseball is the Washington Nationals. The NL East-leading Nats ran their season-high winning streak to eight games by routing the Arizona Diamondback 8-1 to move 18 games over .500
Stephen Strasburg and Jerry Blevins combined on a three-hitter. Strasburg went a season-high eight innings, allowing just three hits, to even his mark at 10-10.
Asdrubal Cabrera’s (ahs-DROO’-buhl kah-BREHR’-uhz) bases-clearing double capped a six-run third inning. Ian Desmond had three hits and drove in four runs. The Nationals have outscored teams 42-21 during their eight-game streak, their longest since 2012.
In other baseball:
β Atlanta won its fifth in a row, 11-3 over Pittsburgh. But the Braves remain six back of the Nationals in the NL East. Justin Upton smashed his 24th home run of the season to spoil Andrew McCutchen’s return for Pittsburgh. McCutchen went 0 for 4 in his first game back after missing two weeks with fractured cartilage in his ribs.
β AL East-leading Baltimore topped the Chicago White Sox 5-1. Chris Tillman struck out nine in his eight innings, allowing three hits in winning his 10th game against five defeats. Nick Hundley homered. The Orioles are 20-10 since the All-Star break.
β NL Central leader Kansas City topped Colorado 7-4. Omar Infante (in-fahn-TAY’) had three doubles and drove in four runs for the Royals, who’ve won 21 of 26.
β Detroit remained a half-game back of the Royals in the AL Central by outlasting Tampa Bay 8-6 in 11 innings. Victor Martinez drew a tiebreaking bases-loaded walk during a three-run 11th.
β Oakland snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the New York Mets 6-2. Scott Kazmir improved to 14-5. He allowed one run and four hits over six innings. Coco Crisp hit a tiebreaking three-run triple in the fourth.
β The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers held off San Diego 8-6. Carl Crawford connected on his sixth homer, a two-run shot. Crawford was 3-for-3 with three RBIs.
β Anthony Rizzo slammed a two-run homer, Tsuyoshi Wada pitched five strong innings, and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Tuesday night in a game that was halted after 4 1/2 innings because of unplayable field conditions following rain at Wrigley Field. After a brief but heavy downpour, the game was delayed 4 hours, 34 minutes before it was called off at 1:16 a.m. Fewer than 1,000 fans remained.
β The L.A. Angels edged Boston 4-3. Chris Iannetta (eye-uh-NET’-uh) hit his second double of the game, a tiebreaking hit in the ninth.
β St. Louis won for the sixth time in seven games by rallying past Cincinnati 5-4. Jon Jay was hit by a J.J. Hoover pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth for the winning run. It’s the 15th time Jay was hit by a pitch, leading the majors in that category.
β Chris Carter snapped a ninth-inning tie with a colossal three-run homer that sent the Houston Astros to a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees.
β Cleveland rallied past Minnesota 7-5. Yan Gomes had three hits including a home run. Rookie pinch-hitter Tyler Holt hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth fir the Tribe.
β Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Texas Rangers 4-3.
β Milwaukee beat Toronto 6-1 in interleague play. Mike Fiers (FY’-ers) pitched seven dominant innings and Jonathan Lucroy (LOO’-kroy) and Aramis Ramirez each hit two doubles.
β In another interleague game, Seattle topped Philadelphia 5-2. Hisashi Iwakuma (hih-SASH’-ee ih-ah-KOO’-mah) struck out a season-high 11 batters in eight scoreless innings. Kyle Seager homered.
BASKETBALL-TEAM USA
Coach K done talking about Durant
NEW YORK (AP) β While Kevin Durant takes a step back, the U.S. national team is moving forward. The reigning MVP and leading scorer stunned the Americans when he decided to withdraw after practicing with the team during its first week of training camp. Now that they’ve had time to get over the surprise, they aren’t dwelling on it.
U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEF’-skee) says “I’m through talking about Kevin,” as the Americans practiced for the upcoming Basketball World Cup.
“We’re done with that. We’re on to this group. What a coach does, a coach coaches who he has, not who he doesn’t have,” Coach K said, before adding: “You’re married, you’re with that woman, you’re not thinking about who you dated.”
Durant pulled out Aug. 7, shortly after the Americans finished working out in Las Vegas, where a year earlier he announced his plans to play for the team this summer.
NBA-CAVALIERS
Cavs add Drew as coach
CLEVELAND (AP) β The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers have a new assistant coach. Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Drew has been hired to work alongside first-year coach David Blatt. Drew went 15-67 last season in his only campaign with the Bucks. He was expected to get a second year but was fired so the Bucks could hire Jason Kidd. A former NBA player, Drew also coached Atlanta.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-OHIO STATE-MILLER
Buckeyes Miller done for season
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β Ohio State says quarterback Braxton Miller will miss the 2014 season after reinjuring his throwing shoulder. The school says he will require surgery.
The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year left practice in pain Monday after making a throw.
The senior and three-year starter partially tore the labrum in his right shoulder in a loss to Clemson at the Orange Bowl. He had surgery, did not face contact in spring practice and was held out of several practices this month due to soreness.
Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett is Miller’s top backup and will likely be the starter in the Aug. 30 opener against Navy in Baltimore.
NFL-TRAINING CAMPS
No Browns starter yet…Jets rookie Evans out for year
UNDATED (AP) β Browns coach Mike Pettine (PEHT’-ihn) has not picked his starting quarterback as he had planned. Brian Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel (man-ZEHL’) haven’t convinced him they deserve the job.
Pettine had been expected to announce whether Hoyer or Manziel, the hyped rookie, would start the Sept. 7 opener at Pittsburgh. But the decision has been delayed and could carry through to Cleveland’s third preseason game on Saturday. Pettine says the coaching staff will meet tomorrow night and could then choose a starter.
In other NFL training camp news:
β The Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to re-sign defensive end Brett Keisel (KEE’-sihl) to bolster a reconfigured line that has struggled to produce much of anything in the first two weeks of the preseason. The Steelers decided not to re-sign Keisel in the offseason after the 35-year-old finished with four sacks in 12 games in 2013. But the D line has been unimpressive in the preseason.
β The New York Jets have placed rookie wide receiver Shaquelle Evans on season-ending injured reserve after he underwent shoulder surgery. He was a fourth-round draft pick out of UCLA
β NFL teams can carry 10 players on their practice squads for the next two seasons. The league and the players’ union agreed to increase the number in practice squads by two.
NFL-VIKINGS
Deal reached between team and ex-punter
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) β Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (KLOO’-ee) has reached a settlement with the team to avert a threatened lawsuit over his release. Kluwe had accused the Vikings of cutting him over his activism on gay rights issues. He says the Vikings have agreed to donate to several nonprofits to help raise awareness in professional sports about gay issues.
Kluwe says he’ll get no money in the settlement. Financial details weren’t immediately released.
NHL-ISLANDERS
New ownership for the Islanders
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) β The New York Islanders have announced that the team is being sold to a former Washington Capitals co-owner and a London-based investor. The team says a group led by former Capitals co-owner Jon Ledecky and investor Scott Malkin has reached an agreement to buy a “substantial” minority interest in the team.
The team says under the agreement, current owner Charles Wang will continue as majority stockholder for two years. At that point, ownership will transfer to the Ledecky-Malkin group.
NASCAR-EDWARDS-GIBBS
Edwards signs with Gibbs
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) β Joe Gibbs Racing has hired Carl Edwards to drive a new fourth Sprint Cup car in 2015. The ARRIS Group will sponsor Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota for 17 races.
The team also added Daniel Suarez, who will drive a full-time Nationwide Series entry for Gibbs and run a partial schedule in the Truck Series. Suarez becomes the first Mexican driver to race full-time in NASCAR’s second tier series.
U.S. OPEN
Men’s seeds
NEW YORK (AP) β Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) has been seeded No. 1 for the U.S. Open with five-time champion Roger Federer No. 2. Djokovic beat Federer for the title at Wimbledon last month.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka (vah-VINK’-ah) is No. 3, followed by David Ferrer (feh-REHR’) and Milos Raonic (ROW’-nich).
Djokovic has played in the last four finals at Flushing Meadows, winning the title in 2011. He lost to Rafael Nadal (rah-fay-EHL’ nah-DAHL’) in 2010 and last year, and to Andy Murray in 2012.
SWIMMING-PAN PACS
Franklin iffy with bad back
GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) β Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin is being treated for a back problem, putting her in doubt for the Pan Pacific championships which start Thursday.
Team USA spokesman Scott Leightman (LYT’-muhn) says Franklin had back spasms during practice Tuesday.
