Update on the latest sports
APMLB-SCHEDULE
Knapp’s 9th-inning single leads Phillies past Giants 6-5
UNDATED (AP) — Andrew Knapp hit the winning single in the ninth inning, Bryce Harper hit a tying solo homer in the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5.
Hector Neris struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the win. Mickey Moniak hit his first career home run for the Phillies five years after they made him the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Darin Ruf hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the seventh off reliever Brandon Kintzler.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Tyler Anderson pitched five solid innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates took the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday, 3-2 over the Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh scored all runs in the fourth inning after Michael Fulmer retired the Pirates in order through the first three. Pittsburgh has won five of its last seven to pull within a game of .500.
— Rookie Trevor Rogers didn’t allow a runner past second base while pitching a career-high seven innings, and the Miami Marlins earned a split of their two-game series against Baltimore by winning 3-0. Jesús Aguilar broke a 0-0 tie with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth. Rogers allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 1.64 as he earned his third career win. Yimi García completed the four-hitter by pitching a perfect ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.
— Austin Gomber got his first victory for the Colorado Rockies, allowing two hits over six innings to beat the Astros 6-3 on a wintry afternoon and send Houston to its ninth loss in 10 games. It was 34 degrees at first pitch and a light snow fell throughout the game, gaining in intensity. The weather didn’t bother Gomber, among five players acquired from St. Louis in the Feb. 1 trade that sent star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.
MLB-NEWS
White Sox-Indians postponed due to snow and cold
UNDATED (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have postponed Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow and cold weather.
The game was called about five hours before the first scheduled pitch.
The AL Central teams will make up the postponement on Chicago’s next visit to Cleveland by playing a traditional doubleheader on May 31.
In other MLB news:
— Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander has gone on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks. The Orioles recalled outfielder Ryan McKenna from the alternate training site at Double-A Bowie.
— Catcher Martín Maldonado and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $5.5 million, one-year contract for 2022. The deal includes a $5 million salary for 2022 and a $4 million team option for 2023 with a $500,000 buyout. A Gold Glove winner in 2017, Maldonado is 3 for 34 with no RBIs in 37 plate appearances this season. He has a .216 career average with 69 homers and 244 RBIs.
— Infielder JT Riddle has been placed on the COVID-19 injured list by the Minnesota Twins. The Twins selected the contract of catcher Tomás Telis from the taxi squad to replace Riddle on the 26-man roster.
— Former All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and been assigned to the alternate training site in Appleton, Wisconsin. Strange-Gordon had gone to spring training camp with the Cincinnati Reds as a non-roster invitee but was released on March 26.
— Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet has left his season debut after two scoreless innings due to right forearm tightness. Lamet appeared to be pitching well against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out four after a single to start the game. He threw 19 strikes out of 29 pitches, reaching 97 mph on his fastball. The 28-year-old Lamet had not pitched since leaving his final start of 2020 with elbow discomfort and missing the playoffs. He received multiple opinions that surgery wasn’t needed and underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy in the offseason. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018.
— Former major league player and coach Tom Robson has died. He was 75. Robson coached for the Rangers, Mets and Chiba Lotte Marines under Bobby Valentine, and also with Cincinnati.
NBA-NEWS
Lakers’ Anthony Davis ready to return
CLEVELAND (AP) — Lakers big man Anthony Davis intends to play Thursday night when Los Angeles opens a four-game road trip at Dallas. He hasn’t suited up since Feb. 14, missing Los Angeles’ last 30 games in the longest injury absence of his career.
The Lakers have managed to stay in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference standings despite playing without Davis for nine weeks and without LeBron James since March 20. The Lakers went 14-16 without Davis, and they’re 7-9 since both Davis and James went down.
In other NBA news:
— The NBA has suspended Indiana Pacers forward JaKarr Sampson for one game for headbutting San Antonio guard Patty Mills during Monday’s loss to the Spurs. The fourth-quarter incident began with a shoving match as Sampson and Mills fought for a rebound. The league fined Mills $25,000 while Gay was fined $20,000. Sampson is sitting out tonight’s game against Oklahoma City, leaving the already short-handed Pacers with one fewer player.
— Cavaliers swingman Dylan Windler underwent surgery on his left knee and will be sidelined indefinitely. A first-round draft pick in 2019, Windler has been slowed by injuries in his young career. His first NBA season was wiped out by a stress fracture in his left leg suffered just before training camp. He made his pro debut this season but broke his left wrist in the Cavaliers’ opener and was sidelined for a month.
— Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff is missing Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls due to personal reasons. The team said in a statement that Bickerstaff will be replaced on the sideline by assistant coach Greg Buckner. The Cavaliers expect Bickerstaff to return for Friday night’s game at Charlotte. The 42-year-old Bickerstaff took over last season when John Beilein stepped down at the All-Star break. Cleveland went 5-6 under Bickerstaff before the season was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
NFL-NEWS
NFL eliminates preseason OTs, defeats onside kick proposal
UNDATED (AP) — NFL owners have approved eliminating overtime in preseason games and expanded selection of jersey numbers for receivers, running backs and defensive backs.
The league also will allow on-field officials to get certain “objective information” from the replay official and designated members of the officiating department “when clear and obvious video evidence is present.”
During a virtual meeting Wednesday, the 32 owners defeated a proposal by the Philadelphia Eagles that a team be given two chances per game to retain possession after a score by converting a fourth-and-15 play from its 25-yard line. But the owners did approve establishing a maximum number of players in the setup zone (between 10 and 25 yards from the kickoff) in hopes of enhancing onside kick opportunities. Defending teams will be limited to nine players in that zone.
Also approved were ensuring enforcement of all accepted penalties committed by either team during successive extra-point attempts, and adding a loss of down for a second forward pass thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, and for a pass thrown after the ball returns behind the line.
The league announced that its 2021 schedule, the first with a 17-game regular season, will be released May 12.
In other NFL news:
— Former star safety T.J. Ward officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday. Ward played eight seasons in the NFL, including three in Denver with the famed ‘No-Fly Zone’ secondary. Ward walked on at the University of Oregon and was a second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2010. He joined the Broncos in 2014 and helped them win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. Ward played one more season in Tampa in 2017 and spent a month with the Cardinals in 2020.
— Aldon Smith has turned himself in to authorities in Louisiana after an arrest warrant was issued for the Seattle Seahawks defensive end. The St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s department said Smith was booked on a second-degree battery charge Tuesday night. Officials said Smith was released on $25,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on July 14. The warrant was issued following an incident last weekend when a man told deputies he had been assaulted by an acquaintance outside a business in Chalmette.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Indy 500 to host 135,000 in largest sports event in pandemic
UNDATED (AP) — The Indianapolis 500 plans to host 135,000 spectators next month, which would make it the largest sporting event in the world since the pandemic.
The attendance figure is roughly 40% of what the grandstands hold at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The number was determined after Indianapolis held the NCAA men’s tournament without a significant spike in COVID-19 cases in the city. Most of the seating will be socially distanced in the grandstands. The viewing mounds in the infield will not be offered.
The race ran without fans last year for the first time in history.
In other pandemic-related developments:
— The NHL says it has not told players virus protocols would be relaxed when a team reaches a certain threshold of vaccination. That differs from the vaccination standards set by the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. Unlike the other sports leagues, the NHL has seven of its teams playing entirely in Canada this season.
— The Cincinnati Reds are increasing their fan allowance at Great American Ballpark to nearly 17,000, which seats just over 42,000. The increased capacity will take effect for games beginning April 30 when the Chicago Cubs visit for a weekend series. The guidelines also allow for “mixed pods” consisting of multiple groups from separate parties, capped at 10 people.
— The Canadian Football League is pushing back the start of its season and reducing the number of games played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league says the plan is for the season to begin in early August and the CFL board of governors has decided to reduce the schedule to 14 games from the normal 18. Last season was canceled.
— The women’s world hockey championship tournament in Canada has been postponed indefinitely. Health officials in Nova Scotia have informed the International Ice Hockey Federation the province’s borders are being closed due to COVID-19 concerns.
— Japanese residents with tickets to the Tokyo Olympics may not know until weeks before the games begin if they’ll be allowed to attend. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto says a decision on how many spectators, if any, will be allowed in the venues may not be made until June. Fans from abroad have already been barred.
