Update on the latest sports
APOLYMPICS
Seven straight golds for US women’s basketball team
TOKYO (AP) — The US women’s basketball team has run its Olympic winning streak to 55 games and seven gold medals.
Brittney Griner poured in 30 points on 14 of 18 shooting as the Americans knocked off Japan, 90-75. The U.S. jumped out to a 18-5 lead and was up 24-13 after one quarter behind Griner’s 10 points.
The outcome leaves Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi as the only basketball players to win five gold medals. Dawn Staley became the second woman to win a gold medal as a player, assistant and head coach, joining Anne Donovan.
Also in Tokyo:
— Jennifer Valente overcame a crash in the omnium-ending points race to hang on for the gold medal, capping what had been an otherwise frustrating and disappointing Olympics for American cycling. Valente won the opening scratch race, picked up three sprints in the points race and performed well in the elimination race to take an eight-point lead into the points race.
— Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge pulled away late and defended his Olympic marathon title. Kipchoge finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 38 seconds on a breezy and humid Sunday along the streets of Sapporo.
— World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says it’s “inevitable” that questions will be asked about the integrity of breakthrough track and field results at the Olympics. Coe said he would not speak about a specific case, though he acknowledged that after “performances that are outstanding, it is inevitable people will always ask questions.” He was questioned following reports that suggested that Marcell Jacobs’s victory in the men’s 100 had not been clean.
MLB-NEWS
Phillies win again
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies now own their longest winning streak in nine years, allowing them to climb to the top of the NL East standings.
Brad Miller homered twice and Odubel (oh-DOO’-bul) Herrera added a three-run blast as the Phillies earned their seventh consecutive win, 5-3 over the Mets.
Philadelphia enjoyed a 5-0 lead until Michael Conforto, Jonathan Villar (vee-ahr’) and James McCann started the ninth with consecutive homers. Ian Kennedy entered the game and faced the potential go-ahead run at the plate before fanning Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis to end it.
New York has dropped eight of 10 and is 1 ½ games behind the NL East-leading Phillies, exactly one week after topping the Phils by 4 ½ games.
Atlanta is two games behind the Phillies after the Braves’ bullpen allowed three runs in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Nationals. Riley Adams hit his first big league homer, a go-ahead, two-run blast that ended Washington’s five-game losing streak.
The Nats came back after Charlie Morton held them to three hits while striking out seven over six innings.
In other MLB action:
— Chris Taylor doubled home a pair of runs in the eighth inning to lift the Dodgers over the Angels, 5-3. The Dodgers trailed 3-2 going into the seventh inning before Cody Bellinger tied it with a solo shot to right. Kenley Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth for his 23rd save as the Dodgers stayed four games behind the NL West-leading Giants.
— Brandon Belt slammed his second homer of the night during a four-run outburst in the 11th inning of the Giants’ 9-6 comeback over the Brewers. Each team scored three runs in the 10th after the Giants tied it on a bizarre two-out triple in the ninth. LaMonte (lah-MAHN’) Wade put the Giants ahead for good in the 11th with a one-out single that scored Austin Slater.
— Manny Machado provided the go-ahead single in a four-run eighth that pushed the Padres past the Diamondbacks, 6-1. Yu Darvish had to settle for a no-decision after holding Arizona to two runs and four hits while matching a season high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings. Pinch-hitter Austin Nola capped the late rally with a two-run single.
— Jesse Winker went 3 for 5 with a homer, a double and six RBIs to highlight the Reds’ 11-3 thumping of the Pirates. Nick Castellanos (kas-tee-AH’-nohs) and Joey Votto (VAH’-toh) also homered in support of Vladimir Gutierrez, who allowed a run over six innings to earn the victory. Cincinnati has won 14 of their past 15 games against Pittsburgh.
— Nolan Arenado (ar-eh-NAH’-doh) homered and pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter furnished a tiebreaking double in the Cardinals’ 5-2 decision over the Royals. St. Louis starter Kwang Hyun Kim allowed two runs and three hits on 83 pitches over four innings. It was his first outing since giving up a season-high five runs in a season-low 2 2/3 innings July 28 at Cleveland.
— The Yankees erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring four times in the sixth inning of their third straight win over the Mariners, 5-4. Rougned Odor (ROOG’-nehd oh-DOHR’) pulled the Yanks within 4-3 with a two-run homer in New York’s 10th win in 12 games. Kyle Higashioka (hih-gah-shee-OH’-kah) followed with an RBI double and scored on a daring base-running play while DJ LeMahieu forced a rundown between first and second.
— The Blue Jays took Game 1 of a twinbill by downing the Red Sox, 1-0 on Marcus Semien’s walk-off homer in the seventh inning. The Jays managed just two hits in improving to 8-1 in Toronto since returning to Canada last weekend.
— The Red Sox had lost eight of nine before taking the nightcap as Jonathan Arauz delivered a tiebreaking single in the eighth to give them a 2-1 win at Toronto. Alex Verdugo (vur-DOO’-goh) tied it with a sixth-inning homer off Juan Berrios, who gave up four other hits over six frames. The doubleheader split leaves the Sox three games behind the AL East-leading Rays, with the Blue Jays seven games back.
— The Rays are 10-1 versus the Orioles this year after Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam and Nelson Cruz homered for the second time in two nights to lead a 12-3 romp in Baltimore. Cruz has four home runs and 10 RBIs in 12 games since being acquired from Minnesota on July 22. Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco also went deep for Tampa Bay, and Shane McClanahan allowed three runs and five hits with eight strikeouts over a career-high seven innings.
— Carlos Rodón (roh-DAHN’) pitched two-hit ball and struck out 11 over five-plus innings as the White Sox dumped the Cubs, 4-0. Cesar Hernandez and José Abreu hit solo homers for the White Sox, who also got a two-run double from Yoán Moncada (yoh-AHN’ mohn-KAH’-dah). Four relievers finished up the five-hit shutout.
— The Astros’ three-game skid is over after Yordan (yohr-DAHN’) Alvarez hit the 50th home run of his career and rookie Luis Garcia two-hit ball over six innings of a 4-0 shutout of the Twins. Alvarez is the fastest player in Houston history to reach 50 home runs, doing it in his 184 career game. Aledmys (ah-LEHD’-mees) Díaz added a two-run double in the eighth as the AL West leaders stayed three games ahead of Oakland.
— Matt Olson matched a career high with four hits as the A’s dealt the Rangers their 13th consecutive road loss, 12-3. Olson and Matt Chapman delivered two-run doubles while Oakland erupted for seven runs in the third inning to erase a 2-0 deficit. Yan Gomes (yahn gohmz) added a three-run homer and four RBIs to support Cole Irvin, who worked seven innings and settled down following a two-run homer by Adolis Garcia three batters into the game.
— Tyler Alexander tossed a season-high 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the Tigers edged the Indians, 2-1. Alexander allowed four hits without issuing a walk in his seventh appearance since moving into the rotation. Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 3 with a walk, keeping him two shy of 500 career home runs.
— Austin Gomber rebounded from his shortest start of the season to strike out a career-high nine in the Rockies’ 7-4 downing of the Marlins. Gomber allowed five hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out the last four he faced. Connor Joe drove in a career-high four runs with a sacrifice fly in the second, an RBI double in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth.
MLB-NEWS
Yankees Chapman on IL
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Yankees have put closer Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day injured list because of inflammation in his left elbow.
The hard-throwing lefty is 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 43 appearances this season.
He lost his closer’s job for a couple of weeks last month after struggling. Since regaining his spot, Chapman has converted seven straight saves and has a 1.13 ERA in eight appearances.
Also around the majors:
—Tigers infielder Jonathan Schoop (skohp) has accepted a two-year, $15 million extension through the 2023 season. Schoop is hitting .289 a team-best 64 RBIs in his first season for Detroit. His 18 homers are tied with Eric Haase for the club lead.
— The Red Sox have put slugger J.D. Martinez on the COVID-19-related injured list, although manager Alex Cora says his designated hitter hasn’t tested positive. Martinez is batting .284 with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs in 104 games.
NFL-HALL OF FAME
Football Hall inducts Class of 2020
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame is holding the first of consecutive induction ceremonies, honoring the Class of 2020 before the Class of 2021 takes the stage in Canton on Sunday.
Saturday’s honorees include wide receiver Harold Carmichael, safeties Cliff Harris, Donnie Shell and Steve Atwater, running back Edgerrin James, offensive tackle Jim Covert, head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher and commissioner Paul Talgliabue (TAG’-lee-ah-boo).
Those being honored posthumously are Bobby Dillon, Winston Hill, Alex Karras, Steve Sabol, Duke Slater, Mac Speedie, Ed Sprinkle and George Young.
NFL-NEWS
Jackson back in practice
UNDATED (AP) — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is back at practice after battling the coronavirus.
Head coach John Harbaugh expects the star quarterback to catch up pretty easily to where the rest of the team is in its preparation.
Jackson was on the field Saturday, a day after the Ravens activated him from the COVID-19 list. He hadn’t practiced yet during training camp.
In other NFL news:
— Former Steelers star safety Troy Polamalu (pohl-uh-MAH’-loo) has recovered from a bout with COVID-19 and will attend the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. He missed the Gold Jacket Dinner Friday night when other members of the classes of 2020 and 2021 received their hall jackets.
— Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler has acknowledged that linebacker T.J. Watt isn’t practicing because he has yet to sign a long-term contract. Watt has been on the field doing individual work, but he hasn’t practiced with his teammates during training camp workouts.
— Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen says contact tracing landed him on the COVID-19 reserve list, and that he has no intention of getting vaccinated. Shaheen says he has never tested positive for COVID-19.
— Running back Ito Smith has signed with the Cardinals after three seasons with the Falcons. The 25-year-old has run for 689 yards and six touchdowns in his career while catching 55 passes for 314 yards.
NBA-HORNETS-OUBRE
AP source: Hornets agree to terms with Kelly Oubre Jr.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to terms with free agent small forward Kelly Oubre (OO’-bray) Jr. on a two-year, $26 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
A six-year NBA veteran, Oubre has also had stops in Washington, Toronto and Phoenix.
The deal had been contingent upon the Hornets’ trade with New Orleans involving Devonte Graham going through.
The Hornets announced they acquired Wes Iwundu, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick and cash considerations from the Pelicans and the draft rights to Tyler Harvey from the Memphis Grizzlies for Graham. In the deal, New Orleans also acquired Jonas Valuncianas, as well as the draft rights to Trey Murphy and Brandon Boston.
PGA-FEDEX ST. JUDE
TPC Southwind is an English course
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Harris English is threatening to complete a wire-to-wire win at the PGA’s FedEx St. Jude Open.
English carded his second straight 5-under 65 at TPC Southwind after opening the tournament with a 62. He’s in position for the fifth PGA Tour victory and third of the season.
English is 18 under for the tournament, two ahead of Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith. DeChambeau shot a 7-under 63 and declined to comment to most of the media following the round. He was apparently upset with several stories written about his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine after he missed the Tokyo Olympics last week because of a positive test.
HORSE RACING
Asmussen breaks North American trainer victory record
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen broke the North American record for victories by a horse trainer Saturday when Stellar Tap won the fifth race on Whitney Day at Saratoga Race Course.
Asmussen has 9,446 victories to break the mark set by the late Dale Baird during his 46-year career.
