Update on the latest sports
APMLB-SCHEDULE
Bosox, win, Yankees fall
UNDATED (AP) — The AL wild-card races just got a bit tighter. The Boston Red Sox are back within a game of the New York Yankees for the first wild card, with the Blue Jays one game behind the Bosox.
The Red Sox’s four-game skid is over after J.D. Martinez smacked a solo homer and a two-run double in a 6-0 shutout of the Orioles. Hunter Renfroe also homered to back Nathan Eovaldi (eh-VAHL’-dee), who allowed four hits over six innings.
Alex Verdugo (vur-DOO’-goh) added a two-run single in the eighth for Boston.
Bo Bichette homered twice for the Blue Jays, including the tiebreaking blast in the eighth inning of their 6-5 victory over the Yankees. Marcus Semien slammed his 44th home run, breaking the single-season record for second basemen.
The Jays lead the majors with 251 home runs, six off the team record.
José Berríos (beh-REE’-ohs) retired the first 14 Yankees in order, striking out seven, before giving up three straight hits in the fifth.
The Yankees had won seven in a row.
Checking out Wednesday’s other major league action:
— The Cardinals’ team-record, 17-game winning streak is over following a 4-0 loss to the Brewers. Daniel Vogelbach belted a two-run homer and Adrian Houser scattered three hits over five innings. Manny Piña (PEEN’-yah) added a solo homer for the Brewers, who have won four of five.
— The Braves have reduced their magic number to one for clinching their fourth straight NL East title by whipping the second-place Phillies, 7-2. Austin Riley provided a two-run double and three RBIs for Atlanta, which can wrap up the division by winning on Thursday. Max Fried is 7-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his last 11 starts after allowing one earned run over seven innings of his 14th victory.
— Miguel Rojas’ two-run single capped a three-run eighth that pushed the Marlins past the Mets, 3-2. Taijuan (TY’-wahn) Walker carried a one-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the eighth before Miami ended its seven-game losing streak.
— Willson Contreras drove in all the Cubs’ runs in a 3-2 win at Pittsburgh, ending Chicago’s seven-game losing streak. The Pirates led 2-1 in the seventh until Contreras delivered a two-run double.
— Trevor Story had four hits in possibly his final appearance at Coors Field with Colorado, helping the Rockies earn a 10-5 win over the Nationals. Ryan McMahon added a three-run homer in Colorado’s home finale, which was interrupted for two hours by rain.
MLB-NEWS
White Sox’s Anderson suspended
UNDATED (AP) — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has appealed the three-game suspension he received from Major League Baseball on Wednesday.
Anderson was punished for making contact with Umpire Tim Timmons during the on-field incident in Monday’s game against the Tigers. The All-Star also was fined for the incident and will be allowed to play until the appeals process is completed.
Also in the majors:
— Toronto’s Marcus Semien has broken the single-season record for home runs by a second baseman. Semien belted his 44th tonight against the Yankees, topping the previous mark of 43 set by Davey Johnson with the 1973 Braves. Four of Semien’s home runs this season have come while he was playing shortstop.
— Brewers reliever Devin Williams fractured his throwing hand when he punched a wall after his team celebrated its NL Central title. The injury will require surgery and likely knocks him out of the entire postseason. It leaves the NL Central champs without their main setup man for All-Star closer Josh Hader.
— Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) won’t pitch the rest of the season, scrapping Sunday’s scheduled start for the Angels against the Mariners. Manager Joe Maddon says it was a mutual decision to keep him off the mound, although Ohtani will continue to serve as the designated hitter. Ohtani was 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA for Los Angeles this season.
— Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor has accepted a two-year, $9 million contract through 2023. The 30-year-old is batting .244 in his first season with the Royals, providing 12 homers, 52 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts. The defensive standout spent his first seven seasons with Washington before coming to Kansas City.
NBA-COVID-19
NBA ready to harness unvaccinated players
UNDATED (AP) — The NBA has released tentative health and safety protocols to its teams, detailing a host of restrictions and rules for players who haven’t gotten the COVID-19 vaccination.
Most restrictions are designed to prevent unvaccinated players from frequenting local establishments and keeping them cloistered from their teammates away from the court.
League spokesman Mike Bass says any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games missed. Bass also acknowledged that any vaccine mandate needs to be approved by the NBA Players Association.
NBA-REPLAY CHANGES
NBA OKs replay alterations
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA Board of Governors has approved changes to the league’s instant replay rules on a one-year trial basis for the upcoming season.
The NBA has eliminated referee-initiated replay review of out-of-bounds violations during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and the final two minutes of any overtime period. The league has also extended the coach’s challenge so that teams can trigger replay review of out-of-bounds violations throughout the entire game.
NFL-NEWS
Bucs add CB Richard Sherman to injury-ravaged secondary
UNDATED (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope they’ve addressed a need in the secondary by signing veteran cornerback Richard Sherman for the rest of the season.
The three-time All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion has been dealing with legal issues in the offseason, including his arrest at the home of his wife’s parents.
Sherman said Tom Brady helped recruit him to the defending Super Bowl champions, who have been hit hard by injuries to their secondary.
The five-time Pro Bowler spent the last three seasons with the 49ers after a seven-year run with Seattle, where he won the 2013 Super Bowl and reached the title game the following season.
In other NFL news:
— Colts coach Frank Reich isn’t sure who he’ll have for Sunday’s game at Miami. Quarterback Carson Wentz played last weekend with two sprained ankles that are still healing. All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson’s streak of 51 consecutive starts is in jeopardy because of his own sprained ankle.
— Chiefs coach Andy Reid says he is “feeling great,” three days after he was taken to the hospital with an illness and dehydration following a loss to the Chargers. Reid declined to discuss details of his health with reporters.
— The Jaguars have ruled out struggling kicker Josh Lambo for Thursday night’s game at Cincinnati. That leaves Matthew Wright to handle field goals and extra points.
— Jets wide receiver Jeff Smith has a concussion after being involved in a car accident. The head injury leaves his availability for the Jets’ game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans in doubt.
— A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Jets safety Marcus Maye will be sidelined three to four weeks with an ankle injury. The exact nature of the injury is uncertain, but it is believed Maye was hurt in the 26-0 loss at Denver on Sunday although he played every snap on defense.
— The Bengals will be without receiver Tee Higgins and safety Jessie Bates for their Thursday night matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as kicker Josh Lambo and defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris. But cornerback Trae Waynes is expected to make his Bengals debut.
— The Titans may not have either of their two Pro Bowl wide receivers as they start a two-game road swing Sunday at the Jets. A.J. Brown played only eight snaps before hurting a hamstring in last week’s win over Indianapolis. Julio Jones played half of the offensive snaps.
— Browns rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II will miss Sunday’s game at Minnesota with a calf injury.
— The Ravens have activated receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin from injured reserve. They also activated defensive lineman Justin Madubuike and linebacker Justin Houston from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
— The Bears have taken a major step toward building a new stadium by signing a purchase agreement for Arlington Park about 30 miles northwest of the city. The Bears have been playing at Soldier Field since 1971, but the stadium’s seating capacity is the smallest in the NFL at 61,500. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a tweet Tuesday night that the city “remains committed to continuing to work to keep the team in Chicago.”
NLRB-COMPENSATING ATHLETES
NLRB: College football players are employees, can unionize
UNDATED (AP) — The National Labor Relations Board says college football players and some other athletes in money-making sports are employees of their schools. The guidance in a memo from the board’s top lawyer could lead to expansive rights for players to unionize and negotiate over their working conditions.
NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo also threatened action against schools, conferences and the NCAA if they continue to use the term “student-athlete.” She says the term was designed to obscure the employment relationship with college athletes and discourage them from pursuing their rights.
TENNIS-INDIAN WELLS
Djokovic skipping Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihch) is the latest big name to drop out of the BNP Paribas Open set for next month in the Southern California desert. He joins women’s No. 1 Ash Barty in skipping the tournament set to run Oct. 4 to Oct. 17 in Indian Wells.
Djokovic didn’t provide a reason when he announced his change of plans on Twitter.
SPORTS JOURNALISM-LOEDE OBIT
Longtime AP sports radio reporter Loede dies
CLEVELAND (AP) — Longtime AP Radio stringer and Cleveland sports fixture Matt Loede (LOH’-dee) has died after battling cancer for more than two years. He was 46.
Despite his diagnosis, Loede barely stopped working and continued to keep a positive attitude while undergoing chemotherapy treatments and hospital stays. He was still covering Indians games this month.
Loede was one of the first two recipients of the “Marv Schneider AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award” in 2020.
