AP National Sports

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will look to take down his former team in the AL Championship Series for the second time in four years after beating the Houston Astros on the way to a World Series title in 2018. The best-of-seven series opens Friday

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Geno Smith has learned to be patient serving as a backup quarterback. He’s hoping that pays off for the next few weeks as he steps into the role of starter for the Seattle Seahawks. Smith will make his first start in four years on Sunday

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — No. 22 North Carolina State has a clear path ahead of it to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. But it’s a long path. The Wolfpack have only played one league game so far, but it was a big one. They beat preseason No. 3 Clemson

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield were once college teammates and they remain friendly, fierce rivals. They meet for the second time as pros Sunday as the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals visit the Cleveland Browns. Murray has the Cards at 5-0 for their best start since 1974. The

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have placed running back Damien Williams on the reserve/COVID-19 list, putting his status for their game against the Green Bay Packers in question. The Bears are already missing their leading rusher with David Montgomery on injured reserve because of a sprained knee. Williams is second on the

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Cameron Norrie routed Diego Schwartzman 6-0, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open and extend the best season of his young career. Norrie needed just 73 minutes to dismantle Schwartzman. Norrie next meets 23rd-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the semis. Dimitrov defeated

NEW YORK (AP) — Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Thursday for boarding Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach. Landeskog was assessed a minor penalty for boarding with 3:38 left in Colorado’s 4-2 home victory Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams. The suspension

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Kendall Hinton is no longer just the practice squad receiver who was promoted to quarterback last November when all of Denver’s regular QBs landed in COVID-19 quarantine. He’s not just the training camp long-shot who lined up at defensive back this summer to try

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer For USA Luge, the Olympic season is here. The team’s home track in Lake Placid, New York, opened for training Thursday, with two-time Olympic luge qualifier Tucker West getting the distinction of taking the first official run down the icy chute at Mount Van Hoevenberg. It’s unseasonably warm in

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Baseball Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Julio Urías won’t start after all for the Dodgers in the deciding Game 5 of their NL Division Series against the Giants, giving Los Angeles a left-hander out of the bullpen who has been tough on lefty hitters. Right-hander Corey Knebel will open the game

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens host the Los Angeles Chargers in a matchup pitting two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the sport in Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert. It’s also a game between two teams that have been tested in close contests and have come

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is expected to miss at least the first week o the regular season because his recovery from surgery to repair a right foot fracture is taking longer than anticipated. Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin says nothing “has gone wrong.” He

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Social media and video have made it impossible for the Buffalo Bills to forget their last game against the Tennessee Titans. Derrick Henry stiff-arming Bills cornerback Josh Norman off his feet through the air literally was everywhere. Bills coach Sean McDermott says he’s

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is dealing with frustration after working almost a year to get back on the field. The fourth-year player sprained his left ankle in the Giants’ 44-20 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas last Sunday. He has almost

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas football coach David Beaty is no longer part of an NCAA infractions case against the school. The independent organization that investigates such cases notified Beaty last week that an allegation against him had been withdrawn. In 2019, Kansas self reported violations in the football program. Beaty says he plans

By The Associated Press No. 24 San Diego State is off to its second 5-0 start since 1975 and is looking for revenge after a 28-17 loss to San Jose State last year that helped the Spartans win the conference title. The Aztecs were held to a season-low 2.2 yards per carry. The Spartans, the

By The Associated Press Qatar says female soccer players have been evacuated from Afghanistan on a flight to Doha. Qatar’s assistant foreign minister Lolwah Alkhater says “around 100 footballers and their families including female players are on board.” Qatar worked with FIFA to coordinate the evacuation of players, who were taken to a compound with

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Miami and Jacksonville have two of the NFL’s longest current losing streaks. The Dolphins have dropped four in a row by a combined 76 points. The Jaguars’ skid stands at 20, the longest in the league in nearly five decades and six shy of

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and Washington head into their matchup this weekend with two of the worst defenses in the NFL. No teams have allowed more points this season and they’re both coming off allowing 30-plus points last week. It’s no wonder the game has

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Often a target for criticism, Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t in quarterback Baker Mayfield’s sights. At least not enough. Beckham caught just two passes in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and he has only nine receptions and no touchdowns in three games this