AP National Sports

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Some of NASCAR’s top drivers are taking extra health precautions for the playoff chase. Joey Logano, the 2018 Cup series champ, canceled three public appearances this week. He also got vaccinated. Other championship contenders may be rethinking their medical plans. The discussion began in earnest

NEW YORK (AP) — Erica Wheeler scored 17 points and Brittney Sykes made two defensive stops in the closing seconds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 86-83. Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver scored 16 points apiece for Los Angeles (10-13). Ogwumike added five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Betnijah

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) — Fire has destroyed a barn at Ellis Park race track in Kentucky. Officials say seven horses inside were rescued, with one receiving a minor injury. No humans were injured. Sunday’s racing program was canceled. Ellis Park general manager Jeff Inman says fire officials believe the cause is electrical in nature. Security

MASON, Ohio (AP) — Ash Barty bounced back from a disappointing loss at the Tokyo Olympics. Gold medalist Alexander Zverev carried over his momentum from Tokyo. Both are in fine form heading into the U.S. Open, which begins a week from Monday in New York. The top-ranked Barty won her fifth title of the season,

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Javier Báez has returned to the New York Mets’ lineup after missing 11 games with back spasms. He started at shortstop and batted third in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Báez beat fellow star infielder Francisco Lindor back to the Mets’ lineup, but not by much. Lindor has

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Backup catcher Francisco Mejía had a three-run double, five Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a seven-hitter, and the Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 9-0 in a matchup of AL division leaders. Austin Meadows had three RBIs for Tampa Bay, which took the final two

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Case Keenum showed why Cleveland invested in him to back up Baker Mayfield, throwing a touchdown pass and leading the Browns to a 17-13 win over the New York Giants in an exhibition game. Keenum tossed a 7-yard TD pass to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge in

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — Tyler Naquin hit two solo homers and Vladimir Gutierrez pitched seven effective innings, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 for a sweep of their four-game series. Naquin’s leadoff shot extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He added his 18th homer in the

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao sounded like a fighter on his way out and a politician on his way up. He might have concealed his battered face behind big sunglasses, but Pacquiao didn’t hide behind excuses or denial after a discouraging unanimous-decision loss to Yordenis Ugás. The 42-year-old

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Jorge Soler homered, Touki Toussaint pitched effectively into the sixth inning, and the surging Atlanta Braves beat Baltimore 3-1, extending the Orioles’ losing streak to 18 games. Baltimore’s skid is the longest in the major leagues since Kansas City dropped 19 in a row in 2005.

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid couldn’t manage more than a 3-3 draw at Levante in the Spanish league despite playing nearly 10 minutes when Levante was forced to have a defender as its goalkeeper. Madrid failed to get a shot on target after Levante goalkeeper Aitor Fernández was sent

By DANIELLA MATAR Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Massimiliano Allegri’s return to Juventus got off to a disappointing start as two mistakes from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny saw his side relinquish an early two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Udinese in the Italian league. Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench amid reports he had asked to

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — The PGA Tour made an early call to push back the final round of The Northern Trust until Monday. That was a smart move even with Hurricane Henri moving north and east. It made landfall Sunday in Rhode Island as a tropical storm. Liberty

TORONTO (AP) — Miguel Cabrera has become the 28th major league player to hit 500 home runs. He reached the milestone in the sixth inning of the Detroit Tigers’ game at Toronto. The 38-year-old slugger connected on a 1-1 pitch from left-hander Steven Matz, sending the ball over the scoreboard in right-center. Cabrera won the

By CIARÅN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich set a European scoring record as it beat Cologne 3-2 for its first Bundesliga win under new coach Julian Nagelsmann. Serge Gnabry scored twice and Robert Lewandowski got the other goal to ensure Bayern became the only team among Europe’s top five leagues to

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has quarantined pending further testing. Vrabel told reporters he had a sore throat and an earache. He went to the team headquarters Sunday morning to be tested, and the result

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Romelu Lukaku scored only 15 minutes into his second Chelsea debut as Arsenal was beaten 2-0. Reece James provided the pass to set up Lukaku’s tap-in and then scored himself in the 35th minute at the Emirates Stadium. Chelsea has opened the Premier League season

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — Anna Nordqvist of Sweden has won her third major title with a one-shot victory at the Women’s British Open at Carnoustie. Nordqvist parred the last hole for a 3-under 69 to finish on 12-under par for the tournament. Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark was tied for the lead with Nordqvist heading

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Chicago White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson is out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game against Tampa Bay due to leg soreness and fatigue. Manager Tony La Russa says Anderson is just sore and not hurt. He could return for Monday night’s game at Toronto. Anderson is

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Superstar strikers Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku have been back in action in the Premier League after some time away. Lukaku made the better impression. The Belgium international made the first appearance of his second spell at Chelsea and marked his return to England’s top division after a two-year