AP National Sports

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas rookie Josh Smith homered over the fence for the first time, and the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-2. Smith’s only other round-tripper was inside the park at Globe Life Field against Oakland. This 386-foot solo drive in the seventh inning was just

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge disappointed fans by staying stuck at 60 homers but doubled twice and scored on Oswaldo Cabrera’s first-inning grand slam that started the New York Yankees to a 14-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A day after hitting home run No. 60 to spark

MIAMI (AP) — Ian Happ hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth and the Chicago Cubs rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 4-3. Patrick Wisdom hit his 23rd homer for the Cubs. Down 3-1, the Cubs scored three in the eighth without a hit against Marlins relievers Steven Okert and Dylan Floro. Keegan Thompson

By TODD KARPOVICH Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Jordan Lyles threw the second complete game of his career, Kyle Stowers homered and drove in three runs, and the Baltimore Orioles avoided their first-ever season sweep by the Detroit Tigers with an 8-1 victory. Rookie Gunnar Henderson and two hits and an RBI for the Orioles,

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer, Lance McCullers Jr. pitched seven effective innngs and the AL West champion Houston Astros completed a three-game sweep by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2. Houston second baseman Jose Altuve was hit on the left elbow by Corey Kluber’s

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jonathan India and Kyle Farmer each drove in two runs, Donovan Solano added a solo homer and the Cincinnati Reds snapped their eight-game home losing streak against the Boston Red Sox with a 5-1 victory. India drove in Stuart Fairchild twice, including the tiebreaking run in Cincinnati’s three-run fifth. India stole second

By MIKE CRANSTON Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Buster Posey has joined the San Francisco Giants ownership group less than a year after retiring. The 35-year-old was an MVP, Rookie of the Year and a three-time World Series champion with the franchise. Posey, while not announcing the percentage, said he bought in with his own

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints coach Dennis Allen sounds more optimistic about the defense he oversees as his team prepares to visit the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. New Orleans lost to Tampa Bay last week but its defense began to look more like the unit that ranked seventh in

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan did not practice Wednesday as the Titans went through a walk-through session. Outside linebacker Bud Dupree (hip), defensive back Ugo Amadi (ankle) and reserve offensive tackle Jamarco Jones (triceps) also did not practice. The Titans made a handful of other roster moves Wednesday coming off a

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Rams inside linebacker Bobby Wagner played 10 seasons in the NFC West for the Seattle Seahawks, and he will get to show off that understanding of division rivals once again when his new team takes on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Wagner’s familiarity

By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have played two fantastic halves of football. They just haven’t been able to put together four good quarters in the same game. Las Vegas rallied in the second half in its opener at the Los Angeles Chargers, then blew a 20-0 halftime

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers know painfully well from first-hand experience how an injury to the starting quarterback can derail an entire season. The Niners never recovered from early season injuries that sidelined Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018 and 2020. The situation is far different

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former UCLA basketball player Jalen Hill has died at age 22. That’s according to Hill’s family, which says in an online post that he died after going missing in Costa Rica. No further details were provided. UCLA and coach Mick Cronin acknowledged Hill’s death in social media posts, with Cronin calling

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rays teammates Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena had an altercation after a 4-0 loss to the Astros on Monday, partially prompting Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash to bench both players Tuesday in a 5-0 defeat to Houston. Arozarena told reporters Wednesday night that there was no physical contact with Díaz,

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago quarterback Justin Fields took time to clarify comments he made following the loss to the Green Bay Packers. He says he did not mean to come off as dismissive of Bears fans. Fields drew some criticism on social media for saying after the

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Quarterback Justin Herbert was mainly a bystander as the Los Angeles Chargers went through their first practice in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Herbert did some handoffs to running backs but did not do any throwing during the portion of practice

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Five of six Kentucky football players cleared by a grand jury last year on burglary charges have sued a Lexington police officer who directed the investigation of a March 2021 incident at an off-campus private party. Reuben Adams, Jutahn McClain, Vito Tisdale, Joel Williams and Andru Phillips allege in lawsuits that

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sammy Watkins has wasted no time showing he remains a deep threat in his ninth NFL season. He also has shown that catching passes isn’t the only way he can contribute. Watkins is Green Bay’s leading receiver as the

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings rarely strayed from a commitment to rushing over the last five years since Dalvin Cook was drafted. The signs of a philosophy shift have been apparent with the arrival of Kevin O’Connell a coach. Cook has 26 attempts for 107 yards

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Rams reserve tight end Brycen Hopkins has been suspended three games without pay for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Hopkins will be eligible to return when the Rams host the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 16. The suspension of Hopkins leaves the Rams