DETROIT (AP) — Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros used a four-run eighth inning to rally past the Detroit Tigers 5-2 on Friday night. Kyle Tucker homered and scored twice for Houston, which has won two in a row after a four-game skid. Valdez (2-1) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He has a 2.49 ERA in eight career games against the Tigers, including seven starts. Detroit (19-19) has lost six of seven and fell to .500 for the first time this season. T
The CFL Players Association launched an appeal Friday night against the CFL for denying it access to the full independent report that resulted in the league suspending quarterback Chad Kelly for violating its gender-based violence policy. On Tuesday, the CFL suspended its 2023 outstanding player from playing in the Toronto Argonauts two pre-season games and at least nine regular-season contests. That followed an independent investigation commissioned by the league into a lawsuit filed by a forme
TORONTO — Saad Zafar is ready for cricket to take the next step in Canada, both on the pitch and in the stands. Zafar, Canada's captain for the upcoming Cricket World Cup, was getting set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday before the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Minnesota Twins. His appearance was part of Cricket Night at Rogers Centre, an event designed to bring fans of the two bat-and-ball sports together. "It's going to put us in the limelight. It's going to put us in the news,
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have placed shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right knee and activated outfielder Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs made the moves on Friday at the start of a three-game series in Pittsburgh. Swanson's move was retroactive to May 8. Swanson had been battling the injury since late April and sat out Chicago's series finale against San Diego on Wednesday. The team opted to have Swanson take a break instead of trying to keep playing through i
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Xander Schauffele has been a mainstay near the top of the leaderboard most of the year. Now he’s hoping to close the door. Schauffele shot a 4-under 67 on Friday after opening with a 64, leaving him at 11-under 131 and four shots ahead of Rory McIlroy and Jason Day heading into the weekend at the Wells Fargo Championship. Taylor Moore and Sungjae Im were five strokes back at 6 under. The 30-year-old Schauffele has seven top 10 finishes this season, but no wins. He’s lookin
MIAMI (AP) — As a sparse crowd headed into loanDepot Park to watch the Marlins face the Phillies Friday evening, a handful of disgruntled Miami fans remained on the outskirts of the ballpark, yelling passionately in hopes their message would be heard. The small demonstration of no more than 10 people was organized to convey fan discontent with the direction of the franchise. There were signs and posters, including one demanding that owner Bruce Sherman sell the team. “We are only a few here but
SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners’ right-hander Matt Brash, one of the top relievers in the American League last season, underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week and will miss the entire 2024 season, Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said Friday. Brash had not pitched in the majors this season after experiencing discomfort in his elbow during spring training. He initially attempted to rehab the injury without the need for surgery, but last month experienced a setback just before going out on
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers' experiment of bringing in a defensive coordinator from the outside didn't work out, with the team firing Steve Wilks after just one season. Now they're counting on the internal promotion of Nick Sorensen into that role — with a dose of outside perspective from former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley — to get the Niners back to performing at a dominant level defensively after taking a little step back last season. “We all know the standard her
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson started Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night despite having a sore right foot. The All-Star is averaging a league-high 35.6 points in the postseason, leading the Knicks to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brunson was injured late in the first quarter Wednesday night but returned in the second half and helped the Knicks rally for a 130-122 victory. Brunson is irreplaceable for the severely short-handed Knicks. He
CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) — Nelly Korda has no intention of letting anyone run away with the Cognizant Founders Cup and end her bid to become the first player to win six straight LPGA Tour tournaments. Hear that Rose Zhang and Madelene Sagstrom. Faced with a 10-stroke deficit starting her second round Friday in the event that honours the tour's founding members, Korda shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 in cold, damp conditions to move into third place, four shots behind leaders Zhang and Sagstrom with 36 hol
TORONTO — The WNBA's widely reported arrival in Toronto isn't just a good thing for women's basketball in Canada, but for women's sports in general, says one expert. Several media outlets reported on Friday that the women's professional basketball league had awarded a franchise to the Kilmer Group, which has a 25 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the NBA's Toronto Raptors and NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, among other sports properties. The deal, first reported by t
Diego Chara's legacy in Major League Soccer isn't just the fouls that he's so frequently called for. It's his longevity. And that smile. Chara and the Portland Timbers will host longtime Cascadia Cup rival Seattle on Sunday. It will be the 38-year-old Colombian midfielder's 33rd career regular-season league match against the Sounders. “Loyal is a great word to describe me,” he said. “Playing this many years for the Timbers, I think it has been fantastic. We have great fans. The support from them
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes thought he was ready for the majors months ago. Turns out, life doesn't work like that. Or at least the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't want it to work like that for perhaps the best pitching prospect in a generation. “You can’t just show up in spring training and throw seven innings, even if I feel like I can,” Skenes said. Instead, the Pirates opted to bring the top overall pick in last year's draft along slowly in hopes of protecting the 21-year-old's right arm that re
COMO, Italy (AP) — Thierry Henry was in the stadium to see his investment in Como pay off when the Italian second-tier club won promotion to Serie A on Friday. Como, coached by Henry's former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fabregas, drew with Cosenza 1-1 to clinch second place in Serie B and end a 21-year absence from the top tier. Leader Parma already sealed promotion. Henry, the France great who will coach its men’s under-23 team at the Paris Olympics, bought a stake two years ago in Como, which plays
“I think friends can have disagreements or not see eye to eye on things.”
TORONTO (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and their lucky sausage have gone international. The bagged summer sausage that the red-hot Twins have been carrying for good luck made it across the Canadian border for Friday’s series-opening game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Twins posted a photo on social media depicting the sausage on the observation deck of Toronto’s CN Tower. Hitting coach David Popkins cooked up the sausage superstition last month, grabbing an unopened summer sausage from a table i
The U.S. women's water polo team is getting some unexpected support in its pursuit for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal from hip hop icon Flavor Flav.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals agreed to terms on Friday on a one-year deal with receiver Zay Jones, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been officially announced. The 29-year-old has played the last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills. Jones had his best NFL season in 2022, catching 82 passes for 823 yards and five touchdowns
MONTREAL — Tickets are still available for "Messi Mania" in Montreal — if you're willing to pay up. Montreal hosts Lionel Messi's Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer action Saturday at Stade Saputo as the global icon makes his first professional trip to Canada. As of late Friday afternoon multiple sections at the 19,619-capacity venue had more than 40 seats remaining (not including resale tickets) and one section had more than 75. The cheapest ticket available was a single seat at $325, otherw
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Caleb Williams is the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback. Just in case there was a shred of doubt the No. 1 overall draft pick is the team's No. 1 QB, coach Matt Eberflus erased it on Friday. “No conversation. He’s the starter,” he said. Eberflus' comment was hardly a surprise considering the Bears have been all in on Williams since the early stages of the draft process. They made their intentions clear when they traded Justin Fields to Pittsburgh in March. Chicago brou
PRAGUE (AP) — The United States lost to Sweden 5-2 in its opening match at the ice hockey world championship on Friday. Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice and added an assist, and star defenseman Victor Hedman had a goal and an assist for Sweden. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves in the Group B game in the eastern city of Ostrava. Down 3-2 in the final period, the Americans played a power play when they pulled goaltender Alex Lyon for an extra attacker, but Hedman netted from the point with 5
LIEGE, Belgium (AP) — Amid legal and financial turmoil for its American owners, Belgian soccer club Standard Liege was unable to play a league game on Friday when protesting fans blocked the team bus from reaching the stadium. Standard is among European clubs owned by Miami-based 777 Partners, which is facing a $600 million fraud lawsuit in a federal court in New York, and its Australian airline is currently grounded. 777's most ambitious move in soccer, attempting to buy storied English Premier
TORONTO — Keith Pelley was reminded of the first time he watched Liverpool play up close. The Premier League giant with an illustrious soccer history in both England and Europe are followed by a rabid supporters craving success. The club's "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem rings around its storied Anfield home at every match. Pelley saw similar passion from Toronto Maple Leafs fans this spring during a brief foray into the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Leafs' short playoff journey once again ended in
Italian Open organizers said a water bottle accidentally fell out of a fan’s backpack while they were trying to reach down to get his autograph on Friday in Rome.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — First-round draft pick Malik Nabers of LSU has signed with the New York Giants. The Giants announced the signing of the dynamic wide receiver on Friday as rookies and free agents reported for a minicamp. The sixth pick in the draft last month, Nabers got a four-year, $29.1 million deal that includes an $18 million signing bonus. “Surreal,” Nabers said. “When I put my name on that paper, I was kind of shaking a little bit and I got emotional because the job is not don