MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Houston beat the Yankees 4-1, Detroit edged Boston 4-3, Oakland bested Texas 6-4, and it was Kansas City over the Angels 7-5.
In the National League, St. Louis defeated the Mets 5-4, Miami topped Philadelphia 11-1, Cincinnati slid past San Francisco 2-1, and it was Arizona over Milwaukee 8-1.
In interleague play, Washington beat Cleveland 4-1, San Diego doubled up Toronto 8-4, Tampa Bay beat the Dodgers 3-1, Pittsburgh topped Seattle 10-1, Colorado bested Baltimore 3-1, the Cubs won against the White Sox 8-1, and it was Atlanta over Minnesota 9-7.
The Texas Rangers have acquired right-hander Lucas Harrell and left-hander Dario Alvarez from the Atlanta Braves for a minor league infielder. Harrell is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts for the Braves since getting called up from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier this month. Alvarez was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 16 relief appearances for Atlanta this season.
Meanwhile, Rangers slugger Prince Fielder will have his season-ending surgery Friday to repair a herniated disk in his neck. It will be handled by the same surgeon who did a cervical fusion of two disks just below the area that is bothering Fielder now. Fielder ends the year with a career-low .212 batting average with eight homers and 44 RBIs in 89 games.
NFL:
A person familiar with the negotiations says the New York Jets have re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal worth $12 million, ending months of speculation and uncertainty surrounding the team's quarterback spot. Fitzpatrick set the franchise record with a career-high 31 touchdown passes last season while helping lead the Jets on a playoff push in Todd Bowles' first season as coach.
The New York Jets have signed running back Bernard Pierce and waived running back Zac Stacy, who failed his physical after missing the last half of last season with a broken left ankle. The Jets have also signed first-round draft pick linebacker Darron Lee to a four-year contract worth $10.2 million that is fully guaranteed.
Tom Coughlin will be joining the NFL's football operations staff, a person with knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press. The two-time Super Bowl-winning coach will work closely with Troy Vincent and with the NFL's game-related committees in an advisory role. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not yet announced the hiring.
Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory is facing a longer suspension over another violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Gregory is already suspended for the first four games of the season and could receive an additional 10-game ban for another failed drug test. Team owner Jerry Jones acknowledged that the former Nebraska standout is undergoing treatment.
In other training camp news:
— The NFC-champion Carolina Panthers have signed safety Kurt Coleman to a three-year contract extension through the 2019 season. He led the Panthers and finished tied for third in the NFL with a career-high seven interceptions last year, his first with the Panthers. The 28-year-old finished third on the team with 103 tackles.
— The Rams have released Nick Foles after failing to trade the disgruntled quarterback. Foles has not been involved with the team since the Rams took California quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the overall draft.
NBA:
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has signed his contract. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press it's a two-year, $50 million pact, 25 percent more than the original agreement. The 38-year-old star has spent all 18 of his seasons with Dallas.
Also in the NBA:
— The Portland Trail Blazers have formally signed guard CJ McCollum to a four-year contract extension. The terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but a person familiar with it told The Associated Press on Monday that it is worth $106 million. McCollum was named the NBA's 2016 Most Improved Player after averaging 20.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the regular season.
NHL-SIGNINGS
Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters has a new contract extension through the 2018-19 season. Peters is 65-72-27 in two seasons while leading the Hurricanes' rebuilding project. They finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 35-31-16 record last season, their best record since 2010-11.
Elsewhere:
— Ottawa and forward Mike Hoffman avoided arbitration by working out a four-year package worth about $21 million. Hoffman established career highs with a team-best 29 goals, 30 assists and 59 points.
— The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with goaltender Petr Mrazek, who has emerged as the team's top goalie ahead of Jimmy Howard. The 24-year-old Mrazek was 27-16-3 last season with a 2.33 goals-against average in a career-high 54 games.
— Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok has signed a six-year, $12 million contract that runs through 2021-22. The 24-year-old provided a career-high 16 goals and 30 points in 71 games last season.
NASCAR:
The crew chief for Kevin Harvick has been suspended by NASCAR for an improperly installed lug nut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rodney Childers will not appeal the one-race suspension or his $20,000 fine, keeping him out of the pits for Sunday's race at Pocono Raceway. Childers is the fifth crew chief suspended over a lug nut rule instituted by NASCAR earlier this season.
The Daytona 500 is moving back to its traditional weekend in 2018. The race had been held on Presidents Day weekend from 1968 to 2011. But NASCAR officials tweaked the date beginning in 2012, anticipating changes to the NFL schedule.
Legal:
A New York man has pleaded guilty to killing the son of a former NFL player in an apartment. The Albany County district attorney says 49-year-old Michael J. Fox, of Watervliet, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder and attempted murder. Fox was charged with shooting 29-year-old Brandon Sherwin with a shotgun and stabbing him January 8th in Fox's apartment. Sherwin was the son of Tim Sherwin, a tight end from Watervliet who spent most of his career with the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts from 1981 to 1987. Fox was also charged with shooting at a woman who was at the house. Fox and Brandon Sherwin were neighbors. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he's sentenced September 16th.
NYC Marathon:
Kim Conley and Dathan Ritzenhein will lead the American field at the TCS New York City Marathon. Two-time Olympian Conley will make her marathon debut in New York on November 6th. Ritzenhein will headline the men's contingent after a six-year absence. The American field will include 11 women and 10 men who participated in the U.S. Olympic team marathon trials and three athletes who will make their marathon debuts. Conley, of Sacramento, California, will run the 5,000 meters in Rio. Ritzenhein, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, finished eighth in the 2010 NYC Marathon. The New York Road Runners also announced Wednesday that Sara Hall and Ryan Vail will compete in the 26.2 mile, five-borough race.
Olympics:
Russia's much-depleted Olympic team has departed for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro after dozens of its athletes were excluded amid the country's doping scandal. Team members left on a charter flight Thursday morning from Moscow's Sheremetevo airport to Brazil, a day after an emotional farewell ceremony with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. More than 100 athletes from what was originally a 387-strong team have been barred from competing in Rio by international sports federations under sanctions which most Russian athletes consider unfair. As she prepared to depart, handball player Anna Sen vowed to "fight for those athletes who were disqualified." Volleyball player Sergei Tetyukhin said "today, as never before, we need to stay united and become a family."
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