MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Minnesota beat the White Sox 8-5.
In the National League, Miami won against the Mets 6-4, Atlanta topped San Diego 9-6, and it was the Cubs over San Francisco 5-4.
The Red Sox were off last night and begin a three game series with Oakland today 10:05 p.m. The Yankees were off last night and begin a three game series with Baltimore tonight at 7 p.m.
Boston minor league outfielder Chad Hardy and two minor league free agents have been suspended for drug violations. The commissioner's office announced the penalties Thursday. Hardy received a 60-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Tamoxifen, a performance-enhancing substance. He's currently on the roster of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox.
The New York Mets are going to spend the rest of the season without one of their most productive hitters. Neil Walker says he will undergo surgery for a herniated disk in his back, leaving the second base position in the hands of Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson. Walker was streaky but solid for the Mets after being acquired from Pittsburgh last winter, tying a career high with 23 homers and hitting .282 with 55 RBIs. He is set to become a free agent after the season. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is the lone infielder from the Mets' season-opening starting lineup still on the active roster, and Cabrera is hampered by a sore knee.
The Cubs believe starter John Lackey is close to returning from a strained right shoulder. The club said Lackey performed well in a throwing session on Thursday and will start Sunday against the Giants, barring any setbacks. Lackey is 9-7 with a 3.41 ERA this season. Also at Wrigley, Chicago activated outfielder Chris Coghlan and right-hander Joe Smith from the disabled list and called up righty Jake Buchanan from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubbies also say Hector Rondon will begin a rehab assignment with Iowa on Saturday.
Tennis:
Top-ranked Serena Williams has reached the third round of the U.S. Open and moved a step closer to her 23rd Grand Slam singles title by rolling to a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over fellow American Vania King. Williams tied Martina Navratilova's professional-era women's record with her 306th career victory in a Grand Slam match. Other second-round winners on the women's side included fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, fifth seed Simona Halep and No. 6 Venus Williams.
Second seed Andy Murray dropped just nine games in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 victory that puts him in the third round of the U.S. Open with sixth seed Kei Nishikori and No. 8 Dominic Thiem (teem). No. 16 Feliciano Lopez was the lone men's seed to fall, losing to Joao Sousa in four sets.
NCAA:
The top-25 college football schedule has begun with victories by ninth-ranked Tennessee and No. 19 Louisville. The Vols erased a 10-point, halftime deficit before Jalen Hurd put them ahead for good by recovering quarterback Joshua Dobbs' overtime fumble in the end zone for a 20-13 win against Appalachian State. Lamar Jackson accounted for a school-record eight touchdowns by halftime of the Cardinals' 70-14 pounding of Charlotte, throwing for six scores and running for two more.
Xavier men's basketball coach Chris Mack says senior guard Myles Davis has been indefinitely suspended from the team. Myles averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 assists last season for the Musketeers, who finished ninth in The Associated Press' final poll.
Penn State's athletic department is planning to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first game as coach. It's a move that sparked backlash on social networks by people critical of Paterno's role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The university announced plans to mark the anniversary when the Nittany Lions football team hosts Temple on Sept. 17. University spokesman Jeff Nelson told The Associated Press that Penn State plans to announce specifics of the commemoration to ticket holders during the week of the game. He declined further comment.
Indiana has suspended six football players for tonight's season opener at Florida International. Presumed starting wide receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr., safety Chase Dutra and defensive tackle Ralph Green III are serving one-game suspensions for what the team said was "not living up to their responsibilities to the program at different times" since the 2015 season ended. Defensive back Noel Padmore and Jake Attar are missing the game as well, punished for the same reason. Also, the Hoosiers said defensive back Wesley Green has been suspended indefinitely.
PGA:
The FedEx Cup will stay with four playoff events next year with EMC stepping in as title sponsor of Boston-area tournament. EMC has been involved with the tournament since its inception in 2003. The PGA Tour announced Thursday that the company will become title sponsor for 2017. Deutsche Bank didn't renew as title sponsor after 14 years at the TPC Boston.
British Open champion Henrik Stenson says he has a slight tear in his right meniscus that causes discomfort when he walks, but not when he plays. Stenson withdrew after the first round of The Barclays last week with pain in his right knee. Tests last week revealed a slight tear in the right knee. Along with winning The Open, Stenson won a silver medal at the Olympics.
LPGA:
Chella Choi is the first-round leader at the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ontario. Choi closed with a birdie on the par-5 ninth for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke edge over Brittany Lang, Dani Holmqvist, In Gee Chun and Azahara Munoz. Belen Mozo had a one-stroke lead until she triple-bogeyed her final hole to fall three strokes back.
MLS:
Frank Lampard scored his second goal of the match three minutes into stoppage time to give New York City FC a 3-2 victory over D.C. United Thursday night. NYC improved to 12-8-8.
NFL:
It’s the end of preseason football, last night the Giants beat the Patriots 17-9, Philadelphia topped the Jets 14-6, and Detroit shut out Buffalo 31-0.
See you again in five weeks, Tom Brady. With a four-game suspension for his role in the "Deflategate" scandal beginning in just a few days, Brady had an NFL going-away party Thursday night, playing the first half in the New England Patriots' preseason finale against the New York Giants.
Colin Kaepernick played his first preseason game since going public on his refusal to stand for the national anthem. The 49ers quarterback and teammate Eric Reid kneeled while a naval officer sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and dozens of military members unfurled an oversized flag at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday. Kaepernick received scattered boos when he dropped to a knee, but the jeers were louder as he took the field for his first series. Kaepernick immediately led the Niners on a 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive. Kaepernick's protest has been met with equally passionate condemnation and support.
Jets quarterback Bryce Petty threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson before injuring his shoulder, but a pair of big plays helped the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Jets 14-6 Thursday night. Paul Turner returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown and Ed Reynolds took an interception 90 yards for a score. If Petty is placed on injured reserve, Geno Smith, a former starter, would back up Ryan Fitzpatrick for the second straight season.
WNBA:
In the WNBA, Indiana beat the Liberty 98-77 and it was the Sparks over San Antonio.
NHL:
The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed restricted free-agent center Zemgus Girgensons to a one-year contract. The 22-year-old Latvian has established himself as a two-way player in three seasons with the Sabres, delivering 30 goals and 70 points in 202 games. The 2015 NHL All-Star saw his offensive numbers drop to seven goals and 18 points in 71 games last season, but his plus/minus climbed from -16 to zero.
NASCAR:
NASCAR has postponed all track activity scheduled for tomorrow and canceled Saturday's qualifying for its Sprint Cup and Xfinity races at Darlington Raceway. The decision comes amid anticipation of Hermine bringing inclement weather to the South Carolina track. Instead of qualifying times, both series will line up the field based on points in the standings. That means Kevin Harvick will start from the pole position, alongside Brad Keselowski and in front of defending Darlington champion Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano.
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