NFL:
In pre-season NFL football action, Josh McCown and New York's first-team offense got the start in the preseason finale as the Jets beat the Philadelphia Eagles 16-10 last night. The 38-year-old McCown, who hadn't played since the opening series of preseason against Tennessee, took a shot to his chest after completing a 20-yard pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins with 7:13 left in the opening quarter. But he just had the wind knocked out of him.
Aldrick Rosas hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired and the New York Giants earned a 40-38 win over the New England Patriots last night in the final exhibition game for both teams. The Giants scored 34 points in the first half. But the Patriots outscored them 24-3 over the final 29 minutes before Rosas' field goal.
Bills rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman continued making his offseason-long case to secure the backup job in a preseason-ending 27-17 win over the Detroit Lions last night. The fifth-round draft pick out of Pittsburgh finished 9 of 11 for 81 yards. Buffalo (1-3) avoided going winless in the preseason, while Detroit (2-2) closed with two consecutive losses.
The hearing on Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott's appeal of his six-game suspension is over after 2 1/2 days. According to the labor agreement, arbitrator Harold Henderson must rule on the NFL's punishment "as soon as practicable." The Cowboys must cut their roster to 53 players by Saturday, and putting Elliott on the restricted list would give them an extra spot.
The NFL's 2016 rushing leader was suspended after the league concluded that he used physical force last summer in Ohio against his girlfriend at the time. Prosecutors didn't pursue the case, citing conflicting evidence. Elliott has denied the allegations.
Also in the NFL:
— The Texans and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins have agreed to a five-year, $81 million contract extension that includes $49 million in guaranteed money, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Hopkins has piled up 4,487 yards receiving in his first four seasons, including a career-high 1,521 in 2015.
— The 49ers have acquired offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson from the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed draft pick, pending a physical. The Niners need help on the interior line after starting right guard Joshua Garnett injured his knee in training camp and might not be ready for the start of the season.
— The Steelers have signed general manager Kevin Colbert to an extension through the 2020 draft. Colbert began his tenure with the Steelers as director of football operations in 2000 before accepting the title of general manager in 2011. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and been to another during Colbert's tenure, capturing eight division titles and earning 11 playoff berths.
MLB:
The Chicago Cubs have hung onto their 3 ½-game lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central, while the New York Yankees cut into Boston's lead in the AL East.
Kris Bryant slammed a two-run homer and leadoff hitter Jon Jay was 4-for-5 with two runs scored as the Cubs handled the Braves, 6-2. Bryant doubled and scored in a two-run first inning before blasting his 25th homer of the year, through a stiff wind in the sixth
Kyle Hendricks helped Chicago win its fourth in a row by holding Atlanta to one earned run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings.
The Brewers were 6-3 winners against the Nationals as Zach Davies scattered six hits and lowered his ERA to 1.77 over his last nine starts. Davies improved to 16-6 with help from Jonathan Villar's two-run homer off Gio Gonzalez.
Juan Aguilar added a two-run single for the Brewers, who also got three hits and an RBI from Stephen Vogt.
Washington still leads the NL East by 15 games over Miami.
Over in the AL East, The Yanks climbed within 4 ½ games of the division lead by topping the Red Sox, 6-2. Greg Bird launched a two-run homer and had three RBIs in CC Sabathia's fourth win over Boston this season.
Sabathia held the Red Sox to four singles over six innings before David Robertson and Dellin Betances completed the combined four-hitter.
Gary Sanchez slammed his 28th homer for New York.
Elsewhere around the majors:
— The Cardinals' 5-2 win at San Francisco keeps St. Louis six games off the NL Central lead. Randal Grichuk smashed a two-run homer and Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the Redbirds' fourth win in 11 games. Michael Wacha was reached for only one run and four hits over six innings for his 10th win.
— A pair of streaks continued in Phoenix after Chris Ianetta and A.J. Pollock belted two-run homers in the Diamondbacks' 8-1 pounding of the Dodgers. Zack Greinke improved to 16-6 and helped Arizona pick up its seventh consecutive win by holding his former team to a run and four hits over six innings. The DBacks extended the Dodgers' season-worst losing streak to five games while moving 3 ½ games ahead of Colorado for the first NL wild-card berth.
— Jose Altuve hit a solo homer and Josh Reddick provided a tiebreaking, RBI single as the Astros downed the Rangers, 5-1 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Astros led just 2-1 in the eighth until Alex Bregman lined an RBI single and scored on Derek Fisher's two-run single. Chris Devenski worked 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief to get the win.
— The Orioles' seven-game winning streak is over after Kendrys Morales torched them for three home runs and a career-high seven RBIs in the Blue Jays' 11-8 win at Baltimore. Morales unloaded a three-run blast in the sixth after Toronto put together a five-run fifth to erase a 5-2 deficit. Adam Jones and Chris Davis homered for the Birds, who fell 2 ½ games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild-card berth.
— The Twins scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to pull out their fourth consecutive win, 5-4 over the White Sox. Alen Hanson's solo shot put Chicago ahead 4-3 in the top of the ninth, but Minnesota tied it on Eddie Rosario's single before Max Kepler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to end it. Kepler and Jorge Polanco hit RBI doubles for the Twins, who began the day with a one-game lead over the Angels for the second AL wild-card slot.
— Ben Lively laced a two-run single and worked six strong innings as the Phillies got past the Marlins, 3-2. Lively yielded two runs and five hits to help Philadelphia drop Miami under .500. Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-5 to finish with 18 homers for the month, matching the big league record for August.
— Scooter Gennett drove in three runs with a homer and a double off Jacob deGrom as the Reds whipped the Mets, 7-2 in the rubber match of the three-game series. Stuart Turner also hit a two-run homer and Joey Votto smacked a solo shot to help the Reds prevent deGrom from getting his career-high 15th win.
MLB-NEWS
The Angels have picked up a former All-Star second baseman and made a couple of changes to their outfield.
A person with knowledge of the deal says Los Angeles is getting Brandon Phillips from the Braves for minor-league catcher Tony Sanchez. The four-time Gold Glove winner is batting .291 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs.
The Halos also acquired four-time All-Star outfielder Justin Upton from the Tigers for minor-league pitcher Grayson Long and either cash considerations or a player to be named. The 30-year-old Upton is having a strong season for the struggling Tigers, batting .279 with 28 homers and 94 RBIs. The four-time All-Star signed a six-year, $132.75 million deal to join Detroit before last season, but could opt out of it this winter.
With the acquisition of Upton, the Angels allowed Cameron Maybin to be picked up on waivers by the Astros. The 30-year-old Maybin is tied for the American League lead with 29 stolen bases but is batting just .235 with six home runs and 22 RBIs this year.
In other baseball news:
— The Rangers could spend significant time without third baseman Adrian Beltre because of a strained left hamstring. Beltre was injured while fielding a grounder in the seventh inning of Thursday's loss to the Astros. He will undergo an MRI Friday.
— Cubs left-hander Jon Lester is scheduled to start Saturday against Atlanta following a successful 50-pitch bullpen session Wednesday. He's recovering from left lat tightness and shoulder fatigue. But shortstop Addison Russell was called back to Chicago to be examined after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a right foot injury.
— The Phillies have claimed reliever Juan Nicasio from the Pirates on waivers. Nicasio is 2-5 with a 2.65 ERA in 65 appearances this season.
— Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow plans to return to the New York Mets' organization next season. Tebow is hitting .222 in 123 minor league games this year.
NBA:
The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Lakers $500,000 for their handling of talks involving Paul George.
The league said new Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka violated anti-tampering rules by making contact with George's agent while the player was still under contract with the Indiana Pacers.
The NBA said a law firm's independent investigation didn't find evidence of an agreement or an understanding that the Lakers would sign or acquire George. He was eventually traded to Oklahoma City.
The league had warned the Lakers about tampering following comments by president of basketball operations Magic Johnson about George on national TV on April 20.
In other NBA news:
— Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is promising to "never" move his NBA team from Cleveland. Earlier this week, he scrapped plans for a $140 million renovation of Quicken Loans Arena, prompting speculation he might leave the city when his lease expires in 2027. He says on Twitter he wants to "put any silly rumors to rest.
— The Bulls say guard Cameron Payne will have surgery next week for a broken right foot. Payne fractured the fifth metatarsal during a workout July 18. The team says six weeks of rest in a boot was prescribed, but a subsequent scan and examination this week revealed the foot hasn't healed. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.
T25 FOOTBALL:
J.K. Dobbins helped the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes shake off a sluggish start in their season opener.
Dobbins set a Buckeyes record by rushing for 181 yards in his college debut to lead a 49-21 downing of Indiana. He became the primary ball-carrier while filling in for Mike Weber, who was out with a hamstring injury.
J.T. Barrett overcame a slow start to finish 20 of 35 for 304 yards and three touchdowns as Ohio State beat the Hoosiers for the 23rd consecutive time. Barrett added 61 yards rushing and another score to move within two touchdowns of matching Drew Brees' Big Ten career record of 106 total TDs.
The game was tied at 21 until the Buckeyes scored the final 28 points.
Indiana controlled most of the first half of Tom Allen's home debut as coach.
The other top-25 game of the night had No. 10 Oklahoma State crushing Tulsa, 59-24. Mason Rudolph was 20 of 24 passing for 303 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Preseason AP All-American James Washington caught six passes for 145 yards, including touchdown receptions of 77 and 40 yards.
TENNIS-US OPEN:
Roger Federer entered Thursday's U.S. Open action 16-0 against Mikhail Youzhny and 16-0 in second-round matches at Flushing Meadows. He needed to rally before extending both streaks.
The third-seeded Federer has moved into the third round with a 6-1, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over the 101st-ranked Youznhy. It was the second consecutive five-set match for the 19-time Grand Slam champion, who struggled against American Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.
Sixth seed Dominic Thiem (teem) also advanced to the third round, as did No. 9 David Goffin and No. 11 Roberto Bautista-Agut.
Seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov wasn't as fortunate, falling to Andrey Rublev in straight sets. The loss further diminishes a field that lost second seed Andy Murray, fourth seed Stan Wawrinka, No. 5 Novak Djokovic and No. 10 Kei Nishikori due to injuries before the tournament began. Sixth seed Alexander Zverev was ousted on Wednesday.
Women's top seed Karolina Pliskova has advanced to the third round by rallying for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over American Nicole Gibbs.
Other second-round winners on the women's side include fourth seed Elina Svitolina, 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska and 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko. No. 15 Madison Keys also reached Round 3, and American Jennifer Brady knocked out No. 23 Barbora Strycova, 6-1, 6-1.
American Shelby Rogers won the longest women's singles match in U.S. Open history, beating Daria Gavrilova, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in three hours and 33 minutes.
Kurumi Nara pulled off the biggest stunner of the women's bracket by eliminating eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets.
NYRA: Two-time Eclipse champion Songbird has been retired from racing, it was announced Thursday morning.
After the filly's second-place finish in the G1 Personal Ensign, owner Rick Porter had her sent to Kentucky to be examined by Dr. Larry Bramlage at Rood & Riddle.
