Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says he will make policy changes after an investigation report detailed racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says the critical report by an outside law firm shows the "climate and culture must and will change within our football program." Ferentz apologized to former Black players at a news conference and promised to build on changes made in recent weeks to improve their experience. But he said he would retain all of his current assistants, including his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save since 2017 and the Kansas City Royals beat Detroit 5-3, overcoming Miguel Cabrera's first multihomer game since 2016. Once a standout closer for St. Louis, Rosenthal has struggled with his health and his effectiveness in recent years, finishing 2019 with a 13.50 ERA in 22 appearances with the Nationals and Tigers. When he retired JaCoby Jones on a grounder to end the game, he gave his glove a little celebratory tap. The Royals have scored 25 of their 31 runs this year in the first five innings, but this time their offense came through late, with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth.

UNDATED (AP) — The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions. The decision pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths. The SEC's university presidents agreed upon a 10-game schedule that eliminated all nonconference opponents and is scheduled to begin Sept. 26. The SEC championship game, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, will be pushed back to Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 will also play only conference games. The ACC announced plans for an 11-game schedule with one nonconference game.&nbsp;

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jamiro Monteiro and Sergio Santos scored two minutes apart midway through the first half, Santos added a second goal just before halftime and the Philadelphia Union reached the semifinals of the MLS is Back tournament with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Philadelphia's perfect run in the tournament continued thanks to its first-half scoring blitz. The Union had two wins and a draw in the group stage then beat New England in the round of 16. Philadelphia will face either New York City FC or Portland in the semifinals.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') became the first NBA player to publicly test positive for the coronavirus, beginning a wave of sports disruptions in March. He had a productive performance in the NBA's return to action, posting a double-double as the Utah Jazz reopened with a 106-104 triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance. He helped the Jazz erase a 16-point performance.

Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Utah, which also received 20 points apiece from Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. 

Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson scored 13 points in just over 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks. The first player taken in last year's draft missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16.

New Orleans had a chance to avoid the loss until Brandon Ingram's 3-point attempt rimmed out as time expired, a bitter end to his 23-point night.

The NBA's marquee matchup of the night had the Lakers coming back from an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Clippers, 103-101. Anthony Davis scored 34 points and Lebron James had the go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds left. James had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers move 6 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers in the West with seven games remaining.

Paul George had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 28 for the Clippers.

Knicks bring Tom Thibodeau back to New York as new coach

UNDATED (AP) — Tom Thibodeau (THIH'-buh-doh) is back in New York as the Knicks' new coach.

The 62-year-old Thibodeau is 352-246 in eight seasons coaching Chicago and Minnesota. He was the Coach of the Year in 2011 in his first season with the Bulls. He led Chicago to 50 wins in three of his five seasons. 

Thibodeau was an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy when the Knicks reached the 1999 NBA Finals. 

— Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton won't play Friday against the Boston Celtics after both players arrived late to Florida following positive tests for the novel coronavirus. Budenholzer hasn't announced a timeline for when either player could appear in a game. 

UNDATED (AP) — Shane Bieber (BEE'-bur) is off to a record-tying start to his season.

Bieber was superb in the Cleveland Indians' 2-0 shutout of the Twins, striking out 13 and allowing just three hits over eight innings. The right-hander has fanned 27 in his first two games this year, matching the major league mark set by Karl Spooner for the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954.

Francisco Lindor's (lihn-DOHRZ') second homer of the season accounted for the scoring.

— The Yankees coughed up an early 5-0 lead before Aaron Judge slammed a three-run homer in the ninth inning to lift New York past the Orioles, 8-6. Luke Voit launched a grand slam in the Yanks' five-run first, but the Orioles stormed back to take the lead on two-run homers by Hanser Alberto, Rio Riuz and Pedro Severino.

— Home runs by A.J. Pollock, Corey Seager and Max Muncy powered the Dodgers to their third win in a row, 6-3 over the Diamondbacks. Ross Stripling won his second game in two starts, pitching 5 1/3 innings while giving up three runs.

— The Padres blew a 6-1 lead before erupting for six runs in the 10th inning to knock off the Giants, 12-7. Tommy Pham was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, including the tiebreaking single in the extra frame.

— Kurt Suzuki lined a go-ahead, two-run double and Michael A. Taylor smacked a two-run homer as the Nationals downed the Blue Jays, 6-4. Starlin Castro was a sparkplug to the Nats' 13-hit attack, going 4-for-5 and scoring twice.

— Max Fried (freed) retired his first 14 batters and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as the Braves beat the Rays, 2-1. Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta's two-run second inning. 

— Christian Vázquez homered twice off Steven Matz and Martín (mahr-TEEN') Pérez gave Boston's patchwork rotation a much-needed lift as the pair led a 4-2 victory over the Mets. Pérez overcame four walks and some shaky defense behind him, allowing only two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with the Red Sox.

— José Marmolejos (mahr-moh-LEH'-hohs) belted his first big league home run with a three-run shot in the first inning of the Mariners 8-5 victory against the Angels. Shed Long Jr. also went deep and Marco Gonzales was reached for two unearned runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. 

— Bubba Starling poked a two-run double that gave the Royals a 5-2 lead in a 5-3 win at Detroit. The Tigers lost despite Miguel Cabrera's first two-homer game in four years.

— Rain caused the postponement of the Cubs-Reds game at Cincinnati. No makeup date was set in this virus-shortened season, although the Cubs are scheduled to return to Cincinnati for a three-game series Aug. 28-30.

UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball says this weekend's three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies and visiting Toronto Blue Jays has been postponed. The move is a precaution following a recent COVID-19 outbreak in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. 

Seventeen Miami Marlins players have tested positive since opening a three-game series in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies haven't played since losing to the Marlins last Sunday.

The Phillies said there were no positive results among players from Wednesday's testing of their team. But there were two positives: One from a a member of the coaching staff and one from a member of the home clubhouse staff. 

— Doubleheaders will now become a pair of seven-inning games in baseball's latest radical rule change during a season reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. A person familiar with the plan tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball and the players' union reached agreement on the new twinbills. MLB had already added designated hitters to National League games this year and added an automatic runner at second base to start all half-innings in extras.

— Angels outfielder Mike Trout was placed on the paternity list before Thursday's game against the Mariners. The reigning AL Most Valuable Player and his wife are expecting their first child, which was due Monday. Trout initially expressed reservations about playing the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

— Home plate umpire Joe West missed two innings of Thursday's Nationals-Blue Jays game after getting bloodied when he was hit in the head by leadoff hitter Bo Bichette's flying bat in the top of the first. The 67-year-old West is the senior umpire in Major League Baseball. He was struck near his left ear when Bichette lost hold of his bat while missing the first pitch thrown by Washington's Erick Fedde (FEH'-dee). West returned in the middle of the third inning and began working at third base.

— Big league hitters have opened this 60-game sprint by stumbling out of the blocks. The league-wide batting average is .229, down from .252 last season. The number is stunning, considering the National League has adopted the designated hitter for this season. The all-time low for batting average is .237, set in 1968, "the year of the pitcher." 

— Mike Foltynewicz (fohl-tih-NAY'-vihch) is getting another chance with the Braves. Foltynewicz has cleared waivers and was outrighted to the team's alternate training site. He was designated for assignment by the Braves on Tuesday following an alarming drop in velocity in summer camp and in his 14-5 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. 

UNDATED (AP) — The Buffalo Bills are the first team in the NFL to send their rookies home and hold training camp remotely after two more players tested positive for COVID-19. 

Defensive backs Siran Neal and Dane Jackson both tested positive, upping the team's total to five since rookies reported on July 21. 

The Bills did not provide a timeline as to how long rookies would continue working remotely.

— The New York Jets placed quarterback Joe Flacco, linebacker Avery Williamson and tight end Ryan Griffin on the physically unable to perform list. Flacco is recovering from a serious neck injury that sidelined him for half of last season with Denver. He was released by the Broncos in March, underwent surgery in April, and was signed to a one-year deal by the Jets in May. They hope he will be the backup to Sam Darnold.

— The list of players placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list now includes Browns punter Jamie Gillan, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, Raiders running back Devontae Booker and 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. Meanwhile, rookie running back Malcolm Perry is among several Dolphins players who have donated convalescent plasma after recovering from COVID-19.

— The NFL's chief medical officer says it's not surprising there have been positive tests for COVID-19 among players reporting to training camp. Dr. Allen Sills notes that the disease is cutting across football just as it has through societies around the world. Sills says the league wanted to examine the results of recent COVID-19 tests before releasing the number of positives. 

— The Carolina Panthers have decided to keep Joey Slye as their kicker and release veteran Graham Gano (guh-NOH'), who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Gano took over as the team's kicker in 2012 and spent seven seasons handling field goals and kickoffs for the Panthers. 

— Titans general manager Jon Robinson says he has been in touch with Vic Beasley and that the linebacker knows his absence from training camp is unexcused. Robinson said in a statement Thursday that Beasley told him he will be reporting to camp in the "near future." Beasley was the Titans' big free agent signee in March. 

Inquiry finds racial bias, bullying in Iowa football program

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An investigative report has found that the Iowa football program has suffered from racial bias against Black players and bullying by a small number of current and former coaches.

University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says the report from an outside law firm shows that the "climate and culture must and will change within our football program." 

Coach Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured head coach in college football, is expected to keep his job. The report found that many players believe he has already made several positive changes.

Former player: Schembechler knew of abuse at U of Michigan

DETROIT (AP) — Dozens of more victims who said they were molested by a University of Michigan doctor have filed a lawsuit against the school. They include a former football player who claims he told legendary coach Bo Schembechler (SHEHM'-behk-lur) about the abuse in 1982. It's the first time that a victim has said Schembechler, who died in 2006, was aware of allegations against the late Dr. Robert Anderson. Anderson worked at Michigan, especially with athletes, from the mid-1960s through 2003. The university believes Anderson assaulted male athletes during routine physicals and injury exams. 

NCAA extends size of football sideline area

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA playing rules oversight committee has announced alterations in football and other sports to accommodate for COVID-19 concerns this coming season.

The sideline area college football teams use to congregate will be extended by 20 yards.

Currently, as many as four team captains can participate in the coin toss. That has been reduced to one and only two officials will be allowed to participate.

In soccer, the penalty for spitting at an opponent has been increased from an ejection and one-game suspension to an ejection and two-game suspension. In volleyball, teams will not switch benches during a match.

In other news related to the coronavirus pandemic:

— The SEC is the latest college conference to announce that it will play only league games in 2020. University presidents have agreed on a 10-game schedule that eliminates all nonconference opponents and is set to begin Sept. 26 and will conclude with the SEC title game on Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to play only conference games, while the ACC has announced a reworked 11-game schedule that left room for one non-conference game. 

— A total of 457 Division I football games have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Associated Press research, 134 Football Bowl Subdivision games are off. That number is 383 for the Football Championship Subdivision. 

— Georgia Tech has moved this season's home game against Notre Dame to its campus stadium, citing uncertainty over scheduling because of the coronavirus pandemic. Georgia Tech was set to play Notre Dame at Atlanta's 75,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 14. Uncertainty over the playing date prompted the school to move the contest to its regular home venue, 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium.

— Top-ranked Ash Barty has withdrawn from the U.S. Open because she's not comfortable with traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. The 24-year-old Australian is the highest-profile player so far to pull out of the Grand Slam tournament in New York because of the global health crisis. The U.S. Open is set to start Aug. 31. 

— The LPGA Tour's return to golf has yielded two positive tests for the coronavirus out of the 466 given to players and caddies before they traveled and when they arrived in Ohio for the LPGA Drive On Championship. The LPGA says Marina Alex had no symptoms when she tested positive before leaving for Inverness, and she is expected to return to the tour next week following 10 days of quarantine. Gaby Lopez has the positive test result out of the 233 given to players and caddies at the tournament.

— Formula One driver Sergio Perez is out of Sunday's British Grand Prix after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Racing Point driver, who is Mexican, will now go into isolation. The race on Sunday will be the fourth in the pandemic-affected season that should have begun in March.

— Fans will attend soccer in Britain on Friday for the first time since the country's coronavirus lockdown four months ago. In a pilot event for the planned widespread return of supporters, 500 will be allowed into the Irish Cup final at 18,500-capacity Windsor Park in Belfast. Northern Ireland is ahead of the rest of the U.K. 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Defending champion Brooks Koepka (KEHP'-kuh) has matched his career best with an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Brendan Todd in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. 

Koepka had nine birdies and a bogey on a windy day at TPC Southwind in the World Golf Championship event. The round comes a week after he missed the cut in Minnesota in the 3M Open.

Sung Kang shot 65. Justin Thomas fired a 66 and was tied with Matt Kuchar (KOO'-chur), Chez Reavie (REH'-vee) and Max Homa. Thomas can reclaim the No. 1 ranking with a victory this weekend.

Molinari, Harrington withdraw from PGA Championship

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Francesco Molinari and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington have withdrawn from the PGA Championship next week at TPC Harding Park.

Neither gave a reason, and both major champions have not played since the COVID-19 pandemic led to golf being shut down for three months. 

They were replaced by Troy Merritt and Talor Gooch.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says he will make policy changes after an investigation report detailed racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says the critical report by an outside law firm shows the "climate and culture must and will change within our football program." Ferentz apologized to former Black players at a news conference and promised to build on changes made in recent weeks to improve their experience. But he said he would retain all of his current assistants, including his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save since 2017 and the Kansas City Royals beat Detroit 5-3, overcoming Miguel Cabrera's first multihomer game since 2016. Once a standout closer for St. Louis, Rosenthal has struggled with his health and his effectiveness in recent years, finishing 2019 with a 13.50 ERA in 22 appearances with the Nationals and Tigers. When he retired JaCoby Jones on a grounder to end the game, he gave his glove a little celebratory tap. The Royals have scored 25 of their 31 runs this year in the first five innings, but this time their offense came through late, with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth.UNDATED (AP) — The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions. The decision pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths. The SEC's university presidents agreed upon a 10-game schedule that eliminated all nonconference opponents and is scheduled to begin Sept. 26. The SEC championship game, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, will be pushed back to Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 will also play only conference games. The ACC announced plans for an 11-game schedule with one nonconference game.&nbsp;LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jamiro Monteiro and Sergio Santos scored two minutes apart midway through the first half, Santos added a second goal just before halftime and the Philadelphia Union reached the semifinals of the MLS is Back tournament with a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. Philadelphia's perfect run in the tournament continued thanks to its first-half scoring blitz. The Union had two wins and a draw in the group stage then beat New England in the round of 16. Philadelphia will face either New York City FC or Portland in the semifinals.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>NBA RETURNSGobert helps Jazz top PelicansLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Rudy Gobert (goh-BEHR') became the first NBA player to publicly test positive for the coronavirus, beginning a wave of sports disruptions in March. He had a productive performance in the NBA's return to action, posting a double-double as the Utah Jazz reopened with a 106-104 triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans. Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance. He helped the Jazz erase a 16-point performance.Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for Utah, which also received 20 points apiece from Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson scored 13 points in just over 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks. The first player taken in last year's draft missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16.New Orleans had a chance to avoid the loss until Brandon Ingram's 3-point attempt rimmed out as time expired, a bitter end to his 23-point night.The NBA's marquee matchup of the night had the Lakers coming back from an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Clippers, 103-101. Anthony Davis scored 34 points and Lebron James had the go-ahead basket with 12.8 seconds left. James had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers move 6 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers in the West with seven games remaining.Paul George had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 28 for the Clippers.NBA-NEWSKnicks bring Tom Thibodeau back to New York as new coachUNDATED (AP) — Tom Thibodeau (THIH'-buh-doh) is back in New York as the Knicks' new coach.The 62-year-old Thibodeau is 352-246 in eight seasons coaching Chicago and Minnesota. He was the Coach of the Year in 2011 in his first season with the Bulls. He led Chicago to 50 wins in three of his five seasons. Thibodeau was an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy when the Knicks reached the 1999 NBA Finals. In other NBA news:— Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton won't play Friday against the Boston Celtics after both players arrived late to Florida following positive tests for the novel coronavirus. Budenholzer hasn't announced a timeline for when either player could appear in a game. MLB-SCHEDULEBieber hits double-digits in Ks againUNDATED (AP) — Shane Bieber (BEE'-bur) is off to a record-tying start to his season.Bieber was superb in the Cleveland Indians' 2-0 shutout of the Twins, striking out 13 and allowing just three hits over eight innings. The right-hander has fanned 27 in his first two games this year, matching the major league mark set by Karl Spooner for the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954.Francisco Lindor's (lihn-DOHRZ') second homer of the season accounted for the scoring.Also on the MLB slate:— The Yankees coughed up an early 5-0 lead before Aaron Judge slammed a three-run homer in the ninth inning to lift New York past the Orioles, 8-6. Luke Voit launched a grand slam in the Yanks' five-run first, but the Orioles stormed back to take the lead on two-run homers by Hanser Alberto, Rio Riuz and Pedro Severino.— Home runs by A.J. Pollock, Corey Seager and Max Muncy powered the Dodgers to their third win in a row, 6-3 over the Diamondbacks. Ross Stripling won his second game in two starts, pitching 5 1/3 innings while giving up three runs.— The Padres blew a 6-1 lead before erupting for six runs in the 10th inning to knock off the Giants, 12-7. Tommy Pham was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, including the tiebreaking single in the extra frame.— Kurt Suzuki lined a go-ahead, two-run double and Michael A. Taylor smacked a two-run homer as the Nationals downed the Blue Jays, 6-4. Starlin Castro was a sparkplug to the Nats' 13-hit attack, going 4-for-5 and scoring twice.— Max Fried (freed) retired his first 14 batters and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as the Braves beat the Rays, 2-1. Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta's two-run second inning. — Christian Vázquez homered twice off Steven Matz and Martín (mahr-TEEN') Pérez gave Boston's patchwork rotation a much-needed lift as the pair led a 4-2 victory over the Mets. Pérez overcame four walks and some shaky defense behind him, allowing only two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with the Red Sox.— José Marmolejos (mahr-moh-LEH'-hohs) belted his first big league home run with a three-run shot in the first inning of the Mariners 8-5 victory against the Angels. Shed Long Jr. also went deep and Marco Gonzales was reached for two unearned runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. — Bubba Starling poked a two-run double that gave the Royals a 5-2 lead in a 5-3 win at Detroit. The Tigers lost despite Miguel Cabrera's first two-homer game in four years.— Rain caused the postponement of the Cubs-Reds game at Cincinnati. No makeup date was set in this virus-shortened season, although the Cubs are scheduled to return to Cincinnati for a three-game series Aug. 28-30.MLB-NEWSPhils-Jays weekend tilt called offUNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball says this weekend's three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies and visiting Toronto Blue Jays has been postponed. The move is a precaution following a recent COVID-19 outbreak in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. Seventeen Miami Marlins players have tested positive since opening a three-game series in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies haven't played since losing to the Marlins last Sunday.The Phillies said there were no positive results among players from Wednesday's testing of their team. But there were two positives: One from a a member of the coaching staff and one from a member of the home clubhouse staff. In other MLB news:— Doubleheaders will now become a pair of seven-inning games in baseball's latest radical rule change during a season reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic. A person familiar with the plan tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball and the players' union reached agreement on the new twinbills. MLB had already added designated hitters to National League games this year and added an automatic runner at second base to start all half-innings in extras.— Angels outfielder Mike Trout was placed on the paternity list before Thursday's game against the Mariners. The reigning AL Most Valuable Player and his wife are expecting their first child, which was due Monday. Trout initially expressed reservations about playing the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.— Home plate umpire Joe West missed two innings of Thursday's Nationals-Blue Jays game after getting bloodied when he was hit in the head by leadoff hitter Bo Bichette's flying bat in the top of the first. The 67-year-old West is the senior umpire in Major League Baseball. He was struck near his left ear when Bichette lost hold of his bat while missing the first pitch thrown by Washington's Erick Fedde (FEH'-dee). West returned in the middle of the third inning and began working at third base.— Big league hitters have opened this 60-game sprint by stumbling out of the blocks. The league-wide batting average is .229, down from .252 last season. The number is stunning, considering the National League has adopted the designated hitter for this season. The all-time low for batting average is .237, set in 1968, "the year of the pitcher." — Mike Foltynewicz (fohl-tih-NAY'-vihch) is getting another chance with the Braves. Foltynewicz has cleared waivers and was outrighted to the team's alternate training site. He was designated for assignment by the Braves on Tuesday following an alarming drop in velocity in summer camp and in his 14-5 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. NFL-NEWSBills send rookies homeUNDATED (AP) — The Buffalo Bills are the first team in the NFL to send their rookies home and hold training camp remotely after two more players tested positive for COVID-19. Defensive backs Siran Neal and Dane Jackson both tested positive, upping the team's total to five since rookies reported on July 21. The Bills did not provide a timeline as to how long rookies would continue working remotely.In other NFL news:— The New York Jets placed quarterback Joe Flacco, linebacker Avery Williamson and tight end Ryan Griffin on the physically unable to perform list. Flacco is recovering from a serious neck injury that sidelined him for half of last season with Denver. He was released by the Broncos in March, underwent surgery in April, and was signed to a one-year deal by the Jets in May. They hope he will be the backup to Sam Darnold.— The list of players placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list now includes Browns punter Jamie Gillan, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, Raiders running back Devontae Booker and 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. Meanwhile, rookie running back Malcolm Perry is among several Dolphins players who have donated convalescent plasma after recovering from COVID-19.— The NFL's chief medical officer says it's not surprising there have been positive tests for COVID-19 among players reporting to training camp. Dr. Allen Sills notes that the disease is cutting across football just as it has through societies around the world. Sills says the league wanted to examine the results of recent COVID-19 tests before releasing the number of positives. — The Carolina Panthers have decided to keep Joey Slye as their kicker and release veteran Graham Gano (guh-NOH'), who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Gano took over as the team's kicker in 2012 and spent seven seasons handling field goals and kickoffs for the Panthers. — Titans general manager Jon Robinson says he has been in touch with Vic Beasley and that the linebacker knows his absence from training camp is unexcused. Robinson said in a statement Thursday that Beasley told him he will be reporting to camp in the "near future." Beasley was the Titans' big free agent signee in March. COLLEGE FOOTBALL-IOWA-RACIAL BIASInquiry finds racial bias, bullying in Iowa football programIOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An investigative report has found that the Iowa football program has suffered from racial bias against Black players and bullying by a small number of current and former coaches.University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says the report from an outside law firm shows that the "climate and culture must and will change within our football program." Coach Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured head coach in college football, is expected to keep his job. The report found that many players believe he has already made several positive changes.UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DOCTORFormer player: Schembechler knew of abuse at U of MichiganDETROIT (AP) — Dozens of more victims who said they were molested by a University of Michigan doctor have filed a lawsuit against the school. They include a former football player who claims he told legendary coach Bo Schembechler (SHEHM'-behk-lur) about the abuse in 1982. It's the first time that a victim has said Schembechler, who died in 2006, was aware of allegations against the late Dr. Robert Anderson. Anderson worked at Michigan, especially with athletes, from the mid-1960s through 2003. The university believes Anderson assaulted male athletes during routine physicals and injury exams. VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTSNCAA extends size of football sideline areaUNDATED (AP) — The NCAA playing rules oversight committee has announced alterations in football and other sports to accommodate for COVID-19 concerns this coming season.The sideline area college football teams use to congregate will be extended by 20 yards.Currently, as many as four team captains can participate in the coin toss. That has been reduced to one and only two officials will be allowed to participate.In soccer, the penalty for spitting at an opponent has been increased from an ejection and one-game suspension to an ejection and two-game suspension. In volleyball, teams will not switch benches during a match.In other news related to the coronavirus pandemic:— The SEC is the latest college conference to announce that it will play only league games in 2020. University presidents have agreed on a 10-game schedule that eliminates all nonconference opponents and is set to begin Sept. 26 and will conclude with the SEC title game on Dec. 19. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to play only conference games, while the ACC has announced a reworked 11-game schedule that left room for one non-conference game. — A total of 457 Division I football games have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Associated Press research, 134 Football Bowl Subdivision games are off. That number is 383 for the Football Championship Subdivision. — Georgia Tech has moved this season's home game against Notre Dame to its campus stadium, citing uncertainty over scheduling because of the coronavirus pandemic. Georgia Tech was set to play Notre Dame at Atlanta's 75,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 14. Uncertainty over the playing date prompted the school to move the contest to its regular home venue, 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium.— Top-ranked Ash Barty has withdrawn from the U.S. Open because she's not comfortable with traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. The 24-year-old Australian is the highest-profile player so far to pull out of the Grand Slam tournament in New York because of the global health crisis. The U.S. Open is set to start Aug. 31. — The LPGA Tour's return to golf has yielded two positive tests for the coronavirus out of the 466 given to players and caddies before they traveled and when they arrived in Ohio for the LPGA Drive On Championship. The LPGA says Marina Alex had no symptoms when she tested positive before leaving for Inverness, and she is expected to return to the tour next week following 10 days of quarantine. Gaby Lopez has the positive test result out of the 233 given to players and caddies at the tournament.— Formula One driver Sergio Perez is out of Sunday's British Grand Prix after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Racing Point driver, who is Mexican, will now go into isolation. The race on Sunday will be the fourth in the pandemic-affected season that should have begun in March.— Fans will attend soccer in Britain on Friday for the first time since the country's coronavirus lockdown four months ago. In a pilot event for the planned widespread return of supporters, 500 will be allowed into the Irish Cup final at 18,500-capacity Windsor Park in Belfast. Northern Ireland is ahead of the rest of the U.K. PGA-FEDEX ST. JUDEKoepka has lead through 18MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Defending champion Brooks Koepka (KEHP'-kuh) has matched his career best with an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler and Brendan Todd in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Koepka had nine birdies and a bogey on a windy day at TPC Southwind in the World Golf Championship event. The round comes a week after he missed the cut in Minnesota in the 3M Open.Sung Kang shot 65. Justin Thomas fired a 66 and was tied with Matt Kuchar (KOO'-chur), Chez Reavie (REH'-vee) and Max Homa. Thomas can reclaim the No. 1 ranking with a victory this weekend.PGA-PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMolinari, Harrington withdraw from PGA ChampionshipSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Francesco Molinari and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington have withdrawn from the PGA Championship next week at TPC Harding Park.Neither gave a reason, and both major champions have not played since the COVID-19 pandemic led to golf being shut down for three months. They were replaced by Troy Merritt and Talor Gooch.

Friday Sports Headlines

IRVING, Tx - The Big 12 Conference is cancelling its Virtual Football Media Day presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.&nbsp; It is yet to be determined if the event will be rescheduled.&nbsp; The Conference’s annual media preview was slated for Monday, August 3, after being moved from its originally scheduled July 20-21 dates.

“There continues to be a lot more questions than answers about what the football season will look like,” said Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “A media day is intended to talk football and the prospects for the season. Part of that discussion is who you will be playing and when. With the on-going consideration of scheduling models by our Board of Directors, this is the best course of action at this time. “

A media briefing with Commissioner Bowlsby will be scheduled in the near-term to update on the State of the Conference.

IRVING, Tx - The Big 12 Conference is cancelling its Virtual Football Media Day presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors.&nbsp; It is yet to be determined if the event will be rescheduled.&nbsp; The Conference’s annual media preview was slated for Monday, August 3, after being moved from its originally scheduled July 20-21 dates.“There continues to be a lot more questions than answers about what the football season will look like,” said Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “A media day is intended to talk football and the prospects for the season. Part of that discussion is who you will be playing and when. With the on-going consideration of scheduling models by our Board of Directors, this is the best course of action at this time. “A media briefing with Commissioner Bowlsby will be scheduled in the near-term to update on the State of the Conference.

Big 12 Virtual Football Media Day Cancelled for August 3

DETROIT, Michigan - Finally, the Royals got some late-innings production.

Kansas City had taken early leads in two previous losses to the Tigers but then watched its offense go dormant, not scoring a run after the third inning in either the 4-3 or 5-4 defeats.

Not on Thursday. The Royals scratched across a run in the seventh on a hit batter, a double and an RBI fielder’s choice by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/521692" target="_blank">Salvador Perez</a>. Kansas City pushed across two more in the eighth on a big two-run double by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/605490" target="_blank">Bubba Starling</a>&nbsp;en route to a 5-3 victory over Detroit, thus splitting the four-game set.

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/631494/final/box" target="_blank">Box score</a>

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/572096" target="_blank">Trevor Rosenthal</a>&nbsp;got his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth, but it was also his first save since Aug. 12, 2017, when he was with the Cardinals.

“I know it is extra special, wearing this jersey, too,” Matheny said of Rosenthal, who is from Lee’s Summit, Mo. “It was a big day. He was all smiles [after the game]. That’s just amazing. He’s throwing 100 [mph], gets behind a hitter and throws a 90-mph slider. It’s almost not fair."

Rosenthal said he had no idea when his last save was.

“Really, I don’t,” Rosenthal said. “I have been looking forward to this opportunity. [Emotions] weren’t too bad.”

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/kris-bubic-starting-royals-home-opener" target="_blank">KC tabs prospect Bubic for home opener</a>

Two slumping Royals broke out in the victory:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/460086" target="_blank">Alex Gordon</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/609275" target="_blank">Adalberto Mondesi</a>&nbsp;each produced three-hit games.

Mondesi had a dreadful game on Wednesday night, going hitless, committing an error and not running out a popup that was dropped in the ninth. Thursday, he said he felt good about being able to bounce back.

“It feels good,” Mondesi said. “My teammates, we all support each other.”

Rookie right-hander&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/663903" target="_blank">Brady Singer</a>, who made his MLB debut on Saturday in Cleveland, once again turned in a solid outing. He allowed just two runs over five innings against the Indians in his debut, then repeated the feat against the Tigers.

Singer scattered five hits, walked two and struck out three. He paid for two mistakes -- a 0-1 slider to Miguel Cabrera in the first that Cabrera flipped over the right-field fence for a homer, and an 0-2 slider to Jonathan Schoop in the fourth. The slider to Schoop was off the plate, and Schoop, who had three home runs in the series, reached with his lead arm and barreled it over the left-center-field fence.

“He had such a good slider in Cleveland,” Matheny said, “but he never got a feel for it tonight.”

Cabrera also homered off Ian Kennedy in the eighth.

Singer threw 82 pitches, 54 for strikes. Interestingly, he threw eight changeups, a pitch he has been trying to develop since Spring Training. Three of those were called strikes, one was swinging and two were fouled off.

“I threw some good ones,” Singer said. “I got more confidence in it. ... [Overall] I wasn’t as crisp as I was in Cleveland. But I battled.”

The Royals took the lead in the first when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/624585" target="_blank">Jorge Soler</a>&nbsp;doubled and came home on a single up the middle from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/656811" target="_blank">Ryan O'Hearn</a>. The Royals made it 2-1 in the second inning on a Gordon double and an RBI single by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/614173" target="_blank">Franchy Cordero</a>.

DETROIT, Michigan - Finally, the Royals got some late-innings production.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PkGhv84J024" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Kansas City had taken early leads in two previous losses to the Tigers but then watched its offense go dormant, not scoring a run after the third inning in either the 4-3 or 5-4 defeats.Not on Thursday. The Royals scratched across a run in the seventh on a hit batter, a double and an RBI fielder’s choice by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/521692" target="_blank">Salvador Perez</a>. Kansas City pushed across two more in the eighth on a big two-run double by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/605490" target="_blank">Bubba Starling</a>&nbsp;en route to a 5-3 victory over Detroit, thus splitting the four-game set.•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/631494/final/box" target="_blank">Box score</a><a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/572096" target="_blank">Trevor Rosenthal</a>&nbsp;got his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth, but it was also his first save since Aug. 12, 2017, when he was with the Cardinals.“I know it is extra special, wearing this jersey, too,” Matheny said of Rosenthal, who is from Lee’s Summit, Mo. “It was a big day. He was all smiles [after the game]. That’s just amazing. He’s throwing 100 [mph], gets behind a hitter and throws a 90-mph slider. It’s almost not fair."Rosenthal said he had no idea when his last save was.“Really, I don’t,” Rosenthal said. “I have been looking forward to this opportunity. [Emotions] weren’t too bad.”•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/kris-bubic-starting-royals-home-opener" target="_blank">KC tabs prospect Bubic for home opener</a>Two slumping Royals broke out in the victory:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/460086" target="_blank">Alex Gordon</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/609275" target="_blank">Adalberto Mondesi</a>&nbsp;each produced three-hit games.Mondesi had a dreadful game on Wednesday night, going hitless, committing an error and not running out a popup that was dropped in the ninth. Thursday, he said he felt good about being able to bounce back.“It feels good,” Mondesi said. “My teammates, we all support each other.”Rookie right-hander&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/663903" target="_blank">Brady Singer</a>, who made his MLB debut on Saturday in Cleveland, once again turned in a solid outing. He allowed just two runs over five innings against the Indians in his debut, then repeated the feat against the Tigers.Singer scattered five hits, walked two and struck out three. He paid for two mistakes -- a 0-1 slider to Miguel Cabrera in the first that Cabrera flipped over the right-field fence for a homer, and an 0-2 slider to Jonathan Schoop in the fourth. The slider to Schoop was off the plate, and Schoop, who had three home runs in the series, reached with his lead arm and barreled it over the left-center-field fence.“He had such a good slider in Cleveland,” Matheny said, “but he never got a feel for it tonight.”Cabrera also homered off Ian Kennedy in the eighth.Singer threw 82 pitches, 54 for strikes. Interestingly, he threw eight changeups, a pitch he has been trying to develop since Spring Training. Three of those were called strikes, one was swinging and two were fouled off.“I threw some good ones,” Singer said. “I got more confidence in it. ... [Overall] I wasn’t as crisp as I was in Cleveland. But I battled.”The Royals took the lead in the first when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/624585" target="_blank">Jorge Soler</a>&nbsp;doubled and came home on a single up the middle from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/656811" target="_blank">Ryan O'Hearn</a>. The Royals made it 2-1 in the second inning on a Gordon double and an RBI single by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/614173" target="_blank">Franchy Cordero</a>.

🎥 Late-innings pop a key to KC's series split

The powerhouse Southeastern Conference reconfigured its schedule Thursday to include only league games in 2020, a pandemic-forced decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths.

The SEC’s university presidents agreed on a 10-game schedule that eliminates all nonconference opponents and begins Sept. 26. The SEC championship game, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, will be pushed back to Dec. 19, 13 days before the College Football Playoff semifinals are scheduled to be played on New Year’s Day.

While some scheduling plans are still to be sorted out among Power Five conferences, it is growing more likely this season’s playoff teams — if there is a playoff — will be selected without the aid of nonconference games involving Power Five teams.

Each SEC team will have a midseason off week in this odd, truncated season and Dec. 12 will be an off week for the entire conference. The delayed start for the Southeastern Conference is two weeks later than what the Atlantic Coast Conference set for itself Wednesday, and creates 12 weeks to get in 10 games and determine participants for the SEC title game in Atlanta.

The regular season was originally scheduled to begin on Labor Day weekend, but there was concern among SEC officials the return of students to campus in the coming weeks will spike COVID-19 cases. Conference officials believe delaying the start of the season improves the SEC’s chances to launch.

“We believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said.

A schedule with new matchups still must be approved by athletic directors and will be announced later. The 14 SEC teams normally play eight conference games and four nonconference games, with seven teams in each division. The SEC is keeping its divisional format and each team will add two cross-divisional games.

“Some feathers may be ruffled, but gotta do what’s best for SEC,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to play only conference games. The ACC on Wednesday announced a reworked 11-game schedule that left room for one nonconference game and made famously independent Notre Dame a member of a league for the first time in the 133-year history of Fighting Irish football.

The ACC wanted to allow four of its schools to maintain in-state rivalry games with SEC schools, but now Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville have been canceled.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said he lobbied to keep the game with the Seminoles.

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart said: “I fully support the SEC’s decision to move to conference-only games, though we are disappointed we won’t have the chance to compete with Louisville for the Governor’s Cup this season.”

The SEC’s decision puts all ACC nonconference games in doubt. The ACC had stipulated it would only allow its schools to play in their home states against non-ACC teams.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have yet to reveal detailed schedules, but both could come as soon as Friday. They are expected to start after Labor Day and likely land on a 10-game model.

Big 12 officials were holding out hope their 10 members would be able to play nonconference games, but options are dwindling. The SEC’s decision cancels LSU’s home game against Texas and Tennessee’s scheduled trip to Oklahoma in September.

Big 12 athletic directors are expected to meet Monday and could have a decision on a schedule then. The conference could try to keep some of its games against non-Power Five schools. Currently, Kansas (against Southern Illinois) and Oklahoma (against Missouri State) are slated to play Aug. 29.

The SEC’s move inward is yet another blow to Group of Five schools and those in the second tier of Division I football known as FCS. The SEC was scheduled to play three dozen home games against those schools, paying out millions of dollars that help keep programs running.

The SEC was set to pay about $36 million to Group of Five schools like South Alabama and Kent State, and another several million to FCS schools this season for providing a break from playing in the toughest conference in the country.

The SEC has produced 10 of the last 14 national champions and never missed the College Football Playoff, but coaches from other conferences often complain about the league playing only eight conferences games while others play nine.

“Playing 10 SEC games is going to be unique and different and it’s going to be a challenge,” Stricklin said.

During a 24-hour span in college football, Notre Dame football joined a conference and SEC teams decided they would play more games against each other.

If the pandemic relents and the 2020 season can be played, it might be the oddest in the history of college football.

The powerhouse Southeastern Conference reconfigured its schedule Thursday to include only league games in 2020, a pandemic-forced decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths.The SEC’s university presidents agreed on a 10-game schedule that eliminates all nonconference opponents and begins Sept. 26. The SEC championship game, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, will be pushed back to Dec. 19, 13 days before the College Football Playoff semifinals are scheduled to be played on New Year’s Day.While some scheduling plans are still to be sorted out among Power Five conferences, it is growing more likely this season’s playoff teams — if there is a playoff — will be selected without the aid of nonconference games involving Power Five teams.Each SEC team will have a midseason off week in this odd, truncated season and Dec. 12 will be an off week for the entire conference. The delayed start for the Southeastern Conference is two weeks later than what the Atlantic Coast Conference set for itself Wednesday, and creates 12 weeks to get in 10 games and determine participants for the SEC title game in Atlanta.The regular season was originally scheduled to begin on Labor Day weekend, but there was concern among SEC officials the return of students to campus in the coming weeks will spike COVID-19 cases. Conference officials believe delaying the start of the season improves the SEC’s chances to launch.“We believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said.A schedule with new matchups still must be approved by athletic directors and will be announced later. The 14 SEC teams normally play eight conference games and four nonconference games, with seven teams in each division. The SEC is keeping its divisional format and each team will add two cross-divisional games.“Some feathers may be ruffled, but gotta do what’s best for SEC,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said.The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced plans to play only conference games. The ACC on Wednesday announced a reworked 11-game schedule that left room for one nonconference game and made famously independent Notre Dame a member of a league for the first time in the 133-year history of Fighting Irish football.The ACC wanted to allow four of its schools to maintain in-state rivalry games with SEC schools, but now Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville have been canceled.Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said he lobbied to keep the game with the Seminoles.“We ran out of Saturdays,” he said.Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart said: “I fully support the SEC’s decision to move to conference-only games, though we are disappointed we won’t have the chance to compete with Louisville for the Governor’s Cup this season.”The SEC’s decision puts all ACC nonconference games in doubt. The ACC had stipulated it would only allow its schools to play in their home states against non-ACC teams.The Big Ten and Pac-12 have yet to reveal detailed schedules, but both could come as soon as Friday. They are expected to start after Labor Day and likely land on a 10-game model.Big 12 officials were holding out hope their 10 members would be able to play nonconference games, but options are dwindling. The SEC’s decision cancels LSU’s home game against Texas and Tennessee’s scheduled trip to Oklahoma in September.Big 12 athletic directors are expected to meet Monday and could have a decision on a schedule then. The conference could try to keep some of its games against non-Power Five schools. Currently, Kansas (against Southern Illinois) and Oklahoma (against Missouri State) are slated to play Aug. 29.The SEC’s move inward is yet another blow to Group of Five schools and those in the second tier of Division I football known as FCS. The SEC was scheduled to play three dozen home games against those schools, paying out millions of dollars that help keep programs running.The SEC was set to pay about $36 million to Group of Five schools like South Alabama and Kent State, and another several million to FCS schools this season for providing a break from playing in the toughest conference in the country.The SEC has produced 10 of the last 14 national champions and never missed the College Football Playoff, but coaches from other conferences often complain about the league playing only eight conferences games while others play nine.“Playing 10 SEC games is going to be unique and different and it’s going to be a challenge,” Stricklin said.During a 24-hour span in college football, Notre Dame football joined a conference and SEC teams decided they would play more games against each other.If the pandemic relents and the 2020 season can be played, it might be the oddest in the history of college football.

SEC goes to conference-only schedule, Sept. 26 start

The Atlantic Coast Conference reworked its football schedule Wednesday to allow each team to play 11 games and to incorporate Notre Dame, which is giving up its cherished independence in a year turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic.

The ACC’s university presidents approved plans for a schedule with 10 conference games and one nonconference, and for pushing back both the first week of the season (from Labor Day weekend to the weekend of Sept. 12) and the league championship game (from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19).

Miami athletic director Blake James called the schedule “aspirational” as concerns about COVID-19 have put major college football in the fall in peril. For now, though, conferences are working on plans to play what would be a most unusual season.

The ACC will eliminate its traditional divisional format this season and the two teams with the best winning percentages in conference play will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the league championship game. Maybe a Clemson-Notre Dame rematch? The league will release specific dates and broadcast plans later.

Notre Dame, which competes in the ACC in all sports except football and hockey, will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the proudly independent program — if the season is played. The biggest conferences are taking steps to try to mitigate potential disruptions and salvage a sport worth billions in broadcast rights deals.

“We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement.

Notre Dame already had a scheduling agreement with the ACC that puts five or six games with the league on the Fighting Irish schedule every year. They had six this season: Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Pitt. Added to that will be home games against Florida State and Syracuse and road games against North Carolina and Boston College. There will be no renewal of the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry.

The ACC and Notre Dame also agreed to equally share TV revenue — including the Fighting Irish’s deal with NBC — among the 15 schools.

It is a one-year deal for the Fighting Irish and James said he didn’t expect it to go beyond that.

“I don’t know (if) this could lead to Notre Dame being a full member in football,” James said on a conference call with reporters. “Would I like to see Notre Dame as a member of the ACC on a full-time basis? Yeah, I think that’d be great. They’re a great football program. A great institution that fits well with the ACC, but recognize they need to do what’s best for Notre Dame. This year what was best is for them to join the ACC and we’re glad to have them as part of the league.”

Notre Dame had already lost three games against Big Ten and Pac-12 opponents when those conferences decided to play only league games. The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference have not announced any changes to their football schedules, but are expected to in the coming days.

The ACC said nonconference games must be played in the ACC school’s home state — a move intended to save traditional rivalries such as Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida State-Florida, Clemson-South Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville.

“That’s something that was discussed throughout our process,” James said. “And I’ll say it was something that was given very strong consideration in our move to go to 11 games with one being a nonconference game.”

Whether the SEC’s plans include nonconference games remains to be seen.

The ACC’s decision appears to rule out three early-season games in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: North Carolina against Auburn; Virginia against Georgia; and Florida State against West Virginia.

“We certainly understand the ACC is doing what they feel is in the best interest of the conference and the health of their teams, staff and student-athletes, and as our partners, we support them in that decision,” said Gary Stokan, chief executive officer and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. “However, we are disappointed we will lose the opportunity to host Florida State, Virginia and North Carolina and their fans in our scheduled Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games this season.”

Also in danger is Notre Dame’s game against Navy. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen were originally scheduled to play the 94th consecutive meeting of their rivalry in Dublin, Ireland. The pandemic forced a relocation to Navy’s home stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. It is scheduled to be the first game in the history of the series played at Navy’s home field.

Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk declined comment when contacted by the AP because he had not yet spoken to Notre Dame officials.

In total, the ACC’s new schedule will wipe 38 previously scheduled nonconference games off the books. Many of those games would have involved Group of Five conference and FCS schools that receive big payouts from Power Five schools for playing on the road with no return date.

Middle Tennessee from Conference USA was scheduled to play at Duke and at Virginia Tech in September. MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said in a statement he hoped to have clarity about those games soon.

“Unfortunately, this is not very surprising but is disappointing as our players and fans look forward to games like these,” he said.

Additionally, any nonconference opponent must meet medical protocol requirements set forth by the ACC.

Those recommendations include regular testing for most athletes, from weekly tests in football within three days of a game to every-other-week tests in sports representing a “medium” risk such as baseball, softball and cross country.

The ACC also announced that fall team sports for non-revenue programs would begin Sept. 10 with a conference schedule that meets the NCAA’s minimum requirement for games: 10 for volleyball and six for field hockey, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. Additional games against conference or nonconference opponents would be left up to the schools, though they wouldn’t count in the ACC standings.

The plan says that teams in winter and spring sports may continue workouts, but the league is canceling any out-of-season fall competitions for golf, tennis, rowing, lacrosse, softball and baseball.

The Atlantic Coast Conference reworked its football schedule Wednesday to allow each team to play 11 games and to incorporate Notre Dame, which is giving up its cherished independence in a year turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic.The ACC’s university presidents approved plans for a schedule with 10 conference games and one nonconference, and for pushing back both the first week of the season (from Labor Day weekend to the weekend of Sept. 12) and the league championship game (from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19).Miami athletic director Blake James called the schedule “aspirational” as concerns about COVID-19 have put major college football in the fall in peril. For now, though, conferences are working on plans to play what would be a most unusual season.The ACC will eliminate its traditional divisional format this season and the two teams with the best winning percentages in conference play will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the league championship game. Maybe a Clemson-Notre Dame rematch? The league will release specific dates and broadcast plans later.Notre Dame, which competes in the ACC in all sports except football and hockey, will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the proudly independent program — if the season is played. The biggest conferences are taking steps to try to mitigate potential disruptions and salvage a sport worth billions in broadcast rights deals.“We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement.Notre Dame already had a scheduling agreement with the ACC that puts five or six games with the league on the Fighting Irish schedule every year. They had six this season: Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Pitt. Added to that will be home games against Florida State and Syracuse and road games against North Carolina and Boston College. There will be no renewal of the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry.The ACC and Notre Dame also agreed to equally share TV revenue — including the Fighting Irish’s deal with NBC — among the 15 schools.It is a one-year deal for the Fighting Irish and James said he didn’t expect it to go beyond that.“I don’t know (if) this could lead to Notre Dame being a full member in football,” James said on a conference call with reporters. “Would I like to see Notre Dame as a member of the ACC on a full-time basis? Yeah, I think that’d be great. They’re a great football program. A great institution that fits well with the ACC, but recognize they need to do what’s best for Notre Dame. This year what was best is for them to join the ACC and we’re glad to have them as part of the league.”Notre Dame had already lost three games against Big Ten and Pac-12 opponents when those conferences decided to play only league games. The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference have not announced any changes to their football schedules, but are expected to in the coming days.The ACC said nonconference games must be played in the ACC school’s home state — a move intended to save traditional rivalries such as Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida State-Florida, Clemson-South Carolina and Kentucky-Louisville.“That’s something that was discussed throughout our process,” James said. “And I’ll say it was something that was given very strong consideration in our move to go to 11 games with one being a nonconference game.”Whether the SEC’s plans include nonconference games remains to be seen.The ACC’s decision appears to rule out three early-season games in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: North Carolina against Auburn; Virginia against Georgia; and Florida State against West Virginia.“We certainly understand the ACC is doing what they feel is in the best interest of the conference and the health of their teams, staff and student-athletes, and as our partners, we support them in that decision,” said Gary Stokan, chief executive officer and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. “However, we are disappointed we will lose the opportunity to host Florida State, Virginia and North Carolina and their fans in our scheduled Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games this season.”Also in danger is Notre Dame’s game against Navy. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen were originally scheduled to play the 94th consecutive meeting of their rivalry in Dublin, Ireland. The pandemic forced a relocation to Navy’s home stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. It is scheduled to be the first game in the history of the series played at Navy’s home field.Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk declined comment when contacted by the AP because he had not yet spoken to Notre Dame officials.In total, the ACC’s new schedule will wipe 38 previously scheduled nonconference games off the books. Many of those games would have involved Group of Five conference and FCS schools that receive big payouts from Power Five schools for playing on the road with no return date.Middle Tennessee from Conference USA was scheduled to play at Duke and at Virginia Tech in September. MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said in a statement he hoped to have clarity about those games soon.“Unfortunately, this is not very surprising but is disappointing as our players and fans look forward to games like these,” he said.Additionally, any nonconference opponent must meet medical protocol requirements set forth by the ACC.Those recommendations include regular testing for most athletes, from weekly tests in football within three days of a game to every-other-week tests in sports representing a “medium” risk such as baseball, softball and cross country.The ACC also announced that fall team sports for non-revenue programs would begin Sept. 10 with a conference schedule that meets the NCAA’s minimum requirement for games: 10 for volleyball and six for field hockey, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. Additional games against conference or nonconference opponents would be left up to the schools, though they wouldn’t count in the ACC standings.The plan says that teams in winter and spring sports may continue workouts, but the league is canceling any out-of-season fall competitions for golf, tennis, rowing, lacrosse, softball and baseball.

ACC schedule includes Notre Dame, 10 conference games

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rich Hill pitched five scoreless innings in a smooth Minnesota debut and the Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0. Eddie Rosario homered, Nelson Cruz had an RBI double and Alex Avila had an RBI single for the Twins. Taylor Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his first save, and the Twins finished a two-game sweep to improve to 4-1. The 40-year-old Hill is currently the second-oldest player in the majors. He needed 68 pitches to pick up his first victory for the Twins. Minnesota signed him this winter with the assumption he'd be ready around midsummer after his recovery from elbow surgery.

DETROIT (AP) — JaCoby Jones hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, and Detroit's bullpen came through again in a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. A night after pitching six scoreless innings in a win over the Royals, the Tigers' relievers blanked Kansas City for four. Detroit rallied from a 4-0 deficit thanks in large part to Jones, who doubled twice before connecting off Ian Kennedy for his third homer of the year. Jonathan Schoop also went deep for the Tigers. Bryan Garcia earned his first big league win, and Joe Jimenez worked the ninth for his fourth save.

UNDATED (AP) — The top four teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences get byes into the traditional first round of the NHL playoffs. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the East and St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in the West will play separate round-robin tournaments to determine seeding. With the advantage of not facing elimination comes the dilemma: Play for the best seed or try to peak in time for a best-of-seven series. With the Stanley Cup at stake, it's a crucial balance coaches and players have to strike.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his strained right forearm. Mikolas was supposed to start on Wednesday at Minnesota. Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon will take the mound against the Twins instead. The 31-year-old Mikolas missed spring training with the injury, but he ramped up his activity after the virus shutdown and pitched four innings for the Cardinals in an exhibition game last week.

UNDATED (AP) — The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. But they were still the top two teams in the Western Conference. They return as strong Cup favorites and face each other in Edmonton to start a round-robin tournament to determine seeding. &nbsp;Back on the ice for the Blues will be Vladimir Tarasenko after missing most of the season following shoulder surgery. &nbsp;Back in action for the Avalanche are scorers Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovski and Matt Calvert along with goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

UNDATED (AP) — The Dodgers and Astros kept their tempers in check just a night after a brushback pitch caused both benches to empty. 

This one lasted 13 innings as Edwin Rios belted a two-run homer to send the Dodgers past the Astros, 4-2. Los Angeles went ahead on an RBI double by Mookie Betts in the top of the 11th, but Carlos Correa's run-scoring single extended the game. 

Corey Seager also homered for the Dodgers.

Before the game Major League Baseball announced that LA reliever Joe Kelly was hit with an eight-game suspension for brushing back Alex Bregman near the head and taunting Correa in Tuesday's game. 

The game marked the first time the teams had met since it was revealed Houston stole signs en route to a 2017 World Series title over the Dodgers. LA manager Dave Roberts was suspended for Wednesday's game and Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined.

Kelly elected to appeal and can continue to play.

— Homers by D.J. LeMahieu (leh-MAY'-hyoo), Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge powered the Yankees to a 9-3 rout of the Orioles. LeMahieu provided four of New York's eight hits to support Gerrit Cole, who won hits second straight start since signing with the Yankees last winter. Cole had a 7-1 lead until Dwight Smith's two-run homer ended his night in the seventh inning.

— Adam Eaton delivered a go-ahead, RBI single in the 10th inning before the Nationals completed a tidy 4-0 win against the Blue Jays. Asdrubal (as-DROO'-bul) Cabrera added a bases-loaded triple to cap the scoring in a game in which Toronto was the home team in Washington. Max Scherzer received a no-decision after limiting the Jays to three hits while striking out 10 over 7 1/3 innings.

— The White Sox also scored four times in their final at-bat, doing it in the ninth to beat the Indians, 4-0. Rookie Luis Robert hit a two-run single in the ninth as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak and salvaged one game in the series. Cleveland closer Brad Hand was tagged for three runs after Kevin Plesac struck out a career-high 11 while scattering three hits.

— Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff allowed one hit and struck out 10 while working into the seventh inning of a 3-0 shutout of the Pirates. Woodruff retired 19 of 21 batters, allowing a swinging bunt single to Phil Evans in the first. Ben Gamel gave Woodruff all the support he would need with a third-inning two-run homer 

— The Reds outscored the Cubs, 12-7 as Mike Moustakas (moos-TAH'-kahs) and Nick Senzel homered in their returns from a COVID-19 scare. Nick Castellanos added a grand slam in helping Cincinnati halt a four-game slide. Sonny Gray extended his major league record to 35 consecutive starts allowing six hits or less, yielding up only Ian Happ's double and fanning 11 as he pitched into the seventh inning.

— Freddie Freeman was productive in the Braves' 7-4 victory against the Rays, going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs. Freeman snapped a 4-4 tie with an RBI single in Atlanta's three-run sixth. Darren O'Day blew a lead but got the victory after Mike Soroka left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

— The Red Sox ended a four-game losing streak by rallying against the Mets' shaky bullpen in a 6-5 win at New York. Mitch Moreland provided a tiebreaking, RBI single in the eighth before Christian Vazquez following his solo blast with a two-run single later in the inning. Brandon Workman allowed a ninth-inning run before getting Robinson Cano to line out with the bases loaded to end it.

— The Twins were 3-0 winners over the Cardinals behind Rich Hill, who gave up just two hits over five innings. Four relievers completed the combined three-hitter in Minnesota's fourth victory in five games this season. Eddie Rosario smacked a solo homer for the Twins.

— Mike Yastrzemski (yah-STREHM'-skee) homered twice, including a walk-off homer in the ninth inning to complete the Giants' comeback from a 6-2 deficit in a 7-6 triumph over the Padres. San Francisco tied it when Donovan Solano crushed a three-run homer in the eighth against his former team. Alex Dickerson also went deep and Solano finished with four RBIs.

— The Rockies capped a 4-1 road trip as German (hehr-MAHN') Márquez struck out eight over six impressive innings of their 5-1 victory at Oakland. Charlie Blackmon delivered an insurance run with an RBI double in the eighth, then reached on an error in the ninth that led to a pair of runs. Garrett Hampson hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fourth to back Márquez.

— Joey Gallo slammed a tying, two-run homer in the eighth before the Rangers scored three more times in the inning to beat the Diamondbacks, 7-4. The Rangers loaded the bases with two out after the homer before Elvis Andrus hit a two-run single and Nick Solak added an RBI single. Todd Frazier hit his first homer and had two doubles for the Rangers, whose five-run inning accounted for only one run fewer than it had scored combined in their first four games in the new $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof.

— Dylan Moore hit a three-run homer and Kyle Seager had three RBIs in the Mariners' 10-7 defeat of the Angels. Seager's sacrifice fly broke a 7-7 deadlock in the seventh inning. Shohei Ohtani (shoh-hay oh-TAH'-nee) clubbed a three-run blast for Los Angeles, which also got home runs from Justin Upton and Brian Goodwin.

— JaCoby Jones hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning to send the Tigers past the Royals, 5-4. Tigers relievers held Kansas City without a baserunner for four innings, one night after tossing six shutout innings. Jonathan Schoop (skohp) also homered after the Royals took a 4-0 lead. 

Phillies staffer tests positive for COVID-19

UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak says one team employee who works in the visiting clubhouse has tested positive for the coronavirus. But he says all Phillies players and on-field staff tested negative for a second straight day. The Phillies' four-game, home-and-home series against the New York Yankees was postponed this week following a coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins, who played in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies are scheduled to host Toronto this weekend in a series that was supposed to be on the road but switched because the Blue Jays' temporary ballpark in Buffalo isn't ready. 

— Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is still waiting to be cleared to play by the city government after getting the OK from Major League Baseball to return from the COVID-19 injured list. Manager Dave Martinez said the Nationals hope their 21-year-old slugger will be allowed to work out with the team starting Saturday and play in their first game after that, which is next Tuesday at home against the Mets.

— The Indians have placed starting catcher Roberto Pérez on the 10-day injured list with a sore throwing shoulder. Pérez hurt his right shoulder while making an off-balance throw in Friday's season opener. A Gold Glove winner in 2019, Pérez has played since but the shoulder has continued to bother him.

— Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (MY'-koh-las) will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his strained right forearm. The 31-year-old missed spring training with the injury, but he ramped up his activity after the virus shutdown and pitched four innings for the Cardinals in an exhibition game last week. 

— Nick Markakis (mahr-KAY'-kihs) is returning to the Braves, three weeks after announcing he was opting out of the season due to his concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The veteran outfielder said he changed his mind about sitting out after watching his teammates play the first five games. The 36-year-old Markakis says he has the full support of his family, including his three children, in his decision to return.

— The Astros have acquired right-hander Hector Velázquez from the Orioles for a player to be named. The deal comes after the AL champion Astros learned that reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will be out a while with a strained forearm. Velázquez went 1-4 with a 5.43 ERA with Boston last year before coming to the Orioles via a waiver claim in March.

— Former National League batting champion and four-time All-Star Jose Reyes has formally retired, two years after playing his final major league game. Reyes hit .283 with 145 homers, 719 RBIs and 517 stolen bases.

— Former Red Sox manager John McNamara has died at age 88. McNamara managed Boston to within one strike of a World Series victory in 1986 before an unprecedented collapse on the field extended the team's championship drought into the new millennium. He was 1,167–1,242 over parts of 19 seasons while managing six big league clubs.

Davis, Williamson ready for re-opening night

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson are ready for re-opening night. 

Davis practiced Wednesday for the first time since getting poked in an eye during the Los Angeles Lakers' scrimmage opener last week. He said the plan is for him to play when the Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first seeding game for both teams on Thursday. 

The Pelicans said Williamson will be a game-time decision for New Orleans' Thursday opener against Utah. Williamson missed nearly two weeks because he left for a family emergency and then had to quarantine for four days upon his return.

UNDATED (AP) — The Dolphins say rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (TOO'-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) passed his physical when he reported to training camp. He will practice without restrictions as he begins his bid to overtake veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job. The all-clear will allow Tagovailoa to practice for the first time since a career-threatening hip injury ended his Alabama career in mid-November. 

— Chiefs running back Damien Williams is opting out of playing the upcoming season. Williams' strong postseason helped Kansas City to its first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.

— Veteran cornerback Maurice Canady and undrafted rookie receiver Stephen Guidry have opted out of playing for the Dallas Cowboys this season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Canady signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys after splitting the 2019 season between the Jets and Baltimore. The Ravens drafted Canady in the sixth round in 2016.

— A person familiar with the situation says Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower has decided to opt out of the 2020 season. Two other people told the AP that starting right tackle Marcus Cannon and fullback Danny Vitale have also chosen to sit out the season, citing health concerns.

— The Falcons have placed fullback Keith Smith and safety Jamal Carter on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list.

— The Eagles have placed three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, linebacker Nathan Gerry, and tackle Jordan Mailata on the reserve/COVID-19 list. 

— Giants left tackle Nate Solder has opted out of the 2020 NFL season because of the coronavirus pandemic. He cited his son's ongoing fight with cancer, the recent birth of a baby boy and his own history with cancer for his decision.

— Guard Drew Forbes and tackle Drake Dorbeck are the first two Browns players who have chosen to opt out for the 2020 NFL season because of the coronavirus. 

— General manager John Lynch has agreed to a new five-year contract with the 49ers that will keep him locked up through the 2024 season. The new deal for Lynch comes about six weeks after coach Kyle Shanahan replaced his original six-year deal signed in 2017 with a new six-year contract that takes him through 2025. Lynch was named executive of the year last season by the Pro Football Writers Association of America for helping the Niners reach the Super Bowl last season. 

US Open without qualifying now will be played without fans

UNDATED (AP) — The USGA says no fans will be allowed for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in New York Sept. 17-20 because of health and safety concerns about COVID-19. 

The U.S. Open already has been moved from its traditional Father's Day finish. The pandemic caused the cancellation of more than 100 qualifiers .

Big West Conference postpones fall sports

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rich Hill pitched five scoreless innings in a smooth Minnesota debut and the Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0. Eddie Rosario homered, Nelson Cruz had an RBI double and Alex Avila had an RBI single for the Twins. Taylor Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his first save, and the Twins finished a two-game sweep to improve to 4-1. The 40-year-old Hill is currently the second-oldest player in the majors. He needed 68 pitches to pick up his first victory for the Twins. Minnesota signed him this winter with the assumption he'd be ready around midsummer after his recovery from elbow surgery.DETROIT (AP) — JaCoby Jones hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, and Detroit's bullpen came through again in a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. A night after pitching six scoreless innings in a win over the Royals, the Tigers' relievers blanked Kansas City for four. Detroit rallied from a 4-0 deficit thanks in large part to Jones, who doubled twice before connecting off Ian Kennedy for his third homer of the year. Jonathan Schoop also went deep for the Tigers. Bryan Garcia earned his first big league win, and Joe Jimenez worked the ninth for his fourth save.UNDATED (AP) — The top four teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences get byes into the traditional first round of the NHL playoffs. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the East and St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in the West will play separate round-robin tournaments to determine seeding. With the advantage of not facing elimination comes the dilemma: Play for the best seed or try to peak in time for a best-of-seven series. With the Stanley Cup at stake, it's a crucial balance coaches and players have to strike.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his strained right forearm. Mikolas was supposed to start on Wednesday at Minnesota. Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon will take the mound against the Twins instead. The 31-year-old Mikolas missed spring training with the injury, but he ramped up his activity after the virus shutdown and pitched four innings for the Cardinals in an exhibition game last week.UNDATED (AP) — The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. But they were still the top two teams in the Western Conference. They return as strong Cup favorites and face each other in Edmonton to start a round-robin tournament to determine seeding. &nbsp;Back on the ice for the Blues will be Vladimir Tarasenko after missing most of the season following shoulder surgery. &nbsp;Back in action for the Avalanche are scorers Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovski and Matt Calvert along with goaltender Philipp Grubauer.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>MLB-SCHEDULEDodgers top Astros in 13UNDATED (AP) — The Dodgers and Astros kept their tempers in check just a night after a brushback pitch caused both benches to empty. This one lasted 13 innings as Edwin Rios belted a two-run homer to send the Dodgers past the Astros, 4-2. Los Angeles went ahead on an RBI double by Mookie Betts in the top of the 11th, but Carlos Correa's run-scoring single extended the game. Corey Seager also homered for the Dodgers.Before the game Major League Baseball announced that LA reliever Joe Kelly was hit with an eight-game suspension for brushing back Alex Bregman near the head and taunting Correa in Tuesday's game. The game marked the first time the teams had met since it was revealed Houston stole signs en route to a 2017 World Series title over the Dodgers. LA manager Dave Roberts was suspended for Wednesday's game and Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined.Kelly elected to appeal and can continue to play.Also around the majors:— Homers by D.J. LeMahieu (leh-MAY'-hyoo), Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge powered the Yankees to a 9-3 rout of the Orioles. LeMahieu provided four of New York's eight hits to support Gerrit Cole, who won hits second straight start since signing with the Yankees last winter. Cole had a 7-1 lead until Dwight Smith's two-run homer ended his night in the seventh inning.— Adam Eaton delivered a go-ahead, RBI single in the 10th inning before the Nationals completed a tidy 4-0 win against the Blue Jays. Asdrubal (as-DROO'-bul) Cabrera added a bases-loaded triple to cap the scoring in a game in which Toronto was the home team in Washington. Max Scherzer received a no-decision after limiting the Jays to three hits while striking out 10 over 7 1/3 innings.— The White Sox also scored four times in their final at-bat, doing it in the ninth to beat the Indians, 4-0. Rookie Luis Robert hit a two-run single in the ninth as Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak and salvaged one game in the series. Cleveland closer Brad Hand was tagged for three runs after Kevin Plesac struck out a career-high 11 while scattering three hits.— Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff allowed one hit and struck out 10 while working into the seventh inning of a 3-0 shutout of the Pirates. Woodruff retired 19 of 21 batters, allowing a swinging bunt single to Phil Evans in the first. Ben Gamel gave Woodruff all the support he would need with a third-inning two-run homer — The Reds outscored the Cubs, 12-7 as Mike Moustakas (moos-TAH'-kahs) and Nick Senzel homered in their returns from a COVID-19 scare. Nick Castellanos added a grand slam in helping Cincinnati halt a four-game slide. Sonny Gray extended his major league record to 35 consecutive starts allowing six hits or less, yielding up only Ian Happ's double and fanning 11 as he pitched into the seventh inning.— Freddie Freeman was productive in the Braves' 7-4 victory against the Rays, going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs. Freeman snapped a 4-4 tie with an RBI single in Atlanta's three-run sixth. Darren O'Day blew a lead but got the victory after Mike Soroka left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth.— The Red Sox ended a four-game losing streak by rallying against the Mets' shaky bullpen in a 6-5 win at New York. Mitch Moreland provided a tiebreaking, RBI single in the eighth before Christian Vazquez following his solo blast with a two-run single later in the inning. Brandon Workman allowed a ninth-inning run before getting Robinson Cano to line out with the bases loaded to end it.— The Twins were 3-0 winners over the Cardinals behind Rich Hill, who gave up just two hits over five innings. Four relievers completed the combined three-hitter in Minnesota's fourth victory in five games this season. Eddie Rosario smacked a solo homer for the Twins.— Mike Yastrzemski (yah-STREHM'-skee) homered twice, including a walk-off homer in the ninth inning to complete the Giants' comeback from a 6-2 deficit in a 7-6 triumph over the Padres. San Francisco tied it when Donovan Solano crushed a three-run homer in the eighth against his former team. Alex Dickerson also went deep and Solano finished with four RBIs.— The Rockies capped a 4-1 road trip as German (hehr-MAHN') Márquez struck out eight over six impressive innings of their 5-1 victory at Oakland. Charlie Blackmon delivered an insurance run with an RBI double in the eighth, then reached on an error in the ninth that led to a pair of runs. Garrett Hampson hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fourth to back Márquez.— Joey Gallo slammed a tying, two-run homer in the eighth before the Rangers scored three more times in the inning to beat the Diamondbacks, 7-4. The Rangers loaded the bases with two out after the homer before Elvis Andrus hit a two-run single and Nick Solak added an RBI single. Todd Frazier hit his first homer and had two doubles for the Rangers, whose five-run inning accounted for only one run fewer than it had scored combined in their first four games in the new $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof.— Dylan Moore hit a three-run homer and Kyle Seager had three RBIs in the Mariners' 10-7 defeat of the Angels. Seager's sacrifice fly broke a 7-7 deadlock in the seventh inning. Shohei Ohtani (shoh-hay oh-TAH'-nee) clubbed a three-run blast for Los Angeles, which also got home runs from Justin Upton and Brian Goodwin.— JaCoby Jones hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning to send the Tigers past the Royals, 5-4. Tigers relievers held Kansas City without a baserunner for four innings, one night after tossing six shutout innings. Jonathan Schoop (skohp) also homered after the Royals took a 4-0 lead. MLB-NEWSPhillies staffer tests positive for COVID-19UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak says one team employee who works in the visiting clubhouse has tested positive for the coronavirus. But he says all Phillies players and on-field staff tested negative for a second straight day. The Phillies' four-game, home-and-home series against the New York Yankees was postponed this week following a coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins, who played in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies are scheduled to host Toronto this weekend in a series that was supposed to be on the road but switched because the Blue Jays' temporary ballpark in Buffalo isn't ready. In other MLB news:— Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is still waiting to be cleared to play by the city government after getting the OK from Major League Baseball to return from the COVID-19 injured list. Manager Dave Martinez said the Nationals hope their 21-year-old slugger will be allowed to work out with the team starting Saturday and play in their first game after that, which is next Tuesday at home against the Mets.— The Indians have placed starting catcher Roberto Pérez on the 10-day injured list with a sore throwing shoulder. Pérez hurt his right shoulder while making an off-balance throw in Friday's season opener. A Gold Glove winner in 2019, Pérez has played since but the shoulder has continued to bother him.— Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (MY'-koh-las) will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his strained right forearm. The 31-year-old missed spring training with the injury, but he ramped up his activity after the virus shutdown and pitched four innings for the Cardinals in an exhibition game last week. — Nick Markakis (mahr-KAY'-kihs) is returning to the Braves, three weeks after announcing he was opting out of the season due to his concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The veteran outfielder said he changed his mind about sitting out after watching his teammates play the first five games. The 36-year-old Markakis says he has the full support of his family, including his three children, in his decision to return.— The Astros have acquired right-hander Hector Velázquez from the Orioles for a player to be named. The deal comes after the AL champion Astros learned that reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will be out a while with a strained forearm. Velázquez went 1-4 with a 5.43 ERA with Boston last year before coming to the Orioles via a waiver claim in March.— Former National League batting champion and four-time All-Star Jose Reyes has formally retired, two years after playing his final major league game. Reyes hit .283 with 145 homers, 719 RBIs and 517 stolen bases.— Former Red Sox manager John McNamara has died at age 88. McNamara managed Boston to within one strike of a World Series victory in 1986 before an unprecedented collapse on the field extended the team's championship drought into the new millennium. He was 1,167–1,242 over parts of 19 seasons while managing six big league clubs.NBA-NEWSDavis, Williamson ready for re-opening nightLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson are ready for re-opening night. Davis practiced Wednesday for the first time since getting poked in an eye during the Los Angeles Lakers' scrimmage opener last week. He said the plan is for him to play when the Lakers face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first seeding game for both teams on Thursday. The Pelicans said Williamson will be a game-time decision for New Orleans' Thursday opener against Utah. Williamson missed nearly two weeks because he left for a family emergency and then had to quarantine for four days upon his return.NFL-NEWSTua gets green lightUNDATED (AP) — The Dolphins say rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (TOO'-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH'-ah) passed his physical when he reported to training camp. He will practice without restrictions as he begins his bid to overtake veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job. The all-clear will allow Tagovailoa to practice for the first time since a career-threatening hip injury ended his Alabama career in mid-November. In other NFL news:— Chiefs running back Damien Williams is opting out of playing the upcoming season. Williams' strong postseason helped Kansas City to its first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.— Veteran cornerback Maurice Canady and undrafted rookie receiver Stephen Guidry have opted out of playing for the Dallas Cowboys this season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Canady signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys after splitting the 2019 season between the Jets and Baltimore. The Ravens drafted Canady in the sixth round in 2016.— A person familiar with the situation says Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower has decided to opt out of the 2020 season. Two other people told the AP that starting right tackle Marcus Cannon and fullback Danny Vitale have also chosen to sit out the season, citing health concerns.— The Falcons have placed fullback Keith Smith and safety Jamal Carter on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list.— The Eagles have placed three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, linebacker Nathan Gerry, and tackle Jordan Mailata on the reserve/COVID-19 list. — Giants left tackle Nate Solder has opted out of the 2020 NFL season because of the coronavirus pandemic. He cited his son's ongoing fight with cancer, the recent birth of a baby boy and his own history with cancer for his decision.— Guard Drew Forbes and tackle Drake Dorbeck are the first two Browns players who have chosen to opt out for the 2020 NFL season because of the coronavirus. — General manager John Lynch has agreed to a new five-year contract with the 49ers that will keep him locked up through the 2024 season. The new deal for Lynch comes about six weeks after coach Kyle Shanahan replaced his original six-year deal signed in 2017 with a new six-year contract that takes him through 2025. Lynch was named executive of the year last season by the Pro Football Writers Association of America for helping the Niners reach the Super Bowl last season. PGA-US OPEN-NO FANSUS Open without qualifying now will be played without fansUNDATED (AP) — The USGA says no fans will be allowed for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in New York Sept. 17-20 because of health and safety concerns about COVID-19. The U.S. Open already has been moved from its traditional Father's Day finish. The pandemic caused the cancellation of more than 100 qualifiers .VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTSBig West Conference postpones fall sportsUNDATED (AP) — The Big West Conference is postponing all fall sports through the end of the calendar year.The conference will determine later if conducting fall sports in the spring would be feasible. The decision does not impact basketball, which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 10. The Division I conference has 11 members, with all but one based in California.In other news related to the COVID-19 pandemic:— Austin's public health authority said the city was "caught a little off guard" by the recent announcement by Texas that the school planned to allow 50% stadium capacity at Longhorns football games this fall. Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott spoke with county commissioners Tuesday, and said it's hard to imagine allowing a crowd of any size watch a game. Texas is scheduled to host South Florida on Sept. 5 and the Big 12 has held out hope it can play a 12-game regular season. The state of Texas has seen record numbers of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the month of July.— Notre Dame will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season as part of a plan to play 10 league games and start the week of Sept. 7, alterations brought on by the pandemic. The ACC's university presidents approved the plan for an 11-game schedule, including one nonconference game, and for pushing back the league championship game from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19. Notre Dame will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the program if the season is played.— The NCAA is allowing all major college football teams to begin their seasons as early as Aug. 29. The association confirmed that the football oversight committee had requested a blanket waiver to permit any school to push up the start of its season to the so-called Week Zero.NHL-BLACKHAWKSBlackhawks ban Native American headdresses at home gamesCHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks are banning headdresses at home games as part of their pledge to honor the Native American community. The NHL team says it consulted with Native American partners to establish new policies and initiatives. The Blackhawks will further integrate Native American culture and storytelling into game presentation and community involvement. COLLEGE BASKETBALL-SOUTH CAROLINALawson staying at SCCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's top scorer and rebounder AJ Lawson has announced that he is withdrawing from the NBA and returning to school for his junior season. The 6-foot-6 guard from Toronto started all 31 games last year, averaging team highs with 13.4 points and 3.7 rebounds. Lawson put his name in the draft pool in April without hiring an agent, giving him the option to return. COLLEGE BASKETBALL-OBIT-HENSONFormer Illinois, New Mexico St coach Lou Henson dies at 88HAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Former New Mexico and Illinois men's basketball coach Lou Henson died Sunday at age 88 and was buried on Wednesday. Henson took New Mexico State and Illinois to the Final Four during a 21-year career that included nearly 800 victories and a feud with fellow Big Ten coach Bob Knight. Henson left the game as the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State, and still ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten coaches with 214 conference wins and 423 total. AUSTRALIA-ABUSE COMPLAINTSGymnastics Australia asks human rights group to probe abuseMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Complaints by at least 20 former Australian gymnasts about physical and mental abuse during their careers has prompted Gymnastics Australia to ask a human rights group to investigate. The gymnasts include Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medalists but the identities of the athletes were not disclosed. They recently spoke of a toxic culture within the sport and have used social media platforms to detail fat-shaming and other forms of abuse. The Australian Human Rights Commission will examine the sport's culture and practices in Australia.