Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw a fake jump pass before unloading a real one downfield. He tossed an under-handed shovel throw to his fullback for a touchdown. He found his speedy wide receiver streaking toward the end zone for another score, and he hit his big left tackle for yet another one. In short, Mahomes did just about everything in leading the Chiefs to a 34-20 win over the Ravens on Monday night, outperforming Baltimore counterpart Lamar Jackson in the process.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State's Breece Hall leads the Big 12 and is third in the nation in rushing through two games. His first real test comes when No. 18 Oklahoma visits Ames, Iowa, on Saturday night. Hall ran for 154 yards and matched his career high with three touchdowns in a 37-34 win at TCU. That followed a 103-yard, one-touchdown outing in the season-opening loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Oklahoma has allowed just 120 yards rushing and 2.4 yards per carry in its first two games to rank first in the Big 12 and fourth in the nation.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Patrick Mahomes put on a scintillating show while outperforming Lamar Jackson, and the Kansas City Chiefs deftly played the role of defending Super Bowl champions in a 34-20 thumping of the Baltimore Ravens. Just about everything Mahomes did worked against an overmatched Baltimore defense that had allowed only two touchdowns in its first two games. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes to help the Chiefs emphatically ended the Ravens' 14-game regular season winning streak while extending their own run to 12 games, including playoffs. Jackson is 21-4 as the Ravens' starting quarterback, with three of those losses to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres are bringing some serious swagger and talent to their first postseason appearance in 14 years, against their old nemesis, the St. Louis Cardinals. Led by 21-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Wil Myers, the Padres will host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of a wild-card series on Wednesday. Says Tatis: "Man, we're good." St. Louis will start left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim (3-0, 1.62 ERA), who pitched at Petco Park for Korea in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. San Diego will counter with right-hander Chris Paddack (4-5, 4.73), who has had a seesaw season.
UNDATED (AP) — A capsule look at the best-of-three playoff series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres beginning Wednesday.
UNDATED (AP) — It took one week for the Big 12 to bring just a little more strangeness to the year 2020. Five-time defending conference champion Oklahoma opened league play with a shocking home loss to Kansas State, perhaps opening the door for another program to finally to step in and claim the title. Iowa State can put Oklahoma's season on the ropes Saturday when the Cyclones host the Sooners. Iowa State beat the Sooners in 2017 and lost to them by a point in 2019.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Patrick Maroon has joined elite company by winning the Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons with different teams. Maroon is the only member of the champion Tampa Bay Lightning to win it last year with the St. Louis Blues. He's the eighth player to do it in NHL history and first since Claude Lemieux in the 1990s to get his name on the Cup in consecutive years. Corey Stillman went back to back in 2004 and 2006 after the lockout prevented the trophy from being awarded in 2005. Maroon is one of several additions to the Lightning that helped them finally win it all.
Update on the latest sports
MLB-PLAYOFFS
White Sox, Yanks, Rays and Astros take openers
UNDATED (AP) — Lucas Giolito (jee-oh-LEE'-toh) was outstanding in the Chicago White Sox's first postseason game in 12 years.
Giolito carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his postseason debut to pitch the White Sox to a 4-1 win against Oakland in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. Giolito's perfect game bid ended with Tommy La Stella's leadoff single in the seventh, and the Chicago hurler left after allowing a run and two hits with eight strikeouts over seven-plus frames. José Abreu's (ah-BRAY'-ooz) two-run homer was sandwiched around solo shots by Adam Engel and Yasmani Grandal (yahs-MAH'-nee grahn-DAHL').
The Athletics' lone run came on an eighth-inning grounder.
In other AL Wild Card Series openers:
— Gleyber (GLAY'-bur) Torres and Brett Gardner each homered and drove in three runs as the Yankees blew out the Indians, 12-3. Aaron Judge set the tone with a two-run blast off Shane Bieber just two batters into the game. Giancarlo Stanton also homered to back a sharp performance by Gerrit Cole, who struck out 13 and held the Indians to two runs and six hits over seven innings. Bieber was tagged for seven runs over just 4 2/3 innings after compiling a major league-best 1.63 ERA during the regular season.
— Blake Snell was sharp in the Rays' 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, striking out nine while holding Toronto to one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Snell no-hit the Jays until Alejandro Kirk led off the sixth with a single. Manuel Morgot gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer in the seventh. Willy Adames (ah-DAH'-mehs) brought in the game's first run by walking with the bases loaded.
— The Astros scored three times in the ninth to hand the Twins their major league-record 17th consecutive postseason loss, 4-1. Jose Altuve (al-TOO'-vay) drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run following a two-out error by Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco. Michael Brantley added a two-run single to cap the rally and back winning pitcher Framber Valdez, who pitched five scoreless innings in relief of Zack Greinke (GREHN'-kee). Valdez allowed only a pair of ninth-inning hits before getting a game-ending double-play grounder.
MLB-NEWS
Donaldson is out of series against Astros
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson is missing the AL Wild Card Series against Houston because of a nagging injury to his right calf.
Donaldson missed 30 games this season with a muscle strain and was removed from Minnesota's game after the first inning on Friday with cramping.
The 2015 AL MVP worked out with the team on Monday, but he was still experiencing soreness and unable to fully push off on his leg.
In other baseball news:
— The Astros and first baseman Yuli Gurriel (YUH'-lee gur-ee-EHL') have agreed to a one-year contract with an option for 2022. The deal guarantees $7 million, a cut of nearly 20% from his 2020 contract.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NFL
Titans have NFL's first COVID-19 outbreak, with 8 positive tests
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three team players and five personnel tested positive for the coronavirus.
The first COVID-19 outbreak of the NFL season jeopardizes the Titans' game against Pittsburgh this weekend and also caused Minnesota to suspend in-person activities. The Titans beat the Vikings 31-30 in Minneapolis two days ago.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said his team has been "given a mandate" to prepare as if the game will be played on time.
NFL NEWS
Rypien named Broncos starting QB
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have named Brett Rypien (RIH'-pehn) as their starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the New York Jets.
Rypien is the nephew of former Washington quarterback Mark Rypien. He'll become the ninth quarterback to start for the Broncos since Peyton Manning retired following Denver's win in Super Bowl 50.
In other NFL news:
— The Falcons have placed cornerback Darqueze Dennard on the reserve/injured list with a hamstring injury. Atlanta had to play without safety Ricardo Allen and rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell in Sunday's loss to the Bears.
— The Chargers have placed Chris Harris Jr. on injured reserve with a foot injury suffered during a 21-16 loss to the Panthers. The cornerback is the fifth defensive starter for the Chargers to end up on IR this season.
TENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Djokovic an easy first-round winner
PARIS (AP) — Top seed Novak Djokovic (JOH'-koh-vihch) won his opening-round match at the French Open, dropping just five games in a straight-sets victory. No. 13 seed Andrey Rublev lost two tiebreakers before taking the next three sets to beat American Sam Querrey. Other winners include fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, ninth seed Denis Shapovalov, women's second seed Karolina Pliskova (PLIHSH'-koh-vah), No. 4 Sofia Kenin and No. 8 Aryna Sabalenka.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS
25 Buffalo athletes test positive
UNDATED (AP) — The University at Buffalo says 19 football players are among 25 athletes to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Athletic director Mark Alnutt says five members of the women's volleyball team and one women's soccer player also tested positive. Alnutt says the athletes have been placed in isolation and are doing well.
In other virus-related developments:
— West Virginia University will allow the general public to attend football games at a reduced capacity next month. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons said attendance will be limited to about 15,000 fans — or 25% capacity — starting with the Oct. 17 home game against Kansas.
— Purdue University has suspended 14 students — 13 of them athletes — for violating the Protect Purdue Pledge by attending a party Saturday in a residence hall. The students must vacate the dormitory by Wednesday though they can file an appeal.
— La Salle has cut seven sports, effective at the end of the academic year. The move will affect approximately 130 athletes.
NASCAR-KENTUCKY
Kentucky loses NASCAR
SPARTA, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Speedway officials say the track has lost its spot on NASCAR's schedule.
The Speedway made the announcement ahead of NASCAR's release of venues and dates for next year.
Kentucky held its first Cup Series race in 2011 and has hosted a tripleheader in recent years with races in NASCAR's Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series. Its last NASCAR race was this past July.
BASEBALL-MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACTION
Appalachian League leads off in minor league contraction
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has started the process of contracting minor league affiliates. It announced that the Appalachian League is being converted to a college summer circuit for rising freshmen and sophomores.
The agreement between MLB and the minor leagues expires Wednesday.
MLB has proposed cutting minor league affiliates from 160 to 120 next year. The Appalachian League had been an affiliated minor league with professional players since 1911.
GEORGETOWN-ATHLETE ARRESTED
College football player arrested on murder charge in Georgia
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — U.S. Marshals in Georgia have arrested a Georgetown University football player accused of killing a man in Washington, D.C.
A U.S. Marshal spokesman told news outlets that federal agents took 21-year-old Dijon Williams into custody Monday in Lawrenceville. He's charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of 30-year-old Nurudeen Thomas.
A D.C. police spokesman says Thomas was found fatally wounded July 21 in Northwest Washington, about 6 miles from Georgetown's campus. The university says Williams has been suspended from the Division I team. News outlets report the Atlanta senior was a wide receiver. It's unclear whether he has an attorney who can comment for him.