August 26, 2026 4:22 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit the first homer allowed by Mason Miller in over a year with two outs in the ninth, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over San Diego. Cruz lined his 17th homer into Petco Park’s short porch in right field against Miller, the Padres’ vaunted closer. The Pittsburgh native hadn’t let anybody go deep on him in 73 consecutive appearances. Paul Skenes pitched six innings of three-hit ball in a solid rebound by the Pirates’ reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. Michael King allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings in his latest strong start for the Padres.
August 26, 2026 4:24 am
The Southeastern Conference has passed a rule banning players who have been drafted by NFL, NBA or WNBA teams or listed on rosters in those leagues. With Tuesday’s move, the SEC joins the Big Ten in taking a stand against this month’s unexpected surge of pro players trying to return to college. The Big Ten only included football in its decision. The two conferences issued their new rules in response to court orders that were allowing players who had been on pro rosters, then released, to return back to college. LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has sought to add two such players.
August 26, 2026 4:26 am
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jeshaun Jones was issued a three-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy. The NFL’s announcement of the punishment did not disclose the nature of the violation. Jones spent each of the past two years on Minnesota’s practice squad. Jones went undrafted out of Maryland after totaling 2,040 receiving yards over a six-year career. The 26-year-old was going to have a tough time making the active roster with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings locked into the starting spots and Tai Felton and Myles Price in line for backup roles.
August 26, 2026 4:27 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are out of the mixed doubles tournament at the U.S. Open. After winning their debut playing together, Williams and Alcaraz got knocked out in the mixed doubles quarterfinals by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. It was Williams’ first match back at the Grand Slam tournament in New York since 2022 as she makes a return to tennis at age 44. Alcaraz had not played since April because of a right wrist injury. Now the question is whether Williams will play women’s doubles alongside her older sister, Venus.
August 25, 2026 4:25 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nick Gonzales led off the 12th inning with an RBI single and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their three-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. Esmerlyn Valdez homered and Rafael Flores Jr. had an RBI double in the sixth for the Pirates, who rebounded from getting swept at Dodger Stadium last weekend with just their 11th win in 31 games. Jake Cronenworth tied it in the eighth with a two-out RBI single for the Padres, whose three-game winning streak ended with only their eighth loss in 29 games. San Diego’s eight-game home winning streak also ended.
August 25, 2026 2:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy wants to work with Joey Porter Jr., but the Pittsburgh Steelers and the cornerback are at an impasse over a new deal. The team placed Porter on the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp with what it described as a back issue. Porter has remained out even as the team has come to terms with other members of its 2023 draft class. The cornerback market across the NFL has been hot, with recent big deals for players like Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon. While Porter is out, rookie offensive tackle Max Iheanachor and defensive back Jalen Ramsey have been cleared to return after injury.
August 25, 2026 4:29 am
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Deshaun Watson has won the competition for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback job ahead of the Sept. 13 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coach Todd Monken made the announcement after informing Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Watson, a 10-year veteran, won the competition over Sanders as both split reps with the first unit throughout the offseason, training camp and the preseason. The decision will not be popular with Browns fans, who have booed Watson repeatedly during his time in Cleveland.
August 25, 2026 4:28 am
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Former Mississippi tight end Dae’Quan Wright is heading to LSU if he clears waivers after being released by the Cleveland Browns, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles following the NFL draft and joined the Browns after he was released on Aug. 11. Wright played two seasons for LSU coach Lane Kiffin in 2024 and 2025. He caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns for the Rebels last season. If he joins LSU, Wright would be the first known player to return to college after playing in the NFL.
August 24, 2026 4:25 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Snell threw six scoreless innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their sixth straight game by easing past the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. Snell has won consecutive starts and the Dodgers have been victorious in each of his three appearances in August after missing three months because of surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow. Alek Thomas, Hunter Feduccia and Max Muncy had RBIs for the Dodgers, who have bounced back since manager Dave Roberts called them out for sustained inconsistent play a week ago. The Pirates have dropped eight of their past nine road games.
August 24, 2026 4:27 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Wyndham Clark had reason to feel this was similar to the U.S. Open. He lost a big lead and the crowd was pulling for the other guy, in this case Rory McIlroy. Clark got the same result at the BMW Championship. He didn’t make a birdie until finishing with three in a row for a 70 at Bellerive and a three-shot victory over Patrick Cantlay. Clark now has three wins this year including a major. It was a big day for Cantlay, too. His runner-up finish after three straight birdies to end allows him to advance to the Tour Championship.
