BASEBALL
Hudson Potts blasted a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and Dominic LoBrutto escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth as the Portland Sea Dogs extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 3-2 win Thursday night against the Reading Fightin Phils in Reading, Pennsylvania.
With the Sea Dogs trailing 2-0, Jeisson Rosario drew a leadoff walk in the eighth and Triston Casas hit a one-out single. Potts then put the Sea Dogs ahead with a drive to right-center for his fifth home run of the season.
Kutter Crawford allowed an inside-the-park home run by Arquimedes Gamboa in the second inning but otherwise dominated the Phils, striking out eight in six innings while yielding just three hits and no walks. Durbin Feltman (6-0) got the win despite allowing a run in the seventh.
MLB: The Atlanta Braves acquired Joc Pederson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, bolstering their outfield after losing Ronald Acuna Jr. to a season-ending knee injury.
Atlanta sent minor league first baseman Bryce Ball to Chicago for Pederson, who is batting .230 with 11 homers and 39 RBI in 73 games.
• The 10-game suspension for Seattle Mariners pitcher Héctor Santiago for violating baseball’s sticky substance rules was upheld by MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.
Santiago will start serving the suspension Friday, when the Mariners open their post-All-Star break schedule at the Los Angeles Angels.
The 33-year-old left-hander became the first player suspended under MLB’s crackdown on unauthorized sticky substances. Santiago also was fined.
OLYMPICS
BASKETBALL: Bradley Beal will miss the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols, and the U.S. men’s basketball team said it will replace him on its roster at a later date.
The Americans also announced Thursday that forward Jerami Grant has been placed in health and safety protocols “out of an abundance of caution.”
Beal, a guard from the Washington Wizards, had started all three exhibition games for the U.S. so far in Las Vegas, averaging 10.3 points.
The Americans have already been playing short-handed during their exhibition games, with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday of Milwaukee and Devin Booker of Phoenix playing in the NBA finals.
TENNIS: Novak Djokovic is going to the Tokyo Olympics, keeping alive his chance for a “Golden Slam.”
Djokovic, 34, posted on Twitter that he had booked his flight and was proud to represent Serbia at the Olympics. After he won Wimbledon on Sunday for his record-tying 20th career Grand Slam title, Djokovic said he didn’t know if he was going to play in Tokyo.
If the top-ranked Djokovic wins gold in men’s singles and at the U.S. Open, he would be the first male tennis player to complete a “Golden Slam” – all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympics in the same calendar year.
Steffi Graf is the only woman to have done it, in 1988.
TRACK AND FIELD: Zuzana Hejnova, a two-time world champion in the 400-meter hurdles, won’t compete in the Tokyo Olympics because of an Achilles tendon injury and plans to retire.
The 34-year-old Czech Republic athlete said she “could barely walk let alone to train properly” in recent weeks.
Hejnova won gold at the world championships in 2013 and 2015. She also took bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and finished fourth at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
CYCLING
TOUR DE FRANCE: Tadej Pogacar won the final mountain stage to cement his grip on the race.
The short trek in the Pyrenees featured a daunting combination of the Col du Tourmalet and the final sharp climb to the Luz-Ardiden ski resort.
Pogacar’s main rivals did not take advantage of the brutal course. The defending champion surged away from a reduced group of four riders in the last kilometer. After Enric Mas attacked, Pogacar countered the move and dropped Jonas Vingegaard and Richard Carapaz to claim a third stage win this year.
Barring an accident, the 22-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider should be crowned Tour champion for the second straight year when the race ends in Paris on Sunday. He has a huge lead of five minutes, 45 seconds over Vingegaard. Carapaz is in third place, 5:51 off the pace.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR: Austin Cindric will replace 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski in Team Penske’s flagship No. 2 Ford next season.
Roger Penske had planned to put the reigning Xfinity Series champion in a Cup car next year fielded by Wood Brothers Racing in a technical alliance with Team Penske. Those plans were upended when Keselowski decided to leave Team Penske at the end of his 12th season with the organization, a move not confirmed until Thursday.
Keselowski’s departure opened the iconic No. 2 seat for Cindric, the 22-year-old son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric.
Keselowski has not announced his 2022 plans, but he’s presumed to be moving to Roush Fenway Racing with an ownership stake in that organization.
FOOTBALL
NFL: The Carolina Panthers agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with offensive tackle Taylor Moton, narrowly beating the deadline to sign players with the franchise tag to a contract extension, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The deal includes $43 million in guaranteed money.
• Four NFL teams remain under 50% vaccinated less than two weeks from the start of training camp, a person familiar with the vaccination rates told The Associated Press.
Washington, Indianapolis, Arizona and the Los Angeles Chargers had the four lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the league as of Thursday, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because the league hasn’t released the numbers.
Pittsburgh, Miami, Carolina and Denver have the highest vaccination rates and are among 10 teams that have achieved at least 85%. About 73% of players have been vaccinated.
GOLF
LPGA: Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn shot an 11-under 59 in best-ball play to take a two-stroke lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan.
The Jutanugarns had a 14-under 126 total after opening with a 67 on Wednesday in alternate-shot play. They will play alternate shot Friday and close with best ball Saturday.
Fellow Thai player Pajaree Anannarukarn and India’s Aditi Ashok were second after a 63.
PGA: Brian Stuard shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Play was suspended twice in the afternoon because of rain and lightning, with 30 players unable to finish before dark.
BOXING
FURY-WILDER FIGHT POSTPONED: Tyson Fury’s third heavyweight title fight with Deontay Wilder has been postponed until Oct. 9 after Fury tested positive for COVID-19.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) had been scheduled to meet July 24 to complete their entertaining fight trilogy.
COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Former Seton Hall player Myles Powell has sued the university, Coach Kevin Willard and a staff member for failing to diagnosis a knee injury during his senior season, causing him to suffer severe physical and financial damage.
Powell was the Big East Conference player of the year in the 2019-20 season. The suit alleges Powell was misdiagnosed with an ankle injury early that season, when it was actually a lateral meniscus tear to his right knee. The suit further alleges the high-scoring guard was not told of the extent of his injury, and the failure to treat it properly caused permanent damage.
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