AP Thursday Sports Roundup

MLB-SCHEDULE

Welcome to Toronto, Tulo...Harper hits a pair

UNDATED (AP) — It didn't take Troy Tulowitzki long to get adjusted to playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tulowitzki, who admitted being "blindsided" when the Rockies traded him to Toronto two days ago, Tulowitzki homered and had three hits in his Blue Jays debut as Toronto beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-2.

The five-time All-Star went 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBIs. He scored three times.

R.A. Dickey allowed two runs, none earned, and seven hits in eight innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. He's 5-10.

The Blue Jays snapped Philadelphia's five-game winning streak.

In other action:

— Bryce Harper cracked a tiebreaking three-run home run in the fifth inning and added a solo shot in the eighth to help the Washington Nationals beat Miami 7-2. Harper has 29 homers, including five career homers off Marlins starter Tom Koehler. Michael Taylor also homered for the Nats. Doug Fister earned his first victory since June 27 to improve to 4-6.

— Justin Upton homered and drove in three runs and Yonder Alonso also connected as the San Diego Padres beat the New York Mets 7-3 despite three homers from Lucas Duda. The loss drops the Mets two games back of NL East leader Washington.

— Cincinnati blanked NL Central leader St. Louis for the second straight night, 1-0. Jay Bruce homered in the second to back Anthony DeSclafani's seven innings of three-hit ball. He is 6-7.

__ Adam Eaton opened the game with a home run, Jose Quintana pitched 6 1-3 solid innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2 for their seventh straight win.

__ Houston moved one game ahead of the L.A. Angels for the AL West lead by beating the Halos for the second straight night, 6-3. Rookie Lance McCullers pitched seven solid innings for the win. Preston Tucker and Jon Singleton homered.

— The Texas Rangers beat the AL East-leading New York Yankees 5-2. Colby Lewis improved to 11-4 with six strong innings.

— Detroit's Justin Verlander has his first win of the season. He outlasted Tampa Bay loser Chris Archer in a 2-1 win. Verlander retired his first 14 batters before Asdrubal Cabrera homered with two outs in the fifth. The Tigers starter gave up one run, four hits and had 10 strikeouts. Archer took a perfect game into the seventh inning before giving up RBI singles to J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos.

— Chris Tillman took a three-hitter into the ninth inning, Jonathan Schoop and J.J. Hardy homered and the Baltimore Orioles beat the skidding Atlanta Braves 2-0 for a three-game sweep. The Orioles moved within one game of Minnesota for the second AL wild card.

— Welington Castillo homered twice off Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, including a two-run shot in the first inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth straight beating the Mariners 8-2. Castillo is just the sixth player to homer twice in the same game off Hernandez, who fell to 12-6.

— Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and had three RBIs to help Pittsburgh beat Minnesota 10-4. McCutchen had an RBI single as part of the five-run sixth inning that put the game away for the Pirates. Jung Ho Kang homered for the second straight day for Pittsburgh.

— Corey Kluber took a shutout into the ninth and rookie Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer and had a career-high four RBIs as the Indians beat Kansas City 12-1. Prior to the big offensive spurt against the Royals the Tribe had been outscored 37-10 in losing the first six games of the homestand.

__ The L.A. Dodgers rallied with five in the seventh to beat Oakland 10-6 in interleague play. Enrique Hernandez drove in two runs with a go-ahead pinch-hit double.

— Jon Lester struck out 14 in eight innings in the Cubs 3-2 win over Colorado. That's one off his career high. Lester struck out seven of his first eight hitters and nine of the first 14 to improve to 6-8. Jose Reyes went 1-for-3 in his Rockies debut after being acquired in a trade with Toronto earlier this week.

MLB-NEWS

Kershaw scratched...Hollday re-injures quad

UNDATED (AP)— Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been scratched from his scheduled start against the Oakland Athletics last night due to hip soreness. The Dodgers say Kershaw will start Friday in the Freeway Series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.

Kershaw will be looking to extend his streak of 29 straight scoreless innings when he next starts. Kershaw tops the majors with 185 strikeouts and his ERA of 2.51 is seventh best in the National League.

In other baseball:

__ St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left last night's game with the Cincinnati Reds with a right quad strain after pulling up while running to first base on a double play that ended the first inning. It is the same injury that sidelined Holliday for 31 games earlier this season.

— Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout missed his second straight game against the Houston Astros with an injured left wrist. The All-Star center fielder was hurt trying to make a diving catch in the fourth inning on Sunday.

— Right-handed relief pitcher Randall Delgado of the Arizona Diamondbacks has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle. He injured his ankle during a conditioning session before Tuesday night's game in Seattle.

— The Red Sox have placed center fielder Mookie Betts on the seven-day disabled list for a concussion after he tumbled into Boston's bullpen attempting to make a catch on Tuesday night.

NFL-BRADY SUSPENSION

Brady goes to court, says "I did nothing wrong"

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Lawyers working with the NFL Players Association have asked U.S. District Judge David Doty to vacate or at least put on hold Tom Brady's suspension.

The Patriots quarterback's lawsuit in the deflated footballs scandal questions whether the league followed its own rules when it suspended the four-time Super Bowl champion.

Brady also took to social media to make his case. He posted a 507-word statement on Facebook with his firmest denial yet, writing: "I did nothing wrong."

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota claims the NFL improperly applied its penalties for equipment violations, which call for only a small fine. It also questions Commissioner Roger Goodell's independence when he handed down the punishment and then heard and ruled on Brady's appeal.

The lawsuit also says the league can't punish Brady for violating standards that didn't exist.

NFL-TRAINING CAMPS

Cowboys no-show

UNDATED (AP) — Dallas defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey hasn't shown up for training camp, and executive vice president Stephen Jones says the Cowboys won't discuss a new contract with him until he does.

Mincey is due to make $1.5 million in the final year of a two-year contract. He led the Cowboys with six sacks last season.

The 31-year-old Mincey has been talking to Dallas about a new deal for months. He can be fined $30,000 for each day he misses camp.

Elsewhere around the NFL:

— Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has agreed to a multi-year contract extension. The team's first round pick in 2011 has started all 64 games in his four-year career with Washington. He has totaled 38 sacks, 15 forced fumbles and two interceptions.

— The Miami Dolphins have placed first-round draft pick DeVante Parker as well as safety Don Jones on the physically unable to perform list. Parker, a wide receiver from Louisville, underwent surgery on his foot last month and has been in a boot since the procedure. He had foot surgery last year and missed the first seven games of Louisville's season. They will be able to return to practice whenever they're ready.

NHL-WINTER CLASSIC

NHL outdoor game heads to Foxborough

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The NHL's Winter Classic is coming to the home of the New England Patriots when the Boston Bruins play the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium on New Year's Day. The Bruins will be the first team to host the event twice. They also hosted it in 2010, at Fenway Park.

NHL-DEVILS

Zubrus placed on unconditional waivers

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Forward Dainius Zubrus has been placed on unconditional waivers by the New Jersey Devils with the intention of ending his contract. The 37-year-old played for the Devils the last eight seasons and was slated to earn $3.1 million this season in the final year of a three-year, $9.3 million deal. He had 10 points in 74 games last season.

NBA-MILLER

T-Wolves add veteran point guard

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Professor will be holding office hours in Minnesota next season.

His agent says Andre Miller agreed to terms with the Timberwolves on a one-year deal yesterday.

Adding the 39-year-old Miller gives the young Wolves a quality, veteran point guard to join a rotation featuring starter Ricky Rubio and rookie backup Tyus Jones.

Miller will be playing his 17th NBA season. He has averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 assists for his career with seven different teams and has long been respected in the league for his intelligence and anticipation, qualities that earned him "The Professor" nickname.