AP Wednesday Sports Roundup

Tigers keep winning

UNDATED (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have continued their charge toward first place in the American League Central.

It's now a seven-game winning streak for the Tigers after Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs in an 11-5 pounding of the White Sox. Cameron Maybin poked a tiebreaking, RBI triple while the Tigers scored six times in the fifth to go ahead 6-1.

Anibal (AH'-nih-bahl) Sanchez gave up only one run and six hits in six innings to pick up the victory.

The red-hot Tigers are within 3 1/2 games of the AL Central lead after the first-place Indians absorbed a 10-6 loss to Minnesota. Brian Dozier and Max Kepler belted two-run homers in the third, one inning before Miguel Sano (sah-NOH) lined a two-run double that put the Twins ahead 8-0. Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli (NAP'-oh-lee) hit fifth-inning homers for the Indians, who have dropped six of 10 since moving 7 1/2 games ahead of Detroit on July 20.

Elsewhere in the majors:

— Pedro Alvarez hit two of the Orioles' four solo homers in a 5-1 verdict over the visiting Rangers. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters (WEE'-turz) also went deep to back Dylan Bundy, who allowed just one hit while fanning seven in seven innings. Bundy no-hit the Rangers until Elvis Andrus (AN'-droos) singled with two out in the sixth.

— Baltimore continues to top the AL East by one game over Toronto after Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion (ehn-kahr-nah-see-OHN') homered in the Blue Jays' 2-1 triumph at Houston. R.A. Dickey gave up one run in seven innings to help the Jays halt a two-game skid. The Astros remain 5 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Rangers.

— Boston trails the Orioles by two games after the Red Sox coughed up a 4-0 lead in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss at Seattle. Mike Zunino led off the bottom of the eighth with a homer and Robinson Cano (kah-NOH') put the Mariners ahead with a three-run blast off Red Sox newcomer Fernando Abad (ah-BAHD'). David Ortiz drove in a pair for the Bosox, who have lost eight of 12 since their last day atop their division.

— Jason Hammel is 11-5 after tossing four-hit ball over six scoreless innings to lead the Cubs' 3-2 win against the Marlins in Chicago. Willson Contreras and Dexter Fowler supplied RBI singles for the Cubbies, whose lead in the NL Central is back up to nine games over the Cardinals. Marlins starter Jose Fernandez fell to 12-6 by yielding three runs and eight hits over six frames.

— Wilson Ramos crushed a three-run homer and Washington stretched its lead in the NL East to six games over the Marlins by thumping Arizona for the second straight night, 10-4. Jayson Werth and Chris Heisey (HY'-see) hit solo shots to back Tanner Roark (ROH'-ahrk), who worked 6 1/3 innings to post his 11th win. The Nationals have outscored the Diamondbacks 25-4 over the first two games of the series.

— Cincinnati stunned St. Louis 7-5 on Scott Schebler's three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinals got homers from pitcher Adam Wainwright and Jedd Gyorko (JUR'-koh) before Brandon Moss and Tommy Pham smacked solo shots in the eighth to put the Redbirds ahead 5-4. Adam Duvall and Tucker Barnhart homered for the Reds.

— Aaron Altherr (ahl-TEHR') was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, five RBIs and three runs scored in Philadelphia's 13-8 dismantling of San Francisco. Maikel (MY'-kehl) Franco ripped a three-run homer while going 4-for-4 with four ribbies and three runs scored, and Cameron Rupp broke it open with a three-run blast in the eighth. Giants ace Madison Bumgarner was reached for eight runs - four earned - and 10 hits in just five-plus innings.

— Colorado's 7-3 win over the Dodgers keeps Los Angeles two games behind the NL West-leading Giants. Carlos Gonzalez had four RBIs for the Rockies, including a two-run double that put Colorado ahead 6-0 in the sixth. Jon Gray is 8-4 after tossing two-hit ball over five shutout innings.

— Jacob deGrom (deh-GRAHM') was terrific in the New York Mets' 7-1 win over the Yankees, yielding just four hits and striking out eight in seven shutout innings. DeGrom also was 2-for-3 with two runs scored to help the Mets win for just the second time in seven games. Alejandro De Aza (day AH'-zah) and Travis d'Arnaud (dahr-NOH') homered off Masahiro Tanaka (mah-sah-HEE'-roh tah-NAH'-kah), who was tagged for seven runs in 6 1/3 innings.

— Gerrit Cole worked five innings and Pittsburgh scored four times in the top of the sixth to beat Atlanta 5-3. Jung Ho Kang (gahng) doubled home the tiebreaking run in the sixth before scoring on Adam Frazier's two-run double. Cole allowed seven hits and two walks but just one earned run in earning his seventh win.

— Salvador Perez belted a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh to push Kansas City past Tampa Bay 3-2. The Royals got four scoreless innings from the bullpen in winning for just the third time in 19 games since July when Danny Duffy doesn't start.

— Jeffry Marte's (JEHF'-ree mahr-TAYZ') three-run blast snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning of the Angels' 5-4 triumph against Oakland. Jett Bandy socked a two-run homer and Matt Shoemaker limited the A's to a pair of runs and six hits in seven innings.

— Zach Davies combined with three relievers on a six-hitter as Milwaukee tripped San Diego 3-2. Ryan Braun's solo shot put the Brewers ahead 2-1 in the sixth before Chris Carter doubled home a run later in the inning.

MLB-MOVES

Indians put Salazar on DL

UNDATED (AP) — The AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians have placed All-Star pitcher Danny Salazar on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation.

Salazar had the shortest outing of his career Monday as he surrendered three homers and six runs in just two innings of a 12-5 loss to Minnesota. The loss was his first since May 22 and dropped his record to 11-4. He has compiled a hefty 8.84 ERA while throwing just 18 1/3 innings over his last four starts.

Salazar underwent Tommy John surgery on the same elbow in 2010.

Elsewhere:

— Rockies rookie shortstop Trevor Story could miss the rest of the season with a torn left thumb ligament that requires surgery. Story was injured while sliding into second base during Saturday's win over the Mets. He already had set an NL record for home runs by a rookie shortstop with 27 and was on pace to surpass Nomar Garciaparra's (gahr-see-ah-PAH'-rahz) mark of 30 set with Boston in 1997.

— Giants pitcher Jake Peavy has been bumped to the bullpen to make room for newcomer Matt Moore, who will make his first start for the team Thursday at Philadelphia. The NL West-leading Giants acquired Moore from Tampa Bay for infielder Matt Duffy and two minor leaguers. Peavy was 1-2 with a 5.54 EAR in five July starts.

— The Los Angeles Dodgers have optioned Yasiel Puig (YAH'-see-ul pweeg) and Ross Stripling to the minors to make room for newly-acquired Josh Reddick and Jesse Chavez. The Dodgers were trying to trade Puig before the non-waiver trading deadline Monday but couldn't find a deal. Reddick replaces Puig in right field and Chavez joins the L.A. bullpen.

— The Yankees don't plan to give Alex Rodriguez many more at-bats as they begin their rebuilding phase. The 41-year-old A-Rod has struck out in five of his seven at-bats since July 22 and is hitting just .204 this season. Rodriguez is owed $20 million in 2017, the final season of his $325 million, 10-year deal.

— The Cardinals activated Jhonny Peralta (JAH'-nee peh-RAHL'-tah) and Brandon Moss from the disabled list before the opener of a series in Cincinnati. Peralta recovered from a torn ligament in his left thumb, and Moss had an injured left ankle. St. Louis also placed shortstop Aledmys Diaz on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right thumb.

— The San Diego Padres have designated newly acquired outfielder Hector Olivera for assignment, three days after he was acquired from Atlanta. Olivera came off the restricted list Tuesday following an 82-game domestic violence suspension.

NFL-CARDINALS-MATHIEU

AP Source: Cards, Mathieu agree to extension...Freeney to the Falcons

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have just made Tyrann (TY'-rahn) Mathieu a pretty rich defensive back.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Mathieu has accepted a five-year, $62.5 million contract extension that includes $40 million guaranteed. The deal makes Mathieu the NFL's highest-paid safety, although he spent more time last season as a cornerback.

The extension comes despite Mathieu's major injuries to each knee in his first three NFL seasons. He tore his right ACL in a non-contact injury following an interception late in a one-sided victory at Philadelphia last December.

In other NFL news:

— The Falcons have attempted to address their persistent pass-rush problem by agreeing to a deal with free-agent linebacker Dwight Freeney. The 36-year-old Freeney hasn't had a double-digit sack total since 2010, although his eight sacks in 11 games with Arizona in last year would have easily led Atlanta.

— Running back Trent Richardson has been cut by the Ravens, who lost patience while waiting for the former first-round pick to recover from injuries. Richardson hasn't played in the NFL since 2014 and began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list because of hamstring and knee issues.

— Giants defensive lineman Damon "Snacks" Harrison practiced Tuesday for the first time since training camp began. Harrison missed the first three practices after being put on the physically-unable-to-perform list with a swollen knee.

— The Bengals signed H-back Ryan Hewitt to a three-year contract extension through the 2019 season. The three-year veteran is one of the team's best blockers and has 18 catches for 185 yards since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

NASCAR-EARNHARDT

Little E to miss at least 2 more races due to concussion

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss at least two more races while he recovers from a concussion.

Earnhardt skipped the last three races and will continue to be replaced by four-time series champion Jeff Gordon behind the wheel in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt said on his weekly podcast that he continues to experience issues with balance and gaze stabilization.

OLYMPICS-OBAMA

Obama, Biden to skip Rio Games

UNDATED (AP) — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have no plans to attend the Olympics.

The White House says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the American delegation to the games. He'll be the highest-level U.S. official attending.

The U.S. contingent will also include nine-time gold medal-winning swimmer Mark Spitz.

In other Olympic news:

— Fourth-ranked Stan Wawrinka (vah-VRINK'-ah) is withdrawing from the men's tennis draw because of an undisclosed injury, leaving the Rio Games without half of the ATP's top 10. The two-time major champion joins Swiss teammate Roger Federer in skipping the Olympics. They won a doubles gold medal together at Beijing in 2008.

— The Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to have decisions over the next few days on the appeals by some Russian athletes of their Olympics ban for doping. Three swimmers have had their cases adjourned until Tuesday, and a decision on the Russian Weightlifting Federation's case is likely tomorrow.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS-NORTH CAROLINA-NCAA

Tar Heels fighting NCAA over disciplinary responsibility

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is holding off on self-imposed penalties while it challenges the NCAA's jurisdiction to pursue charges in the school's long-running academic fraud scandal.

The school has publicly released its response to five potentially top-level NCAA charges, which include lack of institutional control. UNC is acknowledging problems tied to irregular courses in a department available to all students and popular with athletes. However, it argues that disciplinary action should be handled its own selected accreditation agency, not the NCAA.

NBA-SPURS-LEE

Spurs add Lee to roster

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs have signed two-time All-Star David Lee. The 33-year-old averaged 7.8 points and 5 1/2 rebounds in five games spent with Dallas and Boston last season. Lee and new teammate Pau Gasol (pow gah-SAHL') are the only current NBA players to total at least 10,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists over the last 10 seasons.

NHL-VEGAS-McCRIMMON

McPhee gets help in Vegas

UNDATED (AP) — The Las Vegas expansion NHL team has hired Kelly McCrimmon as its assistant general manager under GM George McPhee. The 55-year-old led the Wheat Kings to the WHL title this past season after turning down a job in the Toronto Maple Leafs' front office last summer. He is a three time WHL executive of the year and was the Canadian Hockey League's executive of the year in 2009-10.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-AP POLL TOP 100 PROGRAMS

Buckeyes are No.1 in AP poll ranking

UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State is No. 1 -- for 80 years.

The Buckeyes top the first all-time Top 100 college football programs based on The Associated Press 80-year old college football rankings.

The Buckeyes got the 1,112 points based on a formula that gives one point for each top 25 appearance, one point for a No. 1 ranking and 10 points for an AP championship. Ohio State has appeared in 852 of the 1103 polls since the inception of the AP ranking, good for a 77.2 percent showing. That was the best of all schools.

Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and Southern California round out the top five and are followed by Nebraska, Michigan, Texas, Florida State and Florida.