AP National Sports

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora shaved his beard before Tuesday night’s game against the Braves, hoping a new vibe might help Boston snap its five-game losing streak. The Red Sox have lost 14 of 18 games and are in last place in the AL East. Cora

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy cleared the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and is in the lineup for Tuesday night’s playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a surprise reversal after coach Bruce Cassidy had said he’d miss Game 5 earlier in the day. McAvoy traveled to North Carolina in the afternoon

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis All-Star guard Ja Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the NBA postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise in his injured right knee. The Grizzlies said they expect him to make a full recovery. The NBA’s most improved player had been averaging 38.3 points a

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis All-Star guard Ja Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the NBA postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise in his injured right knee. The Grizzlies said they expect him to make a full recovery. The NBA’s most improved player had been averaging 38.3 points a

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer The PGA Tour is denying releases to golfers who want to play in the first Saudi-funded tournament next month in England. It’s a bold move by Commissioner Jay Monahan in trying to quash Greg Norman’s latest bid to start a rival league. The first LIV Golf Invitational is scheduled

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Barcelona has moved closer to securing second place in the Spanish league by defeating 10-man Celta Vigo 3-1 in a match in which defender Ronald Araújo had to be taken off the field in an ambulance with a head injury after colliding with a teammate. Barcelona

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom has been transferred to the 60-day injured list by the New York Mets. The procedural move does not necessarily indicate anything new with his progress in returning from a stress reaction on his right shoulder blade. DeGrom has not

ATLANTA (AP) — Third baseman Austin Riley became the first of four members of the World Series champion Atlanta Braves to go to a salary arbitration hearing, asking for $4.25 million rather than the team’s $3.95 million offer. Arbitrators Richard Bloch, Steven Wolf and John Woods heard the case virtually. A decision is expected Wednesday,

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Liverpool recovered from conceding in the third minute to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and move level on points with Manchester City in the Premier League title race. City still leads thanks to its superior goal difference and plays its game in hand against Wolverhampton on Wednesday. The teams will then only

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer Memphis’ chances of staving off elimination are even tougher now. The Golden State Warriors put the Grizzlies on the brink of the offseason after they rallied late in Game 4 on Monday night to grab a 3-1 series lead as Memphis star Ja Morant sat out with a sore

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal was planning to head to the mound for the game’s first pitch. Then he realized the Detroit Tigers were the visiting team at Comerica Park and Oakland’s Frankie Montas would be on the rubber. “Thank God someone mentioned it before the game, because I almost

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The president of a historically Black college says sheriff’s deputies in Georgia intimidated and humiliated the school women’s lacrosse team when officers pulled over the athletes’ bus and searched it for drugs. Delaware State University President Tony Allen said in a letter to students and faculty

By STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writers Turns out a two-goal lead is the safest lead in the first round of the NHL playoffs. A three-goal lead? Insurmountable. Fall behind at all in a game? Well, good luck. The first week of the NHL playoffs has been a stark contrast to the regular

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day injured list. His bruised right middle finger wasn’t healing fast enough for him to face his former team. The move was made retroactive to last Friday and before the Twins began a three-game series against Houston. Correa played for the Astros

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay spent years putting together his expansive guitar collection. Now he’s trying to add a Fender Mustang electric guitar used by Kurt Cobain. Cobain’s family is auctioning off the blue guitar used in Nirvana’s iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video and other items that belonged to the

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Joe Cronin has been named the Portland Trail Blazers’ general manager after serving in the interim role since December. Cronin was promoted to interim GM after Neil Olshey was fired following an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace environment. Cronin has since been

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Betis has defeated Valencia 3-0 in the Spanish league to end a four-match winless streak and keep alive its hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season. It was a rematch of the Copa del Rey final won by Betis in a penalty shootout

ZURICH (AP) — Electronic Arts will stop making its hugely successful FIFA video game in its current name, marking a split in one of soccer’s most successful and lucrative partnerships after the sides failed to strike a new licensing deal. Instead, the California company said Tuesday that EA Sports FC will be introduced from 2023