AP Sports Wrap For Tuesday, August 25 2015

UNDATED (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves in sole possession of first place in the American League East after winning for the 17th time in their last 20 games.

The Blue Jays were one out from a 5-4 loss until they scored twice in the ninth to beat the Rangers 6-5 in Texas. Adrian Beltre's throwing error at third allowed Ben Revere to score the winning run after Troy Tulowitzki extended the game with an RBI single.

Jose Bautista ripped a two-run homer and Chris Colabello added a solo shot as the Jays moved one game ahead of the New York Yankees.

The Yanks followed Monday's 1-0 victory over Houston with a 15-1 loss to the AL West-leading Astros. Colby Rasmus laced an RBI triple to ignite the Astros' five-run first inning. Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez homered in a four-run fifth, and Carlos Gomez clubbed a three-run shot to cap the Astros' six-run seventh.

The rallies were more than enough offense to back Houston ace Dallas Keuchel, who is 15-6 after limiting the Yanks to three hits and no walks while striking out nine in seven scoreless innings.

Houston's victory and the Rangers' loss leaves the Astros with a 4 ½-game division lead over Texas.

In other major league finals:

— Kendrys Morales hit a solo homer while the Royals were building an early 3-0 lead in a 3-2 win over Baltimore. Danny Duffy gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings before the Kansas City bullpen blanked the struggling Orioles on two hits the rest of the way. The Royals maintained their 13-game lead over Minnesota in the AL Central and sent the Birds to their sixth consecutive loss.

— The Twins picked up their fifth straight win as Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario homered in an 11-7 verdict over Tampa Bay. Dozier's two-run shot snapped a 5-5 tie in the fourth, one inning before Eduardo Escobar's two-run double put Minnesota ahead 10-6. The Twins and Angels are within a half-game of Texas for the final AL wild-card berth.

— Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and the Angels scored three times on wild pitches by Rob Bell in an 8-7 triumph at Detroit. Erick Aybar was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored to help Los Angeles end a four-game losing streak and send the Tigers to their fifth consecutive loss. Jared Weaver got the win despite yielding six runs in 5 2/3 innings.

— The New York Mets picked up their fifth straight win as pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer delivered a tiebreaking, two-run single in the sixth inning of a 6-5 triumph at Philadelphia. Yoenis Cespedes socked a two-run homer to back Noah Syndergaard, who lined an RBI double and allowed two earned runs while fanning nine in five innings. The NL East leaders remain 5 ½ games ahead of Washington.

— Ryan Zimmerman belted a grand slam and Wilson Ramos provided a two-run blast in the Nationals' 8-3 rout of San Diego. Nats starter Stephen Strasburg lowered his ERA to 4.14 by holding the Padres to a pair of runs and two hits in six innings. Jedd Gyorko homered twice for the Padres.

— Justin Turner and Jimmy Rollins smacked two-run homers and the Dodgers ended a five-game skid by downing the Reds 5-1 in Cincinnati. Winning pitcher Alex Wood surrendered just four hits and left the game with a 5-0 lead in the sixth. Cincinnati has dropped 10 of 11.

— San Francisco now trails the NL West by 2 ½ games to Los Angeles and is seven games behind the Cubs for the second NL wild-card berth following the Giants' 8-5 loss to Chicago. Rookie Kyle Schwarber opened the scoring by hitting one of the Cubs' three home runs, a three-run blast in the third inning. Miguel Montero launched a two-run shot and Starlin Castro added a solo homer in the Cubbies' sixth consecutive win.

— St. Louis ripped Arizona 9-1 to take a 4 ½-game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central. Jaime Garcia dropped his ERA to 1.77 in limiting the Diamondbacks to a run and four hits in six innings. Jhonny Peralta, Justin Heyward and Javier Molina drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinals, who capped the rout with a solo homer by Peter Bourjos.

— Dee Gordon tied a career high with four stolen bases while delivering two infield hits and scoring twice in Miami's 5-2 triumph over Pittsburgh. Gordon leads the majors with a .333 average and 156 hits. Justin Bour delivered a pair of RBI doubles as the Marlins ended the Pirates' three-game winning streak.

— Michael Brantley belted a pair of two-run homers and Francisco Lindor was 3-for-4 with three RBIs as Cleveland ripped Milwaukee 11-6. Jason Kipnis, Lindor and Brantley had three hits apiece and combined for nine RBIs and seven runs scored while hitting at the top third of the Indians' lineup.

— Colorado ended a four-game skid and beat Atlanta 5-1 behind D.J. LeMahieu's  three hits and three RBIs. Chad Bettis gave up just one run and five hits in five innings.

— Trayce Thompson had three hits and three RBIs as the White Sox knocked off Boston 5-4. Thompson delivered a triple and an RBI single before his two-run double in the seventh capped the scoring.

— Nelson Cruz smacked his major league-leading 38th home run and Logan Morrison added a two-run shot in the fourth inning of Seattle's 6-5 comeback win against Oakland. The Mariners stormed back from an early 5-0 deficit.

MLB-NOTES

Nats' Span activated...Stanton optimistic

UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Nationals have activated center fielder Denard Span as they try to catch the New York Mets in the NL East race. Span was hitting .304 with five homers and 11 steals in 59 games before missing the last 40 contests with a back injury. He just completed a six-game rehabilitation stint.

Washington optioned right-hander Tanner Roark to Class A Potomac to make room for Span. Roark was a full-time starter last year, but he pitched out of the bullpen in 28 of his 34 games this season. The Nats say Roark will resume working as a starter.

Elsewhere in the majors:

— Miami Marlins All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton says he's about a week and a half away from rejoining the lineup after being sidelined since June 26 with a broken left hand. Stanton says he doesn't expect to go on a minor-league rehabilitation stint and will instead work on his timing in the batting cage. He was leading the majors with 27 home runs and 67 RBIs when he was injured.

— Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich has been activated from the 15-day disabled left after recovering from a bruised right knee. Yelich was batting .275 with six homers and 29 RBIs when he went on the DL for the second time this year.

— Rays first baseman James Loney has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for making contact with an umpire in Saturday's game at Oakland. Loney has appealed the sanctions and will be able to continue playing until that process is completed.

— Dodgers reliever Juan Nicasio has been activated after being sidelined since Aug. 10 with a strained left abdomen. Nicasio is 1-3 with a 3.02 ERA and one save in 39 games this season. The Dodgers optioned right-hander Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, creating a roster opening for Nicasio.

— San Francisco Giants left-hander Jeremy Affeldt has landed on the 15-day disabled list after he sustained a left knee subluxation while playing with his children a day earlier. Affeldt is 2-2 with a 5.46 ERA in 44 games this season. The Giants recalled right-hander Mike Broadway from Triple-A Sacramento to take Affeldt's place.

NFL-NEWS

Scandrick says he has torn AOL

UNDATED (AP) — Dallas cornerback Orlando Scandrick left practice at training camp with what he told his secondary coach he believed was a torn ACL in his right knee.

Scandrick went down working against rookie receiver Lucky Whitehead on Tuesday and was carted off the field. The Cowboys were awaiting results of an MRI.

In other NFL news:

— The Steelers have signed four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick to a one-year deal. Pittsburgh needed a backup to Ben Roethlisburger after Bruce Gradkowski injured his non-throwing hand in Sunday's preseason win over Green Bay.

— The Denver Broncos have worked out a one-year deal with two-time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis. He will help protect Peyton Manning, who's trying to become the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl at age 39. The Broncos are high on rookie left guard Max Garcia, but starting linemen Ty Sambrailo and Matt Paradis are NFL novices.

— Miami Dolphins safety Louis Delmas has been placed on season-ending injured reserve because of a torn ACL in his right knee. He was hurt during a scrimmage with the Carolina Panthers. Delmas tore the same ACL last December against the Baltimore Ravens. The latest injury threatens his career.

NBA-CLIPPERS

NBA fines Clips

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $250,000 after an investigation found the team had violated league rules while trying to re-sign DeAndre Jordan last month. The league says the Clippers had made a presentation to the then-free agent on July 2 that improperly included a potential third-party endorsement opportunity.

Jordan eventually decided to stay with the Clippers after initially verbally committing to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

NHL-FLAMES

Calgary inks defenseman

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames have signed All-Star defenseman Mark Giordano to a six-year contract. Giordano had 11 goals and 37 assists in 61 games before sustaining a season ending injury on Feb. 25.

Giordano has 66 goals and 179 assists in 510 games, all with Calgary.

INDYCAR-WILSON

Late driver's organs save lives

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — According to his brother, late IndyCar driver Justin Wilson saved six lives Tuesday by donating his organs. The 37-year old driver died Monday night from a head injury suffered when a piece of debris struck him in the head during a race the previous day at Pocono Raceway.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-RUTGERS

Scarlet Knights suspend 5 for half of opener

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers has suspended star receiver Leonte Carroo, quarterback Chris Laviano and three other players for the first half of its season opener against visiting Norfolk State for a curfew violation.

The suspension of Laviano means Hayden Rettig will start at quarterback for Rutgers.

Carroo had 55 catches for 1,086 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Also suspended Sept. 5 are punter Tim Gleeson, defensive back Ruhann Peele and linebacker Kevin Marquez.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Former Virginia Tech coach dies

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Tech football coach Charlie Coffey has died at 81. The University of Tennessee says Coffey died after a long battle with cancer.

Coffey was a three-time letterman and an assist coach with the Vols before taking over the Hokies program in the 1970s.

SPORTS-MEDIA

ESPN pulls Schilling off LLWS

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — ESPN has removed Curt Schilling from its broadcast team for the Little League World Series because of an anti-Muslim tweet.

Schilling retweeted a post that said, "Only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists. In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How'd that go?" The post was soon removed from his Twitter feed.

The network said the tweet was unacceptable and that it "made that point very strongly to Curt."

Speaking of the Little League World Series, Webb City, Mo., Bonita, Calif. and Mexico were yesterday's winners. Taipei and Bowling Green, Ky., were eliminated.

SPORTS BETTING

Jersey rejected

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has struck out again in its efforts to legally offer sports betting. A federal appeals court panel in Philadelphia has upheld the federal ban on sports betting in all but four states. However, the 2-to-1 ruling left the door open for New Jersey to further appeal the matter to the full 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

New Jersey has been trying since 2009 to offer legal sports betting at its casinos and racetracks to help both struggling industries.

At issue in the appeal was whether a 2014 New Jersey law repealing prohibitions against sports gambling violates a 1992 federal ban in all states except Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware.