NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus has forced another change in Major League Baseball’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to eight teams affected in the first nine days of the season. Friday’s game between St. Louis and Milwaukee was postponed after two Cardinals players tested positive for the coronavirus.The league announced the schedule change hours before the game was to be played. It said the postponement in Milwaukee is “consistent with protocols to allow enough time for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted.”The Cardinals said in a statement that they learned Thursday night about positive tests from samples collected Wednesday. Players and staff have been instructed to isolate in their hotel rooms in Milwaukee, and the club did not leave the hotel Friday for Miller Park. The Brewers and Cardinals plan to resume their schedule Saturday night at Miller Park, pending results from the testing and contact tracing, and make up Friday’s game as part of a doubleheader Sunday. July 31, 2020 UNDATED (AP) — All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman has been cleared to return to Yankee Stadium following a bout with the coronavirus. He was expected to play catch before New York hosted the Boston Red Sox. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Chapman’s return and said he wasn’t sure when the hard-throwing left-hander would be ready for game action. Chapman had been isolating in his Manhattan apartment since registering a positive test July 11. His symptoms were mild, and the 32-year-old constructed a weight room in his living room to stay in shape. Right-hander Tommy Kahnle was added to the injured list with forearm tightness. He had an MRI taken Friday and was scheduled to visit the team physician. Right-hander Tommy Kahnle was added to the injured list with forearm tightness. He had an MRI taken Friday.In other MLB news: Hurricanes’ Dougie Hamilton out for Rangers series openerTORONTO (AP) — All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton won’t play for the Carolina Hurricanes in Saturday’s opener against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference’s expanded playoff qualifying round.Hamilton has missed multiple practices, though the league has prohibited teams from disclosing whether a player is injured or ill amid the coronavirus pandemic. A team reporter tweeted a photo of Hamilton taking the ice to skate after Friday’s practice.PGA-FEDEX INVITATIONALBrendon Todd takes 2-stroke lead with 65 at WGC in Memphis Playing as the designated road team not far from their arena, the Magic looked right at home at Disney — whose name they wear as their jersey patch. They extended their winning streak to four and moved back ahead of the Nets into seventh place in the Eastern Conference.The Magic outscored the Nets 75-43 in the middle two quarters, allowing them to overcome some shaky defense at the start and finish.Players and coaches from both teams knelt during the national anthem except for Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac, who also was the only player not wearing a Black Lives Matter warmup shirt. Isaac, who was playing his first game since a left knee injury on Jan. 1, stood with his arms behind his back while wearing his regular jersey.VIRUS OUTBREAK-BASEBALLVirus rocks MLB: Cards-Brewers postponed after 2 St. Louis positive tests MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Brendon Todd shot a 5-under 65 and grabbed a two-stroke lead through 36 holes of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Todd trailed defending champion Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) after the first round by two strokes. He quickly erased that deficit today and took the lead to himself with a bogey-free, five-birdie round for a 129 total at the World Golf Championships event at TPC Southwind. Rickie Fowler closed with birdies on his final two holes for a 67 and 131 total just behind Todd. Jon Rahm shot a 74 and now is 4 over in his first event as No. 1 in the world. Justin Thomas, who could go back to No. 1 in the world with a win, was seven strokes back after a 70. Rory McIlroy’s bid to be No. 1 again may have to wait until the PGA championship next week. He shot a 66, but is 10 strokes back. This round started early Friday morning to avoid expected thunderstorms in the afternoon. — The Chicago Cubs have signed former Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen to a minor league deal. Allen was assigned to the team’s training site in South Bend, Indiana. The Cubs’ bullpen struggled in the first week of the season. Closer Craig Kimbrel walked four batters and allowed two runs in his season debut Monday night. Right-hander Dillon Maples was optioned after he struggled in his first two appearances.— The Chicago White Sox promoted second baseman Nick Madrigal on Friday, adding one of their top prospects to the roster. The 23-year-old had been training at the team’s auxiliary site in Schaumburg, Illinois. Veteran reliever Kelvin Herrera was designated for assignment to make room on the roster before the opener of a three-game series at Kansas City.VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTSAP Source: Pac-12 sets Sept. 26 start for football scheduleUNDATED (AP) — The Pac-12 on Friday set Sept. 26 as the start of its 10-game, conference-only football schedule, joining the Southeastern Conference in pushing back its season by nearly a month because of the coronavirus pandemic. Associated Press
The Pac-12 announced three weeks ago it would eliminate nonconference games to give its 12 member schools a better chance to manage complications and disruptions caused by the health crisis. The plan approved by university presidents adds an additional cross-divisional game to each team’s slate and moves the conference championship game back two weeks from Dec. 4 to Dec. 18 or 19. The game, originally set to be played for the first time at the new NFL stadium in Las Vegas, will now be hosted by the highest-seeded team. The two-year deal with Las Vegas will instead begin in 2021, Commissioner Larry Scott said.The conference also plans to start the season with a couple of rivalry games usually saved for the end of the season: UCLA will face USC and Arizona meets Arizona State on Sept. 26 — if they can play.The Pac-12′s schedule announcement is the third for a Power Five football conference in as many days, following the Atlantic Coast Conference and the SEC. The ACC said it would play 10 conference games and give schools the opportunity to play one nonconference game. The SEC, like the Pac-12 and Big Ten, is playing only within the conference.NFL-NEWS Two other games scheduled for Friday involving the Marlins, Nationals, Blue Jays and Phillies had already been postponed because of an outbreak among Miami players and two positive tests on Philadelphia’s coaching staff. Miami learned Friday that another player tested positive, bringing its total to 18 players and two staff members, according to a person familiar with the situation.The Cardinals played in Minnesota on Tuesday and Wednesday before a scheduled day off Thursday. The Twins hosted Cleveland on Thursday night, and the Indians used the same visiting clubhouse as St. Louis. It’s uncertain if the Indians and Twins will move forward with their scheduled game Friday night. Cleveland planned to hold a team meeting early in the afternoon to discuss the situation.MLB-NEWSChapman rejoins Yankees after virus bout; Kahnle on IL Antonio Brown suspended 8 games by NFLUNDATED (AP) — The NFL has suspended wide receiver Antonio Brown for the first eight regular-season games of the 2020 season.Brown, who does not have a contract with any team, was suspended Friday under the league’s personal conduct policy.Brown played one game last season for the Patriots before being released. He can be signed by any team and would be eligible to participate in all of his club’s preseason activities. The suspension would take effect when teams make their final cuts on Sept. 5. Brown pleaded no contest on June 12 to charges related to a fight with a moving truck driver outside his South Florida home earlier this year. Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,236 yards and 75 touchdowns in parts of 10 NFL seasons. In other NFL news:— Jayron Kearse of the Detroit Lions has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games of the 2020 regular season for violating league policy on substance abuse. Kearse is eligible to participate in all preseason practices. He will be allowed to return to the Lions’ active roster on Monday, Sept. 28, following the team’s Week 3 game at Arizona.— Buffalo Bills starting right guard Jon Feliciano is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. The team did not reveal when or how Feliciano was hurt in making the announcement on its website Friday. Feliciano is a fifth-year NFL player entering his second season in Buffalo. — Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick will be the new announce team for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” according to a person familiar with the decision. The trio has familiarity working together. They called the late game in last season’s Week 1 doubleheader between Denver and Oakland.NHL-HURRICANES-HAMILTON Update on the latest sports Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditNBA-SCHEDULEMagic beat Nets 128-118 in restart opener, move up to 7thLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Evan Fournier scored 24 points, Nikola Vucevic had 22 and the Orlando Magic picked up where they left off before the NBA season was suspended, routing the Brooklyn Nets 128-118 on Friday in their first game of the restart.
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