DETROIT (AP) – Salvador Perez homered twice Wednesday night as the Kansas City Royals routed the Detroit Tigers 13-2. Whit Merrifield added three doubles and three RBIs for the Royals. Jason Hammell got the win after allowing just two runs in six innings.
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Rookie Jack Flaherty tossed five innings of one-run ball Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals past the San Diego Padres 3-1. Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run home run for the Cardinals, who have won four straight games. Reliever Ryan Sherriff got the win and Tyler Lyons picked up the save.
ST. LOUIS (AP) – The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired right-hander Juan Nicasio from Philadelphia in exchange for minor league infielder Eliezer Alvarez. The 31-year-old Nicasio joined the Phillies last week on a waiver claim from Pittsburgh. Nicasio won’t be eligible for postseason play.
NEW YORK (AP) – Jack Harrison scored his ninth goal of the season late in the game Wednesday night to give New York City FC a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City. New York City is 8-0-2 in its last 10 home games. Both teams were short-handed. NYC’s David Villa was injured during his call-up for Spain’s World Cup qualifiers and Sporting KC had four players out on international duty.
UNDATED (AP) – Defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma has won 11 games in a row since its last game against Ohio State. The fifth-ranked Sooners put the nation’s longest winning streak on the line when they travel to the second-ranked Buckeyes’ famed Horseshoe. Oklahoma went on to win the Big 12 title without a league loss after going 1-2 in nonconference play last year. That included the three-touchdown loss at home to the Buckeyes.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley is just 34 years old. He will be thrown into the fire immediately in his second game as head coach. He’ll take the fifth-ranked Sooners into Columbus to face No. 2 Ohio State. The man who won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant in 2015 believes he is ready for Saturday’s showdown.
UNDATED (AP) – The college football season opened with marquee matchups in NFL stadiums, giving a bowl-game feel to regular-season games. In week two, it’s back to campus. Four games involving eight ranked teams have the potential to set an early season course for the College Football Playoff race. No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State tops the list.
UNDATED (AP) – A lot of teams have stunk on special teams as the college football season has gotten under way. Coaches around the country are in fix-it mode. Through two games, South Florida has had two punts blocked and other problems. Florida State had a field goal and punt blocked and fumbled on a kick return in its loss to Alabama. Coaches say they spend plenty of time on special teams in practice.
AMES, Iowa (AP) – This year’s Iowa-Iowa State game might feature more in-state talent that any Cy-Hawk matchup in recent memory. The Hawkeyes’ most recent depth chart featured 23 players from Iowa. Many of the Cyclones’ top players – including seniors Allen Lazard, Joel Lanning and Jake Campos – went to high school not far from Ames. The two teams play at Iowa State on Saturday.