CHICAGO (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead home run and Cole Ragans pitched six effective innings to help the Kansas City Royals end a three-game skid with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ragans struck out nine while allowing eight hits and all three Chicago runs. He struck out three straight batters to end his final inning. The Cubs started the day 2 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central standings and missed a chance to creep closer after striking out 13 times. Carlos Hernández, the last of four Royals relievers, pitched the ninth for his second save in five chances.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jeff McNeil had a three-run shot and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 on Friday night for their third straight victory. Joey Lucchesi (2-0) allowed four hits, walked two and struck out five in 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first major league start since May 13 at Washington. Nimmo drove the third pitch he saw from Zack Thompson (2-5) into the center-field bleachers for his 18th home run. It was his fourth leadoff home run this season and the 11th of his career, and gave him a 10-game hitting streak. Thompson allowed two runs on six hits and walked a batter in five innings.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn did get a souvenir baseball to take home after recording his first major league hit in his MLB debut. But it wasn’t easy to get the ball after New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso tossed it into the stands. The 21-year-old Winn beat out a dribbler down the third base line for his first career hit in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday night. Alonso, after being told to throw the ball out of play, tossed it over the netting and into the first base stands, behind the Cardinals dugout. But the story ended in Winn's favor as a fan returned the ball.
DENVER (AP) — Ezequiel Tovar, Elias Díaz and Ryan McMahon all homered, Peter Lambert pitched seven strong innings, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago White Sox 14-1 Friday night. The Rockies finished with a season-high scoring total after coming in having lost seven of their past eight games and 15 of 21. Tovar and Díaz each hit two-run home runs as part of a five-run first inning that gave Colorado a comfortable lead. Ryan McMahon got his team-leading 21st homer on a 433-foot shot in the fourth inning.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has rescheduled three Sunday games in California because of the forecast for Hurricane Hilary. Major League Baseball announced the changes as Hurricane Hilary churned off Mexico’s Pacific coast as a powerful Category 4 storm. Each of the games — Arizona at San Diego, Tampa Bay at the Los Angeles Angels and Miami at the Los Angeles Dodgers — will now be played Saturday as part of split doubleheaders.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper and the Phillies hit Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday to play the Washington Nationals in the annual Major League Baseball Little League Classic at 2,366-seat Historic Bowman Field. The field is just a 6-mile trip from the complex where the Little League World Series is underway with kids full of big league dreams. MLB is banking on those kids and others like them to fuel the sport's growth. MLB says ticket-buyers are younger, more teens are watching the game and social media accounts such as Jomboy Media generate big-traffic numbers with kids looking for snappy highlight breakdowns. Harper pushed for a game in Cooperstown, New York, to help celebrate the game.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas and Illinois will play a televised basketball exhibition Oct. 29 with the proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund. Wildfires have recently scorched the island. At least 111 are dead. Hundreds more are unaccounted for. Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement Friday that he and Illinois coach Brad Underwood devised the plan while discussing how they could help those affected by the fires. The exhibition will take place at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The game will be televised by Big Ten Network.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ last go-around in the Big 12 could be dubbed the Longhorns’ “Embrace the Hate” tour. That’s what coach Steve Sarkisian suggested of a season where Texas is expected to finally contend once again for an elusive league championship before leaving for the Southeastern Conference in 2024. Every road trip from Waco to Ames, Iowa should bring some extra spice for Texas from the home crowd. Texas returns 10 starters on offense and key transfers on both sides of the ball. Quinn Ewers starts at quarterback and linebacker Jaylan Ford anchors the defense. Texas hosts Rice on Sept. 2.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Expectations are down for Oklahoma in its final season in the Big 12 before heading to the Southeastern Conference. The Sooners were voted third in the 14-team conference’s preseason poll. That's just the fourth time in the past 13 years they weren’t picked to win the league. Coach Brent Venables says the Sooners fell well below expectations and standards last season but grew as a team. He says his first season was about laying groundwork, and he expects much better results. Oklahoma opens at home against Arkansas State on Sept. 2.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — No one expected TCU to have an undefeated regular season and get to the national championship game like the Horned Frogs did in coach Sonny Dykes' first season. They will have to surprise everyone again to get another title shot. The Frogs are 17th in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and picked to finish fifth in the Big 12. That comes after they were bullied by Georgia in the national title game, and the departures of Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Max Duggan, their top two running backs and top three receivers.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State returns quarterback Will Howard, its entire offensive line and plenty of playmakers on defense from a team that won the Big 12 title last season. The No. 16 Wildcats probably won't sneak up on anybody after they were picked to finish second to Texas. They have to replace to All-American Deuce Vaughn in the backfield and first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah on defense. A few transfers should help fill the voids. The big one is Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward, who could join returning DJ Giddens to form one of the league's best running back tandems.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas had a breakthrough season a year ago, winning at least six regular-season games and going to a bowl game for the first time since 2008. Now, the pressure is on Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold to not only replicate the effort but improve upon it. It should help that dynamic quarterback Jalon Daniels is back and healthy after missing four games last season. He was voted the Big 12's preseason offensive player of the year. But making things difficult will be an unforgiving schedule that includes a non-conference game against Illinois and league games against Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State.
UNDATED (AP) — Mike Gundy’s run of 17 consecutive winning seasons as Oklahoma State coach could end this year if he doesn’t find a strong replacement for Spencer Sanders at quarterback. Former Texas Tech and Michigan quarterback Alan Bowman has the most experience. He has passed for 5,329 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career. Oklahoma State fans should be familiar with Bowman — he had two of his best college games in Stillwater against the Cowboys while he was at Texas Tech. Redshirt freshman Garret Rangel, redshirt sophomore Gunnar Gundy and true freshman Zane Flores also could play.
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bearcats had to rebuild almost from the ground up. Now they step up from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 with a new coach, new coordinators, new quarterback and a parade of other new players plucked out of the transfer portal. Coach Scott Satterfield has a monumental job. Cincinnati has just one returning starter on offense. Last year's quarterback transferred to Northwestern and the backup switched to wide receiver. Quarterback Emory Jones, who is at his third Power Five school, will direct the Bearcats' offensive attack.
FRIDAY SCORES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Kansas City 4 Chicago Cubs 3
Final Cincinnati 1 Toronto 0
Final Colorado 14 Chicago White Sox 1
Final Minnesota 5 Pittsburgh 1
Final Milwaukee 9 Texas 8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Detroit 4 Cleveland 2
Final Boston 8 N.Y. Yankees 3
Final Cleveland 4 Detroit 1
Final Seattle 2 Houston 0
Final Baltimore 9 Oakland 4
Final Tampa Bay 9 L.A. Angels 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 8 Philadelphia 7
Final Atlanta 4 San Francisco 0
Final N.Y. Mets 7 St. Louis 1
Final San Diego 4 Arizona 0
Final Miami 11 L.A. Dodgers 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final N-Y Giants 21 Carolina 19
Final Cincinnati 13 Atlanta 13