The NHL isn’t a copycat league. It’s a response league. After the big and gritty St. Louis Blues muscled their way to the Stanley Cup, division rivals have responded in different ways. The Nashville Predators…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Oakland Athletics knew they had a big hole to fill in their starting rotation when they lost ace Frankie Montas to a long suspension. For one night, Daniel Mengden slipped…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dakota Hudson and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, and Paul DeJong homered to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Monday night in a series opener between…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Only when Dakota Hudson reached the dugout after being removed from the game did he realize something was different. “Guys were giving me hugs instead of handshakes,” the St. Louis Cardinals…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yasmani Grandal has ended the St. Louis Cardinals’ bid for a combined no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers with a two-out double in the eighth inning. Dakota Hudson went the first 6…

CINCINNATI (AP) — An inconsistent St. Louis Cardinals lineup cranked out just enough offense Sunday to stay in first place. Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer, Tommy Edman added a solo shot among his three…

CINCINNATI (AP) — Aristides Aquino keeps hitting historic home runs. Cincinnati’s red-hot rookie had a three-run homer, Nick Senzel added a leadoff shot and the Reds dropped the St. Louis Cardinals back into a tie…

CINCINNATI (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals scored two runs in 12 innings of Luis Castillo’s first two starts against them this season, both Cincinnati wins. Scoring a run within the first four batters suggested…

DENVER (AP) — Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo each made a triumphant return to action Monday night when the San Francisco 49ers’ backups engineered a 24-15 preseason win over the Denver…

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills objected Monday to recent comments from rapper Jay-Z about social activism by current and former NFL players, including Colin Kaepernick. Jay-Z and the league last week…

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Oft-suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon returned to the New England Patriots’ practice field on Monday without pads and without saying when he might be able to play again. Gordon was seen…

Devin Fuller got his first taste of the NFL’s business side during his rookie minicamp. One of the receiver’s would-be teammates had a bad practice. Not much later, that player got pulled out of a…

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Star receiver Antonio Brown returned to training camp with the Oakland Raiders on Monday, a day after being given an ultimatum by general manager Mike Mayock to be “all in or…

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: OLD FRIENDS Pete Alonso and the resurgent Mets face Cleveland in the opener of a pivotal nine-game homestand against a trio of playoff contenders: the Indians,…

It was late in the 2015 season when Baltimore’s Manny Machado smoked a pitch from Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer into center field at Camden Yards. Kevin Kiermaier sprinted to the wall, turned and leaped high…

PHOENIX (AP) — Carson Kelly is looking more and more like the big-hitting catcher the Arizona Diamondbacks have sought for some time. Kelly’s tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning was part of a three-run rally…

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Andrew Heaney struggled to describe his emotions with the Los Angeles Angels back in Texas for the first time since pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room before…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dakota Hudson and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, and Paul DeJong homered to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Monday night in a series opener between…

CHICAGO (AP) — Chad Bruner is a huge football fan. One day last December, he was sitting in a big leather chair in his Oklahoma City home when the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl caught his…

ELMONT, N.Y. (AP) — The New York state board responsible for economic development has approved a $1.3 billion project to build a 19,000-seat arena for the New York Islanders hockey team at Belmont Park. Newsday…

DENVER (AP) — Lindsey Vonn’s certainly dived right into retirement — off a cliff and splashing into a lake feet first. That’s one of the many post-racing adventures for the all-time winningest female skier in…

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning after being bought out by the New York Rangers. Lightning vice president and general manager…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just five games into the Citi Open final Sunday, Nick Kyrgios clutched at the middle of his back after a point. Soon, he was holding onto the chair umpire’s stand while trying…

WASHINGTON (AP) — What started as an innocuous conversation during a public event has evolved into a golf partnership between NBA star Stephen Curry and Howard University. The two-time NBA MVP announced Monday that he…

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — When Gregg Popovich was cut from the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball roster, those making the decision took the easiest way out. They posted a note. “Clueless people,” Popovich said, 47 years…

NEW YORK (AP) — In a record sale for a U.S. sports franchise, the co-founder of Alibaba agreed to buy the remaining 51 percent of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center for about $3.4 billion,…

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins is facing rehab from another major injury, and the Los Angeles Lakers have endured their first big problem of a season with championship expectations. Cousins was diagnosed Thursday…

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. and Spain are facing off Friday night, a matchup of the two top-ranked basketball teams in the world and a possible precursor to a medal-round meeting next month…