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…

CINCINNATI (AP) — Utility player Yairo Munoz wants his St. Louis manager to trust that he’ll produce in any situation. He banked a lot of trust on Sunday. Munoz celebrated a rare start with a…

At Wrigley Field, misters in the back of the bleachers tried to cool the crowd. At Yankee Stadium, only one player took batting practice on the field. In Cleveland, rules were relaxed on what fans…

CINCINNATI (AP) — Josh VanMeter’s attempt to move the runner cleared the bases. Yasiel Puig hit a game-tying double to end Miles Mikolas’ shutout bid, VanMeter followed with his first major league home run and…

CINCINNATI (AP) — Even from the training room, Adam Wainwright could sense something brewing. “You just had that feeling,” he said. “Every one of those guys said, ‘We’ve got you.’ Jose Martinez homered and singled…

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tommy Edman expected to see a breaking ball on the first pitch of his sixth-inning at-bat, and he didn’t waste it. The St. Louis rookie snapped a tie with his first career…

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Looking for a positive vibe after a disappointing season, the Atlanta Falcons instead faced scrutiny Monday over a coaching decision that would normally attract scant attention. Shortly after taking the…

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks will be without defensive lineman Jarran Reed for the first six games of the season after he was suspended by the NFL on Monday for violating the league’s personal…

NEW YORK (AP) — In some versions of a July 19 story about the Sports Matter initiative, The Associated Press erroneously identified the RAND Corp. as the RAND Institute. A corrected version of the story…

Until the NFL shortens its preseason, there will be one goal in late July and early August. Stay healthy. Unfortunately, nearly every team sustains significant injuries, some of which can be devastating for the regular…

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have placed star defensive end J.J. Watt and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the physically unable to perform list. Also going on the PUP list was wide receiver DeAndre…

Here are the latest scores from today’s sports events: ——— INTERLEAGUE Miami at Chi White Sox 8:10 p.m. Baltimore at Arizona 9:40 p.m. ——— AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland at Toronto 7:07 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The game between the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals scheduled for Monday night has been postponed because of inclement weather in the area. They will now play a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday.…

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: PAYING RESPECTS Ryan Braun will miss Milwaukee’s home game against the Cincinnati Reds to attend the funeral of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who was…

It took 108 years for the Cubs to end their championship drought, so the final play of that 2016 World Series won’t be forgotten any time soon. Mike Montgomery, who at that point had no…

SEATTLE (AP) — Ron Francis has all kinds of eye-popping statistics attached to his Hall of Fame career. He averaged more than point a game, is second in NHL history in assists behind Wayne Gretzky…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will go to China as part of the NHL’s continued outreach in that country. Ovechkin will visit Beijing in early August as a league ambassador. He’s expected to…

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle’s NHL expansion team is close to an agreement with Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis to become its first general manager, a person with direct knowledge tells The Associated Press. The…

After the New Jersey Devils acquired P.K. Subban, Taylor Hall texted Ray Shero a green checkmark. “Like, ‘Check that box off,'” Shero said. “I guess that’s good.” The Devils have a much longer checklist to…

Tim Duncan is back with the San Antonio Spurs, this time as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. Duncan, the Spurs’ all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots — and the only player to…

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have been awarded the rights to Kostas Antetokounmpo on a waiver claim. The Lakers announced the move Monday to acquire the 21-year-old brother of Milwaukee Bucks…

BOSTON (AP) — If this basketball thing doesn’t work out for Brad Stevens, he already has a backup plan in mind. The Boston Celtics coach joked on Wednesday that he’s hoping to capitalize on his…

BOSTON (AP) — Enes Kanter took a playful swipe at him. Kemba Walker will try to replace him. Kyrie Irving is no longer with the Celtics, but his brief flameout in Boston is still on…

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Auburn University assistant basketball coach and NBA star Chuck Person’s lifelong generosity may have driven him to the poorhouse, but it saved him from the jailhouse Wednesday when a judge…