Latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports

RED-SOX-MARINERS

Cano’s 3-run HR rallies Mariners to 5-4 win over Red Sox

SEATTLE (AP) — Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run eighth inning, Edwin Diaz got his first major league save and the Seattle Mariners overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Tuesday night.

Cano capped the comeback with his 24th homer to right field off newly acquired Red Sox reliever Fernando Abad (1-5).

The Mariners had just three hits off starter David Price through seven innings and trailed 4-0. Price was struck in the right thigh by Luis Sardinas’ line drive in the sixth, though, and struggled after. Mike Zunino opened the eighth with a home run to left off Price, and then Leonys Martin, Sardinas and Guillermo Heredia followed with consecutive singles to chase Price.

Matt Barnes struck out pinch-hitter Seth Smith. Abad came in and tried to get a curveball past Cano, who hit it 394 feet for a one-run lead.

Donn Roach (2-0) pitched two innings for the win.

Top Red Sox prospect Andrew Benintendi entered as a pinch-hitter for his major league debut and went 0 for 2, striking out to end the game.

MARINERS-NEW CLOSER

Diaz replaces Cishek as Mariners closer

SEATTLE (AP) — Edwin Diaz will take over as the Seattle Mariners closer just two months removed from Double-A, replacing struggling Steve Cishek.

Manager Scott Servais announced the decision Tuesday. Cishek blew a three-run lead Sunday in a loss to the Cubs then allowed a tiebreaking homer to Mookie Betts in the ninth inning of a loss against Boston on Monday night.

Diaz was promoted from Jackson on June 4 and has a 1.80 ERA in 24 appearances. The 22-year-old struck out 49 and walked seven over 25 innings and held opponents scoreless in 20 of his appearances.

Diaz says he likes “to pitch under pressure” and promised to “do the same job I do in the seventh or eighth, get three outs.”

SEAHAWKS-ON THE LINE

Seattle’s biggest question remains on the offensive line

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The way GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have structured the Seattle Seahawks roster and how salaries are spread around created one position group in particular that stands as the biggest question surrounding one of the favorites in the NFC.

Seattle’s offensive line is the biggest unknown so far, nearly a week into training camp. For the first week of training camp, the Seahawks have gone with the same five linemen taking the first snap with the starting offense during team drills.

If Seattle sticks with those five for the regular-season opener on Sept. 11 against Miami, it will go into the regular season with a unit playing in completely different positions than a season ago.

NCAA-SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Woman to ask NCAA to ban sexually violent athletes

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who says she was raped by college football players nearly 20 years ago is asking the NCAA to ban sexually violent athletes.

Brenda Tracy and her son will present a petition to the NCAA’s Board of Governors at its meeting Wednesday in Indianapolis. Current guidelines generally allow schools or conferences to hand down such punishments.

Tracy’s son Darius says he started the petition after hearing about multiple allegations involving Baylor football players. The petition contains more than 157,000 signatures.

The NCAA’s top committee has already met once with the family as it debates how to address sexual violence on campus.

Brenda Tracy says she was raped by four men, including Oregon State football players, in 1998. The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify people who say they were sexually assaulted, but Tracy has spoken publicly to draw attention to her situation.

T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL

An all-time first for venerable AP Top 25

UNDATED (AP) — The Associated Press has been ranking the best teams in college football for the last 80 seasons.

For the first time since that first poll in 1936, the AP has compiled an all-time Top 100 based on a formula that counts poll appearances (one point) to mark consistency, No. 1 rankings (one bonus point) to acknowledge elite programs, and a bonus for AP championships won (10 points).

The top five teams using those criteria: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and Southern California. Washington was 20th on the list and Oregon 28th, with Washington State at No. 59, Boise State at No. 61 and Oregon State at No. 65 on the all-time list.

Before the AP started asking its member sports writers and editors to vote for the top teams, then-sports editor Alan J. Gould in 1935 went about ranking them himself. In the final rankings he named Minnesota, Princeton and TCU co-No. 1s, and Gophers fans, as the story goes, hanged Gould in effigy. Gould, who died in 1993, recalled in 1985 that it created a “storm,” especially in the Big Ten. He quickly realized it was best to spread the blame — or responsibility — for the rankings around.

OREGON STATE-FALL CAMP

Oregon State football kicks off fall practice

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Construction is moving at a feverish pace at the west end of Reser Stadium, where Oregon State is putting the finishing touches on a $42 million remodel prior to the start of the football season.

The school is attempting to continue its advancement of the football program. As for the Beavers? They’re trying to keep from returning to their past struggles, where they once had a streak of 28 consecutive losing seasons.

Oregon State kicks off fall practices Friday at Summit High School in Bend, trying to end a slide of two consecutive losing seasons. Oregon State was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 North in the preseason media poll.

The Beavers return 11 starters, including 7 on offense. Among the newcomers looking to make an impact this season is quarterback Darrel Garretson, a junior transfer from Utah State who won the starting job during the spring.

Because of the stadium construction, Oregon State is moving the start of fall practice off campus for the first time ever to Bend, located about 125 miles southeast of Corvallis in Central Oregon. The Beavers will hold practice for the first six days in Bend, before returning to OSU’s campus Aug. 11.

Oregon State’s second-year coach Gary Andersen hopes to increase the team’s unity and chemistry during the week away from Corvallis.