MARINERS-RANGERS
Odor homers twice, Gomez hits slam as Rangers rout Mariners
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rougned Odor homered twice a day after hitting a game-ending shot and Carlos Gomez connected for a grand slam off Felix Hernandez, sending the Texas Rangers to a 14-1 romp over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.
Odor tied a career high with five RBIs and Adrian Beltre and Ryan Rua also homered for the AL West leaders. Texas (80-54) moved a season-high 26 games over .500 with a fifth straight win and gave Seattle its fifth loss in a row.
The Rangers matched the 1999 and 2012 Texas teams as the fastest to reach 80 wins.
Odor had a two-run shot for a 10-0 lead in the seventh and a three-run homer in the eighth, and leads the team with 27 home runs. On Tuesday night, his two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth gave Texas an 8-7 win.
Martin Perez (9-10) pitched six shutout innings despite giving up seven hits and three walks.
Hernandez (9-5) matched a season high by allowing six runs in his shortest outing, coming out after four innings in his first loss since May 27.
YANKEES-MARINERS TRADE
Seattle acquires OF Ben Gamel from Yankees for 2 pitchers
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Seattle Mariners acquired outfielder Ben Gamel from the New York Yankees in exchange for a pair of minor league pitchers.
The teams announced the trade Wednesday. Gamel has been added to Seattle’s 40-man roster and will join the Mariners when they open a homestand Friday.
The deal is mostly for Seattle’s future, as Gamel has played in just six games with the Yankees. But he was just named the International League MVP after hitting .308 with 80 runs, 26 doubles, six home runs and 51 RBIs in 116 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Gamel was also the International League rookie of the year in 2015.
Seattle sent 19-year-old Jio Orozco and 18-year-old Juan De Paula to the Yankees. Both are right-handers who spent this season pitching in the Arizona rookie league.
WINGS-STORM
Seattle moves into 8th place in WNBA playoff standings
SEATTLE (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 23 points, Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 12 rebounds and the Seattle Storm beat the Dallas Wings 78-66 on Wednesday night to move into eighth place in the WNBA playoff standings.
The Storm led by 15 in the first half but Dallas opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, capped by Odyssey Sims’ baseline jumper, to pull to 43-40. Plenette Pierson sank a 3-pointer to tie it at 52-all late in the third quarter.
Dallas outscored Seattle 24-13 in the third and pulled to 62-61 midway through the fourth. But Loyd hit a long jumper and after Aerial Powers missed a 3-pointer, Stewart made a bank shot to extend Seattle’s lead to 70-63 with 2:46 remaining.
Sue Bird added 13 points and Crystal Langhorne had 12 points for Seattle (11-16), which is ranked eighth in the AP power poll.
Pierson scored 19 points and Skylar Diggins added 10 points for 11th-ranked Dallas (9-19). The Wings have lost nine straight games.
49ERS-KAEPERNICK
Some military vets tweet support for Kaepernick’s protest
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — NFL teams close out the pre-season with a full slate of games this evening.
Many eyes will be on San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick, who has vowed to continue his protest and sit during the national anthem. Kaepernick says he’s protesting what he describes as oppression of minorities in the United States. Some who have criticized the protest said it was insulting to veterans.
He gets his final shot to earn back San Francisco’s starting quarterback job. Kaepernick looked rusty last week in his first game action since November.
Some people who identify themselves as veterans have tweeted photos of themselves in uniform and messages of support for the 49ers player under the hashtag VeteransForKaepernick. One says he served to protect freedoms, not a song. Another says protesting is every American’s right.
KAEPERNICK-ANTHEM-AIRPORT DISPLAY
Travelers angered by Kaepernick memorabilia at Reno airport
RENO, Nev. (AP) —Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem is prompting protests over a display at the Reno airport that includes memorabilia from his days at the University of Nevada, where he was a star player before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.
An official at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport said Wednesday that the airport has received more than a hundred angry messages by phone, email and social media from locals and travelers who want Kaepernick’s trophy, helmet and other memorabilia removed from the prominent display case.
Others passing by have also offered disapproving hand gestures, hisses and venting in person.
Kaepernick has been refusing to stand for the national anthem because he said he believes the United States oppresses African Americans and other minorities.
NFL-CONCUSSIONS
Supreme Court to hear concussion case
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A last-minute appeal in the NFL concussion case is sending the proposed settlement to the U.S. Supreme Court and delays payouts for at least several months. The family of late Buffalo Bills fullback “Cookie” Gilchrist wants the high court to revisit the debate over the brain injury known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (en-sehf-uh-LAH’-pah-thee), or CTE.
The appeal filed Monday by son Scott Gilchrist calls it “irrational” that a federal judge in Philadelphia excluded future payouts for CTE from the potential $1 billion settlement, though the science continues to develop.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
