La Crosse Tribune Sports News

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins were once an organization lauded for fundamentals, often fielding a team that was one of the best fielding teams in the major leagues.

WEST SALEM — A strong first half helped the West Salem High School football team build a big enough lead that it could rely on a stout defense in the second half.

SPARTA — Players ran in small groups to form a large one that basked in the glory of the Sparta High School football team’s student section.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — One bad inning kept Jimmy Nelson winless in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- Kyle Higashioka doubled and singled twice, driving in two runs as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders topped the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 11-3 on Friday.

FOOTBALL

ATLANTA (AP) — Julio Teheran is confident he avoided an injury when he was hit by a line drive on his pitching arm.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer, Jon Lester threw seven scoreless innings and Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman finished off the Chicago Cubs' 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hope to get well against the fourth-place Chicago White Sox this weekend, but only the return of Lorenzo Cain made them feel better Friday night.

MADISON — For an encore to the upset victory over LSU, No. 10 Wisconsin will host Akron.

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Teixeira broke open the game with a fourth-inning grand slam, and the surprising New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 on a soggy Friday night to extend their winning streak to six.

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston rookie Joe Musgrove was having a good night before he was done in by a pair of batters in the fifth inning on Friday night.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals relied on power and the pitching of Carlos Martinez to solve their home woes Friday night.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals came within one win of the Super Bowl last season.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies got a clutch home run to erase a three-run deficit and received a decent outing from a rookie pitcher who's had trouble winning.

SEATTLE (AP) — Adam Gase knows he gets a bit of an advantage as the new coach with a new team and no lengthy background on what he might try to pull in his first game in charge of the…

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Quarterback battles, national anthem protests, and dealing with a franchise move dominated talk this summer for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs remember not-so-fondly the way they started last season, dropping five of their first six games and spending the rest of the year digging out of the hole.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals have made it to the playoffs five straight years, an impressive stretch of success that should put them among the elite franchises in the AFC.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Just because Drew Brees always speaks respectfully about even the Saints' lowliest opponents doesn't mean he's being insincere when pumps up the Raiders.