BASEBALL
Hamilton hopes to return
Josh Hamilton is hoping to be able to pinch-hit for the AL West-leading Texas Rangers by the end of the weekend. Hamilton said Thursday that all has gone well since arthroscopic surgery Sept. 11 to clean up the meniscus in his left knee. He said he immediately felt better after surgery. The 2010 AL MVP hopes to be able to pinch-hit again by Sunday, and is still hopeful of playing full games again before the end of the regular season. Hamilton has had only two pinch-hitting appearances since Sept. 1, when he was activated after being on the 15-day disabled list for inflammation in his left knee. The outfielder is hitting .257 with 6 home runs and 21 RBI in 40 games this season for Texas.
• The Kansas City Royals have sent struggling starter Danny Duffy to the bullpen. The left-hander hasn't won since Aug. 25 and has gone six innings just once in his last six starts. Duffy lasted only 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday night, giving up four runs in a loss to the Indians. He's 7-8 with a 4.35 ERA in 24 starts. Royals Manager Ned Yost didn't hold back on his criticism of Duffy following his latest loss. He wants four consistent starters for the postseason. AL Central-leading Kansas City is going through its roughest patch this season with nine losses in 12 games. Yordano Ventura figures to be in the playoff rotation along with Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen. Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, who was moved out of the rotation in August, will take Duffy's spot.
• The on-again-off-again status of the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton is back on hold after tests performed earlier in the week on his injured left hand revealed an "abnormal amount" of internal scar tissue. Stanton hasn't taken batting practice since Monday in New York and doesn't expect to step back in the cage again until Saturday at the earliest. He said doctors in New York told him "the strength's not there. Don't overdo it. Do what's manageable." Stanton said he still hopes to play before the end of the season. But time is clearly running out, and he said the scar tissue won't be gone anytime soon. "Not in a couple of weeks," Stanton said, understanding it might require the entire offseason for the hand to completely heal. "That's kind of the big speed bump as far as getting the strength back," he said. "That has altered the anatomy of my tendons. So that's what's going on." After breaking the hamate bone on June 26 and undergoing surgery, Stanton was initially expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks. But his recovery has taken far longer.
• The Cleveland Indians, a latecomer to the AL wild-card chase, have sent struggling right-hander Trevor Bauer to the bullpen. Indians Manager Terry Francona announced the decision before Thursday night's game against Kansas City. Cleveland entered play trailing Houston by four games for the second wild card. Bauer is 11-12 with a 4.71 ERA in 29 starts. He has won only twice in his last seven starts and has failed to get past the fourth inning four times in that span. Corey Kluber, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, returned to the rotation Thursday, his first outing since Aug. 28. The right-hander has been out with a strained right hamstring. Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin and rookie Cody Anderson will round out the rotation.
• Atlanta Braves left-hander Manny Banuelos had surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow and is expected to be ready for spring training. Manager Fredi Gonzalez says doctors reported no problems in Thursday's operation. Banuelos was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with inflammation in the elbow. He missed the 2013 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Banuelos was 1-5 with a 5.13 ERA in six starts and one relief appearance this year, his rookie season. Atlanta acquired Banuelos from the Yankees on Jan. 1 for right-hander David Carpenter and left-hander Chasen Shreve.
HOCKEY
Kane: Did nothing wrong
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is addressing the sexual assault investigation against him for the first time, saying he has "done nothing wrong" and is looking forward to the season. Kane and team officials held a news conference Thursday, one day before training camp begins in South Bend, Ind., on the Notre Dame campus. Kane is accused of assaulting a woman last month at his home near his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. He has not been charged. He said it has been an "incredibly difficult time for many people" and he apologized for causing a distraction. But he also said he was confident he would be absolved.
• Daniel Alfredsson is back with the Ottawa Senators. The Senators hired the former star player Thursday as senior adviser of hockey operations Thursday. Alfredsson will serve as an adviser to General Manager Bryan Murray and will support hockey operations at the NHL level from scouting to player development. Owner Eugene Melnyk announced the move on Twitter with the message, "Alfie is comin' home!" Alfredsson spent 17 seasons with the Senators as a player, including parts of 13 as captain. The Swede left to play one more NHL season for the Detroit Red Wings.
BASKETBALL
Gasol lifts Spain over France
Pau Gasol overwhelmed title holder France, scoring 40 points in an 80-75 victory in overtime that put Spain into the final of the European basketball championship on Thursday in Lille, France. Spain, champion in 2009 and 2011, will play the winner of today's semifinal between Serbia and Lithuania. Gasol's 40 points were a personal record while playing for Spain and silenced the 26,000 partisan crowd. He also pulled down 11 rebounds. Gasol scored the last four points of the game with two thunderous dunks as Spain took revenge for losing to France in the semifinals two years ago. France also beat Spain in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Spain last year. Spain has never finished lower than fourth in the past eight European championships. France led by 11 in the second quarter but Spain was never far behind and finished strongly. France star Tony Parker had a poor night, going 4-for-17 from the field for 10 points and six assists. Spain had lost twice in group play, while France was undefeated in six games coming into the semifinal. Earlier, Greece rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Latvia 97-90 and finish fifth in the championship. Italy beat the Czech Republic 85-70 to place sixth.
• The Miami Heat are finalizing an agreement to bring veteran point guard John Lucas III into training camp, an addition that could shake up depth at the position behind starter Goran Dragic. The negotiations toward the agreement were confirmed by a person close to the process. Lucas, who finished last season with the Detroit Pistons, is expected to sign a non-guaranteed contract, which would make him the 19th player on the Heat camp roster. Teams are allowed to carry as many as 20 players prior to the start of the regular season, when the limit is reduced to 15. The Heat open training camp Sept. 29, with their exhibition opener on Oct. 4 against the visiting Charlotte Hornets and their regular-season opener on Oct. 28 at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Hornets.
SOCCER
Tournament still on for U.S.
Soccer officials say they still intend to hold the centennial edition of the Copa America tournament in the United States next year. CONCACAF communications and marketing director Jurgen Mainka said "several steps" remain to finalize the tournament, but officials are moving toward that goal. Mainka spoke Thursday as leaders of the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL federations met in Mexico City. The tournament is scheduled to take place June 3-26. But its status has been uncertain since a corruption scandal in May that rocked world soccer's governing body, FIFA. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that officials took bribes in exchange for rights to four Copa America tournaments including the centennial.
Sports on 09/18/2015