Orioles hold on to hope
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles apparently have no intention of dealing away veteran talent before the non-waiver trade deadline — at least for now. Although the Orioles were 46-50 and in fourth place in the AL East before Saturday’s game against Houston, vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette believes the team has the potential to make a playoff run. “The Orioles have had better ballclubs at this stage of the season, but I still have hope for this year’s club,” Duquette said while addressing season-ticket holders at the annual “State of the Orioles” event. “I’ve got a lot of confidence that the guys that we have can put it together.” The rumor mill had Baltimore shopping veteran relievers Brad Brach, Zach Britton and Darren O’Day — along with outfielder Seth Smith and catcher Welington Castillo — but Duquette seemed more interested in adding arms than giving away veterans for prospects. “This year we haven’t had the starting pitching that we need, but the other elements of our ballclub are intact,” Duquette said. “If we can get a little bit stronger pitching and add to the pitching, we can still make a run at this.”
FOOTBALL
› JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars could be down two cornerbacks, including starter
Jalen Ramsey, when they open training camp Thursday. The team placed Ramsey (core muscle) and nickel cornerback Aaron Colvin (foot) on the physically unable to perform list Saturday. Both players reported to the facility with injuries Friday. Ramsey was one of the team’s bright spots last year, starting every game as a rookie and finishing with 65 tackles. He led all rookies with 14 passes defensed and emerged as a lock-down cornerback early in the season. Colvin was suspended the first four games of 2016 for violating NFL rules regarding performance enhancers. He finished the year on injured reserve because of an ankle injury.
BASKETBALL
› SEATTLE — Maya Moore provided the example, reigning league MVP Nneka Ogwumike gladly followed along and Sue Bird received attention and recognition she deserved. Those veterans on the West roster knew exactly how to turn the first WNBA AllStar Game in Seattle into a showcase. Moore scored 23 points, Ogwumike added 22 and the West outlasted the East 130-121 Saturday with most of the focus on Bird, Seattle’s 10-time AllStar playing in front of her home crowd. The veteran West squad, with 55 career All-Star Game selections for players on its roster, pulled away after a close first half. Moore shot 9-for-17, including five 3-pointers, on her way to being named game MVP for the second straight year, while Ogwumike came off the bench to go 11-for-15 and Bird had a hand in many of those baskets, finishing with a game-record 11 assists and eight points.
› The Atlanta Hawks claimed Nicolas Brussino off waivers Saturday, two days after the guard/ forward was waived by the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-foot-8 Brussino appeared in 54 games with the Mavericks last season as a rookie, averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. The Hawks likely will add only a third point guard moving forward.