Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Off the wire
TENNIS Tiafoe victorious
Frances Tiafoe picked up his first victory at his hometown ATP tournament, beating 120thranked Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2, 6-4 with the help of 10 aces at the Citi Open in Washington on Wednesday. Tiafoe, 20, is seeded
13th and entered the day 0-2 at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 27. He was scheduled to play doubles later Wednesday alongside another local player, Denis Kudla of Arlington, Va., who also won in singles, eliminating No. 12 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-2, 6-3. Another seeded player lost when No. 14 Jeremy Chardy of France was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Marius Copil of Romania. No. 15 Mischa Zverev of Germany moved into the third round by defeating Tim Smyczek of the U.S. 6-2, 7-6 (7). Zverev’s next match could be against his younger brother, No. 1 seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev. Earlier Wednesday, No. 5 seed Nick Kyrgios withdrew because of an injured left hip.
BASEBALL Offense on the rise
Offense is on the rebound in Major League Baseball. After a historic drop during the season’s first three months that concerned the sport’s leadership, the big league batting average in July was .255, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, raising the season’s average from .246 to .248. Unless it goes up to at least .251 during the final two months, the season average would be the lowest since .244 in 1972. There were 6,546 hits and 6,195 strikeouts in July, reversing an anomaly in which strikeouts exceeded hits in two of the first three full months. Overall this season, batters have whiffed more than hit: There have been 27,285 strikeouts and 27,218 hits with the season about two-thirds through. Strikeouts topped hits in April (6,656 to 6,360) and June (6,776 to 6,640) while hits slightly exceeded strikeouts in May (7,033 to 6,971). Before this year, the previous low differential for a full month was in April 2017, when there were 138 more hits than strikeouts.
Correa begins rehab
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will begin a rehab assignment at Class AA Corpus Christi after missing more than a month with a back injury. Correa left the Astros on Wednesday to join Corpus Christi for a series against Frisco beginning today. Correa said he expects to play shortstop for the Hooks and hopes the rehab assignment will last only about a week. Correa has been out since late June when he landed on the 10-day disabled list with lower back soreness. He ramped up the intensity of his workouts this week with the club, going through a full pregame of hitting during batting practice and work in the field. Correa was hitting .268 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 73 games before going on the disabled list. The Astros are 16-13 with Correa out.
Hechavarria released
Slick fielding shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays to open a roster spot for outfielder Tommy Pham. The 29-year-old infielder was hitting .258 with 3 home runs and 26 RBI, and he had lost his starting role to rookie Willy Adames. Tampa Bay made the move Wednesday and has seven days to trade or release Hechavarria, who had beaten the Rays in salary arbitration last winter. If Hechavarria is released, the Rays would be responsible for the remainder of his $5.9 million salary. Hechavarria said he didn’t want to talk about the decision, team spokesman Dave Haller said. Pham was obtained from St. Louis for three minor leaguers.
Cueto’s surgery today
San Francisco Giants righthander Johnny Cueto attempted to pitch through an elbow sprain, but at the end of July, the pain became unbearable. Cueto will have season-ending Tommy John surgery today at the Kerlin Jobe clinic in
Los Angeles. Dr.
Neal ElAttrache will perform the procedure. Cueto went 3-2 with a
3.23 ERA in nine starts this season, but was forced to the disabled list in early May with an elbow sprain. Though he tried to rest and treat the injury without surgery, Cueto will ultimately undergo surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
Twins’ Buxton on DL
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was placed on the disabled list at Class AAA Rochester on Wednesday because of a continuing issue with his left wrist. Twins Manager Paul Molitor said Buxton would be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days. The Red Wings’ season ends Sept. 3, so it’s not out of the question that the Twins could shut Buxton down for the remainder of 2018 if the issue doesn’t correct itself. Buxton suffered the wrist injury on July 13 and, after a stint on the DL, aggravated it this week. An MRI revealed no substantial damage. The 2017 American League Gold Glove winner has also missed time this season because of migraines and a broken toe. Buxton, 24, played in 28 games for the Twins this season and hit .156. In 22 games at Rochester, he was hitting .215.
FOOTBALL Veterans join Saints
Veteran receivers Brandon Tate and Michael Floyd have joined the New Orleans Saints at training camp. Saints Coach Sean Payton said he is also eager to try Tate as a kick and punt returner. The coach has described competition for return roles as wide open. New Orleans also has activated tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who began training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Payton said the decisions to bring in Tate and Floyd this week came in part because three receivers who were on the active roster to open camp are injured. Payton said Travin Dural, a second-year pro out of LSU, is going on injured reserve. Payton said injured undrafted rookies Josh Smith and Eldridge Massington have been waived.
Seahawks sign Sweezy
The Seattle Seahawks added depth to their offensive line Wednesday by signing veteran guard J.R. Sweezy. Sweezy rose to prominence during his first four seasons in the league playing for the Seahawks. He signed with Tampa Bay prior to the 2016 season but then missed the entire year with a back injury. He started 14 games in 2017 but finished that season on injured reserve with a leg injury and was released by the Bucs in June. Sweezy was a defensive lineman in college who converted to offensive line in Seattle and has been a right guard the majority of his career. Sweezy was a starter for both Seattle teams that reached the Super Bowl. He’ll likely compete with right guard D.J. Fluker and left guard Ethan Pocic for a starting spot. The Seahawks released guard Avery Young to clear a roster spot.