Sports briefs
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Pérez, Tellez lead
Pirates to top Cardinals
PITTSBURGH | Martín Pérez pitched six scoreless innings, Rowdy Tellez homered into the Allegheny River and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat St. Louis 5-0 on Wednesday to take two of three games from the Cardinals.
Pérez (2-5) allowed four hits, three in his final two innings, and walked five with two strikeouts. The 33-year-old left-hander entered with a 5.61 ERA after allowing 11 runs in 8 1/3 innings over his last two starts.
“I got confidence,” Pérez said. “It doesn’t matter. Every outing I’m always going to trust my stuff. That happened today. I was able to compete and throw a lot of pitches in the strike zone.”
Tellez chased Matthew Liberatore (2-3) at the start of the fourth inning by sending a fastball 447 feet into the river beyond the wall in right field, extending the Pirates’ lead to five runs.
“It was a good day. It was a good win,” Tellez said. “Martín pitched his butt off. We needed that going into this road trip. It puts us in a good spot.”
Liberatore allowed five runs on four hits in three innings, walking three and striking out three.
The Pirates, who have won eight of their last 10 games, took two of three from the Phillies and Cardinals in their first two series after the All-Star break. They are third in the NL Central, one game behind second-place St. Louis.
“Very important. We get the best team in baseball and then we get the team that’s ahead of us in the division,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “So, to go 4-2 on the homestand is off to a good start. … We have to continue to play well, but very proud of how we responded coming out of the break.”
The Cardinals, 1/2 game ahead of the Padres for the third wild card, stranded 11 runners and slipped to 3-3 since coming out of the break.
Connor Joe capped a four-run second inning with a two-out, two-run double to left-center, a liner that center fielder Dylan Carlson failed to bring in on a dive. Joe, batting third, picked up his first RBIs since June 11.
Tellez opened the scoring with an RBI single to center. Liberatore walked Andrew McCutchen with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.
“’Libby’ just wasn’t sharp early,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “You look at the first 10 hitters, three-ball count in five out of 10. Walked three, hit one. Settled in after that.”
Pedro Pagés and Masyn Winn each hit a two-out single before Alec Burleson walked for St. Louis in the fifth inning. Pérez got Willson Contreras to ground to third, leaving the bases loaded.
Contreras flew out to right in the seventh, ending the inning with runners on second and third.
“We didn’t come through with the big hit,” Marmol said. “Offensively, we just didn’t do enough. … It’s been all year. We’re battling through it. There’s been some games that are better than others. This is one that didn’t go our way.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds was scratched from the lineup with back spasms and is considered day-to-day. He leads Pittsburgh with a .288 batting average, 18 home runs and 61 RBIs. … LHP Bailey Falter (triceps) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in three innings against Iowa.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (10-6, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday, beginning a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals.
Pirates: RHP Luis Ortiz (5-2, 2.57) will take the mound in Arizona on Friday, opening a three-game series against the Diamondbacks.
France beats U.S. and Morocco gets a win against Argentina in Olympic soccer
MARSEILLE, France | Stunning goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Michael Olise helped France to a 3-0 victory over the United States in the Olympic men’s soccer tournament on Wednesday.
Loic Bade added the third with a late header to seal a win that had looked in doubt until former Arsenal striker Lacazette struck with a long range effort in the 61st minute in Marseille.
The host nation had to ride its luck against a U.S. team that saw a shot from Djordje Mihailovic hit the cross bar when the game was still goalless. Lacazette’s goal came almost immediately after.
On a wild opening day for Olympic soccer, Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in a game that was suspended for about two hours because fans invaded the pitch deep into stoppage time. And the Americans looked like they could produce another upset when repeatedly opening France up.
They never came closer than Mihailovic’s effort, however, and France made the most of its fortune.
Lacazette drove low from around 20 yards past U.S. goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
Eight minutes later, new Bayern Munich signing Olise curled a shot from distance into the same corner.
Bade’s header in the 85th effectively put the game away and saw France move to the top of Group A, ahead of New Zealand, which beat Guinea 2-1.
Morocco 2, Argentina 1
Morocco secured an unforgettable win over Argentina — but not before furious fans invaded the pitch to protest what appeared to be an equalizer by Cristian Medina in the 16th-minute of stoppage time.
Objects were thrown onto the field and security had to restrain fans, causing the game in Saint-Etienne to be suspended for nearly two hours and the crowd being told to leave the stadium.
The goal was eventually ruled offside just before play resumed, drawing celebrations from Morocco players as the final minutes concluded.
It was a chaotic and dramatic start to the tournament after Argentina, which won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is considered among the favorites in France, mounted a comeback after going 2-0 down on goals from Soufiane Rahimi on either side of halftime.
Giuliano Simeone struck in the 68th minute and Argentina peppered Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui with shots before Medina’s header from close range appeared to tie it.
That caused outrage from Morocco fans, who rushed the field, while others threw trash, and the game was officially put on hold.
Rahimi had put Morocco ahead in first-half stoppage time, then converted on a penalty kick in the 49th, which proved to be the decisive goal against an Argentina team that included four members of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Spain 2, Uzbekistan 1
Sergio Gomez scored the winning goal in Spain’s victory over Uzbekistan to open Group C.
The match at Parc des Princes in Paris was the first official competition of the Olympics and drew some 35,000 fans.
Marc Pubill scored in the 29th minute for Spain, which won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. The team has won silver twice since then, most recently at the Tokyo Games.
Eldor Shomurodov converted on a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time to tie it for Uzbekistan, which was making its first Olympic appearance.
Gomez had a penalty saved by Abduvohid Nematov in the 59th minute, but some three minutes later he scored from about 12 yards out.
New Zealand 2, Guinea 1
Ben Waine scored the go-ahead goal and New Zealand won its Group A opener over Guinea in Nice.
New Zealand was awarded a penalty in the 24th minute, but Guinea goalkeeper Soumaila Sylla dove to punch away captain Matthew Garbett’s attempt. New Zealand quickly recovered and Garbett scored a minute later for a 1-0 lead.
Guinea leveled with Amadou Diawara’s goal in the 72nd, but New Zealand answered a minute later through Waine.
New Zealand advanced to the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games, while Guinea was making its Olympic debut.
Egypt 0, Dominican Republic 0
Egypt and the Dominican Republic played to a scoreless draw in Group C in Nantes.
Peter Gonzalez’s apparent goal for debutant Dominican Republic early in the match was called back because of a foul in the run-up.
Egypt has been to the Olympics 13 times, the most by an African nation, but has never finished higher than fourth. The team made the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games.
Japan 5, Paraguay 0
Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio scored two goals each in Japan’s rout of Paraguay in Group D.
Japan took full advantage of Paraguay being reduced to 10 men in Bordeaux when Wilder Vera was sent off in the 25th by scoring four goals in the second half. Vera was shown red following a VAR review of a foul on Yu Hirakawa.
By that point, Mito had already opened the scoring in the 18th. He added a second in the 63rd.
Rihito Yamamoto made it 3-0 six minutes later and Fujio, who came on for Mito in the in the 73rd, rounded off the win with goals in the 81st and 87th.
Iraq 2, Ukraine 1
Substitute Ali Jasim came on to seal a comeback win for Iraq against Ukraine in Group B.
Ukraine had led through Valentyn Rubchynskyi’s opener in the 53rd in Lyon, but Iraq was quickly given the chance to level from the penalty spot.
Aymen Hussein converted in the 56th and Ali struck the winner in the 75th.
Iraq is top of the group, level with Morocco on three points.
49ers are missing Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk at training camp
SANTA CLARA, Calif. | When the San Francisco 49ers opened training camp on Wednesday there was much more intrigue about the players not on the field than the ones taking part in practice.
All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is holding out as he seeks a more lucrative contract, and star receiver Brandon Aiyuk is conducting a “hold in” as he waits for a contract extension.
Aiyuk watched the first few minutes of practice in street clothes before walking off the field early in the session. He is currently under the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season but is looking to become the latest receiver to cash in on a big multi-year deal.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk reported having a sore back and neck but characterized the absence as a “hold in.”
“It’s what we expected and I understand the situation fully,” Shanahan said.
Williams’ decision to skip the start of camp was a bigger immediate issue, with Shanahan describing it as “contract related.”
General manager John Lynch has been speaking this offseason with Williams’ representatives about a new deal to replace the final three non-guaranteed years of a six-year, $138.1 million contract signed in 2021.
Williams is owed a base salary of about $20.1 million this season with an additional $750,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Williams is subject to a mandatory fine of $50,000 for each day of training camp he misses.
“It was something I knew could be a possibility,” Shanahan said. “I was hoping he would be here, but I knew it could be a possibility. I feel pretty confident that it will all work out in the long run and he’ll be here and we’ll get on the same page with everything. But it’s just one day of practice and I think Trent will be all right missing a few practices.”
Williams has been the best left tackle in the NFL since joining the Niners in 2020. He has been a first-team All-Pro the past three seasons, and the 36-year-old has made 11 Pro Bowls.
Williams is by far the best player on an offensive line that lacks any other top performers, making his absence a major concern.
“That’s one of our best players, one of our leaders,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said. “But we understand the business side of it. This isn’t our first rodeo. It’s a curse and a blessing to have so many great players as part of our team. We’ll get it figured out.”
The Niners have done a good job rewarding their homegrown stars, handing out megadeals the past four offseasons to George Kittle, Warner, Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.
Samuel missed a handful of practices in 2022 as a “hold in” and Bosa held out until a few days before the season opener last season. Both players said the long contract disputes weighed on them and impacted their performance during those seasons.
Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he developed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Eight receivers before Aiyuk had signed contracts worth at least $70 million already this offseason, with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension with Minnesota setting the top of the market.
All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb isn’t reporting to Cowboys camp
CeeDee Lamb is not reporting to training camp while he waits for a new contract, a person familiar with the All-Pro wide receiver’s decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because contract discussions are private.
Lamb skipped the Cowboys’ June minicamp, which started the day after Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson agreed to the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history.
The Vikings’ star receiver is getting $110 million guaranteed in a four-year deal that pays $88 million up front and could be worth as much as $140 million.
Lamb and Jefferson were drafted in the first round in 2020, which means both are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.
The average per year on Jefferson’s new deal is $35 million, almost twice the $18 million Lamb is due coming off a career year on a team that has made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
There isn’t great urgency for Lamb to get to training camp without many changes on offense in the second year of coach Mike McCarthy calling plays for quarterback Dak Prescott.
In the first year of that arrangement, Lamb had career highs with an NFL-leading 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lamb’s absence is reminiscent of Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. The two-time rushing champ held out the entire camp with two years left on his rookie contract, anticipating that the Cowboys would eventually use the franchise tag on Elliott.
Days before the start of the regular season five years ago, Elliott signed a $90 million extension. He was released in a cost-cutting move before the 2023 season but rejoined the Cowboys this year after spending a year with New England.
The Cowboys didn’t expect Lamb to be available when they had the 17th pick in the first round in 2020. Dallas didn’t hesitate to grab him, and that development led to the Cowboys trading former No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper before the 2022 season.
Russian man is among those arrested in plots targeting Paris Olympics
PARIS | French authorities have foiled several plots to disrupt the 2024 Olympics, including arresting a Russian man in one of them, officials said Wednesday, just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Paris.
France has been on high alert over the past few weeks as preparations to host the Olympics hit the final stretch. The Games officially kick off with a lavish and high-security opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday.
Paris prosecutors said Wednesday that they had arrested a 40-year-old Russian man Tuesday at his Paris apartment on suspicion of planning to “destabilize the Olympic Games.”
He was charged with “conducting intelligence work on behest of a foreign power” with an aim to “provoke hostilities in France,” crimes punishable with 30-year sentence in France, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office.
During an official search of the suspect’s home in Paris, police agents found items that “raised fears of his intention to organize events likely to lead to destabilization of the Olympic Games,” prosecutors said.
The Russian Embassy in Paris said it had not received any notification from French authorities about the arrest and has asked French officials for an explanation after seeing reports about it. It did not comment further.
The Games’ organizers are facing major security challenges, including cyberattack concerns, amid high international tensions because of the Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
There are also elaborate disinformation campaigns orchestrated out of Russia, targeting the Olympics and France’s recent elections, according to French officials and cybersecurity experts in Europe and the United States.
“We have a list of threats on which we are particularly focused, including the cyberthreat,” Sonia Fibleuil, a National Police spokesperson, told The Associated Press.
Such threats “can consist of fake news and disinformation or online campaigns to amplify a piece of news with bots and mass circulate it,” Fibleuil said.
In an example this week, French intelligence found that a video on social media supposedly showing a Hamas threat against the Olympics was fake, generated by AI and appeared to have links to Russia, according to a French security official. The official was not authorized to be publicly named discussing intelligence matters.
A Hamas official on Telegram also denied the militant group was behind the video.
Earlier Wednesday in a separate plot, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV that a young man was arrested in Gironde, a region in southwest France, on suspicion of “planning a violent action against the Olympic Games.”
Police arrested the 18-year-old man Tuesday on accusations that he was planning to target the “organization of the Games,” Darmanin said.
He did not give details on the suspect’s potential targets or whether they were in Paris or in other French cities hosting Olympic events that run through Aug. 11.
“We are still working on this case … (we) avoid giving details … but we think there is a link,” Darmanin said. “It’s been established that this person wanted to attack the Olympic Games.”
Paris has deployed 35,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony. In addition, 10,000 soldiers are taking part in security operations in the Paris region.
A 10,000-strong military force is patrolling streets and sites in the Paris region and carrying out other security missions.
France also is getting help from more than 40 countries that together have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements.
—From AP reports
