AP State Sports

Tyler Lyons scrolled through his phone, scanning all the text messages congratulating the left-hander on his winning major league debut. His teammates were quite appreciative, too.

Burch Smith's first stint in the major leagues was a short one.

The San Francisco 49ers suddenly have a huge void in their receiving corps as they chase another Super Bowl berth: Michael Crabtree is sidelined after surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

The Football Association of Ireland says Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy have agreed to let forward Robbie Keane play in exhibition games against England and Georgia that are not on FIFA fixture dates.

Zack Greinke claims he wasn't clamoring for a chance to pitch in Miller Park again.

Annie Park shot a 5-under 67 and Southern California had a record-setting 12-under 276 total Wednesday to open a 12-stroke lead during the second round of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships at the University of Georgia Golf Course.

The Texas Rangers have optioned right-handed reliever Cory Burns to Triple-A Round Rock to make room for Ross Wolf for a spot start Wednesday against Oakland.

The NFL is free to twist arms, just like anybody else. So maybe it's just coincidence that all five of the new stadiums that will come on line during Roger Goodell's brief tenure as NFL commissioner have now been awarded Super Bowls.

Candace Parker is ready to resume her pursuit of the only major title to elude the basketball star in her career.

The San Jose Sharks barely held off the Los Angeles Kings at the end for a second straight home win.

Jim Harbaugh insists he will coachable when it comes to the tricks of driving the Indianapolis 500 pace car this weekend.

As Bryce Harper ran back to chase Gregor Blanco's hard-hit fly in the ninth inning, memories of last week's scary collision with the wall at Dodger Stadium suddenly surged into his mind.

Joe Thornton set the tone for the San Jose Sharks with a dominant first period. After that, the Sharks did their best to hang on and tie up their playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick sometimes seems to be the only obstacle between San Jose and the Western Conference finals while the Sharks dominate much of their 2-2 series with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

As Bryce Harper ran back to chase Gregor Blanco's hard-hit fly in the ninth inning, memories of last week's scary collision with the wall at Dodger Stadium suddenly surged into his mind.

This time, Bryce Harper made the catch. And yeah, it was a relief.

Build a new stadium, host the Super Bowl to show it off.

Tyler Lyons pitched seven solid innings in his major league debut on the same day St. Louis lost Jaime Garcia for the season, and the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly has been sharply critical of his slumping team.

With every prodigious drive over the fences, star third baseman Kris Bryant of the University of San Diego is adding to what could be considered the most prolific home-run hitting performance in NCAA history.

C.J. Wilson and the Los Angeles Angels celebrated Arte Moreno's 10 years as owner by cruising to another easy victory over the slumping Seattle Mariners.

Madison Bumgarner is back on track. After a couple of rough starts in May, he pitched another gem.

The St. Louis Cardinals figured out San Diego right-hander Edinson Volquez the third time through the order.

Ross Wolf was thinking about retirement while languishing in the minor leagues for a third straight year.

This has been one miserable May for Wily Peralta and the Milwaukee Brewers.

With Kristie Ahn back in the lineup after missing parts of the last two seasons, 12th-seeded Stanford was a different team.

Virginia finally took that last step and won an NCAA men's tennis championship.

With Ryan Vogelsong sidelined for the foreseeable future, the San Francisco Giants are facing more change and challenges for their struggling starting rotation.

Left-hander Neal Cotts is back in the major leagues for the first time since ligament replacement surgery four years ago.

Left tackle Max Starks agreed to a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers to help protect Philip Rivers' blind side.

Left-hander Neal Cotts is back in the major leagues for the first time since 2009.

When Jeremy Affeldt came to the Bay Area as an opposing player, he refused to leave his hotel room aside from going to and from the ballpark. He was admittedly homophobic.

Charles Woodson had gotten word that Oakland fans had mobilized through social media to hold a rally at his free-agent visit to the Raiders.

WNBA general managers are predicting the Phoenix Mercury, with a healthy returning roster and the addition of No. 1 draft pick Brittney Griner, to win the championship, and Los Angeles' Candace Parker as the top choice to earn the MVP award.

Americans have been piling up Olympic medals since beach volleyball joined the Summer Games in 1996. Domestic pro tours have come and gone. The NCAA has even sanctioned the sport for collegiate competition.

Only a Colin Kaepernick deep ball away from the San Francisco 49ers' practice field, Levi's Stadium is taking shape in a hurry.

The Los Angeles Sparks have hired Bridget Pettis as an assistant, replacing Jim Lewis who left the team for family reasons.

Left tackle Max Starks has agreed to a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers to help protect Philip Rivers' blind side.

Southern California and San Jose State shared the lead at 4-under 284 after the first round of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh, playing its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, highlights the teams that will play in the championship round of this year's Legends Classic at Barclays Center.

The Washington Nationals placed reliever Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday after he broke his right pitching hand punching a locker.

Daniel Descalso hit his first career grand slam and had a career-high five RBIs, and Adam Wainwright won for the first time at Petco Park as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 10-2 Tuesday night.

Vinny Del Negro is out as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers after a season in which the team won its first division title but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

With the St. Louis Cardinals leading the San Diego Padres 2-1 in the sixth inning, manager Mike Matheny had seen enough of Shelby Miller.

With speculation that Don Mattingly could be fired sometime this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers manager needed Clayton Kershaw to pitch well in the worst way.

Ryan Vogelsong felt the best he had in months, then it all ended on one painful swing.

Two bad pitches by Yovani Gallardo were the difference between the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander and Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw.

Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish threw a cut fastball, then turned and watched the ball go over the wall.

Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong has broken his pitching hand while batting against the Washington Nationals.