Professional sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have signed veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick to a contract for this season that could be worth up to $1.5 million, filling an area of need after an offseason overhaul of their secondary. The longtime Cowboys cornerback signed a $10 million, two-year deal with the Redskins in March. He was released Tuesday and visited the Chiefs this past week...

ST. LOUIS -- Jhoulys Chacin had some extra motivation. Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, giving Chacin all the runs he needed to beat St. Louis for the first time in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers' 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday...

ST. LOUIS -- Kolten Wong and Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs apiece, Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Friday night. The Cardinals won for the ninth time in 10 games and pulled within a half-game of the Brewers for the National League's second wild-card spot...

ATLANTA -- After a dismal showing in the first preseason game, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons found their offensive rhythm Friday. Ryan guided the Falcons right down the field for a touchdown on their first possession, hooking up with Austin Hooper on a 4-yard scoring pass, and led another impressive drive before calling it a night in a 28-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs...

ST. LOUIS -- Bryce Harper had three hits and drove in three runs, and a beleaguered bullpen held on as the Washington Nationals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. The Nationals won for just the third time in their last 10 games and snapped the Cardinals' season-high, eight-game winning streak...

ST. LOUIS -- Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Gomber tossed six shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. St. Louis has won a season-high eight straight. The Cardinals, who are 18-9 since the All-Star break, captured their sixth successive series after taking the first three of the four-game set...

ST. LOUIS -- John Gant homered for his first major league hit and pitched one-run ball into the sixth inning, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 on Tuesday night for their season-high seventh consecutive victory. Kolten Wong had three hits and three RBIs as St. ...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The talk all offseason surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs has been the way general manager Brett Veach's front office has surrounded young quarterback Patrick Mahomes II with the weapons to succeed. They already had speedster Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. They brought in Kareem Hunt in last year's draft and he led the league in rushing. This offseason, they spent lavishly to sign wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a three-year deal to provide another downfield threat...

ST. LOUIS -- Paul DeJong handed the Washington Nationals their second straight walk-off loss, capping a back-and-forth finish with a game-ending solo homer in the ninth inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 7-6 victory Monday night. DeJong took Koda Glover (0-1) deep leading off the ninth on a 3-1 pitch. A night earlier, Ryan Madson allowed a game-ending ninth-inning grand slam to the Chicago Cubs' David Bote to end a 4-3 defeat...

Step outside the media tent, turn left onto the blue carpeted walkway and let the surge of bodies carry you forward. Watch two teenagers with orange shirts and the words "shuttle crew" walk by. One nudges his buddy and points upward. Follow his gaze. Then, you see him...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Cardinals were a .500 team after a loss on July 25, but since then they've been the hottest team in the National League. Yadier Molina broke a tie with a two-run single in the seventh inning, Tyson Ross won his St. Louis debut and the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-2 on Sunday to win their fifth straight, matching a season high...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Matt Carpenter homered for the sixth time in seven games, Austin Gomber pitched five scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-0 Friday night. Carpenter tops the National League with 32 home runs, a .600 slugging percentage and 65 extra-base hits...

MIAMI -- Matt Carpenter leaped into a high-five with Yadier Molina at home plate, trotted down the dugout steps and skipped from one end of the bench to the other, slapping hands with teammates lined up on both sides of him. It was a routine polished by practice...

Patrick Mahomes II wants to get out of the huddle without any issues, call the right protections and limit his mistakes, all while leading the Chiefs to a couple of touchdowns when he plays the first quarter of their preseason opener against Houston tonight...

MIAMI -- Even Matt Carpenter has been surprised by the run he has been on. Carpenter, who has won two of the last three NL Player of the Week awards, hit his 30th home run, a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning that lifted the St. Louis Cardinals over the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Tuesday night...

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals hope veteran reliever Greg Holland can return to form and use his postseason experience to help Washington make a playoff run of its own. Holland has appeared in 12 postseason games, including the 2014 World Series with Kansas City. That, along with his 186 career saves, was more important to Washington than the 7.92 ERA he had with St. Louis before being designated for assignment July 27...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The fastest member of the Kansas City Chiefs was drafted in the fifth round a couple of years ago. Second-fastest? He went in the sixth last spring. Now, if defensive back Tremon Smith can perform anything like Tyreek Hill when he steps onto the field for the Chiefs' preseason opener against Houston on Thursday night, general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid will have hit on something special at a position of tremendous need...

MIAMI -- Javy Guerra cleaned up a ninth-inning mess created by struggling closer Kyle Barraclough, getting Yadier Molina to hit into a double play to end the Miami Marlins' 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. After Wei-Yin Chen pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, Miami led 2-0 going into the ninth and handed the game off to Barraclough...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Even the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs is excited to see what Patrick Mahomes II can do. Clark Hunt doesn't seem worried about putting too much pressure on his young quarterback, either. The chairman and most visible face of the ownership family said after Saturday's training camp session at Missouri Western State University that he's looking forward to seeing Mahomes under center when the Chiefs open their preseason schedule Thursday night against Houston...

PITTSBURGH -- Matt Carpenter homered in two straight games entering Sunday. By contrast, Jack Flaherty had allowed at least one home run in each of his previous three starts. Carpenter kept his streak going while Flaherty brought his to an end to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates...

PITTSBURGH ---- Adam Frazier's RBI single in the eighth inning helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win in Chris Archer's debut, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 on Friday night. Pittsburgh overcame a rough outing by Archer, acquired from Tampa Bay earlier in the week, as gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. ...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes II dropped back to pass during a recent Chiefs practice, and before the new quarterback even had time to set up, fearsome pass rusher Justin Houston was staring him in the eyes. Without Mahomes turning his back, either...

ST. LOUIS -- Jose Martinez is making the most of his limited opportunities. Martinez sliced an opposite-field pinch-hit single to the right-center field gap off Wade Davis with one out in the ninth inning, driving in the tying and go-ahead runs and lifting the St. Louis Cardinals over the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Thursday...

ST. LOUIS — Tyler O'Neill hit a tiebreaking pinch-hit single in the sixth inning and five St. Louis relievers dominated beginning in the third to lift the Cardinals over the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night. Luke Weaver allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings before handing off to the Cardinals bullpen. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez each went deep, Jon Gray pitched into the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Tuesday night. Gray (9-7) struck out five over 7 1/3 innings, helping Colorado finish the month 17-6. Gray allowed three runs, two earned, with four hits and two walks...