British Open marches on without its star attraction

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Royal Portrush had all of Saturday morning to recover from the reality that Rory McIlroy is no longer part of this British Open.

In a second round so packed with emotion that it felt like Sunday, McIlroy nearly recovered from his opening 79 by coming up one birdie short of making it to the weekend. McIlroy, one of three players from Northern Ireland celebrating the return of the Open after a 68-year absence, says he has never felt such support.

And now for the rest of the show.

Shane Lowry of Ireland and J.B. Holmes were tied for the lead at 8-under 134, one shot ahead of Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood. Among those within three shots of the lead were Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth.

Mariners’ Leake lose perfect game try in 9th, blanks Angels

Leake took a perfect game into the ninth inning, losing his bid at baseball immortality when rookie Luis Rengifo hit a leadoff single as the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-0 Friday night.

“It was fun,” Leake said. “As you get closer, you get the shakes and you have to calm yourself down. Other than that, it’s just a matter of making pitches.”

There were hugs all around the clubhouse after Leake finished off a one-hitter and stopped Seattle’s six-game losing streak.

Another missed cut for Tiger, who’s not 23 anymore

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PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — So now we know. Tiger Woods isn’t done, no matter what it looked like on his slog through the only two rounds he’ll play in this British Open. He’s also not in danger of being put in traction anytime soon, no matter how many times he is asked about his surgically repaired back.

He’s just not 23 anymore. And that may be the worst part of being a superstar in any sport.

Woods admitted as much Friday, just before catching his jet home to Florida. If there’s an upside to missing the cut at Royal Portrush, he said, it’s that he’ll get a chance to sleep in his own bed once again.

Meet the new Tiger. Not the same as the old Tiger.

“Things are different,” Woods said. “I’m going to have my hot weeks. I’m going to be there in contention with a chance to win, and I will win tournaments. But there are times when I’m just not going to be there. And that wasn’t the case 20-some-odd years ago.”

Coming to grips with age, of course, is something every athlete struggles with. Woods is no exception, though his rabid fans somehow think he’s exempt from the realities that mere mortals face.

And, really, who can blame them. A magical win at this year’s Masters after going 11 years without winning a major not only added to the Woods legend but left his fans wanting even more.

One look at Woods joylessly plodding his way around Royal Portrush on Friday, though, and it’s apparent that he’s not only human after all — but an aging human at that.

He’ll be 44 by the time he returns to Augusta National to defend his green jacket, with the aches and pains of anyone that age exacerbated by the amount of times he has swung golf clubs in his life and the four back surgeries that resulted from it. The shots that used to come easy don’t always come when he commands them now, and the concentration he needs standing over 5-footers isn’t always there either.

He’s not done, and to suggest so would be silly. His play on the back nine on Sunday at the Masters was textbook precision, and winning the green jacket for a fifth time was almost as remarkable as Jack Nicklaus winning at the age of 46 back in 1986.

He will, as he says, likely win again, and it may not be long before that happens. Woods said he’s primed to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs after taking a few weeks off to recharge.

There’s even an outside chance he could catch Nicklaus with 18 majors — he needs just three more — though with each passing poor performance that seems unlikely.

Martinez, Cards score 10 runs in 6th, rally past Reds 12-11

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Even from the training room, Adam Wainwright could sense something brewing.

“You just had that feeling,” he said. “Every one of those guys said, ‘We’ve got you.’

Jose Martinez homered and singled and Paul DeJong added a two-run double during a 10-run rally in the sixth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals overcame a seven-run deficit Friday night for a wild 12-11 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Down 7-0, the Cardinals put together their biggest inning of the season on the way to their sixth win in seven games.

Wainwright was rocked for nine hits and seven runs in 3 1/3 innings but ran out in shorts and a T-shirt to pass out high fives after the big inning.

“There wouldn’t have been a comeback if I hadn’t pitched terrible,” he added, jokingly.

Jesse Winker hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth off Cardinals closer Carlos Martinez. But Joey Votto grounded out with runners at the corners to give Martinez his seventh save.

Journeyman catcher Ryan Lavarnway hit two homers, doubled and drove in a career-high six runs for Cincinnati in his first game in the majors this season. Released by the Yankees this week after hitting .213 in a Triple-A backup role, Lavarnway was signed by the Reds after a series of injuries left them thin behind the plate.

The 31-year-old Lavarnway, who had played a total of 12 games in the big leagues in the last four seasons, went 3 for 4 with a walk.

Wainwright’s career ERA against the Reds jumped from 5.01 to 5.31, his worst against major league team.

Michael Wacha (6-4) wound up with the win, allowing three hits in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Jose Martinez had an infield single that loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth against Tyler Mahle. After DeJong’s two-run double off Matt Bowman made it 7-5, a two-out error by Votto at first base let the Cardinals tie it.

Martinez capped the comeback with a three-run homer off Jared Hughes (3-3).

DeJong added a long two-run homer in the seventh, his second in two nights off Robert Stephenson.

“We can get the homers late to bury teams, but passing the baton is huge,” DeJong said. “Getting base hits and infield singles is a way we can score runs.”

Lavarnway hit a three-run homer in the fourth that finished Wainwright for his first home run in the big leagues since Aug. 23, 2015, for Atlanta. Lavarnway added a two-run shot in the eighth for his first multihomer game since hitting two for Boston on Sept. 27, 2011.

“I was just enjoying it,” he said. “I’ve been up and down so many times. You never know when it’s going to be your last one. Earlier in my career, I didn’t let myself enjoy the highs. I tried to be stoic. I tried to be Jason Varitek. I’m like a cat with nine lives right now. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

Friday’s MLB scores

• Cubs 10, Twins 6 (box score)
• Nationals 17, Phillies 7 (box score)
• Yankees 8, Red Sox 1 (box score)
• Angels 7, Orioles 1 (box score)
• Blue Jays 3, Tigers 2 (box score)
• Rays 3, Astros 2 (box score)
• Brewers 8, Reds 2 (box score)
• Marlins 8, Mets 2 (box score)
• Rangers 11, White Sox 3 (box score)
• Braves 1, Cardinals 1 (box score)
• Giants 2, Diamondbacks 1 (box score)
• Athletics 3, Indians 1 (box score)
• Pirates 6, Padres 3 (box score)
• Rockies 3, Dodgers 1 (box score)
• Mariners 4, Royals 1 (box score)