FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Falcons rookie receiver Drake London, the eighth overall draft pick, was held out of practice after leaving the exhibition opener at Detroit with an injured knee. Coach Arthur Smith indicated Sunday there is no immediate timetable for London’s return to the field and noted that “it's nothing that we’re really concerned about long term."

MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Michael Harris II hit a tying homer in the ninth, William Contreras hit a go-ahead single and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 for a sweep of their four-game series. The Braves won their sixth straight after losing four of five against the NL East-leading New York Mets.

BOSTON (AP) — Top Atlanta prospect Vaughn Grissom homered onto Lansdowne Street in his major league debut to lead the Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Marcell Ozuna also homered for Atlanta. Grissom was called up earlier in the day from Double-A.

BOSTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have made a couple of big moves. They called up prized prospect Vaughn Grissom to play second base against the Red Sox after Orlando Arcia went on the 10-day injured list with a strained hamstring. The Braves also brought back reliever Kirby Yates from a rehab assignment, nearly two years after he last pitched in the big leagues.

TORONTO (AP) — Serena Williams lost her first match since telling the world she is ready to leave professional tennis. No one knows exactly how many more matches Williams will play before walking away. The 23-time Grand Slam champion exited the National Bank Open on Wednesday night with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Belinda Bencic.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kyle Pitts likes to set goals. After a brilliant rookie season, one thing is definitely on his mind: getting to the end zone more often. Pitts was held to a single touchdown catch in 2021, which is about the only thing he had to complain about in his Falcons debut. He tallied 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani withstood another injury scare and pitched six scoreless innings to go with his team-leading 25th home run, reaching yet another monumental milestone as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1. The two-way Japanese star joined Babe Ruth in 1918 as the only players in major league history to have at least 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season.

BOSTON (AP) — Austin Riley had a go-ahead, two-run single in the 11th inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox. Riley also hit his 30th home run of the season, a towering, two-run shot over the Green Monster, and an RBI triple to help Atlanta snap its first three-game losing streak of the year.

GENEVA (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled. A person familiar with the proposal tells The Associated Press that FIFA is looking at a plan to let the host nation play Ecuador on Nov. 20. The person says a decision could be made within days by a committee comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the heads of the six continental soccer bodies.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge in California has ruled three golfers who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour’s postseason. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman made her decision in San Jose after attorneys for the sides each spoke for about an hour.

Serena Williams says she is preparing to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine. Williams said she does not like the word retirement and prefers to think of this stage of her life as “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons left guard Jaylen Mayfield has returned to practice after missing time with a lower back injury. It’s not known if Mayfield will be able to play Friday night in the first preseason game at Detroit. Mayfield started all but one game a year ago.

Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason USA Today coaches’ poll, with Ohio State second and defending national champion Georgia third. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 will be released on Aug. 15.

The PGA Tour is asking a federal judge not to allow three suspended players from LIV Golf to take part in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford have filed a request for a temporary restraining order in federal court in California. A hearing is set for Tuesday. The first FedEx Cup playoff event starts Thursday in Tennessee.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out 12 and carried a perfect game into the sixth inning of his second start all season, pitching the New York Mets past the Atlanta Braves 5-2 for their 12th victory in 14 games. Pete Alonso drove in two runs and the first-place Mets finished with 19 strikeouts — including three in a row from closer Edwin Díaz to end it.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Falcons coach Arthur Smith likes what he’s seen thus far from the offensive line even though the unit still has three unsettled positions. Atlanta is set at left tackle with Jake Matthews and right guard Chris Lindstrom. Both are former first-round picks signed to lucrative contract extensions, but the other spots are less clear. Matt Hennessy and Drew Dalman are battling at center.

ATLANTA (AP) — Geoff Collins has toned down the hokey slogans that were part of his blueprint to build a proud, new brand at Georgia Tech. He seems to realize there’s only one thing that matters. Winning. After three straight three-win seasons, Collins heads into Year 4 likely needing to show significant improvement to keep his job.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Kevin Harvick got his groove back, fittingly at one of his favorite tracks. Harvick ended a 65-race winless drought that lasted nearly two years with his sixth victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. The No. 4 Ford pulled away from Bubba Wallace and the rest of the field following a restart with 35 laps to go.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Scott Dixon passed Mario Andretti for second on IndyCar’s all-time win list with a victory Sunday in the messy Music City Grand Prix. The win pulled him within reach of a record-tying seventh series championship. He won for the 53rd time of his career to break a tie with Andretti for second in the all-time column.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have optioned struggling right-hander Ian Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett prior to their series finale with the New York Mets. The 24-year-old Anderson has been a key member of the Braves’ rotation over the last three seasons and in the postseason, but has a 5.11 ERA over 21 starts this year.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Bulldogs aren’t resting on their laurels — or their locks — as they begin their defense of college football’s national championship. Quarterback Stetson Bennett and several of his teammates chopped off lots of hair before the start of preseason practice.

NEW YORK (AP) — Deadline acquisition Tyler Naquin homered twice in his home debut, Edwin Diaz locked down his first two-inning save as a pro and the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 to open a pivotal five-game series between the NL East rivals.

The dispute between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series is now in the courts. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among 11 players who have sued the PGA Tour in federal court in San Francisco. They are challenging the tour's right to suspend them for joining the rival league.

KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — A judge in Russia has convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced her to nine years in prison. Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count toward the sentence. Griner showed little emotion to the sentence.

ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies took full advantage of an overturned call to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1. The Phillies appeared down to their final three outs when J.T. Realmuto grounded into what was ruled an inning-ending double play.