Hamlin wins Richmond pole in bid for a sweep

SPORTS BRIEFING

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Rewards Toyota, and Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, drive Saturday during practice. Hamlin earned the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 on Sunday. SEAN GARDNER — GETTY IMAGES

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Denny Hamlin’s bid for a sweep at Richmond is off to a good start.

Hamlin won the pole for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race, topping qualifying Saturday in his No. 11 Toyota. It was Hamlin’s third pole of the year, although he went on to finish out of the top 10 after his first two at Phoenix and Nashville.

Hamlin won at Richmond earlier this season and is trying to become the first driver to sweep the track’s two Cup races since Martin Truex Jr. in 2019. Hamlin’s five career victories at Richmond are one behind Kyle Busch, the leader among active racers.

Golf

Kuchar takes lead at Wyndham Championship

Needing a victory to keep his FedEx Cup playoffs streak alive, Matt Kuchar shot his second straight 6-under 64 on Saturday to take the second-round lead in the rain-delayed Wyndham Championship.

Kuchar is the only player to reach every postseason in FedEx Cup history. The top 70 will qualify for the playoff opener next week in Tennessee, with the 46-year-old Kuchar 113th.

The nine-time tour winner was facing a 36-hole Sunday at Sedgefield Country Club in the event washed out by rain Thursday and delayed Friday and Saturday. Twenty players were unable to finish play Saturday.

Max Greyserman was a stroke back along with Cameron Young and Chad Ramey. Greyserman shot 60, leaving a 50-foot birdie putt 2 feet short on the final hole.

baseball

Saints drop second in a row, third in series

A tight series at CHS Field with the Columbus Clippers slipped away Saturday with the St. Paul Saints taking ana 11-8 loss, their second in a row and the third of the first five games of the series.

Saints starter Caleb Boushley (9-5) gave up six runs on nine hits in four innings. Inb his second appearance with St. Paul signing last week, reliever Giovanny Gallegos allowed two runs in an inning.

Diego A. Castillo, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Patrick Winkel each had two hits for the Saints, who fell behind 6-0 and 11-3 before rallying. Edouard Julien had a double to extend his on-base streak to 35 games.

Briefly

Soccer >> After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, Manchester City beat Manchester United 7-6 in a shootout to win the traditional curtain-raiser to the English soccer season between the winners of last season’s Premier League (City) and FA Cup (United).

tennis >> Top-seeded defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the National Bank Open quarterfinals Saturday, beating Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 6-4, 6-3.

Tennis >> Amanda Anisimova upset second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the National Bank Open semifinals, her first victory over a top-10 player in nearSly two years. Anisimova will face eighth-seeded Emma Navarro in an all-American semifinal.

— From news services