National Sports

MIAMI — With six teams idled Friday by the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to union leader Tony Clark about the importance of players following the sport's coronavirus protocols.

TORONTO — Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says he's optimistic closer Ken Giles will be back in the Toronto bullpen soon. Giles has been sidelined since suffering a forearm injury Sunday.

EDMONTON — Across the street from Rogers Place, a pub patio was prepped with picnic tables and television screens slung above them Friday.

The defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors resume their title defence when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

TORONTO — The CFL's search for federal government assistance will continue as the calendar flips to August, with time ticking down on the league's hopes for a shortened 2020 season.

The Toronto Raptors were the hottest team in the NBA in early March, on a league-best four-game winning streak, coming off a solid west coast road swing and having just clinched a playoff spot.

TORONTO — All-Star defenceman Dougie Hamilton won’t play for the Carolina Hurricanes in Saturday’s opener against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference’s expanded playoff qualifying round.

Sophie Schmidt and Alphonso Davies have been named Canada Soccer's Players of the Month for July after helping their teams lift trophies. Schmidt and the Houston Dash won the Challenge Cup, capping the NWSL's return to play.

The Toronto Raptors will treat both national anthems as "one long song" ahead of their opening game of the NBA restart on Saturday, according to coach Nick Nurse.

SILVERSTONE, England — Montreal's Lance Stroll led the second practice for the British Grand Prix on Friday while struggling Ferrari had another bad day, with Sebastian Vettel spending most of it stuck in the team garage.