Off the wire

BASEBALL Rangers acquire Garza

The Texas Rangers finally have right-hander Matt Garza in their starting rotation. Texas acquired Garza from the Chicago Cubs in a trade completed Monday, getting a pitcher they had long coveted just more than a week before the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline and several days after it initially appeared that the two teams had a deal in place. Garza, 29, provides a boost to a starting rotation plagued by injuries and a team that slipped three games behind Oakland in the AL West after being swept in a three-game weekend series at home against Baltimore. Texas sent the Cubs rookie right-hander Justin Grimm, top prospect third baseman Mike Olt and Class A pitcher C.J.Edwards. There will also be at least one player to be named later, possibly two, depending on who is chosen by Chicago. Garza (6-1, 3.17 ERA), who can become a free agent after this season, has made 11 starts since missing the first seven weeks this season with a strained left lat muscle. He is 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA his last six starts. Garza had been scheduled to start Monday night for the Cubs in Arizona. He will instead start for the Rangers against the New York Yankees, likely Wednesday night. Daniels said Garza was scheduled to fly from Arizona to Texas later Monday night, and join the Rangers on Tuesday. Tampa Bay traded Garza to Chicago instead of Texas after the 2010 season. The Rangers were also interested in Garza last summer before he missed the last two months with a stress reaction in his right elbow, and they instead acquired Ryan Dempster from the Cubs. Garza has a 63-62 career record in 181 major league games (178 starts) with Minnesota (2006-2007), Tampa Bay (2008-2010) and the Cubs (2011-2013). He was a first-round draft pick by the Twins in the 2005 amateur draft. Chicago went into Monday night’s game 16 games behind St. Louis in the NL Central. Olt, 24, played in 16 games for the Rangers at the end of last season. But the Rangers have Gold Glove-winning third baseman Adrian Beltre under contract through 2016. Grimm was 7-7 with a 6.37 ERA in 17 starts this season. His last start was July 12 at Detroit, when he allowed 10 hits and seven runs over 3 1/3 innings before leaving with soreness in his right forearm. Edwards, 21, who made his pro debut with 20 scoreless innings in the Arizona League last year, is 8-2with a 1.83 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 931/3 innings for Class A Hickory. He hasn’t allowed a home run in 160 1/3 professional innings.

The Washington Nationals fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein on Monday, a move Manager Davey Johnson called “a shocker” in spite of the team’s offensive woes this season. Washington entered Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a three game losing streak and with a disappointing 48-50 record. The team is tied for 28th overall in runs and ranks 27th in batting average. Eckstein was hired as the Nationals’ batting coach before the 2009 season.He was the longest-tenured hitting coach in the NL East. Eckstein was replaced by Rick Schu, who for the past four years has been the team’s minor league hitting coordinator. Schu was not expected to arrive in Washington until today. Schu will be asked to turn around an offense that produced only five runs over the weekend while being swept at home by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

FOOTBALL

Ohio State disciplines four

Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer has disciplined four players for legal problems, including suspending leading-scorer Carlos Hyde from all team activities in the wake of an alleged assault against a female over the weekend in Columbus. In addition, star cornerback Bradley Roby, who was arrested in Indiana for an altercation with a security guard at a bar this past weekend, will not represent the Buckeyes at this week’s Big Ten media days. He was one of the players initially selected to speak to reporters at the annual event. Freshmen recruits Marcus Baugh, a tight end, and defensive lineman Tim Gardner were also disciplined on Monday.There were published reports earlier in the day that Hyde had been kicked off the team for being listed as a person of interest in the alleged assault of a woman at a downtown Columbus bar. The Columbus Dispatch cited sources saying Hyde was dismissed from the team over the incident early Saturday. Hyde, a 6-foot, 242-pound senior from Naples, Fla., rushed for 970 yards on 185 carries last season, second best on the team behind quarterback Braxton Miller, and was the unbeaten Buckeyes’ leading scorer with 17 touchdowns and 102 points. He came within just 30 yards of becoming the first running back to reach 1,000 yards in a season in Meyer’s 12 years as ahead coach at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and his lone year at Ohio State. Roby, one of the team’s top returning defensive players, was involved in a separate incident. Court records in Monroe County, Ind., indicate Roby was arrested early Sunday morning in Bloomington, Ind., and is facing preliminary charges of misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury. He posted bond. Roby, a 5-11, 192-pound redshirt junior from Suwanee, Ga., was Ohio State’s third-leading tackler last year. He had two interceptions, one for a touchdown, to go with two tackles for minus yardage, one sack, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He had considered jumping into the NFL draft after Ohio State’s 12-0 season but decided to return to the team. Baugh, like Hyde, was removed from all team activities and will also sit out the first game of the season, Aug. 31 against Buffalo, for his arrest last weekend for underage possession of alcohol and possessing a fake identification. The Riverside, Calif., native’s actions will also result in the loss of his financial aid this summer. Gardner, from Indianapolis, was sent home and will not be a part of the 2013 team after he was charged Saturday night by Columbus police with obstruction of official business. It was not immediately known if he was linked to Hyde’s arrest or that was yet another incident.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner McEvoy is back with the team after being mugged in Madison over the weekend. The Badgers said McEvoy suffered minor injuries and his wallet, watch and iPhone were stolen early Sunday. He resumed team activities Monday. The Badgers said police believe the mugging was random and are investigating.According to the police report, McEvoy was struck in the head and had to be treated for two head cuts. Witnesses said they saw two males and two females near McEvoy. All four fled. The attack comes nearly a year after then-Badgers running back Montee Ball was attacked as Ball was walking home with three friends in Madison. Ball suffered a concussion and said he doesn’t remember the attack. Four men were charged in that attack.

BASKETBALL

Denver to sign Robinson

Point guard Nate Robinson agreed to a two-year deal with the Denver Nuggets on Monday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been officially announced. Robinson joins Ty Lawson to give the Nuggets a tandem that can fly up and down the floor. The addition of Robinson also creates a backlog in the backcourt, with the Nuggets already having up-and-comer Evan Fournier, veteran Andre Miller, rookie Erick Green and newly acquired Randy Foye as well. The Denver Post first reported the deal. The 5-foot-9 Robinson averaged 13 points per game for the Chicago Bulls last season.

The Dallas Mavericks hired Houston Rockets executive Gersson Rosas as general manager, filling a spot that technically had been vacant since Don Nelson left the franchise eight years ago. Dallas owner Mark Cuban said in a radio interview that the Mavericks hired the 35-year-old native of Colombia because they “need to get smarter as an organization and we need to really expand what we’re doing.” President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson has informally held his father’s old title. The move was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Rosas will report to Nelson. He spent nine years with the Rockets, rising from an intern to vice president of basketball operations. He played a role in shaping the roster for a Houston franchise that beat the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta in the pursuit of free agent center Dwight Howard. Rosas also spent time as general manager of the Rio Grande Vipers, the Rockets’ developmental team.

HORSE RACING Oxbow at Monmouth

Preakness winner Oxbow is scheduled to arrive at Monmouth Park on Friday, two days before the Grade 1 $1 million Haskell Invitational in Oceanport, N.J. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ 3-year-old colt is expected to be driven from Saratoga for a role as the probable favorite in Sunday’s race. Oxbow ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown, finishing second in the Belmont and sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Gary Stevens is expected to ride. A field of five or six is expected for the Haskell with Wood Memorial winner Verrazano expected to be Oxbow’s main competition. Other possible entrants are Micromanage, who finished second in the Easy Goer stakes here, Kentucky Derby runner-up Golden Soul and possibly Pick of the Litter and Uncaptured.