HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):
7:08 p.m.
Game 2 of the World Series has started with a twist — from Simone Biles.
The Olympic champion gymnast did a twisting backflip from in front of the mound, then threw the ceremonial first pitch to Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick.
An on-target toss, too. The packed crowd at Minute Maid Park roared for Biles, who is from the Houston area.
The fans were still standing when Justin Verlander threw the first pitch for real, a ball to Trea Turner.
___
6:53 p.m.
Major League Baseball will speak with the Astros to determine whether the commissioner’s office or the club will handle any decision following an investigation into the conduct of Houston assistant general manager Brandon Taubman.
Commissioner Rob Manfred says MLB investigators were at work in their probe. Sports Illustrated reported Taubman yelled toward a group of female reporters about closer Roberto Osuna, who was suspended last year for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy.
Taubman has apologized for using language that was “unprofessional and inappropriate” in the Houston clubhouse following the Astros’ pennant-winning victory over the New York Yankees.
___
4:40 p.m.
The World Series opener between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros narrowly averted setting a record low.
Washington’s 5-4 victory Tuesday night averaged 12,194,000 fans, according to national numbers from Nielsen. That edges the 12,191,000 who tuned in for San Francisco’s 7-1 win over Kansas City in the 2014 opener.
The numbers are down 11.4% from last year’s Game 1 between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, which averaged 13.76 million viewers. The 2017 opener between Houston and LA averaged 14.7 million.
The game Tuesday still won the night for Fox. It was also the most-watched game of the postseason, surpassing the 7.47 million who watched Saturday’s Game 6 of the AL Championship Series between Houston and the New York Yankees.
According to Major League Baseball, the League Championship Series averaged 5.15 million viewers, which is down slightly from the 5.31 million average last season.
___
3 p.m.
Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch has made a couple of tweaks to his lineup for Game 2 of the World Series against the Washington Nationals.
A night after designated hitter Yordan Alvarez had two hits and drew a walk, Hinch moved the rookie up one spot in the lineup to bat sixth on Tuesday night. Alvarez switched places with shortstop Carlos Correa, who had a single and three strikeouts in Game 1. Robinson Chirinos was in the lineup to catch Justin Verlander after Martín Maldonado caught on Monday night.
The Nationals went with the same lineup they had in their 5-4 victory in Game 1 as they try to maintain a lead with Stephen Strasburg on the mound before the series shifts to Washington for Game 3 on Friday.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports