Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has criticised pundits Joe Cole and Carlton Cole after they mocked his side's chances of Premier League survival on a podcast.
Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast, former England and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole said he had turned down the chance to be a pundit for their opening match - adding he would be "stunned if they stayed up".
He joked: "They've come here through the back door. They've slipped in."
Hull achieved promotion to the Premier League with a last-minute win over Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley in May.
This season will be Hull's first in the Premier League since 2017. They only survived relegation from the Championship to League One on goal difference in 2025.

#league #podcast #acun

I'd say "stop me if you heard this one before," but you can't stop me, because I have a recap to write. The Braves fell behind early, and didn't hit any homers, losing a close-ish game on the margins to the Twins. When you don't hit homers, you need BABIP, and when you don't get BABIP, chances are you're going to lose. That's pretty much what happened on Monday night at Target Field.
This game was a weird one in many ways. After a 45-minute rain delay, the Braves grinded Bailey Ober for 26 pitches, but ultimately came up short. Both Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II singled, but Mauricio Dubon fouled out weakly to right on the eighth pitch he saw from Ober. Then, the Twins pulled off some high-wire only-in-baseball garbage, aided by Martin Perez' inability to keep the ball in the zone. Look, I'll just post the snip from the Baseball Savant gamefeed:
Basically, a soft double, two walks, a bloop double that basically kissed the chalk that no one was able to run down, a very soft bloop, and then a perfectly-placed slow roller. Put that together, and it's four runs. Yeah, Perez shouldn't be walking two guys in an inning if he's not going to strike anyone out, but… help us out a bit, BABIP gods, eh?
They would not. The funny thing is, the Twins didn't manage to get much of anything going the rest of the way, but neither did the Braves. Perez basically cruised until the fourth, when the Twins managed two hard liners, but Ryan Jeffers had a weak flyout to strand them. Perez completed five innings with a 3/2 K/BB ratio — no walks after those two to the second and third batters he faced. Victor Mederos had a 1-2-3 sixth, and then Tyler Kinley came on (white flag?), hit a batter, walked another, and gave way to Ray Kerr, making his first MLB appearance since June 15, 2024. Kerr threw literally one pitch, a down-the-middle sinker to Kody Clemens, which turned into a groundout. For the eighth, the Braves left Kerr in the game, and somehow, the Twins loaded the bases with none out again (somehow equals a hit-by-pitch, a single, and a bunt that Kerr threw too high for Ozzie Albies to flag down at first and still touch the base). But, despite me looking very askance at the Braves for deciding to throw Kerr in for an up-down in a close game while still recovering from Tommy John Surgery, he somehow got out of it with no runs scoring, thanks to two pop-outs and a groundout.
That was the pitching slate for Atlanta; the hitting slate was a lot more frustrating. The Braves made Ober throw a ton of pitches, a la the first inning, but to little avail the first two times through the order. After that first inning, they got a leadoff single in the second and a two-out walk in the third, but didn't do anything with either. They finally broke through in the fifth: Austin Riley singled to start the frame, and Drake Baldwin pulled a double down the right-field line. Ronald Acuña Jr. got a fastball down the pipe on 2-1 at a sad 85.6 mph and yanked it down the left-fiel

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Josh Bell's two-run double started the scoring in a four-run first inning, and the Minnesota Twins held on to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Tuesday night.
The first six batters reached against Atlanta starter Martín Pérez (8-7), with the first four in the order scoring. Bell's flare down the right-field line fell just inside the chalk and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Royce Lewis and Kody Clemens followed with RBI singles.
Bell and Clemens each finished with a pair of hits for Minnesota, which let a five-run lead slip away Sunday in a 7-5 loss to Philadelphia for a three-game Phillies sweep. The bullpen made the lead stand this time after starter Bailey Ober could only last 4 1/3 innings.
Ronald Acuña Jr.'s two-run single chased Ober in the fifth, but left-hander Taylor Rogers retired lefty batters Matt Olson and Michael Harris II to end the inning.
Travis Adams (3-0) pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman allowed two runners in the eighth but escaped the jam, in part, due to Clemens making a diving stop on a hard grounder by Harris. Yoendrys Gómez walked the leadoff batter in the ninth but picked up his 17th save in as many chances after the Twins failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the eighth.

#twins

Matt Olson has hit quite a few home runs this season.
But few have been as momentous as the three-run shot he crushed in the bottom of the seventh in the Braves' 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday afternoon to help Atlanta salvage one game from the weekend set.
The homer was Olson's 36th of the season, moving him into a tie for second in the majors with Yordan Alvarez, just one behind Kyle Schwarber's 37. It was also his sixth homer this month and his 15th since the start of July.
With the game knotted at 2 in the seventh, Olson smashed a 3-0 sinker 437 feet to straightaway center. This was particularly important because it seemed the Braves could come up empty in the inning which began with an Austin Riley double and a Jim Jarvis sacrifice bunt after Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out ahead of Olson for out #2 .
Dylan Lee worked a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts. Raisel Iglesias allowed the first two batters of the ninth to reach but limited the damage, allowing just one run to secure his 25th save and prevent the Braves' first three-game losing streak of the second half of the season.

#matt

The New York Mets' roster overhaul during the 2025 offseason has not gone to plan. As of Aug. 16, they are 55-69 and last place in the National League East. They are 18 ½ games out of first, as well as 11 games back of the last Wild Card spot.
This development has been due to a variety of reasons, mainly injuries and simple player underperformance. A player that exemplifies this would be center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
The Mets acquired his services in an offseason trade with the Chicago White Sox. They exchanged infielder Luisangel Acuña for Robert.
MORE: Pete Crow-Armstrong's MVP chances take a hit after update on Shohei Ohtani
Aug 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

#credit

I hope you all will forgive me for spending a portion of my Saturday mornings sorting through various somewhat bleak baseball things in preparation for the coming recap. For instance, today I found myself roaming around looking at the recent game logs for Harrison Grant Holmes and comparing them those of Eduardo Rodriguez (Holmes had a better run recently, at least until today), and then looking at how the Braves as a team hit versus left-handed pitching (10th in the majors, as opposed to 8th vs. right-handers). The Diamondbacks, incidentally, are 2nd in the majors facing lefties, at least in terms of OPS, which was nice to see. But Grant Holmes is not a lefty, so I scrolled down to see how we do against righties, and discovered the rather depressing fact that we rank 29th in the majors in OPS against right-handed pitching. I tend to try to look for something interesting that I could touch on and organize my thinking around, in case a Saturday game goes badly for us, as it feels like they often do.
Anyway. As it turns out, I didn't really need to, though it certainly didn't look like it was going to be that way in the early going. Holmes caught leadoff man Lars Nootbaar looking to start off the game, then got Corbin Carroll to pop out on the infield and Geraldo Perdomo to strike out swinging on three pitches to make short work of the Snakes in the top of the first. Everyone's favorite hologram then came on for the bottom of the frame and gave up hits to the first three batters he faced: a home run to absolutely straightaway center field to Ronald Acuña, Jr., followed by a double to Drake Baldwin and a maddening bloop single just behind shortstop that fell in and advanced Baldwin to third. ERod finally recorded his first out on an Ozzie Albies pop fly to shallow right, but Baldwin crossed the plate on a grounder to second. That wound up being all the damage done, but we were already in a hole and Rodriguez had already thrown 24 pitches. 2-0 Atlanta
Given our dismal 0 for 14 performance last night with runners in scoring position, and given how easily Holmes had disposed of the top of our lineup in the top of the first, it seemed like we were in a very deep hole. But the bottom two thirds of the lineup, perhaps shamed by yesterday's aforementioned dismal performance, were having none of it today. Gabriel Moreno drewa five-pitch walk to lead things off, and was promptly advanced to third by a Max Kepler double into the alley in right center that rolled to the wall. Nolan Arenado grounded out slowly to third, allowing Moreno to score. Then Tim Tawa grounded a single to left, driving in Kepler and tying things back up. But we weren't done! Ildemaro Vargas, starting at second today due to Ketel Marte's gimpy knee, rolled over to second for the second out, but then Ryan Waldschmidt hit an opposite field liner to right that dropped for a single and scored Tawa from second. 3-2 DBACKS
And it was basically off to the races after that. ERod surrendered a

ATLANTA (AP) — Nolan Arenado had two home runs and four RBIs, Eduardo Rodriguez threw six strong innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night.
Arenado reached 20 home runs for the ninth time in his career. Ildemaro Vargas hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, while Gabriel Moreno extended his hitting streak to nine games with three hits, scored three times and drove in a run. Corbin Carroll had a double, triple and run scored, and Tim Tawa was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Rodriguez (12-4) surrendered a leadoff home run to Ronald Acuña Jr. and gave up a second run in the first inning, but settled down after that. He went six innings, giving up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks. The Diamondbacks have not walked a batter in the first two games of the series.
Jonathan Loáisiga and Kevin Ginkel pitched scoreless innings, and Phillip Abner gave up a run in the ninth.
The Braves had won the last seven times Grant Holmes started, but he struggled early and did not get out of the fourth inning. Holmes (7-5) gave up six runs on six hits and walked three. He had 13 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings entering the game.

#ninth #inning #atlanta #arenado

The Atlanta Braves have found a lot of success this season under first-year manager Walt Weiss. As of Aug. 14, the club is 73-48 and comfortably in first place in the National League East.
They lead the Philadelphia Phillies by nine games in the division, but trail the Milwaukee Brewers by one and a half games for the NL's No. 1 seed.
The Braves recently released their lineup for Friday's game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Usually a right fielder, Ronald Acuña Jr. is the designated hitter in this configuration. This is his fifth game at DH since he returned from the injured list on July 27.
This kind of lineup lets the Braves go with their best combination of hitting and defense. Firstly, Acuña's injury risk is greatly lowered by not having to run around in the outfield. He has missed 52 games this season from injury.
For as great a hitter as he is, Acuña is not a great defensive right fielder. He has compiled -34 outs above average there since 2022, -6 of that coming this season in limited action.

#since

His year could hardly have gone much better so far. "Only" the World Cup ******* le would probably have been the cherry on top of his career cream cake. After all, after Facundo Medina finished as World Cup runner-up with Argentina at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, he has now moved to the Bundesliga, joining Bayer Leverkusen for 20 million euros.
As a child, the now 27-year-old surely could never have dreamed that he would one day cost that much money. Medina grew up in Villa Fiorito, a poverty-stricken neighborhood in the greater Buenos Aires area. "I was born just eight blocks from Diego's (Maradona, editor's note) former house. His presence is everywhere there. Fiorito is a neighborhood that literally breathes football," the Argentine said during the World Cup. Like his idol, he grew up playing on dirt pitches.
To help his family and earn money, he collected cardboard. In an interview with ESPN, he looked back on that time: "I had other jobs. You had to survive in the neighborhood. I had to get a cart and work, like everyone else. I went out collecting cardboard with my uncles and the whole family." He said it was family work from Monday to Friday. Looking back, he said that he and his family always had something to eat, but they still had to work hard for it: "We would leave around four or five in the afternoon and come back around nine or ten at night."
That he has to work hard for his success was also clear at the start of his professional career. When River Plate released him in 2018, he moved to CA Talleres and made his breakthrough there. Via RC Lens, the defender eventually made the jump to Europe and fully developed into a key player at Olympique Marseille. This summer, he was finally rewarded with a place at the World Cup.
During the tournament, he also benefited from Nicolas Tagliafico not being able to start right away in the opening matches and was named in the starting lineup twice in the group stage, among other appearances. Against Austria (2-0), he set up Messi for the opening goal. He was also on the pitch in the final, but had to be substituted after 50 minutes because of injury.

#like

After squeaking out an important series win against the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, the South Siders look to carry that momentum into a new three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Ideally, the Sox can take care of business while holding down first place as the Detroit Tigers and the Guardians bat each other up over the next few days.
The good news is that on top of the wizardry that Mike Vasil contributes to the team, the Good Guys can channel the Pope and those powers-that-be, as 38,000+ fans in attendance on the South Side will be sporting a "Pope hat" from tonight's giveaway.
Standing room only at Sox Park? All for this glorious hat:
The South Siders have their ace on the mound, as righthander Sean Burke makes his 20th start of the season. Burke ranks 15th in baseball with 144 strikeouts while holding a 27.4% strikeout rate, ranking in the 81st percentile among MLB pitchers. Burke's excellent extension while walking batters at a lower rate (7.4%) has helped maintain his dominance over the last several starts. In his last seven games, he's posted an excellent 1.74 ERA across 41 1/3 frames with just a 0.92 WHIP, striking out 57 against just nine walks. The White Sox rank last in innings pitched for starting pitchers, so Burke going at least six innings in five of his last six starts has been helpful to keep a struggling offense in games.
With a lefty on the mound against the South Siders, Will Venable is calling on his right-handed hitters to hold it down at the plate tonight. Chase Meidroth is getting a second consecutive day of rest, so Sam Antonacci will slot in at second base, with Randal Grichuk batting cleanup and playing left. Colson Montgomery is also getting an off-day in the field, locking in as the DH with Luisangel Acuña subbing in at shortstop. Brenton Doyle will also continue to lead off with Meidroth out, and he wasn't too shabby the other day, even tallying a couple of hits on Sunday with a stolen base and run scored.

#south #pope

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Carson Benge – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Arias – 1B
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Drake Baldwin – C
Ronald Acuna – DH
Matt Olson – 1B
Michael Harris – CF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Mike Yastrzemski – RF
Austin Riley – 3B
Jim Jarvis – SS
SP: Martin Perez – LHP
First pitch: 7:15 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

#luis #benge

This game had an eventful first inning that saw the Mets plate five on Bryce Elder and the Braves, and then a valiant-but-doomed comeback attempt over the rest of the game. The main things that stood out to me: Bryce Elder with poor command is a nightmare, and the Braves really needed some homers in this one but couldn't find 'em. Will the Phillies gain a game on the Braves by the time I finish this recap? Who knows.
Boy, that first inning, though. The game started with an A.J. Ewing double off Elder. The ball rolled under the padding in right field, and Ronald Acuña Jr. threw up his hands to signal a ground rule double. Ewing stopped running midway between second and third. For some reason, the Mets challenged the call, and this resulted in something absurd like an eight-minute delay of game… only for the umpires to rule that while the ball was not "lodged," Ewing would nonetheless be "awarded" second base. Pace of play, am I right?
Anyway, would that that was the only excitement in the first, but alas. A single later scored Ewing, and then a key play happened on a 3-2 Elder pitch to Carson Benge. The pitch was clearly a strike, but Sean Murphy came up throwing and had the runner dead to rights… except that it was ruled a ball and Murphy didn't challenge, turning a 1-0 deficit and a half-inning break into a 1-0 deficit, runners on first and second, and one out. After a short liner single to load the bases, Elder got a punchout… and then hung a first-pitch slider to Brett Baty, who slammed it for a grand… slam. The Mets actually collected two more hits before Elder finished the frame, but the score remained 5-0.
Then, the Braves mounted a rally of their own against Christian Scott. Unfortunately, their rally didn't have a homer, so it wasn't as productive. Drake Baldwin led off with a double, Matt Olson later singled, and Ozzie Albies had a crazy 11-pitch plate appearance that ended with a 3-2 pitch barely clipping his uniform to load the bases. Mauricio Dubon then came through with a seeing-eye bouncer that plated two. Austin Riley ended the rally by watching two of three pitches in the zone (and fouling off the second). Oops.
The Mets continued tearing into Elder and the Braves' defense. Francisco Lindor, whose small-sample lifetime stats against Elder are murderous, led off the second with a double, and then scored on a two-out bloop. Another single and a walk loaded the bases, but the frame ended at 6-2. Sean Murphy collected a one-out double in the bottom of the inning, but was left stranded. Lindor then tagged Elder for a two-out solo homer in the third, and yeah, that's kind of how this one was developing for a while.

#Braves #pitch

Drake Baldwin leads off again, as Ronald Acuna gets a day off in the field, batting second and DHing. Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon man the corner outfield spots around Michael Harris. Jim Jarvis returns to the starting lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop.
Meanwhile, the Yankees lineup is as follows.
Join us as the teams face off in Yankee Stadium at 3:05 PM ET on BravesVision

#batting #ronald #acuna

ELCHE, Spain (AP) — Brighton midfielder Facundo Buonanotte will play for Spanish team Elche this season in what is the Argentinian playmaker's fourth loan spell since joining the Premier League club in January 2023.
The 21-year-old Buonanotte, who signed with Brighton from Rosario Central, was loaned to Leicester for the 2024-25 season and split last season between Chelsea and Leeds.
Buonanotte played regularly for Leicester but had trouble getting minutes at both Chelsea and Leeds.
"Facundo is a talented young player who has continued to develop since joining the club," Brighton sporting director Mike Cave said in the team's announcement late Friday. "This loan gives him the opportunity to play regular football in one of Europe's top leagues."
Elche finished 15th in La Liga last season.

#elche #brighton #play

Welp! Three innings have been played but the elements have won out for the time being and the tarp is now on the field as the Atlanta Braves are up 2-0 on the Miami Marlins.
Keep it right here for more updates, as we will have more information on a restart as soon as we get it. In the meantime, please check out this wacky home run that Ronald Acuña Jr. just hit at the expense of the Marlins.

#ronald

Jesper Lindstrøm has taken another major step towards joining Schalke 04 after arriving in Germany to complete his medical ahead of a proposed move from Napoli. The 26-year-old was spotted landing at Düsseldorf Airport before travelling to Gelsenkirchen with permission from the Italian club.
Despite Lindstrøm's arrival, the transfer has not yet been finalized. According to reports, Schalke and Napoli are still negotiating the structure of the deal. The newly-promoted Bundesliga side are pushing for a season-long loan with an option to buy, while Napoli are insisting on a mandatory purchase clause worth around €5 million.
Lindstrøm is understood to have already agreed personal terms with Schalke and is reportedly prepared to take a pay cut to facilitate the move. Head coach Miron Muslić has identified the Denmark international as one of his priority targets after his difficult spells with Napoli, Everton, and Wolfsburg.
Should the negotiations unexpectedly collapse, Schalke are reportedly considering Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Facundo Buonanotte as an alternative. However, with both Lindstrøm and veteran striker Edin Džeko undergoing medicals this weekend, the Royal Blues remain optimistic that another double transfer coup is just around the corner.

#germany #airport

ATLANTA (AP) — Martín Pérez held Washington hitless until the seventh inning, Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Dominic Smith hit home runs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Nationals 8-3 on Saturday night, their third straight win in the series.
Pérez (7-6) started in place of Reynaldo López, who was scratched 35 minutes before the game with left knee inflammation.
He allowed one hit, no runs and had six strikeouts in seven innings on 78 pitches against the highest scoring team in Major League Baseball. Brady House broke up the no-hit bid with a clean single to right field.
The Braves have not had a no-hitter since 1994, when Kent Mercker shut down the Dodgers in a 6-0 victory. They have just four since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.
Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits and scored a run for the Braves, who are 8-2 at home since the All-Star break.

#runs

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 09: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves stands off first base in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 09, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. ***** /Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 02: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on September 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 08: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates hitting a solo home run in the seventh during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 29: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the New York Mets during their game at Citi Field on July 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
On Friday, the Atlanta Braves are playing the second game of their series with the Washington Nationals at Truist Park in Georgia.

#Braves #washington #murphy

Chivas at times dominated but were only able to get a 1-1 tie against Puebla. Chivas was the better side from the start but their scoring troubles continued as they were only able to get a single goal against a Puebla side that looked to defend and counter from the start, giving away most possession. Both teams are going to the Leagues Cup before returning to Liga MX. Puebla will travel to Pachuca in their return while Chivas plays against Santos in Torreon.
The 1st half started with Chivas coming out with their best 11 including Brian Gutierrez from the start. Armando Gonzalez got into the area but his right footed shot would go wide. Roberto Alvarado got off a great left footed shot that was blocked by Puebla's goalkeeper, Ricardo Gutierrez. He would leave the ball there for Gonzalez go get a close range header but Gutierrez made a fantastic save to stop him from a sure goal. Gonzalez got into the area and his left footed shot was blocked by Gutierrez but it bounced off Juan Pablo Vargas and looked like it was going to be an own goal but it hit the post. Chivas was completely dominating the match but the score remained scoreless. Against the run of play, Emiliano Gomez got into the area and get past a defender before getting off a left footed shot that Chivas' goalkeeper Raul Rangel blocked but left there for Eduardo Mustre to get off a left footed shot in the net to score and give Puebla the surprising 1-0 lead. It was the first real chance for the home side and it was a bad mistake from Rangel to give up the lead. From outside the area, Ruben Gonzalez got off a right footed shot that went wide. Facundo Almada made a run into the area but his right footed shot went wide. Daniel Aguirre made a good move in the area and got off a left footed shot that went just wide. A cross into the area was headed by Bryan Alonso Gonzalez but it was cleared by Puebla's defense. Alonso Gonzalez got off a left footed shot inside the area that Gutierrez saved. The halftime whistle blew and although Chivas had played better, it was Puebla who had the lead at the break.
The 2nd half started with neither team making a substitution as it started to rain heavily in Puebla. Kevin Velasco got off a left footed shot from outside the area that Rangel saved. Alvarado would get the ball in the area and get off a right footed shot that hit the post. Chivas subbed out Fernando Gonzalez and Jordan Carrillo for Omar Govea and Efrain Alvarez. Alvarado got off a right footed shot from outside the area that Gutierrez made a great save on it. Off the ensuing corner kick, Chivas surprised by taking it quickly and Roberto Alvarado got off a great left footed shot inside the area that went past Gutierrez to score and tie the match at 1-1. A cross from Alvarado almost would turn into a shot that almost went in. Govea got off a right footed shot that would go well wide. Puebla subbed out Carlos Baltazar and Eduardo Mustre for Mathias Tomas and Luifer Hernandez. Chivas subbed out Arman

During Thursday night's 5-4 win for the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals, Austin Riley spent the entirety of that contest watching from the dugout as Mauricio Dubón came down from the outfield to play third base. Walt Weiss stated in Thursday's pregame press conference that "the best way to slow the game down is to have [Riley] watch it from the bench."
Hopefully the game has slowed down enough for Riley after he watched a full one from the bench, as he's now back in the starting lineup and playing third base for Friday's contest against the Nationals.
Here's Atlanta's full lineup:
Friday night showdown! pic.twitter.com/1XKNust7it
At this point, I can say that it might be safe to ***** ume that we'll be seeing Ronald Acuña Jr. lead off against lefties while Drake Baldwin gets the nod at the top of the lineup against right-handers. Foster Griffin is a left-hander, so Acuña's up top. Baldwin has also been the DH every time the Braves have faced left-handers lately, which means that Joey Bart is starting at catcher and batting eighth. Now that Riley is back in the lineup, Mauricio Dubón is back in the outfield and playing left. Most of the usual suspects are in their familiar positions, so there's that.

#lineup #down #back #baldwin

After a tough series with the New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves returned to Truist Park for a four game set with the Washington Nationals. Though a close one, the Braves came out on top during game one, defeating the Nats 5-4.
Grant Holmes turned in a shaky start, allowing three runs through 4.2 frames. Fortunately, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski picked him up and each homered.
Thursday's win makes for the Braves' 64th of the season. The series continues tonight at 7:15 ET behind Bryce Elder.
Our midseason prospect list continues, this time ranking numbers 7-12.
Eric Hartman knocked two homers for the Rome Emperors on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap.

#continues

BILD and transfer journalist Matteo Moretto reported Bayer Leverkusen are on the verge of signing Miguel Gutiérrez from Napoli. The Bundesliga side are tracking several profiles to fill the void left by Alejandro Grimaldo's move to Atlético Madrid.
While there are reports over positive talks with Marseille for Argentine defender Facundo Medina, Die Werkself could now close the file with the arrival of the 25-year-old from Naples. The transfer fee is reported to be somewhere between €25-30 million.
The former Spanish youth international played 28 Serie A games for Napoli last season. He also featured five times in their Champions League campaign that ended in the league phase. Gutiérrez joined the then-champions Napoli from Girona for €18 million last summer.

#napoli #guti #transfer

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski homered and the Atlanta Braves overcame a three-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Thursday night.
Ozzie Albies' two-run single in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie for the Braves, who managed just four hits. Eight of Atlanta's last nine games have been decided by one run.
Victor Mederos (1-0) picked up the first win of his four-year career, giving up a run in an inning of work. Dylan Lee worked a perfect eighth and Raisel Iglesias earned a save for the second straight night, giving him 23 on the season.
Daylen Lile hit two of the three solo home runs for the Nationals off Braves starter Grant Holmes. Lile has 13 for the season. The third was by Luis Garcia Jr., who also had a run-scoring triple and was 3 for 5.
The Nationals have hit 48 homers in July. That is one off the franchise for a month of 49 set in September 2012.

#lile

After Tuesday's game was rained out, the Braves will (weather permitting) close out their 2026 slate of Mets road games with a Wednesday doubleheader which is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. ET.
AJ Smith-Shawver is set to make his season debut at the major league level for the Braves after completing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery the last few weeks with five outings across Single-A Augusta and Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Braves are largely keeping the same lineup from Monday's series-opening loss, making just one change in the lineup. Mauricio Dubón will play shortstop and hit sixth, while Eli White takes his typical place in left, likely because Atlanta doesn't want Jim Jarvis to play both full halves of a doubleheader.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is back atop the lineup for the second straight game, and Joey Bart is catching the second straight game to divide those duties similarly across the two-game day.
The Juan Soto-less Mets are not playing Luis Robert Jr. — somewhat recently back from an extended IL stint — in the first half of the doubleheader. Carson Benge replaces him in the lineup while A.J. Ewing will hold down his center field spot.

#Braves #second

Bayer Leverkusen have entered negotiations with Olympique de Marseille over the potential signing of Facundo Medina, with the Argentina international emerging as one of the club's primary defensive targets this summer.
According to reports, discussions between the two clubs are already underway. Medina, who recently featured for Argentina in the World Cup final, is viewed as an experienced and versatile addition capable of operating both as a centre-back and on the left side of defence.
The 27-year-old only joined Marseille recently but has quickly attracted interest following his impressive performances at both club and international level. His versatility and composure in possession reportedly make him an ideal fit for Leverkusen's style of play.
Leverkusen's recruitment drive is not limited to central defence, however. The club also continue to monitor KRC Genk full-back Zakaria El Ouahdi as they explore options to strengthen the right side of their defence, too.
The Moroccan international has been on Leverkusen's radar for some time and remains an alternative should the club decide to add another full-back before the transfer window closes. While no agreement has yet been reached, El Ouahdi is still considered a realistic option.

#side

It wasn't a pretty opening to the series, but the Yankees found their way Monday night in Chicago. Max Fried struggled mightily in his second start returning from the IL, putting them in a big hole early with an offense that hasn't been ****** e to exploding lately, but a pair of big innings turned this game from a deficit to a 9-5 win.
Last time out Fried was extremely sharp, going five strong despite a low pitch limit blanking the Pirates with just a single hit and walk going against him. Randal Grichuk greeted him with a leadoff double, and the wheels fell off from there. Munetaka Murakami followed up with a single to put runners on the corners, and after Fried struck out Miguel Vargas for the first out of the inning Colson Montgomery ripped a single to the right side that Jazz Chisholm Jr. barely couldn't corral scoring Grichuk. Chase Meridoth was up next and lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in a second run, and then Braden Montgomery lined a triple over the head of a diving Max Schuemann that brought in a third. It looked like Schuemann might've gotten messed up leaping for the ball, which would've complicated things for a Yankees team that is already down two of their starting outfielders, but thankfully he shook it off and stayed in the game.
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Fried calmed down from there, working two straight clean frames, but the Yankee offense wasn't getting anything going at first against the rookie Noah Schultz, who entered the game with a gaudy 6.04 ERA. Paul Goldschmidt managed a two-out single in the top of the first, but the lineup otherwise went down in order the first time through. The fourth inning finally saw them break though, starting off with a pair of walks from Ben Rice and Goldschmidt to set up a rally. Jasson Domínguez singled to left but it was hit hard enough to prevent a run from coming in, bringing Anthony Volpe up with the bases loaded and no outs. Volpe managed to bring in a run, hitting a soft grounder to short that Luisangel Acuña was just barely able to scoop up and throw to first in time to convert an out from the play.
That would be all for Schultz, as the White Sox went to their 'pen and brought in Chris Murphy. The tide was turning though, and Chisholm provided the big blow of the inning with a double out to center to tie the game at three. Chisholm then stole third base on a head's up play noticing that the catcher was lazily flicking the ball back to the pitcher, and José Caballero walked to pass the baton over to Spencer Jones. Jones managed to convert, fighting off three foul ****** before grounding a ball in front of Caballero who was running on the pitch to prevent a double play opportunity and give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

#fried

Once upon a time (although it wasn't just once), the Braves used Carlos Carrasco in a close game. Ronald Acuña Jr. got injured in that game and ended up missing about six weeks of play. The use of Carrasco turned sinister, the Braves lost that game, and then ended up mired in a funk that lasted for a good chunk of Acuña's absence.
Tonight, Ronald Acuña Jr. made his return to the lineup. It could have been a triumphant time, building on the Braves' recent strong run of results. Instead, amid some rain and another indifferent outing from Martin Perez, the Braves opted to insert Connor Thomas, the "last guy" in their bullpen, into a tie game. It went south almost immediately, and then it kind of ran out south to go, as the Mets just pummeled Thomas into oblivion. To the Braves' credit, they let Thomas wear it and didn't use another pitcher, avoiding a double-down mistake of using Thomas to save the rest of the bullpen but then not actually saving the rest of the bullpen. (Jorge Mateo got the last out in lieu of Thomas, after the score had ballooned to 14-3 in favor of the Mets.)
Before all that, though, the game was pretty cool. In his first major league PA in a while, Acuña fell behind 0-2 against Zac Thornton, battled back to 3-2, and then teed off on a pitch down the middle, knocking it 108 mph to center for a solid single. Drake Baldwin followed followed with a hard liner single of his own, and the Braves seemed to be in business. Unfortunately, Matt Olson hit into a double play, but Ozzie Albies, as part of a measure of personal revenge for possibly a career-worst game on Sunday, legged out an infield hit to plate his buddy for the first run of the game.
Martin Perez did not have a shutdown first inning. A hard-hit grounder went for a leadoff hit, and then Francisco Lindor got his arms extended on a cutter on the edge away and nearly hit it out of the park. The play ended up being kind of weird, as it looked like it was just going to be a double, but the ball bounced far enough off the wall that Lindor ended up getting an RBI triple. But, Perez pachinko also cuts the other way, as a grounder to third, a strikeout, and flyout to center kept the game tied at one run apiece.
Nothing much happened in the second or the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, after a leadoff single, Lindor again took a Perez pitch on the outer edge, this time a changeup, and pulled it into left for a two-run homer. Perez was hitting his spots, but it didn't matter. That score didn't last long: after Olson drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, Albies victimized Thornton by crushing an elevated fastball for a definitive non-cheapie homer. Michael Harris II singled and it looked like the Braves might've solved Thornton, but that didn't end up being the case, as Mauricio Dubon popped out and Austin Riley hit into a double play.

#thomas #play #double #lindor

It was a rollercoaster of a day for Atlanta Braves fans and Ronald Acuna Jr fantasy owners yesterday. First, news dropped that Acuna's return was imminent and he'd be back with the Braves at some point between tonight and Sunday. However, we all got a scare last night when, in perhaps his final rehab game with the Gwinnett Stripers, Acuna struck out and limped back to the dugout.
While the video was posted with essentially no explanation, it naturally led to rampant speculation. However, there were some key takeaways that social media appeared to ignore in favor of untethered panic as social media does. He is currently rehabbing a left hamstring injury, which had sidelined him; however, this was clearly a right leg injury and looked like an ankle injury. So, it was clear this was not a reinjury for anyone who put any thought into it.
This morning we got an update from Braves beat writer Mark Bowman that Acuna is fine and this should have no impact on a potential return. That's incredible news for Acuna owners. We should expect him back at the top of the Braves lineup as early as tonight and no later than Sunday. His activation off the IL now looks to be imminent.
Acuna was irreplaceable in fantasy lineups and is among the best in the game when he's clicking on all cylinders. He has a rare combination of power and speed, matched by very few players ever, let alone in the league today.
However, it may be a good idea to temper expectations when it comes to base stealing out of the gates as he comes off a second hamstring injury. We have seen him be hesitant before coming off injuries, and that could be the case again here. Nevertheless, we would expect him to be at full speed well before your fantasy baseball playoffs. It shouldn't take him more than a few weeks to get his full confidence back.

#however #fantasy #sunday

Braves insider says bringing Ha-Seong Kim back will create a disconnect within the clubhouse originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves have some important decisions to make in the near future. Ronald Acuña Jr. is nearing a return from his second hamstring injury of the season, which will force the team to make some difficult roster decisions.
The Braves have players such as Brewer Hicklen, Dom Smith, and Jorge Mateo who could be on the chopping block. However, it cannot be forgotten that Ha-Seong Kim is also nearing a return.
“Not far behind the former MVP is the $20 million shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. We all know the story of Kim's struggles thus far in 2026, but reports out of Gwinnett mention HSK is finding more consistent hard contact during his rehab outing,” HTHB’s Chase Owens wrote.
While Kim has been sidelined, the legend of Jim Jarvis has continued to grow in Atlanta. This time last year, the Braves acquired Jarvis in a move that did not seem significant at the time. Now, he has emerged as a legitimate challenge to Kim for playing time.

#Braves #nearing

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has said he is "disturbed" by claims of the club being rejected by transfer targets and, in an unusual move, attempted to clarify the situation.
The Tigers are returning to the Premier League after a nine-year absence following their victory in the Championship play-off final in May.
So far, they have signed keeper Jack Butland from Rangers, midfielder Oscar Zambrano from Maribor and defender Matt Targett following his exit from Newcastle United as they prepare for the 2026-27 top-flight campaign.
"We are reading dozens of false transfer rumors in many places," wrote Ilicali in a social media post.
"We are disturbed by the claims that we have been rejected and by the use of our club's name to gain attention.

#acun #tigers