Yankees predicted to replace Jazz Chisholm with $12M two-time Silver Slugger winner, 4x All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees have a big offseason ahead after getting swept by their division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees wanted to make a deep postseason run, but ultimately fell short.
All eyes are now on free agents and players who could leave the team. One of those players is Jazz Chisholm Jr., but he would like to stay in New York.
"Chisholm, an All-Star for the second time in 2025, endured a down year at the plate and struggled both offensively and defensively in four appearances in the playoffs. Manager Aaron Boone left Chisholm out of the Yankees' starting lineup for two postseason games, including their season-ending loss on Wednesday. The fans at Yankee Stadium booed Chisholm after he fouled out to first base as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning. Nevertheless, Chisholm would rather continue his career with the Yankees than exit in free agency," MLB Trade Rumors wrote.
Early in Chisholm's career, he wasn't always the best player off the field. Yankees legend Derek Jeter even had to get on him when he was an owner of the Miami Marlins.

#chisholm #time #postseason

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tristan Peters fouled off 12 pitches in an 18-pitch at-bat that keyed Chicago's six-run outburst in the sixth inning and the White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Monday night to stay atop the AL Central.
Kyle Teel hit a two-run double and Miguel Vargas connected for a two-run homer following Peters' lengthy plate appearance — the longest in MLB this season, and tied for the third longest since 2000.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games. Chicago has led the division since July 4.
Sean Burke (9-7) didn't allow an earned run in five innings and Chicago's bullpen kept the Guardians in check as the White Sox improved to 7-4 against Cleveland to clinch the season series and tiebreaker.
The Guardians altered their rotation so Gavin Williams (13-8) could start the opener, and the right-hander gave them five solid innings. They needed six.

#cleveland #opener

Manchester City captain Ruben Dias say Phil Foden needed to be "more controlled and composed" when provoked by Bruno Fernandes in Sunday's Manchester derby.
Foden was sent off for violent conduct after kicking out at Fernandes on the floor after being fouled and kicked himself by the Manchester United skipper.
"In the moment I felt it was a bit harsh because my perception was Bruno kicks Phil and then he has a rushed reaction and maybe kicks him back," Dias said.
"I'm not saying Phil didn't do wrong - obviously he needs to be more controlled and composed in that moment.
"I believe he, more than anyone, is frustrated with what happened. That is why it was my biggest joy to come back in and be able to celebrate for him because I know for sure he was feeling responsible for how much more difficult the game became."

#foden #composed #kicks

Real Madrid closed out matchday five of La Liga with a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice against Rayo goalkeeper Emil Audero. The victory moved Real Madrid level on points with Barcelona at the top of the standings.
Mbappé opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Florian Lejeune fouled Alvaro Carreras in the area. Three minutes later, Carreras exchanged passes with Mbappé and finished to double the lead after Lejeune had lost possession under pressure from Vinícius Júnior.
Jude Bellingham made it three before the interval, converting Vinícius Júnior's cut-back after the Brazilian had driven down the left. Real Madrid therefore took a commanding three-goal advantage into half-time, with Mbappé also hitting the post late in the first half.
Rayo Vallecano reduced the deficit in the 51st minute when Sergio Camello scored after a turnover, and the visitors created further openings as they tried to work their way back into the game. Thibaut Courtois made saves during Rayo's improved second-half spell, while Pedro Díaz struck the post.
Mbappé settled the contest in stoppage time, finishing a move created by Arda Güler to make it 4-1 and complete his brace, as detailed in the original match report. The second goal took Mbappé to seven goals in six appearances in all competitions.

#rayo #vallecano

PORTLAND, Ore.. (AP) — Vincent Janssen scored early in the second half to finish off a hat trick in his first start and fourth MLS appearance, helping the Portland Timbers outlast Minnesota United 5-4 on Saturday night.
Portland (9-10-4) used two goals by Janssen and an own goal by Minnesota United (7-8-8) keeper Drake Callender to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first 26 minutes.
Janssen scored on a penalty kick in the 11th minute, taking the shot after Cole Bassett was fouled by Minnesota United's Morris Duggan. The 32-year-old scored again in the 26th, six minutes after the own goal.
Minnesota United answered with goals from Marcus Caldeira in the 32nd minute and defender Anthony Markanich in the 38th to cut it to 3-2 by halftime.
Janssen completed his hat trick in the 55th minute, giving the Timbers a 4-3 lead after Caldeira scored for a second time to tie it 3-3 in the 50th.

#janssen #trick

The Tigers needed some of their big names to get it together and win them a game. Framber Valdez answered the call with seven shutout frames on Saturday, while Riley Greene homered twice and drove in four in a four-hit game. The bullpen only needed to go two innings to hold a 6-0 lead, and they did so with no trouble.
The Tigers already saw the weaker end of the Guardians rotation, so this was only going to get tougher on Saturday against Parker Messick, and then Gavin Williams on Sunday. With Framber Valdez going, the defense would need to be sharp, while Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark both got a needed day off against the left-hander.
Gleyber Torres and Hao-Yu Lee started the game off by striking out, but Riley Greene crushed a Messick cutter over the left center field wall for a solo shot and a quick 1-0 lead.
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Steven Kwan grounded out to Lee to start the bottom of the first. Angel Martinez dumped a little broken bat bliner between Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez for a single. Báez, playing second, collected it but Valdez wasn't covering first expecting the ball in the air to be caught. Jose Ramirez lined out to Ben Malgeri in right field. Jo Adell got a bat broken as well but fouled off a 1-2 sinker in on his hands. A high fastball missed, but a good curveball whiffed him.

#needed #saturday #riley

Manchester City have won 1-0 today against stubborn Coventry City side at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon. A Erling Haaland header in the 26th minute was just enough for City make it three wins from three matches to start the new Premier League season.
When the starting lineups were announced, Enzo Maresca had made only one change to the starting lineup which dispatched Crystal Palace 4-1 last weekend. Iliman Ndiaye replaced Phil Foden in the starting lineup as the Senegalese international made his Premier League debut from the start today. Enzo Fernandez was on the bench for today's game. However, that changed 15 minutes before kickoff. Nico O'Reilly suffered an injury in the warm up and Enzo Fernandez replaced him in Manchester City's starting lineup.
Manchester City began the game dominating possession, however it was Coventry City who should have taken the lead inside the opening eight minutes. First, Abdukodir Khusanov played a ball back to Gianluigi Donnarumma on his own goal line. The Italian had a poor first touch which almost trickled over the goal line to give Frank Lampard's side the lead in the 6th minute.
However, two minutes later, Coventry City should have taken the lead. Antoine ****** yo played a dangerous ball from the right into midfield which Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi intercepted. Awoniyi surged clean through on goal with only the keeper to beat. But he fired his shot wide of the post with Gianluigi Donnarumma rushing out to save his team's blushes. Taiwo Awoniyi's chance was a clear warning shot to Enzo Maresca's side that today's match wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Manchester City's first shot on target would arrive in the 16th minute. Elliot Anderson was fouled in midfield and he quickly took the free kick and set free Rayan Cherki. Cherki surged into ****** e and played in Erling Haaland with a quality through ball. Haaland fired in a powerful low drive from inside the Coventry penalty area across goal which Coventry City keeper Carl Rushworth got down well to save.

#city #haaland #first #side

Luke Keaschall was a much-needed spark plug, Walker Jenkins doinked his first MLB homer off the right field pole, Jeffers added two bombs of his own, his first since the last day of July, and Taj Bradley delivered one of his best starts of the season when the Twins most needed it. It was a fun night at the ballpark when the Twins really needed a win!
Let's start on the offensive side. Facing Jackson Jobe, the former top pitching prospect in all of baseball, the Twins struck in the first inning, as they are wont to do of late, with a leadoff double from Keaschall eventually coming around on Kody Clemens sac fly. And then things went eerily quiet for Minnesota's hitters, also as they are wont to do of late.
They had chances to add on before the game exploded, but still didn't hit well with runners in scoring position despite the big number on the scoreboard. They went 2-9 with RISP against actual pitchers, with an added hit off of position player Zach McKinstry in the eighth to juice the stats. A leadoff double from Kaelen Culpepper in the third gave them a good run scoring opportunity, but a Jenkins pop out and Brooks Lee GIDP after a Keaschall single kept the game at 1-0 after three innings.
Clemens came back around and added a run on his own in the fourth inning, a no-doubt solo shot over the dock in right field to put the Twins up 2-0. They had another great opportunity to add on that inning with the bases loaded and just one out, but the rookies Culpepper and Jenkins both popped out to end the threat.
Then came the fifth inning when things finally broke open. Keaschall reached first base on an error by the Tigers' third baseman. Hao-Yu Lee couldn't get the grip on a soft grounder hit his way, trying to get it quickly to nab a hustling Keaschall. Keaschall then stole second easily off one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, Dillon Dingler. Keaschall had third easily in the same at-bat as well, but Clemens fouled off a pitch to send Luke back to second. Clemens eventually walked before Ryan Jeffers hit a three run blast to give the Twins their first comfortable lead of the night.

#jenkins #inning

Arsenal were never likely to have it as easy as they did in the 3-0 opening-day win over Coventry City, but they did more than enough to merit the three points here.
Shots and clear chances were at a premium - they only had two shots on target, which was two more than Villa.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Bukayo Saka had efforts off target in the first half.
They thought they were going to have a penalty when Saka was fouled by Ian Maatsen – but VAR made it a free-kick instead, which Martin Odegaard curled just wide.
The goal came when Eberechi Eze, a half-time substitute for the booked Christos Tzolis, fed Riccardo Calafiori and the left-back laid the ball on a plate for Saka to score for the third time at Villa Park in his Premier League career.

#target #half #gabriel

At Neo Química Arena, Santos FC defeated Corinthians 1-0 in the Brazilian Championship. The match, valid for the twenty-fifth round of the competition, was played this Sunday (30), and Santos's goal was scored by Oliva. With the result, Peixe reached 29 points in the competition. The next match for Cuca's team will be on Wednesday (2), against Palmeiras, in the Copa do Brasil, at Vila Belmiro.
Santos FC's first chance came in the 11th minute, when Gabriel Bontempo won the ball in midfield and passed it to Gabriel Barbosa to carry forward into attack. The center forward passed to Neymar Jr., who quickly returned it to Gabigol. The Menino da Vila hit it first time, but without much power.
Peixe opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. After Gabriel Bontempo dribbled past his marker and was fouled near the edge of the box, Neymar Jr. stepped up to take it. The number 10 placed the ball into the top corner, and goalkeeper Hugo Souza parried it, leaving a rebound. Well positioned, Oliva took advantage and scored the only goal of the match.
Late in the first half, in the 44th minute, Neymar Jr. went down near the area with the ball. He got up, recovered, and passed it to Barreal. The forward entered the box and hit a low shot on goal, which was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
In the second half, Santos's defense completely neutralized Corinthians's attack. On the few chances that reached Peixe's goal, Gabriel Brazão made comfortable saves.

#minute

SAN DIEGO -- For a few minutes, it looked like Hirving Lozano's return to Snapdragon Stadium might turn into the kind of night the LA Galaxy had been waiting for.
Lozano had spent nearly 10 months away from competitive action, and San Diego made sure he knew exactly how it felt to come back.
He was booed the first time he touched the ball and was fouled repeatedly as the match grew more physical. Then, after San Diego went down a man early in the second half, Lozano finally found his moment.
A loose ball bounced around the penalty area before falling to Lozano, who made no mistake from close range. He celebrated in front of the Galaxy supporters who had made the trip, embracing the moment in a stadium where his return carried plenty of weight.
For the Galaxy, though, the goal was part of a much larger night that slipped away in a 3-1 loss to San Diego FC on Saturday.

#stadium #return #night #moment

NEW YORK — Andy Green joked he was willing to force his own exit to ensure that Juan Soto stayed in the batter's box for the biggest at-bat of Sunday's game.
In the bottom of the fifth inning of a tie game with a runner in scoring position, Soto fouled a 2-2 fastball off his right shin. The superstar outfielder, who was playing his first game since landing on the injured list on July 25 with a left calf strain, jammed the handle of his bat into the grass, crouched near the on-deck circle and shook off the sting.
"I was certainly hoping we weren't taking him out of the game," Green said. "I was gonna give him all the time in the world he needed. I would've gotten ejected just to give him more time. The umpire was saying to speed things up."
On the very next pitch, Soto caught a hanging knuckle-curve from Cristian Javier and deposited it into right field for the go-ahead RBI single in the Mets' 6-2 victory over the Astros in front of 29,183 fans at Citi Field.
The interruption provided a brief scare for Soto, who has twice been on the injured list this season, but he proved his worth once again by flashing his dynamic bat in a key spot in his first game back.

#game #injured

One Liverpool player was called out for a costly lapse shortly before Nottingham Forest's second goal at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Oliver Glasner's team took the lead for the second time on the day as Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty that Clinton Morrison felt was 'harsh' on the home side.
The spot kick was awarded after Alisson Becker was adjudged to have fouled Neco Williams inside the box, with the Forest full-back the fastest to react to a throw-in taken quickly by Liam Delap.
Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle observed that the passage of play which led to the penalty incident stemmed from a lapse in concentration by Jeremie Frimpong, who allowed Williams to run off him and then was too slow to react as the throw-in was taken.
The reporter posted on X: 'Forest win a penalty as Williams is downed by Alisson. All came from Frimpong switching off at throw.'

#Liverpool #frimpong #second

By Dylan Butler
Austin FC's Leagues Cup 2026 run came to an end following a 2-0 quarterfinal loss to LIGA MX powerhouse Toluca FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Wednesday night.
Toluca advance to face Club León in the semifinals next week thanks to Helinho's 53rd-minute penalty kick after Oleksandr Svatok fouled Jesús Ángulo in the box. It was only the second goal Austin conceded in Leagues Cup 2026.
The Verde & Black were dealt a setback in the 40th minute after Joseph Rosales was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Federico Pereira.
Brad Stuver did his best to keep Austin FC in the match, making several key saves in a one-goal game against the current Concacaf Champions Cup ****** le-holders.

#toluca #sports

The top of the Mets' lineup took another hit on Wednesday night.
Bo Bichette was removed from the team's game against the Brewers before the top of the fifth inning after sustaining a left foot contusion. The Mets third baseman fouled a pitch off the inside of his foot in the bottom of the third inning and initially remained in the game before exiting an inning later.
Bichette, who has not missed a game in 2026, was replaced in the lineup by Christopher Morel while Brett Baty moved from left field to third base.
Baty would be the logical replacement for Bichette at third base if he needs to miss time. Morel also played 74 games at the position for the Cubs in 2024.
Bichette has turned it on offensively in the second half, entering the night with a .780 OPS since the All-Star break including an .869 OPS in August. This season, Bichette is slashing .264/.312/.393 with 14 home runs, 66 RBI and 64 runs.

#Third #lineup #night #left

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt certainly got the message sent by manager Pat Murphy on Tuesday night.
Loud and clear.
Murphy, the two-time defending National League Manager of the Year, benched Pratt after he failed to get a bunt down and didn't run hard out of the batter's box on a bloop single during a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets in 10 innings.
"I've got to be better," Pratt said. "It's not winning baseball. I didn't help the team win and it won't happen again, that's for sure."
Batting ninth, Pratt was asked to bunt after Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz opened the third with singles against Mets starter Zac Thornton. Pratt fouled off Thornton's first pitch and then pulled back his bat on the second one, a fastball right down the middle.

#METS

Real Madrid may have begun the 2026/27 La Liga season with three points, but their opening weekend was followed by a familiar controversy away from the pitch.
Following the win over Espanyol, Real Madrid TV returned to one of its most debated themes: refereeing decisions involving the first team.
This time, the club's official television channel focused on the treatment received by Vinicius Jr. and drew a direct comparison with Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal.
The basis of their argument was that Vinicius was repeatedly fouled without Espanyol players being punished with yellow cards, while Lamine Yamal received greater protection in a comparable situation.
Real Madrid's opening-day victory came after a late goal by Carlo Espi secured all three points, but the match was far from short of tension.

#real #vinicius #lamine #received

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to face the Mets in New York this week, as the Crew looks to continue their winning ways. The Brewers, at 81-50 this season, sit firmly atop the NL Central after winning each of their last three series against the Dodgers, Mariners, and Braves. The Mets, at 59-72, sit at the bottom of the NL East with the sixth-worst record in baseball. They've actually been a bit better the last couple of weeks, with a 6-3 record against the Nationals, Padres, and White Sox.
Milwaukee's lone position player on the IL is outfielder Sal Frelick, who is expected to return for this road trip. However, the team suffered a pair of injuries in Sunday's Little League Classic, as outfielder Garrett Mitchell exited after being hit by a pitch with what was categorized as a right forearm contusion, and first baseman Jake Bauers, who has been playing with a toe fracture this season, fouled a ball off his leg/foot, though he remained in the game. It's unclear if either player will miss more time, but overall, not the worst news on that front. On the mound, the Brewers are without Brandon Woodruff (potentially back before the end of the year after not needing surgery), JoJo Romero (late August), Abner Uribe (could be activated on Wednesday), Rob Zastryzny (TBD), Joel Kuhnel (late August), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season).
The Mets are without first baseman Mark Vientos (on rehab ******* ignment), outfielder Juan Soto (September), and infielder Jorge Polanco (out for season). Old friend Devin Williams is on the injured list with a shoulder strain that will keep him out until at least September. Fellow pitchers Cionel Pérez (September), Justin Hagenman (TBD), Tylor Megill (out for season), and Reed Garrett (out for season) are also out.
Jake Bauers leads the Brewer offense with 23 homers, 19 doubles, and 75 RBIs this season, as he's slashing .273/.382/.503 in the best season of his career. Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Joey Ortiz, and Andrew Vaughn are among the other key contributors in recent weeks, while veteran Christian Yelich continues to suffer from the bad-luck bug. Gary Sánchez, Garrett Mitchell, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara are also in the regular mix, with Jonathan Ornelas serving as some infield depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.337/.396 (.733 OPS ranks seventh), with 120 homers (last), 650 runs scored (fifth), and 129 steals (third).
With Soto out, Carson Benge, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, and Francisco Alvarez lead New York's offense. Benge has 16 homers, 17 doubles, 53 RBIs, and 19 steals in what has been a solid season overall, while Bichette, Semien, and Lindor are all have down years by their standards. Jared Young, A.J. Ewing, Luis Robert Jr., and Brett Baty are also in the regular mix, with Christopher Morel, Luis Torrens, Eric Wagaman, and Cristian Pache rounding things out. As a team, the M

Steve Nicol took umbrage with one post-match comment on the stoppage-time penalty decision in Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Sunday.
The Reds were awarded a spot kick deep into added time when Lewis Hall clashed into Victor Munoz inside the box, and Dominik Szoboszlai duly converted to ensure a share of the spoils at St James' Park.
Gary Neville said on co-commentary for Sky Sports that it was the right decision, insisting that the Magpies left-back fouled the Spanish winger and didn't get any of the ball, but the home side's head coach Matthias Jaissle argued that the awarding of the penalty was 'really soft'.
That comment from the 38-year-old annoyed Nicol, who retorted that there's no grey area when it comes to such penalty decisions.
The ex-Liverpool defender said on ESPN FC: "What does that mean? It's either a foul or it's not a foul. If it's a foul, it's a penalty and it's not soft. You can't have this 'soft' nonsense. If you're gonna come out with that…I'm sorry, I don't get it.

#soft #foul #nicol #sunday

Leeds United saved their best moment of the match for the final few minutes in our season opening clash away at Nottingham Forest to take three points from the City Ground.
With the scores level approaching the 90-minute mark, Anton Stach was fouled outside of the Forest box. The midfielder stepped up himself and curled home a delightful free-kick, which sparked jubilant scenes behind the goal from the away fans.
Speaking after the match, the German international gave his thoughts on the goal, the fans, and the game as a whole, saying: "I think first of all, it is so important to get good start.
"It is such a difficult away game. I think the game was really tight overall, it was a lot about duels and winning second ***** , and of course it is really nice that we won the game at the end.
"I always try. I think the first free kick [Stach's earlier attempt from a similar position] was also not too bad over the post and then I tried again! It was nice that it went in today and we took the big three points.

#away #kick

Earlier this month, Caitlin Clark drew criticism from fans and media after she missed two free throws that would have essentially clinched the game for her team in a game the Indiana Fever ultimately lost in overtime. Now, Clark is facing criticism for her late-game performance yet again.
During Saturday night's game against the New York Liberty, Clark had the ball in her hands with a chance to tie the game in the final minute of regulation, but she made some puzzling choices that ultimately resulted in a loss for the Fever.
Late in Saturday's game against the Liberty, Clark had the ball with just under 50 seconds remaining on the clock with the Fever trailing by a score of 103-100. Instead of going for a three-point shot to potentially tie the game or working the ball for a high-percentage shot, Clark drove toward the basket and flailed to try to draw a foul, but it wasn't given.
Instead of getting back on defense quickly and trying to keep it a one-score game, Clark was slow to get up as she expressed her frustration with the referees. When she did eventually get back on defense, she immediately fouled Liberty guard Pauline Astier unnecessarily, eliciting visible frustration from teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who led the team with 25 points and extended her WNBA record of 22 consecutive games with at least 20 points.
Things got even worse for Clark on the next offensive possession. Clark went to the free-throw line with 24 seconds left with a chance to cut it to a one-possession game. However, just like the previous crunch time situation, Clark missed both free throws to essentially seal the loss.

#free #ball #late #missed

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jo Adell had a career night and showed the power that made the Cleveland Guardians acquire him at the trade deadline.
However, in a season in which every good thing that happens to the Guardians ends up being followed by a setback, Adell's night ended on a down note Tuesday.
Adell left before the eighth inning of the Guardians' 8-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants due to a bruised left knee. He fouled a pitch off his left kneecap during the first inning before hitting a 455-foot, three-run homer three pitches later.
Adell was receiving treatment after the game and wasn't available for comment after setting a career high with six RBIs and the longest homer of his seven-year career. He will continue to be evaluated.
"It seems like every time we go out and check on somebody, they do something pretty special," manager Stephen Vogt said after the Guardians' win. "But Jo obviously fouled that ball off his knee pretty hard. That's why we took him out of the game. He was feeling some pretty good pain as the game went on."

#Guardians #game

BOSTON (AP) — Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 18 points and Kennedy Burke had 17 to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 85-77 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
Diamond Miller finished with 13 points for the Sun, who played a game in Boston for the third straight year before moving next season to Houston.
Nelson-Ododa also had 11 rebounds and scored 13 points in the first half for the Sun (9-25). Leila Lacan had 10 ****** ists and Saniya Rivers scored 11 points off the bench. Burke shot 3 for 4 from beyond the arc.
The Sun took a 7-2 lead off a pull-up 3-pointer by Miller. Leading 46-40 at halftime, the Sun went on an 8-0 run that started with a driving layup by Nelson-Ododa, who was fouled and completed the three-point play. Burke added a 3-pointer and Miller made a layup to force the Sparks to take a timeout.
Rae Burrell finished with 19 points for the Sparks (12-23). Nneka Ogwumike added 18 and Dearica Hamby scored 15.

#burke #finished

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

PHOENIX (AP) — Carla Leite scored 23 points and the Portland Fire rallied to beat Phoenix 88-85 on Sunday night, when the Mercury had halftime and postgame ceremonies celebrating franchise icon Diana Taurasi.
Leite had the final two baskets in a 6-0 run and the expansion Fire (15-20) moved in front 81-80 with 1:12 remaining. Portland's Emily Engstler and the Mercury's Kahleah Copper traded baskets before Katie Lou Samuelson hit the second of two foul shots with 20 seconds left to put the Fire up 84-82.
Bridget Carleton blocked a shot by Copper and grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds to go, then sank two free throws for a four-point lead after Copper fouled her. Alyssa Thomas buried a 3-pointer, but Carleton sank two free throws to preserve the win.
Leite shot 9 for 15 and added five ***** ists. Megan DiLeo had 15 points.
DeWanna Bonner scored 23 to lead Phoenix (13-23). Copper totaled 19 points and seven rebounds. Thomas finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, falling one ***** ist shy of a triple-double.

#leite

Box Score
The Brewers, who had a bit of a rough patch in San Diego earlier this week as they were swept by the Padres, bounced back nicely over the weekend, winning three of four against the mighty Dodgers — aided by some shaky defense — and rebuilding their lead over the Cubs in the NL Central.
William Contreras, batting in the leadoff spot for the first time in over two years, started things off with a single. Luis Lara then flew out, and Jackson Chourio, after just missing a homer as he fouled one just to the left of the left-field foul pole, struck out. With two outs, Jake Bauers picked up a single of his own, but the Crew couldn't get anything across as Andrew Vaughn flew out.
Logan Henderson gave up a leadoff single to Shohei Ohtani but left him there, inducing a flyout and striking out a pair to get through a clean inning.
The Brewers got one across in the second, with Brandon Lockridge drawing a walk, Jonathan Ornelas singling to push Lockridge to third, and Contreras taking a walk to load the bases for Lara. Lara hit a soft grounder to short, and Mookie Betts made the flip to second for the final out, but Tommy Edman missed the ball, and everyone was safe, giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead before Chourio had a deep flyout to end the inning.

#lead

Villarreal needed two goals in just over a minute to ***** a 2-2 draw at promoted side Racing Santander on Sunday in their opening La Liga clash.
The hosts claimed an early lead but Inigo Perez took a point on his debut as coach of the Yellow Submarine after Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe pulled the visitors level against the hosts from Cantabria.
Back in the top flight after a 14-year wait, Racing took the lead at their raucous El Sardinero stadium with an Andres Martin penalty after Santi Comesana was ruled to have fouled Jorge Salinas just inside the area.
Sergio Martinez smashed home a second for Racing with a thunderbolt from distance which ripped into the top corner.
Gueye gave Villarreal, who came third last season, a foothold with a low drive from the edge of the box in the 45th minute.

#hosts

Saturday's top-of-the-table clash in Nashville has been riveting so far. Nashville and Inter Miami came into the night separated by just two points at the top of the Supporters Shield standings.
And as it stands in the second-half, they are on pace to extend that lead to five after putting Leo Messi and his mates to the sword in front of a sold-out crowd.
But the best moment of the night so far certainly came just shy of the hour-mark when Nashville striker Sam Surridge put his side ahead with a stunning back-heel flick to beat Rocco Ríos Novo.
The Miami players were incensed, believing Messi had been fouled at the other end of the pitch before the goal, but the goal did stand after a check by the referee.

#nashville #shield #surridge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandt Bronico scored in the first minute and Pep Biel had a goal contribution in a sixth straight match to spark Charlotte FC to a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night.
Bronico took passes from defender David Schnegg and Liel Abada and scored 29 seconds into the match for his first goal this season and his eighth in 204 career appearances. Schnegg's ******* ists was his fifth and Abada collected his fourth — both career highs.
Abada scored his second goal of the campaign on a penalty kick in the 9th minute for a 2-0 lead. The kick was awarded after he was fouled by Crew midfielder Dylan Chambost.
Eighteen-year-old rookie Chase Adams used his head in the 41st minute to score his first career goal and Columbus trailed 2-1 at halftime. Adams made his first start and fourth appearance. Defender Brooks Lennon picked up his first ******* ist this season and rookie Lautaro Giaccone snagged his first in his first start and second appearance.
Biel scored in the 73rd minute for a 3-1 advantage. It was the 10th goal for the midfielder — matching his career high set last season. Nineteen-year-old rookie forward Rodolfo Aloko earned his first ******* ist in his ninth appearance and rookie defender Will Cleary added his second in his fifth.

#season

Winning finish: Baylee DeSmit struck an 89th-minute free kick to lift Sporting Club Jacksonville women's soccer to a victorious Gainbridge Super League season opener, defeating host Fort Lauderdale United 1-0 on Aug. 15 at Amerant Bank Field.
Super strike: Sporting Jax (1-0-0), which narrowly outshot the hosts 7-6, received its chance after Fort Lauderdale's Shea Moyer fouled Andrea Fernandez barely outside the penalty area. DeSmit struck the ensuing free kick off the defensive wall and into the net.
Welcome to the club: Former Spokane Zephyr defender Ginger Fontenot made her first Sporting Jax start, playing 67 minutes at right wingback.
Quick free kicks: Sporting Jax newcomers Mya Swinton, Maci Teater and Melina Descary each received their club debuts off the bench in the second half. … Jamie Gerstenberg got the start in goal, recording two saves in the shutout. … Former Ponte Vedra High School defender Maggie Mace played all 90 minutes for Fort Lauderdale.
Up next: Sporting Jax plays its home opener at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, against Tampa Bay Sun FC at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

#sporting #fort #desmit #super