NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. passed his final concussion tests and the Toronto Blue Jays slugger is expected to return from the seven-day injured list on Saturday.
Guerrero returned to the team on Friday and took swings in the batting cage after doubling during a minor league rehabilitation game for Single-A Dunedin on Thursday.
"He felt good," manager John Schneider said before the Blue Jays opened a three-game series with the Yankees. "Even before he left to play in Clearwater, he was feeling good. He feels pretty normal, so that's a good thing."
Guerrero left a 3-1 win in Toronto over the Yankees last Friday after a collision with New York rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. on a bizarre play at third base in the sixth inning.
The six-time All-Star was injured when he slid at third base and had Lombard's knee and thigh strike his head. The play caused Guerrero's helmet to get dislodged, though the first baseman scored the tying run before exiting.

#good

The Toronto Blue Jays have received some very encouraging news regarding Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just in time for their weekend showdown with the New York Yankees. Guerrero has cleared MLB concussion protocol.
The slugger is now taking the next step in his recovery, giving Toronto hope that its star will be back in the lineup at Yankee Stadium this weekend.
MORE: Astros call up top prospect, make multiple changes to rotation
May 16, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Guerrero will serve as the designated hitter for Dunedin Thursday night against Clearwater as part of his rehab ****** ignment. The Blue Jays will evaluate how he responds after the game before determining the next step in his recovery.

#blue #jays #vladimir #weekend

MOSCOW, Aug 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian government on Wednesday to launch a programme to ‌rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukraine in ‌a month of targeted attacks.
Ukraine has carried out drone strikes against at least two dozen warehouses of Russia's top online retailer Wildberries since July 18, causing explosions and fires that have destroyed a large chunk of its storage capacity.
Putin, without naming the company, said a number ‌of logistic sites needed ⁠rebuilding with state involvement, and told the government to work on this.
"It is essential to ensure ⁠that the restoration of damaged facilities is carried out at a qualitatively new technological level," he said in televised comments to a conference of ministers and business leaders on the economy.
Putin said the ‌economy was growing modestly despite external pressure — a reference to Western sanctions — and despite Ukrainian attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities.

#government #warehouses #economy

MOSCOW, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Russia delivered a strong protest to ****** an's ambassador to Moscow on Tuesday over what it called anti-Russian remarks ‌by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a dispute over a group ‌of Russian-controlled islands off northeast ****** an.
Moscow's summoning of envoy Akira Muto is the latest development in a simmering row between the two countries after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited one of the disputed islands last week.
The four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and ****** an refers to as the Northern Territories, were seized by the ‌Soviet Union in the days ⁠following ****** an's surrender in World War Two.
Russia controls and administers them, but Tokyo still claims them. Takaichi said last week ⁠that Putin's visit "hurts the feelings of the ****** anese people and is absolutely unacceptable".
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin delivered Moscow's protest to the ****** anese envoy, telling him Moscow objected to "anti-Russian" statements by both Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

#minister #takaichi #Japan #japanese

A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month's parliamentary election.
The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was another step by the Kremlin to stifle dissent since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Yabloko is the only official political party overtly opposing the war.
Shlosberg, 63, is Yabloko's deputy chairman and served in the regional legislature of Pskov from 2016-21. He stood trial in the city of Pskov, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Moscow, on charges of "discrediting" and spreading "false information" about the Russian military.
The charges stemmed from a debate in which he called for ending the war and from posting on his Telegram channel a British tabloid front page featuring an image of a bloodied woman next to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the headline: "Her blood ... his hands." Shlosberg has rejected the charges as unfounded.
It was the second trial for Shlosberg in the last two years. He has also been designated a "foreign agent," a label that carries strong pejorative connotations in Russia and brings additional government scrutiny. He was convicted of violating the foreign agent regulations.

#russian #Russia #next #party

Danny Young this season has an ERA over 8, a FIP over 7, and an xFIP over 6. He has at times in his 5 season, 73.0 inning major league career been an acceptable major league reliever and even has acceptable career numbers over that time, but he has simply not given the Braves a compelling reason to keep him on their roster this year. Meanwhile, the Braves are reportedly contemplating how to bring AJ Smith-Shawver onto the roster. My proposal is to simply get rid of Danny Young, perhaps bring up a stopgap arm for a few days and then have AJ replace Grant Holmes in the rotation. Holmes can be a good arm out of the bullpen and while he has done admirably to perform the job of a back end rotation starter, he can impact the Braves the best for the remainder of this season out of the bullpen.
The Braves got absolutely pounded on a night when they really had nothing going against the Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals promoted top prospect Joshua Baez and he hit a homer in each of his first THREE MLB plate appearances Saturday.
Red Sox' Aroldis Chapman passed the threshold for his $13 million vesting option, pending post-season physical.
The Blue Jays put Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the concussion IL after taking a knee to the head.

#danny #simply

I thought the Jays and I had an understanding, I would play tennis on Saturday mornings and they wouldn't make any news while I play.
Anyway:
Vladimir Guerrero has been put on the 7-day concussion IL. Concussions are terrible things. My youngest son got play playing rugby and it ended his rugby playing. He had a rough time of it. I hope Vlad is only out those seven days.
Paul Sewald has been activated for today's game.
Lazaro Estrada was optioned to Buffalo, but then DFAed.

#playing

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn't end his Rogers Centre home run drought Friday night against the New York Yankees; however, he did make serious contact in the sixth inning — with the knee of Yankees rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., that is.
His worrisome collision at third base took place amid a head-scratching sequence that saw the Yankees flub a double-play opportunity. A chopper from George Springer was corralled by Ryan McMahon, who stepped on the third-base bag and fired a toss to first. But it needed a bounce to reach first, where Luis García Jr.'s glove popped off as he tried to stab the ball for the inning-ending out.
García got on his horse, collected the ball, turned and whipped it back to third. The problem was, no one was covering the bag. As Lombard attempted to chase down the throw, he ran into a sliding Guerrero, who weathered a blow to the head before wincing on his way home for Toronto's first run in a 3-1 series-opening victory over the Yankees (68-54).
The Blue Jays (60-64), now only one game back of the final wild-card spot in the American League after selling at the trade deadline, improved to 6-2 in their past eight games, in large part thanks to catcher Alejandro Kirk. He scored Springer in the sixth with a two-out double. Then he launched a solo shot in the eighth.
Guerrero, though, didn't return to the game after the thump he endured. He finished 1-for-3 with a single.

#garc #home

WARSAW (AP) — A Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister said Thursday, adding it was the first time that "someone on the order of Russia" sought to attack a U.S. citizen on the territory of another NATO country.
Western officials have previously warned that Russia stepped up a campaign of targeted killings since President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying they have disrupted several plots across Europe. But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this incident was unprecedented.
The suspect, who was allegedly recruited by Russia's secret services, was detained by Polish authorities on Aug. 7. He will be held in custody for three months, the Warsaw police said in a statement.
The American Ukrainian citizen "was uncomfortable for the Putin regime," Tusk said in a news conference, without elaborating.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with U.S. services, said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister overseeing intelligence services. He said the targeted victim was a U.S. citizen "of Ukrainian origin." Officials did not immediately provide further details.

#Warsaw

By Andrew Osborn and Felix Light
MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia will respond in kind if European countries start to seize Russian merchant vessels and the commander of Russia's ‌Pacific Fleet said his forces were ready to "inspect and detain" foreign vessels from what he called hostile states.
The comments, ‌which Putin made as he oversaw navy drills in Russia's far east, come as the EU tries to ratchet up pressure on Russia's so-called shadow fleet, expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining some ships and their crews for checks. Some European governments have said they are exploring tougher maritime enforcement measures against ships suspected of sanctions evasion.
"We can see that the authorities of certain countries, in violation of international maritime law, are attempting to restrict the movement of our economic operators' vessels..., and have recently gone so far as to ‌consider the possibility of seizing our vessels and ⁠selling off the property they have plundered from us," Putin said.
"Naturally, this is nothing less than piracy and robbery. And if this begins to be put into practice, we shall be forced to ⁠respond in kind. And not necessarily in those waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we ourselves deem it necessary and appropriate."

#vessels #putin #fleet

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened retaliation for Western seizures of its commercial vessels, describing them as "piracy."
Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship that was taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Putin described the Western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as a breach of international maritime law.
"It's nothing but piracy and robbery," Putin said. "If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind."
He added that the Russian response wouldn't necessarily come in the waters where the Russian ships were seized, noting that Moscow could retaliate "in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate," including in the Pacific.
The Pacific Fleet chief, Adm. Viktor Liina, reported to Putin that the navy was ready to start inspections of the commercial ships serving the "unfriendly nations." He noted that many of the ships operated by British, French and other European carriers fly the flags of other nations, effectively making them a "shadow fleet."

#vessels

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian anti-ship missiles and drones blitzed a major Russian naval base on the Black Sea coast in a "unique" nighttime operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Cutting-edge drones developed by Kyiv since Moscow's full-scale invasion over four years ago have repeatedly targeted Russian ships in the Black Sea, including warships and oil tankers.
Ukraine's air and sea drones have succeeded in limiting the movements of Russia's once-dominant Black Sea navy, Kyiv officials say, in one of the country's biggest accomplishments of the war.
But Ukrainian officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is bent on pressing ahead with the war, despite his bigger army's slow and costly progress on the battlefield and U.S. diplomatic efforts to find a settlement.
Putin is planning "an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year," Zelenskyy said Tuesday night on social media, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports.

#kyiv #president #zelenskyy #officials

Blue Jays stay put in the power rankings after a grueling week originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After making the World Series last season, things have gone according to plan for the Toronto Blue Jays this year. While they had their sights set on making another deep run in the postseason, they have quite a bit of work to do.
The club has been missing some key pieces that helped them last season, like Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer have taken a step back this year.
And after trading away Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, and Jeff Hoffman, things likely aren't going to get any easier, especially as they are already 3.5 games out of an AL wild card spot.
MORE: Blue Jays have complicated future decision with $150 million All-Star

#last

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs Tuesday, killing at least 10 civilians, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting new military help from North Korea for its more than 4-year-old invasion.
Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an overnight attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where a company said seven workers at its steel plant were killed and 21 injured.
Three more people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said.
In addition to the ballistic missiles, North Korea is preparing to deploy more of its troops to Russia, Zelenskyy said late Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024, pledging mutual aid if either country faces aggression.

#russian #president #drones

Russia's central bank has proposed allowing Bitcoin (CRYPTO: $BTC), Ethereum (CRYPTO: $ETH), and Tether (CRYPTO: $USDT) to be traded on official Russian exchanges.
The Bank of Russia published the draft rules on Tuesday. The move follows legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin that formally legalized cryptocurrency trading in the country.
Under the proposed framework, both retail and professional investors would have to pass a test before they can trade Bitcoin, Ether or Tether from September 1. Retail investors make up around 98% of Russia's crypto market participants, according to the central bank.
More From Cryptoprowl:
Bernstein Sees 100% Upside In TeraWulf Stock After Earnings

#bank #proposed #investors #usdt

TORONTO — Instant reactions to the Red Sox (64-54) losing their third straight game Monday, a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays that included one of the more bizarre sequences you'll ever see on a baseball field:
1) The Red Sox, after dropping two games to the Athletics over the weekend at home, have lost three in a row for the first time since June 16-18, when the Blue Jays swept them at Fenway Park. Boston has scored just seven runs in its last 27 innings following a 25-run outburst in a two-game span Thursday and Friday.
Boston won nine series in a row before the weekend set against the A's. With one more loss in Toronto, the best they'll be able to do is split a four-game set north of the border.
2) A bizarre — and confounding — sequence played out in the seventh inning as Toronto led, 2-0. With two men on and no outs, Nick Sogard hit a sharp ball to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that Guerrero fielded on a hop, then threw to second. That means there was one out recorded — not a double play.
The league-controlled video board (and a press box announcement) said there were two outs... but Sogard stayed on first as Anthony Seigler took third. One pitch later, Ceddanne Rafaela hit a fly ball to center and both runners — thinking there were two outs — were off on contact. Sogard was picked off for an inning-ending double play.

#toronto #outs #blue #Third

Christian Mbilli's Halloween showdown with Canelo Alvarez won't be that month's only October ***** le defense, as Julius Julianis reports that IBF super middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias will meet no. 5 Oliver Zaren on October 8th in the former's eternal stomping grounds of Quebec.
Zaren (19-0-1, 8 KO), the other undefeated mid-20s Danish super middleweight, has spent the bulk of his career munching on limited foes in his home country. His one journey abroad came in June, when he traveled to Spain to battle Jose Luis Navarro Jr for the European ***** le, built up an early lead on the scorecards, then had to settle for a no contest because they were boxing outside and a thunderstorm hit.
A losing record against atmospheric phenomena bodes ill for his chances against a Cuban "Tornado." Iglesias (15-0, 14 KO) has looked like a potential vanguard of the post-Canelo era, demolishing all comers and only rarely deigning to lose a round. His last two efforts have seen him run over Vladimir Shishkin and Pavel Silyagin, the latter victory earning Iglesias his belt.
Not the most stirring matchup, but Zaren is reasonably high up in the rankings, Iglesias doesn't have a mandatory challenger yet, and the other champions aren't going to touch him with a 10-foot pole, so I suppose we've got to take what we can get.

#canelo #super #christian

Red Sox 0 (in reality) Blue Jays 2
All that's worth talking about happened in the top of the seventh. Red Sox down 2-0. Game is going along quickly. All is well.
Anthony Seigler singled off Simeon Woods Richardson to lead off the inning. Connor Wong also singled. Nick Sogard lined one at Vladimir Guerrero, who got the ball on a hop and got the first out on a force at second.
Then…..true weirdness. The scoreboard, apparently showed two outs. Truly that's really neither here nor there, as my dad would say. It is a none issue.
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a fly ball to center field. Both the runner on first and the runner on third took off before the catch. Brett Bateman threw the ball in to second, and, after a bit of confusion, the Jays threw to first to double up the runner that left first. Everybody left the field. Sportsnet went to commercial.

#runner #singled #field #left

A Ukrainian drone attack Monday on the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk killed 13 people, including a child, and wounded 75 others, authorities in the Tatarstan region said. The Ukrainian military said it hit an oil refinery there.
Russian officials didn't say what the drones targeted, but the city is an important oil refining hub, home to two refineries and a petrochemical plant. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities with long-range drones almost daily in recent months. The barrage has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into Russian refining capacity and unsettled the Russian public.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is a campaign to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and stop his more than 4-year-old invasion.
Nizhnekamsk came under a "massive" drone attack targeting industrial and civilian facilities on Monday morning, according to the press service of Tatarstan's head, Rustam Minnikhanov. No further details were immediately available.
Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck a Taneco oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, starting a fire.

#attack

A dangerous new front is emerging in the Russia-Ukraine war as attackers and alleged intelligence operatives increasingly target executives and engineers developing the cutting-edge drone technology that is reshaping the battlefield, industry experts warned Sunday.
The attacks include an Aug. 4 car bombing near Yekaterinburg that critically injured Vladimir Tkachuk, head of Russian drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, and killed his driver, according to Russian state news agency TASS, The **** ociated Press reported.
His company produces the "Upyr," or "Ghoul," a first-person-view attack drone used by Russian forces in Ukraine.
'A New Kind Of War': Inside Ukraine's Hidden Factories Mass-producing Combat Drones
Days earlier, Andrei Cherezov, head of another Russian drone company, was shot three times in Tula overnight July 28-29 in an apparent **** assination attempt, according to Ukrainian outlet Pravda. Authorities have not publicly attributed either attack to Ukraine.

#russian #ukraine #Russia #sunday

Chelsea's second string played out an interesting friendly with Johor Darul Ta'zim this afternoon, and there was one big winner and one big loser.
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Chelsea's second team have just drawn 3-3 in Malaysia against Johor Darul Ta'zim, and a result like that is bound to generate some criticism for individuals, even with a much changed team on the pitch.
The scapegoat for the Blues was Tosin, who had another shocker. He was so poor he may have played his way out of Xabi Alonso's consideration for the season ahead. Certainly he's at the bottom of the long list of central defenders we have on our books right now.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – AUGUST 08: Valeri Vladimirov of AC Milan competes for the ball against Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea FC during the pre-season friendly between Chelsea FC and AC Milan at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on August 08, 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Peksi Cahyo/Getty Images)

#johor #darul #Milan #played

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nathan Lukes hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 on Saturday night.
Max Scherzer started for Toronto and moved into 10th place all-time in strikeouts with 3,516, passing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson (3,515). He is second on the list among active pitchers behind Justin Verlander (3,554).
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and had two RBIs for the Blue Jays, who will go for a three-game series sweep on Sunday.
Scherzer surrendered two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. He struck out Kyle Schwarber leading off the sixth to move past Johnson before giving up consecutive home runs to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper that tied the game at 2 and ended the right-hander's night.
Lukes drove a two-out, 3-2 sweeper off Chase Shugart (2-1) into the seats in right for the winning runs.

#lukes #toronto #scherzer #johnson

Courts have blocked President Donald Trump's earlier attempts to use existing laws for his trade war, but Congress is advancing a new law that would provide broad discretion to impose steep tariffs.
In an 86-to-11 vote, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 on Friday, with the House expected to approve the bill with similar bipartisan support next month.
It sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Kremlin officials while also targeting the country's energy sector to cripple the economy amid its war on Ukraine.
The bill would let Trump impose fresh tariffs as high as 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil and gas. While that could include U.S. allies like the European Union, South Korea, ******* an as well as top trading partners like China and India, the president also has the ability to issue waivers if he deems it "in the national interest of the United States."
Despite the overwhelming support, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tried to remove the bill's tariff authority, but failed.

#russian #bill #like #courts

The Senate took its first major step in fulfilling one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's biggest desires: levying bone-crushing sanctions against Russia.
A bipartisan swell carried the sanctions package through its first hurdle on an 86-12 vote, which has gone through several iterations in the time since it was first formulated by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. He explained that at its core, the package was designed to stop purchases of Russian oil and gas that was "fueling Putin's war machine."
"Ukraine's fight is our fight," Blumenthal said. "Nobody believed that more deeply and passionately than Lindsey Graham. He lived it, and this vote is a step forward."
Lindsey Graham's Final Mission Nears Finish Line As World Leaders Gather To Honor Him
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Presidential Council for the Implementation of State Policy on the Promotion of the Russian Language and the Languages of the Peoples of Russia via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 2, 2026.

#state

Shane Bieber melted down, which cost the Jays a chance to win but probably more importantly derailed a string of solid starts that had hopefully been pushing his trade value back up. Also, Vladimir Guerrero jr. left the game before the bottom of the fourth after legging out an infield single and throwing error in the third. It was later reported to be a right hamstring injury. So a good day all around.
We got a fun moment before the game as Louis Varland and his brother Gus, recently recalled from AAA by the Nationals, got to do the lineup card exchange.
There was an hour long rain delay before we could get going tonight. Cade Cavalli didn't look bothered, but it looked like the delay really threw Shane Bieber. He couldn't get any of his pitches across, missing badly all over the plate. After the Jays were retired in the first with just a Nathan Lukes single erased by a Vladimir Guerrero jr. double play ball, Bieber walked two the first three Washington hitters. Then CJ Abrams reached on an infield ground ball when Bieber couldn't find the bag while recieving Luis Urias' toss, loading the bases with just one out. Walks to Keibert Ruiz and Daylen Lile forced in a pair of runs. A Nasim Nunez sac fly plated Abrams to make it 3-0. Then another walk, to Jorbit Vivas, re-loaded the bases, and a sixth, to Jacob Young, pushed yet another run across. That was enough for the Jays, who called for Brendon Little. He got a ground out to finally end the inning.
The Jays had a chance in the second, with George Springer walking and Ernie Clement lining a single, but they failed to capitalize. Little returned for the bottom half and struck out the side.
Toronto got on board in the third. Yohendrick Pinango walked with one out, but was traded for Lukes on a fielder's choice. The speed upgrade mattered, as Vlad hit a slow roller to third and Vivas's throw to first went wide, allowing Lukes to come all the way around to score, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Little kept dealing, getting a ground out and a strikeout among the first two batters. Nunez reached when Ernie Clement bobbled a soft chopper to third, but Brandon Valenzuela gunned him down stealing second with a beautiful throw.

#lukes

TORONTO (AP) — Shane Bieber pitched a season-high seven innings to win his second straight start, George Springer reached base three times and drove in a run, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 on Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep.
Bieber (2-1) allowed one run and three hits. He walked none and struck out three.
Tyler Rogers worked the eighth and Louis Varland finished for his 21st save in 21 opportunities.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two singles and an RBI, and Springer went 2 for 3 with a walk as Toronto won for the second time in 10 meetings with the Rays.
The Blue Jays are 2-5 since the All-Star break, scoring just 13 runs.

#springer #second #george

Rays 4 Blue Jays 2
Well, we scored two runs.
For a moment, it looked like we could have big first inning. With one out (an Ernie Clement strikeout), Nathan Lukes walked and Vladimir Guerrero doubled high off the wall in right center. A few feet left and it would have been a home run over the lower part of the wall. But still, runners on second and third and one out? George Springer ground out, bringing in a run. Yohendrick Piñango struck out to end the inning.
We wouldn’t score again until the seventh. With one out, Alejandro Kirk homered. He was the one with a good day with the bat. Two for four, with hard hit fly out to the track in the second inning.
We had just the four hits, the three mentioned above and a Piñango single. And one walk. Along with eight strikeouts.

#wall #blue #jays #well

This week’s All-Star Week festivities got off to a bombastic start on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, with outstanding performances from established sluggers and burgeoning stars alike in the Home Run Derby. The spectacle of Jordan Walker silencing a partisan Philadelphia crowd with six consecutive bombs to ****** the ****** le from Kyle Schwarber will be hard to top in terms of pure theatre, but let’s see what the Midsummer Classic itself has to offer!
Tonight, the Yankees will have both Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger representing them in the American League’s starting lineup; they’ll take on Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sánchez on his home mound as the Senior Circuit seeks to claim their second straight victory in the main event. The AL had mounted a late-inning comeback to erase a 6-0 lead, but Schwarber ultimately led the NL to victory by winning a Derby-esque swing-off challenge which replaced extra innings.
Of course, two other Yankees were named All-Stars this season: Aaron Judge and Cam Schlittler. Judge is still working his way back from the rib fracture he sustained in the first week of June. Schlittler was about as deserving as any pitcher to get the starting nod for the AL, but owing to his start this past Saturday, opted not to participate. Strangely, Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who will be leading the American League on the field tonight, said he was always planning to tap the Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease as the starter—even if Schlittler was available to pitch. Weird move, but all right.
Bellinger and Rice will hit consecutively in Schneider’s lineup, at the sixth and seventh spot respectively. (Everybody get those jokes out of the way now.) They were not voted into starting spots, but they will each get the nod regardless due to injuries to Judge and Byron Buxton in Bellinger’s case and the combination of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s withdrawal from the event and replacement Nick Kurtz’s recent addition to the IL.
Rice participated in last night’s Home Run Derby, but failed to advance to the next round. He’ll still get a chance to show off the impressive game power which has brought him to the precipice of 30 home runs at the season’s intermission. Bellinger was slumping mightily ahead of the season’s final week, but finished strong with five hits in the last four games ahead of the break. He gets a chance to keep that momentum going against…well, somebody in the NL’s pitching staff. Since it tends to be a new face pitching every inning, and all. Just one big hit from either of them however, and they could join Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013), and Giancarlo Stanton (2022) as the only All-Star Game MVPs in Yankees history.

Vladimir Putin's troubles are adding up. His public denials notwithstanding, the war in Ukraine and economy at home are heading in the wrong direction.
His implied social contract with his subjects — you support me in this war and I will shield you from its consequences — is beginning to fray. An ****** ault on a NATO member state, followed by a nuclear ultimatum to end the war on Moscow's terms, debasing the alliance in the process, is looking like an increasingly attractive option.
Four factors are forcing Putin's hand.
After an estimated 1.2. million Russian dead and wounded, at around 35,000 average monthly casualties, the "special military operation" has turned into an endless war of attrition he cannot win and cannot afford to lose. Russia's key advantage over Ukraine — cannon fodder — has become all but irrelevant. Throwing 300,000 more men into the trenches by ordering another "partial mobilization," as even the militaristic Russian "Z" bloggers warn, will only result in the draftees' dying without altering "the nature of the war." A "technological breakthrough" is needed, the bloggers declare, to counter Ukrainian drones.
But despite Putin's promises, none appears on the horizon.

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber of the host Philadelphia Phillies will lead off for the National League in the All-Star Game as the replacement for designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who is skipping the showcase to have a knee procedure ahead of the season’s second half.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene and two New York Yankees, first baseman Ben Rice and outfielder Cody Bellinger, gained American League starting spots because of injuries.
Rice, third in the major leagues with 29 home runs behind Schwarber (32) and the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (31), starts at first because Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is skipping the game to rest a bad back. Guerrero’s initial replacement, the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz, sprained his thumb.
Bellinger replaced Yankees teammate Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played since May 31 because of a fractured rib. Greene took over from Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, sidelined by a hip injury. Bellinger will be in right and Greene in left.
Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease were announced as the starting pitchers.