By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – Denmark’s Clara Tauson beat top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday in second-round action at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey, Mexico.

Alexandrova had two set points in the first set, one on Tauson’s serve at 6-5, the other late in the tiebreaker, before Tauson prevailed.

Tauson got her only service break of the match — in nine opportunities — to go up 4-2 in the third set before closing out the win and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Alycia Parks rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over third-seeded Maja Chwalinska, and the Czech Republic’s Darja Vidmanova toppled eighth-seeded Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-4, 7-5.

Second-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium battled for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy. Fifth-seeded Ann Li advanced with a walkover against Uzbekistan’s Maria Timofeeva.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers thought their rotation was on the verge of being fully healthy, another starter is headed to the injured list.

Right-hander Roki Sasaki, lifted from Wednesday’s game against the Braves in Atlanta after giving up four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings, will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game.

Speaking through an interpreter after the Braves’ 6-5 walk-off win, the 24-year-old Sasaki said the blister appeared suddenly during the fourth inning, when he gave up three runs.

“When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn’t feel anything coming beforehand,” Sasaki said. “My skin just ripped off, and then after that, it got worse. … I thought I was able to manage at first because the skin was still there, but after that, it kept getting worse, and I think it affected my slider afterwards.”

The injury comes as Sasaki is in the midst of perhaps his best run in the majors to date. He entered the game having gone 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 35 innings in his previous six starts.

It also comes at a time when the news regarding the Dodgers’ staff had been positive of late. After missing three months with an elbow injury, left-hander Blake Snell is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 18 innings in three starts since his return.

Righty Tyler Glasnow gave up three runs and struck out seven over five innings against Atlanta on Tuesday in his first game since May 6. He had been dealing with back issues.

And Shohei Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 after injuring his knee, could be back on the mound as early as this weekend.

Another bright spot for the Dodgers staff, lefty Eric Lauer, may take Sasaki’s spot in the rotation. He is 7-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 12 games since being acquired from Toronto in May.

Sasaki is 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA across 23 starts and 119 1/3 innings this season. In two seasons since coming to Los Angeles from Japan, Sasaki is 6-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 33 appearances (31 starts). He was a key piece of the Dodgers’ playoff run en route to their World Series title last season, appearing in nine games out of the bullpen and giving up just one earned run over 10 2/3 innings pitched and picking up three saves.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – Hector Rodriguez blasted a home run into the San Francisco Bay and Eugenio Suarez later followed with a grand slam as part of a seven-run ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds stunned the host Giants 10-9 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Tyler Stephenson capped the comeback with a go-ahead single to give Cincinnati its first win when trailing by six runs going into the ninth since 1958 against the Chicago Cubs.

The comeback spoiled a solid outing by Giants starter Logan Webb, who gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. With the Reds trailing 9-3 entering the ninth, Rodriguez ignited the rally with his second homer of the game to lead off the inning. Suarez hit his slam off Dylan Smith (0-5) four batters later to make it 9-8 with still no outs in the inning.

Tony Santillan (2-4) recorded the win despite giving up three runs in one inning of work. Emilio Pagan notched his 17th save with a scoreless ninth

Blue Jays 3, Royals 0

Nathan Lukes hit a three-run homer and seven pitchers silenced Kansas City’s offense as Toronto ended the visiting Royals’ nine-game winning streak.

Chad Dallas (2-1) pitched 2 2/3 clean innings to earn the win in the middle meeting of the three-game series. Louis Varland pitched 1 1/3 innings to pick up his 30th save despite allowing a single and double in the ninth.

The Royals’ best chance came in the third when they loaded the bases with one out before Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez struck out to end the inning.

Braves 6, Dodgers 5

Pinch hitter Ha-Seong Kim delivered a walk-off single, lifting Atlanta to a victory over visiting Los Angeles.

Kim got his first at-bat since Aug. 15, and he came to the plate batting .066 (5-for-76) on the season. His decisive hit came off Tanner Scott (1-5). Matt Olson and Sean Murphy homered for the Braves, while Drake Baldwin and Murphy each had three hits.

Tommy Edman homered among his three hits for the Dodgers, who have dropped the first two games of the three-game series.

Orioles 8, Cardinals 7

Pete Alonso homered and Christian Encarnacion-Strand had four hits, including a tiebreaking double in the top of the ninth inning, leading Baltimore to a second straight victory at St. Louis.

Leody Taveras hit a three-run homer for the Orioles, who prevailed after blowing a 7-0 lead. Grant Wolfram (5-2) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Andrew Kittredge pitched into and out of a ninth-inning jam for his seventh save.

Ivan Herrera and Bryan Torres each had three hits for the Cardinals, who took their fifth consecutive loss. Riley O’Brien (3-6) gave up the decisive run in his lone inning.

Rays 3, Tigers 0

Freddy Peralta pitched six strong innings and recorded his first win since being traded to Tampa Bay as the Rays defeated host Detroit.

Peralta, Kevin Kelly and Tyler Wells combined on a two-hitter for the American League East leaders. Peralta (6-11) struck out four in his fifth start since the Rays acquired him from the New York Mets on Aug. 2. Jonny DeLuca drove in a run and scored another, while Jonathan Aranda had two hits and scored a run.

Detroit starter Troy Melton (7-3) gave up all three runs on seven hits in seven innings. The Tigers, who have lost seven of their last eight games, were shut out for the first time since the All-Star break.

Guardians 4, Angels 3

Travis Bazzana drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly and Steven Kwan had two hits, including a ground-rule double that drove in the tying run, as Cleveland rallied from a 3-0 deficit to complete a three- game series sweep of Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Bazzana went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs, Brayan Rocchio had two hits and two runs and Nathaniel Lowe and Jose Ramirez also had two hits for the Guardians, who matched a season-long streak with their seventh straight victory. Hunter Gaddis (2-3) picked up the win in relief as Cleveland defeated the Angels for the eighth straight time dating back to last season.

Zach Neto went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight game. Ryan Watson (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in one inning of relief.

Brewers 8, Mets 1

A trio of relievers combined to allow one run over the final 8 2/3 innings for visiting Milwaukee, which cruised past New York in the middle game of a three- game series.

Brewers starter Dustin May left after he was struck in the upper back by an A.J. Ewing line drive on the only pitch May threw. The Brewers said May had a bruised right shoulder blade and X-rays were negative. Robert Gasser (4-5) allowed one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in his first career relief appearance. Brice Turang reached base three times in five plate appearances and hit a three-run homer.

Francisco Alvarez ended the combined shutout bid with a fourth-inning RBI single for the Mets, who fell to 13-9 this month. Marcus Semien and Brett Baty had two hits each. Robert Stock (0-3) took the loss after allowing seven runs on 10 hits over four innings.

Marlins 4, Red Sox 0

Single runs in the first two innings and Ryan Gusto’s 5 2/3 shutout frames propelled Miami to a shutout win over visiting Boston.

The Marlins tagged Boston starter Sonny Gray (16-4) for two hits in each of the first two frames, but four Red Sox errors had a major impact on all of the scoring. Javier Sanoja went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three stolen bases, while Otto Lopez (2-for-4, two stolen bases, two runs scored) and Heriberto Hernandez (2-for-4, RBI) also had multi-hit games to help the Marlins salvage the finale of the three-game series.

The Red Sox managed only five hits. Caleb Durbin was 2-for-4. Gray allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings.

Diamondbacks 2, Cubs 0

Jordan Lawlar homered, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings, and Arizona beat Chicago to win the rubber game of a three-game series matching National League wild-card contenders in Phoenix.

Lawlar lined an opposite-field homer 364 feet over the right field fence leading off the sixth off Matthew Boyd (8-3) for the first run of the game. Rodriguez (14-4) won his fourth straight start, giving up two hits and tying a season high with nine strikeouts. Ryan Waldschmidt’s sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 2-0.

The Cubs were shut out for the 13th time. Pete Crow-Armstrong was 1-for-12 with a double and walk in the series. He struck out three times in the finale.

Padres 3, Pirates 0

Jackson Merrill had two hits, including an RBI triple, and Randy Vasquez allowed one hit over five scoreless innings, fueling host San Diego to a victory over Pittsburgh.

Merrill also doubled and scored on Luis Rengifo’s single in the second inning. Jake Cronenworth added an RBI double in the eighth inning for the Padres, who salvaged the finale of the low-scoring three-game series versus the Pirates. Vasquez (10-6) improved to 4-0 in five starts this month.

Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (6-9) surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Pittsburgh left the bases loaded in the fourth and seventh innings, but came up empty each time behind strikeouts.

Phillies 6, Mariners 0

Kyle Schwarber hit his major league-leading 40th home run of the season and Jesus Luzardo pitched seven one-hit innings as Philadelphia defeated host Seattle to salvage the finale of the three-game interleague series.

Bryce Harper also went deep for the Phillies, extending his on-base streak to a career-high 29 straight games. Luzardo (12-5) allowed just a two-out liner to left by Jhonny Pereda in the fifth inning and three walks, striking out nine batters. Philadelphia’s Tim Mayza and Jhoan Duran each pitched an inning of relief to complete the two-hit shutout.

Mariners starter Bryan Woo (9-9) took his first home loss of the season, giving up two runs in the first and four more in the second. He allowed six runs on five hits over four innings.

Rockies 13, Nationals 1

Connor Norby hit a grand slam and an RBI single, Tanner Gordon pitched seven strong innings and Colorado smashed host Washington.

Troy Johnston, Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman each hit two-run homers for the Rockies, who have won their past two games after losing seven straight. Gordon (1-4) turned in his longest and best effort of the season, allowing a run on six hits.

Norby has an 11-game hitting streak and has reached base in all 14 games since being acquired from the Miami Marlins on Aug. 3. The grand slam was the first of his three-season major league career.

Yankees 9, Astros 3

Cody Bellinger delivered a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning and host New York pulled away late against Houston.

Bellinger’s hit sparked a four-run inning for the Yankees which was concluded by RBI hits from Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Chisholm had his third three-hit game of the season, and Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr. each homered for New York. Yankees rookie starter Elmer Rodriguez allowed three runs on three hits in six-plus innings.

Jose Altuve opened the scoring with a first-inning RBI double and Daulton Varsho hit a solo homer for the Astros, who lost for the 10th time in 16 games. Houston starter Peter Lambert allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Bennett Sousa (1-3) allowed four runs in a third of an inning, while Paul Blackburn (6-2) earned the win for New York.

White Sox 10, Rangers 4

Tristan Peters homered for the fifth straight game and Brenton Doyle added a three-run shot to power host Chicago to a victory against Texas.

With his 12th homer of the season, Peters tied the franchise record and major league rookie record for consecutive games with a home run which extended the White Sox’s lead to 6-2 in the fourth. Sean Newcomb (2-3) pitched three scoreless innings with two hits allowed and one strikeout. Jonathan Cannon allowed two runs and four hits in a three-inning save.

Joc Pederson homered for the Rangers, who got two hits and two RBIs from Ezequiel Duran. Texas starter MacKenzie Gore (7-10) allowed four runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Athletics 7, Twins 4

Alika Williams tripled home two runs during a four-run sixth inning and Lawrence Butler hit a solo homer as the Athletics rallied to beat Minnesota in the decisive game of a three-game series in West Sacramento, Calif.

Tommy White had three hits for the A’s, who trailed 4-2 before moving ahead in the sixth and winning for the fourth time in five games. Athletics starter J.T. Ginn (9-8) allowed four runs on six hits over six innings. Brady Basso tossed two scoreless innings before Elvis Alvarado struck out Luke Keaschall with two runners on in the ninth to finish his fifth save.

Brooks Lee, Trevor Larnach and Kaelen Culpepper each hit a solo homer for the Twins, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Connor Prielipp gave up three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings before Andrew Morris (4-6) gave up the final three runs in the decisive sixth inning.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – Less than a week after signing Taylor Rapp, the Denver Broncos on Wednesday cut the safety, but later in the day, head coach Sean Payton indicated the reason wasn’t football-related and that Rapp could be back with the team.

“He needs a little time at home,” Payton told reporters, before adding, “I know how he felt being here and so I think sooner than later (Rapp will be back with the team). This obviously took precedence.”

The 28-year-old Rapp signed a reported one-year deal last week, practiced Monday but missed practice Tuesday.

The seven-year veteran spent the past three seasons in Buffalo after playing his first four seasons in Los Angeles with the Rams, who drafted him in the second round out of Washington in 2019.

In 93 career games (72 starts), Rapp has 12 interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 488 tackles (314 solo). He won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021.

(–Field Level Media)

By Rory Carroll

Aug 26 (Reuters) – Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik beat Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-3 1-6 10-6 on Wednesday to win the U.S. Open mixed doubles title, securing their first Grand Slam trophy as a team.

Muchova and Mensik got off to a fast start on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the hard-serving Mensik hammering an ace past Bencic on set point to claim the opener in less than 30 minutes.

Bencic drilled a return winner to break serve for a 3-1 lead in the second, and the Swiss player later levelled the match when her forehand clipped the net cord and skipped beyond Muchova.

In the deciding 10-point match tiebreak, Mensik’s big serve and sharp work at the net helped the Czechs seize control.

The 20-year-old put away a firm volley to open an 8-4 lead before Muchova produced her best serve of the match to bring up championship points.

Mensik sealed the victory with another ace, leaping in celebration after clinching the first trophy of the season’s final Grand Slam.

Muchova and Mensik had earlier saved two match points against Russians Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in their semi-final to book their place in the title match.

“I think in the end the matching outfits made the difference for us,” Muchova said to laughter as the pair sported matching maroon Adidas jackets during the trophy ceremony. 

“I wasn’t really expecting to be standing here tonight. We came out just to have fun and enjoy these mixed doubles and now we are standing here. So we did something right.

“I think this is a really good start to the U.S. Open for all of us,” she added after congratulating Bencic and Cobolli.

The 16-team mixed doubles draw began on Tuesday in the second year of the tournament’s revamped format, which features leading singles players and is aimed at drawing bigger crowds in the week before the singles main draw.

Among the star-studded teams, Novak Djokovic joined forces with Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz played alongside Serena Williams. 

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

CHICAGO (AP) — Tristan Peters homered in a fifth straight game for the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, tying a franchise record.

Peters and Munetaka Murakami are also the only rookies in club history to hit home runs in five consecutive games in the same season.

Peters connected on a two-run drive in the fifth inning that put the White Sox ahead of the Texas Rangers 6-2. The 26-year-old Canadian now has 12 homers on the season.

The streak matches the longest by a rookie, accomplished 13 times before — including by teammate Murakami this year. Ron Kittle in 1983 was the only other White Sox rookie to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Eight times previously the White Sox have had a player hit homers in five straight.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – In the latest twist in NCAA conferences’ attempts to prevent professional athletes from returning to college to compete in athletics, the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday reportedly agreed to punish schools that bring in players from the NFL, NBA or WNBA.

According to multiple media reports, the SEC’s penalties will include suspending coaches for half a season, a fine equal to 50% of the university’s annual budget for the sport in question, and revoking league voting rights.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reportedly was granted authority to levy additional sanctions as needed.

The policy banning pro athletes from returning to the SEC was approved with a unanimous 16-0 vote, while the penalties reportedly were approved 15-0 with LSU abstaining.

LSU’s stance is noteworthy as the latest round of furor over the return of pro prospects was sparked in part by Tigers coach Lane Kiffin’s bringing in Dae’Quan Wright after the former Ole Miss tight end was cut by the Cleveland Browns in camp. A judge granted Wright a temporary restraining order to compete in his fifth year of eligibility.

Earlier this year, LSU received a commitment from former St. John’s basketball star RJ Luis Jr. to play next season even though he signed contracts with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics after going undrafted in 2025. On Monday, Luis received a temporary injunction that would permit him to suit up for the Tigers this winter.

The SEC, though, stated it will not permit an athlete to be on a school’s roster if he or she meets one of the following conditions:

–Previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft and did not appropriately withdraw.

–Signed a contract with an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G League or WNBA (or affiliate) team.

–Been listed on an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G League or WNBA (or affiliate) roster.

The Big Ten joined the SEC in banning players who signed with an NFL team, or declared for the NFL draft and didn’t withdraw, from returning to play for a school in the conference. The Big 12 announced Wednesday a similar ban for players in all sports. ESPN reported the Atlantic Coast Conference could soon join the other power conferences with a similar announcement.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands dominated the highest-remaining seed, No. 2 Italian Luciano Darderi, in a 6-1, 6-0 demolition to coast into the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem Open on Wednesday in North Carolina.

The No. 13 seed needed just 68 minutes to advance, winning the final 11 games of the match after the first set was tied 1-1. van de Zandschulp had a 12-0 advantage in aces, putting just 56% of his first serves in play but winning 86% of his first-serve points and 60% of his return points.

Darderi had nearly three times as many unforced errors (17) as winners (six), managed just one break point on his opponent’s serve and was broken five times in eight chances.

That upset leaves third-seeded Ignacio Buse of Peru as the highest-remaining seed after he held off No. 16 seed Daniel Altmaier of Germany 7-6 (5), 7-5. Fourth-seeded Arthur Fery of Great Britain, gearing up for his first major event since his stunning run to the semifinals at Wimbledon, is also through to the quarterfinals after beating Dutch qualifier Mees Rottgering 6-3, 6-3.

No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece was ousted by unseeded American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 7-6 (1), setting up a quarterfinal against Fery. No. 15 seed Fabian Marozsan of Hungary rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over American wild card Martin Damm, while No. 8 seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo advanced past No. 10 seed Sebastian Baez in an all-Argentine matchup. Baez trailed 6-2, 4-0 when he retired.

France’s Benjamin Bonzi and Australia’s James Duckworth each advanced with straight-set wins in the day’s two unseeded round of 16 matches.

(–Field Level Media)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to terms with power forward Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million contract on Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not confirmed the agreement. ESPN reported that Kuminga’s contract includes a player option for the second season, which would give the seventh overall pick from the 2021 draft an opportunity to hit the free agent market in a year.

Kuminga will fill an obvious need in the frontcourt for the Timberwolves, who traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid as part of their offseason acquisition of point guard LaMelo Ball.

Kuminga, who will turn 24 on Oct. 6, averaged a career-best 16.1 points during the 2023-24 season for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted the Congo native but never found the right fit for him before ultimately trading him to the Atlanta Hawks in February. Kuminga fell out of favor with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and out of the rotation last season, making his departure an inevitability. He played in only seven of his last 38 games with the Warriors.

He’ll have a fresh start with the hungry Timberwolves, who’ll have the challenge of finding enough shots for Kuminga and fellow forward Jaden McDaniels in a lineup that will revolve around Ball and superstar Anthony Edwards. In 278 NBA games, Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points and 22.1 minutes. He’s a 50.2% shooter from the floor.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

By Field Level Media

Aug 27 (Field Level Media) – In its latest effort to quash rumors and concerns it will sell off more of its assets amid reports it is the subject of federal investigations into potential tax fraud, TWG Global said Wednesday that its stakes in both the Los Angeles Dodgers and its Cadillac Formula 1 team are not for sale.

The comments were made in a biting news release attacking the investigations and allegations of fraud.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are investigating the company, and more specifically founder and CEO Mark Walter.

“Over the past several weeks, multipronged attacks against TWG have been advanced by unnamed sources with self-serving interests that have been reported in the media,” the statement began. “It is important to set the record straight. TWG stands firmly behind the integrity of its business and remains focused on continuing to deliver value to its stakeholders.

“Despite what has been reported, there has been no fraud.”

Speculation about the potential sale of assets picked up last week when Walter agreed to sell his stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for a reported $12.5 billion — barely a year after purchasing majority ownership for $10 billion.

Shortly after the sale, Dodgers president Stan Kasten told the media, “The Dodgers are not being sold.”

In its statement Wednesday, TWG echoed Kasten’s words.

“Regarding the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be clear, the team is not being sold and no sale process has been initiated,” the statement read, before later adding, “Similarly, TWG is not considering exiting its stake in the Cadillac Formula 1 team or any other part of TWG Motorsports.”

“The allegation that the Los Angeles Dodgers were acquired or have been funded improperly is false and not supported by the facts,” the statement also added.

Among Walter’s other sports endeavors, he owns the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and French top-flight soccer team RC Strasbourg while holding stakes in the Andretti Global motorsports operation and Chelsea of the Premier League in England.

(–Field Level Media)