The Rockets got back on the winning track on Friday night with a 110-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were playing without Anthony Edwards. Kevin Durant had a season-high 39 points to lead the way for the Rockets. Durant was 11-for-18 from the field, 6-for-8 from deep, and evem showed off some of his playmaking chops with 7 assists to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. He did have 5 turnovers, however.
Houston also got a double-double from Alperen Sengun. He finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, while shooting 11-for-22 from the field. He also seems to finally be feeling better, as he was back to doing Alpie-like things.
The only other two Rockets in double figures were Amen Thompson, who finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists on 5-for-12 from the floor, while Reed Sheppard woke back up a bit, also finishing with 14 points. He was 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-6 from three, though heâs still struggling getting minutes out of Ime Udoka, finishing with just 19 minutes of court time. As a comparison, Josh Okogie had 1 point on0-for-4 shooting, and he still played 33 minutes. Jabari Smith Jr. continued struggle, hitting just 3-for-12 from the field, he still played 38 minutes. Reed just canât get any love, even when heâs playing relatively well.
Outside of Reed, Houston got just 8 more total points from its bench, with Dorian Finney-Smith throwing up another stinker with 0 points in 16 minutes.
The Rockets sat Steven Adams and only played Clint Capela 12 total minutes, so the Rockets actually lost the rebound battle in this one, but they shot 46 percent and were 12-for-28 from deep, so perhaps the offense is waking up a little bit.
The Wolves were led by Julius Randle with 39 points, and Naz Reid had 25 off of the bench, while Rudy Gobert had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double along with 2 blocks, despite being put in a blender by Sengun.
The Rockets now move to 24-15 on the season and are in the five seed, three games back of the second seed. Theyâll be back in action on Sunday versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition ofSmash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today we look at a Gold Glove infielder.
Who is he and where does he come from?
Heâs Nico Hoerner and heâs currently a member of the Chicago Cubs, a team that, as Dan Secatore put it, just handed out a bad contract, a notion I agree with, albeit with sadness for the loss of a clubhouse leader. The 2018 first round draft pick (two picks ahead of Triston Casas) has been on a Major League roster since 2019 (two years longer than Casas, which isnât an indictment on Triston as Hoerner is almost three years older). Heâs primarily played at second base, logging 500 games at the position, though heâs dabbled at short, too, having played 210 games at that position.
Is he any good?
If you lamented Bregmanâs departure from the team on account of his defensive ability, then you might like Nico Hoerner. In fact, he is the reigning Gold Glover at second, having also won in 2023, and his 2025 Outs Above Average (15) placed him in the top 98th percentile in the league. If youâre worried about the possibility of Ceddanne âNuff Ceddâ Rafaela covering second base despite being a world class center fielder, the acquisition of Hoerner will make you breathe easier.
Plus, Hoerner, who turns 29 in May, isnât too bad at the plate either. He does lack power, mashing just seven home runs. But, Iâm willing to forgive that since he gets on base to the tune of a .345 OBP and barely ever strikes out, as his career best strikeout percentage of 7.6% in 2025 also ranked in the top 98th percentile. Oh, and he stole twenty nine bags, so heâs quick, too. So, yes, Hoerner is really good. Which is precisely why heâs the valued starter on another team.
TLDR; just give me his 2025 stats.
.297/.345/.394, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 49 K, 39 BB, 29 SB, 4 FE in 156 games
Why would he be a good fit on the 2025 Red Sox?
I need to again state that, on a team that has been in shambles defensively for the better part of a decade and which has a stable infielder departing, Hoerner had ZERO throwing errors and just four fielding errors. He also missed just six games. Thatâs some stability that the team hasnât seen in the infield in some time. Hoernerâs fWAR last year was 4.8. Iâm in no way comparing Hoerner to Pedroia (unless I am?) but Pedroiaâs average fWAR per 162 games played in his career was 5.6. To be that close to a just-shy-of-a-hall-of-famerâs numbers is a very, very good thing. And, at his worst, Hoerner in 2024 still hit .273 while dealing with a hand injury
Why wouldnât he be a good fit on the Red Sox?
There are a few reasons, the first of which is the question of what the Cubs would want for Hoerner. They would certainly try for a high-end prospect like Tolle or Early, some other considerable names like Arias or Romero, and presumably one or two other lottery ticket prospects. Now, the Red Sox have enough depth enough to absorb dealing these names for a possible All-Star. But, it may scare off the measured Craig Breslow a bit.
Moreover, Hoerner will be a free agent next season. Bo Bichetteâs 3 year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets drives up the price tag for all-star caliber infielders. Hoerner avoided arbitration with Chicago in 2024 by signing a 3 year, $35 million deal, but that was a Gold Glove and five points on the strikeout percentage ago. He will command a deal closer to Bichette next offsesaon (humor me with no lockout discussion, please.)
Plus, the Red Sox may simply want to see what they have in Marcelo Mayer at another position, and the outfield is already backlogged enough that we may see Rafaela or even Kristian Campbell (left field chatter aside) in the middle of the diamond at some point (or maybe both if, heaven forbid, the infield has any health issues). And, if youâre looking for a specific reason why trading assets would be tricky, itâs that Hoerner lacks power; Savant consistently has him in the lowest tenth percentile in barrel percentage and hard hit percentage. If youâre looking for more power after the Bregman departure, you may not want to bring in a guy who only hit 36 home runs in a six (or 6.014) year career.
Show me a cool highlight.
Here he is outsmarting the White Sox twice in about five seconds on an infield fly rule to turn two by letting a baseball drop to the ground. Thereâs also the fact that he has super quick reflexes with that arm.
Smash or pass?
Iâm smashing, but I think heâll start the season as a Chicago Cub rather than get dealt to a team that saddles up the assets to acquire him and is prepared to extend Hoerner in short order. The Cubs are in âwin nowâ mode and so they may see how the season goes with a stacked infield full of studs. This Red Sox offseason, the Ranger Suarez signing aside, has seen a return to the âinterest kingsâ mode of operations, as the team has been tied to a plethora of notable names, only to see them sign with someone else. But the 2026 second base position largely remains a question mark, as it would have even with Alex Bregman returning. For this reason, itâd suit the Red Sox well to throw a little bit of caution to the wind and get a proven All-Star caliber player to join their ranks. Whether they will? Well, thatâs a different story⊠no pun intended.
Bo Bichette headed to the Mets on a 3-year, $126 million deal and J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies yesterday on a 3-year $45 million deal as the MLB free agent market continued to move. Cody Bellinger remains the last big free agent available.
Joel Hammond, former contributor here, had a great thread explaining why itâs not particularly reasonable to think the Guardians are pocketing a bunch of revenue and, again, debunking the idea that Paul has access to the entire Dolan fortune. Yes, he still thinks the Guardians should spend more. Itâs worth reading:
For the mouth breathing DOLANZ people, this is a great explainer.
In baseball, LOCAL revenue is much more a factor than in NFL. Local revenue: TV deal, tickets.
Dodgers: $320M PER YEAR in TV revenue. Braves: $160M PER YEAR in TV revenue.
Paul Hoynes pointed out that Stephen Vogt didnât sound super confident that Steven Kwan would be a Guardian come Spring Training. It is curious to me that Vogt said âI really hope he is in left field leading off for usâ rather than âI expect he will be in left field leading off for us.â
Never underestimate how little the Guardians care about fan reactions and feelings, but I shudder to think what the backlash would be if they donât add anyone significant AND trade Kwan before the season.
Mason Horodyski of WEWS/News 5 Cleveland posted a bunch of clips of Austin Hedges, Hunter Gaddis and Stephen Vogt talking about the upcoming season on his Twitter if youâre interested in viewing more:
Robertson last season had a 4.30 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 30 walks in 52 1/3 innings in 43 games in Triple-A between the Astros and Royals systems. The 27-year-old right-hander pitched in the majors for the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Blue Jays in 2023-24.
David Roth at Defector looked at the last few days, and how the Tucker signing spurred more action and reaction among some top-spending teams. The Mets, who were in on Tucker, pivoted to Bo Bichette, whom they plan to play at a new position. That left the Bichette-pursuing Phillies left empty-handed, and they re-signed catcher JT Realmuto.
Max Muncyâs wife Kellie gave birth to the coupleâs third child on Tuesday, a daughter named Macie Grace, which was shared on Instagram:
DonÄiÄ injured his groin while warming up before a game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. He'd managed to play in the three games since the injury, with the team going 1-2 during that stretch.
He is one of three players who have been ruled out for Los Angeles, along with Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain).
Luka DonÄiÄ stats
DonÄiÄ has averaged 33.6 points, 8.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game in 32 games played this season. He ranks first in points and fourth in assists this season.
Who is Luka DonÄiÄ's backup?
Kobe Bufkin is listed as the primary backup behind DonÄiÄ at point guard, according to ESPN. Bufkin has averaged 1.5 points and two rebounds per game. Gabe Vincent would also be considered. He's averaged 5.1 points and 1.4 assists per game in just 19 games this season, averaging 20.1 minutes per game.
When do Lakers play next?
The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). The game will be played at the Moda Center in Portland.
Also, 23 years ago (2002), the Blue Jays traded Brad Fullmer to the Angels for Brian Cooper.
So it is a shared birthday/today in Jaysâ history post.
About the trade:
Cooper was an RHP. He was 27 at the time. He pitched for the Angels for portions of three seasons, making 21 starts and 6 relief appearances. He reached 5-10 with a 5.33 ERA in 128 innings, 57 walks, and 58 strikeouts.
Fullmer was also 27 at the time of the trade.
It wasnât one of J.P. Ricciardiâs better trades. Fullmer was always thought of as a disappointment. Maybe because, as an LHB, he didnât hit lefties at all. Maybe because Brad really couldnât play defense. But I wonder why J.P. gave him away so cheaply (perhaps he was tired of paying for cleaning chewing tobacco out of the Skydomeâs turf?). Cooper wasnât much of a pitcher, nor was Brad a great prospect, but Ricciardi must have seen something in Cooper that the rest of us missed. I canât imagine what he thought he saw. Cooper had as many walks as strikeouts when we traded for him.
The Expos picked Brad in the 2nd round of the 1993 draft. He played two-plus seasons with the Expos and had been a disappointment. He wasnât very good with the glove at first base, and his bat didnât show quite as well as the Expos hoped. Nevertheless, he hit .276/.326/.459 with 25 home runs in 259 games with Montreal.
In March 2000, Fullmer was part of a three-team trade between the Expos, Rangers, and Blue Jays. The Rangers sent Lee Stevens to the Expos, the Jays sent David Segui to the Rangers, and the Expos sent Fullmer to the Jays.
Stevens did a good job for the Expos, hitting .243/.334/.450 with 57 home runs in 3 seasons. Segui hit .336/.391/.519 in 93 games, and the Expos traded him to Cleveland for Ricky Ledee. Segui was always good at getting on base, but didnât have the power youâd like to have from a first baseman.
Fullmer DHed for the Jays for two seasons, hitting .284/.333/.499 with 50 home runs and 187 RBI in 279 games. He had an excellent season in 2000, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 104 runs. If the Jays had a better team, weâd consider Fullmer one of the better DHs in team history.
The trade with the Angels didnât go well for the Jays.
Fullmer played two seasons for the Angels and hit .294/.367/.521 with 28 home runs and 94 RBI in 193 games. He also starred in the Angelsâ 2002 World Series win. He hit .294/.351/.471 in 12 playoff games. Brad also stole home in game two of the World Series as part of a double steal. Pretty crappy defense there, Giants.
Brad signed with the Rangers before the 2004 season. In late June, he hit .233/.310/.442 with 11 home runs, but a knee injury ended his career.
Fullmer played 8 seasons and hit .279/.336/.486 with 114 home runs.
Chad Beck turns 41 today.
Chad was a 43rd-round draft pick in 2004 (the draft is now only 20 rounds). Beck pitched 2.1 innings in 2011 and 15.2 innings in 2012, and that was his career. Only 1 other player picked in that round in 2004 made the majors: Chris Schwinden, who threw 29.2 innings over two seasons. Gotta love guys who beat odds that long.
Also, on January 17, 2011, 15 years ago now, the Jays signed Jon Rauch, without whom we would have never had this:
The weekend is a great time to kick back and reflect. This Week in Purple is the place to catch up on the news from our team at Purple Row. Youâll find links to Rockpiles and other content below as well as a platform for community discussion in the comments.
The Colorado Rockies released their preliminary promotional schedule for the 2026 season. Itâs sparse at the moment, but the Rockies have assured us that there will be more coming so stay tuned!
But in the meantime, here are the giveaways and theme dates as of Friday:
April
Friday, April 3: Rockies Home Opener, 2026 Magnet Schedule (all fans)
Saturday, April 4: Jersey Sweatshirt (first 15,000 fans)
While much of the baseball-watching public is up in arms about the contracts that Kyle Tucker (Dodgers, four years, $240 million) and Bo Bichette (Mets, three years, $126 million) received this week, we have a much more modest rumor to talk about.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Orioles, among a few other teams, are interested in 42-year-old righty Justin Verlander. The 20-year MLB vet and future Hall of Famer spent the 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants, where he had a 3.85 ERA over 152 innings.
Rosenthal clarifies that a deal between the Orioles and Verlander âis not close.â The Oâs have their sights set on a bigger rotation upgrade, but those options are waning. Framber Valdez is the big free agent still on the market, above the likes of Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito, and Chris Bassitt. There are some intriguing trade options, including Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, and Mackenzie Gore, but they are expected to require a big prospect haul to land. Verlander would represent a Plan B.
Some will recall that this is not the first time that Verlander and the Mike Elias-led Orioles have been linked. Back in 2023, there was some speculation that the Oâs could trade for the him when he was then on the Mets. At the time, he was still viewed as an ace, having posted a 1.75 ERA over 175 innings in 2022 and then looking solid again for a disappointing Mets squad halfway through â23. Ultimately, Verlander returned to the Astros, and the Orioles traded for Jack Flaherty instead. Both teams would be beaten by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the playoffs.
Whomever signs Verlander will not be getting the peak version, obviously. His velocity and strikeout numbers are more modest than they once were. He hasnât thrown 200 innings in a season since 2019. And you could understand Orioles fans having some trepidation here after the club suffered through the Charlie Morton experience last summer, a pitcher from the same era as Verlander.
But the Orioles rotation is in a better spot now than it was when Morton was added a year ago. Morton was expected to come in and be one of the better pitchers on a unit that lacked an ace. Verlander would slot somewhere behind Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers, and be counted on for innings and guidance rather than ace-level performance. The upside of the rotation would be left to the duo ahead of him, the newly acquired Shane Baz, and the potential emergence or prospect Trey Gibson.
Adding a 42-year-old pitcher is never going to be the safest move, and it would certainly be a disappointment for fans that have been hoping for a bonafide ace at the zenith of their powers. But you could also do a lot worse than a proven winner like Verlander.
Links
Orioles Among Teams With Interest In Justin Verlander | MLB Trade Rumors Here is the MLBTR writeup of the above-mentioned report from The Athletic. If Elias and the Oriolesâ front office isnât in love with the more expensive options, signing a veteran like Verlander makes a ton of sense. He would be cheaper ($15 million salary in 2025) than some of the other arms out there, and it may keep their options open for a splashy trade in-season.
Some random thoughts and more mailbag questions | Roch Kubatko Not much in here apart from Roch reassuring us all that the Orioles are in hot pursuit of pitching upgrades. The quality of those upgrades is unclear. But no one is saying that they are out on Valdez or anyone else.
Busy week for Orioles as Framber Valdez remains unsigned | Baltimore Baseball For a long time I thought the Orioles could land Valdez if he was willing to take a short-term, high AAV deal. But I wasnât aware of just how high some of these AAVs were gonna go. Tucker just got $60 million AAV, and then Bichette landed $42 million AAV. Are the Orioles interested in that stratosphere of a deal? Ehhh.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Rob Bell turns 49 today. He pitched in 30 games out of the Orioles bullpen in 2007, sporting a 5.94 ERA over 53 total innings.
The late Dick Brown (b. 1935, d. 1970) was born on this day. From 1963 through â65, he shared catching duties on the Orioles with John Orsino. Brownâs time with the Orioles, and playing career in general, was ended by a brain tumor that eventually took his life several years later.
It is a posthumous celebration for Jay Heard (b. 1920, d. 1999). The left-handed pitcher was the franchiseâs first African-American player after their move to Baltimore. He would pitch in just two games for the 1954 squad.
This day in Oâs history
January 17 has been a quiet day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. Maybe that will change today. For now, here are some happenings from beyond Birdland:
1920 â The Volstead Act goes into effect in the United States, beginning Alcohol Prohibition.
1950 â The Great Brinks Robbery: More than $2 million is stolen from an armored car companyâs offices in Boston by a team of 11 thieves. At the time, it was the largest robbery in United States history and went unsolved for nearly six years.
2013 â Highly-decorated former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to doping throughout his career during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Kyle Tucker joined the Dodgers, who offered him a cool $240 million for four years, with opt-outs after the second and third years.
More power to him. If you can get that kinda money, get right on it.
This even though Iâve hated the Dodgers from the git-go. I was raised by people who did not adore Brooklyn and were offended hugely by the way the move was done when they Greeleyâd. Personally, it was Steve Garveyâs lantern jaw that I remember. Itâs like the stinkinâ Cardinals⊠and thatâs not the only parallel.
Now I look at the Dodgers much as I look at the early Cardinals, who owned the entire minor-league system (they were the principal architects of the system and maintained control until they were made to stop). Theyâre creating a new paradigm, for better or worse.
The Cubs have a new third baseman. You have to like his will to win, and letâs hope that rubs off.
âIn October, itâs âAlex in Wonderland,â and itâs a âBregularlyâ scheduled event, no doubt.â â Scott Boras.
Oh, and the Cubs Convention is under way. Weâll be back tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel, with more of this.
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The Chicago Cubs have signed Kotaro Tsunematsu to a minor league deal, according to his Instagram.
The 22-year-old outfielder was not selected in the NPB draft. He was later offered a job with Goldman Sachs but turned it down to join the Cubs organization.
âHe makes contact at an elite level, he controls the strike zone at an elite level,â Hoyer said. âAnd certainly, those are skills that age well.â
âLiterally the first second that free agency really opened I felt like we knew the Cubs wanted our family to be here, and we were excited about it,â Bregman, 31, said. âI thought it was trending that way, probably from the beginning of the offseason. They expressed right away that they wanted me. They made it extremely clear that they valued what I valued.â
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. â driven articles or clickbait, and insist on reputable sources.
WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) â Marco Odermatt already has no equals on the World Cup skiing circuit.
Now the Swiss star is set to claim the record in the biggest event on home snow, too.
Odermatt led a shortened race Saturday to set up his fourth career downhill victory in Wengen â breaking a tie for the most downhill victories on the famed Lauberhorn course with Franz Klammer and Beat Feuz.
Austrian standout Klammer claimed his three Wengen downhill wins in the 1970s while Feuz, another Swiss skier, claimed his third victory in 2020.
Whatâs more is that Odermattâs four wins would come in succession.
Odermatt finished a massive 0.79 seconds ahead of Austriaâs Vincent Kriechmayr and 0.90 ahead of Italy's Giovanni Franzoni, who claimed his first caeer victory in Friday's super-G.
Lower-ranked skiers were still coming down the course.
Strong winds prompted organizers to drastically shorten the course â making the narrow and tactical âKernen Sâ section the key to the race. Odermatt mastered the section perfectly and carried away a faster speed on the exit than anyone else.
Franjo von Allmen and Alexis Money, two other Swiss skiers, stood fourth and fifth, respectively.
Von Allmen, the world champion in downhill last season, took a riskier approach and skied into a television camera lining the course inside the âSâ section. Then he crashed in the finish area â although appeared unhurt.
Dominik Paris of Italy was sixth after registering the top speed at 151.57 kph (94 kph).
Itâs the first of the two weekends at the circuitâs classic venues, with Kitzbuehel, Austria, up next. Then the focus will switch to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy â with the men to ski in Bormio.
Overall, it was set to be Odermattâs 52nd World Cup victory, moving him within two wins of matching Hermann Maier for third place on the all-time menâs list. He's also got a massive lead in the standings as he chases a fifth consecutive overall World Cup title.
Odermatt immediately knew he had done something special again, screaming with delight in the finish area and waving to the crowd, which was made up almost entirely of fans waving Swiss flags.
Pittsburgh Penguins -22-14-10 - 54 Points - 7-2-1 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 3rd in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 21-19-7 - 49 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 3 Straight - 7th in the Metro Â
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 20.3% - 15th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 74.2% - 29th in the NHL
Goals For - 140 - 19th in the NHL
Goals Against - 156 - 29th in the NHL
Penguins Stats
Power Play - 29.4% - 2nd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 83.2% - 7th in the NHL
Goals For - 146 - 17th in the NHL
Goals Against - 134 - 10th in the NHL
Series History vs. ThePenguins
Columbus is 19-30-0-11 all-time, and 6-19-0-5 at home vs. Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jackets are 4-1-2 in the last 7, and 5-4-3 in the last 12 against the Pens.
The CBJ are 1-0-2 against Pittsburgh this season, and 1-0-0 at PPG Paints Arena.
Who To Watch For ThePenguins
Sidney Crosby leads the team with 25 goals and 51 points.
Erik Karlsson leads the Pens with 29 assists, but he's on IR.
Goalie Arturs Silovs is 8-6-7 with a SV% .892%.
Stuart Skinner is a combined 15-12-4 with a SV% of 2.62 with Pittsburgh and Edmonton.
CBJ Player Notes vs.Penguins
Zach Werenski has 17 points in 24 games vs. the Penguins.
Charlie Coyle has 22 points in 37 games.
Sean Monahan has 15 points in 26 career games against Pittsburgh.
InjuriesÂ
Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 11 Games - IR
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 8 Games - IR - Week to week.
Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 6 Games - Week to week.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 127
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YANBU, Saudi Arabia (AP) â Luciano Benavides exploited a navigation blunder by Ricky Brabec minutes from the finish of the Dakar Rally to sensationally win the motorbike title on Saturday by two seconds â the smallest margin ever.
Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah safely secured his sixth car title on the 13th and final stage, a flat-out 105-kilometer sprint along the Red Sea coast to Yanbu.
Brabec was hurtling toward his third Dakar victory. While Benavides' KTM was faster in real time, Brabec's Honda was collecting time bonuses for opening the way and extending his overnight lead of 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
Then seven kilometers from the finish Brabec took a wrong turn. Benavides didn't. He saw a headlight turn around and slowed to see who it was. When he realized it was Brabec, Benavides knew the âalmost impossibleâ was possible.
âI saw the opportunity and I took it,â he said. âI felt ready all day. I told everyone at the start of the stage âThis Dakar is for me.ââ
Benavides finished second on the stage to teammate Edgar Canet, who won his third stage of this Dakar. When Brabec arrived 3:22 behind Benavides, the Argentine's team lifted him on their shoulders and shouted âLu-chan-oh, Lu-chan-oh.â
âIt's unreal,â Benavides said. âTwo seconds after two weeks and almost 8,000 kilometers is something that is hard to understand.â
The previous closest margin was 43 seconds by Luciano's older brother Kevin. That was another stunning comeback. Kevin started the 2023 final stage 12 seconds behind and won his second motorbike title.
Brabec's Honda teammate Tosha Schareina was a distant third after coming second last year.
Luciano started his ninth Dakar never having reached the podium and just three months after tearing knee ligaments in the Moroccan Rally.
Even after he started the second week with consecutive stage wins, he rode in the shadow of teammate and defending champion Daniel Sanders, who was dominating the race until he crashed on Wednesday and broke his collarbone and sternum. Sanders continued practically riding one-handed and finished fifth for valuable points in the defense of his world rally-raid title.
Brabec won Friday's stage to gather an overall lead that even Benavides thought âwas mathematically almost impossibleâ to overcome.
But, he said, âI never stopped believing. For me there was no strategy any days, I just give my best. I never tried to slow down. I feel bad for Ricky. He did a mistake and (it) cost (him) the Dakar.â
Nani Roma could hack only six minutes off the overall leader's pace and Al-Attiyah ultimately beat Roma by 9:42, easily the lowest margin of his six victories.
Al-Attiyah has won for four different manufacturers in 2011 and 2015 in Argentina, in 2019 in Peru and in 2022, 2023 and this year in Saudi.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are not sure how long they will be without William Nylander as they navigate the second occurrence of a lower-body injury for their star forward.
âHeâs being evaluated still (to see) where he's at. He's doubtful for tomorrow,â Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said following the clubâs practice in Las Vegas on Friday.
Nylander left early in the first period of the clubâs 6-5 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday with what the coach confirmed was an aggravation of the previous lower-body injury that kept the Swede out of the lineup for six games. Despite being limited to just 2:17 of ice time in the game, he scored a goal and added an assist.
Berube was cautious to put any sort of timeline on how long he expected Nylander might be out, given that he thought the Swedeâs previous injury was minor.
âRight now I can't answer that because with the last one, I thought it would be quicker, and it obviously wasn't,â Berube admitted. âWe'll just see how he feels here going forward. I mean, can't really answer that questionâ.
The Leafs enter Saturdayâs game against the Winnipeg Jets sitting two points out of a playoff position. The Leafs were resilient without Nylander during his previous injury, going 4-0-2 in that stretch.
However, Nylander isnât the only player battling something right now. Matthew Knies, John Tavares, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Joseph Woll stayed off the ice for what Berube described as maintenance. Knies dealt with a nagging lower-body injury earlier this season and stayed off the ice for the full morning skate ahead of the clubâs game against the Golden Knights on Thursday.
Joseph Woll isnât taking part in a rare Leafs practice today, which means Anthony Stolarz gets his own net as he continues to recover from injury.
There is still no public timeline on Stolarzâ return.
(Also absent today: Nylander, Tavares, Knies, and Ekman-Larsson.)
Ekman-Larsson briefly departed the game in the first period shortly after what looked like a possible knee-on-knee collision with Golden Knights forward Cole Reinhardt, but managed to come back in the second period and finish out the game.
With Nylander out, expect Calle Jarnkrok to draw back into the Leafs lineup. He has six goals in 28 games this season. Nylander leads all Leafs in scoring with 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) in 37 games.
