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Game 3 with the Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s will see the Royals going for a series win before the day game finishes off the four-game set tomorrow afternoon. This evening will feature Seth Lugo versus Gage Jump. Lugo has had an up and down season with some pretty disappointing overall numbers. Jump is a lefty whose ERA looks similar to Lugo’s but with better peripherals. That means the lineup is going to have an extra righty with Massey sitting for KC today with Loftin leading off again.
Yesterday, the Athletics were three outs away from evening up this four-game series against the Kansas City Royals. However, the league-worst bullpen cost the team once again. Hogan Harris blew his sixth save of the season, allowing the Royals to tie the game before giving way to fellow reliever Elvis Alvarado, who surrendered Bobby Witt Jr.‘s walk-off bloop single.
With two games remaining in Kansas City, the A’s still have a chance to earn a series split, but they must first break their two-game losing streak tonight.
Before the game, the A’s injured list got a bit less crowded. Veteran left-hander Jeffrey Springs returns after missing three weeks because of hip discomfort. To make room on the roster, struggling reliever Seth Johnson was optioned to Triple-A, where he can work on regaining his form in a lower-pressure environment.
Springs will have an immediate opportunity to make an impact, as he will start for the A’s today. The 33-year-old southpaw enters his 23rd start of the season with a 3-11 record, a 6.17 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and 88 strikeouts over 108 innings.
Springs was a solid starting pitcher in his first season with the Athletics last year. This year, things have gone south, as he has not won a game since April. In his most recent seven starts, Springs went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP.
When fellow veteran Luis Severino went down with an injury earlier this season, the team looked to Springs to provide a solid experienced presence in the rotation. Instead, Springs has pitched like one of the worst pitchers in the league, as only two MLB pitchers have allowed more home runs than him this season.
The fly-ball pitcher has especially struggled at Sutter Health Park, calling it “a recipe for disaster.” Yet, he has performed just as badly on the road, something he will try to remedy this evening in his second start against the Royals this season and eighth of his career.
Here’s how the A’s starting lineup shakes out tonight:
Jacob Wilson is out of the lineup for a third straight game. That shoulder injury has kept him sidelined in recent games. There is a real possibility that he will soon join the team’s lengthy season-ending injured list.
With the A’s on track for another 100-loss campaign, the objective for the rest of the season should be for the veterans to finish strong and for the youngsters to take advantage of extended playing opportunities.
If the Athletics want to win tonight, the team will need center fielder Henry Bolte and second baseman Jeff McNeil to continue their respective hot streaks. Additionally, this game gives Tommy White and Max Muncy another chance to position themselves as part of the A’s future plans. Finally, catcher Jonah Heim is feeling the effects of being pushed into an everyday role following starter Shea Langeliers’ injury. Not only does Heim have one hit in his past 20 at-bats, but he also committed a crucial catcher’s interference error that gave Kansas City a free baserunner in its game-winning ninth inning rally.
The A’s offense will face Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The 36-year-old enters his 26th start of the season with a 5-7 record, a 4.59 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP and 108 strikeouts over 139 1/3 innings. Lugo has struggled lately, posting a 4.66 ERA over his past seven starts. The 10-year veteran received a no-decision in his last start against the Los Angeles Angels after allowing five runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Over his career, Lugo holds a 2-0 record with a 4.66 ERA and 26 strikeouts in four total appearances against the Athletics. The right-hander will aim to earn his third win against the A’s, but given his current run of form, tonight presents a great opportunity for the A’s offense to put more runs on the scoreboard. The Green and Gold must take advantage of any mistake pitches Lugo leaves over the plate if they want to hand him his first defeat against them.
And Kansas City’s lineup:
All of the Royals’ regulars are in the lineup, spearheaded by the duo of Witt Jr. and right fielder Jac Caglianone. Left fielder Tyler Tolbert gets his first start of the series after his game-tying, pinch-hit two-run single in the ninth inning last night.
Win #50 is waiting for us! We need this one. Let’s go A’s!
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The state of the Lakers’ ownership continued to more turns.
It was just last week when Mark Walter agreed to sell his share in the franchise to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion – just 10 months after Walter officially became the Lakers’ majority owner.
This week, it appeared the Buss family voted to sell their remaining 17.8% share of the Lakers to Kushner and Iger.
Not so fast.
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss is opposing her siblings’ vote to sell the family’s share of the Lakers, according to a letter from her lawyer, Adam Streisand. The letter, obtained by the California Post on Monday, argued her siblings can’t legally execute a sale without her approval and that any vote of the Buss family selling would be “void.”
Her siblings who are part of the Buss family trust (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) fired back at Jeanie on Tuesday, making it clear they intend to go through with the sale.
But how did the Lakers, and the Buss family get here? And what exactly are the two sides arguing?
At the heart of Buss opposing her siblings’ vote to sell their share of the Lakers is a 2017 court order, with Streisand saying that no sale could happen “without approval by the co-trustees, i.e. Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss.”
Jeanie didn’t vote to sell the family’s ownership stake in the Lakers, while the other five siblings in the trust did.
The court document from 2017 stated that the co-trustees of the Buss family trust are instructed to take all “actions reasonably available to them, including voting the Trust’s shares” to ensure that Jeanie was elected as the Director of the Board of the Lakers on an annual basis during her lifetime.
The document goes on to state “absent a further order of this Court modifying the Trust based upon proof of circumstances justifying modification under applicable law.”
The document also added that the co-trustees of the family trust are “instructed to take all actions [reasonably] available to them, including voting the Trust’s shares” to ensure that Jeanie is elected as the controlling owner of the Lakers on an annual basis during her lifetime.
One of the main problems of the Buss family attempting to sell their share of the Lakers: It would result in Jeanie no longer being the team’s Governor, since she would no longer have the qualifying 15% ownership stake in the franchise required to hold that position.
She has been the team’s Governor since 2013 after Dr. Jerry Buss’ death.
When Walter purchased the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, the league announced that Buss would remain the team’s Governor for a period of at least five years (through 2030).
Iger told the California Post last week he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss.
And based off of the last couple of days, it appears Jeanie wants to remain Governor of the Lakers.
Streisand wrote in the letter to the Buss siblings’ attorneys: “No sale of the JAB Trust’s 17.8% ownership interest in the Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. can be effectuated without approval by the current co-trustees, i.e., Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss.
“Pursuant to the JAB Trust and the attached Court Order, the co-trustees are bound to vote the Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. shares to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain Controlling Owner. Any attempt by the co-trustees to do otherwise, and any attempt to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.”
Jeanie’s siblings believe they have the right to sell the family’s shares of the Lakers via a “tag-along” provision that was included when the Buss family sold the Lakers to Walter in June 2025.
ESPN reported the provision gave the Buss family the opportunity to “tag along on any sale and valuation Walter secured for his shares.”
The siblings believe that the family trust, which includes six of Jerry Buss’ children — Johnny (69), Jim (66), Jeanie (64), Janie (62), Joey (41) and Jesse (37) — needed a majority vote (four out of six) to allow the trustees to sell the family’s shares.
What happens next is unknown, with the potential of this dispute having to be resolved through a legal process growing unless the side can come to an agreement without litigation.
Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar finished with 10 wickets as India thrashed Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
What more can be said about Jared Young?
Young has more than taken advantage of his opportunity in the Mets’ lineup this season, and that continued again on Wednesday afternoon.
The sweet-swinging lefty enjoyed himself another multi-hit showing.
He flew out to right in his first at-bat of the day, but then ripped a two-out single behind Carson Benge’s two-run homer, which opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth.
Young was retired again his next time up, but tacked on a much-needed insurance run in the eighth.
Left in the game for a tough left-on-left matchup with the dominant Yuki Matsui, the veteran saw just one pitch before ripping a two-out RBI single up the middle to make it a three-run ballgame.
“That was a huge swing from Jared to give us a little cushion there,” Andy Green said.
Kodai Senga had to work through his first scare in his new high-leverage role, but the Mets rolled a game-ending double play to secure a second straight series victory.
For Young, that was just his eighth hit against a left-hander in 35 tries on the year.
No matter who he faces, though, the slugger just continues to produce as he’s now hitting .270 with 20 XBH’s, 30 RBI, and a .880 OPS for the season.
“It’s going to sound cliché, but I’m just keeping things simple,” he told SNY’s Steve Gelbs. “Doing my work in the cage with the coaches, listening to my teammates, and just going out and playing ball.”
That simple approach certainly has worked for Young.
The 31-year-old is enjoying the most consistent stretch of his big league career with a .332 average, 12 RBI, and a .880 OPS over his last 30 games.
With five years of club control remaining, Young figures to be playing himself into a role on the 2027 Mets roster.
We might as well make it two in a row against the Rays. Getting 10 runs again would be a good thing too. Half a game out of a wild card spot seems unbelievable considering where we were at the start of the month.
Vlad is going to play a rehab game tomorrow in Dunedin.
The Jays are saying that Ernie Clement is ‘under the weather’ and that George Springer is getting a day off to rest his shoulder and allow Kirk to DH while Valenzuela plays behind the plate.
And there are a couple of former Jays watching the game today:
Go Jays Go.
Guardians vs. Tugboat. Oh boy.
Here’s the Giants’ lineup:
Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:
Rhys Hoskins to the IL, DeLauter and Adell still out with various ouchies. Looks like the bench is Patrick Bailey and David Fry (back for Hoskins), folks.
Let’s go, Guardians!
A stunning double from the summer signing Camilo Durán helped Celtic open up a commanding lead against Lask in their Champions League playoff. Benjamin Nygren also produced a superb finish to send Martin O’Neill’s side on their way to a 3-0 first-leg win over their Austrian opponents in Glasgow.
The visitors had two goals disallowed for offside and created chances throughout in an open encounter but Celtic were clinical as they continued their strong start to the season. Nygren has been at the heart of it with four goals and four assists in as many games and he opened the scoring in the 26th minute. The Swede readjusted his body to volley into the top corner from 20 yards after a weak clearance from Kieran Tierney’s cross.
Continue reading...The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a busy summer, as they have brought in many new players.
While this is the case, it is fair to argue that the Penguins should not be done yet. The left side of their blueline could use more depth, as they did not re-sign Ryan Shea and traded Parker Wotherspoon.
While many of this year's top free agents have been signed, there are still some interesting players looking for new homes in the middle of August. Among them is defenseman Logan Stanley, and he could be a nice pickup for a Penguins club that needs more blueline depth.
If the Penguins added Stanley, he would give them another intriguing option for their bottom pairing. He would also provide them with a shutdown defenseman for their penalty kill.
Furthermore, with it now getting closer to September, it is very likely that Stanley could be had at an affordable price. On a short-term deal, the 28-year-old blueliner could be a strong fit on the Penguins' roster.
Stanley played in 76 games last season split between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres, where he recorded nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points, and 128 penalty minutes. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-7 defenseman would be a solid depth pickup for Pittsburgh. Let's see if they pursue him from here.
It’s game 4 of the St. Louis Cardinals 5-game series vs the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday evening as Matthew Liberatore will hopefully be the best version of himself as he’s the scheduled starter. The Reds will force Chase Burns onto the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
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Go Rays!
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Once again, we have a whole host of news, rumors and updates around the Buss family’s feud, Mark Walter and even a cameo from Shams Charania to defend himself against a claim from Jeanie Buss.
All that and it’s not even been 24 hours since we posted one of these roundups. What an exhausting week.
Let’s dive into the latest headlines and reports.
While it seems like the Buss family drama may be destined to end in a courtroom, there are other ways things could play out. One of them could involve Jeanie effectively taking control of the Buss Family Trust.
In a piece by Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic on Wednesday, they raised the possibility of Jeanie buying the shares from the rest of the family.
Could there be a way for the rest of the siblings to sell and Jeanie to remain as governor? That would require her finding a way to still own at least 15 percent of the shares, but it is possible. Per a league source, Jeanie would be open to exploring that scenario.
The first reaction to this is ‘Duh, of course Jeanie is open to it.’ The second reaction is that it feels like there is no chance the family is interested in selling those shares to Jeanie.
That said, we don’t know the siblings’ intentions. Perhaps they just want to cash out it doesn’t matter whether Jeanie gives them that money or Bob Iger and Josh Kushner do. Does Jeanie even have enough money to do that, though?
While this option is on the table, it doesn’t feel particularly likely.
Another aspect of this is whether Iger and Kushner have an interest in even keeping Jeanie as governor. However, it might not be under their control.
In the same piece for The Athletic, Woike and Amick reported that the contract she signed with Mark Walter to remain governor for at least five years might be part of the deal for Iger and Kushner.
It’s fair to wonder how Iger and Kushner see this situation, with some wondering whether they’d want to choose a different governor simply because of the messiness of it all. But Walter’s choice to have Jeanie serve as governor for the next four years is known to be part of the contractual agreement from the sale 14 months ago, and a league source close to the situation indicated that it is now considered part of the deal with Iger and Kushner. In essence, if that proves to be the case, Iger and Kushner would be assuming Walter’s ownership role and the governor that comes with it.
If so, it makes sense why Jeanie is fighting so hard to maintain that 15% ownership stake. If she believes she’ll remain the governor no matter who owns the team, then her stance makes more sense.
It doesn’t make it any less desperate or annoying to watch as fans on the outside looking in, but at least there’s a little bit of logic to it.
One of the wilder strays of the letter from Jeanie’s lawyer was directed at Shams Charania of ESPN and his report on Monday morning that the Buss family would be selling their stake.
As you know, this afternoon, Shams Charania of ESPN falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell the 17.8% ownership stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, and that my client, Jeanie Buss, is “out” as controlling owner. This is just the latest instance of a years-long pattern whereby Joey and Jesse Buss leak false, defamatory and pernicious “information” to Mr. Charania for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. Buss’s chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father’s wishes.
That felt pretty far out of left field, but clearly there was some pent-up anger from Jeanie in this situation. On Tuesday, Charania appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and defended his reporting on the matter.
Look, Shams’ method of reporting deserves criticism and I’m not going to be defending him. But I also think Jeanie throwing shots his way in this situation felt out of place, mean-spirited and just odd.
Lastly, we have our daily “What crazy way did Mark Walter try to get money” update, this time being one that feels like it was serious.
On Tuesday, Eric Platt, Sun Yu, Oliver Barnes, James Fontanella-Khan and Lee Harris of the Financial Times reported that Walter attempted to take out a loan against his Lakers’ stake with conversations carrying on all the way to him agreeing to sell the team.
Mark Walter held discussions with private investment giant Apollo Global Management about a multibillion-dollar loan against his Los Angeles Lakers stake, in a sign of the billionaire’s rush to raise cash this year.
The talks took place throughout the summer and continued until former Disney chief executive Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner offered to buy Walter’s stake in the Lakers, according to people familiar with the matter.
The more we learn about Walter, the more it feels like the sale, when it came, was one of the better options on the table.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
Heading into his third season in the NHL, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini's accomplishments on the ice have been noticed by EA Sports.
Celebrini, 20, is going to be tied for the fifth-highest rated player in this year's iteration of the EA Sports NHL series, NHL 27, while also being featured on the cover. When the game releases early next month, Celebrini will have a 95 overall rating, which ties him with players like Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, David Pastrnak, Aleksander Barkov, and others. Celebrini is tied for the fourth-highest rating for a center, behind Connor McDavid (99), Nathan MacKinnon (97), and Leon Draisaitl (96).
Celebrini wasn't the only member of the San Jose Sharks to have his rating released, as a total of nine Sharks have had their ratings revealed so far.
Will Smith is the second-highest rated Shark, with an 87 overall that puts him on par with players like Cutter Gauthier, Roope Hintz, Troy Terry, and numerous others. Darnell Nurse, Mason Marchment, Alexander Wennberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Jacob Trouba are all scheduled to start the game with an 85 overall.
Last but not least, veteran forward Tyler Toffoli and young goaltender Yaroslav Askarov will share a rating, as both are listed at 84 overall to start the year. Interestingly, Askarov is the only Shark so far without an "X-Factor ability" assigned to him.
The full list of Sharks rankings will be released when the game is available to the general public in September.
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game road series against the Cleveland Guardians this afternoon.
Getting the start for the Giants today, and making his major league debut, will be left-hander Matt Wilkinson. Wilkinson has a 3.40 ERA for the season in the minors, with 96 strikeouts to 31 walks in 90 innings pitched over 20 starts.
He’ll be facing off against Guardians left-hander Parker Messick, who enters today’s game with a 2.59 ERA, 3.25 FIP, with 142 strikeouts to 40 walks in 142.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Guardians’ 3-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers last Thursday, in which he allowed two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks in five and two thirds innings.
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Who: San Francisco Giants (51-74) vs. Cleveland Guardians (61-65)
Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
When: 3:40 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
The Milwaukee Brewers are going to attempt to follow up yesterday’s 22-0 historic thrashing of the Seattle Mariners. While it’s unlikely the scoring output will be similar, the Brewers are continuing to get closer to full strength on the offensive side.
The Brewers announced that they had activated shortstop Cooper Pratt from the IL prior to tonight’s game after dealing with a hamstring strain. Pratt is back in tonight’s starting lineup. To make room on the roster, the Brewers optioned outfielder Brandon Lockridge to Triple-A Nashville.
Lockridge’s option is a mild surprise, given he plays a different position, but with Joey Ortiz dealing with a twisted ankle that he suffered in last night’s game that the team is monitoring, it makes sense for the Brewers to want to keep Jonathan Ornelas on the roster for a few more days rather than designating him for assignment. Lockridge has options, Ornelas does not. With limited infield depth options in the minors, it’s the smart play.
Also on the injury front, Pat Murphy told reporters pregame that centerfielder Garrett Mitchell is dealing with a sore foot and they are holding him out of the lineup as a precaution.
On the mound, the Brewers will have Dustin May making his third start with the club following his trade deadline arrival. This will be May’s first night game start with Milwaukee. May’s been exceptional so far, with a 2.08 ERA in his two starts, covering 13 IP.
On the other side, the Mariners will have one of their best with right-hander Logan Gilbert. Gilbert has a 3.28 ERA on the season with a 9-7 record and 152 Ks. He’s been a consistent and reliable starter for a number of years now, including a 6th place AL Cy Young finish in 2024, when he led the league in innings pitches and WHIP. Christian Yelich, who homered last night, has a good history against Gilbert, with a pair of home runs in nine at-bats.
The Brewers lineup will feature a familiar top group with Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Jake Bauers forming the top of the order. William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Andrew Vaughn make up the middle of the order. Luis Lara gets the start in centerfield and bats seventh while Joey Ortiz and Cooper Pratt round out the bottom of the order. With Pratt’s return to his home at shortstop, Ortiz slides back over to third base.
The Mariners will make a few changes to their lineup after being shut out last night. Brendan Donovan, Randy Arozarena, and Dominic Canzone make up the top of the order. Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Cole Young form the middle of the lineup. Cal Raleigh, Taylor Ward, and Brock Rodden will round out the bottom of Dan Wilson’s starting nine.
It’ll be a matchup of two pitchers who have had great seasons. It’ll be unlikely that there are 22 combined runs scored again, especially all from one team.