What's in this Border War rivalry? A whole lot of hate between Kansas and Missouri. Conference realignment didn't end emotions.
Joel Klatt says Deion Sanders’ clock management the ‘weakest part’ as Colorado coach
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How Giants' win streak amid turnaround has impacted their MLB postseason odds
How Giants' win streak amid turnaround has impacted their MLB postseason odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been a thrilling stretch for the Giants, but they actually are not atop the leaderboard in terms of the greatest shift in playoff odds over the past week. That honor belongs to a franchise legend.
From last Thursday through this Thursday, Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers saw their postseason odds improve by about 12 percent, per Baseball-Reference’s formula. The Rangers won six straight before dropping a couple to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, but they also got plenty of help. The Seattle Mariners currently hold the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League and they dropped two of three in Cleveland last weekend before getting swept by the Rays this week.
In the National League, the Giants are hoping for a similar collapse from the pack in front of them, and they have put themselves in a position to capitalize if it happens.
Winners of 10 of 11, the Giants are suddenly very much alive in the NL postseason race. Baseball-Reference gives them an 11.1 percent chance and FanGraphs has them at 4.3 percent.
While that latter number is still extremely low, it’s a heck of a lot better than it was a couple of weeks ago. When they left San Diego last month after dropping three of four, they sat at 0.7 percent. The next night, a blown lead in Milwaukee cost them another game and dropped their FanGraphs’ odds to 0.4 percent.
The season was effectively over — and then the lineup decided to simply flip a switch.
The Giants have scored 7.8 runs per game over the past 11 games, batting a combined .311 with a .908 OPS and more than two homers per game. Led by Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, the Giants have homered in 17 consecutive games, a San Francisco-era franchise record. During their 2-13 stretch at home in late July and early August, they never homered in even three consecutive games, and did it back-to-back games just once.
“Seventeen is a lot, especially when you play in our park,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters in Denver on Wednesday. “It’s been a huge part of the resurgence at this point and it’s been mostly those guys in the middle of the order that we signed here long-term to do exactly that: Drive in runs, hit homers and hit for power.”
Everything has changed overnight, allowing the Giants to actually pursue October baseball, but they still need plenty of help.
Aside from the obvious point that they have to continue to take every series and possibly pile up sweeps, the Giants need a team ahead of them to fall apart. The positive after the series at Coors Field is that they at least have multiple options now.
The New York Mets hold the third Wild Card spot and sit four games ahead of the Giants, but they have the tiebreaker thanks to a sweep at Oracle in late July that helped push Buster Posey to sell at the deadline. The San Diego Padres have lost eight of 10 and sit five games ahead of the Giants, but again, they hold the tiebreaker.
The Giants are essentially five back of the Mets and six back of the Padres, while sitting a game up on the Cincinnati Reds and 1 1/2 ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The latter two teams in the race will play a huge part in the Giants’ hopes down the stretch.
They visit Busch Stadium this weekend and then host the Cardinals on the final homestand of the year. They’ll also visit the Diamondbacks and host them, and do the same with the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, who have plenty of issues of their own but lead the Padres by two games in the NL West. The final three games of the year will be against a Colorado Rockies club that the Giants have gone 8-2 against this year.
The schedule isn’t difficult, although with the exception of the Rockies, the Giants won’t face any team that has packed it in. In St. Louis and Phoenix, they’re also hoping for a miracle. Those four series figure to be hard-fought, and any series against the Dodgers is a difficult one.
The math says the Giants are a long shot to play in October, but stranger things have happened, and it’s where we come back to the Rangers. Their manager, Bochy, was in San Francisco in 2010 when the Giants overcame a six-game deficit with 32 to play.
Until playoff odds hit 0.0 percent, teams will always hope for the best, and the Giants have at least put themselves in position to make things interesting. They’ll aim to make up a bit more ground over the next week while the Mets face the Reds and Phillies.
“Better late than never, I guess, right?” Chapman said Wednesday. “It’s been a lot of fun. We obviously hit a rough patch, but I feel like we’re really coming into our own right now and playing good baseball. We’re really just trying to keep it rolling.”
England’s Sonny Baker can take heart from cricket’s rich history of less-than-dream debuts | Emma John
Jimmy Anderson, Adil Rashid and West Indies’ Jediah Blades are among other bowlers to suffer notable early nightmares
On Tuesday the screen at Headingley was showing Sonny Baker’s bowling speed. They were impressive figures – 87, 86, 88mph – and you wonder if the bowler himself caught a glimpse. Probably not. Big numbers emblazoned in pixels probably felt like the runs he was leaking.
England’s newest one-day bowler bore the pummelling with good grace, even as South Africa’s Aiden Markram levered him for sixes behind square on the offside and over deep square leg in his second over. Happily, Baker is a phlegmatic sort, because the one record a box-fresh paceman doesn’t dream of achieving is his country’s worst ODI bowling figures on debut.
Continue reading...Eagles squeeze past Cowboys as Carter ejected for spitting on Prescott six seconds into season
The defending Super Bowl champions got their title defence off to a winning start as they beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the NFL season opener on Thursday night.
But the game may well be remembered for an incident before a play had even been made from scrimmage. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected after just six seconds after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Related: NFL 2025 season predictions: will it be Mahomes, Jackson or Allen in the Super Bowl?
Carter, one of the Eagles’ best players, approached Prescott as the teams lined up after the kick-off. The pair exchanged words, and Carter then spat on his opponent. Prescott looked shocked as a gob of phlegm landed on his chest and Carter was immediately sent from the field. He shook his head and smiled as he walked to the tunnel but did not argue with the decision as Eagles fans booed.
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter, said after the game. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, also. But the fans, they showed the most love.”
Replays that emerged later showed Prescott had spat in the general direction of Carter, but at the ground, before the confrontation. After the game, Prescott said he wasn’t trying to spit at Carter.
“One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent,” referee Shawn Smith said. “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”
Here is Jalen Carter spitting on Dak Prescott: pic.twitter.com/4F5BjEDLHf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2025
The effect on the Eagles was immediate: the Cowboys drove down the field and scored on their first possession to go 7-0 up. When Javonte Williams ran in the touchdown, the Eagles line was notably missing the disruptive Carter.
Indeed, the first eight possessions of the game resulted in points – but after a 65-minute lightning delay interrupted the third quarter, neither team could score again.
Jalen Hurts accounted for 214 yards (152 passing, 62 rushing) and Saquon Barkley rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles, who overcame self- inflicted mistakes along with a revamped Dallas defensive front that no longer stars Micah Parsons.
Carter’s ejection was the first of many undisciplined moments for the Eagles, who committed nine penalties for 110 yards.
“I think our discipline wasn’t in it early in the game,” Hurts said. “Great job by our defense being able to battle and respond. Guys stepped in and filled those roles. We came into this game talking about discipline and focus, and we’ll leave it saying the same things.”
Javonte Williams ran for 54 yards and a pair of one-yard touchdowns in his first game for the Cowboys, while Prescott was 21-for-34 passing for 188 yards. CeeDee Lamb led all receivers with seven catches and 110 yards.
Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-20 Eagles 6:30 into the second half. The Cowboys drove into the red zone and got a free set of downs when Reed Blankenship committed unnecessary roughness in the end zone on a third-down incompletion. However, Miles Sanders fumbled on the next play, Quinyon Mitchell recovered for the Eagles and the lightning delay immediately followed.
Both offenses seemed to be out of juice by the game’s 11.30pm resumption. The next five possessions ended in punts, and Dallas received the ball with three minutes to go. But after Dallas reached their 38-yard line, Lamb dropped passes on second and fourth downs.
Hurts didn’t target star receiver AJ Brown until after that turnover on downs, inside the two-minute warning. Brown made a key eight-yard catch and Hurts scrambled for a first down to ice the game.
What Will Anthony Mantha's Role Be In 2025-26?
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make once training camp begins in mid-September, especially on the forward front.
And one of their newest faces figures to play a pretty key role on the team this season.
Forward Anthony Mantha was signed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal this offseason. The 30-year-old winger endured a major setback last season - as a member of the Calgary Flames - when he tore his ACL in November and missed the remainder of the 2024-25 season. In just 13 games, the 6-foot-5, 234-pound forward registered four goals and seven points.
Mantha’s history suggests that he has the ability to put the puck in the net, as he has three seasons of 20 or more goals under his belt. Although his injury history is concerning, to say the least - Mantha has never played in a full 82-game season and has played in more than 67 games just once - the signing was low-risk enough that he should provide value to the Penguins regardless.
But the real question is what role the veteran forward will play in a lineup that is progressively getting younger.
When taking a peek at the roster in its current state - according to PuckPedia - it appears quite obvious that Mantha should be playing somewhere in the top-six. Aside from Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, the Penguins don’t have any other bona fide top-six wingers to skate alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Mantha is easily the best choice out of those remaining.
However, Mantha’s situation next season will - more than likely - heavily depend on whether or not some younger, promising players push for NHL roster spots in 2025-26.
The two prospect names at the top of the list are Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, who both showed they belonged at the NHL level late last season. Koivunen, 22, registered seven points in eight games alongside both Malkin and Crosby, and he didn’t miss a beat with either future Hall-of-Fame center.
In fact, Koivunen’s chemistry with both was palpable. He was reading plays and working the offensive zone as if he had been at the NHL level all along, and - although he has yet to score a goal at the NHL level - showed off flashes of elite playmaking ability that would be valuable alongside Crosby, Malkin, Rakell, and Rust.
McGroarty, too, showed a lot of promise before a lower-body injury ended his season a few games early. The talented winger and 14th overall pick in 2022 - acquired from the Winnipeg Jets last summer - put up a goal and three points in five games with Crosby at the end of the season, and he showed vast improvement from his brief first NHL stint to kick off the 2024-25 season.
There’s also Filip Hallander, who was the SHL’s Forward of the Year last season, as well as Tommy Novak - acquired from the Nashville Predators in the Michael Bunting trade last season - who has some potential but played just two games for the Penguins post-deadline due to injury.
As for Mantha’s role in all of this? On paper, he should be in the top-six. But if those younger guys make a serious push, he may just be booted out and forced to play some third-line minutes, similar to the situation Anthony Beauvillier found himself in last season for the Penguins before his trade to the Washington Capitals.
Mantha has the ability to play anywhere in the middle-six. Ideally, the Penguins would want him to produce enough and make enough of an impact to fetch a solid return at the trade deadline, but it may all come down to whether or not the young guns make enough of an impression.
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Former Ottawa Senator Named Commissioner Of The CCHL
Former Ottawa Senator forward Jesse Winchester has himself a new role in hockey, heading up the local junior league he once played and coached in. Winchester was named on Wednesday as the new Commissioner of the CCHL, the Junior A hockey league for Eastern Ontario.
After a fine four-year career at Colgate University, Winchester signed with the NHL's Ottawa Senators as a free agent at the end of the 2007-08 season. He went on to play 233 games for Ottawa over the next five seasons, putting up 11 goals and 52 points. Winchester eventually moved on to the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche before a concussion ended his career in 2016 after eight seasons.
But it all started in the CCHL, where Winchester played three years with the Cornwall Colts (2001–2004), and then later returned to win the league's Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019 with the Brockville Braves.
Recently, Winchester worked as a player development coach with the Senators from 2019 to 2024. Both he and former Senator Shean Donovan quietly parted ways with the Sens around the same time Travis Green and the new coaching staff were hired in May of 2024.
“With strong ties to the CCHL and a proven track record at both the NCAA and NHL levels, Jesse brings a wealth of experience and unparalleled insight to this role,” Sue Collis, Chair of the CCHL, said in a league press release. “His long experience with player development, and deep understanding and passion for the game makes Jesse the ideal candidate to lead the CCHL in this rapidly evolving hockey landscape. Bringing Jesse on board was the obvious choice, unanimously supported by all teams.”
Winchester described the appointment as an honour.
“The CCHL has played an important role in my hockey journey—first as a player with the Cornwall Colts and later as a coach with the Brockville Braves,' Winchester said in the league statement. "It’s an honour to return to the league in this new role, and I look forward to supporting the players, teams, and communities that make this league so special.”
From the league website:
The CCHL is a proud member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. As a development-focused league for elite student-athletes aged 16–20, the CCHL has established itself as the premier pathway in the region for players advancing to higher levels of hockey, including collegiate, major junior, and professional opportunities.
With Winchester at the helm, the league reaffirms its commitment to competition, growth, and player development, with a vision to uphold and enhance the CCHL’s tradition of excellence both on and off the ice.
By Steve Warne
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa
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Senators Still Own Formenton's NHL Rights – What's Next?
Our One-On-One With Drake Batherson
Senators Confirm Extension For Pinto Won't Happen Until After Season Starts
Staios: 'We're Not Dismissing That Yakemchuk Makes Our Team Out of Camp'
Ottawa Senators: Ranking The Six Best At Each Position
Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham drive in three runs apiece in Yankees' 8-4 win over Astros
The Yankees didn't allow frustrations from Wednesday's meltdown to fester, as they outlasted the rival Astros, 8-4, on a chaotic Thursday night at Daikin Park.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Astros starter Christian Javier entered Friday with a stellar 1.99 ERA in six career appearances against the Yankees, but it didn't take long for that mark to rise a tad. With two on and two outs in the second inning, Ryan McMahon drew first blood with an RBI single to shallow right that gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The two-out rally began with a walk to Austin Wells and a single from Anthony Volpe. Solid production by the bottom-third of the lineup.
-- Carlos Rodón kept batted balls in the park last month, allowing just one home run across six August outings (34.1 innings). But his streak of five starts without a long ball was snapped by Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who smacked a game-tying solo shot to right-center in the third. Injury was then added to insult moments later, when Jazz Chisholm Jr.appeared to hurt his left knee after tagging out a sliding Jose Altuve at second base. Chisholm hobbled off the field and completed his fourth-inning at-bat (a strikeout), but Jose Caballero entered shortly thereafter as his defensive replacement. The Yankees announced that Chisholm exited with knee contusions.
-- McMahon's second battle with Javier was more impressive than his first. With the score still knotted in the fifth, the Yankees' third baseman jumped on a first-pitch curveball that landed over the left-center field wall for a go-ahead solo blast. Javier then fell into further trouble, loading the bases on singles to Trent Grisham and Ben Rice and a walk to Aaron Judge, and from there, Cody Bellinger increased the lead to 3-1 with a one-out RBI single to right. Javier's night ended on that note -- it was naturally his shortest start against the Yankees thus far.
-- The Astros turned to Enyel De Los Santos to clean up Javier's mess, and he didn't improve the situation. He was issued a pitch clock violation before even throwing to Giancarlo Stanton, and while he ultimately won that at-bat via strikeout, his full-count bout with Caballero was lost due to yet another clock violation. The mental error resulted in a costly walk and pushed the Astros' deficit to three. The Yankees sent all nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning.
-- The groove Rodón settled into was disrupted by some chaos in the sixth. After allowing a leadoff double to Alvarez, a line drive from Altuve that was clearly caught by McMahon at third was ruled a drop and error by umpire Brian Walsh. The Yankees argued that his bobble occurred on the transfer, and while TV replays showed this to be the case, there was no official review and umpires stunningly upheld the ruling. Rodón overcame the mess by inducing a routine double-play grounder, but a poor scoop attempt from Rice at first allowed Alvarez to score and cut the Yankees' lead to 4-2.
-- Rodón recovered from Rice's error after a mound visit, striking out Christian Walker and inducing a flyout of Yainer Diaz. It wasn't a pretty effort from the veteran southpaw, but he still delivered six quality innings that the Yankees sorely needed. Overall, Rodón gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He also threw 109 pitches, tying his season high. His season ERA now sits at 3.12.
-- Luke Weaver took over in the seventh, but he failed to complete the inning. He served up a pinch-hit leadoff homer to Jesús Sánchez that trimmed the Yankees' lead to 4-3, and despite logging a pair of strikeouts, he proceeded to allow back-to-back singles that forced Aaron Boone to pull the plug. The jam was then handed to Fernando Cruz, who survived a full-count fight against Altuve by striking him out.
-- Any tension the Yankees felt after the seventh waned during the eighth. With two on and two out, McMahon once again came up clutch with an RBI single up the middle that deflected off the shortstop's glove and trickled into right field. Then, two pitches later, Grisham gave the Yankees an even greater sigh of relief by crushing a three-run blast down the line in right to extend their lead to a more comfortable 8-3. Grisham became the seventh center fielder in Yankees history to produce a 30-homer season -- suffice to say, nobody could've predicted him achieving this feat.
-- Cruz returned to the mound for the eighth, and while the inning began with a single to Correa, the veteran right-hander needed only 11 pitches to retire Walker (strikeouts), Diaz (strikeout), and Sanchez (flyout) and eliminate any chance of a rally. The ninth inning belonged to David Bednar, in a non-save situation, and once again, disorder only baseball can create arrived. After a double from Taylor Trammell that set the Astros up with two runners in scoring position with no outs, the Yankees questioned whether Trammell's bat met league rules. The umpires looked at the bat, which had a patch of white/tan on the barrel, but it wasn't deemed illegal. Perhaps black paint had chipped off. A league official seized the bat for review.
-- The pair of early hits and the confusing delay hampered Bednar, who proceeded to give up an RBI single to Alvarez and a walk to Altuve. But the bases-loaded jam with the tying run at the plate didn't escalate -- the veteran righty regrouped and induced two clutch strikeouts of Correa and Walker to seal a much-needed rubber game victory.
Game MVP: Ryan McMahon
McMahon's first three-hit game as a Yankee couldn't have come at a better time. He set the tone and finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two singles, and two runs scored. But credit goes to Grisham, who reached a career milestone with his valuable three-run blast.
Highlights
Ryan McMahon with an RBI single to get the Yankees on the board first in Houston pic.twitter.com/gZpupBm62s
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has left tonight’s game in the 4th inning after he appeared to get injured on this play in the 3rd inning.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
He took his at-bat in the top of the 4th, but struck out on 3 pitches. pic.twitter.com/FgJJh7VBUq
Ryan McMahon with a shot to left! pic.twitter.com/DW7n1XioA5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
Cody Bellinger knocks in another! pic.twitter.com/E3v2OR7W6t
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
A pitch clock violation on Enyel De Los Santos and Jose Caballero draws a bases loaded walk! pic.twitter.com/Oaqm7Y6psL
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
FERNANDO CRUZ STRIKES OUT ALTUVE pic.twitter.com/JfLaYvmqIj
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
Ryan McMahon’s 3rd hit of the night brings home another! pic.twitter.com/88CdRr0NW1
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM. 30 HOMERS! pic.twitter.com/G34Jh05GnI
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
What's next
The Yankees (78-62) will fly back home and begin a critical three-game weekend series with the division-rival Blue Jays on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
RHP Cam Schlittler (2-2, 2.61 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Kevin Gausman (8-10, 3.75). New York currently trails Toronto by three games for first place in the AL East.
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Mets activate Francisco Alvarez off IL ahead of series-opener with Reds
The Mets are getting a reinforcement for a big series with the Reds this weekend.
New York activated C Francisco Alvarez from the IL ahead of Friday's series opener in Cincinnati.
Alvarez had been sidelined since Aug. 18 with a right thumb UCL sprain. He's also playing through a broken left pinky he suffered when he was hit by a pitch during his rehab assignment.
The 23-year-old completed five rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse. In that span, Alvarez went 4-for-19 with the backstop launching a grand slam in his final rehab start on Wednesday. He was also playing catcher, including all nine innings in his last few games.
"I feel really good catching and throwing with the thumb," Alvarez. "When I did rehabs, I didn't feel almost anything."
He added: "I'm very excited. I always feel excited when I go to play baseball, it can be anywhere. I feel really excited to play baseball again."
Before the injury, Alvarez was finding his groove at the plate. In his last 15 games in the big leagues, Alvarez was slashing .326/.383/.628 with three home runs and 11 RBI. All three of those long balls came in his last six contests.
With Alvarez's return, Hayden Senger has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Dodgers dominated by Paul Skenes as Pirates complete sweep: 'It's embarrassing'
Over three nights in Pittsburgh this week, the Dodgers didn’t win a game, despite playing a last-place Pirates club.
They didn’t grow their division lead, despite the second-place San Diego Padres suffering their own three-game sweep.
And, as veteran infielder Miguel Rojas stressed Thursday night, they simply didn’t look like a team capable of sharing in any joy, despite their constant insistence that better play will materialize.
“I feel like ever since we started playing poorly a couple months ago, the pressure and frustration has been building up on the team,” Rojas said.
“We know what we’re capable of. We’re playing under the threshold, the goal that we have. But at the end of the day, we gotta put all that aside ... and we have to find some joy and some motivation to come to the ballpark. Not just, ‘I gotta do my job.’ We have to come here and enjoy ourselves around the clubhouse, regardless of the situation.”
The situation, of course, looks bleak, with Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates sealing a confounding three-game sweep.
Read more:'We need to start playing better.' Slumping Dodgers lose again to the lowly Pirates
“It’s frustrating. It’s embarrassing,” Rojas said. “But we have to be able to turn the page and come tomorrow with a better attitude. ... We have to find a way to enjoy the game a little bit more.”
This loss, granted, was the easiest to explain.
In six scoreless innings, Cy Young frontrunner Paul Skenes was his typically dominant self. Already the major-league ERA leader, the second-year right-hander stuck out eight batters, gave up just two hits, escaped his only real threat by stranding a pair of two-out baserunners in the third inning, and otherwise overpowered the Dodgers with a seven-pitch repertoire headlined by his upper-90s mph sidearm fastball.
His counterpart, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, was nowhere near top form, giving up five runs in five innings despite largely limiting much hard contact.
The Dodgers (78-62) did finally show some life offensively in the top of the ninth, scoring three times (their first runs since the eighth inning of Tuesday's game) and putting the tying run on base. But by then, it was too little, too late — with the game ending on a three-pitch strikeout by newly called-up catcher Ben Rortvedt, the latest hair-pulling moment in a season of deflation.
“We’re just not playing good baseball, that’s really it,” Snell said. “We’ve got to figure that out. That’s on us to do that. We’ve got to get it going. It’s crunch time right now. Can’t really have excuses.”
Indeed, the Dodgers lead the NL West by only two games — having missed a chance to create distance in the standings after the Padres unexpectedly dropped three straight against the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week.
They also trail the Philadelphia Phillies by three games for a top-two seed in the NL playoff picture, placing themselves in danger of facing a three-game wild-card series rather than a first-round bye.
With 22 games remaining, the Dodgers would have to be perfect the rest of the way to reach the 100-win mark. At this point, even 90 victories feels far from a certainty, given the team’s 4-12 record in their last 16 against teams with losing records.
“I want to say it's uncharacteristic, but I think we've done that a lot,” manager Dave Roberts acknowledged afterward.
And when facing the current best pitcher in the sport, they certainly never seemed poised to change that trend.
Read more:Dodgers Dugout: The 10 best starting pitchers in Dodger history
Skenes set the tone immediately on what had been a rainy evening in Pittsburgh. Shohei Ohtani struck out on a 99-mph heater in the game’s first at-bat. The next seven Dodgers who came to the plate all recorded outs, flailing at Skenes’ mix of four-seamers, sweepers, curveballs and changeups to allow him to quickly find a comfortable rhythm.
It wasn’t until Dalton Rushing — who started in place of an injured Will Smith, as the team’s starting catcher awaited results on a CT scan for a bruised hand he suffered the night before — hit a third-inning fastball high off the center-field wall for a double that gave the Dodgers their first baserunner. But, after an Ohtani walk, Mookie Betts grounded out to retire that threat.
From there, the only other damage Skenes allowed was a fifth-inning single from Rojas. And though the Dodgers’ ability to at least foul off two-strike pitches — they fought off 15 in all — at least got him out of the game after six innings, it was already too late to mount a comeback.
That’s because, unlike the Dodgers, the last-place Pirates (64-77) actually managed to build rallies against another of the game’s other top pitchers.
Snell’s outing was a grind from the start, with Rushing misfiring to first base for an error in the first inning and Betts reacting slowly to a ground ball at shortstop to extend the second.
Snell worked around those jams. In the third, however, he followed a leadoff single by Bryan Reynolds with a pair of wild pitches that got by Rushing. With Reynolds suddenly on third, and the Dodgers’ infield forced to play in, Tommy Pham slapped a single through the dirt for the night’s opening run.
Two innings later, the Pirates broke it open.
In the fifth, Snell gave up three consecutive singles that doubled Pittsburgh's lead. Then, after an intentional one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen, Nick Yorke went after a first-pitch curveball for a two-run double down the line. McCutchen later scored from third on a grounder.
“It just seemed like today there was some seeing-eye single, balls finding the outfield grass,” Roberts said. “I thought he was good, not great. But again, a little bit unlucky. When you're facing Paul Skenes, you just can't afford to give up runs."
If all that wasn’t enough, the game ended with another regrettable sequence in the ninth. Betts broke up the shutout with a leadoff home run. Singles from Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages and Rojas brought around two more runs with the Dodgers down to their last out.
Then, however, Rortvedt came up as their ill-fated final hope.
A career minor-leaguer whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, then called up Thursday after Smith took a foul ball off his hand the night before, Rortvedt struck out after having replaced Rushing an inning earlier.
Read more:‘Want to see that edge.’ How Dodgers hope Teoscar Hernández turns around difficult season
As Roberts explained postgame, he was trying to get Rushing (a rookie who has been a backup this season, but will likely start the next three games as Smith recovers from his bruised hand) off his feet. Given the way the game had gone, he wasn’t expecting Rushing’s spot in the order (which was due up eighth in the ninth inning) to come back up again.
“Obviously, in a separate world, I would've loved to have had Dalton up there,” Roberts said. “But when you have three hits through eight [innings] and you're down 5-0, just kind of trying to figure out how to preserve him for the next few days, too."
So it goes for the Dodgers right now. Their inconsistent lineup continues to scuffle. Their supposed strength of a rotation hasn’t been able to dominate. And, with their record an incomprehensible 22-30 since July 4, there remains no end in sight to their second-half slide — nor visible signs of anything other than frustration.
“I feel like, as an offense, we’re putting a little bit too much pressure on ourselves, because we feel the necessity of winning. And we’re really forgetting about the most important part, which is playing for each other and having some joy when we play this game,” Rojas said.
“We all know, when you’re losing baseball games it’s not that fun. But I feel like we have to find a way to put everything in perspective. We’re still in first place. We’re still two games ahead of the Padres. We should be able to have some fun while we’re playing the game, and kind of relax a little bit more. Because I think when this team is together like that, we’re really hard to beat.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kings 2025-26 Player Previews: Anze Kopitar
Los Angeles Kings captain and all-time great, Anze Kopitar is set to lace up his skates on opening night for the 20th time in his illustrious NHL career. Although it seems like he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, the 38-year-old forward has hinted at a potential retirement in 2026. In an interview with Sport Central LA's Jaime Maggie, Kopitar said "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it" in regards to retiring. He also went on to say "even if this is my last year, I'll give it my very best and lead it all out there."
So with that said, let's continue on with our player preview for Anze Kopitar's 2025-26 NHL season.
2024-25 Season
Last season, 'Kopi' played in 81 of 82 games, recording 21 goals and 46 assists for 67 points. This was the 16th time that he has registered 60 or more points in a seasons, as well the 14th time he's scored 20+. Kopitar put up those productive numbers while averaging a career low 18:57 TOI (Time On Ice). The veteran centre only recorded 98 shots on goal. The lowest since the 2012-13 48 game season where he also recorded 98 shots.
Kopitar only registered four penalty minutes last season and the NHL rewarded him for his discipline with the Lady Byng Trophy. This is his third time (2016, 2023, 2025) receiving the award.
The two-time Frank J. Selke Award winner (2016, 2018) finished eighth in voting last season, picking up two first place votes. His face-off winning percentage of 57.2% is likely the reason he received votes for the award.
In the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kings faced off against the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth straight year. Even though the Oilers got the best of the Kings once again, the L.A. captain was terrific. Kopitar scored two goals along with seven assist for nine points in his six postseason games.
2025-26 Expectations & Stat Predictions
PuckPedia has Kopitar playing first line centre with Adrian Kempe and Andrei Kuzmenko on his wings. However, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if he lost first line centre duties to Quinton Byfield, I wouldn't be shocked if he manned line one all year either.
With Kempe and Kuzmenko on his line, expect the playmaking centre to capitalize off of two players who have proven they know how to put the puck in the net. 'Kopi' will also play centre on the Kings top power player unit all season.
I'm anticipating Anze Kopitar to basically replicate his 2024-25 campaign. Playing with two snipers, he will get his chances to pass the puck, but it will also give him opportunities to find twine. I will say he scores 23 goals and has 49 assists to go with it for 72 points. I also expect him to finish in the top 10 of Selke voting once again, which isn't exactly a boiling hot take.
It's unfortunate that his home country of Slovenia does not have enough talent to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. If any NHL veteran deserves a chance to compete in the games, Kopitar might just be number one on that list.
End of an Era?
If this ends up being Anze Kopitar's final season in the NHL, it would mark the. end of one of, if not the greatest career in Los Angeles Kings franchise history. Drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Kopitar has played in 1,454 games while scoring 440 goals and 838 assists for 1,278 points, and let's not forget about the two Stanley Cup's (2012, 2014) that he lead the Kings to.
Stay tuned in with your Los Angeles Kings here at The Hockey News, as the 2025-26 season inches closer.
NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-09-06 19:01:34
Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. exits Thursday's game vs. Astros with knee contusions
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited Thursday's game against the Astros with an apparent knee injury.
In the bottom of the third inning, Jose Altuve tried to advance to second base after a passed ball. Catcher Austin Wells recovered the baseball and threw to second, where Chisholm slapped down his tag on Altuve, who slid into the infielder's left knee.
Chisholm would take his at-bat in the top of the fourth inning, but after he struck out, he gingerly walked back to the dugout. The YES broadcast caught Chisholm in the dugout signaling to the coaching staff that he needed to come out of the game.
The Yankees announced that Chisholm was pulled with knee contusions in both knees. They happened on different plays. The team replaced Chisholm with Jose Caballero in the bottom of the fourth.
Chisholm was 0-for-2 with a strikeout before he left the game.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone gave a short update on Chisholm.
"I don’t think it’s anything major, that’s the sense right now," he said. "We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow."
Boone clarified that the first incident happened when Chisholm went down on his right knee for a groundball hit his way. The Yankees skipper believes Chisholm slammed his knee into the ground too hard.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has left tonight’s game in the 4th inning after he appeared to get injured on this play in the 3rd inning.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025
He took his at-bat in the top of the 4th, but struck out on 3 pitches. pic.twitter.com/FgJJh7VBUq
Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Star Thompson Could Have A Special Season For Buffalo, Team U.S.A.
The NHL’s 2025-26 season is just about here, and there’s no better time here at THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site to keep putting together this player-by-player series breaking down expectations for every Sabres player this coming year.
Every Sabres player has one singular goal – getting the Sabres into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But as individuals, every Sabre has their own expectations.
We’ve just finished moving through Buffalo’s goalies and defensemen. And in this file, we’re starting with the Sabres; top-talent at forward – winger Tage Thompson.
Thompson had a down year last season, putting together 19 fewer assists and 22 fewer points than he had in his peak season of three years ago. But at 27-years-old, Thompson is far from over the hill, and the Sabres need him to rebound on offense this coming season and be the tip of the spear punching holes in other teams’ defensive tactics.
Let’s break it down and make an educated guess as to how his upcoming season plays out.
Player Name: Tage Thompsom
Position: Right Wing
Age: 27
2024-25 Key Statistics: 76 games, 44 goals, 72 points, 18:45 average time-on-ice
2025-26 Salary:$7.14 million
2025-26 Expectations: Thompson led the Sabres in scoring, at nearly a point-per-game clip. But as was the case with everyone on the team last year, it felt like it wasn’t enough from Thompson. This is two straight seasons of sub-par assist numbers, and while some of the blame for that goes to Thompson’s linemates, he also has to own it.
Although he’s a relative bargain at slightly more than $7.1 million per season, Thompson has the added weight of being one of Buffalo’s highest-paid players. While that pressure is going to be on him to do at least as much in 2025-26 as he did last year, Thompson is going to be on Buffalo’s first line with center Josh Norris, but if Norris can’t stay healthy, Thompson is still going to be judged by (a) whether he’s the Sabres’ best weapon on offense, and (b) whether he leads Buffalo to end its playoff drought at 14 years.
If either of those things don’t develop in the Sabres’ favor, it could be a very long season for Thompson. We’re not here to tell you Thompson is going to be traded – he’s got five years left on his contract, and he does have some no-trade protection (although only protection that allows him to veto a trade to five teams oh his choice). He can absolutely be part of the solution in Buffalo, but that has to start right away.
But something will have to give if this season doesn’t play out the way the Sabres hope for, and while that will likely start with the firing of coach Lindy Ruff and/or GM Kevyn Adams, it could eventually lead to a point where Thompson and Buffalo find it mutually beneficial to go in different roads,
Thompson could be in for a special year, if he does as expected and makes the U.S.’s team at the 2026 Winter Olympics and gets his first taste of playoff hockey in hockey’s top league. But make no mistake – even if he wins gold at the Olympics, if Thompson fails to get into the playoffs, it will be a long and slow agony for him.
Anything less than 40 goals and 80 points will be a problem for Thompson next year. The Sabres aren’t going to be good or bad based strictly on the performance of one star player, so it all can’t be laid at Thompson’s feet if things do go sideways for him and Buffalo’s team.
But when you’re in the midst of this playoff drought, somebody has to step up and be the engine on a winning team. That’s the challenge ahead for Thompson, and the way he responds to it will go a long way toward determining how far the Sabres go.