In arguably the hardest division in the NFL, two teams have emerged as not just potential winners of the NFC West, but as potential candidates to lift the Lombardi trophy In February.  However, the question remains: Can the Seahawks go back-to-back or will the Rams take back the NFC West?

The Rams won the offseason with their defensive additions in defensive end Myles Garrett and safety Trent McDuffie. But the biggest win came from the return of four-time Pro Bowler Aaron Donald, who came out of retirement to play alongside Garrett in Los Angeles. 

However, the reigning Super Bowl champions make a strong case to win a second consecutive NFC West title. Returning quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba make a strong case to keep the hardware for a second year in a row. 

Here’s how all three First Things First co-hosts’ predictions for the NFC West this season.

Nick Wright’s NFC West Predictions:

Nick Wright elected for a repeat NFC West title for the Seattle Seahawks, followed by the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals in last. 

Even with the loss of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, Wright says the Seahawks are still in position to be a 14-win team led by quarterback Sam Darnold.

“They’re going to go 14-3. Aside from losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, which is a massive loss, I don’t know why they wouldn’t be awesome again,” Wright said on Tuesday’s edition of First Things First. “They were dominant all of last year…Do we see post-Super Bowl win, a free Sam Darnold where he’s actually better than we’ve ever seen him before? It’s certainly on the board.”

As the Seahawks rebuild at running back, the Rams are a team whose additions make them one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL. However, Wright said LA is due for an 11-6 record and won’t be ‘quite as good as everyone expects them to be.’

Wright placed the 49ers in third because of last season’s injury overhaul, the overuse of running back Christian McCaffrey and the departure of their former defensive coordinator.

“So many injuries. I don’t trust the wide receivers. I think they will miss Robert Saleh. They pressed the CMC button so many times last year,” Wright said. 

Which leaves Arizona in last place, according to Wright. The Cardinals closed out their 2025 campaign with a 3-14 record, and could be set up to repeat the record this season. 

“They’re going 3-14. They might be the worst team in the league, and they definitely have the toughest schedule in the league,” Wright said. 

Chris Broussard’s NFC West Predictions:

Chris Broussard went a different direction and chose the Rams as his NFC West favorites. The Rams have had an eventful offseason with the addition of star defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. 

When it came to putting the Super Bowl champions in second, Broussard made his point about where they could be after the big win. 

“I still have them making the playoffs. I just think they’re not going to be quite as good as last year. I think it’s kind of natural. Macdonald is great. They just won a Super Bowl,” Broussard said. 

When talking about the 49ers, who came in third on Broussard’s list, the amount of injuries and the departure of former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is a big reason Broussard did not make them a playoff team. 

“Half the team is hurt. And I don’t have them in the postseason. I would be pleasantly surprised if Brock (Purdy) went out there and cooked…I agree with Nick, they’re going to miss Saleh. He kept that defense together last year,” Broussard said. 

While Broussard placed the Arizona Cardinals last, he tabbed rookie Jeremiyah Love as someone to watch on Arizona’s roster this fall. 

“We all know who’s finishing last, the Arizona Cardinals. I do want to see what Jeremiyah Love does,” Broussard said. 

Danny Parkins’ NFC West Predictions:

Danny Parkins followed similar suit of Wright’s picks, placing the Seahawks first. Parkins’ reasoning for Seattle’s first place prediction comes from being overlooked because they won a Super Bowl. 

“I think everyone is continuing to overlook a Super Bowl team that blew out the 49ers in their playoff game. Blew out the Patriots in the Super Bowl,” Parkins said. “I have the Seahawks being the forgotten champion and running it back.”

The Rams were labeled as Parkins’ “super team,” which was only reinforced after Los Angeles traded for Myles Garrett, which led to Aaron Donald returning along with a returning Matthew Stafford. 

As the 49ers also come in third place on Parkins’ list, the difference he made is his prediction that San Francisco will make the playoffs. 

“The San Francisco 49ers, I have them making the playoffs,” Parkins said. “They won 12 games, and basically everything went wrong…it’s been a weird offseason, but they also added Mike Evans. They were the third most injured team last year, and they won 12 games.”

San Francisco was without star defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, tight end George Kittle, and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. However, the 49ers managed to make their way to an NFC Divisional win over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

As the Cardinals, once again, fell last place in the predictions, Parkins did not count out offensive stars like Marvin Harrison Jr, Jeremiyah Love and Trey McBride. However, it’s not enough. 

“I like a few of the players on the Cardinals. I do think Marvin Harrison is in line for a good year. I think McBride is excellent. Jeremiyah Love is excellent. The problem is, everything else.”

The Pac-12 enters Week One of the 2026 college football season with high expectations, a new outlook, and a new identity.

Whether that translates to a higher profile and more marquee wins remains to be seen.

But this week, the conference has several chances to make it happen against teams from Power Four conferences.

Among the best of those opportunities are Fresno State at USC, Oregon State at Houston, Boise State at Oregon, and Washington State at Washington.

I preview all four potential upsets here.

Fresno State at No. 14 USC

Friday, September 4
6:00 PM PT, FOX

Whenever Fresno State and USC play, Reggie Bush comes to mind.

But this is a fun matchup because of the schools’ different cultures. The glitz and glam of L.A. and hard-working valley life aren’t friends.

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But both are winners in their own right.

The trending story in Fresno right now is Jayden Mandal getting the starting nod.

Mandal has been with the program forever and beat out Maryland transfer Khristian Martin for the position. He’s the first quarterback in nearly a decade to be recruited by the Bulldogs in high school and start the opener.

Even though he’s the flashy story, the offensive line will determine this matchup. Matt Entz’s run-heavy style needs to be effective to keep SC off the field.

USC’s offense is explosive per usual, and Fresno State would get mallywhopped in a shootout. But if the line holds up, they feature arguably the best halfback duo in the Pac-12.

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Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson can hurt Power Four defenses.

The Bulldogs are probably still an orchard away, but if they beat the Trojans in The Coliseum, the Pac-12’s a vibe.

Oregon State at No. 23 Houston

Saturday, September 5
9:00 AM PT, ESPN/Disney+

It feels like this game’s going to dictate Oregon State’s season. If the Beavers can win this contest, they should be able to make a bowl game.

The Beavs almost beat the Cougars a season ago; their record was not indicative of how good they really were. This is a common cliché, but OSU did all the things to lose last year—all the things.

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The other notable story in Corvallis is Braden Atkinson winning the starting job over Maalik Murphy. It’s a courageous decision by new head coach JaMarcus Shephard, but Murphy fell off last year.

And with Trent Walker, Darrius Clemons, and Taz Reddicks gone, he might as well do it now. With Shephard’s lineage as a college wideout, he knows who he would want throwing the ball to him.

But the decision was still unexpected from the outside.

This matchup is also vital because OSU will likely lose to Texas Tech the following week.

Houston will be ready, though; they were losing by 14 points in the fourth quarter to Oregon State in 2025 before all the things.

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The Beavers may be the most overlooked team in the country this year. They have the talent to beat the Cougs.

Boise State at No. 2 Oregon

Saturday, September 5
12:30 PM PT, CBS

For two teams that don’t play each other often, it feels like the Broncos and Ducks play all the time.

But this is a really tough spot for Boise State. Oregon is a national brand now, and they’re stacked. The Broncos are probably still the best G6 squad, but the Ducks might be the best team in the country.

It’s very rare that BSU gets 24.5 points, but maybe this alleviates some of the pressure. In a week full of marquee Pac-12 games, this one’s the biggest.

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If the Broncos play well, it could help them solidify a playoff spot later in the year. And while UO is a national title contender, Boise State was the last non-conference team to win in Eugene, back in 2008.

The Broncos are 3-1 all-time against the Ducks, and they nearly beat Oregon in Autzen two years ago, with Maddux Madsen at signal-caller.

But Madsen and Boise State had a superstar difference-maker that year in Ashton Jeanty, and he’s gone to the NFL.

The key for BSU is to limit big plays and protect the ball.

They should try to shorten the game, grind it out, and steal it at the end because they’ll lose a 100-meter sprint in TrackTown USA.

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Spencer Danielson is a three-time conference champion, and the Broncos will throw some punches—but they can’t afford to get hit like Jake Paul.

Washington State at No. 17 Washington

Sunday, September 6
1:00 PM PT, NBC

This game means a lot for Washington State. With the uncertainty of the Apple Cup after the current contract, a Cougars victory could change the tone of conversations going forward.

WSU is a huge underdog in this contest. Washington is favored by 23.5 points.

But with the game on NBC on a Sunday, the Cougs need to take advantage of the exposure.

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Head Coach Kirby Moore knows how important this matchup is because he’s a Washingtonian. He grew up in a town located right in between the campuses, but his hometown of Prosser is Cougar country.

Even though WSU has every motivation to beat the Huskies, UW returns four starters on the offensive line, which hurts stylistically.

Washington lost Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston, however, which could give Ol’ Crimson hope.

Washington State’s main goal should be to keep it close.

The Cougars face three Power Four opponents in their non-conference slate, and a blowout could send them on a downward trajectory.

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This is a big opportunity for Washington State, the Pac-12, and downtrodden people who have been left behind everywhere.

But Washington’s bark is fearsome.

Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.

Latest posts by Nick Bartlett (see all)

With the NFL season about a week away from kickoff, Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley isn’t slowing down constructing the roster. 

On Tuesday night, the Vikings signed veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, first reported by The Ringer. The 35-year-old veteran reunites with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, with whom he won two Super Bowls on the New England Patriots.

Van Noy has bounced around the league over his career. After being drafted in the second round by the Detroit Lions in 2014, he went on to play for the Patriots, the Miami Dolphins under Flores, the Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently, the Baltimore Ravens.

ESPN reported early Tuesday morning that Van Noy was visiting Minnesota, and with the visit now wrapped up, the signing is officially done.

His 2024 season with the Ravens was highly productive, highlighted by a career-high 12.5 sacks. Van Noy has built a career on leadership and mentorship inside winning organizations, which are qualities head coach Kevin O’Connell could be looking to add in Minnesota.

After trading away Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard during the draft, the Vikings were left needing depth and experience upfront. Pairing Van Noy with first-year starter Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel instantly stabilizes their pass-rush rotation.

The Vikings also added raw Cincinnati hybrid linebacker Jake Golday in the second round of this year’s draft. Adding Van Noy to the fold gives O’Connell and Flores a well-balanced group featuring proven veteran leadership and high-upside depth to start the season.

Flores’ defense was top-tier last season, ranking third in total yards allowed (282.6) and seventh in points against (19.6). Adding Van Noy as a rotational pass rusher could give the Vikings the extra edge they need for a fast start when they host the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.

Aryna Sabalenka was involved in a tense exchange with a reporter after it was suggested to the two-time defending champion that her activities around the US Open involved “parties and fun”.

Sabalenka had too much for Polina Iatcenko, strolling to a straight-sets win (6-1 6-1) on Wednesday.

But the Belarusian was left irritated by questions surrounding her off-court appearances and rejected that it jeopardised her preparation for the grand slam.

“You guys are, like, a joke. Parties, fun… like, why would ⁠you even say that? Why would ​you ⁠even think about that? What kind of question is that?” the world No 1 said.

“Just because I posted, like, some `activities with brands, and you think that I’ve been partying, not training?” she added, cutting the exchange short. Turning ‌to her performance on Wednesday, the four-times Grand Slam winner said she was pleased with both her level and her focus after another ‌dominant performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I’ve been working really hard, but I feel like I’m kind of moving away from trying to be perfect on court,” Sabalenka said. “I know that you cannot be perfect, and `I’m just trying to work with what I have right now.”

Sabalenka will continue her search for a third straight title in New York and avoid ending the year without a major, as she tries to recover her best form after not winning a title since claiming the Miami Open in March.

“I think I struggled a little bit in the middle of the season. Once again, I’m not going to defend myself or explain why, what happened, but I’m happy with my level,” the 28-year-old said.

“I can definitely say that mentally I’m way stronger than ⁠I was in the middle of the season, and physically I also feel stronger. I ‌feel like I’m ​on my level of play, and ‌I just want to bring the ​right focus on the match every time.”

Reuters contributed to this report

The NBA handed down one of the biggest punishments in league history Wednesday when it fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million, suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year and stripped the team of five future first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 for “violating the salary cap circumvention rules.” 

“The investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules,” the league said in a press release. Additionally, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations” of NBA rules. 

In addition to the aforementioned penalties, the league also suspended Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker without pay for one year and suspended Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank without pay for six months, ordered Kawhi Leonard to pay $700,000 “in connection with his violations” and banned Leonard’s uncle and business manager, Dennis Robertson from “conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel” for five years. 

The Clippers subsequently released a scathing statement saying they “vehemently reject” the NBA’s findings and will “vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us.” The Clippers characterized the investigation, conducted by a law firm at the NBA’s behest, as “heavily biased” and “seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.”

Now that the investigation is complete, let’s take a look at some interesting aspects you may have missed:

Aspiration wasn’t the only company involved

By now, everyone who has followed this story is familiar with the now-bankrupt company Aspiration, which was at the center of this scandal. However, that was not the only company involved. The investigation found that the Clippers “initiated, facilitated and induced Boingo, Daktronics and Lockton to enter into agreements with Mr. Leonard.”

Boingo is a provider of wireless and other communications networks, Daktronics is a manufacturer of scoreboards and video displays and Lockton is an insurance brokerage. Here’s more from the summary report prepared by Wachtell Lipton:

“In early July 2020, within a month of Ms. Zucker connecting Mr. Robertson with Boingo, Daktronics, and Lockton, Mr. Leonard signed (on the same day) multi-year, multi-million dollar endorsement agreements with two of the companies. By the end of August 2020, he had signed a similar endorsement agreement with the third company. By early September 2020, Mr. Leonard had received payments under each of these three endorsement agreements. 

“The total due to Mr. Leonard under the Boingo, Daktronics, and Lockton agreements was $18 million. All $18 million was paid to Mr. Leonard by August 2021.”

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And more from Wachtell Lipton:

“The highly unusual nature of these three endorsement agreements with Mr. Leonard caused investigators to question why each company entered into them. The investigative record supplies the answer: because the Clippers initiated, facilitated, and induced these companies to enter into agreements with Mr. Leonard through the prospect of lucrative business arrangements with the Clippers.”

Clippers acquiesced to Robertson’s demands

Just months after Leonard signed with the Clippers in 2019, Robertson began pressuring the organization to help his nephew generate additional off-court income. In fact, Robertson stated that he wanted at least $10 million per year for Leonard, and he made the demands to Ballmer, Frank and Zucker. 

Here, via Wachtell Lipton’s summary, are some of the notes that Frank took in March of 2020:

“Mr. Robertson complained to Mr. Ballmer that Ms. Zucker was making “introductions” for “bull**** deals,” and that ‘I [Mr. Robertson] cant [sic] wait on [Ms. Zucker] – I have to get paid.’”

“Mr. Ballmer responded by telling Mr. Robertson that he and Clippers’ personnel were all ‘collective workers to try to help [Mr. Leonard] achieve his financial goals,’ and Ms. Zucker assured Mr. Robertson that Mr. Ballmer would ‘follow through on his promise.’”

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Mr. Robertson requested a ‘3-6 month[] plan’ for more lucrative introductions from the Clippers, a list of ‘5-6 companies’ in the ‘pipeline’ for ‘potential introductions,’ and more frequent and consistent communication from Ms. Zucker.”

Furthermore, Wachtell Lipton found “hundreds of instances in which the team paid for personal air and ground travel, accommodations, gifts, and tickets” for Robertson and other members of Leonard’s family “without then properly deducting the amounts of these expenditures from Mr. Leonard’s pay (as it was required to do by CBA rules).”

While the investigation found that the “aggregate financial value of these expense payments was only a fraction of the amounts” Leonard received from his endorsement agreements with Aspiration, Boingo, Daktronics and Lockton, “it was nonetheless substantial.”

Why Zucker got a more severe punishment than Frank

Gillian Zucker, the Clippers’ president of business operations, was suspended without pay for one year, while Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, was suspended without pay for six months. Why?

Wachtell Lipton’s summary report stated that, “Ms. Zucker made several statements that proved inconsistent with contemporaneous documents, other witness statements, and the broader chronology of events, professed a lack of recollection on important issues, placed responsibility on subordinates, and offered inconsistent renditions of facts in separate interviews.”

Conversely, Frank “openly discussed with investigators his conduct from the relevant time period, recalled details of key events, took responsibility for the actions of subordinates, and was generally consistent across his interviews.” 

In other words, Zucker lied and Frank did not. Additionally, the investigation found that Zucker had personal relationships with two of the companies that signed Leonard to endorsement deals at the Clippers’ behest

“Ms. Zucker had personal relationships at two of the companies. At one, her husband was chair of the board of directors during the relevant time period, and she also had a 30-year working relationship with that company’s CEO. At another, Ms. Zucker had a longstanding relationship with the company’s president (the person who signed the company’s endorsement deal with Mr. Leonard), and she recommended him as “really good people” in an email to an internal colleague charged with the process of securing services for the Clippers in this area.”

Finally, Zucker was the one who “initiated and facilitated Mr. Leonard’s endorsement agreement with Aspiration.” 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday announced the establishment of a world-class Tamil Nadu Olympic City in Chennai under Rule 110 in the State Assembly. According to the Tamil Nadu CMO, the Olympic City will be developed by the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority and will feature world-class sports arenas, state-of-the-art sporting equipment, a High Performance Training Centre, and dedicated Sports Science and Sports Medicine centres. The facility will also have modern infrastructure, including accommodation for sportspersons and coaches, according to the announcement made by the Chief Minister Vijay.

The Olympic City is aimed at creating an integrated sports hub to provide athletes with advanced training and support facilities, to help sportspersons from Tamil Nadu win more medals at the Olympic Games and other international sporting events.

The Chief Minister also announced that a dedicated motorsports city will be established in Chennai to host Formula 1-4 races in the city. 

In June, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) created a task force which monitors motor sports with a vision to bring back Formula 1 racing in the country by the end of 2028.

“We will try to bring back F1 in India by 2028. For this, we created a task force which monitors motor sports in the country and submits its report to the Ministry,” an MYAS source told ANI on Saturday.

Earlier this year, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) President Arindam Ghosh attended a meeting with the Sports Ministry in New Delhi and said that efforts are underway to bring Formula 1 back to India by 2030, a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and MotoGP by 2028.

Later, at the FMSCI Annual Awards function, Ghosh said, “The meeting with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State Raksha Khadse, senior officials and potential stakeholders in New Delhi, focused primarily on bringing F1, MotoGP and a round of the WRC to India.” 

“The Federation stressed the need to develop Indian drivers and the overall development of motorsports in India, and the FMSCI’s inputs were well received,” he added.

At the Awards Night in Bengaluru, all the Motorsports National champions for 2025 were honoured, and 137 trophies across 17 disciplines, both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, were presented. Awards were also given to the winning teams, promoters and sponsors of the 17 National championships.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Maybe Dallas Cowboys fans should enjoy having CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the same offense while they still can.

“I don’t know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market [money], so that’s going to be a really difficult situation as we move forward,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said about Pickens’ future in Dallas in an interview on the DLLS Cowboys podcast on Tuesday.

“We’ve managed to figure out how we can do it for this year. If everything works out the way we think it is, [in] which CeeDee and George both have huge years again, then it’ll be a bigger challenge next year.”

Coming off a breakout 2025 campaign that saw Pickens total 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — all three totals led the Cowboys and were career highs — and earn his first career Pro Bowl, Dallas placed the $27.3 million franchise tag on the now-fifth-year receiver in February, whom they acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers the offseason prior.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys signed Lamb, a 2023 All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in each of the last four years, to a four-year, $136 million deal in Aug. 2024. Last season (2025), Lamb totaled 75 receptions for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns across 14 games (he missed three games due to an ankle injury). From 2021-25, Lamb averaged 99.4 receptions for 1,296.2 yards and 7.2 touchdowns per year.

Regarding the wide receiver market, Jaxon Smith-Njigba became the highest-paid receiver in NFL history this offseason, inking a four-year, $168.6 million extension ($42.2 million average annual value) with the Seattle Seahawks.

On the paying multiple wide receivers top-line money front, the Cincinnati Bengals are paying roughly $69.1 million in salary to Ja’Marr Chase ($40.3 million AAV) and Tee Higgins ($28.8 million AAV), while the Detroit Lions are paying roughly $56.7 million in salary to Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million AAV) and Jameson Williams ($26.7 million AAV).

Dallas is paying a combined $61.3 million to Lamb and Pickens this season. For perspective, the Bengals haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, while the Cowboys haven’t reached the playoffs since 2023.

“George is really wanting to put back-to-back years on top of one another, so it’ll help his market,” Jones said. “And certainly, I know at some point, as does every player in this league, he’ll want to be rewarded with a long-term contract. So that certainly puts pressure on us to have a unique situation there at wide receiver.”

Dallas opens its 2026 regular season on the road against the New York Giants on Sept. 13.

Veiled somewhat by his role and veteran colleagues is the value AJ Blubaugh has brought to the Houston Astros‘ bullpen in his rookie season. Other relievers eclipse him in wins above replacement, but none can rival the variety of the right-hander’s contributions.

Blubaugh, a converted starter, has helped buoy and preserve Houston‘s pitching staff by being an option at any time. He has entered at least one game this season in every inning from one through nine. He has worked multiple innings in 33 of 53 appearances.

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No major-league reliever has thrown more innings than Blubaugh, who has a 3.06 ERA in 85 ⅓ frames. That combination alone illustrates Blubaugh’s importance to an Astros bullpen that entered Wednesday with the sport’s fifth-lowest ERA since May 1.

At a critical point in the season, however, his position in it also appears to be evolving. In Blubaugh’s first 41 outings, he recorded four holds, defined as a reliever entering a save situation and maintaining a lead for the next reliever while getting at least one out.

In his 11 outings in August, Blubaugh recorded four holds. That included both his appearances during the Astros’ week in New York against the Yankees and Mets. He also logged a save last month and, in his first outing of September, entered a scoreless game in the eighth inning Wednesday against the White Sox.

“The moments are not getting too big for him anymore,” manager Joe Espada said after his team’s 2-0 win Wednesday night. “Obviously, I’m starting to give him the ball in big spots, because he’s earned the right to do that. He can pitch out of trouble, he can get punchouts.”

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Since allowing five runs at Coors Field in his fifth outing of the season, Blubaugh has a 2.22 ERA over his past 48 appearances. He has allowed one earned run in his past 18 innings while drawing higher-leverage situations for a Houston team in a postseason hunt.

The implications for its bullpen are enticing. Closer Josh Hader has been excellent since his return in June from the injured list, going 22-for-22 in save chances with a 0.72 ERA. Bryan Abreu has turned his season around to reassume a setup role alongside Steven Okert.

Adding Blubaugh to the late-innings mix could expand Espada’s options to close out games with a well-worked bullpen. Some caveats do exist. Blubaugh is still relatively new to that at the major-league level, and his multi-inning ability can be needed earlier in games. His workload also bears watching.

Blubaugh ended Wednesday with 10 ⅓ innings more than any other reliever in the majors this season. His 33 multi-inning appearances also lead the majors. He does not operate by finesse, either; his fastball has averaged 95.7 mph this season and touched 99.3 mph.

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“What’s funny, if no one told me I had a high workload, I wouldn’t know I had a high workload,” Blubaugh said Wednesday night. “I’m approaching every day as I’m trying to pitch, and whether I feel good or I feel bad doesn’t change anything.

“Whether I go in in the first inning or the eighth inning tonight, I’m still trying to put up a zero. So I wouldn’t say I feel any certain way. Tomorrow I’m going to show up the same way, I’m going to do my prep and I’m going to make myself available to throw.”

2026 ASTROS STATS

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After throwing two scoreless innings at Citi Field on Sunday, Blubaugh did not pitch the next two days. Wednesday, the Astros reached the eighth inning of a scoreless tie with the AL Central-leading White Sox, whose lineup featured seven left-handed or switch-hitters.

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None of their relievers save Kai-Wei Teng and Tatsuya Imai had pitched Tuesday. Okert and Abreu had each worked Sunday and Monday, however. Left-hander Bennett Sousa has struggled to get lefties out this year. Blubaugh came in holding lefties to a .550 OPS. He drew the eighth.

Tristan Peters met him with a leadoff triple, driving a fastball off the base of the wall in right-center at Daikin Park. Blubaugh walked Drew Romo, the Chicago ninth hitter, turning their lineup over. After the walk, he said, he resolved “to start pounding the zone and pray for good things to happen.”

One did. With the Astros infield in, Sam Antonacci bounced a first-pitch sweeper to shortstop Jeremy Peña. Peters hesitated before breaking for home plate. Peña threw him out.

“I thought the big play was that ground ball to Jeremy, Peters tried to kind of deke him and hesitated to go, potentially thinking (he’d) go for a double play,” Espada said. “So he was waiting to see what Jeremy was going to do, but Jeremy held his ground, made the right decision there.”

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Blubaugh agreed “you could feel (the inning) switch there.” But it wasn’t over. Munetaka Murakami hit a 2-2 sweeper to right-center. Romo, the catcher running at second base, was held at third. Miguel Vargas arrived with the bases loaded and one out. Blubaugh threw him two fastballs.

“Throw it as hard as I can, that’s really what it came down to,” Blubaugh said. “Empty the tank, give everything I have right here, get this out and then go from there. And it just happened to get in there and jam him a little bit.”

A 97 mph fastball on the plate induced a sharp grounder to third baseman Isaac Paredes, who started a double play. Nelson Velázquez’s two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the inning gave Houston the lead. Hader preserved it, as the Astros stretched their AL West lead back to two games.

Espada credited Blubaugh with “staying composed, pitching and getting the job done.” The situation may have magnified it. But the result resembled much of Blubaugh’s season before it.

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“What he’s doing is incredible,” said starter Hayden Wesneski, who allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings Wednesday. “It’s so hard. I’ve been in that role and I didn’t do that. He fills a role of, like, whatever you need. And what he’s doing is incredible.”

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This article originally published at AJ Blubaugh has become Houston Astros’ do-everything bullpen weapon. ‘What he’s doing is incredible’.

Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on December 30, 2025 in Inglewood, California.  Luke Hales/Getty Images/AFP

The NBA on Tuesday walloped the Los Angeles Clippers with a record $30 million fine, stripped the team of five first-round draft picks and banned owner Steve Ballmer for a year after a probe uncovered major salary cap violations involving star Kawhi Leonard.

The Clippers, who said they plan to fight the punishments, will forfeit a first-round NBA Draft pick every year 2029-2033 after having been found to have aided Leonard in evading salary cap rules in deals with team corporate sponsors when he signed in 2022.

READ: Clippers owner Ballmer welcomes NBA probe, denies involvment

Clippers owner Ballmer was banned from all league and team activities for one year, president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for a year and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months, while Leonard was fined $700,000.

The $30 million fine is comfortably the largest ever imposed on a team by the NBA, eclipsing the previous largest penalty of $3.5 million against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 for breaching salary cap rules.

“I’m deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

READ: NBA: Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors return on hold pending Clippers probe

“The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”

The Clippers, responding in a statement, said the probe was biased to fit what the team called a “predetermined narrative” and vowed to challenge the penalties.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” a club statement said.

The Clippers said feedback it had received directly from the NBA “differs from what it announced today publicly.”

“For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence,” the statement said.

“We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”

FILE – Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits on the sideline before an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls on March 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)

The Clippers agreed to trade Leonard to Toronto in July but the Raptors said they would await the result of the investigation before finalizing the deal.

“As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard said in a statement.

The investigation was into allegations the Clippers compensated Leonard $28 million through an endorsement deal with now-bankrupt Aspiration.

It found what the NBA called “a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules.”

Law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz found the Clippers initiated and facilitated sponsorship income deals between Leonard and four team corporate sponsors — Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.

The probe found the club induced companies to enter into agreements with Leonard by offering them business, also paid personal expenses for Leonard and his representatives, and failed to report improper solicitations for income opportunities by Leonard’s then-business manager, Dennis Robertson.

Leonard, through Robertson, violated salary cap rules by obtaining improper off-court income, pressuring the Clippers to assist him in getting those opportunities and failing to reimburse the Clippers for expenses.

Robertson was banned from engaging with NBA teams on behalf of any player, employee or other NBA or team personnel for five years.

 ‘No knowledge’

Leonard accepted responsibility for actions by his representatives but said he had no clue salary cap violations were involved.

“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement.

“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed the penalties are final and binding to all parties but the league said it will “consider further action as appropriate.”