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AL wild-card roundup: Guardians retake last spot from Blue Jays

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Toronto dropped one game back of the third wild-card spot with a 6-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland retook the final post-season berth with its third walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers in as many days.

The Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians after winning the season series earlier this week. Both teams have 18 games remaining.

The Texas Rangers are now two games back after splitting a four-game series with the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles were swept by the Boston Red Sox and have now dropped six straight, falling four games back in the race.

The Minnesota Twins, also four games back, will play the Chicago White Sox later on Sunday night. Here’s a look at the wild-card standings after Sunday’s action:

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Monday’s games for wild-card contenders (All times ET)

Cleveland at Baltimore, 1:35 p.m.
Toronto: at Athletics, 10:05 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+
Minnesota: at Detroit, 7:10 p.m.
Boston: at Los Angeles Angels, 1:35 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez homered as the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. 

Toronto (72-72) dropped a game behind Cleveland for the final American League wild card. The Guardians edged Detroit 3-2 in 10 innings.

Randy Dobnak (3-3) allowed one run over six innings for the win. He struck out three and walked none. Three of the four hits he gave up came in his last inning.

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Blue Jays starter Spencer Arrighetti (7-9) yielded six runs and five hits in 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Kansas City went ahead 3-0 before Arrighetti got an out. John Rave beat out an infield single before Bobby Witt Jr. coaxed a walk. Pasquantino then launched a three-run homer.

Witt led off the third with a line-drive double off the wall in left field. One out later, Perez bounced a drive off the top of the fence in nearly the same spot for a two-run homer and a 5-0 cushion.

The Royals added another run in the fifth on an infield single by Nick Loftin after a walk and a hit batter. 

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Toronto finally got to Dobnak in the sixth when Josh Smith hit his fifth home run just over the right-field fence inside the foul pole.

GUARDIANS 3, TIGERS 2 (10 INNINGS)

CLEVELAND — Daniel Schneemann singled home rookie Angel Genao from third base in the 10th inning to send Cleveland to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, the Guardians’ third walk-off victory in the four-game series.

With a runner at second, Patrick Bailey opened the 10th with a single off Kyle Finnegan (3-1). Schneemann then ripped a 1-0 pitch into right, triggering another celebration by the Guardians, who are chasing Chicago in the AL Central.

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The Guardians didn’t lead at any point in the series until their final swing. Cleveland swept a doubleheader on Friday before being shut out Saturday. It’s the first time the Guardians have had three walk-off wins in a series since 2013.

Cade Smith (5-1) pitched two perfect innings, striking out the side in the 10th with an automatic runner at second.

Brayan Rocchio homered for the Guardians, who moved one game ahead of Toronto for the final wild-card spot.

Guardians starter Gavin Williams had another solid outing, allowing two runs and striking out 11 in six innings. It’s the right-hander’s 11th double-digit strikeout game this season — most in the majors.

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Rocchio tied it 2-2 in the fifth with his 13th homer, a shot to right that cut through a stiff breeze blowing into Progressive Field.

The homer off Tigers starter Jackon Jobe came two days after Rocchio became the sixth player to hit a grand slam and walk-off homer in the same game.

Riley Greene, who homered twice and drove in four runs in Saturday’s 6-0 win, put the Tigers up 2-0 in the first with a two-run double.

The Guardians got a run back in the first on consecutive doubles by Steven Kwan and rookie Travis Bazzana.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Jake Burger homered twice and Ezequiel Duran had his 12th game this season with at least three hits as the Texas Rangers rallied from two four-run deficits to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6 on Sunday.

The Rangers (71-73) earned a split of the four-game series with the Rays (85-58), who own the American League’s best record. Texas trails by two games in the races for the AL West lead and the league’s final wild card.

With the score tied 5-all in the fifth, Elias Díaz singled off Steven Matz (5-5) to score Burger, and Duran singled off Casey Legumina to bring home Logan O’Hoppe.

The Rays pulled within a run in the seventh, but Corey Seager restored Texas’ two-run lead with a solo homer in the eighth.

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Jakob Junis pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save in seven chances after All-Star closer Jacob Latz worked a scoreless eighth. On Saturday night, Latz was the 10th-inning loser for his first defeat since April 10 after allowing his first home run since June 25.

Trevor Williams (1-0), signed by Texas last Tuesday after being released by Washington on Sunday, pitched two scoreless innings for his first win since May 2025.

The Rays went ahead 4-0 in the second inning, sending 10 batters to the plate against Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore.

Burger homered leading off the second and, with the Rangers trailing 5-1 in the fourth, added a two-run shot — both off starter Ian Seymour — as Texas batted around to tie the score.

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It was the ninth career multihomer game for Burger, who is tied for the club lead with 25 homers and leads the team with 82 RBIs.

BALTIMORE — Aroldis Chapman notched his 400th career save, Eli White hit a three-run homer following an error by Gunnar Henderson and the Boston Red Sox capped a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 3-1 victory Sunday.

Chapman gave up a one-out single in the ninth before striking out Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to become the ninth player in major league history to record 400 saves. The 38-year-old Chapman earned his first save in 2011 with Cincinnati and went on to have 10 seasons with 30 or more, including 33 this season.

Over his lengthy career, Chapman has totalled 24 saves against Baltimore. The lefty got one Friday night that started Boston on its sweep of the sinking Orioles.

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Coming off two straight shutout losses, the Orioles used successive two-out doubles by Mayo and Encarnacion-Strand to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

In the second, with two outs and a runner on, Henderson failed to make a backhand stab of a grounder to shortstop. White followed with a drive off Kyle Bradish (7-13) that cleared the left-field wall.

Payton Tolle (9-6) struck out 12 over six innings for Boston, allowing four hits and walking none.

Despite getting only four hits and failing to score an earned run, the Red Sox improved to a major league-best 33-17 since the All-Star break and tightened their hold on the second AL wild-card slot.

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After closing August with a four-game winning streak to reach .500 for the first time since April, the Orioles have lost six straight to fall behind several teams in the race for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

It’s Baltimore’s longest skid since an eight-game slide last May, during which the team fired manager Brandon Hyde.

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Four Everton vs Man United incidents reviewed as Premier League told of two mistakes

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Manchester United were forced to settle for a point away to Everton with numerous verdicts issued on the Premier League game’s controversial incidents

Manchester United have been handed verdicts on four controversial incidents from their thrilling Premier League draw against Everton. Ainsley Maitland-Niles smashed home a stunning last-minute equaliser but things could have played out differently had a penalty been given earlier in the half for a foul on Matheus Cunha.

That was arguably the biggest talking point in terms of decisions needing to be made by John Brooks but he deemed James Tarkowski got the ball despite it being quite a risky challenge from behind. And Sky Sports co-commentator Lee Hendrie was of the belief the referee got that one right.

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“What an unbelievable run from Marcus Rashford. This is outstanding, Rashford at his best. Positive drive, stands on his feet in cleverness just to try to put the ball into the path of Cunha. Was it a penalty?

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“Tarkowski gets enough on the ball, and he does…just. The penalty has been checked, and it’s cleared. It’s a brilliant tackle.

“This angle shows more, he just gets complete purchase on the ball. Is Cunha looking for it? Tell you what, it is a risky one but it’s well worth it. It’s outstanding defending from Tarkowski.”

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Ultimately it did not look set to matter for United as second-half substitute Benjamin Sesko headed home what looked to be the winner after Tyrique George’s thumping 83rd minute strike cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener.

Despite the late drama, VAR was not required for the closing stages but there were two yellow card incidents that ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes Brooks got wrong. The first of those involved Thierno Barry appealing for a penalty with Brooks not interested but told he should have booked him.

“John Brooks got this one spot on,” he told Goodison News. “The player, Barry, went to ground far too easily and he is lucky that he did not receive a yellow card for his clear act of simulation.”

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The ex-PGMOL chief also stated that Diogo Dalot should have been shown a yellow card for pulling George’s shirt. He was later cautioned for that exact offence on Jack Grealish.

He said: “Dalot pulled his opponent’s shirt stopping a promising attack. John Brooks really should at that point issue a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.”

Hackett did, however, agree with Brooks’ yellow card decision for Harrison Armstrong’s foul on Bruno Fernandes. He said: “The yellow card to Everton midfielder Armstrong is correct. The player wrapped his arm around his opponent’s neck.”

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Dodgers’ Ohtani on track to return vs. Reds, unlikely to pitch again this season

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday that he sees Ohtani playing in the first game of their series against the Cincinnati Reds, “if nothing changes or continues to trend.”

Roberts added that while Ohtani’s return to the mound has not been officially ruled out, it’s unlikely at this stage of the season.

“We can all do the math,” Roberts said.

Ohtani missed his fourth consecutive game on Sunday night against the Nationals with left knee and right biceps discomfort. Before this stint, the two-way star had never missed more than two straight games since signing his 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers in 2024.

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Ohtani went just 7 for 51 (.137) with one home run over his past 13 games before sitting out. He struck out a season-high four times against the St. Louis Cardinals in the last game he played in on Wednesday.

Winner of three consecutive league MVP awards, Ohtani is having a down year by his lofty standards. However, the 32-year-old slugger still has 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and a .279/.381/.525 slash line.

He was also lights out on the mound before nagging ailments limited him to designated hitter duties, pitching to a 1.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 26 walks over 85.2 innings.

Tommy Edman hit leadoff in Ohtani’s absence for a fourth straight game as the Dodgers aimed to sweep their three-game series against the Nationals.

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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters Tips, Odds, Teams & Predictions – NRL Round 27 2026

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Allianz Stadium will play host to Friday’s
Round 27 NRL game between South Sydney Rabbitohs and
Sydney Roosters. The game kicks off at 8:00 pm with South Sydney Rabbitohs heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the South Sydney Rabbitohs vs.
Sydney Roosters
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Friday September 4, 2026 at 8:00 pm

Where: Allianz Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters Odds

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters Preview

South Sydney can secure a home elimination final against a dramatically reshaped Roosters side at Allianz Stadium. The Rabbitohs strengthened their position with a 42-22 victory over Gold Coast and welcome Latrell Mitchell into the starting centres, while Jye Gray takes over at fullback and Tallis Duncan is rested. Jai Arrow is listed at five-eighth for his 100th club appearance before Cody Walker’s anticipated interchange role. The Roosters are protecting numerous first-choice players ahead of their qualifying final, including James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans, Reece Robson and Siua Wong, while Sam Walker remains sidelined by an ankle injury. Sydney won the Round 2 meeting 26-18 and has dominated much of the recent rivalry, but the scale of its selection changes gives South Sydney a clear opportunity to control possession and territory.

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Sydney Roosters Teams

Rabbitohs team: 1. Jye Gray 2. Alex Johnston 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Jack Wighton 5. Campbell Graham 23. Jai Arrow 7. Jayden Sullivan 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Brandon Smith 10. Keaon Koloamatangi 11. David Fifita 12. Adam Elliott 13. Cameron Murray 6. Cody Walker 14. Matthew Dufty 15. Lachlan Hubner 16. Sean Keppie 17. Jamie Humphreys 18. Euan Aitken 19. Latrell Siegwalt 20. Liam Le Blanc 21. Talanoa Penitani 22. Peter Mamouzelos

Roosters team: 1. Cody Ramsey 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Fetalaiga Pauga 4. Tommy Talau 5. Rex Bassingthwaighte 6. Reece Foley 7. Toby Rodwell 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Benaiah Ioelu 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Salesi Foketi 12. Egan Butcher 13. Connor Watson 14. Tom Rodwell 15. Taylor Losalu 16. Delasalle Vaa 17. Aston Warwick 18. Jake Elliott 19. Hayden Barton 20. Lui Lee 21. Max McCathie 22. Nat Butcher

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Emmanuel King Celebrates El-Kanemi’s 3-0 Win, But Says ‘We Have Not Arrived

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El-Kanemi Warriors head coach, King Emmanuel, says his team still has a lot to improve despite their impressive 3-0 win over UDIB of Guinea-Bissau in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round.

The Warriors secured a comfortable victory in Ikenne to put themselves in a strong position ahead of the return leg.

However, Coach Emmanuel King believes the team is still developing, noting that the current squad has been together for only about four weeks.

  • The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a decisive move by revealing the kick-off date for the qualifiers of the 2025 African Cup of NationsThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a decisive move by revealing the kick-off date for the qualifiers of the 2025 African Cup of Nations

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“We have not arrived at that point. We are still participating. But at the right time, when we get there, you will see,” Emmanuel said when asked about his satisfaction with the team’s performance.

The coach praised his players for their hard work since the squad was formed, especially their improvement in physical fitness.

He admitted that there is still plenty of work to do, despite the three-goal advantage.

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Emmanuel King said the result has increased his confidence that El-Kanemi Warriors can reach the next round.

He described the victory as giving him “higher hopes” and said the team now has the “key” to qualifying for the second round.

The coach also thanked Borno State Governor, Babagana Umar Zulum, for his support for the club.

He equally praised the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Poverty Alleviation and Youth Empowerment for his efforts towards the development of the team.

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With three goals separating the two sides, Emmanuel warned his players not to lose focus in the second leg.

He said the Warriors must finish the job and make their supporters happy after seeing what they achieved in the first meeting.

“We have seen what happened in the first leg, so we have no option but to go there and make our supporters happy,” he added.

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Kay Adams has lofty expectations for RB Omarion Hampton as Chargers improve their “makeshift” O-line

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Omarion Hampton is the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. The North Carolina Tar Heels product is fresh off a solid but unspectacular rookie season and will look to contribute more to the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.

In a recent episode of her show, Kay Adams revealed her lofty expectations for Hampton as the Chargers have improved their previously makeshift offensive line.

“Give me Omarion Hampton, okay? He is huge,” said Adams on Sunday.

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“I actually had never met him in person, and I did. And he is so fast for how big he is, and he has the run game designs of Mike McDaniel in his absolute favor now, doesn’t he?

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“Let’s not forget he averaged 82 yards per game last year in what was an injury-ridden season behind an O-line that I’d describe as makeshift

“I just feel like this is a better situation, better O-line situation, better all the situations than any of those guys. He’s healthy. That’s what matters. I would easily say 1500 plus total yards this year for him.”

The Los Angeles Chargers revamped their offensive line for the 2026 season with numerous key free agents and rookies. It’s an improved unit on paper, with a fresh, athletic, zone-blocking scheme.

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Tyler Biadasz was brought in to anchor the interior, Cole Strange was added to improve the guard position, and Kayode Awosika steps in as a versatile option and projected starter on the interior. Furthermore, rookie Jake Slaughter was selected to compete and fit the agile blocking scheme. Trevor Penning and Alex Harkey are on the roster as depth pieces.

What’s next for Omarion Hampton?

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Omarion Hampton in the first round of last year’s draft. The versatile running back had an impressive collegiate career at North Carolina and was tipped to take the big leagues by storm.

However, injuries limited Hampton to a mere nine games (six starts) as a rookie. He did record a stat line of 124 carries for 545 rushing yards and four ground touchdowns, along with 32 receptions for 192 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Jim Harbaugh is known for running a heavy, physical, power-backfield system. Hampton, Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal tick those boxes ahead of a crucial campaign for the one-time NFL Coach of the Year. His philosophy aims to wear down defenses through dense blocking schemes, downhill running and high efficiency.

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Omarion Hampton enters his sophomore season healthy. He’ll look to put up a statement performance in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, September 13.