The race for the third wild-card spot in the American League is even tighter after Friday’s results.
Wins by the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles and losses by the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers leave six teams within 1.5 games of the final playoff spot.
Here is an updated look at how the American League standings look after Friday’s results:
PITTSBURGH — Brandon Lowe hit a three-run home run and rookie Rafael Flores Jr. homered for the third time in two days to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Lowe’s homer came in the fifth inning off Jovani Moran and landed in the right-field stands, extending the Pirates’ lead to 7-2 as they won back-to-back games for the first time since July 26-27. Flores hit a solo shot off Jake Bennett (7-6) in the second to open the scoring after connecting twice Thursday in a 13-1 victory at Miami.
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Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run double in the third and scored on a single by Flores to make it 4-0. Lowe had three hits and Bryan Reynolds added two.
The Red Sox lost for the sixth time in seven games after winning 28 of 36. They had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth, but Mason Montgomery escaped the jam for his third save.
Rookie Bubba Chandler (6-8) won his third straight start, allowing two runs and four hits in five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Bennett gave up four runs over four innings while losing for the fourth time in four starts.
Nick Sogard drove in two runs for the Red Sox.
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TORONTO — Shane Bieber threw six strong innings and Alejandro Kirk homered to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on Friday night at Rogers Centre.
Relievers Tyler Rogers and Mason Fluharty threw an inning apiece before Louis Varland came on to pick up his 27th save as Toronto (60-64) won for the fourth time in five games.
Trent Grisham hit a solo homer in the sixth inning for New York. The Blue Jays took advantage of some suspect defence in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead.
With two runners on, George Springer hit a chopper to Ryan McMahon, who stepped on third base for the force but made a low throw to first.
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Luis Garcia Jr. couldn’t corral the ball and then threw to third base before shortstop George Lombard Jr. was in position. Lombard collided with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto slugger scored when the ball rolled into foul territory.
Springer then came across with the go-ahead run on a double by Kirk. Guerrero, who appeared to be shaken up, was removed from the game and replaced by Charles McAdoo.
DETROIT — Miguel Vargas homered twice, Tristan Peters and Munetaka Murakami went deep once each, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 9-5 on Friday night
Vargas went 4 for 5 and had his third multihomer game as the White Sox extended their lead atop the AL Central to 3 1/2 games. Peters and Braden Montgomery had three hits each.
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Montgomery gave the White Sox the lead with an RBI single in the first, but Detroit pulled ahead 3-1 on Ben Malgeri’s two-run homer in the second and Eduardo Valencia’s RBI double in the third.
Peters’ seventh home run of the season tied the game at 3-all in the fourth. Murakami gave the White Sox the lead for good three batters later with a solo shot, and Montgomery tripled to drive in two more and cap off a five-run inning.
Vargas hit his first home run in the sixth and added his second in the eighth.
CLEVELAND — Luis Campusano and Xander Bogaerts each drove in three runs, Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the fifth time in nine games and the San Diego Padres overcame an early three-run deficit to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 7-5 on Friday night.
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The Padres have won six straight and 16 of 20 since July 24 while the Guardians have dropped five of their last six and are 8-18 since the All-Star break.
Campusano had a pair of doubles, including one off the wall in right-center with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to drive in two runs and give the Padres a 5-3 lead.
Bogaerts hit a towering two-run homer to left-center in the fourth to get the Padres within a run. Tatis tied it on the first pitch of the fifth when he connected on an elevated sinker from Cleveland starter Gavin Williams (11-7) for a solo shot to left field.
Cleveland’s Nathaniel Lowe had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. The first baseman went opposite field to left for his 14th home run in the second and then had an RBI base hit in the third to extend Cleveland’s lead to 3-0. Brayan Rocchio also went deep with one out in the third when he lined an elevated sinker by Padres stater Michael King (8-8) over the wall in right.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dylan Beavers hit a two-run, pinch-hit single in the seventh to put Baltimore ahead to stay, Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser homered, and the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 6-5 on Friday night to snap the Rays’ nine-game win streak.
Chris Bassit, activated off the 60-day IL before the game, allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings in his first appearance since June 3.
Josh Walker (1-0) earned the win with 2/3 innings in relief and Cam Sanders got the final out to end Tampa Bay’s three-run ninth-inning rally for his second save.
Garrett Cleavinger (4-4) took the loss as Tampa Bay used six relievers behind opener Steven Matz. The Rays, who returned home following a 9-0 road trip, maintain a 6 1/2-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.
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Beavers greeted reliever Kevin Kelly with a base hit to right field with the bases loaded to break a 2-2 tie. Henderson hit a two-run home run off Chris Roycroft in the eighth, which proved to be the difference after the Rays scored three times in the ninth.
ASTROS 10, MARINERS 7 (10 INNINGS)
HOUSTON — Christian Walker’s three-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 10-7 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Yordan Alvarez hit a solo shot, his AL-leading 36th of the season, in the first. Isaac Paredes had two hits and drove in three runs.
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The Mariners scored two runs in the top of the 10th before an RBI single by Paredes cut the lead to 7-6. Jose Altuve singled with two outs before Daulton Varsho drove in a run with a single.
Walker then sent an off-speed pitch from Andrés Muñoz (5-5) to the train tracks atop left field to give the Astros the win.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeff McNeil was 4 for 5 with three RBIs, including the go-ahead home run, as the Athletics snapped a three-game slide with an 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
Lawrence Butler also went deep for the Athletics, who have lost 12 of their last 15 games.
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A hit batter, a single, and a walk loaded the bases for Carlos Cortes in the first inning, and he drove a 1-2 slider from Kumar Rocker to right that emptied the bases and gave the Athletics a 3-0 lead.
It took until the sixth inning for the Rangers to respond. Jake Burger worked the count full and hit a 428-foot, three-run homer to left-center that tied the game and ended Gage Jump’s start for the A’s.
Jump threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits while walking four and striking out one.
McNeil got the A’s back in front with a 400-foot homer, his fifth of the season. It was a home run in every MLB ballpark, per Statcast.
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Butler tacked on a 411-footer in the seventh to double the Athletics’ lead, and three more came across in the eighth.
In other action across MLB:
LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out nine in six innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved back within a game of the National League-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-1 victory Friday night.
Andy Pages and Tommy Edman homered to help the Dodgers win the second game of the four-game series after the Brewers rallied to take the opener 5-4 on Friday night.
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Yamamoto (12-7) allowed one run on four hits while striking out at least nine for the third time this season. Edwin Diaz loaded the bases in the ninth inning but finished off his seventh save after taking the loss Thursday when he was charged with three runs in the ninth.
Robert Gasser (3-5) allowed three runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings for the Brewers, who surged back atop the NL at the start of August. Joey Ortiz had an RBI for Milwaukee.
CHICAGO — Clay Holmes and three Cubs relievers combined on a three-hitter, and Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer to send Chicago to a win over St. Louis.
Making his second start and first at Wrigley Field since being acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, Holmes (5-5) retired his first 16 batters before José Fermin singled in the sixth.
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Holmes, who missed three months with a broken right fibula before the trade, struck out three, walked one and allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings, exiting to a standing ovation. Ryan Rolison, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb followed, with Webb pitching the ninth for his ninth save.
For the first five innings, Matthew Liberatore (5-10) was just as good as Holmes. He set down his first 13 batters before Nico Hoerner singled in the fifth.
Liberatore ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach before retiring Pete Crow-Armstrong on a foul popup and yielding to George Soriano.
Suzuki hit Soriano’s fourth pitch, a 2-1 changeup, an estimated 390 feet to left for his 21st homer. He also doubled in the eighth, the only player with multiple hits.
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CINCINNATI — Chase Burns gave up four hits and struck out eight in seven innings, Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double in the sixth, and Cincinnati beat Miami.
Burns (14-2) did not give up a walk and allowed just one runner to reach second base. He has now thrown 131 innings this season, far exceeding the 43 1/3 innings he pitched last season and the 66 innings he tossed in the minor leagues. He last pitched 100 innings in a season while at Wake Forest.
Emilio Pagán, who was experiencing hand soreness but cleared to pitch Friday, retired the Marlins in order in the ninth for his 15th save.
Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara (13-7) allowed one run on three hits with four walks in seven innings. By holding the Reds scoreless over the first five innings, he extended his scoreless innings streak to a career-long 25 2/3 dating to July 28.
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It’s his second scoreless streak of 20 or more innings this season. The streak surpassed his previous best of 25 straight innings in 2022.
ATLANTA — Brandon Pfaadt allowed only two hits in seven innings in another strong start, Tim Tawa homered in the ninth and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 on Friday night.
Pfaadt (7-1) outdueled Braves ace Chris Sale, striking out seven without a walk. He threw 87 pitches. Since returning to the rotation from Triple-A Reno on June 30, Pfaadt is 7-0 with a 1.16 ERA. He has gone 32 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
Sale (12-8) gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out nine and threw 108 pitches, which tied a season high.
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Tawa’s solo shot in the inning was his seventh homer of the year. Geraldo Perdomo was 3 for 4 with a run and Corbin Carroll was 2 for 4 for the Diamondbacks.
Rookie left-hander Brandyn Garcia picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth inning.
Arizona scored its only run off Sale thanks to a misplayed ball in the first inning. After a leadoff walk to Perdomo, Carroll hit a line drive to left where Mauricio Dubón started to come in, then reached up and couldn’t come up with the ball. It was ruled a double, and Perdomo came home on a groundout by Gabriel Moreno.
The Braves had not been shut out since June 27 and were 10-0 in Friday night home games this season.
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NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor and Jared Young homered, powering New York to a win over Washington.
Lindor went deep in the sixth, three batters before Carson Benge delivered the tiebreaking RBI single for the last-place Mets, who have won seven of 10 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Lindor’s fielding error in the third inning led to the Nationals’ run.
Young homered with one out in the seventh, and Bo Bichette added an RBI single.
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Jonathan Pintaro (1-0) earned his first big league win with two innings of scoreless relief. Kodai Senga worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the ninth, striking out Abimelec Ortiz to record his second save.
Senga, a former starter who went 0-8 with an 8.66 ERA in his first 13 outings this season, has both Mets saves since Devin Williams went on the injured list Monday.
Mets starter Robert Stock gave up an unearned run and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jac Caglianone homered and drove in five runs on a three-hit night, Michael Massey also homered and had three hits and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6 on Friday to snap a four-game losing streak.
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John Schreiber, Nate Pearson and Steven Cruz threw scoreless relief innings for the Royals, with Cruz finishing for his fourth save.
Nolan Schanuel had two hits and four RBIs for the Angels. They had won three straight.
After Josh Lowe’s solo homer off Alex Lange (2-7) gave the Angels a 6-5 lead in the sixth, Kansas City scored twice off Tayler Saucedo (0-1) in the seventh to make it 7-6.
Caglianone is batting .438 (21 for 48) with five homers and 18 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. In the ninth, he took second on an error and scored on Massey’s two-out RBI single to finish the scoring.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Kyle Freeland pitched eight innings of one-run ball, Zac Veen hit his second home run of the year and Colorado beat slumping San Francisco to take the opener of a three-game series.
Freeland (4-10) allowed one run, gave up four hits and walked one. Brennan Bernardino closed out the ninth inning.
Veen hit a curveball 406 feet down the first base line into McCovey Cove to give the Rockies a 4-1 lead.
Brett Sullivan scored from third to break a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning when he beat the throw home after Mickey Moniak reached on a sharp grounder to shortstop Christian Koss.
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Will Castro tacked on an RBI sacrifice fly in the ninth. Troy Johnston gave Colorado an early 1-0 lead on his first triple of the year that drove in TJ Rumfield.
Landen Roupp (7-12) surrendered four runs and five hits with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Australia vs Bangladesh, 1st Test Day 3 Highlights: Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the key wicket of Steve Smith to reduce Australia to 161-4 after the third day of the first Test in Darwin on Saturday and move Bangladesh closer to a historic win. At stumps, Australia trailed the visitors by 67 runs in their second innings, with Cameron Green on 43 and Alex Carey 19. After being dismissed for 426 shortly after lunch, Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud stunned Australia when he claimed both openers cheaply. Hasan, who took a career-best 6-55 in the first innings, bowled Jake Weatherald (0) and Travis Head (17) in identical fashion, both chopping on to their stumps.(Scorecard)
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“Winning World Cup Most Beautiful thing”: Golden Ball Winner Rodri
Zharnel Hughes was all smiles after sprinting to European 200m silver because perhaps there’s a chance a gold might one day be in the post.
Hughes was beaten to the 200m title by German sprinter Owen Ansah, who is racing at the Alexander Stadium despite facing a possible four-year ban.
Last month, shortly before competing at the Diamond League in Monaco, Ansah allegedly failed to submit to a doping test at home. Germany’s anti-doping agency has alleged an anti-doping rule violation and is seeking a four-year suspension, which he contests.
Owen Ansah won gold ahead of Zharnel Hughes (PA)
Sports law is all about process, though sometimes that process can produce deeply unsatisfactory situations. The capacity crowd at the Alexander Stadium may well have to wait weeks, months or even years to know whether the result they witnessed will ultimately stand.
“I hope everyone will know my name now,” said Ansah. “This race was just more for me. At a championship you never know what can happen.”
Hughes came in ranked first in Europe and was seeking to complete a first-ever sweep of the men’s and women’s 100m and 200m European titles for Great Britain.
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After winning 100m bronze, Ansah said he was “not afraid” of potentially losing the medal later. However, German officials have decided not to select him for Saturday’s men’s 4x100m relay amid concerns that any subsequent sanction could affect his team-mates.
Ansah, the first German sprinter ever to run under 20 seconds for 200m and under 10 seconds for 100m, remains free to compete while the German agency carries out what it called a “results management process”.
The case concerns a rule barring athletes from evading, refusing or failing to submit to doping tests. Ansah denies the allegation, claiming testers turned up at his home as he was leaving for the airport. He said he could not provide a urine sample as he had recently used the bathroom and said he was not informed of the consequences of not providing one. In a separate case, former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was recently given a four-year ban for refusing a test.
Hughes, the European champion over the distance four years ago, was beaten square. Whether the result ultimately stands is another matter and he gave a diplomatic “no comment” to enquiries about whether Ansah should have been on the start line.
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Ansah said he will ‘not accept’ the proposed sanction and his lawyer said he has never refused a doping test (Getty)
“A medal is a medal and I’m on the podium, that’s all that matters to me,” he said. “I’ve had an up-and-down season where my body just hasn’t been feeling right, to be very honest with you.
“I’m a little healthier now. Credit to my team, who have helped me massively and done their very best to give me the best chance possible to be here.
“It’s just been feeling a little nervy. There are times when I’ve felt like, ‘OK, my body’s feeling well,’ and then shortly after that my body might feel off again and not be firing the way it’s supposed to.”
At 31, Hughes admits his best days may not be ahead of him. It’s three years since – in the space of less than a fortnight – he became the first European to break 9.85 for 100m and 19.85 for 200m.
And while silver here was an improvement on his showing at the recent Commonwealth Games, where he came home a distant sixth in his semi-final, he still thinks there is more to give.
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“You can’t live in the past,” he added. “Unfortunately, this year, it’s just sport. You have to work through it and move on.
Hughes accepted his silver (PA)
“In this sport you can’t dwell on anything. You have 24 hours to feel your emotions and go through everything you have to go through, then it’s history.
“I really gave it my best and I want to make these last few years count. I’m 31 now and people say I’m getting old, but I don’t feel old. I still feel like I’ve got plenty of youth left in me.”
Ansah’s future is also unclear, though he insists he “will not accept” any sanction levelled against him.
“Our client has at no point refused to undergo a doping test,” said his lawyer, Rainer Tarek Cherkeh, who also represented Hamburg defender Mario Vuskovic during his unsuccessful challenge to a doping ban following a positive test for EPO.
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“He has at no point refused to provide a sample. And he has at no point said, or given the impression, that he did not wish to undergo a doping test.”
:: Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna backs the ambition of millions across the UK — from supporting British businesses and individuals’ plans, to powering British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
Defending champion Islam Makhachev battles No. 1 ranked contender Ian Machado Garry for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event at UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The five-bout main UFC 330 fight card is scheduled to start at approximately 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Makhachev made his welterweight debut at UFC 322 this past November and earned the UFC welterweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Jack Della Maddalena. Machado Garry, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker on Nov. 22, 2025. Visit our DraftKings promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets at DraftKings here:
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Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up nearly $10,000, and since May 2018, he has returned well over $21,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has provided consistent winners for SportsLine members for the past five years. His accomplishments include hitting five consecutive main-event underdog winners in 2020 following the UFC’s brief pause in action because of the pandemic. Anyone who has followed Marley’s UFC betting picks could have seen huge returns.
Makhachev, 34, is a highly decorated Russian fighter who holds several UFC lightweight records. Among them include longest winning streak (14), most title fight wins (5), most successful title defenses (4) and highest significant strike accuracy at 59.5%. He is the 11th multi-division champion in UFC history. He is a three-time Fight of the Night recipient as well as a three-time Performance of the Night winner.
Makhachev has compiled a 28-1 all-time record as a professional. He has five wins by knockout, 13 by submission and 10 by decision. He is on a 16-bout winning streak. He suffered his lone defeat to Adriano Martins by knockout at UFC 192 on Oct. 3, 2015. Makhachev was the CBS Sports 2023 MMA Fighter of the Year. Check out SportsLine to see Marley’s picks and analysis.
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Machado Garry, 28, who is from Ireland, was a Cage Warriors welterweight champion prior to joining UFC in July 2021. He made his MMA debut in February 2019, earning a unanimous decision victory over James Sheehan at Cage Warriors 101. After starting his career 7-0, he joined UFC where he knocked out Jordan Williams at 4:59 of the first round at UFC 268. He continued his winning ways, compiling a 15-0 record before losing a unanimous decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on Dec. 7, 2024.
In 18 career matches, he is 17-1 with seven wins by knockout, one by submission and nine by decision. He is a one-time Performance of the Night winner and tied for the third-longest winning streak in UFC welterweight division history at eight. Machado Garry was a 2023 second team MMA All-Star. You can only see Marley’s picks and analysis at SportsLine.
UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry predictions
One of of Marley’s UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry picks: He is backing Myktybek Orolbai (-675) to defeat Jeremiah Wells (+490) in a welterweight bout on the early preliminary card.
“Wells is a decent wrestler with KO power, but I don’t give him any stylistic advantages here other than maybe one-punch power,” Marley said. “I think Orolbai is the better wrestler and I like him to be the cleaner striker with better cardio. Give me Orolbai to win all three rounds.” See who else to back here.
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How to make UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry picks
Marley also has strong picks for Makhachev vs. Machado Garry and other bouts on the UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry card. He’s also backing an underdog who is “the better and more dangerous grappler” to emerge with a big victory. He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.
Islam Makhachev (-365) vs. Ian Machado Garry (+285) Mackenzie Dern (-258) vs. Gillian Robertson (+210) Charles Johnson (-125) vs. Eduardo Chapolin (+105) Mansur Abdul-Malik (-550) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+410) Edson Barboza (+360) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-470)
It takes something special to beat Keely Hodgkinson and Audrey Werro provided it to spoil the latest British coronation at the Alexander Stadium.
These Friday night lights had long been earmarked to shine on the Olympic champion but she knew she would have it far from all her own way against an opponent who clocked the third-fastest time in history when leading Hodgkinson home at the Stockholm Diamond League in June.
Gold medallist Switzerland’s Audrey Werro crosses the finish line ahead of silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson (Reuters)
Hodgkinson was two-tenths of a second further back with Femke Broeders-Bol, the third realistic contender for gold in a field stacked with quality, taking bronze.
It meant no European hat-trick for the 24-year-old, who was successful in 2022 and 2024, leaving her with “mixed emotions”.
“When you feel like you’ve not put a foot wrong and it was a great race, and really close, I can’t really be too disappointed,” Hodgkinson said.
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“I do think overall (I’m) probably a bit better than that timewise, Audrey would probably say the same thing, but that’s just how the race went.
“We were both really strong, I fought until the end, I thought I was going to have it in the last 50 but ultimately she just had more.
“There were so many ways it could have played out. Audrey wanted to take it on, with that wind I was happy to let her.
“I love a good challenge and that’s what it was.”
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Hodgkinson has not had a straightforward summer. A freak training accident left her with “chunks” taken out her knees but she recovered to win the London Diamond League on home soil.
She skipped the Commonwealth Games, watching on from afar as training partner Georgia Hunter Bell won over two laps, to prioritise her appearance in Birmingham and leaves with no regrets.
“I’m in the shape of my life,” she said. “That’s why I feel I was a bit better than that, I’m a bit disappointed it didn’t come out. There’s not really much I can do.
“I think overall I have had a really good season. I have been met with a few challenges along the way but that’s life, it doesn’t always go the way you envisioned.
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“It’s how you bounce back from that, blocking out the noise and controlling what you can control. I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself this year with how to manage that.
Hodgkinson was reflective in defeat after losing her 800m crown to Werro (PA Wire)
“Ultimately, it’s another championship done, another medal added to the collection, and I have to be happy with that. I’m not satisfied but we’ll get there.”
The outcome may not have been what the majority of the crowd were hoping for but the showdown more than lived up to expectations.
This was always billed as the unmissable event of the week and intrigue was only heightened following the semi-final drama which saw Werro take a tumble on the final bend only to be reinstated to the final after a successful appeal.
She showed no ill-effects on the way to conquering the best the continent has to offer and with Broeders-Bol also in the mix, the women’s 800m has the head-to-head narrative all disciplines crave.
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Werro won her first major title and is shaping up to have an epic rivalry with Hodgkinson ahead of the 2028 Olympics (Getty)
The road to LA will be fascinating and the controversial long-standing world record of 1:53.28, set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983, will be in the sights of all three.
“We’ve had it for quite a few years now in the women’s 800m,” Hodgkinson said.
“There has always been someone popping out and the depth is really good, we’ve seen that through the rounds here.
“It’s really great and it’s going to push on even more. It’s really motivating to be in such a competitive event, I love it.”
:: Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna backs the ambition of millions across the UK — from supporting British businesses and individuals’ plans, to powering British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
WINNIPEG — Brady Oliveira rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, while adding another 80 through the air to lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a 33-21 victory over the winless Ottawa Redblacks at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday.
The Winnipeg native also continued to climb the CFL’s all-time rushing leaders list.
Oliveira, who had 235 rushing yards on 33 carries over the previous two games, needed 67 more to jump from 24th to 21st in the all-time list. He now has 6,212 career yards, surpassing fellow Canadian Jon Cornish, and is just 22 yards shy of Willie Burden at 20th.
Winnipeg improved to 5-4 with the win and snapped a two-game losing streak on home turf. The Bombers entered the game with a 1-4 record at Princess Auto Stadium, the most losses in a single season since 2016.
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Losses to the B.C. Lions and Calgary Stampeders in recent weeks had seriously threatened Winnipeg’s playoff position in the West Division. With the victory, the Bombers now sit a game up on the Lions (4-5) and Stampeders (4-6), with a game in hand on Calgary.
Since 2014, the Bombers are 14-7 against the Redblacks, winning the last five matches. Winnipeg edged Ottawa 36-34 in overtime in Week 7.
The Redblacks continued their dreadful season, still in search of their first victory. Ottawa dropped to 0-9 with the loss and its lengthy losing skid dating back to last season is now at 15 games.
According to Sportsnet Stats, the skid eclipses the modern record (after 1958) of 14 losses by the 1994 Shreveport Pirates. In Canadian football history, only the 1948-49 Hamilton Wildcats (16 consecutive losses) and the 1928-32 Ottawa Senators and Rough Riders (25 consecutive losses) have more.
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No team in CFL history has ever made the playoffs after losing their first six games, let alone nine. B.C. is the only team to claim a championship after starting the season 0-5, winning the Grey Cup in 2011.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros returned after missing four games with a neck injury and went 21-for-31 passing for 222 yards.
The Bombers recorded 305 net yards on offence, with short-yardage quarterback Bryce Perkins punching in a pair of touchdowns. Sergio Castillo rounded out the scoring with four field goals, connecting from 46, 56, 31 and 43 yards.
Tim White led all receivers with 85 yards on eight receptions.
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Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier threw for 314 yards on 28-of-43 passing, along with two touchdowns and an interception.
Ottawa’s offence totalled 333 net yards, with running back Greg Bell and receiver Ayden Eberhardt adding touchdowns.
It was a slow start, with Brett Lauther’s 37-yard field goal giving the Redblacks a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The Bombers answered back early in the second with Perkins’ first score.
Minutes later, the Bombers got a serious scare as Collaros was on the receiving end of a clean, but blindside hit from Ottawa linebacker Lucas Cormier.
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The Bombers veteran pivot stayed on the field in visible pain for several minutes before walking off. Collaros was sacked a season-high four times.
Collaros returned before the drive was over, leading to a Castillo field goal. Oliveira punched in a five-yard rushing touchdown on their next series to put Winnipeg up 17-6 late in the half.
A 75-yard kickoff return from Ottawa’s Kalil Pimpleton gave the Redblacks life, with Maier finding a wide-open Bell in the middle of the end zone to cut the Bombers’ lead to 17-12.
Castillo’s 56-yarder with zeros on the clock made it 20-12 through 30 minutes.
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After trading field goals in the third quarter, another Castillo kick put Winnipeg up 26-15.
A roughing-the-passer penalty on Bombers defensive lineman Jake Ceresna and an illegal contact flag on defensive back Deatrick Nichols helped mount Ottawa’s brief comeback. Maier capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown to Eberhardt, with a failed two-point convert making it 26-21.
Perkins added his second rushing touchdown with just over two minutes left to put the game away. The Redblacks got as close as Winnipeg’s six-yard line but the series ended with a turnover on downs.
Redblacks: Visit the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday.
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Blue Bombers: Visit the Edmonton Elks on Friday, Aug. 21.
Sean O’Malley recently shared his thoughts on Ian Machado Garry’s comments at the UFC 330 presser.
Garry is set to challenge Islam Makhachev’s reign over the welterweight division this weekend at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While the Irishman is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar last November, Makhachev outpointed Jack Della Maddalena over five rounds at UFC 322 to win the 170-pound title that same month.
While Garry and Makhachev haven’t taken any personal or hard-hitting shots at each other in the build-up to their fight, the Irishman has stirred controversy with some of his comments in the weeks leading up to UFC 330.
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During the pre-fight press conference, Garry called out a journalist for asking Makhachev “a loaded question” and scolded him. Reacting to a clip of this exchange in a YouTube video, O’Malley said:
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“Islam was about to say something funny, and you ruined it… God damnit, Ian, you did it again; that’s why they don’t like you. That answer sucked. Wasn’t even for you… Don’t do that. Coming from a guy who’s not good at press conferences, that was bad.”
Islam Makhachev explains not being surprised at Ian Machado Garry getting booed by fans
Islam Makhachev recently shared his take on Ian Machado Garry catching heat from the fans ahead of UFC 330 and explained why he wasn’t surprised.
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In a pre-fight press conference (via @full_send_mma on X), the Dagestani grappling savant claimed that people didn’t know whether Garry was an Irishman or a Brazilian and were just confused about his nationality. He said:
“I’m not surprised; nobody likes Ian Garry, myself included. People are confused about which country he represents, Brazil or Ireland. People don’t know. People know who they should support. Thank you for all your support, guys.”
PHILADELPHIA — Despite the fact that injuries to multiple top fighters have made it so that Saturday’s UFC 330 event will include the promotion’s first women’s title bout of 2026, the pair of strawweights competing in the co-main event have provided assurances that it will be a memorable one.
Submission ace Mackenzie Dern (16-5) will make the first defense of her 115-pound title inside Xfinity Mobile Arena when she welcomes Gillian Robertson (17-8), who holds UFC female records for most career submissions and finishes.
The 31-year-old Robertson looks to become the first female Canadian fighter to capture UFC gold (and just the third overall, joining Carlos Newton and Georges St-Pierre). She also made sure at Wednesday’s media day to let it be known that she plans on going through the 33-year-old Dern, a slight betting favorite, in order to do so.
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“This isn’t jiu-jitsu, it’s an MMA fight,” Robertson told CBS Sports. “I’m going to go in there and show her the damage I’m capable of delivering and make it a violent fight and just drown her. I’m down for a dog fight and I think that’s the way I win it, honestly. I need to make it ugly for her and to get her in the clinch and throw elbows. I just need to make her not want to be in there with me.”
The matchup features two fighters who have worked extremely hard in recent years to rebound from big defeats and evolve their skills and determination enough to author win streaks at the right time.
Dern, the daughter of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Wellington “Megaton” Dias, drew comparisons to Ronda Rousey before she even entered the UFC in 2018 thanks to her grappling success and marketability. But after a 6-1 start, she lost four of her next six bouts.
After focusing on improving her striking technique under head coach Jason Parillo, Dern dramatically turned things around and has won three straight, including a competitive decision win over Virna Jandiroba last October to claim the vacant strawweight title. Now, as champion, she reports the old MMA adage that champions become 30% better just by winning the title is true.
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“My first day back training after winning the title, I was like, ‘Coach, this is so weird. My punches better, my kicks are better,’” Dern told CBS Sports. “Everything was just better, as if I just got 30% better. I can’t explain what it is but I definitely think the fans will see an even better Mackenzie than when I won the title.”
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Robertson, who made her UFC debut in 2017 after competing in Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” started off just 7-5 in the Octagon. Slowly but surely, however, she committed to improving her craft under trainer and former UFC fighter Din Thomas and enters her first title bout having won seven of her last eight fights since 2022.
“A lot of it was just a growing process with me, trying to figure out exactly what I needed in order to walk into the cage confidently,” Robertson said. “With my head coach, Din Thomas, and my team at Goat Shed [in Florida], I feel we have found the right formula to put me on the right path.
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“I guess I was never on any specific pathway, I was just always ready to fight and have fun with it. It kind of just happened.”
Robertson believes that her ground skills are being far overlooked in this matchup against the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills of the champion and believes her advantages in wrestling — and the fact that she has historically been much more effective delivering ground and pound than Dern — will play a much bigger role.
But for whatever Dern has lacked at times from the standpoint of takedown accuracy, she has more than made up for in her willingness to brawl when needed. Dern has an elite chin and believes that Robertson is making a key mistake if she plans to go toe to toe with her.
“That crazy fight instinct that I have is definitely something I’m very confident that not a lot of the girls have,” Dern said. “It’s just not in our natural womanhood, we are nurturing. Especially me being a mom, you aren’t going to take the food off of my child’s plate. I have to get intense like that. There is so much motivation behind it and there aren’t enough girls who have that dog in them.
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“We have seen [Robertson] get finished in fights. We have seen her get submitted. There are definitely holes and we will be looking for all of those holes.”
Both fighters are predicting late stoppages with Robertson saying she will push the pace early and wear Dern down before going for the finish. But Dern has specifically pinpointed a late submission and admits that scoring one against the UFC’s all-time women’s leader has been the plan all along.
“That would be like the cherry on top,” Dern said. “That is definitely one of my goals to get that submission against her. It would be great to submit the submission artist. [But fans] can expect an amazing fight, fireworks. We are really going to show MMA from striking to grappling and wrestling. But they can definitely expect a submission in like the fourth or fifth round.”
Sydney conditioner Michael Freedman has dispatched Satin Summer to Melbourne to take part in the upcoming sprint races tailored for three-year-old fillies.
Satin Summer is slated to kick off Freedman’s strategy at Caulfield this Saturday in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes, covering a distance of 1100 metres.
Freedman has noted that Melbourne provides more suitable options for sprinting fillies, with the exception of the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on the subsequent Saturday and the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m), also at Randwick, two weeks thereafter.
“There’s not a lot here (in Sydney),” Freedman commented.
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“You’ve got the Silver Shadow and the Furious, and after that there is nothing.
“You go down there (to Melbourne) and basically every second week there is a fillies sprint race.”
Having raced only three times, Satin Summer secured a debut victory at Randwick in January before advancing directly to Stakes races, finishing fifth in the Listed Lonhro Plate at Randwick on January 7.
The filly was then absent from the racing scene until finishing third at Rosehill over 1100 metres on July 4.
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Satin Summer has since completed a trial at Warwick Farm on August 4, following Freedman’s decision to withdraw the filly from two previous race entries.
“She’s had one run back and we’ve scratched off a couple of wide gates the last two times she was in,” Freedman explained.
“She trialled at Warwick Farm with the blinkers on and went great and she’ll wear them in the Quezette, plus we’ve got Jamie Melham to ride her.”
Satin Summer is set to start from barrier one on Saturday.
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When asked about Satin Summer potentially remaining in Melbourne following Saturday’s race, Freedman stated, “Possibly, if that’s the way it pans out.”
Consider the latest betting sites for your wagers on this promising filly.
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