Connect with us

Sports

Angels’ Zach Neto in a groove entering opener vs. Rangers

Published

on

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA;  Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) hits a three-run homer against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Daikin Park.  Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn ImagesAug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) hits a three-run homer against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Los Angeles’ Zach Neto will try to follow up a career night when the Angels face the Texas Rangers on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.

Neto set career highs with five hits and seven RBIs in the visiting Angels’ 18-3 drubbing of the Houston Astros on Thursday. Los Angeles took two of three games from the Astros to capture its first road series since May 26-28 at Detroit.

Texas won the decisive contest of its series from the Washington Nationals on Thursday, as Jacob deGrom allowed one hit over six scoreless innings for the Rangers and crossed the 2,000-strikeout plateau.

The Rangers will look for revenge after dropping three of four games against the Angels from Aug. 10-13.

Los Angeles’ Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.78 ERA) will oppose Texas’ MacKenzie Gore (7-9, 4.45) on Friday in a battle of left-handers.

Advertisement

Detmers is 1-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 44 strikeouts and eight walks over his last six outings (34 1/3 innings). He turned in his best start of the season in his most recent game, striking out 11 batters and scattering two hits over eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

“That’s what an ace does,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “And he pitched like that tonight and was just in control the whole time. Really never any nervous at-bats. You could see he was locked in. He was hitting his spots, and they weren’t picking up his slider.”

Detmers is 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 19 career appearances (13 starts) vs. the Rangers. He will make his fourth start of the season against them. All three so far have been no-decisions.

Advertisement

Detmers received one against Texas on Aug. 10 despite allowing one run on three hits over six innings. He experienced the same fate vs. the Rangers on July 9 when he gave up five runs on seven hits (three of them homers) in four innings. And he also got a no-decision against them on May 24, allowing one run over eight innings while striking out a career-high 14 batters.

Gore has not gotten past the sixth inning in his past three starts, but Texas has won each time. Last Saturday, he allowed three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings to beat the Athletics 5-3.

Gore is 0-2 with a 4.13 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) against the Angels. Friday’s game will mark his fourth start this season vs. the club; he has an 0-1 record thus far.

On Aug. 10, he gave up a run over 5 1/3 innings and struck out nine in a no-decision. He was hit hard and took the loss on July 8, allowing seven runs on nine hits over five innings. In the May 24 contest, he took a no-decision after giving up a run over six innings.

Advertisement

Against the Astros on Thursday, Denzer Guzman homered and Vaughn Grissom had three hits. Neto, with a three-run homer, double and three singles, became the first Angel to record seven RBIs since Shohei Ohtani in 2022.

“Felt good. Seeing the ball well,” Neto said. “My teammates put me in a really good spot to hit.”

Despite the Angels’ offensive outburst, the news was not all good. Left fielder Wade Meckler exited in the fifth inning after getting hit on the head by a pitch, and first baseman Nolan Schanuel left in the sixth with right side soreness. Meckler was being evaluated for a concussion after the game.

In Arlington, Corey Seager produced his fourth straight two-hit game with a solo homer and a double. Ezequiel Duran reached four times with two hits and two walks, and the bullpen provided three scoreless innings.

Advertisement

“The defense was unbelievable tonight,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. “The bullpen locked it down, but clean defense is why we locked it down also.”

–Field Level Media

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

SportsLine experts reveal 2026 Fantasy Football breakout rankings, draft advice

Published

on

The 2026 NFL season is rapidly approaching as the second week of the NFL preseason began on Thursday. That means Fantasy football draft season is officially here as well. Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Ja’Marr Chase are the first players off the board, according to the latest Fantasy football ADP, while players like Stefon Diggs (ADP of 120), Sam Darnold (142) and Jordan Love (148) are some of the Fantasy football picks going off the board late. 

Whether you’re hunting for a 2026 Fantasy football top 150 you can trust, potential 2026 Fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, and busts, or position-specific 2026 Fantasy football rankings, be sure to see what the 2026 Fantasy football draft bible at SportsLine has to say.

Prepared by Fantasy experts R.J. White and Josh Nagel, the Fantasy draft bible is a must-have for any serious Fantasy football player. White is SportsLine’s No. 1 NFL expert since 2017 who got his start in the Fantasy industry, with his work appearing at AOL Fanhouse, Fantasy Café and other sites prior to joining CBS Sports, where he is the current managing editor of Fantasy and betting content. Nagel is the longtime assistant managing editor at SportsLine and a Fantasy Football veteran. This team brings extensive Fantasy experience and can give you a huge edge in your league.

The 2026 guide not only ranks the top 150 players in non-, half- and full-PPR leagues, it reveals must-see sleepers, breakouts and busts, highlights key draft tips and strategies at each position and draft slot, and gives you more analysis that can guide your selections. The Fantasy football draft bible also offers detailed strategy tips for whichever league you play in: snake drafts, salary cap drafts and more. Head to SportsLine now to see the 2026 Fantasy football draft bible.

Advertisement

Top 2026 Fantasy football picks, advice 

The Fantasy football draft bible features 2026 Fantasy football sleepers from White, including:

Ravens TE Mark Andrews 

“He could benefit from Isaiah Likely leaving town, as the Ravens also have a lack of target locks behind Zay Flowers at receiver,” White said. “Andrews ranks higher than Likely because he’s a little bit cheaper and because I don’t see much competition at the tight end position for targets between the team’s two rookies and Durham Smythe, who has 136 receptions and just three touchdowns in 129 career games.”

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston

Advertisement

“Johnston has to be a top-21 receiver to justify making him a sleeper, and he was almost that last season while ranking 24th in points per game. His per-game production has been remarkably similar the last two years, so even if he doesn’t get into the top 20, there’s a good chance he’ll still provide value for Fantasy managers who draft him. And the potential is there to take a leap if Mike McDaniel can even further unlock his potential.” Get the full Fantasy football draft guide over at SportsLine.

How to find proven 2026 Fantasy football rankings

SportsLine’s Fantasy football 2026 draft guide has also identified other potential busts to avoid in the first round. These players have massively inflated Fantasy football ADPs and have the potential to completely sink your playoff hopes if over-drafted. You can only see who it is here.

So what is the value of every single player in the 2026 Fantasy football rankings and which huge busts could sink your season? Visit SportsLine now to see the complete 2026 Fantasy football draft bible, all from a team of proven Fantasy analysts who can give you a huge edge in your league

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Vikings News Tracker: Jonathan Greenard’s Tough W1 Outlook, “Cheat Code,” and Other Updates

Published

on

Advertisement

Jonathan Greenard celebrates a defensive stop during a Vikings game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) celebrates after a defensive stop, bringing energy to the unit as teammates rally around the play Dec 1, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with Brian Flores’ defense controlling momentum in the second quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Try as we might, the folks at Vikings Territory can’t keep on top of all the Vikings news.

In response, there’s an effort below to pass along some of what’s going on around the league. Some of the updates relate to the Vikings in a direct manner. At other times, the news is a touch removed but still connected. Keep swinging by throughout the day for more Vikings news updates since the plan is to keep layering fresh info in.

Vikings News Tracker | August 21st, 2026

Jonathan Greenard’s Poor Week 1 Outlook

Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is a very good football player. His great issue has been health, or lack thereof.

Advertisement

Seldom has the former Vikings pass rusher seen his season fully undermined. However, he has commonly been among the players to see portions of his season get stolen away due to needing time in the infirmary. Yet again, Mr. Greenard is dealing with an injury that could slow him down as he looks to move into the next portion of his career as a Philadelphia Eagle.

Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard against the Texans
Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The news hit social media earlier in the week. Apparently, Philadelphia has some concern about Greenard being out there for the Week 1 contest.

The update from Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team: “#Eagles DC Vic Fangio said today he doesn’t know when EDGE Jonathan Greenard will return from his pectoral injury, and there is concern he could miss the start of the regular season. Philadelphia, who traded for Greenard and paid him 4-years, $98M, opens the season vs. Washington.”

In all likelihood, part of the reason why Minnesota moved on was due to the risk of injury alongside the need for more money. Is there enough in-house depth at edge rusher?

Advertisement

Justin Jefferson Calls New WR a “Cheat Code”

Quick one. The tweet says it all:

Previously, Mr. Jennings has been called a “dirtbag.” All I know is that he is a presence on the field as somebody who is noticeably large and who does a good job with contested catches.

Brian O’Neill Talks Difference Between Zim and KOC

Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr worked together at UCLA. Afterwards, they worked together with the Vikings. They’re now co-hosting the excellent podcast Bent Outta Shape.

Look at Brian O’Neill digging into the difference between Mike Zimmer and Kevin O’Connell:

Advertisement

Zimmer left town with a bad reputation in 2022. Since then, he has slowly looked better as time has worn off some of those rough edges that the memory wants to forget. O’Neill’s story about Zimmer passing along Bill Parcells being upset with the young RT is pure gold.

— Check Back Throughout the Day for More Quick Vikings News Updates —


avatar

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Strong Group-PH closes Jones Cup with win, finishes fifth

Published

on

Strong Group-Pilipinas' Boban Marjanovic during a game vs Jordan in the 2026 William Jones Cup.Strong Group-Pilipinas' Boban Marjanovic during a game vs Jordan in the 2026 William Jones Cup.

Strong Group-Pilipinas’ Boban Marjanovic during a game vs Jordan in the 2026 William Jones Cup. –SGA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Strong Group-Pilipinas salvaged fifth place in the 2026 William Jones Cup after beating Jordan, 96-91, in the classification game Friday night in Taiwan.

NBA veteran Boban Marjanovic spearheaded the charge for the Philippine-based team in their final game with 21 points, missing just four of his 13 shots from the field. He also had eight rebounds and three assists.

Article continues after this advertisement
Advertisement

In the end, the  Strong Group-Pilipinas finished the tournament with six wins, including a 5-1 card for second place in the group phase.

Despite that record, the tournament’s new format denied the Philippines a semifinal spot as the host teams in both groups were given direct berths to the next phase.

Since losing their tournament opener at the hands of South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy, Strong Group-Pilipinas never dropped a game the rest of the way.

Coach Charles Tiu and company vented their ire on the semifinals-bound Chinese Taipei-Blue—which had a 1-5 record—with a 43-point beatdown, 117-74.

Advertisement
Article continues after this advertisement

Tajuan Agee helped Marjanović in the classification game with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Ian Miller and Matthew Wright added 15 points each for Strong Group-Pilipinas.

Hadi Alshami led Jordan with 21 points, while Abdullah Olajuwon, son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, had 18 points, three assists and a block. Saif Saleh added 12 in the loss.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Advertisement


Your subscription has been successful.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Jannik Sinner withdraws from 2026 U.S. Open with a knee injury

Published

on

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has announced he is pulling out of the upcoming U.S. Open due to a knee injury.

Sinner, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up and 2024 champion, said in a social media post that over the past few days he’s been doing on-court work, but that he needs more recovery time.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year. We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

The 25-year-old Sinner has been out of action since winning Wimbledon last month.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sinner’s withdrawal comes one day after Carlos Alcaraz, who beat the Italian in last year’s U.S. Open final, announced he was returning following a four-month absence due to a wrist injury.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Ronaldinho to make football comeback aged 46

Published

on

While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing at 39 and 41 respectively, most football fans thought Ronaldinho belonged to another footballing era.

That all changed in June, when Italian Serie C club, Ravenna, announced that the former Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan forward would play for them in the upcoming season.

On a rainy Thursday in northeastern Italy, the former Ballon d’Or winner was unveiled with a quick press conference and a sense of excitement gripping the city.

“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” said Ronaldinho.

Advertisement

“I just arrived, but I have a great desire to live this experience with the whole city.”

Pure PR?

The 46-year-old last played for Fluminense in his homeland in 2015 and will become a shareholder in Ravenna, owned by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman who has owned the club since 2024.

Despite holding up the shirt and signing a piece of paper for the cameras, the suspicion remains that this is little more than a PR stunt for an ambitious lower league club. Ronaldinho himself didn’t actually dispel those rumors.

Ronaldinho celebrates a goal for Brazil with one arm aloft
Ronaldinho won 97 caps for Brazil, scoring 33 goalsImage: AP

“Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that,” he said. “Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.”

Both the Brazilian and Cipriani used the same language to describe one of Ronaldinho’s motivations: “Friendship and passion,” they both said. Both men also referred to Ronaldinho’s quest to score a 300th professional goal.

“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” Cipriani said.

Advertisement

“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

How an 81-year-old sprinter chases a world record

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The way in which that figure has been reached is slightly unclear, with many widely used resources saying Ronaldinho has scored far fewer than 299 goals in his career. He has, however, won the Ballon d’Or in 2005, the 2002 World Cup and topflight titles in Spain and Italy.

Advertisement

Ronaldinho some way off Japan’s Miura

Whether he ends up playing or not, Ronaldinho’s presence in the northeastern city of about 160,000 inhabitants has sparked plenty of anticipation and ticket sales. Reports suggest the club has sold 2,700 season tickets, largely off the back of the Brazilian’s arrival.

Even if he does get onto the pitch at 46, Ronaldinho will be far from the oldest footballer around. That title has long belonged to Japan’s Kazuyoshi Miura, 59.

The former Japan international, who also played in Italy, scored two penalties in the country’s Emperor’s Cup competition this week, further extending his record as the world’s oldest player.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

42-year-old star heartbroken over unexpected WWE release

Published

on

A 42-year-old star has opened up about his WWE release. This year, the Stamford-based promotion cut a number of superstars from its roster following WrestleMania 42.

While a number of names were let go in a single swoop, the situation was a little different for Santos Escobar.

Escobar had been with the promotion since 2019, and there were rumors of him leaving the company in October 2025. However, he reportedly re-signed and began competing in AAA, owned by WWE.

After suffering a triceps injury in March, he underwent surgery before requiring a second procedure on his ulnar nerve in April. His release came just days after the second surgery.

In a recent interview with TMZ’s Inside The Ring, he opened up on his exit. He said the situation was hard for him because he was injured.

“In all honesty, it was hard; it was difficult. It was difficult mostly because of the injuries, not so much for the release itself, which, you know, the optics always matter, but that’s something that’s out of my reach. I don’t really know what’s behind it,” he said.

Escobar described the situation as heartbreaking, saying he wasn’t ready for it.

“Again, it was a very heartbreaking situation for me personally because I was injured, and I think it was maybe six or seven days after my second surgery. So it was even more heartbreaking, disappointing, if you can imagine my mental state at that point. I don’t want to say I was ready because I wasn’t. I don’t think anyone is ready for that,” he said.

Advertisement
youtube-cover

Santos Escobar reveals conversation with Nick Khan leading to WWE return

Amid his prolonged absence from WWE last year, it was rumored that Santos Escobar had left the company. But in October, he reportedly re-signed a deal to continue his tenure.

During the conversation on Inside The Ring, Escobar revealed that he let his contract expire and was ready to look at other options. However, he received a call from WWE President Nick Khan, who apologized for how his character was treated.

Escobar said that Khan told him that they would give him everything he needs to thrive, and that’s the reason he re-signed with them.


If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.