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Blue Jays’ skid reaches six after another painful finish vs. Rangers

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TORONTO — Late in Sunday afternoon’s game at Rogers Centre, the vice grip had loosened on the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, minutes later, it tightened right back up. 

In the eighth inning, Nathan Lukes launched a game-tying, two-run homer that sent the crowd of 40,898 into a frenzy. It offered needed momentum to the Blue Jays and put the team in a position to snap their extended losing skid. 

Closer Louis Varland was handed the ball and looked dominant while striking out the first two batters in the ninth. However, the good vibes disappeared as quickly as they arrived when Josh Jung doubled and pinch-runner Jarred Kelenic scored from second on a wild pitch that caromed off the home-plate umpire and toward the visitors’ dugout. 

The Blue Jays couldn’t counterpunch in the bottom of the frame, and with that, the 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers stood out as one of the more painful defeats of the campaign. 

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“Last thing you expect,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “We’ve been through those swings before where it’s real high, then real low in a game. But not what you expected, for sure.”

“That’s a very rare way to lose the game,” said right-hander Shane Bieber

Toronto (39-45) has now lost six straight, matching a season high, and sits 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners, who currently hold the third American League wild-card spot. 

The Blue Jays’ entire season has been filled with equal steps forward and back. However, this stretch has been concerning given that it’s featured red flags for both the pitching staff and lineup. 

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All six of the losses have been close games. Three were decided by one run, while two were by two runs, scores that underline the fact that the Blue Jays aren’t producing the key hits.

“Obviously, we’re not getting any offence going early in games,” said Schneider. “That’s well-documented and that’s something we talk about almost daily in terms of what we can control in terms of prep and what we can control in terms of adjusting as the game goes.”

Of course, any conversation about the offence must include the continued struggles of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went hitless in four at-bats on Sunday, dropping his OPS to .697.

Guerrero Jr. wasn’t in the clubhouse following Sunday’s loss and Schneider said that after Saturday’s game, he spent time with the first baseman as he took extra swings in the batting cage. 

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“I’m not going to bench him,” said Schneider. “I think there’s always a time when a guy needs a little bit of a break, whether it’s physically, mentally, whatever it is. It’s no secret we’re going to need Vlad if we want to be good. He knows that, we know that, so I think my job is to make sure his work is good, his mindset is good. 

“He’s actually good,” added Schneider. “I always say, you want some players to be good liars to a manager in terms of how they’re feeling. And Vlad’s been an open book with me. I’ve pressed, I’ve asked him a few times in the last couple of weeks and he’s good. I can’t imagine what it is to be Vlad. And the pressure that comes with it, the expectations that come with it.”

Compounding matters for the Blue Jays are the continued struggles of the starting rotation, which has put the team behind early in each of the past six games. Bieber, making his second start since returning from the injured list, continued the trend when he surrendered a homer to Joc Pederson on the first pitch of the game. The right-hander proceeded to load the bases but pitched out of the tricky spot by inducing a force out at home and a punchout. 

After allowing some hard contact in the second, he made a mechanical adjustment and settled down considerably over the next three innings, before running into trouble again in the sixth. In total, Bieber allowed two runs on five hits over 5.1 frames, with four walks and strikeouts on 92 pitches.  

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“Obviously, the game didn’t start in an ideal fashion but was able to bounce back and put up some competitive innings,” said Bieber. “So, I was happy with that. It was definitely some progress and a step in the right direction relative to my first outing.”

As for the state of the club, Bieber said there’s obvious frustration among the players. 

“We all sense what’s going on. It’s been some tough and emotional losses,” he said. “We’re just going through it a little bit and we’re being tested and I know we’ll respond.”

That response must come soon, of course, and the Blue Jays will get an opportunity to flush the tough loss and take a needed step forward on Monday in the opener with a three-game series against Bo Bichette and the free-falling New York Mets.

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“The guys in the clubhouse are going to continue to fight and they’re going to continue to work to get better, and probably every one of them is better than what they’ve been so far,” said Schneider. “That’s what you cling to, and you got to go out and do it.”

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A look back at Zinedine Zidane’s career as he becomes France’s new coach

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2026 AIG Women’s Open Sunday tee times: Round 4 pairings

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The 2026 AIG Women’s Open concludes on Sunday, Aug. 2, with the fourth round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. You can find full AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday’s fourth round at the bottom of this post.

AIG Women’s Open Sunday tee times: What to know

If you didn’t have Yealimi Noh in your office pool this week, you’re not alone. The 25-year-old Californian arrived at Royal Lytham and St. Annes with just two top-10 finishes in majors and one LPGA Tour victory to her name.

Now, after a tidy two-under 69 on a wind-swept Saturday, she heads into the final round at seven-under, holding a three-shot lead. It’s the first time she’s ever been the front-runner at any point in a major.

Can Noh hang on?

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To do so, she’ll have to hold off a pack of pursuers. Haeran Ryu, who teed off Saturday with the lead while seeking her third consecutive major title, stumbled to a three-over 74 to fall back to four-under. She’s joined there by fellow American Lucy Li, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki and World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who is seeking her first major championship.

Fan favorite Charley Hull, meanwhile, isn’t out of the mix. Playing in her home country, she’ll begin the final round at two-under, five shots behind.

Noh tees off at 9:35 a.m. ET alongside Henseleit.

You can watch Sunday’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open from 7 a.m.-noon ET on USA and then from noon-2 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional Sunday streaming coverage will be provided by GolfChannel.com, the Golf Channel app and the NBC Sports app.

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You can check out the complete Round 4 tee times for the 2026 AIG Women’s Open below.

2026 AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

3:45 a.m. – Casandra Alexander, Mi Hyang Lee

3:55 a.m. – Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Aunchisa Utama

4:05 a.m. – Aki Iwai, Julia Lopez Ramirez

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4:15 a.m. – Arpichaya Yubol, Anna Nordqvist

4:25 a.m. – Auston Kim, Nasa Hataoka

4:35 a.m. – Amanda Doherty, Jin Young Ko

4:45 a.m. – Alison Lee, Kajsa Arwefjall

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5 a.m. – Minji Kang, Alice Hewson

5:10 a.m. – Maja Stark, Patty Tavatanakit

5:20 a.m. – Amelia Garvey, Cara Gainer

5:30 a.m. – Yana Wilson, Rose Zhang

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5:40 a.m. – Ariya Jutanugarn, Yuna Araki

5:50 a.m. – Annabell Fuller, Yunseo Yang (a)

6 a.m. – Hyo Joo Kim, Nastasia Nadaud

6:15 a.m. – Manon De Roey, Lindy Duncan

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6:25 a.m. – Jenny Shin, Amy Yang

6:35 a.m. – Sara Kouskova, Pia Babnik

6:45 a.m. – Paula Martin Sampedro (a), Mao Saigo

6:55 a.m. – Hannah Green, Brooke M. Henderson

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7:05 a.m. – Dewi Weber, Sei Young Kim

7:15 a.m. – Chizzy Iwai, Yuka Saso

7:30 a.m. – Celine Boutier, Mimi Rhodes

7:40 a.m. – Alexandra Forsterling, Jing Yan

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7:50 a.m. – Lauren Coughlin, Robyn Choi

8 a.m. – Nelly Korda, Rio Takeda

8:10 a.m. – Shannon Tan, Wei-Ling Hsu

8:20 a.m. – Carla Tejedo Mulet, Jin Hee Im

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8:30 a.m. – Ashleigh Buhai, Soo Bin Joo

8:45 a.m. – Lydia Ko, Charley Hull

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Pirates’ Ryan O’Hearn expected to miss six to eight weeks with quad injury

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CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Ryan O’Hearn on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left quad and he is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

O’Hearn pulled up and grabbed his left leg while running to first base on a groundout in the ninth inning on Friday night’s 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He was helped off the field by manager Don Kelly and a member of the training staff.

The Pirates signed O’Hearn to a two-year, $2- million free-agent contract in January. He is batting .270 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs in 96 games. He missed two weeks in May with a right quad injury.

O’Hearn has made 49 appearances at first base, 42 in right field, and 17 as the designated hitter. He homered three times and set a Pirates single-game franchise record with 10 RBIs against the Braves on July 7.

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In other moves, the Pirates recalled right-hander Isaac Mattson from triple-A Indianapolis, activated catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. from the IL and optioned right-hander Antwone Kelly to triple-A.

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“Both of them would be brilliant additions”

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Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel has urged Liverpool to sign Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue from PSG. He believes that the two players are needed at Anfield to make them a better side.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Friedel stated that Barcola and Doue are on the same level, and it would be hard to pick one of the two. He claimed that Liverpool should be looking to get both of them this summer and not just one and said:

“It’s a toss of a coin between Barcola and Doue. I think both of them would be brilliant additions to L’pool and honestly, I think both of them would be great to help with the loss of goals and assists from Salah. Both players are excellent on the left and can also drift into the middle, which is something Iraola would like a lot in how he plays.”

“Watching both at the World Cup, they both have important assets which can benefit Liverpool and contribute to an exciting style of play. So, both of them would be my preference, to add good depth to the squad because as we’ve seen it’s a long season competing in all competitions so you need plenty of quality in the squad and both of them would be huge players.”

The Reds remain in talks with PSG to sign Barcola, and the Ligue1 are open to a sale.

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Jamie Carragher does not want Bradley Barcola at Liverpool

Jamie Carragher claimed that his former side do not need Barcola. He wants them to sign a right-winger and not another winger who prefers to play on the left and told Sky Sports:

“He’s a great player, there’s no doubt about that – I’d love to get Barcola at Liverpool. But he’s a left winger for me. Liverpool’s big thing that stands out like a sore thumb right now is replacing Mo Salah, a right winger. And I don’t think L’pool have got anybody really in the squad who looks fully comfortable playing right wing.”

“They probably have at least four players in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who could play on the left-hand side comfortably. Now, I’m not saying any of those players are better than Barcola. But in terms of the balance of the squad, it’s not the position L’pool need right now. They need a right winger.”

PSG were looking to sign Yan Diomande this summer, but have switched focus to Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Godts, after Real Madrid hijacked the deal for the Ivory Coast star.