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Paula Badosa vs Nadia Podoroska preview
Paula Badosa at the SP Open 2026. (Source: Getty)
Second seed Paula Badosa will take on Nadia Podoroska in the semifinals of the SP Open 2026.
Badosa beat Justina Mikulskyte 6-3, 6-2 in the first round, and then staged a comeback to one-up Jazmin Ortenzi 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. She faced Mary Stoiana in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard squandered her break advantage on two occasions in the first set.
However, the third time was indeed the charm for Badosa. She remained in front after breaking Stoiana’s serve for the third time to take the opener. A double break lead put Badosa 5-1 up within a matter of minutes in the second set. While she blew two match points on Stoiana’s serve in the seventh game, she closed out the match herself in the next game for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
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Podoroska moved past Lucrezia Stefanini and fifth seed Eva Lys in straight sets to book a quarterfinal date with Suzan Lamens. Podoroska captured a closely-contested first set with a focused performance in the tie-break.
Lamens raised her own level in response and captured the second set. She drew first blood in the third set to go 2-0 up as well. However, that marked the end of the road for her. Podoroska swept six of the next seven games in a remarkable turnaround to tally a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 win.
Paula Badosa vs Nadia Podoroska head-to-head
Badosa leads their rivalry 1-0 at the WTA level. She won their previous meeting at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 in straight sets.
Paula Badosa vs Nadia Podoroska odds
Player
Moneyline
Handicap Bets
Total Games
Paula Badosa
-550
+1.5 (-2000)
Over 19.5 (-140)
Nadia Podoroska
+375
-1.5 (+625)
Under 19.5 (-105)
(Odds via BetMGM)
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Paula Badosa vs Nadia Podoroska prediction
Nadia Podoroska at the US Open 2026. (Source: Getty)
After a comeback win over Ortenzi, Badosa dispatched Stoiana in routine fashion. She has advanced to her second semifinal at the WTA level this year, and the 19th of her career. She has also reached her first semifinal on hardcourts since the Australian Open 2025.
Podoroska has tallied the best result of her comeback with her semifinal run here. She was sidelined for more than a year due to an injury, and returned to action in March this year. She has reached the semifinals of a WTA tournament for the first time since September 2023.
Both players have a rather dismal record at the semifinal stage. Badosa has gone 5-13 in semifinal matches, while Podoroska has lost all four of her prior semifinals. Given their respective histories at this stage, Badosa will be the favorite to win this match.
Pick: Paula Badosa to win in straight sets.
Paula Badosa vs Nadia Podoroska betting tips
Tip 1: The match will have at least 18 games.
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Tip 2: Badosa to win at least one set with a score of 6-2.
Will Hammond grabbed a microphone on the field at Galaxy Stadium and made sure Texas Tech’s crowd heard him. Minutes after the No. 13 Red Raiders survived No. 22 Houston 28-26 on Friday night, the quarterback thanked a stadium that had just given him something he had never experienced.
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“Red Raider Nation, thanks for coming out. Got the win, all black unis,” Hammond said in a video posted by the team’s X, formerly Twitter, account. “This is the best environment I’ve ever been a part of. Wreck, I’ll see y’all next week at 11.”
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The atmosphere had history behind it. Friday marked Texas Tech’s first Friday home game since 1941, and the program leaned into the occasion with black uniforms for a matchup between two ranked, undefeated Big 12 contenders.
The start was rough. Hammond did not take the opening snap, as Tommy Castellanos got the first two plays in a designed package, and his sideline throwaway under pressure was intercepted by Will James. Houston converted that into Amare Thomas’ 11-yard touchdown catch, and the Red Raiders found themselves down 10-0 with just one offensive snap of their own nearly 10 minutes into the game.
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Hammond steadied things from there. He hit Kenny Johnson for 28 yards on third-and-12 before connecting with him again for a 35-yard touchdown a minute into the second quarter. He finished 17-of-27 for 257 yards and a score, with Johnson hauling in four catches for 113 yards.
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The second half belonged to the ground game. J’Koby Williams, held to five yards on two first-half carries, ripped off runs of 19, 5 and 29 yards, the last untouched into the end zone for a 21-17 lead. Cameron Dickey added a one-yard score with 7:36 left.
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Houston nearly forced overtime. Conner Weigman‘s third touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to Patrick Overmyer with 49 seconds remaining, set up a two-point try to tie. Weigman rolled left and lunged, but his knee hit before the ball crossed the plane.
ARLINGTON, TX — For nearly two weeks now, it’s felt like Dylan Cease has been white-knuckling his season, correcting and counter-steering every lurch and pull as it careens from his control.
He entered September a legitimate Cy Young candidate. But then, a sudden velocity dip. The hard-hit rate shooting the opposite direction. A five-steal night exposing a blind spot in his game. Velocity dropping again.
He adjusted his between-start routines, took an extra day’s rest, talked about maximizing what he has. Yet, in his second and third outings of September, Cease’s fastball averaged less than 95-m.p.h. — the first time that’s happened in his career. He earned only one whiff with the pitch across those two outings, the swings against him growing dangerously comfortable.
The Blue Jays no doubt would have preferred to give Cease that extra day’s rest again following five walks his last time out. But multiple bullpen days per week are already putting undue pressure on the rest of the team’s pitching staff, leaving it ill-prepared to carry even more weight.
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Plus, with so little margin for error remaining as the Blue Jays cling to relevance in a congested American League wild-card race, the short-term value of a far-from-fresh Cease pitching a critical game against the Texas Rangers on Friday appeared to trump the long-term concern over how his workload is impacting his effectiveness.
Appeared being the operative word. Now, following a 7-1 Blue Jays loss to the Rangers, in which Cease didn’t make it out of the third inning, the proposition has reversed. The Blue Jays must decide how much value there is in running this vastly diminished version of Cease out to the mound when his rotation turn comes back up in five days’ time. And they must weigh how much concern to have over the impact additional workload will have on his performance going forward.
“We’ll see,” replied Blue Jays manager John Schneider, asked how his club would approach Cease’s next start. “He’s reporting nothing. Feeling all right, feeling good. It’s where we are in the season. Everyone’s kind of battling and grinding to make pitches, grinding to make plays.
“So, we’ll just be in touch with him. But nothing physically alarming enough to say, ‘hey, we’re going to skip you’ or anything like that. So, just try to manage it, try to work through it in between, and get ready for his next one.”
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Friday, Cease didn’t throw a first-pitch strike to any of the first six batters he faced, walking four of them. Along the way, Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford exploited his difficulties holding runners, stealing bases easily. He earned one whiff and one chase outside the zone with the 36 pitches he threw his first time through the order.
And incredibly, he was close to containing the damage. Cease escaped a jam in the first using a changeup to get a weak groundball double play from Brandon Nimmo and nearly did the same in the second when Evan Carter bounced a one-out curveball back up the middle. But Ernie Clement misfired a force attempt at third off the back of a baserunner’s head, allowing two to score.
A sacrifice fly and a Seager double brought in two more before the second inning was through, and shortly after Cease loaded the bases again with two walks and a base hit in the third, his night was done.
“If you don’t have velocity or sharp stuff but you can throw strikes and execute, you can still get outs,” Cease said. “But the walks and not commanding the ball is not a good recipe.”
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In all, Cease located just 35 per cent of his pitches in the zone, including only 11 of his 36 fastballs, which led to a season-high six walks. He threw first-pitch strikes to only four of the 17 batters he faced while generating a chase rate below 20 per cent, which led to a season-low three strikeouts.
His 74 pitches were his fewest thrown since he exited a May start due to a hamstring issue. His 2.2 innings were his lowest since an August 2024 outing cut short by a lengthy rain delay. His 93.6-m.p.h. average fastball velocity was a career-low by nearly a full mile per hour.
“I think it’s just late in the year. Obviously, I’m still able to take the ball and throw and all that,” Cease said, asked if anything physical was limiting his velocity. “I don’t know if it changes that much. I’m just trying to get it in the zone and execute. Whether it’s 92 or 98, the name of the game is executing pitches. So, that’s all I’m really trying to do.”
Cease’s difficulties created a sizeable early deficit Toronto’s offence was unable to overcome. Myles Straw, who entered the night with a 129 wRC+ over the last 30 days, cashed a run with a double in the fifth after Kazuma Okamoto and Josh Smith led off with walks against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker.
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But Blue Jays hitters were otherwise unable to keep Rocker’s sinker off the ground while frequently chasing his slider beneath the zone. From the sixth inning on, while mustering only two hits against Rangers reliever Trevor Williams, seven of Toronto’s 12 outs were made with plate appearances of three pitches or fewer.
Meanwhile, the fallout from Cease’s short start is significant for a pitching staff already threadbare and thinning by the day. Five relievers were asked to cover the final 5.1 innings, a suboptimal way to begin a six-games-in-six-days road trip in the middle of September. Never mind that, following Jose Soriano’s Saturday start, the Blue Jays are positioned to run consecutive bullpen games on Sunday and Monday.
“We’re asking a lot. We’re trying to monitor, when they’re in there, pitch count and number of ups and things like that,” Schneider said. “But we’re going to need Jose to be good tomorrow and reset it a little bit, that’s for sure.”
If all goes according to plan, Spencer Arrighetti will carry most of Sunday’s workload while Trey Yesavage, who threw a side session at Globe Life Field on Friday, will be activated from the IL to throw around 50 pitches the following day. But we all understand baseball is antithetical to best-laid plans.
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If things go haywire again on Saturday, and the Blue Jays are forced to burn through even more of their bullpen, Yesavage could return as soon as Sunday — less than six weeks following surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee. And after Michael Lorenzen, who’d been providing low-leverage length, was designated for assignment, the Blue Jays may need to summon further pitching reinforcements from Buffalo before the weekend is through.
Such is life when your bullpen is covering two rotation spots. And with the Blue Jays motivated to give 42-year-old Max Scherzer an extra day of rest ahead of his next start — presently scheduled for Tuesday in Baltimore — those spots now fall on back-to-back days.
Due up on Wednesday following Scherzer? Cease. On regular rest. A proposition that runs somewhere from risky to ill-advised based on Friday’s performance. That could mean a third bullpen day on the road trip. Or four considering what Friday’s game turned into, as Cease’s September careened further from his control, and any remaining optimism in this Blue Jays season slid right off the road with him.
The formidable stayer Aethelwulf made the significant step up to stakes level appear effortless, powering to victory in the Group 3 $300,000 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) at Broadmeadow this past Friday.
This triumph marks Aethelwulf’s fifth career win from seven starts and extends his current winning streak to four. He took the lead approximately 1000 metres from the finish line and simply outlasted his rivals to achieve a commanding win.
Trainer Matthew Smith has labelled Aethelwulf an exciting prospect and indicated that a start in the Group 1 $10 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3 is a possibility.
“I was a bit nervous before the race, I must say,” Smith shared. “But he seemed to get into a nice rhythm early and down the back it was a bit muddling and I guess Zac (Lloyd, jockey) thought they were going a bit slow so he let the horse stride and he was too good.
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“Zac has so much confidence in this horse, from the first time he sat on him he’s raving about the horse.
“Aethelwulf is still learning but if he pulls up well we might look at the Bart Cummings or The Metropolitan, one or the other.”
Aethelwulf, a striking chestnut, is assigned a light weight of 51kg for the Melbourne Cup and is eligible for a penalty following his Newcastle victory.
However, Aethelwulf is currently quite low in the Melbourne Cup order of entry, presenting trainer Smith with a substantial decision to make regarding the four-year-old’s next engagement.
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Aethelwulf firmed into $3 favouritism for the Group 2 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Royal Randwick on October 3. On the same day, the Group 3 $300,000 Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington offers the winner a coveted ‘golden ticket’ into the Melbourne Cup.
Despite coming off a benchmark 78 win at Rosehill and facing a direct jump to Group 3 company, Aethelwulf ($1.20 favourite) toyed with his opposition to win the Newcastle Gold Cup by over two lengths from Steel Blaze ($101), with Bella Montagna ($10) finishing a further half-length back in third.
Jockey Zac Lloyd was effusive in his praise for Aethelwulf after the impressive win.
“He was up against some seasoned stayers and Group 1 winners and he dominated them,” Lloyd commented.
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“It’s exciting because he’s still so raw and he hasn’t found himself in a race with a genuine tempo.
“They were crawling in the first 1000m but I have so much faith in this horse, no matter what I do he will be able to overcome it.
“So, I thought I would rather keep him happy and float around them to go to the front. He’s got so much to learn but he’s very promising.”
The convincing performance in the Newcastle Gold Cup has propelled Aethelwulf into the 2026 Melbourne Cup discussion, with his weight and potential penalty being critical considerations.
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For those keen on the action, exploring online bookmakers will provide the latest information on the race.
The path back to the playoffs for the Toronto Blue Jays is looking mighty steep.
The Blue Jays (76-78) will wake up on Saturday two games back of the third wild-card spot, which is now held by the Chicago White Sox (78-76) after Friday’s results.
The White Sox hold the tiebreaker over the Blue Jays, meaning Toronto needs three more wins than Chicago over the final eight games to overtake them.
Further complicating the picture are the Texas Rangers (77-77), who beat the Blue Jays 7-1 on Friday. The Rangers are one game back of the White Sox and now tied with the Houston Astros (77-77) for the AL West lead.
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While there is much to be decided, Toronto risks falling out of the race for good if it can’t pick up two wins over the Rangers this weekend.
Here is where the standings sit after Friday’s games:
Chicago White Sox: vs. Detroit, 2:10 p.m. Baltimore: vs. Brewers, 4:05 p.m., Sportsnet+ Cleveland: vs. Athletics, 6:10 p.m. Toronto: at Texas, 7:05 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ Houston: vs. Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager had an RBI double in a four-run second inning fueled by a throwing error, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Friday night in the opener of a series matching AL playoff chasers.
The Rangers (77-77) reached .500 for a majors-leading 23rd time and pulled within one game of the White Sox for the third and final AL wild-card spot, although Chicago has the tiebreaker. The defending AL champion Blue Jays (76-78) are two games back in the wild-card race.
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Texas also closed the gap on Houston by pulling even with the Astros atop the AL West, but the Rangers would have to win the division outright to finish ahead of their in-state rival. Houston lost to Atlanta 6-2.
The Rangers took the lead in the second on Evan Carter’s bases-loaded grounder that scored Wyatt Langford, and Jake Burger also came home when shortstop Ernie Clement’s throw trying to force him out at third bounced wide of the bag into foul territory. Seager made it 4-0 with his double.
Dylan Cease (11-6) walked a season-high six among his first 15 batters and was replaced with two outs in the third after throwing 38 balls and 36 strikes.
Five of the Texas runs were unearned as the Blue Jays walked 10 and had three throwing errors, two by third baseman Kazuma Okamoto.
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Trevor Williams (2-0) finished with four scoreless innings after starter Kumar Rocker took a 4-0 lead into the fifth but couldn’t finish and was replaced by Tyler Alexander.
Toronto’s Nathan Lukes had the longest active hitting streak in the majors stopped at 13 games when he was replaced by pinch-hitter Davis Schneider in the fifth. Lukes was 0 for 2 with a deep liner that Carter, the center fielder, ran down at the wall in right center.
CLEVELAND — José Ramírez and rookie Travis Bazzana homered and Joey Cantillo pitched six scoreless innings as Cleveland rallied to beat the Athletics and stay atop the AL Central.
Ramírez connected in the sixth inning to give the Guardians a two-run cushion. His 12th homer was also the seven-time All-Star’s 1,000th RBI, making him just the second Cleveland player to reach the plateau. Earl Averill drove in 1,084 runs.
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Bazzana snapped a 3-3 tie in the fifth as the Guardians came back after falling behind 3-0 in the first.
Cleveland, 18-9 since Aug. 20, came in tied with Chicago for first in the division. The White Sox hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Cantillo (10-9) allowed two hits in six innings after replacing opener Daniel Espino. Cantillo has not given up a run in 10 innings over his past two outings.
Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith finished off the combined three-hitter. Smith worked the ninth for his 38th save.
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Zack Gelof hit a three-run homer for the A’s, who are 0-4 on their final road trip of 2026.
CHICAGO — Hao-Yu Lee and Riley Greene each hit a two-run homer in a five-run eighth inning as Detroit rallied from six down to beat Chicago.
Chicago (78-76) trails first-place Cleveland by one game in the AL Central with eight remaining, although the White Sox own the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the season series. Chicago has a one-game lead for the final American League wild card.
Detroit (73-81) trailed 8-2 after Miguel Vargas hit his 32nd homer for the White Sox — a two-run shot in the third inning.
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Chicago right fielder Tristan Peters left the game in the fifth after crashing into the wall in right-center on Kevin McGonigle’s bases-loaded triple that cut it to 8-5 and chased rookie starter David Sandlin.
Lee had a two-out RBI double off Chris Murphy in the sixth to make it 8-6.
Lee tied it against Sean Newcomb (2-5) with his 10th homer and Greene followed with his 21st — off Bryan Hudson — later in the inning. Dillon Dingler had a go-ahead single in between the homers. Lee finished with four of the Tigers’ 16 hits.
HOUSTON — Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson each hit a two-run homer as the Atlanta Braves clinched a playoff berth with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
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The Braves secured at least a National League wild card and reduced their magic number to three for winning the NL East. Atlanta is heading to the postseason for the eighth time in nine years.
The loss dropped Houston’s lead in the AL West over Texas to a half-game game, with the Rangers hosting Toronto on Friday night.
Olson hit his 40th home run in the ninth inning to make him the fifth player in franchise history with multiple 40-homer seasons after he set a Braves record with 54 in 2023.
Harris, who had three hits, gave the Braves a 2-0 lead with his homer off Peter Lambert (8-10) in the fourth. They were clinging to a one-run lead with one on and one out in the seventh when Acuña connected off Bennett Sousa to make it 4-1.
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The Astros had runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth when an RBI single by Isaac Paredes cut the lead to 4-2. Jose Altuve hit a flyball to shallow right field but Acuña made a diving catch to end the inning.
Tyler Mahle (7-10) allowed three hits and a run with six strikeouts in six innings to help the Braves to their second win in five games.
Lambert yielded six hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He remained winless since July 11.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Roman Anthony homered and drove in three runs and Boston took a big step toward clinching an American League playoff spot with a victory over Tampa Bay.
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The Red Sox, who entered Friday with a magic number of three, could secure a wild-card spot as early as Saturday.
Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda drove in runs for the postseason-bound Rays. They had won six in a row.
Anthony hit the game’s third pitch from Ian Seymour (9-7) into the right-field seats for his third career leadoff homer. Then, in the second inning, Anthony broke a 1-1 tie and drove in two more runs with a two-out single.
Jahmai Jones gave Boston a 4-1 advantage with his own solo homer to lead off the third. Caleb Durbin added two hits for the Red Sox, who own the American League’s third-best record (84-70), behind the Rays and Yankees.
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Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez (8-4) threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run with five walks and five strikeouts. He also snared Taylor Walls’ 100-mph liner in the fourth, before completing an inning-ending double play.
Tampa Bay couldn’t capitalize on multiple opportunities, including nine Red Sox walks. The Rays left the bases loaded in the sixth and ninth, when Erik Miller retired Chandler Simpson on a game-ending grounder. Tampa Bay was 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.
BREWERS 6, ORIOLES 5, 10 INNINGS
BALTIMORE — Jackson Chourio hit a three-run homer, Sal Frelick singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and surging Milwaukee beat Baltimore.
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Although the Brewers own the best record in the majors (96-58) and have already clinched their fourth straight NL Central title, they aren’t coasting to the finish. Milwaukee is still looking to wrap up a first-round bye in the playoffs and earn home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
“We’re trying to win games and keep everybody healthy,” manager Pat Murphy said before the game.
The Brewers got their eighth victory in 10 games despite blowing a two-run lead in the ninth. After William Contreras hit a tiebreaking double and Christian Yelich tacked on a run-scoring single in the top half, Baltimore pulled even in the bottom half against Trevor Megill (3-3) with two hits and a pair of sacrifice flies.
In the 10th, automatic runner Joey Ortiz advanced on a bunt and trotted home when Frelick bounced a single to right field off Grant Wolfram (6-4).
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Chad Patrick got three outs for his sixth save.
Like Milwaukee, the Orioles (75-79) are also in a playoff race. But Baltimore is running out of time in its bid to claim the final AL wild-card spot.
YANKEES 9, DIAMONDBACKS 2
PHOENIX — Ben Rice hit his 39th homer of the season, Gerrit Cole became the winningest No. 1 overall draft pick and the New York Yankees used a five-run first inning to take control early and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 on Friday night.
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After learning three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge was headed back to the injured list with a right calf strain, the Yankees won for the eighth time in 10 games. New York, which has already clinched a playoff spot, is four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East with nine games remaining.
The D-backs’ have lost three straight and their playoff hopes are in major trouble. They’re five games back of the final NL wild card with eight games left.
New York’s first five batters reached against D-backs’ All-Star left hander Eduardo Rodriguez and George Lombard Jr.’s two-run single made it 5-0. Lombard added a solo homer in the sixth and finished with three RBIs.
Cole (9-9) bounced back from a pair of starts that saw him surrender seven homers — the most he’s ever given up over a two-game span. He gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, striking out six.
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Selected first by Pittsburgh in 2011, Cole won his 162nd game. That is one more than Mike Moore, picked No. 1 by Seattle in 1981.
Rodriguez (15-7) picked a bad time to have arguably his worst start this season, needing 45 pitches to get three outs, his career high for a first inning. He gave up seven runs, five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings.
Corbin Carroll hit a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 5-2 in the second. Rice’s solo homer in the third pushed the Yankees ahead 6-2.
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts homered twice and the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep four times in the eighth inning of an 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
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Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker connected back-to-back in the eighth. Betts and Max Muncy added two-out solo shots in a five-run inning as the NL West champions rolled in a series opener between old rivals.
Tyler Glasnow (5-1) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
The home run barrage occurred on the 20th anniversary of the Dodgers’ four-plus-one game. Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth inning — the fourth time in major league history the feat had been accomplished.
Giants reliever Philip Abner gave up all five runs in the eighth, which began with the Dodgers leading 3-2. He became the second reliever in Giants history to give up four homers in one inning.
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The Giants (64-90) lost their 90th game, their most since 2017 when they dropped 98.
CINCINNATI — Jose Trevino lined a two-run single to right field with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and Cincinnati rallied for a victory over Chicago.
Michael Conforto had three hits for the Cubs, who have dropped two of three. Chicago (85-69) had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the ninth when Michael Busch was caught stealing at second base on a designed pitchout called by Trevino. Busch was credited with the stolen base when it was overturned by instant replay.
Chicago’s magic number to clinch a postseason spot remains at four. Clay Holmes (6-8) went 5 1/3 innings and allowed six runs.
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Eugenio Suárez tied it at 4-4 with a base hit to left to drive in Elly De La Cruz. Héctor Rodríguez grounded into a fielder’s choice as Tyler Stephenson was called out at home before Trevino came through with the go-ahead hit.
De La Cruz also drove in two runs for the Reds, who had dropped three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the previous series.
Ian Happ homered in the third to tie it at 2-2 and Seiya Suzuki had a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fourth to put the Cubs up 4-3.
Julian Aguiar (2-1) got the win in relief, allowing two runs in three innings. All-Star Chase Burns, who is on an innings restriction, gave up two runs in three innings.
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ST. LOUIS — CJ Abrams became the 52nd player to join the 30-30 club, Cade Cavalli threw his 200th strikeout of the year, and Washington took down St. Louis.
Abrams joined the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong as the only players to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases this season. He is just the second National to do it, joining Alfonso Soriano in 2006.
Cavalli (13-5) struck out the side in the first, and finished with six strikeouts and four hits in five innings of work.
His 200th strikeout came on his final pitch of the night, and he became the fifth Nationals pitcher with a 200-strikeout season — joining Patrick Corbin, Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg — just hours after inking a four-year, $47 million contract extension.
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The Nats scored three runs in the first, started by Abrams’ RBI single. Abrams then stole his 30th base, and an errant throw from Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal let Dylan Crews come around to score. Brady House added an RBI groundout before the end of the frame.
Crews started a four-run third with his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot to right, and Yohandy Morales added a two-run double.
Daylen Lile hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and James Wood had an RBI double in the sixth to round out the scoring.
NEW YORK — Juan Soto hit a three-run homer and New York kept Philadelphia from gaining ground in the National League wild-card race with a victory.
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Edmundo Sosa went 3 for 3 with a home run and a double for the Phillies (85-69), who remained tied with the Cubs for the top two wild-card spots after Chicago lost 6-4 to Cincinnati. Both teams began the day one game ahead of the San Diego Padres, who were scheduled to host Miami later Friday.
Derek Hill also went deep and Bryson Stott had an RBI double for Philadelphia.
Soto also doubled and finished with three hits. A.J. Ewing’s two-run single capped a three-run first inning for the last-place Mets, who ended a five-game losing streak — their longest under interim manager Andy Green. Carson Benge had an RBI single in the first and reached base three times.
Francisco Lindor remained at 299 career homers after going 2 for 5 with a double.
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Rookie left-hander Zac Thornton (5-5) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one. Thornton has permitted two runs or fewer eight times in 14 big league starts.
Dedniel Núñez got four outs for his second career save and first since July 13, 2024.
PITTSBURGH — Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin had four hits, Brandon Lowe hit his 32nd homer and Pittsburgh surged past Kansas City.
Pittsburgh churned out 15 hits against Kansas City to overcome an early four-run deficit to move back to .500 (77-77) in its bid for the franchise’s first winning season since 2018.
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The 20-year-old Griffin, who missed two months with a left-hand injury that coincided with a summer swoon that saw the Pirates’ playoff hopes evaporate, posted the third four-hit game of his young career. His RBI single in the seventh off reliever Nate Pearson (2-2) capped a three-run rally.
Yohan Ramirez (7-4) retired all four batters he faced in relief to pick up the win. Gregory Soto worked the ninth for his 15th save, but just his first since Aug. 1.
Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey homered for the Royals, but Kansas City couldn’t take advantage of a so-so performance by Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
DENVER — Lazaro Montes led off the ninth inning with a 426-foot home run and Seattle beat Colorado.
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The Mariners are six games back of the Chicago White Sox for the third AL wild card with eight games remaining.
J.P. Crawford hit his 18th career leadoff homer, Randy Arozarena had three hits and Carlos Vargas (2-0) got one out for Seattle (72-82).
Montes’ blast into the second deck off Jordan Romano (0-4) gave Seattle its second straight win. Cole Carrigg led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, stole second but was picked off by Andres Munoz, who struck out Mickey Moniak to pick up his 28th save.
Colorado’s TJ Rumfield singled to extend his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest by a rookie in franchise history. The Rockies (56-98) are on the verge of being the first team since the 1965 New York Mets to lose 100 or more games in four straight seasons.
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Rockies rookie starter Gabriel Hughes pitched 4 2/3 innings and remained winless in 13 starts and 14 games. He needed 34 pitches to get through the first but retired 11 straight before a one-out walk in the fifth.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Connor Prielipp allowed two hits in a season-high seven innings and fellow rookie Walker Jenkins homered to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Prielipp (6-7) struck out eight and walked two in his 21st start, throwing 60 of 92 pitches for strikes to help the Twins (72-82) even the four-game series at one apiece. The left-hander is 3-0 in four September starts.
Tommy Nance escaped a jam in the eighth and Travis Adams retired the side in order in the ninth for his third save.
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Ryan Jeffers had a sacrifice fly off Grayson Rodriguez (4-8), and Josh Bell singled in a run to give the Twins a 2-0 lead in the first.
Jenkins homered for the third time in his first 52 at-bats to make it 3-0 in the seventh. The center fielder had three of Minnesota’s nine hits.
The Angels loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth against Nance but came up empty. The right-hander struck out Mike Trout and pinch-hitter Josh Lowe — both swinging — before retiring Vaughn Grissom on a flyout to left field.
Rodriguez permitted three runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. Sammy Peralta retired four of the five batters he faced and rookie Luke Murphy pitched a scoreless ninth.
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The Angels (59-95) won the opener 5-4 on Wade Meckler’s walk-off single in the 10th.
SAN DIEGO — Ty France hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run rally in the fifth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Miami Marlins 8-2 on Friday night to pull into a tie with Philadelphia and Chicago for the top National League wild card.
The Cubs and Phillies both lost just around first pitch in San Diego. Then the Padres erased a 1-0 deficit to win for the 11th time in 12 games.
Although Chicago, Philadelphia and San Diego are even at 85-69 for the three NL wild cards, the Padres would lose tiebreakers against the Cubs and Phillies in the race for the No. 1 spot and the right to host an opening round. The Cubs beat the Padres 2-1 in the wild-card round in Chicago last season.
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Miami (76-78) was eliminated from the postseason race.
Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker connected back-to-back in the eighth. Betts and Max Muncy added two-out solo shots in a five-run inning as the NL West champions rolled in a series opener between old rivals.
Tyler Glasnow (5-1) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
The home run barrage occurred on the 20th anniversary of the Dodgers’ four-plus-one game. Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth inning — the fourth time in major league history the feat had been accomplished.
Giants reliever Philip Abner gave up all five runs in the eighth, which began with the Dodgers leading 3-2. He became the second reliever in Giants history to give up four homers in one inning.
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The Giants (64-90) lost their 90th game, their most since 2017 when they dropped 98.
Muncy’s shot traveled 420 feet and Tucker’s went 403 feet, both to right-centre. Betts also homered leading off the game.
Josue De Paula, a 21-year-old Dodgers rookie finishing his first week in the major leagues, lined a two-out double to right field for the go-ahead run in the sixth. He also singled and scored the tying run on Teoscar Hernández’s RBI single in the fifth.
Edwin Díaz struck out two in a scoreless ninth in his return from the injured list.
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The Giants tied the game at 1 on Jung Hoo Lee’s leadoff homer in the second and went ahead 2-1 on Jonah Cox’s RBI single with two outs in the third.
Giants starter Cesar Perdomo gave up two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings with one strikeout. Jason Foley (3-2) took the loss in relief.
Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge was a late scratch with a head laceration.
The Giants had yet to announce a starter for Saturday against Dodgers LHP Tarik Skubal (10-7, 2.70 ERA).
The 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville continues on Saturday, September 19, with Round 3 at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove. You can find full Biltmore Championship Asheville tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.
Biltmore Championship Round 3 tee times: What to know
A sizzling round of 62 sent 25-year-old Neal Shipley straight to the top of leaderboard on Friday in North Carolina, where his two-day total of 15 under par holds a one-shot advantage over his closest competitor, Ben Kohles, who is 14 under. Two other players are tied for third at 11 under.
Shipley, who was the runner-up to Nick Dunlap at the 2023 U.S. Amateur, earned his 2026 PGA Tour card after finishing in the top 20 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour points list. He’s currently 183rd on the FedEx Cup points list in his PGA Tour rookie season, with hopes of cracking the top 100 by the end of November to secure his status for 2027.
Given his opening rounds of 65-62 this week, it appears he’s off to a pretty good start.
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Shipley will tee off for Round 3 at 9:45 a.m. ET alongside Kohles and Ricky Castillo (-11).
You can watch Saturday’s third round of the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville from 12-12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by the Golf Channel broadcast from 12:30-3 p.m. ET.
Check out the complete Round 3 tee times and groupings for the Biltmore Championship Asheville below.
2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)
Tee No. 1
7:33 a.m. – Jeremy Paul, Webb Simpson, Harry Higgs 7:44 a.m. – Tyler Duncan, Ben Martin, Trace Crowe 7:55 a.m. – Adam Schenk, Peter Malnati, Karl Vilips 8:06 a.m. – John Parry, Billy Horschel, Mackenzie Hughes 8:17 a.m. – Paul Peterson, Zach Bauchou, Chad Ramey 8:28 a.m. – Jackson Koivun, Ben Silverman, Gordon Sargent 8:39 a.m. – Chris Kirk, Brice Garnett, Austin Eckroat 8:50 a.m. – John VanDerLaan, Zecheng Dou, Marco Penge 9:01 a.m. – Kevin Roy, Rico Hoey, Austin Smotherman 9:12 a.m. – Steven Fisk, J.T. Poston, Ben James 9:23 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Jacob Bridgeman, Pontus Nyholm 9:34 a.m. – Max Greyserman, Eric Cole, Seamus Power 9:45 a.m. – Neal Shipley, Ben Kohles, Ricky Castillo
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Tee No. 10
7:33 a.m. – Haotong Li, Johnny Keefer, Will Gordon 7:44 a.m. – Nick Taylor, Cam Davis, Lucas Glover 7:55 a.m. – Adam Svensson, Pierceson Coody, Zac Blair 8:06 a.m. – Jonathan Byrd, Kevin Yu, Cameron Champ 8:17 a.m. – Michael Thompson, Tyler Watts, Troy Merritt 8:28 a.m. – Nick Dunlap, Hank Lebioda, Blades Brown 8:39 a.m. – Michael Kim, Andrew Novak, Adam Hadwin 8:50 a.m. – David Skinns, Patton Kizzire, Takumi Kanaya 9:01 a.m. – Vince Whaley, Doug Ghim, Hayden Springer 9:12 a.m. – Davis Chatfield, Justin Lower, Chandler Phillips 9:23 a.m. – Corey Conners, William Mouw, Stephan Jaeger 9:34 a.m. – Andrew Putnam, Dylan Wu 9:45 a.m. – Isaiah Salinda, Chandler Blanchet
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-prepared Fully Lit took the lead early and maintained it to win the Group 3 $250,000 Cameron Handicap (1500m). Concurrently, Bjorn Baker’s Perfumist showed a strong finishing burst to win the Group 3 $250,000 Tibbie Stakes (1400m).
This Cameron Handicap victory qualifies Fully Lit for The Big Dance, which is set to take place on Melbourne Cup Day, November 3. However, another significant Randwick mile race might be on the agenda prior to that major event.
Fully Lit achieved a second-place finish in last year’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap behind the exceptional mare Autumn Glow. He is now exceptionally well-weighted at 50kg for a second attempt at the $1.5 million feature mile at Royal Randwick on October 3.
Neil Paine, a representative from the stable, specifically highlighted jockey Regan Bayliss for his excellent ride after Fully Lit ($5.50) successfully held off challengers in the straight to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths from I’mintowin ($6.50). Mr Miller ($1.80 favourite) finished a half-length behind in third.
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“When Regan walked out to ride the horse he was very confident and said he wanted to go to the front,” Paine said. “It was a great ride and Fully Lit is just a tough, little horse. He’s run second in an Epsom, he won a $2 million race (Inglis Millennium) and now he has come here and won a Cameron.
“He’s been a great horse for his owners, for Red Fox Racing, and for Gai and Adrian.”
Fully Lit, who placed third in the Cameron Handicap last year behind Headley Grange, was in peak condition today, according to jockey Bayliss.
“That was a peak performance from the horse,” Bayliss stated. “He took complete control of the race and was too good.”
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Earlier in the day, Perfumist ($3.60 favourite) was ridden with confidence by Rachel King, accelerating impressively in the straight to win the Tibbie Stakes by two-and-a-half lengths from Mareth ($10). Polymnia ($5) claimed third place, nearly a length behind the runner-up.
“She deserved that,” King remarked about Perfumist’s decisive victory.
“This preparation she is bigger, stronger and more mature. She has always shown promise and hopefully she can continue to improve.
“She has a good turn of foot and will get a lot of confidence out of that win. She is going super.”
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Although Baker was not present for Perfumist’s comfortable win, stable manager Luke Hilton indicated that the trainer has major plans for the talented mare. These include the Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Everest Day, October 17, and then the Listed $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day, November 3.
“Perfumist was fantastic today,” Hilton commented.
“Full credit to Bjorn, he’s done an amazing job. She hasn’t had the best first-up record but Bjorn did things differently this time, giving her an exhibition gallop and a couple of good gallops at home, and it has paid off.
“She is right on target for the Angst and the Big Dance.”
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Don’t miss out on the action; explore online bookmakers for the latest odds.
Sep 12, 2026; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) reacts during the second quarter against the Charlotte 49ers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Week three of the college football season might be light on depth, but it could feature the most anticipated matchup of the year. Lane Kiffin and company make their return to Oxford for the first time since his highly public exit this past fall. That game could get ugly, but it’s not the only fun game of the Saturday slate. Here are this week’s picks for the games of the week.
#16 SMU vs #23 Louisville (-1.5) Total 58.5
When I look at this line, I feel like I’m falling into a trap. I have no idea how Louisville is only a point-and-a-half favorite. SMU has been one of the more consistent programs in the ACC the last two years, but I’ve never felt they’ve had the guns to compete with a truly competent offense.
Louisville QB Lincoln Keinholz is just the next play-caller in the Jeff Brohm QB tree to take their game to another level under him. However, Louisville is just incredibly deep all around on offense. Four different receivers for the Cardinals have at least 96 receiving yards this year, and I expect another air raid this week against SMU. I love Louisville and the over in this one.
Pick: Louisville -1.5 and o58.5
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#7 LSU (-3) vs #8 Ole Miss Total: 58.5
I know LSU looked phenomenal in their week one matchup against Clemson, but have we considered that Clemson is terrible and that LSU isn’t already a sleeping powerhouse? Since Kiffin left Ole Miss, the media has seemed to write off this iteration of the Rebels, but I still feel that they’re one of the best offenses in the country.
In what will be one of the biggest games of the college football season, I’m going to trust the team with better QB play. Trinidad Chambliss has shown up in every big moment for Ole Miss, while Sam Leavitt is coming off a three-interception performance against Louisiana Tech. I don’t have a feel for the total, but I just think there’s no chance Ole Miss loses this game at the Grove.
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Pick: Ole Miss +3
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West Virginia vs #25 Virginia (-10.5) Total: 53.5
The Duke’s Mayo Classic, taking place at the Carolina Panthers’ home stadium, is a measuring-stick game for Virginia. Rich Rodriguez has the challenging job of reviving the Mountaineers in his second term as head coach back in Morgantown, but I don’t think this team is ready to compete with any truly ranked opponents, especially one as solid as the Cavaliers.
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Beau Pribula continues to be the most underrated quarterback in the country, and he’s turning this Virginia offense into one of the nation’s better rushing attacks. Virginia is 19th in the nation in rushing yards per game and will once again lean on Pribula and Xay Davis to control the flow of this game. I think this game will stay pretty low-scoring, and Virginia will pick up a win that puts them in the national limelight.
David Benavidez is closing on a crucial phase of his career where three fights, in particular, could see him become boxing’s next pound-for-pound king.
Benavidez is therefore likely to enter a three-belt unification match with Cieslak on December 12, before targeting a more appealing clash with Opetaia for Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027.
With ‘The Mexican Monster’ having one fight remaining on his Premier Boxing Champions contract, too, he may embrace the opportunity to become a free agent and work with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
Either way, father and trainer Jose Benavidez Sr has expressed his interest in the Opetaia fight, while also telling BOXING n BBQ that he would entertain showdowns with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
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Jose Benavidez Sr. reveals the HIT LIST he and David have in mind‼️
🥊 Jai Opetaia NEXT 🥊 Artur Beterbiev 🥊 Dmitry Bivol 🥊MAYBE move up to HEAVYWEIGHT👀 pic.twitter.com/F09Rijy83I
While still the unified king at 175lbs, Bivol has previously teased a move up to cruiserweight and Beterbiev, especially at this stage in his career, would surely benefit from making the same 25-pound jump.
As for Benavidez’s long-term future, though, it appears that his father is keen for a move up to heavyweight, where the former super-middleweight champion would look to follow in the footsteps of Roy Jones Jr.
Carson Wentz is going to start on Sunday as Minnesota travels to Chicago. Doing so means that J.J. McCarthy will function as the main backup. Look for Max Brosmer, the sophomore UDFA, to get bumped up from the practice squad. He’ll slot into that emergency QB3 job where he can only be inserted if the top pair of passers go down to injury.
Consider the official blurb from the team itself: “Head Coach Kevin O’Connell announces that Carson Wentz will start Sunday at Chicago and J.J. McCarthy will serve as the team’s backup.”
Vikings Make the Kyler Call
Last week, Mr. Wentz did reasonably well without being terrific. The veteran completed 63.2% of his passes by going 12/19 for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns.
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In the end, Minnesota had 39 points for the day, a beefy total that’s going to be tough to replicate. So much of what went into that final score was excellence from specials teams and especially the defense. Can Wentz shine without that kind of support?
Sticking with the run game was a wise move but Minnesota is now lacking Jordan Mason. Some combination of Aaron Jones alongside DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne are going to get the ground attack cooking.
Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) looks to pass the ball against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Another part of the problem is that WR2 Jordan Addison and WR3 Jauan Jennings got shutout against the Packers. Neither had a single catch, but Jennings does do wonderful work as a blocker.
Jennings isn’t able to play in Week 2 due to a personal issue that Ben Goessling reports is a close family loss. The word from the writer from The Star Tribune: “Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings will start Carson Wentz on Sunday. Kyler Murray made progress this week, and should be out of the concussion protocol by next week. J.J. McCarthy will be the backup. Jauan Jennings will be out after the loss of a close family member.”
And then there were the coverage issues for Brian Flores’s secondary. Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson had terrible games. So did CB1 Byron Murphy Jr. All of these guys need to be better. Weapons such as Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland are going to feast if the zones don’t tighten.
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Expecting Wentz to win without all of these guys playing better would be foolish. Close to impossible, even.
Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) and quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Vikings have made the correct call with Kyler Murray. Caution is to be encouraged when we’re talking about a person’s cognitive health. Let the top passer get completely healthy before considering a reinsertion into the lineup.
Kickoff for the Vikings at Bears is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 20th.
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