Sports
Rays, Red Sox playing for pride in season finale
Sep 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) high-fives first baseman Jonathan Aranda (62) after a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The visiting Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to complete a three-game sweep Sunday when they meet the Boston Red Sox in the final game of the regular season for each team.
Tampa Bay (80-81) won 2-1 on Friday, and beat Boston 7-2 on Saturday. The winner of the game Sunday will finish third in the American League East.
Junior Caminero hit a two-run home run against Boston starter Kutter Crawford during the win Saturday. Crawford allowed 34 home runs this season, which is the most of any major league pitcher.
“If you look at his season overall it was a solid one,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “This is a kid … he understands how to pitch. Uses both sides of the plate. He can go up, he can go down. He’s a guy we expect him to keep getting better. He’s been good for us.”
Boston (80-81) has lost three in a row and scored four runs in those three losses.
Another positive for Tampa Bay on Saturday was the performance by reliever Drew Rasmussen, who didn’t allow a run over the final two innings. Rasmussen had elbow surgery last year and had a 2.83 ERA and 28 2/3 innings as a reliever this season.
“It wasn’t perfect (Saturday), but you just look back over where I’ve been over the last 18 months or so, and I’m truly just blessed to have the opportunity to be back playing on the field,” Rasmussen said. “Pretty good year, and we’re excited about things moving forward.”
Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot (8-7, 3.64 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday for Tampa Bay. Boston is expected to go with right-hander Quinn Priester (2-6, 5.04), whom the Red Sox acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Nick Yorke on July 29.
“I don’t know if it’s official yet, but there’s a good chance it’s going to be (Priester),” Cora said in his postgame news conference Saturday.
It would be Priester’s first start with the Red Sox after spending the past two months working on his mechanics at Triple-A Worcester. Priester was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts at Worcester, and 4-2 with a 4.38 ERA overall in 16 Triple-A starts this year.
“Ultimately making some mechanical adjustments that felt really natural and led to better performance of all my pitches,” Priester told MassLive.com. “And feeling that and seeing that just let the confidence build up to where it should be.”
Pepiot pitched well but took the loss in the Rays’ 2-1 setback against Detroit on Tuesday. He allowed two runs on three hits in five innings, walked four and struck out six. Pepiot has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his past 13 starts.
Pepiot has no record and a 3.60 ERA in two career appearances (both starts) against the Red Sox. He recorded 15 strikeouts in 10 innings during those two starts.
It’s been a rough second half for the Red Sox, who were 10 games over the .500 mark at the All-Star break, but are 27-38 since then. Boston has a 37-43 home record and has been outscored by 33 runs in its home games. Tampa Bay has a 38-42 record on the road.
The Rays need a victory Sunday to avoid their first losing season since 2017.
–Field Level Media
Sports
New England, Toronto draw in game marked by missed chances
Jul 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution midfielder Griffin Yow (7) dribbles the ball against Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea (22) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images The New England Revolution played visitors Toronto FC to a scoreless draw Wednesday in Foxboro, Mass., as MLS played its first full slate of games since the World Cup.
Toronto (3-6-7, 16 points) and New England (8-5-2, 26 points) both failed to capitalize on key opportunities as the 10-point gap between them remained unchanged and Toronto remained outside the playoff picture.
Toronto’s Richie Laryea, back at his usual spot at fullback after playing for Canada at the World Cup, sent a low streaking cross immediately in front of goal only for Jules-Anthony Vilsaint to catch the ball on the wrong side of his boot in the 38th minute.
Carles Gil was quick to respond for the home side, rattling the crossbar on a powerful effort from outside the box. TFC goalkeeper Luka Gavran denied Peyton Miller at the far post off Gil’s curling free kick in the dying seconds of the first half.
Revolution defender Will Sands struck his own crossbar on a bungled clearing attempt in the 59th minute, but sprung up heroically to beat Deandre Kerr to the ball in the air after Josh Sargent kept it in play.
Perhaps with fixture congestion in mind, Sargent was kept on the bench until halftime, though Toronto’s record signing injected some much-needed energy into his team’s frontline. He headed a ball inches wide on a 76th-minute corner.
Canadian youth international Richard Chukwu made his MLS debut in Toronto’s backline and went 71 minutes before subbing off with a cramp. Djordje Mihailovic, who made his first league appearance since March last Thursday, was not in the visitors’ lineup.
TFC extended their winless streak to 11 in all competitions even as Gavran recorded his second consecutive clean sheet. Toronto has yet to score or concede in two games since returning from the World Cup break.
The result marked just the second time New England failed to capture three points at home this season. Goalkeeper Matt Turner collected his fourth clean sheet on the year.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Union topple Red Bulls for first win since April 11
Jul 22, 2026; Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Union forward Milan Iloski (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Red Bulls in the first half at Subaru Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Union scored their first home win of the season in their first match under interim coach Ryan Richter with a 3-1 defeat of the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday in Chester, Pa.
Milan Iloski, Indiana Vassilev and Neil Pierre scored for the Union (2-10-4, 10 points), who fired coach Bradley Carnell a short time into the World Cup break and promoted Richter from their MLS Next Pro affiliate. Last-place Philadelphia had not won since April 11 at Montreal.
Kai Wagner had an assist in his first game back for Philadelphia seven months after the Union transferred him to Birmingham City in England. Quinn Sullivan subbed on during the second half for his first appearance since tearing an ACL last September.
Cade Cowell scored and Ethan Horvath saved seven shots for the Red Bulls (6-6-4, 22 points).
The Union were the dominant team despite controlling just 36% of the possession. They nearly scored in the third minute when Iloski made a perfect cross to Frankie Westfield in the box, but Westfield’s wide-open shot rolled out on the wrong side of the right post.
Iloski took care of matters himself in the ninth minute. Horvath dropped a saved shot while bumping his own teammate midair, which allowed Iloski to fire in the rebound for his team-high eighth goal of the year.
Near the 22-minute mark, 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan fired a one-timer on goal from outside the box but Horvath pushed it over the bar.
Cowell tied the match in the 38th minute at the end of a clinical passing buildup through the midfield. Emil Forsberg took it to the penalty arc before passing to an unmarked Cowell on his right. Andre Blake (four saves) got a mitt on it, but not enough to stop the shot’s path into goal.
It remained tied at halftime and for a while thereafter, but Philadelphia broke through on a quick restart in the 57th minute. Westfield powered a cross from the right corner to the box and Vassilev’s left-footed one-timer hopped between Horvath and the near post.
The Union made the cushion more comfortable nine minutes later. Wagner hit a line-drive corner kick into a dangerous area and Pierre headed a powerful grounder under a helpless Horvath.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Late Inter Miami strike ruins Robert Lewandowski's Fire debut
Jul 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Fire FC forward Robert Lewandowski (9) controls the ball against Inter Miami CF defender Facundo Mura (4) during the first half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Preston Plambeck scored in his fourth career MLS appearance in the 87th minute to spoil Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut and lift short-handed Inter Miami to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.
Luis Suarez scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season for Miami (10-4-2, 34 points), which was playing without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul. Both were granted leave from the club after helping Argentina reach Sunday’s World Cup final.
Puso Dithejane leveled for Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) midway through the second half, after an error from Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo gifted the Fire an early lead.
Lewandowski, the former Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona star, played 62 minutes in his first MLS match for Chicago after the 37-year-old’s signing became official in late June.
But it was the 20-year-old Plambeck who made the decisive play to extend the second-place Herons’ winning streak to five matches on a night they began six points behind Eastern Conference-leading Nashville.
As he did on his second goal, Suarez combined with German Berterame to work into the penalty area.
This time Chris Brady saved the initial attempt. But Plambeck contorted his body and was able to guide the airborne rebound over the line on his first touch.
Chicago went in front when Rios Novo whiffed on a routine backpass from Ian Fray, allowing the ball to cross the goal line in the 18th minute.
Suarez’s first goal came from the penalty spot nine minutes later. Brady guessed incorrectly, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered with Suarez’s right-footed strike kissing the inside of the left post.
The Uruguayan veteran’s second arrived in the 51st minute, finishing past Brady after a give-and-go with Berterame that included Berterame’s exquisite back-heeled return ball.
Dithejane responded in the 67th minute, five minutes after his insertion during a triple substitution that also saw Lewandowski exit. Following a deflection of a rebound off Maren Haile-Selassie, Dithejane turned his body and fired a first-time finish between the diving Rios Novo and the right post.
The Fire looked more likely to break the tie for most of the next 20 minutes, but were ultimately punished for allowing Suarez into the box one more time.
–Field Level Media
