Sports
Yankees send Gerrit Cole, Max Fried vs. Pirates in split DH
Jul 17, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Gerrit Cole and Max Fried have been teammates since last season but never in the New York Yankees’ rotation at the same time because of injuries.
That changes Wednesday when Cole and Fried start for New York in its day-night doubleheader with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cole (3-5, 3.93 ERA) will start the opener on Wednesday afternoon against fellow right-hander Mitch Keller (6-7, 5.14). Fried (4-3, 3.21), a left-hander, will return from a bone bruise in his left elbow for his first start since May 13 when he faces righty Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77) in the second game.
Cole was recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow last season when Fried was 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA in the first year of an eight-year deal. They were set to be on the roster at the same time May 22 when Cole made his season debut but Fried went on the injured list on May 14 after his velocity diminished in a three-inning start at Baltimore one day earlier.
Cole is 1-4 with a 5.33 ERA in his past five starts and pitched six scoreless innings before Max Muncy hit a slider for a go-ahead two-run homer two batters into the seventh inning of Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Dodgers.
Fried threw 52 pitches in his first rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was slated for another before the Yankees decided to activate after Tuesday’s game was rained out. In the start before getting hurt, Fried allowed five runs on six hits in six innings during a loss at Milwaukee on May 8.
Cole is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in a pair of starts against Pittsburgh, which drafted him first overall in 2011. Fried is 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA in eight career starts against the Pirates.
The duo is pitching in New York’s second doubleheader in four days after the Yankees opened the series with Monday’s 8-5 victory. Jazz Chisholm is hitting .368 (7-for-19) in his past five games after homering twice and driving in five runs.
“He’s capable of that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Chisholm, who batted .177 in 25 games last month and is hitting .228 overall. “When he gets it rolling, he’s capable of big things.”
The Pirates are playing their third doubleheader this month. Pittsburgh earned a pair of one-run victories when it swept a doubleheader from visiting Milwaukee on July 11 and split two games in Cleveland on Saturday.
Pittsburgh is 8-4 in its past 12 and has scored at least five runs in nine of those games.
Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run homer, has an RBI in eight straight games and is the first Pirate with an RBI and an extra-base hit in eight games in a row since Hall of Famer Willie Stargell in 1971.
He also is hitting .369 with 11 of his 13 homers and 29 RBIs over his past 23 games since June 19.
“It’s a product of my preparation during the offseason,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “Hopefully, that’s not the only achievement I’m going to do. I’m going to do hopefully more in a Pirates uniform.”
After getting a short outing from Braxton Ashcraft on Monday, the Pirates hope Keller starts reversing his recent struggles. After allowing three runs in three innings during a 10-5 loss to Atlanta on July 9, Keller is 1-5 with a 7.61 ERA in his past eight starts.
Keller is 0-2 with a 10.24 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees.
Chandler, who is 2-2 with a 4.68 ERA in his past starts, will make his first appearance against the Yankees. In his most recent start, the right-hander allowed two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings while throwing 97 pitches in a no-decision during the Pirates’ 3-2 home win over the Brewers on July 11.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC focusing on Fire, not player's demand, fan reaction
Sep 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder a(7) brings the ball up the pitch against Charlotte FC during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Their leading goal scorer wants out of town and their goalkeeper is public enemy No. 1 after a costly gaffe during the World Cup played a key role in the United States losing to Belgium in the round of 16.
But New York City FC is still relying on Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Matt Freese for big contributions Saturday night when the Chicago Fire invade Yankee Stadium.
Fernandez Mercau scored his 11th goal on a penalty kick Wednesday night during a 2-1 win at Columbus that got NYCFC (6-6-4, 22 points) to .500. It came one day after reports that the club rejected an $18 million offer for his services, leading to his demand that the team transfer him.
“You see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of Fernandez Mercau. “That’s what he’s supposed to do.”
Freese, whose whiffed clearing attempt led to a third goal for Belgium in a 4-1 win on July 6, was booed on every touch Wednesday. Despite the jeers, he made three saves in the team’s first fixture after the World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) sits third in the East table despite a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Inter Miami. The result snapped the Fire’s three-match winning streak.
Chicago opted not to stand pat during the summer transfer window, adding Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona on a two-year deal. The 37-year-old Lewandowski, the captain of Poland’s national team, started at Miami and played 63 minutes.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski’s signing led to the departure of star striker Hugo Cuypers. The Fire sold him to LIGA MX’s Monterrey for a reported $7.5 million after he scored 40 goals in 75 league matches over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 matches this season, tying Dallas’ Petar Musa for the league lead.
NYCFC is 3-0-2 in its last five matches against Chicago.
–Field Level Media
Sports
CF Montreal acquire Brayan Ceballos from Revs for up to $850K GAM
Mar 15, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) congratulates defender Brayan Ceballos (3) after he scored his second goal during the first half against the FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images The New England Revolution traded defender Brayan Ceballos to CF Montreal on Friday in exchange for up to $850,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM).
The payments were divided into $500,000 in 2026 GAM, $250,000 in 2027 GAM and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM. The Revs also retained a percentage of Ceballos’ sell-on rights should he be transferred again.
“Brayan is a reliable and versatile defender who can play effectively in a variety of systems, making him an important addition to our roster,” Luca Saputo, Montreal’s managing director for recruitment and sporting methodology, said in a statement. “His strengths will complement those already present in our defensive unit. We are confident that he will contribute to our collective objectives as well as the team’s development.”
Ceballos, 25, came to the Revolution from Brazil’s Fortaleza EC in January 2025. He had three goals in 38 career games (37 starts) for the Revs, with two of those goals coming in one game this season, March 15 against Cincinnati.
“We are grateful to Brayan for all his contributions during his time in New England. We wish him all the best in Montreal,” Revolution general manager Chris Tierney said in a statement. “As we look to continue improving the first team, generating this significant amount of allocation money will allow us to continue investing in the roster in the future.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Abu Dhabi Best Bets: Top Picks for Ankalaev vs. Guskov Fight Night
Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; UFC CEO Dana White talks to the press after the fight between Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images We’re one day away from the UFC returning to its Fight Island home on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for another weekend Fight Night. It’s the first of what is expected to be two occasions this year where the Octagon lands in Abu Dhabi, with the annual late October numbered card in Abu Dhabi expected.
The main event will see former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev taking on Bogdan Guskov.
This will be Ankalaev’s first fight since dropping the title to Alex Pereira last year at UFC 320. Before that, Ankalaev went on a 14-fight unbeaten streak, culminating with his UFC 313 title win over Pereira.
Guskov takes this fight on short notice, only being announced for this bout on July 13 after an injury to Khalil Rountree Jr. Guskov dropped his UFC debut but then won four straight. He most recently fought at UFC 323, battling former champion Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw.
The co-main event will see former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg battle Ramazan Temirov. After losing three straight, Erceg enters this bout with back-to-back wins, defeating Ode’ Osbourne last year and Tim Elliott this past May in Perth. Temirov, meanwhile, has won 11 straight, including his first two UFC bouts, finishing CJ Vergara and earning a decision over Charles Johnson.
The rest of the main card will see Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman, Damian Rzepecki vs. Magomed Zaynukov, Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune, and Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev.
ISLAM DULATOV VS WELLINGTON TURMAN
Unbeaten since dropping his pro debut, Islam Dulatov is a name the UFC has had its eye on. He’s 11-1, had a strong first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series, and quickly finished Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut last year. At 6’3” and with a 75-inch reach, Dulatov is a fairly big man for the welterweight division. Add in his high-volume striking and pressure, and his ability to finish by either KO/TKO or submission, and you can see the danger he presents.
Wellington Turman is an experienced veteran of the Octagon, and he’ll look to trouble Dulatov with his jiu-jitsu work. This will be Turman’s first fight since December 2023, however, and he enters this fight on a three-fight losing skid. Signs point to this being another Dulatov showcase.
BET: Dulatov to win via KO/TKO in Round 1 (FanDuel: -110)
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VALTER WALKER VS THOMAS PETERSEN
How Valter Walker is not on the main card of this event is downright criminal. He might be fighting an unranked fighter and the heavyweight division might be lackluster, but he’s probably this writer’s favorite thing about the division right now. The man gets submissions like crazy, and he’s developing into one of the most talented heavyweights in a UFC division that desperately needs talent.
Petersen has talent, but he’s been up and down since entering the UFC – and I prefer the competition Walker has faced. Point blank, a loss for Walker here would be devastating for not just Walker, but the division as a whole. The challenge for making a play here is that Petersen has a wrestling base and has never been submitted…and yet, the way Walker’s momentum has been, that might not matter.
BET: Walker via submission (DraftKings: +165)
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DUSTIN JACOBY VS MUHAMMAD SAID
Dustin Jacoby might not reach the upper echelon of the UFC light heavyweight rankings, but he’s tough competition for anyone who is put in front of him. The power in his strikes, which stem from his kickboxing days, translated well into the Octagon. Not only are his losses not bad, but he’s riding a three-fight KO/TKO streak entering this bout.
Said is going to have a hometown factor in this one, and he’s a strong striker and finisher in his own right. The question about him is the level of competition. Jacoby is the most experienced guy he’s going to have fought – in his first six fights, he fought fighters who had no more than four fights. He’s faced experienced fighters in his last three, but they didn’t have the greatest of records.
Some have felt this will be a difficult fight to predict, but I’ll trust in both fighters’ finishing abilities.
BET: Fight to end via KO/TKO/DQ (Caesars: -125)
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