Two teams licking their wounds will get together Thursday night in Winnipeg when the Blue Bombers host the reeling BC Lions.

Winnipeg enters with a 4-3 record after taking an unexpected 52-30 home spanking last Friday against Calgary. BC is 1-5 and at the bottom of the West division following a 26-12 home loss Saturday to Toronto that saw its offense do next to nothing with star quarterback Nathan Rourke on the shelf with a left shoulder injury.

The Blue Bombers have issues to iron out on offense as well, despite tallying at least 30 points in each of the last three games that veteran quarterback Zach Collaros has missed with a neck injury. Dru Brown has struggled to find an early rhythm in both games and hindered the team by tossing four interceptions last week.

Running back Brady Oliviera, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries, questioned the offense’s identity after the loss.

With Collaros still sidelined, Winnipeg needs to figure things out quickly.

“We’ve been doing some good things,” said receiver Nic Demski, “but I don’t think we’ve been a great offense of where we want to be or where our standards are at. I believe that we’ve been leaving some stuff out on the field.”

While the Blue Bombers look to find their top form, the Lions shoot to find any level of consistency. Chase Brice replaced Rourke but tossed four interceptions in a 19-17 loss at Edmonton July 17, then was hooked after completing 14 of 25 passes for 163 yards against Toronto.

Rookie Kaidon Salter, who starred at Liberty from 2021-24 and played last year for Deion Sanders at Colorado, will get his first start. Salter fared decently in garbage time last week, going 9 of 15 for 121 yards.

Salter has a connection to the CFL and BC. He’s a cousin of Casey Printers, who threw for 5,088 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2004 for the Lions en route to being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.

“I’m just very privileged to be up here and do some of the things he did,” Salter said. “He talked to me over the weekend to be prepared.”

–Field Level Media

Yandy Diaz homered on the first pitch Tampa Bay saw in a three-run first inning, and the Rays squared their three-game series with the Texas Rangers by winning 3-0 on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ryan Vilade slugged a mammoth two-run homer three batters after Diaz went deep. The blasts gave Tampa Bay all the offense it would need to prevail for the seventh time in nine games.

Rays left-hander Ian Seymour (7-3) entered after opener Casey Legumina retired five batters and allowed just one hit. Seymour tossed 4 2/3 innings and yielded only two hits and a walk. He struck out four.

Five pitchers combined to record Tampa Bay’s ninth shutout of the year.

Texas starter MacKenzie Gore (6-9) permitted three runs on three hits in seven innings. He struck out nine, hit a batter and issued no walks. The left-hander regrouped to retire 20 of the last 21 batters he faced.

The two first-place clubs combined for seven hits, all for extra bases.

After a sluggish offensive showing by the Rays in a 4-1 loss on Tuesday, Diaz belted the opening pitch in the first inning to right, slicing his 15th home run 372 feet.

Jonathan Aranda lined a double to center before Junior Caminero struck out. Vilade then smashed a 420-foot clout off the C-ring walkway high above left-center field for his ninth shot and a 3-0 lead.

As expected, Seymour replaced Legumina early to take the bulk innings. Seymour promptly set down 14 of the first 15 batters he faced, striking out four and allowing only a one-out double to Elias Diaz in the third.

Following his rocky first inning, Gore rebounded and kept the Rays at bay. He fired six hitless innings and yielded just one baserunner, when he plunked Ben Williamson with a pitch in the fifth.

The Rangers finally built a threat with one out in the seventh when Jake Burger doubled and Nicky Lopez walked, chasing Seymour. Garrett Cleavinger entered and escaped the jam by fanning Cam Cauley and retiring Alejandro Osuna on a weak grounder in front of home plate.

Sidewinding Rays reliever Kevin Kelly struck out the side in the eighth before closer Bryan Baker posted his 29th save with a scoreless ninth.

–Field Level Media

Chris Sale and a trio of relievers combined on a two-hitter Wednesday night for the visiting Atlanta Braves, who beat the New York Mets 1-0 to earn a split of a doubleheader between the National League East rivals.

Matt Olson snapped the scoreless tie with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning for the Braves, who dropped the opener 3-2. Drake Baldwin had two hits in the nightcap, when Ozzie Albies, Mauricio Dubon, Eli White and Jim Jarvis collected one hit each.

Christian Scott took the hard-luck loss for the Mets, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.

Sale (12-6) won his third straight start and fourth consecutive decision after giving up two hits – singles to Carson Benge and Eric Wagaman – and walking none while striking out nine. He has surrendered one run or fewer 11 times in 20 starts this season.

Didier Fuentes struck out three in a hitless seventh and Dylan Lee threw a perfect eighth before Raisel Iglesias tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the Braves’ sixth shutout of the season. Iglesias threw just eight pitches, all strikes, in recording his 22nd save.

The four pitchers combined to face just three batters over the minimum.

Scott (3-3) allowed the one run on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over a season-high six innings. The right-hander retired 12 straight after Baldwin singled on the first pitch of the game on his way to allowing one run or fewer for the third time in four starts.

A.J. Minter, Cionel Perez and Daniel Duarte combined for three innings of two-hit ball.

Neither pitcher allowed a runner past first base until the Braves broke through against Scott in the sixth. Jarvis, the nine-hole hitter, led off with a double and moved to third on Baldwin’s infield single. Scott struck out Ronald Acuna Jr. before Olson laced an RBI single up the middle.

The Mets never had a runner reach scoring position.

–Field Level Media