Sports
Marlins bid for series sweep in season finale vs. Blue Jays
Sep 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Marlins center fielder Dane Myers (54) celebrates with team mates in the dugout after hitting a three run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The visiting Miami Marlins will be out to complete a disappointing season with a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.
The Marlins (61-100) recorded an 8-1 win over the listless Blue Jays (74-87) on Saturday, one day after breezing to a series-opening 15-5 victory.
The Marlins have won three games in a row and four of their past five. The Blue Jays have lost nine of their past 11 games.
The Marlins are being managed for the final two games of the season by bench coach Luis Urueta. Manager Skip Schumaker had to leave the team to go home to California because of a family medical issue.
“The boys have been playing super hard,” Urueta said. “It was a pretty easy game to manage.”
Dane Myers helped make it easy on Saturday with a three-run homer and a two-run double for a career-best five RBIs.
Former Blue Jays minor-leaguer Griffin Conine was 3-for-4 with an RBI on Saturday after going 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in the series opener.
“Everyone is just taking care of their at-bats,” Conine said. “Everyone wants to finish strong. Hitting is contagious.”
The Marlins scored twice in the first inning Saturday after scoring three runs in the first on Friday. They have nine first-inning runs in their past four games.
“Guys are ready; they’re game-planning against the starters,” Urueta said. “It gives you a little bit of confidence to start the game.”
The Blue Jays do have something on the line on Sunday other than avoiding an embarrassing sweep. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-4 on Saturday and still needs one hit to become the sixth player in team history to reach 200 hits in a season.
Manager John Schneider said that batting Guerrero first on Sunday instead of the usual third in the order is being considered.
Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk had his 18-game hitting streak end when he was 0-for-3 with a walk on Saturday. One bright spot for the Blue Jays came when Nathan Lukes hit his first career major league home run in the first inning.
“It’s every kid’s dream to knock that off the bucket list,” Lukes said. “It was amazing.”
Lukes, 30, is the fourth-oldest Blue Jays player to hit his first career homer. It was one of four hits by Toronto.
The Marlins got five innings from Xzavion Curry (one run and two hits) and four innings from Darren McCaughan (two hits), who earned the save.
Urueta said he did not expect to use only two pitchers. It helped provide some rest for the bullpen heading into the season finale. Miami used seven relievers on Thursday in a 13-inning, 8-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
The Marlins are scheduled to start left-hander Ryan Weathers (4-6, 3.81 ERA) in the season finale. Weathers will face the Blue Jays for the first time.
The Blue Jays had not named a starter for Sunday. They likely will go with an opener followed by left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (5-2, 3.32 ERA). Yarbrough is 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA in eight career outings (three starts) against Miami.
Toronto recalled right-hander Nick Robertson from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned left-hander Easton Lucas to the Jays’ spring training complex since Buffalo’s season is over. Robertson pitched a clean ninth on Saturday.
Toronto infielder Leo Jimenez (right knee inflammation) did not play on Saturday. He jammed his knee while making a play at second base on Friday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
With Michael Conforto waiting, Cubs vie to take rubber game from Tigers
Jul 21, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Michael Conforto (20) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs have been getting instant offense off the bench from Michael Conforto, who hit his MLB-leading fourth pinch-hit home run of the season in an 11-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
Conforto is an outfielder by trade but has had to carve out a bench role because Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki are entrenched as starters.
Conforto already has tied the franchise single-season record for pinch-hit homers, set by Glenallen Hill in 1999, and hopes to be involved in the decisive contest of a three-game series against visiting Detroit on Wednesday night.
“All year, it feels like (Michael’s) biggest hits have been pinch hits,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “I don’t know if there’s any blueprint for it, but Michael has done a fabulous job at it. You feel like it’s a real weapon to have somebody like that.”
Wednesday’s matchup will be the rubber game of the series after Detroit won 8-6 in 10 innings on Monday and the Cubs took Tuesday’s game.
Colin Rea (7-6, 4.74 ERA) will start for Chicago on Wednesday. The right-hander snapped a two-start winning streak in his last appearance on Friday, allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings as the Cubs lost 5-2 to Minnesota.
Rea is 0-1 with a lifetime 6.43 ERA vs. Detroit in three appearances (one start).
Right-hander Keider Montero (6-5, 3.22 ERA) will start for Detroit on Wednesday. He has been used as a reliever throughout July after making starts in 15 of his first 16 appearances this season, but Montero is moving back into the rotation.
He got a win in his most recent outing, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief as the Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Friday.
Montero has faced the Cubs once, on June 7, 2025. Serving as the bulk reliever on a bullpen day, he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings and didn’t figure into the decision.
Montero has gone an inning-plus in every relief appearance he’s made this month. A versatile pitcher such as Montero gives Detroit manager A.J. Hinch extra flexibility as the team is in a stretch of playing 13 games in 13 days.
“I’ve always said when I pitch (Montero), I’m going to pitch him a lot,” Hinch told the Detroit Free Press.
“When you see him go out for a second inning or a third inning or a fourth inning, part of that is competitive and strategic. The other part of it is to keep him stretched out to where it doesn’t disrupt his volume.”
Montero’s ability to ease back into the rotation quickly took on even greater importance after the Tigers were forced to place Jack Flaherty (right flexor inflammation) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. Flaherty reported discomfort after throwing four innings in the series opener the day before.
Hinch explained the decision to put Flaherty on the IL after Tuesday’s game.
“It wasn’t a clear-cut IL (decision) when we woke up this morning,” Hinch told reporters. “And then as the day went on and the more opinion we got, the more we realized he wasn’t going to pitch in five or six days.”
Flaherty has made 19 starts for Detroit this season, going 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Heat: Link for LeBron James presser posted by mistake
Nov 5, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) reacts after making a basket against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Heat beat the Raptors 104-95. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images The Miami Heat said a live-stream link titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” was posted by mistake to the team’s YouTube channel.
The post, which included the date July 27, was later deleted. A team spokesperson told ESPN on Tuesday night that the club’s social media department had been preparing for the possibility of the superstar forward rejoining the Heat and errantly published the link.
James, 41, who won two NBA championships in four seasons with Miami from 2010-14, is a free agent for the first time since 2018 after announcing last month that he would not re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Potential landing spots for the league’s all-time leading scorer other than Miami reportedly include the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers (another former team) and the Golden State Warriors.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games with the Lakers in 2025-26. The four-time NBA champion owns career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in a record 1,622 games over 23 seasons.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spurs C Victor Wembanyama to grace NBA 2K27 cover
Dec 27, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will grace the cover of the NBA 2K27 video game, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The 7-foot-4 center powered San Antonio to the 2026 NBA Finals, with the Spurs falling to the New York Knicks in five games last month.
In his third NBA season, Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.1 blocks.
Previous cover athletes in the NBA 2K series have included Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Jayson Tatum.
Wembanyama, 22, is the third Spurs player to make the cover of at least one version of the game, joining Tony Parker (NBA 2K16, French version) and Pau Gasol (NBA 2K17, Spanish version).
–Field Level Media
With Michael Conforto waiting, Cubs vie to take rubber game from Tigers
Heat: Link for LeBron James presser posted by mistake
