Sports
Red Sox try to hold on to fading playoff hopes vs. Twins
Sep 13, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Richard Fitts (80) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images In the heat of the American League wild-card race, the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins meet for the first time since May when they begin a three-game weekend series on Friday in Boston.
The Twins (80-73) have lost six of their last 10 games and 20 of 30 after finishing a four-game set at Cleveland with consecutive setbacks, including a 3-2, 10-inning contest on Thursday in which they were held to three hits.
As a result, Minnesota is in a dead-even tie for the final AL playoff spot with Detroit with nine games to play.
“It can be hard. It can be excruciating at times,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You could make a pretty reasonable statement that we were in a spot to win all four games here. (Winning just one is) not going to be satisfying, there’s no way around that.”
Though their playoff hopes have slipped during the 10-20 run, the Twins can only look forward. Having the likes of shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Byron Buxton, who both have an OPS above .850, back from injuries certainly offers a reason for optimism.
A strong finish can bring Minnesota more playoff baseball after winning the AL Central last season, but results will be needed to outpace a Tigers club that is 21-9 over the same span.
“If you’re looking at it from the outside, the odds probably aren’t in our favor just with how they’ve been going and how we’ve been going,” outfielder Matt Wallner said. “So, something’s got to change.”
Wallner went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Thursday after a 5-for-7 effort across the two prior games.
Continuing his rookie season, Minnesota righty David Festa (2-6, 5.07 ERA) is slated to make his 12th career start and first against Boston on Friday.
Festa remains in search of his first win since Aug. 5, though he broke a four-start losing streak in his Sunday no-decision against Cincinnati. He allowed two runs on three hits while striking out four over the first 3 2/3 innings of a 9-2 Twins win.
The Red Sox (76-77) are on the wrong end of the playoff cut line, entering their penultimate home series with a sub-.500 record and out of the third wild-card spot by four games.
A 2-0 Thursday loss at Tampa Bay caused that fact, whereas a Red Sox victory would have given them an opportunity to at least tie Minnesota in the standings with a head-to-head sweep this weekend.
In a crucial game with an opportunity to gain ground, Boston batters were held to one hit and struck out 11 times en route to being shut out for the seventh time this season.
“It’s the same thing that’s been happening for a month-and-a-half. We’re not executing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “At one point, we were the best offense in baseball against righties, but now we’re not producing.”
Like the opposition, the Red Sox will start a rookie of their own in Richard Fitts (0-0, 0.00), who has allowed only two unearned runs through his first 10 2/3 major league innings.
Filling in for Tanner Houck on short notice, Fitts pitched five shutout, two-hit frames against the Yankees last Friday in New York.
“It was a quick turnaround to find out when I was starting, but I welcomed the challenge,” Fitts said. “I’m just super blessed and super thankful to have the opportunity to wear a Red Sox uniform now and hopefully for a long time to come.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pens sign F Tommy Novak to 3-year, $13.95M extension
Mar 8, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Tommy Novak (18) reacts after scoring the game winning goal in overtime against Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Tommy Novak to a three-year, $13.95 million contract extension on Friday.
Novak, 29, posted 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 82 games in his first full season with the Penguins in 2025-26.
Acquired in a trade with Nashville in March 2025, Novak has 159 points (65 goals, 94 assists) in 285 career games.
The Predators drafted the St. Paul, Minn., native in the third round in 2015 and he made his NHL debut in 2021.
Novak, who would have been a free agent after the 2026-27 season, will earn an average annual salary of $4.65 million. The extension will run through the 2029-30 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top 10 Sports Moments of July: Ranking the Biggest Moments of the Month
Jul 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits an RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images July is one of the quiet months on the sporting calendar, right? Not this year.
With the NBA and NHL season having come to a close, baseball takes center stage before the NFL comes roaring back in the next few months.
With the World Cup finishing up and a star-studded NBA free agency class, July supplied many unexpected and jaw-dropping moments. It’s hard to debate the top spot but the rest of the list was highly contested as we ranked the top 10 best sports moments in July.
Cody Bellinger, American League take All-Star game
It wasn’t much of a back-and-forth game as the American League jumped ahead early and never let the National league gain footing with a 4-0 win. Cody Bellinger’s first inning two-run single earned him MVP honors in just the second All-Star game shutout this century.
Jannik Sinner returns to glory and wins Wimbledon
After being bounced in the second round at the French Open last month, Jannik Sinner claimed his first Grand Slam since last year’s Wimbledon. He won his fifth major in dominant fashion, dropping just one set after the first round and taking down reigning French Open champion Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4.
WNBA all star game boasts massive numbers
The WNBA continues to grow substantially and this year’s All-Star game was a direct indicator. More fans showed up to watch the WNBA’s All-Star game (19,783) than did the NBA All-Star game (15,973). On the broadcast side, it averaged 3.2 million viewers which was not only a 44% increase from last season, but was also the fifth-most watched game in league history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo gets his wish, finally gets traded
In a saga that has spanned across multiple offseasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo has at last been traded away from the Milwaukee Bucks in a move that drastically changes the landscape of the Eastern conference. The Miami Heat are the winners of the sweepstakes for the Greek Freak and their title odds surged from 30-1 all the way to 18-1
Red Sox notch historic 15-game winning streak
Jul 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Lawrence Butler (4) slides under the tag of Boston Red Sox second baseman Anthony Seigler (48) during the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images On June 24th, the Boston Red Sox sat dead last in the AL East with a 32-46 record. For the next month the Red Sox proceeded to not lose a single game, rattling off 15 straight wins while averaging nearly six runs per game. The historic franchise tied its longest win streak ever last set in 1946, and have been propelled into a playoff push.
The U.S. Men’s National Team takes down Bosnia
As one of the host nations of the World Cup, the U.S. had many lofty expectations for the tournament. While their dreams were ultimately cut short, the USMNT showed up in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a convincing 2-0 win. For just a moment after Malik Tillman’s free kick clinching goal, it seemed the U.S. could go all the way.
Ryan Fox rallies for Open Championship
Jul 19, 2026; Southport, ENG; Ryan Fox poses with the Claret Jug after winning the The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images It was a wild ride at the Open Championship and Ryan Fox made that clear with his clutch back nine. Fox used four birdies in his final six holes, including a clinching birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole to secure the title. It was the 39-year-old’s first ever major and becoming just the second golfer from New Zealand to win the Claret Jug since Bob Charles in 1963.
Argentina mounts great escape against England
It was a tournament filled with late goals at the 2026 World Cup, and Argentina was the main culprit. Trailing 1-0 in the depths of the match, Argentina and Lionel Messi somehow pulled it out with an outside-the-box goal from Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute and a header by Lautaro Martínez in the 92nd minute. Messi got both assists to keep Argentina’s dream run alive for the time being.
LeBron James lands with 76ers
Dec 21, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to a question during a post game interview after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images In potentially his last run at a championship, LeBron James made the monumental decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers to team up with a core that already featured Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Superstar Jaylen Brown was also acquired in the offseason to bolster Philadelphia’s chance at a championship and get James a fifth ring.
Ferran Torres nets Spain World Cup supremacy
After an enthralling tournament, just Spain and defending champions Argentina were left to play it out for the World Cup Final. After being deadlocked for an hour and 45 minutes, Ferran Torres blasted home a winner off of a beautiful Nico Williams centering header. It was all Spain nee
Sports
Wizards F Jamir Watkins recovering from ACL surgery
Apr 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards forward Jamir Watkins (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. (9) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Second-year forward Jamir Watkins could miss the 2026-27 season for the Washington Wizards after undergoing surgery to reconstruct his torn left ACL.
The Wizards said Watkins underwent surgery on Thursday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. It was performed by Dr. Riley J. Williams III, the chief of the hospital’s Sports Medicine Institute.
The 6-foot-6 Watkins was a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Florida State, and he signed a two-way contract with the Wizards before the 2025-26 season.
He appeared in 50 games as a rookie, starting seven. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 20.6 minutes per game.
Watkins, 25, suffered the knee injury on July 9 in the Wizards’ first game of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Playing against the Utah Jazz and guarding No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson, Watkins slipped and fell to the court, clutching his left knee, at the 8:40 mark of the first game. He returned to play almost 20 total minutes but did not appear in another Summer League game.
The Wizards added 2026 No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybantsa from BYU as well as a former first overall selection, Deandre Ayton. They also will look for injury-free seasons from veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis, acquired last season in trades.
Davis played in just 20 games last season with the Dallas Mavericks due to hand and groin injuries. He did not play with the Wizards after the trade. Young appeared in 10 games for the Atlanta Hawks and five for the Wizards, limited by lower back and right quad ailments.
–Field Level Media
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Pens sign F Tommy Novak to 3-year, $13.95M extension
