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Sam Darnold faces former club as Vikings, Jets head to London

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay PackersSep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) pitches the ball to running back Aaron Jones (33) during the third quarter of their game Sunday, September 29, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 31-29. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Sam Darnold did not want to create any controversy.

The 27-year-old quarterback — who has led the Minnesota Vikings to a 4-0 start and is playing the best football of his career — was asked this week whether he thought that the New York Jets had failed him as a young quarterback. The question was timely because Darnold and the Vikings (4-0) will face the Jets (2-2) on Sunday in London.

“I had a lot of opportunities in New York,” Darnold said, “and I always felt like I could’ve played better there.”

Six years after the Jets drafted Darnold at No. 3 overall out of USC, the strong-armed signal-caller has found his footing. He has thrown for 932 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first four games with Minnesota. His touchdown total and passer rating (118.9) lead the league heading into Week 5.

A showdown against his former team will not inspire any ill will from Darnold.

“I’m not really thinking about that, to be honest,” Darnold said. “A lot of new faces over there. Still know a few players. I’m sure before the game, maybe after the game, (I’ll see) some of the people that I’ve built really good relationships with. That’s always the fun part about this league, being able to see people that you’ve worked with in the past.

“That’ll be good to see those guys, but other than that, (it’s a) pretty new defense since I’ve been there and a lot of new players.”

The list of new players starts with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is in his second season with the Jets after spending 18 seasons with one of the Vikings’ biggest rivals in Green Bay.

This is set to be Rodgers’ 30th career game against Minnesota. He is 17-11-1 against the Vikings all time with 7,157 yards, 57 touchdown passes and eight picks in those 29 games.

The 40-year-old has had mixed results so far this season. He has thrown for 849 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. But his team has struggled to find consistency on offense and he been limited in practice so far with a knee injury.

“I’m feeling a little banged up,” Rodgers said during a paid appearance on ESPN. “Took some shots. Knee is a little swollen.”

If Rodgers is sore, that could prompt the Jets to turn more toward Breece Hall and their running game. Hall has rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on the season, while rookie teammate Braelon Allen has rushed for 130 yards and one score.

The only player not to practice Wednesday because of injury was offensive tackle Morgan Moses, who is dealing with a knee injury sustained in Week 3. He is expected to miss 1-3 more weeks.

The Vikings’ ground game is led by Rodgers’ old teammate in Green Bay, Aaron Jones, who has rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown to go with 143 yards receiving with a score. Justin Jefferson is the top threat in the passing game with 20 catches for 358 yards and four scores in four games.

Like the Jets, the Vikings are doing pretty well on the injury front. Cornerback Akayleb Evans was the only player to miss Wednesday’s practice, and that was because of illness. The team is hopeful he will be ready go for Sunday.

Patrick Jones II (five sacks) and Jonathan Greenard (four) lead the Vikings’ defense.

The Jets’ pass rush is led by Will McDonald IV (five sacks), while Solomon Thomas and Michael Clemons are tied for second with 1.5 each.

The game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London. The Vikings will serve as the host team.

The Vikings are 3-0 in London in their team history. They won in 2013, 2017 and most recently in 2022 when they held off the New Orleans Saints for a 28-25 victory.

The Jets are 1-1 in London. They beat the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and lost to the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

–Field Level Media

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MLB roundup: White Sox's Braden Montgomery hits walk-off HR in debut

Jun 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Chicago White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery (24) yells as he approaches home plate after his walk off two run home run during the tenth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesJun 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox right fielder Braden Montgomery (24) yells as he approaches home plate after his walk off two run home run during the tenth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Braden Montgomery belted a game-ending, two-run homer in the 10th inning in his major league debut to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 6-5 victory against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

Montgomery connected against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (0-1) in the bottom of the 10th after Atlanta’s Mauricio Dubon hit a go-ahead single against Grant Taylor on the first pitch of the top half. Montgomery finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs, becoming the fifth player in major league history to hit a walk-off homer in his debut.

Miguel Vargas belted a two-run shot and Jacob Gonzalez had two hits and an RBI for the White Sox, who took their only lead on the final swing.

The Braves led 4-0 after their half of the third, largely on Matt Olson’s two homers. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II added three hits apiece for Atlanta, which lost star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to hamstring tightness while he was attempting to leg out an infield single.

Dodgers 12, Pirates 3

Freddie Freeman recorded his 2,500th career hit as part of Los Angeles’ 10-run seventh inning, and the Dodgers thrashed host Pittsburgh.

The big frame featured three RBIs from Andy Pages, including a two-run homer, and two RBIs from Shohei Ohtani. Max Muncy finished with three hits for the Dodgers, and reliever Will Klein (2-2) threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn homered for the Pirates, who have lost four in a row. Reliever Wilber Dotel (1-1) allowed six runs (five earned) without retiring a batter.

Athletics 7, Brewers 5

Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz each homered for the third time in two games, powering the Athletics to a victory over Milwaukee, evening the three-game series in Las Vegas.

After homering seven times in the wild series opener, won by the Brewers 15-14 in 12 innings, the A’s pounded out another five homers on Tuesday at the hitter-friendly home of the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate. Jonah Heim, Zack Gelof and Henry Bolte (his first in the majors) also went deep for the A’s.

Athletics starter J.T. Ginn (4-3) allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings to beat Brewers starter Robert Gasser (0-3), who yielded six runs in five innings. Mason Barnett tossed two scoreless for his first career save. Jackson Chourio had Milwaukee’s lone homer.

Mariners 6, Orioles 5 (10 innings)

Randy Arozarena hit the second pitch of the 10th inning for a two-run home run and Seattle held on to defeat host Baltimore.

It was Arozarena’s third hit of the game. Seattle’s Mitch Garver socked a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Logan Gilbert pitched six strong frames, allowing one run on three hits. Jose Ferrer (1-1) gave up two ninth-inning runs to blow a save but instead recorded the win.

Coby Mayo homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth before Samuel Basallo’s fielder’s-choice grounder tied the game. Baltimore scored another run in the 10th on Leody Taveras’ RBI single but failed to plate the tying run despite having runners on the corners and no outs.

Marlins 10, Diamondbacks 6

Otto Lopez, whose .341 batting average leads the majors, went 3-for-5 with four runs and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning as host Miami defeated Arizona.

Rookie catcher Joe Mack went 4-for-4 with three runs as the Marlins won for the sixth time in seven games thanks to a four-run eighth. After Max Meyer allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings, Pete Fairbanks (3-3) struck out two in the ninth.

The Diamondbacks, just 3-8 in their past 11 games, were led by Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, and homers from Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno. Brandyn Garcia (0-1) permitted four runs over two-thirds of an inning.

Rays 4, Red Sox 3

Ryan Vilade went 3-for-4 and Nick Martinez turned in seven-plus strong innings to help Tampa Bay defeat Boston in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Martinez (6-2) held Boston to three runs on six hits. Bryan Baker retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth to earn his 18th save. Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each contributed two hits and an RBI. Yandy Diaz singled and walked to extend his on-base streak to 23, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

Payton Tolle (3-3) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits in Boston’s third straight loss. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two of the Red Sox’s six hits and scored twice, while Marcelo Mayer added a late two-run double.

Yankees 3, Guardians 2

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning, lifting visiting New York to a win over Cleveland.

Spencer Jones belted his first major league homer for the Yankees. New York reliever Camilo Doval (2-0) tossed a scoreless seventh, and Fernando Cruz earned his first save of the season with 1 2/3 shutout innings, making the Yankees the first AL team to record 40 wins.

Tim Herrin (0-2) gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings for the Guardians, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Cleveland’s Angel Martinez had two hits and an RBI.

Blue Jays 3, Phillies 2

Brandon Valenzuela capped a two-run ninth inning with a walk-off single as Toronto defeated visiting Philadelphia

Bryson Stott’s RBI double against Louis Varland (3-1) gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, but in the bottom of the inning, Jhoan Duran (1-3) blew a save for the first time in 17 opportunities this year.

In first start since May 24, having recovered from a hamstring strain, Toronto ace Dylan Cease struck out 11 while allowing one run in six innings. His counterpart, Zack Wheeler, also threw six innings of one-run ball.

Cardinals 7, Mets 0

Dustin May pitched six stellar innings for his first win in nearly two months and Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer as visiting St. Louis extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over New York.

May (4-6) scattered four hits and a walk while striking out six. Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a two-run single and Jordan Walker rapped an RBI double to highlight a four-run third inning. Ivan Herrera reached base five times, including three hits, and scored three times.

Mets starter Freddy Peralta (4-5) allowed a season-worst six runs on six hits in six innings. Rookie A.J. Ewing had two of New York’s five hits, but the Mets were shut out for the seventh time this season.

Royals 5, Rangers 3

Jac Caglianone homered twice and Kansas City used a four-run sixth inning to rally for a victory over visiting Texas.

Caglianone, who had three hits with a walk, led off the fifth inning with a home run for Kansas City’s first hit against Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (5-7). He then highlighted the breakout sixth with a two-run shot. Both of Caglianone’s career two-homer games have come against the Rangers.

Josh Jung and Brandon Nimmo each had two hits for Texas, which had won seven of nine, a stretch that began with a three-game home sweep of Kansas City. Texas’ Corey Seager and Jake Burger had an RBI apiece.

Tigers 10, Twins 4

Dillon Dingler homered twice among four hits and knocked in four runs as streaking Detroit pounded visiting Minnesota.

Kerry Carpenter supplied a two-run shot and Riley Greene added a solo blast while driving in two runs as the Tigers won for the sixth time in seven games. Gleyber Torres contributed a two-run single. Detroit starter Troy Melton (3-0) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings.

Josh Bell hit his 200th career homer for the Twins, who have lost five of their past six. Byron Buxton led off the game with a homer, Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens added solo homers, and Minnesota starter Taj Bradley (5-3) allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Rockies 7, Cubs 3

Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar homered as Colorado beat Chicago in Denver.

Edouard Julien had two hits and drove in three runs, Willi Castro finished with three hits and Kyle Karros had two hits for Colorado, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Tomoyuki Sugano (6-4) allowed three runs on six hits in five-plus innings.

Michael Busch homered and Alex Bregman had two hits and an RBI for Chicago, which has lost six of its past eight games. Cubs starter Colin Rea (5-4) lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing season-high totals of seven runs and nine hits.

Reds 5, Padres 3 (11 innings)

Sal Stewart clouted a two-run homer in the 11th inning and visiting Cincinnati snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over San Diego.

Stewart drilled a hanging splitter from Yuki Matsui (0-1) over the center field wall for the decisive runs. Tejay Antone (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing a run in the 10th. Zach Maxwell earned his first major league save with a 1-2-3 11th.

San Diego starter Lucas Giolito pitched four innings, permitting two hits and two runs, one earned. Samad Taylor, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. each notched an RBI hit for the Padres, who have lost 12 of their past 15 games.

Angels 10, Astros 1

Oswald Peraza had three RBIs and Jo Adell and Wade Meckler drove in two apiece as Los Angeles built an early seven-run lead and cruised to a victory over Houston in Anaheim, Calif.

Walbert Urena (4-4) pitched five scoreless innings for the Angels, who had lost six of their previous eight games. Sebastian Rivero had two hits before exiting with a left wrist injury, and Nolan Schanuel left with a calf ailment.

Brice Matthews had an RBI single for the Astros, who had won three of their previous four contests. Kai-Wei Teng (3-5) was roughed up for seven runs (five earned) and seven hits over four innings.

Nationals 6, Giants 3

Luis Garcia Jr. hit the 11th pitch of the game for a two-run homer, James Wood had three hits and scored twice and Washington made it two straight wins at San Francisco.

Andrew Alvarez and four relievers overcame nine hits and seven walks to limit the Giants to three runs, helping the Nationals improve to 4-1 on a six-game Western swing. Daylen Lile drove in a pair with a bases-loaded walk and an RBI triple.

Giants starter Adrian Houser (2-6) worked 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits. Bryce Elridge ripped a late solo shot and Jung Hoo Lee contributed a pair of hits and RBIs for San Francisco.

–Field Level Media

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BetBoom, 9z, G2 move on to Stage 3 at IEM Cologne

Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn ImagesNov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

BetBoom Team, 9z Team and G2 Esports won their Round 4 high matches in Stage 2 on Monday to move onto Stage 3 at the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major in Germany.

They will await three more teams to join them in Stage 3, as the Swiss System format concludes Tuesday to determine the last of the 16 participants in Stage 3.

Eight teams were seeded directly into Stage 3: Team Vitality, Natus Vincere, Team Falcons, The MongolZ, PARIVISION, Aurora Gaming, FURIA and MOUZ. FUT Esports and Team Spirit joined them by going 3-0 in Stage 2.

Teams are competing for their share of the Counter-Strike 2 tournament’s $1.25 million prize pool with the grand final scheduled for June 21. The champion receives $500,000.

Advancement and elimination matches in Stage 2 are best-of-three. All other Stage 2 matches were a single map.

In the first Monday high match (between teams with 2-1 records), BetBoom opened with a 13-7 win over Monte on Nuke. Monte followed with a 13-6 victory on Mirage before BetBoom registered a 13-8 triumph on Dust II. Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov paced all-Russian BetBoom with 58 kills and a plus-26 kills-deaths differential. Bulgaria’s Aleks “Rainwaker” Petrov led Monte with 47 kills and a plus-5 K-D differential.

In the second high match, 9z made quick work of TYLOO, posting a sweep with wins on Overpass (13-10) and Inferno (13-6). Franco “dgt” Garcia of Uruguay led the way for 9z, posting 40 kills and a plus-21 K-D differential. Qianhao “Moseyuh” Chen of all-Chinese TYLOO notched a team-high 29 kills and an even K-D differential.

In the third high match, G2 also picked up a sweep, taking out BIG on Inferno (13-3) and Mirage (13-8). For G2, Guy “NertZ” Iluz of Israel delivered 39 kills and a plus-21 K-D differential. Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin of Belarus led BIG with 23 kills and a minus-2 K-D differential.

In the first of three elimination matches, B8 recovered from a 13-7 loss on Mirage against MIBR, posting back-to-back wins on Nuke (13-10) and Ancient (13-8). Legacy swept M80 with wins on Dust II (13-8) and Inferno (16-13 in overtime). paiN Gaming topped Astralis 2-0, prevailing 13-11 on Nuke and a 13-4 on Overpass.

Stage 3 finishes Tuesday with three matches featuring teams with 2-2 records:

–Monte vs. paiN Gaming

–TYLOO vs. Legacy

–BIG vs. B8

Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major prize pool

1. $500,000

2. $170,000

3-4. $80,000

5-8. $45,000

9-11. $15,000

12-14. $15,000

15-16. $15,000

17-19. $10,000

20-22. $10,000 — MIBR, M80, Astralis

23-24. $10,000 — GamerLegion, FlyQuest

25-27. $5,000 — Lynn Vision Gaming, NRG, Team Liquid

28-30. $5,000 — THUNDERdOWNUNDER, Sharks Esports, HEROIC

31-32. $5,000 — Gaimin Gladiators, SINNERS Esports

–Field Level Media

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Mariners dealing with injuries ahead of rematch vs. Orioles

Jun 8, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn ImagesJun 8, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Making adjustments is bound to be a key for the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles as they face off in a four-game series this week.

The teams will meet in Baltimore for the second time Tuesday night, a day after some roster adjustments.

The Mariners will be without shortstop J.P. Crawford for the series after he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a contusion on his right hand. He was hit by a pitch in Friday’s game at Detroit.

“We think it’s probably the smart thing to do at this point,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said of the IL move.

The Orioles already altered their rotation to begin the series with Seattle. The teams will meet seven times in an 11-day period.

The Mariners, largely courtesy of Josh Naylor’s grand slam, won 6-3 in Monday night’s series opener. They’re 2-3 since winning eight games in a row.

Seattle played its most recent game without rookie infielder Colt Emerson, who had been plugged in at shortstop during the weekend. He had back tightness and was scratched from Monday’s lineup.

Crawford’s roster replacement is infielder Ryan Bliss, who supplied a sacrifice fly in the series opener. Bliss played as the second baseman, and Cole Young, who has had a heavy workload all spring, shifted to shortstop.

“He seems to be maintaining his strength and stamina,” Wilson said of Young. “It has been outstanding.”

The Orioles will try to snap a three-game skid Tuesday after blown chances in the series opener.

“We knew we had to grind and really force them to work, and we did that,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “We just couldn’t come through with the big blow. But it’s one of those games where you’re proud of how they fought.”

The Orioles have had some recent baserunning snafus, a glaring one when Blaze Alexander tagged up from first base and was thrown out at second on a play that cost them a run on what would have been a sacrifice fly.

“It’s one of those things; I love the aggressiveness,” Albernaz said. “It’s just smart aggressiveness (we need).”

Right-hander Logan Gilbert (4-4, 3.79 ERA) will start on Tuesday for the Mariners, aiming for his third consecutive win.

Gilbert hasn’t given up a run in his last three road outings, blanking the Athletics, Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox in a total of 17 2/3 innings. In those three games, he has struck out 21 and walked four.

Gilbert has made three career starts vs. the Orioles, going 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 18 2/3 innings. The victory came in 2023 in Baltimore.

The Orioles had a disruption before the series when starter Chris Bassitt went on the 15-day injury list Monday due to low back discomfort, but that move shouldn’t directly impact the rotation for the rest of the series.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers (3-6, 6.29 ERA) is Baltimore’s projected starter on Tuesday. He won for the first time since April 1 after allowing one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings on Thursday in an 8-2 victory at Boston.

Rogers has made two career starts against Seattle without a decision. His ERA in those games is 2.03 over 13 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

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