Shohei Ohtani last threw off a mound on July 22 in Philadelphia. If MLBs most famous two-way player has thrown a baseball since then, hes done so out of sight of the media that follow his and the Los Angeles Dodgers every move.That changed on Saturday, Aug. 8, when Ohtani played catch before the Dodgers game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.Ohtani was at least a candidate to receive National League Cy Young Award votes, if not win the award, when injuries limited him to hitting duties after his July 3 start against the San Diego Padres.In 14 starts this season, Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA. The Dodgers dont necessarily need Ohtani on the mound to repeat as World Series champions. However, getting him back would boost an already star-studded rotation and bolster Ohtanis chances to win the NL Most Valuable Player award.MORE: Dodgers trade for 2 former catchers immediately before MLB deadlineMore to come on this story.

The Baltimore Orioles made a shocking move at this years trade deadline, dealing longtime face of the franchise and switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox.While the move was heartbreaking for fans, it made sense for one clear reason. The Orioles have their catcher of the future locked up in Samuel Basallo. Basallo inked a long-term extension last year that runs through the 2033 season, and the organization extended him after just four big-league games. That belief in him looks like one of the best decisions president of baseball operations Mike Elias has ever made.This year, Basallo has broken out, posting a .241 batting average, .305 on-base percentage, .756 OPS, 16 home runs and 46 RBIs across 86 games.Unfortunately, Basallo is currently on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation and has missed 16 consecutive games. However, he has been making progress, and on Saturday manager Craig Albernaz announced a positive update. He revealed that Basallo was able to throw from 90 feet for a second straight day and is fairly close to beginning a hitting program, according to Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun.Given that Basallo suffered a shoulder injury, throwing and hitting will be the two biggest tests before he heads out on a rehab assignment. As a catcher who will now shoulder even more of the workload with Rutschman gone, his ability to throw out baserunners is important. His arm strength and accuracy behind the plate are a big part of his defensive value, and the Orioles need to be certain those have not been compromised before putting him back in games.As for hitting, that matters just as much. Getting Basallo back healthy and swinging the bat freely is essential for a team that is trying to salvage what is looking like a lost season. Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter

Botafogo and Fluminense set for derby at Nilton SantosBotafogo and Fluminense have announced their lineups for this Saturdays (8) derby in the Brasileiro.The match will take place at Nilton Santos Stadium and is part of the 22nd round of the league.In the first-round meeting at the Maracan, Tricolor won 1-0, with a goal from Lucho Acosta.See below for the starting lineups:BotafogoFranclim Carvalho will be without Huguinho, who is suspended.FluminenseJohn Kennedy is the teams latest absentee after suffering a serious knee injury.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here.

Photo by Scott Brinegar/WWE via Getty ImagesThe wrestling landscape is as strong as its ever been at the moment with both WWE and AEW having big followings.As well as the likes of New Japan Pro Wrestling, TNA and other smaller promotions, wrestling in general is in a strong place, with WWE leading the way as always.For the WWE, it is the competition of AEW and their ability to pay big money that is the biggest threat right now.Many have crossed over either to or from WWE to AEW, and much like the late 1990s, theres a feeling of genuine competition between performers.Nevertheless, it is WWE who remain the behemoth of the wrestling world and according to Dave Meltzer, they are trying to kill off the competition again.How WWE are trying to get rid of AEW and lower their own salaries If you are a wrestler right now, the market is there for you to go and earn big money.WWE pay huge amounts, while AEW also compensates its top stars very well as well. Add in that WWE have a foothold in AAA as well, and everyone is feeding.Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesHowever, speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, wrestling critic and commentator Dave Meltzer believes WWE are once again trying to swallow up the competition.Theyre fighting AEW so hard, so that they can get back the control that they thought that they were going to have, and then they dont have to be escalating salaries anymore and theyd have even bigger profits.Thats their loss-leader mentality. Its like, yeah, well take some short-term money losses, but if we can get rid of them, if somehow we get rid of them as far as being major competition to us, maybe we can start asking guys to take pay cuts because they dont have the leverage of going somewhere else.The ones that we see on TV on Raw and SmackDown, the ones on the main roster, theyre all doing great, far, far, far beyond their dreams of what they ever thought they would make in pro wrestling, partially because revenues increased and more so because AEW exists and its raised everyones salary.With AEW and WWE going head to head with some events, there is definitely a feeling of us or them when it comes to certain fans.AEW does have some top stars too. The likes of Jon Moxley, MJF, and Darby Allin would all be welcomed in WWE, while weve already seen CM Punk and Cody Rhodes make the switch back.For now, AEW existing is a good thing. But as weve seen in the past, WWE like things to go their own way and can, when needed, be ruthless.READ MORE: https://www.hitc.com/tom-brady-told-what-he-must-do-if-he-fights-logan-paul-in-wwe/

MIAMI (AP) Sandy Alcantara struck out eight in seven innings, becoming the Miami Marlins' career leader in innings pitched, and Xavier Edwards had three RBIs in a 7-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. Alcantara (13-6) broke the record in the third, working his 1,226th inning and passing Ricky Nolasco, who pitched 1,225 2/3 innings for the Marlins from 2006-13. He gave up three hits and walked one. Reliever Pete Fairbanks struck out all three batters in the ninth to end the game. Edwards hit an RBI double as Miami took a 2-0 lead in the third, followed by Otto Lopez's two-run single to double the Marlins' lead. Jakob Marsee tripled to lead off the fifth, and Edwards singled to send him home. Griffin Conine singled and Heriberto Hernndez doubled in the fifth to make it 7-0. Angels starter Walbert Urea (7-8) pitched the first 2 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and four earned runs. He walked three and struck out two. Brett Kerry pitched the final 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one. He gave up six hits.Up nextRHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-4, 7.24 ERA) will start on the mound for the Angels in the series finale on Sunday. RHP Ryan Gusto (0-3, 4.80) will start for the Marlins. ___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Clark received the technical foul for making contact with an official

McKenna and Walsh sent the fans home happy in Dublin

Rumors have continued to swirl around the future of Haas Factory Teams NASCAR Cup operation as charter values climb and the organization settles into life as a single-car team.On Saturday at Iowa Speedway, Haas chief operating officer Joe Custer made one thing abundantly clear: the organization has no intention of selling its charter or returning to a multi-car Cup program anytime soon.Instead, Haas plans to keep building around Cole Custer while strengthening its technical relationship with Chevrolet and its industry partners.Haas isnt interested in selling its charterSpeaking Saturday at Iowa Speedway, Custer dismissed the idea that Haas could cash out as Cup Series charters continue to increase in value.We have unfinished business in the Cup Series, you know, as Haas Factory Team, Custer said. So, no, we are dead committed. Gene Haas, you know, is an F1 owner and a NASCAR Cup owner and also an OReilly owner, and we intend to keep it that way.The comments come as Haas remains one of just a handful of organizations fielding a single full-time chartered Cup entry.Charter values have climbed significantly following NASCARs new charter agreement, leading to ongoing speculation that smaller organizations could eventually choose to sell rather than compete.Custer made it clear that isnt part of Haas thinking.Expansion isnt the priority eitherWhile Haas announced Saturday that it will expand its NASCAR OReilly Auto Parts Series program to three full-time teams in 2027, Custer said that philosophy does not currently extend to the Cup Series.When I say cool things, single car team, we really have no interest, frankly, in expanding, you know, into a multi-car team, Custer said. We have more of an interest in becoming closer and closer to GM and our technical partner. So, thats our vision.Rather than adding another Cup car, Haas intends to invest in improving the competitiveness of its existing operation.Were not sitting around. We are moving.Custer also emphasized that the organization is focused on becoming faster instead of simply becoming larger.I just want fast race cars. Thats all I want out of it. I want to go to the front. Were not there yet. Weve got some work to do, but stay tuned. Were not sitting around. Were moving.For now, Haas roadmap appears straightforward: remain a single-car Cup organization, keep its charter, deepen its technical alliances, and focus on giving Cole Custer equipment capable of consistently competing near the front.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a shiny new starting lineup with the huge additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. On paper, that's one of the best starting lineups in the game. The sheer star power the Sixers possess is going to be fascinating to watch on the floor.With that being said, there are certainly going to be questions for this group. There is a lot that the Sixers need to figure out in order to get everybody on the same page and find that rhythm and groove in order to seriously challenge a team like the New York Knicks--the current defending champions. The Knicks have a core that has been together for quite a while and the Sixers will need to find a way to overcome the upcoming challenges.Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Byron Scott offers up a cautionary tale when it comes to adding so many big stars to a roster. The biggest example was the 2003-04 Lakers (h/t LeBron Wire):We can go all the way back to the early parts in the 2000s, Scott said on his Fast Break podcast. You got Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal), and you still got D Fish (Derek Fisher). You still got an unbelievable starting lineup and on paper, everybody said, Oh, they gonna win a championship. What happened? They played Detroit Pistons, who was a team. A much better team. A much better cohesive group of guys who wanted nothing more than to win.And you had friction on that Laker team with Gary Payton and some of the other guys. And then you had the peacemaker being Karl Malone and then Karl got hurt, which really killed their chances of winning the championship and Detroit went through them four games to one, right? So talent on paper dont mean a whole lot. It means you got talent, thats about all it means. It doesnt mean or guarantee that you going to win the championship."To be fair, that Lakers team didn't have the depth that the current Sixers do. Along with the additions made in terms of star power, they also added proven depth pieces such as Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Those three will play a big role for Philadelphia as the Sixers move forward into the coming season. While that 2004 Lakers team is certainly a cautionary tale, they had poor roster construction outside of the four Hall of Famers as the main core.One can also never predict any friction or injuries or anything of that nature, but on paper, this Sixers team is going to be dangerous when considering all of the talent that has been put together. With that being said, that's all it is at the moment. It's just a collection of talent. There will be a lot of work to be done in order to get this right.This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Former Lakers guard offers up cautionary tale regarding new-look 76ers

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MAY 02: Quillan Salkilld of Australia prepares to face Beneil Dariush of Iran in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at RAC Arena on May 02, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live TODAY (Sat., Aug. 8, 2026)with UFC Vegas 120, streaming live online via Paramount+. The event goes down at the familiar META APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our main event tonight is Mateusz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld.UFC Vegas 120 PreviewWe are back at UFCs new and improve APEX venue for the first time since April (latest renovation details here). And weve got a card that doesnt look too great on paper. However, many thought that about UFC Belgrade and look what happened there. Tonights ho-hum card, on paper, is topped by a pivotal 155-pound showdown between top-ranked contenders in Gamrot (No. 8) versus Salkilld (No. 12).Gamrot has been inconsistent since switching KSW for UFC and hes coming off a decent win over Esteban Ribovics, which followed a very lopsided loss toCharles Oliveira (re-live that here). His inconsistency has left him on the outside looking in in regard to UFCs Lightweight title picture.Salkilld burst onto the scene in 2024 and has looked sensational with his quick knockouts and dominant wrestling. Last time out he put away Beneil Dariush in quick fashion, showing the mixed martial arts (MMA) world that he means business. A win over Gamrot will catapult him up the rankings and set up some fights with the real elites of the division.The co-main event is Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo. Thats at Lightweight, too, but these guys are nowhere near the rankings. They have a combined 16-12 record in UFC and both are coming off knockout losses. Rounding out the main card are Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle, Amanda Lemos vs. Alexia Thainara and Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff.The top Prelim tonight is Steven Asplund vs. Guilherme Pat. Theres also Louie Sutherland vs. Jose Montanha and Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Bruno Lopes.UFC Vegas 120 Start Date and TimeWe are back in the APEX tonight and that means a return to our usual broadcast times.UFC Vegas 120 Prelims will begin at 5 p.m. ET.UFC Vegas 120 main card is scheduled to start at7 p.m. ET.All of UFC Vegas 120 airs on Paramount+, which you can stream here.The live blog here starts rolling below at 5 p.m. ET. Come in and say hi!UFC VEGAS 120 QUICK RESULTSMain card155 lbs.: Mateuz Gamrot vs. Quillan Salkilld155 lbs.: Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo145 lbs.: Darrne Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle115 lbs.: Amanda Lemos vs. Alexia Thainara170 lbs.: Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray GoffPrelims265 lbs.: Steven Asplund vs. Guilherme Pat205 lbs.: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Bruno Lopes265 lbs.: Jose Montanha def. Louie Sutherland by submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (1:50)155 lbs: Manoel Sousa def. Richie Miranda by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)135 lbs.: Miles Johns def. Gianni Vazquez by TKO (punches), round 1 (3:09) HIGHLIGHTS125 lbs.: Juliana Miller def. Ravena Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (4:38) HIGHLIGHTS115 lbs.: Carol Foro def. GiGi Canuto by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)UFC VEGAS 120 PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATESPrelimsDiyar Nurgozhay vs. Bruno Lopes: Nurgozhay showed off a more composed game in this fight. He picked his shots and landed some good ones while exchanging with Lopes. The beginning of the end was when Nurgozhay scored with an overhand left. That dropped Lopes. Lopes got up and tried to fight back, but Nurgozhay caught, and dropped, him again for the first round TKO.Official decision: Diyar Nurgozhay def. Bruno Lopes by TKO (punches), round 1 (4:59)Louie Sutherland def. Jose Montanha: Montanha gets his debut win here after getting Sutherland down with a less than graceful takedown. He got Sutherlands back and submitted him with more of a neck crank than a rear naked choke. Forced the QUICK TAP in RD 1 @JoseLuizMontanh is a new heavyweight to watch out for!![ #UFCVegas120 LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/8CuslSq79g UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026Official decision: Jose Montanha def. Louie Sutherland by submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (1:50)Manoel Sousavs. Richie Miranda: Miranda took the first round, landing some good shots and then spending a lot of time on top. He wasnt able to seriously hurt Sousa, though. In the second Sousa battered Mirandas lead leg and that opened up a lot of boxing opportunities for him, including a massive body shot that would have finished most peo0ple. Miranda couldnt get the takedown he needed in the third round (his leg was too beat up and he was getting tired). Sousa showed great cardio and footwork in doing just enough to get the third round and win the fight.Dropped him to the body Manoel Sousa keeps chippin' away!![ #UFCVegas120 is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus! ] pic.twitter.com/XFu2LsKVqS UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026Official decision: Manoel Sousa def. Richie Miranda by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Miles Johns vs. Gianni Vazquez: For the second straight fight, Vazquez came in on short notice and came to fight. He lost against Basharat early this year and looked, for a moment, that he was going to get a first round stoppage on Johns here. He clipped Johns and had him in all kinds of trouble, but as Vazquez chased he ran into a big shot that put him down! HE FLIPPED THE SWITCH @MilesxJohns turned the tables quick and landed the KO shot at #UFCVegas120! pic.twitter.com/mnjIAyuHoa UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026Official decision: Miles Johns def. Gianni Vazquez by TKO (punches), round 1 (3:09)Juliana Miller vs. Ravena Oliveira: It took Miller a little time to get her first takedown (and she got beat up a little before it happened). But once she got Oliveira down, she was in total control of the fight. In the second round she got Oliveira down early, took her back and got the choke.GOT THAT ROUND 2 SUB Juliana Miller gets the big win at #UFCVegas120!! pic.twitter.com/H7YTjUnCbk UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026Official Decision: Juliana Miller def. Ravena Oliveira by submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (4:38)GiGi Canuto vs. Carol Foro: Fantastic fight here. These two brawled it out in the first round, with Foro landing the harder shots and wobbling Canuto at least once. Canuto decided to change things up in the second, scoring an early takedowns and then enjoying a ton of time in back mount. In the third Foro managed to stay on her feet for most the round and that allowed her to win round, and the fight, with her striking (including some pretty brutal body work). She also managed to gut out a deep armbar attempt in the last minute. Our first fight of the night is THROWIN' DOWN#UFCVegas120 is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus! pic.twitter.com/1ApV04WEJs UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026SHE GOT OUT @CarolForo is all heart!! pic.twitter.com/e9v3xAF9AS UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2026Official decision: Carol Foro def. GiGi Canuto by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Live stream begins at 5 p.m. ET. For more UFC Vegas 120: Gamrot vs. Salkilld news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.