EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Rookie fourth-rounder Cade Klubnik led the New York Jets to scores on his two drives after a surprise start in place of Geno Smith in a 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the preseason opener for both teams Friday night.Klubnik, competing for the No. 2 quarterback job, opened the game under center when Smith was scratched because of a sore foot, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. Smith was expected to play at least a few snaps, along with the rest of New York's starters. But coach Aaron Glenn opted to rest him in favor of Klubnik. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team didn't announce the reason for Smith sitting out. Klubnik looked confident and competent against the Buccaneers, who sat their starters on both sides of the ball.The former Clemson star, working with the starting offense, completed a 12-yard pass to Mason Taylor to begin the 12-play, 55-yard opening drive. He had completions of 21 and 11 yards to Garrett Wilson on third-down plays, but threw incomplete to Wilson in the end zone on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers 9. New York settled for a 27-yard field goal by Cade York. Klubnik came on with the Jets' backups on their second possession and got things started with a 5-yard pass to first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. Braelon Allen, back from a knee injury that limited him to four games last season, capped the drive with a 31-yard dash into the end zone to make it 10-0.That was all for Klubnik, who finished 5 of 7 for 56 yards. He was replaced by Bailey Zappe, who had an interception returned 47 yards for a touchdown by undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes on his first series. Zappe's second series also ended by being picked off, this time by Rashad Wisdom. Zappe finished 6 of 10 for 55 yards and the two INTs before being replaced in the third quarter by Brady Cook, who started the final four games for the Jets last season.Bucs backups under center with Mayfield and Browning sittingThird-string quarterback Connor Bazelak started for the Buccaneers with Baker Mayfield and the starters sitting out and backup Jake Browning unavailable.Browning was expected to start, but he tweaked his back during the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Jets on Tuesday. On Tampa Bay's third drive, Bazelak nearly had a touchdown pass to third-rounder Ted Hurst III, but undrafted rookie Mory Bamba knocked it out of his hands in the end zone. The Bucs settled for a 23-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin.Bazelak was 12 of 20 for 72 yards before being replaced by undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels for Tampa Bay's first possession of the second half. Daniels has a dynamic debut for the BucsDaniels' first NFL series was capped by Josh Williams' 12-yard touchdown run that put the Buccaneers up 17-13. Daniels, who played parts of six seasons at Kansas, capped the scoring by running the ball up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown with 3:24 left. He was 10 of 15 for 111 yards and ran for 9 yards and the score on three carries.InjuriesBamba, who had four passes defensed for the Jets, returned in the fourth quarter after being checked for a head injury late in the third.Up nextBuccaneers: Host Kansas City on Aug. 22.Jets: At Pittsburgh on Aug. 21.___See APs full NFL coverage here

CLEVELAND (AP) Luis Campusano and Xander Bogaerts each drove in three runs, Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the fifth time in nine games and the San Diego Padres overcame an early three-run deficit to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 7-5 on Friday night.The Padres have won six straight and 16 of 20 since July 24 while the Guardians have dropped five of their last six and are 8-18 since the All-Star break.Campusano had a pair of doubles, including one off the wall in right-center with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to drive in two runs and give the Padres a 5-3 lead.Bogaerts hit a towering two-run homer to left-center in the fourth to get the Padres within a run. Tatis tied it on the first pitch of the fifth when he connected on an elevated sinker from Cleveland starter Gavin Williams (11-7) for a solo shot to left field.Cleveland's Nathaniel Lowe had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. The first baseman went opposite field to left for his 14th home run in the second and then had an RBI base hit in the third to extend Cleveland's lead to 3-0. Brayan Rocchio also went deep with one out in the third when he lined an elevated sinker by Padres stater Michael King (8-8) over the wall in right.King went six innings and allowed five runs. The right-hander had allowed only one run in seven previous outings against Cleveland, which included two starts.Bradgley Rodriguez allowed a leadoff hit in the ninth but retired the next three batters for his first major-league save. Williams gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings.Up nextCleveland was set to go with LHP Joey Cantillo (8-7, 3.91 ERA) on Saturday. San Diego had not announced a starter.___See APs full MLB coverage here

The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued another dominant run this season, but have recently been plagued by losing streaks and meltdowns on the pitching mound. As the Dodgers entered Thursdays ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers with a two-run lead reliever Edwin Diaz allowed three runs for a 5-4 loss. However, Diazs blown save was not the most recent. On Aug. 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he allowed a walk-off home run. Thursdays loss came with frustration from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, whos been weighing out the options moving forward. "I cant just say, Change (Diaz) to low leverage," Roberts said following the loss. "I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys really have thrown the baseball great. Thats just kind of the way it is." The back-to-back World Series champions have the most expensive roster in the MLB which included signing Diaz in the offseason on a 3-year, $69 million deal. However, if the Dodgers want to ensure they finish the season strong ahead of a potential run for a third straight title, who are the other options that Roberts could utilize to get them there? Some bullpen arms that come to mind are Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia. In 48 innings pitched this season, Scott has thrown 60 strikeouts, accumulated a 2.25 ERA and 12 runs allowed. Vesia has produced similar numbers, with 52 total strikeouts and 13 runs allowed in his 42 innings pitched. Scott has been seen as the most reliable option, especially through his recent performances as a reliever. Scott's 16 saves especially filling for Diaz after he missed more than three months due to surgery on his right elbow has shown Roberts that he's reliable down the final pitches. But Roberts seems to think that the pattern of struggling pitchers continues to show, which leaves him to question his approach to a new reliever. "You look back at the last week, and guys have struggled," Roberts said. "Im not going to sit here and play carousel and chase my tail ... when a guy is struggling, and then when he doesnt pitch well, then its, Why are you pitching him? I dont do that. Everyone has got a role. They all have jobs to do, and they all have to do their job. Thats it." Diazs performance in his seven appearances on the mound has accumulated a 12.73 ERA, which has been costly for the Dodgers as postseason conversations loom. "Its frustrating, because I know my ability," Diaz said. "I know what I can do on the mound. To not be able to do it (stinks). Ive just got to come tomorrow and try to keep getting better." As the Dodgers host the NL-leading Brewers through the weekend, Roberts noted the significance of a strong bullpen, and revealed where the bullpen currently stands. "I know people dont want to hear it, but its baseball," Roberts said. "Offenses go in lulls, and the bullpens go in lulls, and sometimes you get in a run where the starting pitching isnt there. It is what happens, and it just doesnt feel good. And it certainly is more highlighted when the pen doesnt throw the baseball well, because it costs you games."

The Miami Dolphins stormed out of the gate with a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive against the Washington Commanders, highlighted by a one-handed catch for 28 yards by rookie receiver Caleb Douglas.Unfortunately for the Dolphins, that's where the domination ended on Friday night as the Commanders won 20-7 in a preseason opener dominated by players battling for a roster spot.De'Von Achane ran 1 yard for the touchdown, capping a drive led by quarterback Malik Willis, who looked sharp in his debut.More Miami Dolphins: Malik Willis is lights out in Miami Dolphins debutHere are the takeaways:As advertised: Malik Willis didn't play long, but didn't need toOf course, all eyes were on new starter Willis.Willis played only a series but made it count, completing four of five passes for 43 yards. More importantly, he looked the part as the leader of the offense, throwing from the pocket and on the run.Willis offers mobility that Tua Tagovailoa could not, and on one scramble he drew a horse-collar penalty to keep the drive alive.He checked all the boxes, including finding two of his most-dependable receivers, Malik Washington and Douglas.When he walked off, the Dolphins had a 7-0 lead.His work was brief.But his work was done.Jeff Hafley a picture of calm on sidelineNew coach Jeff Hafley was a picture of calm despite this being the first time he was on an NFL sideline as a head coach.Hafley has been preaching physicality and the Dolphins responded. They started with a penalty on the opening kickoff, then shook it off, driving 93 yards with the first-string offense.The offensive line was dominant as coordinator Bobby Slowiks attack moved the ball on the ground and in the air, setting up Achanes touchdown.Hafleys patience was tested when Ollie Gordon II was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the third quarter. He walked over to Gordon on the sideline, put his hand on Gordons shoulder pads and asked what happened on the play.Gordon shook it off with a 13-yard run later in the game.Unsung hero award after one exhibition? Why not?Know who had a sneaky good night? GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, the other major hire from Green Bay.His draft picks, as a whole, lived up to their billing in their NFL debuts.Its easy to focus on headline-grabbers Douglas at receiver and Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker, but if you didnt let your eye take a gander at the 12th overall pick, Kadyn Proctor, you missed a strong performance by the 6-foot-7, 352-pounder who was moving people with regularity.The play of rookies is huge after Sullivan jettisoned many of Miami's highly paid veterans, including Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill.And lets not forget he chose to reward DeVon Achane, Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks with new deals, sending the ideal message to the team.Whats up at backup QB?Willis is Miamis starting QB. Easy.As the past several seasons have shown, backup QB is often one of your most important positions. Quinn Ewers had a decent rookie season last season and will be the backup (barring unforeseen circumstances) this year.He has had moments in camp but he had a moment not in a good way against Washington. His pass intended for Jalen Tolbert was intercepted by safety Quan Martin. It was such an easy play for Martin that you wonder if Tolbert wasnt where Ewers expected him to be. But if Ewers was at fault, consider this a teaching moment. Especially with third-stringer Cam Miller having a bland camp and threw a bad interception late. (On this night, Miller could have used some support from his targets, who couldn't handle catchable balls.)Ewers completed only one of eight passes. Together, he and Miller has almost as many interceptions (three) as they did completions (four).Special teams concerns and other matters A concern for special teams coordinator Chris Tabor: The Commanders came close to blocking a couple of punts. But its unclear why Bradley Pinion didnt draw a running into the kicker penalty on one. On the plus side, Tutu Atwell had a 20-yard punt return. And Tahj Washington downed a punt on the 2-yard line. Linebacker Cameron Goode turned in a lively performance, including a sack. ... The Dolphins next preseason game will be Saturday, Aug. 22, at home against new coach John Harbaughs New York Giants. The finale is Aug. 28 vs. Atlanta, also at Hard Rock Stadium.Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins takeaways: Good day for Malik Willis, Green Bay imports

The Miami Dolphins stormed out of the gate with a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive against the Washington Commanders, highlighted by a one-handed catch for 28 yards by rookie receiver Caleb Douglas.Unfortunately for the Dolphins, that's where the domination ended on Friday night as the Commanders won 20-7 in a preseason opener dominated by players battling for a roster spot.De'Von Achane ran 1 yard for the touchdown, capping a drive led by quarterback Malik Willis, who looked sharp in his debut.Here are the takeaways:As advertised: Malik Willis didn't play long, but didn't need toOf course, all eyes were on new starter Willis.Willis played only a series but made it count, completing four of five passes for 43 yards. More importantly, he looked the part as the leader of the offense, throwing from the pocket and on the run.Willis offers mobility that Tua Tagovailoa could not, and on one scramble he drew a horse-collar penalty to keep the drive alive.He checked all the boxes, including finding two of his most-dependable receivers, Malik Washington and Douglas.When he walked off, the Dolphins had a 7-0 lead.His work was brief.But his work was done.Jeff Hafley a picture of calm on sidelineNew coach Jeff Hafley was a picture of calm despite this being the first time he was on an NFL sideline as a head coach.Hafley has been preaching physicality and the Dolphins responded. They started with a penalty on the opening kickoff, then shook it off, driving 93 yards with the first-string offense.The offensive line was dominant as coordinator Bobby Slowiks attack moved the ball on the ground and in the air, setting up Achanes touchdown.Hafleys patience was tested when Ollie Gordon II was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the third quarter. He walked over to Gordon on the sideline, put his hand on Gordons shoulder pads and asked what happened on the play.Gordon shook it off with a 13-yard run later in the game.Unsung hero award after one exhibition? Why not?Know who had a sneaky good night? GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, the other major hire from Green Bay.His draft picks, as a whole, lived up to their billing in their NFL debuts.Its easy to focus on headline-grabbers Douglas at receiver and Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker, but if you didnt let your eye take a gander at the 12th overall pick, Kadyn Proctor, you missed a strong performance by the 6-foot-7, 352-pounder who was moving people with regularity.The play of rookies is huge after Sullivan jettisoned many of Miami's highly paid veterans, including Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill.And lets not forget he chose to reward DeVon Achane, Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks with new deals, sending the ideal message to the team.Whats up at backup QB?Willis is Miamis starting QB. Easy.As the past several seasons have shown, backup QB is often one of your most important positions. Quinn Ewers had a decent rookie season last season and will be the backup (barring unforeseen circumstances) this year. He has had moments in camp but he had a moment not in a good way against Washington. His pass intended for Jalen Tolbert was intercepted by safety Quan Martin. It was such an easy play for Martin that you wonder if Tolbert wasnt where Ewers expected him to be. But if Ewers was at fault, consider this a teaching moment. Especially with third-stringer Cam Miller having a bland camp and threw a bad interception late. (On this night, Miller could have used some support from his targets, who couldn't handle catchable balls.)Ewers completed only one of eight passes. Together, he and Miller has almost as many interceptions (three) as they did completions (four).This and that A concern for special teams coordinator Chris Tabor: The Commanders came close to blocking a couple of punts. But its unclear why Bradley Pinion didnt draw a running into the kicker penalty on one. On the plus side, Tutu Atwell had a 20-yard punt return. And Tahj Washington downed a punt on the 2-yard line. Linebacker Cameron Goode turned in a lively performance, including a sack. ... The Dolphins next preseason game will be Saturday, Aug. 22, at home against new coach John Harbaughs New York Giants. The finale is Aug. 28 vs. Atlanta, also at Hard Rock Stadium.Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins takeaways: Good day for Malik Willis, Green Bay imports

The Pittsburgh Steelers and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton have agreed to a four-year, $72 million extension, per ESPN's Ian Rapoport. The deal makes Benton the highest-paid defensive lineman in Steelers history. Even though he is often found on the defensive line, outside linebacker T.J. Watt is not a DL, so he does not qualify for this metric. Benton was heading into the final year of his rookie deal. He will now be tied to Pittsburgh through the 2030 season. Yahoo Sports college fantasy football.Play Yahoo's new College Fantasy Football game: Create or join a league now!Benton was drafted with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Over his three-year career with the Steelers, he has played in every regular-season game. The defensive tackle played in all 17 games last season and finished with 51 combined tackles. This included 5.5 sacks, a career-high. His 5.5 sacks were the fourth-highest for Pittsburgh last season, trailing only Alex Highsmith (9.5), Nick Herbig (7.5), and Watt (7).Benton is the second defender who has gotten a big payday from the Steelers this offseason. He joins Herbig, who inked a massive four-year, $100 million deal earlier this offseason.The Steelers have now extended two foundational pieces of their defense, but still have one to go. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is waiting for an extension of his own. The former second-round pick is in a similar situation to Benton and is in the final year of his rookie deal.Porter Jr. is currently dealing with a back injury and is on the PUP list. While he is recovering, there is also an assumption that his camp may be trying to work through an extension at the same time.

NEW YORK (AP) A judge sided with Madison Square Garden in its lengthy legal battle with Charles Oakley on Friday, saying that the former New York Knicks All-Star had not proven he was assaulted when he was removed from a game he attended in 2017.Oakley was handcuffed and arrested after an altercation with security while sitting near owner James Dolan during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Oakley initially brought a number of claims against MSG that were dismissed in February 2020. After appeal, Oakley's assault-and-battery claim remained.But Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Southern District of New York ruled that Oakley has produced no evidence to support his claim that he was assaulted by MSG security guards.MSG had pointed to video evidence and previous testimony that Oakley was not assaulted.For more than nine years, Mr. Oakleys lawyers have pursued claims they knew were false. Those claims have now been dismissed by the Court in their entirety for the third time, MSG said in a statement. We are pursuing legal action against Douglas Wigdor, and his unscrupulous law firm, to hold them accountable for years of frivolous litigation and their blatant abuse of the judicial system.Oakley was a beloved Knicks forward in the 1990s, and he remains one of the few former players who has remained absent from MSG during the team's recent playoff runs, culminating with this year's NBA championship. His removal from the game was a jarring scene, but Sullivan ruled that Oakley hadn't proven it was done with excessive force.Ample evidence including videos from multiple angles and the unanimous testimony of every witness (even, to some extent, Oakley himself) shows that Oakley had a reasonable opportunity to depart the Garden, that he instead resorted to physical violence, and that he was never pushed to the ground, Sullivan wrote.The judge added that no rational jury could conclude that Oakley reasonably feared himself at risk of wrongful physical contact let alone that MSG intended to stir such an apprehension.Wigdor still hopes a jury will get a chance to rule.We are disappointed with the Courts rulings, he wrote in an email. We believe there are conflicting accounts and only a jury can decide what exactly happened. We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will agree for a third time and remand the case for an immediate jury trial. ___See APs full NBA coverage here

The Atlanta Falcons laid an egg in their first preseason game of the year, losing at home to the Denver Broncosby a score of 27-7. While it's only an exhibition game, it never feels good to get dominated on both sides of the ball as the Falcons were for most of Friday night.Let's do a quick review of how it went in all three phases.OffenseAtlantas offense in the first half was almost a total dud. Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback and saw one drive, beginning his Falcons tenure with a dropped snap. After that he had the pass protection regularly break down on him, making it difficult to find any rhythm. He targeted tight end Kyle Pitts four times but only totaled 22 yards before he was subbed out.Cooper Rush came in soon after and things got even worse. His first attempt was deflected, then his second was picked off by Broncos DB Riley Moss, bringing a very quick end to the Falcons second possession. Rushs next drive ended in a quick three and out. He had a good thing going on his third drive, but was tipped and picked off again in the red zone on a poor pass - resulting in a pick-six. Rush ended the night with a laughable 6.8 passer rating.The Falcons run game was almost as ineffective. Early on we saw two runs from Brian Robinson Jr, resulting in just six yards on the ground. Nathan Carter got similar results. Things finally got going when Tyler Goodson came into the game. He showed more explosiveness, totalinga team-high 28 yards on seven carries and set the Falcons up at the goal line for their only touchdown.Jack Strand came in to play quarterback in the second half and was a dramatic improvement over Tagovailoa and Rush, that admittedly being a low bar. He led one touchdown drive, capped off by a QB sneak at the one-yard line. Overall, a poor night offensively - but to be expected given the limited amount of time the starters saw.DefenseAs bad as things were on offense, it was practically a symphony of football perfection compared to the Falcons struggles on the other side of the ball in the first half.The biggest problem that stood out was that Atlanta had absolutely no success stopping the run, a frustrating carry-over from the 2025 season when they ranked 24th against the run. They were both out of position on every run and couldn't complete a simple tackle. At one point the Broncos were averaging nearly six yards per carry. By the end, Denver had racked up 163 yards on the ground.The Falcons werent much better against the pass, either. They got little to no pressure on Jarrett Stidham, who started in place of Bo Nix and wound up looking like prime Steve Young. He completed a 40-yard jump ball to Courtland Sutton with Mike Hughes in coverage, setting up Denver's first touchdown. Facing no pressure, Stidham continued to shred Atlantas defense the rest of the first half, which ended in a 17-0 lead for Denver.Jeff Ulbrich's defense tightened up in the second half and had a few highlights, including a forced fumble by JT Bertrand and a near-interception at the goal like by Malcolm DeWalt. The damage had already been done, though and in the end the Broncos out-gained the Falcons 359-192.Special teamsPractically the only silver lining was a decent performance on special teams, especially the kickoff return unit. Wide receiver Vinny Anthony II and Olamide Zaccheaus combined for 114 total yards on four attempts, the shortest going for 24 yards. Zachariah Branch chipped in six yards on their only punt return of the game.Punter Jake Bailey also put in a respectable game, totaling 198 yards on four attempts, pinning the Broncos inside their own 20-yard line twice. Matthew Hailey also had a solid night, totaling 178 yards on four punts and pinning Denver inside the 20 three times.This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Instant analysis: Falcons lay an egg vs. Broncos in preseason debut

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 14: Lani Pallister of Team Australia competes in the Women's 400m Freestyle Heats on Day 3 of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center on August 14, 2026 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Maddie Meyer via Getty ImagesLani Pallister was on a mission from the jump in the womens 400 freestyle at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships. The Australian challenged Katie Ledecky immediately, taking out the race full second ahead at the 50-meter mark and 1.5 seconds up by the 100. Pallister never let go of her early lead. By the 150 meter mark, the Aussies lead had swelled to two full seconds. Ledecky clawed some of it back, cutting the gap to 1.84 seconds at the penultimate turn, but Pallister's gutsy, full-send strategy had built her a multiple-body-length cushion. Even the greatest women's freestyler of all time didnt have enough pool left to run her down. Ledecky attempted to shrink the gap on the final 50, but Pallister held on to complete the upset, winning her second gold of the meet in 3:58.42. Ledecky took silver in 4:00.15, with New Zealand's Erika Fairweather third in 4:02.35.Lani Pallister beats Katie Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle one of the meets most-anticipated races. She went a 3:58.42 with Ledecky at 4:00.15. Summer McIntosh wouldve finished third with her time in the B final. pic.twitter.com/fhiKOG7T36 Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) August 15, 2026It's another big win for Pallister, who has now beaten both Ledecky and Summer McIntosh both this week in freestyle events. The race sets up a fitting rubber match in tomorrows 800m freestyle.Ledecky won the 1500 freestyle on day one and Pallister has now taken the 400 freestyle. The two will meet a third time in the 800 freestyle to close out the meet with the series tied 1-1 heading into their final duel.The even also carried an unavoidable subplot. Earlier in the session, McIntosh, who missed the championship final entirely in prelims, won the B-final by seven seconds in 4:00.58, a time that would have made her a real factor in tonight's championship final. It's hard not to wonder how McIntosh might have added to the drama between Pallister and Ledecky.With the season coming to a close, the 800 free tomorrow now carries real stakes: whoever wins takes the freestyle rubber match of the week, with Ledecky looking to reclaim the upper hand and Pallister chasing what would be a two stunning wins.

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 14: Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 14, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesDylan Beavers pinch-hit single in the 7th and Gunnar Hendersons homer in the 8th powered the Orioles to a 6-5 win in their series opener in Tampa Bay. The AL-leading Rays came into Fridays game riding a nine-game winning streak, but could never get ahead of the pesky Orioles. Baltimore and Tampa went into the 7th inning tied at two with Gunnar Henderson leading off the inning. Henderson has struggled for much of the season, but you wouldnt have known it the way he lined a double into right field to kick off the decisive rally. Christian Encarnacion-Strand then stepped up looking to move Gunnar over, and did so with a hard single to left. Things then got a little weird for the Os and Leody Taveras. The outfielder stepped up looking to lay down a safety squeeze, but ended up chopping a ball down the third base line that caught Gunnar in a run-down. The Orioles SS was able to retreat back to third, with CES ultimately being tagged out as Taveras took second. After the Rays brought in right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly and intentionally walked pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson, it set up the would-be showdown with No.9 hitter Carlos Narvez. Instead, Craig Albernaz countered with Beavers, who laced a single under the glove of Jonathan Aranda at first to score two and give Baltimore a 4-2 lead. Beavers comes through with a two-RBI base knock! pic.twitter.com/gLcjhGTRhc Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 15, 2026After starting the rally in the 8th, Henderson punctuated the win with his 20th homer of the season. With two outs in the inning, Tyler ONeill lined a single up the middle to bring up Gunnar. The Rays Chris Roycroft quickly got ahead 0-2, but grooved a cutter down the center of the plate, which Gunnar gladly deposited in the right-center bleachers and gave Baltimore a 6-2 advantage.That ball is goinggoingGUNN! pic.twitter.com/juPpoYjBJw Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 15, 2026Yenneir Cano nearly gave the game away in the 9th, as the usually reliable reliever delivered his worst outing of the season. The non-save situation started with back-to-back singles from Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls. Cano would strike out Yandy Daz for the first out, but a wild pitch during the AB allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Rays 1B Jonathan Aranda then lined a single to right to score two and cut the Orioles advantage in half. Cano then walked Chandler Simpson and allowed Simpson and pinch-runner Jorge Mateo to steal second and third. Junior Caminero would further cut into the Orioles lead, as an RBI groundout to third dropped Baltimores lead to one. Cam Sanders put an end to Canos nightmare, taking over needing just one out to seal the win. Rays outfielder Ryan Vilade attacked the first pitch he saw from Sanders, sending a lazy fly to left to end the game. Despite the nervy situation in the 9th, the Orioles never trailed in Fridays win. They took their first lead in the 2nd, as ONeill led off the inning with a walk before moving to third on a softly-hit Henderson single to center. CES delivered the Os first run of the evening, lining a sac fly to right that allowed ONeill to score on a close play at the plate. After the Rays tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd, Colton Cowser restored the Baltimore lead in the 3rd with a solo homer into the Ray tank in center field. The Milkman sends this to the rays tank! pic.twitter.com/En4yYImXoe Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 15, 2026The veteran righty Chris Bassitt made his first start for the Orioles since June 3rd and came out looking sharp early. He started the first inning by getting Daz to ground out to second. He then struck out Aranda and Caminero looking, sandwiching the two Ks around a Simpson single. The 2nd inning has often spelled doom for the Orioles with Bassitt on the mound this year, but tonight was a different story. The 37-year-old right-hander came into Fridays game with a 9.75 ERA in the 2nd inning this season. With the Os up 1-0, Bassitt started the bottom of the 2nd by giving up a single to catcher Liam Hicks. The 12-year vet rebounded by getting Vctor Mesa Jr. on a first-pitch fly out, but lost the battle to former Oriole Cedric Mullin when he flipped a single to right. After getting ahead of Richie Palacios 1-2, a Bassitt curveball caught just too much of the plate, and the Rays 2B looped a double just out of the reach of ONeill in right. The extra-base hit drove home Hicks, tied the game at one and put Bassitt in a jam with runners on second and third. Earlier in the season, that jam would have snowballed into a crooked number, but instead, Bassitt locked in. After walking Taylor Walls to load the bases, he got former All-Stars Yandy Daz and Jonathan Aranda to pop up and fly out, stranding all three runners. Bassitt gave another leave back in the 3rd as the Rays got an assist from the umpire. After the Cowser homer put the Os up 2-1, Bassitt started the frame by getting the speedy Simpson to ground out. He then surrendered a one-out walk to Caminero, which ended up spelling trouble for the Os. With a full count on Hicks, Caminero took off for second just as Bassitt uncorked a curveball that was originally ruled ball four. Orioles catcher Narvez immediately challenged the ball call, and ABS overturned it to a strikeout looking. However, manager Craig Albernaz tried to argue that Caminero should be sent back to first as Narvezs reaction to challenge the incorrect call seemingly prevented him from throwing down to second. Home plate umpire Jordan Baker didnt side with Alby and Caminero remained on second for Mesa Jr. The 24-year-old outfielder then lined a low curveball into center for an RBI single that tied the game at two. From there, Bassitt turned on cruise control and started mowing down the talented Rays lineup. In the 4th, he started the inning by winning a seven-pitch battle against Palacios, getting the infielder to fly out softly to center. He then set down Taylor Walls on six pitches by getting him to bounce out to second, before closing out the inning with a Daz 5-3 groundout. The right-hander then flew through the heart of the Rays order in the 5th, setting down Aranda, Simpson and Caminero on just six pitches. After getting through five innings on 80 pitches, Bassitt went back out for the 6th. His control then began to slip, as he walked leadoff hitter Hicks on four pitches. Hed set down Mesa Jr. one last time on a fly out to left and then exited for Josh Walker. After the lefty reliever finished off the inning, it closed Bassitts line at 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 3Ka solid return after 2+ months on the IL. The win not only snapped the Rays nine-game winning streak but brought the Orioles within one game of the ALs final Wild Card. Baltimore will continue their push toward the postseason tomorrow as Kyle Bradish takes the mount in Tropicana Field.