Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesSt. Louis Cardinals rookie Joshua Baez made some baseball history on Saturday night in Chicago.Baez, making his big-league debut, smacked the very first pitch he saw out of the park for a home run.JOSHUA BEZ!The @Cardinals prospect homers on the first Major League pitch he sees! pic.twitter.com/iczpVNQYEt MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2026It was already a dream come true for the young slugger everything you could wish and more out of your first time stepping up to the plate in the majors. Then he homered two more times.With each successive home run, the excitement in the voice of Cardinals announcer Chip Caray rose, and by his third at-bat of the night, he was in just as much awe as the rest of us watching along at home.SWING, DRIVE, WELL HIT, RIGHT, said Caray as Baez lifted his third ball over the fence. SUZUKI BACK. IT IS GONE! IT IS GONE! IT IS GONE! THREE HOMERS FOR BAEZ! MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY AT WRIGLEY FIELD!Joshua BezJoshua Bez!JOSHUA BEZ!!!The @Cardinals rookie has homered THREE TIMES in his MLB debut pic.twitter.com/4FTBDw4dZx MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2026After the game, Carays son Stefan shared a wholesome text exchange with his father, where Chip said his night in Chicago was the Number one game hes ever called. Never been done before. EVER, Caray wrote.Dad has done a lot of games in his career.This interaction sums today up perfectly, pic.twitter.com/KqdOVg3luk Stefan Caray (@StefanCaray) August 15, 2026Chip Caray has been calling professional baseball since 1993. He is the grandson of legendary announcer Harry Caray and son of longtime Braves announcer Skip Caray. Stefan, along with his twin brother Chris, made their own major-league debuts earlier this year, bringing the family to four generations of MLB voices.While it can be easy to rank such a night as one of the best of all time when caught up in the thrill of the moment, Caray has seen enough baseball that his word is worth trusting.The post Cardinals broadcaster Chip Carey says calling Joshua Baezs historic debut ranks number one in career appeared first on Awful Announcing.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 16: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run in the seventh inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on August 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesSometimes you roll snake eyes and the Atlanta Braves very nearly did end up doing so against the Snakes, themselves. The Arizona Diamondbacks may have been coming into town following a series loss to the Colorado Rockies (in Arizona, mind you) but they were entering this series with two monsters getting starts for them in their rotation. Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez have both been lights-out recently and Michael Soroka has also been very solid as well.As such, this wasnt going to be an easy task for the Braves especially after they completed the monumental task of finally beating the New York Mets in a three-game series. As such, a bit of a letdown was always on the cards and thats what happened in this particular series. Fortunately, some timely hitting from one of baseballs top power hitters helped Atlanta avert a disastrous sweep. Lets get into how everything went down over the weekend, shall we?Friday, August 14Diamondbacks 2, Braves 0So this was one of those games where there wasnt much the Braves could do the Diamondbacks and their pitching was just too much to handle. Brandon Pfaadt has been on a heater since late-July, as he hasnt given up an earned run since the first inning of his start against the Cardinals back on July 22 and funnily enough, his current teammate Lars Nootbaar was the one who brought in that run against him. Anyways, Pfaadt was absolutely nightmarish for the Braves to deal with and this one was essentially set in stone once Arizona managed to take advantage of some shaky defense from Atlanta in the first inning in order to plate the only run that Chris Sale ended up surrendering. Once Pfaadt was done, Arizona called upon both Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia to finish things off and theyve both been lights out on the road lately so the Braves were essentially walking into a snake pit (for lack of a better term) in this situation. Atlanta only mustered up three hits and this was pure dominance from Arizonas pitching staff. Chris Sale was excellent, as usual, it must be noted. Despite the fact that the Braves once again had a tough time dealing with the other teams top guy in this matchup, Sale remained upbeat about things and even expressed a bit of excitement about matchups like this when I asked him about it after the game. You take this one on the chin, explained Sale. What these guys have done throughout the year and what theyre going to continue to do, you certainly dont expect that. But it happens Ive had blow-up starts where Im sure they thought they were going to get six innings of one-run ball and its not. We pick each other up and we keep moving forward. Your browser does not support the video tag. Saturday, August 15Diamondbacks 10, Braves 3This time, Arizonas lineup asserted dominance. Despite the fact that Ronald Acua Jr. led things off with a home run and the Braves got out to a two-run lead after one inning, things went sideways from that point forward. Grant Holmes ended up having his worst start of the season, as he couldnt even get through four innings as the Diamondbacks tagged him for three runs in both the second and third innings. Nolan Arenados two run dinger in the third put Arizona up 6-2 and they didnt look back from there. In fact, Arenado made it a two-homer night later on in the seventh as his solo shot off of Brent Suter made it 7-2. Danny Young then got the ball for the top of the ninth inning and that ended up being ugly as well, as Ildemaro Vargas capped off a great night at the plate for Arizona with a three-run shot on a hanger from Young that made it 10-2. This only notable thing that happened for Atlanta outside of the first inning was when Ha-Seong Kim came in as a pinch-hitter and promptly picked up his fourth (4th) RBI of the season (on August 15) on a productive out. Progress! Other than that, Eduardo Rodriguez also proved to ultimately be too tough for Atlanta to handle and Arizonas bullpen dominated once he left the game ahead of the seventh inning. Once the smoke had cleared, the Diamondbacks now had a five-game winning streak at Truist Park and had won seven of their last ten games here in Cobb County. Oof!Sunday, August 16Braves 5, Diamondbacks 3The task for Atlanta didnt get much easier in the series finale on Sunday, as the Braves were set to do battle against old friend Michael Soroka with Bryce Elder looking to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, Elder returned to form after getting demolished by the Mets earlier this week and he bounced back to the tune of tossing six innings with just one run allowed. Unsurprisingly, the sole run came on a dinger but outside of that, Elder once again managed to deftly make his way through Arizonas lineup and bring them back down to Earth following their extremely productive Saturday performance. Once Elder was done, the Braves were holding on to a slender 2-1 lead after Drake Baldwins RBI single in the third put them ahead and then Ronald Acua Jr.s double down the left field line with two out in the fifth put them back in front after that solo homer from Gabriel Moreno had tied things up again. Michael Soroka pitched well but he found himself facing a recorded loss once he stepped out with two outs in the fifth.The seventh inning proved to be the decisive one, though. That was when Arizona once again tied things up after Ildemaro Vargas got a favorable pitch from Didier Fuentes on a 3-1 count and bopped it on top of the right field fence and into the Chop House for a solo shot. Fortunately, Atlanta got to work quickly in their half of the second as Austin Riley doubled to lead off the seventh and then Drake Baldwin joined him on the basepaths with a walk. Matt Olson eventually came to the plate with two out and Brandyn Garcia finally had a road slip-up while facing Olson. Garcia threw Olsona. sinker that didnt sink enough and Olson crushed it to dead-center for a game-changing three-run dinger that put Atlanta back in front. Raisel Iglesias got the ball for the ninth inning and while he took us all on another rollercoaster ride that saw a balk and Arizona scoring a run to cut the lead to two, Iggy was able to eventually get the three outs that Atlanta needed to at least avoid getting swept in their own building. Phew!With the way that both Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez are currently going, I dont think that theres a team in baseball that is really looking forward to any series where both of those guys are going. Their performances helped propel them to a series win over the Dodgers last weekend and they played a major role in keeping Atlanta quiet for the first two games of this series. Sometimes you just run into a buzzsaw and it was Atlantas turn to face the blade. The good news is that the Braves were at least able to avert disaster with a win on Sunday. Bryce Elders been good more often than hes been bad lately and his performance on Sunday is the type of start that Atlantas going to need from him as they continue to get closer and closer to the home stretch of the season. Matt Olson has also continued to heat things up at the plate and his dinger on Sunday was another example of Olson coming up big in big situations. The rest of the weekend series was pretty rough but ultimately, averting a sweep at this stage in the season is still worth something. With that being said, its especially nice that the Braves are getting on the plane on a winning note because they have an insane week coming up ahead of them. THeyll start in Minneapolis, head to Chicago for a make-up game, head to Milwaukee for two games and then finish the Brewers series in Williamsport for the Little League Classic before coming back to Atlanta for a much-needed off day. Things are about to get really hectic in terms of travel and thisll certainly be a test for the Braves following an even-steven homestand. Well see what happens!

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 22: Head Coach Darren Ambrose of Vanderbilt Soccer pregame against Belmont at Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex on August 22, 2024. (Photo by Photo by Vanderbilt Athletics/University Images via Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe Vanderbilt Commodores started the 2026 season with a win that left a bitter taste in Coach Darren Ambroses mouth according to his post-game interview. He used the words sluggish, lethargic, and choreographed to describe the performance. Coach Ambrose harped on being proud and happy with the victory, but he kept focusing on different flaws in the performance. If you saw my comments during and after the match, I am proud to say Coach and I are on the same wavelength.The pushback that I got was that it was just game 1. It was. I am not panicking. My predictions for the season have not changed. My thoughts about the talent on the team have not changed, except for some concern about one particular position. Armas in goal was not very convincing. Again, it was match 1. I am not going to react too strongly yet.The Commodores had plenty of possession and tons of shot attempts. They spent more than a third of the match (35%) in possession in the attacking half. Attempting 21 shots but with only 7 on target is where the sharpness and intensity that Ambrose found lacking came into play. They generated 11 corners yet did not score off one. Conversely, SMU was able to turn 21% attacking possession and 8 shot attempts into 4 shots on target and 3 goals. Granted, 1 goal for the Mustangs was a cross that deflected off Grace Freemans leg in a truly unfortunate moment where Armas was diving out to claim the cross.The number of players used is really intriguing to me. Typically, Coach Ambrose has gone deep into the bench early in seasons. It normally is paired down to 14 to 16 by the time SEC play starts, but early season matches often see 20 or more players. The tightness of the match and dissatisfaction with the performance may have been why the starters played more as they tried to work out the kinks.Courtney Jones, Olivia Stafford, and Sydney Watts all have 4 shot attempts and a goal is not particularly surprising. I would have expected Pentz to get off more shots, but she had the early goal on her only attempt. I do not think Fullerton at CAM and Pentz at striker beside Watts is the best lineup for this squad based on natural inclinations of the players and how that effects spacing.The back line of Matula, McLaughlin, and Freeman also has some issues to work out with how they balance each others movement and pressure. Lena Tusche being the only freshman to get on the pitch was a bit surprising. I did not expect her to play out wide either, but it may just be a case of how locked down the central midfield roles are. She looked pretty useful out there.Of special note, Coach Darren Ambrose had an extra reason to celebrate a match he was not particularly pleased with. Coach Ambrose is now the winningest head coach in Vanderbilt womens soccer history. He passed Ken McDonal, who headed the program from 1989 to 1998, by getting win #127. McDonald did reach 126 in 27 fewer matches, but comparing their tenures is a bit like comparing Dan McGugin to a modern Vanderbilt football coach. The SEC was not a highly competitive soccer league in the early days of womens soccer, and the Dores were one of the conferences top teams in that era but could never compete nationally.The chance to build on his record total comes tonight at 7 PM Central from the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. In-state but uncommon foe ETSU is coming to Nashville for the third clash all-time. The previous two matches were Commodore wins. The first meeting was a 3-0 Vanderbilt victory in Johnson City in 2008. The Buccaneers then got romped 6-0 in Nashville in 2022.The Bucs were 9-4-6 (4-1-4 in the Southern Conference) in 2025. They lost 2-1 to Mercer in the first round of the SoCon Tournament after finishing third in the conference. Unfortunately, their opening match of the season against North Alabama was canceled due to field conditions after heavy rains.The Buccaneers are poised for an improvement on last season with 80% (20 of 25) of their goals and 63% (15 of 24) of their assists returning. The main danger is likely to come from Regan Fitzgerald, Ava Duffey, and Jada Cooper. Fitzgerald started all 19 matches as a forward and scored 9 goals with 5 assists. Cooper started 13 matches but played in all 19, and she maximized her minutes with 4 goals and 4 assists. Duffey only started 10 times but did appear in all 19 contests. She also was efficient and scored 3 times.The back line has 2 returning starters in Ella Parker (19 games started and 1,582 minutes played) and Caroline Wawak (9 GS and 1,165 MIN). Parker started the season at right back then got pushed to center back by injuries with Wawak backfilling her at RB. McKlain Jones did also start 6 matches.Thankfully for them, ETSU does have an impressive young goalkeeper. Addison Yelton spent a year each at Ole Miss and Tennessee. She had started 3 games as freshman at Ole Miss before not playing at all for Tennessee. She led the SoCon and ranked 58th nationally in goals against average at 0.841, which was the 4th best mark by an ETSU goalkeeper ever. She also went 483 minutes without allowing a goal in late August and early September.Looking at the roster and what they return from a season ago, ETSU looks like a strong contender in the SoCon. They should not be a tough test for the Commodores. I suspect there will be an immediate intensity from Vanderbilt after incurring Coach Ambroses frustrations from the SMU match. Continuing to look disconnected for large stretches, both in attack and defense, would be a real concern. I also do understand the irony of saying that after scoring 4 goals, but moments of individual brilliance aided by poor defending are not good process for a team that wants to compete at the upper echelons of the sport.Tonights match will be preceded by Senior Night festivities along with an autograph signing by Nashville SC defender Maxwell Woledzi fresh off a big win over Inter Miami FC and Lionel Messi last night. Tickets can be purchased for $10, or you can still get a season ticket for $50, which is now $5.55 per match since you missed match 1. If you cannot make it to West End to see the action in person, the match will be streamed on SECN+/ESPN+.

Rose Zhang said a "topped" shot on the back nine of her first round at The Standard Portland Classic got worse as the week went on. On Saturday, she even had treatment from a physio in the middle of the round and looked like she might not finish."Honestly, I felt like I put up a fight," Zhang told Golf Channel following the third round. "I know that I wasnt good at hiding it, which I wish I was. That I was playing tennis out there grunting. I felt like, you know, I just tried my best and thats kind of what you have to do in golf.Zhang showed up again on Sunday and gutted it out, closing with a 68 to finish in a share of eighth. She is entered into next week's event in Canada, the final event before U.S. Solheim Cup team qualifying ends. This marked the former Stanford star's first top 10 since the Ford Championship back in late March.A member of the past two U.S. Solheim Cup teams, Zhang currently sits 73rd in the Rolex Rankings, 14 places behind Lindy Duncan, who currently has the second and final qualifying spot. This week's performance from Zhang could bump Duncan out with one week to go. Alison Lee ranks 61st.A total of five American players have already clinched spots on the 12-person team: Nelly KordaAngel YinJennifer KupchoAuston KimYealimi NohKim and Noh got phone calls from U.S. captain Angela Stanford this week. Stanford will announce her three captain's picks following next week's CPKC Women's Open. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rose Zhang's 'topped' shot led to back injury at LPGA Portland Classic

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Baseball: NLCS Playoffs: Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy John (25) victorious, hugging mananger Tom Lasorda (2) after winning Game 4 and series vs Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia, PA 10/8/1977 CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X21820 TK2 R4 F19 )Tommy Johns name will live on in baseball forever, long after his excellent 26-year major league pitching career ended. John died on Saturday at age 83, and will be long remembered for being the first to undergo the surgery that bears his name.Johns baseball accolades on their own are mind-boggling. He played in 26 major league seasons, matched only in the modern era by Nolan Ryan, who pitched in 27 years. John is one of only eight pitchers to make 700 starts, and he pitched a whopping 4,710 1/3 innings in his major league career.With the Dodgers, John led the National League in winning percentage in each of his first two seasons, including 13-3 for a pennant-winning team in 1974. But he didnt pitch that year after July 17, sidelined by an elbow injury. That September, Dr. Frank Jobe tried a new elbow reconstruction surgery, replacing the ulnar collateral ligament in Johns left elbow.Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name cant be overstated, Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said. His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.After the first such procedure that would ultimately bear his name, John rehabbed in 1975 but returned to make at least 30 starts for his next seven full seasons, a stretch interrupted only by a strike-shortened 1981 season in which he started 20 games and pitched 140 1/3 innings.John pitched in three World Series two for the Dodgers against the Yankees in 1977-78 and one for the Yankees against the Dodgers in 1981 and in his career had a 2.65 ERA in 14 postseason games, including 13 starts and 88 1/3 innings.In the 1977 NLCS, John pitched a complete-game win in Philadelphia in Game 4 to clinch the pennant, finishing off the win with a strikeout of Bake McBride in Philadelphia.John was 31 when he had the surgery, already with a solid dozen major league seasons under his belt. But his lasting power after the surgery was remarkable, pitching until age 46. He ended with more starts, innings, and wins after the surgery than before. He made one All-Star team prior to the elbow procedure, and was an All-Star three times afterward, and also finished second in Cy Young Award voting twice and fourth another time after the surgery.The procedure is now commonplace, with hundreds of pitchers undergoing Tommy John surgery in the 52 years since. But John was the first, and his success afterward opened up doors for countless number of pitching careers to continue.While his incredible longevity and post-surgery achievements changed the fortunes and trajectory of countless athletes around the world, it also overshadowed his excellence as a pitcher, which included consecutive 20win seasons with the Yankees the Yankees said in a statement. We pause to remember the totality of his legacy his competitiveness and skill, his penchant for conversation, his kind and gracious nature, and his stature as an athletic and medical pioneer.In the media room at Dodger Stadium theres a large framed magazine cover with a picture of Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson from what appears to be the 1972 ceremony to retire the uniform numbers of Koufax, Robinson, and Roy Campanella. What strikes me about Koufax in the picture is the wonderful smile on his face, but also how young he was. Koufax was just 36 in 1972, and might have been able to still pitch if some form of elbow surgery was available six years earlier. Koufax during his abrupt retirement in 1966 mentioned he didnt want to regret one moment by continuing to pitch through pain. Hes still going and living a happy life and looks fantastic even now at age 90, so Koufax is likely happy with that decision all these years later. But he also didnt have much of a choice at the time. After Tommy John and Dr. Frank Jobe, hundreds of pitchers had a chance at renewed life on the mound.For that, Tommy John will be remembered forever.

Miguel Vargas feasted on the Tigers all weekend. | (Photo by Zack Belsky/MLB Photos via Getty Images)The lopsided pitching matchup didnt materialize, but it turned out not to matter, as big bats beat big arms.As he crossed into more innings than he had pitched all of last season (134) Sean Burke had his worst start since June 13, giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings that took him 72 pitches. His velocity was off a couple of ticks and his command wasnt terrific, either. The first and biggest blow was a two-run triple in the second on Brett Callahans first major league pitch. Callahan then was knocked in on a Max Clark single to make it 3-0 (Callahans next time up he was called out on strikes by home plate umpire Adam Beck on a clear ball, but his attempt at a challenge was declared too late by Beck, who had a terrible day overall.)The Sox got one run back on a Tristan Peters opposite-field pop-up ground-rule double (those corners in Comerica are really short) and two grounders. The Tigers got it back to 4-1 on an opposite-field homer off Sam Antonaccis glove by Colt Keith in the third, then in the fifth they learned why the dreaded leadoff walk is so dreaded: Tigers starter Drew Anderson, at his highest pitch count all year, pinned Peters down 0-2 then threw four straight balls, followed by a slider that didnt slide that Drew Romo slid 386 feet to right to make it 4-3.A Randal Grichuk pinch-double and Colson Montgomery broken-bat single in the sixth tied the game. Next, Tigers lefty reliever Todd Holton again proved the dreaded-leadoff-walk rule by giving Antonacci (who doesnt hit lefties well) a five-pitch pass and following that by setting one on a tee for Munetaka Murakami, only to see it land 393 feet away. Make it 6-4, White Sox.The Tigers cut it to 6-5 in the seventh when Dillon Dingler broke an 0-for-29 slump with a double to score Gleyber Torres, at which point Mune proved hes not just another pretty bat:Your browser does not support the video tag. Download the video.That kept it a one-run game, and Miguel Vargas added a solo shot in the ninth for a little insurance. Sean Newcomb, who did the heavy lifting on the relief side with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless work, had an easy 1-2-3 ninth for a 7-5 win. Hagen Smith had also had a solid 1 2/3 innings of scoreless tossing, with the only reliever to blot his copybook (can you tell I watch Britbox a lot?) being Huascar Brazobn, knocked for two hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning.Oh, you want to see all the nice long balls? Well, here they all are!Your browser does not support the video tag. Download the video.Your browser does not support the video tag. Download the video.Your browser does not support the video tag. Download the video.The sweep sends the White Sox to 65-58 and drops the Tigers to 5 1/2 back and dreaming about next year (we hope, anyway). Next up is a trip north on the Red Line, beginning tomorrow night with Luis Castillo (who has spent one game in a Sox uniform making Chris Getz look dumb and one making him look brilliant) vs. Shota Imanaga.MVPSean Newcomb: 2 IP, BB, 2 K, SAVE (4), 31% WPARunners-UpHagen Smith: 1 2/3 IP, BB, K, WP, WIN (2-0), badass putout on a line drive off his belly, 12% WPAMunetaka Murakami: 1-for-5, R, RBI, HR, 2 K, 19% WPAMiguel Vargas: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR, BB, K, 11% WPARandal Grichuk: 1-for-3, R, 2B, K,Braden Montgomery: 1-for-4, BB, KColson Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 KTristan Peters: 1-for-1, 2 R, 2B, BBCold CatSean Burke: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR, -23% WPARunners-UpSam Antonacci: 0-for-4, R, RBI, BBChase Meidroth: 0-for-3, BB, K, GIDPBrenton Doyle: 0-for-2, KHuascar Brazobn: 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, HOLD (10), -11% WPAColson Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K just kidding Vaughn

Jack Whaley missed the cut for the 2025 US Amateur but shone 12 months later [Reuters]Jack Whaley became only the second Englishman to win the US Amateur Championship since 1911 as he beat American Jay Leng Jr 4&3 at Merion.Victory will give the 22-year-old a place in the field for the Masters, US Open and The Open at St Andrews in 2027.Whaley, who attends Florida State University, came into the contest as a major underdog against Leng Jr, who is 23rd in the world amateur golf rankings, some 67 places higher than the 22-year-old from Doncaster.The on-course form looked to be following the rankings as Whaley slipped two down after the opening 18 holes in Sunday's 36-hole encounter.However, Whaley fought back superbly, making back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes of his second round on his way to winning four holes consecutively.With rain lashing down in Pennsylvania, both players took two of the next six holes before Leng Jr misread a putt on the 12th to hand his opponent a three-hole lead.Whaley rounded off his win with a superb left-to-right putt for birdie at 15 to become the first English amateur to triumph in the US Amateur since Matt Fitzpatrick in 2013.Prior to Fitzpatrick, Harold Hilton had been the last Englishman to won the title in 1911, with Scotland's Richie Ramsay (2006) the only other British winner since 1898.Fitzpatrick went on to follow up his success at The Country Club in Brookline by winning the US Open on the same course in 2022.Former US Amateur winners include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland.

PREVIEW | Independiente Rivadavia vs Fluminense: team news, lineups, predictions (Libertadores 18/08)Independiente Rivadavia and Fluminense face each other this Tuesday at the Malvinas Argentinas for a match of the Last 16 of the Copa Libertadores.In their last game, Independiente Rivadavia lost 2-0 against Belgrano (Torneo Clausura 2026). In their last fixture, Fluminense won 3-2 against Palmeiras (Brasileiro Srie A 2026).The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 0-0 draw.UnavailableIndependiente RivadaviaRamiro Macagno - Muscle TearFluminenseMatheus Reis - InjuryJohn Kennedy - InjuryJuan Freytes - Ankle InjuryLast starting XIsIndependiente Rivadavia ( vs Belgrano 2026-08-15): Emmanuel Gmez, Alex Vigo, Alejo Osella, Ivn Villalba, Diego Crego, Jos Florentn, Kevin Vzquez, Toms Bottari, Gonzalo Ros, Rodrigo Atencio, Luciano SbatoFluminense ( vs Palmeiras 2026-08-15): Fbio, Guga, Jemmes, Igor Rabello, Ren, Hrcules, PH Ganso, Martinelli, Agustn Canobbio, Hulk, Yeferson SoteldoDid you know...by playmaker statsMANAGERSAlfredo Berti has faced Luis Zubelda on three occasions, recording one win and two drawsLuis Zubelda has faced Independiente Rivadavia on three occasions, recording two draws and one defeatAlfredo Berti has faced Fluminense on three occasions, recording one win and two drawsTEAMSAway from home, Fluminense currently have one defeat in their last six matches.Away from home, Fluminense currently have one win in their last 13 matches.Away from home, Fluminense are on a run of nine consecutive matches without a win.Away from home, Fluminense are on a run of four consecutive matches without defeat.Fluminense currently have one defeat in their last ten matches.Fluminense currently have one win in their last nine matches.Fluminense are on a run of three consecutive matches without defeat.At home, Independiente Rivadavia currently have one defeat in their last ten matches.At home, Independiente Rivadavia currently have one draw in their last 11 matches.At home, Independiente Rivadavia are on a run of 13 consecutive matches scoring goals.At home, Independiente Rivadavia are on a run of three consecutive matches without defeat.At home, Independiente Rivadavia are on a run of three consecutive wins.Independiente Rivadavia currently have three defeats in their last 21 matches.Independiente Rivadavia are on a run of two consecutive matches without a win.HEAD TO HEADIndependiente Rivadavia and Fluminense have faced each other three times, with Independiente Rivadavia holding the advantage: one win, while Fluminense have never won.At the Malvinas Argentinas, there is no advantage between Independiente Rivadavia and Fluminense: zero wins for each team in one match.In the Copa Libertadores, the two teams have met three times, with one win for Independiente Rivadavia and two draws.

The Miami Dolphins drafted 13 rookies from this past Aprils NFL Draft. Hitting nearly every area of need, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan had a clear vision of adding certain types of players both offensively and defensively. While many judge performance on the almighty stat, one rookie could become an extremely valuable player immediately for Miami and showed why on Friday night against the Washington Commanders.Third-round pick (No. 87 overall) tight end Will Kacmarek, from Ohio State, was met with certain shock by many within the Dolphins community. However, when looking at the trend of NFL teams selecting blocking tight ends lately, Kacmarek is arguably one of the best in the 2026 class.That blocking ability was on display Friday, as Kacmarek did his job very effectively against the Commanders. In a great breakdown on social media, Kacmarek showed why he was selected as a top-90 player.A Sample of WILL KACMAREK's work on the night.(THREAD) 8 clips.#1 pic.twitter.com/pf16a3ey9K 3YPC (@3YardsPerCarry) August 15, 2026As Sullivan indicated when becoming Miamis general manager, his goal was to add a tough and physical identity to the Dolphins. He told South Florida reporters his job is to give head coach Jeff Hafley, the kind of guys that want to chase championships, that are selfless, that are mentally and physically tough, who have a burning desire to be the best football players that they can be."Sullivan hit the nail on the head here, and after he drafted Kacmarek, he told the media, His teammates are going to follow him, and he brings a physicality and a toughness to his craft that I think is unmatched.In further describing Kacmarek, Sullivan said, He's an unsung hero. You know, he's a grimy, dirty, bite your face off type of dude. Hes going to be a difference maker for us in the run game, which allows your offense to do so many different things. It just opens up so many doors for the offensive coordinator, the way they call the game. And he's elite I think he's elite as a blocker.Added Sullivan, When you watch the league and see tight ends block, I think this guy, Day 1, is on the upper echelon of that and will only get better. That doesn't make the stat sheet; that typically doesn't make the highlights on ESPN, but that's OK. Hes another culture guy who does everything the right way. He handles his business in the building."To add to his skill set, Kacmarek has very good hands and could be utilized as a pass-catcher, as Sullivan stated, He is a subtly good wide receiver. Now I'm not going to tell you that he's going to be running away from people and doing all those things, but he's very capable underneath mid zone. He can stretch the seam. He runs good enough to get down the seam.Sullivan continued the scouting report, saying, He's a big body. He's got nice hands. So hes not a guy that can't help you in the passing game; I just think his superpower is the in-line blocking.An interesting player comparison to Kacmarek is A.J. Barner of the Seattle Seahawks, who was drafted in 2024 in the fourth round, 121st overall out of Michigan. Barner is known for his blocking, and in that area in 2025 was graded 74.4 according to Pro Football Focus, which was 11th out of 37 qualifying tight ends. Yet when his number was called across his first two seasons, caught 77.4% of his 106 targets and 10 touchdowns.As a pass-protector, Barner didnt allow quarterback pressure last season. His in-line blocking as an extension of the offensive line in the run game is a strong suit. Barner and Kacmarek are similarly sized, both 6-foot-6, while Kacmarek is 10-plus pounds heavier.Now the coincidence here is that the man who selected Barner is John Schneider, who, like Sullivan, comes from the Green Bay Packers executive tree. Sullivan and Schneider were in Green Bay during the 2004-09 seasons. Schneiderbecame the Packers director of football operations during the 2008 and 2009 seasons before taking the Seahawks general manager job in 2010.Sullivan was under Schneiderand surely learned from him as a football operations assistant from 2004-07, before becoming a scout from 2008-15, and eventually promoted to vice president of player personnel from 2022 through 2025. Of course, Schneiderwas the architect who built the 2025 Seahawks into Super Bowl Champions.Keep an eye on the similarities in the usage of Kacmarek to Barners progression, as he could be headed for a similar start to his career, which should be exactly what Sullivan and Dolphins fans could hope for.This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Overlooked Dolphins rookie shined vs. Commanders