The red-hot Miami Marlins took a major hit Wednesday as they placed reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and star slugger Jorge Soler on the injured list.

Alcantara will miss time due to a right forearm strain, while Soler is out because of a right oblique strain.

The injuries come at a terrible time for the Marlins, who have won five straight and entered the day a half-game behind Cincinnati in the race for the National League’s third wild-card spot.

Alcantara first experienced discomfort during his last start against Washington on Sunday but completed eight innings in a 6-4 win.

“I didn’t feel bad, but I talked to my trainer about it,” Alcantara said. “Knowing of the hard work that I put on my body, I just have to take it.”

Alcantara missed one start this season because of biceps tendinitis but has made at least 30 starts in each of the previous two seasons.

He is 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 26 starts this season and leads the majors with three complete games and is second in innings (184.2).

Soler earned his first All-Star selection this season and ranks among the NL leaders with 35 home runs.

The native of Cuba missed five games with hip tightness before returning Tuesday in a 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

“It’s not ideal at this time of year, but these things happen in the game,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “It gives another guy an opportunity to step up because we’re right in the middle of this thing.”

The Marlins are seeking their first playoff berth in a 162-game season since the 2003 team won the World Series.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk revealed he emerged from the “carnage” of Roberto De Zerbi’s first fortnight in charge to earn back his place among an England squad he now feels has the belief to win trophies.

The centre-back is hoping to pick up just his second senior England cap, five years after he made his debut in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States.

Dunk has fully deserved a recall after fine form at club-level saw Seagulls head coach De Zerbi describe the 31-year-old as one of the top five defenders in Europe.

Having represented Brighton from their time in the third tier all the way up to captaining the team to a sixth-place Premier League finish and qualification to the Europa League last year, Dunk has seen plenty in his time at his hometown club.

But he admits the change in approach brought about by De Zerbi’s appointment to replace Chelsea-bound Graham Potter last year was a challenge – albeit one that was ultimately rewarding for club and skipper alike.

“Football-wise, since the new manager at Brighton has come in I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing,” he said.

“Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense. But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense. You think ‘why didn’t I know this?’ and ‘why didn’t I do this before?’ That is just what it is.

“If I am being honest, honest answer the first couple of weeks were horrendous… I wouldn’t say horrendous, they were baffling.

“He (De Zerbi) knows that, we have spoken about it and he knew that at the time, coming in, not speaking English, speaking through a translator.

“Training changed dramatically, we work on a lot of different stuff now and the first couple of weeks were a really hard transition, especially I think we were fourth in the league when Graham left and we were flying with him, and it was a strange time for him to go and then Roberto came in and (it was) carnage for two weeks.”

De Zerbi prefers a methodical, planned approach which requires all of his players – especially defenders – to be comfortable in possession of the ball.

“It’s rehearsed – don’t worry about that,” Dunk added when asked if such tactics – which have led to famous wins over Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal – are risky.

“We rehearse it every day. That is our training. I couldn’t play his position, but now know every position on the pitch and where they should be. The time they should move and what angles they should give. So yes, we see it every day and it makes life simpler.”

Dunk earned his England recall in June, but injury forced him to pull out of the squad to face Malta and North Macedonia in Euro 2024 qualifiers.

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Manager Gareth Southgate has kept faith in Dunk, however, and he is back again at the first time of asking.

“I’m completely different person and a different player,” he said.

“I’m five years older, five years wiser and I’ve learnt a lot football-wise and life-wise in those five years, like you do.

“I’m a different person now and come here with a different confidence that I probably didn’t come with before.”

Asked what was the biggest difference he noticed between the last time he trained alongside Southgate and his players at St George’s Park to now, Dunk added: “We had a meeting the other day and he’s talking about winning the Euros and the whole squad is thinking about winning the Euros.

“So I would say that’s the big change in mentality. It’s not ‘how far can we get in a tournament’. It’s winning a tournament.

“So that is probably the biggest change I’ve seen coming back. It’s ‘we will win this tournament. We want to win this tournament’. That’s what we’re going there to do and being around these top players. I can see why he is saying that and why England can win.”

Nick Bosa's six-week holdout is now over after the San Francisco 49ers and the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year agreed to a reported five-year, $170 million extension that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in league history.

NFL.com reported Wednesday that Bosa will receive $122.5 million in guaranteed money and the 49ers will waive all fines the star edge rusher incurred by missing all of training camp and the preseason.

The deal is the largest ever for a defensive player in terms of both average annual value and guaranteed money. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald had the largest AAV at $31.7 million while Bosa's brother, Joey, received a then-record $102 million in guarantees on his 2020 extension with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The two sides were able to strike a deal four days before the 49ers' season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a game head coach Kyle Shanahan said Bosa may now be able to participate in to some degree.

"We've got to see when he gets here," Shanahan told reporters Wednesday on Bosa's availability for Week 1. "I know Nick will come in shape, I know he'll be good. 

"We'll be smart with it and it will be based on these next two-and-a-half practices."

Bosa was a runaway winner of last season's Defensive Player of the Year award after amassing a league-best 18.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 48 quarterback hurries in 16 games. The 25-year-old was entering the final season of his five-year, $51.4 million rookie contract.

Taken by the 49ers with the second overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bosa has recorded 43 sacks, 56 tackles for loss and one interception in 51 career regular-season games as a lynchpin of a stout San Francisco defence that has helped the franchise reach the NFC Championship Game in three of his four seasons.

Bosa missed most of the 2020 season after tearing his ACL in the 49ers' second game, but returned with a banner 2021 campaign in which he registered 15.5 sacks during the regular season and four more in three postseason games. 

Arsenal sealed their place in the Champions League qualifying first-round final with a 3-0 win against Linkoping in Sweden.

Caitlin Foord and Lina Hurtig both scored with second-half headers before substitute Stina Blackstenius’ late effort sealed their progress.

Arsenal captain Kim Little’s early penalty was saved and Lotte Wubben-Moy’s first-half header was pushed on to a post.

The Gunners – who handed England striker Alessia Russo her debut – will face Paris on Saturday for a place in the two-legged second qualifying round.

Celtic registered their first win in a Champions League tie as Kelly Clark’s second-half goal earned them a 1-0 win against Brondby in Oslo.

Clark’s emphatic finish following a 68th-minute corner saw the Ghirls advance to the final of their round one group where they will play Valerenga.

Glasgow City secured their place in their round-one group final after beating Shelbourne 2-0 in a morning kick-off and will now face Lithuanian side Gintra.

Kinga Kozak’s effort for Glasgow before the break hit the crossbar and second-half goals from Brenna Lovera and Lauren Davidson saw the Scottish side progress.

Glasgow’s next opponents Gintra knocked Cardiff out of the competition as two goals from Nigeria forward Juliet Bassey in Siauliai sealed a 2-0 win.

Irish Premiership champions Cliftonville’s first-ever Champions League tie ended in an 8-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon.

Marie D’Anjou headed Benfica into a first-half lead and after Fionnula Morgan’s own goal, further efforts from Lucia Alves and Andrea Falcon gave the hosts a 4-0 interval lead.

Lara Martins added two more for Benfica early in the second half and Caitlin McGuinness headed Cliftonville’s first European goal before Alves and Beatriz Nogueira extended the Portuguese side’s lead.

Daniil Medvedev won the all-Russian clash at the US Open to deal his friend Andrey Rublev more quarter-final misery.

Third seed Medvedev, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows, lost the opening three games of the match as Rublev flew out of the blocks.

The world number eight, who is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter, won the first eight points and 14 out of the first 15.

But Medvedev quickly grew into the match, winning the first two sets amid some punishing rallies in stifling heat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Rublev led by a break in the third but was pegged back again, and in a 15-minute final game, Medvedev converted match point at the fifth attempt to wrap up a 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory.

Luckless Rublev has now made the quarter-final stage in nine grand slams, and he has lost all of them.

“It was brutal,” said Medvedev. “The only good thing is in these conditions both suffer.

“I know he never gives up, but he knows I never give up too.”

Dan Cole insists England’s players understand the damaging consequences of stepping out of line while seeking to escape World Cup cabin fever.

Cole will appear in his fourth tournament when he lines up against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday with his experience giving the Test centurion an insight into striking the right balance between rugby and recreation.

In 2011 that harmony was thrown out of kilter by a series of embarrassing off-field incidents that tarnished England’s reputation and ushered in the reign of Stuart Lancaster, who then set a headmasterly tone in 2015.

Four years later in Japan, the right note was struck as a purposeful squad reached the final before falling to South Africa.

A regular sight at England’s camp in Le Touquet is players riding bikes, spending time on the beach, strolling through town or eating dinner in local restaurants – a level of freedom Cole insists is not taken lightly.

“We’ve always been told there’s a trust. If you f*** up you’re out, basically. So no one f**** up. Or tries not to,” Cole said.

“Some people do it differently to others – some are more casual with their evenings, others are more professional – but it’s whatever works.

“Players and coaches know that when you’re on the field, there’s no hiding in a 33-man squad. If you’re not ready to go then people see it straight away.

“No one really wants to be in that position. That’s down to the squad culture and that’s why good teams are good.”

One of the incidents that blighted England in 2011 was Manu Tuilagi jumping off a ferry into Auckland harbour, incurring a police warning and £3,000 fine from the Rugby Football Union.

“Well, I held his (Manu’s) phone. As a young person you learn,” said Cole, who was Tuilagi’s team-mate at Leicester for 11 years.

“The squad learnt what you can and can’t do. If you decided to do that type of stuff you hurt the squad. It does not last for you for the day. It lasts for the rest of your career.

“We had times when we weren’t training in Japan and we did go out and explore. There’s a balance, you’re in these unique places and you might only be there once in your life, so you may as well enjoy them and explore.

“It’s a mental break – the pressure of the World Cup gets to you so it’s good to get out of your room.

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“Le Touquet has made an effort to have us here so we might as well reciprocate and explore.”

Cole’s Test career appeared to be over until Steve Borthwick’s arrival as head coach offered a route back and he made his first appearance since the 2019 World Cup final in the recent Six Nations.

England’s scrum was overwhelmed by South Africa in Yokohama four years ago and Cole appeared to have paid the price.

“You come back from a World Cup and you’ve got bit of a point to prove or a grievance,” Cole said.

“You have that annoyance in yourself that you want to put things right, as you always do after a loss.

“That is the way I have been brought through at Leicester and England – you want to put things right straight away and after Steve took over Leicester, he laid down a challenge.

“I thought we have got something to buy into here and that is what we did. It just becomes part of what you do, so when England came and said ‘we’d like you in the squad, would you like to help’? ‘Yes, I would love to’.

“I don’t think it is fuelled by anything. It is part of the way we have been brought up, especially at Leicester and England – every day you turn up and work and try to get better.”

All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce is listed as questionable to play Thursday when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs open the 2023 NFL season against the visiting Detroit Lions.

Kelce, who injured his knee during Tuesday's practice, has not missed a game to injury since his 2013 rookie season.

The 33-year-old caught a career-high 110 passes for 1,338 yards in 2022, his seventh straight season eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving. He also caught a career-best 12 touchdowns last season, giving him 69 in his career.

In Kansas City's march to the Super Bowl, Kelce caught 27 passes for 257 yards with four touchdowns in three playoff games. He had six receptions for 81 yards with a TD in the Super Bowl.

Should he be forced to sit out, that could spell trouble for Kansas City given his familiarity with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the fact the Chiefs are introducing several new receivers this year.

Noah Gray, who is listed as Kelce's backup on the depth chart, had 28 catches for 299 yards with a TD for the Chiefs last season.

Chamari Athapaththu was again the star for Sri Lanka as they earned a historic Twenty20 international series win against England.

Athapaththu claimed figures of three for 21 as the hosts were bowled out for 116 before whacking 44 to fire her side to a seven-wicket victory, which sealed a memorable 2-1 series success in the decider at Derby.

The Sri Lanka captain hit a half-century in Saturday’s win at Chelmsford and again brought the fireworks, plundering two sixes and five fours in her 28-ball innings.

It meant that England lost a T20 series to a team other than Australia for the first time since 2010, while also losing a first-ever white-ball series to Sri Lanka.

The opening ball of the match set the tone for England’s disappointing innings as Danni Wyatt slapped a gentle long hop straight to cover and it got worse after a calamitous run out at the end of the second over, where Maia Bouchier and Alice Capsey were both at the same end.

They never got to grips with Sri Lanka’s array of slower bowlers, with skipper Athapaththu taking three  wickets and Udeshika Prabodhani and Kavisha Dilhari both claiming two victims apiece.

Bouchier top scored with 23 while Danielle Gibson added 21 late as England failed to see out their overs.

Athapaththu came out firing and did the leg work of Sri Lanka’s chase in the first seven overs, hitting Kate Cross and 17-year-old Mahika Gaur over the ropes in an array of boundaries.

Her dismissal with score on 65 could have opened the door for England, but they could not make regular inroads and the visitors got over the line with 18 balls to spare.

All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones believes he could be ready to play in the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener Thursday night if he reaches a contract extension with the defending Super Bowl champions.

“I've been keeping in contact with my teammates. I've been working out every day, doing similar things to what they're doing in training camp,” Jones said Wednesday. “I'll be ready when the time comes.”

The Chiefs open the NFL season Thursday night against the visiting Detroit Lions.

“Hopefully it gets worked out,” Jones said. “It's always been my goal to be a Kansas City Chief for life.

“I've said that multiple time on social media platforms, from interviews, and they know where my position is at.”

Jones finished third in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season while playing a major role in the Chiefs' second Super Bowl title in four years.

The 29-year-old tied a career high with 15.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games and registered two more in Kansas City's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game.

The seven-year veteran has been named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons, while his 56.5 sacks since 2018 are the fourth most in the NFL over that stretch.

“We're going to continue to press on and work hard,” Kansas City general manager Brett Veach said. “A lot of respect on both sides of this thing.

“It’s been well-stated how we feel about Chris and he feels the same thing. We’re just going to keep working on this thing.”

Lionel Messi heads the list of nominees for the men’s Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to World Cup glory.

Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka were also included on the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious prize published by organisers France Football on Wednesday.

Messi, already a record seven-time winner of the annual prize for world player of the year, is again the favourite.

The 36-year-old, who now plays his club football with Inter Miami, was his country’s chief inspiration as they triumphed in Qatar last winter, scoring seven goals in the tournament.

Haaland, who scored a remarkable 52 goals for treble-winning Manchester City last season, is one of seven players from the successful City side to make the list.

Former captain Ilkay Gundogan, who is now at Barcelona, another World Cup-winner in Julian Alvarez, Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Bernardo Silva were the others.

England captain Harry Kane is rewarded after scoring 40 goals for club and country before switching Tottenham for Bayern Munich. England team-mates Bellingham, who is now at Real Madrid, and Saka, of Arsenal, also enjoyed strong campaigns.

Other notable Premier League inclusions are Aston Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard.

Five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, was not nominated for the first time since 2003.

England’s Rachel Daly, Georgia Stanway, Millie Bright and Mary Earps are on the shortlist for the women’s award following their run to the World Cup final.

Goalkeeper Earps won the Golden Glove after keeping four clean sheets in the tournament while Daly was also the top scorer in the Women’s Super League last season.

Aitana Bonmati of champions Spain is widely considered the favourite for the prize but team-mate Olga Carmona, scorer of the winning goal in the final, is also nominated.

Bellingham is also on the shortlist for the men’s young player of the year prize. New Manchester United signing Rasmus Hojlund, of Denmark, and Barcelona trio Gavi, Pedri and Alejandro Balde are also candidates.

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is nominated for goalkeeper of the year along with Martinez. They will face competition from Ederson of Manchester City and United’s former Inter Milan stopper Andre Onana, who is also on the list for the main award.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on October 30.

England will have to defend a below-par score of 116 if they are to win their Twenty20 international series against Sri Lanka.

With the three-match contest tied at 1-1, the hosts were bowled out for a disappointing 116 after being invited to bat first in the decider at Derby.

They never got to grips with Sri Lanka’s array of slower bowlers, with Chamari Athapaththu taking three for 21 and Udeshika Prabodhani and Kavisha Dilhari both claiming two wickets apiece.

Maia Bouchier top scored with 23 while Danielle Gibson added 21 late as England were skittled in the 19th over.

The innings could not have got off to a worse start as Danni Wyatt planted a gentle wide delivery from Inoshi Fernando straight to cover.

The Sri Lankans were celebrating again at the end of the second over when a calamitous mix-up between Bouchier and Alice Capsey saw both batters at the same end, with the latter ran out.

Bouchier and captain Heather Knight did some repair work, sharing a 30-run stand in four overs, but that came to an end when Bouchier holed out to long-on.

Knight (18) and Amy Jones (20) soon followed as England slipped to 72 for five in the 11th over and it looked like they would struggle to get to 100.

But Gibson hit three fours in her 15-ball innings to get them to three figures before a flurry of late wickets saw them fail to see out their overs.

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny is refusing to bemoan his luck as he prepares to take on the might of France without his emerging star striker.

Irish fans were licking their lips in anticipation when 18-year-old Evan Ferguson plundered a Premier League hat-trick for Brighton against Newcastle on Saturday evening just days before he was due at the Parc des Princes for a showdown with the World Cup runners-up.

However, a knee injury has forced his withdrawal from the squad for the game and the home clash with Netherlands which follows it on Sunday, much to the disappointment of Kenny, whose reign has been punctuated by misfortune ever since he lost frontmen Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly to what proved to be false positive Covid-19 tests in the run up to their Euro 2020 play-off in Slovakia.

Asked if he was due a change of luck, the manager said: “No, I don’t really look at it like that. I’m very privileged to manage Ireland, very privileged.

“The attacking players that are missing, five of them – Michael Obafemi, Troy Parrott, Mikey Johnston, Callum Robinson and Evan Ferguson, of course – the five players are missing, but because we’ve given 18 players their debut in that period over the last two years, it’s increased the level of squad depth and it means that we still have a strong team.

“I’m happy with the team that we have tomorrow night, very happy with it and I’m happy with the options that we have.

“We know many people don’t give us much of a chance – I understand why, we understand that. But we’re going to give ourselves every opportunity to prepare well and perform to the level that we need to to put in a really strong performance tomorrow night.”

The odds are stacked against Ireland as they attempt to resurrect their Group B campaign, which so far has yielded just three points from as many games, a run which includes a 1-0 home defeat by the French in Dublin.

Didier Deschamps’ men are ranked second by FIFA, while the Republic have slipped to 53rd, and they realistically need to win at least one of the two games this week if they are to keep their campaign alive.

Asked if the trip to Paris was his toughest game to date as Ireland boss, Kenny said: “I would say it is, yes. I’d say that’s most likely accurate.

“France have been to the last two World Cup finals. They won the World Cup, then obviously lost last year on penalties to win two World Cups in a row, so they’re definitely within the two best teams in the world, if not the best.

“We obviously respect their talent and to come into their backyard, into their home arena and play them presents a stiff challenge and one that we understand is difficult.

“But we’re very excited by it as well and we understand that it’s an opportunity for us.”

Skipper John Egan is expected to be fit after shaking off knee and ankle problems, while Andrew Omobamidele, who was drafted in as cover for the Sheffield United man, has now joined the squad in Paris after being given compassionate leave following the death of his grandfather.