Three more teams secured play-off berths on Tuesday, with the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres booking trips to the post-season.
The Orioles got home runs from Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser and Ramon Urias to beat the New York Yankees 5-3 and deny their division rivals the AL East crown for at least one more night.
The Yankees, who saw Aaron Judge hit his 56th homer of the season, lead the Orioles in the East by five games with five to play, although Baltimore would have the tiebreaker if they go 5-0 down the stretch and New York finishes 0-5.
The Orioles will play in consecutive post-seasons for the first time since 1996-97.
For the fourth consecutive year, the AL West crown was claimed by the Astros, who beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Jason Heyward each hit home runs for Houston, with Heyward’s two-run shot in the fifth putting the Astros ahead for good.
In the NL West, the Padres turned a triple play to close out their 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and ensure them at least a wild-card spot.
Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run homer in the second and added an RBI double in the fourth to pace the Padres, who trail the Dodgers by two games in the West.
Braves take crucial series opener from Mets
Michael Harris had a home run and an RBI double, Spencer Schwellenbach was strong through seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-1 as both teams continued their fight for play-off position.
Harris finished 3 for 4 with seven total bases, and Marcell Ozuna hit his 39th homer of the season, a solo shot in the fifth off Ryne Stanek.
Schwellenbach carried a shutout into the seventh, when he surrendered a solo shot to Mark Vientos. Schwellenbach allowed three hits and one walk over seven innings.
The win, Atlanta’s third in a row, moved the Braves (86-71) half a game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks (87-71) for the NL’s final wild-card spot. Arizona was routed 11-0 by the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.
With the loss, the Mets (87-70) were left clinging to a wild-card position by the narrowest of margins. They face the Braves two more times before heading to Milwaukee for a three-game set against the NL Central champion Brewers.
Guardians secure first-round bye
Kyle Manzardo and Lane Thomas hit home runs to back a strong outing from Tanner Bibee, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1.
With the win, the AL Central champion Guardians clinched a top-two finish in the American League and a first-round play-off bye.
Manzardo and Thomas both went deep in the first inning off Carson Spiers for the early lead, and Josh Naylor drove in a pair of insurance runs as Cleveland improved to 91-67.
Bibee, who had been 1-4 in his previous five decisions, cruised to his 12th win, allowing four hits and one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts.
The Guardians trail the Yankees by 1 ½ games for the best record in the AL.
Enzo Maresca believes his young Chelsea side sent out a message with their 5-0 thrashing of Barrow in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick, netting twice in the first half before claiming the match ball with his 75th-minute effort.
Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net just before the half-hour mark, with Pedro Neto getting Chelsea's fourth three minutes after the break.
It was just Chelsea's second win at Stamford Bridge under Maresca, after their victory over Servette in August, with the Italian making 11 changes to his line-up as he continues to rotate his squad.
His much-changed team dominated throughout though, having 20 shots, with half of those on target, as they limited their League Two opponents to just five efforts and only one on target.
Maresca was particularly impressed with how Chelsea rose to the challenge he set them prior to kick-off.
"Before the game, I asked the players that even if they are the youngest team in the Premier League, to show how serious we are to me, but also to send a message that, yes, we are young, but we are serious and want to compete," Maresca said, as reported by BBC Sport.
Maresca made another notable change at the break, with Ben Chilwell coming on to replace Malo Gusto, who has recently returned from injury.
Chilwell was one of the players training away from the main squad at the start of Maresca's tenure, but he was unable to secure a move away from the club in the transfer window.
The left-back struggled with injuries last season and was limited to just 21 appearances under Mauricio Pochettino.
Having reintegrated Chilwell back into the squad and handing him his first minutes since their FA Cup semi-final in April, Maresca was happy with what he saw from the England international.
"Very good. It was not easy for Chilly. He didn't get any minutes this season, but he has shown he is there, he is ready and working well," Maresca said.
"There is not any problem. If we have a chance, we will give him some more minutes."
Pep Guardiola expects Rodri to be "out for a long time", though Manchester City are still waiting for official confirmation on the extent of the midfielder's injury.
Rodri sustained a serious-looking knee injury during a corner in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, having turned awkwardly while tiusslinThomas Partey.
The former Atletico Madrid man has since been seen in Barcelona, with reports suggesting that he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
That would possibly keep him out for the season and would be a huge blow to City, for whom he has proven to be a key man since joining in 2019.
Before City's EFL Cup third-round tie with Watford, which they won 2-1 to progress to the next round, Guardiola was unable to offer any updates on his condition.
However, in his post-match interview, Guardiola conceded that he would be without the Spain international for a prolonged period.
"Rodri will be out for a long time, a while," Guardiola said.
"There are some opinions that it will be less than we thought, but we are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get. We should know tomorrow."
Rodri played 50 times for City in all competitions last season, losing just one of those matches.
However, in the nine they played without him, their win percentage dropped from 76% to 55.6%, with their points-per-game dropping from 2.5 to 1.7.
And Guardiola knows the onus will be on him to find a solution.
"When a team doesn't play with the best midfielder in the world for a long, long time, it is a big blow," Guardiola told reporters.
"Yes, he's irreplaceable. But my duty is to find a solution.
"There is an alternative, we will do it. When you have one player who is irreplaceable, as a team we have to find a solution."
Danny Ward saved all three penalties he faced to lead Leicester City to a 3-0 shootout win after a 0-0 draw against Walsall in the EFL Cup third round.
Leicester struggled to break down their resolute League Two opposition, with their only two shots on target coming in the second half.
The travelling Leicester fans were left frustrated by their side's showing, with one fan even making his way onto the pitch to vent at Steve Cooper before being removed by security staff.
But Leicester, who are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season since being promoted back to the top flight, prevailed from 12 yards.
Ricardo Pereira, Conor Coady and Oliver Skipp all netted their spot-kicks, but goalkeeper Ward ensured he will take the plaudits after correctly guessing right for all three of Walsall's penalties to seal the Foxes' place in the next round.
Elsewhere, Jhon Duran's hot streak in front of goal continued as he helped Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers.
Emiliano Buendia marked his long-awaited return to the starting line-up after a long-term injury with the opening goal for Villa before Duran scored the second from the penalty spot after being brought down by Declan Skura.
Wycombe substitute Richard Kone got on the scoresheet to create some nerves for Villa, who held firm to avoid a fourth consecutive EFL Cup third-round exit.
Real Madrid fended off a late comeback from Deportivo Alaves to win 3-2 and ensure Carlo Ancelotti tasted victory in his 300th match.
Reigning LaLiga champions Madrid were cruising to victory at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday as goals from Lucas Vazquez, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo put them 3-0 up.
Carlos Benavidez and Kike Garcia scored in the 85th and 86th minutes for Alaves but Madrid held on to win a match they had mostly dominated.
Madrid opened the scoring under a minute after kick-off when Vinicius Junior took a long Federico Valverde pass in his stride and ran up the left channel before setting up full-back Vazquez, who fired home from close range.
Los Blancos extended their lead in the 40th minute when Mbappe played a neat one-two with Jude Bellingham before cutting inside and slotting in a tidy finish, keeping up his run of form in front of goal.
Rodrygo scored Madrid's third three minutes after the restart, placing a low shot under the goalkeeper's legs to finish off a quick counter-attack.
However, both Benavidez and Garcia capitalised on some poor defending to get Alaves back in the contest and set up a grandstand finale.
Thankfully for Ancelotti on his milestone game, Madrid regained their composure to get over the line.
Data Debrief: Madrid close in on Barca record
It is now 39 games unbeaten for Madrid in LaLiga. They are just the second team in the history of the competition to have such a long unbeaten run, after Barcelona in 2018 (43 games).
Ancelotti, meanwhile, was able to celebrate his landmark match in the end. He is just the second coach in Madrid history to oversee 300 matches in charge, after Migue Munoz.
The Italian has won 216 games, drawing 45 times and losing on 39 occasions.
Matheus Nunes' first Manchester City goal proved the difference as Pep Guardiola's team beat Watford 2-1 to progress to the EFL Cup fourth round.
Tom Ince set up a nervy ending for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium, but Championship side Watford could not find a late equaliser to force a penalty shootout.
City got off to a quick start, helped by Ryan Porteous' loose backpass, as James McAtee pounced before Jack Grealish teed up Jeremy Doku for a pinpoint finish into the bottom corner after five minutes.
Kwadwo Baah thought he had equalised in the 21st minute, drilling his low shot into the far post, but he was penalised for a foul on debutant Kaden Braithwaite.
Rico Lewis then opened up Watford's defence with a driving run before laying it off to Nunes, whose low effort crept past Jonathan Bond to double City's lead before the break.
Ince cleared Savinho's effort off the line before the Brazilian also struck the inside of the post as City searched for a second, while Bond made impressive stops to deny Nunes and Grealish.
Yet it was Watford who struck next - Ince bending a lovely finish beyond Stefan Ortega, but the visitors failed to test City again after that.
Data Debrief: No end to the City hoodoo for Watford
It has been a while since these two sides last met following Watford's relegation from the Premier League, but City always enjoy facing them.
They have now won each of their last 16 matches against Watford in all competitions by an aggregate score of 60-9, while they have also been responsible for the Hornets' last seven domestic cup exits.
It was another dominant performance for the hosts, who had 24 shots overall, getting eight of those on target as they created an expected goals of 1.98 compared to Watford's 0.46.
Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea breezed into round four of the EFL Cup by emphatically brushing aside League Two leaders Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Standing in for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku stole the show with two goals in the first half before rounding off his hat-trick in the 75th minute as the much-changed Blues ran riot on Tuesday.
Nkunku opened the floodgates in the eighth minute, with the France international flicking in a second before Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net.
Pedro Neto made it 4-0 straight after the break, tapping home from Mykhailo Mudryk's centre.
Barrow may be top of the pile in England’s fourth tier, but they managed just one shot on target as Nkunku added further gloss before going off with 15 minutes remaining.
While Barrow will reflect on their first EFL Cup third-round appearance since 1967-68, Chelsea will aim to keep up their early season momentum when they take on Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Deja vu
Before this game, the only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947-48 FA Cup third round – the Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
History repeated itself on Tuesday, as Chelsea (who mustered 3.0 xG to Barrow's 0.3) made it seven wins from their last seven EFL Cup ties against teams from the fourth tier. Job done in comfortable fashion for Enzo Maresca.
Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea breezed into round four of the EFL Cup by emphatically brushing aside League Two leaders Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Standing in for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku stole the show with two goals in the first half before rounding off his hat-trick in the 75th minute as the much-changed Blues ran riot on Tuesday.
Nkunku opened the floodgates in the eighth minute, with the France international flicking in a second before Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net.
Pedro Neto made it 4-0 straight after the break, tapping home from Mykhailo Mudryk's centre.
Barrow may be top of the pile in England’s fourth tier, but they managed just one shot on target as Nkunku added further gloss before going off with 15 minutes remaining.
While Barrow will reflect on their first EFL Cup third-round appearance since 1967-68, Chelsea will aim to keep up their early season momentum when they take on Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Deja vu
Before this game, the only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947-48 FA Cup third round – the Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
History repeated itself on Tuesday, as Chelsea (who mustered 3.0 xG to Barrow's 0.3) made it seven wins from their last seven EFL Cup ties against teams from the fourth tier. Job done in comfortable fashion for Enzo Maresca.
England will take the game to Australia as they aim to turn the five-match ODI series on its head at Lord's.
Harry Brook, England's stand-in captain in Jos Buttler's absence, was the star man on Tuesday as the hosts claimed a six-wicket victory on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
The rain closed in with England on 254-4 chasing down 305 to win.
Matters looked gloomy for England, however, after they lost Phil Salt and Ben Duckett in the space of four balls in the third over, but Brook, who plundered 110 not out, and Will Jacks (84) took control.
England's victory means it is now 2-1 to Australia heading into the final two matches.
"It's nice to get the first one on the board and hopefully plenty more to come," said Brook after scoring his first ODI century.
"We just have to keep doing what we said we are going to do [at Lord's] and keep being positive, take the game to them and put them under pressure.
"That should stand us in good stead.
"With the bat myself and Will just tried to build a partnership and create that platform. We didn't have much of a chat between innings.
"I thought the pitch got better towards the end of Australia's innings. It was a simple message of go out there and play your own game."
Australia looked well set to wrap up a series-clinching win when they posted 304-7 before Mitchell Starc took those early wickets.
Captain Mitchell Marsh, though, said England merited their win.
"I thought we did extremely well to get the 300 with conditions early on, a lot of seam and it was hard work," he said.
"They got a really good partnership going, and in one-day cricket with a big partnership you can set the game up for yourself, [so] fair play to them."
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic has made history with his Hangzhou Open triumph, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Tour title.
Ranked 777th at the start of the tournament, Cilic, who was given a wildcard to play in Hangzhou, beat home favourite Zhang Zhizhen 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) to lift the trophy on Tuesday.
The Croatian has struggled with a recurring knee injury over the last two years, limiting him to just two appearances in 2023 and four earlier this year.
Cilic, a former world number three, had not won on the ATP Tour for 22 months before this week but dropped just two sets on his way to clinching the title.
"Everybody at home has been with me in this difficult period, working day by day, believing and pushing me, giving me strength and spirit," Cilic said.
"I'm happy to make this victory, not just for me, but for them. For everyone, there is a small piece of this trophy."
It is the 21st title of Cilic's career, and he will rise 404 places in the rankings to 373rd next week.
“Unleash Your Power: Where Mental Strength Meets Physical Excellence,” is the theme of the third staging of the Mayberry, JOA Jamaica Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (JABBFA) National Bodybuilding Championships.
This year’s event is set for Saturday, September 28 at the AC Hotel in Kingston.
“We are excited at JABBFA to showcase Jamaica’s premier bodybuilding event where the country’s top athletes will compete for the prestigious titles of Mr. and Ms. Jamaica,” said Vice President of JABBFA, Kirk Frankson at the launch of the event held at the Jamaica Olympic Association on Tuesday morning.
“This competition marks a pivotal moment in our season of bodybuilding as we continue to celebrate not only physical excellence but also the discipline, commitment and mental strength that our sport cultivates. It is a platform where our athletes don’t just showcase their physical prowess, but also their mental resilience and dedication to drive them to become the best version of themselves,” he added.
Mayberry Investments Limited will serve as main sponsors for the championships for the third year in a row.
“Today marks a significant moment for bodybuilding and fitness Jamaica as we kick off another year of showcasing the incredible talent, dedication and discipline of our athletes,” said Stephanie Harrison, VP-Marketing at Mayberry Investments Limited.
“We are very happy and elated to have accommodated this third staging and we believe in the potential of our athletes and it’s a testament to the growing importance of fitness and wellness in Jamaica,” she added.
The competition will feature 56 athletes competing in a diverse range of categories: Men’s Physique, Bodybuilding, Bikini Fitness, Body Fitness and Women’s Physique.
The Men’s Physique category will be broken down into three smaller categories: Short, Tall and Muscular while the Bodybuilding category will be broken down into two: Open and Classic.
Bikini Fitness, similar to Men’s Physique, will see three sub-categories: Short, Tall and Wellness.
There are 23 competitors registered for the Men’s Physique category with Bodybuilding, Bikini Fitness, Body Fitness and Women’s Physique following with 15, 10, 4 and 4, respectively.
“Without the athletes, none of this would’ve been possible. With their hard work and dedication, going through the diet, it’s amazing,” said JABBFA President Audrey Allwood.
A large number of Gyms around the island will be represented on Saturday including the likes of Fit Farm Fitness, Island Body Fitness, Myers Fitness Center, Work That body Gym and recent additions to the fitness landscape like Shaddai Fitness Factory among many others.
“We could not have done this without the gym because, of course, the gyms make the bodies,” Allwood said.
Allwood also expressed gratitude to Mayberry for their contributions over the last three years, referring to that period as the association’s “best ever.”
As far as prizes go, for all competitive categories with more than three participants, the top three athletes will be awarded trophies and Mayberry tokens and sponsored gift baskets.
Category winners will also receive a cash prize of JA$20,000, while the overall champions will be rewarded with JA$50,000.
Other sponsors for this year’s edition include Caribbean Producers Jamaica, Lasco Financial Services, Lasco Distributors, Ayrtons Distributors, Gustazos Jamaica, VitaMalt, Nature Valley, Powerade, Vigorton 2 Iron and Vitamin Tonic, Cheffin’z with Jolly, Fitness Junkies, Express Fitness Jamaica and PUSH.
England beat Australia by 46 runs on the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method to keep the great rivals' ODI series alive, with Harry Brook scoring a century.
Matters looked bleak for England as Australia set them a tough target of 305, with the tourists having reached 304-7 in their 50 overs at the crease.
Steven Smith scored 60 and Alex Carey, who starred in the second ODI as Australia took a 2-0 series lead, plundered an unbeaten 77, striking seven fours.
Indeed, Australia looked like they would cruise to another victory as Mitchell Starc sent Phil Salt packing for a duck and then dismissed Ben Duckett four balls later.
Yet Will Jacks and Brook had other ideas, putting on a third-wicket stand of 156 to put England in control.
Jacks' stand finally came to an end on 84 in the 28th over, but Brook simply picked up the slack, clipping his way to a maiden ODI ton.
With Brook, who reached 110 not out, at one end, Liam Livingstone added an unbeaten 33 to the total before the rain closed in at Chester-le-Street, but with England needing just 51 runs from 74 balls, they got over the line on DLS, leaving the series delicately poised at 2-1 to Australia heading into the final two matches.
Data Debrief: Leading by example
When Brook gets into his stride, there are not many better big hitters, and his knock on Tuesday was nothing short of spectacular. It also included 15 boundaries (13 fours, two sixes) and came at a strike rate of 117.02.
He is England's stand-in captain for this series in Jos Buttler's absence, and he certainly stepped up to the plate as Australia saw a 14-game winning streak (only two teams - Australia in 2003 and South Africa in 2005 - have ever won more successive ODIs) snapped.
Manchester City are still waiting on news regarding Rodri's injury, so said Pep Guardiola.
Rodri has been in Barcelona over recent days after he sustained a serious-looking knee injury in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Reports have suggested the Spain midfielder, who has been crucial to City's success over the past few seasons, has suffered an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury.
There is speculation Rodri could miss the remainder of the season, but Guardiola was unable to offer any confirmation of those reports.
"We are still waiting for the decision of the doctors, exactly what he has," Guardiola said ahead of City's EFL Cup game against Watford on Tuesday.
"When we know it, the club or myself, the spokesman of the club will announce it."
Rodri played 50 times for City last season, with the Premier League champions losing only one of those matches.
However, they lost four of the nine games the former Atletico Madrid man missed in 2023-24.
Yerson Mosquera is expected to miss the rest of the 2024-25 season for Wolves with a serious knee injury.
The defender was stretchered off in the 82nd minute of their 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa after twisting his knee following a challenge from Morgan Rodgers.
Mosquera has since undergone scans, with Wolves revealing that he has suffered injuries to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Wolves' head of high performance, Phil Hayward, said in a statement: "We will be visiting specialists in the coming days to finalise the plan for surgery; this will take place in the next two weeks.
"Clearly, there is a long recovery period ahead for Yerson, and the club will be providing all the support he needs to ensure a successful rehabilitation and a return to competition in due course.
"Timescales are difficult to state prior to surgery, but it is highly unlikely he will feature again this season."
The Colombian, who spent last season on loan at Villarreal, has started all five of Wolves' Premier League games so far this campaign, with only Mario Lemina (449) playing more than his 442 minutes.
In the top-flight, he has made the joint-most interceptions for Wolves (10) and has won possession 24 times, a team-high, while he has won 29 duels, the second-best tally in the squad behind Lemina (32).
It is a huge blow for Wolves, who have claimed just one point so far this season and currently sit bottom of the table, while only in 2003-04 (first seven) and 2019-20 (first six) have they gone longer without victory from the start of a campaign in the competition.
Wolves' next match is against Liverpool at home on Saturday.
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