Undercover officers will be deployed as part of Merseyside Police’s plans for the three-day Randox Grand National Festival.

Last year’s race was disrupted by protesters from the Animal Rising group, with the world’s most famous steeplechase going off nearly 15 minutes late after people made their way onto the track.

That group has stated it has no plans to repeat those actions this year, but Merseyside Police has warned it will deal “robustly” with any incidences of “anti-social behaviour, hate crime, disorder and other criminal activity”.

Racegoers have been warned to expect a series of security checks, including bag searches and badge checks, with Merseyside Police having worked alongside Aintree’s owners the Jockey Club in formulating their plans.

Superintendent Matthew Moscrop said: “As ever, we are expecting a large number of visitors to Aintree, and it is another prime opportunity to showcase what Merseyside has to offer.

“As with all big events, a considerable amount of planning from all partner organisations has been done in the run up to the three-day festival to ensure everyone who attends has a great time, and that it is memorable for all the right reasons.

“There are a number of plans in place to deal with any incidents that may arise and to prevent any significant or ongoing disruption to spectators and local residents and businesses.

“Anti-social behaviour, hate crime, disorder and other criminal activity will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly. If you see someone acting suspiciously or committing a crime, then please speak to an officer on patrol or contact us directly.

“I would also ask visitors treat the area with respect and to consider local residents who live around the racecourse.

“Visitors can help the organisers and themselves by allowing extra time to get to the course, arriving in good time and limiting the number of bags and other items they bring along. They should also expect to undergo the normal security checks, including bag searches.

“We will be deploying Project Servator officers in uniform and plain-clothes. These officers are specially trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may have criminal intent, such as gathering information that may help them plan or prepare to commit a crime.

“These deployments will appear at any time in and around the area of the racecourse, but the public should not be alarmed by this. Officers will be encouraging racegoers to help us make this a safe and enjoyable event by being our extra eyes and ears and to report anything suspicious to us.”

Conflated remains top-weight among the 51 horses still in contention for the Randox Grand National at Aintree on Saturday following the confirmation stage.

The Gigginstown House Stud-owned 10-year-old, who holds alternative entries in the Aintree Bowl on Thursday and Friday’s Melling Chase, is one of 13 contenders for Gordon Elliott, with Coko Beach, Delta Work and Galvin also part of the three-time Grand National-winning trainer’s squad.

Willie Mullins is also heavily represented, as he seeks a second victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase, having previously struck with Hedgehunter in 2005.

The Closutton handler’s nine-strong team features last year’s Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus, fellow JP McManus-owned runner Meetingofthewaters and Mr Incredible.

Other leading hopes for Ireland include last year’s runner-up Vanillier, trained by Gavin Cromwell, the Emmet Mullins-trained 2022 National hero Noble Yeats, Martin Brassil’s Panda Boy, Mahler Mission from John McConnell’s yard and Henry de Bromhead’s 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.

The home team is led by Corach Rambler, victorious 12 months ago and the current favourite to strike gold again following an excellent third place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month.

Kitty’s Light would be a popular winner for Welsh trainer Christian Williams, as would Gary Moore’s Welsh Grand National scorer and proven mudlark Nassalam.

Others of note include the Tom Ellis-trained Latenightpass and Dan Skelton’s mare Galia Des Liteaux, with the latter one of six horses on 10st 6lb at the bottom of the weights.

Empire Steel, Fantastic Lady, Angels Dawn and Fury Road were the four horses not left in at Monday’s confirmation stage, while Classic Getaway, Bronn and Full Back had all been scratched.

Sir Bill Beaumont admitted he “did not give it a second thought” when he was approached to fill the latest role in his long and illustrious rugby union career.

Beaumont has achieved much in the game as a Grand Slam-winning England skipper and British and Irish Lions captain, who went on to serve as chair of the Rugby Football Union and World Rugby.

His second term at the helm of World Rugby ends in November, but the 72-year-old has no intention of winding down.

Beaumont was recently installed as new patron of the Rugby Football Union Injured Players Foundation (IPF), an organisation that supports players in England who have suffered a catastrophic spinal cord or traumatic brain injury on the field of play.

There are 150 lifelong beneficiaries of the IPF, with some of those players having sustained their injuries dating back to the 1960s.

More than 30 years after SPIRE – the English game’s first charity for injured rugby players – was established, the IPF’s formation in 2008 has expanded an enviable network of support for players and their families.

“My old headmaster Ian Beer actually set this up in 1993, so I am delighted to be following in his footsteps,” Beaumont told the PA news agency.

“Rugby has been such a part of my life. My father played rugby, my grandfather coached rugby, I have three sons who played rugby – one still playing professionally – and two grandchildren playing mini rugby at the Fylde club, where I played all my rugby.

“I was flattered to be approached about it. I didn’t give it a second thought. It is something I want to do.

“A big focus for me as patron will be advancing the great work achieved to date in bringing together foundations, governing bodies and medical experts from different countries to share knowledge and research findings, as well as developing successful models of support for catastrophic injury and reduction of its causes.”

The IPF supports players back into work or education and funds training programmes or required adaptations to offices and homes as part of its support packages.

Some 76 per cent of IPF clients are either employed or in voluntary roles, compared to a national average of less than half that figure for people with spinal cord injuries.

Jack Fishwick sustained a catastrophic injury playing rugby at the age of 26, being hospitalised for eight months, and he said: “In that situation, everyone is in meltdown and they (IPF) were our go-to people for everything we needed.

“The most important thing has been the personal approach. The IPF became our extended family.

“I had no idea how much the charity did for someone seriously injured playing rugby and the help I have been given is substantial and far outweighs what I might have anticipated.”

Beaumont added: “Normally, the support is inside 24 hours of an accident being reported. There will be somebody there from the IPF, not only for the patient but for the family as well.

“It is trying to give that reassurance that there are people who care and people who understand where they are and what help the IPF can give them immediately, not from a medical point of view but just a practical support, that is vital.

“Thankfully, these types of life-changing injury remain extremely rare in rugby union. Unfortunately, however, accidents happen on the rugby field.

“What I want to do (helped by an impressive support squad that includes Jonny Wilkinson, Sarah Hunter, Jason Robinson and Emily Scarratt) is help them raise the profile and help fund-raising.

“So if there are accidents, then the funding is available that will hopefully enhance lives going forward for the injured person and their families.”

Conflated remains top-weight among the 52 horses still in contention for the Randox Grand National at Aintree on Saturday following the confirmation stage.

The Gigginstown House Stud-owned 10-year-old, who holds alternative entries in the Aintree Bowl on Thursday and Friday’s Melling Chase, is one of 14 contenders for Gordon Elliott, with Coko Beach, Delta Work and Galvin also part of the three-time Grand National-winning trainer’s squad.

Willie Mullins is also heavily represented, as he seeks a second victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase, having previously struck with Hedgehunter in 2005.

The Closutton handler’s nine-strong team features last year’s Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus, fellow JP McManus-owned runner Meetingofthewaters and Mr Incredible.

Other leading hopes for Ireland include last year’s runner-up Vanillier, trained by Gavin Cromwell, the Emmet Mullins-trained 2022 National hero Noble Yeats, Martin Brassil’s Panda Boy, Mahler Mission from John McConnell’s yard and Henry de Bromhead’s 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.

The home team is led by Corach Rambler, victorious 12 months ago and the current favourite to strike gold again following an excellent third place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month.

Kitty’s Light would be a popular winner for Welsh trainer Christian Williams, as would Gary Moore’s Welsh Grand National scorer and proven mudlark Nassalam.

Others of note include the Tom Ellis-trained Latenightpass and Dan Skelton’s mare Galia Des Liteaux, with the latter one of six horses on 10st 6lb at the bottom of the weights.

Empire Steel, Fantastic Lady and Angels Dawn were the three horses not left in at Monday’s confirmation stage, while Classic Getaway, Bronn and Full Back had all been scratched.

Dan Evans suffered a straight sets defeat to Sebastian Ofner in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Evans’ second match on clay for the season was over quickly after he was blown away by the Austrian.

The British number three dropped the first four matches in a set he went on to lose 6-1.

The 33-year-old improved in the second set but again dropped serve early on and was chasing from then on.

With just under an hour and 10 minutes on the clock, Ofner was 30-0 up serving for the match but offered Evans a glimmer of hope with a couple of errors to bring it back to 30-30.

However, the 27-year-old Austrian regained his composure to seal his place in the second round, 6-1 6-4.

Evans lost his first clay-court match of the season in straight sets to Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan in Marrakech last week.

Harry Charlton is backing Time Lock to bring a little star quality to his string as he prepares for his first summer as the sole licence holder at Beckhampton.

Having shared the licence with his Derby-winning father Roger since 2022, the duo prepared Thesis to strike at Royal Ascot that summer and enjoyed notable success with Time Lock last term.

The daughter of Frankel registered an emphatic win in the Group Three Princess Royal Stakes at Newmarket for the joint-operation in September.

After two seasons working in tandem, Roger Charlton relinquished his share of the licence at the end of 2023, allowing his son to assume full control at the family’s Wiltshire base.

Looking forward to the new turf season kicking into gear, the new Beckhampton number one has high hopes for stable star Time Lock, with a return to the Rowley Mile for the Jockey Club Stakes on May 3 the likely first port of call for the Juddmonte-owned five-year-old.

“It’s very exciting and we’re just about to get going,” said Charlton.

“We just need it to stop raining and get some runners on the track and hopefully have some nice winners.

“We’re excited to have Time Lock still in training, she’s a nice filly and will hopefully head to the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend. It’s nice to have a bit of quality around to take you to the big days, as it were.

“We’ve also got some really nice three-year-olds, so it’s exciting and the next month or two will tell us how exciting, but we’re really looking forward to getting going.”

Al Riffa is on course to return to France for his seasonal reappearance, with the Prix Ganay the starting point for a campaign Joseph O’Brien hopes will yield big-race success.

A Group One winner at two, the son of Wootton Bassett stamped himself among the top juveniles in Ireland when winning the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes in 2022.

Amongst the leading fancies for the following year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas, he missed the early part of the season and following a low-key comeback at the Curragh took on the might of Ace Impact in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.

Although vanquished by Jean Claude-Rouget’s superstar – who would go on to retire unbeaten after victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – Al Riffa was beaten less than a length.

That was his final start as a three-year-old with a stone bruise ruling the colt out of the Irish Champion Stakes.

However, he has been kept in training and will head to ParisLongchamp for his return to action on April 28, with a Group One victory at four firmly in his sights.

“It was a really nice run at Deauville and the Irish Champion Stakes was going to be his next target but he missed that,” said O’Brien.

“We’re excited about his prospects this season and he’s on target for the Prix Ganay, that’s the plan.

“He’ll have a lot of entries, he’ll be entered in all of those top middle-distance races and we’ll take it race by race.

“We’re hoping he can be a horse that could maybe win a Group One for us this year.”

Tyrese Maxey described himself as "blessed" after joining an exclusive club with his 52-point display against the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday's 133-126 overtime win for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Maxey put up his third 50-point performance of the season as the Sixers boosted their hopes of avoiding the Play-In Tournament with a fifth straight win.

He joined Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in franchise history to reach a half-century three times in a single year, with Chamberlain doing so in an NBA-record 45 games in 1961-62.

Asked about the significance of that achievement after the game, Maxey said: "For my little self to be mentioned with those guys, hey, I'm happy, I'm blessed.

"I didn't want to let us lose. I just wanted to do whatever I could, exert all my energy. I could live with the result after that. 

"No matter how tired, no matter how sore, I just wanted to go out there and try to help us win."

Maxey's performance ensured Philadelphia overcame the absence of Embiid, who was rested after playing three straight games upon his return from knee surgery.

Maxey also put up 50 points against the Indiana Pacers in November and 51 versus the Utah Jazz in February. With Embiid also having three 50-point games this year, the Sixers are the first team in NBA history to have multiple players achieve the feat three times in a single campaign. 

Philadelphia forward Nicolas Batum said of Maxey's showing: "We needed that tonight. Tyrese has been amazing for us all year long. 

"We could easily have been like, 'this is not our night', they're playing good, second night of a back-to-back. But no, he didn't give up. He led the way for us. He kept fighting for us."

Philadelphia outscored San Antonio 30-20 through the final nine minutes of regulation, with Maxey's layup tying it up at 111 to force overtime, with the Sixers ultimately prevailing in a second additional period.

Maxey's heroics meant Victor Wembanyama finished on the losing side despite putting up 33 points, 18 rebounds and six assists, the rookie also posting a career-high five 3-pointers.

Batum was pleased to get one over on Wembanyama now, suggesting few teams will be able to stop him once he gains more experience. 

"He's a special man, he's special," Batum said of the number one draft pick. "It was a good call from [Spurs coach Gregg] Popovich when he said this may be his worst season. 

"That is the scariest part, this may be the worst Wemby we are going to see in 15 years! I'm glad I won this one tonight."

Inspiral is being prepared for a return in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes as owners Cheveley Park Stud look to continue riding a crest of a wave with their all-star mare.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Frankel ensured she was a Group One winner for the third successive season when landing the Prix Jacques le Marois last summer.

Inspiral soon supplemented that impressive Deauville triumph with further top-level victories in the Sun Chariot Stakes and at the Breeders’ Cup, prompting the decision to keep the leading mare in training at five with Newbury’s one-mile event on May 18 an initial target.

However, if that high-class event comes too soon for the nine-times winner, then she will revert to plan B which, like 12 months ago, involves beginning her campaign at Royal Ascot in June.

“The Lockinge is the plan, but obviously she is a filly that likes to take her time to come in the spring as we’ve seen before,” explained Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud.

“Certainly the Lockinge looks the first engagement we can consider and if she tells us she’s not quite ready, then we can wait until the Queen Anne.

“She seems to be happy and well back in the yard and I watched her come up Warren Hill the other morning and she went up there nicely and quietly, so we will see how we go.”

Inspiral finished 2023 by successfully stepping up to 10 furlongs at Santa Anita when capturing the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and although connections are keen to start the new season at a mile, options over further could be explored as the summer goes on.

“I think John is keen to start her off at a mile and then we can build over the campaign hopefully, all being well. We will definitely be considering going a mile and a quarter,” continued Richardson.

“She’s five now and a lovely filly who is still maturing and developing. She had a lovely break at the stud after America and they are a long time in the paddocks, so she is a mare we can really enjoy.

“She had a nice visit to us and was out in the paddock with her usual companions. She is always very inquisitive with her ears pricked, seeing who is coming round the corner next.”

Carlos Sainz is refusing to throw in the towel at such an early stage of the Formula One season – insisting he has “nothing to lose” in his last year at Ferrari.

After Max Verstappen led home a dominant Red Bull one-two in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the Dutchman was uncatchable this year.

Having clinched the previous three drivers’ titles, Verstappen is once again the overwhelming favourite to claim the crown.

He has won three of the opening four races, with a brake failure causing him to retire early on at the Australian Grand Prix last month – where Sainz went on to take the chequered flag.

The Spaniard was back in action after missing the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with appendicitis and, having finished third behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Sergio Perez at Suzuka, he was not ready to cede the fight.

In what will be the longest season in F1 history – there are still 20 races left with four having been run – Sainz is hopeful Ferrari can improve across the course of the year, although he also doubted if that would be enough to haul in Verstappen.

“I think they are definitely going to have an advantage in the first third of the season until we bring one or two upgrades that makes us fight them more consistently,” he said.

“By that time, maybe it’s a bit too late with the advantage that they might have on the championship. In the meantime, we need more Australias! Which I don’t see Red Bull, as a team, making these mistakes very often, no.

“It is a shame, because also I missed a race, which for both the team and me, it could be costly in the championship. We’re competing in one race less, but at the same time, we’re going to give it our best shot.

“It’s my last year in Ferrari also, so yeah, nothing to lose and we will try everything to make it back.”

Sainz has lost his seat to Lewis Hamilton from next year, the seven-time world champion moving across to partner Charles Leclerc from 2025 onwards.

Hamilton will be hoping to return to a competitive car, with Mercedes struggling for another season this time around.

The 39-year-old has amassed just 10 points so far – his worst-ever tally after the opening four races of a season.

Wolff labelled Hamilton’s first run on the hard tyres in Japan as “atrocious” and the Brit himself was bullish when asked if he could have improved on his ninth-placed finish.

“I don’t know what the different strategy would have been, whether if we stayed on the mediums to start with, but we still had two really terrible hard tyres to run through,” he said.

“It was a real challenge, I think I picked up a bit of damage at the beginning with Charles (Leclerc) when he came around the outside and I had huge understeer for the first stint.

“I couldn’t turn the car through any of the corners. That’s why I let (team-mate) George (Russell) through.

“The hard tyre was pretty bad, as I said, the medium tyre was much better. So for sure, in hindsight it looks like we should have had two (sets of) medium tyres but in general the car, it was just pretty bad.”

A return to China is next on the calendar, with the Shanghai International Circuit hosting its first grand prix since 2019 and with the first sprint race of the season also taking place.

Jalen Brunson scored 43 points and helped spark a big second-half rally that catapulted the New York Knicks to a 122-109 win over the spiralling Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Both Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo recorded 20 second-half points as the Knicks overcame a 61-50 half-time deficit to hand the Central Division-leading Bucks a season-high fourth straight loss.

Milwaukee has now dropped six of its last seven after winning 11 of its first 15 games after the All-Star break, and its lead over the Knicks and Orlando Magic in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed is now down to one game. 

The Bucks did get superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo back from a one-game absence, but forward Khris Middleton did not return after taking an inadvertent elbow to the mouth from DiVincenzo, who finished with 26 points, in the second quarter.

Antetokounmpo, who missed Milwaukee's loss to the non-contending Toronto Raptors on Friday with a sore hamstring, amassed 28 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Damian Lillard finished with 23 points for the Bucks, but went just 4 of 11 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

Antetokounmpo had 18 first-half points and Lillard 14 as Milwaukee took a double-digit lead into the break, but the Knicks reversed momentum with a red-hot third quarter.

New York shot 73.7 per cent for the period and turned a 10-point deficit into a 70-67 advantage midway through the quarter by embarking on a 14-1 run. 

The Knicks stretched their margin further with a 10-0 spurt early in the fourth quarter that staked them to a 99-87 lead with under nine minutes left.

Milwaukee was able to trim the margin to six points later on but shot just 35 per cent in the fourth quarter, and DiVincenzo helped keep the Bucks at bay by making four 3-pointers in the final period.

Maxey scores career-high 52, 76ers outlast Spurs in double-overtime

Tyrese Maxey gave the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers a needed lift by pouring in a career-high 52 points and leading his team to a hard-earned 133-126 double-overtime win over Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs.

With Philadelphia resting reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid in the second of a back-to-back and forward Tobias Harris remaining out of the lineup, Maxey notched his third 50-point outing of the season while adding seven assists to will the Sixers to a fifth consecutive win.

Maxey's biggest shot of the night came with time winding down in regulation, when he cut to the basket and took a pass from Nicolas Batum before converting a layup that tied the game at 111-111 with 0.9 seconds on the clock.

The 76ers forced a second overtime with a similar play, as Ricky Council IV found a cutting KJ Martin for a layup with 24.4 seconds to go in the first OT to knot the score at 121-121.

Philadelphia ultimately prevailed by scoring the final 10 points of the second overtime, with Batum delivering the biggest blow with a 3-pointer that put the Sixers up 131-126 with 1:24 left. 

The Spurs were held scoreless after Malaki Branham's 3-pointer broke a 123-123 tie with 3:32 remaining in the second OT, and turned the ball over three times in the final 2:10.

Wembanyama had nine turnovers on the night to offset an otherwise dominant performance from the rookie sensation, who tallied 33 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and seven blocks. 

Branham ended with 22 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting along with eight rebounds for Philadelphia.

Pelicans down Suns to draw even in West standings

CJ McCollum scored 31 points and Zion Willilamson had 29 to lift the New Orleans Pelicans to a critical 113-105 win over the Phoenix Suns that further clouded the Western Conference's play-off picture.

Williamson added 10 rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five blocks to help New Orleans halt a four-game losing streak and move into a tie with the Suns for sixth place in the West. The top six teams in each conference automatically advance to the quarterfinal round of the postseason, while the seventh through 10th-place finishers will be slotted in the play-in tournament.

Phoenix, which had a three-game winning streak snapped despite 33 points from Bradley Beal, does hold the tie-breaker on New Orleans by winning two of the teams' three meetings this season. Both teams have four games remaining in the regular season. 

The Pelicans never trailed after taking a 97-96 lead on Williamson's layup with 7:19 remaining, though they were unable to pull away until the final stages.

Beal's jumper with 4:02 left to play brought the Suns within 103-101, but Phoenix then went scoreless for nearly two minutes as New Orleans scored the next four points. 

McCollum found WIlliamson for a crucial layup with 29.1 seconds left that gave the Pelicans a 111-105 edge. After Phoenix's Devin Booker misfired on a 3-point try on the ensuing possession, New Orleans' Herb Jones sealed the outcome by making two free throws.

The Pelicans trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, but McCollum tallied 11 points in the second and New Orleans outscored the Suns by a 37-24 margin for the period to go into half-time up 56-50.

New Orleans stretched its lead to 93-83 on Jose Alvarado's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but Beal scored the game's next 10 points to pull Phoenix even.

Booker finished with 25 points but went 0 for 6 from 3-point range. Beal ended 7 of 8 from beyond the arc. 

The Atlanta Braves backed Chris Sale's solid start with three home runs in a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday that completed a three-game series sweep.

Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Austin Riley all homered to help give Sale his first victory since joining the Braves in an offseason trade with the Boston Red Sox. The seven-time All-Star struck out six in 5 1/3 innings while allowing two runs on four hits.

Harris' solo homer off Ryne Nelson in the bottom of the fourth inning snapped a 2-2 tie, and Riley later provided some breathing room when he followed Ozzie Albies' double in the eighth with a blast into the center field seats off reliever Miguel Castro.

Nelson struck out seven in five innings but permitted three runs to take the loss.

Olson opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning, and the Braves loaded the bases later in the frame on three singles before Chadwick Tromp plated Marcell Ozuna with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Sale set down the first 10 Arizona hitters before Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled to put runners at first and third in the top of the fourth inning. Carroll would score on a balk from Sale before Christian Walker brought in Gurriel with a game-tying single. 

Walker finished 2 for 4 in the defending NL champion Diamondbacks' fourth straight loss. 

Astros' Blanco dominates again in win over Rangers

Ronel Blanco followed up his no-hitter with six scoreless innings of one-hit ball to lead the Houston Astros to a 3-1 win over the rival Texas Rangers.

Six days after throwing the 17th no-hitter in franchise history to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Blanco yielded only a sixth-inning single to Aroldis Garcia while scattering four walks for his second victory in as many starts this season.

Yordan Alvarez supplied all the offence Blanco would need with a three-run homer off Texas starter Dane Dunning in the third inning.

Dunning struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings and encountered his only real trouble in the third, when he issued consecutive walks to Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve before Alvarez belted a pitch into the right field seats.

The Rangers mustered only two hits for the game, with the second coming when pinch-hitter Justin Foscue singled home Garcia with one out in the ninth inning.

Josh Hader shook off the hit to induce a game-ending double play off the bat of Ezequiel Duran to notch his first save since the star closer signed a five-year, $95 million contract with Houston in the offseason.

The defending World Series champion Rangers had won the first two meetings of this four-game series, which concludes Monday. 

Cubs start fast, take series from Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs earned a series win over the Dodgers with Sunday's 8-1 rout that was helped out by a pair of former Los Angeles players, Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger.

Busch smacked a three-run double in the first inning and Bellinger had a solo homer in the sixth as the Cubs took two of three from the defending NL West champions and improved to 6-1 over their last seven games.

Chicago starter Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless innings before being removed due to a weather delay that lasted nearly three hours. The Japanese left-hander has now tossed 10 shutout innings over his first two major league starts.

Imanaga was staked to a quick lead as the Cubs scored three first-inning runs with two outs. With Ian Happ on base via an error by Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman, Christopher Morel singled and Dansby Swanson walked before Busch cleared the bases with his opposite-field double.

Mike Tauchman drew a lead-off walk from Los Angeles starter Gavin Stone in the second and later came around on Seiya Suzuki's sacrifice fly for a 4-0 Chicago lead. Tauchman drove in the Cubs' fifth run with a double in the third, and another Dodgers' error in the fourth led to two more runs and staked the Cubs to a 7-0 advantage.

Stone allowed five runs in three innings, though just one was earned due to two of Los Angeles' three errors on the day.

Bellinger accounted for Chicago's final run with his solo blast off Ryan Yarbrough in the sixth that increased the lead to 8-0.

Shohei Ohtani finished 2 for 4 and drove in the Dodgers' lone run with an eighth-inning double. The 2023 American League MVP also had a triple earlier in the contest.

Akshay Bhatia survived losing a six-hole lead and injuring his shoulder to win the Valero Texas Open.

The American injured his shoulder celebrating the birdie which earned him a place in a play-off with Denny McCarthy, but clinched victory on the first hole after receiving treatment.

Rory McIlroy was a distant third, nine shots adrift, as he completed his Masters warm-up with a bogey-free 66.

Bhatia clinched a place at The Masters with his second PGA Tour victory, which had seemed a lot more straightforward when he held a six-shot lead heading into the final nine holes.

McCarthy birdied his last seven holes to shoot 63 and wipe out the deficit, leaving Bhatia needing to hole from 12 feet for a birdie to force the play-off.

He found the cup to complete a 67 and move alongside McCarthy at 20-under-par, but felt his shoulder pop out of its socket as he raised his arms in celebration.

After McCarthy found the creek in front of the 18th green in the play-off, Bhatia had his shoulder taped before hitting his wedge to six feet and holing to clinch victory.

The 22-year-old will become the first finalist from the Drive, Chip and Putt event to return to Augusta to play in The Masters.