World number one Jannik Sinner has been "worn down physically and mentally" by an investigation into his positive tests for a banned substance, says his coach Darren Cahill.
In March, Australian Open champion Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol – a banned substance that can be used to build muscle mass.
However, an independent tribunal last week found he was inadvertently given the substance in an over-the-counter spray by his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.
Sinner has won ATP-level titles at Halle and Cincinnati since the positive tests, but he was eliminated from the French Open at the semi-final stage and only reached the last eight at Wimbledon.
He then missed the Paris Olympic Games after being diagnosed with tonsillitis, and Cahill feels it was no coincidence that he failed to hit top form while the probe was ongoing.
"I guess if you are not a Jannik fan, you may not see too much difference in what he has been doing the last few months because he has still been playing quite well," Cahill told ESPN.
"But if you are a Jannik fan, you would have seen a big change in his body language, his physicality on the court, his excitement to be on the court.
"He's struggled and I think it's worn him down physically and mentally. He got tonsillitis, which is the reason why he missed the Olympics."
Some have been critical of the decision to clear Sinner of any wrongdoing, with 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios particularly vocal in his reaction.
Kyrgios wrote on X it was "ridiculous" that Sinner had escaped a ban, saying the Italian deserved to be hit with a two-year suspension.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov also suggested the decision was at odds with other players receiving bans over similar incidents.
Cahill, however, is of the belief Sinner would never intentionally take a banned substance, adding: "I just want to stress that he's maybe the most professional young man that I have ever had the chance to work with.
"He would never ever intentionally do anything, and he's in a situation that is incredibly unfortunate."
Jeremy Owen, Technical Director of Jamaica’s powerlifting team, believes their recent 15-medal haul at the 21st North American Regional Powerlifting Championships is a testament to the growth and development of athletes and, by extension, the sport locally.
In fact, Owen pointed to the mere fact that the country was able to field 13 athletes to the championships in Scottsdale, Arizona, as a massive achievement for the National Powerlifting Association of Jamaica (NPAJ) and one that augurs well for the future of the sport on the island.
Among the standout performances for the Jamaica Spartans at the event were Anna-Kay Brown, who won four bronze medals in the women's 84kg junior class, and three-time NAPF champion Sami DePass, who continued to assert her dominance in the women’s 76kg weight class, where she won four gold medals.
On the male side, Bruce Higgins was Jamaica’s first ever competitor in the male 120-plus kg class, and he too copped four medals—one silver and three bronze medals—while Scott Jennings, a former 83kg champion in 2022, moved up a class to 93kg and won two medals from his three lifts. Jennings holds the honour of being Jamaica's first powerlifter to secure a gold medal on the international platform.
Mikhail Russell, Cheyenne Campbell, Shrona Scott, Alexander Carrington, Nathan Dawkins, Ayana Duhaney, Tzari Saunders, Staffon Commock, and Algreg Sappleton, were the members of the team.
Reigning female champion Sami DePass.
“Jamaica did exceptionally well; for the first time in three years, we had more than three or four athletes. We had 13. Initially, there was going to be 14, but unfortunately, one athlete had to drop out at the last minute due to challenges with delays and cancellations of flights. We had four athletes who medalled, but we also had other athletes who came 5th, 6th, and 7th,” Owen told SportsMax.Tv.
“For us to have a delegation this large, it speaks to the resilience and hard work of the entire management, administration, and coaching team, all led by the president, Michael Blair, and it shows that there has been growth in the sport in Jamaica. So, going forward, we will continue to have a large delegation, which aids in the number of places that persons can aspire to in terms of the national program and, of course, in the never-ending quest to secure sponsorship,” he added.
Despite the highs of the medal tally and a large delegation, which included a doctor and physiotherapist, Shanice Bell, who was instrumental in ensuring that the athletes were in prime condition throughout, Owen said their charge towards success was not without its challenges.
“Number one would be the lack of support from the government in terms of sponsorship and also from the private sector. It's not for a lack of effort that we did not get sponsorship. The president has been steadfast in engaging the government and the Sports Development Foundation for sponsorship for the team, and many letters, conversations, and emails were had with various entities in the private sector, all to no avail,” Owen shared.
“Also, there was a significant challenge with weather systems. A group of us got stuck at Miami International Airport overnight for hours and then the next day, and this was a challenge. We also had another athlete who was supposed to travel three days prior to when she reached. Unfortunately, she arrived the night before she competed in the early morning, and this, I believe, affected her performance,” he noted.
Though the hunt to secure sponsors remains a headache, Owen believes the organization continues to push above its weight to foster and develop talent.
“The overall support for powerlifting within the fitness community in Jamaica has been good. We had our national meets, our national qualifiers, or what we call the series, and it has been well supported, and it continues to grow year-on-year. However, we are still not at a place where powerlifting is viewed as a major sport, despite the fact that powerlifting moves are at the core of all major sports. But it's growing, and we are pleased in terms of the rapid growth over the past few years,” Owen declared.
Technical Director Jeremy Owen (left) and President Michael Blair flanks athletes.
He continued: “We're going to use the opportunity, based on the success of the team, to continue to meet with and reach out to various entities and organizations in both the private and public sectors and see if we can get that support that we so desperately need to really grow the sport and maximize its potential. Also, we're looking forward to various inter-Caribbean competitions.
“We have been speaking to various bodies across the Caribbean to see if we can have our own championship and cup to help develop the sport, not only in Jamaica but in the Caribbean, so that we can really mount a challenge to the bigger countries, such as the US, Canada, and even the European countries, so we can get closer to that level. They have decades before us, but that is not stopping us from setting high targets that we intend to reach.”
That said, Owen expressed optimism that their achievements in Scottsdale will serve as a cornerstone for future success on the international stage.
“Our goal is to be a dominant force in the world of powerlifting. In order for us to do that, some time, effort, and resources now have to be invested in starting a sub-junior and junior program, as well as a master's program. So we have been doing what you call focusing on the open class. But in order for us to really have a solid foundation, we need the youngsters, and we need those that are of a mature age to really have an overall solid team, a solid base, where iron sharpens iron, as we like to say,” he ended.
Alex Albon believes James Vowles is the right man to lead Williams back to the front of the grid and is adamant that the team is making progress this season.
Albon, who sits 18th in the Drivers' Championship, is in his second season with the British team, who have found themselves as consistent backmarkers in recent years.
But since Vowles took over as team principal in January 2023, the future has looked brighter, helped by the arrival of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.
Despite sitting ninth in the Constructors' Championship, four points ahead of Sauber, Albon is confident Vowles can lead the team back to the success they had in the 1990s.
“James [Vowles] has brought me into it,” Albon told Autosport. “He’s very straight. He doesn’t tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that.
"I feel like whenever something's not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there's anything I can do to help.
"He is the right man for the job and I believe in him and feel like we've got the right people."
Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, the 28-year-old has contested 95 races in Formula 1, all without a single win, pole position and fastest lap.
Should he repeat that at Circuit Zandvoort this weekend, he will surpass Ukyo Katayama (also 95) and be the ninth-highest driver without achieving any of those in a Grand Prix.
Vowles' short tenure with the team, however, has set strong foundations for the future, with almost 300 new members of staff recruited, including former Alpine technical director Matt Harman.
Williams are also primarily focusing on 2026 and beyond, when an overhaul of aerodynamic and power unit regulations could reset the grid and give current underperforming teams the chance to rapidly progress up the order.
However, that does mean sacrificing their current results for the bigger picture, something which Albon acknowledged when asked how far away the team were away from challenging for a world title.
"If I am being totally honest, I don't see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums and whatnot," Albon said.
"I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in '27 would be much more realistic. We've got great investment, and we're recruiting very aggressively.
"But we don't need any encouragement. With the last couple of years, especially seeing that growth that we've had – of course we're going through a tougher time of it now – but that drive and that motivation in the team, it is really enjoyable to be part of that."
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said there are "promising talks" happening with CeeDee Lamb regarding his contract extension.
Lamb is currently in the middle of a training camp holdout in a bid to earn a blockbuster new contract which has lasted nearly a month.
The wide receiver has so far skipped the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp in June, training camp, and preseason games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Las Vegas Raiders, totalling over $1million in fines.
On his current contract, Lamb is set to make just under $18million in 2024 but is seeking a deal that will put him among the NFL's highest-paid WRs.
According to reports, Dallas had made an offer to make him the second-highest paid behind Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, but it has not closed the gap.
Asked if he was optimistic that the two parties could agree on a deal, Jones said: "Well, I think I am and when I say that it doesn't sound too promising.
"The facts are that I believe we'll come together. I don't want to speak for him. That's what I'm trying not to do. But we wouldn't have offered him what we've offered him if we didn't want him to be here."
Lamb had 135 receptions from 181 targets through the 2023 season, which ended with the Cowboys suffering a stunning wild-card defeat to the Green Bay Packers.
Both of those figures were league highs, while only the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill (1,799 yards, 13 touchdowns) bettered his 1,749 regular season receiving yards and 12 TDs.
Although Dallas narrowly lost their first preseason game against the Rams, they beat the Raiders on Sunday, with Jones admitting he was not concerned about the amount of time Lamb had missed.
"I don't mean that to be insensitive to our fans or to CeeDee, but we're in good shape there, and we are having promising talks," Jones added.
"You say, 'Well, why do you keep talking? Why don't you do something?' Again, as in anything, it takes both of you there at the same time.
"But I believe it's got the proper amount of everything - emphasis, importance - for everybody involved here, and we'll see how it goes."
The Cowboys will begin their NFL season against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
Brian Flores says he has grown as a coach and wished Tua Tagovailoa well one day after the Miami Dolphins quarterback called out his coaching style.
Flores, who is now the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, expressed his regret about how he handled their relationship when he was the head coach of the Dolphins.
In an interview with The Dan LeBatard Show on Monday, Tagovailoa described Flores as a "terrible person" during the time they spent together between 2019 and 2022.
Tagovailoa posted career-best figures for passes attempted (560), completed (388), passing yards (4,624) and touchdown passes (29) in 2023 and was handed a franchise-record four-year, $212.4million extension off the back of an impressive fourth season with the team.
On Tuesday, Flores addressed the situation during a session with reporters, saying: "I'm genuinely, genuinely happy for the success that Tua has had and I really wish him nothing but the best.
Flores said he's done a lot of reflecting since hearing the comments and admitted he had some faults in Miami, although he did not say anything said by Tagovailoa was untrue.
"I think part of coaching is correcting," Flores said. "I'm always going to correct. I'm always going to have a high standard.
"And I think, look, I've done a lot of reflecting on the situation, reflecting on the situation and communication."
"I think there's things that I could do better for sure, and I've grown in that way, and I've tried to apply the things that I could do better and the things that I've learned over the last two, three years.
"But I would say over the long haul, I've had a lot of great relationships over my 21-year career here in the league. Players, coaches, personnel, equipment, people in the kitchen.
"I mean really across the board, I've had a lot of great relationships. I'm going to continue to do that, but I'm also always looking to get better and involved."
Lewis Hamilton is hopeful Mercedes can continue their strong form heading into the second half of the Formula 1 season but played down the possibility of challenging for the Drivers' Championship.
Hamilton, who has scored the most points in the last five races (95), currently sits sixth in the standings, 127 points behind leader Max Verstappen.
After a slow start to the season, Mercedes have seen a rapid turnaround in fortunes, picking up more points than any team since the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
The 39-year-old earned victories at Silverstone and Spa, while team-mate George Russell also won at the Austrian Grand Prix to close the gap to Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship.
With the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Hamilton has the chance to record four consecutive podiums for the first time since 2022 between Canada and Hungary (five) but acknowledged the difficulty of potentially challenging for an eighth world title.
“No. It would be high hopes,” Hamilton said. “But, I mean, if we can continue this kind of performance as we've had the last few races, which has been fantastic.
"I think if we can start our weekends off a little bit better, hopefully we can continue.
“I think, obviously, the McLaren was very strong [in Belgium], we were just a bit further ahead early on [in the race], but yeah, we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
The final 10 races of the season will mark Hamilton's last as a Mercedes driver before his switch to Ferrari to link up with Charles Leclerc for the 2025 campaign.
For Russell, he is yet to find out who will be lining up on the grid with him next season, with Prema Racing's Kimi Antonelli the frontrunner to replace Hamilton.
The 26-year-old finds himself eighth in the Drivers' Championship, missing out on victory in Belgium after being disqualified when his car was found to be underweight.
However, the Silver Arrows' recent form has given Russell confidence about their chances of a consistent title push in 2025.
“I think for all of us, it's been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories," Russell said.
"But I'm so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025.
“And when you look at the competition now, there's no reason why we can't fight.
If the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different, so, it's going to be great.
“I think there's so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves.
"So for sure, it's not going to be easy, and hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”
Aaron Rodgers said he feels ready for the new NFL season with the New York Jets after enduring "one of the hardest training camps in the last eight years" of his career.
Quarterback Rodgers, who is returning from an Achilles injury that forced him to miss much of 2023, was told by head coach Robert Saleh to expect a tough preseason.
And speaking to reporters after practice on Tuesday, the 40-year-old insisted that Saleh had lived up to his word.
"I would say the camp is much harder this year and maybe the hardest in the last seven or eight of my career," Rodgers said.
According to Saleh, the Jets have completed 300 more practice reps than they had at this point last season as they look to end their longest ever playoff drought.
The 45-year-old is under increasing pressure to deliver this time around after totalling a record of 18-33 in his first three seasons in charge.
While Rodgers said there are different philosophies on the benefits and risks of a rigorous training camp, the four-time MVP said he personally enjoyed the experience.
"Some of the older players are enjoying the - to steal a coaching word - the 'callus' part of training camp, where you're grinding," Rodgers said.
"Some people believe that, although it puts more strain on you in training camp, it actually gets you more ready to play when the season starts.
"And some people believe the opposite. You know how it goes. Whatever teams are having success, people kind of look at their schedule and go, 'Let's do that.'"
The Jets conclude their preseason against the New York Giants, having won their previous such fixtures against the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers.
Rodgers has not featured during the preseason, and it is expected he will also miss out against the Giants, although Saleh has yet to confirm his plans for the 40-year-old.
They open the new season against the San Francisco 49ers, and Rodgers said he feels ready for the new campaign after putting in extra work during the training camp.
"I feel good about where I am with my body and what I've put together," he said.
"I feel like I've done different things throughout camp as far as the rollouts, roll out and pulling up, getting out of the pocket and making plays, going back across my body, pump-faking and extending plays and getting some yards. I feel like I've done a lot."
David Fry highlighted a six-run 12th inning with a three-run triple and the Cleveland Guardians snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over the New York Yankees in a matchup of division leaders on Tuesday night in the longest major league game this season.
Pinch-hitter Lane Thomas delivered a go-ahead double to ignite the big 12th and Jose Ramirez had an RBI single before a walk to Tyler Freeman loaded the bases. Fry’s triple was just out of the reach of right fielder Juan Soto and made it 8-3.
Guardians rookie Jhonkensey Noel added an RBI infield single when Michael Tonkin was slow to cover first base.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase pitched two innings for the first time this season and retired Alex Verdugo with two on to the end the 10th. Tim Herrin was aided by Daniel Schneemann’s leaping catch in right field on Austin Wells and stranded two in the 11th.
Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Yankees, who have lost three in a row after three consecutive wins.
New York used all eight of its relievers after rookie starter Luis Gil exited in the fourth because of back tightness. The Yankees issued 14 walks for the first time since allowing a team-record 15 at Milwaukee on Sept. 15, 1993.
The game lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes – the longest in the big leagues this season.
Montas pitches streaking Brewers past Cardinals
Frankie Montas allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings and Devin Williams escaped a jam in the ninth as the Milwaukee Brewers won their sixth straight, 3-2 over the reeling St. Louis Cardinals.
Montas allowed his only hit on a single by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning, struck out three and walked one.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Williams struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman - both swinging - for his fifth save.
William Contreras had three hits for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who are cruising to the division title with an 11 ½ games lead over the Cubs.
Sal Frelick drove in Willy Adames with a two-out single in the second and also tripled and scored on Joey Ortiz's single in the fifth.
Matt Carpenter homered for St. Louis in its seventh loss in eight games.
Profar’s late home run rallies Padres
Jurickson Profar belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to rally the San Diego Padres to a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in a matchup of playoff contenders.
Manny Machado also homered and Xander Bogaerts added an RBI double as the Padres improved to 22-5 in their last 27 games. They have won nine of their last 10 series.
The Padres trailed 5-3 before Profar drove a low slider from Steven Okert deep to left. Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez singled ahead of Profar's 20th homer.
Ryan Jeffers homered for the Twins, who lost their third in a row.
Jannik Sinner has been cleared after twice testing positive for a banned substance in March.
The world number one tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – during Indian Wells.
Sinner was notified about the positive tests in April and was originally given a provisional suspension, but he successfully challenged it and was able to keep playing.
The Italian had been inadvertently contaminated by the substance from his physiotherapist, who had used an over-the-counter spray for a cut on his own hand before treating Sinner, the International Tennis Integrity Agency's (ITIA) investigation found.
The ITIA accepted the explanation that the contamination was not intentional, and the 23-year-old was cleared of all fault or negligence by an independent tribunal last week.
Sinner will still lose the ranking points won at Indian Wells, where he was beaten in the semi-finals by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
"I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me," Sinner said in his statement.
"I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA's anti-doping programme, and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance."
The ATP praised the work done by the ITIA during their investigation to get to the right outcomes about the Cincinnati Open winner.
"We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner's part," the ATP posted on X.
"We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing.
"This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport."
Sinner will next be in action at the US Open, which starts on August 26 in New York.
Justin Herbert returned to practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday after recovering from a foot injury, leaving head coach Jim Harbaugh delighted.
Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot on July 31 and has been wearing a protective boot for the last three weeks.
The Chargers remained hopeful of having Herbert available for their Week 1 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on September 8, and the prospect of him starting Harbaugh's first game at the helm looks increasingly likely after he returned to the practice field.
Herbert did not participate in full team work on Monday but played plenty of snaps as Harbaugh put his players through seven-on-seven drills.
Asked by reporters how it felt to see Herbert return, Harbaugh – who left the University of Michigan to take the Chargers job in January – said: "It felt great.
"It felt like music should be playing, I thought I heard music, the voices of angels maybe. It felt great.
"He looked great with a capital G. No drop-off, pinpoint accuracy. He looked really good."
Herbert only missed two games through his first three seasons after being drafted sixth overall by the Chargers in 2020, but sat out the final four weeks of the 2023 season.
He broke the index finger on his throwing hand in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, with the subsequent surgery ending his campaign.
Herbert completed 297 of 456 attempted passes (65.1%) and threw for 20 touchdowns in 2023. That latter figure was the lowest of his career, having thrown for 21 scores in 2020, 38 in 2021 and 25 in 2022.
The Washington Commanders have announced rookie Jayden Daniels will be their starting quarterback for the upcoming NFL season.
Daniels was the second-overall draft pick in April and has been training exclusively with the first team for the last three weeks.
The 23-year-old was expected to take over as the starter when he was drafted, but the Commanders wanted to give him the chance to settle into the squad during preseason.
"We knew we would get here," coach Dan Quinn said, "but we were just excited to see how we would.
"Seeing him hit all the spots, this is a rare competitor. He's just had a remarkable start to things."
Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, started the first two preseason games against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.
Though Washington lost both outings, Daniels completed 12-of-15 passes for 123 yards across both games. He did not throw a touchdown pass but did score a three-yard run against the Jets.
It will be the seventh consecutive year that the Commanders open the season with a different starting quarterback, but Daniels is ready to step into the role.
"They didn't want to go out there and [immediately say] hey, you're a starter," Daniels said. "I haven't earned anything.
"What I did in college was great. Now it's time for a new slate, clean slate. I have to prove it not only to myself, not only to the coaches, but to my teammates.
"If DQ [Quinn] is going to preach competition, and you've got to earn everything, man, they can't come in and just give me the job right away. So, I got to have to go earn it.
"It's just a blessing that DQ and AP [general manager Adam Peters] trust me to go out there and lead the team, lead the franchise to hopefully win some games.
"It's something I've dreamed about as a kid to experience this moment."
The Commanders will start their NFL season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8.
Jannik Sinner won his fifth ATP tour title of the season on Monday, beating Frances Tiafoe in straight sets to win the Cincinnati Open.
The world number one took one hour and 37 minutes to earn his 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory, having battled through back-to-back three-setters in order to reach the final.
Sinner has been hampered by a hip injury, picked up during the Madrid Open in May, but rallied to get past the Frenchman.
"It was a very difficult week, tough week. I'm very happy about today's match," Sinner said in his on-court interview.
"It was very tough mentally. Had such an amazing run here, and I tried to do my best today.
"We both were quite tired from yesterday. We both felt a lot of tension, but I'm very glad about [the] level I played today, especially in the important moments."
There was little to separate the two in the first set, as they matched each other all the way to a tie-break, with Sinner eventually pulling in front to take the lead.
The Italian then got a vital break in the first game of the second set, taking confidence as he edged in front.
Tiafoe kept up the fight though, and successfully defended match point three times in the penultimate game, but he could only delay the inevitable as Sinner served to love in the last to get his hands on the trophy.
"It has been a tough week, some ups and downs, which is normal to have," Sinner added. "But how I handled the very important moments in each match, I'm very happy.
"I'm very happy to be in a position where I am and just trying to keep going mentally, having this hunger to keep playing, and hopefully, I can show some good tennis also in New York."
Data Debrief: Golden touch
Sinner has won his 15th career ATP title from 19 finals, equalling Carlos Alcaraz and Lleyton Hewitt (19). Only Rafael Nadal (17) has won more from his first 19 ATP event finals in the Open Era.
It is also his third ATP Masters 1000 title on hard court. In the past decade, only three players have won more Masters titles on the surface - Novak Djokovic (17), Roger Federer (seven) and Daniil Medvedev (five).
Francisco Alvarez's solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the New York Mets to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Monday's opener of an important three-game series for both teams.
With one out and the game tied at 3-3, Alvarez crushed a 3-0 fastball from Seranthony Dominguez well clear of the wall in left center field to allow the Mets to close the gap in the National League wild card race and knock the Orioles out of first place in the American League East.
J.D. Martinez had a two-run homer in the first inning for New York, which moved within 1 1/2 games of the Atlanta Braves for the NL's final wild card spot with its third win in four games.
The Orioles have now lost three of four and dropped a half-game back of the idle New York Yankees for the AL's top spot.
Baltimore made it interesting, however, by scoring twice in the seventh inning to erase a 3-1 deficit.
Ryan Mountcastle began the rally with a lead-off double and took third on a groundout before being forced home when Mets starter David Peterson was called for a balk. Ramon Urias then followed with a solo home run to knot the score at 3-3.
Peterson had been cruising up until that point and departed after allowing three runs - two earned - while striking out eight through seven innings.
Martinez followed a first-inning single by Mark Vientos with his 13th homer of the season to give the Mets an early advantage. They increased the margin to 3-0 in the fourth when Pete Alonso doubled and later crossed the plate on Tyrone Taylor's two-out single.
The Orioles answered in the fifth with the help of an error by Peterson, who threw errantly on a pickoff attempt to send Urias to third after the infielder reached on a double. Urias would then score on a groundout by Jackson Holliday.
Urias and Mountcastle each finished with two hits for the Orioles, while Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers struck out five while permitting three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Diaz's homer in ninth caps rally, keeps Astros hot
The Houston Astros also earned a key win via a walk-off home run, as Yainer Diaz's ninth-inning blast gave the AL West leaders a 5-4 comeback victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Houston scored once in each of the final two innings to rally for its 11th win in 12 games, with Diaz delivering the final blow by launching Kenley Jansen's pitch well over the left field wall with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
The Astros tied the game at 4-4 with a two-out rally an inning earlier, as Chas McCormick singled off reliever Lucas Sims and stole second before racing home on Mauricio Dubon's clutch single.
Yordan Alvarez and Victor Caratini each collected three hits to help Houston increase its lead over the second-place Seattle Mariners to five games in the division.
The slumping Red Sox lost for the eighth time in 12 games despite taking a 4-2 lead on Masataka Yoshida's pinch-hit two-run homer off reliever Tayler Scott in the top of the sixth inning. Romy Gonzalez was aboard for the blast after reaching on an error by Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, one of a season-high four miscues for the Astros.
Houston got closer in its half of the sixth, however. Back-to-back singles by Jeremy Pena and Caratini put runners on first and third for Jon Singleton, who drove in Pena with a sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 4-3.
Astros starter Yusei Kikuchi struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, one earned, though his night began ominously when Boston's Jarren Duran connected on his 16th homer of the season on the game's first pitch.
Rob Refsnyder and Rafael Devers each singled later in the first inning before another Houston error - a misplay by rookie third baseman Shay Whitcomb - enabled another run to score.
The Astros were held scoreless by Tanner Houck through the first three innings before breaking through in the bottom of the fourth, which Alvarez began with a double and Diaz followed with a single. Alvarez was later thrown out at home on a fielder's choice grounder, but Caratini singled in Diaz and Pena also scored on the play on an errant throw by Boston catcher Danny Jansen.
Houck worked six innings and struck out eight while surrendering three runs - two earned.
Stone, Muncy propel Dodgers over Mariners in Turner's Los Angeles return
Gavin Stone racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings, Max Muncy homered in his first game back from the injured list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers spoiled Justin Tuner's return to Dodger Stadium with a 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Muncy, sidelined since May 16 by a right oblique strain, came through with a two-run homer in the seventh inning to back Stone's superb start and help the Dodgers win the opener of this three-game series between playoff hopefuls.
Gavin Lux homered earlier in the seventh to break a scoreless deadlock and a terrific pitching duel between Stone and Bryan Woo, who had allowed just one hit until Lux drove a pitch over the wall in center field.
Woo (5-2) then hit Will Smith with a pitch and was removed in favour of Yimi Garcia, who was greeted by Muncy's towering drive to right that quickly made the lead 3-0.
Stone (11-5) yielded just two hits and two walks before departing, with Joe Kelly pitching a scoreless eighth before Evan Phillips retired the side in order in the ninth to notch his 16th save.
Woo was charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings in slumping Seattle's sixth loss in seven games. The defeat dropped the Mariners five games back of first-place Houston in the AL West.
Turner went 1 for 3 in his first appearance at Dodger Stadium in nearly two years. The 39-year-old infielder made two NL All-Star teams during a successful nine-year tenure with the Dodgers from 2014-22.
Aryna Sabalenka outclassed Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-5 to win the Cincinnati Open final on Monday.
The now world number two earned a first title since winning the Australian Open for a second time in January with a convincing performance against the sixth seed.
Sabalenka lost only four first-set points and served over 70 per cent of first serves ien route to taking the opener and broke at the first time of asking in the second before holding to love to consolidate.
Pegula would level up to make it 5-5 but Sabalenka broke for a third time to secure an advantage she would not relinquish, finishing the match with 29 winners - including 10 aces - to 23 unforced errors.
Victory marks a 15th career WTA title for Sabalenka and a sixth WTA 1000-level trophy.
Pegula sees a nine-match winning streak come to an end with defeat in the show-piece match, and also saw her hopes of becoming the first woman in over 50 years to take out the title in Canada and Cincinnati in a single season go up in smoke.
Data Debrief: Sabalenka sizzles again in Cincinnati
Sabalenka now has 18 wins at the Cincinnati Open. It represents her most in a single WTA 1000 event, beating Madrid (17). Only at the Australian Open (22) and US Open (21) does she have more in WTA tournaments.
Moreover, she now has 100 victories from 143 WTA 1000 events, becoming the fastest to rack up the landmark since Simona Halep in 2017 (100 wins from 141 such matches).
She also becomes the third player since 2004 to win the title in Cincinnati without dropping a single set, with Vera Zvonareva in 2006 and Ashleigh Barty in 2021 the others to have done so.
The 2024 staging of the highly anticipated Mouttet Mile Invitational is already shaping up to be an exciting affair with early interest from six prominent overseas-based horses. Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited, operators of Caymanas Park, are pleased to announce that Sheer Delight, Pack Plays, Barnaby, Legacy Isle, Commandant & Real Macho are set to bring international competition to the December 7 race day.
Sheer Delight, a three-year-old colt owned by Jeremy Rachpaul, has already made a name for himself with impressive earnings of over USD$30,000. Trained by Donovan Hutchison, Sheer Delight has recently arrived in Jamaica and is gearing up for the big race. Mr. Rachpaul expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm: "It is with excitement and joy that our team has a chance to enter the Mouttet Mile 2024 with Sheer Delight. On behalf of myself, my family, and our team, I would like to say thank you to Caymanas and the horse racing family in Jamaica. We look forward to growing our stable, racing in Jamaica, and competing in the Mouttet Mile 2024 with God's grace and blessings."
Another strong contender for the 2024 Mouttet Mile is Pack Play, owned by Diley Dakins. Dakins shared his insights on Pack Plays' capabilities stating, "Pack Plays has been preparing for the Mouttet Mile for a while and has shown tremendous speed and agility in most of his races. I know he will get the distance. Pack Plays will undoubtedly make the Mouttet Mile competition more interesting." Pack Play is currently being conditioned by trainer, Rowan Mathie.
Trainer of the 2023 winner – Rough Entry – Rohan Crichton, has returned for the 2024 staging with three entries: Legacy Isle, Commandant and Real Macho. For the current year, Commandant has had 3 wins with earnings of US$88,060, Legacy Isle has had one win, eaning US$47,480; and Real Macho has secured two wins with an earning total of US$124,020.
“Our horses are scheduled to arrive in Jamaica on September 18. The plan is to follow the same pattern as Rough Entry, ease them into their training regimen after quarantine and gradually build from there," he said. "The Mouttet Mile is an amazing event that showcases Jamaican racing, we are proud to participate and doing our best to make it two in a row.”
Local champion trainer, Anthony Nunes, has also opted to submit an international entry in runner – Barnaby. He shares: “Barnaby is a 3-year-old bay colt. He's a son of Tapiture out of the Giants Causeway mare, Giants Diva. He has a racing record of three wins and two thirds from six starts, and earnings of (US)$89,510.00 or (JMD)$14,000,000.00. Barnaby arrived in Jamaica on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, and will be in quarantine for two weeks. We look forward to having him in our barn, at which time he will start the process of getting acclimatized to his new surroundings. We look forward, shortly thereafter, to getting him on the track in preparation for the Mouttet Mile in December,” Nunes said.
Commenting on the early interest, Christopher Wills, VP Operations at SVREL, said, "We are excited to see the early enthusiasm and commitment from international owners and trainers for the 2024 Mouttet Mile. The inclusion of top-tier horses, from the North American circuit, enhances the prestige of the event and promises thrilling competition for all horse racing fans."
Since its 2022 debut, the Mouttet Mile Invitational has developed a reputation for attracting top-tier international talent. Last year’s Mouttet Mile was won by Rough Entry, an overseas entrant ridden by Canadian jockey Julien Leparoux. The inclusion of Sheer Delight and Pack Plays in the 2024 Mouttet Mile Invitational will further cement Caymanas Park’s marquee race day as the premier event in the horse racing calendar.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is expecting a "flat-out" fight for supremacy in Formula One over the next 18 months.
Austrian constructor Red Bull have been the dominant force in F1 over the past few years, with Max Verstappen winning three straight drivers' titles and the team taking the constructors' trophy in 2022 and 2023.
The early stages of the 2024 season followed a similar pattern with flying Dutchman Verstappen winning four of the opening five races but there have now been seven different victors through 14 rounds.
Verstappen still holds a healthy 78-point lead from second-place Lando Norris in the driver standings but McLaren are only 42 points adrift of Red Bull in the constructor table, with Ferrari 63 back and improving Mercedes 142 behind.
Horner, in quotes reported by F1's official website, thinks there is going to be a battle between all four of those F1 heavyweights in the near future.
"I think it’s great for the sport, and it was almost inevitable when you get consistency of regulations, you always get convergence," he said.
"I remember when I first came into Formula 1, Ron Dennis banging that drum back in 2005. Convergence has always brought the teams together.
"Of course we have a big regulations change in 2026 that will cause divergence but, between now and then, the next 18 months I think it will be flat-out between the four teams."
F1 returns after a near month-long break with the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Verstappen's home race.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has hit out at the "terrible" style of former coach Brian Flores, hailing Mike McDaniel for showing greater belief in him.
Last month, the Dolphins handed Tagovailoa a franchise-record four-year, $212.4million extension off the back of an impressive fourth season with the team.
Tagovailoa posted career-best figures for passes attempted (560), completed (388), passing yards (4,624) and touchdown passes (29) in 2023, though Miami fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs, losing 26-7 to the eventual Super Bowl LVIII champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tagovailoa has improved season-on-season since being drafted fifth overall by Miami in 2020, with his two best campaigns coming since McDaniel replaced Flores as head coach in 2021.
The quarterback has now hit out at the way Flores – who is entering his second year as defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings – drained his confidence.
He said in an interview with The Dan LeBatard Show: "To put it in the simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don't belong, that you shouldn't be here, that you haven't earned this right...
"Then you have somebody else come in and tell you, 'dude, you are the best fit for this'... How would it make you feel, listening to one or the other?
"You hear it, no matter what it is, the good or the bad, you hear it more and more, you start to believe that. I don't care who you are.
"You could be the president of the United States, you have a terrible person telling you things that you don't want to hear or probably shouldn't be hearing, you're going to start believing that about yourself.
"That's what ended up happening. It was basically two years of training that out of not just me but a couple of other guys as well."
The Dolphins open their 2024 campaign at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8 before facing the Buffalo Bills, their AFC East rivals, four days later.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has confirmed Gardner Minshew will open the season as the team's starting quarterback.
Minshew, who joined the Raiders as a free agent during the offseason, has been given the nod over Aidan O'Connell for the starting spot.
The 28-year-old nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs last year having taken over from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson just four games into the season.
He went 7-6 as a starter, completing 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
When asked about the decision, Pierce said that Minshew's experience and his handling of the offense ultimately gave him the edge over O'Connell.
"A lot of things went into it," Pierce said. "It wasn't based off of [solely] last night. There are a lot of factors.
"So, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start, and that's what we're going with.
"We support him, our team's behind it, our staff's behind it, the organisation's behind it."
Minshew completed 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards against the Dallas Cowboys at the weekend, while O'Connell was 14 of 20 for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
And while Minshew has the starting spot for now, Pierce said that he may not have it for the duration of the season.
"I told them both just be ready," Pierce said.
"In the National Football League, you never know. Aidan is a young player that has tremendous upside and I think will be a starter at some point in this league, whether it's this year or next year.
"But he will play in games. I think Gardner's done a good job of being that older presence."
Jessica Pegula knows she can take nothing for granted when she goes up against Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday.
Pegula recently won her third career WTA 1000 title at the Canadian Open in Toronto, with all three of those triumphs having come on hard courts.
She equalled her longest career winning streak of nine matches by defeating Paula Badosa 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the semi-finals to reach the final in Cincinnati.
In doing so, Pegula became the sixth player in the Open Era to reach the finals at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in a calendar year, joining Rosie Casals, Evonne Goolagong, Na Li, Serena Williams and Simona Halep in achieving the feat.
When asked if she was "in the zone", Pegula said: "I think I'm just finding my game a little bit and then competing and being smart out there."
The American, however, will not be complacent when she goes up against world number three Sabalenka.
The Belarusian defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in straight sets to reach the final.
"It seems like she's been playing really, really good," Pegula told the media.
"Obviously she can serve really big, so it's always tough to deal with opponents that have weapons like that, where they can get a lot of free points on a faster hard court."
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