logo
Giants and Nationals meet with series tied 1-1

Giants and Nationals meet with series tied 1-1

Yahoo3 days ago
Washington Nationals (46-70, fifth in the NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (59-58, third in the NL West)
San Francisco; Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (4-12, 4.29 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 148 strikeouts); Giants: Justin Verlander (1-8, 4.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 81 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -138, Nationals +116; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
San Francisco has a 29-27 record at home and a 59-58 record overall. Giants pitchers have a collective 3.64 ERA, which ranks second in the NL.
Washington has gone 24-34 on the road and 46-70 overall. The Nationals have gone 35-23 in games when they record eight or more hits.
Sunday's game is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Giants are ahead 3-2 in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Heliot Ramos has a .274 batting average to lead the Giants, and has 20 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs. Dominic Smith is 12 for 33 with a home run and eight RBIs over the past 10 games.
James Wood leads the Nationals with 25 home runs while slugging .484. Luis Garcia is 11 for 39 with a double, two home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 5-5, .242 batting average, 3.20 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs
Nationals: 2-8, .218 batting average, 8.28 ERA, outscored by 52 runs
INJURIES: Giants: Jerar Encarnacion: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Wilmer Flores: day-to-day (hamstring), Landen Roupp: 15-Day IL (elbow), Erik Miller: 15-Day IL (elbow), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back)
Nationals: Luis Garcia: day-to-day (back), Dylan Crews: 60-Day IL (back), Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

College football preseason poll ranking errors include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Clemson
College football preseason poll ranking errors include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Clemson

Yahoo

time10 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

College football preseason poll ranking errors include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Clemson

Media members voting in college football's AP Top 25 followed the lead of the US LBM Coaches Poll by anointing Texas as the preseason No. 1. You'll get no objection from me. The Longhorns possess the coach, the roster and the quarterback to pursue a national championship. After the No. 1 spot, though, the two polls featured several discrepancies. Oklahoma became subject to the biggest disagreement. The Sooners went unranked by the coaches, but landed No. 18 in the AP poll. Here's a look at the eight biggest discrepancies between the polls, with my ruling on which poll got it right: Clemson Coaches: No. 6 AP: No. 4 Who got it right?: AP Clemson finished with four losses last season, but never mind that fading object in the rearview mirror, because Dabo Swinney retained a talented roster that's now more experienced. He even added some polish with a few transfers. Clemson touts the nation's best defensive line, along with arguably the nation's top quarterback, Cade Klubnik. The Tigers aren't just contenders inside the ACC. They're national championship contenders. Florida Coaches: No. 17 AP: No. 15 Who got it right?: Coaches Both poll services overrated the Gators, but the coaches came closer to the mark. Florida ended last season playing well. DJ Lagway is one of the nation's most promising quarterbacks, but he rehabbed injuries throughout the offseason, and after an underwhelming transfer haul, I question whether Lagway enjoys enough support on either side of the ball to justify these rankings in the face of a daunting schedule. Texas A&M Coaches: No. 21 AP: No. 19 Who got it right?: Coaches Texas A&M being overrated is an August tradition. The Aggies were ranked in the preseason polls in each of the past six years. They finished the season ranked only twice during that span, and only once did they finish higher than their preseason ranking. That doesn't mean these Aggies will stink. They're equipped with a solid offensive line and a strong backfield. But, combine how they buckled at the end of last season with their history of failing to meet projections, and the AP awarded too much respect. Kansas State Coaches: No. 20 AP: No. 17 Who got it right?: AP Kansas State unraveled last November but still finished 9-4, and the Wildcats returned a bulk of their production, including quarterback Avery Johnson. That helps explain why the Wildcats are an oddsmaker front-runner to win the Big 12. Kansas State's run game and rushing defense each should rank near the top of its conference. The coaches underrated the Wildcats, and the media corrected that. Brigham Young Coaches: No. 23 AP: Unranked Who got it right?: AP The coaches' ranking is out of touch with the reality that the Cougars' planned starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, transferred to Tulane this summer, rather than face an honor code suspension at BYU. Given that late roster twist, a different Big 12 team, Baylor, would be a better choice in the rankings than BYU. The Bears went unranked in both polls. BYU's coaches poll ranking honors its 2024 performance rather than its 2025 reality. WHO PREVAILS?: A scavenger hunt to locate the next national champion Mississippi Coaches: No. 15 AP: No. 21 Who got it right?: Coaches Lane Kiffin plays transfer roulette as well as anyone, and he assembled another impressive haul to replace the significant loss of talent from last season's 10-win team. Whether you think the AP or coaches ranking is more appropriate depends on whether you're a believer in quarterback Austin Simmons, a first-year starter. I'm a believer, after watching Simmons thrive in a relief appearance against Georgia. He'll enjoy a sufficient supporting cast. Tennessee Coaches: No. 18 AP: No. 24 Who got it right?: AP Ideally, split the difference between these two rankings, but, forced to choose one, I'd say the AP rankings are closer to the mark after Tennessee endured significant losses from its playoff team, including the April departure of quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Coach Josh Heupel's track record indicates a high floor, but combine the Vols' meek transfer haul with the quarterback uncertainty, and the coaches' ranking seems too bullish. At least the schedule is accommodating, by SEC standards. Oklahoma Coaches: Unranked AP: No. 18 Who got it right?: AP Embattled coach Brent Venables used the offseason to seed a revival, after the 2024 season went bust. Sweeping roster changes include the additions of star quarterback John Mateer, a transfer from Washington State, and Jadyn Ott, a former All-America running back for California. The AP ranking might be a smidge lofty for a team facing Oklahoma's brutal schedule, but it's closer to the mark than the Sooners being omitted from the coaches poll, where they received the most points among unranked teams. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football preseason poll rankings errors for eight teams

A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening

CNN

time11 minutes ago

  • CNN

A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening

Media Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Donald Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home. That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on August 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House. Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. 'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.' The idea of cage fights at the White House would have seemed improbable when the Fertitta brothers purchased UFC for $2 million in 2001 and put White in charge of the fledging fight promotion. White helped steer the company into a $4 billion sale in 2016 and broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN before landing owner TKO Group's richest one yet — a seven-year deal with Paramount starting in 2026 worth an average of $1.1 billion a year, with all cards on its streaming platform Paramount+ and select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS. ESPN, Amazon and Netflix and other traditional sports broadcast players seemed more in play for UFC rights — White had previously hinted fights could air across different platforms — but Paramount was a serious contender from the start of the negotiating window. The Paramount and UFC deal came just days after Skydance and Paramount officially closed their $8 billion merger — kicking off the reign of a new entertainment giant after a contentious endeavor to get the transaction over the finish line. White said he was impressed with the vision Skydance CEO David Ellison had for the the global MMA leader early in contract talks and how those plans should blossom now that Ellison is chairman and CEO of Paramount. 'When you talk about Paramount, you talk about David Ellison, they're brilliant businessmen, very aggressive, risk takers,' White said. 'They're right up my alley. These are the kind of guys that I like to be in business with.' The $1.1 billion deals marks a notable jump from the roughly $550 million that ESPN paid each year for UFC coverage today. But UFC's new home on Paramount will simplify offerings for fans — with all content set to be available on Paramount+ (which currently costs between $7.99 and $12.99 a month), rather than various pay-per-view fees. Paramount also said it intends to explore UFC rights outside the US 'as they become available in the future.' UFC matchmakers were set to meet this week to shape what White said would be a loaded debut Paramount card. The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night. 'This is a 1-of-1 event,' White said. There are still some moving parts to UFC broadcasts and other television programming it has its hands in as the company moves into the Paramount era. White said there are still moving parts to the deal and that includes potentially finding new homes for 'The Ultimate Fighter,' 'Road To UFC,' and 'Dana White's Contender Series.' It's not necessarily a given the traditional 10 p.m. start time for what were the pay-per-view events would stand, especially on nights cards will also air on CBS. 'We haven't figured that out yet but we will,' White said. And what about the sometimes-contentious issue of fighter pay? Some established fighters have clauses in their contracts that they earn more money the higher the buyrate on their cards. Again, most of those issues are to-be-determined as UFC and Paramount settle in to the new deal — with $1.1 billion headed the fight company's way. 'It will affect fighter pay, big time,' White said. 'From deal-to-deal, fighter pay has grown, too. Every time we win, everybody wins.' Boxer Jake Paul wrote on social media the dying PPV model — which was overpriced for fights as UFC saw a decline in buys because of missing star power in many main events — should give the fighters an increased idea of their worth. 'Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is…no more PPV excuses,' Paul wrote. 'Get your worth boys and girls.' White also scoffed at the idea that the traditional PPV model is dead. There are still UFC cards on pay-per-view the rest of the year through the end of the ESPN contract and White and Saudi Arabia have teamed to launch a new boxing venture that starts next year and could use a PPV home. White, though, is part of the promotional team for the Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford fight in September in Las Vegas that airs on Netflix. 'It's definitely not run it's course,' White said. 'There were guys out there who were interested in pay-per-view and there were guys out there that weren't. Wherever we ended up, that's what we're going to roll with.' White said UFC archival footage 'kills it' in repeat views and those classic bouts also needed a new home once the ESPN deal expires. Just when it seems there's little left for UFC to conquer, White says, there's always more. Why stop at becoming the biggest fight game in the world? Why not rewrite the pecking order in popularity and riches and go for No. 1 in all sports? 'You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC, and soccer globally,' White said. 'We're coming. We're coming for all of them.'

‘Unguardable' with ‘freaky lateral quickness': Hunter Renfrow returns to where he broke out
‘Unguardable' with ‘freaky lateral quickness': Hunter Renfrow returns to where he broke out

New York Times

time13 minutes ago

  • New York Times

‘Unguardable' with ‘freaky lateral quickness': Hunter Renfrow returns to where he broke out

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dabo Swinney referred to him as 'craftsman' when it comes to running routes. Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen used the word 'unguardable.' But before Hunter Renfrow was a Houdini on the route tree, he was a by-the-books rookie receiver who seldom strayed too far from the play's design. That approach helped Renfrow thrive at Clemson, where he went from a walk-on to the most prolific receiver in College Football Playoff history. Advertisement But then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden wanted more from Renfrow, whose breakthrough came via a 65-yard touchdown catch at Houston midway through his rookie year. With the Panthers headed to Houston for a joint practice and preseason game this week, Renfrow hopes he's on the verge of another pivot point — a spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster after spending all of 2024 out of the NFL dealing with a health issue. As he prepared to play in Houston for just the second time, Renfrow reflected on how his career began to take off after the 2019 game against the Texans. 'I think I was overthinking everything. Whenever the coaches write a play a certain way, Gruden would always say, 'Make the play come to life.' I wasn't doing that. I was kind of just doing what was in the playbook,' Renfrow said in a phone interview last week. 'And if it said run 10 yards and run in, that's what I was doing. That's what I'd always been coached to do. But in the NFL everybody can do that, and people are a lot more athletic than I am. So kinda had to put my own little spin on it. That was right when I started to do it a little unorthodox but it was somewhat working for me.' Hunter Renfrow breaks a tackle and runs 65 yards for his first career TD! @Raiders @renfrowhunter #OAKvsHOU 📺: CBS📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch free on mobile: — NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2019 According to Thielen, Renfrow's skill set is hard to describe and almost defies physics. While receivers are taught at a young age to keep their feet underneath them so they don't slip when making cuts, that somehow doesn't apply to the 5-10, 185-pound Renfrow. 'When he's changing direction, his strides are far away from his body,' Thielen said. 'So you've got to have some serious body control and center of gravity stability to do that.' Advertisement But after being drafted in the fifth round after the Tigers' second national championship in three years, Renfrow was playing tentatively as a rookie. Through the Raiders' first six games, Renfrow caught 14 passes for 115 yards. Then came Week 8 at Houston, where Renfrow took a third-down pass from Derek Carr, eluded safety Jahleel Addae and sprinted in for his first career touchdown. According to Next Gen Stats, the play had an expected 6 yards after the catch. Renfrow picked up 57 yards after the reception; the 65-yard pickup remains the longest of his career. 'That was my first touchdown. It's the only time I've ever played there, my rookie year. I was kind of struggling, so it was good to get things off the ground,' he said. 'Finally got a pass on third down. It was like a little, 5-yard in-breaking route and slipped a tackle and ran like 60 yards,' Renfrow added. 'It gave me some confidence and I think it gave the coaches some confidence in me as well. It was kind of a turning point for me.' Renfrow finished with four catches (on four targets) for 88 yards against the Texans, who won 27-24 when Deshaun Watson — Renfrow's college teammate — threw a game-winning touchdown after getting kicked in the face by a pass rusher. But the big play sparked Renfrow, who pulled down 35 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns over the final seven games, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in the last two. Renfrow rode the strong finish to another 600-yard receiving season in 2020 before putting together a monster '21 — 103 receptions for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns, capped by a Pro Bowl berth. Renfrow started feeling poorly right around the Pro Bowl, with physical activity often bringing on nausea. It would take a while for doctors to diagnose him with ulcerative colitis. By then he'd lost 35 pounds and seen his production dip dramatically after he'd signed a two-year, $32 million extension in 2022. Advertisement Renfrow spent last year working at his uncle's equipment relocation and storage business in South Carolina and wondering if his playing days were done. But after getting his condition under control through diet and medication, Renfrow had his agent reach out to the Raiders and Panthers in March for tryouts. And on the Panthers' first day in pads last month, there was Renfrow shaking defensive backs with quick-twitch moves while Swinney looked on from the sideline. But going from 0 to 60 after a year away from the game left Renfrow with a pulled hamstring, and trainers shut him down for two weeks. Had it been the regular season, Renfrow said he wouldn't have missed any games. 'I think they're just trying to be cautious,' he said. 'With taking last year off, trying to just be smart with the load being put on my body. Get re-calloused back up.' When healthy, Renfrow brings a different element to a deep receiving group — even if it's not the easiest thing to explain. 'I don't think there's really a way to describe it,' Thielen said with a laugh. 'You've just gotta see it.' Renfrow usually lines up in the slot, where he uses an array of cuts and fakes and jukes to change directions and separate from defensive backs. Renfrow isn't often asked to go deep, although offensive coordinator Brad Idzik said he has a way of making defenders think he's going long. 'He's got some freaky lateral quickness. And then when he opens up, he's like big strides — a powerful first four steps, which simulates, 'I'm going full-tilt vertical,'' Idzik said. 'He simulates that every single time and then he eats up whatever leverage you give him.' Bryce to Renfrow against Moehrig. — Joe Person (@josephperson) August 11, 2025 Thielen, who's beginning his 12th season, said the 29-year-old Renfrow has a unique way of getting open. 'He trusts it. And it's pretty much unguardable,' Thielen said. 'You see it in one-on-ones. You see it in team reps. Not a lot of times is the ball coming his way and (there's) not a lot of separation. That's a credit to him and his route craft, his ability to get open day in and day out. It's not easy to do in this league.' Advertisement Renfrow has return experience, but otherwise doesn't bring much to the Panthers' special teams, often a roster-spot separator at some positions. But it's those qualities that Thielen and Idzik talked about that give Renfrow a good shot to make the 53 in what would be a great comeback story. 'You can only control what you can control. What makes sense to me and what I've always thought from a receiver's standpoint and being a teammate standpoint, I judge myself off am I being a good teammate and am I helping the team win?' Renfrow said. 'If I can say yes to those two things, and I feel good about it and where things are headed, feel like we're getting better, then I take it day by day. And if I can't, then there's no point in playing.' After his health scare and subsequent year off, Renfrow is trying to be less nervous about football and appreciate the little things. That could mean returning this week to the Houston Topgolf facility where he and some friends hit balls before his big game six years ago. 'I think I'm a guy that's really anxious before games. I just want to do well. I want my teammates to count on me. But then sometimes you have paralysis by analysis,' he said. 'So coming back, I want to do more of that. I want to enjoy life. I mean, I really enjoy life. But like I want to get out there and if we're in a new city, get out and see a place and enjoy being in a new city. Appreciate the journey a little more than I probably did my first five years.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store