
Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox play in game 2 of series
Chicago; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Red Sox: Jose Bello (0-0); Cubs: Shota Imanaga (6-3, 2.65 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 48 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -149, Red Sox +125; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.
Chicago is 31-16 at home and 58-39 overall. The Cubs have a 44-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Boston is 53-46 overall and 21-26 on the road. The Red Sox have the fifth-best team slugging percentage in the majors at .431.
Saturday's game is the second time these teams match up this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs while hitting .279 for the Cubs. Michael Busch is 13 for 36 with two doubles and five home runs over the past 10 games.
Jarren Duran has 25 doubles, 10 triples, eight home runs and 50 RBIs for the Red Sox. Ceddanne Rafaela is 15 for 38 with four doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 6-4, .255 batting average, 4.03 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
Red Sox: 9-1, .281 batting average, 2.12 ERA, outscored opponents by 34 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Red Sox: Hunter Dobbins: 15-Day IL (acl), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (knee), Liam Hendriks: 60-Day IL (hip), Zack Kelly: 15-Day IL (oblique), Justin Slaten: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Guerrero: 15-Day IL (elbow), Josh Winckowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Tanner Houck: 15-Day IL (flexor), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
SIMMONS SAYS: If the Blue Jays can play .500 the rest of the way, they should reach playoffs
Get the latest from Steve Simmons straight to your inbox Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider. Photo by Scott Taetsch / Getty Images) The race is to 90 wins. That's all it should take to get to the playoffs in the weakest American League in years — maybe all it will take to finish first in the AL East. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Blue Jays need to play only .500 baseball the rest of the way — they don't have to be dominant, they don't have to get red hot or super lucky. They've already have put themselves in a position of strength with two months to go in this unusual season. There are some tough series ahead — three games this month against the World Series-champion Dodgers in Los Angeles, three home games against the Chicago Cubs, followed by three against the streaking Texas Rangers. But the Jays go from those nine difficult games to nine against Pittsburgh, Miami and what's left of the Minnesota Twins. They play the Yankees only three more times, all at Yankee Stadium. They play the Red Sox only three more times, in Toronto in the final month, which works in their favour. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There are no great teams in the AL this season. On average, over the past 20 seasons, it has taken 97 wins to finish first in the AL East. Six times teams have won more than 100 games. No team has won the division, which includes the 2015 Blue Jays, with fewer than 93 wins. This year, all bets are off. The Jays don't have to be great down the stretch. If they play a little better than .500 ball — say, to 27-23 or 28-22 over their final 50 games — they likely will finish first rather comfortably. This remains the season of the hard to believe, and yet it's happening. This isn't like 2015, when the electric Jays blasted their way to first place. There is no MVP candidate on the Jays, no Cy Young candidate, no Tom Henke or Duane Ward closing games, nobody in line for rookie of the year. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 2025 Blue Jays just win. They don't have to explain themselves. All they have to do is be ordinary the rest of the way and they'll see you in September — and right after that. THIS AND THAT Shane Bieber is a great trade-deadline guess. Maybe he will bounce back from Tommy John surgery and be terrific the final six weeks of the season. Maybe he'll be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher come playoff time, which the Blue Jays require. Maybe. The truth is, we don't know, he doesn't know and they don't know. This is a gamble and all it can cost the Jays is money. Bieber has a player-option for $16 million next season. If he pitches great for Toronto, he likely will decline the option and see if he can't do better here or elsewhere. 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My understanding of this: Jordan Binnington is a sure thing for the Olympic team and, after that, two of Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault and the other four being looked at while being selected for the team in Milan … Montembeault is French Canadian, which helps his chances of being the third goalie … With rosters enlarged for the Olympics to 25 players, expect the 4 Nations forwards and defence to be much the same on the Olympic team, with the likely additions of Tom Wilson, Nick Suzuki and maybe Mark Scheifele up front and Evan Bouchard on defence. Still in tough to be named: Zach Hyman. A nice invite but with no chance of making it: Maple Leafs forward John Tavares. You can't pick Tavares over Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Suzuki, Scheifele or Rob Thomas. He's not physical enough to play the wing or quick enough to be an effective forechecker. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Elaine Tanner, once known as Mighty Mouse as Canada's greatest swimmer, predicted to me the other day that Summer McIntosh will soon be 'Canada's all-time greatest athlete ever.' So who wins Canada's athlete of the year this year? The MVP and NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or McIntosh, the multi gold-medal winning, record-breaking swimmer. A strong case could be made for both legends, and it's only August … SGA will be honoured in Hamilton on Thursday and presented with the first key to the city in 27 years … The NFL does Hall of Fame much better than Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL. They do their inductions in the off-season, with no regular-season games playing opposite. Baseball and hockey have their induction ceremonies opposite league games being played. It means if you're a fan, you can't watch the Hall speeches and inductions and your favourite team play because it's happening at the same time. 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They both will be on the Olympic roster in 2030 in the French Alps … Happy birthday to Marv Levy (100), Tom Brady (48), Marcel Dionne (74), Jim Gott (66), Dominic Moore (45), Kristaps Porzingis (30), Evander Kane (34), Bombo Rivera (73), Troy Glaus (49), Sid Bream (65), and Tony Amonte (55) … And hey, whatever became of Devon Travis? ssimmons@ Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Homes Toronto & GTA Columnists


Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cubs and Orioles meet in series rubber match
Baltimore Orioles (51-60, fifth in the AL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (64-46, second in the NL Central) Chicago; Sunday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Brandon Young (0-5, 6.63 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 34 strikeouts); Cubs: Colin Rea (8-5, 4.25 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 75 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -187, Orioles +155; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series. Chicago has a 64-46 record overall and a 34-20 record in home games. The Cubs have gone 52-21 in games when they record eight or more hits. Baltimore has a 51-60 record overall and a 24-33 record in road games. The Orioles have gone 23-13 in games when they hit at least two home runs. The teams meet Sunday for the third time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 18 home runs, 74 walks and 61 RBIs while hitting .273 for the Cubs. Nico Hoerner is 14 for 38 with a double, a home run and six RBIs over the last 10 games. Gunnar Henderson has 25 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs for the Orioles. Jordan Westburg is 15 for 45 with three doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .240 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored by two runs Orioles: 7-3, .299 batting average, 3.34 ERA, outscored opponents by 41 runs INJURIES: Cubs: Miguel Amaya: 60-Day IL (oblique), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Orioles: Tyler O'Neill: day-to-day (illness), Zach Eflin: 15-Day IL (back), Colin Selby: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Felix Bautista: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Maverick Handley: 10-Day IL (head), Scott Blewett: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jorge Mateo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gary Sanchez: 10-Day IL (knee), Ryan Mountcastle: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Cade Povich: 15-Day IL (hip), Cody Poteet: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Grayson Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Albert Suarez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kyle Bradish: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.


Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rays and Dodgers meet to decide series winner
Los Angeles Dodgers (64-47, first in the NL West) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (55-57, fourth in the AL East) Tampa, Florida; Sunday, 12:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-7, 2.48 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 133 strikeouts); Rays: Joe Boyle (1-1, 2.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 24 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Dodgers -201, Rays +166; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1. Tampa Bay is 55-57 overall and 32-29 in home games. The Rays have hit 121 total home runs to rank 10th in the AL. Los Angeles has gone 29-26 on the road and 64-47 overall. The Dodgers are 37-15 in games when they hit at least two home runs. Sunday's game is the third time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Yandy Diaz has 19 doubles, a triple and 20 home runs while hitting .285 for the Rays. Junior Caminero is 6 for 39 with three home runs over the past 10 games. Shohei Ohtani has 13 doubles, seven triples, 38 home runs and 73 RBIs for the Dodgers. Freddie Freeman is 15 for 39 with a double, two home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Rays: 2-8, .226 batting average, 4.71 ERA, outscored by 17 runs Dodgers: 5-5, .251 batting average, 3.24 ERA, even run differential INJURIES: Rays: Jonathan Aranda: 10-Day IL (wrist), Chandler Simpson: day-to-day (hand), Stuart Fairchild: 10-Day IL (oblique), Manuel Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Bigge: 60-Day IL (lat), Richie Palacios: 60-Day IL (knee), Shane McClanahan: 60-Day IL (tricep), Alex Faedo: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Lavender: 60-Day IL (elbow) Dodgers: Kirby Yates: 15-Day IL (back), Hyeseong Kim: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Tanner Scott: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Kopech: 60-Day IL (knee), Kike Hernandez: 10-Day IL (elbow), Max Muncy: 10-Day IL (knee), Roki Sasaki: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tony Gonsolin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Evan Phillips: 60-Day IL (forearm), Kyle Hurt: 60-Day IL (elbow), Michael Grove: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brusdar Graterol: 60-Day IL (shoulder), River Ryan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gavin Stone: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.