U.S. women's water polo falls short of bronze
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4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dodgers' journey from 'best ever' to 'rock bottom'
Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox Venue: Fenway Park, Boston Date: Sunday, 27 July First pitch: 18:35 BST Coverage: Live coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app, from 18:30 After winning last year's World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers picked up from where they left off. They made a flying start to the current Major League Baseball season, becoming the first defending champions to win their first eight games. It had many saying this is the best MLB team that has ever been assembled. Three months later, the Dodgers remain top of their division, but they are struggling. After Tuesday's defeat to Minnesota, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was desperate to stop the rot, saying: "It better be rock bottom." Now his team visit the Boston Red Sox hoping to get their title defence back on track, and you can watch the final game of their three-game series live on the BBC. How did the Dodgers get even better? Speaking to BBC Sport after last year's championship win, former World Series winner Chase Utley said that the Dodgers' "entire line-up has the ability to hit a home run and they play great defence. They're just really good at all aspects of the game." And in the off-season their roster got even better. After their starting pitcher rotation was hit by injuries last year, they brought in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to add greater strength in depth. They also re-signed veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw and knew that at some point Shohei Ohtani would be able to pitch again after recovering from elbow surgery. Ohtani is a 'unicorn' in that he is a two-way player. The Japanese star is the first MLB player to be elite at both pitching and hitting at the same time. After joining the Dodgers in a deal worth $700m (£558m), he could only hit in his first season, yet still earned his third Most Valuable Player award as they won the World Series. The Dodgers' offensive line-up also features two former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who are part of a nucleus of players on long-term contracts. And the team bolstered that core with Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez signing extensions. Why Dodgers are on brink of World Series dynasty Why 'face of baseball' is on cusp of global stardom What's gone wrong since winning start? It's a good job the Dodgers secured that pitching insurance for this season because their injury woes returned, with four of their starting pitchers having had spells out. That has meant they could not sustain that early-season form and have had to use their relieving pitchers - known as the bullpen - far more than any other MLB team. That has taken its toll, with six relieving pitchers currently out injured, and the team generally struggling for form - in the outfield, on the mound and at the plate. Betts has hit three home runs in his past 49 games and Freeman one in 61. At the start of this month, the Dodgers lost seven games in a row for the first time since September 2017. And since that 8-0 start to the season, their record is 53-43. Manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday: "It better be rock bottom, as far as how we've been pitching, how we've been playing defence. "I think the offence is kind of starting to tick up, which is good. There's certainly more in there. But I think as far as quality of baseball, it's been a tough watch. It really has." Ohtani's class continues to shine through though. Only Seattle's Cal Raleigh (39) has hit more home runs than Ohtani (37) this season. Ohtani homered in five consecutive games over the past week, and in one of those games he also had three strikeouts as a pitcher. The 31-year-old's return to the mound last month has provided the Dodgers with some relief. So far he has made six starts, with his innings gradually being increased, and in his third game back, Ohtani threw his fastest MLB pitch ever (101.7mph). Red Sox also looking to regroup Ohtani is not scheduled to pitch again until Wednesday, with Dustin May set to be the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Sunday's game against Boston. And there will be a familiar face on the Fenway Park mound. Walker Buehler left the Dodgers for the Red Sox in the off-season and before the start of their three-game series on Friday, some of his former team-mates presented Buehler with his World Series ring for last season's championship triumph. The Dodgers won Friday's game 5-2 to improve their record to 61-43 atop the National League West division. Boston are 55-50 and sit third in the American League East, with Wilyer Abreu (20 home runs) their leading hitter. After going into the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak, the Red Sox have won just two of their seven games since. As it stands, they would end their three-year play-off absence, but they too need an upturn in form to be sure of securing a wild-card spot. BBC Sport will be showing an MLB game live every Sunday evening until the end of the regular season on 28 September. How does scoring work in baseball?
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Marcus Rashford back together with childhood sweetheart & ex-fiancee Lucia Loi two years after split as she 'joins Man Utd misfit in Barcelona' to 'help him settle' following loan move
Rashford back together with ex-fiancee Loi Loi accompanied Rashford during Barcelona presentation Barca face Vissel Kobe on Sunday Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 WHAT HAPPENED? More than two years since they broke up, Rashford and Loi were once again spotted together in Barcelona. Loi took photos of the Manchester United outcast just minutes before his presentation at Barcelona. Rashford signed a year-long loan deal with the Blaugrana earlier this week. THE BIGGER PICTURE According to The Sun, Rashford has requested that his former fiancee helps him to settle in Barcelona so that he can fully focus on playing football and revive his career at the Catalan side. Rashford has been given the No.14 shirt, an iconic number which was previously worn by legends like Thierry Henry and Ronald Koeman. WHAT HAS BEEN SAID On Rashford rekindling his relationship with Loi, a source told The Sun: "Marcus knows that some of the best moments in his career have occurred when Lucia has been at his side. They got together when they were very young and have had ups and downs, but a friendship has always remained. "He knows that she is good for him and she is one of the few people in the world he knows has got his best interests at heart. She is very sensible and helps keep him grounded." WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD? The 27-year-old is in Barcelona's squad travelling to Asia for a pre-season tour and could make his debut for the club in a friendly match against J1 League side Vissel Kobe on Sunday.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🗞️Today's headlines: Laporta speaks out and more
The blaugrana president gave an exclusive interview and left several headlines that are news today. The future of Ter Stegen, the next arrival at Camp Nou, or the goal of wanting to lift the Champions, are just some of the headlines that Laporta left and that this Saturday are on the cover of the sports MARCA Diario AS Mundo Deportivo Diario SPORT Superdeporte Estadio Deportivo L'Esportiu This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 JOSEP LAGO - AFP or licensors
