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Duvall Leads Red Sox to Split

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HOUSTON – (Staff and wire Service Report) – After fouling a pitch directly off his left foot in the top of the 10th inning on Wednesday, Boston Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall needed more than a couple of minutes to recover from the searing pain.

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His decision to stay in the fight paid immediate dividends for Boston. Duvall clubbed a tiebreaking, three-run home run on the next pitch of his at-bat to carry the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the host Houston Astros, a win that keeps Boston squarely in the American League wild-card picture.

Duvall has homered in each of the first three games of this four-game series, which concludes Thursday afternoon. His 14th long ball of the season was the biggest by far.

“He’s made some adjustments,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Duvall. “He’s catching up with the fastball and he’s pulling the ball. He mentioned a few weeks ago that he was missing that, and so far here he’s put three great swings. That was huge for us.”

Brayan Bello (9-7, 3.70 ERA) will start for the Red Sox on Thursday as Boston attempts to gain a series split.

The right-hander allowed one run on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings on Friday against the New York Yankees in an 8-3 victory. That lowered his ERA to 5.03 in seven starts since the All-Star break, a contrast to his last 12 starts before the break, when he compiled a 2.35 ERA. Bello leads the Red Sox in starts (21) and innings (119 1/3) this season.

Bello has faced the Astros once previously, recording two strikeouts while allowing two hits in two-thirds of an innings of relief in a no-decision on Aug. 3, 2022.

Rookie right-hander J.P. France (9-4, 2.75 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Thursday.

He recorded his 12th quality start on Friday against the Seattle Mariners, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over six innings in a 2-0 loss. France is among rookie leaders in quality starts, wins, opponents’ OPS (.675), innings (108) and WHIP (1.21). His ERA is the lowest in franchise history through the first 18 career appearances (minimum six starts).

France will face the Red Sox for the first time in his career.

The Astros are in desperate need of length from France, who has logged seven innings in four of his previous six starts. The last Astros starter to record at least 21 outs was Framber Valdez on Aug. 14 against the Miami Marlins, a game in which the Astros used only one relief pitcher.

In the eight games since, the Astros have used at least four relievers six times.

France and Justin Verlander, who tossed six scoreless innings on Tuesday, are the only starters to log at least six innings during that stretch, with Houston having to overwork its bullpen to cover for shortened outings from Cristian Javier (4 2/3 innings on Aug. 15 at Miami), Hunter Brown (2 2/3 innings on Sunday against Seattle) and Jose Urquidy, who recorded only 14 outs Wednesday.

“We need it,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of an extended outing from France to spare the bullpen. “We were upside down (Wednesday). We got upside down early in the 13-game streak (of games played on consecutive days) and we had a couple short outings, which put pressure on the bullpen. We’re at the drawing board now trying to figure out what we’re going to do.”

Notre Dame Dominates Navy in Ireland

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DUBLIN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Notre Dame’s QB Sam Hartman threw for four touchdowns in his Notre Dame debut as the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish crushed Navy, 42-3, in Ireland on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.

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Hartman spent the last five seasons at Wake Forest, where he threw for an Atlantic Coast Conference record 110 touchdowns. He looked right at home with his new program on Saturday, completing 19 of 23 passes for 266 yards.

Jaden Greathouse had three catches for 68 yards and two TDs for Notre Dame, which improved to 3-0 against the Midshipmen in games played in Ireland. Jayden Thomas added 78 yards on four receptions.

Alex Tecza had 38 rushing yards and Daba Fofana recorded 32 on 16 carries for Navy, which saw quarterback Tai Lavatai complete 3 of 6 passes for 43 yards.

The Midshipmen finished with 169 yards of total offense and made just two trips to the red zone.

The Fighting Irish put together a 13-play, 81-yard drive to open the game, taking a 7-0 lead on Audric Estime’s 1-yard rushing touchdown. Estime ended up with 95 yards on 16 touches for the game.

After the Midshipmen failed to convert a fourth-and-3 on their ensuing drive, Notre Dame doubled its advantage when Jadarian Price scored on the ground from 19 yards out with 1:03 left in the opening quarter.

Hartman made it 21-0 when he recorded his first TD as a member of the Fighting Irish, a 35-yard strike to Greathouse with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Evan Warren’s 36-yard field-goal attempt with 1:55 to play until the break went wide right, and Notre Dame capitalized on the miss when Hartman found Thomas for a 14-yard TD 1:42 later to send the Irish into halftime up 28-0.

Navy went three-and-out to begin the second half. The Fighting Irish took less than three minutes to tack on to their lead, as Greathouse was on the receiving end of a 20-yard touchdown that made it 35-0.

Hartman connected with Deion Colzie for a 25-yard TD with 11:54 remaining in the game before Warren broke the shutout by making good on a 31-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

Turner Breaks Tie and Yanks

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Justin Turner hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the host New York Yankees 6-5 on Sunday afternoon to send their longtime rival to an eighth straight loss for the first time since 1995.

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Boston got its seventh straight win over the Yankees when Turner hit an 0-1 sinker from Clay Holmes (4-4) to the warning track in right field to easily score Pablo Reyes, who hit a leadoff single.

Before Turner’s hit, the Yankees appeared to take the lead in the eighth when Isiah Kiner-Falefa scored from first on rookie Anthony Volpe’s single.

The Red Sox challenged the play for obstruction and Kiner-Falefa’s run was overturned. The Yankees then were unsuccessful in challenging that catcher Connor Wong blocked the plate.

The Yankees are on their first eight-game skid since Aug. 19-26, 1995, when they went from 53-50 to 53-58 before finishing 26-7 to get the first wild-card spot.

Boston reliever Chris Martin (4-1) got the win and Kenley Jansen struck out two and stranded two in the ninth for his 29th save.

Turner drove in four runs and gave the Red Sox a 5-2 lead in the seventh with a three-run homer off Michael King one pitch after slugger Rafael Devers was intentionally walked.

Devers homered and had hits in his first three at-bats. He also scored Boston’s second run on a throwing error by shortstop Volpe in the sixth.

Kyle Higashioka and Gleyber Torres hit tying homers in the third and sixth off bulk reliever Nick Pivetta. Volpe hit a tying three-run homer off John Schreiber in the seventh before pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton faced left-hander Brennan Bernardino and flew out with two on to end the inning.

Six days after allowing eight runs in Atlanta, New York starter Clarke Schmidt allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

After opener Josh Winckowski pitched the first, Pivetta allowed two runs and three hits in five innings.

–Field Level Media

Batting Practice in the Bronx

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NEW YORK – Boston rookie OF Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer four batters in, starting pitcher Brayan Bello tossed six effective innings and the Boston Red Sox recorded an 8-3 victory over the slumping, last place New York Yankees on Friday night in the Bronx.

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The Red Sox beat the Yankees for the sixth time in seven meetings this season and won their fifth straight over New York.

Justin Turner hit singles in each of his first three at-bats and produced a pair of RBI singles. Rafael Devers also had two RBIs, one of which was an RBI single to start Boston’s three-run second that followed a fielding error by New York second baseman Gleyber Torres.

NY slugger Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the eighth as the Yankees lost their sixth straight. It is their longest slide since dropping seven straight Sept 4-10, 2021.

The Red Sox took a 4-0 lead 19 pitches in against rookie Jhony Brito (4-6) when Yoshida hit a changeup into the right-center field seats.

Boston opened with four straight hits and Turner preceded Yoshida’s 13th homer with an RBI base hit after Verdugo and Rafael Devers poked hits. Yoshida homered after the Yankees were charged with consecutive mound visits to go over signs after Brito encountered trouble because the PitchCom device was not working for both teams.

Yoshida capped the second with a base hit to make it 7-0 and Devers contributed another RBI single in the ninth.

Bello (9-7) allowed one run and six hits to win for the third time in four starts. He struck out four, walked one and beat the Yankees for the second time this season.

After Garrett Whitlock allowed Judge’s 23rd homer, he ended the eighth by striking out Giancarlo Stanton. Brennan Bernardino allowed two hits in the ninth before Chris Martin finished it.

The Yankees avoided being shutout in three straight games when Anthony Volpe doubled and scored on DJ LeMahieu’s groundout in the third.

Brito allowed seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in 2 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Face Struggling NY Yankees

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees are looking forward to returning home even if the fans’ reaction might turn hostile.

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The Boston Red Sox are in contention for a wild-card spot and can bolster their postseason hopes while burying their rival even further. (Betting Odds)

Under .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1995, the Yankees host the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night.

New York returns home for the first time since splitting a four-game series with the Houston Astros on Aug. 6. The Yankees went 2-7 on a road trip against the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves and are 6 1/2 games behind Toronto for the final American League wild-card spot.

Rob Refsnyder walked and Devers followed with his 27th homer of the season, a shot into the second deck in right center that pulled the Red Sox within 9-7.

Garrett’s RBI single in the eighth made it 10-7.

Casas gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead when he homered leading off the third.

The Nationals quickly tied it in the bottom of the third. Jeter Downs walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Wong. Downs scored when third baseman Devers misplayed a Meneses grounder.

Red Sox Drop Another to Nationals

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Washington’s first baseman Joey Meneses had two hits and drove in five runs, SP Patrick Corbin pitched six strong innings and the host Nationals held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 10-7 in the rubber game of their series on Thursday.

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Keibert Ruiz had three hits and Stone Garrett had two hits and three RBIs for the Nationals, who are 5-1 on their homestand and have won 10 of 14.

Corbin (8-11) allowed one run on four hits. He struck out six without a walk.

Boston put runners on second and third with no outs against Kyle Finnegan in the ninth, but Finnegan retired the next three batters without allowing a run for his 19th save.

Luis Urias hit a grand slam for Boston, Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer and Triston Casas smacked a solo shot.

Chris Sale (5-3) allowed three runs — two earned — in 4 1/3 innings.

Boston trailed 9-1 entering the seventh. Adam Duvall led off with a single against reliever Robert Garcia. With one out, Pablo Reyes singled and Casas walked. After Connor Wong struck out, Urias hit a grand slam to center.

Red Sox Take Nationals, 5-4

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Alex Verdugo opened the game with a homer, Triston Casas had two hits and two RBIs and the Red Sox defeated the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Tuesday night.

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Pablo Reyes added two hits for Boston, which has won five of six.

Four Boston relievers tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings to end the game. John Schreiber (2-1) pitched one inning for the win, and Kenley Jansen worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save.

Keibert Ruiz and Stone Garrett had two-run doubles for Washington, which had won three straight.

Washington starter Josiah Gray (7-10) was charged with five runs on five hits over three-plus innings, his shortest start of the season. Gray has allowed 14 runs in 11 1/3 innings over his past three starts as his ERA has climbed from 3.27 to 3.96.

Verdugo gave the Red Sox and early 1-0 lead when he led off the game with his ninth homer of the season, a shot to right-center.

Boston’s Reese McGuire opened the third inning with a single and stole second. With two outs, Rafael Devers and Trevor Story walked to load the bases. Casas then lined a 3-2 Gray pitch to right, driving in two runs.

Washington rallied in its half of the third. Blake Rutherford led off with a single, and Lane Thomas and Joey Meneses drew one-out walks. Ruiz followed with double into the corner in right, scoring Rutherford and Thomas. After Dominic Smith struck out, Garrett doubled to right, knocking in Meneses and Ruiz scored to give the Nationals a 4-3 lead.

Gray couldn’t hold the edge, Jarren Duran singled and Reyes doubled to open the fourth, prompting the Nationals to bring in reliever Robert Garcia. McGuire reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases.

When Verdugo flied to deep center, Duran scored and Reyes raced to third, but McGuire was thrown out at second. Reyes scored on a wild pitch to give the Red Sox a 5-4 edge.

Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta was lifted after 4 1/3 innings, having given up four runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out seven.

–Field Level Media

Patriots to Sign Ezekiel Elliott

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -The New England Patriots are in agreement with free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year deal, with NFL Network reporting the contract is worth up to $6 million.

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The two-time NFL rushing champion visited with the Patriots late last month and provides important depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Elliott referenced the Patriots in a Twitter post Monday.

Elliott, 28, was released by the Dallas Cowboys in a salary-cutting move in March.

The Ohio State product was slowed in the second half of last season by a knee injury and wasn’t fully healthy in 2021. He rushed for a career-low 876 yards and 3.9 yards per carry in 2022 while backup Tony Pollard emerged as a 1,000-yard rusher and big-play threat.

Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 and 2018 and posted four 1,000-yard seasons with Dallas. The 2016 first-round pick (fourth overall) ranks third in Cowboys history in rushing yards (8,262) and rushing touchdowns (68) behind Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. He also has 305 catches for 2,336 yards and 12 scores in 103 games (102 starts).

The Patriots released running back James Robinson in June, and Ty Montgomery is nursing an undisclosed injury. Second-year running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris are also on the depth chart.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox to Face E-Rod and Tigers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Detroit left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch against his former team on Sunday when the visiting Tigers wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Rodriguez, 30, made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2015. He had a 64-39 record in 159 appearances (153 starts) over six seasons with Boston.

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Rodriguez (8-5, 2.75 ERA) signed a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers after the 2021 season but said he recalls his time with the Red Sox fondly.

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“I have a lot of good memories here, and it feels good to be back here,” Rodriguez said before Boston opened the series with a 5-2 victory on Friday night.

Rodriguez didn’t pitch in June because of an injury to his left index finger, but he tossed seven scoreless innings on Tuesday to help Detroit beat Minnesota 6-0. Earlier this month, he invoked the no-trade clause in his contract to keep him from being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rodriguez has made 17 starts for the Tigers this season. Opposing batters are hitting .218 with a .594 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against him. He’s 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA in his last seven starts.

Sunday will mark Rodriguez’s second career start against Boston. He allowed seven runs — just two earned — in 3 2/3 innings versus the Red Sox on April 13, 2022.

Kutter Crawford (5-6, 3.80) will pitch for Boston. Crawford took the loss when Kansas City beat the Red Sox 9-3 on Tuesday. He gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Detroit. He has allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Tigers.

Detroit hit four solo home runs atop the Green Monster in Saturday’s 6-2 triumph over Boston. Kerry Carpenter hit two of them and has three in the series.

“Any time I’m going well, I’m using the opposite field,” the lefty-hitting Carpenter said. “In this ballpark (Fenway Park), it’s easier to hit them out to left here. Anything they throw hard I want to hit that way.”

The Red Sox were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Garrett Whitlock is expected to return from the injured list on Sunday and be available out of the Red Sox bullpen. The right-hander pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Whitlock has been on the injured list since July 4 because of an elbow bone bruise. Whitlock has made 10 appearances, all starts, for the Red Sox this season, but Boston manager Alex Cora said earlier this week that Whitlock is returning as a reliever.

“He wanted to come back as soon as possible,” Cora said. “This is the best way. We’ll stretch him out. He’s gonna go two, three innings. It was more about his willingness to get ready and help us as soon as possible.”

Cora said there is a good chance third baseman Rafael Devers will have Sunday off. The lefty-hitting Devers leads the Red Sox with 26 home runs but will not play because Cora envisions loading his lineup with right-handed batters against Rodriguez.

“Have a good day (Sunday), win the series and move on,” Cora said.

–Field Level Media

NBA Finals Rivals Enter Hall Together

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SPRINGFIELD –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After going head-to-head in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki found themselves on the same side for once on Saturday night.

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Wade and Nowitzki were among those enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., part of a loaded 2023 class that featured a total of 12 new inductees.

Wade led the Heat to a title in 2006, being named Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Miami toppled the Mavericks in six games.

Dallas got its revenge five years later, though, beating the Heat in six games for its only championship in franchise history. This time it was Nowitzki’s turn to secure Finals MVP honors, as he went for 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Twelve years removed from their latest clash on the NBA’s biggest stage, the two have gotten to know each other as people as opposed to competitors.

“For Dirk and me, it’s been therapy,” Wade said about his post-career journey with Nowitzki and some of the other inductees. “Who would have thought that we would be on the same team after all of our battles, but here we are, and it’s one of the greatest teams I’ve ever been on.”

Wade, 41, went on to win two more titles by the time his 16-year NBA career was all said and done. He was a 13-time All-Star and posted career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists, spending most of his time with Miami, where he spent 15 seasons.

After coming up short in the Finals in 2006, Nowitzki, 45, was named league MVP following the 2006-07 campaign. A 14-time All-Star, Nowitzki was a beacon of loyalty for over two decades, spending his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 1,522 games (1,460 starts).

If Wade and Nowitzki weren’t battling each other, they were often trying to fend off the Spurs. San Antonio was well-represented on Saturday night, as guard Tony Parker and longtime coach Gregg Popovich were also part of the Class of 2023.

Parker, 41, won four titles during his 17 seasons with the Spurs. Popovich, 74, was at the helm for all four of those championships, plus a fifth in 1999. Next season will be his 29th as San Antonio’s coach, and he heads into it with 1,366 regular-season wins along with 170 in the playoffs.

One of Popovich’s disciples, Becky Hammon, was also inducted to the Hall of Fame on Saturday. Following a successful playing career in the WNBA and overseas, the 46-year-old Hammon worked as an assistant on the Spurs’ staff from 2014-22. She is now head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, who currently own the best record in the WNBA at 26-3.

In her first season as coach of the Aces, Hammon led Las Vegas to its first title in franchise history.

“You’re a man of principle and excellence,” Hammon said to Popovich. “I know you weren’t trying to be courageous when you hired me, but you did do something nobody else in professional sports has ever done.