#player-performance

#player-performance

Welp. Pulled this one out again, and given Sale's injury history, a season of anguish is probably more likely than a repeat of 2024. Unfortunate. We'll say accurateish here. Sale did suffer an injury that kept him to 125 innings and 20/21 starts, but those were very high-quality innings. He was still worth about 3.5 wins, and he had an FIP under 3.00.

Out of the blue, Scott Laughton blocked a point shot that sprung him on a partial break, and he fired a snapshot blocker side on Sam Montembeault, who played his angle poorly. Laughton wasn't done, as a little over halfway through the first, he was sprung on a breakaway off a nice pass from Bobby McMann and hit a nice fake-shot to backhand move to slide the puck five-hole for his second tally of the period.

The Atlanta Braves are playing their best baseball of the season - and although it wasn't enough to save them from snapping their seven-year playoff streak - it has provided optimism for 2026 and, frankly, has been a heckuva a lot more fun that most of the season had been. By sweeping both the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers, there was no shortage of players who were outstanding over the past seven games.

Matt Olson currently sits at 774 consecutive games started. Obviously, that's a ton of games, but it also reminded me that we only have 8 games left this season, which seems insane. With a late-season heater, Olson is up to .280/.373/.497, which is good for a 141 wRC+ and 5 wins. That makes him a top 15 position player and the top overall first baseman in the game.

I think obviously that's part of life, and there's other stuff to think about too, but I think I've always been pretty good at focusing on what I can control and what I can do out there. This league is tough, and a lot goes on, and I think I've always just kind of stayed in my lane and worried about the task that I'm worried about. I don't think that'll change. My mentality won't change. And certainly just as excited as ever.

The Commanders wanted to get the right deal. McLaurin stood his ground, missing months of practice and vital reps to hone his craft. Everything worked out for both parties in the end, but it came at a price. McLaurin has just seven receptions from 10 targets for 75 receiving yards through the opening two contests. He's struggled to create separation consistently, and the timing with quarterback Jayden Daniels isn't up to last year's standards.

Alisson Becker - 6/10 Not much to do for the Brazilian on the afternoon, so it's hard to go much higher. Did his best to spring a drab Liverpool into life with his distribution. Dominik Szoboszlai - 7/10 Continued his run of matches at right-back. Did what was asked of him and was more influential as the match continued on, especially with the introductions of Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong allowing for him to move into midfield.

It has been a record-breaking transfer window in the Premier League with billions spent by England's top-flight clubs -- including huge fees for Liverpool's Florian Wirtz (£100 million) and Hugo Ekitike (£69 million) as well as the £66.3 million Manchester United paid for Benjamin Sesko. Liverpool's deadline day move for Newcastle United's Alexander Isak will be worth around €130 million, smashing the previous Premier League transfer record which was set by Chelsea when they paid Benfica an initial €106.3 million for Enzo Fernández.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Trent McDuffie, their top cornerback, are not expected to agree to a multiyear contract extension before the team's season starts, sources told ESPN on Sunday. In the past six weeks, the Chiefs have had several conversations in an attempt to negotiate an extension with McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro who will begin his fourth NFL season Friday in São Paulo when Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers. McDuffie, 24, is the Chiefs' second-best defender behind pass rusher Chris Jones.

Gakpo, 26, is just now entering the prime of his career and this new extension means we will see those years being played out in Liverpool red. He has made 131 appearances in all competitions since arriving from PSV Eindhoven in Janurary 2023, following his exploits at the Qatar World Cup for the Netherlands. The Dutchman has provided 42 goals along with 16 assists thus far in his Reds' career, but is coming off arguably his best season so far in 2024/25.

Benintendi, 31, has not been mentioned in trade rumors all that consistently despite the White Sox's struggles. The left-handed hitting outfielder joined the Sox in 2023 and has endured ups and downs with the ball club. His 2025 season has been especially disappointing. Benintendi has still produced enough to potentially catch teams' interest in trade talks, though. As of this story's writing, Benintendi has recorded a .235/.298/.407 slash line across 100 games played.

This was the streak that propelled the Sox into a position to take the AL pennant and eventually the World Series crown over the crosstown Cubs. During the run, the White Sox beat Boston six times, Philadelphia five times, New York seven times and Washington once. When the streak started on August 2, the Sox were 7 1⁄2 games behind Philadelphia, and when it ended on August 25 at Washington, Chicago was in first place by four games over the A's.

The Mets have posted a dismal 4-14 record recently, falling five games behind the Phillies and struggling to maintain a postseason position.

Despite Manchester United's 22 attempts to Arsenal's 8, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, highlighting inconsistencies in key positions and urgent need for improvement in scoring.

Tyler Uberstine’s performance led to a rough game for the WooSox, who entered extra innings tied but lost after Jorge Juan allowed a home run in the tenth.

Miller's acquisition addressed the Rangers' need for a true 1C, providing depth and shifting Zibanejad and Trocheck to 2C and 3C roles.

Yengi's first goal for the club earned the Dons a maiden victory of the season, showing promising signs which eased the heat on him.

Myles Straw has been 'Mr. do-it-all' for Toronto this season, contributing to the Blue Jays offense through tough at-bats, bunting, timely hits, and defensive plays.

The Falcons fell 23-20 to the Titans in the second week of the 2025 NFL preseason, highlighting various player performances and struggles during the game.

C Garrett Bradbury, according to Pro Football Focus, was the highest-graded Patriot in the Commanders game, achieving a 92.4 run-blocking grade with no pass-blocking pressure allowed.

Acuña missed nearly three weeks with a Grade 1 strain in his right calf, leading to his reinstatement from the injured list.

"I think Michael is going through it. He's going to be in there on Friday, but I do think I've got to find some combinations to get some consistent production."