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Lloyd, U.S. breeze past Portugal in Philly

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 29 August 2019 19:26

Carli Lloyd had a goal and an assist in front of her hometown fans as the U.S. women continued its post-World Cup victory tour with a 4-0 win over Portugal in front of a record crowd on Thursday night.

The announced attendance of 49,504 at Lincoln Financial Field was the largest ever for a stand-alone friendly game for the U.S. women, breaking the previous mark of 44,028 set in Pittsburgh during the team's 2015 victory tour.

Tobin Heath, Morgan Brian and Allie Long also scored for the U.S., which has won 15 consecutive matches for the first time since 1996. Christen Press had two assists.

The five-city domestic tour to celebrate the Americans' fourth World Cup title, which they won in France this summer, began in Los Angeles on Aug. 3 with a 3-0 win over Ireland. It will continue with stops in St. Paul, Minnesota (Sept. 3), Charlotte (Oct. 3), and Chicago (Oct. 6).

Lloyd, a Philadelphia-area native who made national news when she kicked a 55-yard field goal at Philadelphia Eagles training camp last week, led the team out of the tunnel holding the World Cup trophy.

The two-time FIFA player of the year scored early in the second half to make it 3-0, before celebrating by flapping her arms like an eagle. Her cross in the 82nd minute set up Long's goal and put a finishing touch on the rout.

The U.S. pounced on Portugal early, with Heath finishing a cross from Press in the fourth minute. Julie Ertz, whose husband Zach Ertz plays in the same stadium as a tight end for the Eagles, set the play up with a good ball to Press.

Brian netted her first goal since 2016, off Press' corner kick in the 18th minute.

Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, making her second international appearance, needed only to make one nice save against overmatched Portugal, FIFA's 30th-ranked side.

U.S. stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe did not play because of injury. Neither did Rose Lavelle, who scored the final goal of the World Cup final, a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands on July 7.

Nurmagomedov: No rematch with Conor for now

Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 29 August 2019 21:13

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his ugly rivalry with Conor McGregor will "never be finished."

However, Nurmagomedov says, he has no interest now in a second fight.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Nurmagomedov (27-0), who defended his lightweight title against McGregor (21-3) via fourth-round submission in October, said he would fight McGregor in the street if they crossed paths, but he will not grant him an immediate rematch as long as he holds the belt.

"Even [the October fight] did not finish it," Nurmagomedov said. "Just smash people is not enough. I talk about just smash only him? It's not enough. We have to smash all his team. This is what I think before the fight. This is what I say to my team. 'Hey, tonight, we're going to war. This is not about fight.'

"It will never be finished. Ever. Even if we see [each other] somewhere, we're going to fight, 100 percent. It doesn't matter if someone go to jail or something like this. I'm not scared about this. ... They go to hospital and we go to police. That's it."

Nurmagomedov, of Dagestan, is scheduled to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It will mark his first appearance since he jumped out of the Octagon after beating McGregor to confront members of McGregor's team. Nurmagomedov said he did so because McGregor insulted his family and country in the buildup to the fight.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Nurmagomedov nine months and fined him $500,000 for his postfight actions. In April, the rivalry made headlines again, when McGregor posted, and deleted, two offensive social media messages aimed at Nurmagomedov's wife. Nurmagomedov responded by calling McGregor a "rapist."

McGregor, of Dublin, has expressed interest in an immediate rematch. A second fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor would be an extremely lucrative event, but Nurmagomedov said he will not allow it to happen without McGregor first winning a fight. The 155-pound champion has clearly stated he would like to face Tony Ferguson next, should he defeat Poirier on Saturday.

"This guy [McGregor] have to come back and make nine- or 10-fight win streak. Then we gonna fight," Nurmagomedov said. "Maybe people who watch this interview, they think, 'Oh, he think about this, but when UFC ask this guy to fight Conor for millions of dollars, this guy is gonna take it.' No. Fight. Come back and show who are you.

"Dana [White], no need to call me. Why he have to call me about this fight? We talk with Dana sometimes, he's a good guy, but don't talk with me about this crazy fight. I want to fight real guys -- Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, maybe if one of the greatest athletes ever, Georges St-Pierre, wants to fight. I want to fight those guys. I don't want to fight with a guy who never wins."

Jones expecting Zeke to miss more than opener

Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 29 August 2019 23:37

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones says he believes Ezekiel Elliott could miss more than just the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the New York Giants in a contract dispute.

"I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," Jones said of the running back after the Cowboys concluded the preseason Thursday with a 17-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp that he's going to miss games. I just accept that."

The Cowboys and Elliott's representatives have had talks in recent days but nothing appears imminent, according to sources. Near the start of training camp, the Cowboys made Elliott an offer that would make him the second-highest paid running back in the NFL behind Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams.

Time, however, could be the biggest obstacle in getting Elliott's deal done for him to play at least against the Giants. Jones said he does not have a deadline for getting a deal done with Elliott or with quarterback Dak Prescott or receiver Amari Cooper.

"We'll be needing Zeke," Jones said. "Anytime we can get him out there, we'll be needing him, so we don't have deadlines here."

Jones has not had any direct contact with Elliott and does not believe it's necessary to close a deal.

"Not in this case. Zeke knows full well how valuable he is to our team," Jones said. "But he also knows because there's been a lot of games when he didn't play that he wants us to win if he's not playing. And we've got to be ready to win if he's not playing."

Elliott, 24, is facing fines of nearly $1.5 million for missing 37 days of training camp. The Cowboys could also seek repayment of $1.02 million in a prorated portion of his signing bonus. Once the regular-season work schedule begins, he would face daily fines of slightly less than the $40,000 he faced while in training camp. He will be out more than $226,000 in game checks for each week he misses.

Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, said he does not begrudge Elliott taking this route.

"If he doesn't do it now when the league is talking about devaluing the running back position, and he's proven he can carry the ball 350-plus times on a consistent basis, there aren't many backs in the National Football League that can do that," Smith said on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan in Dallas before the game. "We have one on our team and there's another one up in New York (Saquon Barkley) and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone else. When you have those caliber of backs on your squad, they're unique individuals. ... He deserves to be paid like that."

In 1993, Smith missed the first two games of the season, both Dallas losses, in a contract dispute. Four days after the Cowboys lost their second straight without Smith, he signed four-year, $13.6 million deal that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

"My contract was completely up," Smith said. "It's not like I broke my contract or tried to get more capital. I did what I told them I was going to do when I came in: I was going to earn the right to get in position to be paid like the highest paid in the league."

Elliott has led the NFL in rushing in two of his first three seasons, including 1,434 yards last season. He missed six games in 2017 because of a suspension but still managed 983 rushing yards.

Jones says his expectations for 2019 will not change if Elliott misses regular-season games.

"He can't and won't miss them all," Jones said. "We need Zeke. We're a better team with Zeke, but we need to be able to win when we need to without players because of injuries, suspension or in this case, holdout. But as I've said, this is a marathon."

Bills kicker: Will help Lloyd, hope she goes for it

Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 29 August 2019 23:19

If U.S. soccer star Carli Lloyd pursues an NFL career, Stephen Hauschka wants to help however he can.

The Buffalo Bills place-kicker told ESPN on Thursday night he is "excited" for Lloyd, who became a viral sensation last week after a video of her kicking a 55-yard field goal during a Philadelphia Eagles-Baltimore Ravens practice led to multiple offers from NFL teams.

Hauschka, 34, played soccer at Middlebury College before transitioning to football, and said he can relate to Lloyd's consideration of making a similar career move.

"I saw the way she kicked that ball and she's obviously got a lot of talent," Hauschka said after the Bills' preseason finale. "It feels close to my heart because when I was 18, 19 years old, I was a soccer player and I had a dream of kicking footballs just for my Division III college team. I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity and I had a coach that showed me how to do it.

"If it's something she really wants to do, not only will I help her out -- if she wants it -- but I hope she goes for it. I do think it's possible to kick well in this league as a female. It's a very mental position, it's physical, it's technical and I think it could be done eventually."

Lloyd's coach told ESPN she would aim for the 2020 season if she decides to attempt to become the NFL's first female player. Doing so would allow her to train properly and shore up the technical differences between kicking a soccer ball and kicking a football.

Beyond the fundamentals, the challenge for her, in Hauschka's opinion, will be gaining experience in a game and league that don't present a wide margin for error for kickers.

The two-time World Cup champion and World Cup Golden Ball winner Lloyd, 37, is used to performing under pressure -- a fundamental trait for any place-kicker -- but it's difficult to start out in any sport at its highest level.

"It's definitely different, the thing I think that'll be tough for her is just game experience," he said. "There's a lot of things that you've got to learn over the course of [a career] and it's hard to learn that stuff at the NFL level because there's not room for error. I was fortunate enough to be able to kick at a Division III level and then the Division I level and work my way up.

"But I think it's really cool, a really cool story."

Hauschka, who signed a two-year, $8 million extension with the Bills on Wednesday, said it took him "about a year" to get used to kicking a football -- although he says he's still learning, even in his 12th NFL season.

As for skeptics who believe Lloyd's willingness -- or ability -- to tackle her opponents would keep her out of the NFL? Hauschka quickly shut it down.

"She doesn't have to."

Dolphins name Fitzpatrick starting QB for Week 1

Published in Breaking News
Thursday, 29 August 2019 21:17

Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starting quarterback when Miami opens the season Sept. 8 against the Baltimore Ravens.

"After a thorough evaluation of OTAs, training camp, games, practice, we felt this was the best move for the team going into the season," Flores said Thursday. "Ryan has done a really good job from a leadership standpoint, from an execution standpoint, and we feel like it's the best move for the team."

Fitzpatrick, 36, has led the Dolphins' quarterback competition all offseason over second-year signal-caller Josh Rosen, but a strong preseason by Rosen made Flores' decision a little tougher.

It seems clear that Flores valued Fitzpatrick's experience, ability to run a new offense and his moxie to rally a young team.

"I know I have more confidence in myself than anybody in the world," Fitzpatrick said. "Sometimes that's a detriment, but a lot of times that works in my favor. I'm always confident in who I am and what I am as a player. This is where I wanted to be and what I worked to get."

Rosen, who suited up for the Dolphins' final preseason game but didn't play against the New Orleans Saints, heard the decision from Flores before Thursday's game and said he doesn't feel great about the decision.

"The battle and competition never stops," Rosen said. "I'll push him every single day for him to get better, and if he doesn't get better, hopefully I'll surpass him at some point. I'm rooting for him more than anyone."

Rosen, 22, admitted he was "drinking water from the fire hose" early in training camp before playing his best football in the second and third preseason games. He declined to directly answer whether he agreed with the decision, but said he believed his improvement, particularly in the past couple of weeks, made the decision harder on Flores.

"On this progression, I think the future will be pretty bright [for me]. I'm excited," Rosen said. "I wouldn't say it's a setback, but it's part of the journey.

"It's only [a matter of] time that this team is mine, but until then I'm going to be as supportive of a backup as I can and push him every single day."

Flores didn't waver when asked if there was a timetable for Rosen to become the starting quarterback. He said Fitzpatrick is his starter and that he's comfortable with that, and there isn't a set amount of time Rosen needs to start this season for him to be evaluated. It's worth noting the Dolphins have a Week 5 bye, which could be an opportunity for a quarterback switch if one is required.

"He's improved greatly over the course of training camp," Flores said of Rosen. "Playing quarterback in this league takes some time. He's in a new offense. I think he'll get there. When? I don't know. A lot of that is up to him. He knows that."

Fitzpatrick will be the 20th quarterback to start for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. Miami has been searching for a franchise quarterback since then.

The Dolphins signed Fitzpatrick to a two-year deal in March with hopes he could be at least a bridge quarterback until whenever they brought in their quarterback of the future. In Rosen, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier saw what he determined to be a great value on draft weekend in April, acquiring him from the Arizona Cardinals for a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick.

Fitzpatrick is set to become the first quarterback to start a game for eight teams.

"I'm excited to get out there and lead this team and do the best I can out there," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a situation I've been in for multiple franchises, and I'll lean on my experience a little bit and try to get the guys out there, everybody on the same page, great communication, and playing with a lot of excitement."

Dodgers' Muncy (wrist) won't play until next week

Published in Baseball
Thursday, 29 August 2019 20:17

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy will not play again until next week after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist, manager Dave Roberts said Thursday.

Muncy left Wednesday's game against the Padres with what was initially diagnosed as a wrist contusion. He was scheduled to undergo X-rays before Thursday's series opener in Arizona.

Roberts said Muncy won't return until early next week even if X-rays don't reveal a fracture, and the outcome of his tests could affect the team's plans for the September roster.

"If we get different news than the initial diagnosis [on Muncy], then, yeah, we'll probably be a little more aggressive with our September call-ups," Roberts said. "I don't really know who, but obviously you've got to replace him."

Roberts would not say if that plan could include shortstop Gavin Lux, whom ESPN's Keith Law ranked in July as the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball. Lux is hitting a combined .346 with 26 homers and 76 RBIs in 112 games at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Muncy said Thursday that the injured wrist felt "pretty painful" and had limited range of motion.

"If there's a tiny crack or hairline fracture, the machine won't show it. So we're basically just double-checking it and hoping for the best," Muncy said. "With how it feels right now, I'm a little nervous. But I'm also just trying not to get my hope up that, 'Oh, the pictures came out negative, it's all good.' ... I'm trying to stay neutral with it right now."

Muncy, 29, who is batting .253 with 33 homers and a career-high 87 RBIs in 129 games, was a first-time All-Star this season, his second with the Dodgers. He is unlikely to be placed on the injured list because rosters expand Sunday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

A's get key run on obscure 'out-of-play' rule

Published in Baseball
Thursday, 29 August 2019 21:08

The Oakland A's added a key insurance run in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, thanks to the enforcement of an obscure rule.

A's second baseman Corban Joseph popped a foul with one out and runners on second and third, and third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert made a nifty catch falling into the third-base dugout.

But under Rule 5.06(b)(3), both runners on base were entitled to advance a base once Cuthbert entered the dugout, sending Seth Brown home from third.

The rule reads: "Each runner, other than the batter, may without liability to be put out, advance one base when: A fielder, after catching a fly ball, steps or falls into any out-of-play area."

Cuthbert said he wasn't aware of the rule.

"At one point when I was getting close to the ball, I looked down to see where I was at -- if it was going to be a tough play," Cuthbert said. "That's why my first instinct was to hold on to the railing to not fall into the dugout. When the ball was coming down, that's the only shot I had.

"Then the umpire said the runners were going to advance a base. I didn't know about that rule. Every day you learn something in baseball."

The run gave Oakland a 9-7 lead and proved to the be difference in the game after Kansas City scored one run in the bottom of the ninth.

"I knew it right away, but you don't see it very often," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "[Third-base umpire Chris Segal] was right on it. That's a huge play, obviously, to get that second run."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Aquino belts 14th of month for record in Reds' loss

Published in Baseball
Thursday, 29 August 2019 22:38

MIAMI -- Aristides Aquino's homer set a record.

Harold Ramirez's homer set off a celebration.

Aquino broke the National League rookie mark for homers in a month with his 14th in August, but Ramirez homered leading off the 12th inning for the Miami Marlins, who beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Thursday night to avert a four-game sweep.

Aquino hit a two-run homer in the first for Cincinnati, and his two-out RBI single in the eighth tied it at 3.

Miami's Jon Berti, Austin Dean and Starlin Castro hit solo home runs off Alex Wood, who has allowed 10 homers in 35⅔ innings this season. Ramirez, a rookie, pulled a 1-1 pitch over the fence against closer Raisel Iglesias (2-10) for his third walk-off RBI.

"I can't explain it," Ramirez said. "I am proud of every walk-off."

"I'm going to start leaving him on the bench until walk-off time," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

The Marlins finished 1-6 in the season series with the Reds, and earned only their sixth victory in the past 26 games.

"Any time we can get a win right now, it feels good," Mattingly said.

Aquino broke the rookie record of 13 in a month set by the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger in June 2017. The major league record by a rookie is 18 by the Tigers' Rudy York in August 1937.

Reds manager David Bell's reaction to his outfielder's latest achievement?

"Speechless," Bell said. "Guys are having fun watching him and what he's doing. Pretty special."

Aquino, who was promoted from the minors Aug. 1, tied the Reds record for homers by a player in a month held by Frank Robinson (1962) and Greg Vaughn (1999). He leads majors with 32 RBIs this month.

Robert Dugger, making his second career start for the Marlins, pitched seven innings and allowed two runs, both unearned. He retired 13 in a row during one stretch.

"It just shows I guess I belong here," Dugger said.

Tyler Kinley (3-1) pitched two perfect innings. Attendance was 6,466, and only a few hundred spectators remained at the end.

Cincinnati's Joey Votto reached on a two-base error in the first inning when his deep fly was dropped by center fielder Lewis Brinson. With two out, Aquino homered.

Berti led off the Marlins' first with a homer for the third time this year. Dean homered to tie the game in the fifth, and Castro's 14th homer in the sixth gave Miami a 3-2 lead.

It was the first time in franchise history that four or more solo homers accounted for all of the team's runs.

CLOSER'S WOES

Iglesias has 27 saves but is now tied for the team lead in losses.

"When you come in to save a game, it is not a secret that the adrenaline is different," the Cuban right-hander said in Spanish. "Apparently, tie games and I are not friends."

UPCOMING MOVE

Reds RHP Tyler Mahle will be recalled from Triple-A Louisville to start one game of their doubleheader Saturday in St. Louis. RHP Sonny Gray will start the second game.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (lower back) and SS Miguel Rojas (hamstring) are close to being activated from the injured list, Mattingly said.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.34) is scheduled to start Friday in the opener of a four-game series at St. Louis. The Reds have lost four of his five starts since he was acquired July 31.

Marlins: RHP Elieser Hernandez (3-5, 4.97) is scheduled to start Friday to begin a three-game series at Washington.

Inside Aristides Aquino's amazing record-setting month

Published in Baseball
Thursday, 29 August 2019 21:25

One month ago, few baseball fans outside of prospect hounds or regular followers of the Louisville Bats had heard of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino. That's not a criticism. Aquino had made some minor waves on prospect lists a few years ago, but after hitting .216 at Double-A in 2017 and .240 while repeating the level in 2018, he had fallen off the radar.

In fact, for 24 hours last offseason, any team could have signed Aquino. He had appeared in one game for the Reds in August and struck out in his lone plate appearance but wasn't called back up when rosters expanded in September. On Nov. 30, the Reds non-tendered Aquino, needing space on their 40-man roster for other moves. The Reds let him know they wanted to bring him back, but he was technically a free agent and could have signed with any other team.

"When you take a guy off the roster, you are exposed," Reds general manager Nick Krall told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this month. "We told him we were going to take him off, but we also expressed, 'Hey, we want to bring you back.' It was pretty quick. We signed him that night."

Even then, it was just a minor league deal, which meant the Reds exposed Aquino in the Rule 5 draft in December. Any team could have selected him. Nobody did. He remained with the Reds, tore it up at Triple-A Louisville for four months, and after Yasiel Puig was dealt to the Indians at the trade deadline, Aquino was called up Aug. 1.

Fourteen home runs later, Aquino is most definitely on the radar of baseball fans with one of the most impressive debut months in major league history. There are still a couple of days left in August, but consider these totals:

Most home runs in one month by a rookie:
Rudy York, August 1937: 17
Mark McGwire, May 1987: 15
Aaron Judge, September 2017: 15
Aristides Aquino, August 2019: 14

Most home runs in a calendar month, Reds history:
Aristides Aquino, August 2019: 14
Greg Vaughn, September 1999: 14
Frank Robinson, August 1962: 14

Aquino isn't a kid. He's 25, making his professional debut with the Reds back in 2011 in the Dominican Summer League at age 17. He played two seasons in that league, hitting .188 and .197, which would have meant the end of big league dreams for many prospects, but the Reds liked Aquino's power potential and stuck with him. It was a slow grind through the minors before everything finally came together at Louisville this season, where he hit .299/.356/.636 with 28 home runs in 78 games.

With the Reds, he has hit even better, with a .330/.393/.804 line after going 3-for-5 with that 14th home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins. Given his size and strength, the first guess might be -- especially given some of the low batting averages in the minors -- that Aquino is a strikeout-prone all-or-nothing slugger who has managed to run into a few meatballs his first month in the majors. Actually, his improvement can be traced in part to cutting down his strikeout rate even as he has faced tougher pitching:

2017, Double-A: 28.8%
2018, Double-A: 25.2%
2019, Triple-A: 25.1%
2019, MLB: 23.4%

The overall MLB strikeout rate is 22.8%, so he's just about average in this regard. His walk rate his first month has been 7.5%, just a tick below the MLB average of 8.5%. So he's solid in those important categories plus he's mashing all these home runs. All good, right? Maybe, or maybe not, because there are some red flags in Aquino's game that help identify why it took him so long to reach the majors.

Swing rate
MLB average: 47.3%
Aquino: 56.6%

Miss rate
MLB average: 25.5%
Aquino: 31%

Chase rate
MLB average: 28.7%
Aquino: 37.8%

He does chase out of the zone more than you'd like, and he does have swing-and-miss in his game. Pitchers haven't learned to exploit that just yet. Maybe they won't. Aquino's power on contact has simply been so impressive that when he connects, it flies. As you might expect from an aggressive hitter, most of his home runs have come early in the count:

Aug. 3, vs. Dallas Keuchel: 0-0 changeup (404 feet)

Aug. 6, vs. Jose Suarez: 1-1 fastball (448 feet)

Aug. 8, vs. Cole Hamels: 1-1 changeup (445 feet)

Aug. 9, vs. Yu Darvish: 1-0 cutter (373 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Kyle Hendricks: 0-0 sinker (344 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Hendricks: 0-0 sinker (385 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Dillon Maples: 1-2 fastball (452 feet)

Aug. 12, vs. Tanner Rainey: 1-0 fastball (425 feet)

Aug. 14, vs. Javy Guerra: 0-1 slider (387 feet)

Aug. 16, vs. Adam Wainwright: 1-0 cutter (396 feet)

Aug. 17, vs. Miles Mikolas: 0-0 slider (408 feet)

Aug. 23, vs. Mitch Keller: 1-0 slider (401 feet)

Aug. 28, vs. Sandy Alcantara: 2-2 changeup (418 feet)

Aug. 29, vs. Robert Dugger: 0-1 curveball (393 feet)

Want to see some of those home runs? Here are his first nine -- in his first 14 career games:

Anyway, what's the deal here? Is Aquino for real? Like so many players in 2019, the juiced ball makes evaluation extremely difficult. At first glance, it's easy to attribute Aquino's improvement at Triple-A and with the Reds to the ball, more so than any changes in his approach or maturity.

Plus, as fun as this month has been, it's only one month. Consider the exploits last season of Ryan O'Hearn and Luke Voit, older players with little experience in the majors who tore it up for short spells:

O'Hearn: 149 AB, .262/.353/.597, 12 HR, 154 OPS+

Voit (with Yankees): 132 AB, .333/.405/.689, 14 HR, 193 OPS+

Aquino: 97 AB, .330/.393/.804, 14 HR, 192 OPS+

O'Hearn was making his debut, and Voit had 124 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2017, but the comparisons are somewhat similar. O'Hearn has been terrible this season and Voit has been very good with a 135 OPS+.

Is Aquino more O'Hearn or more Voit? I would lean toward the latter, even if there's nothing in his track record to suggest he's anything close to a .300 hitter in the majors -- let alone .330. He hasn't been awful in the field and he actually has had the second-highest top sprint speed on the Reds, behind only Nick Senzel, so there's some real athleticism here. (He's a better fielder and runner than, say, Franmil Reyes, a young guy with a similar powerful build.)

Add it up and I'm cautiously optimistic that there's something here -- nothing like what we've seen, of course, but a player who can be an above-average hitter even if he hits .250. The rest of the season forecasts from the various projection systems are even less optimistic than .250, but I'm not sure they've incorporated "ball, lively" into their algorithms.

So maybe Aquino isn't a future All-Star. For now, just enjoy the ride.

German sixth seed Alexander Zverev was taken to a deciding set for a second successive match as he saw off American Frances Tiafoe 6-3 3-6 6-2 2-6 6-3 in the US Open second round.

Zverev hit 52 unforced errors as the momentum swung throughout.

Second seed Rafael Nadal had a walkover with Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrawing with a right shoulder injury.

The three-time champion will now play Fernando Verdasco or Hyeon Chung.

Australian Nick Kyrgios produced a stunning display of serving as he hit 24 aces in his routine 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Antoine Hoang.

Kyrgios, the 28th seed, has now reached the third round four times but has never made it past that phase. He now takes on unseeded Russian Andrey Rublev, who got through as a result of the retirement of Frenchman Gilles Simon after the first set of their match.

Meanwhile, Zverev will play Slovenian Aljaz Bedene, who beat 29th seed Benoit Paire, in the third round.

The 22-year-old, who defeated Radu Albot in the first round, said: "Frances gave me an unbelievable fight today. I'm just happy to get the win somehow."

Elsewhere, in-form Cincinnati Masters champion Daniil Medvedev recorded his 16th win from the past 18 matches with a 6-3 7-5 5-7 6-3 win over Hugo Dellien of Bolivia. The Russian fifth seed will now play Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

American Denis Kudla's reward for defeating 29th seed Dusan Lajovic 7-5 7-5 0-6 6-3 is a third-round contest against defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic.

Swiss 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka, 34, saw off fellow veteran Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3. The 23rd seed will now play Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.

Belgian 15th seed David Goffin, beaten by Medvedev in the recent final at Cincinnati, defeated Gregoire Barrere 6-2 6-2 6-2 and will play Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.

American 14th seed John Isner, a quarter-finalist last year, will play either 2014 champion Marin Cilic or German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe after he secured a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory over Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.

And Australian Alex de Minaur, 20, overcame Chile's 31st seed Cristian Garin 6-3 7-5 6-3 to set up a tie against seventh seed Kei Nishikori.

Soccer

Arteta: 'Don't want to say' PL title hopes over

Arteta: 'Don't want to say' PL title hopes over

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMikel Arteta has refused to concede the Premier League title race a...

Amorim: Man United need 'more Brunos' on team

Amorim: Man United need 'more Brunos' on team

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRuben Amorim said Manchester United "need more Brunos" after captai...

Utd's Amorim lauds Garnacho's 'complete game'

Utd's Amorim lauds Garnacho's 'complete game'

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester United manager Ruben Amorim was impressed by Alejandro G...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Gobert returns as Wolves score season-high 141

Gobert returns as Wolves score season-high 141

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert returned t...

Kawhi's only shot in OT the game winner at buzzer

Kawhi's only shot in OT the game winner at buzzer

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsINGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard stood at the top of the key, let...

Baseball

Reds prospect Collier to have surgery on thumb

Reds prospect Collier to have surgery on thumb

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsGOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cincinnati Reds prospect Cam Collier is schedule...

Dodgers RHP Grove (shoulder) out for season

Dodgers RHP Grove (shoulder) out for season

EmailPrintGLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove will miss the upcoming season...

Sports Leagues

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    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

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    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

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