RICHMOND, Va. – Brad Keselowski snapped Kevin Harvick’s qualifying streak at Richmond Raceway on Friday evening ahead of the Federated Auto Parts 400.

Keselowski garnered the provisional pole at the three-quarter-mile oval with a lap of 21.229 seconds (127.185 mph) in the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang.

The Michigan native and Team Penske driver was more than a tenth of a second faster than Kevin Harvick, who led much of the session but ended up second (21.334/126.559) in the final rundown.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Keselowski admitted. “We didn’t do a qualifying run in practice, but we’ve had phenomenal short run speed here with our Discount Tire Ford the last two or three years here and haven’t necessarily qualified all that well. But when the race comes, we get the short runs and we can really make some steam … and it showed that here in qualifying.

“I hope we have the long run speed (on Saturday), because I think there are going to be a lot of long runs for the race, but certainly qualifying up front and getting the first pit stall (and) those things to go with it is really great for our chances tomorrow,” he added. “It’s really exciting to get our third pole this year. We went all last year without a pole and this year we’ve got three. I’m proud of my team for that.”

Friday’s qualifying results will be finalized following pre-race inspection on Saturday afternoon.

Behind Keselowski and Harvick, Chase Elliott was the fastest Chevrolet driver in third, followed by the Toyota of Kyle Busch, which will line up fourth. Busch has won two of the last three Richmond Cup races.

Clint Bowyer completed the top five, ahead of Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch. Playoff drivers will occupy the first nine positions when the green flag drops Saturday night.

Jimmie Johnson was the top non-playoff driver in qualifying, and will start 10th.

Defending series champion Joey Logano was the lowest of the 16 playoff drivers on speed Friday. He’ll roll off a distant 28th in Saturday’s 400-lap, 300-mile event.

The Federated Auto Parts 400 goes green Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

QUALIFYING RESULTS: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; Richmond Raceway; Sept. 20, 2019

1. #2 – Brad Keselowski
2. #4 – Kevin Harvick
3. #9 – Chase Elliott
4. #18 – Kyle Busch
5. #14 – Clint Bowyer
6. #11 – Denny Hamlin
7. #10 – Aric Almirola
8. #19 – Martin Truex Jr.
9. #1 – Kurt Busch
10. #48 – Jimmie Johnson
11. #34 – Michael McDowell
12. #95 – Matt DiBenedetto
13. #42 – Kyle Larson
14. #41 – Daniel Suarez
15. #12 – Ryan Blaney
16. #20 – Erik Jones
17. #3 – Austin Dillon
18. #17 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19. #6 – Ryan Newman
20. #88 – Alex Bowman
21. #47 – Ryan Preece
22. #8 – Daniel Hemric
23. #37 – Chris Buescher
24. #21 – Paul Menard
25. #24 – William Byron
26. #36 – Matt Tifft
27. #38 – David Ragan
28. #22 – Joey Logano
29. #32 – Corey LaJoie
30. #43 – Bubba Wallace
31. #13 – Ty Dillon
32. #15 – Ross Chastain
33. #52 – J.J. Yeley
34. #51 – Austin Theriault
35. #77 – Reed Sorenson
36. #00 – Landon Cassill
37. #53 – Spencer Boyd
38. #27 – Quin Houff

MONTEREY, California – For Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, Friday’s practice sessions for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey were fairly smooth.

However, for Hunter-Reay’s teammate Alexander Rossi, the two practices have elevated the pressure to win a championship.

Rossi, who is just 41 points behind Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden in the battle for the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series title, was 23rd quickest out of 24 cars on track.

Rossi’s fastest lap was 1:11.0234 around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. That equated to an average speed of 113.439 mph.

By comparison, teammate Hunter-Reay’s Honda sped around the course in 1:09.9105 (115.244 mph).

Rossi has another practice session Saturday morning before Saturday afternoon’s knockout qualifying, which culminates with the Firestone Fast Six and the fight for the NTT P1 Award.

“I think this morning was difficult because we didn’t get a lap in on Blacks,” Rossi said of the Firestone tires. “We kind of sacrificed the second session to try and get as many runs in as we could to find out – go through a checklist, and we saved the new Reds for the warmup session, so I think we’re getting there.

“We used yesterday and today to try and run through a lot of things to make sure we leave no stones unturned. I think we’ve flipped most of the stones. There’s a couple more to come tomorrow morning, but we’re just trying to make sure we have everything squared away for tomorrow and Sunday.”

In Friday morning’s session, Rossi had to get out of his No. 27 NAPA Honda so the crew could replace a broken bolt. Friday afternoon was spent working on his checklist.

Meantime, Hunter-Reay’s No. 28 DHL Honda found the fast way around Laguna Seca.

“I’m feeling better about the car, but it’s still very tricky out there, very small window to get it all right, so I’m not really resting on this one,” Hunter-Reay said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do still, and it’s tough out there for everyone. To nail the last one, like I said, it’s a very small window to get it right, so the margin for error is very, very thin.

“I think we made the car better today as we went through the day, and working with Alex, I think we’re headed in the right direction, so hopefully we can put these two cars in the front row.”

Rookies Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta were second and third respectively. Rosenqvist’s No. 10 NTT DATA Honda made it around the track in 1:09.9305 (115.212 mph). Herta’s No. 88 Capstone Energy Honda lapped the track in 1:09.9317 (115.210 mph).

Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was the fastest Chevrolet driver with a lap at 1:10.1353 (114.875 mph). Pagenaud was followed by another rookie, Santino Ferrucci, in a Honda at 1:10.2066 (114.758 mph).

NTT IndyCar Series points leader Newgarden was sixth. He takes a 41-point lead over Rossi into Sunday’s race. Pagenaud is third in points, 42 points out.

Scott Dixon, the last driver mathematically eligible to win the championship at 85 points out, was seventh quick in a Honda.

Hunter-Reay is out of the championship fight, but is attempting to win a race for the first time this season.

“I sure hope so,” said the Floridian. “I think it’s going to be a track position race. I think tire degradation will be a big deal, so we’ll have to be smart about how we go about the weekend. But qualifying is extremely important, as it always is, and we want to leave here with a win and the 27 (Rossi) with a championship, so we’ll do what we can to make that happen.

“Right now, for me I just need to focus on going as fast as we can. But yeah, it’s a good start to the weekend, and hopefully we can continue to progress from here.”

ALTON, Va. – With four championships coming down to the wire, it was make or break time on Friday at Virginia Int’l Raceway for the Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli drivers.

TA class driver Chris Dyson, defending TA2 powered by AEM champion Rafa Matos and SuperGT pilot Tim Kezman seized pole position starts and an extra two points each toward their season-long points race in Friday’s qualifying session.

The top-four times in the TA class were separated by less than seven tenths of a second in one of the most competitive qualifying sessions this season. Veteran driver Boris Said was as fast as his lightning adorned livery, setting the tone early for the TA class. Confident after laying down the fastest lap of the session (1:44.067-seconds) on lap four, Said pulled into the pits to save tires for Saturday’s 100-mile feature.

On the hunt for the pole and raring for the extra championship points, Dyson stayed out on the 3.27-mile roller coaster of a circuit. Getting faster each lap, the CD Racing driver finally eclipsed Said’s time in the closing minutes by two one thousandths of a second, qualifying with a flying lap of 1:44.065-seconds.

“VIR has to absolutely be one of the most exciting roller coaster rides in the world,” said Dyson, who is second in the TA championship. “What a thrilling track and I am so happy to be back racing here. It was a fantastic qualifying duel out there with Boris (Said). We’ve got a lot of series champions in the field, and to go out there against some of the all-time greats to get pole and it be such a close fight, is highly satisfying.”

Said, not happy with the knock-out news, shot out of the pits with two minutes clicking down on the 15-minute session. Determined to pay back Dyson, Said flew around the 17-turn circuit for two laps until the clock expired, but couldn’t squeeze out the extra time to reclaim the pole.

“It was really close between Chris (Dyson) and I,” commented Said. “We were really fast out there and tomorrow, I’m going for broke. I don’t care about the points, just the win.”

Changing up his qualifying strategy and immediately hitting the track as it went hot, TA class championship leader Ernie Francis Jr. turned a fast time of 1:44.278-seconds to start on the inside of row two with Tony Ave on his outside.

“Today it didn’t make much of a difference to wait it out, considering we were the first car out today,” Francis said. “We had a clean track around us, but I think we struggled a little for pace out there this session. We have a decent starting position for tomorrow and I am looking forward to some tight racing up front.”

The TA2 qualifying session was just as intense. Competing for the first time on the VIR circuit, California-native Thomas Merrill held the point for the majority of the 20-minute qualifying with his fast lap time of 1:49.565-seconds.

“Qualifying was really difficult,” Merrill said. “The grip was really poor and the lighting with the sunset coming off a couple of these turns, I couldn’t see anything. Our Skip Barber Mustang was absolutely killer. It came in right away, we set our best lap, I didn’t think we could go any faster, so I came in and we sat on it. Unfortunately, Rafa (Matos) got an even better lap, so congratulations to him.”

However, Matos wasn’t giving up that easily. Second-place in the championship behind Marc Miller, it was crucial for Matos to start on pole in an effort to earn every point possible. With minutes to spare, the Brazilian driver topped Merrill’s time by just more than a tenth of a second (1:49.401-seconds), on his way to his fifth pole start of the season.

“It was a very difficult session because of the track conditions,” Matos said. “I think that it’s also going to be a tough race. I have a lot of great drivers behind me. Thomas (Merrill) is hungry for another win and Marc (Miller) needs the points, and it’s his championship to lose at this point. We just need to keep focused, keep chipping away and hopefully by the end of the year, we’re on top.”

Miller, recovering from the flu, put together a time of 1:49.841-seconds to start on the inside of row two, but it wasn’t without a cost. Miller stayed out on the track the entire qualifying session, only one of five drivers to do so, sacrificing his tires in effort to get a better start.

Driving a new Porsche 991 GT3 Cup after a total loss at Watkins Glen, Kezman was back on top at VIR with a flying lap of 1:52.816-seconds. The effort earned him the SGT class pole over championship leader Mark Boden.

“After our disaster at Watkins Glen, the guys worked to get the new car put together in a quick turn around,” Kezman said. “Qualifying was good and it was a good session. We were able to put a lap down despite everything, and that’s what it’s all about.”

PEORIA, Ariz. – There are times in life, maybe a handful, when everything changes. A moment, simple or world shattering, slanting the past, shaping all still to come.

There are people who have the same effect, someone so generous, so genuine, so joyful, meeting them transforms perspective.

Amy Bockerstette is one of those people. Playing one hole of golf with Gary Woodland was one of those moments.

"Amy has a huge impact on everyone she meets," her swing coach Matt Acuff said. "You can't meet Amy and not be impacted by her."

Parents of children with Down syndrome are often told what their children can't do.

Joe and Jenny Bockerstette quickly realized all Amy could do.

She had good hand-eye coordination. Perhaps more importantly, she had determination.

It may have taken Amy a little longer to learn how to do things, but she was willing to work at it, repeating until she got it right.

Amy bowled, swam, played basketball, baseball and soccer. She took up piano, loved to dance, learned to ride a bike. She was a natural with a golf club in her hand.

Amy also had something else in abundance: Charisma.

Expressive and happy-go-lucky, she drew people into her orbit, making friends at school, in Special Olympics, everywhere she went.

Teachers and counselors fought for her when things got tough. Football players carried her bags across campus. Love followed in her wake.

"I remember saying when she was five or six years old, this child changes people," Joe Bockerstette said. "She has this sort of love and light everywhere she goes."

Special Olympics were founded 51 years ago by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to change perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities. The sister of President John F. Kennedy wanted a better life and to create opportunities for children who were often bullied, isolated by their parents or institutionalized.

Special Olympics offered a world where people with special needs could thrive in ways they never had before, to find acceptance, confidence, a feeling of inclusion not exclusion. Parents were given an opportunity to be openly proud of their children, for others to see how special they were beyond their disabilities.

Amy's story is a blueprint for Special Olympics athletes and their families.

Joe and Jenny provided the foundation for Amy's success, encouraging and pushing her along the way.

Amy, through her own focus and determination, ran with it, earning multiple Special Olympics medals, a spot on her high school golf team, a college scholarship. She parred a hole with a PGA Tour player at the rowdiest hole in golf, shining in the moment instead of shrinking under the pressure. She was a keynote speaker at the National Down Syndrome Congress, writing the 20-minute speech herself.

Amy has become a beacon, an inspiration, a symbol of possibility.

"Doctors will often counsel new parents what their child may never be able to do," said Rhonda Rice, engagement director for the National Down Syndrome Congress. "Here is an example of a young lady with Down syndrome and look at everything she's accomplished. Amy is an example of inclusion. Just give her the chance."

Amy's story extends beyond the Special Olympics realm.

It started when Amy made the golf team at Sandra Day O'Conner High School. As a senior, she drew local attention when she played in the state high school tournament. National attention came when she earned a golf scholarship at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, believed to be the first college athletic scholarship awarded to someone with Down syndrome.

Then came golf with Gary.

Amy arrived at the Phoenix Open's 16th hole in late January believing she was there just to meet Woodland during a practice round. When the diminutive 20-year-old in the purple shirt and white skirt got up and down for par from a greenside bunker, it sent reverberations beyond the golf-hole-turned-stadium.

Woodland's career trajectory veered upward.

Known for his inability to close out tournaments, he won his first major title after his moment with Amy, relying on her "I got this" mantra to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Woodland made his connection with Amy a lasting one instead of a fleeting moment by staying in touch, even inviting her to join him - and the U.S. Open trophy - on the Today Show.

"She's meant everything for me from a mental standpoint," Woodland said. "The world needs more of her in it."

Amy became a celebrity, zigzagging across the country, her parents barely able to keep up with all the golf tournaments, engagements, requests for interviews. She worked the red carpet at the ESPYs with ease, received a standing ovation and was mobbed by inspiring attendees at the National Down Syndrome Congress to find their superpower.

"My superpower is confidence and believing in myself," she told them. "With your superpower, you can create your own purpose."

Video of her moment with Woodland has been viewed more than 44 million times, a powerful message sent with each click.

Amy's ability to focus, close off pressure that would make every day golfers shank one into the stands, is a stay-in-the-moment example for golfers worldwide to follow.

"That's just Amy," Joe Bockerstette said. "She doesn't get nervous. The bigger the moment, the more likely she's going to love. She has so many examples in her life of doing that."

Amy's sweetness, confidence, purity and determination are an archetype for everyday life, no matter how many chromosomes a person has.

"So many people could learn so many lessons just from how she lives her life," Acuff said. "The abundance she lives her life and the joy she gets out of it, if we all live like that, we'd be far better off."

Amy had a life-changing moment with a professional golfer. She changes lives every day just by being herself.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Kirk Triplett shot a 4-under 66 in windy conditions Friday to take a one-shot lead in the opening round of the Sanford International.

Triplett, a winner in March at the Hoag Classic for his seventh PGA Tour Champions title, entered 10th in the Charles Schwab Cup money standings.

Paul Broadhurst and Tom Gillis shot 67 on a day when a dozen players in the 78-man field broke par at Minnehaha Country Club. Woody Austin was alone in fourth after a 68.

Triplett birdied the 16th and 17th holes to reach 4 under.

"It's windy, but if you played a practice round on Tuesday, it's the exact same conditions we had on Tuesday except the course is a touch firmer," Triplett said. "Some really hard holes, but some other holes are playing easier as well."

Gillis, who is seeking his first win on the over-50 tour, played conservatively because of the conditions.

"I tried not to take any chances really. I just tried to drive it in the fairway," he said. "It was just too tough to chase pins and try to get the exact numbers. Basically the yardage book, you could throw it out because it was feel, it was all feel. I think the last hole I had like 118 (yards) to the front, I was in the right rough and I just chipped a 7-iron. It went about 70 yards and rolled all the way to the back, to the hole. It was just that kind of day where you had to actually just use some creativity."

Second-round play at the Sanderson Farms Championship was suspended by darkness Friday night in Mississippi.

The horn sounded at 8:03 p.m. ET, with much of the second wave still on the golf course at the Country Club of Jackson. The event remains behind schedule after severe weather washed out play Thursday afternoon, prompting an early restart Friday.

Fifty-seven players will return Saturday morning to compete their second rounds when play resumes at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Ben An at 12 under par leads by two shots over J.T. Poston, George McNeill, Scottie Scheffler and Tom Hoge, all of whom have completed 36 holes.

Hoge, the 18-hole co-leader following a first-round 64, finished his second round in the dark Friday night, holing a 4-footer on the ninth green to close out a 2-under 70.

Notables outside the projected 3-under cut line include Lucas Glover (-2), Cameron Smith (-2), Doug Ghim (E), Maverick McNealy (E through 12), 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia (E), and Jimmy Walker (+2).

Antonio Brown has been released by his second NFL team in less than two weeks. The New England Patriots announced Friday they were parting ways with the star wide receiver, whom they signed when he was released by the Oakland Raiders just before Week 1.

Brown has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct by two different women in the time since the Patriots signed him, and once new allegations of his behavior toward one of those women surfaced overnight Thursday, the Patriots decided they'd had enough.

It has been a bizarre saga for Brown since he forced his way out of Pittsburgh via trade during the offseason. His time with the Raiders was marked by controversy over his preferred choice of helmet, the accidental freezing of his feet in a cryotherapy chamber and a public feud with team management over fines for missing work. The Patriots agreed to terms with him hours after his release from Oakland on Sept. 7, but it wasn't long before far more serious controversies began to surface.

Brown is under NFL investigation and without a job. Here's a look at some of the key facts of the situation as it stands:

Why did the Patriots cut him now?

The Patriots claim they did not know when they signed Brown on Sept. 9 that his former trainer Britney Taylor was planning to file a lawsuit against him alleging sexual assault. She did that three days later, but New England kept him on the team last week, and he played in their Week 2 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

This week, a Sports Illustrated story was published that included a fresh allegation of sexual misconduct against Brown by a different woman. That woman told Sports Illustrated on Thursday that Brown had sent her intimidating and threatening text messages after the story ran, and her attorneys said Thursday they were sharing those texts and that information with league investigators. The Patriots woke up to that news Friday morning and, according to sources, held a series of meetings to determine the best course of action in light of the most recent development and all of the issues that were piling up around Brown.

Coach Bill Belichick, who has control over the composition of the team's roster, walked out of his regular Friday news conference because he didn't want to answer questions about Brown, and the reporters who cover the team understandably kept asking them anyway. Several hours later, the Patriots released a short statement that read, "The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the last 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time."

Will the NFL take action against Brown?

The NFL's investigation into Brown's off-field conduct began Monday when league investigators interviewed Taylor, who filed the lawsuit last week accusing Brown of sexual assault. That investigation, a league source said Friday after Brown's release, "will continue." The league has been interviewing other witnesses besides Taylor this week and has been gathering information on all of the accusations against Brown. At this time, the league is not scheduled to interview Brown. Usually, the interview with the player happens at the end of the investigation, after the league has compiled all of its evidence.

Often, the NFL will put a player who is under investigation on the commissioner's exempt list, which keeps him off the field but still allows him to be paid while the investigation is conducted. But a league source said Friday that a player must be signed to a team to be eligible for the list, which means Brown can't be put there unless another team signs him.

Will he end up being suspended?

To know that, we would have to know more about the league's findings so far and what will be revealed as the investigation continues.

Could he serve the suspension while not signed by a team?

Yes, if Brown were to be suspended, he could technically serve the suspension while he was a free agent.

Let's say, for example, the league decided to suspend him eight games (literally just speculation here, just picking a figure out of the air) and the decision came down today (which it won't). He would be suspended for the next eight weeks, meaning he would be eligible to play in Week 11, even if he didn't sign with another team until a month from now.

Could another team sign him? And will one?

Brown is a free agent and can sign with any team. There's no way to predict or account for the actions of all 32 teams. Realistically, though, any team that signs Brown would almost certainly want to wait until the investigation into him is completed and it knows what discipline, if any, he would be facing.

We can't rule it out, but it would be very surprising if a team signed him while the NFL's investigation was still ongoing.

How much money did this whole thing cost the Patriots?

That's going to be a matter for arbitrators and courts. The one-year contract Brown signed with the Patriots on Sept. 9 included a $9 million signing bonus and $1 million in fully guaranteed 2019 salary.

If a player is on the roster at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, he gets paid for that week, so the Patriots technically would have paid him two game checks worth $62,500 (one-sixteenth of $1 million) each. So, he earned $125,000 in salary -- plus a $33,333 per-game roster bonus for the one game he played -- for his time there. Now, the salary was guaranteed, but the Patriots can easily argue that the circumstances that led to his release voided those guarantees and that they don't have to pay them.

The signing bonus is trickier, since NFL contract language that voids guaranteed salary doesn't automatically find a player in default of his signing bonus. Technically, the Patriots haven't paid any of it yet. The first $5 million was due this coming Monday, and the remaining $4 million was deferred until Jan. 15.

New England probably won't want to pay any of that signing bonus, and a league source said the team's way out of it is through a representation warranty clause that says it's a breach of contract if Brown didn't disclose an existing situation that would have prevented his continued availability (that is, if he knew about Taylor's pending lawsuit and didn't tell the Patriots before he signed with them). Another source said the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) considers a signing bonus "money earned," regardless of the payment schedule, so any attempt by the Patriots to avoid paying the signing-bonus money probably would result in a grievance filed by Brown and the union.

Part of the NFLPA's job is to push back on teams' attempts to get out of contracts, so any team action that potentially would set a precedent of not paying signing-bonus money probably would result in a fight between the union and the league and/or team. The Raiders, as a general rule, don't include signing-bonus money in their deals, and Brown's was not an exception. So their attempts to void guaranteed salary and recoup the money they spent on him would be less likely to incur a grievance than would the Patriots' effort to escape signing-bonus payments.

And what about salary-cap charges?

Since Brown was released after June 1, the Patriots can split the charge for the signing bonus over the next two years. Add in the $1 million salary for this year and New England's cap charges for Brown would be $5.75 million in 2019 and $4.75 million in 2020. If the team were able to successfully fight to get all of the salary and bonus money back, it would get back this year's $5.75 million as a salary-cap credit in 2020, and the $4.75 million charge for next year would be wiped away.

But let's step back for a second and realize that there are currently three NFL teams carrying dead-money salary-cap charges for Brown in 2019: The Pittsburgh Steelers, who traded him to the Raiders in the spring, are carrying a $21.12 million dead-money charge on their cap for Brown, and the Raiders are carrying a $1,193,627 dead-money charge this year and another $666,667 next year.

Brown was on Oakland's roster as of 4 p.m. ET the Tuesday before the Raiders' Week 1 game, so they're technically on the hook for $860,294 in salary (one-seventeenth of the $14.625 million they were scheduled to pay him in 2019). The rest of the dead money in Oakland is the result of workout bonuses treated as signing bonus for cap purposes. Like the Patriots, the Raiders can (and will) fight to get their money back, and if they do, they'll get cap credits for it in 2020.

Is Brown entitled to termination pay?

He could be. NFL rules allow a player, once in his career, to file for and collect termination pay if he is released by a team. If the player is on that team's roster for Week 1, he is entitled to 100% of his base salary in termination pay. If he is not on the roster for Week 1, he is entitled to 25% of his base salary in termination pay.

Brown was not, technically, on any team's Week 1 roster, since he was released by the Raiders before 4 p.m. ET on the day before the season's first Sunday and not officially signed by the Patriots until two days later. He technically would be entitled to $250,000 (25% of $1 million) in termination pay if he wanted to pursue that. But as with the guaranteed salary, it's all up in the air because of extenuating off-field circumstances that could affect Brown's right to any of his money at all.

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill remains undeterred despite a season in which he missed 12 weeks because of a flexor tendon strain in his pitching elbow and then reinjured his knee last week in the first inning of his return.

Eight days after suffering what was diagnosed as a strained left MCL against the Baltimore Orioles, Hill threw nearly 20 pitches to a handful of teammates Friday afternoon and reported no pain.

He will start against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, throwing the first two innings, then pitch in the regular-season finale against the San Francisco Giants if all goes well.

Hill, who is less than six months away from his 40th birthday, is still hopeful of helping the Dodgers during the postseason.

"Obviously I'd like that to be as a starter," he said. "I don't know how that's going to be laid out. It's not my call. My thing is just getting ready."

Hill had been toying with the position of his left foot on the rubber in hopes of diminishing the pain in his push-off leg. But the biggest difference, he said, was felt by the brace he sported on his left knee during the session. The pain Hill initially felt was from the breaking up of scar tissue, which subsided quicker this time than it did when he experienced something similar during spring training.

"It took three or four days, and then it started to feel pretty good," Hill said. "I would feel confident to go out there and pitch without the brace, but at the same time I know it's not a very smart idea to go out there and possibly tweak it again."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said his team would be "a little unconventional" with its fourth starter in the postseason, using a combination of relievers rather than one traditional starting pitcher. The strategy was a byproduct of Hill either being unavailable or not properly stretched out by then. But Hill's session offered encouragement, even though the extent to which he can help remains hazy.

Roberts didn't notice Hill compensating for his troublesome elbow or knee.

"He was letting it go," Roberts said. "We don't have any information as far as pitch characteristics, but as far as swings, the fastball was coming out well and the breaking ball had the right shape."

NEW YORK -- New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is getting set to close his career as a reliever.

New York manager Aaron Boone said before Friday night's game against Toronto that Sabathia will work out of the bullpen next week as the American League East champions prepare for the playoffs.

The 39-year-old lefty has pitched in relief just once in his 19-season career, going 1⅓ innings in a deciding Game 5 loss to Detroit in the 2011 AL Division Series.

Sabathia's other 583 appearances have all come as a starter. He is 5-8 in 22 starts with a 4.99 ERA this season and has dealt with knee trouble.

Sabathia has said this will be his final season playing in the majors.

The Yankees are still figuring out their rotation for the postseason, which begins Oct. 4 with the best-of-five division series. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Luis Severino are among the candidates to start.

Severino came back from a lat injury and made his season debut with four shutout innings in a start Tuesday. Domingo Germán, the team's top winner at 18-4, was put on administrative leave Thursday under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy and his status for the postseason is uncertain.

Boone said he anticipates using Sabathia in a controlled setting next week at Tampa Bay. If that goes well, Boone said he would try it "a little more on the fly" next weekend at Texas. Boone envisions a "significant role" for Sabathia in the postseason.

"That's why we want to do this a couple of times. He's certainly on board with it and wants to do it," Boone said.

"I feel like for obviously as much as he has to deal with the knee, I feel like he's in at least a pretty good place right now to be able to do it," Boone said.

Another night, another powerful statement from Pete Alonso.

The rookie New York Mets slugger on Friday hit his 50th home run of the season, sending a towering two-run shot to deep right-center field as the Mets built a 5-0 lead against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Alonso continues to chase the rookie home run record. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Juge set it with 52 in 2017, but Alonso is now just two away from tying him, with the remainder of Friday's game and then nine full contests still to go after that.

Reds reliever Sal Romano was the victim Friday, as he watched Alonso crush a 96 mph fastball some 437 feet at Great American Ball Park. It was Alonso's 34th home run of at least 400 feet; the only other players with more than 30 such homers this year are the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout (32) and Kansas City Royals' Jorge Soler (31).

At 24 years, 287 days, Alonso is the third-youngest player to hit 50 in a season. Only Prince Fielder (23 years, 139 days) and Willie Mays (24, 137) were younger.

Alonso became the 30th player in major league history to have at least one season with 50-plus homers. The last non-rookie to hit 50 home runs in a season for New York's teams was Alex Rodriguez, who had 54 en route to winning American League MVP in 2007.

It's been a record-setting season already for Alonso. He set the National League rookie home run mark with his 40th more than a month ago. The following week, he set the Mets' franchise home run record with his 42nd.

The Mets are the 21st franchise with a 50-HR hitter and the 12th in the NL. The only NL franchises without one are the Rockies, Dodgers and Nationals.

New York (79-73) entered Friday 3½ games behind in the race for the second NL wild-card spot.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.