New Zealand women's captain Amy Satterthwaite will be taking an indefinite break from cricket as she prepares to have her first child with her wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu. A New Zealand Cricket statement said Satterthwaite will return to the game "when the time is right", but she will continue to be contracted under the newly introduced Women's Master Agreement.

"Lea and I are overjoyed to share the news that I'm expecting our first child early in the new year," Satterthwaite was quoted as saying in the NZC statement. "It is a special time in our lives and we can't wait for this new chapter.

"I am very lucky to have great support from NZC with regard to taking a break from the game to have a family. I feel I still have a lot to give to the game and look forward to working my way back with an eye on the 2021 ICC Women's World Cup held in New Zealand."

The board's CEO, David White, said, "As soon as the Women's Master Agreement (already agreed in principle) is signed off and confirmed, Amy will be announced as one of our contracted White Ferns for the 2019-20 year. As such, she will be the first player to benefit from the new pregnancy leave provisions included in the new agreement.

"This means she'll be paid her full retainer throughout and, although possibly fulfilling some off-field contractual obligations, will not be required to train or play."

Satterthwaite said she would look to take up mentoring duties during her leave of absence, sharing her experiences as a senior player with the rest of the squad: "I look forward to being involved with the White Ferns squad where possible and offering support and knowledge in a mentoring capacity."

A wider pool of contracted players, extending to the domestic level for the first time, and a significant pay hike for centrally contracted New Zealand women players were among the key features of the Women's Master Agreement that was announced earlier this month.

Of the many repercussions stemming from the awful blow suffered by Steven Smith during the Lord's Test, one of the most visible was the arrival of a stem guard on the back of the helmet of Australia's vice-captain Travis Head.

Having tried the neck guards in the wake of his team-mate Phillip Hughes' death in November 2014, Head had then elected not to use them for comfort reasons - much as Smith had done - but between innings of the Lord's Test sought out the team doctor Richard Saw for a neck guard to clip on for extra protection.

This meant that three of the Australian batsmen in the middle on day five - Head, Tim Paine and Pat Cummins - were wearing the neck guards, reflecting a shift from optional towards the mandatory standard that Cricket Australia is expecting to introduce in the next 12 months. Undoubtedly, the sight of Smith sprawled on the Lord's turf will be a strong encouragement for others to add it to their games before they are compelled to do so.

"I didn't usually [wear one]. I guess with the conditions in Australia you can sway out the way, the bounce is quite true," Head said. "I think what we have seen at Lord's with the slope there was a lot of balls following batters and going down the slope. I wore it yesterday and probably will wear it for the rest of the series I guess. The wickets are a little bit slower and you can get some that do different things, so it is not as true bounce. I guess, as you've seen with Steve getting hit, you can get yourself into tricky positions.

"So, I think it'll become mandatory, it is becoming mandatory next year with CA so I may as well get used to it now and then start putting them on. It is something I have played around with. I thought they were going to come in earlier so I trialled them as one of those things. They probably weren't as comfortable [but] I didn't really feel the difference yesterday. It is one of those things as batters, things that are working and not working and I might have worn them and missed out a couple of times and they go back into the kit. But the doc carries them around, so there's a box to whack them on and a few blokes did."

Asked whether there was any team rule about their use, Head said stem guards were currently in the same category as arm guards: something worn by some and not others. "It is each to their own. I guess it is like me with my arm guard," he said. "There is no reason it came up but I can save myself a broken arm if I get hit.

"We feel that the way we played at Edgbaston and most of the week this week [at Lord's], we can compete and play some really good cricket." Travis Head on the mood in the Australia change room

"So, again, there are a lot of guys wearing them; all of the bowlers are wearing them now, so it is the same thing: trying to protect yourself from injury. I want to play every single game I can. Anything that can help or that can stop something happening, I take it it into account. It is up to individuals."

In partnership with Marnus Labuschagne, Head was able to grind out the innings Australia required to escape Lord's with a draw and a 1-0 Ashes series lead, but it was a match notable for testing him in numerous ways. He never looked comfortable in the first innings before being pinned lbw on the crease by Stuart Broad from around the wicket. And even in the second innings, Head might well have been out several times to Jack Leach's left-arm spin, and was also dropped in the slips by Jason Roy with nearly 20 overs of the match still remaining.

"Yeah, I didn't start too well in the first innings," Head said. "Credit to them, they bowled quite well. I was a little bit disappointed with the way that I got out but those are the things I am working on and haven't [shown up] much in the last 12 months. Getting stuck on the crease now and then is disappointing, but I'll learn from it. In the second innings it was a bit more like I was at Edgbaston and, hopefully, I can continue to produce that and be nice and positive.

"I had the faith of JL [coach Justin Langer] and Painey to keep pushing the game and being positive and I think that's the way I play best. When aiming for a draw I was still quite positive in moments when I shouldn't have been but again, my best way to defend is sometimes to attack and sometimes it works and sometimes not. It's about picking the right moments I think, and making sure I am doing what's best for the team.

"So it is about making sure I pick up length quickly and I am really sharp. I think the process is really good and I was able to show that with how I played [on day five]."

Head reflected that the Australians were very much looking for victory when day five began, only to be frustrated into lowering their expectations by Ben Stokes' century. "We were quite confident going into the day that we could win it," he said. "But then Ben batted extremely well and put them into a fantastic position.

"So, it was about getting out of the game and out of the day and we were able to do that. There are still a lot of positives to take from the week, which is nice. I think the mood around the group since that moment is better and better and stronger and stronger. We feel that the way we played at Edgbaston and most of the week this week, we can compete and play some really good cricket."

Jason Holder was the biggest winner at the West Indies Players' Association/Cricket West Indies annual awards night held on August 19 in Antigua, scooping up the Player of the Year as well as the Test Player of the Year awards. Shai Hope was named the ODI Player of the Year for a second successive time while seam-bowling allrounder Keemo Paul was recognised as the T20 Player of the Year.

Allrounder Deandra Dottin also won big, securing the women's T20 and ODI Player of the Year awards. Meanwhile, 22-year-old tearaway Oshane Thomas was named the Emerging Player of the Year. Performances between April 2018 and March 2019 were taken into consideration.

In February this year, Holder became the first West Indies player to become the top-ranked Test allrounder since Sir Garry Sobers in 1974 and claimed 778 rating points, the highest by any West Indies bowler since Courtney Walsh in 2001.

And in January, Holder had made an unbeaten 202 - the third-highest score batting at No. 8 or lower in Test cricket - against England in front of his home crowd in Barbados. All told, Holder hit 565 runs in eight Test matches and claimed 40 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls, during the period.

Hope amassed 757 runs in 15 innings in ODI cricket at an average of 63.08, including three hundreds and three fifties, during the period.

After being plucked out of the CPL, Thomas made his international debut for West Indies in Guwahati in 2018 and added a cutting edge to the seam attack, the highlight being the maiden five-for against England in Gros Islet.

Six months after becoming the No. 1 allrounder in women's T20Is, Dottin dominated the awards for women, taking back the Women's Player of the Year award. In ODIs during the period, Dottin made 207 runs in six innings in addition to taking 15 wickets with the ball. In T20Is, she bagged figures of 5 for 5 - her best in this format.

Offspin-bowling allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who recently broke into West Indies' Test squad, was named the Championship Player of the Year, while star allrounder Andre Russell was adjudged Caribbean T20 Player of the Year.

Nineteen-year-old left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop, who was snapped up by Barbados Tridents in the CPL draft in May, won the Under-19 Player of the Year award.

Steven Smith has been ruled out of the Headingley Test after failing to recover in time from the concussion he suffered at Lord's.

With a turnaround time of three days between the two Tests, it was always going to be tough for Smith to be ready in time and Australia confirmed today that he is out.

That would mean Marnus Labuschagne, who became the first concussion sub in Test cricket in Australia's second innings at Lord's after Smith was struck in the neck by a Jofra Archer bouncer in the first, will take his place in the XI.

Smith had initially passed a concussion test and returned to complete his innings in the hour after he was struck on the fourth afternoon, but woke up with a headache and some dizziness on the final day and mandatory subsequent testing revealed his condition to have deteriorated.

While the vice-captain Travis Head had expressed hope that Smith would be fit, and he joined the rest of the team on the bus from Leeds out to Headingley, he arrived with an expression that indicated he would primarily be at training as a spectator. After taking an initial look at the pitch for the third Test, Smith joined the squad's start-up huddle, but then walked away for a lengthy one-on-one discussion with the coach Justin Langer in the centre of the ground.

He then moved closer to the Kirkstall Lane End of the ground for another chat, this time with the team doctor Richard Saw. All the while the rest of the squad went through warm-ups, then fielding practice and ultimately a net session, as Smith did no more than look on.

Also read: Travis Head brings out the stem guard after blow to Steven Smith

The former captain Mark Taylor, at the venue as a commentator, chatted with Smith, whom he has mentored at regular intervals over his career. Langer can be expected to lean on Taylor, Ricky Ponting and other members of the commentary cadre for advice and counsel over the remaining three Tests, after Steve Waugh's stint as team mentor ended with the conclusion of the Lord's Test.

Finally, as Smith and Taylor walked to the middle to observe and advise on some catching drills, the official word arrived. Smith was out of the Headingley Test, giving him two weeks to recover and prepare for the fourth match of the series at Old Trafford.

Rashid Khan will have a number of familiar players around him as he begins his stint as Afghanistan's all-format captain, but the Test and T20I squads he has been given for the tour of Bangladesh also include a number of new names.

First up on the September tour will be the one-off Test match, Afghanistan's third ever, in Chattogram.

Apart from Mohammad Shahzad, who is serving a suspension, middle-order batsman Nasir Jamal, left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, paceman Wafadar Momand, and left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil have all been left out of the squad that beat Ireland in the one-off Test in Dehradun in March.

The experienced left-arm paceman Shapoor Zadran, who has never played Test cricket but did take part in the ODIs against Ireland, as well as Afsar Zazai, the wicketkeeper-batsman who played Afghanistan's maiden Test - against India in June 2018 in Bengaluru - have both been included. The others to make the cut were left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, medium pacer Ahmad Shirzad and two players who have never represented Afghanistan, opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran and legspinner Qais Ahmad.

The squad of 15 includes veterans Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Afghan, the captain in Afghanistan's first two Test matches, with other experienced players like Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi in the mix too.

The Test will be played from September 5-9, and will be followed by a triangular T20I series, also involving Zimbabwe, scheduled to held from September 13-24. Apart from the regulars, that side also has the uncapped trio of Shahidullah, the left-hand batsman, medium pace-bowling allrounder Fazal Niazai, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went just 1-for-6 for zero yards and an interception on Monday night in his first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury last September.

Garoppolo finished the night -- which ended with a 24-15 victory over the Denver Broncos -- with a 0.0 passer rating.

"Obviously [I'm] a little frustrated," Garappolo said after the game. "But it's the NFL, unfortunately we don't get to play the whole game. ... You wish you could be out there for more so you could bounce back. ... It is what it is. It's the preseason right now, so you just gotta take it in stride."

Garoppolo's first pass was knocked down and his second was intercepted as he faced pressure. His third pass was tipped and cornerback De'Vante Bausby broke up his fourth attempt.

In the next series, the 27-year-old QB was pressured into an incompletion from his end zone before he finally completed a screen pass to running back Matt Breida, who was corralled at the San Francisco 6 for no gain.

C.J. Beathard replaced Garoppolo in the next series.

The 49ers signed Garoppolo to a five-year, $137 million contract last year. After a promising start to this season, the Eastern Illinois product tore his ACL in a Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Garoppolo, however, didn't blame Monday night's performance on his knee.

"I wasn't thinking about it, so I was happy about that,'' Garoppolo said. "It didn't bother me too much.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa left after one inning against the Detroit Tigers on Monday because of back discomfort, the team said.

Correa struck out swinging in his only at-bat in the bottom of the first. He was replaced in the lineup before the second inning started.

After the 5-4 win, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Correa was removed because his back felt sore.

"He said he kind of never got loose, never felt comfortable," Hinch said, adding that Correa is day-to-day.

ST. LOUIS -- Only when Dakota Hudson reached the dugout after being removed from the game did he realize something was different.

"Guys were giving me hugs instead of handshakes," the St. Louis Cardinals starter said. "I thought, what was going on? I didn't know it was a no-hitter."

Hudson and two relievers combined on a one-hit shutout as the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Monday night in a series opener between NL Central contenders.

Yasmani Grandal's ground-rule double with two outs in the eighth inning off Giovanny Gallegos was Milwaukee's only hit. Hudson was lifted with two outs in the seventh after throwing 111 pitches, and Andrew Miller got four outs for his fifth save.

Paul DeJong homered for St. Louis, which increased its division lead to a half-game over the idle Chicago Cubs. Third-place Milwaukee is three games back.

Hudson (12-6) matched a career high with seven strikeouts and walked four -- including his final batter, Eric Thames. Gallegos retired Ben Gamel on a grounder to end the inning.

Taking out Hudson not a difficult decision, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.

"He did his job," Shildt explained. "We saw the tea leaves and the way the game was going."

Orlando Arcia reached on an error by DeJong at shortstop to begin the eighth before Gallegos got two outs. Grandal then hooked a 1-2 slider just inside the right field line, and the ball bounced into the stands.

"I think it was a good breaking ball," Gallegos said. "He's a good hitter, too."

Grandal was just trying to give his team a chance to come back.

"I don't really care whether we're getting no-hit or not. We're still trying to win the game," Grandal said. "Got here with just having him miss the spot and I was able to get a double out of it, but for me it was just pretty much, get the guy up behind me to the plate and give him a chance to tie the game."

Miller relieved and, after an intentional walk to Christian Yelich, got Mike Moustakas to ground out with the bases loaded.

"He's the MVP," Moustakas said about Yelich. "It's a pretty intelligent decision. I wouldn't want to pitch to that guy. That's just kind of how baseball is."

Miller then closed it out in the ninth.

Milwaukee's best chance for a hit against Hudson came in the sixth when Trent Grisham hit a hard grounder up the middle. DeJong made a diving stop and threw out Grisham at first base.

"I was just out there competing and trying to throw up some zeros and get a win," said Hudson, who has completed seven innings twice in his two-year major league career.

The 24-year-old right-hander threw six sharp innings in a 6-0 victory at Kansas City last time out. Before that, he allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 11 2/3 innings during a three-start span.

St. Louis scored twice in the fifth off starter Zach Davis (8-6), who pitched five innings. Matt Carpenter drew a leadoff walk and went to third when Yadier Molina singled to right field. Carpenter scored on a grounder to second by Kolten Wong, who beat the relay throw to foil a double-play opportunity.

Hudson laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Wong. Dexter Flower hit a bloop single to shallow left, scoring Wong for a 2-0 lead.

DeJong added his 22nd home run with two outs in the sixth off reliever Devin Williams, knocking out the glass in the M on the Big Mac Land sign. DeJong has hit safely in his last 10 games against the Brewers.

NO RUNS FOR YOU

The Cardinals threw their eighth shutout of the season and their major league-leading fourth in August. It was their third in the last seven games.

BOMBS AWAY

The Brewers (25) and Cardinals (21) have combined for 46 home runs in the first 11 games of their season series. St. Louis' single-season record for homers against the Brewers is 24 (2003 and 2018). The Brewers have already matched their single-season high against St. Louis set in 2017.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Cardinals conclude their season by playing 24 of their final 41 games at Busch Stadium, including 15 of 18 beginning Monday. St. Louis is 35-23 at home to rank fourth in the National League with a .603 winning percentage.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (right lat) is throwing bullpen sessions but there is no timetable yet for when he will face hitters. ... RHP Brandon Woodruff (left oblique) is playing catch. "He's exactly where he should be," manager Craig Counsell said.

Cardinals: OF Tyler O'Neill (left wrist strain) is ready for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis within the next couple of days. He took batting practice Monday. "I have full confidence in my ability. Hopefully, I'll be back soon," O'Neill said. "This is unfortunate. It was a freak accident on a swing. Good thing is I'm feeling good. I'm healthy now. What matters now is getting at-bats. I'm ready for competition."

UP NEXT

Brewers: LHP Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 3.81 ERA) is 3-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 career starts against St. Louis. But he is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts at Busch Stadium.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (6-6, 5.44) is one of three pitchers to have a perfect career winning percentage against Milwaukee with 10 or more starts. He is 6-0 and has held the Brewers to two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts against them.

AKRON, Ohio -- Carlos Carrasco shook off some nerves and returned to the mound.

Two months after he was diagnosed with leukemia, everything felt mostly normal for the Cleveland Indians right-hander.

"It was really special today," Carrasco said. "Just coming back today out of the bullpen, it feels great."

Carrasco, who still hopes to pitch for Cleveland again this season, threw one inning of relief on Monday for Double-A Akron against Harrisburg. It was his first outing since he was diagnosed in June with chronic myeloid leukemia, a treatable form of cancer.

When he jogged in from the bullpen, Carrasco received a standing ovation from fans at Canal Park. He got another one after striking out his final batter to end the inning.

Carlos Carrasco is making his first rehab start since being diagnosed with leukemia.

(via @MandyBell02)#CookieStrongpic.twitter.com/xJTlMyBBKv

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 20, 2019

Carrasco admitted to having some jitters beforehand. But once he threw his first pitch, he said, the butterflies were gone.

"Right away, I looked back to the scoreboard because I just wanted to find out what was that pitch, and it was 97 [mph]," Carrasco said. "It feels great."

The 32-year-old is scheduled to pitch again for Akron on Thursday, and he and the Indians will then decide his next step.

His teammates -- and Cleveland fans -- have rallied around Carrasco. During the All-Star Game in July, he appeared on the field during Major League Baseball's "Stand Up To Cancer" tribute, and "I Stand With Cookie" T-shirts have become popular around town.

Carrasco said he was touched by the support he received from Akron's fans.

"Those people were the ones behind me the whole way, from day one to now," he said.

It's never a good sign for any baseball team -- let alone a defending World Series champion with a mostly returning roster -- to be treating games in mid-August like it's the middle of October.

The Boston Red Sox were forced to show their hand in a three-game set against the Cleveland Indians last week. The team started the series 7½ games out of the second wild-card slot, trailing the Rays and A's. After telling Nathan Eovaldi he was rejoining the starting rotation, Boston pivoted with the urgency of a Game 7, bringing in the righty for six outs across two games, underlying the team's need to win now.

Manager Alex Cora has been stretched so thin for quality outs from his bullpen, his Aug. 16 lineup card -- for the first of three games against the last-place Orioles -- listed ace Chris Sale as a left-handed option out of the pen.

Chris Sale listed on the lineup card as being available out of the bullpen tonight. pic.twitter.com/UeysU3C6uD

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 16, 2019

Now the Red Sox's ace, and their impromptu bullpen arm, is finished for 2019. Although Sale is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery, sources tell ESPN's Jeff Passan, he likely will miss the rest of the season with left elbow inflammation. Sale met with Dr. James Andrews on Monday and received a platelet-rich plasma injection, Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. Following a recommended shutdown from throwing, Sale will be reevaluated by Andrews in six weeks.

As news of Sale's shutdown broke Monday night, the Red Sox, in the midst of a five-game winning streak, still had just a 5% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight's model. Put aside all the math, stats and spin, though: Even if Sale were healthy, everything that hadn't gone Boston's way so far this season would have had to go perfectly right for the Red Sox to sniff the postseason.

In other words: The 2019 Red Sox are done, and their World Series title defense is over.

The Sale conundrum

Sale's injury puts a spotlight on the five-year, $145 million extension he signed this past winter, as Boston is left to cross its fingers that Sale will be at full strength next season. As noted by Buster Olney, rival evaluators expressed surprise that Dombrowski and the Red Sox did not wait longer to finish the extension, given the 30-year-old Sale's shoulder injury during the second half of 2018.

The uncertainty surrounding Sale further spotlights the financial commitment to the Red Sox's rotation. There will be even more pressure on David Price, who has started 30 games twice in four seasons in Boston, and Eovaldi, who inked a four-year, $68 million deal after hitting free agency, then spent three months on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.

With the Red Sox unlikely to re-sign Rick Porcello, Boston will find itself in 2020 with significant questions in an area that has been fundamental to the team's success in recent years.

Boston's lack of organizational pitching depth manifested itself this year with Eovaldi's injury, and the performance of top pitching prospects Bryan Mata, who has a 6.25 ERA in more than 40 innings in Double-A Portland, and former first-round pick Tanner Houck, who has mostly pitched out of relief in Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Red Sox could turn to the free-agent market, which is highlighted by 29-year-old Gerrit Cole, who will likely net the biggest pitching contract in free agency, and Madison Bumgarner, who has a 3.72 ERA in 27 starts in his age-29 season. In addition to having Porcello's $21 million come off the books, the Red Sox also will shed Pablo Sandoval's $18.445 million salary this offseason, creating some financial flexibility.

Given the prospect haul Dombrowski sent out for Sale, Boston would need to get creative in order to land a top-of-the-rotation starter via trade.

What went right for the 2019 Red Sox

There have been plenty of bright spots, as you'd expect on a team with MLB's highest Opening Day payroll. Rafael Devers keeps finding ways to top himself. The 22-year-old has become one of the best third basemen in the sport, hitting .332/.380/.596 while making significant strides in the field. He has put up eye-opening performances like his six-hit, four-double outing in 10 innings against the Indians, and is now tied with Alex Bregman of the Astros in FanGraphs WAR among all third basemen in baseball at 5.5.

Xander Bogaerts has not only thrust himself into the conversation about the best shortstop in baseball, he has emerged in the team's clubhouse as a leader, especially in his hands-on mentorship of Devers. The 26-year-old is hitting .309/.384/.562, already has a career-high 27 homers, and ranks first among qualified shortstops in FanGraphs WAR at 5.6. Signing Bogaerts to a six-year, $120 million extension has quickly become one of the best moves the Boston front office has made in recent years.

Other Red Sox have had good seasons. Right fielder Mookie Betts isn't going to win another MVP award this year, but he has put together a strong second half so far, hitting .313/.386/.592 with eight homers and 15 doubles. Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez have all contributed to a juggernaut offense that ranks second in runs scored in MLB, trailing only the Yankees.

What went wrong

Offense can get you only so far. The difference between the 2018 and 2019 Red Sox jumps right off the stats page: the 5.04 starters ERA, a number that gets even more dizzying when thinking about the $88 million commitment to the rotation. Sale had, by far, the worst season of his career (6-11 with a 4.40 ERA) following his blockbuster offseason extension. Porcello has posted a 5.49 ERA, the highest mark of his career. Eduardo Rodriguez, who came into the season as the fifth starter, leads the rotation with a 4.10 ERA.

Eovaldi's prolonged absence forced Dombrowski to turn to internal options Hector Velazquez (5.81 ERA in 26 games, eight starts) and Ryan Weber (4.35 ERA in 11 games, three starts) and, later, in a pre-deadline deal, Andrew Cashner (7.29 ERA in nine games, six starts). Eovaldi's replacements averaged three innings per start.

So many times this season, Eovaldi has been cited as a stopgap answer. As the trade deadline approached, Dombrowski touted the flame-thrower as the team's solution to a slowly crumbling bullpen. Even when the team demoted Cashner to the pen, Cora could not commit to using Eovaldi as just a starter or a reliever, underlying the team's lack of in-house solutions and organizational depth, something the division rival Yankees have shown a seemingly endless supply of in 2019.

Who's to blame

Blaming deadline inaction for the demise of the Red Sox's season assumes one small move could have fixed this team. Owner John Henry told WEEI.com before the deadline that the team was already over budget and couldn't add payroll during the season.

Cracks in the team's roster construction and payroll started to show back in the offseason. Dombrowski made a huge commitment to Eovaldi, who had undergone two Tommy John surgeries and has started more than 30 games just once in his eight-year career. When he chose not to bring back Craig Kimbrel or Joe Kelly, who have been lackluster with the Cubs and Dodgers, respectively, Dombrowski cited internal bullpen solutions like Tyler Thornburg and Steven Wright, neither of whom contributed. After posting a 3.72 ERA and leaving 77 percent of runners on base (fourth in baseball) in 2018, the Red Sox's bullpen this year has a 4.28 ERA and is leaving 72 percent of runners on base (16th in baseball).

The lack of organizational starting pitching depth highlighted the team's struggle to develop young starting pitching prospects, a problem a team with a huge payroll should be able to fix. Boston not only failed to find enough rotation solutions, the starting pitching problems compounded the bullpen issues by wearing down the relievers. Moving Eovaldi to the pen upon his return felt more like using tape to patch holes in a flooding luxury cruise ship. That falls on Dombrowski.

What's next

Dombrowski was brought in to spend money and trade prospects to acquire Sale, Kimbrel, Price and Eovaldi and push for a World Series. Dombrowski was tasked with a similar mission in the later years of his tenure in Detroit, making the playoffs every year from 2011 through 2014, where he fell short of a World Series title before being released from his contract in August 2015. The Tigers' current ground-up rebuild and the $124 million due over the next four years to 36-year-old Miguel Cabrera, who has nine homers and has hit .278 in 400 at-bats this season, remain as the rubble from Dombrowski's tenure.

Betts becomes a free agent after the 2020 season, as does Jackie Bradley Jr., which complicates any plans to add payroll this winter. Boston has $237 million committed to just Sale, Price and Eovaldi for the next three years, with Porcello hitting free agency this offseason and a farm system without much premium pitching talent. The 66-year-old Dombrowski has one year left on his contract, but ownership might have to decide even sooner if the man who built maybe the greatest team in franchise history is the right person to lead the Red Sox into their increasingly murky future.