GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- David Price felt a rush of nervous energy leading up to Monday. Acquired by the Dodgers last month from the Red Sox, he made his first spring training appearance for Los Angeles.

Price allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings during a 6-2 loss to the Reds with three strikeouts and two walks.

"It's been a while since I faced hitters wearing a different jersey," the 34-year-old left-hander said. "It's the first time I've been in a game in six, almost seven months. My legs were shaking out there. It's just, if you love what you do, you're definitely going to have nerves. It was fun. I definitely enjoyed it, getting back out there."

A left wrist problem that required surgery to remove a cyst limited Price to 4 2/3 innings last August and September. He finished 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA in 22 starts, then was traded by the retooling Red Sox with outfielder Mookie Betts for prospects.

Price gave up a two-run single in the first to Jesse Winker. He reached 91 mph with his fastball and said he was happy about how he pitched.

"Wasn't missing in the middle of the plate," Price said after throwing 20 balls and 20 strikes. "When I did miss, it was a very small miss. Everything is getting there."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that despite the location issues, Price's fastball was coming out of his hand well.

The wrist surgery restored the feeling of warm blood flow to Price's left hand. He said he's been dealing with a lack of feeling in his fingers since his time in Tampa Bay, Detroit, Toronto and Boston.

"I needed to get it fixed," Price said. "It's new for my hand to be warm."

The 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner for Tampa Bay, Price joins a rotation headed by Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler.

"It's OK. This is a business, first and foremost," Price said. "I learned that probably when I was traded from Tampa. I was naive at the time, I thought I was going to be a Ray for life. ... Teams are going in different routes now than what they used to. Some of it I understand and some of it I don't.

"There's no hard feelings on my part," Price added. "I don't need any extra motivation. Any day I get to put on this uniform or any other uniform, that's motivation enough for me."

Game notes
OF Cody Bellinger was scratched from the lineup with side discomfort. The Dodgers have Tuesday off, and Roberts suggested he's in no rush to get Bellinger back in action for a night game Wednesday. ... LHP Julio Urias, also expected to make the starting rotation, allowed two runs -- unearned -- over two-thirds of an inning in his first spring training appearance.

Here's a look at what's happening in professional golf this week, and how you can watch it:

PGA Tour

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Thursday-Sunday, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida

Course specs: Par 72, 7,454 yards, designed by Dick Wilson/Joe Lee (1961), redesigned by Arnold Palmer (2009)

Purse: $9.3 million

Defending champion: Francesco Molinari

Notables in the field: Molinari, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 12-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. ET (NBC)

PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET

European Tour

Qatar Masters

Thursday-Sunday, Education City GC, Doha, Qatar

Course specs: Par 71, 7,307 yards, designed by Jose Maria Olazabal (2019)

Purse: $1.75 million

Defending champion: Justin Harding

Notables in the field: Harding, Martin Kaymer, Matthias Schwab, Marcus Kinhult, Nicolas Colsaerts, Eddie Pepperell, Bob MacIntyre, Thomas Detry, Sam Horsfield

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-4:30 a.m. ET and 6-9 a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 4-8:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 5-9:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel)

PGA Tour Champions

Hoag Classic

Friday-Sunday, Newport Beach (California) CC

Course specs: Par 71, 6,606 yards, designed by William Bell (1953), redesigned by Ted Robinson (1999)

Purse: $1.8 million

Defending champion: Kirk Triplett

Notables in the field: Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Billy Mayfair, Ken Tanigawa

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Friday, 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5:30-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Asian Tour

Malaysia Open

Thursday-Sunday, Kota Permai G&CC, Shah Alam, Malaysia

Course specs: Par 72, designed by Ross Watson (1998)

Purse: $1 million

Defending champion: Anirban Lahiri

Notables in the field: Charlie Wi, John Catlin, Jeev Milkha Singh, Angelo Que, Zach Bauchou

Tee times: TBD

Streaming schedule: Thursday-Friday, 1-5 a.m. ET; Saturday, 10 p.m.(Friday)-2 a.m. ET; Sunday, 11 p.m.(Sunday)-4 a.m. ET

Claudio Bravo is considering an offer to join Major League Soccer outfit New York City FC when his contract expires at Manchester City this summer, sources have told ESPN.

Chile goalkeeper Bravo, who helped City win their third successive Carabao Cup at the weekend after a 2-1 Wembley win against Aston Villa, wants to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season in order to secure regular football elsewhere.

- Transfer Grades: All the big moves rated
- When does the transfer window re-open?
- All major completed transfer deals

And despite being a strong supporter of the former Barcelona keeper since his arrival from Camp Nou in 2016, City manager Pep Guardiola is prepared to let Bravo move on in order to promote USA international Zack Steffen following his loan spell this season with German club Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Bravo has endured a tough time in the Premier League with City, with Guardiola having signed Brazil international Ederson as his replacement in 2017 following a series of costly mistakes during his first season at the club.

But the 36-year-old has also been a key factor behind the scenes at the club, helping to mentor Ederson and the club's younger goalkeepers.

While City are aware of wider interest in Bravo, there are attempts to persuade him to join NYCFC -- City's sister club within the City Football Group -- when his time at the Etihad comes to an end.

And while Ederson will remain the No. 1, the emergence of Steffen -- a $7 million signing from Columbus Crew last July -- and Kosovo keeper Ari Mujic, who is on loan at Nottingham Forest, has prompted Guardiola to sanction the departure of Bravo this summer.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was important for Terry McMillen to start the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season on a good note.

The Top Fuel veteran responded with his quickest career run at the most recent race, giving McMillen plenty of momentum heading into perhaps his favorite race of the year, the 51st annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, which takes place March 12-15 at Gainesville Raceway.

As the driver of the 11,000-horsepower AMALIE Motor Oil XTERMIGATOR dragster, racing at his sponsor’s race at one of the most iconic tracks on the circuit means a great deal to the popular McMillen. Knowing his dragster is capable of running well, McMillen hopes it leads to what would be one of the biggest wins of his career.

“For me, it’s great to see the smiles on all the faces of the AMALIE employees when we get to showcase everything,” McMillen said. “The fans there are certainly great and there’s just something about racing the Gator car at the Gatornationals in Gainesville. The people love it and I’ve met a lot of great folks. It’s been very cool and exciting to see it all come together.”

Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are defending winners of the Gatornationals. It is the third of 24 races during the season and the action will start early with the thrilling NHRA Prime Time during the second qualifying session on Friday.

McMillen had a strong showing in Phoenix, running a career-best 3.691-seconds, which was precisely the type of progress the team hoped to see early in the year. Things didn’t go as planned during the middle portion of the season in 2019, but a solid finish had McMillen thinking they weren’t far off from a big turnaround. That turned out to be true and now McMillen and his team, led by crew chief Rob Wendland, are ready for more.

“We learned some things at the end of last season and finished well, and that gave us a stepping-stone to where we’re at now,” McMillen said. “All of this is a confidence-builder. I can go up to the starting line and stay focused on what I need to do. It takes a lot of pressure off. Now it’s a matter of taking advantage of everything. We have to keep the car 100 percent and ready to go, maintained properly and we can’t make mistakes.”

McMillen, who has two career Top Fuel wins, knows he will need to be flawless in Gainesville to get a victory. That’s the nature of the Top Fuel class, which is loaded with top-tier talent like back-to-back world champ Steve Torrence, who won in Phoenix, Pomona winner Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, 2017 world champ Brittany Force, Austin Prock and Clay Millican. But McMillen believes his team is heading in the right direction, which could lead to a strong showing in Gainesville.

“I think we’re in a really good place,” McMillen said. “The car is running so good. It’s been a process to get here, and Rob is doing a tremendous job. He’s got the car in a good place and it’s exciting. We’re proving that this car can run with anybody. We had a great off-season and the new guys have really gelled. It’s like a family right now. Those things set the tone and I believe our future is good.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The CARS Tour and Podium eSports have announced an expansion of the CARS eSport Tour, which will see the official esports series of the CARS Tour become the largest short-track series in all of sim racing.

Now in its fifth season, the CARS eSport Tour is one of the premier short track series in sim racing, and the only short track series in sim racing to be sanctioned by a real-life sanctioning body.

Drivers race late model stock cars and super late models using the iRacing.com Motorsports Simulation at virtual versions of short tracks across the United States.

The virtual facilitiess include three circuits on the real-life Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour schedule: Southern National Motorsports Park, Langley Speedway and South Boston Speedway.

For 2020, the CARS eSport Tour will mirror the real-life Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour. The CARS eSport Tour will run on Wednesdays before Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour races.

Every CARS eSport Tour event will run doubleheaders of super late model and late model stock races. Where possible, the CARS eSport Tour will race at the virtual counterpart of the track the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour will race at that weekend.

“The esports arena is constantly growing, and we are excited to see what season five of the CARS eSport Tour brings,” said CARS Tour owner Jack McNally. “The 2020 CARS eSport Tour stands to be our greatest season yet.”

“The CARS eSport Tour has been one of Podium eSports’ strongest series from the beginning,” added Podium eSports CEO James Pike. “The expanded partnership with the CARS Tour for 2020 will take the CARS eSport Tour to places short-track sim racing has never been before, and we cannot wait for the new season of racing to unfold.”

Every CARS eSport Tour race will be broadcast on the Podium eSports Twitch channel, found at twitch.tv/podiumesports/.

The CARS eSport Tour costs $35 to enter per car class.

For more information on the CARS eSport Tour, including the series rulebook and registration forms, visit www.podiumesports.com/cars-esport-tour.

2020 CARS eSport Tour Schedule

March 11 – Southern National Motorsports Park – Lucama, N.C.
March 18 – Richmond Raceway – Richmond, Va.
April 1 – Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, Fla.
April 29 – New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna, Fla.
May 14 – Lanier National Speedway – Braselton, Ga.
May 27 – Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.
June 3 – Langley Speedway – Hampton, Va.
June 17 – Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, Va.
July 1 – TBD – TBD
July 8 – Myrtle Beach Speedway – Myrtle Beach, S.C.
July 29 – Charlotte Legends Oval – Concord, N.C.
Aug. 19 – TBD – TBD
Sept. 16 – South Boston Speedway – South Boston, Va.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR officials have confirmed that the wheels on the Next Gen Cup Series car will utilize a single, center-locking lug nut in 2021.

The new 18-inch forged aluminum wheel design debuted Monday during the Next Gen car’s on-track test at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The current steel wheels used in the NASCAR Cup Series are 15 inches.

“One of our main goals with the Next Gen car is to provide a vehicle that better replicates what our OEM partners sell in the showroom – both in looks and relevant technology,” said John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development. “Moving to an 18 inch forged aluminum wheel helps do just that.

“Once the decision was made to go that direction, we tested different lug nut options. With the loads on the larger wheels, we had to make sure that the wheel would remain securely fastened the car. The single lug, center lock design was the best way to accomplish this.”

Probst noted that while the single lug wheel will be a major departure from the current wheel design, he doesn’t expect the new design to change pit stops in a major way.

“The choreography of a pit stop won’t change,” Probst said. “You’ll still have the same over-the-wall crew members you have today, and rules related to when they can enter the pit box are still in effect.

“It will still be important for the tire changers to be quick off the wall to get to the far side of the car,” Probst continued. “Hand-eye coordination remains extremely important, you’re still trying to get the lug and tire on and off the car faster than 39 other teams. The overall way a pit stop looks will remain the same.

“In terms of timing, the torque is higher on the single lug, which means they have to leave the gun on longer. In our testing, we’ve found that it takes approximately half a second to properly tighten this new lug. Today, a good tire changer can remove five lugs in about .8 seconds. So, while pit stops may be a touch quicker next year, it won’t be a significant difference.”

Below is a look at the new wheel design that will be utilized in 2021.

NEWS: NASCAR moving to single lug-nut design for Next Gen car.

Details: https://t.co/pEZsqytsQr pic.twitter.com/rF8vGqbMKx

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2020

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- NHL general managers discussed the league's emergency backup goaltending protocol at their regularly scheduled March meetings on Monday but decided not to make any changes to the procedure.

"At the end of the discussion, the majority was happy with where we are at on it," NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said. "It's a good human-interest story. I think the process works ...our general managers are fine with where it's at right now."

Emergency backup goaltenders (or EBUGs) became a hot topic after 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres was forced into action last month during a Hurricanes versus Maple Leafs game when both of Carolina's goaltenders exited with injury. Ayres, a regular participant at practices for the Maple Leafs and their minor league affiliate, let in two goals on the first two Maple Leafs shots he faced but then recorded eight straight saves to earn a win for Carolina. The Hurricanes arranged a publicity tour for Ayres afterward, which included appearances on several ESPN programs, the "Today" show and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

"I think everyone realizes that it's a great story for the league," NHL senior VP of communications Gary Meagher said. "I know there was some coverage that we were going to take the fun out of the game, and there was never any discussion of that. I think everyone realized the coverage and how awesome it was."

The discussion about backup goaltending happened at a breakout session on Monday that included Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas and Carolina general manager Don Waddell. Dubas and Waddell shared the experience of the night from their perspectives.

"It's such a rare occurrence," Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "It's only being discussed because it happened recently, and to act would be knee-jerk."

NHL officials said during Monday's meeting that few changes to the current system were suggested.

Three years ago at the GM meetings, a proposal was submitted to have rosters include a third goaltender who travels with the team. That proposal did not pass, and the GMs didn't have an appetite to revisit it this year.

"We've heard coaches say they don't want a third goaltender around," Meagher said. "There are obviously CBA [collective bargaining agreement] issues, but if everyone agreed that was the route to go, you'd work through those issues. You'd figure out a way."

The current EBUG protocol was devised after an incident involving the Florida Panthers in 2015. After Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya were injured in a March 3, 2015 game, Panthers goaltending coach Rob Tallas suited up to be the backup.

The NHL then devised a new system, where teams submit a list of amateur goaltenders to the league who will be on-call during games and available to either team should they need it. The NHL says it has 136 registered emergency pre-approved backups on file across the 31 NHL teams. The number varies market-to-market, and there is no standardized vetting process. Some teams hold tryouts while others identify players based off past playing credentials.

An EBUG called into action will sign an amateur tryout agreement with the club before taking the ice. The league said the contract is for $0, though the EBUG can keep his game-used jersey. The NHL also wanted to clarify that Ayres is not an employee of the Maple Leafs, which had been widely reported.

Ayres is the second emergency goaltender to enter NHL action in the past three years; Chicago-area accountant Scott Foster came into a 2018 game for the Blackhawks, and saved all seven shots he faced over the final 14 minutes.

The NHL noted there have been roughly 6,000 games since the 2015 Panthers, and emergency backups have had to dress only twice: Ayres this season and Foster in 2018.

In 2016, the Carolina Hurricanes put equipment manager Jorge Alves in for the last 7.6 seconds of a game. Alves did not face any shots. However, the NHL doesn't technically count that incident, as the Hurricanes -- who were down 3-1 to the Lightning -- were just trying to get Alves in for game action.

"It's getting a lot of attention now," Panthers GM Dale Tallon said. "But it's happened three times in 50 years. The system we've put into place works."

Former Mexico captain Rafa Marquez believes MLS has become a more attractive option for Mexican players returning from Europe than Liga MX, and believes the young league will overtake its southern rival on the field in the not-so-distant future.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who joined the LA Galaxy in January, was the latest in an increasing number of big-name Mexican stars choosing MLS over Liga MX, and there has been a significant increase in transfers from Liga MX to MLS this winter -- a trend Marquez has deemed concerning for the league.

"I think that MLS is more attractive than coming to Mexico and that we should be a little worried about that," Marquez told Fox Sports. "We should try to enamor our players more so that they can come back and that would help the quality of football get better."

The 41-year-old former Barcelona defender added: "We should be working to improve and try to bring back these important players for our country."

Marquez had previously been critical of MLS after his time with the New York Red Bulls, but he was singing a different tune on Monday. When asked whether MLS teams can now compete on even keel with Liga MX clubs, and if they will soon surpass their Mexican counterparts, Marquez cited LAFC's 3-0 victory over Club Leon last Thursday in CONCACAF Champions League play as evidence that the gap in quality is shrinking.

"I think so," Marquez said. "We saw what happened to Leon, who was beaten by Carlos Vela's [LAFC] and is on an upwards path, and it won't be long before they overtake us."

Marquez has previously stated that he regretted the move to MLS and that the drop in standard from Barcelona made it difficult.

The debate over whether MLS is catching Liga MX has been raging in Mexico after LAFC's defeat of Leon, but LA Galaxy GM Dennis te Kloese, who previously worked for the Mexican federation, believes squads in the Mexican league still retain greater strength in depth.

"I probably think that the depth in the Mexican squads are a little bit more quality than the depth in the MLS teams, but it has to do with the growth and where the league is going," Te Kloese told ESPN in Houston. "I do think that you saw it last year when we played Cruz Azul and Tijuana [in Leagues Cup] and I think the rivalry is very healthy and very good and both leagues have a lot of things they can take advantage of."

Houston Dynamo head coach and former Tigres player Tab Ramos agrees with Marquez that the MLS teams are getting closer to the Mexican ones.

"No question it's getting closer," Ramos told reporters on Friday. "I do believe that overall Liga MX has the tradition and has been around for longer, has attracted bigger players for longer in the prime of their career, but I do think that the gap is getting closer and closer.

"I think the fact that with Javier Hernandez and Vela and [Alan] Pulido and [Rodolfo] Pizarro now, big Mexican players are starting to select MLS as a place to play," continued Ramos. "It's a big indication that the league is trending high and I'm very happy with that."

The CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals features three MLS versus Liga MX match-ups, with Atlanta United taking on Club America, Cruz Azul facing LAFC and Tigres playing NYCFC.

Former Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge has been suspended from all football-related activity until June 17 after he was found guilty of breaching betting rules, English football's governing body (FA) said on Monday.

Sturridge became a free agent earlier on Monday after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor.

- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
- How VAR has affected every Premier League club

He had been charged by the FA in July with 11 alleged breaches of its betting rules, nine of which were dismissed by an independent regulatory commission, and banned for six weeks -- four of which were suspended.

The 30-year-old was accused of passing on inside information about his potential transfer moves away from Liverpool in Jan. 2018 to close friends and relatives that was then used for, or in relation to, betting.

However, the FA appealed against the charges and said an independent Appeal Board had found that the Regulatory Commission "misapplied" the FA's rules in relation to the use of inside information and made findings of fact which could not be sustained.

"The Appeal Board agreed with the FA that the penalty originally imposed on Mr Sturridge was unduly lenient and therefore increased his effective playing ban from two weeks to four months," the FA said in a statement.

Sturridge's fine was also doubled to £150,000 ($191,400) and the FA said world governing body FIFA confirmed the suspension would be effective worldwide.

In a video he posted to his YouTube account, Sturridge said the decision was "disappointing and upsetting."

"I'm going to continue to campaign for professional footballers to be able to speak to their families and close friends freely, without the real risk of being charged.

"I feel the betting companies and the practice and process of people placing bets on players moving clubs has to be stopped."

Sturridge, who joined Trabzonspor on a three-year deal in August, had seven goals and four assists for the Turkish Super Lig side in all competitions, last making an appearance in a 2-2 draw with Besiktas last month.

"We thank Daniel Sturridge for his contributions to our club and wish him success in his future career," the club said in a statement on Twitter.

Sturridge began his professional career at Manchester City in 2006, moving to Premier League rivals Chelsea three years later before sealing a switch to Liverpool in 2013.

He won the Premier League, two FA Cups and the Champions League at Chelsea. He added another Champions League medal at Liverpool last season.