MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Fresh off winning the ARCA Menards Series championship eight days earlier, Christian Eckes rolled to the pole for the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 on Saturday morning at Martinsville Speedway.

Driving the No. 51 SiriusXM Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Eckes rolled to a lap of 19.844 seconds (95.424 mph) around the .526-mile paper clip, backing up his leading effort from opening practice on Friday.

The pole is the third of Eckes’ Truck Series career in 11 starts, and he’ll chase his first series win on Saturday afternoon.

“I don’t know how we got that, to be honest,” Eckes admitted. “It’s so slick out here with how hard the tires are and how this race track is when it’s cold that I actually drove pretty slow right there.

“Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and the guys did a great job,” he added. “We struggled in second practice and kind of threw everything at it, so I’m glad all that worked out for us. It’s the third time we’ve won the pole; it’s great to be with this team and I’m really looking forward to the race this afternoon.”

Defending Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt will join Eckes on the front row, after a time of 19.860 seconds (95.347 mph) in the No. 24 CMR Construction & Roofing Chevrolet Silverado.

Eckes’ KBM teammate Harrison Burton and ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton, who is subbing for the ailing Matt Tifft on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series side, will share the second row for Saturday’s 200-lap race.

Tyler Ankrum completed the top five, followed by Johnny Sauter, Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger and John Hunter Nemechek.

Todd Gilliland, the overall practice leader from Friday, starts 11th.

Meanwhile, the lowest of the six remaining playoff drivers in qualifying was Austin Hill, who will roll off 17th for defending championship team Hattori Racing Enterprises.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

QUALIFYING RESULTS: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series; Martinsville Speedway; Oct. 26, 2019

1. #51 – Christian Eckes, 19.844 seconds (95.424 mph)
2. #24 – Brett Moffitt, 19.860 seconds (95.347 mph)
3. #18 – Harrison Burton, 19.908 seconds (95.118 mph)
4. #88 – Matt Crafton, 19.926 seconds (95.032 mph)
5. #17 – Tyler Ankrum, 19.940 seconds (94.965 mph)
6. #13 – Johnny Sauter, 19.951 seconds (94.913 mph)
7. #52 – Stewart Friesen, 19.954 seconds (94.898 mph)
8. #99 – Ben Rhodes, 19.987 seconds (94.742 mph)
9. #98 – Grant Enfinger, 20.003 seconds (94.666 mph)
10. #8 – John Hunter Nemechek, 20.007 seconds (94.647 mph)
11. #4 – Todd Gilliland, 20.013 seconds (94.618 mph)
12. #45 – Ross Chastain, 20.059 seconds (94.402 mph)
13. #02 – Tyler Dippel, 20.064 seconds (94.378 mph)
14. #2 – Sheldon Creed, 20.119 seconds (94.120 mph)
15. #15 – Tanner Gray, 20.137 seconds (94.036 mph)
16. #12 – Gus Dean, 20.175 seconds (93.859 mph)
17. #16 – Austin Hill, 20.183 seconds (93.822 mph)
18. #9 – Codie Rohrbaugh, 20.226 seconds (93.622 mph)
19. #30 – Danny Bohn, 20.244 seconds (93.539 mph)
20. #22 – Austin Wayne Self, 20.245 seconds (93.534 mph)
21. #21 – Sam Mayer, 20.245 seconds (93.534 mph)
22. #56 – Timmy Hill, 20.267 seconds (93.433 mph)
23. #20 – Spencer Boyd, 20.338 seconds (93.107 mph)
24. #44 – Jeb Burton, 20.489 seconds (92.420 mph)
25. #3 – Jordan Anderson, 20.527 seconds (92.249 mph)
26. #54 – Natalie Decker, 20.715 seconds (91.412 mph)
27. #33 – Dawson Cram, 20.844 seconds (90.846 mph)
28. #49 – Ray Ciccarelli, 20.990 seconds (90.214 mph)
29. #34 – Josh Reaume, 21.414 seconds (88.428 mph)
30. #6 – Norm Benning, 21.624 seconds (87.569 mph)
31. #10 – Jennifer Jo Cobb, 22.116 seconds (85.621 mph)
32. #0 – Cody McMahan, 32.067 seconds (59.051 mph)

BUSAN, South Korea - South Koreans Somi Lee and Seung Yeon Lee were tied for the third-round lead Saturday at the BMW Ladies Championship, the second event on the LPGA's four-tournament Asian swing.

Somi Lee shot 67 and Seung Yeon Lee 68 for 54-hole totals of 13-under 203.

Ha Na Jang was in third place, a stroke behind, after a 68.

Amy Yang (67), Busan-born Australian Su Oh (67) and second-round leader Danielle Kang (71) were two strokes behind the leaders and tied for fourth.

Seung Yeon Lee had birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 17, recovering from an early double bogey at No. 6.

''I really tried to focus on the present,'' said Seung Yeon Lee. ''I wasn't thinking about how many birdies I was making, how many pars I was making or if I wasn't too wrapped up in how I made a double bogey. Instead I just focused on every shot.''

Somi Lee birdied six of her final 10 holes.

Three players are on 11 under - last week's winner Kang, four-time LPGA winner Yang and Su Oh, who is looking for her first victory in her fourth year on tour.

Kang started the day with a one-stroke lead after back-to-back 67s. After opening with three bogeys and one birdie over her first five holes, Kang recovered on the back nine, coming home with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 15.

''It was a very frustrating round today. I hit the wrong number twice. Every mistake you could possibly think of, we made it,'' said Kang, who is aiming to become the LPGA Tour's first back-to-back winner since 2017.

''I was proud that we were able to capitalize on certain holes and make some birdies coming in. I know that finishing in the red numbers was important. There was a lot of birdies out there today ... I didn't see much of the leaderboard, but I knew people were going low, so I was kind of frustrated.''

The LPGA's Asian swing moves to Taiwan next week with a fourth stop in Japan. Kang won the first stop in Shanghai last week.

MANCHESTER, England -- Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players that too many performances like their first half display against Aston Villa would see them relegated.

City eventually ran out 3-0 winners against Villa after a tough first 45 minutes that saw the score level at the break.

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The victory moved the champions to within three points of Liverpool before they play Tottenham on Sunday but Guardiola was not completely satisfied.

"Six days ago we were eight points [behind Liverpool] now we are three," Guardiola told a news conference.

"I am not concerned about the table. I am concerned about the way we played.

"If we play the level we played in the second half, we can be there at the end of the season I am sure of that.

"If we play the way we did in the first half, we will be in the relegation positions far away from the leaders of the table. That is my view. Not just this season but all the time."

After his midweek hat trick against Atalanta, Raheem Sterling was again City's key man after scoring the opener 19 seconds after half time before a controversial David Silva strike and Ilkay Gundogan sealed the win.

It was a difficult afternoon for Villa who saw their four-match unbeaten run come to an end but captain Jack Grealish, who left the stadium on crutches after suffering a calf injury, still caught Guardiola's eye.

"He is incredible, incredible player, top player," Guardiola added. "I am happy for the fact he is an Aston Villa player and he got offers to move on but decided to stay there in the Championship.

"I like that they were promoted to the Premier League and defend his club.

"He is a talented player -- fast in the final third, passes, always creates something. He's an exceptional player but too expensive for Manchester City!"

Test match cricket is likely to make a return to Pakistan in December 2019 with the PCB putting forward Rawalpindi and Karachi as possible venues for the two-match series against Sri Lanka.

ESPNcricinfo understands progress has been made with regards to ensuring the Test series takes place in Pakistan - the first of its kind since 2009 - with the board just awaiting the go-ahead from Sri Lanka Cricket. As for the players themselves, it is not yet clear which, if any, are reluctant to tour.

As per the PCB's proposed schedule, the Test series will last only a fortnight, roughly the same amount of time Sri Lanka were in the country for a limited-overs tour earlier this year. They played three ODIs in Karachi and two T20Is in Lahore between September 27 and October 10, and though several of their senior players pulled out, the fact it went off without a hitch, plus the better-than-expected results for what was called a second-string team, may have convinced some of them to travel to Pakistan again.

The decision to schedule a Test in Rawalpindi, which last hosted five-day cricket when India toured in 2004, would represent the first expansion of cricket beyond the major hubs of Lahore and Karachi. That Lahore has been overlooked as a venue for the series is something of a surprise, though it is believed the lack of daylight hours and the high likelihood of seasonal smog were the major reasons for the PCB looking elsewhere.

The last completed Test to be played in Pakistan took place in Karachi, which will host the second game of this series, should it go ahead. The last recorded Test in Pakistan was the one that was abandoned after two days in Lahore, following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was unable to attend his son's senior night football game Friday, but several of his former teammates did on his behalf.

McCoy played nine seasons with the Bucs but is now with the Carolina Panthers who have a road game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

His son, Marcellus Crutchfield, is a receiver at Tampa Catholic who defeated Lakeland's George Jenkins High School 28-8.

McCoy posted a video on his Instagram page that showed Bucs players Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, Donovan Smith and Lavonte David attending Crutchfield's game.

"In my time in the NFL I've grown to earn true brothers," McCoy wrote in the post. "And this is an example of that!!"

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People don't understand the type of brotherhood that sports can build. In my time in the NFL I've grown to earn true brothers. And this is an example of that!! Anybody who knows me knows how much I love my kids so to miss @m_crutch_ Senior night really hurt me. But my brothers stepped in for me. I truly love these kats!! Family for life!! Its bigger than football!! @jaboowins3 @lavontedavid @mikeevans @dsmith_76

A post shared by Gerald McCoy (@geraldini93) on Oct 25, 2019 at 6:47pm PDT

McCoy is a six-time Pro Bowler who signed a one-year deal with Carolina in June.

New England Patriots receiver Josh Gordon, who is on injured reserve, expects to be ready in one to two weeks, sources told ESPN's Josina Anderson on Saturday.

The Patriots used the minor designation for his placement on injured reserve Wednesday, signifying a lesser injury. That means the team has to release him upon his return to health.

If this happens after Tuesday's trade deadline, Gordon would be subject to waivers and other teams could put in a claim for him -- and he could be on a roster at that time.

Gordon had been playing through a left knee injury and was knocked out of the team's Oct. 10 win over the New York Giants when he injured the knee while attempting to make a tackle after a Patriots fumble. He missed a 33-0 win over the New York Jets on Monday.

Through six games, Gordon has totaled 20 catches for 287 yards and one touchdown.

In December, Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the NFL's drug policy. His suspension was lifted in August by commissioner Roger Goodell.

ESPN's Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of Saturday's game at the Detroit Pistons, the team announced.

Embiid complained of discomfort in his right ankle after the team's season-opening win against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. He has since been diagnosed with a sprained ankle.

Embiid also took an elbow to the mouth from Boston's Jaylen Brown. That resulted in a cut lip requiring sutures. The team also said Embiid had a "minor dental procedure" as a result of the play.

He tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds in the team's opener and is coming off a season in which he played a career-high 64 games.

With Embiid out, the rivalry between he and Pistons big man Andre Drummond will get a night off. Last season, the Sixers 7-footer claimed he "owns a lot of real estate" in Drummond's head.

WASHINGTON -- One thing you haven't seen walking around Nationals Park before games in the postseason or in the stadium during games: Bryce Harper jerseys. The Washington Nationals organization moved on from Harper pretty much the moment he filed for free agency. The fans have apparently done the same. We all love our baseball history, but romanticizing the past -- even the immediate past -- doesn't help you win games today.

Indeed, Nationals fans are more concerned about re-signing Anthony Rendon than worrying about what Harper is up to these days:

pic.twitter.com/jYOqlVIyfb

— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) October 25, 2019

What has helped the Nationals is signing Patrick Corbin this past offseason to a six-year, $140 million contract. Money that could have gone to re-sign Harper instead went to an elite left-handed pitcher who filled a bigger need -- the starting rotation -- and who has provided an invaluable No. 3 starter behind Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

Now Corbin, who went 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA in the regular season and has both started and relieved throughout the postseason, has a chance Saturday to put the Nationals within one win of their first World Series title and the first championship for a Washington ballclub since the Walter Johnson-led Senators won in 1924. It could be the perfect exclamation point on the season for a pitcher everyone thought at the outset of free agency would end up with the New York Yankees -- after all, the Yankees needed a starter, they have money, and Corbin is from the Syracuse area.

"No regrets," Corbin said before Game 3 about not signing with New York. "I obviously loved every second here. I always tell everybody I feel like I've been here longer, just such a great clubhouse."

The 2018 Nationals were a disappointment, finishing 82-80 after entering the season as heavy favorites to win the National League East. The rotation was a big reason why, dropping from third in the NL in ERA in 2017 to ninth in 2018. Scherzer was excellent, but Strasburg missed some time, Gio Gonzalez struggled and was traded to Milwaukee, and a couple of youngsters weren't ready for prime time. They wanted a third reliable arm.

Corbin gave them that. In essence, his annual average salary of $23.3 million replaced the $25.4 million average Harper will receive from the Philadelphia Phillies over 13 years. The Nationals arguably got the better -- if less famous -- player as well. Corbin, 30, was worth 5.7 WAR in 2019 per Baseball-Reference.com, and Harper was worth 4.2 for the Phillies.

Harper certainly provided a presence in the middle of the lineup. However, he had been unable to replicate his monster 2015 MVP season and hit .249/.393/.496 in 2018. More problematic was that his defensive metrics were a disaster. Juan Soto's precocious emergence meant the Nationals had a big lefty stick to fill the cleanup spot, plus they wanted to find regular playing time for rookie center fielder Victor Robles, one of the top prospects in the game.

"For me, Bryce chose to go elsewhere," manager Dave Martinez said on the off day before Game 3. "But the guys we've had, we knew that we had the right guys to be able to step in and do the job, we really did. I mean, a healthy Adam Eaton, as you all know, you can see what he can do. We have a young center fielder in Victor Robles that's had an opportunity to play every day this year, and has done well. And a 20-year-old that's going to be 21 here in a day or two that's been unbelievable."

Indeed, the Nationals' outfield defense was vastly improved this season. In 2018, they ranked 26th in the majors with minus-29 defensive runs saved. In 2019, they improved to seventh with plus-25. Via the Statcast measure of outs above average, the outfield went from minus-16 (26th in the majors) to plus-27 (first). Much of that was due to Gold Glove finalist Robles, who led all outfielders with 21 outs above average and 24 DRS. Robles was a big improvement in center field and Eaton was an improvement over Harper in right. Like Robles, Soto is also a Gold Glove finalist.

Corbin has started twice this postseason and relieved four times. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning in Game 1, but as the Nationals pulled away in Game 2 he wasn't needed. "This time worked out pretty well for us being able to throw Game 1 and then having three full days off," Corbin said. It's late in a long season, but his most recent start came Oct. 15, in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, and Corbin says he feels good: "I didn't throw at all. So I was able to do my same routine, everything that I would have done. A little ways from my last start, too."

Corbin gave up two runs in six innings in his division series start against the Dodgers, and struck out 12 in five innings against the Cardinals. He has thrown more innings than he ever has in a season. Washington pitching coach Paul Menhart said this is the moment a starter works for all season, to leave it all out between the lines. "Not that they necessarily save stuff [in the regular season] -- because nobody really does -- but there is an emptying of the tank, with the thought, 'This is what I trained for, this is what I prepared for, I'm letting it go,'" Menhart said.

Corbin isn't a household name like Scherzer and Strasburg, but he ranks seventh in WAR among starting pitchers over the past two seasons. He had his breakout season for the Diamondbacks in 2018, going 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 246 strikeouts in 200 innings. His 2.47 fielding independent pitching ranked second in the NL and he finished fifth in the Cy Young voting.

Corbin said a conversation with Diamondbacks pitching coordinator Dan Haren helped transform him from a good starter into a terrific one. "Talking with Dan Haren one day walking in spring training and we just came up with a couple small things that we thought could help get better, and it made sense and ran with that," he said.

No mechanical tweaks. No invention of a new pitch or a new grip. "Being smarter in counts. You just learn every year, being around the game long enough, facing hitters more and more. Throwing a few more breaking balls," Corbin said.

Corbin had been an All-Star in 2013, his first full season in the majors. He missed 2014 because of Tommy John surgery and returned midway through 2015. In 2016-17, he went 19-26 with a 4.53 ERA. Then, suddenly, he became one of the top starters in the game. In April 2018, he went 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA. He was striking out batters at a higher rate than ever before. His slider had gone from great to nearly unhittable at times. In 2016-17, batters hit .184 against it, with a 44.8% strikeout rate. The past two seasons, batters have hit .150 with a 52.6% strikeout rate.

Corbin's slider is unusual in that it's not a power slider as you usually see from a guy with above-average velocity. In some ways, it acts more like a curveball: above-average movement with below-average velocity. Corbin said the key is that it looks like his fastball coming out of his hand.

The biggest change, however -- and this is perhaps what Haren was getting at -- is that Corbin started throwing fewer four-seam fastballs and more two-seamers (and more sliders, particularly compared to 2016). Batters had slugged .523 against his four-seamer in 2016 and .471 in 2017. It made sense to throw it less, to not rely on it so much when behind in the count. To get smarter.

It doesn't hurt being around a rotation that includes Scherzer, Strasburg and wily veteran Anibal Sanchez. Strasburg told me how he likes to watch other starters' bullpen sessions, even if they are different types of pitchers from himself. The other starters will do that as well from time to time.

"Sitting in the dugout, talking to whoever's not in there, I think it's huge," Corbin said. "What they see out there is maybe different from what we see, or vice versa, so it's great to have those guys with their experience."

The Houston Astros' win in Game 3 of the World Series stymied any shot at a sweep the Washington Nationals might have had in mind. The victory sets up a Game 4 showdown Saturday involving Patrick Corbin for Washington and a bullpen game from Houston to see if the Nats can get a game closer to the city's first World Series title since 1924, or if they've locked in a return to the Astros' home turf.

What's on tap

8:07 p.m. ET: Astros at Nationals, Game 4

The view from inside the ballpark

WASHINGTON -- MVP-level Alex Bregman has been noticeably missing from Houston's lineup, as the third baseman hasn't really put it all together for a long stretch this postseason. Could an intentional walk to the batter in front of him be what finally ignites Bregman?

Astros manager AJ Hinch said after Friday's game that he's sure Bregman will go to bed hoping the Nationals walk someone to bring him to the plate. Michael Brantley said he's ready to see Bregman break out, and we should be, too. -- Dan Mullen

A stat to impress your friends: The Astros' bullpen held Nationals hitters to 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position in Game 3, the first time a team went oh-fer in the World Series in that many opportunities since the Phillies set a World Series record for futility by going 0-for-13 in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series.

Two questions

1. What's the one thing you've never seen in a game that you think Game 4 could deliver?

Bregman with a three-homer game. OK, I've seen that before in a World Series -- I was at the Albert Pujols game in 2011 and the Pablo Sandoval game in 2012. The only others to do it: Babe Ruth twice and Reggie Jackson. But it never has been done before in Washington! It never has been done before by an Astros player. The bigger point: Bregman went 0-for-5 in Game 3 and is hitting just .208 in the postseason, but he did hit into some hard outs Friday. He's due. And he might deliver in a big way. -- David Schoenfield

A World Series game in Washington ... that takes less than four hours to complete. After a Game 3 that was anything but, I think Game 4 could deliver the first crisp and clean Fall Classic contest the nation's capital has seen in my lifetime (or the lifetime of anyone under 86 years old). -- Mullen

2. Are you buying or selling on Baby Shark mania?

What, you prefer those ThunderStix that Angels fans used to break eardrums in 2002? I'll take Baby Shark any day over ThunderStix, Homer Hankies or the Rally Squirrel. Baby Shark, however, is awesome. Pure joy. When Gerardo Parra pinch hit, my wife sent me a text with the Baby Shark theme. Heck, Mina Kimes got Tim Kurkjian to sing it on the ESPN Daily podcast. Victor Robles did the shark chop after his triple. Baby Shark forever. -- Schoenfield

You know what, I'm buying. It's ridiculous. I mean it's 45,000 fans screaming about a shark while moving their hands in unison. It's people of all ages rocking various levels of shark costumes in the stands. But it's fun. And it's something that became the Nats' thing completely organically, which is pretty cool in itself. -- Mullen

Predictions

Well, I just predicted three Bregman home runs, so I guess that suggests I will pick the Astros. I've also picked the Astros every game this World Series. It's time to pick the Nationals. In a wild game, the Nationals win as Juan Soto drives in five runs and never gets another strike the rest of his career. Nationals 8, Astros 6 -- Schoenfield

When Game 4 ends, we'll know that this series is headed back to Houston. Astros hitting had a mini-breakout in Game 3 and I think it's going to continue Saturday night even against the very tough Corbin. Houston batters hit six balls with plus exit velocity Friday night and only two of those were hits. Eventually those hard-hit balls are going to start finding outfield grass instead of Washington gloves. Astros 5, Nationals 3 -- Mullen

About last night

Stud of the night: Let's give Astros reliever Will Harris some love, because first he shut down a Nats rally in the sixth inning by retiring Trea Turner and Adam Eaton in the sixth with two men on base to protect Houston's three-run lead, then he notched a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, getting both Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon while he was at it.

Dud of the night: Soto going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts set the tone for a Nationals offense that generated opportunities -- and then squandered almost all of them.

Highlight of the night:

Quote of the day

"He was very aggressive early like a lot of their guys were on secondary pitches, so as the game went on we had to adapt a game plan based on their aggressiveness on all our secondary pitches." -- Hinch, on how his pitchers changed up their approach to Soto in particular and the Nats in general in Game 3.

Best of the Fall Classic so far

Our running World Series MVP: Juan Soto, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, a home run and a key double in Washington's Game 1 win over Gerrit Cole. He followed that with a single, two walks and two runs scored in Game 2. It's no coincidence that when Soto was held hitless in Game 3, the Astros won.

The play of the series: George Springer's near miss in the eighth inning of Game 1. With Houston down 5-3 and a runner on second, Springer hit a long drive to right-center that hit off the glove of a leaping Adam Eaton and bounced away. Kyle Tucker scored, but Springer had to settle for a double. Could he have made it to third? Springer said he wasn't able to go full speed with Tucker tagging up. If Springer had made it to third, could he have scored on Jose Altuve's fly ball in the next at-bat? We'll never know. Springer got no farther than second, and the Astros' best chance to tie the score went by the boards.