HOUSTON -- Eric Sogard is in Tampa Bay's lineup for the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series at Houston, the first start in nearly a month for the second baseman who has dealt with lingering right foot discomfort.

Sogard's only appearance this postseason before Thursday night's game was as a pinch-hitter in Game 1 on Friday, when he had an RBI single.

The Rays acquired Sogard in a trade from Toronto on July 28. He hit .266 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 37 games for the Rays during the regular season after hitting .300 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in 73 games for the Blue Jays.

Sogard's last start was Sept. 14, and he made his final appearance in the regular season the following day as a pinch-hitter.

TOLEDO, Ohio – The ARCA Menards Series will race 20 times at 20 different venues in 15 states in 2020, providing an all-encompassing slate of races across the country.

ARCA’s 68th season will take the green flag at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 8 as part of Daytona Speedweeks. The ARCA Menards Series champion will be crowned at Kansas Speedway on Friday, Oct. 16.

The road to the 2020 ARCA Menards Series crown is highlighted in the inaugural ARCA Showdown, a 10-race series set to attract the top teams in the ARCA Menards Series as well as the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.

The overall schedule features a mix of superspeedways and historic short tracks, as well as a pair of dirt tracks and a pair of road-course events, that will provide exciting racing for the fans and an exceptional test of teams and drivers.

“We are very proud of the quality of our 2020 schedule. There are many traditional ARCA Menards Series races blended with races that have been very strong components of what is now the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “We are also working on the schedules for the East and West divisions, and we think our drivers, teams, and fans all over the country will be pleased with the way everything has come together.”

The first race of the ARCA Showdown will be the second event in the overall schedule and marks an historic first trip to ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Friday, March 6. The ARCA Showdown will culminate with the inaugural championship race at Memphis Int’l Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Other schedule highlights include:

– Salem Speedway on Sunday, April 19, will mark the ARCA Menards Series’ 107th trip to the .555 mile oval in Indiana. The event will be the series’ annual throwback race.

– The ARCA Menards Series will visit Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Friday, May 29, the first visit there since Ohio’s Jack Bowsher scored the victory in 1965. The series will also make another road-course visit, to Watkins Glen Int’l in upstate New York on Friday, Aug. 14, as part of the ARCA Showdown.

– In addition to Daytona and Phoenix, the ARCA Menards Series will be part of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday, April 24; Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 21; Michigan Int’l Speedway on Friday, June 5; Chicagoland Speedway on Thursday, June 18; Pocono Raceway on Thursday, June 25; and Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 17.

– The ARCA Menards Series will once again open NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just a few miles up the road, with a short-track battle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind., on Friday, July 3.

– A pair of upper Midwest short tracks: Minnesota’s Elko Speedway, the shortest venue on the schedule at .375-miles, and Wisconsin’s half-mile Madison Int’l Raceway, will be on Saturday, July 11 and Friday, Aug. 7, respectively. They will book-end ARCA Showdown events at Iowa Speedway (Friday, July 17) and World Wide Technology Raceway (Saturday, Aug. 1).

– The traditional Illinois state fair dirt miles will provide a different test for drivers. Springfield Mile at Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, Aug. 23, is followed by another Saturday night race at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sept. 5.

– The 10 races that make up the ARCA Showdown will be held: Phoenix, Salem, Mid-Ohio, Lucas Oil, Elko, Iowa, Gateway, Watkins Glen, Bristol and Memphis.

All 20 races are scheduled for live television coverage; eight races will be televised by FOX Sports on FS1 and FS2, and 12 races will be televised on MAVTV. The complete television schedule, including broadcast times, will be released at a later date.

2020 ARCA Menards Series Schedule

Feb. 8 – Daytona Int’l Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.

March 6 – ISM Raceway – Avondale, Ariz.*

April 19 – Salem Speedway – Salem, Ind.*

April 24 – Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, Ala.

May 21 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.

May 29 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio*

June 5 – Michigan Int’l Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich.

June 18 – Chicagoland Speedway – Joliet, Ill.

June 25 – Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa.

July 3 – Lucas Oil Raceway – Clermont, Ind.*

July 11 – Elko Speedway – Elko, Minn.*

July 17 – Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa*

Aug. 1 – World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, Ill.*

Aug. 7 – Madison Int’l Speedway – Oregon, Wis.

Aug. 14 – Watkins Glen Int’l – Watkins Glen, N.Y.*

Aug. 23 – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Springfield, Ill.

Sept. 5 – DuQuoin State Fairgrounds – DuQuoin, Ill.

Sept. 17 – Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.*

Sept. 26 – Memphis Int’l Raceway – Millington, Tenn.*

Oct. 16 – Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, Kan.

* – ARCA Showdown Championship Event

GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA officials have released the 2020 schedule for the Mountain Motor Pro Stock category, which will compete at six of the 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

The category participated in four national events during the 2019 season and delighted fans with their dynamic paint schemes, throwback hood scoops, and impressive wheel stands that go on for the first 100 feet of a launch.

Adding two more events for the 2020 season means even more fans will get the opportunity to check out what makes Mountain Motor Pro Stock so special.

NHRA’s two nitro categories – Funny Car and Top Fuel – will participate at all 24 national events in the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

2020 Mountain Motor Pro Stock Series Schedule

Date – Event – Location

April 24-26 – NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Concord, N.C.
May 29-31 – Virginia NHRA Nationals – Richmond, Va.
July 9-12 – Route 66 NHRA Nationals – Joliet, Ill.
July 17-19 – Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals – Morrison, Colo.
Aug. 13-16 – Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals – Brainerd, Minn.
Oct. 2-4 – AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals – Madison, Ill.

WHEATLAND, Mo. – Kris Jackson knows he will have that proverbial target on his back as the man to beat at this weekend’s B-Mod Clash of Champions II at Lucas Oil Speedway.

There might even be a good amount of boos from the grandstand when the announcers call his name. That’s simply part of the territory when you win as often as Jackson has the last couple of years.

“I know that they’re probably tired of the same old, same old,” Jackson said of his dominance, which includes 26 wins in 42 starts in 2019. Included are seven feature victories at Lucas Oil Speedway, where he won his fourth Ozark Golf Cars USRA B-Mod track championship.

Lucas Oil Speedway’s biggest race for the B-Mods, a $3,000-to-win main event on Sunday, begins with two rounds of qualifying heat races on Saturday. The Clash of Champions II is a co-headliner with the Lucas Oil MLRA Fall Nationals, which has full shows Saturday and Sunday.

A big field of B-Mods is expected, but many eyes will be on Jackson, the Lebanon driver who’s also chasing a second straight USRA B-Mod national championship. Asked is he’s comfortable with having everyone else taking aim, Jackson said he has little choice.

“I don’t know if I enjoy it, but I’ve come to accept it,” Jackson said of the attention. “You have to understand people a lot of times will race you a little bit different or maybe even talk to you different sometimes. That’s part of it.

“I don’t know what else to do, so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Jackson called the B-Mod Clash of Champions II “one of the biggest ones we’ve wanted to win this year” because of the anticipated large car count, prize money and prestige. That’s especially true after last year, when he was set to start outside of row one in the inaugural B-Mod Clash of Champions before rain intervened.

Pole-starting Andy Bryant was awarded first-place money with Jackson settling for second prize. This time, while conditions are predicted to be cool, it’s supposed to be dry all weekend.

As for how the cool weather might affect the track, Jackson said it could go a couple of ways.

“We’ll have to play it by ear. Wheatland is always one of two ways: Really, really tacky or it’s really, really slick,” he said. “We’ve got stuff for either one. We just need to find out which one we’re on. We’re really not too worried about that.”

This weekend and other remaining USRA races are big for Jackson, who despite his glittering win total is only 41 points ahead of Springfield’s Ryan Gillmore in the USRA B-Mod national points race. Dan Hovden of Decorah, Iowa trails by 67.

“We’re just going to all the races we can and we’re trying to do the same thing we do every time,” Jackson said.

LINCOLN, Calif. – Rachel Jacobs was not a race fan. Despite living within earshot of Placerville Speedway, she did not have any interest in racing.

Yet it was through the races that Jacobs met Brad Sweet and they were eventually married.

Jacobs’ mom would try to get her to go to the races but to Jacobs, they were “too dirty and dust gets in our eyes and it’s loud,” so her mom and grandfather would go.

“In 2003 he (her grandfather) passed away and Jimmy Trulli did a memorial lap for him at Placerville,” she recalled. “My entire family was there and Brad’s family was sitting behind us.”

Jacobs and Sweet’s sister, Katelyn, became friends and three years later she and Brad started dating.

“At first I did not understand why people would like this stuff, you are getting dirty, mud in your hair, but when I met Brad I got to see a different side to it. Now I get it,” she said. “These people are so passionate no matter where you go. There is no being a casual fan, you either like it or you don’t.”

Brad Sweet had moved to Indiana for a season and upon his return, he started racing for Gary Perkins and Jacobs and Sweet soon began dating. But Sweet was not around very long as a Keith Kunz call saw him return to the Midwest to race a midget.

“All my friends at that time had boyfriends and they were all going to movies and other teenage things,” she remembered. “I told them I had a boyfriend but for a while my friends were like, yeah right, because he was never around. Brad would be gone much of the summer and then when winter arrived he was off to Australia.”

That was how their relationship was until the call from Kasey and Willie Kahne.  That led to Sweet moving to North Carolina, getting him even further away from home.

“The entire group was so welcoming. I knew from Brad’s reaction that this was his big break,” she said.

For a period of time Sweet was racing in NASCAR and driving sprint cars, but eventually he went the open wheel route.  Sweet and Jacobs bought a motorhome and traveled the circuit.

During this time Jacobs learned how, “Mentally and physically exhausting it is.  The drivers, crew, wives, and everyone involved don’t get the credit for what they do.  The Pittmans kind of took us under their wings and they were a huge blessing our three years on the road.”

Before the years on the road, Jacobs had graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in health information management.  She went from college to full time travel, which ended after buying a house in Placerville. They signed the papers for their eventual home while at the Knoxville Nationals in 2016.

Jacobs and Sweet got married in March of 2016 during the Outlaw swing through California so their friends could attend. The following year she stayed home to monitor the house being rebuilt and their daughter, Savannah, was born.

She has stayed home coming up on three years, but her husband flies home between weekends when there is not a midweek race.  Savannah’s first race was at Knoxville when Sweet won on a preliminary Knoxville Nationals feature. The 8 month old at that time also got to see Sweet’s championship win on Saturday.

“Brad is someone who works so hard and he is so focused so to see him win that it was like all his hard work paid off,” she said.

She has noticed that Sweet is recognized when among the public more than before, something that may be due to DIRTVision and other streaming services.  Sweet has younger fans than she has seen in the past, important because the lack of youth at races is a growing concern.

As Savannah gets older, mother and daughter may travel with Sweet more to lessen the time apart. This year has been better since there are fewer midweek races to keep Sweet from being able to fly home for a few days.

“I try not to get too nervous,” she said when asked how she handles Sweet’s racing endeavors. “I know Brad is in control and he is doing what he wants to do. Now Eldora, that’s a different animal. I learned this at Manzanita, do not sit on the front stretch. It shows you how fast they are going.

“I remember sitting next to Patty Haudenschild one night at Eldora and Jac and Sheldon were both racing. I asked her how she does it and she said that she trusts Sheldon’s ability and just watches Jac. I know that Tony Stewart has done all he can to make that place as safe as he can.”

She admits that being a wife of a World of Outlaws driver isn’t easy, but she respects the lifestyle her husband has chosen.

“You have to understand and appreciate the lifestyle,” she said. “If you can’t do that, it’s not made for you. They are doing their career and their passion. I tell Brad that he is so lucky he found something he is good at that he is passionate about that can be his career.”

It seems that Sweet is also lucky for having an understanding and supportive wife.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook will undergo a core muscle surgery for the second time this year, general manager Don Waddell announced Thursday.

The latest procedure is set for Friday. Martinook is expected to miss six to eight weeks to recover.

He also underwent a procedure on a core muscle during the offseason.

Martinook, 26, has one assist this season during the Hurricanes' 4-0-0 start. He had a career-best 15 goals with five game winners last season but was in and out of the lineup during the playoffs due to injuries.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Tiger Woods is taking his course design work to the greens.

Woods and his business entity, TGR Ventures, have entered into a "strategic partnership" with PopStroke Entertainment Group that will see the 15-time major champion begin designing putting courses for the golf and entertainment company.

PopStroke currently has one location open in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with two other locations currently under development. The concept utilizes the food and drink options currently seen at full-range franchises like TopGolf and DriveShack and instead marries it with professionally-designed putting courses.

"Some of my happiest memories are spending time with my pops on the golf course having putting contests," Woods said in a release. "I'm looking forward to others enjoying time with their kids at PopStroke. This is a new way for individuals to experience the game of golf. It's about bringing people together."

According to the release, Woods and TGR Ventures will be responsible for designing the putting courses at all future locations. PopStroke also plans to release a technology enhancement that will allow scores to be electronically transmitted from the ball to a player's phone app and will facilitate competition "in a dynamic, social and tournament environment."

Suzann Pettersen is letting us all in on the deeper story of the putt she made to win the Solheim Cup for Europe almost a month ago.

She explains in a letter to her infant son, Herman, how that putt tied a bow on golf’s place in her life and how he changed her understanding of who she really is.

The letter was published Thursday on LPGA.com.

It all leads to this moment.

That’s the marketing slogan this last Solheim Cup was built around, and Pettersen explained how it so perfectly framed her finish, the 7-foot putt she made to seal the victory and her decision to immediately announce her retirement.

Pettersen, 38, scooped up Herman and embraced him during the European victory celebration on the 18^th green in Scotland.

“When I saw the ball disappear and the tens of thousands of fans surrounding the green roared, I realized, immediately, that the [Solheim Cup promotional] line I’d seen all week was a perfect summation of my career,” Pettersen wrote. “It all led to that moment. My family was all there. You won’t remember it, but I’m sure you will see it in replay for years to come.

“What you can’t see on video is the relief I felt. I knew in that instant that I would never have to ask myself ‘what if…?’ I would never have to wonder if I could make it back. I had answered all those questions. It was a fairytale ending, one I couldn’t have imagined.”

Pettersen details how complications early in her pregnancy prevented her from flying and forced her to remain in Norway until Herman was born. It ended her plans to play the LPGA while pregnant early in 2018, but it also marked the beginning of her transformation as a person, as Herman’s mother. She took all of 2018 off to prepare for Herman’s birth in August of that year and didn’t return to the tour until more than halfway into this season.

“For half-a-dozen years I was consistently ranked as one of the top-10 women golfers in the world, reaching as high as No. 2 on several occasions,” she wrote. “But that performance came at a cost. I didn’t realize it at the time, but tour life became so intertwined with my personal life that I sometimes could not tell them apart. My identity was linked to my job.”

Pettersen said she knew she might be done as a player the moment Herman was born.

“I’ve always heard people say that becoming a parent changes you, but I had assumed that change took weeks, or maybe even months or years,” Pettersen wrote to Herman. “That is wrong. It’s instantaneous. The moment you drew your first breath, I was a different person. Your father was there and as we held you, I asked myself, ‘Is there really any reason to go back to that other life? Is there anything left for me to accomplish in golf that would make it worth leaving you? Would winning another major make that much of a difference to my life or to yours? Would being part of another Solheim Cup make a difference?’ I had played competitively for so long and had been living in this ego bubble – a small, compact world where everything was centered around me and my game. Once that bubble burst, I wasn’t sure I wanted to inflate it again. I had no desire to test my heart, my patience, my love for you and your father to try it.”

Pettersen detailed how the faith European captain Catriona Matthew and fellow Euros showed in her led to another Solheim Cup.

“I don’t think most people realize the sacrifices moms make,” Pettersen wrote. “I don’t know how they do it. There are millions of working moms with kids at home. I don’t think they get enough credit for how they manage their lives.

“The [t]our moms certainly don’t get enough credit. I can’t imagine how the players on tour travel with their kids. Beanie [Matthew] did it with two children. So did Juli Inkster. Given what I’d experienced traveling with just one, I couldn’t imagine what their lives had been like. Sure, the Smucker’s LPGA Child Development Center that goes with the tour is fantastic, but that’s a very small part of being on the road with a child. I think we should sing the praises of working moms everywhere as loud and as often as possible.”

Pettersen concludes her letter this way:

“I hope this story helps you understand our family. I hope it helps you appreciate the discipline and determination it takes to reach goals. Work over time will always pay off. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions. I hope you find the passion in whatever you do that I found in golf – a love that dwelled deep in my heart. And I hope you see in this story, in my one incredible week at the Solheim Cup, that there is a time for everything in life.

“That Sunday was the time for me to step away from golf and be a wife and mother. I hope you can find the peace in your decisions that I have found in mine.”

ROME – Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland matched his career-best score on the European Tour with a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the Italian Open.

Pulkkanen, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour last season, made seven birdies and didn't have any bogeys at the Olgiata Golf club.

''It's a very tough, demanding, long golf course, narrow,'' Pulkkanen said. ''You've got to hit some shots out there. I had a nice start, 3 under after five, and that gets me going. It was nice to make a couple more on the back nine.''

Rory Sabbatini, the South African-born player who began representing Slovakia this year, had an eagle on the par-5 17th and was in second place.

Five players – Kurt Kitayama, Joost Luiten, Shubhankar Sharma, Bernd Wiesberger and Justin Rose – were at 5 under.

With a $7 million purse as part of the Rolex Series, the tournament is making its return to Rome after a 17-year absence from the Italian capital.

The Rome return is part of the buildup to the 2022 Ryder Cup at the nearby Marco Simone club.