Former first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick has received permission from the Miami Dolphins to seek a trade, according to multiple league sources.

Joel Segal, the agent for the defensive back, has been in contact with a number of teams. Fitzpatrick, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, is a defensive back who is unhappy with playing multiple positions, sources said.

Teams initially have been resistant to the Dolphins' apparent asking price that includes a first-round pick, sources said.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier was unavailable for comment late Thursday night, as was Segal.

A Dolphins official told ESPN they are not actively shopping Fitzpatrick, but did not deny that they have given permission to Segal to discuss a trade with teams.

Fitzpatrick is still expected to play Sunday for Dolphins at home against the New England Patriots.

Fitzpatrick was part of a Dolphins defense that was exposed Sunday by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns in a 59-10 Baltimore rout.

Fitzpatrick, who was projected as a cornerback/safety out of Alabama, played three or four different positions against Baltimore. He has been uncomfortable with his constantly fluctuating role on the Dolphins' defense throughout the offseason.

During Miami's joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in August, Fitzpatrick's mom, Melissa, mentioned on Twitter that he was being incorrectly used at strong safety to suit other players' skill sets.

Fitzpatrick confirmed that he agreed with his mother's thoughts after that practice, saying, "She feels very strongly. She's not wrong. Coach has asked me to do something right now. I got to do what they ask me to do. If we have to have some discussions in the future, we'll have those discussions.

"I'm not 215 pounds, 220 pounds. So playing in the box isn't best suited for me, but that's what Coach is asking me to do."

A personnel man for one team had praise for Fitzpatrick as the "ideal slot corner who can cover, blitz off the edge, [is] intelligent, a good tackler and a good special teams player," but doubted that teams would be willing to part with a first-round draft choice in 2020.

Another GM felt that the Dolphins were unrealistic about their expectations on compensation for Fitzpatrick after "they got an arm and a leg for [Laremy] Tunsil from the Texans" before Week 1.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.

BALTIMORE -- Now that Rich Hill finally got past an arm injury, he's got a knee problem that might ruin his bid to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason.

Hill struggled with his control during his first start since June 19 and hurt his left knee in the process, a development that took the edge off a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

"It was an MCL strain, something that he dealt with initially early in spring training," manager Dave Roberts said. "He missed some time with that. We hadn't had any signs of that leading up to this outing."

After spending 12 weeks on the injured list with a strained left forearm, Hill was supposed to go two innings in his first step toward becoming a postseason contributor for the National League West champions. Instead, the 39-year-old failed to make it out of the first.

Hill opened by striking out Hanser Alberto with a 75 mph curveball and getting Jonathan Villar to swing through a third strike.

From there, the outing turned sour.

The lefty hit Trey Mancini in the foot with a pitch, issued a four-pitch walk to Anthony Santander, hit Renato Nunez with a pitch and forced in a run by walking rookie Austin Hays with the count full. That ended Hill's outing after 27 pitches, 13 of which missed the strike zone.

"You could see sometime after that second hitter, it just started to go down as far as velocity, command," Roberts said. "You could see him compensating a little bit, so had to get him out of there."

The frustration showed on Hill's face on the mound, in the dugout and in the clubhouse.

"After the last curveball on the second hitter there, I felt my knee and then I stupidly tried to pitch through it," he said. "I worked hard to get back and felt great."

And then he didn't.

"Unfortunately, it's another bump in the road," Hill said. "Hopefully, it's not too major."

The Dodgers trailed 2-1 in the sixth before Cody Bellinger knotted the score with a single for his 107th RBI. Los Angeles subsequently used a walk and an error to load the bases with two outs for No. 9 hitter Russell Martin. With the count full, Dylan Bundy (6-14) fired a high fastball that Martin swung at and missed. The ball glanced off the mitt of catcher Pedro Severino and traveled to the backstop.

Instead of having an inning-ending strikeout, Bundy watched in disgust from in front of the mound -- neglecting to cover the plate -- while Bellinger scored from the third base and Corey Seager followed for a 4-2 lead.

"I thought it was a strikeout," Bundy said. "From where I was, I couldn't really see where the ball was."

Roberts said, "Obviously, Bundy threw the ball well, got frustrated and, to be quite honest, quit on the play. For us to take advantage of it was big."

Tony Gonsolin (3-2) worked three innings of relief and Kenley Jansen got three straight outs for his 29th save.

Severino homered for the Orioles, who have lost 10 of 12.

INCENTIVE TO WIN

The Orioles long ago dropped out of the playoff chase, but they have no intention of coasting to the finish.

"I care. It matters a lot how we play," manager Brandon Hyde said. "I want to see us compete to the last inning of the last game. The message has been sent to our players, and I think they're going to do that."

Baltimore (47-99) is poised to lose 100 games for the second year in a row. Hyde, a rookie manager, was not here for the 47-115 embarrassment in 2018 that initiated an overhaul of the organization.

"It's a different team, it's a different year," he said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: An MRI exam on 3B Justin Turner revealed a mild ankle sprain. Roberts said Turner was unavailable Thursday and his status would be revisited Friday. "There's less concern now that we know it's a mild sprain," Roberts said. "With the sprain, time heals it. What that timeline is, is to be determined." Turner has missed four straight games. ... To make room on the roster for Hill, Los Angeles designated RHP Jaime Schultz for assignment.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (13-5, 3.06 ERA), who is 9-0 with a 2.14 ERA in 14 career starts against the New York Mets, gets the nod Friday night when Los Angeles opens a three-game series at Citi Field.

Orioles: In the opener of a four-game series Friday night in Detroit, Aaron Brooks (4-8, 6.21) tries to bounce back from his previous start, when he gave up six runs before getting an out against Texas.

SAN DIEGO -- The games are getting more and more important for the Chicago Cubs, which means one thing on a team whose starting rotation features pennant race stalwarts Jon Lester, Cole Hamels and Kyle Hendricks:

Give the ball to Yu Darvish.

In what might be the biggest surprise in a year of them for the up-and-down Cubs, their go-to guy on the mound is the starter who was their least accomplished a year ago -- as well as the least liked by the fan base. If Chicago is going to get anywhere this month -- or next -- it's going to need Darvish to lead the way. That was unthinkable just a few months ago.

"He has total command of what he's doing out there right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after his team's 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday. "He wants to be out there."

That last thought from Maddon might be the most important. Darvish isn't shying away from the challenge ahead. His 14 strikeouts against the Padres were his most in a game since 2013 and put him over the 200 strikeout mark for the season. He wanted the ball to start the second half of the season -- about the time his game started to come together -- and he wants it in the big games to come.

The Cubs are fighting for their playoff lives -- they currently are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the second wild-card position in the National League -- and can count on few things to go right for them on a nightly basis. But Darvish is one of them. Despite some recent forearm stiffness, he hasn't missed a beat. On Thursday, he threw 18 curveballs against the Padres, seven of them to end at-bats. San Diego went 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts in those at-bats. The curve is a pitch he's revisited since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015 and he credits teammate Craig Kimbrel for showing him a new way to throw it.

"His uncanny command of his breaking ball is ridiculously good, especially against left-handers," Maddon said. "There's nothing to say negative about his performance. It was great."

With Lester and Hamels, as well as a few other veterans, struggling, Darvish can't afford to stop now. He's set the bar so high for himself that when he walked two batters in the same inning Thursday, it was almost stunning. In fact, it was the first time he had done that since May 31. Of course, he got out of the jam, going six shutout innings and throwing 110 pitches.

"He's in a good spot right now," teammate Anthony Rizzo said.

In fact, Darvish is in a better spot than his team as the Cubs still can't get out of their own way on the road. They went 3-5 on their just-completed eight-game trip, while opening the door for the Brewers to re-enter the playoff picture. The Darvish gem on Thursday prevented an unthinkable series loss to the Padres, but did it merely delay a collapse that some fans feel is inevitable? Darvish and Rizzo are not by any means ready to concede that point.

"I know the last 10 days was tough, but we still have to compete each and every day," Darvish said.

Meanwhile, Rizzo might have a new place in the batting order as the Cubs continue to struggle with the leadoff spot. He returned to the top of the order Thursday, walking and scoring a run in the first inning while providing the spark all leadoff men strive for. Is he all-in for hitting leadoff?

"I'm all-in on winning," Rizzo responded. "We have to win. Whatever it takes. ... I've had a good amount of at-bats in this league to know what pitchers are doing. Batting first or ninth doesn't matter."

There's a desperation in Rizzo's voice that you don't hear very often. The calming, "we have time" mantra has been replaced by a win-at-all-costs narrative. The somber locker room after a shutout loss Wednesday morphed into a positive vibe after Darvish's performance on Thursday. Add in the fact that the Cubs begin a 10-game homestand Friday, and the team has one last opportunity to put themselves in the right position for the final days of the season -- and the final road trip.

For Maddon, it means directing everything with a steady hand. "Everyone likes anger at these moments or being upset," Maddon said of the Cubs' tenuous position. "It's just not the right way to do things. For me, it's continuing of the same process. A different method is not going to extrapolate what you're looking for."

Of course, that doesn't apply to Darvish, who set out to change the narrative after a dismal 2018 season. Fitting in as one of the pieces this year seemingly would have been just fine, but instead, he's taken over the role of ace. Over his last 11 starts, including Thursday, Darvish has a 2.44 ERA while giving up just 46 hits in 66⅓ innings. He has struck out 93 while walking six -- and had the gall to say this about Thursday's outing: "Not good enough, but I threw the right pitch in the right situation."

It was more than good enough for the Cubs, who are desperately seeking sparks of life wherever they can find them. And what was unthinkable at one time has become almost a sure thing: If the Cubs have the luxury of lining up their rotation, Darvish is now the man at the top, be it for a wild-card game, Game 1 of a division series or even a tiebreaking Game No. 163.

Asked if he would want the ball in such a situation, Darvish gave a nod, but kept his thoughts close to the vest. "I don't want to think too much [ahead]," he answered. "I want to focus on each pitch."

Maddon wouldn't go there either, not with such a precarious hold on a playoff spot.

"That's something you think about when you get closer to the finish line," he stated.

But anyone who's followed the Cubs knows the situation at hand. Veterans who had been considered sure things are no longer reliable. And what was once considered a bad free agent signing has now produced the Cubs' savior on the mound.

Rizzo was asked how he would prepare to face Darvish, who's at the top of his game.

"I'd probably just hit right-handed," he said with a smile.

Smiles have been hard to come by for the Cubs on the road this season, but watching Darvish perform provided a needed lift. Now he just has to do it again. And again. And perhaps again.

Willstrop falls to Zahed; Nantes semi-finals switch to best of five
By MATT COLES – Squash Mad Correspondent

New Zealand’s Paul Coll and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry are through to the semi finals of the Open de France – Nantes after both surviving scares in their last eight clashes at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne.

The Kiwi played in the final match of the night at the PSA World Tour Silver event, with play going on past midnight. He overcame Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet, to the anguish of the partisan crowd that had gathered around the glass court at the Chateau.

The first game was tight all the way through, with both men having several game balls as it went into a tie-break. Castagnet was the man to take it 15-13 to take a lead in the match. However, the World No.6 battled back to take the second game, restricting the Frenchman to just three points, as he levelled the match at one game apiece.

The third and deciding game had a little bit of everything, as both the Kiwi and the home favourite put everything on the line for a place in the semi finals. Eventually, after an epic 63 minute battle, it would be ‘Superman’ that would take the victory. He won the third game 11-9 to seal the win, booking his place in the semi finals.

“I am very relieved to get through that. I thought it was quite high quality in the first [game]. I had my opportunities to close it out which would have been nice, and the I played well in the second,” Coll admitted.

“He [Castagnet] is such a fighter, and I always think that I have got him but he just keeps digging in. He looks like he is about to fall over but he keeps going. He is a real pain, but I loved the battle. It was amazing to hear the crowd and the atmosphere, as much as I didn’t enjoy it, I also absolutely loved it.

“I pushed my shoulders back and stood up a bit taller [in the third game]. I told myself to fight and take the last bit of the game to him. It was now or never if I was going to save it. I had a few mental words to myself to push myself to the finish line.

“It is best-of-five tomorrow so it is probably going to be even later than tonight. I am just going to have a good day tomorrow, sleep as long as possible after doing my recovery tonight. Just relax tomorrow, it is a long day because it is not until the evening that we play, so I will probably have a hit and then see what happens.”

Coll will now face Zahed Salem in the last four tonight as the tournament changes to the traditional best-of-five format. The Egyptian got the better of former World No.1 James Willstrop in straight games to make his way into the last four.

The first game saw Salem run out Ito a big lead, as he stayed focussed despite some of Willlstrop’s trademark shots. The Englishman saved four game balls, but Salem eventually got over the line to take it 11-8.

In the second, Willstrop came out fighting, but it would be the World No.14 that would go on to take the victory 11-7. 

“First of all, I want to say thank you to the sponsors because I love this tournament and I am so happy to be back. To be playing in front of this crowd, it is great to be playing for you guys,” Salem said.

“It is always a pleasure to play such a great player. It is not easy to play against him. I lost twice to him in the past, with one of those coming here in Nantes last year. It was five tough games, but today, I wanted to go for the win as we were playing best-of-three, so I pushed really hard to start with and the plan worked well.

“One of my plans was that I was going to give everything in the first game because if you win it, you only need one more push to win the match. I am happy that it worked well and I am proud of how I played. I worked really well in the summer and I am glad to be through to the semi finals.”

Meanwhile in the women’s draw, England’s World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry had to come from behind to overcome compatriot Emily Whitlock 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 to book her place in the semi-finals in Nantes.

Birmingham-born Perry started off slowly, with Whitlock taking full advantage of her opponent’s start. In her 250th match on the PSA World Tour, she took the first game 11-7 to move into the lead. However, as the reigning Oracle Netsuite Open champion got into the match, her squash improved, and she was able to battle back to take the second and send the tie into a deciding game.

The third was a tight affair, with neither player wanting to give their opponent any ground. But the No.2 seed squeezed home.

“The crowds have been great all week and weirdly, it is really nice when your opponent plays a good rally and they clap, because you then know not to beat yourself up too much. The crowd were fantastic and every point at the end they were up,” Perry said.

“We played in a club match about six months ago and I am not sure that was actually the same player. She [Whitlock] has improved massively and she just came out firing. I watched her the other day and she did the same. It took me a game to get into it, despite telling myself not to do that.

“I had to really dig in there and in the end, I thought I was moving better than I expected to. I think that just about got me over the line in the end. I am happy to come through that because she is playing some really good squash.”

The Englishwoman will face off against US No.1 Amanda Sobhy in the semi-finals, after the World No.8 defeated fellow American Olivia Blatchford Clyne in three games in the opening match of the evening’s action. She began and finished strongly, winning both games by an 11-1 margin after Blatchford-Clyne had taken the second.



“I think that having such an amazing crowd helps, it was just the difficulty of having to play another US team-mate and good friend,” Sobhy admitted about the match.

“I had to just put that out of sight and try to focus on that she was just another opponent. I think we just wanted to come out and put on a good show for this amazing crowd, which I hope we did.

“Impressive is an understatement. This is definitely one of the best venues we are going to play at on tour, and I am just happy to be a part of it. I think that gives all of us a little added incentive because I don’t think any of us want to stop playing in front of this crowd!”

For once, with the Egyptian big guns missing, each semi-final group will feature players from four nations in action.

Open de France – Nantes, Chateau Des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, France.

Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) bt [7] James Willstrop (ENG) 2-0: 11-8, 11-7 (29m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 2-1: 13-15, 11-3, 11-9 (63m)

Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [7] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 2-1: 11-1, 6-11, 11-1 (25m)
[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) beats Emily Whitlock (ENG) 2-1: 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (34m)

TODAY
Men’s Semi-Finals (Friday September 13):
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [3] Joel Makin (WAL)
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)
Women’s Semi-Finals (Friday September 13):
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 

Report by MATT COLES (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Kevin Na had to wait a few extra months to defend his title at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, and he appears keen to keep his hands on the hardware.

Na broke a seven-year victory drought last year on the Old White TPC, blitzing the field in the final round for a five-shot win. He's since added another victory at Colonial, but with the revamped PGA Tour schedule he had to wait until September to defend the title he won at this event last July.

Na showed once again why he cruised to victory last year, opening the new wraparound season with a 6-under 64 that featured four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. It left him in a large tie for second after the opening round, two shots behind leader Robby Shelton.

"I have a lot of good memories here, and I'm excited to be back defending. Nice to see my picture up on the wall and have my own defending champion locker," Na told reporters. "But I played great today. Hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts. Gave myself plenty of opportunities."

Na has not played competitively since a final-round 80 at The Northern Trust nearly a month ago. He qualified for the BMW Championship but withdrew before the no-cut event began, opting to return home to be with his wife, Julianne, who was pregnant with the couple's second child. The couple welcomed a son, Leo, on Aug. 19, and the Nas have already begun adjusting to life as a family of 4.

"I've had a lot of help at home, which is great. I've had plenty of sleep," Na said. "You learn so much having kids. This is our second child, and you learn to appreciate things that you never even thought about. I'm very blessed, our family is very blessed to have two beautiful kids."

Jamaica Tallawahs' Andre Russell was stretchered off the ground by medical staff after a blow to his helmet in the first innings of Jamaica Tallawahs' clash against St Lucia Zouks at Sabina Park on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the 14th over, after Russell, batting on zero, failed to connect with a pull. Zouks pacer Hardus Viljoen had bowled a short ball, and the ball struck Russell's helmet near the right ear.

Russell immediately dropped to the ground and the Zouks fielders then removed his helmet. When the medical team rushed in to check on Russell, the batsman looked weary but stood up on his feet.

Russell was beginning to walk off, retired hurt, when he was made to stop. A stretcher was brought in, and Russell - with a neck brace on - was taken off. At first look, it appeared Russell's helmet did not have a neck guard.

Three overs after the incident, Tallawahs head coach Donovan Miller told the broadcasters that "there was no update on Russell just yet."

Tallawahs finished the first innings on 170 for 5, adding only 38 runs in the last six overs.

The NBA 2K League announced on Thursday that Heat Check Gaming power forward Basil "24K Dropoff" Rose was dismissed and disqualified from joining any of the league's teams for breaking the league's gambling policy.

In a release from the league, an investigation determined that Rose provided inside information to somebody he "knew was betting on NBA 2K League games."

The league maintains that the integrity of games was not compromised, stating: "The investigation did not find that Rose attempted to fix or otherwise improperly participate in any NBA 2K League game."

Rose helped Heat Check Gaming get to the finals of the 2018 playoffs. He was a third-round draft pick by Heat Check Gaming in 2018 and was retained by the team this year.

"Heat Check Gaming believes in the spirit and integrity of competition," the team said in a statement. "We stand behind the league and its ruling."

On Wednesday, Heat Check Gaming protected Stanley "MaJes7ic" Lebron and Juan "Hotshot" Gonzalez" ahead of the Sept. 26 expansion draft that will provide players to a new team for 2020, Hornets Venom GT.

In the 2019 season, Heat Check Gaming finished 17th out of 21 teams with a 6-10 record.

-- Field Level Media

LAS VEGAS -- Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore says he underwent surgery for testicular cancer during the offseason and is expected to make a full recovery.

Theodore revealed his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment in an essay Thursday in The Players' Tribune.

Theodore didn't indicate whether he will be ready for the start of training camp but did write that he "can't wait to be back doing what I love." Theodore, who was selected by the Knights in the expansion draft prior to their inaugural season, finished eighth on the team last season with 37 points.

A failed drug test while playing for Team Canada at the world championships in May led to the discovery of the cancer, he wrote.

After receiving his silver medal, he was approached by a man who asked Theodore to accompany him to an isolated room.

"There were four other guys in suits sitting there, waiting for me," he wrote. "That's when I thought, 'O.K. that's weird.' Then they told me the news. I'd failed the drug test that I'd taken before the quarterfinals."

The men told Theodore his sample showed elevated levels of the hormone hCG, which is found in women during pregnancy. Bodybuilders who take anabolic steroids, such as testosterone, will sometimes use hCG to prevent or reverse side effects caused by steroids, such as testicular shrinkage and infertility.

For Theodore, hCG turned out to be an indicator of testicular cancer.

Theodore wrote that he had amazing support from his teammates after the diagnosis and surgery.

He will donate to early-detection causes for every point he records this season and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation will match that dollar for dollar.