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TOP STORY: United bracing for Madrid's Pogba push

Gareth Bale's impending move to China is set to open up substantial funds for Real Madrid's summer transfer kitty, and The Mirror claims Manchester United are preparing themselves for a Madrid onslaught after manager Zinedine Zidane ordered Bernabeu bosses to bring in Paul Pogba.

Bale's departure frees up wages of around £600,000 a week, which will allow Real to prepare a lucrative financial package in an attempt to entice Pogba to make the switch to La Liga.

Reports claim that United have no interest in selling their World Cup-winning midfielder, but it is believed that stance will not deter Madrid, who will have to smash their transfer record if they are to sign the Frenchman.

Zidane has made no secret of his admiration of compatriot Pogba, while the 26-year-old admitted in March that it would "be a dream" to join the Galacticos.

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12.04 BST: Juventus have made a decision over the future of forward Gonzalo Higuain which is that he is not part of their future plans, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.

The report claims Bianconeri director Fabio Paratici has informed Higuain's agent and brother, Nicolas, that the Argentine has no future at the club.

Roma are the frontrunners for Higuain's signature, should they offload Inter Milan target Edin Dzeko.

11.28 BST: Former Manchester United and Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck is struggling to find a new club after being released by the Gunners due to his high wage demands, according to The Sun.

The article claims Lazio and various Premier League clubs would be interested in the Englishman, but have been put off by his demands of £100,000-a-week and a £5 million signing-on bonus.

11.03 BST: There have been some suggestions that Gareth Bale could be loan to Inter Milan should he complete his move to Jiangu Suning.

Suning, who own the Jiangsu club, are also the majority shareholders of Inter -- and there is precedent for players moving between the two clubs.

Australia international Trent Sainsbury joined Jiangsu from Dutch side PEC Zwolle ahead of 2016 Chinese Super League season, but left to join Inter on loan.

Meanwhile, ex-Italy international Eder left Inter to join Jiangsu in 2018.

10.38 BST: Leicester want Manchester United to pay more of the £80 million they are demanding for Harry Maguire, because they don't believe the Old Trafford side will qualify for the Champions League next season, according to the Daily Mail.

United have made the England international their No. 1 defensive transfer target this summer, but the two clubs have so far been unable to agree on a fee.

10.09 BST: Inter Milan will meet Roma on Monday to discuss the signing of Edin Dzeko with the Giallorossi valuing the former Manchester City man at €20 million, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

However, the same article adds Inter have lined up Paris Saint-Germain frontman Edinson Cavani, who the Ligue 1 champions value at €50m, as a backup option.

09.37 BST: Dani Alves has formalised a plan to return to Barcelona...alongside Neymar, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The report claims the recent Copa America winner believes Neymar would benefit from his presence at Camp Nou and, that with him returning, Barca could include Nelson Semedo -- a Paris Saint-Germain target -- in any deal for the world's most expensive player.

09.00 BST: We kick off today with done deal as Liverpool have signed 16-year-old Harvey Elliott from Fulham.

Elliott -- the youngest player in Premier League history -- was a target for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, and Borussia Dortmund.

But it's Liverpool who have won the race for his signature.

Sarri seeks Juve midfield reinforcements

Calciomercato claims Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri isn't quite convinced with his midfield options at the club and is hoping sporting director Fabio Paratici can land at least one of his three main targets.

The trio in the frame are Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Lazio, Real Madrid's Isco and Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen -- the latter of whom has just a year left on his contract in north London, meaning the Serie A champions could potentially secure yet another bargain in the transfer market.

Such a signing requires Juve to push some of their current crop out the door, however, with Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi reportedly out of favour in Turin.

It is believed former Chelsea boss Sarri is looking to swap out the more defensive-minded midfield role in the side for an attacking 10-goal-a-season player.

PSG in pole position for Rose after Newcastle priced out

Newcastle United appear to have dropped out of the running to sign Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose, after Steve Bruce's side turned their noses up at the England international's wage demands, says The Sun.

The 29-year-old reportedly earns £60,000 a week at Spurs, and with the Magpies targeting players on around £50,000 a week, it seems they have been priced out of a move for the Champions League runner-up.

That news will be a welcome development for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, with the former believing they are now in pole position for the one-time Leeds man, thanks to their financial clout in the wage department.

Rose didn't travel with the Spurs squad for their preseason tour of Asia, and boss Mauricio Pochettino will not stand in his way should a suitable offer come in.

- Premier League fixtures 2019-20 in full
- Who has qualified for Europe from the Premier League?
- When does the transfer window close?

Out-of-work Alves posts Insta plea

It's hard to imagine a guy with a CV like the one Dani Alves has would have to post a plea on social media that he is in search of work, but that's what happened on Saturday when the Brazil international posted this message on Instagram.

The former Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona standout has won club and international trophies the world over from Champions League crowns to league titles in Spain, Italy and France, but that hasn't moved the needle for any prominent clubs to make a move for the free agent.

And Alves isn't short on references to go with his résumé, either. After making his Insta post, he received shoutouts of support from Neymar, Renato Augusto and Douglas Costa vouching for the player's quality and his ability to still be a top player for a top club.

One final show of support came from Alves' partner Joana Sanz, who suggested the 36-year-old look for work with second-tier Spanish side Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Although we're not sure if that idea was more for Alves' benefit or his partner's!

Tap-ins

- Speaking of good references, The Sun reports that Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, who scored an outrageous goal against Charlton on Saturday, has the backing of Sir Alex Ferguson for a move to Manchester United. McGinn's father is a friend of Sir Alex's, and the former United boss has urged the Red Devils to bring the Scotland international to Old Trafford.

- The never-ending saga surrounding a move to Manchester United for Leicester defender Harry Maguire is currently, and still, never-ending. The Leicester Mercury says Brendan Rodgers hasn't seen any acceptable offers for the England international, while the Mail adds the timing of the payment on a rumoured £80m fee continues to be a sticking point.

- Wolves are looking to build on their impressive seventh-place finish last season in the Premier League by raiding AC Milan for Patrick Cutrone to help their cause, according to The Express. Nuno Espirito Santo's side made their first acquisition of the summer on Saturday with the addition of Jesus Vallejo on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.

- The Sun claims Newcastle are looking to seal a cut-price deal for Amiens defender Emil Krafth. The 24-year-old Sweden international, who also had a four-year spell at Serie A side Bologna, could be set to make the switch to St James' Park for around £1m.

- Fulham manager Scott Parker is looking to make further additions to his squad ahead of the new season, and The Sun claims he is interested in signing Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter -- who also is Parker's brother-in-law. The 29-year-old is out of favour on the south coast, and he could be available for around £8m.

- Reports in The Sun claim Turkish giants Galatasaray are in the running to sign former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill on a free transfer, and they are hoping that a little help from Blues legend and former Gala striker Didier Drogba can persuade the 33-year-old to make the switch.

Standing in the middle of the Trent Bridge outfield during warm-ups for the pivotal Test match of the 2015 Ashes series, Peter Siddle confided to Ricky Ponting that he thought his international career was at an end.

Siddle had just been told by the selectors Darren Lehmann and Rod Marsh that he was being left out for the fourth Test match in a row, despite the Nottingham pitch looking absolutely tailored to his skills of seam, swing and accuracy with just enough speed. Exasperated, Siddle faced the very real possibility that at 30, he would not be chosen again.

"I think it was very tough, it's probably some of the toughest times," Siddle said. "I know injuries are always a tough thing, you can deal with that and it's not too bad. But I think missing out on opportunities … you always believe you should be picked, that's how you should feel but when you see conditions that are suited to you, that's when it hurts the most.

"I remember at Trent Bridge just after being told I wasn't part of that Test match, the boys were warming up and I went and had a conversation with Punter out in the middle of the field.

"We were looking at the wicket and he couldn't believe that I wasn't playing, and that's when I said to him 'If I'm not getting picked here, I don't think I'll ever get picked again'. And that was the honest truth.

"I thought at that time I mightn't get another opportunity to play but obviously Joshy [Hazlewood] got a little bit injured and I got an opportunity to play the last Test and performed well there and that gave me another little crack at representing. But I thought at that stage I mightn't get the opportunity again, so ever since then I definitely tried making the most of every opportunity I've had."

Of course, the chaos that followed after England won the toss, razing the Australians for 60 and underlining how the high pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood was not ideally suited to conditions that called for wobbling the Dukes ball around, led to a rethink once the urn was lost. Siddle returned for Test at The Oval, claimed six wickets at low cost in an innings victory for the tourists, and sowed the seeds for his return to England in 2019, via some prolific bowling spells for Essex in the county championship.

To his evident relief, Siddle believes that the Australian team of 2019 has evolved its thinking about how to play in English climes, meaning that at 34, he is well and truly in the mix to take part in the series should similar pitches emerge to assist the likes of James Anderson and Chris Woakes.

"I reckon it's something we've developed and we're a lot better prepared for coming into this series," Siddle said. "The chats I've had with different coaches - Troy Cooley and JL and all the coaches around the squad - we're a lot more aware of the set-up and the team dynamics to win a series in England.

"A couple of other series I've played in we haven't been quite suited to the conditions and we've gone about it the wrong way. But with the squad that's been picked, and the players that are in and around the group, I think we've got a good skills set and whatever is dished up to us wicket-wise, we'll be able to handle whatever they throw at us."

"I'm definitely bowling a lot better than I ever have in these conditions, and I think that's the best thing I bring to this team now"

Certainly, Justin Langer has been eager to keep Siddle in the loop ever since he took up the national coaching job in May last year. "Last year, I was going well playing for Essex and I had a couple of messages and a couple of phone calls with him," Siddle said. "It was one message after we chatted one time, he said 'Just remember that every game counts'. That was how I was seeing things anyway, but to hear it from the coach is a good thing as well.

"And that's what I've done. It doesn't matter who I've played, all I've wanted to do is perform well for the team.

"That's how I've gone about it, and that's how I finished the summer back home. Then to come back here and perform well again for Essex, I knew I'd given myself every chance to be on another Ashes series and hopefully play again for Australia.

"We've always been in contact over the years, at different stages. My first Shield game was against him - he abused me from first slip while I batted out a draw. It didn't start off too well, but I think we've always been reasonably close Obviously his time as batting coach with the team as well, so there was always a bit of communication and that message is the one that sticks in my mind - just concentrating on every game, and making the most of it."

Much was made of the fact that Siddle had, in mid-career, adopted numerous lifestyle changes such as taking meat out of his diet. He also adapted his bowling from the rough and tumble of his earliest days for Victoria and Australia to being a far cannier operator, concentrating on persistence, accuracy and subtle movement in the style beloved of Terry Alderman (83 Ashes wickets in just two tours of England in 1981 and 1989).

"I think it's probably been a key to my last five or six years, as to how I go about keeping the body right," Siddle said. "I'm only getting older, I'm a lot older than most of the other guys but it's my commitment to being on the park. The only way you can get opportunities like this and play is if you're fit, and on the park. So it's just about doing everything right and the changes I've made over time have helped me to stay on the park, to be a bit more committed, it's made me a lot more diligent about the way I go about my preparation.

"I'm very focused on being right and being ready to go. I'm in a good frame of mind. The confidence I've got from the last two seasons, being over here and playing cricket for Essex has put me in a good position to know I'm comfortable with my game in England, and knowing that if I get the opportunity to play throughout this series that I'm as ready as ever. I'm definitely bowling a lot better than I ever have in these conditions, and I think that's the best thing I bring to this team now.

"I know I've done well, I've got a pretty good record in Ashes Test matches in England but I think my experience, over the last couple of years I've learned a lot of new skills. So I think I can play a big part in this series."

Now, Siddle is comfortable not only in his bowling, but his belief that the selectors see its value - even when they have Starc, Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson to call upon this time around. "I came here in 2009, and the blokes that played were myself, Mitch Johnson and Hilfy [Ben Hilfenhaus] and none of us had played an Ashes series or in England, and we were the ones who were thrown in to try and win it.

"We still had Brett Lee and Stuart Clark on the sidelines, and we came out as a young side and we did all right but we just had no skills set in England. The next time round it was probably the same thing, a little bit inexperienced. Definitely in an Ashes series, I believe it is the strongest line-up in the time that I've played that we're going to be able to put out there on the park. We've got players who have played cricket in England, I think that's something if you go back 10, 15, 20 years ago, a lot of blokes had the opportunity to come over and play county cricket whether they were batters or bowlers.

"They'd spent a little bit of time over getting an understanding and a feel for the conditions they might get at the international level. There's obviously a few of us who have been over here this year playing county cricket, and especially from a bowlers' point of view that they've had the opportunity over past series - whether it's one-day or Test cricket - to have played in the conditions. We've given ourselves the best chance now. The players that we've got in the group are strong and ready to do battle here and hopefully, finally, get that away series win in England."

Toss Bangladesh chose to bat v Sri Lanka

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal decided to bat against Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne had taken the same decision in the first game, which they won by 91 runs.

Both teams brought in an extra spinner. Sri Lanka had to make one change as Lasith Malinga retired from ODIs after the first game of this series. They brought in Isuru Udana and also dropped Thisara Perera for Akila Dananjaya.

Bangladesh made only one change, bringing in Taijul Islam for Rubel Hossain, who was more economical than the other regular pace bowlers in the first ODI. Taijul played the last of his four ODIs in September 2016.

Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mohammad Mithun, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Akila Dananjaya, 9 Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Isuru Udana

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals released defensive end Robert Nkemdiche on Saturday, one day after he arrived at training camp out of shape.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't hold back when asked Friday about how the former first-round pick showed up to camp.

"Not in shape, I guess," the usually reserved Kingsbury said. "And that's kind of where we'll leave it. I mean, he's on [the physically unable to perform list], and he's working through that. When he is cleared, we'll work with him."

Kingsbury's answer was a detour from his typical responses this offseason. The first-year coach has developed a reputation for saying little about players and not naming names.

Nkemdiche, the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, was arrested June 6 for speeding and driving with a suspended license.

A defensive lineman whose career has been riddled with injuries -- he had been recovering from ACL surgery in December -- the Ole Miss product has 44 career tackles and 4.5 sacks, the latter all coming in 2018. The Cardinals did not pick up the fifth-year option on his contract.

"I'll internally bleed red forever, thankful for the opportunity to grow as a player and experience the culture it was an ecstatic ride," Nkemdiche wrote in an Instagram post. "The fans, coaches, teammates only love and genuine moments. But, Nothing last forever time to continue the journey and keep elevating,on to the next fix ... let's go!!!!!!!!!!"

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Max Holloway has made a successful return to his featherweight throne.

After an interim title fight loss at lightweight in April, Holloway came back home to featherweight, beating Frankie Edgar to retain his UFC title Saturday night in the main event of UFC 240 at Rogers Place. The victory came via comprehensive unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) against a game Edgar, the former lightweight champion. It was Holloway's third successful 145-pound title defense.

"Everybody said I wasn't able to wrestle with this guy," Holloway said. "I wanted to prove a point and go five rounds with him, so I could let the world know I'm here to stay. The 'Blessed' express is still on the move."

The first round was very close, with Edgar having some of his best moments, landing a nice right hand. But as it got later, Holloway got better, as he has been known to do. The champion bloodied the challenger with a right hand in the second and finished the frame with a spinning back kick to the body.

Holloway nearly finished Edgar in the third round, knocking out his mouthpiece with a pair of uppercuts. Holloway moved forward and landed a combination against the cage, but Edgar scored a late takedown that allowed him to survive.

Things didn't get much better for Edgar in the fourth and fifth rounds, though. Holloway's range and precise striking was too much. Holloway busted Edgar's nose with a jab in the fourth and finished that round strong with a combination and spinning back kick. Edgar came back with a solid fifth round, but again Holloway kept him on the end of his jab and landed hard right hands.

Edgar tried to get away from Holloway's striking via his vaunted wrestling, particularly late in the fight, but failed on 13 of 14 takedown attempts. Holloway, ranked No. 6 in ESPN's pound-for-pound MMA rankings, extended his record of fights with more than 100 significant strikes landed to nine.

"Frankie is a true warrior," Holloway said. "He's the guy who inspired me to be here. You're the man, Frank."

Holloway (21-4) went up to fight Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title at UFC 236 three months ago and lost by unanimous decision. The Hawai'ian striker took some damage in that fight, but came back no worse for wear. Holloway, 27, has won 13 straight at featherweight and owns a UFC-record 16 wins at 145 pounds. This was Holloway's first decision victory since he beat Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199 in June 2016.

Edgar (22-7-1), a future UFC Hall of Famer, was competing in his ninth career UFC title bout. The New Jersey native is now the first fighter to spend more than seven total hours in the Octagon during his UFC career. Edgar, 37, is 0-3 in featherweight title fights, with the previous two losses coming against Jose Aldo. He had not fought since an April 2018 win over Cub Swanson, the longest layoff of his 14-year career.

Training camps are underway, so now we really have something to get excited about. Universal optimism for NFL fan bases is probably never higher than it is this week, before preseason injuries and regular-season losses can put a damper on things.

Before turning the calendar to August, our ESPN Fantasy staff got together for our latest mock, a 10-team, non-PPR setup featuring the following participants (in order of draft position): Jim McCormick, Eric Karabell, Damian Dabrowski, Kyle Soppe, Mike Clay, Keith Lipscomb, Mike Triplett, Tristan H. Cockcroft, KC Joyner and Field Yates.

While the first round was expectedly running back-heavy, the biggest surprise of Round 1 came when a tight end came off the board before a wide receiver did. Cockcroft selected Travis Kelce eighth overall, which was seven spots earlier than the Chiefs star went in each of our first two mocks, both of which were PPR setups.

"I didn't feel great about Todd Gurley at that spot -- I was really hoping either David Johnson or Melvin Gordon would slide," Cockcroft said. "But knowing this group, I was confident Gurley would make it back to my pick at 13 -- which he did -- anyway."

Cockcroft went on to explain his thoughts on having a later draft slot in this mock.

"The problem with a back-end pick in a non-PPR draft is that you're not going to get any of the premium running backs," he said, "meaning you'll need to maximize every other lineup spot you can, which also explains the Deshaun Watson pick later [third QB selected]. We project Kelce for roughly 40 points more than any other tight end in the format. That's huge."

The first wideout (DeAndre Hopkins) didn't go until the final pick of the first round, and quarterbacks lasted a long time, like always in our staff mocks. Two of our drafters (Clay and Karabell) even waited until the final round to select one. Clay said he "drafted his kicker and defense before QB on principle" after seeing how many quality signal-callers were still available late.

That's the state of the position right now, and especially in a 10-team league, it's why many use the middle rounds to load up on backs and receivers instead of taking QBs and tight ends (once the top three are gone).

Here are the round-by-round results:

ST. LOUIS -- Carlos Correa launched his first career grand slam and drove in five runs. Paul Goldschmidt homered for the sixth game in a row.

But after Correa and the Houston Astros beat Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on Saturday, it was another hit that attracted all the attention.

With Houston holding a seven-run lead in the eighth inning, Yairo Munoz went hard into second base on a grounder to break up a double play. Munoz slid through the bag and took out Correa, spiking the star shortstop's right elbow in the process.

"It was a brutal slide," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "You're supposed to hold the base. He's not holding the base, there's not a mechanism to really get an automatic double play if he can't try to turn a double play. It's an unnecessary slide, he didn't need to go all the way through the base and hit Carlos. The slide rule fails again. It didn't protect Carlos there."

Hinch said the umpires told him an automatic double play was not an option since Correa made no attempt to throw to first base.

Correa, activated from the injured list Friday after recovering from a broken rib, had numbness in his fingers immediately after the collision. He finished the inning, but was lifted for pinch hitter Aledmys Diaz in the ninth.

"My fingers got numb, so that's when I started to worry at first, but right now I feel great," Correa said. "I should be good for tomorrow. . I know him (Munoz). I don't think he would try to play to hurt me. It didn't look clean, but I don't think he would try to take me out and try to get me hurt."

Goldschmidt tied a Cardinals record with Matt Carpenter and Mark McGwire for consecutive games with a home run. St. Louis had won six in a row before this loss in an interleague matchup of division leaders.

"It's an impressive feat," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "That's who he is, what he's capable of, and just goes out, takes good at bats and lets his talent work."

Gerrit Cole (12-3) improved to 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA since June 1. He struck out seven, raising his major league-leading total to 212, and allowed four hits in seven innings.

Goldschmidt's 24th homer was a solo drive in the fourth and accounted for the only run off Cole.

"My command was just not really there today but we did a good job of missing in good spots and mixing pitches," Cole said. "I thought they did put some good swings on balls, some of the contact worked in our favor in especially regards to keeping the pitch count down and getting a few double plays and getting some quick outs, saved a few bullets for some situations were maybe we could get a little cute kind of around the zone with runners in scoring position."

Correa's opposite-field blast drive to right off Michael Wacha blew open the game in the third and was the Astros' major league-leading 10th grand slam this season. Wacha was brought in to face Correa after starter Daniel Ponce de Leon walked the bases loaded.

Ponce de Leon (1-1) went 2⅓ innings, his shortest career start and the third straight in which he failed to last past the fourth inning. He walked four and struck out none.

Correa added an RBI single in the first as the Astros won for the eighth time in their past 10 games. George Springer drove in two with a triple in the eighth and Yuli Gurriel extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

Correa's homer was the lone run Wacha allowed through 4⅓ innings of relief. He struck out five and walked none.

"I felt good throughout the whole night," Wacha said. "I felt like I was throwing strikes and quality strikes down in the zone, getting ahead of guys. I just wish I could have that one pitch back."

CRYSTAL ANNIVERSARY

Members of the Cardinals' 2004 team were on hand to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the franchise's 16th National League pennant. That club went 105-57 and defeated the Astros in seven games in the National League Championship Series before being swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

HOT TICKET

The attendance was 46,518, the 13th sellout of the season at Busch Stadium.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Ryan Pressly (right knee soreness) is day to day.

"Everybody's got to work through something," Pressly said. "I'm in the training room getting treatment and I've got all the faith in my training staff to get me right."

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler is day to day and was not in the starting lineup after leaving Friday's game in the eighth inning after fouling a ball off of his left foot. INF Jedd Gyorko (back strain, right wrist) will begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Astros: LHP Wade Miley (8-4, 3.18) will pitch in the finale of a three-game series at St. Louis on Sunday. Miley is 2-3 with a 4.41 ERA in six career starts against the Cardinals.

Cardinals: RHP Dakota Hudson (10-4, 3.61 ERA) will make his first career appearance against the Astros. In his previous start, Hudson became the first Cardinals rookie to notch 10 wins in a season by game No. 100 since Shelby Miller in 2013.

MILWAUKEE -- The Chicago Cubs say they are in disbelief as losses continue to mount on the road, many coming in late-inning, heartbreaking fashion.

The latest? Saturday's 5-3, 10-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, which dropped them into a second-place tie with their National League Central rivals.

"I've never seen anything like this," reliever Steve Cishek said. "I have no answers. I really don't."

Cishek blew a 2-0 eighth-inning lead Saturday night. The Cubs retook the lead in the 10th inning on an Albert Almora Jr. home run. But hot-hitting Brewers Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura both went deep off Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the 10th, sending Chicago to 19-31 away from Wrigley Field this season.

"It's disappointing," Kimbrel said. "We need to win games like that. It sucks."

The Cubs are 1-4 on their current road trip, and in each loss, they were leading or tied in the eighth inning or later.

It has led to some ugly moments:

• Their eight blown saves in July is tied for the most in baseball.

• On Saturday, they blew multiple save opportunities in the same game for the second time this season. Only the Mets have done that more.

• In 542 appearances before this season, Kimbrel had given up multiple home runs in the same outing just only once. In 12 games as a Cub, he has done it twice already.

The meltdown Saturday came after starter Jon Lester asked out after seven innings due to an illness that led to him being scratched from a start earlier in the week. He was pitching a gem against Milwaukee but said he was "gassed."

"Not too many times I go up to Joe [Maddon] or Tommy [Hottovy, pitching coach] ... but tonight was one of them," he said. "Tonight was very tough. I felt like we were in pretty good control of that game. That's how quick things can turn around here."

Maddon went to Cishek despite the right-hander throwing 26 pitches over two innings in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers. He was greeted with a home run by Ben Gamel and a double by Lorenzo Cain on the next pitch.

Was he gassed, too? Maddon didn't think so.

"Cishek was ready to go today," the Cubs manager said.

The Cubs are 5-11 in one-run affairs away from Wrigley this season. There are many questions but no answers right now for the disparity between their stellar 36-18 mark at home and the results on the road.

"It's tough to be on this end," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "Seems like when it doesn't go your way it pours on you at different times of the season. This is one of those stretches. We just have to keep fighting.

"It's strange. It's something this era of Cubs baseball hasn't experienced. It should even out [on the road]. Not to where we want it. This year it hasn't, but we can start writing our own script tomorrow."

The Cubs and Brewers are a game behind the first-place Cardinals in the Central. The Cubs head to St. Louis after Sunday's series finale. With a 4-14 road record within the division, the Cubs are desperate for a victory.

"You see the division," Cishek said. "It's close all the way through. We just have to think of it as a rough stretch."

BOSTON -- At the end of arguably the worst week a New York Yankees pitching staff ever has gone through, pitching coach Larry Rothschild stood before reporters in the team's clubhouse Saturday evening and took ownership of the poor performances his group has posted in recent days.

"It's my responsibility to get it right," he said.

Rothschild's comments came moments after the Boston Red Sox blasted the Yankees for a third consecutive game at Fenway Park, this one by a 9-5 decision. New York's loss marked the sixth straight game in the rivalry in which Yankees pitching has allowed eight or more runs.

It also marked the seventh game this week in which New York allowed opposing teams to score seven or more runs. After the Colorado Rockies scored eight in a victory at Yankee Stadium last Sunday, the Minnesota Twins scored eight, 12 and seven runs in a series New York actually won. Since Thursday, the Red Sox have beaten the Yankees by plating 19, 10 and nine runs in respective games.

"It's been really tough," Rothschild said. "It's tough on [the pitchers], it's tough on the team."

Mostly, it has been the Yankees' starting pitching that has let them down in recent days. Since June 29, the rotation has posted a 7.09 ERA, the second-worst ERA in the majors across that span. Only the Detroit Tigers' 7.30 mark is worse.

Masahiro Tanaka's 12 earned runs allowed on Thursday -- the second most a Yankees starter ever has given up in a single game -- certainly helped inflate that figure. His individual ERA this season shot up from a 4.00 to a 4.79 following that horrid outing.

Prior to June 29, the day the Yankees beat Boston in a 17-13 offensive explosion in London, the New York starters' ERA was a more respectable 4.13.

Saturday's ineffective pitcher was lefty CC Sabathia, who actually cruised to a 1-2-3 first inning. It was the first time a Yankees starter had a clean opening frame since Tanaka did it last Saturday at home against Colorado.

"Had his slider, had the changeup, had his cutter going early," manager Aaron Boone said of Sabathia.

And then?

"They got some balls on the plate, and that hurt him a little bit," Boone added.

Sabathia gave up a 310-foot solo home run to Andrew Benintendi -- the second shortest non-inside-the-park homer in the majors since 2015 -- with two outs in the second inning, then let three more runs come across in the fourth. Another run chased him from the game in the fifth inning.

"Just didn't make enough pitches," Sabathia said. "That's a good lineup over there, and left too many pitches over the middle."

Sabathia, a noted ground-ball, weak-contact pitcher since developing his cut fastball in 2015, failed to induce a groundout on Saturday. Everything the Red Sox put in play against him was either home runs, fly-ball outs, line drives off the Green Monster or line-drive singles that cleared the infield.

He became the fourth big league starter this season to fail to get a ground-ball out in an outing of at least 4⅓ innings.

"With the stuff I have now, I have to be pitching to the corners," said the 39-year-old Sabathia, whose days as a power pitcher are long behind him. "A lot of balls left middle."

Asked what has been the common thread to the struggles his staff has had of late, Rothschild said there wasn't one specific aspect to point out.

"It's not one thing. It doesn't just happen with one thing; it's different things for different guys," Rothschild said. "But first-pitch strikes and things like that haven't been good. It's just a bunch of different stuff that has been reviewed and talked about and tried to be corrected.

"With each individual, you go with what you've seen and what needs to get corrected. We talk about it, and if it's something mechanical or pitchwise or gripwise or whatever, we do it in the bullpen and try to correct it there."

The day after Tanaka's 12-run outing, he and Rothschild were in the visitors bullpen at Fenway Park, working on his famed splitter. It didn't have the bite in his previous start it had at earlier points this season.

The Yankees also have spent time reviewing their pitchers to see if any are tipping pitches, Boone said earlier this weekend.

"It's a matter of just continuing to dive in with each guy, where we can make small little adjustments, and attacking the game plan in the best way possible," Boone said. "Making sure we're leaving no stone unturned in terms of making the guys make whatever little adjustments or subtle things they need to change -- and also not overreacting to a bad week of baseball."

He might be avoiding the overreaction, but Sabathia admitted that this stretch has been "frustrating."

"We've been the reason why we've been losing games," he said, speaking for the pitchers. "We want to turn that around."

New York gets its chance to do just that Sunday night, when right-hander Domingo German takes the mound. At 12-2 with a 4.03 ERA, he has been arguably the Yankees' best pitcher this season. German's most recent start didn't go well, though, as he gave up eight runs -- all earned -- in an outing at Minnesota on Monday in which he failed to get out of the fourth inning.

German has been sharp for the Yankees when pitching immediately after losses this season, though: He is 5-0 in such appearances. New York is hopeful for that version of the slender righty to show up in the series finale as it seeks to stave off a Red Sox sweep.

"Crazy things happen in this game," Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. "You have a couple weeks where every ball is falling, pitching is doing well, and then you have a couple weeks where the offense can't get it going or the pitching can't get it done. That's just part of it. The biggest thing is making sure we can learn from our mistakes, making sure we can improve on this next time we face these guys."

The Twins have traded for reliever Sergio Romo, whose playoff experience will deepen a bullpen in need of help as Minnesota tries to hold off the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.

The Twins on Saturday night announced the deal that netted them Romo, Chris Vallimont, a right-handed starter in High-A, and a player to be named later from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Double-A first baseman Lewin Diaz.

The 36-year-old Romo has spent the season as the Marlins' closer, racking up 17 saves to go along with a 3.58 ERA in 37⅔ innings.

"They're in a really, really good position to make a playoff push. That's exciting. It's super fun baseball to play,'' Romo said after the Marlins' 9-2 loss to Arizona on Saturday night.

"But kind of mixed feelings based on the fact I get to leave a bunch of dudes I've grown to love. Cool dudes who allowed me to be myself."

Romo won three championships with the San Francisco Giants, closing out the final game of the 2012 World Series in memorable fashion when he froze Miguel Cabrera on a down-the-middle fastball. In 23⅓ career playoff innings, Romo has a 3.09 ERA.

He provides a strong right-handed complement to left-hander Taylor Rogers, who has emerged as the Twins' closer and one of the most valuable relievers in the league for first-year manager Rocco Baldelli.

"[Romo's] ultra-competitive, he wants the ball and he's scared of nothing,'' Baldelli said. "I think everyone knows him as a pitcher. He's been around a very long time. He's had a very successful career, he's pitched in some big, big spots, and once you get to know him you can see how he's had success in those spots.''

The Twins have shuffled relievers in and out during the past week, designating veteran Blake Parker for assignment and calling up rookies Cody Stashak and Sean Poppen. The Twins, who at 63-41 hold a one-game lead over the Indians, have cobbled together a middle-of-the-pack bullpen but needed to upgrade it as Wednesday's trade deadline approaches.

"[Romo's] got a lot of experience in the big leagues and he's going to help us a lot. His experience is going to help us,'' Twins pitcher Martin Perez said.

Minnesota is expected to pursue at least one more major league pitcher before the deadline.

The Marlins continue to explore selling some of their cadre of young starting pitching in hopes of improving their future as they barrel toward a 100-loss season. At 39-63, the Marlins are six games behind the next-worst team in the National League (Pittsburgh), and in addition to dealing a starter, they could trade second baseman Starlin Castro.

"We felt like we maximized an expiring asset and were able to add, in our opinion, one of the most productive, impactful power hitters in all of minor league baseball,'' Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said of the Romo deal.

The 22-year-old Diaz was hitting a combined .297 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs in Class A and Double-A.

The 22-year-old Vallimont was a combined 6-7 with a 3.16 ERA for two Class A teams this season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.