A marquee matchup of two new dynamic duos created this offseason will headline the NBA's Christmas slate this year.

The LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers will play at Staples Center on Dec. 25, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The meeting will pit LeBron James and new teammate Anthony Davis against reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

James will likely play in his 14th Christmas game this year and break a tie with Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Earl Monroe and Dolph Schayes for the second-most all time, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only Kobe Bryant (16) has played more. James has scored 338 points on Christmas, which ranks third behind Bryant (395) and Oscar Robertson (377).

Other games set for Christmas are the New Orleans Pelicans at the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics at the Toronto Raptors, sources told Wojnarowski.

The NBA champion Raptors will play on Christmas for the first time since 2001.

Sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that the Houston Rockets will play at the Golden State Warriors in their new Chase Arena opening this season.

Rounding out the typical five-game Christmas slate will be the Milwaukee Bucks and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo playing at the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources told ESPN's Malika Andrews.

CHICAGO -- Cubs veteran Ben Zobrist is finally returning to baseball after leaving the team for personal reasons in May.

Zobrist, 38, will join Class A South Bend on Friday, beginning a monthlong rehab process before returning to the big league team.

"The plan is for him to play rehab games on and off for the month of August," Cubs president Theo Epstein said Friday morning. "I don't think he'll play straight through. He's going to take some time off in between these stints to continue to get his body in shape and continue to practice. He's not going to come back as an everyday player, anyway, so it makes sense to get him ready this way."

Shortly after he left the team, and was placed on the restricted list, Zobrist and his wife filed for divorce. Epstein says he's been keeping in shape while attending to his family over the past several months.

"He's not going to come back and embarrass himself," Epstein said. "If he can't get to the point where he feels like he can play this game at a high level, we'll go in a different direction. But we're full speed ahead, trusting the person."

Zobrist has been a key member of the Cubs' four consecutive playoff seasons, hitting .300 for the first time in his career in 2018. He was the 2016 World Series MVP after signing a 4-year, $56 million deal with the team.

The Cubs have missed his presence both in the clubhouse and at the top of the batting order, where their leadoff hitters rank last in on-base percentage in the National League.

"I don't know," Epstein said when asked how much he expected from Zobrist. "All I keep falling back on is that I trust the person. He would not be attempting to come back if he didn't think he could play at a high level."

At some point, Zobrist will make his way to Triple-A Iowa to complete his rehab. For now, however, he's taking things a few days at a time.

"It's what's best for him and his personal situation combined with the baseball situation," Epstein said.

Just a few weeks after lighting up the radar gun at a Coors Field speed pitch cage during a Colorado Rockies game, 23-year-old Nathan Patterson is getting his shot to play for a major league team.

The Oakland Athletics, who had been keeping track of the righty for some time, recently signed Patterson to a minor league contract.

Patterson went viral after video of him throwing well into the 90s at the cage in Coors Field hit social media. Last summer, he hit 96 mph under the same circumstances at a Triple-A Nashville Sounds game.

View this post on Instagram

"How can you not be romantic about baseball" -Billy Beane Words cannot describe this feeling and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been part of this journey so far! My family has given me nothing but constant love and support throughout the last 9 months as I pursue a dream of mine that I've had since I was a little kid. It's been a roller coaster to get here with many challenges and overcoming adversity. I'm grateful for all the trainers, coaches, friends, @rsrbaseball and everyone else who has supported me thus far! And for those who tell you that you can't achieve your dreams, use that as fuel to work even harder. Because those people are the ones that settle. I'm grateful for the @athletics organization for giving me this opportunity! This story is not over. It is not the beginning. I am writing the next chapters and excited for this journey! Time to focus even more, work even harder, and it all starts with your mindset. Go after your dreams and make them a reality!

A post shared by Nathan Patterson (@njpatterson12) on Aug 1, 2019 at 2:10pm PDT

The Athletics began talking with Patterson in January. He was training at that point and, after healing from a wrist injury, played in a men's league to stay on top of his game.

When he tried his hand in the speed pitch cage in Denver and the result circulated on social media, the A's took notice again.

"A few days later the A's gave me a call," Patterson said, according to MLB.com.

Patterson has been assigned to Oakland's rookie team in the Arizona League.

"While we understand that this is a great story, we want to let Nathan settle in to the organization and focus on his development as a baseball player," a team spokesman said.

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar returned to the injured list with a strained right groin, one day after appearing in his first game in two years.

Salazar, troubled by injuries to his right arm the last two seasons, pitched Thursday for the first time since the 2017 American League Division Series. He allowed two runs in four innings against Houston on Thursday. Afterward, he said his groin bothered him during the game.

Salazar made the All-Star team in 2016, but has been dealing with injuries since. He didn't pitch last season and had shoulder surgery last July.

Pitcher Tyler Olson has been placed on the 10-day IL because of a non-baseball medical condition. Hunter Wood and Phil Maton were recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

The Los Angeles Angels designated catcher Jonathan Lucroy for assignment, the team announced Friday.

The move comes as catcher Max Stassi reported to the team after being acquired from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline Wednesday.

A two-time All-Star, Lucroy was hitting .242 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 74 games this season. He joined the Angels in December after spending the 2018 season with the Oakland Athletics.

Lucroy had been reinstated from the injured list Wednesday after being injured in a home plate collision with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick. Lucroy suffered a concussion and broken nose and missed 18 games.

Stassi, 28, had played in parts of every season with the Astros since his debut in 2013. He is batting .167 in 31 games this season after playing in a career-high 88 games in 2018.

Left-hander Adam McCreery cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The dust from the trade deadline has finally settled, and we're ready to turn our full attention back to the diamond, where things will be heating up as we move into August.

Here's what we'll be watching this weekend:

The Red Sox and Yankees meet again on Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET). Which team took a bigger hit by standing pat this week before the trade deadline?

Eddie Matz: My gut says it's Boston. But given how well the Indians and A's have been playing, and how aggressive the Rays were at the deadline, and how large of a sample size we have on the 2019 Red Sox, I can't say I blame Dave Dombrowski. Better to save the prospects, save the dough, and hope you can sneak into the postseason as is. Of course, the Red Sox could always add someone before the Aug. 31 deadli ... oh, wait. Scratch that.

Sam Miller: Without question, it's the team that might miss the playoffs entirely because of its inactivity. I once had a really good bottle of olive oil, and I could almost never bring myself to use it. I would interrogate every dish: Are you the dish that will most bring out the flavor, so that I truly notice and appreciate every note of olivey goodness? Eventually it went rancid. The Red Sox seem like they're overthinking their olive oil: "If we were closer to first place, I would have been more open-minded," Dombrowski said. But the Red Sox, more than maybe any other team in baseball, are teetering between making and missing the playoffs entirely -- they basically have 50% playoff odds at FanGraphs -- and that seems like a really important time to make a move. Trades aren't just about finishing touches on 108-win rosters.

David Schoenfield: According to the New York Post, it was definitely the Yankees, as the back cover of the paper featured Brian Cashman looking like a zombie with the headline, "The Walking Deadline." I mean, let's ignore that Zack Greinke had a no-trade clause to New York that he certainly would have deployed, so the Yankees weren't getting him anyway. Plus, they should get Luis Severino back, and maybe Dellin Betances, and prospect Deivi Garcia could potentially help in the bullpen down the stretch. So I'm with Sam: One win for the Red Sox could be the difference between getting into the playoffs or watching from a resort in the Caribbean. It's surprising Dombrowski didn't add at least one reliever to the bullpen.

There's another rivalry rematch from last weekend in Chicago, as the Brewers face the Cubs. With the deadline behind us, who makes the postseason: the Cubs, the Brewers, neither or both?

Matz: It's amazing how quickly things can change. Between a banged-up Max Scherzer and an uninspiring deadline haul, the Nationals are hurtin' for certain. The Cardinals have been rolling, but they rolled over at the deadline. The deGreinked Diamondbacks lost some major venom, and the Giants ... well, they can't possibly keep it up. (Or can they?) All that said, I still don't think the Brewers have anywhere near enough pitching -- in the rotation or the pen -- to get it done this year. Cubs take the Central, while Milwaukee takes the month of October off.

Miller: The trade deadline forces us all (and teams themselves) to declare, in a somewhat stark binary, who is "in it" and who is "out of it." But the truth is that there are two months left, and a lot of teams we're not thinking about at all are not that far out of it! The Padres, Rockies, Giants, Diamondbacks, Reds, Pirates and Mets have, combined, a little better than a one-in-three chance of claiming one of those two wild-card spots. Which is all to say that it's not just that the Brewers have to overtake at least one team; and it's not just that they have to hold back the Phillies, who are just one game behind them; but they have to dodge all the little unexpected land mines that the rest of the field can provide. So, they've got a good shot at making the playoffs, but a slightly better shot of missing them. (The Cubs should feel nervous because all of the above applies to them, too, but they're a better team, and they didn't just lose their best starting pitcher for six weeks.)

Schoenfield: I'll take the Cubs to win the division over Milwaukee for a clear and obvious reason: Their rotation has a 3.87 ERA and has been mostly healthy. The Brewers have a 4.78 ERA, and Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin are on the injured list. The Cubs also made some minor additions that will help their depth -- Nicholas Castellanos, Tony Kemp, David Phelps. Another key is Yu Darvish, who has quietly pitched much better, with a 3.68 ERA over his past 11 starts, holding batters to a .192 average. He'll start Sunday. (And don't forget the Cardinals. FanGraphs gives them a 22.8% chance of winning the division, as compared to 17.5% for the Brewers, and also better odds of winning a wild card.) I'll pick the Braves or Nationals for one wild card and will stick with my hope for a five-way tie for the second one.

What else has your attention this weekend as we push toward the final third of the season?

Matz: The Franimal. I've said it before in this space, but I'll say it again: Franmil Reyes is the second coming of Big Papi. Between the huge power and the even huger personality, he has all the makings. Cleveland isn't the tailor-made market that Boston is, but the trade from the Padres to the Indians reminds me of when David Ortiz went from the Twins to the Red Sox early in his career, then proceeded to become a legend. Reyes is ready for launch.

Miller: I'm watching Dustin May's debut as the Dodgers' starter Friday. The Dodgers' postseason bullpen looks like a real weakness, but when they supplement it with their surplus starters in October, they might end up with a pretty strong group after all. May, a top pitching prospect, will not be in the postseason rotation, but he could end up being a difference-maker in relief.

Schoenfield: How can you not watch the debut of a top prospect with the nickname Gingergaard? May is built along the lines of Noah Syndergaard. He is 6-foot-6 with a long mane of red hair, thus the nickname. Beyond that, we get a Chris Sale-Domingo German matchup on Saturday. And speaking of Syndergaard, I'm curious to see whether the Mets can keep things rolling. They head into Pittsburgh riding a seven-game winning streak, and if they sweep the Pirates, the Mets will climb over .500.

PICK 'EM TIME

The Indians, who host the Angels this weekend, picked up a couple of power bats in Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes. Combined total bases for Puig and Reyes this weekend: over or under 9?

Matz: True story: Last time I saw Franmil Reyes, I asked him where his first name comes from. He laughed and told me that he never asked his parents that question and that he didn't know. One thing Reyes does know is how to mash. I expect him to bag nine bases this weekend all by himself (or close to it). Between him and Puig, I'm all aboard the over train.

Miller: When Puig was traded from Los Angeles to Cincinnati, there were many, "Oh yeah, let's see what Puig does in a bandbox!" takes. He didn't do much. But Progressive Field actually has been an even more hitter-friendly park than Great American (without getting quite so much recognition for it). So here it is, my scorching hot trade take: Puig and Reyes will combine for more than nine total bases in their first weekend series.

Schoenfield: Let's see, who is starting for the Angels? Not Nolan Ryan, Frank Tanana or Andy Messersmith. (Never heard of Messersmith? He is one of the most important players in MLB history. He played 1975 without a signed contract, and an arbitrator ruled him a free agent for 1976. Free agency was born because of his grievance. From 1969 to 1976 with the Angels, Dodgers and Braves, he went 119-86 with a 2.71 ERA and averaged 4.2 WAR per season. Very good pitcher.) But I digress. I'll take the over on the nine total bases.

Sunday night's matchup pits the Red Sox's David Price against the Yankees' J.A. Happ, neither of whom has been particularly sharp of late. Closest to the pin: total runs scored in Sunday's game.

Matz: In the nine previous games this season, the Yanks and Red Sox have averaged a combined 15.8 runs per contest. Balls are flying this time of year. This week alone, there were 619 grand slams hit across the majors (give or take). In other words, the scoreboard operator at Yankee Stadium is going to need an ice bath on Sunday night after posting all those crooked numbers. Seventeen total runs.

Miller: Sometimes what a struggling pitcher needs is for the whole sport to talk about how important it is for his club to upgrade at his exact position before the trade deadline. And then what that struggling pitcher really needs is for his team to stand pat -- and for all of that team's fans to panic because now they have to rely on ... you! Which is to say that Happ is throwing a four-hit shutout. Seven total runs in Sunday's game.

Schoenfield: Just noticed this. Price has pitched more than six innings just once all season (and that was against the Orioles). He has topped five innings just once in his past five outings. He has reached 100 pitches just three times in 20 starts and has made half of his starts on five or more days of rest (including four on six days and one on seven). Part of the problem with the Boston bullpen is that it has been tasked with throwing a lot of innings. Price was once one of the top workhorses in the league and pitched 230 innings as recently as 2016. He is no longer a workhorse. Eleven total runs.

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

Home run hitters

Matz: Edwin Encarnacion

Miller: Franmil Reyes

Schoenfield: George Springer

Strikeout pitchers

Matz: Lance Lynn

Miller: Patrick Corbin

Schoenfield: Aaron Nola

KENT, Wash. – Greg Anderson is already the only driver in Pro Stock history to sweep the famed NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Western Swing.

But heading into this weekend’s 32nd annual Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the four-time world champ has a chance for a first in NHRA history.

Anderson won the arduous three-race Western Swing in 2004, and after sweeping Denver and Sonoma the past two weeks in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro, the veteran can become the first driver in NHRA history to sweep the Western Swing twice if he wins this weekend in Seattle.

That indicates just how difficult it is to win this set of three straight races and Anderson fondly recalls the first time he did it, knowing how special it would be to repeat the feat in 2019.

“I can remember the feeling of how cool it was like it was yesterday,” Anderson said. “You realize after years of trying to do it again just how difficult it is. It’s a tough deal. To do it twice, it would be pretty awesome, but I’m getting ahead of myself because it’s so dang hard to win these things anymore. Seattle is a cool place, but it’s definitely a tough place to win.”

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of the event. It marks the 10th of 18 races during the NHRA Pro Stock season and Anderson will look to continue the impressive momentum he’s built during the last two weeks.

After going a year between wins, Anderson went back-to-back in his Camaro thanks to a series of consistent performances. It moved him to 93 career wins and second in the points standings, and put him in prime position to make history at Pacific Raceways. He’s been solid in qualifying and then spectacular during eliminations, but he doesn’t head to Seattle feeling any extra pressure.

“I think it’s exciting and I don’t look at it as pressure,” Anderson said. “I’m definitely going to be excited to give it go, give it a try and it seems like our team is doing a good job. My car is a lot better and we’re finding ways to win we weren’t finding earlier in the year. We’ve definitely gotten better as a race team throughout the summer months, without a doubt.”

In the long run, that may be most important factor, at least when it comes to winning another championship. Anderson seems to be hitting his stride as the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship approaches, which makes him a dangerous contender again racing against top names in the class like points leader Bo Butner, Deric Kramer, five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., Erica Enders, longtime teammate Jason Line, Alex Laughlin, who Anderson beat in the Sonoma final, Denver runner-up Matt Hartford and Chris McGaha.

He hopes to see that trend continue in a major way in Seattle, but there’s no denying Anderson hit the ground running after Pro Stock’s six-week break early in the season.

“It was a question of who was going to come out of that break looking like they did the best with their off-time,” Anderson said. “It seems like we came out of that break stronger than we were. We started the season horrible and when we came back from that break, we were contenders again. You could tell we were definitely building towards winning again. It’s been a momentum-builder ever since that break, and it’s time to peak right now. I think we’re close to that.”

Those who dedicate their lives to piloting race cars often have a difficult wake-up call when the alarm goes off signaling the end of a career.

Craig Dollansky was no different when the buzzer sounded last summer. Actually, it pulsed through his body, piercing with every movement he made after his second serious back injury eventually became too much to overcome.

“There was a time I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to racing when I was done,” he said.

Dollansky reached a breaking point in his illustrious career in March 2018 when he announced his retirement following more than 20 years of being a professional winged sprint car driver. The decision came on the heels of a failed medical procedure to fix a broken L4 vertebra he incurred in 2016. Approximately 13 years prior, he was sidelined because of a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra.

“I kept trying to race with it, but it was getting progressively worse,” he said. “In 2017, we were racing in Elma, Wash. Jayme Barnes was giving me a ride to the airport and we had to stop. I needed to pull over because of the pain. We ended up having surgery in July of last year. They found that half of that vertebra was dead. I should have addressed that sooner.

“It’s intense, very intense. Initially, we tried to do a vertebroplasty,” Dollansky explained. “They tried to put cement in it. It pushed out and failed and destroyed my discs above and below it. My surgeon said it’d be like having a major rock in your shoe and trying to walk with it. It’s not like a broken foot where you can just put it up. You’re using it all the time. It’s a difficult part of your body to injure.

“As intense as the pain was I felt like I had to address it. It was starting to affect me behind the wheel of a race car as well as my personal life. We had to start exploring options.”

The failed surgery was also met with bad news regarding Dollansky’s bone density.

“Initially, we got some bad information,” he said. “They did a bone density test and tested my spine. It already had metal in there from my incident in 2003. They said my bone was weakening.”

The devastating news was met with only one option — stop racing and focus on rehabilitation.

Fortunately, a different doctor found that Dollansky’s original bone density reading was false and that his bone density was strong. Another surgery was scheduled in July 2018.

“My bone density was strong,” he said. “It was a contributing factor to the mindset that if the surgery goes well we’re going back racing.”

The surgery was a success, but the recovery has been an ongoing process throughout the last year.

“It’s been pretty intense and lengthy,” Dollansky said. “They said it would be a year before we started feeling better. The surgery went good. Physical therapy went good. I continue to work and strengthen it as best as I can. I don’t have the bone pain. It’s more muscle pain where they cut through you to do the surgery.”

Continue reading the story on the next page.

Mobil 1 – the best choice for your Truck or SUV. Learn more about Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil and enter for a chance to win a Toyota pickup or SUV at dirtgiveaway.com.

BRNO, Czech Republic — Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo made a late flyer payoff, grabbing the top spot during free practice for the Czech Grand Prix on Friday.

The Frenchman found himself 17^thon the grid when he hit the track for a final run. The 20-year-old found 1.7 seconds from his previous lap and knocked point leader Marc Marquez from the top spot with a lap of 1:55.802.

Marquez wound up second, .023 seconds behind on his Repsol Honda.

Jack Miller was third for Pramac Racing with Andrea Dovizioso on a Ducati and Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales rounding out the top five.