Sports

Phil Parkinson: Wrexham set for ‘special’ US return

Published

3 weeks ago

July 21, 2026

Wrexham, preparing for a second successive season in the Championship, meet Leeds in Tampa on Sunday, 26 July before facing Liverpool in New York four days later.

Their final pre-season game is against Parkinson’s former club Sunderland on Sunday, 2 August in Philadelphia, where Wrexham co-owner Rob Mac is from.

Wrexham toured the US in 2023 and 2024 with opponents including Manchester United and Chelsea and they return this year after spending the 2025 pre-season in Australia and New Zealand.

“The three tours we’ve had have been absolutely incredible,” Parkinson added.

“The memories which have been created on those trips and the games and the places we’ve visited and the reception the club has had in the US has been absolutely amazing.

“We’re looking forward to getting out there again

“There’s been an air of anticipation for this trip because of the stadiums we’re playing at and obviously the opposition we’re playing against.

“Obviously we haven’t been there for two years, but the last time we went there, the attendances were right up there.

“The atmospheres and the kind of support we had was brilliant and it’s good to be taking another group of players out there with us.

“I know a lot of the players’ families coming out to America, which is brilliant for them because their kids and parents and families coming out and having this experience with them is what it’s all about.

“But obviously the lads know when we’re out there, there’s a real focus on what we’ve got to do on the training pitch and the games.”

Forward Ryan Hardie will miss the trip due to a thigh strain, but Ryan Longman is set to resume full training during the trip to the States.

Elliot Lee, who missed last week’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in Helsinki, will also travel to the United States.

“He’s going to come on the trip because we feel that he should be in contention for the second game,” Parkinson said.

“But equally we want to keep Elliot with us because, physically, he’s in good shape.

“Even if he doesn’t get many minutes out there, it’ll be important for him to continue his training to maintain his fitness.”

Sports

Washington Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil has torn triceps: Source

Published

2 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Washington Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil walks back to the locker room after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Inglewood, California

Laremy Tunsil starred in his first season in Washington. Kyusung Gong / AP

Aug. 8, 2026 8:25 pm EDT Updated

ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps on Saturday that will likely require surgery, according to a league source. While the timetable for his recovery isn’t clear, the source said he will miss at least a portion of the regular season.

Tunsil grabbed his left arm after a one-on-one rep against defensive end Odafe Oweh and went inside the team’s medical tent next to the practice field. He was later taken back inside the team’s practice facility for further evaluation.

Tunsil, 32, was acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans in 2025 and immediately became the leader of the Commanders’ offensive line. The five-time Pro Bowler had one of his finest seasons statistically last season, allowing only 15 pressures on 491 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Commanders rewarded him with a two-year, $60.2 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid left tackle in average annual value. It was the third time he’s reset the market for his position.

The Commanders are also currently without starting center Nick Allegretti (calf) and tight end John Bates (hamstring). Coach Dan Quinn indicated prior to Saturday’s practice that the two will likely miss the team’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.

This story is developing and will be updated.

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Sports

Aaron Nola joins 2,000-strikeout club, solidifying his status in Phillies’ pitching lore

Published

9 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — The 2,000th strikeout came on a sinker clipping the zone, flitting from Aaron Nola’s hand toward Brandon Valenzuela at 93.4 mph on Saturday.

The Citizens Bank Park scoreboard quickly flipped to a graphic that featured Nola, which read “2,000 strikeouts.” The music blaring through the ballpark changed to “I Am Second,” Nola’s warm-up song. Home-plate umpire Brennan Miller brushed dirt off the plate and looked to the ground as catcher Garrett Stubbs walked toward Nola, who seemed content to throw another pitch rather than take it all in.

But, in that moment, Nola joined a rather exclusive club. He became just the seventh active pitcher with 2,000 strikeouts — accomplishing the milestone as his Phillies faced the Toronto Blue Jays, while pitching against another member of that group in Max Scherzer. Nola entered Saturday three shy of 2,000, and struck out three Blue Jays batters — Jesús Sánchez, Andrés Giménez and Valenzuela — to reach the achievement in just 1 2/3 innings. He went on to give up two runs, strike out eight and walk two across five innings.

The ending of Nola’s outing, however, was much less promising than the beginning. He exited after taking a comebacker to the outside of his lower right leg that left Sánchez’s bat at 104.8 mph in the sixth inning. The Phillies said the injury is a right knee contusion and that Nola will receive further evaluation. He threw two warm-up pitches before shaking his head. He appeared to say “I can’t” to the Phillies training staff and interim manager Don Mattingly. Nola was at 95 pitches entering the sixth and 97 after Sánchez’s at-bat, so the Phillies had reliever Brooks Raley ready to enter.

The Phillies did not acquire another starter at the deadline, placing faith in Nola and rookie Andrew Painter to compete as the club’s fourth and fifth starters during the stretch run. Any injury would obviously disrupt those plans and potentially put the club’s postseason chances in jeopardy.

It has been a difficult season for Nola, who entered Saturday with a 5.55 ERA in 120 innings — though he has been a strong back-end starter at times. His four-seam fastball has been one of the hardest-hit in the majors this season, with a .347 batting average against (fourth-worst) and .713 slugging rate against (third-worst). Left-handed hitters have a .281 batting average against him this year. Still, he has gone out every fifth day, serving as a strong back-end starter at times. His curveball remains one of the best in baseball, with the ninth-highest whiff rate (41.1 percent) of any pitch in MLB this season.

Regardless, reaching 2,000 strikeouts only further solidifies Nola’s standing as part of Phillies pitching royalty. He is just the fifth Phillies pitcher to achieve the milestone in the club’s uniform, and in June became one of four to start more than 300 games for the club.

This story will be updated.

Sports

How to watch Astros vs. Padres: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

Published

17 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Aug. 8, 2026 Updated 7:14 pm EDT

The Houston Astros will look to Christian Walker, on a 10-game hitting streak, against the San Diego Padres at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, at Petco Park. Michael King (6-8, 3.45 ERA) gets the start for the Padres, who are 60-57 this season and third in the NL West. Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.06 ERA) is starting for the Astros, who are 60-57 and first in the AL West.

How to watch Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres

Astros vs. Padres odds

Favorite Moneyline: Padres -115
Underdog Moneyline: Astros -105
Total: 8.5
Total Over Odds: -115
Total Under Odds: -105

Injury reports

Padres

Miguel Andujar: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Samad Taylor: 10 Day IL (Oblique), David Morgan: 15 Day IL (Knee), Lucas Giolito: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Jason Adam: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Joe Musgrove: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Bryan Hoeing: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ramon Laureano: 60 Day IL (Hip), Nick Pivetta: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Astros

Brice Matthews: 10 Day IL (Knee), Mike Burrows: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Carlos Correa: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Brandon Walter: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Stats to know

San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. is slashing .281/.350/.409 this season with 10 home runs, 51 RBIs and an OPS of .760. He has a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 9% walk rate in 509 plate appearances, and he has scored 62 total runs. Tatis has recorded 26 steals on 37 attempts.
In 484 plate appearances, Manny Machado has hit 23 long balls, tallied 70 RBIs (17th in MLB) and scored 60 runs. He is batting .211/.298/.423 and has posted a 22.3% strikeout rate and an 11.4% walk rate.
Yordan Alvarez has hit 35 home runs this season, which ranks 1st in MLB. He has also tallied 86 RBIs (2nd in MLB) and has scored 79 runs. In 509 plate appearances, he has recorded a .328 BA, .442 OBP and .636 SLG with a 16.1% walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate.
In 468 plate appearances, Isaac Paredes has slashed .253/.348/.417 this season. He has hit 15 long balls and driven in 60 runs with a strikeout rate of 14.5% and a walk rate of 9.6%. and has scored 45 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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