Sports

Braves ace Chris Sale ejected before first pitch vs. Yankees, argues with umpire

Published

25 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale was ejected before the first pitch of Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium.

Television cameras caught Sale having an intense conversation from inside the dugout, with plate umpire Dan Bellino leaning over the railing. The other umpires were within earshot of the conversation, and third-base umpire Dan Merzel ultimately motioned for Sale to be thrown out.

It all happened with the Yankees’ defense set, starting pitcher Cam Schlittler on the mound and Braves leadoff man Drake Baldwin nearly ready to bat.

The ejection comes one day after a contentious balk call against Sale in his start against the Yankees. Manager Walt Weiss was ejected after arguing the call, allowing Spencer Jones to score from third base with one out in the fifth inning. Sale, who had two strikes reversed into balls earlier the same inning, also complained about the call. The Braves went on to lose the game, 5-4.

After the game, Weiss said Merzel, who was the plate umpire at the time, made a “terrible call” and said Merzel explained that Sale decided to pitch out of the windup for the at-bat without declaring it to the umpire first.

“Sale declared the hitter before that he was going out of the windup,” Weiss said, according to the Associated Press. “He said he did not declare after that. He’s never done that in his career, so it’s a terrible call. I always try to show the umpires respect, and they know that, but you can’t make that call right there.”

Weiss and Bellino had a nearly nose-to-nose conversation on the field behind home plate after the first inning, but no other ejections happened.

Sale has been known to have a hot head at times, like when he cut up the Chicago White Sox’s throwback jerseys in 2016. This is his fourth career ejection and his first since Aug. 3, 2019, when he argued balls and strikes while pitching for the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

This is not the first time someone has been ejected before the start of the game. In 2015, then-Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price was thrown out after arguing with the umpire while bringing out the lineup card before facing the Cleveland Indians. In 2024, then-San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin was ejected before the first pitch of a game vs. the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field because, he said, “I just talked too much” to the umpires.

Sports

How to watch Astros vs. Padres: TV channel and streaming options for August 9

Published

6 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Aug. 9, 2026 Updated 2:12 pm EDT

The Houston Astros are looking for Christian Walker to extend an 11-game hitting streak against the San Diego Padres, on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET, at Petco Park. Randy Vasquez (7-6, 4.19 ERA) gets the start for the Padres, who are 61-57 this season and third in the NL West. Cristian Javier (1-2, 6.59 ERA) is starting for the Astros, who are 60-58 and first in the AL West.

How to watch Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres

Astros vs. Padres odds

Favorite Moneyline: Padres -125
Underdog Moneyline: Astros +105
Total: 9
Total Over Odds: -110
Total Under Odds: -110

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/.352/.409 this season with 10 home runs, 51 RBIs and an OPS of .760. He has a 19.3% strikeout rate and a 9.2% walk rate in 513 plate appearances, and he has scored 63 total runs. Tatis has recorded 26 steals on 38 attempts.
In 488 plate appearances, Manny Machado has hit 23 long balls, tallied 70 RBIs (20th in MLB) and scored 60 runs. He is batting .212/.298/.421 and has posted a 22.3% strikeout rate and an 11.3% 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 513 plate appearances, he has recorded a .325 BA, .439 OBP and .630 SLG with a 16% walk rate and a 17.3% strikeout rate.
In 472 plate appearances, Isaac Paredes has hit 15 long balls, tallied 60 RBIs and scored 45 runs. He is batting .253/.347/.418 and has posted a 14.6% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate.

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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Andoni Iraola expects to have Jeremy Jacquet available for final Liverpool friendly vs. Como

Published

12 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

Jeremy Jacquet looks on as he arrives at Anfield

The 21-year-old French defender has not featured in any of the club’s pre-season matches Lewis Storey – Danehouse/Getty Images

Aug. 9, 2026 12:49 pm EDT Updated

Andoni Iraola expects to have new signing Jeremy Jacquet back fit for Liverpool’s final friendly against Serie A club Como at Anfield next Sunday.

The 21-year-old French defender has not featured in any of the warm-up matches since joining the club in a £60million move from Rennes. The deal was agreed in the winter window but did not officially move to Liverpool until this summer.

Jacquet was able to start pre-season having recovered from the serious shoulder injury which sidelined him in February. However, a minor knee problem sustained in training has led to Liverpool taking a cautious approach with him in recent weeks.

“We were in doubt whether to put Jeremy in today, but he should be fine for the next one,” Iraola told LFCTV following Sunday’s 3-2 home friendly defeat to Monaco. “It’s taking a bit more time than we were expecting.”

In the absence of Jacquet and the injured duo of Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni, captain Virgil van Dijk formed a centre-back partnership with teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe against Monaco.

When Iraola rung the changes in the second half, Wataru Endo and Luke Chambers formed a makeshift defensive double act.

Reinforcements are on the way with Uruguayan Ronald Araujo undergoing a medical today ahead of completing a season-long loan move to Liverpool from Barcelona.

Curtis Jones wasn’t involved against Monaco as speculation over his future rumbles on. The academy graduate, who is inside the final year of his contract, is the subject of interest from Italian champions Inter, but Iraola insists his absence was down to fitness.

“Curtis has trained every day, but yesterday he finished with some issues in the hip,” he added. “Nothing big, but it didn’t make any sense to risk him.”

Reflecting on the defeat as Liverpool threw away a 2-0 lead, Iraola said: “We played a good first half, but we cannot sustain the level we want for all of the game.

“They were much better in the second half and deserved to turn around the game. We have work to do. We can take a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives.”

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Jannik Sinner withdraws from Cincinnati Open with knee injury as ATP takes another hit

Published

19 minutes ago

August 9, 2026

qasimgillani

MONTREAL — Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open with a right knee injury, he announced Sunday, meaning the world No. 1 will miss both of the prestigious hard court tune-up tournaments heading into the U.S. Open. The 24-year-old also skipped the Canadian Open, which is underway in Montreal this week, to prioritize his health.

“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner’s statement read. “My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.”

Sinner last played at Wimbledon, where he hoisted his fifth Grand Slam trophy, and showed no signs of injury during his grass-court run. But he joins a mounting — and increasingly troubling for the sport — list of banged-up players in men’s tennis that’s left some of the ATP’s top-tier tournaments without its biggest stars.

Carlos Alcaraz is still rehabbing a right wrist injury and hasn’t played since April, and neither he, Sinner nor Novak Djokovic played at the Canadian Open this week. The event is a Masters 1000 tournament, which is the level just below a Grand Slam and is considered among the most prestigious events on the ATP Tour, aside from the year-end Finals.

Beyond Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic, whose absence was no surprise as the 39-year-old mostly saves his body to compete in Grand Slams these days, the draw at the Canadian Open has been rife with upsets and injuries to top-ranked players.

No. 2 Felix Auger-Aliassime, the tournament’s hometown hero and biggest draw, pulled out with a back injury before his first-round match. Taylor Fritz lost in the second round, with murmurs of a foot issue trickling out after the match. Frances Tiafoe retired from his third-round match and later posted on social media that he had a cyst removed from his hand. Jack Draper was in tears during his first-round loss, his latest attempt to return to the court while dealing with bone bruising in his left elbow.

Those were just the injury-related losses. Plain-old upsets also tore through the draw, and by the middle of last week, the Canadian Open had become the first Masters 1000 tournament since 1991 in which no top-five players reached the third round.

Players tend to feel more urgency in Cincinnati than Montreal because of its proximity to the U.S. Open, which may curb some upsets. But nevertheless, men’s tennis is facing yet another two-week Masters 1000 tournament without its biggest names and the injury bug running rampant.