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Bell finds bright side of finishing second with the return of Chase

National Sports

RICHMOND, Va. — NASCAR finishes have fallen into a familiar pattern for Christopher Bell. Second-place finishes in four of the past five Cup Series races have felt like a “kick to the gut” for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. But those disappointments are always followed by a shot in the arm. “Whenever Monday, Tuesday rolls around, you’re like, ‘Ahh, it was a pretty darn good day,’ “ Bell said before practice Friday at Richmond Raceway. “Ultimately, the results that we’ve gotten have meant a lot more this year than what they have in my entire Cup ...

Padres come back, take down Guardians, 7-5

Local Sports

CLEVELAND — Luis Campusano and Xander Bogaerts each drove in three runs, Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the fifth time in nine games and the San Diego Padres overcame an early three-run deficit to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 7-5 on Friday night. The Padres have won six straight and 16 of 20 since July 24 while the Guardians have dropped five of their last six and are 8-18 since the All-Star break. Campusano had a pair of doubles, including one off the wall in right-center with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to drive in two runs and give the Padres a 5-3 lead. Bogaerts ...

Venus Williams falls again at Cincinnati Open, singles skid hits 13

National Sports

MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ losing streak in singles play has reached 13 matches. The seven-time major champion was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango on Friday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The 46-year-old Williams received a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event. She has not won a singles match since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, needed 1 hour, 5 minutes to defeat Williams on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center. Williams had her serve broken in the first game of the match and faced an uphill battle the rest of ...

Burns outduels Alcantara in Reds’ 1-0 win over Marlins

Ohio Sports

CINCINNATI — Chase Burns gave up four hits and struck out eight in seven innings, Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI double in the sixth, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins 1-0 on Friday night. Burns (14-2) did not give up a walk and allowed just one runner to reach second base. He has now thrown 131 innings this season, far exceeding the 43 1/3 innings he pitched last season and the 66 innings he tossed in the minor leagues. He last pitched 100 innings in a season while at Wake Forest. Emilio Pagan, who was experiencing hand soreness but cleared to pitch Friday, retired the ...

Trailblazing 1996 US Olympic team headlines Hall of Fame class

National Sports

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Dawn Staley and the 1996 Olympic women’s basketball team paved the way for the WNBA and players such as Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Chamique Holdsclaw. The team that started the Americans’ 30-year Olympic dominance will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday along with Parker, Delle Donne and Holdsclaw They will be joined by NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire, longtime NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coaches Doc Rivers and Mike D’Antoni and Gonzaga coach Mark Few in the Hall of Fame. “It’s taken a long time for ...

Nationals move All-Star shortstop Abrams to second base

National Sports

NEW YORK — All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams is moving to second base for the Washington Nationals, vacating the only position he’s played during his five seasons with the club. Manager Blake Butera said Friday that Abrams has begun working out at second. He said the transition will be more “multiday than multiweek” and that Abrams will swap spots with second baseman Nasim Nunez. “Just thought this was the best thing for our team going forward,” Butera said. “We think with those two up the middle and Nasim playing more shortstop gives us the best chance.” Butera said ...