Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane believes he will be 100% fit to make his return for the club against Liverpool in their first ever Champions League final. Kane was injured in the first leg of his side's quarter-final with Manchester City on April 9th, with the ligament damage he sustained in a challenge with Fabian Delph expected to keep him out for the remainder of the season. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is 'sure' he will be fit to play in the @ChampionsLeague final against Liverpool. #THFC 📰 @StandardSport pic.twitter.com/slBTck3gAZ   Daily Hotspur (@Daily_Hotspur) May 20, 2019 However, that was when Spurs didn't have an unprecedented European final looming on the calendar and, according to the Evening Standard , the 25-year-old is 'very confident' that he will be able to make his return to the pitch on that historic night at the Wanda Metropolitano on June 1st. Speaking after the club's stunning second half comeback against Ajax in the second leg of the semi-finals, Kane revealed: "Rehab is going well. I started straight-line running this week and I have to start training even harder to prove myself to the gaffer." And, though he was unable to affect the team on the pitch that night, it is understood he delivered the half-time rallying call that spurred their unlikely comeback, proclaiming: "Is this how we want our season to end?" It is now understood that if his recuperation continues on its current trajectory, and is free from further setbacks, the Englishman will be allowed to help his side end their season in the way they want from the field this time. However, given how Lucas Moura - Kane's effective replacement - also impacted that semi-final, with a 30 minute hat-trick, as well as Son Heung-min's ability to step up to the plate in the absence of his captain, how big Kane 's part to play in this game remains to be seen. Completely agree with the latest from @Andy_Headspeath for @90min_Football - buying Bale outright would be a bad, bad move for Man Utd. And not what the player deserves either. Can't say I'd say no to subsidised salary loan deal mind... https://t.co/YInkqlupJb   Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) May 20, 2019 Indeed, his role for England in the summer's UEFA Nations League finals will also soon be decided, with Gareth Southgate naming him in the provisional 27-man squad for the semi-final clash with the Netherlands. That squad must be whittled down to 23 by May 27th, and Southgate admitted that Kane's involvement would depend on his sharpness going into the UEFA Champions League final, though not necessarily his presence on the pitch. When asked if the forward had to play against Liverpool to warrant selection for the Three Lions, Southgate explained: "Not necessarily because they might take a view that Moura scored a hat-trick and Son played well so they keep him as an impact player. I guess that depends on how Harry trains in the build-up."


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) As the Giants approached the halfway point of the season, manager Bruce Bochy said before the game that the offense hadn't been what he expected and he needed his big hitters to come through in the second half if San Francisco had any hope of salvaging the season. Bochy had to like what he saw Friday night. Slumping Buster Posey had three hits and two RBIs, and Alex Dickerson homered and drove in two runs to lead the Giants to a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final game of the first half of the season. ''I've said so many times, these good hitters, they find it,'' Bochy said. ''If we do that, then things will look really good the second half. We need these important guys to come through for us. We saw what happened tonight when they do.'' Posey had been a big part in the team's struggles offensively this season. He came into the game with just three homers, 18 RBIs and a 15 at-bat hitless streak. After flying out in his first trip to the plate, Posey hit an RBI double in the third inning against Merrill Kelly (7-8) and a run-scoring single in the fifth. Posey also singled in the seventh for his first three-hit game of the season. ''For the most part, I haven't felt great,'' Posey said. ''Obviously that goes along with where my numbers are. The big thing is swinging at good pitches. But it you feel like you're not in a positon where you can get to certain pitches, you tend to chase a little more.'' Dickerson had opened the scoring when he hit a drive over the right-field wall that bounced into McCovey Cove and also added an RBI single in the seventh. Dickerson was called up from the minors last week after being acquired earlier in the month in a minor league transaction with San Diego. He has seven extra-base hits and 12 RBIs in eight games with the Giants. Shaun Anderson (3-2) allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to get the win. He has pitched at least five innings and allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his first nine career starts. Jake Lamb, Nick Ahmed and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles for the Diamondbacks, who had outscored the Giants 42-10 during a five-game winning streak in San Francisco. Arizona had a chance at a comeback in the ninth after Dyson's single made it 6-3 and brought Ketel Marte to the plate as the potential tying run. But Will Smith struck out Marte and David Peralta to end the game. Marte went 0-for-5 to snap his career-best streak of reaching base safely in 20 straight games. ''The theme tonight was we couldn't the hit we needed,'' manager Torey Lovullo said. ''You have to execute and sometimes you do and tonight we didn't. Scoring a run or getting a scratch run here or there is crucial and in this park especially. Runs are at a premium especially on night like tonight where it's cold and windy. We couldn't capitalize at the right time.'' Kelly allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings. TRAINERS ROOM Diamondbacks: C Alex Avila (strained left calf) was activated from the injured list. Caleb Joseph had been optioned to Triple-A Reno after Thursday's game. Avila could start Saturday. Giants: OF Steven Duggar will begin a rehab assignment from a lower back strain on Saturday at Triple-A Sacramento. REPLAY REVIEW Posey appeared to have his first homer in San Francisco in more than a year in the third inning. But as soon as he rounded the bases, Lovullo came out of the dugout to challenge the call. The review showed the ball hit off the top of the brick wall, just below the green awning on the fence, and Posey was sent back to second with an RBI double. Posey's last long ball at home came against Miami on June 19, 2018. MILESTONE Brandon Crawford had three hits for the Giants to reach 1,000 for his career. He got there with a double in the sixth inning and scored on a groundout by pinch-hitter Tyler Austin. UP NEXT RHP Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.08) takes a 5-0 career record in seven career starts in San Francisco into the game against Giants LHP Drew Pomeranz (2-8, 6.79). Pomeranz, who is coming off an 11-strikeout performance in a 2-0 loss to Colorado on Monday, is 0-4 with an 8.53 ERA in 10 career appearances against Arizona. -- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


The Chargers finished with arguably one of the worst offensive lines in 2018. Many thought that general manager Tom Telesco was certainly going to make the moves to help with those woes this offseason and he neglected to do so. Pro Football Focus is aware of the lack of acquisitions, grading Los Angeles as No. 29 overall in the entire league in their latest rankings. PFF's offensive line grades are the cream of the crop, so all the numbers are accurate. Here is what they had to say about the team's offensive along with their projected starting lineup in 2019: PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: Left Tackle: Russell Okung Left Guard: Forest Lamp Center: Mike Pouncey Right Guard: Michael Schofield III Right Tackle: Sam Tevi The Chargers possess one of the most promising rosters in the league, especially following the 2019 NFL Draft, but the offensive line continues to be a headache. The group surrendered a quarterback pressure on 30.8% of dropbacks which ranked 25th in the league in 2018. For an offensive line that saw four players earn sub-62.0 grades, it has to finally be the time to give Forrest Lamp , 2017 second-round pick, the chance he deserves. Right tackle Sam Tevi was one of the biggest problems on the offensive line. Los Angeles did draft former Sioux Falls offensive tackle Trey Pipkins in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, but he is viewed as a developmental player and necessarily competition for Tevi. L.A. will get the highly anticipated Forrest Lamp back after missing all of 2017 due to a knee injury, and all of the 2018 season. Lamp will serve as a versatile piece but he will likely be fighting with Dan Feeney and Michael Schofield for one of the guard spots. PFF has Lamp beating out Feeney for the team's starting left guard in Week 1. There are questions surrounding left tackle Russell Okung and his undisclosed injury. Okung didn't participate in mandatory minicamp and it's uncertain whether or not it will be long-term. Even though we don't know exactly what it is, it is still worrisome that they could possibly be losing a key player. Center Mike Pouncey was the bright spot on the offensive line but he even started to have his struggles towards the end of the 2018 season. The bottomline is that if the Chargers want to make a deeper run to the Super Bowl in 2019 then they will have to make sure that they have a steady offensive line in order to achieve that. MORE: UFC fighter Ben Askren had an excellent response to getting knocked out in 5 seconds Expected starting lineup for Lakers with LeBron James at point guard Former Steeler DeAngelo Williams throws shade at WR Ryan Switzer Honor thy father: Quinn Cook signed with Lakers for good reason Three Potential Trade Destinations for Russell Westbrook


McLaren did the right thing in taking Fernando Alonso's shock failure to qualify for the Indy 500 "on the chin", reckons its Formula 1 driver Lando Norris. Alonso and McLaren had entered this year's Indianapolis 500 hoping to be able to challenge for victory and take a win that would secure the two-time world champion motor racing's famed Triple Crown. But the assault all went wrong when a spate of problems in testing, practice and qualifying resulted in the Spaniard being bumped off the starting grid. While McLaren was deeply disappointed at what happened, Norris takes heart from the fact that the outfit is not in denial about the errors that contributed to its exit. "I think the only good thing is, after seeing that, that they admitted what they did wrong, and what they did well   which was not so many things - but yeah, they took it on the chin and they just admitted they didn't do a good enough job," explained the young Briton. Norris said he felt "sad" at the way things turned out for Alonso, as he admitted some surprise about what happened. "If you just look at Fernando, when he made it in two years ago quite easily... it's still just not an easy thing to get into," he said. "A lot of it was down to the team and how they performed and, at the end of the day, Zak [Brown, CEO] admitted it, Fernando admitted it, they just didn't go a good enough job. So I guess, surprised because of the expectation of Fernando and McLaren, but at the same time, it just showed it wasn't easy to go and do." Norris' teammate Carlos Sainz said that the events at Indy were a 'setback' for the whole McLaren operation, but he reckoned that key lessons would be learned that would prevent a repeat in the future "From what I heard inside the team, they were managing the expectations quite a lot," said the Spaniard. "They were not thinking about winning straight away, they were thinking about qualifying and trying to fish a win. But from the outside it is obviously not good to not see McLaren and Fernando qualifying for the 500. "It is disappointing I guess for the whole team, F1 and the Indy 500 project, both of us. But it is a setback. In motorsport there are setbacks, there are moments that don't go to plan, but I am sure they will learn from it and they will know what to do better next time if they do, and that is it. "In motor sport remember there are actually quite a lot of those days where you fall over and realise what you've done wrong, and what you will change." Asked if he had talked to Alonso since the qualifying debacle, Sainz said: "No. I haven't spoken to him yet. I haven't been too involved in the things. It is quite far away so it is not like you follow the same hour timetable. I know where he is right now actually, but I guess he was disappointed. "I will give him a couple of days maybe and I'll get in touch with him."


OREM, Utah   Authorities say a 6-year-old Utah girl has died after her father accidentally hit her with a golf ball. Police say the ball struck the girl in the back of the head on Monday morning, while the father and daughter were golfing at Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem. The ball collided with the base of her neck. Lt. Trent Colledge with the Orem Police Department says she was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City in critical condition. She died from her injuries later that evening. Colledge said police are investigating but are not planning to pursue charges because it appears to have been a tragic accident.


Two whistleblowers at a pharmaceutical company responsible for one of the largest drug price increases in US history said the company bribed doctors and their staffs to increase sales, according to newly unsealed documents in federal court. The effort, the whistleblowers said in a lawsuit against the company, was part of an intentional "multi-tiered strategy" by Questcor Pharmaceuticals, now Mallinckrodt, to boost sales of H.P. Acthar Gel, cheating the government out of millions of dollars. The price of the drug, best known for treating a rare infant seizure disorder, has increased almost 97,000% , from $40 a vial in 2000 to nearly $39,000 today. The Justice Department has now intervened in the case after conducting its own extensive investigation -- a sign that the government believes the allegations levied by the whistleblowers are credible. In a statement to CNN, Mallinckrodt did not deny the accusations but said the fault lies primarily with Questcor. The bombshell allegations lay bare what the whistleblowers say was a culture designed to sell the drug at all costs, from lying to the Food and Drug Administration to offering bribes to doctors. The price increase, combined with an aggressive sales push in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other areas, has pushed the drug's annual sales over $1 billion. Many of those sales are driven by Medicare reimbursements. A CNN investigation last year found that Medicare spending on Acthar had risen dramatically -- more than tenfold over six years -- to some $2 billion. In their lawsuit, the whistleblowers said the drugmaker's conduct "has cheated the federal government out of millions of dollars that should not have been paid, thereby enriching [the company] and subjecting patients to unapproved, unsafe and potentially ineffective uses of H.P. Acthar Gel." "Questcor has attempted to conceal and cover-up its payment of kickbacks and its illegal promotion of H.P. Acthar Gel by making false statements to the FDA and directing employees to conceal evidence by failing to disclose ... the full nature and extent of its advertising, promotional and marketing materials and plan." Mallinckrodt purchased Questcor in 2014 as part of a $5.6 billion deal. "The illegal practices that Questcor had been engaging in since 2007," the suit said, "have knowingly been continued since the merger and acquisition of Questcor by Mallinckrodt." The whistleblowers' allegations were unsealed after the Justice Department filed notice on March 6 to intervene in the lawsuit. The Justice Department has 90 days to file its own complaint, according to the March filing. If found liable, Mallinckrodt could be required to pay up to three times any amount the government is found to have been defrauded, as well as penalties ranging from $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim, according to the whistleblower statute. The Justice Department declined comment for this story. In its statement to CNN, Mallinckrodt said that it was disappointed with the Justice Department's decision to pursue the case and that it was cooperating with the agency. The drugmaker also sought to distance itself from Acthar's previous owner, Questcor. "The allegations pertain principally to legacy Questcor conduct," Mallinckrodt said. "Mallinckrodt has cooperated fully with the DOJ in its review of this historical conduct, voluntarily providing documents and information to the government. While we are disappointed the DOJ has elected to proceed with the lawsuit, we have been in advanced settlement talks with the government over the past several months. "The company believes these sales and marketing claims are likely to be resolved in the near term through ongoing negotiations, and further believes a resolution that is reasonable and manageable for all parties is achievable. As the lawsuit principally concerns allegations of legacy conduct prior to Mallinckrodt's acquisition of Acthar Gel, we do not envision any impact to how Mallinckrodt conducts business today." In its statement, the company referred to the whistleblowers as two former Questcor employees. Yet the suit makes clear that one of the employees stayed on after the 2014 merger and worked for Mallinckrodt, leaving the company in June 2017. After CNN published this story, Mallinckrodt sent an additional statement: "Mallinckrodt strongly disagrees with the substance of the complaint and the sensational characterization of the allegations." Marc Orlow, an attorney representing the two whistleblowers, hailed the government's decision. "Our clients are true heroes to stand up to a corrupt corporate culture that cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars," he said. Expert: 'Bad sign' for company The government doesn't take the decision to intervene in a whistleblower case lightly, said Jennifer Arlen, a professor of law at New York University who specializes in corporate enforcement. "The government has tended to take over cases that become winners," said Arlen, who serves as director of NYU's Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement . "Historically, the government's decision to take this over is a bad sign" for the company being investigated. The government intervenes in fewer than 25% of whistleblower cases, according to the Justice Department . But cases alleging health care kickbacks, Arlen said, can be "very challenging because pharmaceutical companies regularly have legitimate consulting and research arrangements with doctors." "The government has to show that the intent was to reward doctors for their prescribing behavior," she said. What will be interesting, Arlen said, is if the government uses its vast amount of prescribing data by doctors to bolster its case. "Under the current administration, there does appear to be a real effort to combat various forms of healthcare fraud, and I do know the DOJ is using data analytics to identify doctors who are defrauding the government," she said. "The data could be used very effectively in a case like this." CNN's investigation last year found that Acthar's manufacturers had paid doctors millions. More than 80% of doctors who filed Medicare claims in 2016 for Acthar received money or other perks from the drugmakers, according to the CNN analysis of publicly identified prescribers. The analysis, which looked at doctors who filed more than 10 Part D claims, found that Mallinckrodt and Questcor paid 288 prescribers more than $6.5 million for consulting, promotional speaking and other Acthar-related services between 2013 and 2016. $1,000-a-gallon gas The whistleblowers' lawsuit had been under seal for seven years in US District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, since it was originally filed against Questcor in 2012. The suit has been amended to reflect Mallinckrodt's purchase of Questcor in 2014. When the government files notice to intervene in a whistleblower case, the complaint becomes unsealed -- in this case, the fourth amended complaint, filed June 8, 2017. All other documents related to the case remain sealed. This isn't the first time Mallinckrodt has faced government scrutiny related to Acthar. The pharmaceutical company reached a $100 million settlement in 2017 after the Federal Trade Commission accused the drugmaker of violating antitrust laws to thwart competitors from undercutting Acthar's exorbitant price. The company settled without admitting wrongdoing. The drug is approved for 19 indications, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and kidney disease. But critics note that the drug was approved for many of those conditions long before the FDA's more rigorous standards of today and that there are few randomized clinical studies showing its efficacy, especially in adult conditions. "Medicare has been spending billions of dollars for Acthar for questionable indications," said Dr. Dennis Bourdette, chairman of the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University who has studied the drug's price and the doctors prescribing it for years. The whistleblower suit was filed by Charles Strunck, who worked for Questcor as a multiple sclerosis sales specialist from September 2010 to August 2011, and Lisa Pratta, who was an Acthar neurology specialist with Questcor and then Mallinckrodt from September 2010 to June 2017. According to the suit, Mallinckrodt "intentionally engaged in an illegal scheme to increase its sales and profits by engaging" in array of illegal activity, including: Violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by "using valuable incentives, rewards and other forms of remuneration to induce healthcare providers to promote and prescribe" Acthar. "Systematically promoting and marketing H.P. Acthar Gel for unapproved, off label uses." "Causing hundreds or thousands of false claims for reimbursement of H.P. Acthar Gel to be submitted to, and paid by, federal healthcare programs." Sales representatives were compensated royally for increased sales, the suit said, with lucrative monthly bonuses designed to promote a "sell at all cost" mentality. One sales specialist was awarded a $124,000 bonus in the second quarter of 2011, including $75,000 in one month alone; another received a $110,000 bonus in the same quarter, including $80,000 in one month, the suit alleged. Sales reps were given a daily report "tracking the productivity of all specialists in order to motivate them." "This practice continued after the merger with Mallinckrodt," the suit said. The suit alleges that Questcor had trouble entering the multiple sclerosis market because there was a cheaper alternative that was considered the standard of care for MS flareups. "Questcor's response to this challenge has been to bribe physicians to prescribe and promote H.P. Acthar Gel," the suit said. The suit went on to say that many doctors treating MS patients refused to speak with Questcor sales representatives, but the company devised a work-around: "One way in which Questcor has overcome this threshold obstacle is to bribe office staff to arrange such meetings." Bourdette, executive director of Oregon Health & Science University's Multiple Sclerosis Center, found those allegations especially intriguing. "In the multiple sclerosis field, there are a very small number of physicians who prescribe Acthar, and I've never understood why these physicians do that," he said. "If these accusations are true, it may provide an explanation." The drug's price has been a source of controversy for more than a decade, since the price shot up overnight in August 2007 from $1,600 to $23,000 a vial. At the time, the drug was primarily marketed for infantile spasms, a debilitating seizure disorder in babies. Despite protests from the nation's top epilepsy foundations and neurology groups over the drug's high cost, Acthar's price has climbed another $16,000 per vial. Today, it's listed around $39,000 a vial. The price hike puts it among the most dramatic drug price increases in the nation's history, said Stephen Schondelmeyer, director of the PRIME Institute, a research organization that studies economic and policy issues related to pharmaceuticals. "If gas [prices] increased from 1993 to 2019 at the rate of H.P. Acthar, gas today would cost $1,300 a gallon," he said.


MOSCOW   When members of the Taliban and Afghan politicians met Tuesday in the Russian capital for talks aimed at ending the war in their country, one face in particular stood out: Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and the head of its political office, who spoke publicly for the first time about the need for a peace deal. Baradar's comments showed that the insurgency's leadership was willing to advance peace talks and signaled that efforts to end the protracted U.S.-led war in Afghanistan could be gaining momentum despite continued deadly attacks by the Taliban across the country. "The Islamic Emirate is firmly committed to peace, but the first step is to remove obstacles and end the occupation of Afghanistan," Baradar said, referring to the Taliban by the group's preferred name. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post The Taliban has repeatedly called for the full withdrawal of U.S. forces before any peace settlement can be agreed upon. The United States has 14,000 troops in the country. Sitting near Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a large round table in a central Moscow hotel, Baradar addressed a room full of Afghan power brokers, many of whom are political rivals of President Ashraf Ghani. As with previous meetings involving the Taliban, no members of the government in Kabul, whom the Taliban views as American "puppets," attended. Before Baradar's remarks, Lavrov reiterated Russia's call for a total pullout of foreign forces for a political solution to be found to end the war. Russia, which suffered its own crushing defeat in Afghanistan in 1989 after a decade-long war, has been reasserting itself ahead of Washington's planned drawdown of its troops, which President Trump says will come after progress in any possible peace settlement. The peace talks in Russia have run parallel to talks between the Taliban and the United States, and the Kremlin has built up a military presence along Afghanistan's northern edge. Baradar   a political strategist who is believed to have played a key role in regrouping the insurgency after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 toppled the Taliban regime   was released from a Pakistani jail last year at the request of the American government because U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad thought Baradar could play a constructive role in talks. He was arrested in 2010 in a joint operation by Pakistani and American agents. While Baradar participated in closed-door peace talks with Khalilzad this month in the Qatari capital of Doha, his appearance in Moscow is likely to establish his legitimacy as the new public face of the Taliban. Donning black-rimmed glasses and sporting a salt-and-pepper beard, Baradar took center place as the 14-member Taliban delegation made a dramatic entrance into the hotel ahead of the talks, climbing up the stairs in unison. The group of insurgents will hold talks through Thursday in Moscow with former president Hamid Karzai; a 25-member delegation of Afghanistan's High Peace Council; Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's powerful former national security adviser; and influential factional leaders Mohammed Mohaqeq and Atta Mohammad Noor. Atmar, who worked for Ghani until last year, is considered a serious contender in presidential elections scheduled for September, which could see the president's ouster after five years of rule. Many Afghans, especially women , have expressed fears that a peace deal with the Taliban could curtail freedoms and rights that have been won since the regime ended. The Taliban has said the rights of women would be protected if they return to power, as long as they are within Islamic principles. Women's rights activists have chafed at this, saying it leaves much to interpretation. "We will continue to press the issue of women's rights so they understand what is at stake," said Tajwar Kakar, one of two Afghan women present at the 47-seat table Tuesday. "The Taliban are also Afghans," said Kakar, who fought against the Soviets in the 1980s and later campaigned for girls' education. "We should all work for the same goal of peace." amie.ferris-rotman@washpost.com Sharif Hassan in Kabul contributed to this report.


The Milwaukee Bucks are running it back. First it was announced on Sunday that Brook Lopez would likely be re-signing with the team to rejoin Giannis Antetokounmpo to try to make another run at the NBA finals in 2020. Then later in the afternoon it was reported that Milwaukee would bring back combo-guard Khris Middleton on a 5-year, $178 million deal. Via Twitter: Once free agency opens at 6 PM, All-Star Khris Middleton plans to return to the Milwaukee Bucks on a five-year, $178M contract, league sources tell ESPN. The deal is expected to include a player option on final year.   Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019 This is a great move for the Bucks, who keep a backcourt running mate for point forward and 2019 MVP Antetokounmpo. Middleton's extension calls into question what Milwaukee will do with Eric Bledsoe . The team has his Bird rights, and can go over the cap to sign him, but whether he is valuable enough for them at this juncture isn't clear. Giving Middleton this kind of cash could mean that Milwaukee is looking to go another direction, and away from Bledsoe. Free agency is starting to heat up, and the best teams in the NBA for next season are starting to form   on paper, at least.


The Buffalo Bills made a lot of additions to their offensive line this offseason, highlighted by free agent center Mitch Morse and rookie second-round pick Cody Ford. But it's a player that was already on the team that landed on Pro Football Focus' list of the NFL's top pass blockers recently. Maybe don't count out guard Vlad Ducasse. The football analytics outlet tabbed him as the seventh-best pass blocker on their list of the league's best "pure pass blockers." But there's a reason many are down on Ducasse despite his pass-blocking prowess and PFF explains that: Ducasse is entering the final year of a three-year, $3.5 million contract he signed with Buffalo back in the 2017 offseason. Despite his major run-blocking issues (38.5 run-blocking grade in 2018 - last among guards), he's held his own in pass protection. The veteran lineman ranked 18th at his position with a 79.0 pass-blocking grade in 2018, and over the past three seasons, his 97.5 pass-blocking efficiency is tied for 27th among guards. In pure pass sets last season, Ducasse finished tied for seventh with an 81.8 grade. Further, he allowed only three pressures on 114 pass-blocking snaps for a 2.6% pressure rate - fifth among all offensive linemen and first at the guard position. While Ducasse can block a bull-rush with the best of them, getting low and driving into run blocks posed a challenge for him last season. But he wasn't alone. As a unit, PFF ranked Buffalo's offensive line as the second-worst run-blocking unit in the NFL for most of the 2018 season. That also could help explain the poor season from running back LeSean McCoy, but just in case, the Bills added rookie Devin Singletary and veterans Frank Gore and TJ Yeldon in their backfield too, just in case. Due to the high level of competition, it doesn't appear Ducasse will have an easy road to the Bills' final 53-man roster, however, it's easy to see where he needs to improve in order to make his way there. Last season Ducasse started nine games for the Bills after starting 12 in 2017, taking John Miller's spot in the lineup. Eventually Ducasse was replaced by rookie Wyatt Teller last season and he spent time as a healthy scratch. MORE: Five potential Chris Paul trade destinations Kyle Busch was so frustrated during Coke 600 that he told Joe Gibbs he quit Roundup: NFL Owners Want 18-Game Season Again, Alex Trebek Cancer Near Remission, Israel Redoing Election ESPN graders not big fans of the Browns offseason moves Report: The Celtics are no longer the favorites to sign Kyrie Irving


We're nearing the end of the second quarter, with the S&P 500 notching a gain of nearly 3% this quarter and 16% for the first half. But the gains are not evenly distributed. A few of the the largest stocks by market capitalization are leading the way. Call it the triumph of indexing: A small group of companies have gotten so big that they are essentially becoming the market, and when they do well, the markets do well. You can see this in the distribution of returns. The S&P 500 may be up 2.9%, but an equal-weighted index of the S&P 500 is up only 1.8%, suggesting the largest companies are pulling the averages up. Second, midcaps are flat and the S&P Small Cap Index is down 1.8%. For the quarter, five of the largest stocks contributed 30% of that S&P 500 gain: Microsoft 14.8% Facebook 5.5% Amazon 4.8% Disney 4.8% Apple 4.0% Think about that   five companies, out of almost 500, contribute more than 30% of the gains. Does that mean everything else was down? Of course not. In the second quarter, 313 of the 500 were up, 188 were down. But some very large companies had some big losses. For example, Intel, Alphabet and Exxon Mobil combined dragged down the S&P 500 by 7.4%. So it can work in reverse. The biggest companies can also drag down a market cap weighted index. What's it all mean? "A lot of the super big-caps are continuing to grow, which is surprising because when you get that big it's harder to grow," Howard Silverblatt, who tracks indexing trends for S&P Global, told me. Why is this happening? Because growth is hard to come by. "In a slow growth environment people continue to pay up for organic growth wherever they can find it," Alec Young, Managing Director, Global Markets Research for FTSE Russell, told me. "And the best place to find it lately has been among the big blue chips, primarily in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors." Here's a simple way to understand how dominate the largest companies have become. Suppose the top 50 stocks in the S&P 500 by market cap were all up 1% on the quarter. And let's assume that all the other stocks in the S&P 500   all 450 of them   were down 1% on the quarter. Would the S&P 500 be up or down? It would seem intuitive that with 50 stocks up and 450 down, the S&P would be down, right? Wrong. The S&P 500 would be flat. That's how powerful the biggest names have become. That's how much the world is willing to pay for growth. At any price.


Lost in the shadow of a hope for a breakout from John Ross is Josh Malone. The Cincinnati Bengals took Malone in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and to date, he's caught just seven passes on 22 targets over 20 appearances. Which at face value in Cincinnati isn't totally fair. It isn't easy to break onto the field with A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd on the depth chart - not to mention Malone was in the same draft class as Ross, a top-10 pick. But heading into his third year, it's clear folks in the building at Paul Brown Stadium still have hope, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com: "Yes, I would definitely say that. The other two questions aren't as easy, although Malone has looked better this spring and had a very nice day during the last practice of the spring last week. You can put John Ross in that third-year thing, too. They're banking on Ross and Malone having some kind of a leap after two years that Tyler Boyd had." But for Malone, the same hurdles still apply even though the Bengals now have an exciting offensive-minded coaching staff. Green and Boyd are healthy and have plenty to prove in contract years. Ross will get the benefit of that new coaching staff too. Someone like Alex Erickson might see the field plenty thanks to his reliability in the past. And even Auden Tate, thanks to his mismatch creating ability, could carve out a role. Where that leaves Malone is hard to say. He can separate and has good size at 6'3″, but even hinting at a breakout that matches Boyd's from a season ago could be asking too much. Malone may very well be capable of a third-year leap, but it will take some shuffling of the roster in front of him for onlookers to even see it. And even before that - Malone has to prove to a new coaching staff he's worth a roster spot. MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players LaVar Ball offers explanation for his inappropriate remark to ESPN's Molly Qerim Dez Bryant tweets in support of LaVar Ball after ESPN ban D'Angelo Russell open to Lakers return with Magic Johnson gone Roundup: Beth Chapman in Medically Induced Coma, Roseanne and Andrew Dice Clay Touring Together, Poker Hall of Fame Nominees


All rookies have to adjust to the differences between playing in college and playing in the NFL once they enter the league, but Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson's experience will be a different one than players drafted in April went through. Thompson was a fifth-round pick in last week's supplemental draft and he will hit training camp without having gone through rookie minicamp, OTAs or any of the other offseason work his peers were able to do. Thompson signed his rookie deal with the team on Wednesday and said that he expects to handle the "mental change" without much difficulty. "I know I can compete with these guys, hang with them at a high level," Thompson said, via the team's website. "But for the most part, it's getting the plays down and once I see it on the field and get through a couple of walkthroughs, I'm going to be fine. I know I will." The Cardinals also drafted Deionte Thompson in the fifth round in April and the two rookies will start their careers playing behind Budda Baker and D.J. Swearinger in the Cardinals secondary.


For decades, the faces of the American sports bettor were caricatures: a chain-smoker with a curled-up racing form, a bookie sitting in a dimly lit room, a shrieking tout wearing a gold chain and making dubious claims. And then last month, in a fashion nobody would have bet on, a real-life example sprung off the television screens of middle America and defied those images. James Holzhauer has cemented himself as an all-time game show virtuoso on "Jeopardy!," employing an aggressive style to win more than $1.6 million over 22 consecutive victories and swell the show's ratings. He has also become   even if it lasts just 15 minutes   America's most famous gambler. Subscribe to the Post's Today's Headlines newsletter: All the top stories of the day - local, national and global. Holzhauer, a Las Vegas resident, makes his living betting on sports. His emergence, bracketed around the first anniversary of the Supreme Court decision allowing widespread sports gambling outside of Nevada, has given a face to the American professional sports bettor. That face happens to be clean-shaven and accompanied by tasteful button-down shirts and a math degree from the University of Illinois. Holzhauer, who returns to competition Monday night after a two-week layoff, is a new kind of representative of sports gambling, both in substance and level of fame. Jimmy Snyder   known as Jimmy The Greek   became a celebrity picking games on "The NFL Today" in the late 1970s, but his last on-air appearance came in the late '80s and he died in 1996. Billy Walters made himself wealthy and gained niche celebrity as a sports bettor before earning infamy   and prison time   in an insider-trading scheme, but he never attracted broad fame. "Gen X and under, this is one of the first cultural touchstones the American public has had to sports gambling," said Chris Grove, managing director of sports at gambling research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. "It's hard to estimate what the effect of that is, but you shouldn't underplay it." Grove drew a potential comparison. When Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003, he "provided a personification" of an online poker player to the public, Grove said, which helped fuel the industry. It's not a perfect comparison   Moneymaker was a poker player who got famous playing poker and not, say, telling Pat Sajak he'd like to solve the puzzle. But Holzhauer, like Moneymaker, is lending a persona to an industry poorly understood by those outside of it. "This is an area that for most people is shrouded in mystery," Grove said. "I think Holzhauer demystifies it to a degree. This is a living, breathing, relatively normal-seeming individual." Grove said public perception of sports bettors is defined by skepticism and negative connotation. A lot of people don't believe it's possible to make a living gambling on sports, and they hold a dim view of those who try. Holzhauer, Grove said, "is a counterpoint"   a whip-smart, clean-cut college graduate who proves you can earn a living picking games. "I hope that my Jeopardy run helps destigmatize sports betting, because I have certainly dealt with some stigmas," Holzhauer said, via email. "It doesn't help that most sports betting personalities are touts who sell you picks that won't actually beat the market. I hope I didn't accidentally give those hucksters any extra customers." Holzhauer has used principles from his career to bludgeon his "Jeopardy!" opponents. Sports betting and "Jeopardy!" share a crucial trait at the expert level: There is more to each pursuit than guessing right, whether it's the outcome of a game or a "Jeopardy!" clue. Holzhauer wins at "Jeopardy!" because of his fast buzzer finger and a strategy reliant on choosing high-dollar clues first. He wins at sports gambling because he understands how to interpret movements in point spreads and knows which bookmakers to place bets with, and when. He also predicts winners and answers trivia questions correctly, but those skills are amplified by his advanced tactics. When people express curiosity about his work, Holzhauer compares himself to an investment bank. "There are many parallels: handicapping a team is basically fundamental analysis of a firm; in-game wagering is day trading a volatile stock; futures markets are, well, futures markets," Holzhauer said. "The big difference is that the sports market has much higher transaction costs, so you need to be sharper to make a living in Vegas than on Wall Street." For those inside the sports wagering universe, Holzhauer's background would not come as a surprise. Professional sports bettor Rufus Peabody, who co-hosts the "Bet The Process" podcast, described two typical images of sports gamblers. "There's the old image of a cigar smoking Mafioso type guy," Peabody said. "And then there's nerdy quant who's building these [statistical] models out. James is obviously more of the nerdy quant guy." Peabody, who studied data analysis at Yale, was making the point that Holzhauer shows the reality-based version of a modern sports better. Professional sports bettors don't rely on street smarts and instinct. Rather, they tend to be people like Holzhauer, who combined his interests in sports and statistical analysis and realized he might be able to earn enough to make it his job. (Holzhauer declined to share how much he makes at sports gambling.) "His success is great for sports betting in general," Peabody said. "It helps to legitimize my profession. I can't believe how many people have texted me and said, 'Do you know this Jeopardy James guy? He's a sports bettor.' … Personally, I think it's great to have that representation out there. It shows that sports bettors are educated people who have a skill set, and they've chosen to employ it in a different industry than other people." The size and texture of the world remains murky. A spokesman from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics passed the question of how many Americans classify themselves as professional sports bettors to the U.S. Census Bureau. A spokeswoman from that organization said it does not include sports bettor in its occupational surveys, adding she didn't know of a better source for such data. American Gaming Association spokeswoman Sara Slane said her organization does not track how many people identify as professional sports bettors. Through survey work, Grove said, Eilers & Krejcik pegged the number of Americans who make a full-time living betting on sports in the thousands, likely the low thousands. But Holzhauer's run has occurred at a hinge point in American sports gambling. In the year since the Supreme Court's decision, states have raced to set up operations in hopes of cashing in on potential tax revenue. Along with opening myriad issues for both local governments and the sports gaming industry, the changes have raised the profile of sports betting, flooding sports networks with betting content and prompting teams and leagues to reach partnerships with casinos and sportsbooks. "I think [Holzhauer] has helped legitimize sports gambling," said venerable sportscaster Brent Musburger, now a host on the Vegas Sports and Information Network. "But the Supreme Court did a lot more to legitimize it, if you know what I mean." "I would relate it more to marijuana than I would to 'Jeopardy!'," Musburger added. "There's a lot of us, me included, who do not use it. Tried it, in my case, once. Didn't do anything for me, so I went back to alcohol." When Moneymaker emerged as poker boomed, the number of online players exploded. Holzhauer wouldn't have the same effect on an industry that is far more established, but his presence may have an impact in making people more interested in sports gambling. "I think there will be a small but measurable wave of people who see his performance on 'Jeopardy!' and think they would like to be a professional sports bettor, too," said Grove. But, he added, most of those thoughts will be more aspirational than realistic. In early April, before he would become a wealthy and polarizing sensation, Holzhauer remained only another anonymous and hopeful "Jeopardy!" contestant. A lot of people like to offer their takes on his profession, and during off-camera small talk, host Alex Trebek shared his. "I could win a thousand dollars gambling and not care," Trebek told Holzhauer, Holzhauer recalled. "But losing 20 bucks pisses me off." Read more: Charles Lane: James Holzhauer is a menace to 'Jeopardy!' James Holzhauer's total domination of 'Jeopardy!' in 3 charts Who is Ben Sasse? 'Jeopardy!' wizard James Holzhauer knows everything but that. 'Jeopardy!' winner James Holzhauer keeps dominating. Does it matter if he broke the game?


DETROIT   A former Michigan state trooper was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died when he was shot with a Taser. Mark Bessner, who had a history of misconduct allegations involving Taser use, fired the immobilizing device from the passenger seat of a patrol car while he and his partner chased 15-year-old Damon Grimes in August 2017. State police officials condemned his conduct and agreed that criminal charges were appropriate. Bessner, who quit the department after Grimes' death, said he believed the teen was reaching for a gun in his waistband. Grimes, however, didn't have a weapon. "There can be no question that Mark Bessner knew that (he) was going to cause some serious harm to Damon Grimes," assistant prosecutor Matthew Penney told jurors. Bessner was charged with second-degree murder, but the jury opted for the lesser charge after deliberating for one day. He was immediately taken into custody to await his sentence on May 2. The maximum penalty is 15 years in prison. Nearly 20 sheriff's deputies were in the courtroom to respond to any disruptions while the verdict was announced. Bessner's family loudly sobbed while awaiting an elevator. The Grimes family "is somewhat satisfied," said spokesman Oliver Gantt. "I know they had hoped for more. For the most part, I think they got a little bit of closure. I believe the family can rest with that." It was Bessner's second trial: A different jury last fall couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on a murder charge after listening to him emotionally explain how he "absolutely" believed Grimes had a gun. But Bessner didn't testify in his own defense during the latest trial. His attorney, Richard Convertino, urged jurors to put aside sympathy for Grimes' family and place themselves in the trooper's shoes in a high-crime neighborhood. "ATVs and guns   that was the perception of those who patrolled those areas," Convertino said. Two months before Grimes' death, an arbitrator had cleared Bessner of misconduct in how he used his Taser while chasing a crime suspect. State police wanted to suspend him for 10 days. The man was handcuffed during a traffic stop but suddenly sprinted away and was able to clear fences. It's generally against state policy to use a stun gun on a handcuffed person who's in custody. Bessner was also accused of misconduct and agreed to a brief suspension for firing a Taser at a handcuffed man in 2014, records show. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap


A local judge has taken another step to protect the elderly and disabled people who were the responsibility of a professional guardian. On Monday, the judge removed all "do not resuscitate orders" from the clients of Rebecca Fierle. WESH 2 News investigative reporter Greg Fox explains the order came out the same day as a new audit that raises questions about whether the guardian might have broken the law. Steven Stryker's family says he was unaware and angry that a "do-not-resuscitate" order had been filed with hospital staff members, meaning he would receive no life-sustaining measures to revive him. His daughter sent an Orange County judge, Janet Thorpe, a letter on May 9, complaining about her father's guardian. Four days later, Stryker died in a Tampa hospital. He was 75. "There's a lot more that needs to be found out about her dealings," Kim Stryker, his daughter, said. She's talking about Rebecca Fierle, a licensed, professional guardian. After reviewing a comptroller's audit and the findings of a separate county investigation into allegations that Fierle broke state guardianship law, Thorpe revoked 98 DNR orders connected to Fierle, after last week removing her from those cases. Kim Stryker says the whole guardian program demands a state review. "It affects every family and every taxpayer and everybody. There are people who are being leaches on our system and exploiting the most vulnerable members of our population," she said. Orange County's audit of more than 30 Fierle cases examined her handling of the sale of her client's assets, accounting records, guardianship petitions and the payment of attorney and guardianship fees. Among the more prevalent problems: Fierle disbursing money with no receipts, no listing of 70 of her prior cases on her guardianship application, and annual paperwork not filed with the state. Comptroller Diamond says this may be just the start of a deeper exam of the local guardianship program. The State Office of Public and Professional Guardians is investigating. READ MORE: Investigators: Florida man died after guardian's wrongful DNR order CHECK OUT WESH: Stay in the know with the latest Orlando news, weather and sports. Get the top stories and all the scores from the team at WESH.


An Illinois-based pharmaceutical developer will invest $85 million to build a drug-making plant in Pleasant Prairie that initially will employ 77 people, Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday. Nexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. will locate the 100,000-square-foot factory on 16 acres the company has purchased from the Village of Mount Pleasant just west of I-94 and north of Highway 165. The jobs will pay an average of $70,000 a year, Evers said. The company is expected to make a total investment of $250 million in the project which is expected to be completed within 10 years, a press release issued by the governor's office said. In the project's first phase, Nexus will invest $85 million to build and equip a 100,000 square foot, three-story production operation, construction of which will begin in August and be completed by 2021, the release said. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has authorized up to $1.5 million in tax credits for Nexus. The amount the firm receives will depend on the number of jobs it creates and its level of capital investment. Production is expected to begin in 2022. Subscribe to get the BusinessWatch email newsletter. Nexus, founded in 2003, develops injectable drugs used in such areas as anesthesia, oncology and neurology. The firm's headquarters and research and development labs are in Lincolnshire, Illinois, about 25 miles south of the Pleasant Prairie site. Nexus currently contracts with other companies to manufacture its drugs. The Wisconsin factory would be its first. Lincolnshire officials tried to find a location in that village for Nexus to build its manufacturing plant, according to a report this year in the Chicago Tribune. The Wisconsin site is part of the Prairie Highlands Corporate Park being developed by the Village of Mount Pleasant on some 460 acres it bought in 2017 from Abbott Laboratories Inc. Abbott had purchased the property in 2005 for a possible expansion but abandoned those plans. Besides Nexus, the business park so far has attracted German gummy bear maker Haribo, which plans to build a 600,000-square-foot factory and office complex initially employing some 400 people, and Advocate Aurora Health, which is building a $130 million surgery center and medical office complex. Positioned at the northern edge of the Chicago area, Kenosha County has long attracted firms relocating from Illinois. More recently, the county has become a distribution hub, with huge warehouses sprouting along I-94 , most notably those of digital retailer Amazon and locally-based Uline Inc., a distributor of shipping and packaging materials. Contact Rick Romell at (414) 224-2130 or rick.romell@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RickRomell Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to the Journal Sentinel today and get a special offer at jsonline.com/deal. Top Headlines from Business: Subscriber exclusive: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers takes 'show me' stance on Foxconn's jobs promise in CNBC interview Subscriber exclusive: Once a big worry, mortgage foreclosures have faded in Wisconsin Conversion of Historic former Schlitz tavern in Riverwest neighborhood to condos wins initial city OK FOLLOW JS BUSINESS: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Drugmaker to invest $85 million, hire 77 at new plant in Pleasant Prairie


The 2019 NWSL season continues this weekend, with week six approaching fast. Here's a look at what action is coming up and how you can watch it... Reign FC vs Sky Blue Join us Saturday 1 p.m. at Cheney Stadium for a spectacular day of soccer. #RCF253 : https://t.co/vapCXDuiH0 pic.twitter.com/VXtZM5EbGk   Reign FC (@ReignFC) May 16, 2019 Oddly, neither Reign nor Sky Blue have won any of their nine combined games so far this season. But can either break that winless streak when they meet each other this weekend? The rest of the league is already starting to pull away and the playoffs will only get further out of reach for one or both teams depending on the final result. Both sides have had a real problem scoring goals, with Reign tied with bottom place Orlando Pride as the league's lowest scorers on just two for the season. When is Kick-Off? Saturday, May 18 What Time Is Kick-Off? 4.00pm ET Where Is it Played? Cheney Stadium, Tacoma, WA Live Stream (U.S.) Yahoo! Sports website or app Live Stream (non U.S.) NWSL website or app Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns Unstoppable  Andressinha + free kick magic = #NWSL Goal of the Week! pic.twitter.com/yS15Qmu6Fu   NWSL (@NWSL) May 14, 2019 Washington and Portland are jostling for position in the middle of the congested standings, with the former in sixth place but only one win off the top if results go in their favour. Spirit's Aubrey Bledsoe has been one of the best goalkeepers in the NWSL so far this season with 16 saves, two clean sheets and only three goals conceded, and she might be busy again because Thorns have scored 11 times in four games. The visiting Thorns can also boast a perfect record away from home after two wins from two. When is Kick-Off? Saturday, May 18 What Time Is Kick-Off? 7.00pm ET Where Is it Played? Maureen Hendricks Field, Boyd, MD Live Stream (U.S.) Yahoo! Sports website or app Live Stream (non U.S.) NWSL website or app NC Courage vs Utah Royals Sunday's going to be a fun day at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park! Tickets | https://t.co/A0pEesoMZb pic.twitter.com/vmUkE3qJzC   NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) May 16, 2019 Reigning NWSL champions North Carolina Courage will be looking to bounce back from a first defeat in nearly a year after being beaten by Chicago in their last outing. Utah Royals are also on the rebound after their perfect start to the season was destroyed by a narrow loss against Houston a week ago. This one is all about who will respond to their respective setback in the most positive way. When is Kick-Off? Sunday, May 19 What Time Is Kick-Off? 5.00pm ET Where Is it Played? Sahlen's Stadium, Cary, NC Live Stream (U.S.) Yahoo! Sports website or app Live Stream (non U.S.) NWSL website or app Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars Offense. Defense. @samkerr1 does it all. Kerr is the Week 5 #NWSL Player of the Week, as voted by @NWSLmedia . pic.twitter.com/pMxoNyVdM6   NWSL (@NWSL) May 14, 2019 Chicago snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak from North Carolina in their last outing and are now tasked with facing early season leaders Houston Dash on the road. Red Stars have so far fared okay without their four USWNT players and that can only be a good sign for the next couple of months as it will be a while before they return. Australia's Sam Kerr was NWSL Player of the Week for week five and will also be leaving. Houston don't have any current USWNT international players to miss, but four Canadians, including Sophie Schmidt and Alyssa Chapman, have left the squad for World Cup duty. When is Kick-Off? Sunday, May 19 What Time Is Kick-Off? 6.00pm ET Where Is it Played? BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX Live Stream (U.S.) Yahoo! Sports website or app Live Stream (non U.S.) NWSL website or app


KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Clay County prosecutors charged a man on Wednesday who allegedly said he had 45 bullets and was going to "shoot people around here" at Hunt Midwest SubTropolis on Tuesday, causing a lockdown that lasted for nearly three hours . Kevin Becknal, 45, faces a felony count for making a terroristic threat. Court papers say Becknal was recently fired from a business at SubTropolis, and security called police after he showed up on Tuesday and threatened the shooting. A witness working at Ground Effects said he was at the entrance when Becknal arrived and told him to get a supervisor. The witness said he and Becknal spoke for about 10 minutes, which is when Becknal said he had ammunition and was going to shoot people. But that never happened, and the witness said Becknal drove off. The complex still went into lockdown because security and responding officers didn't immediately find Becknal, who was eventually arrested near 95th and Mission in Overland Park. A detective noted in court papers that other employees claimed Becknal told them they were going to get shot after he was fired on June 18. Becknal is currently being held at the Johnson County Detention Center. Clay County officials say no bond is set for his charge in Missouri, where he faces up to seven years in prison if he's convicted.     ©2019 WDAF-TV, Kansas City Visit WDAF-TV, Kansas City at www.fox4kc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Rookie Rashan Gary has been a standout during individual and team pass-rushing drills early on at training camp, but Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has been specifically impressed with the effort level of the team's first-round pick. The Packers want to see execution and energy from snap to whistle, and that's exactly what Gary has shown. "It is early, so we'll see once we get to the game action, but he's done a lot of nice things," LaFleur said after Sunday's practice . "The one thing I've really liked that he's shown is the effort he plays with. The way we define that is if you see a change of speed, a burst, then to max speed and then to the finish. He's had some good clips to show to the team." Some knocked Gary's motor during the pre-draft process. GM Brian Gutekunst and the Packers dismissed those criticisms without hesitation, and early camp practices suggest the Packers got the evaluation right. LaFleur highlighted Gary's pursuit of run plays as early evidence of his non-stop effort level. "For example, if we're running the ball, and the ball gets down the field, to see him continue, after he sets the edge, to continue to pursue from behind and finish with the rip attempt," LaFleur said. Gary is also standing out in other ways. He's been dominant at times in one-on-one passing-rushing drills, and he had at least one noteworthy pass rush during Sunday's practice. On one passing play during a team period, Gary stunted inside and had a free run at the quarterback. He showed impressive speed and closing ability for a 277-pounder. "That was a great play," LaFleur said. "There was a stunt up front where he came screaming free through the A-gap. I don't think any of these quarterbacks are going to like that." The Packers are only four practices into training camp, but Gary is showing flashes of being the real deal. He reported to camp in terrific shape, cutting his body fat to 10 percent , and he's demonstrating the combination of effort and playmaking ability all teams expect from a first-round pick. MORE: LeBron James jumps into Bronny's layup line for a ridiculous dunk Behind the scenes with new-look Nets: 'We got stars without mortgaging everything'' Emmanuel Butler starting to steal the show at Saints training camp Gregg Williams blowing away Adam Gase with Jets training camp defense Packers training camp practice roundup: July 28


LOUISVILLE, Ky.   Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has lashed out at protesting teachers and ridiculed judges during a tumultuous term steering Kentucky on a conservative course. Now the pugnacious governor faces the first test of his reelection campaign in a race that could offer clues about the electorate's mood heading into a presidential election year. Voters get to speak Tuesday in a state the GOP has recently dominated, but where Democrats see an opportunity to win back the governorship. Three prominent Democrats, including the son of Bevin's predecessor, are competing for the chance to challenge Bevin. The leading Democrats are Attorney General Andy Beshear, ex-state auditor Adam Edelen and longtime state Rep. Rocky Adkins. Beshear's father served two terms as governor. Bevin has three Republican primary challengers, including state Rep. Robert Goforth.


Carnival Cruise Line is limiting beverages brought on board, and specifically targeting bottles that could be used to smuggle alcohol. Beginning July 9, passengers can only bring unopened cans and cartons of water, soda or nonalcoholic beverages, and those are limited to a maximum of 12, which can brought on as carry-on luggage. Limits on cooler size are also being put in place. Passengers and travel agents are being sent a letter explaining the policy. "Guests bringing bottled beverages on board are proving to be a source of multiple issues," reads a statement issued by Carnival. "The first issue is the impact on the boarding process. Bottled beverages are the most common means by which guests attempt to smuggle alcohol on board which necessitates bottles be individually examined by security personnel. This delays the embarkation process and requires security resources dedicated to checking bottled beverages." The statement further explains, "when behavioral issues occur on board and are ultimately investigated, smuggled alcohol often appears to be a factor. Hence, to ensure an enjoyable experience for all guests and crew, we are modifying our beverage policy." Part of the policy change also means a slightly lower price for bottled water if purchased before boarding, $2.99 plus tax down from $4.99 plus gratuities. Also, the line still allows one bottle of fine wine or champagne per adult 21 or over to be brought aboard during embarkation. The policy of not bringing bottled beverages on board applies to ports of call as well. The line says the policy is not a ploy to generate more revenue, but solely to control what it deems an excessive problem causing multiple issues. "We sincerely apologize for any disappointment these changes may cause," reads Carnival's statement. "However, we firmly believe these changes will ultimately benefit all guests."


HOUSTON (AP) With Houston's powerful offense, there always seem to be men on base when Yuli Gurriel comes to the plate in the bottom part of the Astros order. On Wednesday, he found a way to send most of them home. Gurriel drove in a team record-tying eight runs, Gerrit Cole won his 10th straight decision and the Astros routed the Colorado Rockies 14-3 for their sixth victory in a row. ''It's really incredible with this team, and I feel a big responsibility to drive runners in when they are on base,'' Gurriel said in Spanish through a translator. ''To be in that spot, I'm always focused and concentrating to get those runners in.'' A day after homering twice with three RBIs, Gurriel again teed off for the AL West leaders. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a sacrifice fly in the third, a three-run double in the fourth and an RBI grounder in the sixth to give him the most RBIs since he knocked in eight twice while playing in Cuba. Gurriel tied Houston's RBI record set by J.R. Towles in 2007 against St. Louis. Gurriel, who leads the Astros with 80 RBIs, surpassed the seven RBIs he had last season against the Angels and tied the major league record for most RBIs by a player born in Cuba. It's his 11th game this season with at least three RBIs, and he joins Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell as the only Astros to have two games with at least seven runs knocked in. ''You get that feel every time he comes up that something positive is going to happen,'' manager AJ Hinch said. ''He's locked in on pitch recognition and staying in on the at-bat. His production has been through the roof the last six weeks.'' Cole (14-5) struck out 10 in six innings. Undefeated in his last 14 starts, he allowed three hits and two runs to make Houston's starters 16-1 in their last 19 starts. This is the longest winning streak of Cole's career and is the best active streak in the majors. Cole, who hasn't lost since May 22, leads the majors with 226 strikeouts and his 2.87 ERA ranks third in the AL. The Astros swept the four-game interleague season series from Colorado. Trevor Story hit his 26th homer and Nolan Arenado added his 25th for the Rockies, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. The Astros jumped on Colorado starter Peter Lambert (2-3) for seven hits and a career-high nine runs in three-plus innings. Jose Altuve homered on Lambert's first pitch of the game. Colorado manager Bud Black believes the nine walks his three young pitchers combined for were the biggest factor in the lopsided loss. ''Three rookie pitchers probably trying to do a little bit too much or be a little too fine,'' he said. ''I think you saw a result of that in those nine walks. That's tough to do against this lineup, and it's tough to do in the big leagues. These guys are learning on the job, and they'll soon learn that walks will always come back to haunt you.'' Story homered for the fourth time in five games, connecting in the first. Altuve quickly tied it and Gurriel connected with two outs for his 23rd home run, including 18 since June 23. He has homered in five straight games against the Rockies dating to last year. Cole had retired 10 straight, with seven strikeouts, when Arenado homered in the fourth. That hit gave Arenado 26 RBIs in interleague play this season, tied with Frank Thomas for most since interleague play began in 1997. The Astros loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth on a single and two walks before Michael Brantley drove in a run with a single to chase Lambert. He was replaced by Jesus Tinoco, who walked Alex Bregman on four pitches to send another run home and make it 7-2. He struck out Yordan Alvarez and Carlos Correa before Gurriel cleared the bases with double to left field to push the lead to 10-2. Bregman had a two-run double in Houston's three-run seventh to extend the lead to 14-2. TRAINER'S ROOM Astros: RHP Ryan Pressly (sore right knee) returned to Houston on Wednesday after pitching one inning in a rehabilitation game for Double-A Round Rock on Tuesday night. Hinch said he felt good after the outing and that he would be evaluated and likely come off the injured list in the next day or two. ... RHP Brad Peacock (sore right shoulder) will make a rehabilitation appearance for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday night. THE STORY ON STORY Story's homer on Wednesday gave him 114 in what was his 500th career game. It's the most home runs in a shortstop's first 500 games in MLB history, surpassing Alex Rodriguez (103), Nomar Garciaparra (101), Ernie Banks (100) and Tony Batista (93). UP NEXT Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (10-7, 4.03 ERA) will start for Colorado in the opener of a four-game series at San Diego on Thursday night. Gray gave up nine hits and four runs in four innings of a 6-5 loss to San Francisco in his last outing but did not factor in the decision. Astros: Houston is off on Thursday before LHP Wade Miley (10-4, 3.05) starts in the first of three games at Baltimore on Friday night. Miley allowed three hits and two runs in six innings to win is fourth straight decision in Houston's 10-2 victory over Seattle in his last outing. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. WASHINGTON   Sometimes, as the light comes in my bedroom window and I start to wake up, my mind drifts to other things. I think about how talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge is, with her two mordant shows, "Killing Eve" and "Fleabag." I think about how cool it will be to see Idris Elba resume his role as a world-weary London homicide detective in "Luther." I think about what a harrowing tale Patrick Radden Keefe has woven in " Say Nothing : A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland." Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter But once I'm completely awake, a gravitational pull takes hold and I am once more bedeviled by our preposterous president. I flip on the TV and gird for the endless stream of vitriol coming from the White House, bracing for another day of overflowing, overlapping, overwrought news stories about Trump. I'm sapped before I rise. As Mayor Pete said on his Fox town hall about the national Trump preoccupation, "It is the nature of grotesque things that you can't look away." My head hurts, puzzling over whether Trump is just a big blowhard who's flailing around, or a sinister genius laying traps to get himself impeached to animate the base ahead of the election. A minute ago, we were fixated on the half of the Mueller report that vividly details how Trump tried to shut down and hinder the Mueller investigation. But now the president has triggered the media's shock collar, so everyone is fixated on how he gave William Barr vast new powers to use the intelligence agencies to investigate the investigators. Just as Trump once wore out contractors, bankers, lawyers and businesspeople in New York with his combative, insulting and wayward ways, now he's wearing out the political crowd, as he tries to beat everybody here into submission with his daily, even hourly, onslaught of outrage piled upon outrage. Journalists must not become inured to Trump's outlandish, transgressive behavior. Mitch McConnell, Barr and almost everyone else in the G.O.P. have made themselves numb to his abhorrent actions because of self-interest. But for those who are concerned about the scarring of the American psyche, it's exhausting to find the vocabulary to keep explaining, over and over, how beyond the pale and out of the norm the 45th president is. How do you ratchet up from "remarkable," "extraordinary," "unprecedented"? What words can you use about someone who considers pardoning war criminals on Memorial Day? Who wants to make it simpler for adoption agencies to bar same-sex couples ? Who circumvents Congress to complete arms deals to benefit the same Saudis who are clearly culpable in the case of the dismembered Washington Post columnist? Pete Buttigieg and Nancy Pelosi have both mastered the art of puncturing Trump   far better than his Republican primary debate rivals did. "I don't have a problem standing up to somebody who was working on Season 7 of 'Celebrity Apprentice' when I was packing my bags for Afghanistan," Buttigieg told The Post's Robert Costa , saying he took a dim view of Trump's bone-spurs excuse to get out of serving in Vietnam. Pelosi winds Trump up when she drips condescension worthy of a Jane Austen grande dame, saying she will pray for the president or pleading for someone to stage an intervention with the poor soul. After Pelosi remarked that the president was engaged in a cover-up, Trump dynamited his own meeting with "Crazy Nancy," as he called her. His I'm not crazy, you're crazy rebuttal to Pelosi echoed his I'm not a puppet, you're a puppet line to Hillary Clinton during the debate. Trump tweeted a video of Pelosi that was manipulated to make her look as if she were slurring her words. "Well, I don't know about the videos," the president told reporters as he left on his trip to Japan. "He does outrageous, nasty, destructive things, knowing full well he's crossing a line, and then he pretends he didn't," said Trump biographer Tim O'Brien. "He has spent five decades going to gossip columnists, radio shows, TV interviews and newspapers to stick a knife into almost anybody who crosses his path that he doesn't like and he revels in it. There is something amazing in the Energizer Bunny aspect of his nastiness and his ignorance. He doesn't care what people think about how mean or dumb he is. He just keeps going." O'Brien said Pelosi "hit on something that is core to his con. His whole life is about the cover-up. He has covered up his academic record, his health reports, his dalliances with women, his finances, his family history. Even while he was saying he was the most transparent president in history, his Treasury secretary was across town telling Congress, 'I'm not giving you the president's tax returns.' "One of the biggest motivating factors in Trump's life   other than food, greed, sex and revenge   is mythmaking. Deep down, he knows he's a pathological liar and he's not the person he says he is. But any time anyone pierces that veil, it sends him into a rage." It's wearing, not letting this petulant man wear us all out.


While the Los Angeles Lakers opted to leave Rob Pelinka in charge of the basketball operations following the sudden resignation of Magic Johnson, they have found someone else to lead their health and performance staff. And being the Lakers, it shouldn't be a shock that it's a familiar face. The Lakers announced on Friday that Judy Seto will be the team's Director of Sports Performance. Seto previously worked for the Lakers as the team's physical therapist and most recently, she was the Director of Sports Performance at Select Physical Therapy in Southern California. LeBron James welcomed Seto via twitter on Friday afternoon. Welcome back Judy!!! https://t.co/pGZdo7bjDo - LeBron James (@KingJames) May 24, 2019 Seto had a close relationship with Kobe Bryant, whom he referred to as his "secret weapon." Seto responded to James about how excited she is to work together with him. Thanks @KingJames ! Looking forward to teaming up with you and the @lakers again. https://t.co/Ea9VteEYud - Judy Seto (@judyseto) May 24, 2019 LeBron is likely looking forward to the change, especially after playing a career-low 55 games this season and suffering the longest absence of his career when he missed 17 games after his groin injury on Christmas Day. MORE: This flying-knee KO just 10 seconds into a PFL fight had the MMA world in awe Great News: Jimmy Butler Wants to be a Laker Spurs' DeMar DeRozan 'possibly could be on the trade block' to Lakers Former NFL great Mark Gastineau now has a GoFundMe for the fight of his life Jon Gruden ready for Raiders, new WR corps to stretch the field


Pacific Heights According to rental site Zumper , median rents for a one bedroom in Pacific Heights are hovering around $3,450, compared to a $3,390 one-bedroom median for San Francisco as a whole. So how does the low-end pricing on a Pacific Heights rental look these days   and what might you get for the price? We took a look at local listings for studios and one-bedroom apartments from Zumper and Apartment Guide to find out what budget-minded apartment seekers can expect to find in the neighborhood, which, according to Walk Score ratings , is extremely walkable, is quite bikeable and boasts excellent transit options. Take a look at the cheapest listings available right now, below. (Note: Prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 2976 Washington St. This one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, situated at 2976 Washington St., is listed for $2,900/month for its 741 square feet. In the unit, expect carpeted floors and a dishwasher. Building amenities include on-site laundry and assigned parking. Neither cats nor dogs are allowed. The listing specifies a $200 cleaning fee, a $35 administrative fee and a $3,000 security deposit. (See the complete listing here .) 2225 Washington St. Here's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at 2225 Washington St., which, at 900 square feet, is going for $3,150/month. The building features on-site laundry and secured entry. The unit also has a fireplace, hardwood flooring and high ceilings. Neither cats nor dogs are welcome. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. (See the full listing here .) 1855 Clay St. Then there's this residence with one bedroom and one bathroom at 1855 Clay St., listed at $3,150/month. In the unit, the listing promises hardwood flooring and a dishwasher. Cats and dogs are not welcome. When it comes to building amenities, expect on-site laundry and garage parking. There's no leasing fee required for this rental. (See the listing here .) 2420 Steiner St. Check out this one-bedroom, one-bathroom space at 2420 Steiner St., listed at $3,195/month. On-site laundry is listed as a building amenity. In the unit, expect to find a dishwasher, hardwood flooring and central heating. Cats and dogs are not allowed. Be prepared for a $25 application fee. (Here's the listing .) 1725 Van Ness Ave. This one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, situated at 1725 Van Ness Ave., is listed for $3,300/month. The listing promises stainless steel appliances, a dishwasher and hardwood flooring in the unit. Pets are not allowed. Building amenities include outdoor space and an elevator. (See the listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data from Zumper and Apartment Guide , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


For the first time in about a month, Tiger Woods will be playing in a PGA Tour event. After finishing the U.S. Open with a strong round Sunday, Woods resumes his PGA Tour t ournament slate with the British Open , the final major of the year. Woods has three career British Open victories (2000, 2005, 2006), the first two of which came at St. Andrews. His 13 years without a Claret Jug is Woods' longest drought without a win at any of the four majors. MORE: Watch the British Open live on fuboTV (7-day free trial) Despite fewer British Open wins than a couple of other majors, he has 10 top-10 finishes, his second-highest total of the four major tournaments. His 5-under par last year marked the start of an impressive resurgence that also involved a second-place finish at the PGA Championship and wins at The Tour Championship and of course the Masters. Woods has finished in the top 10 two other times since his 2006 victory and has only missed the cut twice since playing in his first British Open in 1995. It has been a bit of a struggle for Woods in his two majors since the triumph at Augusta. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and finished in a tie for 21st at the U.S. Open. If he comes out on top at Royal Portrush, it will be the first time that he has won multiple majors in the same year since 2006. With the tournament taking place in Great Britain, the time difference makes watching the tournament a bit more challenging than the typical major, but for those dedicated fans who don't want to miss any of Woods' shots, broadcast and live stream information is below. You can also follow our "Tiger Tracker" and live leaderboard for updates of every hole throughout the tournament. TIGER TRACKER: Follow Tiger Woods' Round 1 at the British Open Tiger Woods' British Open tee times Tiger Woods will tee off at 10:10 a.m. ET for Thursday's Round 1 paired with Patrick Reed and Matt Wallace. Round Time Pairing 1 10:10 a.m. ET Patrick Reed, Matt Wallace 2 5:09 a.m. ET Patrick Reed, Matt Wallace 3 TBD 4 TBD Open Championship 2019 TV schedule TV channels: NBC, Golf Channel Leaderboard: Follow SN's live tracker Like most tournaments, Golf Channel will exclusively broadcast the tournament in the United States during the first two days, providing over 14 hours of coverage on both Thursday and Friday. It will also have the beginning of Saturday and Saturday, with the tournament wrapping up on NBC for both days. Dan Hicks and Paul Azinger will make up the primary broadcast team on NBC, while Mike Tirico, Terry Gannon and Nick Faldo will also provide coverage. Date Time TV Channel Thursday, July 18 1:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET Golf Channel/ fuboTV Friday, July 19 1:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET Golf Channel/ fuboTV Saturday, July 20 4:30-7 a.m. ET Golf Channel/ fuboTV Saturday, July 20 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET NBC/ fuboTV Sunday, July 21 4:30-7 a.m. ET Golf Channel/ fuboTV Sunday, July 21 7 a.m.-2 p.m. ET NBC/ fuboTV British Open live stream Live stream: NBC Sports | Golf Channel | fuboTV There are multiple ways to live stream the British Open. Both NBC Sports and the Golf Channel provide a free stream during the tournament. You can also stream all four rounds by signing up for fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial .


Hungry for something new? If you love to eat and drink, this week offers a great chance to explore the world of Pittsburgh food and beverage. From food, boozy drinks and sweets to a brew tour, here's what to do on the local food scene this week. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. A Taste of Allentown From the event description: Stroll along East Warrington Avenue and explore eight local businesses, while sampling food, beer and wine. After a lap around the neighborhood, guests are invited to an after- party in Alla Famiglia's newly renovated ballroom for an assortment of sweets. When: Friday, June 14, 6-8 p.m. Where: East Warrington Avenue, 831 E. Warrington Ave. Price: $30 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Up to 44% Off Hookah and Baklava at Dijlah Restaurant & Cafe From the Dijlah Restaurant & Cafe deal description: Guests can relax in a hookah lounge, while enjoying beverages and desserts. The deal includes hookah, baklava and Ahmad Tea for one or two. Where: Dijlah Restaurant & Cafe, 4130 Butler St., Central Lawrenceville Price: $12-19 (up to 44 percent discount off regular price) Click here for more details, and to get this deal Up to 31% Off Brew Tours at City Brew Tours Pittsburgh From the City Brew Tours deal description: The after-hours brew tour showcases Pittsburgh's night life and brewpub scene with tastings of 15 to 18 beers. Guests will receive a five-hour guided brewery tour experience with behind the scenes tours at four locations, along with roundtrip transportation from downtown Pittsburgh. Where: 112 Washington Place, Mellon Arena Price: $79-$150 (up to 31 percent discount off regular price) Click here for more details, and to nab this deal This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The very strong 25-year-old's power is categorically among the best in baseball. But that's about all he has. How extended of a look does Renato Nunez need? It's a tricky case. Baseball, man. Over the weekend, the Orioles, with only 24 wins as of July 2 and currently 31 games behind the first-place Yankees, became the first team ever to score 13+ runs without allowing a run in consecutive games. When that stat become official following Sunday's game it brought upon one of those feelings of something like, "Really? No team ever did that before?" You're going to tell me that the 2019 Orioles, with a roster currently projected by Fangraphs to win 55 games, is the only team to ever pulverize a team back-to-back games in aforementioned fashion? The same team that is fourth from the bottom in runs and has surrendered the second-most runs? Only in baseball could such a blatant disregard for the norm be a thing. Speaking of "pulverized," there hasn't been a hitter on the Orioles that's made more consistently loud contact than Renato Nunez. Not the smoothest of segues but nevertheless, Nunez has proven himself to be somewhat of a force at the plate. Currently the owner of a 104 wRC+ in his second year of extended big league work, Nunez has managed to be slightly better than the average hitter in 2019. His 18 home runs are tied for seventh-most in the American League while his .246 ISO is 12th-best. Last summer Nunez essentially became the de facto third baseman, and he's been one of the few Orioles to actually take advantage of his everyday opportunities. In 91 more plate appearances from last year to this year, the Venezuelan has 11 more home runs due to his 10.5 HR/FB ratio nearly doubling to 19.1, and a slightly higher OPS in spite of a lower on-base number. His batted ball numbers certainly lend even greater perspective. In terms of barreling the baseball, 9.1 percent of Nunez's batted balls are considered "barrels," a Statcast term that projects a given batted ball to have at least a .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage. In layman's terms, it means that 9.1 percent of Nunez's batted balls end in really hard contact and good things happen. Sharing the 25th best "barrel" mark in baseball with Nunez is Cody Bellinger, the current front-runner for National League MVP. Nunez's hard-hit rate is in the 81st percentile according to Baseball Savant, with an above average expected slugger number. It's obvious that Nunez has some juice at the plate. There is no debating that he's one of the best in baseball at hitting the baseball hard, and hitting it far. One perfect example was this past weekend as the Orioles were in the midst of their rare dominance. Zach Plesac looks like someone that's going to be interesting to watch, considering how he hides the baseball so well and has decent-enough stuff at his disposal. But Renato Nunez ate his lunch on a 1-2 slider that Plesac really didn't miss with, and was the right pitch. The freaky thing is not that Nunez blasted the baseball 105 mph, but that he pulled it so severely. This isn't a hanging slider over the middle of the plate, but it's down and away enough that it shouldn't be redirected into the left-center field gap. I mean, this ain't exactly a still-shot of an everyday home run into the Orioles bullpen. This kind of stupid pull strength and feel for the barrel has benefited Nunez enough that he'll probably end the year with somewhere around 25 home runs. For a guy that's been at the forefront of the previous 175 Oriole losses, he's had more moments than most of his peers. Even so, how much faith can you have in a one-dimensional swing? So far this year, Nunez has the 10th-highest pull rate in all of baseball at just over 51 percent, pretty much par for his minor league career. His contact and whiff rates are problems, and while he hasn't chased outside the zone as much he did a season ago, he still chases a lot. Right now, one out of every four plate appearances end in a strikeout. And as impressive as these pull-or-be-pulled home runs are, it's all the evidence you need to know that Nunez has one swing. He's going to pull the baseball with authority, or he's going to strike out trying. You can see how defenses overload the left side of the infield, and of his 68 hits this season, only three have been to right field. His on-base percentage is entirely dependent on his batting average, and right now he's only hitting .239. His current batting average is nearly identical to his xBA of .238, and all of this comes with a BABIP of only .259. He's had weird results because he's a weird hitter. It's hard to say one way or another if there's more juice in the Nunez carton because his pros fight as hard as his cons. Is he trade bait for a team looking for someone to provide pop off the bench? He could be, and there may be a sliver of value to be had for what he is. But I don't think Mike Elias is so short-sighted. Renato Nunez not only has one of the 50 best average exit velocities in baseball, but he's also one of the game's most prolific fly-ball hitters. We've seen what happens when he connects with a baseball, and still only 25 years old playing on a team going nowhere anytime soon, he'll have the opportunity to provide the Orioles with ample evidence of his worth. While I don't believe there's enough value to trade him now, there may be down the road. He hits the ball hard, and there may be a chance he figures a thing or two out. If not, and his 2019 numbers are a gauge for his median or ceiling, he'll make for a fine designated hitter or bench bat. Or, you know, an everyday bat on a really bad team... Nunez, like a few of his teammates, piques interest. Considering the Orioles are in no hurry to drastically change the 25-man roster, Nunez is probably going to stay. I don't expect many of the current Orioles to be Orioles say four years from now, but if there is one that has the tools to see the turnaround come to an end, it could be Nunez.


HARRISON, N.J. (AP) Pedro Santos scored two goals and gave the Columbus Crew the lead for good in the 84th minute in a 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. Santos' late goal for the Crew (7-14-3) came on a putback after New York's Luis Robles saved Gyasi Zardes' shot. Daniel Royer tied it at 2 for the Red Bulls (10-9-4) on a penalty kick in the 63rd minute. Roye improved to 8 for 8 on penalty kicks in his MLS career, sending a hard shot into the upper-left corner. Referee Fotis Bazakos used video review to determine Royer was held while going for a header in the area. Brian White opened the scoring for the Red Bulls in the 15th minute, splitting the Crew's two central defenders to get up for a header. It was White's eighth goal of the season. Luis Argudo tied it at 1 a minute later with a close range finish of Zardes' header pass. Columbus took a 2-1 lead on Santos' goal in the 46th minute. It was the Crew's first road win since March 9.