Happy Tuesday and happy August, everyone! We have the MLB trade deadline today, the NFL preseason upcoming, the college football season starting in under four weeks, the Women's World Cup rolling along and plenty more as the dog days of summer wind down and the sports schedule ramps up.
Let's get right to it.
Good (enough) morning to everyone but especially to ...
THE UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
A uninspired performance ... again. Chances gone harmlessly by the wayside ... again. Major questions for the players and the coaching staff ... again.
Advancement to the knockout stage ... again. The United States women's national team survived the group stage by the skin of their teeth -- or rather, the width of a goalpost -- with a 0-0 draw against Portugal. When Portuguese striker Ana Capeta broke through the defense and her 91st-minute strike went past U.S. keeper Alyssa Naeher, the two-time defending World Cup champions looked like they'd be going home shockingly early, but the goalpost kept it out.
With the USWNT's nervy draw and the Netherlands running rampant over Vietnam, 7-0, the Americans finish second in the group for just the second time ever. They will almost certainly face Sweden -- who sit atop Group G by a wide margin -- in the round of 16.
Entering the match, Megan Rapinoe said her team was "exactly where [they] want to be," but it's clear the team is quite far from where they need to be to three-peat, much less survive even another match. The attack simply hasn't been close to good enough and, perhaps more worringly, has shown no signs of improvement, writes Pardeep Cattry.
- Cattry: "The USWNT are experiencing an incredibly untimely rough patch up top and played yet another match where they created plenty of chances but could not score nearly as often as they should have. This time, though, the Americans went scoreless for the first time in 13 games. ... The USWNT's attack remained inconsistent against Portugal, but perhaps the team's biggest area of concern was the midfield. The trio of Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Andi Sullivan never really got into a rhythm and struggled to provide a foundation that would build a consistent, persistent attack."
The past two matches also indicate opponents have found a game plan against the U.S., Pardeep notes. Luckily, the defense has held strong throughout, and Naomi Girma is a huge reason why; she earned top marks in Sandra Herrera's player ratings.
The bright side is that the USWNT survived and advanced. If they win another World Cup doing just that, no one will complain. The not-so-bright side is that survival and advancement look increasingly unlikely if there aren't major changes between now and Sunday. If the last two matches haven't put that on clear and obvious display, nothing will.
Honorable mentions
- Damar Hamlin is practicing in pads.
- Northwestern hired Skip Holtz as special assistant to interim head coach David Braun.
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And not such a good morning for ...
BO BICHETTE AND THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS
In an unexpected turn of events, the Blue Jays are in line to make the playoffs not due to their star-studded offense but rather their outstanding pitching staff. Now, their best offensive player's availability is in doubt. All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette left Monday's loss to the Orioles with "knee discomfort" after rounding first base and pulling up lame.
- Bichette was tagged out and eventually limped off the field with a trainer. Santiago Espinal came in to replace Bichette defensively in the next half-inning.
- After the game, manager John Schneider said the team is still gathering information and will know more today.
- Bichette, 25, leads the AL in batting average (.321), hits (144) and multi-hit games (42, including last night's 2-2 effort); he's also third in total bases.
- The Blue Jays are clinging onto the final AL wild-card spot, with four teams within 3 1/2 games.
Last year, the Blue Jays used an offensive explosion (fourth in MLB in runs per game) to overcome an inconsistent pitching staff (13th in runs per game allowed). This year, Toronto is 15th in runs per game and third in runs per game allowed with Bichette keeping things afloat as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and others have struggled at the plate.
Not so honorable mentions
- The Broncos were dealt a pair of tough blows at wide receiver: Tim Patrick reportedly tore his Achilles and will miss his second straight season, and KJ Hamler was waived with a non-injury designation after being diagnosed with pericarditis, a heart condition. Hamler is expected to return, potentially even in the next few weeks.
- Cowboys running back Ronald Jones was suspended for two games.
- Lions tight end Shane Zylstra (knee) could miss six months.
- Nebraska defensive back Myles Farmer was suspended indefinitely.
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⚾ MLB trade deadline: Latest deals, rumors
The MLB trade deadline is just hours away -- 6 p.m. ET to be precise. Both deals and rumors are coming in from all angles. Let's first start with the deals that have been agreed upon:
- The Rays acquired starter Aaron Civale from the Guardians. Civale, 28, has a 2.34 ERA this season and is under team control through 2025.
- The Mets continued their deadline sale, sending outfielder Mark Canha to the Brewers.
- The Cubs -- once expected to be sellers before their hot July -- traded for Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario.
- The Diamondbacks fortified their bullpen, acquiring Paul Sewald from the Mariners.
- The Mariners also sent outfielder A.J. Pollock and utility man Mark Mathias to the Giants.
- Here's full MLB trade tracker.
We also have our MLB trade deadline live blog up and running, and you should have that open all day because there are plenty of big names on the rumor mill.
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🏀 WNBA Power Rankings: Aces nearing history, top shaken up
We're into the final full month of the regular season, and no one's catching the Aces. In fact, the record book might have trouble keeping up. At 23-2, Las Vegas tied the 1998 Comets for best start to a season through 25 games, and the Aces are on a seven-game winning streak, all by double digits.
As such, Las Vegas once again tops Jack Maloney's WNBA Power Rankings. Here's the top five:
- 1. Aces (Previous: 1)
- 2. Liberty (2)
- 3. Sun (3)
- 4. Dream (5)
- 5. Wings (4)
But it's team No. 6 who's hotter than anyone outside Las Vegas.
- Maloney: "6. Lynx (7) -- Despite losing Napheesa Collier to a sprained ankle, the Lynx went on the road and beat the Liberty and the Sun to run their winning streak to three games. They're now back to .500 and all alone in sixth place after their 0-6 start. All three victories on this winning streak have come by five points or fewer, running their record in five-point games to a remarkable 8-3."
The Lynx haven't been over .500 since September 2021. They can change that tonight with a win over Connecticut.
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🏈 Fantasy football: Sleepers to watch as season nears
Who doesn't love Fantasy football? After months of relaxing, we're in that beloved time when you must separate training camp buzz with actual signs of Fantasy value, force yourself not to overreact and eventually try to embrace the stress of your draft. That existential dread you feel when trying to avoid a bust is great, isn't it?! Just me? Oh well.
With August here, your draft is probably coming in the next few weeks. If you're not in a league yet, it's never been easier to sign up. And if you're trying to get a leg up on your competition, it's never too early to formulate a draft plan. Lucky for you, Jamey Eisenberg revealed his latest sleepers list, chock full of guys who might be off your radar now but shouldn't be for long.
One of my favorites from Jamey's selections:
- "WR Jameson Williams, Lions -- If Williams wasn't suspended for the first six games of the season, we'd be calling him a breakout player this year. And yes, it's hard to carry a player on your bench for six weeks if you have limited roster spots. But the upside could be amazing, and I love his ADP at 106.7. Keep in mind that you want your Fantasy team to be at its best at the end of the season, and Williams could be a league winner."
Want more draft prep? You can keep up with our Fantasy writers' excellent work here.
📺 What we're watching Tuesday
⚽ We're watching the Women's World Cup. Here's how.
🏀 Lynx at Sun, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Liberty at Sparks, 10 p.m. on NBATV
