data-mm-id=”_d46c2wume”>When the San Diego Padres acquired Mike Clevinger in a massive nine-player deal at the trade deadline, it appeared they had landed the final piece of their puzzle. Clevinger was a legit No. 1 starter with postseason experience who could front the team's rotation. After three solid starts things went sideways and now he may not be available in October.Clevinger left Wednesday's start after one inning and immediately got an MRI on his pitching arm. The diagnosis? A sprained elbow, which could end his season. While there is some optimism that it's not a serious injury and that the 29-year-old could pitch in the postseason, the Padres can't plan on it. There is significant optimism that San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger avoided a serious injury, according to league sources. He received additional tests today and while nothing is official, there is hope he will be able to pitch at some point in the postseason.— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) September 24, 2020Clevinger was a huge part of what general manager A.J. Preller has been planning for a few years. He's been looking for a frontline starter for almost two full seasons. He dabbled in trade talks for Noah Syndergaard, Chris Archer and others but wisely stayed away from their ballooning price tags. He wound up landing Clevinger this year without surrendering a top 100 prospect and will have him under control for two more seasons. In his four starts for the Padres, Clevinger looked like an ace. He was 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 19.0 innings. His supreme confidence, ability to impose his will on hitters, and go deep into games fundamentally changed San Diego's pitching staff. Now that Clevinger is potentially out for a few weeks, things become a bit dire for the Padres. With no days off scheduled, teams will need to plan to use four starters in the postseason instead of the usual three. Dinelson Lamet will now be San Diego's No. 1 and he's worthy of that designation. He's a National League Cy Young Award contender. The other spots get tricky. Zach Davies has been excellent this season (7-4, 2.85 ERA) and he's likely the second-best starter available. Meanwhile, Opening Day starter Chris Paddack has struggled (4-4, 4.23 ERA) for most of the campaign. Garrett Richards was the team's fourth starter but he's been moved to the bullpen in the lead up to the playoffs. He could start a game as a makeshift bullpen day, but the team really doesn't have another legitimate starter on the roster right now. The Padres could likely get through the wild card round unscathed with the guys they currently have. But if they plan on going beyond the divisional round, they'll need Clevinger back. The team's potential for a deep playoff run rests on the health of his right elbow.
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Iceland led most of the way thanks to an own goal after 14 minutes by Edson Alvarez, but Mexico finally found a rhythm in the second half.
Lozano came on in the 63rd minute and equalised 10 minutes later, sending a right-footed shot past Runar Alex Runarsson.
The Napoli forward netted the winner in the 78th minute, heading home Hector Herrera s cross from close range for the final margin.
¡EL CHUUUCKY LOZAAANO! |
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx)
Lozano remains the only player to score for El Tri in 2021 after his 89th-minute goal beat Costa Rica 1-0 in a March friendly.
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Daniel Sturridge has returned to training with Liverpool as the end of his injury nightmare draws closer.
The England striker has not played for the Merseyside club since their 3-0 Premier League win at Tottenham in August due to thigh and calf problems.
Sturridge first sustained a thigh strain while on international duty at the start of September, before then injuring his calf while on the comeback trail last month.
However, the 25-year-old has handed Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers a much-needed boost by returning to training on Wednesday.
Sturridge tweeted: Training was class. Happy to be back. Thank you Jesus.
Over the weekend, Sturridge told BT Sport that he expects to be ready for his side s first game after the international break, at Cryst…
Sergio Aguero scored twice in 93 seconds to help send Manchester City into the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-1 victory over Burnley.
The runaway Premier League leaders fell behind when Ashley Barnes, who had earlier missed a glorious chance, lashed home a superb 25th-minute opener after John Stones failed to deal with a bouncing ball.
Pep Guardiola s side won October s Premier League meeting between the two 3-0 and that gulf in class was certainly more apparent in the second half, in which Aguero struck a double blow, with Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva also scoring.
Ilkay Gundogan provided the assist for the first two, but the equaliser was not without controversy as the Germany international s quickly taken free-kick caught the Clarets napping and Aguero�…
Former Bolton and Wigan manager Owen Coyle is in Houston for talks about becoming the Dynamo s new coach.
The Scot has been without a managerial job since leaving Wigan in December 2013, but looks set to take over at the MLS side.
Dominic Kinnear resigned as Dynamo coach in October before being announced as the San Jose Earthquakes new boss.
Coyle told the Houston Chronicle there was nothing to confirm, but said he was in the city for talks.
We re going to have a chat again and see where we go from there, Coyle said.
There s nothing, as they say, confirmed in any respect. But there s no getting away that it s a wonderful opportunity for a coach to come into a wonderful club and try to move things on.
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Defending champions Chile have been dealt an early blow after defender Eugenio Mena was ruled out for the remainder of the Copa America Centenario due to injury.
Mena suffered a torn right hamstring during Monday s 2-1 loss to 2015 runners-up Argentina in Santa Clara, California, with CONMEBOL confirming a replacement cannot be called up as the 27-year-old already played in the centenary tournament.
The 44-cap veteran was taken from the field nine minutes into the second half.
Chile, who have lost five of their past six matches, face Bolivia in a must-win Group D clash on Friday.
Juan Antonio Pizzi s Chile then close out the group stage with a fixture against Panama on June 14.
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Bayern Munich s chairman of the board Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Wednesday he will fight to bring Germany striker Mario Gomez from VfB Stuttgart to the German giants.
The 23-year-old, who won the last of his 14 caps in last month s Euro 2008 final defeat to Spain in Vienna but was one of the big disappointments of the tournament failing to score, has been repeatedly targeted by Bayern although he is under contract at Stuttgart until June 2012.
But Rummenigge is not going to give up without a fight and says Gomez could be in Munich within the next 12 months.
There is a clause in his contract which gives us the possibility to bring him here, possibly within the next year, said Rummenigge.
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Fernando Torres believes his partnership with Robbie Keane can help Liverpool end their 18-year wait to win the Premier League.
Torres linked up with Keane for the first time since his 20-million-pounds move from Tottenham in Saturday s 4-0 friendly win over Rangers.
The strike duo formed an instant rapport and Torres was impressed by his new team-mate s contribution.
He s a fantastic player and an important player for us, Torres said. I hope he can score a lot of goals for Liverpool and that I can play alongside him many times.
We ve only been training together for a few days so it s not a lot of time, but the important thing for me is that he is always talking during games.
The understanding between us and Steven Gerrard is important as we…
It’s not a secret that Alexis Sanchez had a poor year in 2019. But let’s be honest. His whole 2018-19 campaign was well below the expectations.
The Chilean forward struggled to gain consistent playing time with both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he also struggled with injuries far more than in other of his previous seasons in Europe. As a result, Manchester United fans are keen to let Alexis leave this summer. Even though the Chilean is good enough to play for a top club such as Manchester United, a change of scenery could do wonders for him.
Sometimes it’s best to take two steps back in order to take two forward. And with that in mind, Alexis should strongly consider a return to Italy. Both Inter Milan and Juventus are interested in him, and things …
Verdict: Lazio win
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The Rossoneri welcome their high-flying opponents to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza where they will hope to get their 10th league win of the season.
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Dortmund close in on Diouf
Borussia Dortmund are stepping up their efforts to sign Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf, .
The Millionaires were believed to be lining up a move for the Senegalese striker as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, but Bild has learned that Diouf will be signed even if the Polish striker decides to stay on for another season.
BVB chiefs are convinced the 25-year-old has got what it takes to succeed at Signal-Iduna Park and do not want to miss a great opportunity to sign him in the summer transfer window.
Namely, the former Manchester United forward has a contract until June 2014 at Hannover and he has already rejected a contract extension.
With that in mind, Bild believes the player would only cost €8 million in the s…