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RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Hitting the hard length has been my strength, says Josh Hazlewood  In a format which places high value on variations and innovations, Josh Hazlewood has stuck to the tried and trusted.The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fast bowler revels in honing in on a hard length, making it tough for batters to get under and slog.This classical approach has worked well not just in the two IPL matches he has played thus far, but in the previous season as well.Now back to full fitness, Hazlewood is a natural fit as leader of the RCB attack.“We see different bowlers in our group have different styles, so I try to copy a different ball here and there. But at the same time, you first and foremost rely on your strengths. Obviously, my strength is hitting the length, and hitting it hard. It’s not about floating the ball up; it’s not about digging it in. It is about making it hard for the batter to hit me off that length,” Hazlewood said on the eve of RCB’s game against Delhi Capitals.RELATED | Delhi Capitals looks to stop marauding Royal Challengers BengaluruThe 35-year-old is doubly dangerous if the pitch is not a batting beauty, as seen in RCB’s fixture against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday.“The other night, the pitch actually helped a little bit. It was hard to time the ball; the pitch was a bit up-and-down. If you’re on a nice glassy pitch and everything’s coming onto the bat nicely, then things have to change, and you try a few different things,” Hazlewood said.Published on Apr 17, 2026  #RCB #IPL #Hitting #hard #length #strength #Josh #Hazlewood

RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Hitting the hard length has been my strength, says Josh Hazlewood

In a format which places high value on variations and innovations, Josh Hazlewood has stuck to the tried and trusted.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fast bowler revels in honing in on a hard length, making it tough for batters to get under and slog.

This classical approach has worked well not just in the two IPL matches he has played thus far, but in the previous season as well.

Now back to full fitness, Hazlewood is a natural fit as leader of the RCB attack.

“We see different bowlers in our group have different styles, so I try to copy a different ball here and there. But at the same time, you first and foremost rely on your strengths. Obviously, my strength is hitting the length, and hitting it hard. It’s not about floating the ball up; it’s not about digging it in. It is about making it hard for the batter to hit me off that length,” Hazlewood said on the eve of RCB’s game against Delhi Capitals.

RELATED | Delhi Capitals looks to stop marauding Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The 35-year-old is doubly dangerous if the pitch is not a batting beauty, as seen in RCB’s fixture against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday.

“The other night, the pitch actually helped a little bit. It was hard to time the ball; the pitch was a bit up-and-down. If you’re on a nice glassy pitch and everything’s coming onto the bat nicely, then things have to change, and you try a few different things,” Hazlewood said.

Published on Apr 17, 2026

#RCB #IPL #Hitting #hard #length #strength #Josh #Hazlewood

In a format which places high value on variations and innovations, Josh Hazlewood has stuck to the tried and trusted.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fast bowler revels in honing in on a hard length, making it tough for batters to get under and slog.

This classical approach has worked well not just in the two IPL matches he has played thus far, but in the previous season as well.

Now back to full fitness, Hazlewood is a natural fit as leader of the RCB attack.

“We see different bowlers in our group have different styles, so I try to copy a different ball here and there. But at the same time, you first and foremost rely on your strengths. Obviously, my strength is hitting the length, and hitting it hard. It’s not about floating the ball up; it’s not about digging it in. It is about making it hard for the batter to hit me off that length,” Hazlewood said on the eve of RCB’s game against Delhi Capitals.

RELATED | Delhi Capitals looks to stop marauding Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The 35-year-old is doubly dangerous if the pitch is not a batting beauty, as seen in RCB’s fixture against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday.

“The other night, the pitch actually helped a little bit. It was hard to time the ball; the pitch was a bit up-and-down. If you’re on a nice glassy pitch and everything’s coming onto the bat nicely, then things have to change, and you try a few different things,” Hazlewood said.

Published on Apr 17, 2026

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#RCB #IPL #Hitting #hard #length #strength #Josh #Hazlewood

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Deadspin | Liberty re-sign Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/21155995.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/21155995.jpg" alt="WNBA: Las Vegas Aces at New York Liberty" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Aug 6, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forwards Jonquel Jones (35) and Breanna Stewart (30) and guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) watch the game from the bench in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones signed contracts for the 2026 season, the team announced on Friday.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>Financial terms were not disclosed by the team.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>“This is an incredibly historic moment for the New York Liberty franchise,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said. “Re-signing Breanna, Jonquel and Sabrina reflects the trust, sacrifice and shared purpose that define what it means to represent the Liberty, this city and our fanbase. The three cornerstone players chose to invest in each other and the long-term legacy of this organization, a rare commitment that has the chance to redefine that standard of excellence across basketball.”</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Stewart, a forward, and Ionescu, a guard, announced earlier this month that they planned to re-sign with New York, ending suspense over their intentions as free agents.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>Stewart, 31, will embark on her fourth season with the Liberty and 10th WNBA campaign overall. She is a two-time MVP, winning the award with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and with New York in 2023.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-6"> <p>Stewart averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31 games last season. She was named an All-Star for the seventh time.</p> </section> <section id="section-7"> <p>The three-time WNBA champion — 2018 and 2020 with Seattle, 2024 with New York — has career averages of 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 292 games (all starts).</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>Ionescu, 28, will be entering her seventh season and has spent her entire career with the Liberty. She was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020 and is a four-time All-Star.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>The Oregon product averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 38 games last season.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Ionsecu has career averages of 16.7 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 181 games (177 starts). She has won one WNBA title (2024).</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>Jones, 32, averaged 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 31 games (all starts) last season. A 2021 WNBA MVP, Jones averaged 13.4 points and 8.4 boards in 306 career games (259 starts) with the Connecticut Sun and Liberty.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-12"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Liberty #resign #Breanna #Stewart #Sabrina #Ionescu #Jonquel #Jones

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Gang Green Nation selects Makai Lemon for Jets in 20th annual SB Nation community mock draft <div id="cyclone-embed-body-1f462a25-7276-480c-aaff-f38c9d11a4de"><p>To call wide receiver a need for the Jets would be an understatement. In 2025 the Jets became the first team since the league expanded the schedule to 16 games to have no receivers with at least 400 yards. Getting Garrett Wilson back from injury obviously will help with that, but there is nothing behind Wilson. Adding Lemon changes that. Stick him in the slot, and he can take some of the pressure off Wilson. In fact, the Jets’ wide receiver group now starts to look like something resembling a viable NFL crew.</p></div> #Gang #Green #Nation #selects #Makai #Lemon #Jets #20th #annual #Nation #community #mock #draft

Deadspin | Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran out to torment Giants again in rubber game  Aug 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA;  Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) hits a walk-off RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images   Ezequiel Duran will look to enhance his growing reputation as a Giants killer when the Texas Rangers complete a three-game series against San Francisco on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas.  Duran delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and game-winning two-bagger in the ninth as the Rangers beat the Giants 5-4 on Tuesday. He has gone 7-for-9 with a homer and five RBIs as the teams split the first two games of the set.  “Zeke Duran, what a couple games he’s had,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “What a year he’s had. That was a fantastic fight back and a really good game for him.”  The stellar performances continue Duran’s startling run of production against the Giants: 17-for-31 (.548) with 11 RBIs in eight career games.  More important to Duran was delivering when the team needed big hits.  “I feel pretty good,” he said. “Everybody is doing an amazing job. We’re trying to go 100% every time and just win games.”  The Tuesday victory halted a season-worst six-game slide for the Rangers.  Before scoring two runs in the first inning, Texas had gone 40 innings without holding a lead, dating back to Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Schumaker was paying close attention in the dugout as the Giants scored twice in the top of the ninth to tie the score. He saw the attitudes stay high before Duran’s winning double, which came on a ball hit over the head of right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who fell on the warning track as the ball landed to his left.  “I’m glad we won the game,” Schumaker said. “A lot of things happened to where you could have gone, ‘Here we go again. We’re in a losing streak and finding ways to lose.’ That could have been the assumption in the dugout, but it wasn’t. That was really encouraging.”  Corey Seager had his first three-hit game of the season for the Rangers, inching his batting average up to .201. He was playing in his fifth game since returning from a back injury.  The Giants lost for the fourth time in five games.   Bryce Eldridge hit a tying two-run single in the ninth for San Francisco. Osleivis Basabe belted a two-run homer, and he has gone deep three times in six games since being promoted from Triple-A Sacramento.  San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman (abdominal injury) has missed the past five weeks and could end up undergoing season-ending surgery.  Giants manager Tony Vitello said Chapman would visit a specialist in Philadelphia.  Chapman is batting .235 with seven homers and 42 RBIs in 84 games this season.  Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (2-2, 6.63 ERA) will try to secure a series victory for the struggling Giants.  Whisenhunt, 25, has given up 10 runs in 8 1/3 innings while losing his past two outings. He yielded four runs and five hits while falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 26, then permitted six runs and seven hits over 3 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday.  “Obviously, he stepped up, he got a couple chances,” Vitello said of Whisenhunt, who likely will receive a long look the rest of the season.  Whisenhunt will be making his 10th career appearance (all starts) and first against the Rangers.  Left-hander Cody Bradford will start Wednesday for Texas in his first major league appearance since 2024. He missed last season with an elbow injury and underwent Tommy John surgery 13-plus months ago.  Bradford, 28, made five minor league rehab starts — three for Double-A Frisco, two for Triple-A Red Rock — and had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings.  Bradford went 10-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 34 appearances (21 starts) with the Rangers in 2023 and ’24. He has never faced San Francisco.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Rangers #Ezequiel #Duran #torment #Giants #rubber #gameAug 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) hits a walk-off RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Ezequiel Duran will look to enhance his growing reputation as a Giants killer when the Texas Rangers complete a three-game series against San Francisco on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas.

Duran delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and game-winning two-bagger in the ninth as the Rangers beat the Giants 5-4 on Tuesday. He has gone 7-for-9 with a homer and five RBIs as the teams split the first two games of the set.

“Zeke Duran, what a couple games he’s had,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “What a year he’s had. That was a fantastic fight back and a really good game for him.”

The stellar performances continue Duran’s startling run of production against the Giants: 17-for-31 (.548) with 11 RBIs in eight career games.

More important to Duran was delivering when the team needed big hits.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “Everybody is doing an amazing job. We’re trying to go 100% every time and just win games.”

The Tuesday victory halted a season-worst six-game slide for the Rangers.

Before scoring two runs in the first inning, Texas had gone 40 innings without holding a lead, dating back to Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Schumaker was paying close attention in the dugout as the Giants scored twice in the top of the ninth to tie the score. He saw the attitudes stay high before Duran’s winning double, which came on a ball hit over the head of right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who fell on the warning track as the ball landed to his left.

“I’m glad we won the game,” Schumaker said. “A lot of things happened to where you could have gone, ‘Here we go again. We’re in a losing streak and finding ways to lose.’ That could have been the assumption in the dugout, but it wasn’t. That was really encouraging.”

Corey Seager had his first three-hit game of the season for the Rangers, inching his batting average up to .201. He was playing in his fifth game since returning from a back injury.


The Giants lost for the fourth time in five games.

Bryce Eldridge hit a tying two-run single in the ninth for San Francisco. Osleivis Basabe belted a two-run homer, and he has gone deep three times in six games since being promoted from Triple-A Sacramento.

San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman (abdominal injury) has missed the past five weeks and could end up undergoing season-ending surgery.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said Chapman would visit a specialist in Philadelphia.

Chapman is batting .235 with seven homers and 42 RBIs in 84 games this season.

Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (2-2, 6.63 ERA) will try to secure a series victory for the struggling Giants.

Whisenhunt, 25, has given up 10 runs in 8 1/3 innings while losing his past two outings. He yielded four runs and five hits while falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 26, then permitted six runs and seven hits over 3 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday.

“Obviously, he stepped up, he got a couple chances,” Vitello said of Whisenhunt, who likely will receive a long look the rest of the season.

Whisenhunt will be making his 10th career appearance (all starts) and first against the Rangers.

Left-hander Cody Bradford will start Wednesday for Texas in his first major league appearance since 2024. He missed last season with an elbow injury and underwent Tommy John surgery 13-plus months ago.

Bradford, 28, made five minor league rehab starts — three for Double-A Frisco, two for Triple-A Red Rock — and had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings.

Bradford went 10-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 34 appearances (21 starts) with the Rangers in 2023 and ’24. He has never faced San Francisco.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Rangers #Ezequiel #Duran #torment #Giants #rubber #game">Deadspin | Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran out to torment Giants again in rubber game  Aug 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA;  Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran (20) hits a walk-off RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images   Ezequiel Duran will look to enhance his growing reputation as a Giants killer when the Texas Rangers complete a three-game series against San Francisco on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas.  Duran delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning and game-winning two-bagger in the ninth as the Rangers beat the Giants 5-4 on Tuesday. He has gone 7-for-9 with a homer and five RBIs as the teams split the first two games of the set.  “Zeke Duran, what a couple games he’s had,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “What a year he’s had. That was a fantastic fight back and a really good game for him.”  The stellar performances continue Duran’s startling run of production against the Giants: 17-for-31 (.548) with 11 RBIs in eight career games.  More important to Duran was delivering when the team needed big hits.  “I feel pretty good,” he said. “Everybody is doing an amazing job. We’re trying to go 100% every time and just win games.”  The Tuesday victory halted a season-worst six-game slide for the Rangers.  Before scoring two runs in the first inning, Texas had gone 40 innings without holding a lead, dating back to Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Schumaker was paying close attention in the dugout as the Giants scored twice in the top of the ninth to tie the score. He saw the attitudes stay high before Duran’s winning double, which came on a ball hit over the head of right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who fell on the warning track as the ball landed to his left.  “I’m glad we won the game,” Schumaker said. “A lot of things happened to where you could have gone, ‘Here we go again. We’re in a losing streak and finding ways to lose.’ That could have been the assumption in the dugout, but it wasn’t. That was really encouraging.”  Corey Seager had his first three-hit game of the season for the Rangers, inching his batting average up to .201. He was playing in his fifth game since returning from a back injury.  The Giants lost for the fourth time in five games.   Bryce Eldridge hit a tying two-run single in the ninth for San Francisco. Osleivis Basabe belted a two-run homer, and he has gone deep three times in six games since being promoted from Triple-A Sacramento.  San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman (abdominal injury) has missed the past five weeks and could end up undergoing season-ending surgery.  Giants manager Tony Vitello said Chapman would visit a specialist in Philadelphia.  Chapman is batting .235 with seven homers and 42 RBIs in 84 games this season.  Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (2-2, 6.63 ERA) will try to secure a series victory for the struggling Giants.  Whisenhunt, 25, has given up 10 runs in 8 1/3 innings while losing his past two outings. He yielded four runs and five hits while falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 26, then permitted six runs and seven hits over 3 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres on Friday.  “Obviously, he stepped up, he got a couple chances,” Vitello said of Whisenhunt, who likely will receive a long look the rest of the season.  Whisenhunt will be making his 10th career appearance (all starts) and first against the Rangers.  Left-hander Cody Bradford will start Wednesday for Texas in his first major league appearance since 2024. He missed last season with an elbow injury and underwent Tommy John surgery 13-plus months ago.  Bradford, 28, made five minor league rehab starts — three for Double-A Frisco, two for Triple-A Red Rock — and had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings.  Bradford went 10-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 34 appearances (21 starts) with the Rangers in 2023 and ’24. He has never faced San Francisco.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Rangers #Ezequiel #Duran #torment #Giants #rubber #game

The 2026 MLB trade deadline had a bit of everything, a generational superstar on the move and a true depth of important players landing on new teams. Now that the dust is mostly settled, it’s time to see how these players perform for their clubs. A number of clubs can credibly claim they got exactly what they wanted at the deadline and came out better for it.

Which team won the trade deadline?

Even while there is no doubt who the biggest star was moved before the deadline, the Dodgers acquiring Tarik Skubal, there is no guarantee as to who will make the biggest difference this season. The Dodgers are already full of stars, and Skubal is only going every fifth day. A player like Clay Holmes going to the Cubs might make a bigger difference to a team still trying to make a run. Or Adley Rutschman, an emerging star at catcher, who is going to theoretically propel the Red Sox every day through the final stretch.

Which player will make the biggest difference?

#MLB #Reacts #Fallout #trade #deadline">MLB Reacts: Fallout from the trade deadline  Not every trade deadline pays out the way fans want. Some end with more of a whimper than a bang. This was not one of those years.The 2026 MLB trade deadline had a bit of everything, a generational superstar on the move and a true depth of important players landing on new teams. Now that the dust is mostly settled, it’s time to see how these players perform for their clubs. A number of clubs can credibly claim they got exactly what they wanted at the deadline and came out better for it.Which team won the trade deadline?Even while there is no doubt who the biggest star was moved before the deadline, the Dodgers acquiring Tarik Skubal, there is no guarantee as to who will make the biggest difference this season. The Dodgers are already full of stars, and Skubal is only going every fifth day. A player like Clay Holmes going to the Cubs might make a bigger difference to a team still trying to make a run. Or Adley Rutschman, an emerging star at catcher, who is going to theoretically propel the Red Sox every day through the final stretch.Which player will make the biggest difference?  #MLB #Reacts #Fallout #trade #deadline

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