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The Yankees bullpen sunk to a historic new franchise low in an 11–1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

New York's 'pen surrendered nine earned runs for the second consecutive game, the first time that's occurred in Yankees franchise history, according to Katie Sharp.

Consider this: So poor was the Yankees bullpen on Wednesday night that each of the four relief pitchers Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent to the mound surrendered an earned run—except for outfielder Austin Slater, who entered the game in the ninth inning and slow-tossed 36-mph eephus-esque meatballs as New York waved the white flag.

Wednesday's game eerily resembled Tuesday's loss for the Bronx Bombers, who played Detroit to a 2–2 tie through six innings before the bullpen came undone in a nine-run implosion in the seventh inning.

But as poor as the results have been in the two-game postseason litmus test against the Tigers thus far, Boone, ever the optimist, believes the results are a blip on the radar rather than a concerning trend.

"Track record. Stuff. Who they are," Boone said when asked what gives him confidence the bullpen can turn things around. "Obviously, we got to get a couple guys on track so we can create that depth that we can have down there. A bullpen ERA in short samples like that can be a little misleading, like when you have a handful of games where it really gets away and it gets blown up.

"I feel like through this stretch of games, where over the last month we started winning, we've closed out a lot of good games, too, with guys capable of shutting people down. This is what we have. I've had a lot of confidence in their ability and their stuff, but we got to bring it together. We haven't done that consistently enough yet. Can we do it? That's what we're going to find out. That's what we're going to need to do if we're going to make a big run at this."

The Yankees play one more game against Detroit on Thursday before traveling to Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox beginning on Friday.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal defender Gabriel will be unavailable for "weeks" after sustaining a thigh injury on international duty. The defender limped off during last weekend’s friendly against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium and missed the subsequent match against Tunisia. His injury now presents a significant setback for a team sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Gabriel to sit out for an extended period

Gabriel, 27, has been central to Arsenal’s outstanding defensive record this season, with the Gunners conceding just five league goals in 11 matches. However, his injury during the international break will be a major reason for concern for Arteta. The manager confirmed further tests will take place next Wednesday, though early indications suggest a worrying layoff.

"Gabi is going to be out for weeks," said Arteta. "It's clearly a blow because he's our leader in our backline, and to me, it's never a positive thing. The good thing is that we have very good options, and people have to stand up now and do the job."

Reports via indicate fears that the Brazilian could miss up to two months, ruling him out for the rest of 2025 and potentially all the way into mid-January. A best-case scenario would see him return after a month, possibly just before Christmas.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHincapie and Mosquera in line to step up

With Gabriel unavailable for Sunday’s north London derby, Arteta will turn to deputies Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera. Both defenders are under consideration for the crucial clash at the Emirates Stadium, a fixture that could have early implications for the Premier League title race. Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt after withdrawing from Italy duty with a hip issue. The defender has not trained since returning to England, though Arteta confirmed he will be evaluated in Saturday’s final session.

"He has been carrying a few things," said Arteta. "He hasn't trained yet. Tomorrow we have another training session, let's see how he is."

Before the international break, Arteta was already without Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus. Arteta has hinted that several of those could return soon, but timing remains uncertain. Odegaard is expected back in early December, while Jesus is on track to return in January following ACL recovery.

Tottenham receive huge boost before the derby

In stark contrast to Arsenal’s growing injury list, Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank delivered a series of positive updates ahead of Sunday’s derby. Spurs will welcome back Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani, all of whom trained on Friday and are available for selection. Sarr suffered a scare while on international duty with Senegal after limping off against Brazil, while Bergvall had withdrawn from the Sweden squad following further concussion checks. Kolo Muani, meanwhile, missed France’s qualifiers after picking up an injury in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United, but will feature against Arsenal wearing a protective mask. Mohammed Kudus, who missed Spurs’ last two matches, is also in contention to return.

"Pape trained today,” Frank said. "He's ready, available. Lucas trained today. Ready, available. Kolo Muani, yes. Trained today. Available, of course, has a mask [he] needs to play with."

Frank did, however, rule out Dominic Solanke, who is still recovering from an ankle injury that has plagued his season. Solanke’s last appearance came in August, and although the striker insists progress is being made, Spurs are unwilling to rush him.

On Solanke, Frank said: "Dom is not ready yet. I think he also had an article recently where he spoke about it. So we are very, as I said, the same. Very aware that when we put him out there, we want to be absolutely sure, as sure as we can be, that no setback going forward. So I'm comfortable he will soon be ready, but I will not put a timeframe on it."

There was further positive news for Spurs as Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Ben Davies and Kota Takai all returned to full training this week.

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Getty Images SportDerby stakes raised as Arsenal and Spurs prepare for collision

Sunday’s derby promises to be an exciting affair as Arsenal will be battling to protect their position at the summit despite key injuries, whereas Spurs will arrive with renewed energy as major players return. For a defence built largely around Gabriel’s presence, the timing of the injury is far from ideal. If the worst-case prognosis is confirmed, he could miss 15 matches across the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

An update on Daniel Farke’s future as Leeds United manager has now emerged following the 3-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Following the loss at the City Ground at the weekend, Leeds find themselves just one point above the Premier League relegation zone, having averaged a point per game across their opening 11 matches.

The defeat could have major ramifications at the end of the season, with Forest picking up what could be a vital three points, given that they are now just two points behind the Whites, with Sean Dyche making a major impact since his arrival.

The Tricky Trees are already on their third manager this season, while the Whites are yet to make a change, having chosen to keep the faith in Farke, but there is growing discontent among supporters, off the back of four defeats in the last five Premier League games.

Graeme Bailey shares update on Farke's future as Leeds manager

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, who recently spoke to Leeds United News, the 49ers plan to keep the faith in Farke, despite the recent poor results, the German is still set to be given until January to oversee a turnaround.

The owners are aware the squad he’s working with isn’t the strongest, but the 49-year-old is expected to be given the next seven games in what may come as a surprise given Leeds’ recent form.

Bailey adds: “Pressure is mounting on Daniel Farke – but he knew this was coming and the club did too. This is going to be a long season. Everyone was aware. They didn’t spend the tens of millions that Sunderland did.

“They know Farke can only do so much with the squad at his disposal. But the quality of performance and how they compete is going to be vital in the coming weeks.”

In truth, it would be a major gamble for the 49ers to persist with their manner for that length of time, given his previous record in the Premier League, playing a part in Norwich City being relegated in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons.

Leeds’ upcoming fixtures before January also make for grim reading, with Farke’s side set to come up against a number of in-form teams, as well as the reigning champions.

Leeds’ upcoming fixtures

Date

Aston Villa (h)

November 23rd

Manchester City (a)

November 29th

Chelsea (h)

December 3rd

Liverpool (h)

December 6th

Brentford (a)

December 14th

Crystal Palace (h)

December 21st

Sunderland (a)

December 28th

The recent trip to Nottingham Forest may have been Leeds’ best opportunity to pick up points for quite some time, and it is difficult to see when the next win is going to come, so it would not be surprising if the 49ers are forced into action sooner rather than later…

Brendan Rodgers now contender to replace Farke as Leeds manager Brendan Rodgers a contender to take over at Leeds as pressure mounts on Farke

The Whites could look to a figure with extensive Premier League experience to take over from Daniel Farke.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

If the first five games of the ongoing season are an indicator, IPL 2025 will break records for big totals, sixes and fours count, and expensive overs

S Rajesh26-Mar-20253:14

Cricinformed – SRH’s six-hitters set for a new IPL high?

Going by the extremely early trends, it looks like the bar will be raised, as the current season has got off the blocks in turbo-charged fashion. Here’s a comparison between the first five games of IPL 2024 and IPL 2025.ESPNcricinfo LtdA 37% jump in sixesThe overall run rate in the first five matches has gone up by 17%, but the numbers that really jump out at you are those of boundary count and boundary intent.There has been a 37% increase in the number of sixes, while the count of fours is up by more than 34%.A whopping 32 more sixes have been struck so far this season – 119 vs 87. In fact, the most sixes in any previous season after five matches was 88 in IPL 2023. The sixes count this year after four games was already 87, while 146 fours were struck, ten more than in the first five games last season.Batters have found the boundary more often because they are also looking for them more often: the percentage of boundary-intent shots has gone up by 66%.Last year, only two team totals in the first five games exceeded 200, both at Eden Gardens when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) played Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and neither of them exceeded 210. This season, six out of ten innings have exceeded 200, with five exceeding 210 and three going past 240. There were 11 scores of 240 or more last season, but the first of those didn’t arrive till the eighth game, when SRH played Mumbai Indians (MI).The powerplay is for power-hittingESPNcricinfo LtdIn ten innings so far this season, there have been eight scores of 60 or more in the powerplay, including a highest of 94 by SRH against Rajasthan Royals (RR). The lowest so far this season is 52, by MI against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In 2024, the highest after five matches was just 65; there are five higher powerplay scores already in 2025.The overall powerplay run rate has jumped by almost 30%, which is the highest among the three phases. The middle overs have gone up significantly, too, by almost 17%, with four instances of 100-plus runs in this phase, including the highest of 125 by SRH versus RR. In 2024, the maximum runs scored in the middle overs in the first ten innings was 98.The death overs have seen a relatively smaller change of just 5%, though the highest here – 77 by Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Gujarat Titans (GT) – is higher than the maximum last year – 71 by SRH versus KKR.Zooming strike rates and expensive oversESPNcricinfo LtdThere have been 13 instances of batters going at a strike rate of 200 or more when facing 15 or more balls, from Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 106 off 47, to Vipraj Nigam’s 15-ball 39. Last year after five games, there were only four such innings.Similarly, overs yielding 20 or more runs have become commonplace. There have already been 20, compared with just eight after five games last year. The highest this year is 28, when Tristan Stubbs was taken to the cleaners by Pooran. Three other bowlers, Simarjeet Singh, Nigam and Prasidh Krishna, have leaked 24 or more in an over. Last year, there were only eight such overs, the highest being 26.

Bosch, de Klerk, Shangase and Dercksen are also first-timers for an ODI World Cup

Firdose Moonda03-Sep-2025Karabo Meso, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter, will go to her first World Cup after being included in South Africa’s squad for the ODI tournament in India and Sri Lanka which starts later this month.She has just two ODI caps to her name and has played seven senior internationals in all, but has featured in two Under-19 World Cups and won the SA20 Schools title with Steyn City earlier this year. Meso is one of two players who will play at a World Cup for the first time. Offspin-bowling allrounder Nondumiso Shangase, who was recalled to South Africa’s squad in May, is the other.Top-order batter Anneke Bosch and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also feature in an ODI World Cup squad for the first time; they have previously been in T20 World Cup squads.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe rest of South Africa’s 15-player group is as expected, led by Laura Wolvaardt with significant experience in different departments. Allrounders Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon and seamer Ayabonga Khaka all played important roles in South Africa reaching the last ODI World Cup semi-finals and will be present again.As reported last week, there was no room for former captain Dane van Niekerk, who was included in a training camp but her international comeback remains a while away.Others present in that camp but not making the squad are batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, seamer Ayanda Hlubi, legspinner Seshnie Naidu and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Luyanda Ntuza. Miane Smit, an allrounder who bowls offspin, has been included as the lone travelling reserve.”The make-up of the squad is underpinned by the consistent selection process that was adhered to during the recent ICC Women’s Championship cycle, while taking into account the subcontinent conditions and the different characteristics of the group required for a successful tournament of this nature,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said.Under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, SA have lost four ODIs in 10 outings•Cricket South AfricaThis will be the first major tournament South Africa will play under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who succeeded Hilton Moreeng in a permanent capacity last year. In Mashimbyi’s tenure, South Africa have been inconsistent, with four wins in ten ODIs, including a series win over West Indies in June. Mashimbyi was occasionally without some senior players – such as Kapp for the tri-series in Sri Lanka – but will have one more opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the tournament starts.South Africa tour Pakistan for three ODIs to be played between September 16 and 22 before moving on to India for their World Cup opener against England. Their recent tournament run has included two ODI World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, and there is expectation for them to take the next step and claim a cup. Mashimbyi is confident this group of players can deliver.”From the moment I joined this team, and even before my time when the squad went through the qualification phase, it was all about working towards this moment,” Mashimbyi said. “We can look back at the amount of preparation we have put in and know that we have done our best. We are ready to send a squad to the World Cup that will make South Africa proud.”We believe we have the squad of players that can go out there and deliver on the world stage. Now it is all about carrying that belief with us every step of the way, along with the support of the entire nation.”South Africa squad for Women’s ODI World CupLaura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon
Travelling reserve: Miane Smit