MLB looks at bubbles for playoffs
Major League Baseball is contemplating using a bubble environment for playoff games with options including Los Angeles and Chicago.
According to multiple reports, MLB's post-season could shift to a large city — or two cities — to help prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus.
COVID-19 cases have been mostly avoided by the NBA and NHL. Each league is in a controlled campus-type atmosphere with diligent testing and restrictive access to and from the sites.
The league is jumping to 16 teams from a 10-team post-season format implemented in 2012, when a second wild card was added in both leagues.
California was floated as a hub with teams able to play games in Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego and San Francisco, ESPN reported. Chicago and New York are also under consideration, but weather concerns in October could complicate matters.
TENNIS Serena victory sets up Venus clash
Serena Williams made a winning return to competitive tennis on Tuesday as she rallied from a set down to beat Bernarda Pera 4-6 6-4 6-1 at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday in her first match of the COVID19 era.
Williams was five points from falling to the American left-hander in the second set but suddenly showcased her fighting spirit and pulled away to set up a second-round showdown with older sister Venus, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Victoria Azarenka.
The Top Seed Open, the first WTA Tour tournament in the U.S. since the COVID-19 outbreak halted play, provided a taste of what is to come for the 38-year-old
American as she bids for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title in New York, with empty, silent stands taking the place of roaring crowds.
In other action, former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens was upset by Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
HOCKEY Ennis breaks leg and damages ligaments
Edmonton Oilers centre Tyler Ennis sustained a broken leg and ligament damage in his team's qualifying series loss against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced Tuesday. Ennis, 30, was injured in the second-to-last game of the Oilers' season. The injury came at a particularly bad time for the Edmonton native, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent during the off-season. The Oilers said Ennis is expected to make a full recovery in several months. Ennis was obtained from Ottawa in February for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft.
BASEBALL Indians place RHPs on restricted list
The Cleveland Indians placed right-handers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list Tuesday. The move comes after the two hurlers broke team safety and health policies by going out with friends on Saturday night in Chicago. Clevinger and Plesac are both in quarantine and will begin undergoing COVID-19 testing on Wednesday.
"This one kind of hurts," Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters on Tuesday. "And we talked about it as a team even today. We'll deal with it like we always do. We care about each other. It doesn't mean you don't get disappointed with each other or even mad at each other sometimes. But what I care about is making it better."