Both players will miss next month's Summer Series trio of friendlies in Texas, but the ultimate goal is being fit for Tokyo. For months, the biggest problem facing the U.S. women's national team ahead of the Olympics was the kind any manager around the world would welcome. With so much talent, how do you only pick 18 players? And while that's still the case in many ways for Vlatko Andonovski, he and the U.S. are faced with another pressing issue now, one that's less of an enviable proposition. What if the team's most indispensable player isn't healthy? Julie Ertz's injury status is now item No. 1 on the docket as the days tick down to this summer's Olympics in Tokyo. Ertz suffered a right MCL sprain in the Chicago Red Stars' NWSL season-opening loss to the Portland Thorns, an injury that, all things considered, was not a worst-case scenario—at least for the national team. Ertz looks unlikely to play again for her club until after the Olympics,...
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo, who has a history of firsts against the Houston Astros, will attempt to avoid a second when he takes the mound for the visiting Oakland Athletics against the three-time defending American League West champions on Sunday afternoon. On the heels of a doubleheader sweep on Saturday (by scores of 4-2 and 6-3), the will attempt to saddle Oakland with just its second three-game losing streak of the season by sending left-hander Framber Valdez (3-2, 2.35 ERA) to the mound. The first-place A's lost their final three games of July before running off nine straight wins, including a three-game sweep of the Astros in Oakland. Pitching in Houston figures to bring back positive thoughts for Luzardo (2-1, 3.74), who made his major league debut at Minute Maid Park last September. Pitching in relief, he registered a hold for his three-inning effort, limiting the Astros to one run, that coming on a home run to the third batter he faced, Martin Maldonado. Luzardo's...
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