The daily pitch from Sports Editor : Aug. 18, 2026

Aug. 18—➜ . The 28-year-old right-hander gave up three hits and struck out four in a 7-1 loss. Gordon lowered his ERA to 5.55 on the season. ➜ . The 22-year-old third baseman in the Los Angeles Angels organization is hitting .333 with four home runs and 27 RBI with the Trash Pandas since getting promoted on June 23. ➜ when the Trash Pandas host the Biloxi Shuckers on Tuesday night. contract extension former Illini agreed to on Saturday with the Seattle Seahawks. The contract is a four-year deal, with $101 million guaranteed. Witherspoon is entering his fourth NFL season after the Seahawks chose him with the fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft. Witherspoon has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX this past February. ➜ . Entering Monday night's game in Minneapolis, Bismarck-Henning graduate and Braves reliever had only allowed two runs in 13 relief appearances since the All-Star break. The series is set to resume Tuesday night at Target Field. ➜ . First chance for the Illini (0-0-1) to pick up their first win and score their first goal of the season when they host the Bearcats (1-0) at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Demirjian Park in Champaign. ➜ . Five former Illini — , , , and — suit up for the 49ers at 9 p.m. on Thursday. ➜ Anthony Edwards, Ja'Kobe Tharp and Shaquille O'Neal. ➜ "Outer Banks." ➜ spikes with no socks.