If the Texas Rangers are going to mount any meaningful defense of their World Series title, Max Scherzer will have to be a significant part of it. Now he’s back, and for at least one start looking like his old self, and the Rangers are on a little roll as they enter another trying stretch of their season.

The Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the respectable Kansas City Royals, an outcome that could simply be a positive blip in this year of great inconsistency, or an eventually significant development in what will be a typically bloated wild-card race.

For now, the Rangers have moved up three places in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings, and within 4 ½ games of a wild-card spot. Scherzer, who turns 40 next month, provided five one-hit innings, tied Greg Maddux for 11th on baseball’s all-time strikeout list and perhaps inspired a little more hope for a 37-40 ballclub.

A look at this week’s rankings:

1. Philadelphia Phillies (+2)

Cristopher Sanchez signs new contract, throws seven shutout innings. Charmed year, or what?

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2. New York Yankees (-1)

Ben Rice’s debut, J.D. Davis acquisition spice up the infield corners.

3. Cleveland Guardians (+1)

Steven Kwan with a career-high seven homers in just 49 games.

4. Baltimore Orioles (-2)

Series win in Bronx, swept in Houston as starting pitching concerns deepen.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

Tyler Glasnow tops 100 innings, jsut 20 shy of his career high.

6. Atlanta Braves (+3)

Starters Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Max Fried all look All-Star worthy.

7. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

Rookie Tobias Myers now 4-0 with 0.71 ERA in first four starts.

8. Seattle Mariners (-1)

Dropping a series at Miami not what you want.

9. Minnesota Twins (+1)

Bailey Ober tosses an 89-pitch complete game, striking out 10.

10. Boston Red Sox (+1)

Choosing relevance once more.

11. Kansas City Royals (-3)

After 2-7 road trip, out of playoff position for first time since April 6.

12. San Diego Padres (-)

Jackson Merrill rips seven homers in a 10-game stretch.

13. St. Louis Cardinals (+2)

24-13 since May 12, best mark in NL.

14. Texas Rangers (+3)

Seven-game trip to Milwaukee, Baltimore will be telling.

15. Washington Nationals (+1)

Won a series in Denver for first time since 2017, despite walk-off pitch clock violation.

16. Houston Astros (+9)

With Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander still out, they sweep Baltimore.

17. New York Mets (+5)

Edwin Diaz’s crazy season takes another turn with sticky-stuff violation.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (+2)

Catcher Gabriel Moreno on IL with thumb sprain.

19. Tampa Bay Rays (+5)

Minus-62 run differential, yet hanging around.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates (+3)

Paul Skenes through eight starts: 61 strikeouts, eight walks, 2.14 ERA.

21. Chicago Cubs (-)

In first start facing team for second time, Shota Imanaga gives up 10 runs to Mets.

22. Cincinnati Reds (-9)

Abrupt landing in NL Central cellar.

23. Toronto Blue Jays (-9)

Story of their season: Prospect Orelvis Martinez makes major league debut, draws 80-game PED suspension.

24. Detroit Tigers (-6)

Riley Greene has 15 home runs in 76 games.

25. San Francisco Giants (-6)

Rare turn in spotlight devolves into sweep at hands of Cardinals.

26. Los Angeles Angels (+1)

Now 1-11 in last dozen games against Dodgers.

27. Oakland Athletics (-1)

Former Yankees prospect Armando Alvarez, 29, finally makes major league debut.

28. Colorado Rockies (-)

Kyle Freeland tosses six scoreless innings in first start since April 14.

29. Miami Marlins (-)

Stanley Cup Finals provide just one more night of cover from grim season.

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

A beer shower for Drew Thorpe after first big league win.

Kenny Atkinson, the veteran NBA assistant coach with a stint as a head coach, is the new coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a person with knowledge of the hire told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the Cavaliers make an official announcement.

Atkinson, 57, is known for his Xs and Os acumen and player development programs. He takes over a team that finished 48-34 and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers beat Orlando in the first round and lost to the Celtics in the second round.

Atkinson, a Golden State Warriors assistant, was hired by the Brooklyn Nets as the team’s head coach in 2016. In four seasons with Brooklyn, he compiled a 118-190 record, but his Nets teams showed improvement. However, when the Nets acquired Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets went in another direction, and the two sides parted ways in March 2020.

He’s been a finalist for other jobs since, and he grew as a coach working with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, his staff and the players. Atkinson then spent a season with the Los Angeles Clippers and has been on Kerr’s staff with Golden State since the start of the 2021 season.

He declined an opportunity to coach the Charlotte Hornets in 2022, the year Golden State defeated Boston in the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers have several roster decisions to make and are hoping they can sign All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to an extension. Mitchell has two years left on his contact but can become a free agent after the 2024-25 season.

Hamby, the Los Angeles Sparks forward who’s having a career year, will fill in on the American women’s 3×3 basketball team after Cameron Brink, also of the Sparks, suffered a torn ACL on June 18. Brink will miss the rest of the 2024 WNBA season. 

The two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2019 and 2020), Hamby is currently averaging 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Sparks. After All-Star campaigns in 2021 and 2022, Hamby is likely to be named to the 2024 All-Star team as well. The 2024 All-Star game will pit the league’s All-Stars against the Olympic women’s 5-on-5 team. 

Hamby will join Hailey Van Lith, Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick on 3×3, where the Americans are the defending gold medalists. The 3×3 event made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. 

The 30-year-old Hamby has previous USA Basketball experience with both 3×3 and 5-on-5, helping the Americans win the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in Puerto, where she was named tournament MVP after averaging 6.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and leading the team in total key assists, with 10. 

Hamby is one of just three WNBA athletes in the history of the 28-year-old league to return to play after giving birth multiple times. She has two children, Amaya (7) and Legend (1).

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

The Boston Bruins have broken up the NHL’s friendliest goaltender tandem, shipping recent Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators.

The move was inevitable because Jeremy Swayman had emerged as the No. 1 goalie in Boston and as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, he is due a big raise.

Ullmark and Swayman were famed for giving each other big hugs after a victory. That happened a lot in 2022-23 as the Bruins set an NHL record with 65 wins and Ullmark received the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender.

The Senators send goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, depth forward Mark Kastelic and the 25th overall pick in 2024 to the Bruins. Ottawa retains 25% of Korpisalo’s salary.

The Senators signed Korpisalo to a five-year, $20 million contract as a free agent, but he went 21-26-4 with a 3.27 goals-against average and .890 save percentage. Ullmark is an upgrade at 2.57 and .917. He has a year left at $5 million.

The Ullmark trade is the third major goaltending move this month.

The New Jersey Devils acquired Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, and the Los Angeles Kings acquired Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals.

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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said his team is better on and off the field than last season and that he plans to stay at Colorado long after his sons leave for the NFL but that he needs to become a little more patient as a coach in his second year on the job in Boulder.

Sanders made these comments and more in an interview with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who also gave his own lofty assessment of the Buffaloes in 2024. Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback, said the Buffaloes could be in the mix for the new 12-team College Football Playoff this season if they compete for the Big 12 championship as he thinks they could.

“I think we got better, man,” Sanders told Klatt in an interview that was conducted in April but was posted for the first time Monday. “I think I’m better. I think the whole thing is better, and we’re not done.”

Sanders’ assessment stems in large part from the fact that he rebuilt his offensive line after last year’s line gave up the second-most quarterback sacks in the nation (56), while returning his star quarterback and son Shedeur. Klatt noted the Buffs’ schedule also could be considered easier as they move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.

What did Deion Sanders say about his future?

Klatt asked Sanders a question that’s become topical as he enters the final college season of his sons in Boulder – for Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, Colorado’s leading tackler last year. What is his vision for Colorado football without them and without standout two-way star Travis Hunter, who also is expected to leave for the NFL in 2025?

Sanders reiterated that he’s not following them to the NFL.

“I plan on being here and being dominant here, because they are establishing something that we’re gonna continue to build on for years to come,” Sanders said. “And I’m thankful they’re establishing what they’re establishing.”

To that end, Colorado is still in hot pursuit of Shedeur’s possible successor at Colorado – five-star high school quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis from Georgia. Lewis made a recruiting visit to Boulder over the weekend and is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 high school quarterback recruit for 2025. He committed to Southern California last August but is continuing to take visits. On Sunday, he posted a photo on social media site X showing himself in a Colorado uniform with Shedeur handing him keys.

“Could it be ‘Perfect Timing’?” Lewis asked.

Sanders also said that “it’s on me how long I want to do it, and my tank is full.”

What did Klatt say about Sanders’ chances in 2024?

Klatt noted that Colorado reconstructed its offensive line to help Shedeur, whom he called one of the best quarterbacks in the nation “when protected.” Shedeur finished the season last year with a broken back as the Buffs skidded to a 4-8 finish after a 3-0 start.

“I genuinely believe that with your quarterback in particular, you have a chance to compete for the Big 12 championship,” Klatt told Sanders. “In this era, there’s 12 teams in the playoff. If you’re on the level where you can compete for a conference championship, you will be competing at least in my estimation for a playoff spot.”

If Colorado can cut its number of quarterback sacks allowed in half, to under 25, Klatt said that alone would show up in the win column.

“If you go under 25, that’s four more wins. Easy,” Klatt said.

None of the starting offensive linemen who finished the season last year are on the team this year and instead have been replaced mostly by new transfers and Jordan Seaton, the No. 1 offensive line recruit in the nation, according to 247 Sports.

What about Coach Prime being patient?

Klatt asked Sanders what he learned about himself after his first year on the job.

“I need a little more patience in certain areas,” Sanders said.

‘Coach Prime’ had tried to turn around the Colorado football program with a team that finished 1-11 before his arrival in December 2022. But he also saw his team lose six consecutive games to finish the season.

“My best statement I make to the staff is if you’re allowing it to happen that’s on you, which is consequently on me,” Sanders said.

The Buffs open the season Aug. 29 at home against North Dakota State.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

After a troubling offseason, Isaiah Buggs’ time with the Kansas City Chiefs has come to an end.

The team on Monday released the 27-year-old defensive lineman after a pair of off-field incidents that came in less than three weeks. NFL Network reported that Buggs’ bond was revoked and that he remains in jail as his legal matters play out.

The Chiefs signed Buggs, a sixth-round draft pick for the Steelers in 2019, in late March to a futures contract.

On June 16, Buggs was arrested on a charge of second-degree domestic violence/burglary, according to arrest records posted online by the Tuscaloosa (Alabama) County Sheriff’s Office. Buggs was also charged in late May with a pair of second-degree animal cruelty misdemeanors, also in Tuscaloosa.

In the animal cruelty case, the Tuscaloosa Police Department found two dogs who appeared malnourished and abandoned on the back porch of a home Buggs was renting, according to ESPN and Patch.com. A neighbor also told police that the dogs had been on the back porch for at least 10 days, according to Patch.

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At the time of that arrest, Buggs’ agent denied the claims of animal cruelty in a statement to ESPN.

Patch also reported that Buggs is facing pending charges for pushing Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley into other officers during an April arrest and for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman outside of a hookah lounge he owns in Tuscaloosa.

Buggs had been set to enter his sixth season in the NFL, after stops with the Detroit Lions (2022-23) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2019-21). A native of Ruston, Louisiana, Buggs played college football with the University of Alabama and was a member of the program’s 2017 national championship team.

In his career, Buggs has totaled 89 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble. In his two seasons in Detroit, he appeared in 27 games, starting 16 of those.

Professional surfer, lifeguard and actor Tamayo Perry, 49, was killed by shark while surfing near the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Sunday, officials said.

Tamayo was well-known as a big-wave surfer and a lifeguard in Oahu, home to some of the world’s greatest surfing spots such as the Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay.

He achieved wider fame appearing in the surfing film ‘Blue Crush’ in 2002, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ in 2011 and the television series ‘Hawaii Five-0’ in 2011.

Emergency services were called to assist a shark bite victim, and Ocean Safety Services retrieved Perry from the sea by jet ski, Shayne Enright, spokesperson for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, told reporters on Sunday.

Emergency medical services personnel pronounced him dead on the shore, Enright said.

‘We can confirm that it was one of our own … North Shore lifeguard Tamayo Perry,’ emergency services Acting Chief Kurt Lager said. ‘Tamayo’s personality was infectious. And as much as people loved him, he loved everyone else more.’

Officials offered no further details of the shark encounter.

‘Tamayo Perry … man, this one is hard to believe,’ Kelly Slater, the 11-time World Surf League champion and occasionally Perry’s competitive rival, said on Instagram.

‘RIP brother. Thank you for your service as a lifeguard on the North Shore, holding it down at Pipeline for decades … You truly lived the life you loved.’

Shark encounters are rare and fatalities even rarer still. There have been 42 unprovoked shark encounters in Oahu since 1828, second most among the Hawaiian islands behind Maui with 75, according to the International Shark Attack File database.

The former Iowa standout was named the 2024 Honda Cup Award winner for the second consecutive year, given to the collegiate woman athlete of the year.

It’s another accolade for Clark for her outstanding performance in her senior season with the Hawkeyes, as she already won the Honda Sport Award. She earned her second consecutive Naismith National Player of the Year, the Wade Trophy for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Division I Player of the Year.

Clark led the nation in 10 different offensive categories, including scoring (31.6 ppg), and she carried the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four after beating defending national champion LSU. Iowa fell in the national championship game for the second consecutive season as South Carolina capped a perfect season.

In her senior season, Clark broke the women’s scoring record and all-time NCAA scoring record, capped by her passing Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record of 3,667 career points in her final regular season home game for the Hawkeyes.

Clark has played 18 games in the WNBA, averaging 16.3 points, 5.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.