Quick Hits

• Twins take care of business: Minnesota beat the Athletics 9-6 Monday in West Sacramento, with starter Zebby Matthews allowing just one run over seven innings and Josh Bell driving in three.
• Angel Reese made WNBA history: She grabbed 26 rebounds in Atlanta's 78-71 win over Los Angeles — a new single-game league record — and passed the season rebounding record in the same game.
• Browns go back to Deshaun Watson: Cleveland named the 30-year-old its starting quarterback, ESPN reports, even as preseason buzz builds around Shedeur Sanders.
• Shohei Ohtani could pitch again next week: The Dodgers star hasn't thrown since July 3, and CBS says his MVP race with Pete Crow-Armstrong is heating up.
• Lynx are getting healthy at the right time: Napheesa Collier is back from multiple injuries, and ESPN says Minnesota believes this is the year to end a nine-year title drought.

Minnesota Teams

Twins 9, Athletics 6 — Monday night in West Sacramento (yes, that's where the A's play these days). Zebby Matthews was the story, giving up six hits and one run across seven innings, while Josh Bell chipped in three RBIs. No standings info in today's feed, but it's a solid road win.

Lynx — With the WNBA playoffs approaching, Napheesa Collier is back from a long injury layoff, and her teammates say plainly: "She elevates us." ESPN has a feature on why the Lynx believe they can bring Minnesota its first championship in nine years.

NFL

• The Browns' quarterback saga took another turn: ESPN reports Cleveland named Deshaun Watson the starter, a 30-year-old facing enormous pressure — with ESPN noting the 2027 draft class "lurking" as the next possible answer.
• Preseason Week 2 hot takes are flying. CBS's "overreactions" column warns the talk that Shedeur Sanders will start for Cleveland — or that the Jets' defense is fixed — may be getting ahead of itself. Of the 15 rookie QBs who played, CBS gave its highest marks to Jalon Daniels and dinged Fernando Mendoza.
• Injury watch: Running back Ashton Jeanty avoided major injury, but several big names — including Alvin Kamara — are uncertain for season openers, per CBS.
• In Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. is fully cleared and CBS sources are raving about his "live arm" as his quarterback battle with Tua Tagovailoa kicks into high gear.

NBA

• Building on Reese's record night: CBS's new WNBA power rankings slot the Dream back into title contention after her career week. Also noted there — the Washington Mystics locked up both a playoff berth and a lottery pick.
• Courtside drama: Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from his courtside seat after an altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud. Per CBS, he'd recently sought eligibility for the WNBA draft amid the league's debate over transgender inclusion.
• Veteran DeWanna Bonner is leaving Phoenix with the Mercury out of playoff contention, and CBS sizes up three contenders who could sign the 39-year-old.
• NBA lookahead: ESPN's Summer Forecast panel published its projected 2026-27 standings plus picks for the conference champs and Finals winner.

MLB

• Ohtani, who hasn't pitched since July 3 because of a knee issue and then a bicep problem, could return to the mound as soon as next week, per CBS — just as his MVP race with Pete Crow-Armstrong heats up.
• Seattle's Randy Arozarena led off a game with a first-pitch home run, then later won it with a walk-off homer (a homer that ends the game immediately) — only the third player in MLB history to do both in one game, and just days after Crow-Armstrong did it. Arozarena also robbed a home run in Saturday's win over the Cubs.
• On the schedule radar: CBS is eyeing a rookie pitching duel between Cleveland's Messick and the Angels' Klassen, plus Braves-Brewers in the Little League Classic.

College Sports

• Lane Kiffin is turning the transfer portal (the system that lets college players switch schools) into an NFL recycling bin: ex-NFL tight end Dae'Quan Wright became the first active NFL player to enter the portal, and LSU is expected to add former Ole Miss tackle Zxavian Harris after his NFL stint. CBS calls it the latest sign Kiffin doesn't care what anyone thinks.
• A Louisiana judge granted RJ Luis Jr. — the 2025 Big East Player of the Year — a temporary injunction to play at LSU this season despite having already signed multiple NBA contracts, ESPN reports.
• A wild one off the field: Western Kentucky pulled Victory Vaka's scholarship while he was grieving his mother's death; after a legal challenge funded by rapper Lil Wayne, he's landed at Middle Tennessee.
• Money talk: CBS reports $40 million rosters have become "the cost of admission" in the Big Ten's new NIL/revenue-sharing era, splitting the league into financial tiers.

Other Sports

• The Premier League season is underway, and CBS's first power rankings have Chelsea flying under new manager Xabi Alonso — while Manchester United and Spurs were flat-out "woeful." The panic meter also flags Aston Villa (blitzed in their opener) and a Liverpool side that needs time, and probably transfer-window reinforcements before it closes.
• NASCAR heads to New Hampshire for the Dollar Tree 301, with CBS's model offering picks if you like a wager with your racing.