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BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson denied Kevin Harvick his first win of the season with a masterful pass at Bristol Motor Speedway that was overshadowed Saturday night by a post-race skirmish between Harvick and reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott.

Tempers were so hot that Harvick, his losing streak now at exactly one year, declared “I’m ready to rip somebody’s head off” to a crowd undecided if Harvick or Elliott should be booed or cheered.

Elliott led a race-high 175 laps but Harvick passed him with 33 laps to go in an aggressive sequence in which their cars touched. It caused a flat tire on Elliott’s Chevrolet while Harvick was able to drive away unscathed.

Harvick appeared headed to his first win of the season, his last win was Bristol a year ago, but a furious Elliott returned to the track after a tire change and deliberately slowed down in front of Harvick in an attempt to ruin Harvick’s race.

The slowdown gave Larson a chance to close the gap and Larson made the race-winning move with four laps remaining. It was a Cup-high sixth win of the season for Larson, the top seed in the playoffs.

And it was a banner night for Hendrick Motorsports, which got a win from Larson and kept all four of its drivers in the playoffs. Alex Bowman and William Byron were both in danger of elimination at Bristol, the third and final race of the first round when NASCAR cuts the field from 16 to 12.

Instead, Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell were eliminated. Busch’s elimination means Chip Ganassi will not win a championship during his 20-year NASCAR career. He’s sold his team effective at the end of the season and Busch was his final title chance.

But as the eliminated drivers sulked over their fate and Larson celebrated on the frontstretch, Harvick and Elliott fumed on pit road.

The two at first parked their cars next to each other on pit road after the race, then followed each other down until they parked nose-to-tail and both drivers jumped from their vehicles. Harvick kept his helmet on and Elliott’s finger immediately rose to Harvick’s face.

The jawing continued, briefly became physical, and eventually led to a private discussion in Elliott’s hauler.

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Rays reinstate OF Lowe from the 10-day IL

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Rays reinstate OF Lowe from the 10-day IL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated outfielder Josh Lowe from the 10-day injured list before Monday night’s game with the Chicago White Sox.

Lowe has been out since opening day due to a right oblique strain that occurred during spring training, and experienced right hamstring tightness in late April just before he was expected to rejoin the team.

Lowe hit .292 with 20 homers, 83 RBI and stole 32 bases last season.

Right-hander Edwin Uceta had his contract selected from Triple-A Durham, where he was 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in 10 games. Uceta appeared in 25 games, going 0-3, in 2021-23 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets.

Tampa Bay used six relievers in Sunday’s 7-6, 10-inning win over the Mets after starter Ryan Pepiot was hit by a 107.5 mph liner on his left calf and exited the game.

X-rays taken Sunday on Pepiot were negative.

To make room on the 26-man roster, infielder Curtis Mead and reliever Jacob Lopez were optioned to Durham.

Infielder-outfielder Niko Goodrum was designated for release or assignment.

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Guardians’ hits leader Kwan on IL, Manzardo up

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Guardians' hits leader Kwan on IL, Manzardo up

CLEVELAND — The Guardians are losing their extraordinary leadoff hitter and adding one with power and potential.

Cleveland placed outfielder Steven Kwan, who leads the AL with a .353 average, on the 10-day injured list Monday with a strained hamstring he sustained while running down a fly ball over the weekend.

Kwan felt tightness in his hamstring and was pulled from Saturday’s win over the Angels as a precaution. An MRI revealed an acute strain and the Guardians said Kwan likely will be out for up to one month.

Kwan said he had hamstring issues while playing at Oregon State and in the minors.

His injury is a blow to the AL Central-leading Guardians, but it’s giving the team a chance to promote hard-hitting prospect Kyle Manzardo, who has been bashing minor league pitchers this season and will now join a Cleveland lineup that can use some middle muscle.

The Guardians have been one of the season’s early surprise teams — they’re 22-12 heading into their series opener against Detroit — with Kwan a big reason for the club’s fast start.

He seems to start or be in the middle of virtually every rally, and the 26-year-old continues to be one of the league’s best defensive outfielders. Last year, he won his second straight Gold Glove.

Manzardo’s reputation as a slugger preceded his arrival in Cleveland.

The 23-year-old was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from Tampa Bay for pitcher Aaron Civale. The Rays were reluctant to part with Manzardo but they needed pitching while the Guardians have been craving a big bat in the middle of their order.

Manzardo had a strong spring for the Guardians, who had him start the season at Triple-A Columbus to build confidence. He’s done just that, hitting .303 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBI in 29 games.

Cleveland fans have been clamoring for Manzardo, who will likely play some first base and be used as a DH by first-year manager Stephen Vogt.

Also, the Guardians activated left-hander Sam Hentges from the injured list. The reliever has been out since training camp with a middle finger issue.

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White Sox bring up RHP Clevinger from Triple-A

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White Sox bring up RHP Clevinger from Triple-A

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Right-hander Mike Clevinger was recalled by the Chicago White Sox from Triple-A Charlotte to start Monday night’s game at the Tampa Bay Rays.

Clevinger got a late start to the season after finalizing a $3 million, one-year contract on April 4.

The 33-year-old made two starts for Charlotte, allowing three runs and 10 hits, along with seven strikeouts over 7⅓ innings.

Clevinger can earn an additional $3 million in bonuses for starts and innings: $100,000 per start from 11-25 and $100,000 for 55 innings and each additional five through 125.

Clevinger went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and two complete games in 24 starts with the White Sox last season, then became a free agent.

He is 60-39 with a 3.45 ERA in 128 starts and 24 relief appearances in eight seasons with Cleveland (2016-20), San Diego (2020-22) and Chicago (2023). He missed the 2021 season after Tommy John surgery.

Chicago also placed right-hander Dominic Leone on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness.

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