BALTIMORE -- Houston manager A. J. Hinch was awestruck by his team's extraordinary display of power.

The Astros aren't showing any type of weakness heading into the final stretch of the season.

Rookie Yordan Alvarez hit three of Houston's six homers and drove in a career-high seven runs to help the Astros to the highest scoring game in franchise history with a 23-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.

"It was obviously a pretty explosive night from the beginning," Hinch said. "From top to bottom just incredible at-bats, productive at-bats, explosive at-bats and ultimately a comfortable win."

The victory was the eighth straight for the Astros, who became the latest team to feast on the reeling Orioles. Baltimore has allowed a major league-leading 240 homers and lost five straight.

It was the second 20-run game in Astros history. Houston also beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 21-5 on Oct. 2, 2015. The 13 extra-base hits set a franchise record.

Alex Bregman, who went 3 for 3, and Alvarez set the tone with back-to-back homers in the first inning. Alvarez added the grand slam in the seventh and a two-run shot in the ninth.

Jose Altuve hit his fourth home run in his last seven games in the second. Carlos Correa hit another home run an inning later with a 474-foot shot that cleared the bullpens in straightaway center.

"It's really hard to explain what happened today," Altuve said. "A great game for us. A lot of good at-bats put together."

Yuli Gurriel tied a career-high with four hits for Houston.

Aaron Sanchez (5-14) made his second start for the Astros after being acquired from Toronto on July 31. He allowed one run and three hits with six strikeouts and three walks over five innings.

The Orioles are coming off a series where they tied an MLB record by allowing 16 home runs in three games against the Yankees. Baltimore did not allow multiple homers for the first time in 12 games in the opener against Houston.

However, the Astros had a power surge the following night.

The Astros took an early 3-0 lead off Orioles starter Aaron Brooks (2-6) on a two-run homer by Bergman followed by Alvarez's solo shot. It was the ninth time Houston has hit back-to-back home runs this season.

Houston pulled away with five runs in the second. Josh Reddick started the barrage with an RBI single followed by a two-run homer by Altuve. Bregman had an RBI double and scored on a balk by Brooks. Correa's solo shot in the third extended the lead to 9-1.

Brooks allowed a career-high nine runs and four homers over just three innings.

"Just ran into a good offense, didn't execute pitches and had a few things not go my way," Brooks said.

Rio Ruiz managed his first career pinch-hit home run for the Orioles in the seventh. Baltimore outfielder Stevie Wilkerson made his fourth appearance this season as a reliever, allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings.

"By the third inning, probably I was planning how was I going to finish this game, and somehow we finished it," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

MORE MILESTONES

Alvarez has 51 RBI through his first 45 career games, the most in major league history over that stretch, surpassing Ted Williams' record of 47 RBI in his first 45 games in 1939.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (shoulder) was scheduled to pitch Saturday for Double-A Corpus Christi. Peacock, who has been on the IL since June 28, will pitch again Sunday if there are no setbacks.

Orioles: OF DJ Stewart is "symptom-free " after being placed on the 7-day concussion list with a concussion Tuesday, manager Brandon Hyde said.

UP NEXT

Astros: Justin Verlander (15-4, 2.68 ERA) has won his last five consecutive starts, striking out 10 or more batters in four of those decisions.

Orioles: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (2-5, 4.89 ERA) is looking to snap a two-game skid when he faces his former team (2015) for the first time.

CINCINNATI -- Aristides Aquino is setting records almost every time he takes the field.

The Reds rookie homered in his first three at-bats in Saturday's 10-1 win over the Chicago Cubs to match Trevor Story for the most home runs in a player's first 10 games, with seven.

Aquino took Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks deep in the second and third innings, then hit a third solo shot -- a 452-foot blast -- off reliever Dillon Maples in the fourth. That got him a curtain call.

"That's why I put that show on out there, for the fans to enjoy that," Aquino said through an interpreter.

Aquino, 25, became the first rookie and 12th player in major league history to homer in three consecutive innings. He is the second player to record a three-homer game in his first 10 career games, joining Bobby Estalella, who did it in his 10th career game in 1997.

"I'm not focused about my numbers," Aquino said. "I don't care about what I've done. The big thing is the team and to go out there and win as many games as we can."

In Aquino's next at-bat in the sixth, reliever Alec Mills walked him on four straight pitches -- none of which came close to the strike zone -- drawing boos from the standing crowd at Great American Ball Park. Aquino struck out swinging when he faced Mills again in the seventh.

Eighteen players have hit four homers in a game, most recently J.D. Martinez for Arizona on Sept. 4, 2017, but no rookie has hit more than three. Scooter Gennett homered four times for the Reds in Cincinnati on June 6, 2017.

Aquino wasn't the only major league newcomer to hit three home runs on Saturday; Houston's Yordan Alvarez equaled the feat in a 23-2 rout of the Orioles. They became the first pair of rookies to launch three homers on the same day in major league history.

Aquino has homered five times in the first three games of the series against the Cubs. He tied Eric Davis' Reds rookie record by homering in four straight games starting Wednesday against the Angels.

Called up from Triple-A on Aug. 1 to take Yasiel Puig's place in right field after Cincinnati traded him to Cleveland, Aquino has a 1.250 slugging percentage and 1.750 OPS.

On Thursday, Aquino tied the record for the hardest-hit home run in the Statcast era when he went deep with an exit velocity of 118.3 mph. In the same game, he set the mark for fastest throw by an outfielder, at 101.5 mph, when he threw a ball from right field to third base.

"I could go on and on about him," Reds manager David Bell said. "Even more, he's proven to himself he can be a big part of our team. ... He's aggressive, but he's also under control.

"Not only is he hitting home runs, he's doing it in really meaningful games. These games are so important to us as a team, and he's coming through like that."

It was a long road to the spotlight for Aquino, who signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and spent six seasons in rookie or Single-A ball. He hit 20 homers at Double-A last season and got called up to the Reds, striking out in his only at-bat.

This year, Aquino opened his stance to access more power. He has become an overnight sensation in his first nine games with Cincinnati.

"I'm just kind of meeting him and learning about him," Reds winning pitcher Sonny Gray said. "He seems to be an incredible guy as well and a fun person to be around. He's added some excitement in this locker room for sure."

The win drew the Reds within six games of the Cubs, who hold a narrow lead in the Central Division. The defeat means the visitors will go yet another road series without a win. The Cubs have dropped two of the first three games to the Reds, ensuring it to be their 11th consecutive road series that they've either split or lost.

They can thank the rookie known as "The Punisher" for that.

Asked if he enjoys that nickname, Aquino waved off his interpreter and smiled.

"I love it," he said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- As Mets rookie Luis Guillorme stepped in to lead off the eighth inning, teammate J.D. Davis was in the clubhouse, studying video of Washington's struggling bullpen. He had just queued up tape of Daniel Hudson -- a hard-throwing right-hander warming in the bullpen -- when he heard a roar from down the tunnel.

It was hard to imagine a few weeks back, but this fervor in Flushing is making waves across the National League.

"We have all the confidence in the world right now with us," Davis said. "But some things that we're doing right now, we're surprising ourselves."

Guillorme picked a perfect time for his first big league homer -- a tying shot to start the eighth -- Davis added a go-ahead sacrifice fly a few batters later, and New York worked its magic again, beating the Nationals 4-3 on Saturday for a season-best eighth straight victory.

The Mets have won 15 of 16 and are on their best roll since a 16-1 run in 1990. They pulled within a half-game of Washington for the first wild card and will try for a three-game sweep on Sunday -- just a month after having the second-worst record in the National League.

They did it by beating Washington's bullpen for the second consecutive night. Juan Soto put the Nats ahead 3-2 with his second home run of the game in the eighth inning, but Guillorme countered with a pinch-hit no-doubter off Fernando Rodney in the bottom of the inning. Guillorme entered with a .192 average in 56 major league games, and sold-out Citi Field had already erupted before he realized the line drive would easily clear the fence.

"I think it took a split-second to know," said Guillorme, who had the home run ball waiting in his locker. "I don't hit many of those. It was a great feeling."

Mets manager Mickey Callaway said a home run was "toward the end" of his list of potential outcomes for Guillorme in that spot.

"You just want a good at-bat, whether he makes him throw some pitches, bunt and get on, or single," Callaway said. "But we'll take the homer."

After two more Mets reached against Rodney (0-5), manager Dave Martinez went to Hudson. The right-hander got one out, intentionally walked slugger Pete Alonso, and then Davis drove an 0-2 pitch to deep right field that brought in newcomer Joe Panik for the tiebreaking run.

Wilson Ramos, celebrating his 32nd birthday, followed with a two-out drive to right-center, but Victor Robles made a leaping catch against the wall to end the inning.

It was the second consecutive blown save for Washington's bullpen and 22nd this season, tying the Mets for most in the majors. Closer Sean Doolittle allowed four runs in the ninth inning of a 7-6 loss on Friday.

"We've got to come back tomorrow and will it," Martinez said. "I told the boys, 'Hey, we've got to will it tomorrow."

Soto hit a two-run drive in the first inning against Noah Syndergaard, and the 2-0 lead held until Davis and Ramos hit consecutive solo shots off Patrick Corbin in the fourth.

Soto struck again in the eighth against Seth Lugo (5-2), ending the reliever's string of 14 consecutive scoreless appearances. Lugo got two outs to tie the Mets' record with 26 consecutive batters retired before Soto hit a no-doubter to right field.

Soto has 24 homers this season, and the 20-year-old already has four career multihomer games.

"He's feeling the energy," Martinez said. "He's very poised, he goes out there, and he's getting pitches to hit. He's taking pitches that he should be taking. He's doing really well."

Lugo also pitched the ninth as All-Star closer Edwin Diaz warmed in the bullpen. Callaway said he wanted to ride the converted starting pitcher, figuring he'd be unavailable Sunday regardless. Diaz has had his struggles in the closer role this year, but Callaway said he would be New York's go-to reliever if it faces a save situation Sunday.

Fans lined up outside Citi Field five hours before first pitch, and many stood and clapped for lineup introductions as if it were Opening Day. The buzz died a bit after Soto's first-inning homer, but Davis and Ramos got it rocking again in the fourth. The park had an October feel the rest of the night.

"I think it's pretty reminiscent of what happened in 2015," said Syndergaard, referencing New York's run to the World Series, in which it lost to Kansas City.

Aside from homers by Davis and Ramos, Corbin allowed only one other hit. He struck out eight over six innings.

Syndergaard, pitching to Ramos for the first time since June 15, threw seven innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts and seven hits allowed.

GOOD HANDS

Quality control coach Luis Rojas presented New York's lineup card to umpires during a seven-game winning streak from July 25 to Aug. 1. A game after the string ended, Callaway passed the responsibility to third-base coach Gary DiSarcina and challenged him to do better. New York started this eight-game run that day.

"Call me superstitious, but I think it's about who takes the card out," Callaway said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (mild strain in upper back) threw a 36-pitch bullpen at nearly full effort and came out feeling well. The club will evaluate him Sunday before determining the next step, but manager Dave Martinez said Scherzer will likely throw at least one more bullpen before getting into a game.

Mets: OF Tim Tebow is expected to miss the rest of the minor league season due to a cut on his left hand. The 31-year-old hit .163 in 77 games during his first season with Triple-A Syracuse but hasn't played since July 21 after injuring himself while fielding a ball in the outfield.

UP NEXT

Mets ace Jacob deGrom (7-7, 2.77) is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his past six starts. He'll try to stay hot against National RHP Anibal Sanchez (7-6, 3.67) in Sunday's series finale.

MIAMI -- The mess in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse made by a punctured fire extinguisher has been cleaned up before Sunday's series finale at Miami.

The damage occurred when Braves reliever Sean Newcomb kicked a garbage can in anger after giving up the winning run in the 10th inning of Saturday night's ugly 7-6 loss to the Marlins.

The metal garbage can hit the fire extinguisher hanging nearby on the tunnel wall between the dugout and clubhouse, and chemical dust began to spew. A large fan helped send dust and smoke flying, preventing the team from entering the clubhouse.

A cleanup crew stayed until early Sunday morning removing the dust. One worker said Newcomb apologized and offered to pay for any damage.

Atlanta's bullpen gave up seven runs in the final three innings of the game, including four in the ninth.

Twelve years into his big league career, Pablo Sandoval is used to being labeled. Some of those labels were ones he dreamed of earning as a young boy in Venezuela. Major league player, which he achieved in 2008. MVP candidate, which he did by finishing seventh in the voting in his first full season in 2009. All-Star, which he earned in 2010 and 2011. World Series champion, which he earned as a key part of the San Francisco Giants' title-winning teams of 2010, 2012 and 2014.

But some of the other labels that have been applied to him have been harder to take. Mediocre. Below average. And worst of all: fat.

It was enough to make people forget the Kung Fu Panda nickname hung on him toward the start of his career. When Sandoval was released by the Boston Red Sox in 2017, he was instead labeled one of the game's greatest financial mistakes made in free agency. After just 161 games in his injury-ridden Boston career spread across parts of three seasons, the Red Sox opted to designate him for assignment, deciding they were better off eating the remaining $49.5 million salary they owed him.

The veteran third baseman was widely mocked for his weight and poor performance with the Red Sox, for whom he barely contributed, hitting just .237/.286/.360 with 14 home runs. It was a far cry from what the Red Sox had envisioned when they offered him a five-year, $95 million contract in 2015 after he had won that third ring with the Giants.

After the Red Sox let him go, Sandoval wondered if he had anything left to offer after his career had been reduced to a new and perhaps final label: a $95 million mistake.

"Being let go by the Red Sox hurt, especially because I was coming back from an injury and going through so many things in my life," Sandoval explained. "I am a person who loves this sport. This is my passion. Besides my family, there is nothing I love more, and baseball has given me many blessings.

"But I also put in a lot of work and made many sacrifices, and I wasn't ready to leave the game. I wanted to prove to everyone, especially my children and my family, and set the example for my children, that in spite of the things that may happen to you, you always have to fight on."

Fight on he did. After missing virtually all of the 2016 season with a shoulder injury for which he had to undergo surgery, he felt that he was finally healthy and able to contribute. He knew he still had baseball left in him. The Red Sox did not agree.

"Being in Boston was a learning experience," Sandoval said, having spent all of his career up to that point with the Giants since signing with them as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2003. "The truth is that it was a great organization, and I have nothing against [the Red Sox]. And the fans, they are demanding, they want to see their players contribute. They want to see the best of them. And I learned from that.

"And, of course, lots of comments were made. I was mocked many times for my weight, but I learned to use all that as inspiration and as a learning experience."

But after being cut loose midseason in 2017, who would want him? That's when he found out that the Giants, and especially manager Bruce Bochy, still believed in him. Whether it was just nostalgia for what had been, Sandoval committed himself from that point forward to once again have fun in every at-bat and ignore the rest.

"Despite all the things that I'd went through, the Giants always trusted me and they gave me the blessing of returning home. I am trying to make the best out of this second chance," Sandoval said.

But that second chance was not a shot at being an everyday player. The Giants might have brought him back, but not with the same responsibilities.

"It was a learning opportunity because I had to start from scratch, forget what I had accomplished in the past and now try to do something different and accept a new role [as a bench player]," Sandoval observed. "That has been difficult for me, to accept that role after playing every day or wanting to be an everyday player.

"But I am enjoying myself to the fullest. And I do that with a lot of love for those people who are in that office, that from the first they opened the doors to me."

"That office" means both the front office that gave him his first break to reach the majors but also the manager's office that belongs to Bochy, the man who has managed Sandoval during the entirety of his Giants career. The skipper whose three World Series rings eventually will put him in Cooperstown. And the manager who already has announced that this will be his last season in the dugout.

"I think [Bochy] has been a very important factor in me being here today," Sandoval noted. "He has always fought for me and put his feet to the fire for me, and I know I owe this second chance to him, and I love giving it all for him in what will be his final year."

Sandoval isn't the only one enjoying this second chance. The Giants are benefiting from his slugging .509 while spot-starting at first base (15 times) and third base (36 times) -- but most often entering the game as Bochy's top bat off the bench, making 49 pinch-hit appearances so far this season. Despite being relegated to a part-time role, he has committed to enjoying each day with the Giants like it could be his last. After having come so close to seeing his career come to an end after Boston cut him loose, he knows that's the truth. His tenure with the Giants could end any day. And with Bochy gone at the end of the year, he knows his future with the organization is far from guaranteed.

"Any opportunity that you get in this game, you have to enjoy with love and professionalism. And you also have to have fun. If you don't have fun, there's no reason to do this," Sandoval said. "No matter what people say, no matter the comments being made around you, you have to persevere and turn a deaf ear. You do it for yourself, you do it for the love of the game and for the love of those around you."

Host nation on top at European Team Championships, with shot putter Haratyk in record-breaking form

Wins by Michał Haratyk, Marcin Lewandowski and Justyna Święty-Ersetic on the first full day of finals helped hosts Poland to top of the table at the European Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz ahead of France.

It had originally looked as though the French team were to be overnight leaders but disqualification of the men’s 4x100m squad saw them drop to second on 181.50 points behind Poland’s 193. Italy sit in third with 171 points, with Great Britain fourth with 160.50 and Germany fifth with 160.

Haratyk’s victory came after a championship record-breaking throw of 21.83m in the second round of the shot put. The European indoor and outdoor champion backed that up with marks of 21.41m and 21.31m to win ahead of Tomáš Stanek’s 20.65m, while GB’s Scott Lincoln was fifth with 19.57m.

Another Polish throws win came in the men’s hammer as Wojciech Nowicki secured maximum points with a best of 78.84m, with France’s Quentin Bigot second after a 76.70m throw.

British record-holder Nick Miller was a way off his best after recording a mark of 66.20m and two fouls. Back in Bydgoszcz in June, the Commonwealth champion had thrown his third best-ever mark of 78.39m.

Over on the track, Poland also secured top points through Lewandowski as he had the finishing strength to win the 1500m on home soil. After a 51-second last 400m, he ran 3:47.88 as GB’s in-form Charlie Da’Vall Grice secured second in 3:48.35.

“The crowd really inspired me today,” said Lewandowski. “I’m very happy to have achieved this win in my home stadium as the team captain. It’s another valuable experience before the World Championships.

“I may be an old fox, but I can still learn something from every race.”

There were further big cheers from the home fans as European champion Święty-Ersetic stormed to 400m victory, clocking 51.23 ahead of Switzerland’s European 400m hurdles winner Léa Sprunger with 51.84. GB’s Amy Allcock secured sixth in 52.92.

Poland’s first win of the weekend was claimed by Patryk Dobek in the men’s 400m hurdles as he clocked 48.87 for full points. GB’s Chris McAlister ran a PB of 49.28 for fourth – a world championships qualifying time and his fourth PB of 2019, having improved his best down from 50.36 in 2018.

The GB squad secured one win and a number of runner-up finishes on the second of three days of competition in Poland.

In the men’s 4x100m, the GB team of Dominic Ashwell, Oliver Bromby, Richard Kilty and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey had crossed the finish line in second place behind the French quartet but the team of Mouhamadou Fall, Jimmy Vicaut, Méba-Mickaël Zézé and Christophe Lemaitre were later disqualified, which also had an impact on the overall team ranking at the end of the day.

Aikines-Aryeetey crossed the finish line with 38.73 on the clock which eventually secured top points for GB.

The British team captain had earlier finished fourth in the men’s 100m final won by Vicaut.

In that individual event, joint European record-holder Vicaut lived up to his status as favourite by winning in 10.35 (-1.4m/sec) ahead of Italy’s Marcell Jacobs with 10.39 as Aikines-Aryeetey ran 10.57 behind Germany’s Michael Pohl’s 10.55.

There was disappointment for the host nation’s Remigiusz Olszewski as he was disqualified for a false start.

Vicaut might have been denied a double win because of the relay disqualification, but his team-mate Carolle Zahi did secure such success as she led off the winning women’s 4x100m team after having earlier claimed full points in the women’s 100m.

In the relay the French team, which also included Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue, Estelle Raffai and Sarah Richard, ran 43.09 to take the A final win, with GB’s Kristal Awuah, Alisha Rees, Bianca Williams and Rachel Miller second in that race in 43.46. The GB team ranked third overall behind B race winners Switzerland with 43.11.

In the 100m, Zahi dipped for the win in 11.31, racing into a -2.5 (m/sec) wind and having kept her cool despite the race having been restarted.

Behind her, Olympic, world and European sprint relay medallist Daryll Neita kicked off a series of 11-point performances by British team members as she finished second in 11.33, despite earlier having run around 60m before the race was recalled, while Poland’s European indoor 60m champion Ewa Swoboda ran 11.35 for third.

The day before had seen Neita run a smooth-looking season’s best of 11.19 to win her heat.

In the next two races, European indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and 2017 European Team Championships winner Dwayne Cowan also scored 11 points each for Britain.

First Oskan-Clarke finished strongly in the 800m, running 2:01.45 behind Rénelle Lamote who kicked to victory for France in 2:01.21, before Cowan clocked 46.18 to secure second in the 400m behind Italy’s Davide Re who strode away for a clear win in 45.35.

A little later, Miguel Ángel Sancho won the high jump for Spain after clearing 2.26m as Chris Baker was another second-placed finisher for Britain thanks to his clearance of 2.22m.

Czech two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnová won the women’s 400m hurdles in 55.10 as Poland’s Joanna Linkiewicz was roared down the final straight by home fans, moving from sixth to third to finish just behind Ukraine’s Anna Ryzhykova, 55.61 to 55.67. GB’s Meghan Beesley secured sixth in 56.46.

The women’s 3000m steeplechase saw a clear win by Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause as the two-time European champion clocked 9:36.67 ahead of Spain’s Irene Sánchez with 9:39.24 and Britain’s Rosie Clarke with 9:39.85.

Olympic, world and European champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece had the pole vault competition won with her first vault as she cleared her opening height of 4.56m.

She then had the bar moved to 4.70m and needed three attempts at that height before unsuccessfully attempting 4.80m.

Ukraine’s Maryna Kylypko was second with a best of 4.56m and GB’s Sophie Cook joint eighth with 4.21m.

Another win for Greece was claimed by Miltiádis Tentóglou as he added to his European indoor and outdoor titles, taking full points in the men’s long jump thanks to his 8.30m (+1.8m/sec) leap. GB’s Jacob Fincham-Dukes was seventh with 7.85m (+2.7m/sec).

Paraskevi Papachristou continued the Greek jumps success as she won the women’s triple jump with a 14.48m leap. GB’s Naomi Ogbeta placed seventh with 13.90m.

Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa even had time for celebrations in the men’s 5000m as he waved his arms on his way to the finish, winning clearly in 13:43.30 ahead of Switzerland’s Julian Wanders with 13:45.31. GB’s Nick Goolab was eighth in 14:27.43.

The women’s 3000m saw Yolanda Ngarambe gain full points for Sweden, running 9:07.67 ahead of Italy’s Marta Zenoni with a time of 9:08.34. GB’s Emily Hosker-Thornhill was ninth in 9:19.99.

The javelin was won by France’s Alexie Alaïs as she added almost two metres to her PB with 63.46m. Bekah Walton placed 12th with 46.29m for Britain.

On Friday, the first day of competition had seen two finals take place and they were won by Germany’s Julian Weber, as he threw 86.86m in the javelin, and Claudine Vita, who threw 61.09m in the discus. GB’s Tom Hewson and Kirsty Law finished 12th and eighth with marks of 64.93m and 54.78m respectively.

In the non-scoring mixed 4x400m relay, the GB team of Niclas Baker, Yasmin Liverpool, Jess Turner and Alex Knibbs won in 3:19.40 to break the British best.

Results can be found here.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Dominic Scelzi is making a habit of finding his way into the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals championship feature.

One year ago, Scelzi snuck into the Knoxville Nationals finale during FVP Hard Knox Night at the black-dirt half-mile in thrilling fashion, and Friday night he did so once again – in nearly the same fashion.

Last time, Scelzi won the SPEED SPORT World Challenge to earn the “golden ticket” 25th starting spot in the $150,000-to-win, 50-lap A-main, but when that race didn’t return to the docket this season, the California driver had to search for another way to crack the grid for the big dance.

He discovered it with a strong run during Friday night’s Hard Knox program at the Marion County Fairgrounds, qualifying inside the top five in his time trial flight, transferring through his heat race and finishing fourth in the 25-lap “second chance race,” taking the last guaranteed spot into the Nationals.

“They took away my golden ticket, so I figured that instead of starting 25th, I’d start 24th this year,” Scelzi grinned. “I like to make things hard, and boy, Knoxville is hard. Racing with these guys, beating some of them and being in the field is amazing, though.

“I felt like we were good enough to maybe be second or third – I never saw the (No.) 2 car, so he must have been pretty sporty,” Scelzi noted. “That’s two Knoxville Nationals that I never thought I’d get in. It’s so cool, and a dream come true to get in again. We can only go forward from here.”

Scelzi’s road to a transfer spot was built on the high side of the Knoxville dirt, as he rim-rode around for much of the distance in Friday night’s feature after struggling down low during his preliminary night.

“I feel like I’ve spent a lot more time on the top this week than I have on the bottom; we’ve been struggling down there with almost having too much drive down low,” Scelzi explained. “When I saw Sammy (Swindell) pass me down there, though, I figured I’d just roll the bottom … and I knew he probably wasn’t pounding the wall (down) off turn two.

“I went down there and did exactly what I’d hoped, and from there, chasing Shane … he was running good laps until he started having problems, but I couldn’t tell what was wrong for him because I had my eyes closed,” Scelzi added. “When he got tight, I just started cheating the cushion into (turn) three, but the last thing I wanted to do was race him, because I know that when two guys get racing here, they lose a lot of time.

“I just tried to stay with him and knew we’d both be OK where we were. It was a hectic race.”

Scelzi has now made the Knoxville Nationals finale two years in a row on Friday night, a unique feat.

While he was hesitant to compare the pair of performances, the 21-year-old recognized how important being back in the Knoxville Nationals A-main is for his family-owned Scelzi Motorsports operation.

“Winning the SPEED SPORT (Challenge) last year was the best moment of my life, for sure,” Scelzi said. “It was very, very special … in fact, Ralph (Sheheen, SPEED SPORT President) and I were talking about it earlier this week, but to make it into the Nationals finale racing in on Hard Knox Night is just as hard.

“Maybe I should just put my entry in for Friday every year, because for whatever reason, I seem to want to do it the hardest possible way,” Scelzi added. “I’m excited to get in, but I’m even more excited that I’m not alone in the back row now and can actually claim to be part of the field now! I can’t go backwards, either, so that’s a big deal for us.”

With the hardest task – making the Knoxville Nationals – now complete, Scelzi has one goal for his second Saturday A-main start besides moving as far forward in 50 laps as he can.

“This time, we’re gunning for Gio,” the elder Scelzi said of his younger brother. “I want to beat that 71.”

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Record signing Joao Felix scored two first-half goals for Atletico Madrid as they secured a 2-1 win over Juventus in the International Champions Cup at the Friends Arena on Saturday.

Although the vast majority of fans in the crowd seemed to be more interested in seeing his fellow Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Felix opened the scoring by squeezing a first-time finish through two defenders and into the back of the net midway through the first half.

Sami Khedira equalised for the Italian champions in the 29th minute but Felix, who joined Atletico from Benfica for a reported €126 million ($141 million) in July, netted his second four minutes later.

The Spanish side open their La Liga campaign at home to Getafe next Sunday, while Juventus travel to Parma on Aug. 24 to begin their Serie A season.

In the rained-out first ODI in Guyana, Chris Gayle played the slowest innings of his career, scoring 4 off 31 balls.

This was perhaps an extreme case of it, but West Indies captain Jason Holder has said his batsmen will be looking to start their innings cautiously through the ODI series.

"I think in the past we have let ourselves down in having a foundation," Holder said on the eve of the second ODI in Trinidad. "It's just a matter for us to take a few balls at first and get ourselves set and then we take it as the innings goes on."

The second ODI on Sunday - if he features - will be Gayle's 300th - he will be the first West Indian cricketer to reach the landmark.

"300 games is a lot of games," Holder said. "Some of us in the dressing room can't even imagine that. We just hope he can get us off to a really good start tomorrow."

West Indies had a chance to look at the pitch at Queen's Park Oval before rain forced the covers to come on, and Holder hoped for good batting conditions.

"It's normally pretty humid." he said. "The wicket is a decent one, hopefully the rain stays away and it doesn't get too soggy. The pitch normally is a very good pitch here. The conditions should be really good tomorrow. We've got to see how the pitch plays, but ideally in one-day cricket, 300 runs is the benchmark. We'll see how it all plays out tomorrow."

While Gayle endured a struggle in Guyana, his opening partner Evin Lewis showed encouraging signs of a return to form, scoring an unbeaten 40 off 36 balls before showers forced the players off the field.

"Definitely happy to see Evin get some time in the middle," Holder said. "He didn't get the runs he was looking for in the T20 format but it's good to see him get into form in Guyana and hopefully he can transfer that performance here as well."

India's batting line-up is among the best in the world, and Holder was confident West Indies had the bowling to challenge it.

"We got to put pressure [on the batsmen] and try to get as deep into their batting line-up [as possible]. The wickets nowadays are very good for batting. It tends to play a little bit more in the batsmen's favour, [but] we've been doing a really good job, especially in the World Cup I thought our bowlers did a great job, and [we'll look to] just continue from there and just try to be consistent."