Hurricane Idalia makes landfall near Keaton Beach, bringing ‘catastrophic surge’ to Florida coast  —  rwebb@sunsentinel.com, ANGIE DIMICHELE |  adimichele@sunsentinel.com and VICTORIA BALLARD |  Hurricane Idalia is leaving a wake of destruction from the Gulf inland, including two storm-related deaths, as it makes its way into Georgia.

Angels go from all-in to folding, inexplicably placing six veterans on waivers  —  The Los Angeles Angels are the gift that keeps on giving.  —  Just when everyone questioned why they didn't trade Shohei Ohtani before his torn UCL, wondering why they decided to go for it by trading away …

Yankees release 3-time All-Star Josh Donaldson after two disastrous seasons  —  Roughly six months after Aaron Boone said it would be “crazy” to think that Josh Donaldson wasn't capable of a bounce-back season, the Yankees have released the 37-year-old third baseman.

White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea  —  WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday said that it has new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks …

MLBPA to review safety protocols after incidents in Chicago, Denver  —  CHICAGO — A shooting that likely happened inside of Guaranteed Rate Field, followed by a scary moment for Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. in Colorado.  Both in a span of four days.

Sparks squander chance to improve playoff odds with loss to Chicago  —  The Sparks miss three potential game-winning shots in a 76-75 loss to the Sky, who close the gap in the race for the eighth seed and secure the head-to-head tiebreaker  —  LOS ANGELES — Another double-double …

Garver homers, Heaney throws shutout ball in the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Mets  —  NEW YORK — Winning close ballgames has been a challenge for the Texas Rangers all season, but that's two in a row they've taken at Citi Field.  —  Mitch Garver homered to snap a scoreless tie …

Mets place starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco on waivers: reports  —  The Mets have placed struggling right-hander Carlos Carrasco on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal.  The situation had become untenable with the veteran starting pitcher and it appears as though the club has finally admitted defeat.

Wittenmyer & Williams: Why 24 hours out west might've buried the Cincinnati Reds' season  —  Jason Williams Gordon WittenmyerCincinnati Enquirer … Williams: So much for that one starting pitcher making the big difference you said it would.  —  Wittenmyer: I know where you're going with this.

Dispatch pauses AI sports writing program  —  The Columbus Dispatch paused use of an artificial intelligence sports writing tool after a Westerville football recap faced criticism on social media that went viral last week. … - One such Dispatch article from Aug. 18 was blasted on social media …