Christopher Morel homers for the Tampa Bay Rays in return to Wrigley Field

CHICAGO (AP) — Christopher Morel got a chance to catch up with some old friends on Friday.

He made quite the impression in his return to Wrigley Field.

Morel hit a three-run homer for the Tampa Bay Rays in their 6-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. It was his first game against his former team.

“It feels very good. I'm very happy,” Morel said through a translator when asked about the reception he got from his former teammates and the crowd. “This was the organization that gave me my first opportunity in the big leagues. So having the support of fans, it's something that, it's great. It was great having that adrenaline being here in Chicago.”

Chandler Simpson hit a leadoff single and Yandy Díaz walked before Morel batted in the first inning against Matthew Boyd. After hearing some cheers from the crowd of 38,794, he hit a towering drive into the bleachers in left-center.

The 26-year-old Morel also homered in his first at-bat at Wrigley in his major league debut on May 17, 2022, against Pittsburgh.

“I wasn't even thinking about it,” Morel said. “You know, again, all the glory to God because he's the one who puts me in those positions so I can do that.”

Morel's 11th homer of the season provided a fast start for a Tampa Bay team on the fringe of the AL wild-card race. But that was his only hit of the afternoon as the Rays lost for the sixth time in seven games.

With his energetic style and enthusiastic smile, Morel quickly became a fan favorite in Chicago after his successful debut three years ago. He hit 16 homers in his first season and 26 more the following year, when he batted .247 with 70 RBIs.

But the free-swinging Morel struck out 270 times in 220 games in his first two seasons, and the Cubs shipped him off to Tampa Bay in the Isaac Paredes deal in July 2024.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Christopher Morel (24) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Christopher Morel, right, celebrates his three-run home run with Yandy Díaz during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Christopher Morel (24) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Christopher Morel (24) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Christopher Morel (24) hits a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.

Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.

Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.

“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”

Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.

Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.

Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.

“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”

Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.

“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”

Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.

Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.

Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.

“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”

Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.

Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.

Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan was second last year and second overall overnight but he plunged out of the top 15, at least.

Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)