Sports
Raptors look for payback when they host Heat
Nov 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks to pass the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walter (14) defends during the second half in an NBA Cup game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors open a seven-game homestand Sunday night with a chance to avenge a loss to the Miami Heat in a return match.
The Raptors fell to the Heat 121-111 Friday night in an NBA Cup game to conclude a 1-3 road trip. Afterward, Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said that he was looking forward to the rematch.
“I’m really, really excited because we’re going to play the same team in less than 48 hours, so it’s going to be a mini-playoff series,” Rajakovic said. “We’re going to watch film, learn from it and get better.”
A player from each team had a triple-double on Friday. Miami’s Bam Adebayo had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the eighth triple-double of his career. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the sixth of his career.
The Raptors should take comfort in playing at home, where they are 4-4. The Heat, who have won four of their past five games and two in a row, are 5-4 on the road.
RJ Barrett led Toronto with 25 points on Friday while Jakob Poeltl added 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The Heat took over the game on Friday with a 38-23 third quarter after trailing by three points at halftime.
Toronto still led 79-77 with 4:23 to play in the third, but the frame ended with Miami leading 96-84.
“We know what we’re capable of when we play the right way,” said Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who had eight of his 26 points in the third quarter. Tyler Herro had nine of his 23 points in the third. Reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. had eight of his season-best 15 points in the third quarter.
“It was the second part of the third quarter that we just could not hold it,” Rajakovic said. “They started getting hot, making shots. They ended up the game with 21 threes.”
Toronto had 11 3-pointers and also committed 19 turnovers leading to 27 points. Miami committed 10 turnovers leading to 14 points.
“Our (19) to their (10) turnovers and their 3-point shooting and our 3-point shooting, that was the biggest difference in the game,” Rajakovic said.
Rajakovic feels that the turnovers can be corrected with better passing on fast breaks. “We were trying to punish them in transition and some of those passes were not precise enough,” he said.
Adebayo has had two consecutive games with 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
“We want to take advantage of (Adebayo’s passing) as much as possible and want him to be aggressive, put pressure on the defense at the rim,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s managing that extremely well. That probably puts a lot of pressure on teams scouting against us when Bam gets double-digit assists. A lot can go wrong for your defense when he’s in play-making mode.”
“That’s what it’s all about, trying to get easy looks (for teammates),” Adebayo said.
“He’s getting everyone the ball in position where they can score,” Butler said.
Jaquez hit two 3-pointers during Miami’s 19-5 late-third-quarter surge.
“We want (Jaquez) to be aggressive,” Spoelstra said. “Part of that aggressiveness, there is a lot of responsibility to make the right read and bring a second defender. If he continues to get to his spots, teams will do that. He was assertive on his catches. He has been working diligently on his shooting.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mired in 'rough' stretch, Padres' Walker Buehler seeks to bounce back vs. Braves
Jul 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler (10) pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images Two pitchers with a lot to prove will face off on Tuesday night when the Atlanta Braves host the San Diego Padres in the second contest of a four-game series.
The Braves won the series opener 3-2 on Monday for their first victory in four tries against the Padres this season.
San Diego will send Walker Buehler (5-5, 5.36 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday to face Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez (4-2, 3.50) in a matchup of veteran right-handers. Each is trying to hold on to a position in the rotation.
Buehler will try to bounce back from three poor performances before the All-Star break.
In his last outing on July 11 against Toronto, he pitched two innings and allowed four runs on three hits and four walks in San Diego’s 8-7 victory. Buehler is 0-2 with a 16.36 ERA in his last three trips to the mound, having allowed 20 runs and six homers in 11 innings.
“The same miss over and over, left and high,” Buehler said after his last start. “I think the All-Star break is coming at a good time for me. So try not to put too much stock into it. … Obviously, the past two or past three have been really rough, so good time to take kind of a step back and see what we’re doing.”
Padres manager Craig Stammen said he was optimistic that having a few days off at the break would help Buehler, 31, get his season back on track.
“He’s not a spring chicken,” Stammen said. “He’s got a lot of innings under his belt. … You can definitely see you know he’s not as sharp as he was back in June. We’ll get him right and get him back to that pitcher that we saw that was very effective for us.”
Buehler has made six career appearances (all starts) against the Braves, going 2-2 with a 3.75 ERA. He faced them one time in 2025 while with Boston and took a loss, allowing five runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Lopez is one of many possible pieces for Atlanta’s ever-changing rotation. He began the season as a starter but spent June in the bullpen. Since returning to the rotation, he is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA.
In his last start on July 11 against St. Louis, Lopez worked five innings and allowed four runs in a 4-1 loss. It was his third consecutive five-inning start.
In four career appearances (three starts) against the Padres, Lopez is 0-1 with a 3.93 ERA.
The Braves need their starters to go five-plus innings to preserve their relievers. Bryce Elder did that on Monday, when he worked six innings. And the overtaxed bullpen, with regular standouts Dylan Dodd, Dylan Lee and closer Raisel Iglesias all unavailable, received 2 1/3 innings from Victor Mederos, who earned his first career save.
Mederos was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on April 3.
“He’s thrown the ball well for us, but that’s a different animal what he did in a one-run game,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “You see that with players sometimes. It might be a different voice or a different piece of advice, and it clicks with a guy and he takes off. It’s looking like that’s the case with Vic.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins vs. Guardians Prediction: Best Bets for Tuesday's AL Central Showdown
Jun 18, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins (49-52) and Cleveland Guardians (53-48) meet for the second installment in a four-game series at Progressive Field on Tuesday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.
The Twins are looking to bounce back after the Guardians routed them 13-4 despite the presence of All-Star RHP Joe Ryan on the bump. Cleveland knocked him around for eight runs and 10 hits in just four innings, and he was out there serving up batting practice. Ryan tied a major league record, while setting a Twins franchise record, by serving up six home runs.
The Guardians swatted seven homers on Monday night, and it was the sixth time in Indians/Guardians history that the team has belted at least seven home runs in a single game. Rhys Hoskins swatted a pair of solo home runs, while Petey Halpin also had two homers and three RBI out of the ninth spot. All-Star Travis Bazzana, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio also left the yard. Chase DeLauter had two singles and two doubles in five at-bats, while driving in three runs.
Tuesday Twins vs. Guardians best bet
Now, the Guardians turn to their All-Star, LHP Parker Messick (8-5, 2.73 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) for Tuesday’s game. He is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 58 ⅓ IP in 10 home starts, and he has allowed just two homers in those outings. In other words, Ryan has allowed three times as many home runs at Progressive Field in four innings than Messick has allowed in 10 outings.
The rookie LHP Kendry Rojas (1-1, 2.79 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) makes his third start and ninth career appearance. It’s his first start since serving as the opener for two innings in a 12-3 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 23. He twirled four scoreless innings in his only other start against the Houston Astros on May 18. This will be his first-career road start.
Our Current Best Offers
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Minnesota is skidding hard, losing three in a row, while getting outscored 29-7 in the nosedive. The Over has cashed in the past two games, allowing 11.5 runs per game (RPG).
Cleveland is 2-2 in four games out of the All-Star break, while the Over has cashed in each of its past two games, too. The Guardians are 6-2 in the past eight games, while the Under is still 6-2 in the eight-game span since July 9.
The Twins are 23-27 on the road this season, while going 14-14 inside the AL Central Division. Against left-handed starting pitchers, Minnesota is just 13-18 this season.
The Guardians have a 26-24 mark at home, while going 16-11 inside the division, although they’re just 2-4 in the past six games against the AL Central. Cleveland is 21-12 vs. LHP in 33 encounters this season, too.
There is a 50 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms around first pitch, with the weather expected to mostly clear out by 9:00 p.m. ET, so there could be a potential delay. The good news is that the rains should keep the smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires to a minimum. If it was dry, the air quality might be an issue, with the winds blowing out of the west-northwest from 10-15 mph. That means winds will be blowing from left field to right field, which could aid right-handed hitters against left-handed starters. As such, our top play in this game is the OVER 8 (-115). In addition, with Messick against an opener, it’s surprising the GUARDIANS (-150) aren’t favored by quite a bit more.
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Sports
'Relentless' Royals picking up steam entering rematch vs. Giants
Jul 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Nick Loftin (12) is doused with water after hitting a walk off bunt during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals have built some momentum since returning from the All-Star break, while the San Francisco Giants continue to struggle.
After opening their three-game series against the Giants with a dramatic victory on Monday, the Royals can secure their third straight winning home series by handing the Giants a fourth straight loss on Tuesday night.
American League Central cellar-dwelling Kansas City improved to 3-1 on its post-All-Star break homestand despite squandering a 3-1 lead with two outs in the ninth inning on Monday, courtesy of Willy Adames’ two-run homer.
However, Nick Loftin brought home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a squeeze bunt for the Royals’ second walk-off win of the homestand.
“We’re a very relentless team,” Loftin told Royals.TV. “We’re just all clicking together.”
Loftin entered the game after All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. exited with lingering lower back tightness.
The status of Witt, who was rested during the Royals’ 19-2 loss to San Diego on Sunday, is uncertain for Tuesday’s game.
Meanwhile, fellow star teammate Salvador Perez is batting .300 in his last 11 games. He moved within one home run of tying George Brett’s all-time franchise mark of 317 after hitting a two-run shot Monday.
“Just trying to do my job. … Help my team to win,” Perez said.
Perez has five home runs in 19 career games vs. San Francisco, which is 1-3 on its six-game trip since coming out of the break. He’s 2-for-6 with a homer against scheduled Giants starter Tyler Mahle (2-8, 5.31 ERA), who will look to build on one of his better outings of the season.
The right-hander yielded three walks and five hits, but only one run, over seven innings of San Francisco’s 4-2 victory over Colorado on July 11.
“I’m a big believer that preparation pays off. If he has (more performances like his last), eventually he’s going to get wins under his belt,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Mahle.
That solid effort came at home, where Mahle is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA in eight starts this season. However, in seven road starts, he is 0-5 with a hefty 8.45 ERA.
Mahle is 1-0 with an 0.73 ERA in three career starts against the Royals, allowing only a Vinnie Pasquantino solo homer over 12 2/3 innings. The most recent came in 2023 while pitching for Minnesota.
The Giants showed some mettle Monday before losing for the 10th time in 13 road games.
“A loss is gonna be the same way, regardless,” Vitello said. “No matter how it goes down, you don’t like it.”
San Francisco’s Heliot Ramos hit his ninth home run of the season Monday. Two homers have come during his current 10-game road hitting streak.
Kansas City is slated to counter Tuesday with right-hander Luinder Avila (4-3, 5.08 ERA), who will face the Giants for the first time as he remains in a Royals rotation that’s been ravaged by injuries,
Avila is 4-2 with a 5.87 ERA in nine starts this season. He most recently allowed three runs, three walks and seven hits over five innings in his team’s 5-3 loss at Baltimore on July 10.
–Field Level Media
Mired in 'rough' stretch, Padres' Walker Buehler seeks to bounce back vs. Braves
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