The Arizona Diamondbacks aim to build off a big win when they host the Athletics for a three-game series beginning Monday in Phoenix.

Trailing 7-0 entering the sixth inning Sunday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, the Diamondbacks rallied with eight unanswered runs over the next five innings, culminating in Max Kepler’s walk-off RBI double in the 10th to take an 8-7 victory.

“Obviously, we needed it as a team,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth inning.

“Just a well-fought game for us, just to come back like that was incredible. Arguably, our best win of the year, but just to see us — the way we fought and didn’t give in, we could have easily done that. We didn’t, so that was great.”

The win, which matched the largest come-from-behind victory in franchise history, was key for Arizona in the race for a playoff spot. It pulled the team within a half a game of St. Louis, the Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

It also clinched the season series against the Cardinals with just one game remaining between the two clubs, as Arizona has taken four of six. That would give the Diamondbacks the first tiebreaker edge should the two teams finish the season with identical records.

“What looks so good to me is the guys are very focused on their task despite it being a very rugged terrain for them to climb through. And they managed it,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

Designated hitter Adrian Del Castillo, recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday, went 2-for-3 and scored a pair of runs in Sunday’s win.

“Del is a good hitter,” Lovullo said. “When his timing’s right, when the flow to the swing is on time, he can impact the baseball, he can impact a baseball game.”

Mitch Bratt (0-0, 6.00 ERA) will take the mound for the hosts in search of his first career win in his third appearance. The 23-year-old rookie allowed three runs on three hits over three innings a no-decision in his last outing, a 5-3 Arizona road win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 12.

The Athletics will counter with fellow left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-9, 6.08), who is 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against the Diamondbacks.

The lefty surrendered six runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in the Athletics’ 6-1 loss to the host Detroit Tigers on July 8. Springs hasn’t won since earning his third straight victory on April 14. Since then, he is 0-9 over his past 15 appearances.

The Athletics will be hoping for a strong outing from Springs as they try to break out of a stretch of 19 losses in their past 23 games. They snapped a 10-game skid with a 15-1 win against the Washington Nationals on Saturday before falling 5-2 in the finale of the three-game set on Sunday.

They went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine in their most recent loss.

“We just couldn’t get the big hit to get back in that game,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “The guys took good at-bats. … We couldn’t put them together enough and capitalize with some guys in scoring position with two outs.”

–Field Level Media

Coming in off arguably their worst loss of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.

St. Louis, in a three-way tie for the final wild-card spot in the National League, squandered a 7-0 lead while dropping the decisive contest of their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-7, in 10 innings on Sunday in Phoenix.

The seven-run comeback matched the largest in team history for the Diamondbacks, who are just a half-game back of the Cardinals, Miami and Pittsburgh in the race for the final wild card.

Max Kepler lined a double over the head of right fielder Lars Nootbaar with one out in the 10th inning to drive in automatic runner Jorge Barrosa to win it for Arizona, which trailed 7-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

It marked the first time since July 2010 that St. Louis blew a lead of seven or more runs in a loss. Rubbing more salt in the wound was the fact ex-Cardinal Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to forge a 7-7 tie.

“We don’t deserve to win that game in any way, to be quite honest with you,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We did a nice job early getting ahead, but the way that one unfolded … I tell you what, there’s a lot of learning opportunities in that one. It stings. It (stinks), and no one is more mad than me. At the end of the day, we gave that one away.”

Marmol said it was important for his team to move on from the bitter loss and focus on its three-game series against a Los Angeles team that owns the worst record in baseball at 39-61.

“We already talked about it,” Marmol said. “Dwell on (the loss) for the time being, take what you need out of it. Before you guys were let in here, they were already talking about some of the things that we felt that we gave away. Their ability to (rebound) quickly and move on to the next day is, at this point, part of our identity.”

Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.73 ERA) gets the start in the potential bounce-back game for St. Louis. He will be opposed by fellow right-hander Jose Soriano (8-6, 3.49).

Leahy is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three career relief appearances against the Angels. He hasn’t allowed a hit over 5 1/3 innings.

He threw three shutout innings and allowed one hit in a 2-1 home win over Atlanta in his last start on July 10. He departed after throwing just three pitches in the fourth inning because of a two-hour, 44-minute rain delay.

Soriano has started against the Cardinals once in his career. That came in 2024 when he allowed two hits over 5 1/3 shutout innings and struck out six in a game that St. Louis used an eight-run seventh to rally for a 10-5 victory at Angel Stadium. Even more coincidental is the fact Leahy picked up the win with 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief.

Soriano, the American League Pitcher of the Month in April, is 0-2 in his last five starts following an 8-0 home victory over Tampa Bay on June 13.

The Angels held on for a 3-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon to snap a four-game losing streak. It was just the third win in the last 15 games for Kurt Suzuki’s squad.

Right-hander Ryan Johnson allowed a leadoff homer to fellow rookie Kevin McGonigle on the third pitch of the game but rebounded to allow no more runs and just one more hit over five innings to pick up his third career victory.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever given up a leadoff home run, so that’s a new experience,” said Johnson, 23. “But I was able to stay focused, stay with the game plan and attack.”

–Field Level Media

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year, the university confirmed on Monday.

The announcement follows two major misconduct investigations into the Wolverines’ football program: former head coach Sherrone Moore’s firing in December 2025 over an impermissible relationship with a female staffer, and a sign-stealing scandal under Moore’s predecessor, Jim Harbaugh.

“At this time, the university does not have additional public statements planned regarding these matters, nor does the university plan to release any associated documents,” a Michigan spokesperson told The Detroit News. “We can confirm, however, that Director of Athletics Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year and a search for a new AD will be conducted.”

University president Domenico Grasso on Monday shared information related to the conclusion of a “culture review” of the athletic department conducted by the independent law firm Jenner & Block LLP, which involved nearly 350 interviews of 300 witnesses and the review of more than 20,000 documents.

“The culture review found that weaknesses in accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting created conditions in which misconduct was not always addressed consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations,” read a school statement.

“The culture review found that Warde Manuel demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes. At the same time, it identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees.”

The highly publicized transgressions overshadowed the achievements of the athletic department under Manuel, who has held the post since 2016. Michigan won national championships in football (2023), men’s basketball (2025-26) and women’s (2021) and men’s gymnastics (2025).

Manuel, 58, received a five-year extension as athletics director in December 2024 with a base salary of $1.9 million. That contract was scheduled to expire in 2030.

Michigan fired Moore for cause on Dec. 10 for engaging in a longstanding relationship with his then-executive assistant, Paige Shiver. On the day he was fired, he allegedly went to her apartment. Shiver told authorities he barged in, grabbed two butter knives and backed her into a corner.

Moore was arrested and spent two nights in jail. The original charges of home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering included penalties of up to five years in prison.

He was sentenced to 18 months of probation with no jail time in April. Moore also was fined more than $1,000 and ordered not to have contact with Shiver, or to use drugs or alcohol during his probation.

The sentencing followed a plea deal in which Moore agreed to plead no contest to new misdemeanor charges of malicious use of a telecommunications device and trespassing. In exchange, prosecutors in Washtenaw County (Mich.) dismissed the previous charges, which included third-degree felony home invasion.

Moore had a 16-8 record at Michigan after taking over for Harbaugh, for whom he served as offensive coordinator. Both were embroiled in a sign-stealing controversy involving then-staff member Connor Stalions from the school’s 2023 national championship season, with Moore ultimately serving a two-game suspension.

In another scandal, Matt Weiss was the Wolverines’ co-offensive coordinator in 2022 and had just completed his second season on Michigan’s staff when he was fired Jan. 20, 2023. Weiss has pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access to computers. His trial is scheduled for September.

Harbaugh left Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, while men’s basketball coach Dusty May exited after the title run to coach the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks in June.

–Field Level Media