Sports
Braves, Cardinals ready to put disappointing June behind them
Jun 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) leaves his feet to attempt to throw out San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers at first base during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Two teams who have struggled throughout June will try to change their trajectory when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series that begins on Tuesday.
Both teams are 3-7 over their last 10 games and will be happy to turn the calendar. The Braves are 9-13 in June and the Cardinals are 12-12 over the same time.
Atlanta has seen its lead in the National League East, which was 10.5 games on May 22, dwindle to three games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
St. Louis was 4.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers on May 31 but now trail by seven games and is just a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins in the race for the final wild-card spot.
The series opener features a pair of left-handers, as St. Louis’ Matthew Liberatore (3-5, 5.56 ERA) faces Atlanta’s Martin Perez (6-4, 3.00).
Atlanta has been in an offensive funk. During their current 4-12 skid, the Braves have been shut out twice and scored three or fewer runs 10 times.
“Our sport is different than every other sport,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “We play virtually every day for seven months, so you’ve got to get past all that stuff. You’ve got to keep your head down and keep doing the work. These guys are doing the work, they’re doing all that stuff. We’ve just got to fight through it.”
The strugglers are led by Austin Riley, who went 4-for-21 on the six-game West Coast road trip, saw his average fall to .209, and hasn’t homered since May 20. Ha-Seong Kim is on an 0-for-24 skid and is hitting .068. Drake Baldwin hit a home run in his first at-bat after coming off the injured list, but is 2-for-43 since his return and has seen his average fall from .303 to .255.
The Cardinals have been equally puny at the plate. St. Louis scored only three runs in its three-game weekend series against Miami.
“You look at the games, we’re successful, we come up with that key hit, that big hit and kind of keep it rolling,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “We haven’t been able to do that recently and that’s a big part of how we’ve gotten to this point.”
Two Cardinals will try to rekindle their offense. Ivan Herrera (22 games) and Alec Burleson (career-long 25-games) had their on-base streaks end in Sunday’s 2-1 win which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt is coming off back-to-back multi-hit games, giving him 23 on the season.
The Atlanta staff has been stabilized by the veteran Perez. With No. 2 starter Spencer Strider out for the foreseeable future, Perez has been a dependable arm. Since rejoining the rotation in mid-May, he is 4-2. He had a four-game winning streak end on Wednesday against San Diego when he gave up three runs in four innings, his shortest start of the season.
Liberatore has struggled over his last four starts, going 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in June. He was rocked by Arizona on Wednesday for six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
This is the first meeting between the Braves and Cardinals this season. The Braves won the series 4-2 in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ice bucket challenge gaining steam after Chris Johnson ALS diagnosis
Former Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson was diagnosed with ALS. Former NFL running back Chris Johnson announced Monday on “Good Morning America” that he is battling ALS. Two days after that interview with former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, Johnson followed up by requesting that supporters revive a viral trend that has been on ice since 2014.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge swept the nation in summer 2014, raising $115 million for the ALS Association, according to the organization’s website.
“Years ago, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge united millions of people around one cause and helped change the fight against this disease,” Johnson wrote in his post. “Today, I’m asking you to help me do it again.”
Three men with ALS, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, launched the 2014 campaign that inspired 17 million people to dump ice water on their heads and donate to an ALS charity. In addition to the monetary achievement, the campaign raised awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Funds were invested in research and care for people living with the disease.
In the post, Johnson thanked fans for their support and explained that his idea to revive the Ice Bucket Challenge was inspired by Hunter Mecum, a former Utah basketball player. Mecum posted a video of himself doing the challenge in honor of Johnson, then nominated the “2,000 active NFL players” to follow his lead and take on the challenge, a reference to Johnson’s 2,000-yard rushing season.
Johnson has nominated former NFL players LenDale White, Marshawn Lynch and Adam “Pacman” Jones to take part in the challenge. White was Johnson’s backfield mate in Tennessee.
Johnson also posted a video of himself completing the challenge and requesting that donations be made to Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. As of Thursday, more than $33,000 has been raised by Johnson’s campaign.
Lynch and White have each responded by posting videos of themselves completing the challenge. White subsequently nominated Deion Sanders, Vince Young and Mike Sims-Walker.
Johnson’s daughter has also joined in the cause and nominated her brothers and LeBron James to take part.
Johnson was the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In his second season in 2009, he became the sixth running back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, rushing for 2,006 yards on 358 carries. The achievement earned him the nickname CJ2K.
He had 2,163 carries for 9,651 yards and 55 touchdowns during his 10-year NFL career for the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
The ALS Association website explains that the disease causes “a person’s brain (to lose) connection with the muscles, slowly taking away their ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. Although there is still no cure or treatment that halts progression, new treatments are helping to slow and ease symptoms.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jarred Kelenic, Joe Ross, Chris Paddack elect free agency from Rangers
Jun 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Joe Ross (41) throws to the plate against the San Diego Padres during the tenth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Veteran right-handed pitchers Joe Ross and Chris Paddack and outfielder Jarred Kelenic all rejected outright assignments by the Texas Rangers and became free agents on Thursday.
Paddack spent less than four days with the club. He signed on Monday and appeared that night in a bulk relief role against the Cleveland Guardians. After spreading two runs and seven hits over four innings, Paddack was designated for assignment the next day before passing through waivers.
Paddack, 30, has already spent time with the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Rangers this season. He is 0-7 with a 6.79 ERA in 14 games (nine starts).
Ross, 33, got into five games for Texas and allowed four earned runs over eight innings (4.50 ERA) with one loss. He started the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has a 9.26 ERA in eight total relief appearances (11 2/3 innings).
Kelenic, 26, also didn’t last long with his second team of the season and the fourth of his MLB career. A former top prospect for the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, Kelenic began this year with the Chicago White Sox and was granted free agency at the end of May. He soon signed with Texas and only played in seven games, batting 1-for-8.
In other moves, the Rangers selected the contract of right-hander Ben Peoples from Triple-A Round Rock, optioned right-hander Winston Santos to Round Rock and transferred left-hander Jordan Montgomery’s rehab assignment from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A.
The Rangers acquired Peoples, 25, from the White Sox for catcher Ben Hartl this week and could make his major league debut with Texas. He was 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 29 relief appearances for Triple-A Charlotte, striking out 45 with 21 walks.
Santos, 24, made his MLB debut Wednesday and allowed two runs on two hits in two innings of relief in a 9-4 loss at Cleveland.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers recall RHP Paul Gervase
May 22, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Paul Gervase (65) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed relief pitcher Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday for his third stint with the team this season.
Gervase, 26, has a 1.80 ERA and five strikeouts across five innings in two appearances for the Dodgers this season.
He has a career 3.38 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings across eight major league appearances. In Triple-A in 2026, Gervase is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25 innings across 19 games.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes to Triple-A. Barnes, 30, was called up Wednesday and took down the bulk of the innings in a planned bullpen game, which the Dodgers lost 7-1 to the A’s in Sacramento. Barnes allowed seven runs on 12 hits in seven innings with two strikeouts and two walks.
He has a 0-1 record with a 7.00 ERA in nine innings across three relief appearances for the Dodgers this season. He has played 13 games in parts of two seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2021), Chicago Cubs (2026) and Dodgers (2026), compiling a career 0-4 record with a 6.30 ERA in 50 innings.
–Field Level Media
Ice bucket challenge gaining steam after Chris Johnson ALS diagnosis
Carmen Electra's Raunchy, R-Rated 90s Sci-Fi Is A Mating Ritual Mockumentary
