Sports
MLB roundup: Cubs belt 8 homers, pound Padres 23-3
Jul 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson points after he hits a three-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Dansby Swanson hit three home runs and Michael Conforto hit two as the host Chicago Cubs hammered the San Diego Padres 23-3 on Wednesday.
The Cubs, who had not hit more than three homers in a game all season heading into the series, hit five on Tuesday in a 9-7 win and eight on Wednesday to sweep the series and win their fifth straight contest. Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch also homered for the Cubs, who tied a franchise record for long balls in a game.
Swanson, who had a career-high eight RBIs, has five homers in the past two games and nine home runs in his last 13 games. Colin Rea (6-5) was the beneficiary of all the Cubs’ power, giving up two runs and six hits in five innings.
The Padres lost their fifth straight game while sustaining the worst defeat in franchise history. They previously lost by 19 runs on three occasions (twice in 1969, once in 2005). Walker Buehler (5-4) gave up a career-high nine runs on seven hits in four innings.
Rays 4, Royals 0
Junior Caminero became the youngest player in major league history to homer in six consecutive games, socking a two-run shot in the first, and Shane McClanahan allowed three hits over six strong innings as visiting Tampa Bay beat Kansas City for its seventh straight win.
At 22 years, 361 days old, Caminero topped a mark set by then-23-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. with his ninth home run in the past eight games. Cedric Mullins added a solo shot and an RBI single while Taylor Walls had three hits for the Rays, who matched their longest winning streak of 2026. McClanahan (7-5) yielded three singles, did not walk a batter and struck out four.
The Royals have lost six of seven, including four straight against the Rays. Jac Caglianone had two of the Royals’ six hits. Seth Lugo gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings.
Twins 8, Astros 3
Josh Bell, Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall belted home runs while Taj Bradley matched his career high for strikeouts as visiting Minnesota claimed the rubber match of its three-game series against Houston.
Bell extended his career-best road hitting streak to 16 games with a two-run blast in the first inning before Clemens socked a three-run homer an inning later. Bradley (7-3) worked five innings and allowed four hits and one run. He fanned 11.
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (5-4) allowed five runs on four hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings, marking his third start of fewer than two innings.
Orioles 6, White Sox 1
Dean Kremer pitched six strong innings in his return from the injured list, and Baltimore avoided a three-game sweep by defeating visiting Chicago.
Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras each homered as the Orioles made good use of seven hits to snap a four-game losing streak. Blaze Alexander had two hits, including a run-scoring triple. Kremer (1-1), who hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since April 18 as he recovered from a quadriceps injury, held the White Sox to one run on four hits.
Sam Antonacci homered for one of Chicago’s four hits. He also had a single, but the White Sox lost for just the third time in their last nine games. Starter Noah Schultz, also fresh off the injured list, went 4 1/3 innings and was charged with three runs on two hits.
Phillies 10, Pirates 6
Trea Turner homered for the third straight game as Philadelphia hammered Paul Skenes and the visiting Pirates.
Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm also hit home runs for the Phillies, who tagged Skenes (6-8) for eight runs, seven earned, in four innings. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner had never allowed more than five runs in any of his first 72 major league starts.
Jared Triolo drove in three runs, and Nick Gonzales had three hits and an RBI for the Pirates. Henry Davis homered in a losing effort.
Nationals 10, Red Sox 2
Andres Chaparro and Nasim Nunez hit their first home runs of the season and James Wood added a three-run shot as visiting Washington rolled past Boston.
Chaparro’s two-run shot in the first inning and Nunez’s fourth-inning solo shot were all that Washington needed to claim the series. Four Nationals had multi-hit games, while Wood, Chaparro and Luis Garcia Jr. each drove in multiple runs. Andrew Alvarez (2-1) allowed two hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Washington had a 13-9 hits advantage. Three Red Sox players had multi-hit games, but Boston pitchers issued a combined 10 walks.
Tigers 6, Yankees 2 (11 innings)
Zach McKinstry ripped a bases-loaded two-run single off Camilo Doval to highlight a four-run 11th inning for Detroit, which completed a three-game sweep with a victory at New York.
The Tigers completed their first road sweep of the Yankees since 2008 after Detroit reliever Drew Anderson blew a two-run lead in the ninth. Spencer Torkelson gave the Tigers the lead in the 11th by working a walk before McKinstry delivered on a 1-1 cutter from Doval (3-1).
The Yankees, who totaled seven hits, are on their first seven-game skid since losing nine straight from Aug. 12-22, 2023. New York fell to 4-10 in its past 14 meetings with the Tigers.
Blue Jays 9, Mets 3
Sean Keys hit a three-run blast for his first career major league home run and Toronto defeated visiting New York in the decisive match of the three-game series played on Canada Day.
The Blue Jays finished a disappointing 3-7 homestand. The Mets were outhit 12-5 to start 1-2 on their seven-game road trip.
Carson Benge hit a two-run homer for the Mets and Francisco Lindor had a solo shot. Starter Freddy Peralta allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings.
Braves 5, Cardinals 1
Ozzie Albies hit a home run and Atlanta pitchers retired the final 20 batters as the Braves beat visiting St. Louis.
Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak and evened the three-game series at one game apiece. Albies went 2-for-4, scored two runs and had two RBIs. Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez (4-1) threw five innings and allowed one run on two hits, all coming in the first inning.
St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy (3-7) tossed six innings and allowed two runs on three hits. The Cardinals’ offense managed just the two hits.
Guardians 9, Rangers 4
David Fry belted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run second inning, fueling host Cleveland to a victory over Texas.
Austin Hedges launched a two-run homer and Chase DeLauter had an RBI single among his three hits to help the Guardians salvage the finale of their three-game series. Joey Cantillo (7-3) allowed two runs on three hits in five innings to improve to 3-0 in his past four starts.
Elias Diaz launched a solo homer, Nicky Lopez ripped a two-run double and Ezequiel Duran collected three hits for the Rangers, who saw their six-game winning streak end. MacKenzie Gore (5-7) permitted five runs on seven hits in five innings.
Brewers 4, Reds 2
Garrett Mitchell capped a 4-for-4 game with a tiebreaking RBI triple in the seventh inning, leading host Milwaukee past Cincinnati.
Mitchell’s two-out triple into the left-center-field gap gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Mitchell then scored on a wild pitch from Brock Burke (3-4). Milwaukee reliever Aaron Ashby (12-1) increased his major-league-leading win total as he tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Trevor Megill pitched around a double in the ninth for his 12th save.
Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer for the Reds, who took their fourth loss in a row. Reds starter Andrew Abbott allowed two runs and five hits in five innings with five walks.
Rockies 6, Marlins 3
Mickey Moniak doubled, tripled and homered for Colorado in a win over Miami at Denver.
Hunter Goodman and Kyle Karros also homered for the Rockies, who had lost three in a row. Kyle Freeland (2-7) earned his first win since April 7 by limiting the Marlins to two runs and six hits over five innings.
Joe Mack hit an inside-the-park home run and Liam Hicks had two hits and scored a run for Miami, which had won two in a row and six of seven. Max Meyer’s bid to win his first 10 decisions this season was derailed by four unearned runs in the fourth. Meyer (9-1) allowed five runs (one earned) and six hits over six innings.
Giants 6, Diamondbacks 4
San Francisco finally broke through against Arizona, riding home runs from Heliot Ramos and Victor Bericoto to a victory in Phoenix.
Trevor McDonald (3-6) threw six shutout innings for the Giants, who had dropped their first eight matchups with the Diamondbacks this season. Caleb Kilian breezed through a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.
Despite seeing his run of four straight games with a homer end, Ketel Marte had an RBI double and a single for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen (3-8) permitted six runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Athletics 7, Dodgers 1
Jonah Heim, Shea Langeliers and Alika Williams hit homers and J.T. Ginn pitched six solid innings to help the Athletics cruise past Los Angeles in West Sacramento, Calif.
Heim drove in two runs, and he, Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Henry Bolte each had two hits for the Athletics, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Ginn (7-4) gave up one run and three hits.
Freddie Freeman homered and Miguel Rojas had two hits for the Dodgers, who finished a 7-2 road trip. Los Angeles had just five hits after totaling 18 runs and 31 hits while winning the first two games of the three-game series. Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marlins strive to regain last month's mojo in opener vs. A's
Jul 2, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Jakob Marsee (87) celebrates in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The Miami Marlins had a sensational 20-6 record in June, and observers started to overdose on midseason optimism and talk about a possible postseason berth.
Then the Marlins received a huge reality check by starting July with two consecutive setbacks to the Colorado Rockies.
The Marlins will look to get back on the winning track when they face the Athletics on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Miami was outscored 20-7 while losing the final two contests of a four-game series with the host Rockies. Thursday’s finale saw the Rockies rout the Marlins 14-4.
Miami won 10 of 12 games before the last two losses, and the franchise has made just two postseason appearances (2020, 2023) since winning the 2003 World Series.
Manager Clayton McCullough said he understands why the playoff chatter has increased, but he also knew a 10-run loss marked the right time to deliver a message.
“We can all get caught up in what could happen months from now,” McCullough said. “Again, it’s months from now. We need to go into a new series and get as best prepared as we can for the A’s and try to win a series.
“All our focus needs to be on and should be on us. All the other discussions don’t matter right now. It’s about playing good baseball and trying to win a series.”
After being shellacked in Denver, the Marlins will find themselves in another great hitter’s ballpark for the three-game set in West Sacramento.
“Sacramento, you can really hit (there),” McCullough said. “It will be trying to limit damage, limit the big inning.”
Miami’s Otto Lopez had a homer among three hits on Thursday to raise his major-league-best average to .336.
The Athletics, meanwhile, just lost two of three home games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wednesday’s 7-1 victory was just the third in the past 11 games overall for the A’s.
Shea Langeliers belted his 20th homer of the season — his fourth straight season of hitting at least 20. He leads American League catchers in homers and hits (87).
“For everyone out there that feels like Shea needs to be doing more, that’s a great reminder for all those,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’s got 20 right now before the break. He’s been the catalyst of our offense since April, and it’s hard as a catcher to sustain the performance he put on in April. He’s done a great job. …
“The main goal is to keep Shea healthy and get him to the All-Star Game, which, I’m pretty confident that he’s going to be that guy.”
The A’s have been hit hard by injuries, with shortstop Jacob Wilson (right thumb), infielder Zack Gelof (right hand) and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (left hip) on the injured list.
In addition, designated hitter Brent Rooker (left knee) soon will undergo season-ending surgery.
“This is a big blow,” Kotsay said. “It’s a middle-of-the-order bat. It’s a guy that produced for us offensively for the last three seasons with 30-plus homers.”
The Athletics will start Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.00 ERA) against Miami’s Tyler Phillips (1-3, 3.02) in a battle of right-handers on Friday.
Perkins, 26, has received four straight no-decisions since losing to the Houston Astros on June 5. On Saturday, he gave up two runs and four hits over five innings against the Los Angeles Angels. The A’s lost 5-2.
This will be Perkins’ first career outing against Miami.
Phillips, 28, is 0-2 over his last three turns. He lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday when he gave up two runs and six hits over 7 1/3 innings.
Phillips is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the A’s. Langeliers is 1-for-4 against Phillips.
–Field Level Media
Sports
After blowing big lead vs. Dodgers, Padres could have hands full with Shohei Ohtani
Jul 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the San Diego Padres in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers intend to have a bonding moment wrapped up inside a baseball game when they host the San Diego Padres on Friday.
The Dodgers are set to send right-hander Shohei Ohtani to the mound, while Dalton Rushing will be his catcher.
Ohtani (8-2, 1.58 ERA) will be pitching with eight days of rest between starts, more to manage his season workload than because he had trouble getting on the same page with Rushing behind the plate June 24 at Minnesota. Ohtani and the Dodgers won 4-3 that day.
The issues in the outing became troublesome enough that Ohtani took over calling pitches at one point, with manager Dave Roberts having a heart-to-heart discussion with Rushing in the dugout between innings.
Will Smith typically catches Ohtani, but he has been on the injured list since early June with neck inflammation. Roberts will return to the Ohtani-Rushing partnership again instead of using current backup catcher Chuckie Robinson.
“I think that they will be (in sync) more than they were his last start,” Roberts said Thursday. “They don’t think the same, so it takes time. But again, I think Dalton understands that is what he signed up for. The job of a catcher is to be a servant to the pitcher. That’s the bottom line. So it’s Dalton’s job to get on page with whatever pitcher. I expect that all to be resolved.”
Ohtani also is expected to be in the lineup as a hitter.
In three career starts against San Diego, Ohtani is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA. The win came May 20 at San Diego when he pitched five scoreless innings in a 4-0 win for Los Angeles.
He is 6-1 overall in his past eight outings.
The Padres hope to end a six-game losing streak when they send right-hander Michael King (5-7, 3.55) to the mound. King’s most recent start came Sunday when he faced the Dodgers at home and gave up four runs on three hits with four walks over 4 1/3 innings. He took the loss in the 4-2 game.
In seven career appearances (five starts) against Los Angeles, King is 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA.
The Padres won the opener of a home series against the Dodgers last weekend but have now matched their longest losing streak of the season. The latest loss came after the Padres led 6-0 as the Dodgers rebounded with 12 consecutive runs in a 12-7 victory.
Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth all hit home runs in the first two innings for San Diego. Los Angeles received four hits each from Rushing and Kyle Tucker as they both tied career highs. Rushing also matched his career high with four RBIs.
The Padres’ bad news did not end there. They lost catcher Freddy Fermin in the fifth inning after he was hit in the mask by a foul ball. Before the game, right-handed reliever Jason Adam (shoulder) was placed on the injured list, while right-hander German Marquez was activated.
“Felt like the safest thing was to put him on the IL, call German up,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “So hopefully Jason’s injury isn’t too long, and that we just give him a little breather, and then he can be back helping our bullpen again.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA Picks Today: Best Bets for Sky vs. Aces and Lynx vs. Liberty
May 17, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) looks to drive past Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Aces just beat the Chicago Sky in the Windy City six days ago. Now the scene turns to Sin City as the two clubs go at it again on Friday night.
Aces star A’ja Wilson is listed as questionable due to an ankle injury. That would be an equalizer in terms of the talent difference if the four-time MVP isn’t on the floor.
The Minnesota Lynx visit the New York Liberty in Friday’s lone other contest. The Liberty are feeling pretty good after beating Las Vegas in the Commissioner’s Cup title game on Tuesday.
CHICAGO SKY AT LAS VEGAS ACES
Wilson excelled when Las Vegas posted a 107-99 win over Chicago on Sunday as she piled up 30 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. That stat line never previously occurred in WNBA history. Take all that production out of the lineup and the Sky (6-13) might have a chance at the upset.
If Wilson is sidelined, Jackie Young will take over as the prime scorer and she had 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds against the Sky. She followed up with 31 points and seven assists in the loss to New York and has scored 20 points in five of the past six games. She had 19 in the other for the Aces (14-5).
Chicago has seen recent improvement from center Kamilla Cardoso, who has made 23 of 28 shots (82.1%) over the past two games. Cardoso was a record 13-of-13 shooting while scoring a career-best 30 points in a victory over the Portland Fire on June 26 before having 24 on 10-of-15 shooting against Las Vegas.
Azura Stevens fared well against the Aces with 24 points and six rebounds. The Sky recently won consecutive games against the expansion Fire after losing 11 of their previous 12. Wilson or not, Chicago isn’t hitting on a winner in Las Vegas.
Aces minus 9.5 points spread, -105 (DraftKings)
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MINNESOTA LYNX AT NEW YORK LIBERTY
Minnesota (15-4) owns the best record in the WNBA, which is borderline amazing considering two-time MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier (surgery on both ankles) hasn’t played yet this season. You would think the Lynx would have four or five fewer victories without their star attraction.
One reason why Minnesota is thriving is that rookie point guard Olivia Miles is starring right out of the box and is averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Someday, they will be asking how was Miles only the No. 2 pick in the draft. Dallas chose Azzi Fudd, a close associate of Paige Bueckers, instead of somebody who appears to be a lot better player.
New York (12-8) had lost four of five games before winning the Commissioner’s Cup (which doesn’t count in the standings) and perhaps the win will awaken the team from its slumber. Sabrina Ionescu’s presence certainly did against Las Vegas as she had season bests of 26 points and five 3-pointers. She has missed time with foot and back injuries this season.
Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Aces and she might have increased operating room with Collier not on the floor. Still, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve just continues to figure out a way to silence opponents.
Lynx minus 2.5 points spread, -102 (DraftKings)
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Marlins strive to regain last month's mojo in opener vs. A's
After blowing big lead vs. Dodgers, Padres could have hands full with Shohei Ohtani
