Sports
Fire pay first visit to Storm after recovering from 4OT thriller
Jun 28, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Portland Fire guard Carla Leite (0) dribbles the ball against the Washington Mystics during the second overtime at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images By the time the expansion Portland Fire take the court Saturday in Seattle, they will have had five days off to recoup from their record-tying 124-123 loss in quadruple overtime at Washington.
“I think so many times we could have just given up, but every single time, (we) fought back,” Fire coach Alex Sarama said. “I mean, so many great learning opportunities for us as a young group. … (I’m) just so proud of the players. I think we showed when we play like that, we can play with anyone in this league and challenge them.”
It was only the second loss for the Fire (8-12) in eight “clutch” games this season — those decided by a margin of five points or fewer in the final five minutes.
Carla Leite, who banked in a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in regulation, scored a career-high 32 points for the Fire, who are 0-3 on a four-game trip that concludes Saturday. Sarah Ashlee Barker added 25 points and Megan Gustafson scored 20.
The Fire stayed relatively fresh due to Sarama’s system in which he sometimes substitutes five players at a time, like a line change in hockey.
“That’s who we are in Portland. That’s the system. That’s what he does here,” Barker said. “But we all bought into that and we all came together and that’s why the success that we’re having with it is working, because no one is questioning it.”
The Storm (5-16), who had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 90-67 loss at Phoenix, are still searching for their first victory against a Western Conference opponent this season. They’re 0-11 thus far.
Center/forward Ezi Magbegor (foot) made her season debut for the Storm and scored eight points.
“It was just nice to be on the floor and be healthy again,” Magbegor said. “Obviously, it would have been nice to get the win, but I think it’s just one step at a time, just getting used to playing with my teammates again.”
This will be the first meeting between the teams in Seattle. Host Portland posted a 94-89 victory against the Storm in a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game June 17 as Bridget Carleton scored 24 points and Leite added 20 points and 10 assists.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sonny Gray, Red Sox hand Angels fifth straight loss
Jun 23, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Sonny Gray allowed a run and four hits in six innings and Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez hit home runs as the Boston Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 8-1 on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Wilyer Abreu added two RBIs and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.
Josh Lowe homered for the Angels, who lost their fifth in a row.
Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) walked two and struck out seven. Neither he nor Contreras (19 HR, 56 RBI, .285 batting average, .914 OPS) were among the All-Star Game participants announced earlier in the day.
Los Angeles starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) gave up three runs and one hit in four innings with four walks and two strikeouts.
Contreras’ three-run homer in the first inning gave Boston a 3-0 lead.
He belted Aldegheri’s 2-1 changeup an estimated 421 feet into the left field stands. Anthony Seigler and Abreu, who had both walked, scored ahead of Contreras.
Lowe’s solo homer in the second put the Angels on the board and made it 3-1. He drove Gray’s first-pitch cutter high over the center field fence an estimated 437 feet. It was Lowe’s seventh homer of the season.
Los Angeles had runners on first and second with one out later in the inning, but Gray struck out Donovan Walton and Tyler Heineman.
Boston put the game out of reach with four runs in the fifth for a 7-1 lead. Abreu hit a two-run double and Gonzalez lofted a two-run homer just inside the foul pole in left for his first home run.
All four runs came off of reliever Samy Natera Jr.
Ceddanne Rafaela doubled in a run in the eighth for the final margin.
Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman and starter Ranger Suarez were selected for the All-Star Game for Boston and Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, who is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, was picked as a starter for the game in Philadelphia on July 14.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sandy Alcantara, Otto Lopez lead Marlins past struggling A's
Jul 4, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Otto Lopez celebrated being named to his first career All-Star Game by going 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs to help the Miami Marlins record a 7-2 victory over the Athletics on Saturday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Kyle Stowers added a two-run shot and Joe Mack had a solo blast for the Marlins, who have scored 19 runs while winning the first two games of the series. Liam Hicks had three hits and scored twice, while Stowers and Mack each had two hits for Miami.
Sandy Alcantara (10-4) allowed one run and six hits over eight innings to record his seventh consecutive victory. He struck out eight and walked one.
Carlos Cortes, Henry Bolte and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer each had two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the 10th time in the past 13 games.
Aaron Civale (5-6) of the Athletics gave up four runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two while losing his fifth straight start and remaining winless over his past six turns.
Mack led off the third inning with a homer to right off Civale to get the Marlins on the board.
One out later, Hicks singled to left. Lopez came up with two outs and lined a two-run shot that narrowly cleared the left-field wall.
Javier Sanoja doubled to lead off the Miami fifth. Two outs later, Lopez stroked an RBI double to left to make it 4-0.
Hicks singled with one out in the seventh off Kade Morris. Stowers followed with a two-run shot over the wall in left to make it a six-run game. Stowers has three homers in the first two games of the series.
The Athletics struck in the seventh as Bolte and Kuroda-Grauer hit back-to-back singles. Jeff McNeil’s sacrifice fly scored Bolte to end Alcantara’s shutout bid.
Stowers, Lopez and Xavier Edwards all singled to start the ninth to make it 7-1.
Carlos Cortes doubled off Tyler Zuber to start the bottom of the ninth. He scored when Bolte reached on an infield single and the ensuing throw by Lopez was wide of first.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Adrian Del Castillo belts 3-run homer to power Diamondbacks past Brewers
Jul 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) tags out Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich (22) in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Adrian Del Castillo blasted a three-run homer in the first inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks maintained that lead throughout the 4-3 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday evening in Phoenix.
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (6-8) ended a five-start losing streak by limiting Milwaukee to two runs and scattering eight hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked two in the second game of the three-game series.
Jonathan Loaisiga, Brandyn Garcia and Juan Morillo each blanked the Brewers for an inning before Paul Sewald gave up a home run to Jackson Chourio in the ninth before closing out his 20th save.
Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (2-2) walked off the mound with a trainer with two outs in the fourth after a sudden drop in velocity. The two-time All Star allowed three runs and two hits, striking out six and walking one.
Woodruff was making his third start since missing nearly two months because of right shoulder inflammation.
Brice Turang delivered his second consecutive three-hit game, William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell provided two hits each, and Christian Yelich also homered for Milwaukee, which won the series opener 7-4 in 11 innings on Friday night for its fourth win in its past five.
Woodruff retired the first two batters on six pitches before a walk and a single put runners on the corners for Del Castillo, who sent the first pitch over the right-field wall for a 414-foot home run that gave the Diamondbacks the early 3-0 lead.
Milwaukee stranded six through the first four innings and was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position when Turang led off the fifth with a double to center for his third straight hit.
Yelich then blasted a first-pitch fastball into the swimming pool area in right-center field to cut it to 3-2.
The Brewers put runners on second and third with one out later in the inning, but could not push home the tying run.
The Brewers had retired 19 in a row when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the eighth with a pinch-hit single. Ildemaro Vargas then doubled down the left-field line to score pinch-runner Jorge Barrosa from first and extend the lead to 4-2.
–Field Level Media
