Sports
Aces aim to beat expansion Fire for second time
Jul 5, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) drives against the Indiana Fever in the second quarter of their game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces are obviously a different team without four-time MVP A’ja Wilson on the floor.
Wilson has missed the Aces’ past three games with an ankle injury, which includes a 93-85 defeat to the New York Liberty on June 30 in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game and an 84-65 defeat Sunday to visiting Indiana.
The seven-time All-Star center could be closer to a return as she is listed as questionable for Las Vegas’ road contest against the expansion Portland Fire on Thursday night.
“We are trying to find ways to win basketball games,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson’s injury. “We have had to play small a little bit more, and we have had to scrap, but it is not just her points. It is her gravity and her pull.
“Her presence gets other people open, and now we are in a situation where people are really cheating off some players. We have to do a better job of finding space and moving the ball.”
The Aces (15-6), who entered Wednesday’s play tied with Minnesota atop the league standings, made news off the court this week when they waived polarizing backup guard Chennedy Carter, who was averaging 12.2 points per game.
The Aces didn’t give a reason for the move with Carter, who appeared in 13 of 21 games. Carter was playing for her fourth team in five WNBA seasons.
The expansion Fire (9-12) snapped a three-game skid with a 77-72 victory Saturday at Seattle as Carla Leite scored 20 points and had four assists.
At one point, the Fire had five of their six rookies on the floor together.
“My philosophy as a coach is trusting younger players. So I think it’s something I actively kind of want to do,” Fire coach Alex Sarama said.
Guard Karlie Samuelson (left middle finger) is questionable for Portland after missing the past three games.
This will be the second meeting between the Aces and Fire this season. Host Las Vegas won 105-89 at June 11 as Wilson scored 32 points and Leite led Portland with 18.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies awaken in 9th, rally past Giants
Jul 10, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy (31) runs after bunting a pitch thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Caleb Kilian (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Kyle Karros flipped a deficit into a lead with a two-run single, Cole Carrigg padded the advantage with a sacrifice fly and the visiting Colorado Rockies rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to stun the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Friday night.
After Rafael Devers’ third hit in the seventh inning gave the Giants a 2-1 lead they took into the ninth, closer Caleb Kilian (2-5) didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced, allowing a single to Mickey Moniak, a walk to pinch hitter Troy Johnson and a bunt single to Jake McCarthy, setting up Karros’ hit through a drawn-in infield.
Carrigg followed with his run-scoring flyball to left field off Kilian’s replacement, Erik Miller, giving Jordan Romano a two-run cushion for the bottom of the ninth.
The Rockies needed both runs after Romano served up a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to Devers before walking Willy Adames to again load the bases with two outs. Juan Mejia then came on and got Bryce Eldridge to ground out to second base on his first pitch, securing his fourth save.
Antonio Senzatela (9-1), who pitched a scoreless eighth, was credited with the win.
After the Rockies tied the contest in the fifth, neither team scored again until Luis Arraez stroked a two-out single in the seventh, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and jogged home when Devers grounded a single into right field.
Neither starting pitcher got a decision after carrying a 1-1 tie into the sixth inning.
Rockies starter Tanner Gordon worked around eight hits and a walk to limit the Giants to a single run in five innings. He struck out one.
San Francisco’s only run against him was the game’s first, when Devers lofted his 19th home run of the season into the right field bleachers to lead off the second inning.
Giants starter Robbie Ray took a shutout in the fifth, when the Rockies got even on back-to-back two-out doubles by Ezequiel Tovar and McCarthy.
The left-hander left three batters into the sixth, having walked each of them. Thanks to Dylan Smith retiring the next three batters to get out of the jam unscathed, Ray allowed only the one run on four hits and six walks. He struck out four.
Karros finished with three hits, while McCarthy and TJ Rumfield had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who have beaten their National League West rivals five times in eight meetings this season.
Devers totaled three RBIs, while Arraez joined his teammate with three hits for the Giants, who fell to 2-3 on their week-long homestand.
– Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks' homer lifts Cardinals to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
Rockies awaken in 9th, rally past Giants
