Sunday’s series finale was slated to feature a marquee matchup on the mound when the Milwaukee Brewers face the host Pittsburgh Pirates before the league pauses for its midseason showcase.

The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski was originally scheduled to get the nod against fellow ace right-hander Paul Skenes and the Pirates. But Misiorowski will instead sit out not only Sunday’s contest but also Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia with arm fatigue.

“It (stinks) to miss a start and the All-Star Game, but I know it’s the right thing to do in this situation,” the 24-year-old said. “My arm is a little tired.”

Misiorowski has thrown a major-league high 670 pitches at 100 mph or faster and leads all starting pitchers this season with a 100.5 mph average velocity on a four-seam fastball. He expects to be ready to go when the schedule resumes next Friday.

“He didn’t recover well from his last start, and his throwing program was clunky today, so we’re just going to give him some extra rest,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said Saturday after his team was swept by Pittsburgh in a doubleheader.

Left-hander Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15 ERA) will get the start instead. It’ll be his second career start against the Pirates. He won his previous outing, surrendering one run on six hits in five innings of a 10-2 victory on May 15, 2024.

The Brewers will be looking to avoid getting swept in the three-game series. They held a 6-3 lead in the opener of the doubleheader before Pittsburgh’s Esmerlyn Valdez mashed a grand slam to lift the hosts to the win.

Milwaukee erased a two-run deficit to tie the second game but ultimately fell 3-2, with the Pirates getting the go-ahead run in the sixth.

“We didn’t come through with the big hit the way we have,” Murphy said. “… Pittsburgh did everything right. They deserved every bit.”

The Pirates will be looking to sweep a series for the fourth time this season and the first since taking all three games against the Minnesota Twins on May 29-31.

“Two huge wins and two different ways that we accomplish that today,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said.

Valdez was key to those victories. His game-winning homer in the opener was one of two blasts in that contest and three on the day overall as he finished the doubleheader with eight RBIs.

He’s batting .311 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 27 games since getting called up for his major league debut in May.

“He’s a hitter,” Kelly said of Valdez. “He’s not going up there swinging for the fences. He’s taken some big walks, he works the count, gets deeper in counts and finds ways to get big hits.”

Skenes (7-8, 3.58) is coming off a bounce-back quality start in his last outing. The 24-year-old held the visiting Atlanta Braves to two runs on eight hits in six innings of a 12-4 Pittsburgh win on Tuesday. It was a welcome result after he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on six hits in four innings of a 10-6 road defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 1.

Skenes has fared well in his five career starts against the Brewers, going 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA.

–Field Level Media

The atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was electric for UFC 329, charged with the anticipation of Conor McGregor’s return after a five-year absence.

But the air was sucked out of the building just 69 seconds into the main event, transforming a celebratory comeback into a haunting scene of deja vu as McGregor collapsed with a catastrophic right leg injury.

For McGregor, Saturday night provided a definitive answer to a five-year question. His physical performance was impossible to gauge beyond his movement, which appeared compromised almost immediately. His rhythm seemed off from the opening bell, characterized by multiple uncharacteristic slips on the canvas.

Before his conditioning could truly be tested in the welterweight division, the unfortunate injury occurred while throwing a kick, rendering questions about ring rust or his cardio at 170 pounds moot for now.

My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 12, 2026

“I had no injury/injuries going into the fight,” McGregor wrote on his X account after the fight. “I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.”

Looking ahead, this result positions the former two-division champion — who turns 38 on Tuesday — at a harrowing career crossroads. Having sustained a severe injury mirroring his UFC 264 exit against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, the question of whether he can — or should — continue to compete at this level is the only one that matters.

Any potential matchmaking talks are indefinitely sidelined as McGregor faces yet another grueling rehabilitation process, although Max Holloway — who won by TKO at 1:09 of the first round when his opponent was forced to retire — appears OK with waiting for him.

On the other side of the Octagon, Holloway’s brief performance demonstrated his poise as he navigated the jump to 170 pounds. He looked comfortable in the center of the cage, using distance management to frustrate McGregor before the fight ended prematurely. Holloway executed his game plan by staying disciplined, even if he didn’t get the opportunity to fully test his power at the new weight class.

For Holloway, whose career has long been a source of immense pride for his home state of Hawaii, this outcome cements his status as a resilient, adaptable champion, though it leaves his next move ambiguous.

With massive regional interest across the islands, his ability to secure a win on the sport’s biggest stage — regardless of how it ended — keeps him in the spotlight. The 34-year-old must now decide if his future remains at 170 pounds or if a return to the lightweight title picture is imminent.

Ultimately, UFC 329 will be remembered for the duality of its results: the heartbreaking uncertainty surrounding McGregor and the continued excellence of Holloway.

As the promotion heads into the summer’s remainder, the event serves as a stark reminder of the sport’s volatility. The landscape of the welterweight division remains in flux, leaving fans and the organization alike to grapple with the reality that the sport’s biggest nights can turn on a single step.

–Zain Bando, Field Level Media

Now that they’re guaranteed to win a home series for the first time since May, the Baltimore Orioles look to tack on more success before the visiting Kansas City Royals leave town.

The teams complete a three-game series Sunday afternoon in the final game before the All-Star break. Both teams occupy last place in their respective American League divisions.

“We’ve got to win as many games as possible,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Our guys know that.”

The Orioles won for the second night in a row with Saturday’s 6-1 decision. That sent Kansas City to its fourth consecutive defeat.

Baltimore is enjoying a three-game winning streak, but the Orioles have yet to win four in a row this year, failing in each of their first seven chances to do so.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has at least one hit in seven of nine games this month — while drawing two walks in one of the other games. He’ll be going to the All-Star Game for the third time in the coming week.

“For me, it’s just a culmination of that to be able to get here now and to just kind of continue to progress,” said Rutschman, whose batting average dipped to .253 with Saturday’s 0-for-4 line.

The Orioles used power strokes in Saturday’s game, with four of their six hits leaving the yard. They stranded only one runner on base.

Albernaz said there was a buzz in the stadium from the get-go and that makes a difference.

“You felt (the energy) from the crowd, and our boys felt that,” Albernaz said of the energy.

The Royals should get another look at first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino in the lineup. He returned to action Saturday night after nearly a month on the injury list with a hand ailment. He went 0-for-3 with one walk.

“At the end of the day, you got to put numbers up,” Pasquantino said. “That’s the name of this game. Just do whatever I can to help this team put wins on the scoreboard.”

Right-hander Shane Baz (4-9, 4.21 ERA) will be the second nine-loss starter to work in as many days for the Orioles. He has lost his last three decisions, with his last victory coming one month ago from Sunday.

Baz didn’t record a decision in an April 21 outing at Kansas City despite allowing four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. In three career starts vs. the Royals, he’s 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA over 20 innings.

Right-hander Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.56) will start for Kansas City after a rough outing Tuesday against the New York Mets, who dinged him for nine runs (six earned) on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He didn’t take the loss, though, with the Royals pulling out a 16-12 win.

Still. Lugo has only one victory since May 24. On the flip side, he fired seven shutout innings against visiting Baltimore in an April 20 game, though he didn’t factor into the decision that day in Kansas City’s 12-inning 7-5 loss. He has faced the Orioles five times (three starts), with a 1-1 record and 2.01 ERA covering 22 1/3 innings.

After winning two of three games at Kansas City in April, Baltimore has already clinched the season series against the Royals ahead of the final game between them.

–Field Level Media