Sports
MLB roundup: Pirates clutch up in doubleheader sweep of Brewers
Jul 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) circles the bases on a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Esmerlyn Valdez delivered a go-ahead grand slam to help the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-6 win against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
Valdez, who had six RBIs, connected for his second home run of the game in the seventh to put Pittsburgh back in front after previously giving them a 3-2 lead with his first homer in the third.
Braxton Ashcraft allowed five runs on five hits and struck out six in five innings for the Pirates. Gregory Soto got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth for his 12th save.
Brewers starter Brandon Sproat surrendered three runs on two hits, fanning three, before he was lifted after the third. Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick homered for Milwaukee.
Pirates 3, Brewers 2 (Game 2)
Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-3 and drove in the go-ahead run for Pittsburgh, which edged Milwaukee to complete a doubleheader sweep
Starting pitcher Bubba Chandler struck out six while limiting the Brewers to two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Pirates. Valdez added another homer in the second game of the day and has gone yard in three straight games.
Shane Drohan (4-3) allowed three runs on five hits and fanned six in 6 1/3 innings for Milwaukee, which has lost three of its past four games after going 8-2 in its previous 10.
White Sox 1, Athletics 0
Chase Meidroth’s sixth-inning RBI double lifted the White Sox over the visiting Athletics.
Meidroth was 2-for-3, and Luisangel Acuna had two hits. Five Chicago pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout. Erick Fedde (5-6) earned the win after allowing two hits and no runs, while walking one and striking out three over four innings.
Athletics starter Gage Jump (3-4) allowed one run on five hits, walked two and fanned seven in 5 2/3 innings. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was 2-for-4 with a double, and Jacob Wilson was 2-for-4 with a triple.
Red Sox 4, Mets 0
Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each belted two-run homers and five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as visiting Boston blanked New York for its eighth straight win.
Reliever Jovani Moran (2-2) got the win for the Red Sox with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless work. Fill-in starter Eduardo Rivera fired 3 2/3 scoreless innings in just his second major league appearance. Rivera gave up one hit, walked two and struck out three.
Freddy Peralta (5-8) absorbed the loss after working 4 1/3 innings and allowing two runs off three hits and five walks. Peralta whiffed six. The Mets went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine for the day.
Twins 5, Angels 3
Victor Caratini’s double down the left field line scored Royce Lewis for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Minnesota notched a win over Los Angeles in Minneapolis.
Lewis earlier hit a two-run home run, giving the Twins a three-run lead before the Angels rallied to tie the game. However, Minnesota scored two runs in the seventh, starting with a Lewis double, followed by Caratini’s double and Alan Roden’s run-scoring single, which put them back in the lead, and they held on to secure the win.
Minnesota starter Joe Ryan allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings of work. Ryan Johnson gave up three runs and three hits over five innings for the Angels. He walked three and struck out one.
Guardians 4, Marlins 1
Nine-hole hitter Steven Kwan lined a two-out, two-strike, two-run double and also produced a run-saving defensive gem, leading Cleveland past host Miami.
The Guardians also got a two-out, two-strike, two-run double from eight-hole hitter Patrick Bailey in the eighth to add some insurance. Tanner Bibee, who started this season 0-7 with six no-decisions, earned the win. Bibee (3-9) turned in a quality start, allowing five hits, four walks and one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Eury Perez, who pitched seven perfect innings in his previous start, took the loss. Perez (5-7) allowed eight hits, two walks and two runs in six innings. He struck out six.
Giants 4, Rockies 2
Casey Schmitt’s three-run homer in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie, leading host San Francisco to a defeat of Colorado.
After Heliot Ramos and Luis Arraez opened the inning with singles, Schmitt hit his 19th homer, tying him for the team lead. Arraez was 2-for-4, Tyler Mahle (2-8) allowed a run on five hits over seven innings and J.T. Brubaker pitched the final two innings for his first career save.
Kyle Karros homered and Mickey Moniak was 2-for-4 for the Rockies, who have lost three of their last four. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (2-8) surrendered four runs and six hits in six innings.
Yankees 4, Nationals 2
Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt hit eighth-inning homers and New York rallied late for the second straight game, topping host Washington.
After staging a three-run ninth-inning rally in a 5-3 win Friday night, the Yankees struck an inning earlier on Saturday. Trailing 2-0, McMahon homered off right-hander Orlando Ribalta with one out. After Ben Rice walked, Clayton Beeter (3-2) came in to face Grisham, who hit a two-run shot to give the Yankees the lead. Goldschmidt followed with his 15th homer of the season. Brent Headrick (5-1) got the win and David Bednar pitched the ninth for his 18th save as New York won its third straight.
James Wood had three hits, including a homer, and Curtis Mead had a homer and a single for the Nationals, who recorded their 27th blown save of the season.
Rays 6, Mariners 1
Jonathan Aranda recorded three hits and drove in the go-ahead run, and Tampa Bay claimed its final home series before the All-Star break in a win over struggling Seattle in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Aranda went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run, including his first two-bagger in the third that scored Yandy Diaz to break a 1-1 tie. Pinch hitter Ryan Vilade stroked a three-run homer in the seventh. Ben Williamson went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run and a stolen base to help the Rays improve their majors-best home record to 35-14.
Rays starter Griffin Jax (5-6) turned in a strong outing over five innings, yielding one run on four hits. Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (7-6) tossed 6 2/3 innings and surrendered four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts as the club lost its fifth straight.
Phillies 4, Tigers 2
J.T. Realmuto had a two-run double, All-Star Cristopher Sanchez tossed seven-plus strong innings and visiting Philadelphia ended Detroit’s six-game winning streak.
Sanchez (11-4) allowed two runs and 10 hits while striking out seven. Sanchez bounced back from his worst outing of the season when he surrendered nine runs to Kansas City on Monday. Jhoan Duran recorded his 24th save with a perfect ninth.
Eduardo Valencia homered and Matt Vierling went 3-for-3 and scored a run for the Tigers. Starter Casey Mize (4-6) gave up all four runs (three earned) on five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Orioles 6, Royals 1
Kyle Bradish took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Baltimore extended its winning streak to three games after beating visiting Kansas City.
Bradish (6-9) was done after 6 2/3 innings, charged with one run on two hits. Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone rapped a single as the first batter in the seventh to break up the no-hit bid. He later scored on Salvador Perez’s sacrifice fly.
Pete Alonso smashed a two-run home run, and Coby Mayo, Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson all belted solo shots for the Orioles, who snapped a four-series losing streak at Camden Yards. Royals starter Noah Cameron (5-7) struck out nine in seven innings, but he was charged with five runs on five hits.
Cardinals 4, Braves 1
Lars Nootbaar launched a three-run home run in the first inning and Matthew Liberatore tossed six stellar innings to help lift St. Louis to a victory over visiting Atlanta.
Liberatore (5-6) threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out six and walking one for the Cardinals, who clinched their final series before the All-Star break.
Reynaldo Lopez (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits across five innings, striking out three and walking one for the Braves, who dropped their fifth game in seven tries. Mauricio Dubon homered for Atlanta, which saw its lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East reduced to two games.
Astros 9, Rangers 3
LaMonte Wade Jr. clubbed his first career grand slam in the third inning, the second of three homers hit by visiting Houston in its win over Texas in Arlington, Texas.
Yordan Alvarez hit his AL-leading 31st home run to open the scoring in the first inning for the Astros, who also got a solo homer from Christian Vazquez. Houston right-hander Peter Lambert (8-5) notched his sixth win in seven decisions, allowing one run on three hits over six innings.
Ezequiel Duran had all three of the Rangers’ RBIs on a pair of home runs. Texas starter Kumar Rocker (2-8) continued to struggle at home, giving up three homers among seven runs on eight hits over his 5 2/3 innings.
Cubs 5, Reds 3
Alex Bregman hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning as Chicago defeated host Cincinnati to win for the fourth time in its last six games.
Carson Kelly added a solo shot and Michael Busch had three hits for the Cubs. Drew Pomeranz (2-3) pitched the sixth inning to record the win despite allowing a run on two hits. Caleb Thielbar and Jacob Webb each tossed a scoreless frame before Trent Thornton recorded the final out for his third save.
Nathaniel Lowe, Eugenio Suarez and JJ Bleday each hit solo homers for the Reds, who have lost five of their last eight games. Starter Nick Lodolo yielded two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts before exiting the game with a blister on his left index finger after allowing Kelly’s leadoff homer in the sixth inning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Zach Johnson surges 4 strokes clear entering final round of Kaulig
Zach Johnson follows through on his drive off hole No. 14 during round 3 of the Kaulig Companies PGA Championship, July 11, 2026, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. On a day that challenged the rest of the leaders, Zach Johnson dominated the third round of the Kaulig Companies Championship on Saturday to take a four-stroke lead into the final round at Akron, Ohio.
Johnson, who entered the day a stroke back of the lead, shot 7-under-par 63 to reach 13-under 197. That strong, bogey-free performance began at the onset, with birdies on four of the first five holes to kick off a 5-under front nine at Firestone Country Club.
“Yeah, it was really solid. I don’t know if it was easy, but it was not difficult,” Johnson said after his round. “Today was a pin high day, it was crazy. And a good thing. If you needed to be short, you needed to be long, certain hole placements for the most part, I did that. The front nine was as solid of nine holes as I’ve played in I couldn’t tell you how long.”
The two-time PGA major winner only became eligible for PGA Tour Champions events in February. He’s already won two Champions events this year and would move up from third to second in the Charles Schwab Cup standings should he hold on to win Sunday.
While he hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since 2015, Johnson finished T9 at last week’s John Deere Classic and feels he’s been in strong form for quite awhile now.
“I feel like I’ve been in a pretty good trajectory even prior to (John Deere) if I’m going to be blunt,” Johnson said. ” … Deere was solid. Fortunately the momentum’s kind of carried me into this week.”
While Johnson finished with seven birdies and no bogeys Saturday, he didn’t have the best round of the day. That belonged to Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot 8 under to sit alone in second place at 9 under for the tournament.
Jimenez, who won this event last year in a playoff against New Zealand’s Steven Alker, also birdied his first two holes and finished with four birdies on each nine of his bogey-free round.
“I shoot my age today, 62. Every time you can shoot your age is great,” Jimenez said. ” … I played very solid. I hit it very good, especially my irons was very nice today to the flags all day.”
Round 2 leader Cameron Percy of Australia (70) shot even-par and sits six strokes back of Johnson in solo third place at 7 under. He’s followed by Tag Ridings and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, who both shot 68 and are tied for fourth at 6 under.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ryan Blaney wins Atlanta pole, leads Team Penske front-row sweep
Jun 14, 2026; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) races during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney claimed his second pole position of the season Saturday evening at Atlanta’s fast high-banked EchoPark Speedway — leading a Team Penske Ford front row sweep for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford turned in a lap of 179.912 mph around the 1.5-mile track, besting his teammate Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford by a slight .016-second in Busch Light Pole Qualifying.
It’s the 32-year old Blaney’s 14th career pole and marks the first front-row Penske sweep this year. All three Penske’s advanced to Saturday’s 10-car second round after dominating the top of the speed charts in round one. Austin Cindric will roll off eighth in the No. 2 Penske Ford.
The typically low-key Blaney was thrilled for the result, crediting his team for the hard work. However, the 2023 series champion was quick to remind at a high-speed, drafting track such as Atlanta, he was confident starting up front doesn’t automatically translate into a trip to Victory Lane.
Toyota, which is enjoying a dominant season in wins, failed to place a single car into the final round of qualifying.
NASCAR Cup Series championship leader Denny Hamlin will roll off 28th in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who trails Hamlin by 44 points in the standings, will start 31st in the No. 45 Toyota. A five-time race winner this year, Reddick won at Atlanta this February.
Gibbs drivers Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell will start 23rd and 32nd. And Reddick’s 23XI teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are 23rd and 29th on the grid.
“I feel like we’ve seen that,” Blaney said of the Toyotas qualifying effort. “They don’t really qualify great at these speedways, just the build of their race car. So usually that means they can probably be aggressive in the draft and get in the middle and get to the top and things like that. I’m sure we’re going to see them up there.
“If you look at the spring race here and Toyotas were really, really good when it came race time. Hopefully, our balance in the race is good enough to be able to either maintain the lead or if we get shuffled back to be able to go forward. You really don’t know that until the race starts.”
The Chevrolets of Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports) and Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ) make up row two.
Daniel Suarez will start fifth with the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets of Alex Bowman and defending race winner Chase Elliott, Cindric, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski owner-driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford, rounding out the top 10.
The front row start is especially significant for the three-time series champion Logano, who is enduring one of the most challenging seasons of his Hall of Fame-bound career. He’s still not in the top 16 field that will ultimately settle the title in the 10-race Chase. Logano’s ranked 18th, 16 points behind 16th-place Erik Jones.
“The good news is the Hunt Brothers Pizza Mustang is fast and that speed you see in qualifying will usually show up in the race,” said Logano, a two-time Atlanta winner. “I’m proud to see the speed that’s there and the handling seemed fine in qualifying.
“I feel like our team can handle these speedways really well and you can remember what happened here last Fall (he wrecked after leading laps and winning the pole position), so there’s no guarantee you see the end of it.
“But,” he added with a smile, “The speed’s there and that’s half the battle, so we know we have that.”
–By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers' Justin Wrobleski replaces Reds' Chase Burns on NL All-Star team
Jun 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski was added to the National League All-Star team Saturday as a replacement for Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns.
Burns last pitched for the Reds on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. He said Saturday that he injured his right groin during the contest while covering home plate after a wild pitch.
When symptoms increased, he reported the injury to Reds manager Terry Francona on Friday. The decision was later reached to pull out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Philadelphia.
“It was a tough decision,” Burns told reporters on Saturday. “I am very thankful to be selected and stuff, but I kind of had a tough play at the plate against the Phillies and the groin kind of got tight. I think it’s just a mature decision to prioritize the second half of the season and not mess it up anymore.”
Wrobleski, 25, becomes the sixth Dodgers player on the NL roster, which will be managed by Los Angeles skipper Dave Roberts.
Wrobleski was tied for the NL lead in wins when All-Star Game rosters were announced earlier this week but still was not included on the squad. He said he was well aware of the roster numbers crunch but was still going to use the snub as motivation.
“I mean, you want to be an All-Star, and I felt like I did enough to kind of put myself in that conversation, if not be there,” Wrobleski said last week. “To not get the selection, yeah, it definitely adds some fuel to the fire for the rest of this year. Go out there every outing and prove that I’m worthy of that, and that I’m going to be one of those guys moving forward.”
Wrobleski is 10-2 with a 2.69 ERA over 16 appearances (15 starts) this season. He made an appearance in Game 7 of last October’s World Series, delivering 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief while replacing Shohei Ohtani in the third inning as the Dodgers trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0. Los Angeles rallied to win the title in 11 innings.
According to The Athletic and NBC Sports Philadelphia, Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler was offered a spot on the NL roster on Friday but declined. Wheeler, 36, is 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA over 14 starts this season and is a three-time All-Star, including each of the previous two seasons.
Burns, 23, is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 18 starts during his first full season in the major leagues.
The second overall selection in the 2024 draft has already reached 102 2/3 innings on the season. That is just shy of his combined 109 1/3 innings between the major leagues and minor leagues last season, which was his first on the field as a professional.
Francona was in full agreement with Burns’ reasoning for opting out of the game.
“I just think he’s trying to show some maturity and he understands that, like he told me, he knows where he’s at with his innings compared to last year and stuff. He was really thought out and conscientious about it,” Francona said.”
The Reds still will be represented at the All-Star Game by rookie infielder Sal Stewart.
–Field Level Media
Zach Johnson surges 4 strokes clear entering final round of Kaulig
Ryan Blaney wins Atlanta pole, leads Team Penske front-row sweep
