Sports
White Sox hope to extend mini-streak, take series with Rays
Jul 31, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox opened a six-game road trip by using their muscle to pummel the Tampa Bay Rays in a matchup of first-place clubs Friday.
The American League Central leaders will try to keep flexing those muscles when they meet the Rays again Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Chicago won its third straight game with a four-homer night in a week in which the surprising club notched consecutive walk-offs to split a four-game set with the New York Yankees.
It was all about the power Friday as Miguel Vargas, Andrew Benintendi and Munetaka Murakami hit a long ball each in the first three innings. Colson Montgomery slugged a two-run homer in the sixth as all seven runs in the 6-1 win crossed home on long balls.
Vargas (433 feet), Benintendi (405) and Montgomery (425) all eclipsed the 400-foot mark, and the latter two batters clanged their blasts off the catwalk well beyond the right field fence.
Batting .240, Vargas crushed his 23rd homer but said he had felt unlucky at the plate lately.
“When you get a result, it helps you a lot,” said the third baseman of the first-inning blast. “I try to do my thing, getting good at-bats, swinging at strikes and control what I can.”
Murakami extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a two-hit night.
The Cleveland Guardians’ loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks extended Chicago’s division lead to three games.
Jordan Hicks (1-1, 3.19 ERA) will serve as an opener for Noah Schultz (3-7, 6.15) Saturday. The rookie southpaw will try to improve on his 1-3 mark and 6.75 ERA in July.
Schultz dropped an 8-5 decision to Tampa Bay on April 14 in his MLB debut, allowing three earned runs with four walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
As expected, the Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list with left mid-back tightness. He was removed in the fourth inning from Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
It’s a move that likely means the two-time All-Star will miss at least two starts, likely ramping up the organization’s efforts to add pitching as the Monday trade deadline approaches.
If all goes as the team hopes, the local product from the University of South Florida could return to the mound when Tampa Bay hosts the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series that starts on Aug. 14.
McClanahan, who is 9-6 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 starts, said he has battled tightness through the season.
“(It) was just a little bit more prevalent, and I couldn’t shake it,” he said on Thursday.
President of baseball operations Erik Neander said the team already was looking at bringing in more pitching, which is likely to intensify over the weekend.
The Rays had scouts at Single-A Dunedin on Tuesday to watch the St. Lucie Mets. Clay Holmes started for the visitors on a rehab assignment from a fractured fibula suffered on May 15. Holmes threw four shutout innings, giving up two hits, walking two and striking out three.
The Rays also reportedly are in the running for the Detroit Tigers ace left-hander, Tarik Skubal, and New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta.
The Rays filled the IL spot by calling up pitcher Triple-A Durham Bulls pitcher Alex Cook, who tossed two scoreless innings in his big-league debut on Friday.
Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 3.07) will start the matinee game. The right-hander was 2-1 with a 6.05 ERA in four starts last month.
In four career starts against Chicago, he is 0-1 with a 3.43 ERA and a .260 batting average against.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels scratch RHP Jose Soriano from Saturday start vs. Brewers
Jun 30, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels scratched right-hander Jose Soriano from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Baseball Operations Consultant John Mozeliak released a statement on the decision:
“Today, Jose Soriano will not make his scheduled start. With the trade deadline on Monday and the uncertainty of the next 48 hours, we decided to take a prudent approach and see where these next few days lead us.”
Soriano, 27, has posted a career-low 3.29 ERA this season through 22 starts.
For his career, he has a 3.72 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 432 strikeouts in 113 games (73 starts).
The right-hander is under contact through 2028 and carries a salary of $2.9 million this season. So, he should be an appealing trade option for many teams at the deadline.
The Angels already made a move as “sellers” by shipping right-hander Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe to the Texas Rangers for minor league infielder Angel Arredondo.
–Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Belgrade: Uros Medic enjoys perfect Serbia homecoming with TKO
Jul 31, 2026; Belgrade, Serbia; Uros Medic during weigh ins for UFC Fight Night at Belgrade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images UFC Belgrade: Uros Medic has perfect Serbia homecoming at UFC Fight Night
Serbian native Uroš Medic survived an early knockdown before rallying to stop Daniel Rodriguez via TKO just 30 seconds into the opening round of Saturday’s five-round, non-title UFC Fight Night welterweight main event at Belgrade Arena, electrifying his home crowd while tying the longest active knockout streak in the UFC at four fights.
After absorbing an initial knockdown, Medic (14-3 MMA) countered with a crisp left-hook, right-hand combination, sending Rodriguez (20-6 MMA) to the canvas while connecting with a kick to the gut before closing the deal with strikes to secure a dramatic victory on home soil.
An emotional Medic, who returned to Serbia for the first time in a decade, broke down in tears post-fight as the Belgrade crowd chanted his name.
“We got it done. Now I just want to cry. I missed home so much,” Medic said. “…I have so many words, but I don’t think we have enough time tonight. I’m gonna cook the rest of this division. With you guys by my side, we’re gonna bring the belt back to Serbia.
“I love you everybody. This was an amazing night. I’m finally home.”
Following the victory, Medic called out Carlos Prates and former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards for potential future matchups.
Saturday’s event also made UFC history, breaking an all-time organization record with 10 finishes across the card, surpassing the previous record of nine.
Undefeated light heavyweight Navajo Stirling (11-0 MMA) earned the biggest victory of his career on Saturday, stepping in on short notice to stop former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29-12-2 MMA) via first-round TKO in the co-main event.
Stirling-who took the fight after original opponent Bogdan Guskov stepped up to face Magomed Ankalaev last week in Abu Dhabi – connected with a crisp left hook before establishing dominant ground-and-pound on the mat to force the stoppage at the 2:56 mark of the opening frame.
Austrian former light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic (15-6 MMA) successfully made his heavyweight debut, keeping the fight mostly on the feet and keeping Poland’s Marcin Tybura (27-12 MMA) off-balance en route to a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Rakic, who snapped a four-fight losing streak to secure his first victory since March 2021.
Swiss middleweight Robert Valentin (13-6 MMA) weathered a wild, wrestling-heavy opening frame before locking in a guillotine choke to submit local favorite Duško Todorovic (13-7 MMA) at the 4:14 mark of the opening round.
Gilbert Urbina (8-5 MMA), an American middleweight, stunned the Belgrade Arena crowd on Saturday, overwhelming Slovakia-based Vlasto Cepo (14-4 MMA) with an explosive display of volume striking in their middleweight bout. Urbina wasted no time establishing his offense, overwhelming Cepo early and forcing a TKO stoppage due to strikes at the 1:01 mark of the opening round to secure a statement victory on foreign soil.
French promotional newcomer Noah Gugnon (10-2 MMA) made a definitive statement to kick off the main card at the Belgrade Arena, making quick work of Montenegrin lightweight Miloš Janicic (19-4 MMA) on Saturday. Gugnon immediately targeted
Janicic’s lead leg with brutal low kicks, destabilizing his opponent before seamlessly transitioning the action to the canvas. Once on the floor, Gugnon locked in a tight rear-naked choke, forcing the tap at the 1:21 mark of the opening round. The victory extends Gugnon’s professional winning streak to six fights, with all six coming by way of finish, while successfully launching his career inside the Octagon.
The UFC returns to Las Vegas for a Fight Night event next Saturday from the META Apex. It continues a stretch of events through Oct. 24 with UFC 333, including a return to Los Angeles for the first time since 2018 with UFC 331 on Sept. 19.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wings look to solve end-game issues as they host slumping Sun
Jul 2, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun guard Kennedy Burke (25) drive the ball against Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) in the second half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images The Dallas Wings hope to solve their end-game issues and bounce back from a pair of close losses when they square off against the slumping Connecticut Sun on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
The Wings (18-11) return home after an 81-75 loss in Washington D.C. to the Mystics on Friday in a game Dallas came back from 10 points down in the first half to tie it at 71 with two and a half minutes to play.
But, similar to a stunning loss at home to Atlanta on Wednesday, the Wings were outplayed in the final minutes and fell for the third time in their past four outings.
Paige Bueckers amassed 17 of her 23 points in the second half of Friday’s loss. Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points, and Alanna Smith had 11 points in 18 minutes for the Wings.
Dallas finished the month of July with seven wins in 10 games; the three losses were by a combined eight points and in each game, the Wings either led or were tied down the stretch.
“Teams just play really aggressive in the last three minutes, blitzing, trapping, being more aggressive that way, trying to get us out of our actions, playing to our personnel,” Bueckers said about Dallas’s recent struggle to finish games. “And (we need) to be aggressive, put in some new sets, execute better. I think that is the key.
“Some nights it doesn’t go your way, but we’ve got to force it to go our way, and also play better the first 35 minutes so it doesn’t come down to the last five every single game.”
The Sun (7-22) have dropped four straight games, most recently a 94-88 decision in Chicago on Thursday. All five starters scored in double figures for Connecticut in the loss and the Sun outrebounded Chicago by six but could not withstand a second half swoon that erased a nine-point halftime lead.
“The effort has to come from everyone on this team,” Connecticut coach Rachid Meziane said. “At the same time, we are very young and at times it’s hard for us to stay composed and try to stick to our game plan.”
Aneesah Morrow matched her career high with 21 points for Connecticut in defeat, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa posted a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Diamond Miller added 14 points for the Sun, Leila Lacan had 12 and Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with 10 points.
On Friday, Morrow was traded to Toronto for the rights to forward Maria Kliundikova and the Tempo’s 2028 second round pick.
Connecticut is expected to play without veteran center Brittney Griner, out for the fourth consecutive game as she continues to recover from a left knee injury.
Sunday’s game is the last of a six-game road trip for Connecticut that started with a win in Phoenix on July 17. The Sun are 3-7 over their last 10 contests and lost at home to Dallas 86-83 in the teams’ first meeting this year on July 2.
–Field Level Media
Angels scratch RHP Jose Soriano from Saturday start vs. Brewers
UFC Belgrade: Uros Medic enjoys perfect Serbia homecoming with TKO
