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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 ImagesJul 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

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Rays use homers, stellar pitching, Taylor Walls' glove to defeat M's

Jul 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Taylor Walls (6) gets an out against Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn ImagesJul 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Taylor Walls (6) gets an out against Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez posted his eighth win on the day he was named to his first All-Star team, and the Rays opened the final series before the break with a 7-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The 35-year-old right-hander replaced injured Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez on the American League squad for Tuesday’s game, then went out and tossed 5 1/3 innings, yielding two runs on four hits. Martinez (8-2) fanned one and walked one.

Junior Caminero went 2-for-4 with a homer — his 28th of the year and 13th in 17 games — a double, two RBIs, two runs and a walk.

Victor Mesa Jr. (homer), Jonathan Aranda (double) and Chandler Simpson had three hits apiece, while Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins each went deep.

Cole Young hit a home run, and J.P. Crawford was 2-for-4 with a run as Seattle lost its fourth straight.

Starter Luis Castillo (3-8) allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out four with one walk.

After leaving four men on base in the first two frames, the home side cashed in after Caminero lashed a double into the left field corner. Following his advancing to third, Simpson grounded a single through Castillo’s legs and off the second base bag to make it 1-0.

Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls saved a run in the fourth after Crawford’s leadoff double. With one out, Walls made a diving snag of Dominic Canzone’s grounder at the edge of the outfield and tossed him out, preventing Crawford from scoring. Martinez then whiffed Cal Raleigh.

Palacios jumped on a 94 mph four-seam fastball from Castillo in the bottom of the fourth, belting it out to right for his third homer to double the lead.

However, Young ripped his 11th shot on a 1-2 changeup well below the zone to make it 2-1 in the fifth.

Mullins continued the home run barrage by swatting Castillo’s slider to right for his 11th long ball, and Mesa tagged another slider to right for a 4-1 advantage.

After Canzone’s RBI fielder’s choice cut it to 4-2 in the sixth, Tampa Bay scored three times on Caminero’s two-run slice shot down the right field line and Walls’ sacrifice fly.

–Field Level Media

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Rookies Parker Messick, Chase DeLauter push Guardians past Marlins

Jul 10, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA;  Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn ImagesJul 10, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Parker Messick took a no-hit-bid into the sixth inning, and Chase DeLauter slugged a two-run homer as the Guardians cooled off the host Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night.

All-Star closer Cade Smith pitched a scoreless ninth, earning his major-league-best 28th save. It was the third time in three days that Smith pitched.

It was also DeLauter’s 10th homer of the season — one less than team leader Angel Martinez, who hasn’t played since June 13 because of a foot injury.

Messick (8-5) lasted six innings, allowing one hit, four walks and one run. The left-hander struck out just one batter, but he got 10 groundouts.

DeLauter and Messick are both rookies.

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who had won seven straight starts, took the loss. Alcantara (10-5) allowed five hits, zero walks and three runs while fanning eight in seven innings.

Miami, which had its six-game win streak snapped, got a homer from Heriberto Hernandez to break up the no-hit bid. It was Hernandez’s 13th homer of the season and his fifth in his past seven games. Leo Jimenez also went deep.

Cleveland opened the scoring in the fourth inning as Brayan Rocchio singled and scored on DeLauter’s 430-foot homer to right-center on a 97-mph fastball.

The Guardians extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth as Austin Hedges and Steven Kwan singled, and Travis Bazzana lofted a sacrifice fly.

The Marlins broke up the no-hit bid with one out in the sixth as Hernandez pulled a 2-0 curve over the left field fence, cutting Miami’s deficit to 3-1. The pitch was in the middle of the plate, and Hernandez slugged it 380 feet to left.

Miami made it 3-2 in the seventh as Jimenez blasted a 1-0 fastball 407 feet for a homer. Later in the inning, Miami had runners on second and third with one out. But reliever Colin Holderman struck out Joe Mack on a ninth-pitch sweeper and got Otto Lopez on a groundout.

Hernandez nearly went deep again in the eighth, but his drive was caught on the warning track by center fielder Kahlil Watson, and the Marlins went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

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Valkyries stymie Sun, ring up 7th straight victory

Jul 10, 2026; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) drives the ball against Connecticut Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (4) and forward Raegan Beers (15) in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn ImagesJul 10, 2026; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) drives the ball against Connecticut Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (4) and forward Raegan Beers (15) in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Veronica Burton highlighted a productive all-around effort with a game-high 17 points, Janelle Salaun led a relentless defense with three steals and the Golden State Valkyries ran their winning streak to seven with a 79-64 thumping of the Connecticut Sun on Friday night in Uncasville, Conn.

Salaun also tallied 16 points, a team-high seven rebounds and a block for the Valkyries (17-7), who improved to 4-0 on a five-game trip that ends Wednesday at Indiana.

Diamond Miller had 14 points, Olivia Nelson-Ododa 12, Aaliyah Edwards 11 and Charlisse Leger-Walker 10 for the Sun, who had won three of their previous five games. Leila Lacan ran up a game-high-tying six assists and Nelson-Ododa a game-high eight rebounds for Connecticut.

Despite playing without star Brittney Griner, out for a second straight game with strained right quad, the Sun (5-18) led 23-19 in the game’s 12th minute before Golden State tightened the defensive screws.

The hosts scored just two more points over the final 8:19 of the half — and a total of just six in the second period — as the Valkyries wrestled away the lead for good.

The margin was just five at 49-44 after a Nell Angloma interior hoop with 49.0 seconds left in the third quarter. But Burton converted a three-point play and a layup to double the margin by period’s end, after which Kaila Charles and Burton buried 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter, completing an 11-0 run that opened a 60-44 lead.

Taking over the chief scoring role in the absence of All-Star Gabby Williams, out with a bruised back, Burton also had six assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Salaun’s three steals and Laeticia Amihere’s three blocks highlighted a defensive effort that saw the Valkyries force 22 Connecticut turnovers.

The 64 points were the lowest for the Sun in a home game this season and third-lowest at all sites. They shot just 41.4% overall and hit only four of their 16 3-point attempts.

Charles and Tiffany Hayes added nine points apiece and Kaitlyn Chen eight for the Valkyries, who shot 8 of 18 from beyond the arc and 51.7% overall.

–Field Level Media

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