Sports
Caitlin Clark returns as Fever continue road trip at Sparks
Jun 24, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a made shot in the first half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images The sputtering Los Angeles Sparks will try to snap a three-game losing skid on Wednesday when they welcome the visiting Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark (back) will be on the floor Wednesday before sitting out in the second part of a back-to-back against the Phoenix Mercury. She has missed the past two games.
Indiana (12-8) is entering the second matchup of a four-game road swing. Indiana began its Western Conference tour on Sunday with the first of book-ending games against Las Vegas. The 84-68 Fever win marked their third victory in the last four outings – one of which includes a 111-87 blowout of Los Angeles on June 27.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 26 points in last month’s rout of the Sparks (8-11) and had 27 in Sunday’s 84-68 defeat of the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. Mitchell’s 21.9 points per game are second-most in the league, just ahead of Clark’s 21.2.
The Fever were without Clark in the previous meeting against Los Angeles, as well as the start of the road trip in Las Vegas due to a back injury sustained in a June 24 loss to Phoenix. The prolific combo guard, whose 8.2 assists per game rank second in the league..
“Obviously, from a health standpoint, just getting back into it, I would assume I’d be on a minutes restriction (Wednesday). Still hopeful of a little bit more than 20 if I’m able to go,” Clark told The Indianapolis Star. “Hopefully, I feel good after the game versus Los Angeles and then will be available in (Las) Vegas (on Sunday).”
Fellow All-Star Aliyah Boston (right leg) will sit out against the Sparks and play against the Mercury, according to Fever coach Stephanie White.
Indiana was relying on Boston to help pick up some of the scoring slack.
After her 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in Las Vegas, Boston is averaging 17.1 points and 8.6 boards per contest.
Boston faces a Los Angeles interior in Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike who have carried the load in the absence of Kelsey Plum. Plum, who is averaging 23.9 points per game, suffered a lower left leg injury in mid-June and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Despite Hamby’s 53 points over the last three games, and Ogwumike’s 52 points in that same span, the Sparks have struggled to find consistent offensive contributions elsewhere. The result are three consecutive losses of 18-plus points after Monday’s 82-64 loss at home to Seattle.
Los Angeles shot a dismal 5-of-29 from 3-point range, and no Sparks’ scorers other than Hamby or Ogwumike notched more than eight points.
“That’s what I’ve said many times: the best thing about this league, also the hardest thing… but the best thing is that you have to turn the page,” Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts said. “We’re going to play a good Indiana team…We’ve got to turn the page and just keep plowing through.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
Jun 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos watches from the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed infielder Mark Vientos on the 10-day injured list on Friday because of a fractured right hand, which will not require surgery but keep him sidelined six to eight weeks.
In a corresponding move, the Mets selected the contract of shortstop Zack Short from Triple-A Syracuse. They also recalled right-hander Tobias Myers from Syracuse and designated righty Dan Hammer for assignment.
Vientos was struck on the right hand by a 92.2 mph sinker from the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha in the second inning of the Mets’ 7-3 home win on Thursday. Vientos, 26, ran for himself but did not take his place at third base in the third inning.
“It definitely sucks because I want to be with the team and play with the guys,” he said. “I’ve been hit in the hand before. I started to realize this (injury) was different when I was on first base and the hand started to feel a little numb. It was a painful feeling. … The hand was swollen and there was no way I could grip the ball.”
This season, Vientos is hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 73 games while seeing his playing time dwindling. He has played 60 games at first base, eight as designated hitter and three at third base.
In his fifth season with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, Vientos is a .234 career hitter with 65 home runs and 192 RBIs in 386 games. His best season came in 2024, when he hit .266 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in 111 games.
Short, 31, was 1-for-8 (.125) in three games earlier this season for the Mets after going 6-for-36 (.167) in 23 games with the Detroit Tigers.
He was 3-for-21 (.143) in seven games at Syracuse.
Short also appeared in 10 games with New York in 2024 and was 1-for-9 (.111). He has played for five different MLB teams since 2021.
Myers, 27, is 0-2 with one save, a 6.14 ERA, 13 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 innings over 25 games (three starts) in his first season with the Mets.
He is a career 10-10 with one save, 64 walks and 198 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings over 74 games (34 starts) with Milwaukee Brewers (2024-25) and New York.
Myers was optioned to Syracuse on Thursday when career minor leaguer Hammer, 28, was selected to the major league roster to bolster the bullpen. Hammer did not play on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rain postpones Brewers-Pirates; set for split DH on Saturday
Clear skies shine over PNC Park in Pittsburgh prior to the game between the Pirates and the Brewers getting rained out July 10, 2026. The opener of the three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers and host Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed because of rain on Friday night.
The Brewers and Pirates, who didn’t start their game on Friday after a delay of one hour and 27 minutes, will play a split doubleheader on Saturday. The makeup game begins at 12:05 p.m. ET and the first pitch of the regularly scheduled game stays at 4:05 p.m.
All-Star right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.24 ERA) was slated to start Friday night for the Pirates while the Brewers had rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.13) ready to go.
The Brewers are expected to keep rookie left-hander Shane Drohan (4-2, 2.97) in place for Saturday. The Pirates are expected to do the same with rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.82).
When Chandler started against Milwaukee on Sept. 7 last year, he surrendered nine runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings. Drohan threw four innings in relief against the Pirates on April 24 and gave up four hits and three runs (one earned).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Yandex tied with 1w in Group D at Esports World Cup Dota tourney
The hands of an esport gamer clutching the controler at Encore Esports Gaming Lounge in New Rochelle on Thursday, December 20, 2018.
E Sports
Team Falcons and PARIVISION stand alone atop their groups, while 1w and Team Yandex share first place and Aurora Gaming is tied with Nigma Galaxy after Thursday’s action at the Dota 2 event of the Esports World Cup in Paris.
Group A’s Team Falcons and Group C’s PARIVISION each won with 2-0 sweeps over their opponents and are unbeaten. Team Yandex (3-0-1) also swept to victory in Group D, but 1w split a match 1-1 with OG to move to 3-0-1 in the competition. Similarly, Group B co-leader Aurora Gaming is 3-0-1 after a prior tie with Nigma and Friday’s 2-0 win over PTime.
The Dota event at the Esports World Cup is the final championship of the ESL Pro Tour, now in its fourth season. The tournament has a $2 million prize pool, with $750,000 and 1,000 club points going to the first-place team.
The format consists of three phases: a group stage (through Sunday) of four groups of six teams competing in a round robin, a survival phase (July 14-15) formatted into a single-elimination bracket that will see four teams advance, then a final playoff stage (July 16-19), which is single elimination.
All matches in Phase 1 are two games, while the matches in Phases 2 and 3 are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final.
Overall, the Esports World Cup will feature competition in 25 titles and a total prize purse of $75 million. This week’s events also include Valorant, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Upcoming events will include League of Legends, PUBG, EA Sports FC, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2 and Fortnite.
On Friday in Group A, BetBoom Team swept Xtreme Gaming, winning in 39 minutes on green and 20 minutes on red. Team Falcons swept Poor Rangers in 31 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. GamerLegion and Rune Eaters played to a 1-1 tie, with GamerLegion taking red in 52 minutes and their opponents emerging with a 68-minute victory on red.
Group B was all sweeps, as Aurora Gaming took down PlayTime in 46 minutes on red and 44 minutes on green; Team Liquid vanquished L1 TEAM in 28 minutes and 42 minutes, both on green; and Nigma Galaxy notched a 2-0 win over LEVEL Up in 28 minutes on red and 33 minutes on green.
Group C followed suit in with three sweeps. PARIVISION beat MOUZ in 43 minutes on green and 22 minutes on red; Vici Gaming knocked off Team Nemesis in 51 minutes on red and 39 minutes on green; and Team Spirit blanked REKONIX in 41 minutes on red and 28 minutes on green.
In Group D, Team Yandex swept LGD Gaming, winning in 33 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. Virtus.pro blanked Inner Circle x Insanity, taking red in 35 minutes and green in 39. OG and 1w played to a 1-1 tie, with 1w winning in 40 minutes on red and OG emerging with a 51-minute victory on red.
Saturday’s schedule
Group A
–Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Falcons
–BetBoom Team vs. GamerLegion
–Poor Rangers vs. Rune Eaters
Group B
–Aurora Gaming vs. Team Liquid
–PlayTime vs. Nigma Galaxy
–L1 TEAM vs. Level UP
Sunday’s schedule
Group C
–PARIVISION vs. Team Spirit
–MOUZ vs. Vici Gaming
–REKONIX vs. Team Nemesis
Group D
–1w vs. Team Yandex
–OG vs. Virtus.pro
–LGD Gaming vs. Inner Circle x Insanity
Dota 2 Esports World Cup group-stage standings (match record W-L-T, map record)
Group A
1. Team Falcons, 3-0-1 (7-1)
2. BetBoom Team, 2-0-2 (6-2)
3. Xtreme Gaming, 1-1-2 (4-4)
4. GamerLegion, 1-2-1 (3-5)
5. Rune Eaters, 0-1-3 (3-5)
6. Poor Rangers, 0-3-1 (1-7)
Group B
T1. Aurora Gaming, 3-0-1 (7-1)
T1. Nigma Galaxy, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. Team Liquid, 2-1-1 (5-3)
4. PlayTime 1-1-2 (4-4)
5. L1 TEAM, 0-3-1 (1-7)
6. Level UP, 0-4-0 (0-8)
Group C
1. PARIVISION, 4-0-0 (8-0)
2. Team Spirit, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. Vici Gaming, 2-2-0 (4-4)
4. MOUZ, 1-1-2 (4-4)
5. Team Nemesis, 0-3-1 (1-7)
6. REKONIX, 0-4-0 (0-8)
Group D
T1. 1w, 3-0-1 (7-1)
T1. Team Yandex, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. OG, 1-1-2 (4-4)
T4. LGD Gaming, 1-2-1 (3-5)
T4. Virtus.pro, 1-2-1 (3-5)
6. Inner Circle x Insanity, 0-4-0 (0-8)
–Field Level Media
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
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