Sports
Clutch Yankees out for sweep of Nats, who search for answers
Jul 10, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) completes a double play over Washington Nationals center fielder Dylan Crews (3) during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images The New York Yankees will go for the series sweep against the Washington Nationals on Sunday as the teams close out the first half and enter the All-Star break.
After losing 11 of 13 games, the Yankees have won three straight, the last two coming via dramatic late-inning comebacks against the struggling Nationals bullpen.
On Friday night, the Yankees hit two home runs in a three-run ninth and won 5-3. Saturday, they smacked three homers in a four-run eighth and beat the Nationals 4-2.
In the finale, New York turns to right-hander Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA), who will be opposed by Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli (5-4, 3.88).
The Yankees are 12-6 overall in Warren’s starts this season but have lost his last four as he has pitched to a 6.53 ERA and given up six home runs in that stretch. In his last start, Warren allowed six runs on seven hits (three of them homers) in four innings of a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Warren gave up back-to-back homers to Hunter Feduccia and Yandy Diaz in a four-run fourth inning.
“I didn’t do a good job of landing my offspeed early, so they were selling out to the fastball,” Warren said.
The 27-year-old Warren has never faced the Nationals.
Cavalli returns after a five-game suspension for his part in a bench-clearing scuffle against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 30. That day, he tossed seven strong innings, striking out a career-high 13 while allowing one unearned run and picking up the win. Last time out on July 5, he lasted just 2 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and gave up four runs (three earned).
Cavalli threw just 63 pitches and told Nats Journal he was feeling light-headed on a hot, humid Sunday afternoon.
“It was just a really weird feeling that I was having,” he said. “But it’s no excuse for how I threw the ball. I wanted to go out there and compete for my guys and not have the physical strain of how I was feeling affect anything.”
Cavalli lost his only previous start against New York, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 2 1/3 innings last August.
After lefty-lefty matchups failed on Friday, Nationals manager Blake Butera went righty-lefty on Saturday with similar negative results. Right-handed relievers Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter combined to surrender home runs to left-handed batters Ryan McMahon and Trent Grisham as well as righty Paul Goldschmidt.
“I’m searching right now,” Butera said. “I talked about it after last night’s game, obviously reevaluating what we’re doing. And today, you saw we had a little different approach there at the end. Wanted to give our best relievers a shot to help us win the game. And it didn’t go our way.”
James Wood had three hits including a homer for Washington, and Curtis Mead had a homer and a single.
New York was shut out for seven innings by a trio of Washington pitchers before striking in the eighth.
“Just some really good winning at-bats when we needed it,” manager Aaron Boone said. “(We) were held down. One of those days a little similar to (Friday) night, where we got some opportunities and can’t cash in, but a lot of big at-bats late.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tempo upbeat on playing in Montreal, but seek different outcome vs. Liberty
Jul 10, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard (32) and Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) in the second half at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The Toronto Tempo aim to use the energy from another big Montreal crowd Sunday afternoon against the New York Liberty to end a four-game losing streak.
The expansion Tempo (9-13) lost the first of two home games at Montreal, 108-95 to the Dallas Wings before a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,966 fans on Friday night at the Bell Centre. The previous record of 20,711 was set in 2024 in Washington.
“Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us and how cool is that,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said. “We get to be seen all over Canada.”
Marina Mabrey scored 34 points for the Tempo on Friday despite early foul trouble, but the Wings dominated the fourth quarter 24-10.
Rookie forward Laura Juskaite added a career-best 25 points.
“I thought the atmosphere was fantastic,” Brondello said. “It’s great to be up here and have the fans come out and support the WNBA and the Tempo.”
The Tempo will be facing a team also trying to get back on the winning track. New York (13-10) lost its second straight Saturday afternoon 90-85 to the Minnesota Lynx to open a four-game road trip. The Liberty lost for the sixth time in their past eight games despite 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Sabrina Ionescu.
The Tempo’s fourth-quarter struggles could be the result of injuries to some key players. Nyara Sabally (left knee) joined the list on Friday. Already out were Temi Fagbenle (concussion protocol), Kiki Rice (left ankle) and Brittney Sykes (left foot).
“We had four of our main players out, but we fought hard,” Brondello said. “We just ran out of gas, didn’t have enough in the tank to finish it off. But credit to Dallas.”
The Liberty were without Leonie Fiebich (left foot) and Satou Sabally (concussion protocol) on Saturday.
They trailed by 15 with 5:14 left in the third quarter before rallying to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.
“We just have to stop digging ourselves these very big, very deep holes that we have to get out of,” said New York center Jonquel Jones, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. “If we could stop doing that and mitigate that and then put our second half together that we’ve been doing, we’ll be great.”
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and seven rebounds for New York.
The Liberty defeated the Tempo 97-82 on June 3 at New York.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
July 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their third goal. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on a hot and humid Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.
Alexis Mac Allister also tallied, off an assist from Lionel Messi, for Argentina, which will face England in the semifinals Wednesday in Atlanta. England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time earlier Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Dan Ndoye scored for Switzerland, which played short-handed from the 72nd minute on after Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was ejected.
Alvarez’s winner came after Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel knocked away an 18-yard strike from Messi, whose streak of scoring in nine straight World Cup matches came to an end.
Jose Manuel Lopez tracked down the rebound in the left wing corner and passed to Alvarez, who was just outside the top left corner of the penalty area. Alvarez took a couple of strides toward the center of the field before unleashing a curling, right-footed shot that found the far upper corner of the net, just out of Kobel’s reach.
Martinez clinched the victory in the first minute of stoppage time, converting a rebound after Kobel stopped a shot by Thiago Almada.
Kobel and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both made four saves.
Switzerland got the tying goal in the 67th minute following a sustained push.
Ndoye played a give-and-go with Ricardo Rodriguez near the top left corner of the penalty area. Ndoye got the ball back and dribbled to the edge of the 6-yard box before putting a low shot between Martinez’s legs as the goalie started to go down.
Switzerland’s momentum didn’t last long as Embolo received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, this time for simulation. Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro originally was going to issue a yellow to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo, but a video review determined the Swiss attacker was hardly touched and the booking was changed. Embolo received his first card in the 44th minute for a late foul on Paredes.
Kobel’s lone save in regulation came in the final minute of second-half stoppage time as he dove to his left to knock away a sidewinding, 15-yard shot from Lisandro Martinez following a Messi corner kick.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Messi’s corner kick from the left wing found Mac Allister at the top of the 6-yard box just outside the near post. Mac Allister’s glancing header into the far side netting left Kobel flat-footed. It was Messi’s record 10th career World Cup assist.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France powers Padres past Blue Jays in back-and-forth game
Jul 11, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Ty France’s solo homer snapped a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night as the San Diego Padres outlasted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 8-7.
France cracked his 11th homer of the season an estimated 377 feet into the second level of the Western Metal Supply building in left field off Mason Fluharty (4-1). It broke the game’s third tie.
San Diego’s bullpen held the line from there. Bradgley Rodriguez (2-2) fired a 1-2-3 seventh, Adrian Morejon pitched the eighth and closer Mason Miller took care of the ninth for his 24th save in as many chances.
Neither starter made it past the second inning, both undone by wildness. Toronto’s Trey Yesavage lasted only 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and four runs thanks to his seven walks. The Padres’ Walker Buehler pitched only two innings, yielding three hits and four runs with four walks and a strikeout.
Yesavage gifted San Diego two runs in the bottom of the first with four walks, the last to Gavin Sheets with the bases loaded. France accounted for the other run via a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Jays erased that deficit quickly in the second with four runs, fueled by Buehler’s four walks. Alejandro Kirk doubled down the right field line for an RBI, followed by Andres Gimenez’s run-scoring groundout and Jonatan Clase’s two-run homer to right, his second of the year.
Three more walks by Yesavage in the second teed up Manny Machado for a two-run single that made it 4-4. The Padres regained the lead in the third on a two-out, two-run single by Sung-Mun Song.
Jake Cronenworth increased the lead to 7-4 in the fourth by grounding a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored Sheets. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. erased that lead in the sixth when he belted a three-run homer to left. The 385-foot shot was his sixth of the year.
The teams combined for 17 walks, 11 by Toronto’s five pitchers. The teams drew 11 walks in the first two innings, the most in a major league game this year.
–Field Level Media
Tempo upbeat on playing in Montreal, but seek different outcome vs. Liberty
Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
