Sports
D-backs' Brandon Pfaadt strives to extend torrid run in clash vs. Pirates
Jul 23, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws against St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Blaze Jordan (33) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt has done nothing but win since rejoining the Arizona Diamondbacks’ rotation last month.
With five wins in five starts since late June, Pfaadt will return to the mound Tuesday night as the Diamondbacks vie to snap a three-game skid in a matchup against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Pfaadt (5-1, 4.43 ERA) will oppose Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.47) as the Diamondbacks enter the game tied with Pittsburgh for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
On Monday, Arizona squandered a 2-0 lead and a strong start from Merrill Kelly, who gave up no earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in the team’s 3-2 loss in 10 innings. The Diamondbacks’ three consecutive defeats followed a stretch of 10 wins in 12 games.
Pfaadt has a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings in his past five starts. He has only 14 strikeouts but has induced 48 ground-ball outs and has walked only three batters during that span.
Pfaadt is 1-0 with a 6.06 ERA in three career starts vs. Pittsburgh.
In his most recent outing, Pfaadt overcame a rough start on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals last Thursday when he gave up two runs in the first inning before recording an out. He didn’t allow another run and exited after six innings, allowing seven hits and two walks, with only one strikeout, in a 10-6 victory.
Pfaadt, who has relied on his success pitching to contact, beat the Cardinals five days earlier at home, 5-3.
“It’s always tough when you face a team back-to-back times, and we knew that going in,” Pfaadt said. “I think to get out of that [first inning] was huge.”
Meanwhile, the Pirates’ bullpen, which has struggled this season, showed the resolve it will need if Pittsburgh is to end an 10-year postseason drought. Four relievers combined to throw 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Monday, capped by Mason Montgomery’s scoreless 10th inning. Montgomery worked his way out of a jam that had runners on second and third base with one out.
“We understand what we can do here in the clubhouse,” Brandon Lowe told Sportsnet Pittsburgh after the game. “We want everybody here to be excited about it as well. We’re ready to win a lot of ballgames.”
Lowe had three hits, including the game-winning single in the 10th inning, on Monday.
Chandler is coming off his best outing of the season last Wednesday, when he threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the New York Yankees. He struck out five, walked none and gave up only two hits, but the Pirates lost 2-0.
Chandler’s outing was a welcome sight, though, for the Pirates, who have seen their rookie right-hander struggle with walks this season.
Chandler walked the first batter he faced against the Yankees but recovered quickly.
“I figured out what I wanted to do,” he said. “Everything kind of fell into place after that. It was a good day.”
Chandler struggled in his only career start against Arizona on May 5. He walked six batters that day, struck out four and allowed two runs over five innings in a game the Diamondbacks won 9-0.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros' 4-run small-ball rally in ninth inning sinks Angels
Jul 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk during a four-run ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
The decisive rally featured just one hit, a single that did not knock in a run.
Taylor Trammell homered, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice as Houston took the opener of a three-game series, its sixth win in seven games. The Astros trailed 4-0 after three innings.
Astros reliever Cristian Javier (1-1) allowed three hits and no walks over five shutout innings, striking out seven. Josh Hader pitched around two walks in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which lost for the ninth time this season when leading after eight innings. Jose Fermin (3-2) was charged with three runs, one earned, while recording only one out.
Houston trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Trammell was hit by a pitch to open the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Christian Walker. Lucas Spence then hit a potential double-play grounder that bounced past Grissom at second, allowing Trammell to score.
It looked as if the Angels might get out of the jam when Christian Vazquez popped out on a bunt and pinch runner Nick Allen was thrown out at the plate on Jeremy Pena’s grounder to third. However, after Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases, reliever Sam Bachman hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Wade to make it 5-4.
Bachman subsequently mishandled Jose Altuve’s comebacker, allowing Alvarez to score.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Astros starter Tatsuya Imai walked Zach Neto and Mike Trout to begin the frame, and both runners advanced on a balk. Nolan Schanuel drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly as Trout tagged and advanced to third. After Jorge Soler walked, Grissom singled to drive in Trout.
The Angels extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on Grissom’s seventh homer, a 395-foot drive to left-center, and Jo Adell’s RBI bloop double down the right field line.
Houston cut the gap to 4-1 in the fourth inning on Trammell’s fifth home run, a 412-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center.
The Astros closed within 4-2 in the eighth inning when Pena led off with a double into the left field corner and scored on a single by Alvarez, his American League-leading 78th RBI.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Conor McGregor calls for 'Last Dance' vs. Max Holloway in '27
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor on the ground during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Conor McGregor laid out his long-term plan on Monday, seeking a rematch of his recent loss to Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of his UFC deal.
In an Instagram post that references the UFC’s International Fight Week next July, McGregor wrote, “What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance.”
Should McGregor oppose Holloway again, it would be the pair’s third matchup.
In a welterweight fight at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, Holloway (28-9) won by technical knockout in just 69 seconds after McGregor (22-7) hurt his right knee on an early kick.
The two fighters also squared off in August 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision.
McGregor, a 38-year-old Irishman, is due to have his torn anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired, which likely explains the long wait for the rematch.
Even though McGregor recently posted an Instagram video showing him going through leg exercises, UFC president Dana White said Sunday of McGregor, “Conor McGregor’s out for a year.”
The July 11 fight was McGregor’s first action in the Octagon in five years, since a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. McGregor has lost each of his past three bouts and four of the past five.
Holloway, a 34-year-old Honolulu native, dropped a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March in Las Vegas before bouncing back to defeat McGregor.
–Field Level Media
Sports
2B Curtis Mead (wrist) leaves Red Sox debut; X-rays negative
Jul 22, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Curtis Mead didn’t make it all the way through his Boston Red Sox debut on Monday, but the team is hopeful his injury isn’t serious.
The second baseman was plunked on the left wrist by a fastball from Athletics right-hander Jack Perkins in the fourth inning of Boston’s 4-2 victory at West Sacramento, Calif.
X-rays were negative, and the Red Sox termed Mead day-to-day with a bruised wrist.
“Squeezing my hand feels OK,” Mead said. “Just a little bit of pain rotating. We already got an X-ray and everything looked OK, so I’m hopeful that I’ll feel better (Tuesday) morning and it won’t be a problem.”
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said, “It looks like we dodged a bullet, maybe.”
Mead struck out in his lone at-bat before getting injured.
“Just super disappointed,” Mead said of leaving his club debut. “I wanted to come here and help the team and wanted to play. So yeah, it’s frustrating. But it was a pretty fun game. At least we were able to win my first game. That was the cool part of it.”
On Sunday, the Red Sox acquired Mead from the Washington Nationals in exchange for left-hander Connelly Early.
Mead was enjoying the best of his four major league seasons before the swap. In 87 games for Washington this year, he hit .254 with 17 homers, 17 doubles and 48 RBIs — all career highs.
The 25-year-old Australian played for the Tampa Bay Rays (2023-25) and the Chicago White Sox (2025) before the Nationals traded for him just before the start of the 2026 season.
In 240 career games, Mead owns a .244 batting average, a .321 on-base percentage, a .388 slugging percentage, 22 homers and 79 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Astros' 4-run small-ball rally in ninth inning sinks Angels
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