Sports
D-backs to recall RHP Brandon Pfaadt to face Giants, Landen Roupp
Apr 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) during the first inning at Chase Field against the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images The Arizona Diamondbacks will be looking to continue their mastery of the San Francisco Giants when the National League West rivals meet in a rematch in Phoenix on Tuesday night.
Having already swept three-game sets both at home and in San Francisco, the Diamondbacks made it seven in a row over the Giants this season with a 5-4 victory in the series opener Monday.
While three big hits — a bases-clearing double by Geraldo Perdomo and solo homers by Ketel Marte and Nolan Arenado — wound up producing enough runs to enable the Diamondbacks to prevail, Giants manager Tony Vitello took time afterward to lament a key baserunning blunder by rookie Victor Bericoto as potentially costing a scoring opportunity.
With Marte’s first-inning homer having given Arizona a 1-0 lead, the Giants had a rare opportunity against Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the second when Bryce Eldridge and Bericoto singled with two outs.
With Eric Haase facing a 2-1 count, Bericoto inexplicably wandered well off of first base, getting picked off by catcher Gabriel Moreno to end the threat.
Interestingly, Vitello suggested to reporters afterward that the Diamondbacks might have had a hand in the gaffe.
“I know he’s young, but he doesn’t play like that,” the first-year Giants skipper said of the 24-year-old. “I don’t know if the music they crank up threw him off or a pitch earlier, but he just got mixed up on the count.”
Hoping for more opportunities to rock Chase Field, the Diamondbacks are scheduled to send Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 5.92 ERA) to the mound in the second game of the series. He is expected to be opposed by fellow right-hander Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.07).
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced Monday that Pfaadt would be recalled from Triple-A Reno to make the start. It will be his first since April 11, when he was part of the season-opening starting rotation.
He went 0-1 with a 5.94 ERA in three starts, which got him demoted to the bullpen and, eventually, to the minors.
“We knew it was a matter of time before he started to get on a little bit of a run, to get the reps that he needed and find himself back here in the big leagues,” Lovullo told reporters of the demotion/promotion. “For right now, we can assume that he’s going to be ready to fire here.
“He deserves that opportunity. He did what he was supposed to do. What has he done? He’s filled up the zone, he’s continuing to shape pitches the right way and attack the zone the right way.”
Pfaadt has never beaten the Giants, going 0-4 with a 3.63 ERA in seven head-to-heads, including six starts. His one relief appearance came on May 20 in a 6-3 win, and he threw nine pitches in one scoreless inning.
Roupp has faced the Diamondbacks twice already this season and hasn’t gotten much support either offensively or defensively. He started a 5-3 loss at Arizona on May 19 in which he allowed just one run in six innings, then six days later took the loss in a 6-2 home defeat in which two of the four runs he allowed in five innings were unearned.
Both starts were part of an ongoing 10-game stretch in which he’s gone winless despite having held the opponent to two or fewer earned runs six times. He started the season with a 5-1 record.
Like his counterpart, Roupp will take the mound Tuesday seeking a first-ever win against the opponent, having gone 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA against the Diamondbacks in five career games, including three starts.
– Field Level Media
Sports
MLB roundup: Dodgers' Dave Roberts becomes fastest to 1,000 wins
Jun 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) gestures towards the crowd after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Athletics as he earns his 1000th career win as a manager at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images Tommy Edman had four hits, including a homer, and drove in four while manager Dave Roberts recorded his 1,000th career regular-season victory as the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Athletics 9-3 on Tuesday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Roberts, who is in his 11th season, became the fourth manager in Dodgers history to reach the 1,000-victory mark. Roberts’ 1,606 career games (1,000-606) are the fewest needed to reach 1,000 wins, 35 fewer games than the previous fastest mark, held by Cap Anson (1875-98).
Miguel Rojas also went deep and drove in two runs and Mookie Betts had three hits as the Dodgers won for the seventh time in their past eight games. Los Angeles had 14 hits for a total of 31 over two nights while dominating the A’s both times.
Justin Wrobleski (10-2) struck out a career-high 11 while throwing seven innings of three-run ball for Los Angeles. Colby Thomas went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer for the A’s. Jeffrey Springs (3-8) gave up six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Mariners 8, Angels 3
Bryan Woo set the single-season record for most consecutive scoreless innings at T-Mobile Park as Seattle defeated visiting Los Angeles.
Woo opened with six scoreless frames to reach 32 overall before reliever Eduard Bazardo allowed a pair of inherited runners to score in the seventh. Woo (7-6), who won his fifth straight home start, was charged with two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out five.
The Mariners managed just three hits off Angels starter Jose Soriano (8-5) through the first five innings before opening the sixth with three straight singles against him to break a scoreless tie and spark a five-run inning.
Phillies 8, Pirates 0
Cristopher Sanchez worked seven strong innings while guiding Philadelphia to a win over visiting Pittsburgh.
Sanchez (10-3) allowed just three hits and two walks, striking out nine as he became the first starting pitcher to reach 10 wins this season. Justin Crawford had three hits and three RBIs for the Phillies, while Trea Turner added a homer, a double and three RBIs on his 33rd birthday.
Esmerlyn Valdez’s four-game homer streak came to an end, although the Pirates rookie still went 2-for-3 with a walk. Bubba Chandler (3-8) yielded five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Tigers 9, Yankees 3
Riley Greene belted a pair of homers in consecutive at-bats off Cam Schlittler, Tarik Skubal pitched six innings and visiting Detroit cruised past New York.
The Tigers slugged five home runs against the Yankees for the first time since Aug. 30, 2018, as Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson and James Outman also went deep. Skubal (4-4) allowed two runs (one earned) and one hit while fanning nine.
Ben Rice homered, but the Yankees lost their season-high sixth straight game. Schlittler (8-5) was tagged for a career-worst six runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. He served up four homers, also a career high.
Cubs 9, Padres 7
Dansby Swanson led a long-ball barrage with two home runs, and host Chicago held on for a win over San Diego.
Alex Bregman hit a three-run shot and Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong had solo homers for the Cubs, who won their fourth straight. Matthew Boyd (3-1) allowed three runs over five-plus innings. Ryan Rolison recorded the last out to earn his first career save.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two home runs and Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets also homered for the Padres, who have lost four in a row. JP Sears (1-1) gave up seven runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings.
White Sox 9, Orioles 3
Colson Montgomery and Junior Perez homered during a seven-run third inning as visiting Chicago beat Baltimore, taking the first two games of the three-game series.
Jacob Gonzalez had three hits and drove in three runs and Andrew Benintendi provided three hits as the White Sox won for the sixth time in eight games. They will win a series against Baltimore for the first time since July 2021 regardless of the result in the Wednesday afternoon series finale.
Chicago’s Erick Fedde (3-6) went five innings and yielded three runs on five hits. Gunnar Henderson had two hits and scored two runs for the Orioles, whose losing streak grew to four games. They have lost six of their past seven games.
Rangers 4, Guardians 2
Cleveland left fielder Cooper Ingle threw the ball into the stands, incorrectly thinking it was the third out of the seventh inning, to bring home Ezequiel Duran as the go-ahead run, leading Texas past the host Guardians.
Duran led off the seventh with a single against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee and moved to second on a groundout by Evan Carter. Alejandro Osuna followed with a routine fly to Ingle, who caught it and promptly threw it over the screen into the crowd down the left field line.
Jacob deGrom (7-5) earned his fourth victory in his past five decisions for the Rangers, striking out nine over seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Bibee (2-9) also worked seven strong innings but received the loss when Ingle committed what was scored as a two-base error and an unearned run.
Nationals 8, Red Sox 1
Cade Cavalli allowed one hit and struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings as visiting Washington defeated Boston.
The only run Boston scored against Cavalli (5-4) was unearned. He didn’t issue a walk in his 100-pitch outing. The Red Sox managed just four hits as their five-game winning streak ended.
CJ Abrams homered as the Nationals won for the third time in four games and leveled the three-game series at one victory apiece. James Wood finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Diamondbacks 8, Giants 2
Arizona ran its season-long winning streak against San Francisco to eight games, riding home runs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Ketel Marte to a victory in Phoenix.
Recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A and making his first big-league start since April 11, Brandon Pfaadt (1-1) gave up one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Gurriel, Marte, Gabriel Moreno and Max Kepler had two hits apiece for the Diamondbacks.
Luis Arraez singled, tripled and homered for the Giants, and Rafael Devers also went deep. Landen Roupp (5-8) permitted six runs and walked six in 2 2/3 innings.
Mets 3, Blue Jays 0
Nolan McLean struck out seven in six scoreless innings and visiting New York defeated Toronto to split the first two of a three-game series.
McLean (5-5) allowed five hits and two walks, while Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens provided support with solo home runs. Former Blue Jay Bo Bichette went 1-for-4 for the Mets and made some excellent defensive plays at third base.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (4-7) completed six innings, allowing one run on five hits. Luis Urias had two singles and a walk.
Cardinals 5, Braves 3
Matthew Liberatore threw five strong innings and Nathan Church ended a long homerless streak to lead St. Louis over host Atlanta.
Liberatore (4-5) allowed one run on one hit and four walks, striking out nine, to earn his first victory since May 31. Church blasted a three-run homer to cap a four-run rally in the fourth inning when the Cardinals took the lead. It was Church’s sixth home run but first since April 26.
Ozzie Albies drove in two runs for the Braves. Martin Perez (5-6) yielded four runs on five hits in five innings.
Brewers 7, Reds 2
Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio homered and Brandon Sproat pitched effectively into the sixth inning as Milwaukee defeated visiting Cincinnati.
The Brewers have won six straight against the Reds, including all five games this season. Bauers and Sal Frelick each had three hits to pace Milwaukee’s 14-hit attack.
The Brewers gained control with four runs in the fourth off Rhett Lowder (3-6), opening the inning with five consecutive singles en route to a 5-1 lead. Sproat (3-4) allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Rays 10, Royals 4
Junior Caminero homered in his fifth consecutive game, a three-run shot to highlight Tampa Bay’s six-run third inning, and the Rays won their sixth straight game, beating host Kansas City.
Ryan Vilade also homered and Griffin Jax (4-5) allowed three runs and struck out five over six innings to win his third straight start for the Rays. Caminero has clubbed eight of his 23 home runs in the past seven games.
Bobby Witt Jr. socked a two-run homer in the third and an eighth-inning solo shot as part of a three-hit night for the Royals, who have lost five of six.
Astros 6, Twins 4
Yordan Alvarez capped a six-run fourth inning with his third grand slam of the season as Houston rallied past visiting Minnesota.
Alvarez tied the franchise record with his seventh career grand slam, joining Alex Bregman, Carlos Lee and Jose Altuve. It was his 26th home run of the season. The Astros evened the three-game series at one win apiece behind Alvarez and a resilient effort from Mike Burrows (4-8), who overcame a ragged first inning to go five frames of four-run ball.
Twins starter Joe Ryan (5-5) permitted six runs on six hits in four innings. Ryan Kreidler hit a two-run single, and Kody Clemens produced two hits and two runs.
Marlins 14, Rockies 3
Javier Sanoja, Joe Mack and Owen Caissie each hit a home run in Miami’s blowout win over Colorado in Denver.
Sanoja hit a three-run shot in the third, extending the Marlins’ lead to 5-1. Mack’s two-run blast in the seventh and Caissie’s three-run homer in the eighth were late highlights from a huge offensive game for the Marlins, who have won six of their past seven.
Eury Perez (4-6) earned the win in his second start since returning from the injured list. Perez struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on two hits and four walks. Mickey Moniak homered for the Rockies. Tanner Gordon was tagged for five runs in five innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
German coach decries VAR call but says round of 32 exit 'not enough'
June 25, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.; Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann reacts after the match. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann slammed the referee’s decision to disallow Jonathan Tah’s apparent extra-time goal on Monday before his side eventually crashed out of the World Cup to Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32.
At the same time, he added it was unacceptable for a four-time World Cup champion to let the contest reach that point.
“Of course you could say we should have solved (Paraguay’s defense) differently, but it was a legitimate goal. It’s a complete joke that it was disallowed,” Nagelsmann said in his post-match press conference, via an interpretation.
“But in the end, to sum it up, if you’re eliminated in the first knockout round of such a big tournament with so many teams, it’s clearly not enough for German football.”
Germany’s downward trend has lasted far longer than Nagelsmann’s three-year tenure. And while his squad technically halted a stretch of two World Cups without reaching the knockout phase in the expanded 48-team format, the Germans still failed to make the last 16, as did the 2018 and 2022 sides.
Nagelsmann, 38, who broke through as a manager at TSG Hoffenheim a decade ago, recently saw his national-team contract extended through the 2028 European championship tournament. And despite the indignity of the result for a team with such heritage, he isn’t considering resignation.
“I’m not one to run away,” Nagelsmann said. “It’s not the first time. It’s been happening for a while now, that we’ve been delivering tournaments like this.
“There are certainly a few fundamental things that I don’t want to go into now, that one has to change in whatever situation. But I’m not one of those people who sits here and says, ‘I’m (resigning) just because we’ve been eliminated.’ Rather, if the DFB (German Football Association) wants me to continue, then I will continue.”
Tah appeared to head Germany in front in the 102nd minute when he reached Nathaniel Brown’s corner at the back post and powered it beyond goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
However, referee Jalal Jayed was summoned to the replay monitor by lead VAR Tatiana Guzman. After rewatching the play, he wiped off the goal, ruling Waldemar Anton fouled Gill to free up space for Tah’s header at the back post. Replays showed minimal contact between the two, though Anton did purposefully stand in front of Gill.
Tah would later miss well high on Germany’s sixth kick from the spot in a wild shootout, one where Paraguay failed twice to seal the event before Jose Canale converted after Tah’s miss. Germany’s Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade also had their penalties saved.
“I don’t blame the penalty taker,” Nagelsmann said, “because what’s important is that we have players who want to take the ball and shoot. Even great players have missed penalties, just like great players did today. In the end, taking a penalty is always just the tip of the iceberg.”
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
A's place SS Jacob Wilson, OF Tyler Soderstrom on IL
Jun 21, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) walks to the dugout before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images The Athletics took a hit to their lineup Monday, placing shortstop Jacob Wilson and outfielder Tyler Soderstrom on the injured list while bringing one of their top prospects to the majors.
Wilson went on the 10-day IL retroactive to June 26 with right thumb inflammation, while Soderstrom was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to June 28 with a left hip impingement. The club also placed left-handed pitcher Jose Suarez on the paternity list.
In a corresponding set of moves, the Athletics selected infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer from Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled infielder Darell Hernaiz and right-hander Kade Morris. Right-hander Michael Kelly was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Kuroda-Grauer, ranked as the Athletics’ No. 9 prospect by MLB.com, is set to make his major league debut. The 23-year-old opened the season at Double-A Midland before moving to Las Vegas in May, and he has hit .323 with seven home runs, 44 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and an .845 OPS in 75 minor league games this season.
He also leads all minor leaguers with 109 hits, ranks second with 76 runs and is tied for fifth with 23 doubles. A third-round pick in 2024, Kuroda-Grauer becomes the third player from that Athletics draft class to reach the majors, joining Nick Kurtz and Gage Jump.
The injuries remove two regular pieces from a productive Oakland lineup. Wilson is batting .277 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 50 games, while Soderstrom has 13 homers, 41 RBIs and a .242 average in 80 games.
–Field Level Media
