Sports
Lynx rally past Valkyries, stay perfect in all-time series
Jun 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) drives in against Golden State Valkyries guard Kaila Charles (6) during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Nia Coffey missed her career-high by one with 22 points, Courtney Williams added 21 as part of a double-double and the Minnesota Lynx continued their lifetime winning streak over the Golden State Valkyries with an 81-75 victory Friday night in San Francisco.
Kayla McBride chipped in with 17 points and Natasha Howard added 10 to go with eight rebounds for the Lynx (13-3), who overcame a 1-for-10, seven-point, six-turnover night from rookie star Olivia Miles.
Seeking a fifth straight win, the Valkyries (10-6) led by as many as 12 in the first half, but were held to 29 second-half points in a duel of the league’s top two defensive clubs.
The Lynx took the lead for good at 63-62 on a jumper by Williams with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter, then let their suffocating defense dictate the outcome in the final period, during which they outscored the hosts 18-13.
Golden State got within three with 26.0 seconds left and 77-75 after a Cecilia Zandalasini 3-pointer with 21.8 seconds remaining. But the Lynx kept the hosts at arm’s length thanks to a pair of free throws each by Williams, Miles and Anastasiia Olairi Kosu.
Williams completed her double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds and also found time for a team-high five assists for Minnesota, which has prevailed in all eight meetings with Golden State since the Valkyries joined the league last year.
Miles aided the Minnesota cause with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. The Lynx blocked nine shots, including two apiece by Williams and Kosu.
Zandalasini connected on four 3-pointers to account for a majority of her game-high 23 points for the Valkyries, who outscored the Lynx 36-18 from beyond the arc, but needed 27 more attempts (40 to 13) to do it.
Gabby Williams had a team-high eight rebounds to complement 15 points and Janelle Salaun also had 15 for Golden State, which had won four in a row.
Veronica Burton had a team-high five assists and two steals for the Valkyries.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jeremy Pena blasts 2 homers as Astros pull away from Guardians
Jun 19, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) crosses home plate to score a run against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Jose Altuve slugged a game-altering three-run homer and Jeremy Pena delivered a multi-homer game as the Houston Astros topped the visiting Cleveland Guardians 9-3 on Friday.
The Astros improved to 16-10 since May 22 and moved within five games of .500 for the first time since April 17. Altuve and Pena went a combined 5-for-9 with seven RBIs.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee (2-8) allowed an unearned run in the first inning and a solo homer to Pena in the third that enabled the Astros to close within 3-2. He departed with one out and two runners on base in the sixth, and Altuve immediately took advantage.
Altuve launched a first-pitch fastball from Cleveland reliever Matt Festa into the left field seats for his eighth homer and a 5-3 lead.
Pena homered again leading off the seventh, and Altuve added an RBI double later in that frame. Guardians right-hander Daniel Espino surrendered both of those runs.
Pena smacked his fifth and sixth home runs for his third career multi-homer game.
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (4-3) produced a quality start despite a lamentable third inning.
Imai struck out three batters in the top of the first but also surrendered singles to Travis Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio, foreshadowing his troubles with those hitters two innings later. Imai struck out three batters again in the second while working around a two-out single from Patrick Bailey.
Bazzana keyed a three-run third with a leadoff double. Rocchio drove in Bazzana with a one-out double, tying the score at 1-1. Rhys Hoskins then drilled a 1-1 slider from Imai out to left, his seventh home run covering 376 feet and spotting the Guardians a 3-1 lead.
Imai buckled down following Hoskins’ blast. He retired the final two batters of the third to ignite a string of 11 consecutive batters retired through the completion of his outing. Imai matched his season high by working six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Bibee wound up charged with four runs, three earned, on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He fanned seven and walked two.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Seth Lugo sharp in return as Royals hold off Cardinals
Jun 19, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) throws a pitch in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Seth Lugo returned from a scary injury and allowed an earned run over six innings, and Jac Caglianone homered with two RBIs, as the Kansas City Royals held on for their third straight win, 6-5 over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.
Isaac Collins drove home two with one of his two doubles for the Royals, who doubled five more times after posting eight in their 14-6 win over St. Louis on Thursday. Lugo (3-4), meanwhile, gave up five hits and three walks, but just two runs (one earned) in his first start since taking a line drive to the forehead June 10 versus Texas.
Despite playing without injured All-Stars Maikel Garcia (hand) and Bobby Witt Jr. (MCL sprain), Kansas City secured its first winning home series over the Cardinals since 2020.
St. Louis’ Michael McGreevy (3-6) allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings. Blaze Jordan’s two-RBI single highlighted a three-run ninth for the Cardinals, but Alex Lange got Jose Fermin to ground into a game-ending fielder’s choice to earn his fifth save.
Losers of six of nine, St. Louis wasted no time getting to Lugo in the first. Ivan Herrera walked, went to third on Alec Burleson’s double into the right-field corner and scored via a sacrifice fly from Jordan Walker (two hits).
A lead-off walk again doomed Lugo in the third. Nathan Church drew the base on balls, moved up on a passed ball and came home when Herrera chopped a single into right field.
Kansas City, though, broke out for four runs in the fourth.
Lane Thomas led off with a double down the left-field line and scored via Caglianone’s single. After Caglianone advanced on Salvador Perez’s groundout, he came home on Michael Massey’s looper into center field. John Rave then walked and both he and Massey scored when Collins one-hopped the left-field wall for a 4-2 Royals lead.
Caglianone extended Kansas City’s edge in the fifth with his opposite-field solo shot to left off McGreevy. The Royals made it 6-2 in the sixth on Tyler Tolbert’s sacrifice fly.
The Cardinals and Royals are off Saturday due to the Ecuador-Curacao World Cup match at neighboring Arrowhead Stadium. The series finale is Sunday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers keep responding, defeat Padres in high-scoring affair
Jun 19, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jacob Latz (67) and catcher Elias Diaz (35) celebrate after the Rangers defeat the San Diego Padres at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Wyatt Langford went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs as the Texas Rangers rallied from a five-run deficit to earn a 9-7 victory over the visiting San Diego Padres on Friday.
Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger each drove in two runs, while Jacob deGrom (6-4) threw six innings of six-hit, six-run ball, while striking out nine and walking three. Jacob Latz earned a four-out save — his 13th in 15 tries for Texas, which had dropped five of its last six games.
Ty France hit two home runs and drove in five for San Diego, which has lost three of its last four. Randy Vasquez (6-5) lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, walking three and striking out one.
San Diego jumped on Texas early, scoring five first-inning runs. After Fernando Tatis Jr. began the game with a walk and Samad Taylor followed with a single, Gavin Sheets’ two-out single scored the Padres’ first run.
Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases before France hit a grand slam to push the margin to five.
Texas answered with a six-run bottom of the first. Joc Pederson reached on an error and Josh Jung walked to begin the inning. Two batters later, Brandon Nimmo’s double cut the deficit to 5-1. Ezequiel Duran then walked and Osuna doubled to pull the Rangers within two.
Burger doubled to even the score at five apiece. Nicky Lopez singled to place runners on the corners, before Elias Diaz’s infield single gave Texas a 6-5 lead.
France’s second home run went 409 feet and tied the game at six in the top of the fourth.
Jung singled and Langford doubled to put Texas ahead 7-6 in the bottom of the fourth.
Yuki Matsui then relieved Vasquez, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Against David Morgan in the sixth, Jung and Langford singled before Duran’s RBI single gave the Rangers an 8-6 lead.
Jakob Junis threw a scoreless seventh in relief of deGrom. In the eighth, Sheets’ solo home run off Junis sliced Texas’ lead to 8-7.
Jason Adam took over in the eighth and surrendered Langford’s leadoff homer to push the advantage back to two.
–Field Level Media
Jeremy Pena blasts 2 homers as Astros pull away from Guardians
Seth Lugo sharp in return as Royals hold off Cardinals
