The Denver Nuggets are matching the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-year, $12 million offer sheet on forward Spencer Jones ahead of Sunday night’s deadline, ESPN reported.

The Thunder had offered Jones, a restricted free agent, the fully-guaranteed contract on Saturday, and the Nuggets had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday to keep the 25-year-old.

Denver had signed the undrafted free agent out of Stanford to a two-way contract in 2024 and converted it into a regular contract in February.

Jones averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 22.1 minutes in 64 regular-season games (37 starts) last season. He shot 50.4% (132 of 262) from the field. He started three of six playoff games for the Nuggets and averaged 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 24.2 minutes.

For his career, Jones averages 4.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 18.4 minutes in 84 regular-season games (37 starts) over two seasons.

ESPN reported that Denver’s retention of Jones means a $32 million increase in current luxury taxes to $68 million and entry into the second apron.

The Oklahoman reported that the Thunder have one open roster sport after trading wing Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks on July 19 and are about $6.9 million under the second apron.

–Field Level Media

First baseman Munetaka Murakami enjoyed a career day Sunday to help the Chicago White Sox salvage a game in their weekend series against the Houston Astros.

The rookie will try to maintain that momentum on Monday night as the first-place White Sox host the banged-up New York Yankees in the opener of a four-game set.

Murakami powered Chicago to a 12-3 rout of Houston, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and a personal-best six RBIs.

The outburst stopped a 14-game homerless streak for Murakami, who continues to progress after missing 35 games with a strained right hamstring.

“It was going to come sooner or later,” Murakami said through an interpreter. “It’s not like I’ve been having bad approaches. I wasn’t hitting home runs, but the approach itself was good. It was all about being patient in the box.”

American League Central-leading Chicago smacked five homers in the game to stop a two-game skid. Miguel Vargas provided a go-ahead, two-run shot in the sixth inning while Chase Meidroth and Junior Perez also connected.

It was a welcome power surge for the White Sox as shortstop Colson Montgomery, the team home run leader with 24, is day-to-day with an injured right shin.

Montgomery missed Sunday’s game after fouling a pitch off that area Saturday night. He was sidelined Tuesday after sustaining a similar injury in a July 20 game.

“It’s not going to be a long-time thing. Just something we have to get ahead of right now so it doesn’t linger,” Montgomery said. “Especially this time of year, too, heading into the dog days of August. You don’t really want to be kind of lingering with little things.”

The Yankees learned of another high-profile injury of their own before losing 11-4 to the host Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night.

New York placed All-Star left fielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Bellinger is set to undergo further testing on Monday.

Fellow sluggers Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) and Aaron Judge (fractured rib) have been out since April 24 and May 31, respectively.

“We’ll have to do it a little bit differently, but we have guys capable of stepping up, coupled with the fact that we’re confident in our ability to hold runs down from the opposition,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re going out there expecting to win.”

The Yankees had won five of six before falling to the Phillies, yielding double-digit runs for the first time since July 4.

Anthony Volpe, Ben Rice and Ali Sanchez had two hits apiece for New York, which fell three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead. Rice hit his team-best 31st home run.

Monday’s pitching matchup pits a pair of left-handers as Yankees veteran Max Fried (4-3, 2.97 ERA) faces White Sox rookie Noah Schultz (3-7, 6.04).

Fried is coming off Wednesday’s no-decision against Pittsburgh. Pitching for the first time since May 13 after sustaining a bone bruise on his pitching elbow, Fried scattered one hit, one walk and seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings.

Schultz is 1-3 with a 6.50 ERA in four July starts covering 18 innings. He surrendered five runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings during Tuesday’s loss at Texas and has allowed at least one home run in each of his past six starts.

–Field Level Media

The Miami Marlins will be heading into uncharted waters when they open a three-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

The Marlins have lost a franchise-record 12 consecutive games, setting the new mark with a 5-3 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Miami blew a two-run lead with six outs to go in its latest setback.

“Nobody’s more frustrated than we are,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Every day, they’re coming in here, attacking each day their best to come out there and win. And we just haven’t got that done. So it’s certainly not been from a lack of preparation and effort. We just aren’t winning enough moments within games to end this right now.”

For the first time in more than three years, the Marlins were 10 games above .500 following an 8-4 win against the visiting Seattle Mariners on July 9. They were then swept by the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series before the All-Star break and haven’t won since, going 0-9.

“Does anybody feel good? Certainly not, but to come in here each day and cry about it, make excuses. I don’t know what that’s going to do,” McCullough said. “I think we have a very prideful group that is certainly upset, frustrated, angry about how things are going, but we’re the only ones that can change that. And so I think that’s where you turn it around and come back (Monday), and it’s going to be staring at us again.”

Making matters even more difficult is the Marlins will be up against veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler on Monday.

The three-time All Star is 14-4 with a 2.59 ERA in 28 career appearances (all starts) against the Marlins. He has beaten them twice already this season, holding them to one run over six innings in a 6-5 win on May 1 in Miami, and throwing six shutout innings in a 7-0 win on June 15 in Philadelphia.

Wheeler (10-2, 2.16 ERA) is coming off a rare loss in his most recent outing, giving up just two runs over seven innings last Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, but getting out-dueled by Justin Wrobleski in the 2-1 loss.

“It’s a long season, tons of starts,” Wheeler said. “You’ve got to pick your battles and just try to go out there and do well every time.”

Wheeler has 43 strikeouts and just three walks in 24 2/3 innings over his four starts this month.

“Maybe my strikeout numbers aren’t what they have been in my career per game, so I do see that and I wanted to get that back up,” he said. “Maybe with two strikes, I make a little more concerted effort to punch a guy out or take care of the pitch a little bit better maybe so they don’t put it in play.”

Miami plans to send Tyler Phillips to the mound for the series opener on Monday.

Phillips (2-5, 3.52) took the loss after giving up two runs as a first-inning opener on July 12 against the Guardians in a 5-2 setback. He was extended out to 4 1/3 innings in his most recent start last Tuesday, but also took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) in the 5-3 defeat against the host Houston Astros.

The right-hander has made seven appearances against the Phillies in his career, including two starts. He is 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA in those games.

–Field Level Media