Sports
MLB roundup: Astros rally to snap Rays' 9-game winning streak
Jul 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) hits a two-run game-winning home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Yordan Alvarez capped a three-hit, six-RBI night with a walkoff two-run home run as the Houston Astros rallied from a five-run deficit to outslug the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 10-8 on Saturday.
Alvarez plated Jose Altuve with his 29th home run of the season and second of the game with no outs in the ninth inning. He smacked a 1-2 fastball from Rays reliever Casey Legumina (2-2) 424 feet to straightaway center field to snap the Rays’ nine-game winning streak.
The Astros pulled even at 8-8 with a three-run seventh inning that featured an Alvarez sacrifice fly, an Isaac Paredes RBI single and a pinch-hit RBI single from Zach Dezenzo. The Rays jumped out to their early lead in part thanks to another Junior Caminero homer, his 11th in the last 11 games, which opened the scoring in the first inning.
Neither Houston’s Hunter Brown nor Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen pitched effectively for their respective teams. Brown allowed seven runs on six hits over four innings, while Rasmussen allowed a season-high-tying five runs on six hits over five innings.
Mariners 11, Blue Jays 0
Logan Gilbert pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball and Randy Arozarena belted a grand slam as Seattle routed visiting Toronto.
Cal Raleigh hit a three-run homer and Dominic Canzone added a two-run shot as the Mariners won for the fourth time in their past five games and moved past Texas and into first place in the American League West.
Gilbert (7-5) retired the first 14 Blue Jays before Yohendrick Pinango blooped a single into shallow left field with two outs in the fifth. He retired his final eight batters before exiting after 91 pitches, notching seven strikeouts with no walks. Toronto starter Shane Bieber (0-1) gave up seven runs on six hits in four-plus innings.
Pirates 7, Nationals 1
Brandon Lowe and Henry Davis each drove in two runs and Braxton Ashcraft struck out seven in a solid start as Pittsburgh earned a road win over Washington.
Ashcraft (9-3) allowed one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales each had two hits for the Pirates, who evened the three-game series ahead of Sunday’s series finale.
James Wood hit his 23rd home run of the season and Daylen Lile had two hits for the Nationals. Starter Carson Palmquist (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits in one-plus inning.
Twins 11, Yankees 4
Kody Clemens lifted a two-run homer in the first inning for Minnesota, which raced out to a six-run lead and hit six homers in a victory over host New York. On a 95-degree day, the Twins hit three of their homers off New York rookie spot starter Brendan Beck (0-1).
Clemens homered for the fifth time in eight games when he followed a walk by Trevor Larnach and an RBI double by Byron Buxton with a drive to right-center off Beck’s full-count slider. Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson hit back-to-back homers in the second. Larnach hit a 2-1 sinker into the right-field seats off Tim Hill in the fourth. Josh Bell homered in consecutive at-bats to left off Ryan Yarbrough and Camilo Doval in the seventh and eighth, respectively.
Minnesota won for the eighth time in its past 11 road games and hit six homers for the first time since Sept 4, 2023. The Yankees lost for the eighth time in nine games and allowed six homers for the first time since Aug. 15, 2019 against Cleveland.
Tigers 3, Rangers 0
Riley Greene blasted a two-run homer to support a strong outing by Jack Flaherty as Detroit blanked Texas in Arlington, Texas.
All three of the Tigers’ runs were scored in the first two innings on Greene’s 12th homer of the season and an RBI groundout by Ben Malgeri. Flaherty (2-8) scattered three hits in 5 2/3 innings and has pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings since coming off the injured list. Keider Montero threw the final three innings to notch his first career save.
Texas starter Cal Quantrill (3-1) gave up three runs (two earned) and three hits in five innings. Ben Peoples tossed two scoreless innings in his major league debut for the Rangers, who had won seven of their last eight.
White Sox 3, Guardians 1
Colson Montgomery hit a tiebreaking home run and had two of Chicago’s RBIs as the White Sox snapped a three-game skid with a win against host Cleveland.
White Sox starter Sean Burke notched a career-high 11 strikeouts while holding Cleveland to one run on seven hits in six innings. Brandon Eisert (2-1) tossed a perfect seventh and eighth and Grant Taylor came on in the ninth to earn the save.
Parker Messick gave up one run on five hits in five innings for the Guardians, who had won three in a row and plated their only run on Austin Hedges’ fifth-inning solo homer. Tim Herrin (1-4) gave up Montgomery’s go-ahead homer in the eighth inning.
Orioles 8, Reds 5
Rookie Samuel Basallo smacked a three-run home run in the first inning and Adley Rutschman drilled a two-run double during a five-run fourth to help Baltimore defeat host Cincinnati.
Pete Alonso provided three hits and an RBI as the Orioles, who won their third in a row, bounced back after falling behind during Cincinnati’s three-run second. Baltimore starter Brandon Young worked through five-plus innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits.
Jose Trevino had three hits and an RBI and Elly De La Cruz added two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, which lost for the sixth time in its last seven. The Reds outhit Baltimore 11-10 but left nine runners on base.
Phillies 6, Royals 1
J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm homered in support of Jesus Luzardo as visiting Philadelphia topped Kansas City.
Luzardo (7-4) allowed one run and four hits in six innings, as the left-hander struck out nine without issuing a walk. Kyle Schwarber, one of five Phillies named to the All-Star team earlier Saturday, notched three hits in a supporting effort.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (5-6) allowed four runs in six innings, issuing eight hits and a walk while striking out seven. Nick Loftin drove in the only run for the Royals, who have lost eight of their last nine games.
Braves 14, Mets 3
Eli White homered and drove in four runs to spark Atlanta to a win over visiting New York.
White was 2-for-2, hit one of the Braves’ five home runs and matched his career high with four RBIs. Also going deep were Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley, who ended a 36-game homerless streak, and Michael Harris II, who homered off position player Luis Torrens. Chris Sale (9-6) pitched five-plus innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.
The Mets have lost 12 of their last 14 and fell 17 games behind Atlanta in the National League East. Starter Sean Manaea (1-4) allowed six runs on six hits over five innings. Tyrone Taylor and Mark Vientos homered for New York.
Red Sox 8, Angels 1
Sonny Gray allowed a run and four hits in six innings and Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez hit home runs as Boston routed Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Wilyer Abreu added two RBIs and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series. Boston took control of the game with a four-run fifth inning, with all those runs coming against Samy Natera Jr.
Josh Lowe homered for the Angels, who lost their fifth in a row. Starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) gave up three runs and one hit in four innings.
Cardinals 3, Cubs 0
JJ Wetherholt hit a home run and reached base four times as St. Louis shut out Chicago, which has scored just once in two games against the Cardinals after scoring 35 runs in a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.
The rookie homered in the first, walked in the third, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh as St. Louis picked up its fifth win in six games. Starter Kyle Leahy (7-4) gave up three hits in five innings. Riley O’Brien picked up his 22nd save with a hitless ninth.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (5-7) gave up four hits and two runs in four 2/3 innings. The southpaw walked three and had eight strikeouts over 86 pitches.
Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 3
Adrian Del Castillo blasted a three-run homer in the first inning and Arizona maintained that lead throughout their win against Milwaukee in Phoenix to level the series.
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (6-8) ended a five-start losing streak by limiting Milwaukee to two runs and scattering eight hits over five innings. Ildemaro Vargas provided a crucial RBI double in the eighth before Paul Sewald gave up a home run to Jackson Chourio in the ninth but still closed out his 20th save.
Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (2-2), who was making his third start after an injured list stint of nearly two months, walked off the mound with a trainer with two outs in the fourth after a sudden drop in velocity. Christian Yelich also homered for Milwaukee, which got three hits from Brice Turang for the second straight night.
Marlins 7, Athletics 2
Otto Lopez celebrated being named to his first career All-Star Game by going 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs to help Miami beat the host Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif.
Kyle Stowers added a two-run shot and Joe Mack had a solo blast for the Marlins, who have scored 19 runs while winning the first two games of the series. Liam Hicks had three hits and scored twice, while Sandy Alcantara (10-4) allowed one run and six hits over eight innings to record his seventh consecutive win.
Carlos Cortes, Henry Bolte and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer each had two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the 10th time in the past 13 games. Aaron Civale (5-6) gave up four runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings in losing his fifth straight start.
Giants 6, Rockies 4
Robbie Ray won his fifth consecutive decision, Bryce Eldridge homered and San Francisco evened its three-game series against Colorado in Denver.
Luis Arraez had three hits, while Sam Hentges, Dylan Smith and Caleb Kilian combined for three innings of one-run relief, allowing the Giants to keep their hopes alive of a .500 road trip with a second win in five tries. Ray (8-6) served up a three-run homer to Cole Carrigg in the first, but no other runs over six innings.
Rockies rookie left-hander Sean Sullivan (0-3), a late replacement for scheduled starter Tomoyuki Sagano, worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing all six Giants runs on 12 hits.
Dodgers 3, Padres 0
Freddie Freeman hit a home run and Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered seven scoreless innings as Los Angeles continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over visiting San Diego.
Yamamoto (9-5) matched his season high with 10 strikeouts, while allowing three hits and two walks. Andy Pages opened the scoring with an RBI single and Freeman added an eighth-inning RBI single to close it, improving Los Angeles’ record to 10-2 since June 22 and 7-2 against the Padres this season.
Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (1-6) gave up one run on two hits over four innings. Fernando Tatis Jr. had two of San Diego’s four hits, but couldn’t halt the Padres’ losing streak which reached eight games, the franchise’s longest since a 10-game skid in 2013.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phillies use homers to coast to series-opening win over Royals
Jul 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) celebrates with center fielder Justin Crawford (2) after hitting a two run home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm homered in support of Jesus Luzardo as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies topped the Kansas City Royals 6-1 in Saturday’s opener of a three-game set.
Luzardo (7-4) allowed one run and four hits in six innings, as the left-hander struck out nine without issuing a walk. Kyle Schwarber, one of five Phillies named to the All-Star team earlier Saturday, notched three hits in a supporting effort.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (5-6) allowed four runs in six innings, issuing eight hits and a walk while striking out seven. Nick Loftin drove in the only run for the Royals, who have lost eight of their last nine games.
The Phillies loaded the bases against Wacha in the first inning, but the veteran right-hander escaped the jam. He then faced minimal resistance in the second and third innings before Philadelphia opened the scoring in the fourth.
With a runner on first and one out, Realmuto sent a 1-0 sinker into the seats in left field. Two pitches later, Wacha’s 1-0 offering to Rincones ended up in the bullpen in right.
Kansas City got a run back in the bottom half, when Lane Thomas doubled with one out and later scored on Loftin’s infield hit.
Bohm countered with a leadoff homer in the sixth as the visitors went ahead 4-1.
Wacha gave way to Lucas Erceg to begin the seventh. The right-hander allowed a one-out single to Trea Turner and then walked Schwarber before a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners. Erceg then uncorked a wild pitch which extended the Phillies’ lead to 5-1..
Meanwhile, Luzardo ended his night with a 1-2-3 sixth before Jonathan Bowlan struck out three of the four hitters he faced in the seventh.
Rincones’ eighth-inning RBI double tacked on an insurance run for Philadelphia before Orion Kerkering and Tim Mayza each logged a perfect frame to close the game out.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves deliver fireworks with 5 homers in bludgeoning of Mets
Jul 4, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Eli White (36) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images
Eli White homered and drove in four runs to spark the Atlanta Braves to a 14-3 win over the visiting New York Mets on Saturday.
The Braves have won the first two games of the four-game series. New York has lost 12 of its last 14 and fell 17 games behind Atlanta in the National League East.
White was 2-for-2, hit one of the Braves’ five home runs and matched his career high with four RBIs. Also going deep were Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley, who ended a 36-game homerless streak, and Michael Harris II, who homered off position player Luis Torrens.
Chris Sale (9-6) pitched five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three, matching his season low.
Rookie JR Ritchie closed the game with three scoreless innings, striking out four, to earn his first save.
New York starter Sean Manaea (1-4) allowed six runs on six hits and one walk, striking out four over five innings.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when White hit a solo homer, his fourth, into the Mets bullpen. Manaea had not allowed a home run since White tagged him for one in New York on June 13.
Atlanta added four runs in the third. Michael Harris II drove home a run with a bases-loaded single. White followed with a shallow popup that glanced off the glove of center fielder Tyrone Taylor, who nearly collided with shortstop Francisco Lindor, and into left field, clearing the bases.
The Braves upped the lead to 6-0 when Dubon hit a solo homer, his ninth.
Taylor helped atone for his earlier gaffe with a solo homer, his fourth, in the fifth.
The Mets knocked Sale out of the game in the sixth. Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer, his 11th, and had two runners on base with no outs when Sale was lifted in favor of Dylan Lee. The left-handed reliever struck out the next three batters to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Fire rally past Storm in first-ever Pacific Northwest meeting
Jul 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Portland Fire forward Emily Engstler (21) shoots the ball against Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga (14) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Carla Leite scored a team-high 20 points as the expansion Portland Fire defeated the host Seattle Storm 77-72 Saturday night in the first meeting between the WNBA’s Pacific Northwest rivals at Climate Pledge Arena.
Bridget Carleton scored 14 points and Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Fire (9-12), which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Portland’s Emily Engstler and Frieda Buhner combined for 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm (5-17) with 22 points. Natisha Hiedeman scored 15 and rookie Awa Fam added 12. Seattle remained winless in 12 games against Western Conference foes.
Fam made a 3-pointer from the left corner with 6:29 remaining to pull the Storm within 61-58. The Fire answered with a 5-0 run, capped by Carleton’s three-point play, to maintain command.
Malonga made two free throws with 2:39 left as Seattle again pulled within three, but Carleton made a driving, second-chance layup after an offensive rebound by Gustafson with 1:48 left. Gustafson sank a lay-in and free throw with 1:04 to go to put Portland up 71-63.
Malonga made a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, but Portland clinched the victory at the free-throw line.
The Fire made 36.8% of their field-goal attempts (25 of 68), but were just 4 of 25 from 3-point range. The Storm shot 33.8% (24 of 71) from the floor and were 8 of 29 from distance. Portland outrebounded Seattle 47-31 despite a size disadvantage inside.
After leading by two at the half, the Fire began pulling away late in the third.
Gustafson’s 3-pointer broke a 38-all tie with 6:01 left in the quarter to give Portland the lead for good. Buhner scored seven points in a 9-3 run to put the Fire up by seven and they took a 54-47 lead into the fourth.
The Fire opened the second quarter with an 8-0 streak as Leite converted a three-point play and Engstler added a 3-pointer and a driving layup to pull Portland within 20-18. The teams traded the lead until late layups by Engstler and Barker broke a tie and helped the Fire take a 32-30 lead at the intermission.
Hiedeman scored nine points in the first as the Storm took a 20-10 lead. Portland shot just 2 for 16 in the opening quarter, including missing all eight of its 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
