Sports
MLB roundup: Nationals extend A's losing streak to 10 in 23-4 beatdown
Jul 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro (87) acknowledges the dugout after hitting a two RBI single and advancing to second base on an error during the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images Andres Chaparro hit two homers and had eight RBIs — more than doubling his season total from 7 to 15 — as the Washington Nationals torched the lowly Athletics 23-4 on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
The Nationals opened the scoring with a three-run third before busting the game wide open with four-plus runs in the fifth through seventh innings. That proved to be more than enough for Cade Cavalli (6-4), who gave up two runs and four hits over six innings.
Chaparro went 4-for-5 with a walk and four runs and Daylen Lile and Harry Ford each homered for the Nationals, who set a season high for runs, matching the second-most in franchise history. Curtis Mead was 4-for-6 with four runs, three RBIs and three doubles, and Nasim Nunez had three hits and three runs.
Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-run homer and Shea Langeliers belted a solo shot for the Athletics, who lost their 10th consecutive game. Gage Jump (3-5) of the A’s allowed four runs (three earned) and four hits in 3 2/3 innings before their bullpen was hit hard by Washington’s lineup.
Royals 7, Padres 6 (10 innings)
Carter Jensen’s two-run, walk-off single capped a four-run 10th inning which helped Kansas City rally for a victory over visiting San Diego.
The Padres scored three times in the top of the 10th, beginning with Miguel Andujar’s third double of the night down the right field line against Lucas Erceg (4-3) to score the automatic runner. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with an RBI single, and Xander Bogaerts made it 6-3 with a sacrifice fly.
However, Michael Massey’s third hit of the game drove in the first run of the bottom of the 10th off Kyle Hart (0-2). Isaac Collins’ RBI groundout left runners on second and third for the Royals, then Jensen delivered his third hit through a drawn-in left side of the infield to score two and snap Kansas City’s five-game skid.
Red Sox 10, Rays 0 (Game 1)
Jake Bennett threw six scoreless innings before a six-run sixth allowed Boston to score a lopsided win over visiting Tampa Bay in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez each homered as part of three-hit games and Caleb Durbin went 3-for-4 for the Red Sox, who banged out 15 hits.
Bennett (5-3) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three. Alec Gamboa went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits over the final three innings for his first career save. Rays starter Griffin Jax (5-7) struck out six but yielded seven runs in five-plus innings.
Red Sox 5, Rays 3 (Game 2)
Wilyer Abreu hit home runs in his first two at-bats as Boston completed a doubleheader sweep with another win over Tampa Bay, extending its winning streak to 11 games.
Willson Contreras also homered for the Red Sox, who won a bullpen game with six relievers combining to throw 6 2/3 scoreless innings with four hits behind Eduardo Rivera, who allowed three runs over the first 2 1/3 innings. Greg Weissert (2-2) got the win, and Aroldis Chapman pitched a clean ninth for his 20th save.
Junior Caminero, who hit a solo home run in the third, and Jonny DeLuca both had multi-hit games for the Rays. Mason Englert (0-3) was tagged for five runs and eight hits over five innings before the Tampa Bay bullpen combined for three no-hit innings of relief work.
Dodgers 2, Yankees 1
Max Muncy hit a go-ahead two-run homer with nobody out in the seventh inning against Gerrit Cole and Los Angeles earned a victory over New York in the first meeting at Yankee Stadium between the teams since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak in their first trip to the Bronx since scoring five unearned runs off Cole in the fifth inning of Game 5 to clinch the first of their back-to-back titles. Roki Sasaki allowed an unearned run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers.
Cole (3-5) entered the seventh at 90 pitches and started the inning by walking Mookie Betts. Manager Aaron Boone visited the mound and kept Cole in the game. Muncy fouled off three pitches before ending the at-bat by hammering Cole’s 2-2 slider about halfway up the second deck in right field. Cole had held him hitless in five previous encounters. Cole allowed two runs on four hits in six-plus innings.
Braves 15, Rangers 1
Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Austin Riley all homered and Chris Sale pitched seven scoreless innings to lead Atlanta to a win over visiting Texas in the opener of a three-game set.
Sale (10-6) became the 10th National League pitcher to reach double-digit wins. He allowed only two hits, never allowed a runner to reach third base and struck out six. Sale also recorded his 2,700th punchout. Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Mauricio Dubon and Jim Jarvis also pitched in with two hits apiece.
Rangers starter Cal Quantrill (3-2) was roughed up for six runs on 11 hits, both season highs, in four innings. His ERA spiked from 3.11 to 3.93 due to the rough outing. Right-hander Emiliano Teodo followed with 1 2/3 innings and allowed two runs in his major league debut.
White Sox 12, Blue Jays 4
Braden Montgomery had four RBIs and Colson Montgomery added three RBIs as visiting Chicago throttled Toronto.
Sam Antonacci hit a two-run home run for the White Sox, who saw starter Anthony Kay allow two runs and two hits over four innings. Reliever Tyler Schweitzer (1-0) allowed one infield hit and a walk over the final three innings to earn his first major league win.
Luis Urias, George Springer and Brandon Valenzuela hit solo shots for the Blue Jays, who have lost all four games against the White Sox this season. Spencer Miles (4-2) was tagged for six runs on six hits in four-plus innings.
Orioles 3, Astros 2
Taylor Ward hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lift Baltimore to a road victory against Houston.
The Orioles extended their season-best winning streak to five games. They had barely mustered any offense until Adley Rutschman led off the eighth with a double and Ward followed with his seventh homer of the season. Baltimore collected five hits and four walks while striking out 13 times.
Astros starter Peter Lambert struck out 10 batters in six innings but his efforts weren’t enough. Lambert was charged with one run on three hits. Yordan Alvarez drove in a run and Jeremy Pena scored both runs for the Astros.
Giants 7, Mariners 0
Willy Adames hit a grand slam and Landen Roupp pitched seven innings of two-hit ball as San Francisco returned from the All-Star break with a shutout victory against host Seattle.
Bryce Eldridge added a two-run shot for the Giants, who won their third game in a row to tie their season-long winning streak. Roupp (7-8) allowed only a two-out single to Josh Naylor in the fourth inning and a leadoff single to Luke Raley in the fifth.
Mariners starter Bryce Miller (4-4) gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Twins 5, Cubs 2
Ryan Jeffers belted a go-ahead three-run home run in the third inning and Minnesota held on for a win over host Chicago.
Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler also drove in one run apiece for the Twins, who have won three games in a row after entering the All-Star break with back-to-back victories. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (7-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a double and a run for Chicago. Michael Busch notched the lone RBI for the Cubs. Colin Rea (7-6) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings.
Brewers 2, Marlins 1 (10 innings)
Garrett Mitchell grounded an RBI single up the middle with two outs to score Jackson Chourio from second base, giving Milwaukee an extra-inning win over visiting Miami in the opener of the three-game series.
Joey Ortiz homered and singled for the Brewers, who had lost their last three games before the All-Star break. Logan Henderson was trying to win his fourth straight start, but did not earn a decision after allowing one run and three hits over five innings. Craig Yoho (1-0) recorded his first major league win with a scoreless 10th.
Griffin Conine homered and Otto Lopez had two hits for the Marlins, who had also lost their last three games before the break. Sandy Alcantara limited the Brewers to one run and three hits in six innings, and Lake Bachar (1-1) took the loss.
Reds 7, Rockies 2
Spencer Steer hit a two-run homer and an inside-the-park solo home run, Brady Singer tossed seven strong innings and Cincinnati opened a three-game series against Colorado with a win in Denver.
Elly De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and Eugenio Suarez homered in his third straight game for the Reds, who have won 17 of their last 20 against the Rockies, including seven straight at Coors Field. Singer (4-9) allowed two runs on four hits.
Willi Castro homered among his two hits for the National League-worst Rockies (39-60), who have lost five of their last six. Gabriel Hughes (1-0) yielded two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings before his replacement, Jimmy Herget, allowed homers to the first two batters he faced in Cincinnati’s three-run sixth.
Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4
Ivan Herrera delivered the game-winning RBI on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to lift St. Louis to a win against Arizona in Phoenix.
After their 2-0 first-inning lead was erased, JJ Wetherholt put the Cardinals ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning on a solo homer. Masyn Winn added an eighth-inning sac fly to make it 4-2 St. Louis. Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy allowed two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
The Diamondbacks tied the game on a two-run homer off the right field foul pole from Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the eighth. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings for the Diamondbacks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Tim Tawa also homered for Arizona.
Tigers 2, Angels 1
Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-run double into the gap in right-center with two outs in the top of the ninth as Detroit rallied for a victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Matt Vierling had two hits and a stolen base and Riley Greene and Ben Malgeri each doubled for the Tigers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the 10th time in the last 13 games.
Zach Neto had two hits and scored a run and Mike Trout had a double for the Angels, who lost their third straight game and fell to 2-11 in the last 13 games. Reid Detmers was denied his first win since June 16 at Arizona after allowing four hits over six shutout innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braden Montgomery's 4 RBIs help White Sox pound Blue Jays
Jul 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Colson Montgomery (12) reacts after hitting a fly ball against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Braden Montgomery had four RBIs and Colson Montgomery added three RBIs Friday night as the visiting Chicago White Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 12-4.
Sam Antonacci hit a two-run home run for the White Sox in the opener of a three-game series that followed the All-Star break. Reliever Tyler Schweitzer (1-0) allowed one infield hit and a walk over the final three innings to earn his first major league win.
Luis Arias, George Springer and Brandon Valenzuela hit solo shots for the Blue Jays, who have lost all four games against the White Sox this season.
The White Sox took a 5-0 lead in the second against Spencer Miles (4-2).
Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi started with singles. Kyle Teel blooped an RBI double to left. Braden Montgomery’s grounder to shortstop resulted in an out at third while Benintendi scored. Chase Meidroth stroked an RBI single to center then Antonacci homered to right on a 3-1 fastball.
Toronto scored once against Anthony Kay in the third. Ernie Clement was hit by a pitch and took third when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a single off the glove of first baseman Munetaka Murakami. Kazuma Okamoto walked to load the bases. Clement scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop by George Springer.
Urias lined a homer into the Blue Jays’ bullpen in left on a first-pitch sinker with one out in the fourth.
Meidroth led off the fifth with a single to right and Adam Macko replaced Miles. Antonacci singled to left and Murakami walked to load the bases. Colson Montgomery cleared the bases with a double to left center.
Miles allowed six runs, six hits and no walks with four strikeouts in four-plus innings.
Kay allowed two runs, two hits and three walks with two hit batters and five strikeouts in four innings.
Springer homered to left on a 3-1 fastball from Trevor Richards with two out in the fifth. Valenzuela led off the home sixth with a homer to right against Richards on a 1-0 fastball.
Chicago took a 12-4 lead in the seventh. Miguel Vargas singled against Patrick Corbin and Colson Montgomery walked. The bases were loaded after Okamoto threw errantly to second on Randal Grichuk’s grounder to third. Braydon Fisher replaced Corbin with one out and allowed Braden Montgomery’s triple to right. Tristan Peters hit a sacrifice fly.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Frustrations abound as France, England face off in third-place match
July 14, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; France coach Didier Deschamps and Ousmane Dembele look dejected after the match as France are eliminated from the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Playing your final World Cup match one day prior to the championship game is not the assignment anybody desires.
But it’s the reality for France and England as the two countries will take the field in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
“None of our players, and none of the French players, wants to play the third-place match,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve it.”
England missed out on the title match after allowing two late goals to Argentina to fall 2-1 on Wednesday in the semifinals. One day earlier, France came up short when largely outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Spain.
France coach Didier Deschamps isn’t the least bit thrilled about competing for the consolation prize.
“The best thing for France and England would be for this match not to exist,” Deschamps said.
The contest will be the final one as Les Bleus coach for the 57-year-old Deschamps, whose 14-year tenure includes guiding the nation to the 2018 World Cup crown.
“I know that it’s the last match and I don’t want anybody to cry, and I don’t think anybody here will cry,” Deschamps said. “I had the privilege to go through amazing moments and to go also through some more difficult moments, so the end is coming near but life goes on.”
France star Kylian Mbappe is tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi with eight goals in the Golden Boot competition. Mbappe is the defending winner after also having eight goals in 2022.
But first, Mbappe is coping with the fact that his side didn’t reach the final.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility,” Mbappe said of falling against Spain. “I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
Mbappe has 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi’s record.
Three other players in this match are second-hand contenders for the Golden Boot: England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have scored six goals and France’s Ousmane Dembele is a longshot at five.
Kane won the 2018 Golden Boot with six goals. This will be the final World Cup match of his “prime” as he turns 33 on July 28.
It could conceivably be his final World Cup match, but Kane isn’t ready to discuss that possibility.
“It’s too early to talk about that,” Kane said. “I mean, as a person, it’s always just about taking it year by year and how I feel. The national team is my pride and joy. It’s what I love to do most, more than anything.
“Obviously, four years is a long way away. I’m 33 in the summer, but as you saw on the other end with Messi (who is 39) there, he’s still performing at the highest level. So, I never want to put a limit on these things.”
Kane and Bellingham have had standout World Cup performances for the Three Lions despite the disappointment of not reaching the final.
Tuchel has been roundly criticized for his tactics after England went up 1-0 in the 55th minute against Argentina on Anthony Gordon’s goal.
England loaded up the back end and played passively on offense. Instead of seeking a two-goal lead, England were playing not to be tied.
The strategy was foiled as Argentina scored goals in the 85th minute and the second minute of stoppage time to dash the dreams of English fans.
“No regrets, the team gave everything, and we were very, very close,” Tuchel said. “We deserved to be up one-nil. We played one of our better matches, maybe the best match. The team was top, but we couldn’t bring it over the line. No regrets.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ryan Jeffers' homer propels Twins past Cubs
Jul 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Bailey Ober (17) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Ryan Jeffers belted a go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth inning and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 5-2 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Friday night.
Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler also drove in one run apiece for Minnesota, which won the opener of a three-game series. The Twins have won three games in a row after entering the All-Star break with back-to-back victories.
Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a double and a run for Chicago. Michael Busch notched the lone RBI for the Cubs.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (7-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (7-6) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings. He walked one and fanned six.
Twins right-hander Yoendrys Gomez pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his 12th save. The Cubs had the tying run on deck, but Carson Kelly flied out to the warning track in right-center field to end the game.
The Cubs opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Busch ripped an RBI single to right to drive in Pete Crow-Armstrong, who worked a leadoff walk and stole second.
The Twins bounced back with four runs in the third.
Larnach sparked the big inning with an RBI single to left to score Luke Keaschall. One batter later, Jeffers lifted a 369-foot shot over the ivy-covered wall in left-center field for his eighth home run of the season and his first since May 17.
Chicago cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Suzuki hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Twins right-hander Tommy Nance.
The Twins quickly regained a three-run lead in the seventh. Austin Martin and Keaschall drew back-to-back walks, and Kreidler capitalized moments later with an RBI single to left to make it 5-2.
Cubs relievers Drew Pomeranz and Gavin Hollowell teamed up to get the next three outs as the Twins stranded runners on second and third.
-Field Level Media
