Sports
MLB roundup: Yankees homer early and often, overrun Orioles
Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) hits a home run during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Ben Rice homered in each of the first two innings and Aaron Judge hit one of New York’s four first-inning solo shots as the Yankees belted the host Baltimore Orioles 15-3 on Tuesday.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon took a perfect game into the sixth inning while his teammates kept doing damage at the plate. New York’s first three batters of the game — Trent Grisham, Judge and Rice — homered, and then with one out, Cody Bellinger knocked one over the fence. Austin Wells added a ninth-inning blast.
The Yankees became the first team in major league history to open a game with three straight home runs twice in the same season.
It was a rude treatment for Kyle Gibson, who was in his first big-league game of the year and back with the Orioles after being one of the team’s best pitchers in 2023. Gibson (0-1) was tagged for nine runs on 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Rangers 15, A’s 2
Adolis Garcia and Wyatt Langford both had three-run doubles in the sixth inning as Texas broke out of a scoring slump with an onslaught against the Athletics in Arlington, Texas.
Texas entered the game with the fewest runs (87) in the majors but scored more times than in its previous six games combined (12). That helped Texas starter Jacob deGrom (1-1) earn his first victory since April 23, 2023. He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven and not walking a batter. Every Rangers player had at least one hit in the season-high 18-hit attack, led by three hits each by Leody Taveras, Josh Smith and Marcus Semien. Kyle Higashioka also had a three-run double.
Jacob Lopez (0-1), making his first start of the season, allowed three runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. Shea Langeliers had a two-run homer in the seventh to account for the Athletics’ only runs.
Dodgers 15, Marlins 2
Shohei Ohtani opened with a home run, Teoscar Hernandez had four hits and four RBIs and Los Angeles increased its winning streak to four games with a rout of visiting Miami.
Hernandez and Freddie Freeman each had two doubles, Andy Pages homered and Tommy Edman drove in three runs for the Dodgers’ offense, which has come to life with 39 runs over the past four games. Matt Sauer (1-0) gave up one run in five innings en route to his first major league win. He allowed five hits and no walks while striking out four.
Dane Myers had three hits and an RBI and Ronny Simon also drove in a run for the Marlins. Sandy Alcantara (2-3) was rocked for seven runs on seven hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings in his sixth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He fanned two. Miami has dropped four consecutive games, one off its season-worst streak.
Mariners 5, Angels 3
Jorge Polanco homered twice and drove in all five runs as Seattle defeated visiting Los Angeles.
Right-hander Bryce Miller (2-3) pitched five scoreless innings for the American League West-leading Mariners, who won their third in a row and 14th in 19 games. Miller allowed just two hits, struck out six and worked around a career-high five walks. Andres Munoz worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 11th save in as many opportunities. Munoz is tied for the major-league lead in saves and has yet to allow a run in 15 appearances this season.
O’Hoppe homered for the Angels, who lost their fourth straight.
Braves 8, Rockies 2
Matt Olson had three hits and three runs scored, Michael Harris II drove in three runs and visiting Atlanta handed Colorado an eighth straight loss.
AJ Smith-Shawver (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits, with one walk and five strikeouts, over 5 1/3 innings. He left in the sixth inning after being hit on his right elbow with a 105 mph comebacker by Ryan McMahon. Austin Riley had two hits and two RBIs for Atlanta, which outhit the Rockies 14-6 and won for the ninth time in 11 games. Nick Allen drove in two runs and Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy and Eli White each had two hits.
Michael Toglia homered and drove in two runs for Colorado, which has lost 16 of its last 17 to fall to a major-league-worst 4-25. Hunter Goodman had two hits.
Royals 3, Rays 1
Freddy Fermin went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Michael Lorenzen crafted six strong innings, and Kansas City opened a six-game road trip by beating Tampa Bay.
Fermin was hit in the hand in the seventh inning while attempting to bunt but stayed in the game and produced an insurance run with a two-out RBI single in the ninth. Lorenzen (3-3) allowed just one run on four hits. He fanned four and walked two in his second consecutive quality start as the Royals won for the seventh time in eight games.
Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero homered and doubled in a 3-for-4 showing. Yandy Diaz went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk as the Rays had their five-game winning streak end. Rays starter Taj Bradley (2-2) yielded two runs on five hits in seven innings, with three walks and two strikeouts.
Cubs 9, Pirates 0
Carson Kelly, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki cracked two-run homers and Chicago starter Shota Imanaga teamed with three relievers to blank host Pittsburgh.
Pirates starter Andrew Heaney (2-2) retired the first 11 batters he faced, but Suzuki popped a double and Kelly followed with a homer to trigger a three-hit, three-RBI night. Suzuki added three hits and three runs. Heaney allowed five hits, three walks and four runs over 4 ? innings.
Imanaga (3-1) fired five shutout innings while scattering six hits and fanning three, but he left with leg cramps after Andrew McCutchen’s leadoff double in the sixth. Daniel Palencia, Caleb Thielbar and Tom Cosgrove wrapped up the shutout. Joey Bart and Isiah Kiner-Falefa poked two hits apiece for the Pirates.
Brewers 7, White Sox 2
Caleb Durbin smacked a two-run single to key a four-run sixth, Isaac Collins belted his first home run and Freddy Peralta pitched six strong innings to lift the visiting Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-2 win against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. connected on back-to-back home runs in the first inning off Peralta (3-2), but the White Sox managed just two other hits against Brewers pitching. Peralta scattered two runs, three hits and three walks with five strikeouts as the Brewers won consecutive games for the first time since taking three in a row April 15-18.
White Sox reliever Bryse Wilson (0-1) allowed three runs, two hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. Six pitchers combined to allow 10 walks and eight hits for the White Sox, who have lost six of eight and 12 of 15. The Brewers’ Joey Ortiz was the only player with two hits.
Phillies 7, Nationals 6
Bryson Stott sprinted home on a wild pitch to give Philadelphia a chaotic victory over visiting Washington.
Washington’s Nathaniel Lowe hit a go-ahead three-run homer against Orion Kerkering with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth to put the Nationals ahead. However, the Phillies rallied for two runs against Kyle Finnegan in the bottom half with Johan Rojas’ sacrifice fly tying the contest prior to Stott scoring the winning run.
Trea Turner finished 4-for-4 with two runs for Philadelphia. Leadoff counterpart CJ Abrams was among the hitting stars for Washington, going 4-for-5.
Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 2
Wilyer Abreu hit a three-run blast to lead a five-homer barrage, and visiting Boston defeated Toronto.
Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Kristian Campbell and Rafael Devers added solo home runs for the Red Sox in the opener of the three-game series. Bregman and Abreu each had three hits. Boston got seven strong innings from left-hander Garrett Crochet (3-2), who allowed two runs, four hits and three walks while striking out six.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run for the Blue Jays, who were returning from a 1-5 road trip.
Astros 6, Tigers 4
Yainer Diaz produced a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning, and Houston tacked on three runs an inning later to rally past Detroit for its fourth consecutive home series victory.
Diaz knocked in three runs, and he and teammate Christian Walker each had two hits. Astros reliever Bennett Sousa (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and earned his first major league win since 2022.
Gleyber Torres had three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs for the Tigers. Kerry Carpenter opened the game with a homer. Reese Olson (3-2) allowed three runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Mets 8, Diamondbacks 3
Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte and Pete Alonso homered as host New York beat Arizona for its 10th victory in the past 12 games.
Tyrone Taylor had a pair of RBI hits and Jose Azocar added a run-scoring single for the Mets, who were back at home Tuesday following a 19-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday afternoon. The 27 runs in a two-game span are the most for the Mets since they scored 30 runs in a doubleheader split with the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 16, 2018.
Jorge Barrosa had two RBIs via a fifth-inning double and a ninth-inning groundout for the Diamondbacks, who have lost five of six. Randal Grichuk doubled in the eighth and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Mark Vientos.
Padres 7, Giants 4
Xander Bogaerts homered and knocked in three runs as San Diego snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over visiting San Francisco.
Manny Machado, Jason Heyward and Elias Diaz each had two hits for the Padres. Nick Pivetta (5-1) fanned nine while allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Willy Adames homered among his two hits for the Giants, and LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a two-run double. Logan Webb (3-2) was pounded for five runs on nine hits in five innings.
Guardians 2, Twins 1
Kyle Manzardo opened the ninth inning with a walk-off home run as Cleveland snapped a three-game skid with a victory over visiting Minnesota.
After a weather delay of more than three hours before first pitch, Manzardo, who had two of Cleveland’s six hits for the game, ended the long night. His drive off Louis Varland (1-2) went well over the right field wall to help the Guardians even the four-game set at one win apiece. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee allowed only Ty France’s fifth-inning home run and four other hits in seven innings.
Chris Paddack was nearly as solid for the Twins, permitting just Bo Naylor’s solo homer and three other hits in five innings. The Twins fell to 0-6 with him on the mound this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rain threatens rematch between Yankees, Dodgers
Jul 17, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) celebrates his two run home run against the New York Yankees with shortstop Mookie Betts (50) during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers returned from the All-Star break on Friday and earned a win on a night when stars Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts were quiet at the plate against the New York Yankees.
Instead, the Dodgers relied on dominant pitching and a clutch hit in the late innings of a 2-1 victory.
The teams will continue their three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, though bad weather is forecast. Heavy rain is projected for the New York area for most of Saturday, and if the game gets rained out, the teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
The Dodgers are 31-17 on the road this season and own 18 one-run victories after opening the series with the one-run victory Friday on Max Muncy’s go-ahead, two-run homer off Gerrit Cole with no outs in the seventh inning.
Muncy’s homer was among five hits for the Dodgers, who struck out 10 times. Ohtani, Freeman and Betts were a combined 0-for-11, though Betts drew a walk before Muncy homered.
“It was good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Any time you can find a way to win a game when Gerrit Cole is pitching is a good thing.”
The Yankees were held to one run or less for the 16th time this season, and for the seventh time since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib.
New York allowed Muncy’s homer after Yankees manager Aaron Boone elected to keep Cole in after a mound visit.
The Yankees finished with six hits, including a double by Ben Rice, who is batting .412 during a nine-game hitting streak. Rice’s double nearly tied the game in the eighth, but Trent Grisham was thrown out at the plate on a throw by Betts.
“It’s just baseball,” Grisham said. “Sometimes you score 10, sometimes you score one.”
Left-hander Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.15 ERA) will start for the Yankees on Saturday after allowing one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings during a no-decision in his team’s 5-3 victory over Washington on July 10.
Weathers is 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in his past three outings. He is 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against the Dodgers, though he has held Betts to one hit in 12 at-bats and Ohtani to 1-for-8. Weathers has struggled against Freeman, as the first baseman is 5-for-10 against him.
Right-hander Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) will start for Los Angeles on Saturday and is 1-5 in his past nine starts since May 14. This will be his first career appearance against the Yankees.
Sheehan last pitched on Sunday, when he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in 5 1/3 innings during a no-decision in the Dodgers’ 5-3 loss to Arizona.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andres Chaparro, Nats try to top gaudy numbers vs. skidding A's
Jul 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro (87) watches the ball after hitting a two run homme run during the fifth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images The All-Star break didn’t hinder the bats of the Washington Nationals as they scored more than three touchdowns’ worth of runs in their first game after the resumption of play on Friday.
The Nationals dismantled the Athletics 23-4 in the opening contest of a three-game set and will look for another offensive explosion on Saturday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
The scoring output equals the second-most in Nationals franchise history, which dates to 1969, when the team was the Montreal Expos. That record came in Washington’s 25-4 walloping of the New York Mets on July 31, 2018.
Washington was loaded with heroes on Friday while piling up 21 hits — including four homers — and going 13-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
The most unlikely star was Andres Chaparro, who entered the contest with seven RBIs. He recorded a career-best eight on Friday while smacking two homers during a 4-for-5 night.
The only players in franchise history with more RBIs in a game are Anthony Rendon (2017) and Mark Reynolds (2018), both of whom had 10.
“Everybody on the team knows how hard I work,” Chaparro said through an interpreter. “Every day I come in and put in the work and try to contribute to the team, and it feels special to get these kinds of results.”
Washington scored in double digits for the 14th time this season. Daylen Lile homered and drove in four runs and Curtis Mead was 4-for-6 with four runs, three RBIs and three doubles as the Nationals halted a three-game losing streak.
“If we stick together and keep playing like this, the second half is going to be special,” Chapparo said.
The A’s have lost 10 straight games and have been outscored 47-6 in their past four contests.
Staggering into the All-Star break was bad enough, but manager Mark Kotsay knew his squad laid an egg on Friday.
“There’s not much to explain; we played very badly at baseball in every sense of the word, and the fans let us know,” Kotsay said, alluding to choruses of boos. “I expect a lot from this group. Let’s see how they respond (Saturday).”
Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-run homer and Shea Langeliers hit a solo shot for the A’s.
Infielder Tommy White, 23, doubled in the eighth inning of his major league debut. He played first base as the club struggles without injured slugger Nick Kurtz (right thumb).
“He’s shown a lot of growth and improvement in his defense,” Kotsay said of White. “This is a runway here with Kurtz on the IL for him to help us win some games.”
Right-hander J.T Ginn (7-6, 3.67 ERA) will start for the Athletics on Saturday and make his bid at slowing the Nationals.
Ginn, 27, lost his two starts immediately before the All-Star break. He endured his worst start of the season against the Chicago White Sox last Sunday when he gave up eight runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings in a 9-1 A’s loss.
Ginn has never faced the Nationals.
Washington will start right-hander Zack Littell (7-6, 4.90 ERA) in the middle game of the series. He is tied for second in the majors with 23 homers allowed in just 90 innings.
Littell, 30, pitched four innings of relief against the New York Yankees on July 10 in his most recent appearance. He gave up one run and five hits in a 5-3 loss, in which he didn’t take a decision.
Littell will make his 13th start and 20th appearance of the season. He is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 10 career appearances (one start) against the A’s.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tarik Skubal, Tigers eye series win against Angels
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, July 12, 2026. The spotlight will be on two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal on Saturday night when the Detroit Tigers try for a series win over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
The left-handed Skubal (5-5, 3.09 ERA), a free agent at the end of the season, is expected to be the most coveted pitcher available at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Skubal, who has won two of his last three starts, is 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA in four career starts against the Angels, including 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts at Angel Stadium.
There has been speculation that Detroit could retain Skubal if the Tigers, who improved to 23-14 since June 1 with a 2-1 comeback win in Friday’s series opener, can put together a strong run before the trade deadline.
Due in part to a dismal 6-22 May, the Tigers enter Saturday’s game in fourth place in the American League Central — 6 1/2 games behind the surprising first-place Chicago White Sox — and are 3 1/2 games out of the AL’s final wild-card spot.
Skubal told reporters on Sunday that he will not get distracted by the trade speculation.
“If we’re going to try to ride the roller coaster of every single game after a loss or a win, you guys can write it; I’m not gonna,” Skubal said. “I’m going to stay pretty even throughout. My belief will never change in these guys.”
Detroit started a six-game road trip with a ninth-inning comeback over the Angels on Friday. Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-out, two-run double to the fence in right-center off reliever Kirby Yates for the eventual game-winning hit for the Tigers.
“When you can sneak out a win after the way the first eight-plus innings went, that clubhouse should be loud,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We earned it.”
Detroit was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and hadn’t gotten a runner past second base before Lee’s double.
“We really had a hard time kick-starting our offense tonight,” Hinch said. “Just weren’t putting back-to-back at-bats together.”
It was the 11th loss in the last 13 games for the Angels. They joined the Rockies, who also lost Friday night, as the first two teams in the majors to hit the 60-loss mark this season.
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (3-2, 7.55 ERA), who has had success against the Tigers during his career, will start for the Angels on Saturday.
Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in three career starts against the Tigers, with 20 strikeouts in 15 innings. He picked up the win in a 7-1 victory at Detroit on May 28, when he allowed one run on two hits and two walks over five innings while striking out five.
Rodriguez won his last start at Minnesota, 4-3 on July 10, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. It was his first big league appearance since he went on the injured list on June 15 with lower back tightness.
“He pitched well,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “His changeup was working. It was working really good. He had some life on his fastball. He was throwing strikes, attacking the zone. Good first start, for sure.”
–Field Level Media
NYT Strands hints, answers for July 19, 2026
Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 19, 2026
