Sports
No. 6 Alabama visits No.5 Tennessee in SEC heavyweight matchup
Feb 25, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (4) shoots against Mississippi State Bulldogs forward KeShawn Murphy (3) during the second half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images Following perhaps their most dominating performance of the season, No. 6 Alabama will attempt to duplicate that Saturday afternoon when they meet No. 5 Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference heavyweight matchup in Knoxville, Tenn.
After Tuesday night’s 111-73 mauling of No. 24 Mississippi State, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats still somehow found a complaint: his club’s intensity and identity in the defensive end.
“We’ve got to have a disposition to get stops and really try to get a defensive mindset no matter what the score is,” said Oats after the massive blowout in which Alabama led the Bulldogs by 26 points at halftime. “A little unhappy with our defense, but it’s hard to be unhappy when you get a win like this.”
Seemingly, it would be hard for him to have much to be upset about regarding Alabama (23-5, 12-3), which has won nine of 11 contests and two straight.
Even the pair of setbacks in that stretch were not stunners: to No. 1 Auburn at home and at then-No. 15 Missouri in consecutive contests.
Muscle Shoals, Ala., native Mark Sears grips the steering wheel guiding the nation’s best offense — 91.5 points per game — which set a season high in the 111-point explosion.
The senior guard is averaging 19 points and five assists per game, but Oats praises his defensive play as much as anything.
“I’ve been telling you guys, he’s been playing the best basketball of his career on both sides,” Oats said. “For him to have a positive defensive leverage, that hasn’t always been the case.”
Aden Holloway and Grant Nelson each average 12 points, with the latter leading the team with 7.9 rebounds per game and 36 total blocks.
The Volunteers (23-5, 10-5) go about their business a little differently by relying on one of the top scoring defenses, allowing just 60.8 points per outing.
However, while the defense has carried the team, the club’s shooting has been critical: When Tennessee puts the ball in the bucket on an average basis, the Volunteers win.
When it does not, the numbers are generally similar to the atrocious shooting evident in a 73-43 blowout loss at then-No. 8 Florida, the Vols’ worst loss this season as they made just 12 baskets and were 4 of 29 from distance.
However, the long-range shooting has been strong during the Volunteers’ current three-game winning streak. Led by Chaz Lanier’s career-best 8 of 13 showing in last Saturday’s win over No. 12 Texas A&M, coach Rick Barnes’ squad has made 40 percent (28 of 70).
Lanier averages a team-best 17.8 points after his season-high 30-point outing. Zakai Zeigler scores 13.6 and leads in assists with 7.3. Igor Milicic Jr. leads with 7.6 boards and Felix Okpara grabs 6.4.
“We’ve had different guys have to slide into different roles like most teams. We won a game without Zakai one night when he couldn’t play,” Barnes said after winning 65-59 at LSU Tuesday. “Whatever, like (Jordan) Gainey was sick tonight.”
The focus from player-to-player at Tennessee is ultimately on defense, though.
“I’d argue Zeigler and (Jahmai) Mashack are two of the five best individual defenders in the country,” said LSU coach Matt McMahon. “We just weren’t able to create enough good looks there.”
The Vols have claimed the last three meetings in the series and are 49-24 at home all-time, but Alabama leads overall at 82-73.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Salvador Perez moves closer to team record in Royals win over Padres
Jul 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez (13) hits a home run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Salvador Perez moved closer to Royals’ history with his two-run homer, Lane Thomas also clubbed a two-run shot and spot-starter Randy Dobnak allowed one run while pitching into the fifth inning, as Kansas City beat the visiting San Diego Padres 6-1 on Saturday.
Thomas set the tone with his homer in the first, and Perez added some insurance with a sixth-inning shot. Perez also moved within two of tying George Brett’s franchise record of 317 home runs.
The veteran Dobnak, meanwhile, made his third appearance of 2026 and first start since 2021. The right-hander grinded through 4 1/3 innings, yielding four hits and four walks, but a third-inning homer to Fernando Tatis Jr. produced the only run allowed.
Steven Cruz, Daniel Lynch IV (3-2), Beck Way and Eli Morgan then combined to allow two hits for the Royals, who won the first two of this three-game set, and have won four straight at home.
Ty France doubled twice and Jake Cronenworth also had two hits for the Padres, who went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. San Diego has lost 18 of 23 road games.
After San Diego stranded a pair of runners in the first, Kansas City’s Carter Jensen (two hits) singled and scored on the homer by Thomas (two hits) into the left-field seats off Griffin Canning (1-8).
The Padres got on the board in the third when Tatis cleared the left field wall. However, the Royals got that run back in the bottom of the frame, as Jac Caglianone’s double to left scored Jensen from first base.
Kansas City made it 4-1 in the fourth when Isaac Collins ended Canning’s day with a two-out RBI single to center field. Canning allowed four runs over 3 2/3 innings on five hits and two walks.
San Diego chased Dobnak when it loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but Cruz then got Manny Machado to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The Padres put runners on first and third with one out in the sixth, but Lynch got Miguel Andujar to do the same.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nolan Arenado moves closer to 2,000 hits as D-backs beat Cards
Jul 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a two-run double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Nolan Arenado drove in two runs and moved within two hits of 2,000 for his career to lead the host Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in Phoenix.
Arenado was 2-for-4 and Ketel Marte 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Diamondbacks, who evened the three-game series at a game each and have won five of their last six.
Jimmy Crooks homered and J.J. Wetherholt was 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Cardinals, who have lost two of their last three.
Arizona starter and winner Brandon Pfaadt (4-1) allowed two runs on six hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out three in 5 1/3 innings. All four wins have come in four starts since he returned from Triple-A Reno on June 30 and his ERA in those games is 2.14
St. Louis starter Dustin May (5-7) gave up five runs and eight hits with four walks and six strikeouts over five innings in taking the loss.
Crooks’ solo homer came with one out in the ninth off Arizona closer Paul Sewald, who nonetheless picked up his 23rd save. Crooks’ third homer was estimated at 443 feet and landed deep into the right field stands.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the second on an opposite-field RBI single to right-center field by James McCann.
Arizona plated three runs with two out in the third to make it 4-0.
Marte scampered home from third on May’s wild pitch to make it 2-0. After Gabriel Moreno’s single and a walk to Max Kepler, Arenado lined a two-run double into the left field corner.
Marte’s RBI single in the fourth stretched the lead to 5-0.
The Cardinals scored twice in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Jordan Walker and an RBI fielder’s choice grounder from Masyn Winn.
The Diamondbacks placed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain before the game. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Reno to replace Gurriel Jr. on the roster.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers rally in 6th to edge Braves
Jul 18, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz (67) reacts with catcher Kyle Higashioka (11) after defeating the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Brandon Nimmo had three RBIs, including two that gave Texas the lead in the crucial four-run sixth inning, helping the visiting Rangers come from behind to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 on Saturday.
Nimmo went 2-for-5 to lead the Rangers’ 12-hit attack and secure a bounce-back win after Friday’s 15-1 loss. The victory evened the series between the two division leaders at one game apiece.
Texas batted around in the sixth inning to take a 7-5 lead. Evan Carter hit a two-run homer, his eighth, off reliever Tyler Kinley (5-4), to tie the game. Nimmo finished the rally with a two-run bases-loaded single against Dylan Lee.
Texas starter MacKenzie Gore (6-8) pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits, one walk and three hit batsmen. He struck out seven.
Jacob Latz got the final four outs to earn his 19th save.
Atlanta starter Owen Murphy lasted only 2 2/3 innings in his first major league start. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, striking out two.
Former Brave Joc Pederson wasted no time getting the Rangers on the scoreboard. He hit the fourth pitch of the game into the right field stands for a 419-foot home run. It was his 16th homer and the fourth leadoff homer.
The Braves scored four times in the second inning. Eli White hit a two-run homer, his fifth, Drake Baldwin singled in a run and Ozzie Albies drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Texas narrowed the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the third inning. Kyle Higashioka reached on a fielding error by left fielder Mauricio Dubon and scored on Wyatt Langford’s single. Nimmo then added an RBI single. Texas loaded the bases, but reliever Dylan Dodd kept them from scoring further when White made a long sliding catch near the right-field line.
Atlanta got one run back in the bottom half when Michael Harris II hit a solo homer, his 17th.
The Braves got a run in the seventh when Harris singled and scored on Dubon’s double.
–Field Level Media
Salvador Perez moves closer to team record in Royals win over Padres
Nolan Arenado moves closer to 2,000 hits as D-backs beat Cards
