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Out to sweep first-place Brewers, Pirates turn to ace Paul Skenes

Jul 7, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesJul 7, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sunday’s series finale was slated to feature a marquee matchup on the mound when the Milwaukee Brewers face the host Pittsburgh Pirates before the league pauses for its midseason showcase.

The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski was originally scheduled to get the nod against fellow ace right-hander Paul Skenes and the Pirates. But Misiorowski will instead sit out not only Sunday’s contest but also Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia with arm fatigue.

“It (stinks) to miss a start and the All-Star Game, but I know it’s the right thing to do in this situation,” the 24-year-old said. “My arm is a little tired.”

Misiorowski has thrown a major-league high 670 pitches at 100 mph or faster and leads all starting pitchers this season with a 100.5 mph average velocity on a four-seam fastball. He expects to be ready to go when the schedule resumes next Friday.

“He didn’t recover well from his last start, and his throwing program was clunky today, so we’re just going to give him some extra rest,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said Saturday after his team was swept by Pittsburgh in a doubleheader.

Left-hander Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15 ERA) will get the start instead. It’ll be his second career start against the Pirates. He won his previous outing, surrendering one run on six hits in five innings of a 10-2 victory on May 15, 2024.

The Brewers will be looking to avoid getting swept in the three-game series. They held a 6-3 lead in the opener of the doubleheader before Pittsburgh’s Esmerlyn Valdez mashed a grand slam to lift the hosts to the win.

Milwaukee erased a two-run deficit to tie the second game but ultimately fell 3-2, with the Pirates getting the go-ahead run in the sixth.

“We didn’t come through with the big hit the way we have,” Murphy said. “… Pittsburgh did everything right. They deserved every bit.”

The Pirates will be looking to sweep a series for the fourth time this season and the first since taking all three games against the Minnesota Twins on May 29-31.

“Two huge wins and two different ways that we accomplish that today,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said.

Valdez was key to those victories. His game-winning homer in the opener was one of two blasts in that contest and three on the day overall as he finished the doubleheader with eight RBIs.

He’s batting .311 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 27 games since getting called up for his major league debut in May.

“He’s a hitter,” Kelly said of Valdez. “He’s not going up there swinging for the fences. He’s taken some big walks, he works the count, gets deeper in counts and finds ways to get big hits.”

Skenes (7-8, 3.58) is coming off a bounce-back quality start in his last outing. The 24-year-old held the visiting Atlanta Braves to two runs on eight hits in six innings of a 12-4 Pittsburgh win on Tuesday. It was a welcome result after he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on six hits in four innings of a 10-6 road defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 1.

Skenes has fared well in his five career starts against the Brewers, going 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA.

–Field Level Media

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Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals

July 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina's Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their third goal.  Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images July 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their third goal. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on a hot and humid Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.

Alexis Mac Allister also tallied, off an assist from Lionel Messi, for Argentina, which will face England in the semifinals Wednesday in Atlanta. England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time earlier Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Dan Ndoye scored for Switzerland, which played short-handed from the 72nd minute on after Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was ejected.

Alvarez’s winner came after Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel knocked away an 18-yard strike from Messi, whose streak of scoring in nine straight World Cup matches came to an end.

Jose Manuel Lopez tracked down the rebound in the left wing corner and passed to Alvarez, who was just outside the top left corner of the penalty area. Alvarez took a couple of strides toward the center of the field before unleashing a curling, right-footed shot that found the far upper corner of the net, just out of Kobel’s reach.

Martinez clinched the victory in the first minute of stoppage time, converting a rebound after Kobel stopped a shot by Thiago Almada.

Kobel and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both made four saves.

Switzerland got the tying goal in the 67th minute following a sustained push.

Ndoye played a give-and-go with Ricardo Rodriguez near the top left corner of the penalty area. Ndoye got the ball back and dribbled to the edge of the 6-yard box before putting a low shot between Martinez’s legs as the goalie started to go down.

Switzerland’s momentum didn’t last long as Embolo received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, this time for simulation. Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro originally was going to issue a yellow to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo, but a video review determined the Swiss attacker was hardly touched and the booking was changed. Embolo received his first card in the 44th minute for a late foul on Paredes.

Kobel’s lone save in regulation came in the final minute of second-half stoppage time as he dove to his left to knock away a sidewinding, 15-yard shot from Lisandro Martinez following a Messi corner kick.

Argentina opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Messi’s corner kick from the left wing found Mac Allister at the top of the 6-yard box just outside the near post. Mac Allister’s glancing header into the far side netting left Kobel flat-footed. It was Messi’s record 10th career World Cup assist.

–Field Level Media

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Ty France powers Padres past Blue Jays in back-and-forth game

Jul 11, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn ImagesJul 11, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images

Ty France’s solo homer snapped a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night as the San Diego Padres outlasted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 8-7.

France cracked his 11th homer of the season an estimated 377 feet into the second level of the Western Metal Supply building in left field off Mason Fluharty (4-1). It broke the game’s third tie.

San Diego’s bullpen held the line from there. Bradgley Rodriguez (2-2) fired a 1-2-3 seventh, Adrian Morejon pitched the eighth and closer Mason Miller took care of the ninth for his 24th save in as many chances.

Neither starter made it past the second inning, both undone by wildness. Toronto’s Trey Yesavage lasted only 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and four runs thanks to his seven walks. The Padres’ Walker Buehler pitched only two innings, yielding three hits and four runs with four walks and a strikeout.

Yesavage gifted San Diego two runs in the bottom of the first with four walks, the last to Gavin Sheets with the bases loaded. France accounted for the other run via a sacrifice fly.

The Blue Jays erased that deficit quickly in the second with four runs, fueled by Buehler’s four walks. Alejandro Kirk doubled down the right field line for an RBI, followed by Andres Gimenez’s run-scoring groundout and Jonatan Clase’s two-run homer to right, his second of the year.

Three more walks by Yesavage in the second teed up Manny Machado for a two-run single that made it 4-4. The Padres regained the lead in the third on a two-out, two-run single by Sung-Mun Song.

Jake Cronenworth increased the lead to 7-4 in the fourth by grounding a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored Sheets. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. erased that lead in the sixth when he belted a three-run homer to left. The 385-foot shot was his sixth of the year.

The teams combined for 17 walks, 11 by Toronto’s five pitchers. The teams drew 11 walks in the first two innings, the most in a major league game this year.

–Field Level Media

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D-backs RHP Brandon Praadt, timely hits too much for Dodgers

Jul 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn ImagesJul 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

James McCann hit two home runs, Brandon Pfaadt opened with five scoreless innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks finished off a 9-2 victory over the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

Nolan Arenado also hit a home run while Tim Tawa and Max Kepler each had two RBIs as the Diamondbacks won three consecutive games for the first time since a five-game winning streak in May.

Pfaadt (3-1), in the right-hander’s third start since returning to the rotation June 30, gave up two runs on six hits with no walks over 5 1/3 innings.

Andy Pages and Mookie Betts had RBI singles as the Dodgers dropped the first two contests of the three-game series and lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 20-21 at home against Baltimore.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-6) tied his career high by allowing six runs on five hits with four walks over six innings and was unable to become the team’s second 10-game winner before the All-Star break along with Justin Wrobleski.

The Diamondbacks struck first in the fourth inning when Gabriel Moreno scored on a Tawa groundout.

Arizona knocked around Yamamoto in the sixth inning, making it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly from Kepler and an RBI double from Tawa. With two outs, Yamamoto intentionally walked Arenado and McCann responded with his three-run homer to left and first of the season.

The Dodgers finally got to Pfaadt in the bottom of the sixth. Tommy Edman led off with a double and scored on a Pages single. Mookie Betts followed a Freddie Freeman single with one of his own to bring Los Angeles within 6-2.

Kepler added his second sacrifice fly in the seventh inning before Arenado and McCann hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth off Landon Knack, who was making his season debut after he went down with an oblique strain during spring training.

Arizona lost center fielder Tommy Troy in the fifth inning when he slammed his right shoulder into the wall while catching a drive from Teoscar Hernandez. Troy was replaced by Jorge Barrosa.

The Diamondbacks’ Geraldo Perdomo was hit in the right hand with a pitch in the seventh and remained in the game.

–Field Level Media

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