Sports
Padres hope bats stay hot against visiting Giants
Jul 31, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images At least for now, Thursday night was a one-game blip for the San Diego Padres.
An offense that has raked coming out of the All-Star break bounced back from a 4-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a four-game series, mashing a dozen hits en route to a 7-0 win on Friday night.
San Diego will try to take a series lead on Saturday night while perhaps tying the slumping Philadelphia Phillies for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
The Padres are 8-6 since the break and have averaged 5.9 runs per game, getting contributions up and down the lineup. Their big-money stars, aside from Xander Bogaerts, who’s been in a three-month funk, are barreling balls they didn’t for much of the prior six weeks.
“Our numbers on the board, it doesn’t look like we’re doing the best,” center fielder Jackson Merrill said recently. “That doesn’t show the last few weeks. We’re taking good at-bats to help each other.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. has opened the last four games with hits and everything else has fallen into place. Even the bottom of the lineup, which has hit with the thump of a pitcher at times, is chipping in.
Rookie left fielder Jase Bowen flashed the power stroke that got him called up two months ago from Triple-A El Paso, launching his first big league homer Friday night.
“The best moment I’ve ever had in my life,” Bowen said.
Meanwhile, San Diego even has its pitching lined up in a positive manner after three pitchers combined for a two-hitter that included five shutout innings by bulk reliever German Marquez to end the game.
Walker Buehler (6-5, 5.13 ERA) aims to make his third straight solid start after allowing a whopping 20 earned runs in 11 innings during his first three outings in July. He gave up just two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings Sunday in a no-decision performance during his team’s 5-3 win in Miami. Buehler is 8-3 with a 3.25 earned run average in 16 career outings against San Francisco.
The Giants counter with fellow right-hander Tyler Mahle (3-9, 4.96), who’s coming off one of his top games of the year Monday night. Mahle rolled through six shutout innings of a 3-0 win over Milwaukee, yielding just three hits and two walks while fanning three. He’s 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA in four career starts against San Diego.
Mahle said he was helped Monday night by a four-seam fastball that clocked in at 1.7 mph higher than normal.
“The first pitch of the game, usually I can try to throw as hard as I can and a lot of games it’ll be 90, 91,” he said. “I looked it and it was 93, and I was surprised by that.”
Things didn’t go quite as well for San Francisco on or off the field Friday night. From announcing that injured center fielder Harrison Bader’s pay would be withheld while the club investigates his foot injury following a scooter accident early Sunday morning, to only managing three base runners during the game, it was a bad 24 hours for the Giants.
Manager Tony Vitello said a return this year for Bader, who’s been out since May 29 with plantar fasciitis, was a long shot before the scooter accident.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday in exchange for two prospects.
Doval, 29, is 3-1 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances out of the New York bullpen this season. The Pirates were seeking late-game relief help.
The Yankees received catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz in the deal. New York also included cash as part of the trade.
New York acquired Doval, a former All-Star closer, in a deal with the San Francisco Giants at last year’s trade deadline.
Doval is 29-20 with 109 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 341 career relief outings with the Giants (2021-25) and Yankees. He tied for the National League lead with 39 saves in 2023 when he made the NL All-Star team.
Alfonzo, 22, was batting .238 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 62 games this season, including 60 for Double-A Altoona.
Cruz, 18, was batting .300 with eight RBIs and eight steals in 19 games for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan (20) runs up court after a basket during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Portland Trail Blazers forward Jeremy Sochan agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, per ESPN.
Sochan was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
Across three-plus seasons with the Spurs, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 212 games (149 starts). He shot 46.8% from the field and 28.7% from 3-point range.
He was waived by the Spurs in February. He then signed with the New York Knicks.
The 23-year-old only appeared in 16 regular season games for the Knicks, averaging a meager 6.9 minutes per game. In that limited run, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists, while shooting 56.7% from the field.
During the postseason, he appeared in eight games during the team’s championship run, playing 26 total minutes and averaging 2.5 points.
Now, the former lottery pick will look to earn a bigger role on a revamped Blazers squad. Portland has a loaded backcourt with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. The 6-foot-8 Sochan will give them frontcourt depth behind Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics select LHP Ben Bowden, demote RHP Luis Morales
Jul 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Athletics relief pitcher Ben Bowden (62) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images The Athletics selected left-hander Ben Bowden from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
The 31-year-old was a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies back in 2016, but has not had much production at the major league level.
Bowden was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 32 relief appearances for Las Vegas this season.
In 2021, he made his MLB debut for the Rockies, going 3-2 and posting a 6.56 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 42 strikeouts across 35 2/3 innings.
He returned to the big leagues in 2025, away from hitter-friendly Coors Field, as a member of the Athletics. He had a 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.
Right-hander Luis Morales was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. He was 0-2 and had a 14.06 ERA across 16 innings over five appearances (two starts) this season.
Morales was 1-3 with a 7.18 ERA in 19 appearances (nine starts) for Las Vegas earlier this season.
–Field Level Media
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
