Sports
Padres look to capture series against visiting Giants
Aug 1, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) has a cooler dumped over him after he hit a walk-off single during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images When Jake Cronenworth fell behind 0-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, he knew what had to be done.
“Just battle, that’s about it,” he said. “Just find a pitch to hit, whether it’s 0-0 or with two strikes, that’s all.”
He did and the ensuing single to center gave the San Diego Padres a 6-5 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants, as well as a chance to win the teams’ four-game series when it wraps up on Sunday.
In winning for the seventh time in eight games, San Diego stayed a game behind Philadelphia for the National League’s final wild-card spot. It also assured that it will plunge into Monday’s trading deadline looking to add instead of subtract.
Starting pitching figures to be the emphasis. Even though the Padres have found some success with manager Craig Stammen’s “pitching chaos” strategy, employing a variety of starters to piggyback each other three of every five games in this stretch, it seems unlikely they can make it stick for the last two months.
That’s why Saturday’s news that veterans Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove threw bullpen sessions, perhaps heralding rehab assignments soon for both, was welcome news. Pivetta (elbow) has been out since mid-April and Musgrove (Tommy John surgery) hasn’t pitched since the playoffs in October 2024.
“It’s like they are starting their regular five-day routine,” remarked Stammen.
Michael King (6-7, 3.38) is looking for his first win since July 8. He was no-decisioned Tuesday night in his team’s 8-7 win over Colorado, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk in six innings while fanning six. King is 3-1 with a 2.22 earned run average in five career outings against San Francisco.
Opposing King will be Landen Roupp (7-9, 4.12), who is coming off an 8-2 loss Tuesday night to Milwaukee. He needed 84 pitches to make it through 3 2/3 innings, yielding four hits and four runs with three walks and a strikeout.
Roupp is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in eight career games against San Diego, with the win occurring on March 30. He blanked the Padres through six innings, allowing two hits, two walks, while fanning seven.
For the second straight day, the Giants made as much news off the field as they did on it. Manager Tony Vitello held out second baseman Luis Arraez, who many think will be dealt by the trading deadline, due to cramping.
Vitello also sprung to the defense of shortstop Willy Adames after Apple TV announcer Wayne Randazzo implied during Friday night’s 7-0 loss that Adames was slow to commit to the workload asked of him by first-year infield coach Ron Washington.
“Any questioning of anyone’s work ethic that has to work with Wash is not right,” Vitello said. “Anyone who’s around Wash, you don’t have a chance to buy in. It’s not an option. You do. And then the work is put in.”
Vitello also noted that Adames has battled a back injury that has limited his pregame work on some days.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves acquire Royals OF Lane Thomas, LHP Bailey Falter
Jul 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves added depth on the offensive and pitching sides on Saturday night, acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas and left-hander Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals.
In exchange for Thomas and Falter, Atlanta is sending right-hander Lucas Braun and left-hander Carter Holton to Kansas City. According to MLB Pipeline, Braun is the Braves’ No. 8 prospect. Thomas started Saturday’s road game in center field against the host Colorado Rockies, then was lifted in the fourth inning.
Thomas, 30, signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal in the offseason with the Royals and moved into an every-day role when center fielder Kyle Isbel went on the injured list on June 10. From that date through July 20, Thomas hit .262 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 17 runs and 20 RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .232 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 97 games.
An eight-year veteran, Thomas was a fifth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB Draft and debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. He also played for the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians before joining the Royals and is a .240 hitter with 86 homers and 291 RBIs over 696 games.
Falter, 29, has only pitched in five games (two starts) this season, going 0-2 with a 13.97 ERA while spending time on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. A fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015, Falter is 25-32 with a 4.77 ERA in 119 games (85 starts) with the Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Royals over six seasons.
Braun, who turns 25 later this month, was selected in the sixth round by the Braves in 2023 and reached Double-A Columbus in his first full minor-league season in 2024. In 19 games (17 starts) for Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett this year, Braun went 8-6 with a 3.53 ERA, 82 strikeouts and 27 walks in 94 1/3 innings. Over his minor league career, he is 24-18 with a 3.43 ERA in 77 games (73 starts), posting 421 strikeouts and 113 walks in 414 2/3 innings.
Holton, 23, was a second-round pick of the Braves in 2024 and is 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) this season between Augusta in the Carolina League and the Florida Complex League. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dallas' Jonathan Sirois (9 saves) comes up big in draw vs. Galaxy
Aug 1, 2026; Carson, California, USA; FC Dallas forward Petar Musa (9) kicks the ball into the face of LA Galaxy midfielder Justin Haak (15) during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Jonathan Sirois made nine saves to help FC Dallas preserve a 0-0 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night at Carson, Calif.
It was only Dallas’ fifth clean sheet, and the first of the season for the 25-year-old Canadian, who returned to the net last weekend when new acquisition Daniel had to depart with a hamstring injury.
Sirois’ performance helped Dallas (7-5-6, 27 points) improve to 2-2-1 five matches into a stretch of nine consecutive away league fixtures during the latest phase of an ongoing construction project at its home stadium.
J.T. Marcinkowski made four stops to keep his second clean sheet and a third for the Galaxy (5-7-7, 22 points), who are winless in their last five.
Los Angeles led 18-16 in shots and 9-4 in efforts on target, but missed a chance to go above the playoff line had it been able to find a goal and earn a third home win of the season.
Sirois’ best moment in the first half came on saves of John Nelson and Marco Reus in the 37th and 38th minutes before Harbor Miller followed with another attempt that missed high of the frame.
He was even busier after the break.
He denied Joseph Paintsil in the 58th minute with a lunging stop to his left, and substitute Kyogo Furuhashi 10 minutes later with a comfortable save from the Galaxy newcomer’s first real involvement in the game.
Then came the dying stages, when the Galaxy finally showed some desperation but could not solve Sirois.
In the 90th minute, he arched back to push Jakob Glesnes’ arcing header over the crossbar for arguably his finest stop of the match.
Just a moment later in second-half stoppage time, he intervened on what may have been an intended cross by Paintsil from the right side of the penalty area, nonetheless providing an important pair of sure hands for the visitors.
After that, he easily handled another effort from Nelson that came in at a catchable height, and punched away Reus’ free-kick service on what was the final kick of the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kevin McGonigle, Tigers pile up hits to down A's
Jul 31, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Kevin McGonigle, Gleyber Torres and Max Clark each homered and drove in two runs apiece as the Detroit Tigers notched an 8-6 victory over the Athletics on Saturday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
McGonigle had three hits on a night in which the Tigers reportedly dealt two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson each had two hits and one RBI, and Clark, Torres and Eduardo Valencia also had two hits apiece as the Tigers beat the Athletics for the second straight night. Detroit has outscored the A’s 21-7.
Framber Valdez (6-7) allowed two runs and nine hits over seven innings for the Tigers. The left-hander struck out six and walked two.
Henry Bolte had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Tommy White also had three safeties for the Athletics, who have dropped seven of eight games and 28 of 35.
White and Lawrence Butler singled to start the eighth and Kyle Finnegan retired Jeff McNeil on a flyball before Bolte crushed his three-run blast to center to pull the Athletics within 8-5.
Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth while recording his 13rd save. He allowed a leadoff double to Tyler Soderstrom and struck out the next two batters. Soderstrom, who had moved to third on a wild pitch, scored easily on McNeil’s bunt single before Bolte flew out to left to end it.
Athletics All-Star Nick Kurtz sat out due to his right thumb injury flaring up.
Jack Perkins (2-7) of the A’s was roughed up for six runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out a career-high nine and walked one.
Detroit moved ahead in the fifth as McGonigle hit a single and Torres followed with a two-run blast to right-center to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.
The Tigers added two in the sixth as Torkelson singled and Clark followed with a two-run shot to right-center. Clark, Detroit’s top prospect, is 5-for-9 with a homer after two big league games.
Torkelson hit an RBI single in the seventh to give the Tigers a 7-2 lead. McGonigle’s run-scoring in the eighth made it a six-run margin.
McGonigle hit the third pitch of the game the opposite way and over the wall in left.
Later in the inning, Keith stroked an RBI single to make it 2-0.
The Athletics got a run back in the third when Jacob Wilson singled, White reached on a two-out infield single and Butler singled in Wilson from third.
In the fourth, Bolte led off with a ground-rule double and moved to third on an infield out. He later scored on Wilson’s fielder’s choice.
–Field Level Media
