Sports
Padres try to bounce back after tough road loss vs. Royals
Jul 17, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; San Diego Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar (41) slides into second base with an RBI double against Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) in the tenth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Struggles on the road have played a key role in the San Diego Padres’ disappointing season.
They’ll look to rebound from a heartbreaking defeat at Kansas City by trying to even a three-game set with the Royals on Saturday afternoon.
San Diego entered this week’s All-Star break at 48-48 but had won five of eight games. Back in action Friday, the Padres forced extra innings with Ty France’s tying solo homer in the ninth inning, then scored three times in the 10th to lead 6-3.
However, the Royals scored four times in the bottom of the frame, capped by Carter Jensen’s two-run, walk-off single to snap their five-game losing streak with a 7-6 win.
San Diego owned a 16-8 road record on May 29 but is 5-17 away from home since then. The Padres’ only winning road series during that stretch came when the team took two of three at Baltimore from June 12-14.
“The sun comes out tomorrow,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “We get to play in the major leagues. … Hopefully, (the loss Friday night) will make us tougher. It’s about bouncing back.”
Despite the result Friday, San Diego’s Miguel Andujar and Fernando Tatis Jr. each had three hits. Meanwhile, France is batting .347 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in his past 15 games.
He’s also hit .367 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 40 career games against the Royals.
San Diego’s Griffin Canning (1-7, 6.47 ERA) is scheduled to make his second straight start after bouncing between the rotation and a bulk-inning option since the middle of June. The right-hander has not completed five innings since June 12 but owns a 3.46 ERA in his last three outings.
Most recently, on July 9 against Arizona, Canning yielded seven hits over 4 2/3 innings, but only two runs without a walk, in a 3-1 loss.
Canning, 30, who spent his first five major league seasons in the American League with the Los Angeles Angels, has gone 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA in five career starts against the Royals.
Kansas City is last in the AL Central and has won just five times in its past 18 games. However, the Royals have won three straight games at home and feel confident following their resilient victory Friday.
“It’s big; obviously, we want to get some momentum here,” said Kansas City second baseman Michael Massey, who had three hits with two RBIs in the series opener. “The first half (of the season) didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. No better way to get it started than the first game (out of the All-Star break).”
Massey is batting .385 with six RBIs in his last eight games, and Jensen is hitting .310 with 10 RBIs in his past 14 contests.
Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr. is coming off his All-Star Game start, but he is 0-for-6 vs. Canning.
The Royals’ Randy Dobnak (0-0, 1.86 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start since 2021 on Saturday. Since being acquired from Seattle last month, the right-hander has been used as a bulk-inning option while logging 9 2/3 in two appearances for the Royals.
This will be his first career appearance against the Padres.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros SS Jeremy Pena, 1B Christian Walker exit with injuries
Jun 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) receives congratulations from first baseman Christian Walker (8) after scoring tenth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena and first baseman Christian Walker departed with injuries on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Pena displayed discomfort during his second plate appearance against Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers before striking out in the bottom of the third inning. Pena, visited by Astros manager Joe Espada and a member of the training staff during the at-bat, was replaced defensively by Nick Allen for the top of the fourth.
The Astros announced that Pena sustained a hamstring cramp. He missed 32 games earlier this season with a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
Walker was visited by Espada and a trainer during his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth. He departed immediately and was replaced by pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. According to the club, Walker left with right hip tightness.
This season, Pena has posted six home runs, 22 RBIs and .357 on-base percentage in 52 games. Walker has recorded 20 home runs and 58 RBIs in 97 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trea Turner, Jesus Luzardo lead Phillies past Mets
Jul 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trea Turner (7) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Trea Turner had a home run among his three hits and scored three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting New York Mets 6-1 Saturday in the middle game of a three-game series between the National League East rivals.
Kyle Schwarber gave the Phillies a lead they’d never relinquish with a two-run homer in the first inning as Philadelphia avoided dropping two in a row for the first time since July 5-6, and what would have been just the second time since June 17-18.
Turner homered in the fifth — his second round-tripper in as many games — and Alec Bohm followed with an RBI single in same inning before Bryce Harper capped the scoring with a two-run single in the sixth.
Bohm, J.T. Realmuto and Edmundo Sosa finished with two hits each while Turner added a stolen base.
Tyrone Taylor homered in the second and had two hits for the Mets, who have lost eight of 13 this month. A.J. Ewing singled for New York’s only other hit.
All-Star Jesus Luzardo (9-4) earned the win after giving up one run on two hits — both by Taylor — and two walks while striking out seven over five innings. Luzardo, who threw a perfect inning in Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic, has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last four starts and eight times in his last 12 outings dating back to May 14.
Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado followed with an inning apiece before Chase Shugart retired the final six batters.
Mets starter Sean Manaea (2-5) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings.
Weather impacted the game for the second straight time. The start of the game was moved up an hour to 3:05 EDT due to thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening forecast before a rain delay of about 45 minutes in the bottom of the seventh.
The first pitch of Thursday’s series opener was also moved up an hour due to the poor air quality due to the smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting throughout the northeast United States.
–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
Astros SS Jeremy Pena, 1B Christian Walker exit with injuries
Trea Turner, Jesus Luzardo lead Phillies past Mets
