Sports
Reds blank Cubs behind Hunter Greene’s 12 strikeouts
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a pitch in the first inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, Friday, July 10, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. Elly De La Cruz and JJ Bleday homered, Hunter Greene tossed seven strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds opened a three-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 4-0 win on Friday.
De La Cruz hit a solo homer and tripled for Cincinnati, which out-hit the Cubs 13-4 and won for just the fourth time in its last 12 games. Bleday slugged a two-run homer and Spencer Steer had three hits.
Greene (1-1) yielded three hits and struck out 12 batters with one walk in his second start back from elbow surgery in March. He threw 68 of his 93 pitches for strikes.
Brock Burke and Emilio Pagan each pitched a scoreless inning to help Cincinnati complete its sixth shutout of the season.
Seiya Suzuki had two hits for Chicago, which struck out 16 times and was blanked for the ninth time this season.
De La Cruz ended Cincinnati’s 15-inning scoreless drought with a leadoff homer in the fifth inning against Shota Imanaga (5-8). The 400-foot liner was his 15th homer of the season.
Greene allowed just two hits through an efficient first six innings. The Cubs put two runners on with one out in the seventh before Nico Hoerner lined out and Michael Conforto struck out.
Imanaga allowed one run on seven hits over five innings while throwing a season-high 102 pitches. He walked one and struck out five.
The Reds were held scoreless in the sixth against Trent Thornton before tacking on three runs in the seventh.
Jake Woodford made his Cubs debut to start the seventh and allowed De La Cruz’s one-out triple. De La Cruz scored on Sal Stewart’s sacrifice fly and Steer singled in front of Bleday, who homered to right field.
Bleday’s 417-foot blast was his 15th homer of the season.
Steer made his first career start in center field for Cincinnati, which placed Matt McLain on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain prior to the game. Reds third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was activated from the injured list and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers rack up runs late to win sixth straight, down Phillies
Jul 10, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Kevin McGonigle and Spencer Torkelson hit two-run homers and the streaking Detroit Tigers powered past the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, on Friday.
Colt Keith added a solo shot in Detroit’s sixth straight victory and ninth in its last 10 games. Riley Greene reached base four times and scored twice, while James Outman supplied a two-run triple. Eduardo Valencia added two hits and an RBI in his second major league game.
Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (3-8) held the Phillies to two runs and two hits with three walks and six strikeouts in six innings. Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola gave up two runs and three hits with eight strikeouts in five innings.
Derek Hill led the Phillies offense with three hits, including a solo homer, and two RBIs.
The Phillies struck first as Hill blasted a 427-foot shot over the center field wall to lead off the third. The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the inning on McGonigle’s homer.
Jake Rogers drew a one-out walk before McGonigle smacked a Nola sinker to the opposite field, just clearing the left field wall.
Philadelphia tied the contest in the fourth. Bryce Harper led off with a walk and Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch with one out. Bryson Stott walked to load the bases but Flaherty then struck out Gabriel Rincones Jr. Hill followed with a single that drove in Harper.
Detroit took control in the sixth against Tim Mayza (2-3). Greene and Matt Vierling walked and Valencia, who homered in his first major league at-bat on Thursday, drove in Greene with a single.
Zach McKinstry laid down a bunt and Mayza made a wild throw to first as Vierling scored. Outman then ripped a Mayza offering into the right-center field gap for a stand-up triple, knocking in Valencia and McKinstry. Outman scored on a balk to make it 7-2.
The Tigers padded their lead in the seventh against Max Lazar. Keith led off with a homer to right. Greene drew his third walk of the game before Torkelson clubbed his 16th homer over the left-center field wall for a 10-2 advantage.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Samuel Basallo powers Orioles past Royals with late HR
Jul 7, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) hits a single in the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images Samuel Basallo hit a two-run tiebreaking home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the host Baltimore Orioles to a 5-3 victory against the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Blaze Alexander homered in the fourth inning and was the only Oriole with two hits as they totaled nine. Baltimore has won back-to-back games following a three-game losing streak.
Pete Alonso greeted Royals reliever Matt Strahm to begin the eighth with a single and Basallo followed with his 15th homer of the season on a 2-2 slider.
Right-hander Rico Garcia (4-1) notched the victory with one inning of relief, though Baltimore starter Brandon Young did much of the heavy lifting by working seven-plus innings. Andrew Kittredge posted his third save — and second in as many days — by pitching the ninth despite giving up Michael Massey’s one-out double.
Jac Caglianone and Isaac Collins homered for the Royals, who lost their third game in a row and for the seventh time in their last 10 games. Josh Rojas joined Caglianone and Collins with two hits apiece as Kansas City totaled nine.
Royals starter Luinder Avila gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Left-hander Strahm (3-2), the third Kansas City reliever, took the loss.
Young allowed three runs on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
The Orioles scored first on back-to-back run-scoring singles by Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson in the second inning.
Caglianone led off the fourth with his 15th home run of the season. The Royals pulled even later in the inning on Rojas’ two-out double.
Baltimore regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Alexander’s one-out solo homer. Alexander’s fourth long ball of the season was his first since June 21 and just his second extra-base hit since that date.
Collins’ fifth homer of the year tied the score again leading off the eighth.
The Orioles left six runners on base, all through the opening five innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rays use homers, stellar pitching, Taylor Walls' glove to defeat M's
Jul 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Taylor Walls (6) gets an out against Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez posted his eighth win on the day he was named to his first All-Star team, and the Rays opened the final series before the break with a 7-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The 35-year-old right-hander replaced injured Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez on the American League squad for Tuesday’s game, then went out and tossed 5 1/3 innings, yielding two runs on four hits. Martinez (8-2) fanned one and walked one.
Junior Caminero went 2-for-4 with a homer — his 28th of the year and 13th in 17 games — a double, two RBIs, two runs and a walk.
Victor Mesa Jr. (homer), Jonathan Aranda (double) and Chandler Simpson had three hits apiece, while Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins each went deep.
Cole Young hit a home run, and J.P. Crawford was 2-for-4 with a run as Seattle lost its fourth straight.
Starter Luis Castillo (3-8) allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out four with one walk.
After leaving four men on base in the first two frames, the home side cashed in after Caminero lashed a double into the left field corner. Following his advancing to third, Simpson grounded a single through Castillo’s legs and off the second base bag to make it 1-0.
Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls saved a run in the fourth after Crawford’s leadoff double. With one out, Walls made a diving snag of Dominic Canzone’s grounder at the edge of the outfield and tossed him out, preventing Crawford from scoring. Martinez then whiffed Cal Raleigh.
Palacios jumped on a 94 mph four-seam fastball from Castillo in the bottom of the fourth, belting it out to right for his third homer to double the lead.
However, Young ripped his 11th shot on a 1-2 changeup well below the zone to make it 2-1 in the fifth.
Mullins continued the home run barrage by swatting Castillo’s slider to right for his 11th long ball, and Mesa tagged another slider to right for a 4-1 advantage.
After Canzone’s RBI fielder’s choice cut it to 4-2 in the sixth, Tampa Bay scored three times on Caminero’s two-run slice shot down the right field line and Walls’ sacrifice fly.
–Field Level Media
