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
White Sox reinstate All-Star 1B Munetaka Murakami from IL
May 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) during warmups before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox reinstated rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami from the 10-day injured list on Friday.
Prior to striking out in his first at-bat Friday night against the Athletics, Murakami was named to the American League All-Star team as a replacement for injured Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton and announced as the eighth and final participant in the Home Run Derby.
The 26-year-old first baseman missed the previous 35 games with a strained right hamstring. The White Sox posted a 17-18 record during his absence, but pulled into a share of the AL Central lead with the Cleveland Guardians.
At the time of his injury on May 29, Murakami was tied for the American League lead in homers (20) and RBIs (41).
Murakami is batting .240 with a .938 OPS and 43 runs scored in 57 games this season with the White Sox.
Chicago optioned infielder Jacob Gonzalez, 24, to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding transaction.
The 2023 first-round pick made his MLB debut on May 31 and batted .244 with two homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
Jun 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos watches from the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed infielder Mark Vientos on the 10-day injured list on Friday because of a fractured right hand, which will not require surgery but keep him sidelined six to eight weeks.
In a corresponding move, the Mets selected the contract of shortstop Zack Short from Triple-A Syracuse. They also recalled right-hander Tobias Myers from Syracuse and designated righty Dan Hammer for assignment.
Vientos was struck on the right hand by a 92.2 mph sinker from the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha in the second inning of the Mets’ 7-3 home win on Thursday. Vientos, 26, ran for himself but did not take his place at third base in the third inning.
“It definitely sucks because I want to be with the team and play with the guys,” he said. “I’ve been hit in the hand before. I started to realize this (injury) was different when I was on first base and the hand started to feel a little numb. It was a painful feeling. … The hand was swollen and there was no way I could grip the ball.”
This season, Vientos is hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 73 games while seeing his playing time dwindling. He has played 60 games at first base, eight as designated hitter and three at third base.
In his fifth season with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, Vientos is a .234 career hitter with 65 home runs and 192 RBIs in 386 games. His best season came in 2024, when he hit .266 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in 111 games.
Short, 31, was 1-for-8 (.125) in three games earlier this season for the Mets after going 6-for-36 (.167) in 23 games with the Detroit Tigers.
He was 3-for-21 (.143) in seven games at Syracuse.
Short also appeared in 10 games with New York in 2024 and was 1-for-9 (.111). He has played for five different MLB teams since 2021.
Myers, 27, is 0-2 with one save, a 6.14 ERA, 13 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 innings over 25 games (three starts) in his first season with the Mets.
He is a career 10-10 with one save, 64 walks and 198 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings over 74 games (34 starts) with Milwaukee Brewers (2024-25) and New York.
Myers was optioned to Syracuse on Thursday when career minor leaguer Hammer, 28, was selected to the major league roster to bolster the bullpen. Hammer did not play on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rain postpones Brewers-Pirates; set for split DH on Saturday
Clear skies shine over PNC Park in Pittsburgh prior to the game between the Pirates and the Brewers getting rained out July 10, 2026. The opener of the three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers and host Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed because of rain on Friday night.
The Brewers and Pirates, who didn’t start their game on Friday after a delay of one hour and 27 minutes, will play a split doubleheader on Saturday. The makeup game begins at 12:05 p.m. ET and the first pitch of the regularly scheduled game stays at 4:05 p.m.
All-Star right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.24 ERA) was slated to start Friday night for the Pirates while the Brewers had rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.13) ready to go.
The Brewers are expected to keep rookie left-hander Shane Drohan (4-2, 2.97) in place for Saturday. The Pirates are expected to do the same with rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.82).
When Chandler started against Milwaukee on Sept. 7 last year, he surrendered nine runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings. Drohan threw four innings in relief against the Pirates on April 24 and gave up four hits and three runs (one earned).
–Field Level Media
White Sox reinstate All-Star 1B Munetaka Murakami from IL
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
