Carla Leite scored a team-high 20 points as the expansion Portland Fire defeated the host Seattle Storm 77-72 Saturday night in the first meeting between the WNBA’s Pacific Northwest rivals at Climate Pledge Arena.

Bridget Carleton scored 14 points and Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Fire (9-12), which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Portland’s Emily Engstler and Frieda Buhner combined for 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Dominique Malonga led the Storm (5-17) with 22 points. Natisha Hiedeman scored 15 and rookie Awa Fam added 12. Seattle remained winless in 12 games against Western Conference foes.

Fam made a 3-pointer from the left corner with 6:29 remaining to pull the Storm within 61-58. The Fire answered with a 5-0 run, capped by Carleton’s three-point play, to maintain command.

Malonga made two free throws with 2:39 left as Seattle again pulled within three, but Carleton made a driving, second-chance layup after an offensive rebound by Gustafson with 1:48 left. Gustafson sank a lay-in and free throw with 1:04 to go to put Portland up 71-63.

Malonga made a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, but Portland clinched the victory at the free-throw line.

The Fire made 36.8% of their field-goal attempts (25 of 68), but were just 4 of 25 from 3-point range. The Storm shot 33.8% (24 of 71) from the floor and were 8 of 29 from distance. Portland outrebounded Seattle 47-31 despite a size disadvantage inside.

After leading by two at the half, the Fire began pulling away late in the third.

Gustafson’s 3-pointer broke a 38-all tie with 6:01 left in the quarter to give Portland the lead for good. Buhner scored seven points in a 9-3 run to put the Fire up by seven and they took a 54-47 lead into the fourth.

The Fire opened the second quarter with an 8-0 streak as Leite converted a three-point play and Engstler added a 3-pointer and a driving layup to pull Portland within 20-18. The teams traded the lead until late layups by Engstler and Barker broke a tie and helped the Fire take a 32-30 lead at the intermission.

Hiedeman scored nine points in the first as the Storm took a 20-10 lead. Portland shot just 2 for 16 in the opening quarter, including missing all eight of its 3-point attempts.

–Field Level Media

The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will have four hitters in the National League’s starting lineup when the world’s best players gather July 14 in Philadelphia for the 96th All-Star Game.

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who received the most votes among National League players to guarantee his sixth consecutive All-Star spot last week, learned Saturday that he will be joined in the lineup by first baseman Freddie Freeman, third baseman Max Muncy and center fielder Andy Pages.

“I wanted to participate, but that wasn’t in my control. I didn’t want to put it out there until I knew it was for sure,” Pages said in Spanish, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “It’s exciting to be able to participate in my first one. I’m really proud of the work that I’ve been doing and to have the opportunity.”

Fans and players also elected Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies, Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto as starters. Baldwin, Marsh and Pages are first-time all-stars.

Baldwin said he got called into the office by Braves general manager and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and manager Walt Weiss, who asked him if he had plans for the All-Star break.

“I was like, ‘I don’t have anything.’ And they’re like, ‘well, you’re going to Philly,'” Baldwin said. “It’s pretty cool. It’s something you always watch growing up. And then being able to do this for the first time is, I’m super excited for it. And it’s pretty special to see some of the hard work, it’s paying off.”

The American League starting lineup features a mix of perpetual All-Stars and new faces. The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton comprise the AL’s outfield, though Judge (rib stress fracture) likely won’t be available and Trout (strained right hamstring) might not be activated from the injured list in time to play.

Trout was voted in for a 12th time and 11th as a starter to lead all active players, but injuries have marred his career including a torn meniscus in the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. The three-time AL MVP and All-Star Game MVP in 2014 and 2015 hasn’t been able to play in the game since 2019. Playing this year in Philadelphia, not far from his hometown of Millville, N.J., adding another layer to the selection.

“It was definitely on my list when it came out, so it’s pretty cool,” Trout said. “Just the kids, friends, family. It just means a lot.”

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, who was elected to the 2014 All-Star Game with Trout, noted Trout has been a fan of Philadelphia sports teams since his youth.

“He’s been to it a lot of times, but I know this one meant a lot to him, obviously being in Philly,” Suzuki said. “Just how hard he’s worked to get to this spot. I played with Mike for two years. I appreciated the way he went about it. But now being a manager and seeing how he goes about it and what he means to the team, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”

Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement make their All-Star Game debuts alongside Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez.

Guerrero, a six-time All-Star, announced Saturday that he will miss the game to rest his injured lower back. The Athletics’ Nick Kurtz, who had the most votes for AL first basemen on the players’ ballots, now will start instead of being a reserve. That makes this All-Star Game the first to have two Athletics players start — Langeliers and Kurtz — since Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson in 1991.

The unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in 2025, Kurtz is from Lancaster, Pa., making the game in Philadelphia even more special. He led the Athletics with a .282 batting average, 66 RBIs, 76 walks, 89 hits, a .424 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage, and was tied with Langeliers with 20 home runs entering Saturday night’s home game against the Miami Marlins.

Alvarez cracked his league-high 28th and 29th home runs on Saturday night against Tampa Bay while Caminero delivered his 11th blast in the Rays’ last 11 games to move his home run total to 26 for the year.

Clement, who owns a .293 batting average and .746 OPS for the 42-47 Blue Jays, received the most fan votes to become the first AL player to secure his spot in the lineup. Langeliers is the first A’s catcher selected to start since Terry Steinbach made consecutive starts in 1988 and 1989.

The American League pitching staff features 11 hurlers making either their first or second All-Star Game appearance. Only Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman (ninth selection) knows the ropes extensively.

Toronto’s Dylan Cease, Cleveland’s Parker Messick, Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen, Minnesota’s Joe Ryan, New York’s Cam Schlittler, Boston’s Ranger Suarez and Kansas City’s Michael Wacha are the starters selected while Chapman is joined in the bullpen by Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker, Texas’ Jacob Latz, Cleveland’s Cade Smith and Toronto’s Louis Varland.

The NL staff features slightly more experience as Atlanta ace Chris Sale (10th selection) is the only pitcher with more than three All-Star Games on his resume. Cincinnati’s Chase Burns, Miami’s Max Meyer, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez, Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, San Francisco’s Logan Webb and Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto join Sale on the starting staff.

San Diego closer Mason Miller leads a bullpen that includes Philadelphia’s Jhoan Duran and Atlanta’s Raisel Iglesias.

In addition to Marsh, Sanchez and Duran, Phillies fans will get to cheer for first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber as reserves. Harper (ninth All-Star appearance) was deemed a “legend pick” while Schwarber leads the majors with 30 homers.

The National League bench consists of catchers William Contreras (Milwaukee) and Hunter Goodman (Colorado), first baseman Matt Olson (Atlanta), shortstop Otto Lopez (Miami), utility infielders Luis Arraez (San Francisco) and Sal Stewart (Cincinnati) and outfielders Corbin Carroll (Arizona), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Jordan Walker (St. Louis) and James Wood (Washington).

The American League reserves are catchers Dillon Dingler (Detroit) and Adley Rutschman (Baltimore), designated hitter Yandy Diaz (Tampa Bay), first basemen Ben Rice (Yankees) and Kurtz, rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana (Cleveland), rookie shortstop/third baseman Kevin McGonigle (Detroit), third baseman Miguel Vargas (White Sox) and outfielders Randy Arozarena (Seattle), Cody Bellinger (Yankees) and Riley Greene (Detroit).

The Phillies, Dodgers and Braves boast the most All-Stars with five apiece. Twenty-six players — including 15 of the 32 players on the American League roster — are making their first All-Star appearance.

–Field Level Media

Robbie Ray won his fifth consecutive decision, Bryce Eldridge homered and the San Francisco Giants evened their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies with a 6-4 victory Saturday night in Denver.

Luis Arraez had three hits, while Sam Hentges, Dylan Smith and Caleb Kilian combined for three innings of one-run relief, allowing the Giants to keep their hopes alive of a .500 road trip with a second win in five tries.

One night after the Rockies teed off on Giants ace Logan Webb in a 15-3 Colorado victory, Ray (8-6) served up a three-run homer to Cole Carrigg in the first, but no other runs over six innings. The left-hander limited the Rockies to five hits while walking three and striking out four.

Ray hasn’t lost since May 18, a stretch of eight starts.

The Giants gave their veteran a four-run head start against Rockies rookie left-hander Sean Sullivan (0-3), a late replacement for scheduled starter Tomoyuki Sagano, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with back spasms.

An Arraez single, Casey Schmitt double and Rafael Devers walk loaded the bases for the San Francisco in the top of the first, setting the stage for an RBI infield out by Jung Hoo Lee, a two-RBI double by Willy Adames and a one-run double by Eldridge to produce four runs.

Carrigg’s homer, his fourth of the season, got the Rockies back within 4-3. But the Rockies, who ran up 18 hits in the series opener, got just five more hits and one more run the rest of the way against Ray and his three relievers.

The Giants tacked on one run apiece in the second on an RBI single by Arraez and in the third on Eldridge’s solo shot, his seventh of the season.

Sullivan worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing all six Giants runs on 12 hits. He walked two and struck out four.

The Rockies got within 6-4 in the ninth on a two-out RBI single by TJ Rumfield. But Kilian, facing the potential tying run, struck out Troy Johnston to lock down his eighth save.

Eldridge, Schmitt, Adames and Victor Bericoto had two hits apiece for the Giants, who had dropped three of their first four meetings with the Rockies this season. Six of the Giants’ 14 hits were doubles.

Hunter Goodman reached base all four times via two singles and two walks for the Rockies, who were seeking to match their season-best with a fourth straight win.

–Field Level Media