Sports
Suns hope Bradley Beal's return provides boost vs. Grizzlies
Feb 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) defends Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images The Phoenix Suns enter Tuesday’s game against the host Memphis Grizzlies hoping to reverse a recent slump and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Suns have lost eight of their last 10 games, including Sunday’s 127-109 setback to the Toronto Raptors.
“We’ve got to find ways to get wins,” Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Budenholzer hopes Bradley Beal’s recent return to the starting lineup will be a catalyst. Beal was benched Jan. 6 against Philadelphia but was re-inserted into the starting five Saturday at Chicago. Beal had 25 points, including a key 3-pointer late in the contest, to help the Suns to a 121-117 victory.
Beal playing with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker appears to be the Suns’ strongest option, according to Budenholzer.
“If we can get the right rhythm and find the right opportunities offensively and have all three of those guys be aggressive and attacking, I think that’s potentially when we can be at our best,” Budenholzer said.
Beal returned to the starting lineup in favor over Tyus Jones. In Sunday’s loss to Toronto, Beal scored 30 points in a team-high 41 minutes.
Durant said in order to reverse the team’s recent struggles, there will have to be some improvements defensively. He said the Suns have made matters difficult because they have not been successful at preventing scoring runs.
“That’s usually how the game goes,” Durant said. “(Opponents) go off and just go on a flurry against us. Sometimes it’s hard to bounce back when teams score a lot of points in a row. I’ve got to bring it if I want us to win.”
Durant managed only 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field against Toronto. He missed each of his five 3-point tries.
Memphis also has encountered a rough stretch. The Grizzlies have dropped three of their past four, including Sunday’s 129-123 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The only win during the past four games came Friday at Orlando, but it required an 11-1 run to finish the game.
While Memphis never let Sunday’s game against one of the NBA’s top teams get out of hand, the Grizzlies were undone by allowing 22 offensive rebounds. Those offensive rebounds led to 31 points by the Cavaliers.
“It doomed us,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
The tendency to allow an inordinate number of offensive rebounds has been an issue this season, and Jenkins said it must be addressed before it becomes a bigger problem. Cleveland entered the game ranked 22nd in offensive rebounds with 10.6 per game, yet the Cavs grabbed 46.8 percent of their missed shots against Memphis. The Grizzlies after Sunday ranked 25th in offense boards allowed (12.1 per game).
“We scored 123 against an elite defense,” Jenkins said. “You just can’t give a team 31 freebies. You can’t have it. This has to be something we address and own even more because it can be an Achilles’ heel for us if we want to get where we can get to as a team.”
The Grizzlies have been getting more consistent efforts from guard Ja Morant, who has endured an injury-plagued season.
He scored 21 points against the Cavaliers and added 10 assists with only one turnover. Morant has scored 20 or more points in three of the team’s past four games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hunter Brown in control, Astros down White Sox for 5th straight
Jul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Hunter Brown allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and Isaac Paredes drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the host Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Jeremy Pena was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Paredes 2-for 4 for the Astros, who have won five straight, including the first two of the three-game weekend series.
The White Sox, who managed five hits, have lost three of their last four.
They threatened in the eighth with runners on second and third and two out, but reliever Bennett Sousa replaced Bryan Abreu and got pinch hitter Randall Grichuk on a pop up to first.
After Colson Montgomery’s RBI single in the ninth, Josh Hader came in to get the last two outs for his 12th save.
Brown (2-1) finished strong, setting down 12 consecutive batters from the fourth through seventh innings. The right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out seven as he fired 60 strikes in 90 pitches.
Chicago starter Sean Burke (7-5) surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits in six innings with a walk and 10 strikeouts.
It was a 0-0 pitcher’s duel through five with Burke also retiring 12 in a row, from the second through the fifth, but heading for trouble.
The streak was broken when Burke hit Cam Smith leading off the sixth. Pena’s single and a walk to Yordan Alvarez loaded the bases. Paredes then grounded a single to right that got past right fielder Braden Montgomery for an error that also allowed Alvarez to score, for a 3-0 Houston lead, and Paredes to reach third.
Burke then limited the damage by getting Jose Altuve on a groundout and striking out LaMonte Wade Jr. and Christian Walker.
Paredes added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 4-0.
White Sox left fielder Sam Antonnaci robbed Paredes, who was leading off the fourth, of a likely home run with a leaping catch of Paredes’ long drive by pulling the ball in just above the fence.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Robert Gasser holds Rockies in check as Brewers win
Jul 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Robert Gasser (54) delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Cooper Pratt homered and drove in three runs, Robert Gasser tossed six solid innings, and the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Saturday night.
Luis Lara had two hits and also drove in three runs, Jake Bauers contributed two hits and scored three times and Brice Turang added two hits for Milwaukee.
The Brewers have won four of five games from Colorado this season, with the teams wrapping up the 2026 schedule Sunday.
Gasser (3-4), in his first career start against the Rockies, allowed two runs on five hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Jake McCarthy extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a single and Kyle Karros had two hits for Colorado.
The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Bauers led off with a walk, stole second and went to third on a groundout. Lara drove him in with a sacrifice fly and Pratt hit a solo home run, his second of the season.
Colorado rallied to tie it in the fourth.
Karros led off with a single, Cole Carrigg doubled and Hunter Goodman followed with a two-run single.
Milwaukee went back in front in the bottom of the inning when Pratt drove in Bauers with a single, and then broke it open in the sixth inning.
William Contreras and Bauers started the rally with singles, chasing starter Ryan Feltner (3-5), who allowed five runs on nine hits in five-plus innings. Juan Mejia walked Garrett Mitchell to load the bases and Lara drove in two with a double to left.
Pratt’s sacrifice fly made it 6-2 and Rockies catcher Braxton Fulford’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt at third allowed Lara to come home. The Brewers tacked on a run in the eighth on Christian Yelich’s sacrifice fly.
But Colorado mounted a rally in the ninth. The Rockies loaded the bases on two walks and a fielder’s choice, and McCarthy drove in two with a single. Trevor Megill gave up an RBI single to Karros before striking out Carrigg to earn his 17th save.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nathan Eovaldi leads Rangers to another win over Mariners
Jul 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers a pitch to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven strong innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the visiting Seattle Mariners 7-1 Saturday night in Arlington, Texas. to increase their lead over the defending American League West champions to 2 1/2 games.
The top three batters in Texas’ order — Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford and Ezequiel Duran — went a combined 8-for-13 with three doubles, a triple, three RBIs and four runs. The Rangers have won the first two games of the four-game series.
Eovaldi allowed one run on three hits — a one-out single by J.P. Crawford in the third then a two-out single by Luke Raley followed by a double to right by Crawford to score Seattle’s lone run in the fifth. The veteran right-hander walked one and struck out eight.
The Rangers scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second against Seattle’s Bryan Woo (7-7), whose road woes continued.
In the first, Langford lined a one-out double to right field and Duran followed with a liner that eluded a diving center fielder Raley and rolled all the way to the wall for a run-scoring triple. Following a walk to Brandon Nimmo, Evan Carter doubled down the left field line to score Duran. Nicky Lopez’s groundout to short scored the third run.
Woo retired the first two batters in the second on a total of three pitchers before Pederson grounded a single to right and stole second. Langford hit a run-scoring double to left and Duran lined an RBI single to center to make it 5-0.
Woo gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. The right-hander dropped to 1-7 in away games this season with a 6.52 ERA.
The Rangers added two runs in the seventh. Carter drew a two-out walk off Cole Wilcox, who was replaced by Nick Davila. Carter advanced to second on a balk and Lopez walked. Alejandro Osuna doubled to center, scoring both runners.
–Field Level Media
Hunter Brown in control, Astros down White Sox for 5th straight
Robert Gasser holds Rockies in check as Brewers win
