Sports
Thunder out to remain perfect, win 13th straight over Blazers
Oct 27, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after dunking against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images The Oklahoma City Thunder have dominated the Portland Trail Blazers in recent seasons, including a historic 62-point victory last January.
The Thunder strive to keep the success going and increase their winning streak over Portland to 13 games when they visit the Trail Blazers on Friday night.
The 139-77 victory on Jan. 11 tied for the fifth-largest defeat in NBA history and is the second-worst loss in Trail Blazers’ history. Portland shot 27.7 percent from the field.
That wasn’t the lone massive beatdown during the Thunder’s four victories last season. Oklahoma City also posted a 134-91 road win on Nov. 19, 2023.
Portland’s most recent victory in the series was a 133-85 home rout on April 3, 2021, when Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were still the Trail Blazers’ starting backcourt.
Oklahoma City, of course, is a much different team 3 1/2 seasons later and has won its first four games this season by an average of 17.5 points. The Thunder are the lone undefeated team in the Western Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers in the East are also unbeaten.
The Thunder kept their strong start going Wednesday with a 105-93 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Oklahoma City big man Chet Holmgren decidedly won his matchup with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.
Holmgren had 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Wembanyama had just six points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Holmgren wasn’t moved by his domination, saying hype about the matchup is fueled by the NBA’s promotion arm. Wembanyama won NBA Rookie of the Year honors last season while Holmgren was the runner-up.
“Because the NBA is a business, and the league has been built around players playing basketball,” Holmgren said. “It’s about getting people to come and watch the games. That’s one of the ways they do it: by advertising the players. I just see it as a form of advertisement. It doesn’t change what our mission is. We’re trying to win the basketball games. The NBA is gonna handle the business around it.”
Holmgren is averaging 22.5 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 blocks through four games.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged more than 30 points per game each of the past two seasons, is averaging a team-leading 26 through four games. He is also contributing 7.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks.
Jalen Williams is also off to a strong start with averages of 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The contest is the first of a road back-to-back for the Thunder. They visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Portland faced the Clippers on the road Wednesday and nabbed a 106-105 victory.
Anfernee Simons scored 25 points for his third 20-point outing of the season. He is averaging a team-best 20.6 points and is second with five assists per game.
Big man Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 12 rebounds and also made a key steal by intercepting a last-second lob toward the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac.
“There’s no better way to win a game than with your defense, in my opinion,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said.
Ayton has recorded five straight double-doubles to start the season.
“When D.A. is playing like that, it helps us out so much,” Simons said. “He was playing with a lot of energy, rolling to the basket and getting easy putbacks off misses and that’s what we need from him every night.”
Jerami Grant has experienced back-to-back poor efforts after averaging 26 points over his first three games. He had just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in a 111-98 road loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday and eight points on 3-of-14 shooting against the Clippers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
After two walk-off losses, Cardinals eager to rebound in matchup vs. Angels
Jul 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images After suffering their second consecutive walk-off loss, the St. Louis Cardinals will turn to Opening Day starter Matthew Liberatore when they face the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
St. Louis, on the heels of blowing a 7-0 lead in a 10-inning, 8-7 defeat at Arizona on Sunday, saw the Angels rally to win the series opener 3-2 on Monday.
The Cardinals appeared to be in good shape heading into the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 lead, especially after All-Star closer Riley O’Brien struck out Mike Trout to open the frame. The Angels were 0-48 this season when trailing after eight innings.
But Nolan Schanuel followed with a single and Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch. Vaughn Grissom then lined a double off the top of the right-field fence, missing a home run by inches, to drive in pinch runner Oswald Peraza with the tying run.
After Josh Lowe was intentionally walked to load the bases, O’Brien plunked Jo Adell with a 3-0 sinker to drive in the winning run.
It marked the Angels’ first walk-off win via a hit-by-pitch since Hank Conger was hit on April 11, 2014.
“That’s one of those where you don’t feel it getting hit right there,” said Adell, who snapped an 0-for-24 slump with a solo homer earlier. “Good stuff.”
O’Brien said: “Just didn’t have a good feel for the ball today.”
Despite the loss, St. Louis remained in a tie with Miami and Pittsburgh for the final wild-card spot in the National League.
Liberatore (5-6, 5.00 ERA), who has won two of his last three starts during a roller-coaster season, comes in off his finest outing of 2026. The left-hander allowed four hits over six shutout innings in a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on July 11, walking one and striking out six.
Liberatore has allowed just four earned runs over 16 innings in his last three starts. A big focus has been curtailing big innings.
“That was something that was a theme over a couple starts,” Liberatore said. “I think over the last few starts, I’ve done a much better job of that. Not to say it’s never going to happen again, but I think some of the discussions that we had and adjustments that were made helped me navigate through those moments.”
Liberatore is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in two career starts against the Angels.
Rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (5-7, 2.88 ERA) will try to pitch Los Angeles to a series win.
Urena, who has never faced the Cardinals, last started in a 13-1 win on July 8 at Texas and had a lukewarm performance. He allowed one hit over four shutout innings but walked a career-high five batters. He didn’t get a chance to go back out for the fifth inning to earn the win even though the Angels had a 7-0 lead because he already had thrown 90 pitches, just 52 for strikes.
“It wasn’t the best, man,” Urena said afterward. “My command wasn’t the best today. Walks. Behind in counts always. But I got lucky.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros' Tatsuya Imai eager to regain form vs. slumping Marlins
Jul 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Before reinstating pitchers Ronel Blanco and Bennett Sousa from the 60-day injured list, the Houston Astros executed a surprising roster move by demoting reliever Bryan King to Triple-A Sugar Land following their loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Blanco made his season debut in the Astros’ 8-5 interleague victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday. Sousa, a left-handed reliever like King, got loose in the bullpen during the fifth inning but did not enter the game. It would have marked the first appearance for Sousa since May 4.
Sousa could be called on Tuesday night in Houston, when the Astros will look to secure a series victory over the Marlins.
King allowed one run during a sterling stretch of 17 appearances between May 29 and July 7, finishing 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA. His last four outings were ineffective, with King going 0-2 with a 14.40 ERA and a blown save. He allowed five homers across five innings before his demotion.
“Just go work on some stuff,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of the directive for King. “He has that invisible fastball, especially against righties. Trying to get it to not be so much general in the plate, kind of look for certain areas that he can get some swing and miss.
“Huge improvement with his slider, especially against lefties. But we gave him a plan, an objective to go down there and work on some stuff.”
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai (5-4, 6.06 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Tuesday.
Imai had a rough close to the first half of his first season in the majors, going 0-1 with a 12.60 ERA while logging only five innings over his final two starts before the All-Star break. He was 3-0 with a 5.09 ERA in four starts last month with 30 strikeouts and just five walks in 17 2/3 innings.
Imai will make his first career appearance against the Marlins. In two interleague starts this season, he is 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA.
Right-hander Tyler Phillips (2-4, 3.48) has the starting assignment for the Marlins. It will mark the 10th start and 26th appearance of the season for Phillips, with his nine previous starts coming in his past 10 appearances.
Phillips is 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA as a starter this season, including a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on July 12 when he allowed two runs on two hits and one walk with one strikeout in one inning.
He will make his first career start against the Astros. He is 4-2 with a 5.15 ERA in 28 career interleague appearances (eight starts).
The Marlins entered the series with Houston locked in a three-way tie with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates for the third wild card in the National League, despite carrying a six-game skid into Monday.
After roaring into contention by winning 26 of 34 games from June 1 through July 9, the Marlins are laboring to find the form that left them a season-high 10 games over .500 just 11 days ago. They are now 52-49.
“I look at it like this stretch of games and losing, over the course of an entire season, unfortunately it happens on multiple occasions,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Right now we’re going through it, and I think myself and our coaches are just much more concerned with getting our guys back to playing a better brand of baseball, at least to give us a chance to win.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nationals' potent offense ready to back Miles Mikolas vs. Rockies
Jul 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Daylen Lile (4) runs to third on an RBI triple in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Miles Mikolas and the rest of the Washington Nationals pitching staff have benefited this season from the run-scoring prowess displayed by their team.
After all, how many starters can give up seven runs in an outing and still earn the victory?
Mikolas (3-7, 5.53 ERA) did on July 6 in Houston, when he got the credit for the 12-11 win against the Astros despite giving up seven earned runs in six innings. And he’ll be counting on the dynamic Washington offense again Tuesday night when he faces the Colorado Rockies in the second game of a three-game series in Denver.
The Nationals took the opener, 7-3, on Monday night.
The 12 runs in that Mikolas start against the Astros weren’t an anomaly for Washington. The Nationals scored 23 runs in their first game out of the All-Star break and are averaging 11.7 runs in their three victories since play resumed.
Washington leads the majors with 147 home runs after hitting three more on Monday to have the highest-scoring offense in baseball with 552 runs.
“They do such a good job of having a plan when they go up to bat every time, and they execute that plan,” manager Blake Butera said. “And then, pretty good idea of how each pitcher’s going to attack them and where they need to look and what they need to look for to have success, and they stick to that.”
Mikolas could use the support in his 10th career game against the Rockies. In the first nine — seven starts — he is 1-1 with a 7.91 ERA.
Colorado right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.22) hopes the Rockies’ bats will be awake in his team-leading 21st start of the season. Lorenzen struggled early in the season but has been steady in his last seven starts, going 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA, and he has allowed just one home run in his past four outings.
He is making his 17th appearance — sixth start — against the Nationals in his career. His career record against Washington is 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA.
Lorenzen could be showing his stuff for a prospective Colorado trade partner. The Rockies, who have the worst record in the majors (40-62) entering play on Tuesday, have started dealing well ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, sending hard-throwing right-hander Seth Halvorsen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of minor league players.
There are a few Colorado players more than likely to stay, including first baseman TJ Rumfield, who has been one of the best rookies in the NL this season. He is batting .296 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs and had a career-high four hits in Saturday’s win over Cincinnati.
His batting average leads all rookies on the season, and he is in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation.
“TJ’s making a very strong case for that (award), but he’s got another 60 games to go,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “So no let up.”
–Field Level Media
After two walk-off losses, Cardinals eager to rebound in matchup vs. Angels
Gritt exits stealth with $32 million for robots to build solar plants — then, everything else
