Sports
Troy Melton, opposing Orioles, attempts to end Tigers' skid
Jul 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton (52) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Dean Kremer gave up a season-high six runs in his latest start. The Baltimore Orioles right-hander will try to turn things around in the second contest of a three-game road series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.
Kremer gave up four of those runs in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday but managed to hang around for six innings.
“It was a grindy performance by Dean,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “They did a great job of having some really tough at-bats against him, being able to move the ball forward and fight off some tough pitches and get some hits, and then the pitches that were out over the plate, they did damage on. But Dean grinded through and gave us six.”
Kremer (1-3, 5.06 ERA) was making his fourth start since missing 2 1/2 months due to a quad injury. He went 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA in the prior three outings.
Kremer, 30, lost both of his starts against the Tigers last season, allowing nine runs in 12 2/3 innings. He has a 0-3 record and a 7.13 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against Detroit.
Troy Melton (5-1, 1.95 ERA) will be Kremer’s mound opponent. The 25-year-old right-hander has surrendered two runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts this season.
He dealt with control issues in his past two starts, walking four each time. Melton threw 90 pitches to get through five-plus innings against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, but he allowed just two runs on five hits.
Melton made his season debut against Baltimore on May 24 after recovering from an elbow injury. In his lone career outing against the Orioles, he permitted one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings while walking three and fanning three.
The Tigers won’t be able to stack as many left-handed batters as they would like against Kremer. Outfielder Kerry Carpenter was placed on the injured list on Monday due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Carpenter had 26 homers in 130 games in 2025 and 13 long balls through the end of June this season. Battling a heel issue, Carpenter had no extra-base hits or RBIs in 52 July at-bats while batting .115.
Right-handed-hitting Eduardo Valencia was called up from Triple-A Toledo to take Carpenter’s spot on the active roster.
“It’s always a balance act,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’ve seen Hao-Yu Lee (a right-handed hitter) step up against right-handed pitching and not be as much of a platoon decision for us in his role. And there are things we can changes series by series if we need to.”
The Orioles took the series opener 8-5 on Monday thanks in large part to the production of Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday. Mayo hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs. Holliday delivered a four-hit game and scored twice for Baltimore, which has alternated losses and wins for six games.
The Tigers have dropped three straight games. The margin of victory on Monday marked the first time in five games that a Detroit outcome wasn’t decided by a single run.
Lee, who drove in two runs on Monday, will carry a 12-game hitting streak into the Tuesday contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brandon Lowe's heroics help Pirates down Diamondbacks in 10
Jul 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) receives a water bath after hitting an RBI single to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Brandon Lowe’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Billy Cook and propelled the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
The Pirates drew even with the Diamondbacks for the final National League wild-card spot, dealing Arizona its third loss in a row.
Lowe’s game-winner off Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Clarke (2-2) was a liner that got past first baseman Ildemaro Vargas. Lowe finished with three hits and two RBIs.
Endy Rodriguez, who was activated from the 10-day injured list pregame after recovering from a left glute strain, singled to right to open the 10th, putting runners on the corners with no outs.
Jake Mangum grounded to second base, and Billy Cook was caught in a rundown between third and home. But Cook bought enough time and made it back to third just as Rodriguez did, resulting in one out, but ensuring the Pirates still had a runner at third.
Max Kepler had three hits, drove in the Diamondbacks’ two runs and had a chance to give Arizona the lead in the top of the 10th. However, with the bases loaded and two outs, Kepler lined out to center against reliever Mason Montgomery (4-3).
Montgomery also struck out Gabriel Moreno two batters prior after Arizona had put runners on second and third with one out.
Bryan Reynolds knotted the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out RBI double to score Lowe, who doubled in the prior at-bat. The clutch hit came moments after Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected by third base umpire Ben May after arguing a check-swing call during Reynolds’ at-bat.
The teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate until Kepler’s two-run double with the bases loaded put the Diamondbacks in front in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mangum scored on a single by Lowe to cut Arizona’s lead to 2-1.
Pittsburgh’s hot-hitting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez was struck by a 91.4 mph fastball from Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly on his left hand and exited the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Valdez has 14 home runs in his first 38 career games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros' 4-run small-ball rally in ninth inning sinks Angels
Jul 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk during a four-run ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
The decisive rally featured just one hit, a single that did not knock in a run.
Taylor Trammell homered, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice as Houston took the opener of a three-game series, its sixth win in seven games. The Astros trailed 4-0 after three innings.
Astros reliever Cristian Javier (1-1) allowed three hits and no walks over five shutout innings, striking out seven. Josh Hader pitched around two walks in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which lost for the ninth time this season when leading after eight innings. Jose Fermin (3-2) was charged with three runs, one earned, while recording only one out.
Houston trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Trammell was hit by a pitch to open the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Christian Walker. Lucas Spence then hit a potential double-play grounder that bounced past Grissom at second, allowing Trammell to score.
It looked as if the Angels might get out of the jam when Christian Vazquez popped out on a bunt and pinch runner Nick Allen was thrown out at the plate on Jeremy Pena’s grounder to third. However, after Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases, reliever Sam Bachman hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Wade to make it 5-4.
Bachman subsequently mishandled Jose Altuve’s comebacker, allowing Alvarez to score.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Astros starter Tatsuya Imai walked Zach Neto and Mike Trout to begin the frame, and both runners advanced on a balk. Nolan Schanuel drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly as Trout tagged and advanced to third. After Jorge Soler walked, Grissom singled to drive in Trout.
The Angels extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on Grissom’s seventh homer, a 395-foot drive to left-center, and Jo Adell’s RBI bloop double down the right field line.
Houston cut the gap to 4-1 in the fourth inning on Trammell’s fifth home run, a 412-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center.
The Astros closed within 4-2 in the eighth inning when Pena led off with a double into the left field corner and scored on a single by Alvarez, his American League-leading 78th RBI.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Conor McGregor calls for 'Last Dance' vs. Max Holloway in '27
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor on the ground during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Conor McGregor laid out his long-term plan on Monday, seeking a rematch of his recent loss to Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of his UFC deal.
In an Instagram post that references the UFC’s International Fight Week next July, McGregor wrote, “What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance.”
Should McGregor oppose Holloway again, it would be the pair’s third matchup.
In a welterweight fight at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, Holloway (28-9) won by technical knockout in just 69 seconds after McGregor (22-7) hurt his right knee on an early kick.
The two fighters also squared off in August 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision.
McGregor, a 38-year-old Irishman, is due to have his torn anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired, which likely explains the long wait for the rematch.
Even though McGregor recently posted an Instagram video showing him going through leg exercises, UFC president Dana White said Sunday of McGregor, “Conor McGregor’s out for a year.”
The July 11 fight was McGregor’s first action in the Octagon in five years, since a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. McGregor has lost each of his past three bouts and four of the past five.
Holloway, a 34-year-old Honolulu native, dropped a unanimous decision to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 in March in Las Vegas before bouncing back to defeat McGregor.
–Field Level Media
