Sports
Twins' Byron Buxton in question ahead of rematch vs. Royals
Jun 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) throws the ball to second base after catching a ball hit by Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (19) in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins will give Byron Buxton T-shirts to the first 10,000 fans who arrive for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Kansas City Royals in Minneapolis.
Whether any of those fans will see Buxton on the field is a question mark.
Buxton injured his right shoulder in the Twins’ 5-3 win over the Royals on Friday night, and his status for Saturday’s game is uncertain.
The four-game series is even at one win apiece; the Royals recorded an 8-6 victory on Thursday.
Minnesota rallied for the win on Saturday despite losing Buxton in the third inning. He crashed into the outfield wall while making a catch and stayed in the game but he was removed for a pinch hitter when his turn came up in the batting order.
The Twins said Buxton suffered a right shoulder contusion. He was removed from Friday’s game as a precautionary measure and was not scheduled to undergo any imaging tests barring any unforeseen changes.
“I think we’ll see how he is (Saturday),” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “That’s the biggest thing. The fact that he jammed the same shoulder that he had issue with before, there’s always concern there. But how he comes in (Saturday) I think will be a good indicator.”
Buxton is batting .257 this season, with 18 homers and 28 RBIs.
Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (4-3, 3.20 ERA) is set to make his 14th start of the year. He has won his past two decisions, including his most recent outing Monday when he got the victory despite allowing four runs in eight hits in six innings in a 9-6 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Ryan has faced the Royals 12 times (all starts) in his career. He is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA in those meetings and has 15 walks and 69 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings.
Although he has fared well in his career against the Royals, Ryan struggled in his previous start against them this season. He gave up five runs on nine hits in four innings in a 13-9 loss on April 1 in Kansas City.
The Royals will counter on Saturday with right-hander Luinder Avila (1-2, 4.44 ERA), who has appeared in 11 games and logged two starts this season. The 24-year-old picked up his first win in his most recent outing Monday, when he held the Cincinnati Reds to one run on two hits in five innings in a 9-2 victory.
Avila has faced the Twins two times out of the bullpen in his career. He has not allowed a run in two innings and has walked one and struck out four without recording a decision.
Kansas City sits in last place in the American League Central, but players remain confident they can improve.
“We have a great clubhouse of guys in here,” Carter Jensen said. “Fighters. People who aren’t going to give up.”
Minnesota is 18-16 at home this season; Kansas City is 10-22 on the road.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies awaken in 9th, rally past Giants
Jul 10, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy (31) runs after bunting a pitch thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Caleb Kilian (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Kyle Karros flipped a deficit into a lead with a two-run single, Cole Carrigg padded the advantage with a sacrifice fly and the visiting Colorado Rockies rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to stun the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Friday night.
After Rafael Devers’ third hit in the seventh inning gave the Giants a 2-1 lead they took into the ninth, closer Caleb Kilian (2-5) didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced, allowing a single to Mickey Moniak, a walk to pinch hitter Troy Johnson and a bunt single to Jake McCarthy, setting up Karros’ hit through a drawn-in infield.
Carrigg followed with his run-scoring flyball to left field off Kilian’s replacement, Erik Miller, giving Jordan Romano a two-run cushion for the bottom of the ninth.
The Rockies needed both runs after Romano served up a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to Devers before walking Willy Adames to again load the bases with two outs. Juan Mejia then came on and got Bryce Eldridge to ground out to second base on his first pitch, securing his fourth save.
Antonio Senzatela (9-1), who pitched a scoreless eighth, was credited with the win.
After the Rockies tied the contest in the fifth, neither team scored again until Luis Arraez stroked a two-out single in the seventh, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and jogged home when Devers grounded a single into right field.
Neither starting pitcher got a decision after carrying a 1-1 tie into the sixth inning.
Rockies starter Tanner Gordon worked around eight hits and a walk to limit the Giants to a single run in five innings. He struck out one.
San Francisco’s only run against him was the game’s first, when Devers lofted his 19th home run of the season into the right field bleachers to lead off the second inning.
Giants starter Robbie Ray took a shutout in the fifth, when the Rockies got even on back-to-back two-out doubles by Ezequiel Tovar and McCarthy.
The left-hander left three batters into the sixth, having walked each of them. Thanks to Dylan Smith retiring the next three batters to get out of the jam unscathed, Ray allowed only the one run on four hits and six walks. He struck out four.
Karros finished with three hits, while McCarthy and TJ Rumfield had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who have beaten their National League West rivals five times in eight meetings this season.
Devers totaled three RBIs, while Arraez joined his teammate with three hits for the Giants, who fell to 2-3 on their week-long homestand.
– Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks' homer lifts Cardinals to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
EA reverses course, removes microtransactions from College Football 27
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
