Sports
White Sox hope to extend mini-streak, take series with Rays
Jul 31, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox opened a six-game road trip by using their muscle to pummel the Tampa Bay Rays in a matchup of first-place clubs Friday.
The American League Central leaders will try to keep flexing those muscles when they meet the Rays again Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Chicago won its third straight game with a four-homer night in a week in which the surprising club notched consecutive walk-offs to split a four-game set with the New York Yankees.
It was all about the power Friday as Miguel Vargas, Andrew Benintendi and Munetaka Murakami hit a long ball each in the first three innings. Colson Montgomery slugged a two-run homer in the sixth as all seven runs in the 6-1 win crossed home on long balls.
Vargas (433 feet), Benintendi (405) and Montgomery (425) all eclipsed the 400-foot mark, and the latter two batters clanged their blasts off the catwalk well beyond the right field fence.
Batting .240, Vargas crushed his 23rd homer but said he had felt unlucky at the plate lately.
“When you get a result, it helps you a lot,” said the third baseman of the first-inning blast. “I try to do my thing, getting good at-bats, swinging at strikes and control what I can.”
Murakami extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a two-hit night.
The Cleveland Guardians’ loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks extended Chicago’s division lead to three games.
Jordan Hicks (1-1, 3.19 ERA) will serve as an opener for Noah Schultz (3-7, 6.15) Saturday. The rookie southpaw will try to improve on his 1-3 mark and 6.75 ERA in July.
Schultz dropped an 8-5 decision to Tampa Bay on April 14 in his MLB debut, allowing three earned runs with four walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
As expected, the Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list with left mid-back tightness. He was removed in the fourth inning from Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
It’s a move that likely means the two-time All-Star will miss at least two starts, likely ramping up the organization’s efforts to add pitching as the Monday trade deadline approaches.
If all goes as the team hopes, the local product from the University of South Florida could return to the mound when Tampa Bay hosts the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game series that starts on Aug. 14.
McClanahan, who is 9-6 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 starts, said he has battled tightness through the season.
“(It) was just a little bit more prevalent, and I couldn’t shake it,” he said on Thursday.
President of baseball operations Erik Neander said the team already was looking at bringing in more pitching, which is likely to intensify over the weekend.
The Rays had scouts at Single-A Dunedin on Tuesday to watch the St. Lucie Mets. Clay Holmes started for the visitors on a rehab assignment from a fractured fibula suffered on May 15. Holmes threw four shutout innings, giving up two hits, walking two and striking out three.
The Rays also reportedly are in the running for the Detroit Tigers ace left-hander, Tarik Skubal, and New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta.
The Rays filled the IL spot by calling up pitcher Triple-A Durham Bulls pitcher Alex Cook, who tossed two scoreless innings in his big-league debut on Friday.
Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 3.07) will start the matinee game. The right-hander was 2-1 with a 6.05 ERA in four starts last month.
In four career starts against Chicago, he is 0-1 with a 3.43 ERA and a .260 batting average against.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees on Saturday in exchange for two prospects.
Doval, 29, is 3-1 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances out of the New York bullpen this season. The Pirates were seeking late-game relief help.
The Yankees received catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz in the deal. New York also included cash as part of the trade.
New York acquired Doval, a former All-Star closer, in a deal with the San Francisco Giants at last year’s trade deadline.
Doval is 29-20 with 109 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 341 career relief outings with the Giants (2021-25) and Yankees. He tied for the National League lead with 39 saves in 2023 when he made the NL All-Star team.
Alfonzo, 22, was batting .238 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 62 games this season, including 60 for Double-A Altoona.
Cruz, 18, was batting .300 with eight RBIs and eight steals in 19 games for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan (20) runs up court after a basket during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Portland Trail Blazers forward Jeremy Sochan agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, per ESPN.
Sochan was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs.
Across three-plus seasons with the Spurs, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 212 games (149 starts). He shot 46.8% from the field and 28.7% from 3-point range.
He was waived by the Spurs in February. He then signed with the New York Knicks.
The 23-year-old only appeared in 16 regular season games for the Knicks, averaging a meager 6.9 minutes per game. In that limited run, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists, while shooting 56.7% from the field.
During the postseason, he appeared in eight games during the team’s championship run, playing 26 total minutes and averaging 2.5 points.
Now, the former lottery pick will look to earn a bigger role on a revamped Blazers squad. Portland has a loaded backcourt with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. The 6-foot-8 Sochan will give them frontcourt depth behind Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics select LHP Ben Bowden, demote RHP Luis Morales
Jul 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Athletics relief pitcher Ben Bowden (62) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images The Athletics selected left-hander Ben Bowden from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
The 31-year-old was a second-round pick by the Colorado Rockies back in 2016, but has not had much production at the major league level.
Bowden was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 32 relief appearances for Las Vegas this season.
In 2021, he made his MLB debut for the Rockies, going 3-2 and posting a 6.56 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and 42 strikeouts across 35 2/3 innings.
He returned to the big leagues in 2025, away from hitter-friendly Coors Field, as a member of the Athletics. He had a 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.
Right-hander Luis Morales was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. He was 0-2 and had a 14.06 ERA across 16 innings over five appearances (two starts) this season.
Morales was 1-3 with a 7.18 ERA in 19 appearances (nine starts) for Las Vegas earlier this season.
–Field Level Media
Pirates acquire veteran RHP Camilo Doval from Yankees
Report: Blazers sign F Jeremy Sochan to one-year contract
