COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 12: Cole Sillinger #4 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins during the second period at Nationwide Arena on April 12, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
The Columbus Blue Jackets avoided arbitration by reaching an agreement to sign forward Cole Sillinger to a three-year, $13.875 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. The signing was first reported by Sportsnet.ca.
The 23-year-old Sillinger opted for arbitration earlier this month, with the agreement reached before his scheduled hearing on Monday. Sillinger, the team’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, is from Columbus and has five years of NHL experience.
Sillinger was a fixture on the team’s third line in making the switch from center to left wing last season, and finished with a career best-matching 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists). Overall, he has 51 goals and 140 points in 367 career games.
Also on Friday, the Florida Panthers avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to sign newly acquired goalie Akira Schmid to a two-year, $4 million contract.
Florida acquired the 26-year-old Schmid by trading a 2028 third-round pick to Vegas on June 29 as part of an offseason goalie shakeup.
The team acquired goalie Jacob Markstrom in a trade with New Jersey a day later. The additions were made in anticipation of Florida losing long-time starter Sergei Bobrovsky, who has since signed with Toronto in free agency.
Schmid is from Switzerland and posted career-highs with 29 starts and 16 wins in his fifth NHL season last year.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 16: LeBron James speaks onstage during the TIME100 Sports Gala at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers on July 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for TIME) | Getty Images for TIME
LeBron James shocked the basketball world Friday by choosing the Philadelphia 76ers rather than the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers or Minnesota Timberwolves. As late at Thursday night, CBS Sports had put Philly at No. 5 among the five suitors but James saw them as the team best prepared for a championship run with holdovers Joel Emhiid, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe as well as newcomers Jaylen Brown and Dean Wade.
For the Nets, there doesn’t seem to be any direct effect. They still rebuilding and the decision seems little more than a reshuffling of those above them in now increasingly top heavy East. In addition to James and Brown joining Philly, Giannis Antetokounmpo moved from Milwaukee to Miami and Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers back to the Toronto Raptors. Not to mention, the New York Knicks are the defending NBA champions. ESPN ranks the Nets at 29th in their post-LeBron power ranking, putting only the Bucks behind them.
It does seems likely that the 76ers pick in 2028, protected 1-through-8, will be transferred to Brooklyn, but it’s also likely to be very low. James contract is two years at the vets minimum with the second year, 2027-28, a player option.
Where things might be get interesting is what the spurned suitors do going forward. Do they try to fill in the blanks left open by James and try to acquire another big scorer like Michael Porter Jr., who’s looking for a big extension in Brooklyn. The question is whether Sean Marks and MPJ’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, can reach an agreement and if not, will Bartlelstein push to move Porter Jr. elsewhere.
Brooklyn also has all those draft assets should any of the suitors decide that without James, it’s time to rebuild. But the most likely repercussion revolves around Porter Jr. as Brian Lewis summarized.
Michael Porter Jr. believes in Brooklyn’s future.
The question is whether he’ll be a part of it.
Will the Nets extend him?
Or trade him?
MPJ has fully insinuated himself into the Nets rebuild. Averaging 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists last year, he also established himself as a premier shotmaker. More than that, though, he assumed the role of leader of the team, not just taking the Flatbush 5 under his wing, even hosting them at the Lake of the Ozarks in his native Missouri and at the very least acting like he’s recruiting Denver Nuggets free agent Peyton Watson to Brooklyn. Moreover, he’s said all the right things about the Nets’ future.
“We had five rookies, the youngest team in the NBA. It was a completely different role that I had. But it was something that I cherished,” Porter told ESPN at last weekend’s FanFest in New York. “I think we’re building something special over there.”
Last Wednesday in Las Vegas,Marks was clear in saying that the organization wants Porter around.
“I’m sure we’ll have those discussions. We’ve got time; there’s no immediate hurry right now with Mike. We value him a lot. He had a terrific year last year, arguably his best year as a pro,” Marks said. “It’s been great to see what Mike’s done for us, so I look forward to having those discussions…
“That would certainly be something we’re going to have that optionality,” said Marks. “Any time you’re in a hurry, that’s when people make mistakes. I don’t think we want to do anything hastily or in a rush … We’re just going to have those discussions between the two of us and our representatives and go from there.”
Bartelstein seemed more skeptical.
“Sean and I have talked. Michael loves it in Brooklyn. Jordi [Fernández] has been great for him. I think Jordi has been so innovative in how he’s used Michael. I think it’s a great fit,” Bartelstein said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“But that’s something that Sean and I have to sit down and talk about. The Nets have to ultimately chart out their course for the way they want to go forward. Obviously, we got to do the same thing for Michael. If we can make it work where there’s a long-term fit, that would be awesome. But that’s something we’re going to be talking about here in the days ahead.”
The 6’10” forward has been eligible since June 19 for a four-year, $234 million extension although most pundits think that a more reasonable deal could be at the same length but about $60 million less for the 28-year-old. Another possibility being bandied about is for the Nets to give Porter an immediate $9 million raise on his $40.8 million expiring salary then extend him at lower numbers, as they did with Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson. A deal like that would make him even more valuable at the trade deadline, as Lewis noted.
Suppose the two sides don’t reach an agreement and he goes on the trade market? What could the Nets get for MPJ? More draft picks? Better ones? And from who? Steve Kerr, Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor wrote Thursday, wasn’t interested in Porter last year and is unlikely to want to change his mind now. The Pistons were also rumored as a suitor last season, but they’re all tied up with Jalen Duren’s free agency.
Also, it should be clear by now that the Nets are unlikely to make any big moves that will deprive them of future assets. They know they aren’t contenders. The plan is not the sixth or seventh seed. Win instead of tank, sure, but the LeBron move just reemphasizes where they sit. So they’d rather save assets, perhaps till the February deadline if not later. The rebuild is long. There’s no urgency.
There are other possibilities as well. The Nets still have around $12 million in cap space which they can use to give MPJ that raise or pay the yet unsigned Moe Wagner or sign him to the room exception. in extending MPJ. He’s eligible for it through next July when his current contract runs out. And there’s always surprises like LeBron James choosing Philly over South Beach.
Fijian Drua 17-34 NSW Waratahs as grand final held in Fiji for first time
Tahs forward Faliki Pohiva named player of match
NSW Waratahs have produced a scintillating performance to complete a hat-trick of Super W rugby titles with a 34-17 win over minor premiers Fijian Drua in Ba, Fiji.
The Tahs also secured a record-extending seventh Super W title, with their tighthead prop Faliki Pohiva named player of the final.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 24: Jusuf Nurkic #30 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the game against the Miami Heat on January 24, 2025 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz came out of the 2026 NBA Draft on the verge of a breakout season. All that was left for the Jazz was to re-sign Walker Kessler. It felt like it was an inevitability until the news that the Lakers agreed to give the Jazz every asset they had to bring Walker Kessler to LA. That left the Jazz with a question mark at center that they probably didn’t expect.
The question for the Jazz and Jazz fans became: what should they do about the center position? They signed Jusuf Nurkic to a two-year contract and signed Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba, but those don’t feel like long-term solutions. Knowing that they don’t have a long-term solution at center, do you make a trade now, or wait? Here’s what Jazz fans think:
So, according to a slight majority of Jazz fans, the Jazz should keep the center rotation the same. It does make sense. Jusuf Nurkic revitalized his career last season and played at a league-average level (according to Dunks and Threes). That 2-year, $22M contract is very affordable. The other thing to consider with this is that Utah isn’t desperate to make a move. They can wait until the right opportunity, at the right cost, comes up. Maybe that happens this season? Maybe they wait till the draft next year? Either way, they can wait to make a move.
According to FanDuel, they might not think Utah is going to make a move because they have Utah’s over/under of wins at 36.5. What do you think? Does Utah win more than 36.5 wins? Or would they need to upgrade at center to do that?
KNOXVILLE, TN - APRIL 01: Luis Martinez-Gomez #12 of the Knoxville Smokies poses for a photo during the Knoxville Smokies photo day at Tennessee Smokies Stadium on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Randy Sartin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Left-hander Drew Pomeranz has elected free agency.
If you want to know why I don’t do Dominican Summer League recaps, among the many reasons is that Cubs Blue lost to Pirates Gold today 21-17. Cubs Blue drew 18 walks and issued 11 of them.
Luis Martinez-Gomez just dominated the Trash Panda. Martinez-Gomez pitched six innings and allowed two runs on two hits. Both runs scored on a home run and one of them was unearned. But Martinez-Gomez struck out a career-high 12 batters and walked no one. His career high for strikeouts before tonight was just seven. He blew past that.
Kenyi Perez relieved Martinez-Gomez to start the seventh and gave up the one-run lead after a double, a bunt and a sacrifice fly. But Perez got the win when the Smokies came back in the eighth. Perez’s final line was one run on one hit over one inning. He did not have a strikeout or a walk.
Tyler Ras retired the side in order in the ninth for the save. He also did not strike anyone out.
Right fielder Carter Trice hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth to give the Smokies the lead for good. It was Trice’s 12th home run this year. Trice also had an RBI double in the top of the first inning. Trice went 2 for 4.
Center fielder Alex Ramírez went 2 for 5 with a double. He scored once.
Here’s Trice’s RBI double and an RBI single for Andy Garriola, who was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.
Starter Alfredo Romero went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. One of the two runs was unearned. Romero struck out five, walked one and hit one batter.
Nate Williams gave up two runs in the top of the 11th, but got the win when South Bend struck back for three runs in the bottom of the inning. Williams gave up two runs on one hit over one inning. One of the runs was unearned, naturally. Williams walked two and struck out one.
Catcher Justin Stransky singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Stransky went 2 for 5 with a walk and two runs scored. He also stole a base.
Earlier in the 11th, left fielder Kade Snell had a key RBI double. He then scored the winning run on Stransky’s hit. Snell went 1 for 5.
First baseman Michael Carico hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was his first home run for South Bend and eighth overall. Carico was 1 for 4 with a walk and he scored twice.
Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn went 3 for 5 with a walk and four RBI.
Center fielder Kane Kepley was 1 for 2 with three walks and he reached on catcher’s interference. Kepley also stole a base. He scored two runs.
Game one of the doubleheader was scoreless through seven innings. Starter David Avitia pitched four innings, giving up just three hits. He walked two and struck out two.
David Bracho did not allow a hit over the next three innings, but he did walk three batters. Bracho didn’t strike anyone out.
After the Pelicans scored two runs in the top of the eighth, Yoendris Gonzalez gave up one unearned run on two hits in the bottom of the eight for the save. Gonzalez struck out one.
Shortstop Alexis Hernandez singled home the second run in the top of the eighth. He was 1 for 4.
Left fielder Derik Alcantara went 2 for 3.
Braylon Myers started game two and gave up one run on three hits over four innings. Myers struck out six and walked one.
Sam Mettert threw the final two innings, allowed a run on four hits, and got the loss. Mettert struck out two and walked no one.
Center fielder Ethan Conrad went 1 for 3 with an RBI double in the first inning in game two.
James spent the first 15 years of his career in the Eastern Conference, before spending the last eight years in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
While playing in the Eastern Conference, James created several key rivals, including the Boston Celtics.
James could make his debut in a 76ers uniform against the Celtics, with Philadelphia having a pair of preseason games scheduled against Boston.
The 76ers will play a preseason game in Boston against the Celtics on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Celtics will travel to Philadelphia for a game on Friday, Oct. 16.
James' status for the games at this point remains uncertain and it's worth nothing the games against the Celtics are the Sixers' only scheduled preseason contests at present. The Lakers have five preseason games on their docket, for point of comparison, so it's possible more Sixers preseason games could come into focus later this summer.
James did not participate in preseason games for the Los Angeles Lakers last season but did play games in 2024 alongside his son Bronny James.
The NBA's short preseason means there are limited opportunities for new players like James and Jaylen Brown to get familiar with teammates Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in a live game setting. If James does not play in the preseason, he will presumably make his Sixers debut in the regular season opener. An opponent and date for the 76ers’ first game have not been announced.
Bryan Hudson unraveled immediately in tonight’s decisive sixth inning.
While a regulation MLB game is nine innings, it can take just one inning to change the entire landscape of a game. Unfortunately for the White Sox, they were on the bad end of an inning that was more horrifying than the recent Backrooms movie.
It was an odd game that had the good vibes flowing from the very beginning. The White Sox took advantage of wild Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti from the jump and put up three runs before the Astros could find a trash can to take advantage of. The White Sox would add on two more runs in the fifth thanks to a rally started by “small ball” walks/wild pitches/singles.
It appeared that nothing could stop the White Sox from taking another step closer to the AL Central crown — until the game turned around so quick it may have just gave all 28,657 in attendance whiplash.
Down 5-0, the Houston Astros dropped a snowman on the White Sox in the sixth inning. Of the 11 Astros who strolled to the plate and eventually ended up reaching base, nine were due to either a single, walk, or a hit batter. It wasn’t like Davis Martin and Bryan Hudson were throwing meatballs down the plate that were getting blasted to Hammond, they just couldn’t buy an out. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly surprising development, especially with Martin on the hill. After allowing just three hits over the first five innings, he allowed three hits and hit a batter in the sixth inning alone before he was yanked for Hudson.
While Martin’s meltdown alone was bad enough, it only got worse with Hudson having a complete blow up. Much like Martin, Hudson has been solid most of the year, but had an awful night; the southpaw could only get two outs while giving up four earned runs in the process.
Eventually and improbably, Seranthony Domínguez got the White Sox out of the inning. But much like going out after 2 a.m., when you have three separate pitchers throwing in the same inning, nothing good can result. The Astros onslaught stunned the crowd, and it’s hard to blame the offense for looking shellshocked the rest of the night.
Both fortunately and unfortunately, there wasn’t really much action after that sixth inning. Fortunately, because the South Siders didn’t get embarrassed any worse, but also unfortunately because it was truly that one inning that led to Chicago’s demise. It was a weird change from a team that hasn’t let too many games get away this year.
With a Cleveland Guardians loss, this 9-5 disappointment was more of a “no harm, no foul” situation. Even so, it still sucks to see a perfectly good win, and chance to gain another game atop the AL Central, go to waste due to one inning.
Out of all the sad South Side fans, my heart goes out to our SSS colleague Hannah Filippo, as not only did she have to watch the loss, but she also started Davis Martin in her fantasy league. You’ll get them next time, Hannah!
MVP Braden Montgomery: 3-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K
Runners-Up Chase Meidroth: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, K Trevor Richards: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Cold Cat Bryan Hudson: 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB, K, LOSS (3-3)
Runners-Up Davis Martin: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 K Drew Romo: 0-for-3, .127 AVG and .515 OPS on the season
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 24: Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners hits a two RBI double against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on July 24, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As you might have heard, the 2026 Seattle Mariners have struggled against left-handed pitching. Dominic Canzone, meanwhile, has been having a tremendous year at the plate. These things are related.
For most of the season, the Mariners have opted to platoon Canzone, preferring to use right-handed hitters such as Rob Refsnyder, Víctor Robles, and Mitch Garver in his place when the Mariners face a southpaw. This wasn’t an indefensible idea, with Canzone coming into the season with both a wOBA and xwOBA 50 points lower against lefties than righties.
But the team’s struggles against lefties have been so immense, their depth so depleted, and Canzone so hot, that he’s started playing everyday lately. The results have been mixed.
Tonight, it looked like a bad choice. In the first inning, Canzone struck out on three straight sliders from MacKenzie Gore. In the third, he ran to first so slowly (correctly, still being cautious with a hamstring) that he got doubled up on a 68-mph ground ball. When he got to face Gore for the third time, he barely got a piece of a hanging slider, then swung at a sinker a few inches above the zone and was quickly down 0-2.
That was an important moment in the game. Bryce Miller fell behind early when he threw a splitter that didn’t split to the Rangers second batter, Wyatt Langford, that was sent to the left field seats. The Mariners got that run back in a very small-ball second inning that featured good at bats from Josh Naylor, Cole Young, Weston Wilson(?), and Colt Emerson(!). But Miller just kept on struggling.
Miller never really let things get out of hand, and he was even sitting 96 for the first half of his outing. He ended up finishing his 5.1 innings with zero strikeouts, which is a first for his career, but he only walked one. And while he gave up a ton of air contact, though it came with just a single barrel. Even the two-run home run he gave up to Jake Burger wasn’t exactly a bad pitch, a 96-mph fastball above the zone. Burger just muscled it and it somehow kept carrying. It was certainly a night of bad results for Miller, but in a way that struck me as kind of fluky. His velo is down from his outstanding start to the season, when he was sitting 98, but he’s still been basically fine lately.
Nevertheless, that Burger tater brought the score to 3-1 entering the fifth inning. Emerson and Arozarena started the inning off with a pair of lead-off singles. A Julio fly out left two on and one out for Canzone, where he fell into that 0-2 hole.
But from there, Canzone fouled off a tough slider low and away. He laid off an uncompetitive four-seamer, and then went back to work, fouling off a tough sinker just above the zone. Buying those extra pitches was almost for naught, as a slider tumbled toward him breaking, breaking, breaking out of the zone. But Canzone extended his arms and flicked it. All that extra muscle he’s put on over the past couple years allowed him to take a pitch he barely got a piece of all the way to the wall in left-center field.
That double tied the game at 3-3, and it felt like the Mariners were in the driver’s seat. I will not buy into Dominic Canzone no matter how good he looks. At this point, I can’t abandon that position without everyone blaming me if he starts struggling. But Dommy Dearest still gets tonight’s Sun Hat Award for that very fine piece of hitting off a lefty.
However, with a four-game series and a seven-man bullpen, Dan Wilson opted to let a struggling Miller try to pitch the sixth inning. But he got just one out before giving up a single and a walk. Wilson went to Eduard Bazardo, who basically did his job, getting a pair of weakly hit balls. Unfortunately, both those balls found grass. That and a well-executed bunt got the score to 5-3 before Bazardo got out of the inning.
Colt Emerson got one of those runs back in the ninth, thanks to a well-struck double off a lethal lefty, Jacob Latz. He was moved to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch. It was one of two hits plus a walk, all off lefties for Emerson tonight. Cole Young also had a three-hit night. But with the team 51-53, these things just don’t cleanse the palate of a loss the way they would in April.
Jul 24, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) celebrates a two run home against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 4 Red Sox 6
So it was a better effort than we’ve seen of late.
Kuzuma Okamoto hit a three-run home run in the seventh (which got us back into the game). Andrés Giménez hit a sac fly in the eighth (which tied the game). That was homer 23 for Okamoto, setting a new Japanese Rookie home run record.
We had a bunch of hits, 9 with 3 walks.
Daulton Varsho had 3 hits (really good to see some hard contact from him). Vlad and Okamoto had two each. Kirk had a hit and a walk and Nathan Lukes had the other hit.
Clements (0 for 4), Springer (0 for 4, walk), Schneider (0 for 2, k), Urías (0 for 3, k), and Straw and Piñango shared an 0 for 4 (Lips with 2 strikeouts).
We were 2 for 8 with RISP.’.
We had a tough time, early in the game:
In the first: Clement reached on an error to start the game. After two outs, Springer and Kirk each walked to load the bases. But Schneider struck out (he took a two-strike change up down the middle for strike three).
In the second: Varsho singled to lead off but was stranded there.
In the fourth: We had two on (Kirk and Varsho singles) with one out, but Urías (pop out) and Straw (line out) ended the fun.
In the fifth: With one out, Vlad singled and Kazuma doubled. But Springer popped out and Kirk flied out.
On the pitching side:
Trey Yesavage wasn’t great. 4 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned, 1 walks with 9 strikeouts. He only had three outs that weren’t strikeouts. But he gave up 2 home runs.
Mason Fluharty pitched a clean inning with 2 strikeouts.
Braydon Fisher gave up a couple of hits, a walk and a run. in the sixth.
Jeff Hoffman gave up a double, got a ground out, walked a guy, got a fly out. Then he gave up a hardish line drive right to Vlad, who had it go off his glove for an error. Had Hoffman run to first (like he should have, they still would have got the out, but he didn’t. Bases loaded. But a ground out ended the inning.
CJ Van Eyk got the eighth. Tough spot for the rookie. Single. Pop out. Fly ball to the wall in left. The back to back doubles to left scored two. On the second Piñango was back at the wall and then Lips decided to play it off the wall. It hit low enough off the wall that he could have made the catch. But he managed to turn it into a double, and the Red Sox were up by two. Left field is a tough spot in Fenway, but he really ought to have made the catch. A single ended Van Eyk’s night.
Adam Macko finished off the inning, but it was too late.
We did have a chance in the ninth. Vlad walk to start the inning. But Okamoto (strikeout), Springer (fly out) and Kirk (strikeout) ended the hope.
Jays of the Day: Varsho (0.20 WPA), Okamoto (0.15) and Lukes (0.12). Vlad gets an honourable mention for 2 for 4 with a walk.
Other Award: Eyk (-0.34, tough spot, and could have used some defensive help), Yesavage (-0.12), Springer (-0.17), Schneider (-0.11) and Urías (-0.09). Let’s give one to Lips too (-0.08, plus the bad play in left).
A much better loss than the last few, but still a loss.
Tomorrow is a 4:00 Eastern start time. I hate late afternoon weekend starts. Dylan Cease (6-5, 2.67) vs. Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48).
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 24: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians walks to the dugout after being relieved in the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 24, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Like so many of the infuriatingly feeble losses I’ve had the pleasure of writing about so far this season, this will be short.
Cantillo was bad, and got beat around by the Rays. Infuriatingly, it wasn’t any of the good Rays hitters that did him in. It was everyone else. Ryan Vilade hit a 94 mph 2-run homer, Cedric Mullins hit a triple, and Johnny DeLuca, Ben Williamson, and Nick Fortes all recorded RBIs.
Cantillo didn’t get out of the 4th. Festa was brought in to relieve him with the bases loaded.
Herrin gave up a run. Armstrong gave up 3 (2 of which were actually given up by Gaddis on a 3-run homer), and Gaddis “1”.
The lineup was similarly atrocious today. 4 Guardians with a hit, 3 with a multi-hit game. DeLauter (1/3, BB), Rocchio, Arias, Hedges. Two XBH among those 4 (Rocchio, Hedges). Two walks (DeLauter, Hedges).
At least Hedges had a good game! 2/3, 2 RBI, HR, BB.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 24: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros hits a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 24, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jayden Mack/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cheers at Rate Field turned to boos and a stunned crowd of 28,657 could only shake their collective heads in disbelief as the Astros would erase a five-run deficit in defeating the White Sox by a score of 9-5.
The night began inauspiciously enough. The White Sox would send all nine men to the plate in the first inning as Spencer Arrighetti was noticeably bothered and largely out of sync with control issues. Arrighetti would toss seventeen pitches before finally recording his first out. He’d allow a pair of hits, pair of walks, while also hitting a pair of batsmen. This resulted in the bases being loaded up twice with the Sox jumping out to an early 3-0 lead.
AJ Blubaugh would warm up in the bullpen during the disastrous events, ultimately relieving Arrighetti who would walk off the field prior to starting the 2nd inning with trainer Eric Velazquez during his warmup pitches. Arrighetti’s final stat line: one inning pitched, two hits allowed, three earned runs and a pair of walks on thirty-three pitches. Early reports are right foot nerve irritation. Spencer’s last win was 57 days ago, back on May 28th. Blubaugh would pitch two scoreless innings of relief.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kai-Wei Teng escaped unscathed after some early control issues. Teng would hit Drew Romo and Sam Antonacci but would retire the next three. However, in the fifth, Teng wouldn’t be as fortunate. Chicago would extend their lead. Andrew Benintendi would walk and come around to score on a wild pitch. Chase Meidroth would bring home Braden Montgomery on an RBI double after Braden reached on a single. By the time Teng completed the inning, the White Sox had increased their lead to 5-0. Then the comeback started.
Houston would come to life in the 6th. Lamonte Wade’s RBI single started the eight-run blitz, bringing home Yordan Alvarez. That single would chase starter Davis Martin from the game, and then the flood gates would up. Bryan Hudson would come on in relief and Christian Walker would clear the bases with a double, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Cam Smith would get in on the fun with a homer to left field driving in Walker and just like that, the Astros had the lead at 6-5. Jose Altuve would bring in Pena and after a 4 pitch walk to Lamonte Wade, Alvarez would score again. All told the Astros would send 14 batters to the plate, placing 8 runs on the board.
In the 9th inning the Astros would do more damage. Taylor Trammell would be hit by a pitch, then proceed to steal both 2nd and 3rd. After a walk to Cam Smith, Christian Vazquez would bring Trammell home with a ground-rule RBI double.
The combination of Sousa, Abreu, Okert and Hader would pitch innings six thru nine in a combined scoreless relief effort.
Odds & Ends:
After a slow start in July, the Astros have now won 4 in a row and are 8-9 for the month.
Hit streaks continue for the top of the Astros order. Yordan Alvarez now has a 10-game hit streak. Jeremy Pena has posted a 6-game streak of his own.
7 total batters were hit on Friday Night between the clubs.
Hunter Brown will look to notch his second win of the year. First pitch will be 6:10 CDT. He’ll be opposed by Sean Burke.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 24: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers runs the bases following a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 24, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Seattle Mariners scored four runs.
Despite the fact that half of the time it has felt like these two teams have been fighting to see who most doesn’t want to win the division, the Rangers and Mariners entered tonight’s game within a half game of each other atop the American League West and with neither squad above .500.
Therefore, a mid-summer four game series between these clubs held intrigue and importance despite the lackluster records. The Rangers, who have had a devil of a time beating the Mariners in recent seasons, hadn’t lost to Seattle at home in three tries this season but haven’t had a lead in the division larger than a game and a half all year.
The hated Mariners, who came into the season far and away the favorites in the West if not the American League as a whole, led the West by as much as three games a few weeks ago but were usurped by Texas by the All-Star break as they’ve gone just 7-10 now in July.
So the scene was set for a slap fight in Arlington with positioning in the league’s easiest most unwinnable division on the line ahead of the trade deadline. The first place underdog Rangers got off to a 1-0 lead when Wyatt Langford homered in the bottom of the second. The Mariners tied the game immediately because MacKenzie Gore is often a horror story.
A couple of innings later, the Rangers went up 3-1 when it had seemed as though Gore had settled in a bit. Except a half inning later, Seattle again tied the game as Gore was unable to collect a shutdown inning for a second time in a row. Overall Gore went five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
A team with a better lineup might have done more damage to Gore when he experienced a couple of his usual flare up innings. The Mariners did not do that so the Rangers entered the bullpen phase of the game tied. You would expect a battle of bullpens would be an advantage for Seattle but Texas ignited a rally fueled by small ball — including a run on a safety sacrifice bunt! — to break the tie in the bottom of the sixth.
Still, after leaving the bases loaded in that inning (because yeah, of course), the team would need to get through three innings up just a couple of runs. Luckily for Texas they were able to set things up well with Peyton Gray pitching scoreless sixth, Jakob Junis pitching a scoreless seventh, Tyler Alexander and Cole Winn teaming up for a scoreless eighth, and then Jacob Latz made use of the insurance run in the ninth before picking up his 20th save of the year.
The victory allowed the Rangers to move back above .500 while also extended their lead in the AL West to a season high-tying 1.5 games.
Player of the Game: Batting sixth in the lineup, and with some light-hitting fellas behind him, the Rangers needed Jake Burger to come through when the opportunities presented themselves and Texas first baseman delivered.
Burger smacked an opposite field two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to allow the Rangers to retake the lead. Two innings later, in the bottom of the sixth, when Seattle had tied the game again, Burger brought in the go-ahead run on a well-positioned ground ball single up the middle before the Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the same rally.
Overall Burger drove in three of Texas’ five runs to contribute greatly to the series-opening win.
Up Next: The Rangers and Mariners reconvene for the second game of this series with RHP Nathan Eovaldi expected to take the mound for Texas opposite RHP Bryan Woo for Seattle.
The Saturday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:15 pm CDT and will be aired nationally on FOX.
every loss makes this guy more tradeable… | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images
The A’s came into the game with the worst pitching staff (statistically) in baseball. The Twins sure couldn’t take advantage of it this time. Inning-by-inning notes:
1: A nice quick inning for Zebulon: two groundouts and a strikeout.
Zebulon Pike is the soldier/explorer who named Pike’s Peak, in Colorado. The song “America the Beautiful” was inspired by Pike’s Peak, and was originally titled “Pike’s Peak.” One of the verses has the line “God mend thine every flaw,” and writer Katharine Lee Bates was, in fact, an ardent proponent of social reform. The famous Ray Charles version includes that verse, which is one of my favorite renditions of a ‘Murica song.
So thanks, Zebulon!
A leadoff walk for Austin Martin; are we gonna have more “Guardsball” tonight? He does advance to second on a hit-and-run FC, but he stays stuck there, so, so far, so Guardsball!
2: Hey, you heard it here first — Zebby’s gonna pitch the first perfect game in Twins history! Austin Martin makes a dive to get the third out, and does not — Byron Buxton does. With two fielders getting every out, the perfecto is guaranteed!
So, apparently, is a no-hitter for the A’s Jacob Lopez.
3: Zebby still perfect…
First-round pick Vahn Lackey on the radio. The booth guys tell him he’ll have to adjust to the automated ball/strike system, and Lackey says “I looked at every strikeout I had from last year, and they were all balls.” He can joke, because he has yet to experience the soul-crushing hopelessness that is the post-2024 Twins.
The Twins are still hitless when Martin takes his second walk, and Buxton gets HBP. Giving Ryan Jeffers the chance to open the scoring with a two-out RBI. The count goes full, the runners leave early, and… K. Guardsball continues.
4: Damn you, Zebby! A one-out walk to Tyler Soderstrom ruins my evening. A GIDP by the next batter means Zebby has still faced the minimum, but there’s no glory in that. No immortality, for as long as the game of baseball is played (about another ten years with the pace Manfred is at to ruin everything with more expensive tickets/viewing options and the inevitable gambling scandals).
Royce Lewis takes the one-out walk; he steals second and the throw by Shea Langeliers beats him, but 2B Donovan Walton can’t keep it in his glove. After a flyout, Lewis steals third? OK! Luke Keaschall walks, then he steals second. Brooks Lee’s time has come!
Popout, guardsball.
5: Zebby issues the one-out walk, then a double because he knows he’s ruined my evening already and so nothing he does for the rest of this game or the rest of his career matters anymore. A walk loads the bases and a sac fly means one team violates the sacred code of Not Scoring.
Then a wild pitch advances both the runners on first and second… BUT, Jeffers’s throw to third is a bit off. So, lead runner Tommy White tries scoring, and this was a POOR decision. Way to get the opponent off the hook, Tommy!
Hey, the Twins decide to get a hit finally! Austin Martin with a one-out double, giving him a OPS of 3.000 for this game if my math is right and it probably isn’t. Because Guardsball, it don’t matter. A’s 1-0
6: A leadoff infield hit for Henry Bolte, which is a perfect name because he is very fast. It was also the name of a fast Usain, minus the “e,” and a CGI cartoon with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. Do you ask me how I know this? You do not. Soderstrom knocks Bolte in on a pitch that is VERY outside. He doesn’t advance past first, but methinks he will not need to.
With Jacob Lopez’s no-hitter gone, RHP Geoff Hartlieb comes in (Lopez usually does not pitch deeply into games). Two leadoff walks are promising…
Oh, I forgot, Guardsball. After a Victor Caratini K, Hartlieb walks Keaschall, Hartlieb is replaced, Brooks Lee GIDP. Philadelphia/KC/Oakland 2-0
7: Kody “AC/DC” Funderburk in for Zebby; he gives up the leadoff hit but no more.
The replacement pitcher who stymied the Twins last inning was José Suarez; he is listed at 5’10” and 225 lbs, and I think that might be an underlisting. Anyways, the Twins don’t care that all their good players are about to be traded so they don’t bother hitting anything. Granted, the exit velocity for the three groundouts are 103.1, 96.2, 103.3 MPH so maybe they are trying but I don’t care.
8: Travis Adams in. He does fine.
Ryan Jeffers with the Twins’ second hit. Josh Bell hits one 104 MPH… and it bounces off the pitcher’s mound to become an easy GIDP.
9: Fairly recent waiver claim Jack Anderson comes in and promptly gives up the leadoff double. But he does strike out the next two, and gets some help from a leaping Martin for the last out.
Hogan Harris, the A’s one pitcher with an ERA below 3.50, in for the save attempt. Keaschall is HBP with one out; that’s their eleventh baserunner on the night, and only two were from hits. And there will be no more. Brooks Lee GIDP, Twins lose.
Studs of the game: Zebby Matthews. Duds: Everyone with a bat except Austin Martin… OK, also not Keaschall (0-for-1 but on base three times). Eternal DUD: John Fisher, both for screwing a great city and for taking away one of my favorite team songs:
COTG go to gintzer/sandwiches for a Food Fight (nice respectful discussion) and nagurski for “I mean i guess this is example 1,228,541,749 why you play the game and not count on an easy W… dudes rockin a nearly 7era coming into a game against the statistically best offense and ends up looking like catfish freakin hunter out there”
Thanks for everybody who joined in on a nice summer’s night, the last one before it becomes Venusian atmospheric Hell the next few days.
Tomorrow’s game is at 6:10, and features the first time in baseball history where the same pitcher plays for both teams: TBD vs. TBD. Catch ya next time!
Mets outfielder Carson Benge continues to show out during his rookie campaign.
We’ve seen what he can do with the glove, we’ve seen what he can do with the bat, and on Friday night he decided it was time to show off his cannon of an arm.
Benge unleashed two different strikes to gun down Dodgers trying to advance.
The first came when Shohei Ohtani attempted to stretch a double into a triple leading off the top of the fifth, but the youngster made a perfect throw in to Francisco Lindor to start a relay.
Benge cost the Mets by misplaying one of those doinkers down in the Citi Field right-field corner earlier this season, so this time around he knew exactly how to play it.
“I saw it running towards the wall, and I’ve already misplayed one of those,” he said. “So I tried to stay deep on it and then I saw him not slowing down when he was heading to second, so I knew just to throw it in and they’d get him.”
Carson Benge, Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette combine on the relay to throw out Shohei Ohtani at third 💪 pic.twitter.com/1Tre3rvAfS
Benge would deliver once again to keep things evened at one apiece just one inning later.
This time the 23-year-old camped under a fly ball to right, getting himself set before firing a 100.0 mph strike towards home to gun down Freddie Freeman trying to score the go-ahead run.
According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, that’s the Mets’ fastest outfield assist recorded in the Statcast era.
Carson Benge picks up his second outfield assist of the night, with a throw to Francisco Alvarez! pic.twitter.com/3wyRthNfgk
“It fires me up,” Benge said. “One of my favorite things to do is to throw someone out -- all that was going through my head was get it out quick and as hard as you can -- just look for our big catcher back there and he’ll do the rest.”
Benge became the first Mets rookie since Juan Lagares with two assists in the same game, also as per Langs.
“Watching from my perspective, it was one of the coolest things on a baseball field,” Sean Manaea said. “The play for Ohtani at third, the relay was unbelievable, the throw home, that’s just good baseball right there -- to watch a young player keep his cool and do cool stuff like that, it’s really fun.”
Mets right-handed pitching prospect Jonah Tong has posted two straight quality outings after striking out nine batters for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night.
Tong pitched 4.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits. The 23-year-old would have gone deeper if he hadn't been burned by the walks, which he had four of against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That helped push his pitch count to 91 pitches. Otherwise, it was a strong outing for Tong, who hasn't had many this season.
His night started off with a leadoff walk to Yankees No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr., but Tong bounced back to strike out the next three batters, including J.C. Escarra and Spencer Jones. Tong's lone earned run came in the second, after Scranton got the first two batters on base thanks to a walk and a single from Oswaldo Cabrera. Tyler Hardman grounded out to push across the runner from third, but Tong worked around another single to escape the second, allowing just the one run.
Tong struck out the side in the third inning before allowing a walk in an otherwise clean fourth inning. Tong pitched into trouble again in the fifth. After striking out the leadoff hitter, Tong allowed three of the next four batters (two singles and a walk) to reach base before he was pulled with the bases loaded. Joe Jacques came on to get a flyout to end the threat.
After allowing just two runs across five innings in his last start, Tong has settled down, lowering his ERA to 5.59 on the season. Overall, Tong has pitched to a 2-5 record with 93 strikeouts across 75.2 innings (17 starts) with a WHIP of 1.53. The aforementioned walks have been the biggest problem for Tong this season. After allowing just 47 walks a year ago between Double-A and Triple-A (22 starts), he's allowed 46 in 17 starts in 2026.
With the Mets on the verge of selling pieces ahead of the trade deadline, Tong could receive a chance the rest of the season.
On the offensive side of Syracuse's 8-1 win on Friday night was Ronny Mauricio. Mauricio went 2-for-5 with a home run, his ninth in the minors this season. He also drove in four runs.
Mauricio has, unsurprisingly, excelled in the minors this season. The switch-hitting infielder is hitting .297 with an OPS of .910 in 28 games.
Infield prospect Ryan Clifford went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. The first baseman has struggled in his first full season in Triple-A, slashing .187/.282/.373 with an OPS of .655. He has hit 16 homers and driven in 49 runs, but has not been as consistently productive at the plate as he has been in the recent past.
