Lakers forward Adou Thiero, center, drives between Golden State's Lajae Jones, left, and Yaxel Lendeborg during an NBA summer league game on Friday. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
At 22 years old, Adou Thiero can barely believe he’s fielding the questions meant for veterans. This is still the Lakers forward’s first summer league after all.
The former second-round pick is suddenly one of the Lakers’ primary summer league players and hopes to use the experience as an important stepping stone, building up his game while also establishing a leadership voice.
Thiero, who missed last year’s summer league because of a knee injury, had 13 points in the Lakers’ thrilling, 93-91 double-overtime win over the Miami Heat on Sunday at Chase Center. Instead of his NBA role as a defensive spark plug who adds a jolt of athleticism off the bench, Thiero showed his unselfish playmaking Sunday while working with rookie Cameron Carr, who had 26 points and eight rebounds on four-of-nine three-point shooting.
Thiero, a 6-foot-7 forward, ignited the offense down the stretch Sunday. He is a threat to drive to the rim, and when combined with Carr’s shooting ability, the two-man game creates confusion for defenses, Lakers summer league coach Ty Abbott said.
“That’s a dynamic partnership between the two of them,” said Abbott, who got doused with water in the locker room after his first win as a head coach. “They did a really good job of playing with each other. There’s a good connection there. Adou, being unselfish, finds him and they just kind of play from there. The connection that they have and their unselfishness for the two of them to work together, after, you know, five days, is great. Love to see that.”
Carr missed a midrange jumper that could have won the game in double overtime, but center Anton Watson grabbed the rebound and scored the winning tip-in. Watson finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Carr, the 24th pick in last month’s draft who had a team-high 19 points in Friday’s season opener, has been “a sponge” with his questions, Thiero said.
“I can answer some of these questions, but I’m still asking questions myself,” Thiero said Friday. “So we going to have to learn this, learn everything together.”
Friday marked Thiero’s first five-on-five game in months — and it looked like it.
The second-year forward was held to nine points on three-of-10 shooting with four rebounds. With the grace of a bull in a china shop, Thiero flung himself toward the rim. He forced up difficult shots. The super athletic forward who thrilled fans with his highlight-reel dunks last season took a hard landing on one wild drive during the first half and limped toward the bench. Thiero, who returned in the second half, said he landed on a bruise he recently sustained in practice.
After spending the offseason working on his three-point shot, Thiero has attempted only three three-pointers during summer league. Gaining confidence and consistency in his shot was Thiero’s top priority after a rookie season that included just three three-point attempts.
“Just trying to go out there and keep getting comfortable,” Thiero said of his summer league goals. “Keep figuring out how I could be an impact.”
With the top teams digging deeper into the benches for late playoff runs, developing young players has never been more important. The Lakers were eliminated by Oklahoma City, who relied on standout performances from young guards Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell to overcome a quiet series from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an injury to Jalen Williams.
After the season ended, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka cited Mitchell’s progression between the guard’s first and second years as a model for player development the Lakers wanted to emulate.
Thiero is the Lakers’ current second-year project. Now fully healthy after knee injuries plagued his rookie season, Thiero’s versatility in summer league could potentially translate to regular-season minutes.
“You got to be kind of a jack-of-all-trades,” Abbott said, “and understand what your role is, what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, and be able to build up on that.”
Defensively, coaches have asked Thiero to create havoc, he said. He obliged late in the fourth quarter Sunday, forcing a turnover that allowed guard Chris Mañon to breakaway for the tying layup with 28 seconds left.
Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers celebrates after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
This three-game series between the Brewers and Diamondbacks was… something. The first two games featured some sloppiness, some bad luck, and some late (Midwestern) nights. After the teams split the first two games, Brandon Sproat and newly minted All-Star Eduardo Rodríguez took to the mound today to determine the series. The All-Star looked like an All-Star, and the other one didn’t, but Milwaukee gritted their teeth, had some good luck, and got a big hit from an All-Star snub to lead them to victory.
Brice Turang led off with a single for the Brewers, his seventh hit of the series after picking up three on Friday and three more on Saturday. But Jackson Chourio struck out chasing a high fastball from Rodríguez, Christian Yelich popped out to short, and Andrew Vaughn flew out down the right-field line.
In the bottom of the first, Sproat started by getting a groundout from Ketel Marte, but the next batter, Geraldo Perdomo, worked to a full count before lining a double into the left-field gap for a one-out double. Corbin Carroll, up next, also picked up a double, this one on a fly ball down the right-field line. Perdomo scored to make it 1-0, and Carroll, one of the league’s fastest players, stood on second base with one out. Sproat then walked Gabriel Moreno, and he was up against the ropes early; through four batters, he’d given up two hits, a run, and a walk, and gone to a full count on three out of four batters, inflating his pitch count. Sproat was able to retire the next batter, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., on a swinging bunt, which advanced the runners to second and third, but Ildemaro Vargas gave Sproat a break and grounded out to second on the first pitch he saw to end the inning. It took 28 pitches, but Sproat was out of the inning with only one run allowed.
The tough batted ball luck that has plagued the Brewers throughout this series reared its head in the second inning. Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell hit line drives of 111 and 107 mph on the second and third pitches of the inning, but they were both hit right at outfielders for outs. Gary Sánchez was next, and he did a good job working the count but got under one and flew out to left field to end the inning.
Confidence in Sproat continued to waver when he walked Tim Tawa to start the second inning. After a strikeout of Pavin Smith, Tawa stole second, but Tommy Troy struck out, too, and a Marte ground ball to Vaughn — who made a nice play — ended the inning. Sproat needed another 21 pitches and was already up to 49 through two innings, but the score remained 1-0.
David Hamilton began the third with a lineout to shortstop, and Joey Ortiz grounded out weakly to second. That made eight straight since Turang led off the game with a single, but on his second at-bat, he grounded out weakly to Tawa at first base. Nine straight for Rodríguez, despite just one strikeout and some decent contact.
Perdomo reached to start the third when Hamilton couldn’t handle a hard ground ball. It would’ve been a tough play, and Perdomo was given an infield hit, but Hamilton maybe should’ve been able to make the play. With Carroll batting, Perdomo stole second base to give Arizona a runner in scoring position with nobody out for the middle of the order. Sproat, though, came back to strike out Carroll and Moreno before walking Gurriel Jr. after working to a full count. With two outs and runners on first and second, Vargas again grounded out with two on to end the inning.
Chourio got a ground ball through the infield to give Milwaukee their first hit since the first at-bat of the game. Yelich tried to sneak a bunt in; he didn’t get a hit, but he did advance Chourio. But Vaughn struck out looking (at a pitch that should’ve been a ball, which he did not challenge), and Bauers flew out to right, and the Brewers remained without a run through four.
Sproat started the bottom of the fourth with 73 pitches already on his ledger. Tawa, leading off the inning, fell behind 0-2 quickly but fouled off three more pitches and took two more balls before tapping a grounder down the first-base line that Sproat flipped to Vaughn for the first out. Smith followed with a single into right, and Troy got a hold of one, but it was caught on the fringe of the warning track by Mitchell for the second out. Marte lined a two-out single to put runners on the corners, but after a visit from Chris Hook, Perdomo flew out to left to end the inning.
Mitchell struck out to start the fifth, and Sánchez and Hamilton followed with groundouts. Through five, the extent of the Brewers’ offense was two singles.
Sproat was finished after four. He’d allowed just one run, but each of his four innings was a real struggle; he’d given up five hits and walked three, and it took him 92 pitches to record 12 outs. He was replaced in the fifth by Grant Anderson, who pitched two scoreless innings in Milwaukee’s win on Friday night. He made quick work of the middle of the Arizona order: Carroll popped out, Moreno grounded out, and Gurriel Jr. flew out.
To paint the struggle with command for Sproat today, here are all of his first pitches today. He was just 8-for-20 in first-pitch strikes.
Ortiz and Turang both hit into outs to start the sixth. Chourio tried to spark something with two outs and hit a ball high off the wall in center field for a double — unfortunate that it wasn’t a homer, as it went 109 mph and 423 feet, and would’ve been out in all but one other ballpark. Three pitches later, Yelich flew out to left, and the inning was over.
Yesterday, Garrett Mitchell hit a 421-foot double that would have been a go-ahead homer. Milwaukee didn't score.
Today, Jackson Chourio hit a 423-foot double that would have been a game-tying homer. Milwaukee didn't score.
Vargas tried to bunt for a hit to start the bottom of the inning, but Hamilton was ready and threw him out. Tawa grounded out, too, on a nice play by Ortiz. After five up and five down, Anderson’s day was done as Pat Murphy called for the recently recalled Drew Rom to face the lefty Smith. That move worked, as Rom — with the help of a successful challenge from Sánchez — struck out Smith looking.
Rodríguez kept going in the seventh, but Vaughn led off with a base hit. Sal Frelick came in for Vaughn as a pinch-runner, but it turned out the Brewers didn’t need a pinch-runner: Frelick got to jog around the bases when Bauers got a hold of one and got it up a little higher than his 111-mph drive in the second inning. Bauers’ 16th home run of the season made it 2-1 Milwaukee and ended Rodríguez’s day on a sour note.
Kevin Ginkel was the choice to relieve Rodríguez. He struck out Mitchell to start things out, but Sánchez lined one into the left-field corner for a one-out double. Hamilton hit a line drive into right that was caught; Sánchez was able to advance to third, which allowed him to score easily when Ortiz snuck a grounder into right field. Sánchez probably wouldn’t have been able to score without advancing on Hamilton’s fly ball, so good baserunning by the big fella. Ortiz was thrown out trying to steal second, but Milwaukee had flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.
Aaron Ashby relieved Rom in the seventh, an inning late to vulture a win but in a big spot to try to get a shutdown inning. Troy picked up a cheap infield hit on a swinging bunt to start the inning, and the dangerous Marte came up as the tying run. He absolutely smoked a ball at 116.8 mph, but he hit it right at Chourio for the first out. Before Ashby threw his first pitch to Perdomo, he allowed Troy to advance to second when a pickoff throw got past Bauers. Perdomo picked up a base hit, too, though Troy, who had to pause for a moment to see if Chourio could catch it, held at third to put runners on the corners with just one out. A walk to Carroll, during which Ashby was not really anywhere near the zone, loaded the bases.
That was it for Ashby, as Murphy made the call to bring Abner Uribe into a tough situation with one out and no room for error. Uribe got the ground ball he needed, but it was hit just a little too slowly, and Moreno was able to beat out a double play, scoring Arizona’s second run in the process. Max Kepler was then called on to pinch-hit with the chance to tie the game, but Uribe struck him out to end the inning with the Brewers still leading, 3-2.
In the eighth, 33-year-old former Brewer farmhand Taylor Clarke was the new pitcher for Arizona. He got Turang to fly out to left for the first out, and Chourio followed with a pop out in foul territory. Yelich had a chance with two outs, but he flew out to left to end the inning.
Uribe continued in the bottom of the inning, but Vargas got a one-ball head start after a confusing pitch timer violation, and Uribe walked the free-swinging Arizona second baseman, just his 15th walk of the season. Tawa laid down a sac bunt to advance Vargas to second, which was followed by a long battle between Uribe and Smith. That battle ended fortunately for Milwaukee: Smith hit a hard line drive at 107.4 mph right at Turang, who tossed to Ortiz for an inning-ending double play.
Milwaukee was unable to muster anything against Arizona righty Drey Jameson in the ninth, so Trevor Megill had to do his work with a one-run lead. Troy became Megill’s first victim on a decently hit fly ball, but as the Brewers have learned, you have to hit it a lot better than “decently” to hit it out to center field in this ballpark. Marte was up next, and after nearly striking out looking on a very close 2-2 pitch, which Sánchez unsuccessfully challenged, he drew a one-out walk.
With the tying run at first, Perdomo — who already had three hits on the day — was up. But Megill got him to pop out to third base for the second out. Megill still needed to get the dangerous Carroll, but Frelick ended the game with a leaping catch on a foul ball down the right-field line.
This was a somewhat gritty win. Milwaukee’s pitching was playing with fire all day, particularly Sproat and Ashby, and the Diamondbacks had some terrible batted ball luck and got a good start out of Rodríguez. But Bauers’ big two-run homer and Ortiz’s clutch, two-out RBI single gave the Brewers enough offense, and Megill — with big assists from Anderson and Uribe — closed the door.
Milwaukee gets no break, as tomorrow they’ll be in St. Louis for the first of a four-day, five-game series that includes a rain makeup from early May. That starts a sprint to the All-Star break in which they’ll play eight games over the next seven days.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 4, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is tagged out at home plate by San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano after trying to score on a double by Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on July 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Emmet Sheehan faces J.P. Sears as the Dodgers look to sweep the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Defenseman Christian Wolanin, a former fourth-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, has signed on as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche. The deal carries a salary of $850,000 at the NHL level with the Avs and $400,000 in the AHL with the Eagles.
Wolanin hopes to earn a job with the same NHL team his father, Craig, won a Stanley Cup with in 1995-96. The elder Wolanin was selected third overall in the 1985 NHL Draft and in 1990 was traded to Quebec straight up for Hall of Famer Peter Stastny.
Steve Staios describes the two prospects who arrived in Ottawa in the William Karlsson trade.
Of Craig's 695 career NHL games, 364 of them were with the Avalanche/Nordiques from 1990-96.
Christian joined the Senators at the end of his University of North Dakota days in 2018 and played 10 games with Ottawa right out of the gate. In 2018-19, he was primarily in Belleville for the first half of the season, then joined the Senators full time in the new year, putting up 12 points in the club's final 30 games.
New Sens head coach D.J. Smith said he had Wolanin pencilled in as an everyday player for 2019-20, but then Wolanin slipped and fell on the ice, tearing his labrum on day one of training camp. He was out for four months, and then he returned roughly in time for COVID to hit.
In 2020-21, he was in and out of the lineup, playing in only 15 games for Ottawa before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Michael Amadio. The Sens didn't know what they had in Amadio and allowed him to walk in free agency that summer.
In all, Wolanin has seen 86 regular-season games' worth of NHL action and posted 23 career points with the Vancouver Canucks (2022-23), Buffalo Sabres (2021-22), Los Angeles Kings (2020-22) and of course, the Senators (2017-21)
Now 31, Wolanin played 53 games for the AHL's Providence Bruins last season, scoring 7 goals and 31 points.
His best AHL season came in 2022-23 when he had 55 points and won the Eddie Shore Award for the AHL’s best defenseman. He led all AHL defensemen that year in assists and points with Abbotsford. Two years later, he helped them win a Calder Cup.
Wolanin represented Team USA at the World Hockey Championships twice (2019 & 2021), winning the bronze medal in 2021.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published on The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For full coverage of the Senators, check out one of the latest headlines below:
CLEVELAND — Colson Montgomery hit a two-run homer and Kyle Teel and Tristan Peters added solo shots as the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-6 on Sunday to split a four-game series between the AL Central’s top teams.
The win moved the White Sox back into first place by one game.
Gabriel Arias belted a three-run homer and rookie Chase DeLauter also connected for the Guardians, who won the first two games on walk-offs.
The finale was delayed by rain and unplayable conditions on the water-logged outfield warning track.
Just before the re-scheduled start, the umpires met both managers in the outfield to inspect the track. The grounds crew then spent 30 minutes applying quick-dry mixture and grooming the track before it was deemed safe.
Down 6-3, the Guardians tied it in the fifth on Arias’ 446-foot drive off Erick Fedde (4-6) and some help from the White Sox.
DeLauter singled and Kyle Manzardo reached on Montgomery’s fielding error at shortstop. Arias followed with his fourth homer — the longest of his career.
The White Sox loaded the bases with none out in the sixth against Colin Holderman (4-2) and pushed across the go-ahead run on rookie Sam Antonacci’s fielder’s choice.
Cleveland threatened in the eighth, but Antonacci, who briefly moved from left field to second base before going back to left, ran down Kahlil’s Watson’s deep drive. Sean Newcomb earned his third save.
Montgomery belted his 23rd homer in the third to make it 6-3.
DeLauter’s first homer since May 17 tied it 2-all in the first. Travis Bazzana hit a fly to left that dropped for a double when Antonacci slipped twice. DeLauter followed with his first homer off a lefty.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Riley Greene homered, tripled and drove in four runs for the Detroit Tigers in a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Greene sent a two-run home run to right field in the fourth inning and hit a two-run triple high into the left-field corner during a four-run fifth inning.
Casey Mize (4-5) allowed two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Tigers won the series rubber game to finish a 5-1 road trip.
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 14 chances.
Mize came off the best start of his major league career — seven shutout innings in a win at Yankee Stadium last Monday during which he allowed one hit and no walks with 10 strikeouts.
Greene homered off Kumar Rocker (2-7), his fourth of the trip and ninth since June 1 after a 29-game homer drought.
The Rangers’ second consecutive loss dropped them to .500 at 45-45.
Texas contributed to Detroit’s four-run outburst. Rocker didn’t cover first base on a right-side grounder hit by No. 9 batter James Outman that became an infield single. Elias Díaz was called for catcher’s interference. A wild pitch by Robby Ahlstrom scored rookie Kevin McGonigle.
Rocker, 1-7 at home this season, gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Two of Texas’ runs came on solo homers — Jake Burger in the third inning and Ezequiel Duran in the eighth. Burger was previously hitless in 15 at-bats.
Josh Jung, the Rangers’ regular third baseman, was a late scratch because of pain from fouling a ball off a kneecap on Saturday.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 03: Cameron Carr #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after making a three-point shot against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in the California Classic a NBA Summer League game at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California. 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. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a late comeback in the fourth quarter to tie the game, the Lakers needed a couple of extra sessions to earn the win, that coming on a putback layup from Anton Watson.
Anton Watson with the game-winning putback, giving the Lakers the 93-91 victory over the Heat: pic.twitter.com/B3mEWpLw6S
Many of the same issues that existed in Friday’s game persisted on Sunday, which should not be surprising. While Cameron Carr opened the game with a floater off a nice set play, the Lakers were largely relegated to long-range shots the rest of the quarter.
Watson, Peter Suder and Carr all connected on 3-pointers, but the Heat found offense much easier to come by and opened up an early 10-point lead. Eventually, some defensive stops and a couple of baskets in the paint pulled LA with a possession at 20-17, but Miami closed the quarter with the final six points.
That run only extended to open the second as Miami moved ahead again by double digits as part of an 11-2 run in total. A Thiero freebie accounted for two points to stop the run.
LA’s bizarre zone defense was somehow worse than their man-to-man as the Heat got an open three and an open lob on consecutive possessions.
Carr did his best to keep the purple and gold attached, getting a friendly roll on a three before hitting a pull-up jumper to bring him to 12 first-half points.
Cam Carter hits a 3-pointer, Cameron Carr wastes no time and hits a 3 of his own, Vladislav Goldin with the alley-oop dunk (with replays), and Carr with the jumper.
The Lakers got off to another slow offensive start in the second half, including Adou Thiero getting blocked at the rim on a fastbreak dunk attempt. Watson got revenge with a huge poster dunk for an and-one for the first Lakers points of the half.
Carr continued his strong showing, converting his free throw after being fouled on a three before getting to the rim for a dunk. Thiero then had a steady stream of drives to the rim to draw fouls and get in a rhythm as well.
However, the Lakers still trailed by 10 going into the fourth.
After some back-and-forth action in the fourth, the Lakers finally pieced together a run. Zhaire Smith started it with an and-one dunk before a Thiero layup. Carr also converted a 1-for-2 free throw to pull within three.
From there, the teams traded big shots, including a long-distance Carr 3-pointer to keep the Lakers attached.
Carr putting on a show here in Chase center. Hits his fourth three of the night.
Down four with under a minute left, Chris Mañon forced a pair of turnovers leading to two fastbreak layups to tie the game. The Lakers made it three straight forced turnovers, but could not come away with a basket, leading to overtime.
In the two-minute extra session, Mañon answered a Heat basket with a pair of free throws before Thiero answered a Heat floater to keep the game tied. Miami had a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left, but missed both.
Thiero created an open layup for Watson off a drive on the ensuing possession, but he could not get the gimme to fall. The Heat tried a lob from the in-bound but turned it over, setting up a sudden death double overtime period.
The Lakers won the tip, setting up a Carr pull-up jumper. While the shot bounced short, Watson got the putback to fall for the walk-off win.
Key Player Stats
Carr continued his great Summer League showing, pouring in 26 points on 7-15 shooting, including 4-9 shooting from range. Thiero had 13 points with three rebounds, two assists and three steals, going 4-7 at the free throw line.
Mañon and Watson had 12 points each while Smith had 10 points off the bench. Suder finished the game with seven points and five rebounds while AK Okereke had seven points as well.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 05: Gabriel Arias #13 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates his three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on July 05, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Three games down in what has shaped up to be a very exciting series against the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Guardians took the field behind Tanner Bibee in search of a series victory.
Bibee wasn’t able to go as long as he, Vogt, and the bullpen would have preferred. After a rain delay set the start time back about 30 minutes, the warning track was not draining properly and forced another delay. This was after Bibee had already taken his warm up pitches, so he had to sit and then get back out there for a start. Unfortunately the White Sox did get to him, putting up six runs in four innings of work. Bibee gave up three home runs.
Franco Aleman pitched the fifth, walking one and striking out one. Colin Holderman had a rare, bad outing. He did not record a single out and loaded the bases. Vogt turned to Erik Sabrowski to face the current division rival with no outs and bases loaded. Despite the high leverage situation, Sabrowski remained even-keeled, only allowing one of the inherited runners to score and intentionally walking one batter.
Hunter Gaddis had a clean seventh inning, striking out one and turning things over to Shawn Armstrong for the eighth. Armstrong struggled, having been used a lot this series, he got two out, but loaded the bases. Vogt had to turn the bullpen again to get out of this inning. Tim Herrin struck out the next batter and retired the side. Cade Smith pitched the ninth and did his thing. All three batters faced hit into an out.
The offense did a great job at answering each of the White Sox runs. In the bottom of the first, down two, Travis Bazzana hit a lead off double to left. Chase DeLauter slapped his first homer since May 17th to right center.
Kyle Manzardro drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gabriel Arias hit a single to third and, with two outs, Daniel Schneemann hit a single to center to score Manzardo.
In the bottom of the second, while no runs were scored, it is worth highlighting some impressive base stealing efforts from Kahlil Watson. Watson hit a single to right and stole second and third base to put himself in scoring position with two outs.
Before the bottom of the fifth inning, the White Sox came back and went up three runs on Cleveland. Chase DeLauter hit a single to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Kyle Manzardo reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed DeLauter to reach second base on a fielding error. Gabriel Arias decided to be good in one at bat today and hit a towering 446 foot home run to the bleachers to tie it up again.
The White Sox pulled ahead by one run, which ultimately proved to be insurmountable by the Guardians offense. Cleveland unloaded the bullpen, unloaded the bench, but were only able to split this series with Chicago. This was a critical series in the AL Central. The Guardians find themselves still 1.0 games back from the White Sox and only three games above .500. Tomorrow is an off day for the club as they travel to Minnesota to face the Twins for three, then head to Miami to face the Marlins for three before heading into the All Star Break.
The Philadelphia Flyers may still have business to do with their two most important free agents, but their recent arbitration filings may prove beneficial in the end.
On Sunday, ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline, young Flyers stars Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale each filed for arbitration, which means a third party will determine the salary for the two players on their next contracts.
One each side makes its case, the arbitrator will make a binding ruling within two days.
However, the Flyers, Drysdale, and Zegras can always agree to new contracts before that takes place, and given Flyers general manager Danny Briere's confidence that new deals would get done heading into the offseason, this feels like the most likely scenario for both players.
And there's another catch that helps the Flyers.
Now that Drysdale and Zegras have elected arbitration, they are both ineligible for offer sheets, which completely neutralizes the threat of another NHL team using one against the Flyers.
The Flyers, of course, got that party started with their massive $90 million offer sheet of budding Anaheim Ducks star Leo Carlsson... who was once teammates with Zegras and Drysdale.
Funny how that worked out, right?
Earlier in the week, Daily Faceoff NHL insider Anthony Di Marco reported that Drysdale's next contract "seems" to be trending towards a medium-term three- or four-year deal worth $6.25 million annually, which is what Flyers teammate Travis Sanheim is currently costing against the salary cap annually on his deal.
It is less clear where things currently stand with Zegras, though the expectation throughout the year has been a long-term deal that would cost the Flyers somewhere between $8- and $9 million against the cap annually.
Additionally, it is worth noting that both Drysdale and Zegras are two seasons away from becoming unrestricted free agents, so the Flyers, at worst, will buy themselves some time to adjust to Carlsson's $18 million cap hit if their bid is ultimately successful.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 05: Isaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros is congratulated by Christian Walker #8 after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Daikin Park on July 05, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tampa Bay came to Daikin Park with the best record in the American League, winners of 8 straight games.
They will leave Daikin Park still with the best record in the AL, but on a 2 game skid.
Peter Lambert (W, 7-5) went 5.2 IP scoreless, backed by Steven Okert, Bryan King and Josh Hader (S, 9) to combine for a 4 hit shutout of the Rays (52-35) 2-0.
The Astros (45-47) got solo homers from Christian Walker (20) and Isaac Paredes (12), which proved to be the only runs of the game, and all Astros pitching would need to take the series from the Rays. Houston has now won 6 of its last 7 series.
The Astros are currently 2 GB of Seattle in the AL West (pending tonight’s action) and 1GB Texas for the final Wild Card spot.
Lambert was terrific, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. He threw 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes and got 5 ground ball outs.
Walker got the Astros on the board in the 4th when he took a four-seamer from Mason Englert (L, 0-2) opposite field for a solo shot.
The Cubs offense, seemingly lost for two days against the Cardinals in which they scored a total of just one run, suddenly appeared on a cloudy July afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Two first-inning runs appeared they might be enough until a bullpen meltdown in the sixth gave St. Louis the lead. But the Cubs came back and re-took the lead, in part with key hits and in part due to some sketchy Cardinals defense, and hung on to win 6-4 and salvage the final game of the series. They finished the homestand with a 4-2 record and get to 50 wins on the season. Just five other MLB teams (Rays, Braves, Dodgers, Phillies and Brewers) have won 50 or more games so far this year.
After Javier Assad threw a 1-2-3 first inning, the Cubs got right to work in the bottom of the inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong inside-outed a ball toward third base that took a weird spin and went for a hit.
Assad struggled through the second inning, issuing a leadoff walk to Jordan Walker, but then picked him off. That was important, because after getting Lars Nootbaar to fly to left, Assad loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. This seems to be a common theme among Cubs starters lately — inability to put away the third out with two out and no one on.
But Assad got out of that inning with a popup to short right that was caught by Dansby Swanson.
That was the first of nine straight hitters Assad retired. He was lifted at 80 pitches with two out in the fifth. About that, from BCB’s JohnW53:
This was the ninth game of the season in which Craig Counsell lifted the starter after exactly 4.2 innings.
It was the third of the nine in which the starter had no allowed a run. The first two were Jameson Taillon, on March 31 vs. the Angels, and Matthew Boyd, on June 25 vs. the Mets at New York.
The six other starters gave up two to seven runs.
Counsell did it seven times all of last season, after having done it 13 times in 2024.
That lifting of Assad led to the Cardinals’ first three runs. Ryan Rolison finished the fifth without incident, then allowed hits to two of the first three St. Louis hitters in the sixth. So Counsell called on Tyler Ferguson, whose second pitch was hit out of the yard by Walker for a three-run homer and a Cardinals lead. Ferguson did get out of the inning with no further damage.
Busch stopped at second on that hit and that’s when the defensive miscues began for the Carinals. Ian Happ popped into short left for the first out of the inning.
Swanson, who had wound up on second, scored on that play as well when Walker’s throw went into the Cubs dugout. So the Cubs had a 6-3 lead heading to the seventh.
Drew Pomeranz, just re-signed, threw a 1-2-3 seventh, then allowed a leadoff single to JJ Wetherholt in the eighth. That brought on Jacob Webb. Wetherholt advanced to second on a ground out, to third on a single and scored on a sac fly, cutting the Cubs’ lead to 6-4.
Webb finished off the eighth with no further St. Louis runs scoring, and remained in the game to throw the ninth after the Cubs went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth. He issued a leadoff walk to Masyn Winn in the ninth and, well, those are never good. But he recovered to get the next two outs on a foul popup and strikeout. Winn took second on defensive indifference, and that brought up former Cub Nelson Velázquez.
Incidentally, if you’re wondering why this recap is more text-heavy than usual, it’s because, well, basically the video clips here are all I had available, and some of the Cubs highlights only via the social media posts you see here.
Before I get to a couple more game facts from John, I did want to say something about Counsell’s pitcher management today. Yes, it’s easy to criticize and usually I don’t, but this time I think Counsell outsmarted himself. Assad was on a roll, having retired nine straight hitters. Yes, I get pitch counts but… in this case he couldn’t have faced one more hitter? Rolison got that guy, but then gave up hits to the two left-handed Cardinals hitters he was left in the game to face, and then Ferguson, who was sent in to face a right-handed hitter, served up a three-run homer.
Yes, I get the platoon advantage, etc. etc. etc. But sometimes I think managers do that too reflexively and don’t “feel” the game situation, for lack of a better term. Fortunately, in the end it didn’t matter in this game.
Four Cubs were hit by a pitch today, making this only their 12th game with at least that many since 1901.
The previous one was on June 22, 2022, at Pittsburgh, with four.
Their team record is five, set in 2020 at Cincinnati and tied the next year at St. Louis. That was the only previous game in which Cardinals pitchers hit at least four Cubs.
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With today’s win, the Cubs are 64-63 in games vs. their Central Division rivals in their three seasons under Craig Counsell.
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The Cubs overcame a deficit for the 38th time this season, in 35 different games. They are 24-11 in those games and have won nine in a row, beginning with a win over the Rockies on July 11.
Before rallying, the Cubs had blown a lead for the 38th time, in 29 different games. They are 14-15 in those games, including back-to-back wins and four of the last five.
One note from me: PCA singled twice and was hit by a pitch in five plate appearances. That raised his season OBP to .383 and his season OPS to .910.
One more note: This is a game in which the pitcher of record when the Cubs took the lead (Ferguson) was not given the win because he pitched “briefly and ineffectively” — a scorer’s discretion. Thus the win was given to Pomeranz.
At this writing the Brewers are leading the Diamondbacks 3-1 in the seventh. If that score holds up the Cubs will remain six games back in the NL Central and the Cardinals will be 7.5 behind Milwaukee. The Cardinals head home to open a five-game set vs. the Brewers Monday in St. Louis. That includes a doubleheader Tuesday, one of the games a make-up from a rainout May 5.
The Cubs will enjoy their off day Monday and then open a three-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore Tuesday evening. Matthew Boyd will start the series opener for the Cubs and Shane Baz will go for the Orioles. Game time Tuesday is 5:35 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
Jul 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) stands at third base during a pitching change in the fifth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Casey Mize wasn’t at his sharpest, but he got great defensive work behind him to put together a quality start. Meanwhile, Riley Greene did it all in this one, showing off power and great defense to lead the Tigers to a 6-3 win, and a series victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Kumar Rocker took the mound for the Rangers, finally settling in as a pretty solid depth starter at age 26. Kevin McGonigle greeted him with a battle that ended in a single to center field. Dillon Dingler followed with a grounder into a double play. A high cutter drew a whiff from Kerry Carpenter to end the top of the first.
Casey Mize, in the midst of a breakout campaign, was on the bump today for the Tigers, with Jake Rogers behind the dish. Joc Pederson greeted him with an opposite field single. Mize responded by dusting Jake Burger on three straight fastballs. Mize fell behind against Brandon Nimmo, but back-to-back well located fourseamers locked Nimmo up as he hunted something softer. Ezequiel Duran popped out to send us to the second inning.
Rocker has good stuff, but he tends to nibble when ahead, leading him to a lot of inefficiency like many young starters. He got ahead of Riley Greene, but the Tigers left fielder worked back to a full count and then flared a leadoff single into left field. Spencer Torkelson bit on a good 2-2 cutter away to strike out. Another lengthy at-bat ended in a deep drive from Colt Keith, but Evan Carter had no trouble hauling it in near the warning track in center field. Rocker was already closing in on 40 pitches five outs into his outing, but he coaxed a weak fly ball to center from Zach McKinstry.
Mize punched out Evan Carter with a high fourseamer to open the bottom of the second. That was his third strikeout already on the outing. Elias Diaz smoked a line drive but McGonigle dove gloveside and snared it with a great play. Josh Smith fouled off several well located two-strike splitters, and then battled Mize through a 10-pitch AB that ended with him smashing a fastball to the wall in right center field and racing to third for a two-out triple. Rookie infielder Cam Cauley, a right-handed hitter, was up next and Mize fell behind 3-1. He stepped off to compose himself, but fired a slider that missed up to walk him. After that slider that didn’t slide, Chris Fetter came out to hit the reset button on his right-hander. It worked, as Nicky Lopez grounded out on a splitter to end the inning.
Rogers and Outman flew out to start the third. Outman’s was a towering drive that floated out deep to center field, but it was still a comfortable play for Carter. McGonigle fouled off a slew of pitches, but then got a sinker right down the middle and grounded out sharply to second.
Mize got Pederson on a grounder to McGonigle to start the bottom half. However, a first pitch slider to Jake Burger stayed up and got crushed to left for a solo shot. 1-0 Rangers. Nimmo got a splitter away that didn’t quite fade off the plate, and smoked an opposite field line drive but Riley Greene laid it all out and made a brilliant diving catch in the left center field gap for the second out. The Tigers were flashing the leather early on, while Mize was still struggling to locate the slider and splitter consistently. Instead, he spotted a fourseam at the bottom of the zone for strike three on Duran to end the inning.
This might be the defensive play of the year for the Tigers so far, although the consequences were minor. What a catch though.
The Tigers were still struggling with Rocker’s cutter, and Dingler popped out to open the fourth. Kerry Carpenter finally broke through, lining a cutter to right for a single. Riley Greene worked a 2-1 count and then killed a fastball for his 13th shot of the year. It was a majestic no-doubter to right field for the All-Star outfielder, who was doing it all in this one and now has nine homers since the beginning of June. 2-1 Tigers.
Torkelson struck out. Keith fouled off a couple of cutters and then a fourseamer before working the count full. Rocker walked him on his 75th pitch of the day. McKinstry hit one hard, but right to Burger at first.
The Rangers went into swing mode against Mize in the bottom of the fourth. As a result he needed just six pitches to pop up Carter, get Diaz on a grounder to McGonigle, and then Smith grounded one to Torkelson, who fed Mize the toss to close out the fourth inning. By contrast, Mize only needed 56 pitches to this point.
Rogers struck out to open the fifth, but James Outman beat out an infield single on a grounder to first. That was it for Rocker as Skip Schumaker turned to lefty Robbie Ahlstrom against McGonigle. Outman was dancing off first and Ahlstrom fell behind the Tigers’ rookie 2-0. A solid single through the right side of the infield followed, with Outman cruising from first to third on the knock. Dingler got a 2-2 changeup away and Dingler ripped an RBI single to center field. 3-1 Tigers, and McGonigle easily went first to third as well, and so they had runners at the corners with one out and a run in for Kerry Carpenter. You’ll note Jahmai Jones’ services were not called upon once again, and Carpenter stayed in against the lefty.
Ahlstrom stuffed a pair of fastballs inside to start things off against Carpenter. The first was called a ball but challenged into a strike. The second drew a swing and was well inside, but Diaz interfered with Carpenter on the play and so he took first, and the bases were juiced as Riley Greene stepped into the box. The first pitch of the at-bat was a breaking ball that went right through Diaz’s wickets for a wild pitch to score McGonigle. In a full count, Greene launched a slider high to the opposite field and just off the wall in the left field corner. Smith couldn’t handle it and the ball bounced all the way over toward center field where Carter had to corral it to hold Greene to a two-run triple. 6-1 Tigers.
Spencer Torkelson followed by drawing a walk. AJ Hinch, with Pink Floyd’s On the Turning Away playing mournfully for Jahmai Jones in the background, pinch-hit Hao-Yu Lee in for Colt Keith. That just prompted the Rangers to go back to the pen for hard-throwing right-hander Gavin Collyer. He got Lee to pop out and blew McKinstry away with 99 mph to finally end the inning, but the damage was done.
McGonigle moved over to third base, with McKinstry to shortstop, and Lee in as the second baseman for the bottom of the fifth. Casey Mize had a long rest during the top half, but he picked up where he left off, getting Cauley to ground out first pitch. Nicky Lopez lined a single to left field, and so the lineup turned over to the top for the third time. Mize bounced a splitter to walk Joc Pederson, and suddenly things got a little bit tense again. Mize unclenched the situation by popping up Burger on a high fastball for the second out. He got ahead of Nimmo with two high fastballs that were fouled off, but the next one was a little liner just over McKinstry and off the tip of his glove for an RBI single. 6-2 Tigers. Duran lifted a fly ball to left to end the inning.
Collyer locked up Rogers for the first out of the sixth. Outman was victimized by a good fastball on the outer edge for a whiff. McGonigle fouled off a host of good two-strike pitches and ultimately drew a two out walk to reach base for the third time in this one, but Dingler popped out to end the frame.
Mize quickly got Carter and Diaz to ground out. His 85th pitch drew a lazy fly ball to left to send us to the seventh inning.
Right-hander Cole Winn took over from Collyer to face Carpenter, Greene, and Torkelson in the seventh. This was a very favorable matchup, but you never know. Carpenter whiffed on a splitter and struck out, while Greene flew out. Torkelson lined a single to get Lee to the plate, but he popped out down the third base line.
Matt Vierling took over in right field from Carpenter for defensive purposes, while Mize came back out for the seventh but on a short leash. Cauley lifted a drive to right field, finding Vierling immediately for the first out. Mize’s 94th pitch got Nicky Lopez on a little fly out to left, and that ended Mize’s day as the lineup turned over again. Left-hander Drew Sommers got the call to take on the top of the Rangers’ order. The lefty dispatched Pederson with a sinker that tied him into knots to end the inning.
Winn took care of the last third of the Tigers order with no difficulty, and so we were onto the bottom of the eighth with the Tigers defending a 6-2 lead. With Keider Montero unavailable, Will Vest injured, and Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan pretty iffy, how would Hinch try to get through the final six outs? As expected, the first answer was Drew Anderson with the right-handed Burger up to start the inning.
Anderson leaned into the fastball early on, with Burger grounding out to third and Nimmo flying out to Vierling for the second out. That left to Duran, who ambushed a slider that leaked back on the inner half rather than bending away and launched a solo shot over the center field wall. 6-3 Tigers. Anderson’s changeup and slider continue to be pretty mashable when left up in the zone, despite the copious whiffs he’s generating off the two pitches. Carter quickly grounded out on a changeup to send us to the ninth.
Right-hander Peyton Gray handled the ninth for the Rangers. He got a McGonigle pop up into shallow left field to start things off. We were hoping to get Greene back to the dish with a shot at the cycle with a double. Unfortunately, Dingler lifted a routine fly out to center. So, it was up to Vierling and he delivered, ripping a screaming drive up the left field gap for a two-out triple. And so, Greene had a shot at the cycle. The Tigers haven’t had a cycle hit for since Carlos Guillen in 2006. Unfortunately, Schumaker wasn’t interested in seeing Greene hit again in this one, and so they intentionally walked him. Boooooo. Yeah it’s a three-run game and not totally out of hand, but that was a bummer. Torkelson grounded into a force of Greene to end the half inning.
And so, it was Kenley Jansen time. He promptly popped up Diaz to Torkelson, staying at the top of the strike zone or higher. Smith also popped out to Torkelson, this time on a 1-2 slider. Alejandro Osuna pinch hit for Cauley, and he lifted a little pop fly to Vierling to end this one.
That was save 486 for Jansen’s career.
A 5-1 road trip feels pretty good after the Tigers’ first half struggles on the road. The 40-50 Tigers now come home for three against the Angels starting on Tuesday night. The six-game homestand will also see the Phillies come to town for three, and that will take us into the All-Star break. The Tigers are currently seven games back of the White Sox in the AL Central, and five games outside the final Wild Card spot.
The Mets opted to sit A.J. Ewing in a tough left-on-left matchup with Braves ace Chris Sale on Saturday.
The youngster was back in there with another southpaw, Martin Perez, on the mound on Sunday afternoon though.
Ewing was ready for the opportunity.
With the Mets trailing by a pair after an eventful first inning, Ewing stepped to the plate and lifted a 3-2 sinker at the top of the zone 408 feet to right for a solo shot.
It was his fifth homer of the season, and his second against a lefty.
The next three batters reached, as well, as the Mets pushed themselves back in front with a four-run inning.
Ewing struck out in his other two at-bats on the day, but also lined a single back up the middle in another left-on-left matchup with former Met Danny Young in the top of the sixth.
“It was great to see,” interim manager Andy Green said. “The home run left-on-left, the single up the middle against a down lefty, that’s just really exciting to see.”
Ewing came into the day hitting just .190 in those situations thus far in his career.
The 21-year-old outfielder has certainly shown he's capable of handling lefties in the past, though, as he hit a strong .313 against them in the minors last year.
“We’ve believed he’s going to hit lefties in the long run,” Green said.
“I’ve always been comfortable against lefties,” Ewing added. “Obviously blips happen, but I’m comfortable facing whoever is on the mound.”
Ewing's hitting .265 with a triple, five homers, seven doubles, and a .756 OPS on the year.
The biggest moment of Eliezer Alfonzo’s professional career came amid the darkest moment of his personal life.
Ahead of Alfonzo’s MLB debut on Sunday, reports from Venezuela confirmed that his stepmother Patricia and 16-year-old little sister Eliana –– who had both been missing in the wake of last month’s devastating earthquakes in the country –– had been found dead in the rubble of a collapsed hotel.
Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was scheduled to make his major league debut Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Getty ImagesAhead of Alfonzo’s debut, reports from Venezuela confirmed that his stepmother Patricia and 16-year-old little sister Eliana had been found dead in the rubble of a collapsed hotel. Instagram/ealfonzomatatan
“I don’t know if I’m gonna see her again or not,” Alfonzo told the California Post on Saturday of his sister, whom he said had been as anxious to see him reach the majors as he had. “But I’m pretty sure God’s gonna give me the blessing to let her see me play here in the big leagues.”
Instead, when the rookie catcher took the field for the first time as a big-leaguer, he honored his late family members by writing “E y P, RIP” on his hat.
Venezuela has been devastated by recent earthquakes. REUTERSRescuers work at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela. REUTERS
“I don’t really know what to say about it, outside of my heart goes out to him and his family,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “He is in there. He’s going to play today. But obviously, heavy heart is not even justifying. So, yeah, I don’t really want to go too far because I’ll get emotional. I don’t know. I know it’s tough. It’s very tough.”
The 26-year-old son of former MLB veteran catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Sr., Alfonzo had spent almost a decade in the minors awaiting his first big-league opportunity.
A longtime farmhand of the Minnesota Twins who signed with the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent this offseason, Alfonzo’s first career call-up came after hitting .313 with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
Alfonzo hit .313 for Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this season before being called up to the Dodgers. Getty Images
Upon arriving in the Dodgers clubhouse on Saturday, he expressed gratitude for the support he had received from the organization and his teammates.
“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Alfonzo said. “Last week was probably one of the toughest weeks of my life.”
During Sunday’s game, veteran teammate and fellow Venezuelan native Miguel Rojas –– whose wife and kids survived the earthquake while staying at a hotel in the capital of Caracas –– also had a message of recognition for the Alfonzo family written on his cap.
The news came a day after Alfonzo said his family was still holding out hope of finding the two alive. instagram/ealfonzomatatan
“I’ve had the support from the team, from the day that everything happened,” Alfonzo said Saturday.
While he was already at the ballpark when the June 24 earthquakes hit, Patricia and Eliana were still at the hotel, along with other family members of the team.
For the last week and a half, Eliezer Sr. had overseen a search-and-rescue effort looking for them. On Friday, they were handed a glimmer of hope when their family dog was pulled from the carnage alive.
But then, in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, local reports announced that both Alfonzo’s stepmom and sister had not survived.
The most heart-wrenching of developments, on what should’ve been the most celebratory day of his career.
“I know it’s difficult with everything that is happening right now,” Alfonzo had said the day before. “But at the same time, I got my country, my family, on my heart, on my mind. Everything I do is because of them. So I’m gonna make them proud.”
Jul 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the America 250 logo on the third base during the Fourth of July game between the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Detroit Tigers scored six runs.
The Rangers are an American League-best 22-17 against teams with records above .500 this season. The Rangers are a .500 team exactly. The Detroit Tigers came into today’s game 39-50. The Rangers lost to the Tigers for a second consecutive game to lose the series to Detroit.
There’s some unpleasant math here.
The Rangers actually scored the first run of the game and the final two runs of the game. Between those two runs, the Tigers scored twice in the fourth and four more in the fifth when Texas succumbed to poor pitching and even worse defense.
Player of the Game: Jake Burger hit a team-leading 15th home run.
Up Next: The Rangers remain at home but have tomorrow off for their final day off of the first half before opening a series against the Anaheim Angels beginning on Tuesday.
