Miami Marlins right-hander Eury Perez was perfect for seven innings on Sunday, June 5.
But his bid for MLB's first perfect game in more than three years was stopped by his own manager.
Perez was lifted after seven flawless innings and eight strikeouts against the Athletics, with Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough removing him after 92 pitches. The seven innings tied a season-high for the electric 23-year-old, who was making just his third start since returning from a thigh injury.
Perez had Tommy John elbow surgery before the start of the 2024 season that kept him out of action for all of that season and half of 2025.
Fans in Sacramento responded to Perez's removal by chanting "shame" and pointing at the Marlins dugout as the eighth inning started.
A's fans continue to yell "SHAME! SHAME!" towards the Marlins dugout ever since Eury Pérez was pulled with a perfect game through 7 IP.
Reliever Lake Bachar gave up the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout in a three-batter span by walking Lawrence Butler, allowing a single to Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and then giving up an RBI double to Carlos Cortes. After a walk to Max Muncy, Bachar allowed a grand slam to Jonah Heim, which prompted celebration and more "shame" chants by A's fans.
Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees threw MLB's most recent perfect game on June 28, 2023. That also came against the Athletics.
After the latest signing from the Anaheim Ducks, the Philadelphia Flyers are as close to a successful Leo Carlsson offer sheet as they have ever been.
On Sunday, with the looming threat of an offer sheet to defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, the Ducks signed the Russian defenseman to a five-year, $36 million contract that carries an AAV of $7.2 million, clogging up the team's cap space even further.
As a result, the Flyers are now in pole position to actually end up landing Carlsson, 21, with their offer sheet.
According to PuckPedia, with Carlsson and his $18 million AAV on their books, the Ducks have a measly $9.973 million remaining to re-sign star sniper and ex-Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier--another restricted free agent--as well as defenseman Tyson Hinds.
The Ducks can give themselves a bit more money by moving Laurent Brossoit and his $1.1 million cap hit to the AHL, and by putting veteran forward Troy Terry (hip) on long-term injured reserve to create another $7 million in space until November or December, when he'll eventually return from his injury.
That isn't a permanent solution, though, as we can safely assume that Gauthier will get at least $10 million annually on his next contract, if not more due to Carlsson's situation.
Hinds won't cost the Ducks much money, but the problem there is that the Ducks would be rolling into the season with a group of defenseman that consists of Hinds, Ian Moore, Jackson LaCombe, Mintyukov, Nick Jensen, Drew Helleson, and Tristan Luneau.
That is far from inspiring, and they have no chance of contending for a Stanley Cup with Carlsson's $18 million cap hit prohibiting them from making any meaningful upgrades.
This is all to say that the Flyers have effectively forced the Ducks into making a big decision: it has to be Gauthier or Carlsson, but not both.
If it is both, then the team has no chance of succeeding.
The Flyers, on the other hand, have positioned themselves nicely in this situation.
Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale have filed for arbitration, erasing any chance of a potential retaliatory offer sheet from the Ducks or other NHL teams.
Forward Tyson Foerster just signed a big-time contract extension, and yet, the Flyers don't have any players with a cap hit greater than $9 million... only half of what Carlsson would be getting.
Other cap implications to note: Carlsson would be a free agent in 2031, which is the season after captain Sean Couturier's big $7.75 million cap hit contract expires. Christian Dvorak, too, will be a free agent in 2031, and Owen Tippett will be a free agent in 2032.
With Carlsson's five-year deal running until that timeframe, the Flyers are making a smart bet on the rising cap, and betting that they can contend with the core they've built now.
For all intents and purposes, this core is a lot better than the one Pat Verbeek built, then destroyed, in Anaheim.
Drysdale, Zegras, John Gibson, Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, Ryan Strome, Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, John Carlson, and Jacob Trouba have all left the Ducks in recent seasons, via trade or via free agency, and it will be a damning indictment against Anaheim if Carlsson is next out the door joining the Flyers.
Mar 13, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Fans gather outside prior to the start of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The big news early out of July 4th in Sacramento, California, was that Mikel Brown Jr., the Brooklyn Nets highest draft pick in 16 years, would not play — and won’t play again till Monday, missing Sunday’s action as well as Saturday’s. Later though the big news was not what Brown didn’t do, but what Egor Demin did do in his 23 minutes and 46 seconds. He changed his narrative.
The player who many saw last year as unwilling or unable to touch the paint, finish the play over and over again. The added weight and muscle may have been one reason for the difference, but clearly so was his confidence in himself not just as an NBA player but as a leader…
He spoke to our Shara Talia Taylor specifically about how he wants to be seen this year: someone capable of handling pressure…
Egor Dëmin on his motivation today: "I don't want to say pressure,you know of being a leader,but I'm kind of embracing the role of a guy who spent the year in the NBA already.I want to take that role on myself coming here&lead the team,mentally,on the bench&on the court as well." pic.twitter.com/yCD6NJo2N7
This is of course would be the second time the 6’9.5” Russian has changed his narrative. When he was drafted, the league saw him as the prospect with perhaps the best court vision in his class but a woeful outside shooter. The Nets, however, dismissed that concern and he proved them right. He was along with Kon Knueppel, the best volume 3-point shooter among rookies, closely following Knueppel in the race to become the fastest player in NBA history to 100 threes and setting a rookie record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
Instead the concerns were that he wasn’t getting to the paint and finishing. How much of that was his issue and how much was the Nets offensive structure was cause for some debate. And the plantar fasciitis troubled him during last summer and again at the end of the season. Was that a factor? He seems healthy now and more mature. He’s less that gangly, almost goofy kid. Last month, in one example of personal growth, he was baptized into the Mormon faith.
It all bodes well for him and the organization as does the prospect of a Demin/Brown backcourt with both capable of being lead guard. There are still going to be issues going forward, some of which Lucas Kaplan touched on at the end of last season in his retrospective but as a senior NBA decision-maker told ND early last season, “You’ll see development sooner than years end…. But in 3-4 years when you have actual players around him, you will really really see it.” Progress.
On the other hand, there were some cringeworthy moments for one of the two other members of the Flatbush 5 who played vs. the Kings. Drake Powell had some nice moments early guarding Darius Acuff but offensively, he was horrid. No other way to put it. He was 0-of-9 including five misses without a make from deep and turned the ball over four times in 27 minutes, tied for most on the team with Ben Saraf who also showed early on defense had a reputable if not spectacular offensive game.
Is Free Agency over? Or delayed a year?
Bottom line: we don’t know.
It’s fair to say that the Nets made their big off-season moves early, trading Nic Claxton and the 33rd pick (Isaiah Evans) in a three-team deal with Minnesota and Chicago that yielded Julius Randle and the 28th pick (Joshua Jefferson), then picked Mikel Brown at No. 6 which was the consensus pick and was applauded by most of the fan base. They filled things out by taking Jefferson and then at No. 43, UCLA sharpshooter Tyler Bilodeau who they promptly signed to a two-way.
Since then, they made two moves to add players to their rotation: 3-and-D point guard Keon Ellis and stretch-5 big Moe Wagner. Neither got the fan base nor pundits very much excited but a couple of league sources liked, if not loved, the additions, particularly in light of their reps as good locker room guys in a locker room which once again is looking like the league’s youngest. Currently, the Nets average age is something like 23.4 years old.
Moreover, the two will have “mutual options” next Summer, an odd contract wrinkle. A mutual option guarantees each player the full amount of the deal while allowing either side to opt-in (not opt-out) and have a conversation about a new contract next summer.
At the moment, capologists estimate that the Nets have a minimum of about $25 million in cap space left as Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweeted after news of the agreements with Ellis and Wagner:
This $25 million cap space projection doesn't include the Julius Randle trade yet. They could spend that amount, then trade Nic Claxton for him.
The Nets would need to include another small salary with Claxton to make the salary-matching work. They're $917,000 short. https://t.co/tuMmqsTPy1
That number is mushy, as Gozlan notes, and that will likely remain so until at least Monday, the official start of free agency. Here’s why: The Nets haven’t completed the Randle/Claxton trade and won’t be able to officially sign Ellis or Wagner until the clock strikes midnight Monday morning. That trade can be — and likely will be — expanded on Monday and within that possibility there are all manner of permutations, additions, etc., that can make for a much bigger trade. It’s also the opening of free agency
The Kevin Durant trade between Phoenix and Houston last season started off as a two-man deal, then ultimately expanded to seven teams, including the Nets trade of the rights of Adou Thiero, their No. 36 in the 2025 Draft to the Suns for two future firsts (one of whom became Tyler Bilodeau.)
Expect to start hearing news on that in the next few hours or by tomorrow. So stay tuned. Once the deal is done, Joshua Jefferson will be able to suit up since he’s part of the deal. He’s the 28th pick that the Nets wound up with in the exchange.
At the moment, the only rumor out there is Nets interest in Rui Hachimura, the Lakers big, but that seems unlikely in that the 6’9” forward doesn’t fit much of a need — he played most of last year at the 3 and 4 with an occasional few minutes at the 5 — and he made $18.3 million last season.
As for Peyton Watson, long rumored as a Nets target, the Nuggets are trying to find a way to keep him around, but will risk going over the second apron to keep him. On the other side of that risk assessment, they risk losing Nikola Jokic who has made it clear he wants to win. Recent reports indicate Watson wants a deal in excess of $25 million. That’s doable, of course, for Brooklyn and Joe Tsai.
Watson hasn’t been seen in the Denver area of late. He’s been sailing the Mediterranean on a yacht with his old friend and Nuggets teammate Michael Porter Jr.! Would like to have been a fly on that wall!
Sunday, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Nuggets are open to a sign-and-trade if they can’t make a deal with Watson.
The Denver Nuggets intend to match any offers for restricted free agent Peyton Watson when the NBA’s moratorium lifts on Monday, said league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations.
Yet as the Nuggets and Watson’s agent, Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group, have continued to be apart in negotiations for a new contract, sources say Denver is also very open to the prospect of a sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old forward.
As Amick also noted, Brooklyn and the L.A. Clippers are the only teams with enough cap space to tender an offer to Watson, but if it becomes a sign-and-trade, there likely will be others.
While it’s unclear how many teams are pursuing Watson, only the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers have the salary-cap space to submit the offer sheet he wants. The Clippers, league sources said, have shown legitimate interest in Watson but are also navigating their own restricted free agency situation with Bennedict Mathurin, which complicates matters. Several teams are known to have registered interest in a sign-and-trade for Watson.
Brooklyn of course has one asset among many to lure the Nuggets: Denver’s 2032 unprotected first rounder. The Nuggets are bereft of firsts.
However, it is also possible that this is it for the Nets front office. They will have 15 players with guaranteed deals if the trade goes down as originally described and with with Ellis and Wagner signed.
It would signal that while the tank is over, the rebuild will continue into next Summer when the free agent pool is deeper. In fact, it is insanely deep. At the moment, no Nets player has more than two years left on his contract, although Sean Marks & co. will have to make decisions on each of the Flatbush 5 come October 31. That’s the date that first rounders selected in the 2025 Draft can be extended beyond their second year. And they have yet to trade any of their 35 Draft picks this off-season and if things don’t change, they’ll go into the season under the cap. Flexibility continues.
We shall see … and soon.
Final Note
July 4th weekend is over and the Nets are 1-1 in the California Classic which choses tomorrow with a game between the Nets and Warriors Monday night. It’s a late one, 8:00 p.m. ET. Then it’s on to Las Vegas where the Nets play the Knicks on July 10. After Vegas, there won’t be any Nets games for nearly four months. Enjoy them. Four months is a long time.
HOUSTON, TX - JULY 05: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Mason Englert (59) gets relieved from the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning during the MLB game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros on July 5, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays came into Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros riding a nine-game homer streak. That streak came to an end on a day of a shutout loss, when the lucky breaks did not go the Rays’ way.
Houston wasted no time accepting two unexpected gifts in the bottom of the first. Ben Williamson could not field Jose Altuve’s ground ball, and Hunter Feduccia’s throw sailed into center field on Altuve’s stolen base attempt, allowing the Astros’ second baseman to race all the way to third with only one out.
That usually ends with a run crossing the plate. Instead, Rays’ starter Mason Englert had other ideas.
After striking out Yordan Alvarez, Englert watched Isaac Paredes lift a harmless fly ball to shallow right, then froze Christian Walker with another strikeout to escape the inning unscathed. It was an impressive bit of damage control that could have easily unraveled after two defensive mistakes.
The Rays had survived their own sloppy start. Now they just needed to take advantage of it.
They almost did an inning later.
Chandler Simpson lined a single into center, promptly stole second, and put pressure on Houston’s defense with his legs. Victor Mesa Jr. followed with a walk, putting two aboard with two outs, but the Rays never found the swing to bring them home. Richie Palacios bounced into a force play, quietly ending the promising inning.
This would become a familiar theme.
Englert continued matching Houston pitch for pitch through the middle innings, getting plenty of help from a defense that settled down after its rocky opening.
Taylor Trammell provided one of the afternoon’s defensive highlights with a leaping grab in center to rob Jonathan Aranda in the third, helping preserve the scoreless tie.
Then came the bottom of the fourth.
Good hitters punish mistakes, and Englert left a fastball near the center of the plate for Christian Walker. Walker launched a solo homer into right field to finally break the deadlock, turning what had been a well-pitched chess match into a game where every remaining opportunity carried a little extra weight.
To Englert’s credit, that was about the only real mistake.
The right-hander regrouped immediately, retiring the next three hitters and keeping the deficit at just one. That mattered because Tampa Bay kept giving itself chances to answer.
The fifth inning may have been the most frustrating of them all.
Williamson ripped a leadoff single and swiped second, putting the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Victor Mesa Jr. struck out, but Palacios moved Williamson to third with a productive ground ball.
Ninety feet away. Two outs. One well-placed ball ties the game.
Instead, Hunter Feduccia lined one directly at Christian Walker at first base, and another rally disappeared before it ever really got started.
If that wasn’t enough, the sixth somehow found another way to sting.
Aranda hit a single, bringing Junior Caminero to the plate. Orioles pitcher Peter Lambert then threw a wild pitch, advancing Aranda to second. Another wild pitch advanced Aranda to third with one out after Steven Okert entered the Houston bullpen. The tying run stood just 90 feet away again.
Caminero popped out to shortstop, and then Ryan Vilade, pinch-hitting for Cedric Mullins, lifted a fly ball to right that settled comfortably into Cam Smith’s glove.
Three innings with runners reaching third base and zero runs to show for it through six. Baseball has a cruel sense of timing, and the Astros wasted little time reminding everyone.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Paredes turned on a pitch and drove it into the left-center field seats for his 12th homer of the season. Just like that, a one-run game became a two-run deficit that felt like a mountain to climb.
Empieza el show mexicano 🇲🇽💪 Isaac Paredes con cuadrangular por todo el izquierdo. pic.twitter.com/jbmbEqHJ7F
The Rays still had six outs left, but they never seriously threatened again.
Jonny DeLuca singled as a pinch hitter in the eighth, but Houston got him out on a force play. Josh Hader entered for the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Junior Caminero, briefly bringing the tying run to the plate. It felt like one last opening.
It wasn’t.
Ryan Vilade struck out, Chandler Simpson lined out, and Williamson followed with another strikeout to end it.
There were positives buried in the loss. Englert battled through 5.2 innings despite surrendering the two solo homers, and the bullpen kept the Astros from adding on. The pitching staff also piled up 12 strikeouts against one of the American League’s more dangerous lineups.
But this game belonged to the opportunities that slipped away.
The Rays will be back at it tomorrow to open their seven-game homestand heading into the All-Star break. Griffin Jax is scheduled to take the mound against the Yankees with first pitch at 6:40 pm ET.
Jul 5, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Trey Yesavage (39) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Blue Jays 0 Mariners 4
So…..for the second game in a row, we didn’t score. Today, three hits, one extra base hit (Vlad’s double), with singles from Nathan Lukes and Ernie Clement. And we had two walks.
Surprisingly, only six strikeouts, but a lot of soft contact. We had one hard hit ball, Vlad’s double at 114.7. Luis Urías (101.7) and Ernie Clement (100.4) were the only other Jays with balls hit at 100. Both ground outs.
Trey Yesavage wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, but still had a quality start. Six innings, three hits, three runs, two earned, two walks and seven strikeouts. A pretty good line. The Mariners didn’t seem to be going after his breaking stuff, and they did have two home runs, if that is a bad Trey start, we have an excellent starter there.
Tyler Rogers pitched a quick seventh (just six pitchers). Mason Fluharty had a very long eighth inning, 32 pitches. Allowing three hits, one earned, with two strikeouts.
Other than that, Ernie Clement’s had an throwing error at short. Vlad made a couple of nice defensive plays. Lukes made a nice catch in right.
But, all in all, I should have slept through this one as well.
No Jays of the Day.
Other Award: Yesavage (-0.12 WPA), Lukes (-0.10) and Okamoto (-0.09)
Tomorrow the Jays travel a few hours south, to start a series with the San Francisco Giants (one of those places I’d like to go see a game, but won’t for the next few years). Kevin Gausman (4-7, 4.19) goes against Landen Roupp (5-8, 4.55). Maybe the Jays could, you know, score. It is a late start, 9:45 Eastern
DENVER — It took until the last game of the series at Coors Field this weekend before a lead changed hands, almost unheard of in the mile-high ballpark that practically births chaos.
In the end, it didn’t go in the Giants’ favor.
The Giants’ Rafael Devers watches one of his two home runs Sunday against the host Rockies. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Kyle Karros jacked a mammoth three-run homer in the eighth inning that flipped a two-run Giants advantage into a 7-6 defeat, sending them to their second series loss in as many tries against the lowly Rockies, one of two National League teams below them in the standings.
Against the two teams on either side of them in the NL West, the Giants went 2-4 and dropped both series on this road trip against Colorado and the Diamondbacks.
“It’s pretty bittersweet,” manager Tony Vitello said. “Because you could flip the script pretty much with just one game. It didn’t start off very well. We had a game in there we didn’t play good baseball at all. … We had some things to celebrate with the All-Star [selections], guys have spoken up and said good words.
“But ultimately, unfortunately that scoreboard dictates a lot in your life when you’re doing this.”
The Giants slugged four home runs, including two from Rafael Devers to claim the team lead with 18, but Karros got the last laugh.
The go-ahead blast landed 471 feet away, at the very top of the left field bleachers, and marked only the second time Colorado scored against the Giants’ bullpen over the final two games of the series.
It came against Dylan Smith, the seventh reliever summoned the past two days by Vitello and the first who wasn’t able to get the job done. Smith had a 1.69 ERA in 12 previous appearances.
He struck out the Rockies’ biggest threat, Hunter Goodman, to begin the eighth and got two strikes on the next batter, T.J. Rumfield. But the rookie went the opposite way to sneak a double down the left field line, and nothing went right from then on.
Smith hit Troy Johnston with his next pitch and fell behind 3-1 to Karros. He attacked him high and inside, and Karros was waiting for it.
Before Smith, the Giants’ bullpen had limited the Rockies to just one run over seven innings the past two games. But the dam burst, souring the flight back to San Francisco.
“You kind of feel like six [runs] can get it done,” Vitello said.
In addition to Devers’ second multi-homer game of the season, Casey Schmitt slugged his 17th and Drew Gilbert added one among his four hits to match a career high, finishing a triple away from the cycle.
Devers’ second homer reached the third deck, a 463-foot blast that was the second longest of his career.
“That’s probably the furthest ball I’ve ever seen hit,” Schmitt admired.
The power show from Devers and Schmitt made them the first pair of Giants teammates with at least 17 home runs in their first 90 games since Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent in 2000.
“I didn’t know about that,” Schmitt said. “But that’s cool to know that’s a thing. … I’m not really trying to go out there and hit homers. I’m just trying to hit line drives, and if I catch it, I catch it.”
Schmitt wasn’t the only one to get ahold of one, but it was all for naught once things went south in the bottom of the eighth. The loss was the Giants’ seventh in 41 games when leading after seven innings.
The Giants’ Drew Gilbert (0) celebrates his home run Sunday against the Rockies. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
What it means
The Giants lost for the 10th time in Tyler Mahle’s 14 starts.
While it was Smith who took the loss, Mahle didn’t do them any favors by failing to complete five innings for the second straight start and surrendering four runs on eight hits.
Who’s hot
Vitello didn’t like the way Gilbert handled himself the last time he was in the Giants’ starting lineup, four games ago, in Tuesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks.
The manager thought his former star at the University of Tennessee allowed his pop-out in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss Monday night affect his play the following day.
So, he sat him down.
“This is a game of many, many reps,” Vitello said then. “The best guys can separate them and be ready for the next pitch.”
In his return to the starting lineup Sunday, Gilbert made a statement. He was ready for the next pitch. He sent the fourth one he saw soaring into the bullpen beyond right field.
He didn’t stop there, finishing 4-for-4 in the second four-hit game of his career.
“He just really gets charged up,” Vitello said after the game. “It’s a matter of managing that, being aggressive and intense but also being under control. I think the home run came because with two strikes, he was under control and just shortened up a little bit.”
In 12 games against Colorado, Gilbert is batting .480 (12-for-25) with seven extra-base hits, including four of his seven career home runs — a 1.656 OPS.
In 97 career games against any other team, he has 49 hits in 248 at-bats (a .197 average), with only 17 going for extra bases, resulting in a .513 OPS.
Vitello left him in against left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino in the sixth, too, and Gilbert ripped a two-strike fastball up the middle for his first hit in 24 tries this season without the platoon advantage. It was his third career hit in 42 at-bats against left-handed pitching.
“For him to get his first hit off a left-handed pitcher, in particular a guy throwing sidearm,” Vitello said, “it spoke a lot to where his focus is at.”
Who’s not
Mahle’s outing couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.
He was called for a pitch-clock violation before he had thrown a pitch, putting him in a 1-0 hole against Jake McCarthy, and the speedy outfielder laced a triple on the first pitch he saw.
It mirrored the way his last start began, serving up a home run to the leadoff man, and the rest played out in about the same underwhelming fashion.
Since tossing 5 ⅔ shutout innings in his return to the rotation, Mahle hasn’t made it through the fifth in either of his ensuing starts. He has surrendered eight runs (seven earned) over 8 ⅔ innings between the two starts, raising his season ERA to 5.70.
“I still feel good with where I’m at,” Mahle said. “It doesn’t look good on the box score, but I felt like I battled, felt like I made some good pitches and started to settle in. That’s life.”
Mahle was solely responsible for the one unearned run on his line, too, making a questionable decision to attempt a pickoff at first base with two strikes, two outs and a runner at third. He airmailed the throw past Devers, allowing the second run of the first inning to score.
Up next
The Giants return home and continue a stretch of 13 straight games leading into the All-Star break. They host Tyler Rogers and the Blue Jays for three games beginning Monday, which will feature another familiar face on the mound: Kevin Gausman (4-7, 4.19 ERA).
Landen Roupp (5-8, 4.55) gets the ball for San Francisco in the series opener. First pitch: 6:45 p.m. PT.
Jul 5, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (26) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Huascar Brazoban has been terrific for the Mets this season.
Brazoban came into Sunday afternoon having allowed just one run over his last nine appearances, but the right-hander endured as rough an outing he’s had all year.
After the Mets tacked on five runs against old friend Carlos Carrasco in the top of the ninth, interim manager Andy Green called upon the big man to wrap up the final three outs.
Brazoban ended up being pulled after recording just one, though.
He allowed the first four Braves to reach on three singles and a walk before striking out Jorge Mateo on three pitches for the first out of the inning.
His own throwing error on a pickoff attempt at first also brought in a run.
Brazoban then gave up a grand slam to slugging Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin, cutting the big lead all the way down to just two runs and bringing his day to an end.
Five of the six batters he faced reached, and he allowed five runs.
“It was just one of those days,” Green said.
Devin Williams came on and made it even more interesting as the winning run made it’s way into scoring position, but the closer was able to barely hang on for the victory.
The blowup saw Brazoban’s ERA rise from 1.94 to 3.00 on the year.
“He’s been unbelievable all year,” Green said. “The ERA is 3.00 even after what just happened, that just shows you how good he’s been all year for us, just wasn’t his day.”
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.
